Chương 39: Chapter 38

In a room within the Hall of Spirit Gardening, Celia rose from her chair, trailing a hand along the edge of the desk. The hall's correspondence lay scattered across it, forgotten. She came around to Elara, her surprise giving way to a delighted smile.

"Do you know how many disciples our master has?" Elara nodded. Theron was at Tier 8 Foundation Establishment. Since reaching late-stage Foundation Establishment, he had accepted one new disciple each year—eighteen in all. With the three gifted disciples he had taken on during the early and middle stages, that made twenty-one. Celia gestured for her to sit, then took some of her prized spirit tea from her Storage Ring. As she brewed a cup, she began explaining more about their master's lineage.

"My grandfather trained under Master Caerwyn. He reached Foundation Establishment at fifty-one and its late stage at a hundred and thirty-seven. After establishing his foundation, he took Benedict Xie, Lydia Ye, and Gareth Jiang as disciples. All three have since reached Foundation Establishment themselves." They were Theron's three most prominent disciples. Elara went over what she knew about them. Benedict, his first disciple, was a hundred and thirty-six.

He was at Tier 3 Foundation Establishment and a mid-level Rank Two alchemist. Everyone in their lineage knew he had money to spare. Lydia, his second disciple, was reserved and aloof. At ninety-four, she had also reached Tier 3 Foundation Establishment. She devoted herself to cultivation and served in the Talisman Hall as a mid-level Rank Two talisman crafter. Gareth, his third disciple, was a sword cultivator. He was sixty-one and, like the other two, at Tier 3 Foundation Establishment.

An exceptional fighter, he pursued his cultivation tirelessly and fiercely protected those he considered his own. He was also the most gifted cultivator in their lineage and the closest to Theron's later disciples. With those three supporting the lineage and a Golden Core cultivator as their master's own teacher, it was no wonder Theron's disciples managed so much of the Hall of Spirit Gardening's business. But Celia wasn't simply telling Elara how well connected they were.

"Our master is already at Tier 8 Foundation Establishment," she said with a knowing smile.

"He intends to spend the years he has left concentrating on reaching Golden Core." Suddenly, Elara understood. For the first time, she saw the years ahead as Theron must see them—and understood what Celia was trying to tell her.

"Thank you for being frank with me, Celia. I understand." Celia laughed.

"Understand what? I'm just saying there's no need to be so formal with me."

"In that case…" Elara smiled hopefully.

"Could you make the Spirit Gardener examination a little easier for me?" The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You little schemer." Celia rolled her eyes. The sect set the examination standards. She couldn't change them. Still, her grandfather had entrusted her with managing the Hall of Spirit Gardening's affairs. She considered for a moment, then lowered her voice.

"Show me your technique and cultivation method. Then I'll take you to meet Benedict." Now that sounded promising. Elara couldn't expect much help from their master, but his first three disciples might be willing to offer some support. Especially Benedict. As a Rank Two alchemist, he could spare a trifle that would be a windfall to the rest of them.

"Thank you, Celia. I've been looking forward to meeting the three great pillars of our lineage." Elara could barely suppress a laugh. She demonstrated Stormcalling and the Verdant Moon Method. Celia watched, generous with her praise. Afterward, she explained exactly what the Rank One Spirit Gardener examination entailed. Elara cupped her hands in thanks. She now had a much clearer idea of how much more practice she would need before she could pass. She stayed to help Celia with her work until noon.

Then they set off together for the Alchemy Hall on the northern side of Azuremoon Peak. Their spirit crane carried them around the mountain and over a cluster of stately old buildings. It knew the route, descending into a courtyard near the main hall on the northern slope. Six cultivators were tending beds of medicinal plants in the spacious courtyard. At the entrance to the main building, a man in blue-green cultivation robes watched the crane approach with weary resignation.

"Not pleased to see me, Martin?" Celia led Elara over to him. Martin Wu was Benedict Xie's first disciple and had reached the peak of Tier 9 Qi Refining. He managed his master's daily affairs while gathering the resources he needed to attempt Foundation Establishment. That work brought him into frequent contact with his master's fellow disciples. Celia had clearly come looking for a share of Benedict's generosity often enough to feel comfortable teasing his disciple, despite Martin's cultivation.

He took it in good humor, bowing with a rueful smile.

"Mistress Gu. Mistress Lin. Welcome." The Moonwatch Sect followed two sets of rules when it came to titles. Within a shared cultivation lineage, seniority followed generations of discipleship, much as it would in a family. A Foundation Establishment cultivator might address someone at Qi Refining as Master or Mistress without either finding it strange. Outside that lineage, cultivation, position, and standing determined the proper title.

Outer disciples addressed inner disciples as Master or Mistress, just as Qi Refining cultivators addressed those at Foundation Establishment. Martin might be at the peak of Qi Refining, on the verge of Foundation Establishment, but Celia and Elara belonged to his master's generation. That settled how he addressed them. No cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining had ever called Elara Mistress Lin before. She rather liked the sound of it.

"No need for ceremony, Martin," Celia said.

"No need for ceremony, Martin," Elara echoed, carefully following her lead.

"Mistress Lin…" Martin chuckled. He was used to the cultivation world's peculiar rules of seniority. Even so, watching a girl who looked sixteen or seventeen trying out her newfound authority made it hard to keep a straight face. He respected Elara's place in their lineage, but he couldn't help feeling a certain fondness for its young newcomer. With a teasing smile, he held out his hand.

"Do I get a little gift to mark the occasion, Mistress Lin?"

"Oh!" Caught off guard, Elara hurriedly considered what she had. She took a Soul-Calming Talisman from her Storage Ring and offered it to him.

"I don't have anything very valuable, but you can have this Soul-Calming Talisman." Martin started to laugh. Then the name registered, and the sound died in his throat. Celia snatched up the talisman. Both stared at Elara.

"What's wrong?" She had no idea why they were reacting like this. In Seed of Ascension, almost everyone knew how to draw a Soul-Calming Talisman. Cultivators learned to make one in the first trial on the Stairway of the Great Dao.

"Elara, where did you get this?" Celia asked urgently. Martin's gaze was just as intent.

"Mistress Lin, Soul-Calming Talismans have been lost for ages. This one…"

"Lost?" Elara frowned, then straightened.

"I drew it myself."

"You know how to make talismans, too?" Celia asked.

"You're a talisman crafter, Mistress Lin?" Her answer had only left them more astonished. Especially Celia. Elara had learned Stormcalling and the Verdant Moon Method in just two days. If she had a gift for talisman crafting as well, her chances of reaching Foundation Establishment were far better than Celia had thought.