When Immortal Ascension Fails Time Travel to Try Again

Story 11 - How to Save a Sect in Six Simple Steps (6)

I would show this new disciple of mine just how incredible his master was! “I’ll start with how your cultivation technique bypasses the Tianzong acupoint.”

Noxious scoffed. “That’s obviously to keep the flow of energy going. It increases the cultivation speed without weakening the medicinal Qi.”

I moved behind him and sent the most powerful flick of spiritual energy I could at his shoulder blade. He flinched. Very slowly, he turned around and faced me with narrowed eyes.

I grinned. “Hurt, didn’t it?”

He scowled. “Less than a scratch would! Besides, you didn’t even do damage to me.”

“Still hurt.” I crossed my arms smugly. “Since I’m only in Foundation Establishment, I shouldn’t be able to make you feel pain. After taking care of the side effects from the bath, even my cleaning technique shouldn’t affect you anymore.”

He scowled. “Your damned cleaning technique is abnormal. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe it was connected to an earthly law or two.”

“Nonsense. It’s just a simple technique. I just happen to be very good at applying it. Besides, it’s still incomplete.”

“What?! You think you can improve it more?”

He looked very confused and worried.

Right, the people of this era didn’t know what those were. Whatever.

I identified a few more of the supposed optimizations of his cultivation method by blasting them with Qi.

His whole face turned red, and he glared at me.

I clasped my hands behind my back and walked around him while shaking my head. “Weak points on a Nascent Soul cultivation technique? Tsk.”

“Those are hardly what I would consider weak points.”

“Oh?”

“I might feel a little pain in those places, but that’s it. If that Resentful Shadow Snake struck me there, my wounds wouldn’t be any worse than if he hit me anywhere else.”

“They’re still signs of an unorthodox technique.” I paused. “Your cultivation method has all the signs of being developed by someone with severe, unhealable injuries who had to pick apart their original Nascent Soul cultivation. They likely created this new method by bypassing their overly damaged acupoints and discovered that they cultivated faster and became stronger despite these weaknesses.”

Hadn’t Noxious mentioned that his previous master was a complicated woman? She was someone who would kill and consume a powerful spiritual beast, even if it made her a deadly enemy. Could the reason she’d done that be because of severe injuries? She might have needed to use the snake, or its gallbladder, in a medicinal meal to heal some and prolong her life.

“Your technique was likely developed by your first master. And she probably didn’t give it to you. You must have found it after she passed and decided to cultivate it when you reached Nascent Soul yourself.”

He placed his hand over his mouth as if preventing it from opening in shock. “How did you know?”

“Because I’m just that good.” Muahahahaha!

He glanced up as if asking for strength from his ancestors.

“Also, if I’d been your master at the time, I would never have given you such a flawed cultivation manual.” I crossed my arms. “Alright, I know your sect has to have more than one technique for Nascent Soul poison masters. What made you choose to cultivate this one?”

He looked flabbergasted. “It’s still the best out of the ones we have.”

I opened my mouth to tell him to stop lying to me but then closed it when I realized he was being serious. These poor medium-tier sects. They must have had it so hard.

“Hey, I don’t need your sympathy. We do perfectly fine with our so-called flawed techniques.”

“Speaking of flaws, I’m just getting started.”

He frowned. “Hold on.” He picked up a jade slip and pressed it to his temple. The poison master looked like he was going to take the most important notes of his life.

Good. If I hadn’t known he was an excellent student who was willing to lower himself to learn and adapt, I would never have considered taking him in as my in-name disciple.

I began to list out in detail every part of the technique that was used to sacrifice long-term stability for a small amount of power and how I would have corrected it.

With every sentence I spoke, his face became more and more serious. At one point, it looked like he wanted to go against me, but then he froze, nodded his head, and looked more determined than ever.

Ha! As if he could argue with me about this. In my past life, I had memorized and studied thousands of manuals before I developed Lin’s Kick Ass Cultivation Technique, No Peeking, so of course I knew what worked and what didn’t. If anyone could correct the flaws in Noxious Fangstrike’s cultivation method, it would be me.

After some consideration, I took out a jade slip and copied the best-fitting Immortal Bone Creation cultivation technique for Noxious onto it. It wasn’t the best the Indomitable Will sect had, but it was a very forgiving method. Which was exactly what we needed since it was for alchemists, who only used medicinal Qi, and not poison masters, who also used poison Qi — something only an unorthodox technique would include.

In this universe, cultivation techniques for a single style could only be switched at the start of each realm, though it was rarely recommended. This excluded things like body cultivation and sword cultivators who could do whatever they could to get stronger, as long as it didn’t clash with what they previously learned.

In this case, the sect didn’t have a full inheritance, so it was absolutely necessary for Noxious to switch once he passed his tribulation. The cultivation technique I picked out happened to work with his current foundation with some caveats.

“You’re fortunate that you’re reaching Immortal Bone Creation. After your tribulation, you’ll have a very short time where you can reforge your body. When that happens, other than any cosmetic things you want to do…”

“Nonsense! My appearance is perfectly acceptable.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Well, you’re related to Dread Lotus so, of course, you look good...” but the cultivation world was filled with unbelievably shallow people. “But haven’t you ever wanted to be a few inches taller? Maybe look a little more manly? Now’s your chance.”

He scowled.

Everyone always improved their appearance according to their preferences when the time came. Some changed their nose or made their chin pointier. Others removed that one large mole that just wouldn’t go away, no matter how many purifying elixirs they drank. I’d even seen some beautiful women become nearly unrecognizable after becoming an Immortal Bone Creation expert, as if going through intense plastic surgery.

If anyone looked ugly after their tribulation, it was a choice, usually done to intimidate others.

“I’m perfectly fine!”

”Whatever you say. It’s your body, so it’s your decision. I won’t judge you either way. But what you’ll have to do during this window, is remove the damage your previous cultivation technique did to you if you want a chance to make it to Immortal Ascension.”

I gave him specific instructions for how to accomplish that. By the time I’d finished, he had his palm pressed against his mouth as he stared into space. “That’s possible?!” he mumbled.

I frowned. “Did you remember all that, or do I have to write it down for you?”

He jolted. ”I remember it, Master Lin!” he said respectfully.

I nodded, then paused. Where the hell had his reluctance gone? This enthusiasm was a bit offputting, but I could get used to it. It was what I deserved as his badass master.

Since I still had the jade slip with the new cultivation method on it, I added a lecture I memorized on how to find his first earthly law at the end of it. This was something he’d need if he didn’t want to get his ass handed to him.

“I’ll give you five hours to memorize this Immortal Bone Creation manual, so make any preparations for the war that you need to before we start your final treatment.”

I tossed him the jade slip, and he caught it. He stared at it with the reverence it deserved.

“Yes, master.”

“I’ll give you a lecture during your bath because you won’t be able to understand everything on your own in the time we have. But I’ll teach you. You can trust me when I say, you can do this.”

His hands shook. He brought them together and bowed deeply. “This disciple thanks Master Lin!”

I nodded.

“Now, get ready! You’ll feel the need to go through with your tribulation directly after the treatment is completed, so be prepared. Maybe write a will, or create a clone body or two, just in case.”

He scowled.

“What? I’m speaking from experience here. Tribulations are dangerous. I can help you understand your new cultivation technique but I can’t help you survive. You have to do that on your own.”

“I know.”

When I turned to leave, I noticed the braziers with oddly colored fire at the corners of the room. “By the way, if you don’t make it, can I, as your master, inherit your strange flames?”

His face darkened, and he pointed toward the door. ”Get out!”

”Ha! Is that what you say to your new master?”

His cheeks turned pink. ”Respectfully, master, get out!”

“Make sure you bring all your defensive tools!”

I chuckled as I left.

***

[Image Link]

I returned to the space to see Little Spring and Xiao Bai playing on the grass. Or maybe this was training? Whatever it was, they were having way too much fun.

He finally noticed me and dashed toward me, but the not-dog was faster. It looked like a mundane puppy slowly running up to me, but it beat the kid and jumped into my arms. I ran my nails through his soft fur to give him some scratches behind his ears. His blue eyes closed in happiness.

“Who’s a good not-puppy? You are! Yes, you are.”

“Bork!”

Little Spring patted Xiao Bai’s head. ”What happened with Noxious Fangstrike?”

I grinned. ”Make sure you keep this a secret, but...he’s now my first in-name disciple.” Ugh. Those words didn’t taste right.

The kid tugged at my sleeve. He looked proud of me. “I’m glad.”

He left a lot unsaid there.

“I am a bit upset, though.”

“What? Why? Did he do something weird?”

“Of course not! It’s because this useless disciple is so stingy. Can you believe he wouldn’t agree to give me his strange flames if he failed his tribulation?”

”He probably wants to keep them in the sect. Don’t be too sad, Sister Lin. I’ll get you a strange flame someday.”

Chances were, this little protagonist would find a dozen of them just lying around. But I doubted it would be anytime soon.

“Sure. If you ever come across an extra one, bring it to your older martial sister.”

He nodded, then took Xiao Bai from my arms and turned. Before he could escape, I grabbed his shoulder.

”Sister Lin?”

”Are you forgetting something?”

”…”

”I was thinking we’d try the Golden Core version of the bath to see if that helps.”

He used the space to teleport a few feet away from me and bolted.

”Hey! No teleportation!”

”Sorry, but I can’t! I have to finish training with Xiao Bai and then rush to a meeting with someone! I don’t have time right now. Bye!”

I narrowed my eyes at the kid’s running figure, then teleported in front of him. He slid to a stop while looking nervous. What was he hiding?

”Who are you meeting?”

He looked away from me. ”No one in particular.”

”The sect is about to go to war soon. You really think contacting this Daoist No One In Particular is a good idea?” I pulled out my needles.

He raised his hands. “I’m just meeting a merchant.”

”You can’t trust merchants! Especially during a war!” I still remembered that bitch, Little Black, who betrayed me twice before my tribulation.

”Sister Lin!” He looked desperate.

”Just tell me why you have to meet this Daoist No One.”

His cheeks turned bright red. “Well, you remember that armor seller who had the scarf from the Blue Wave clan?”

I nodded.

”A while back, I met her again and offered her a reward if she could bring me any information on that island… especially on the clan that the scarf came from.”

I knew he wouldn’t let that go and wait like I told him to.

He held up both hands, dropping Xiao Bai, who let out a bork of complaint. ”I know how dangerous that was!”

”If they hear a rumor about some brat around the same age as the child of their enemy — someone who is searching for information about them — they’ll send an assassin to kill you.”

He pointed to his face. ”Not only do I look nothing like my real self, but I look several years older than I actually am. My disguise technique is perfect. I think I can take that risk.”

If this kid were anyone else, I’d agree with him. Unfortunately, he was the universe’s protagonist. Had I not told him that? Right. I had yet to break rule one of the Transmigrated into a Novel Club — Do not talk about being transmigrated into a novel.

Well, this main character was tempting fate by doing this shit. All it would take was one little mistake and bam! A whole clan would come for his head, one at a time!

Seriously, they were going to find out and when they did, they would send a Golden Core cultivator after him. And once the brat killed that guy, their Nascent Soul father would go after him just in time for him to reach the peak of Golden Core. That cycle would then continue until he either reached Immortal Ascension or wiped out their whole clan!

While exciting in a novel, having to deal with that situation in real life would be a nightmare. I refused to put this little main character through that!

I flicked his glabella a bit harder than usual.

”Ow!” He took several steps back to dissipate my flick. He rubbed his red forehead. “Sister Lin, it’s not as bad as it sounds. I said that I liked their scarf and was just very curious.”

”Like that merchant would believe that.” I crossed my arms. “No, unless those Blue Wave people aren’t actually your mortal enemies, they’ll figure it out and send someone to kill you.”

”That’s… highly unlikely.” He looked at me like he questioned my sanity.

Okay, maybe the dichotomy between my soul and body was increasing my paranoia a little...but I’d read so many Xianxia in my past-past life and I’d seen too much shit in my last life to believe something wouldn’t go down here.

”I’m coming with you! Just watch. That merchant will show up with someone trying to murder you.”

”Then how about we bet on it?”

Where the hell had this kid learned to gamble?!

I crossed my arms. “What are the stakes?”

”If assassins don’t come after me, then you have to spend the rest of the day helping me find a medicinal meal replacement for your treatment.”

”Oh? And what’s in it for me?”

”I’ll stop running from the baths until I’m completely cured. And I won’t complain about the smell or itchiness again.”

That would save me so much time and energy. “Agreed!” I couldn’t wait to see the look on this kid’s face when I was proven right.

”Just one thing.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

He held up a single finger and stared at me with large, pleading, adorable eyes. “Please stay hidden unless something actually happens.”

”Of course! How else am I supposed to surprise those assassins?”