Zou Tian had come to a difficult decision. He’d been invited to explore the nearby qi-rich mountain, and he wanted to accept. The opportunity was a great one for many reasons, such as being able to practice Hide Presence against beasts of a higher realm and serving the sect by scouting for the other expedition members. Both activities would give him good, practical experience in areas that he intended to perfect in coming years.

Unfortunately, Zou Tian would have to refuse. He simply had too much to do to get ready for his mission to Sixth Flawless Flowing City. Even though it would be months before he left, the list of things he needed to accomplish was so long that he feared not being able to get to them all.

Over the last week, he’d done a lot of thinking, and he’d had multiple sessions with Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu, though it felt weird to call a Nascent Soul level cultivator Senior Brother. But no other title fit. He wasn’t officially an elder of either sect, and Zou Tian already had a master.

The conclusion the two of them had drawn was that his best chance of fulfilling his mission was to avoid notice. There were a couple of problems, though. One, people in the city knew him and knew he had left with Master.

Two, all cultivators emitted a qi signature that signaled one’s realm to anyone with a spiritual sense. While Zou Tian’s high affinity with his Shadow aspect combined with his hiding technique minimized his qi signature, minimizing was not the same as eliminating. A Foundation Establishment cultivator like Senior Sister did not have a sense strong enough or experienced enough to detect him, but most Golden Cores could if they happened to notice him. And he’d stand out like a sore thumb to any Nascent Soul.

If he couldn’t figure out a way to completely eliminate the telltale signs of him being a cultivator, the mission would be far too dangerous for him, so his first goal was to make it so that not even Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu could detect him.

The other thing the two of them had discussed were his techniques. Zou Tian had both Hide Presence and Foundation Dagger Essentials at Mastery, and Shadow Perception was at Large Success. If he worked hard, there was no reason he couldn’t get that perception technique to Mastery, without even using the Trial Pagoda, before he left to travel to the city. That was goal number two.

Skills for hiding, sensing, and a weapon were a great foundation for what he needed to accomplish, but there was always room for improvement. So the third goal they had come up with was for him to pick up a new technique to aid in the mission. Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu was convinced that Master could provide literally any technique that they could think up, leading them to discuss a lot of options.

The main category of ideas they considered was general knowledge of specific spying abilities, like how to blend in, how sects hid secrets, how to discern the truth of rumors, etc. The problem was that every single one of them sounded like something he absolutely needed, but he only had time to learn one. Barely. He’d probably need to use the pagoda even to get the technique to Large Success.

At his urging, they also discussed the possibility of trying to advance him quickly to Foundation Establishment so that he could pick up really useful techniques. He was at least a year away from making that transition, though, and rushing his cultivation that much might have severe repercussions for the future. Even though he was willing to try it, Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu correctly noted that Master would doubtlessly object.

Since Zou Tian couldn’t learn any skills that used external qi, they really couldn’t come up with any techniques that taught him an actual ability that would help as much as knowledge would. In the end, he decided that the best thing that could help him immediately was a technique to teach him a general overview of spycraft, something that sacrificed depth in any one useful subject in order to give him a foundation in all the areas he needed to know.

Which meant that, prior to his departure for his mission, he needed to get one technique from Large Success to Mastery and learn another and get it all the way to at least Large Success. To do that, he might even have to skimp a bit on his cultivation in order to spend more time practicing.

That realization led him to the inescapable conclusion that, as much as he wanted to go on the expedition, he just couldn’t.

When Senior Brother, Senior Sister, Kang Lin, Jin LiJuan, and Ganzou met with Master as scheduled at dawn outside the Administration Hall, Zou Tian joined them and asked Master for a private conversation. The sect leader immediately agreed to the request and teleported both of them to his office.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“So what’s up?” Master said.

Zou Tian cupped his hands. “I’m afraid that I must decline your invitation to go to the mountain, Master.” And he explained why.

“I see. We’ll miss you, of course, but your reasoning appears sound. If it helps, I’m sure there will be other expeditions, and I’m proud of you for prioritizing needs over wants.”

Being barely able to remember his parents, Zou Tian was self-aware enough to realize that he’d latched onto Master as a father figure, and the man expressing how proud he was really meant something. Zou Tian paused a moment to gather himself before continuing with the conversation.

“Gratitude, Master. Before you go, there are two things that I need.”

“Okay. Tell me.”

Zou Tian explained his and Yuan Yaozu’s idea for a knowledge technique that would convey an overview of spycraft. The sect leader easily granted that request, handing over a jade slip after a few moments’ thought.

“The second idea is a bit more problematic, Master. I’m not even sure if it can be done.”

“This should be interesting. Shoot.”

“One of the trials the pagoda offers is to Add or Modify Qi Aspect.”

“Yeah. Xun Wu has already done that,” Master said. “It works just fine. Are you trying to add a qi element?”

“No, Master. I need to be able to hide my cultivation better, and my theory is that, if I could increase my affinity with Shadow even higher, it might just give me the boost I need.”

Master rubbed his chin. “You know, you got me there. I honestly don’t know if that will work or not. I see why it might as, in a way, that is a modification of your aspect. On the other hand, I equally see how the pagoda might be ultra pedantic about what it allows. Either way, though, you have my permission to give it a shot.”

Zou Tian cupped his hands again. “Gratitude, Master.”

His first obstacle—the easiest one, really, consisting of getting Master’s approval—was accomplished, but Zou Tian still had a lot to do. Best get to it.

Kang Lin had no idea what to expect from the expedition that Master had planned. The mountain had been the source of the beast tide, and when he and the twins had first encountered it, they’d given it a wide berth. The wood harvesters who’d been associate members of the Righteous Rain Sect had heard rumors about missions that sect had organized to take advantage of the natural treasures in the area, but they didn’t know any actual details.

Basically, the entire place was surrounded in mystery. The only thing everyone agreed upon was that, the closer one got to the base of the mountain and then the higher one climbed, the more dangerous the environment and the beasts became. That fact actually didn’t worry her too much, mainly because she had grown to trust her abilities and the battle prowess of her companions.

Oh, and she was almost positive that Master wouldn’t drop them off in an area that was too dangerous for them. That helped her confidence a lot, too. And the contingency ring she wore on her finger.

Whatever they would be doing on their journey, they’d definitely be working with a safety net.

There was a slight delay as Zou Tian, who had told the rest of them in advance that he wasn’t going and that he would be requesting a moment of Master’s time, disappeared with Master. When they returned, Zou Tian looked pleased, so his requests must have been granted.

They all said their goodbyes to the boy, and he went off to do whatever activities had him so occupied. The Rising Tide Sect didn’t keep many secrets, especially from members of the council, so the fact that no one knew exactly what had him so busy was a source of endless speculation. Contrary to what Yang Xiu guessed, Kang Lin was positive those activities had little or nothing to do with his girlfriend.

Soon, though, she put thoughts of the scout out of her mind as she had something infinitely more exciting to consider as they soon left the sect grounds behind. The journey was interesting with all four of the Foundation Establishment cultivators having their own gliders. Jin LiJuan’s even had a small platform just for Ganzou.

Kang Lin definitely saw the convenience of the devices. Master didn’t have to pull them on a sled like other elders would have had to do. And she loved the autonomy it gave her. The four of them could use the gliders to retreat or to gain altitude to evade a threat or to scout for dangers or treasures. When her cousins and her friends back in the Poison Claw Sect found out about the device, they would turn green with envy.

It seemed like barely any time at all before they neared the start of the valley leading to the mountain. Shortly after it came into view, Master led them to descend all the way to the ground at an outcrop overlooking it.

“I’ll leave you here,” Master said. “The quantity of beasts is still greatly diminished, and you won’t find anything above a rank two anywhere near. On the other side of the valley near the base of the mountain, you’ll start hitting a few rank fours, with rank threes ranging in between. Consider it an exercise for the student to determine how far you should go and how fast you should try to get there. If you get into trouble, don’t hesitate to trigger your ring.”

“Yes, Master,” the four of them chorused.

And with that, he was off, leaving her with three cultivators still in the first minor realm of Foundation Establishment just like she was. Master had previously killed a Nascent Soul equivalent beast, a rank ten, near where they were. It occurred to her that most other sects, including her own, probably wouldn’t have let the four of them, all relatively junior cultivators, anywhere near such a dangerous location.

If nothing else, life with the Rising Tide Sect sure was interesting.