Having broken into the Foundation Establishment Realm gave Leroy a certain level of power and authority given his age and Occupation accomplishments. Tang Ansui was quite animated when talking to him about it. Especially speaking about how this will bring more benefits than problems.
He all but dragged Leroy to a meeting to get this done. Which had to be while a Royal Aide to the Emperor was visiting and turning the whole thing into a big shebang.
Enough that the Akademy and the other Nobles inside decided to do something about it. His low ranking obtained from the Dark Rose and now the promoted Dark Tang Family had been elevated to that of standing. Not just a low conferred title that was more of a joke in the grand scheme of politics.
As a means to keep him from growing too much power and support, Leroy was given the honorary ranking of Light for his Family, but he himself was at the tier of Clear. He needed both people and land of course to really establish and gain the benefits.
The Light Shentai Family was composed of Commoners that were not a vassalage under any families but were allied with the Akademy and enough Noble Families that they weren't a threat. Considering Leroy had no territory and no military under him this kept all the others placated for now.
Occupation-heavy families were grateful as he didn't seem to care about the politics and was concerned with the better of the populace. Of course, a few Imperial Nobles thought of ways to get involved but were shut down by various parties.
Oddly enough the Dark Rose Family were outspoken and a few Merchant Families put up opposition. Not to mention the various members with high Occupations that knew about his actual rank. Charlotte's family and the members of Long Fei's Family also added some pressure just to stir the pot some more. Long Fei took the reigns as the heir of the Family and completely established himself within the region.
Basically, a branch head for his family, while the others took care of the North Kingdom Territory now to gain firmer control from Rebel opposition. This was only possible because Leroy gave the information to Long Fei who decided to get involved with his branch of the Family and break them away from the Main Branch completely.
Enough blackmail material there that the birth of the lesser Noble House caused ripples. Especially with them aligning with the already small Noble House that Leroy was in charge of.
"Right, this is not gonna change anything I am doing right now." Leroy stored away the paperwork with a small smile. The orphans had gone from being commoners with no real family to being members of a Noble House in a few weeks. Overall they wouldn't know how to act and most likely would just be happy when the news reached them. "Still a student and doctor/teacher of the Akademy so we will see how that goes."
Those in the room felt themselves in the presence of a peer. Not just Akademically but in Cultivation as well. Leroy exuded a power that matched that of Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators a little. This was because of the Body Tempering increasing with his powerful Foundation Establishment Cultivation as the Flame Vortex was always restrained and didn't leak out.
"That is good to hear." Old Jin smiled as that was what they were hoping to hear. "As a Noble and Teacher here in the Akademy be mindful of the power you wield. Also.." He turned to Ms.Itsumi so she can make her move.
"The Akademy is a neutral party overall in the Rebellion that is building, I hope you won't take sides that will endanger the Akademy."
It was an odd statement and one that made little sense as they had already suffered because of the Rebels and Assassin Group. It was good only a few were left and most likely meant this was some kind of guarded information.
"I didn't plan on doing so, not a fan of Rebels or corrupt Nobles." Unable to put himself in that kind of position, Leroy would still act the same as he always had. "I will kill either party that is doing wrong by the people that see if I can. And kill the people who are tearing down the Country just because they are unhappy."
"Good to hear." The Noble Official smiled at Leroy who was just the kind of person they needed and he made a note to maneuver him as need be. "I will make sure the Emperor is made aware of this. Also if you have time, please stop by at the Capital to check over our troops."
Saying his piece, the Noble Official left with his entourage. Of course, they thought nothing really of Leroy more than what they made it out to be. But in the future, he would definitely become someone to use if his growth continued like this.
Too bad they were inviting a tiger into their ranks to gut them if they overstep and lightly misstepped.
"I wonder who that was?" Leroy never met the other before and didn't have a good impression of him. 'I will ask Tang Xui later about who he is and his overall standing.'
After they left, Old Jin cleared out a few more teachers and students who also did well on their Missions.
"Now the other matter." Ms.Itsumi pulled out a few mission scrolls. "Despite the jaunt to deal with the Mansion that you yourself did not put together, it has come to my attention that you wish to travel with your "Family" to gain some experience during the break period still."
Having gathered enough about Leroy during this time, she understood how to talk with him more. As well as having a begrudging respect for him since he signed up for a class most Weapon Division students would not take.
There was also the rumor going around that he showed signs of Weapon Intent. Fist Intent was all well and good but if he was good with weapons, Old Jion would have to give way. If he turned out not to be that great it still would be good to be on good terms with a Doctor of his caliber.
"Yes..." Looking at the Mission scrolls, his eyes went wide at what it entailed. "These are both Official orders and Akademy Missions. What is the meaning of this?" Leroy couldn't hide the look of anticipation.
Too many were places he was interested in visiting now or for that matter ones he wanted to find out more about. Not to mention the routes of the Rebels, Nobels, Bandits, and other Parties because of those refined.
"The Akademy has a lot of outward power but we are still a part of the Empire. These missions were assigned by the Offical Court and a few high-up Noble Families. Of course, the students do not have to do them but the rewards and points gained go a long way." Old Jin reminded him about what can be exchanged to increase his cultivation. "With the Akademy points you can facilitate yourself and those with you a lot faster."
"Right..." Looking at one in particular he smiled. "This one needs an Investigator.. of a few locations. Sounds right up my alley and particularly unconcern for bullshit. Think I will do these first."
He held up the ones that brought him all to locations he planned on visiting. Or at least nearby that it wouldn't take too long to skedaddle into those Regions. Also, ones that brought him into the range of Bandit groups for cleaning out.
One or two mention some rare Herbs in Mountains but Leroy had no interest in that. Odds are several others would be going after it and he really had better things to do than deal with other Noble Families or Merceaniries tasked with getting them.
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Heading Out-
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Leroy had moved to Sunny Fields town on his own. Tang Bo and his wife Xiao Mei were headed to the Dark Tang Family to celebrate the marriage officially. Despite Leroy and Tang Xui telling them not to go due to people's jealousy and other matters, they were adamant to share the joy and honor their ancestors.
Tang Xui with the other Dark Tang Members and the Amp Flower Town members going with just in case. Despite her concern over it, she didn't want something to happen to her cousin and friend.
Tang Ansui had warned his daughter to be careful as it would be some time before he would go. Oddly enough Old Jin agreed to go with him as they were now his precious students and this brought some additional protection overall.
Both of them showing strong growth and making a good name for themselves made Tang Bo want to share the joy with his family members. Not the Family directly but his actual parents. He also would try his part to smooth things over for Tang Xui in coming back.
That stupid shit never ends well. You can honor your ancestors anywhere if it was that important. It would end badly and Tang Bo and Xiao Mei only had themselves to blame for being stupid really. Tang Bo had a higher cultivation than almost every member of the younger generation in the Dark Tang Family and broke into the Foundation Establishment Realm sometime ago.
Xiao Mei was right behind him and only needed the chance to attempt to break through. But her beauty, temperament, and connection with others were something people craved. In the worst way at that.
The Patriarch may not like the looks of that as that gave that Branch too much power. Especially after they showed signs of completely cutting themselves off from the rest. Then there were the dividends from the Mine they acquired. Equal shares were not going out.
Not to mention Tang Xui and her father were much more independent and were more aligned with the Akademy fully. Tang Xui had even killed a few Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators!
Kaitori, Miniori, Saiori, and Aoi remained at the Akademy to really rest and just enjoy themselves. The latter three just focus on the good things in life and understanding each other's hardships. Kaitori focused on her cultivation the entire time in deep thought with the new techniques Leroy gave her.
As well as her role as the second in the family. Having the little adopted "nieces and nephews" gave her such a strong feeling, she was determined to protect her family no matter the costs. The Empryo she gestated had grown twice as big since the last time she learned a new move.
After messing around at the small Lakes and Rivers, Leroy needed to go hunting. The children and Nun Clarissa enjoyed the waters immensely to go swimming in. Some had never done it before and the sheer joy it brought almost made Leroy reluctant to leave. But work came first.
After all, a rumored Nascent Soul Realm Demon Beast was in the area. Which meant a few other things would be too. Or he just hoped they would be. The blood of a Nascent Demon Realm could definitely shed some light on his cultivation.
The only thing he was forgetting was that there was something else of a terrible level in the area that the Old Tiger was wary of. But the odds of running into that were slim to none. The plans he made were missing a few things as he and Spotter moved out. Not taking a carriage but traveling by foot. All the time to learn some things and hunt Demon beasts.
It was lucky he put the children and the Nun in his Internal Space to cultivate and rest. His breakthroughs and development of the atmosphere had got to the point that at least a few months of Air was available he could store.
A slight commotion was going on the moment he made it into town.
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Elsewhere-
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Leroy's little encounter with the teen that sprouted leafy wings was not over. For some time the humanoid creature had traveled back around the promoted Dark Tang Family but had to abandon comfort due to increase forces. Also she found the place was just to strange compared to before.
Burrowing away underground, the creature ended up following its instincts. Which led it back toward Leroy. Staying hidden, it decided to observe him as Leroy had grown much stronger and was surrounded by little ones and a woman that gave off the same feeling as him.
"Mmm, taste bad." Chewing on a fish like she saw them doing before they left, the creature did not like the taste. It stabbed into the remains with its fingers and absorbed the nutrients it needed that way. "Much better."
The other thing that bothered the creature was that it had no idea where the people went besides Leroy. They literally vanished into nothingness. It had absorbed lots of people and creatures, its knowledge was vast for its age.
'What kind of Storage Device did he use or is it a Spatial Technique?' In wonder, the creature found itself more curious about him. Now the others as they could have some sort of technique that let them disappear like that. 'I have eaten some people that know of you, what will you do when we meet correctly father?'
The image of popping out of Leroy's back and fleeing for safety vanished in a moment. The memory was a reminder that it was very different than others but that could be the same for the one it was born from.