When Immortal Ascension Fails Time Travel to Try Again

Story 11 - How to Save a Sect in Six Simple Steps (5)

“What way is that?” Little Spring’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“To put it simply: I could give Noxious Fangstrike an Immortal Bone Creation cultivation technique for alchemists and walk him through the steps of creating his first immortal bone.”

“Sister Lin, if that solves the problem, why hesitate?”

I scowled. “Offering advice or a lecture to a friend is one thing. Handing over a black-rank cultivation manual at that level is another. It’s not something I can just give out because I want to, since it belongs to the sect.”

There was also the fact that giving an unorthodox sect such a high-level technique from my Indomitable Will Sect would get me killed if any elder found out. It wouldn’t matter that I was their ancestor. I could not turn over a sect secret equivalent to a nuclear code to just anyone, even if I wanted to help them.

“Couldn’t you make a new one like how you created my cultivation technique?”

I flicked his glabella. “Yours is the reverse of mine. It was easy to come up with comparatively. Using my knowledge to create a brand new technique for an alchemist three realms higher than me is impossible while I’m in my current realm.”

My physical brain would burn out juggling the concepts it would need to. At most, I could recite the manuals I’d memorized, or sense if something was good for someone or not, based on my experience. I could also give the lectures I’d written as long as I didn’t think too deeply about the earthly laws and the structure of immortal Qi.

“Even if I went against my principles and risked my life to give him a secret manual from our sect, it wouldn’t be like teaching you.”

This cheeky... He was right though.

I crossed my arms. “Consider this: I, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would be instructing someone in Nascent Soul about the secrets of Immortal Bone Creation. The difference of three large realms is more than just a rise in power and quality. It’s an increase of concepts, and knowledge of immortality that would break your mind if you learned a fraction of it without the right cultivation base.”

There was also a difference between the lower three realms (Golden Core and below which I thought of as the mortal realms) and the upper three realms (Nascent Soul, and above which I named the sub-immortal realms).

In the mortal realms, techniques might be magical, but they acted on the physical and were relatively easy to understand. In the sub-immortal realms, the powers embodied concepts, rules, laws, nature, and the mystical. The techniques could not only destroy a range of mountains but also build an extra-dimensional space just to hide an inheritance.

There was a reason it became exponentially harder to punch up as a cultivator progressed! Well, aside from author-blessed-main-characters who were almost required to hit above their weight class.

To teach someone about it, I’d have to deeply cross that line between mortal and sub-immortal. While my soul could handle it and more, my physical brain would have trouble.

“It took that Snake guy seventy whole years to understand how to create his first immortal bone. That’s on the long side, but there is a reason for it. The ideas involved are complex and hard to understand. To help Noxious Fangstrike, I’d have to condense decades of knowledge and meditation into an intense and dangerous lecture lasting just a few hours.”

“Wait, dangerous?!”

“It would put my life on the line in multiple ways. But I’m sure I could survive it because I’m a badass and a genius. I know Noxious could learn enough to transcend since he’s also a genius, though he’s just a normal middling one.”

He frowned.

I smoothed his hair back. “He has zero knowledge of Immortal Bone Creation, so I’d have to give a very detailed lecture on knowledge normally forbidden to people at our realm. Frankly, you’d pass out merely from listening to my explanation.”

I was sure the heavens would just fucking love me giving this lecture. So much so, that they’d throw a bouquet of lightning bolts at me once I finished.

“Also, if I helped him, he’d never be able to repay me in this lifetime. The karma from it would likely prevent him from summoning his tribulation until he repaid me.”

Unlike the world I originally came from, karma was real and tangible here. There were terrifying clans who cultivated it by doing good deeds or loaning money. Just having a small debt to someone from those families could fuck a person over for life.

“This doesn’t sound like an option, then. Unless you’re leaving something out?”

“I was getting there.” I glared, then grimaced. “To not affect his karma, and to avoid dying if the sect ever found out I’d given an unorthodox cultivator the secret of creating immortal bones, I’d have to take him in as a disciple. But I refuse! I never want a disciple.”

His brow furrowed. “But you’re going to become the elder of Righteous Defense Peak. Won’t you take in disciples then?”

“That...” I crossed my arms and raised my chin. “They wouldn’t be my personal disciples or inheriting disciples. Just my students.”

“Just students?”

“At most, I could take in a few..." I struggled for a second, “in-name disciples. But I’m not ready for that.”

He sighed. “Sister Lin, if you’re going to have to take some in any way, then why can’t you make Noxious Fangstrike your first in-name disciple? Is it because he’s from the unorthodox faction?”

I waved my hand. “Not exactly. While that doesn’t make me happy, it’s not what’s stopping me.”

“Then what is?” He looked at me with wide, adorable eyes. “Does it have anything to do with Bloodsword?”

Of course, it did! It was my memories of Bloodsword and Verdant Bamboo. The disgust I felt towards their relationship made me feel gross even thinking about taking in a disciple.

The kid must have realized from my expression because he said, “He doesn’t exist anymore. And thanks to you, he never will.” He tugged at my sleeve. “Sister Lin, you should use this as an opportunity to break free from something that happened in your past life that’s hurting you. You shouldn't let the bad things you experienced back then prevent you from doing what you want.”

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Had I been allowing that fucker to live rent-free in my brain all these years? Fuck. I had. His actions killed me, so of course I held a grudge. But, after everything I’d done, he would never exist in this timeline.

I really had let my memories of that dick nugget obstruct my path forward.

More importantly, how the hell had this brat gotten so introspective? Wasn’t he just running from me half a day ago to avoid taking his medicinal bath?

I placed my hand on top of his head and messed up the fluffy hair I’d just smoothed.

He scowled and started fixing his hair. “What was that for?!”

“Alright!” I stood up and put my fists on my hips. “I’ll do it! I’ll save this damned sect! And the first step is turning Noxious Fangstrike into an Immortal Bone Creation Expert!”

And, in a way, if I could overcome my aversion to taking in a disciple, it would be the equivalent of defeating Bloodsword!

Finally, after all these centuries, I’d win against that obnoxious brainworm! Muahahaha!

I could have sworn I heard the brat mutter, “Oh no. She’s doing it again.” But that was probably my imagination.

Of course, I had to convince that poison master to become my in-name disciple first. I had a feeling doing that would be just as difficult as giving a life-threatening lecture.

***

Noxious Crossed his arms. “I set up the isolation barrier as you asked me to and even let you put up an obfuscation formation. Now, what is this about?”

If I was going to do this, I’d look like the master I was. I straightened my spine, clasped my hands behind my back, and stared down my nose at him. ”You should become—” Damn it! I couldn’t say the words.

”What?”

I cleared my throat. Maybe if I went at it from a different angle? “You want to save the sect while also protecting Dread Lotus, right?”

“I think I know what you’re about to say, but I can’t reach Immortal Bone Creation in two weeks. You know that.”

I slammed my hand down on his ingredient preparation table. “And you know who my master is, right? I have a way! It will work.”

I couldn’t read his expression, so I continued. “Poison Master Noxious Fangstrike, this is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime! If you miss it, you’ll know the meaning of the phrase, ‘there is no medicine for regret.’”

He frowned. “What is it then?”

I hesitated. Never in my wildest dreams did I consider that actually saying the words would be the hardest part. Still, I couldn’t let my hesitation stop me. I had to defeat that asshole Bloodsword!

With the confidence of an Immortal Ascension master, I held out my hand and smiled widely. “Become my secret, in-name disciple.”

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

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But he didn’t throw me out. There was a chance!

I just had to try harder to get him to accept because if he really did refuse, my hands would be tied. I’d have to leave the sect to save Little Spring and myself.

”If you’re not at least my in-name disciple, then I can’t teach you the method to condense your first immortal bone. Once I do, all you have to do is survive your tribulation.”

”Would your method even work for an unorthodox cultivator like me?”

”Of course. Don’t be ridiculous. The biggest difference between orthodox and unorthodox is that your faction stupidly chooses harmful but powerful techniques over the intelligent, steady, long-term gains the orthodox faction chooses. That said, someone might figure something out, so you’d never be able to cultivate in front of your sect members again.”

His face had darkened further. “Get out.”

“But at least you would be alive and at a higher realm!” He really wasn’t making this easy on me. “Look, Dread Lotus wants to stay and fight. I couldn’t convince her to leave.”

He scowled, then grimaced.

”Nobody has to know you’re my in-name disciple. Just you, me, and my junior martial brother. Possibly, also Immortal Zhenren Sword Within the Light of Virtue, but he’s in the immortal realm.” So he wasn’t going to say shit even if he was secretly watching me, which I doubted. But, on the off chance he was, he likely looked dignified and he definitely wouldn’t be snacking on immortal-quality melon seeds.

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Noxious placed his hand on his forehead and grimaced in pain.

The side effects of the treatment were worse than I thought. Too many patients were getting headaches, for no reason at all. I should give him his final session soon to resolve it.

He stared at me with a complicated expression. “Grandmaster Alchemist Lin, ancestor of the Indomitable Will Sect. I…” That pause told me that he was really forcing himself. “… agree to become your in-name disciple for the future of the Irrepressible Beast Blood Sect and my niece.”

Wow. If anyone saw this, they’d think I’d given him a demonic Gu and had barely controlled him like a puppet.

A sour feeling spread through my chest. Him reluctantly taking me as his master almost made me want to forget the whole thing. It also reminded me of those cultivation novels where the unparalleled masters threw themselves at the genius main character, only for him to barely accept them.

Who knew I, the most accomplished and perfect master I knew, would be the one on the receiving end of that reluctance? I couldn’t even overpower this guy to teach him a lesson, goddamn it.

Alright. Once I reached Immortal Ascension, I’d come back here and show this in-name disciple how impressive I was!

“—master at my age,” Noxious muttered under his breath.

Still, I couldn’t blame him for being reluctant. Even if my divine sense was at the Immortal Ascension level, it wasn’t something I could use without serious consequences, which left me with an underpowered cultivation base.

Since he was my first in-name disciple, I should give him a gift. I took out a stone and carved a phoenix on it using sword Qi before imbuing it with a strand of my will. I handed it to him.

”This is proof that you’re my disciple. Once my cultivation inevitably surpasses yours, and you run into a problem you can’t solve yourself, crush this. I’ll help you if I’m able. Until then, never let anyone find out I’m your master.”

“That won’t happen.”

He stared at the stone as if questioning reality before going through a quick master acceptance ceremony where I felt extremely awkward. By the look on his face, he felt worse. The fact that he was willing to go this far showed me how much he trusted me after working together for so long.

I held out my hand. “Now, show me your current cultivation technique so I can decide on a complimentary one for Immortal Bone Creation.”

“I’m not sure you’ll be able to understand it—“

”Shut up and give it to me.”

He quickly handed me a jade slip.

I pressed it to my temple and went over the method. Because of my lacking cultivation, I had to make up for my speed of comprehension by using my split mind technique to the maximum my body could currently take. Fortunately, while Nascent Soul was inside the sub-immortal realms, it only created a foundation for the more advanced concepts. It wasn’t too difficult for me.

As I understood more and more, the world turned black, but I managed to stay conscious. Fortunately, this was not the same as reading two full inheritances at once, like I had the first time I entered Little Spring’s space. Something pressed against my nose. I ignored everything and continued to analyze the technique.

Once I finished, I coughed up a half mouthful of blood.

”See. It’s too hard for you.”

I blinked and my vision returned. Noxious was holding a handkerchief to my nose and mouth. I awkwardly grabbed it from him and cleared my throat. “Nonsense. If I can’t understand a mere Nascent Soul cultivation technique, how can I teach you an Immortal Bone Creation one? I thoroughly understood it. It’s just my hardware that can’t keep up with my advanced software.”

”What?”

”Forget it.” I tossed the jade slip back to him and used my cleaning technique on the handkerchief. “The fact that you reached the peak of Nascent Soul with that bastardization of an alchemist’s cultivation technique shows how talented you are. It’s a waste to have you cultivate unorthodox methods!” No wonder this fucker thought he couldn’t reach Immortal Bone Creation!

He scowled.

”What? You don’t believe me? Let me prove to you how bad this is!”