Chapter 72: Arrival
To see a battalion of cultivators set out was truly a sight to behold.
Yao Shen and Elder Tianjian Shuan were positioned at the helm of the formation, both limiting their speed to a fraction of their capabilities. He was comfortably seated on Cumulus, his Nascent Soul stage movement artifact, while Elder Tianjian maintained a stern, upright posture as the one responsible for the Earth Division contingent.
Immediately behind them were two hundred core formation cultivators, a blend of core disciples and sect guardians. Since they required an artifact to achieve flight and most of the cultivators present were practitioners of the Earth element, it made far more sense for them to conserve their Qi reserves and traverse via land.
Another eight hundred foundation establishment cultivators made up the final strata of their formation, their synchronized footfall a thunderous rumble that announced their presence as the most populous among those present.
It took little effort to catch onto the whispered conversations that were exchanged among the disciples, both inner and core. Kang Long had apparently listed rewards that would be given to the disciples for meeting contribution criterias and the ten disciples that displayed the most commitment to the assigned tasks would be granted instruction directly from the Patriarch of the Earth Division himself, regardless of whether they were an Inner Disciple or Core Disciple.
Unsurprisingly, the Sect Guardians present were entrusted with the task of monitoring said contribution alongside their own duties; at least according to one Core Formation Disciple.
Yao Shen had also not missed the cloud of irritation swirling around Elder Tianjian Shuan, who was clearly displeased at the lack of discipline among his ranks. He wagered that it would not be long before the Elder reprimanded the disciples, but doing so would be contrary to Kang Longs scheme.
The promise of tantalizing rewards drove back much of the confusion and vexation the disciples would feel at marching under the command of an enemy patriarch, off to build a residence for short-lived mortals at that.
Its alright, Yao Shens tone was soft as he made the request, his gaze directed towards the grasslands stretching out into the distance; any spiritual beasts in the area long having fled at the approach of the veritable cultivator army. Let children be children.
Elder Tianjian only offered him a grunt in affirmation, clearly not satisfied with the decision but equally unwilling to voice his misgivings.
The rest of their march turned out to be largely uneventful, besides a few interesting tidbits of conversation that Yao Shen picked up on.
There were two flags that stood tall in the distance, flecks of variation in the blues and greens of the landscape. A silver flag with a rendition of three overlapping clouds and a red flag that contrasted surprisingly well with the motif painted in a vibrant orange, the sacred bird: marayan in all its flaming glory.
Yao Shen noticed that the flags designs were reductive versions of the original, stripped of the sect names and a few other symbols while sticking to their roots. The official designs had yet to be worked on and at this juncture, branding of the individual divisions wasnt a matter that was high up the totem pole.
This moment arrived sooner than I thought, Yao Shen spoke aloud, even though the intended recipient of the statement was himself.
He knew and understood that the Heavenly Dao despised him and would loathe him even more if it realized that his soul was not of this world.
But at the same time, Yao Shen couldnt help but wonder if there was some other, unknown force at play guiding him. Without the discovery of the Lumenite Ore, the construction of All-Haven would have been a tedious, tiring task and he had expected to face some level of resistance at every step.
Now though, the Patriarchs had gone so far as to incentivize their disciples to contribute well to the construction. Since Kang Long had made that decision, the Sky and Flame Divisions spies would ensure that similar methods were in place for their own disciples motivations; lest they lose face and be out-done by the other.
The innate competitiveness of cultivator society could be a force of tremendous good if used correctly and Yao Shen was not long from testing out that hypothesis himself.
Elder Tianjian, I shall leave you to your duties then, Yao Shen stated, relieving his forging instructor from his company for now.
Very well, Patriarch Shen, The Elder replied, employing the honorifics Yao Shen had asked him to. Grand Patriarch was a title that was required to impress his authority over cultivator society, but forcing his instructor to use that title each time he wanted to speak with him would be too boorish.
Yao Shen nodded and then willed Cumulus to pick up speed. It would take the Earth Division another hour to arrive with the supplies they were hauling, both food and implements that would aid in the construction. The original blueprints for All-Havens construction were stored in his spatial ring, but everyone participating in the construction efforts had already been given a copy.
As he covered the distance, simple, newly constructed three-storey building caught his eye. Placed in the center of the throng of cultivators that covered its north and western flanks, most of whom had sat down in a meditative posture, cultivating as they waited for instructions, it was likely the temporary base of operations that the Elders had set up.
He accelerated further and not long after, he landed on its doorstep.
Out of ingrained habit, his divine sense swept over the building, noting four Nascent Soul Elders and eight core-formation cultivators. Coupled with Elder Tianjian, it was more than enough manpower for the construction they were planning to carry out over the course of the next month.
An emotion that Yao Shen had gotten increasingly familiar with in recent times welled up in his gut. Coupled with a far rarer one.
He was excited, yes.
But also, he realized, a little nervous.
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