Jie Shu watched the family's trainee guards do their systematic training, pondering about the future.
'Though I'd like to just be a wandering Grand Scourge once more, destroying, causing collapse, ect.
Such as; A family or sect.
Let's rule out clan/family since it would restrict the speed of growth by how fast I and my descendants reproduce and grow-up.
So; Sect. Evil sect preferably- Wait, no. Morally gray sect, so that I can exploit/have business relations with both sides.
But more importantly; how will I suck out money from other clans, sects, ect?
Tributes? No, people would do their best to avoid such things. Taxes? No, it is the duty of humanity to evade them. Absorbing them into the sect as a pavilion, and making their wealth the sects wealth, aka. My wealth?
That sounds good.'
"Young master, what are you thinking about?"
"I am thinking about how I can get as many pills as humanly possible, through the creation of a sect. No beast clans allowed though."
"Why?"
"Because I have a personal grudge against every single member of any clan of the beast-clan."
"Yes, but... Why exclude beast-clans if you're going to use them to get a bunch of pills?" A male voice said from behind him.
'That's genius! Why did I not think of exploiting the beast-clan's before this?! Why was there such a large gap within my imagination?! I have gained enlightenment today!'
Jie Shu stood up suddenly "That's a great idea sheep-clan! Exploit the beast-clan!"
But then he paused "But if I want to make a beast-clan even slightly useful they'll need to get to the qi-gathering stage at least, meaning I need to give a beast-clan something, as an investment..." Jie Shu sighed and rubbed the side of his head "I guess I can give them a manual."
Jie Shu looked around and saw someone of his own body's age, a bit older actually. But not that far apart. He was making a mocking face "Who... Who are you?"
The man paused, and then smiled, fakely "How could you not remember me? I'm you're brother!"
"...Good for you." Jie Shu went back to looking at the in-training guards 'Their manuals are sub-par garbage, if I wanted to, I could create one that's so much better in a few minutes...'
'I know what the servant disciples are going to train now, a custom made, uniform, manual based off of mostly effort instead of talent.
Servant disciples will be goons in simple terms, minions, used in illegal activities in the beginning.'
Jie Shu started to think, ignoring the calls of his brother "An physically focused manual shall be easiest to make, then I'll add on a foundational fist-technique..." 'How will the manual be practiced? Medicinal baths and pills? No, that'd take away from my own stockpile. Bathing in monster blood? That'd encourage fighting monsters and harvesting their flesh and bone for selling for my own money, so I'll consider it. How about using that foundation fist-technique? It'd be cheap, increase the time used to train both cultivation and technique mastery...'
Since Jie Shu had no such manuals in his stockpile, ones that used techniques to train, he had to get a little creative. First order of business was to lay down the 'Zenith body-tempering physique', which means the furthest you can go with this technique in the body-tempering realm.
'Hey, screen thingy, what is the equivalent of the strength to be able to lift 13 shi of stone or metal if you do it with all your might?'
[23% body tempering, mortal.]
'It's so nice you're here screen, you really make my life so much easier. You have no idea how small a population of people know what 13 shi of stone actually weighs, and how impressive a feat it is to lift such weight.'
Jie Shu wanted his servant disciples to be well rounded and not lacking in any aspect, that meant the training technique needed to be well rounded too.
To others, he just stood there, watching the intraining-guards, train. But he was truely formulating a cultivation manual and an associated fist-techniques.
After a dozen minutes, he finally snapped back to reality, and started to write in a soft-cover book with a calagraphy brush.
A few minutes later he was satisfied with the result, and he put on the cover 'Martial myth art (ver 1.0)'.
Jie Shu looked back, and realized that his 'Brother' had dissapeared, probably because of impatience "Sheep-clan, if you really are my servant, then get the black-haired recruit and the yellow-haired recruit to come here, on my order. Understand?"
"Yes young master."
The sheep-clan walked to the guard-lieutenant, they talked for a few moments, and then the lieutenant called over the two guard recruits of interest, instructed them about Jie Shu, and arrived infront of Jie Shu a bit of time later "What do you need of us, young master?" Both cupped their fists.
Jie Shu made a wise and pondering expression "I have recently gain a bit of enlightenment on the path of cultivation, and have created a manual, due to your diligence in training I have selected you two to train in it."
He gave the sheep-clan the book with the
Since the two of them had not gained a manual, since that's not what common guards of the estate get, and heard a scaving review from the lieutenant about how Jie Shu was a prodogical young master, they weren't too sure about it.
"Also, now that you have this cultivation manual, you are now my sect's servant disciple. Your job duties are as follows; to follow me around, and do my dirty work."
The two looked at eachother and started to read the manual, and they saw nothing that was off. They looked at Jie Shu who was looking somewhere else with a twisted smile, and then at the sheep-clan who showed a look of confusion. They sighed, if they didn't do what was commanded by the young master, even if not the heir anymore, they could have their head end up at the sharp end of a pike.
They tried out the fist-technique that was a part of the manual, and they a shift in their existences occur. They again looked at Jie Shu, then at eachother, then at Jie Shu. Then they came to conclusion that the martial art was not of his creation, and that he had picked it up somewhere, and that Jie Shu wanted some minions. And that the whole sect thing was just an act.
After seeing that they accepted him as their boss, Jie Shu nodded proudly "As servant disciples, to properly do your jobs, you must have the ability to at least lift 2 shi. Train properly, and I shall make sure to improve the
'System, what was the quality of the manual I just created?'
[At the lower end of D-rank.]
What is the end version of the techniques I gave my disciples like?
[At the higher half of C-rank.]
The best ones I've made?
[high B-rank.]
Jie Shu sighed slightly, and then stared at the sheep-clan instensely. He forcefully grasped her hand, and put in spiritual energy, allowing him to get a feel for her body's quality 'Pretty good, not that good though. But good enough for an outer disciple.'
Jie Shu thought about if he had a suitable manual for her the answer was a hard yes. But he needed uniformity in his disciples, only core disciples were allowed real freedom. Well... When he reached a big enough level he would follow the path of other sects and make a manual- and technique pavillion.
Though, even if the sheep clan had adequate talent, Jie Shu just couldn't shake the sense of 'Wrongness' of letting a beast-clan in on the action. It felt as if he favored his most hated enemy.
He didn't believe them inferior, the opposite actually. Beast-clans have better talent on average than humans. But it was more due to, say it with me; 'Personal reasons'.
Very, extremely personal reasons, from his youth.
Jie Shu restled with the idea of making the sheep-clan an outer disciple, he looked at her, and examined her beathing and heart beat with his visual acuity.
He sighed, the manuals he gave others were never of any worth to him because he had the two S-ranks, but they were still the fruits of his mental labor. Just giving them away to a beast-clan felt... Wrong.
But then he realized; Beast-clans have clan-exclusive manuals only useable by those of their blood line, a reason Jie Shu dislikes their kind, because he couldn't steal them for his own personal use. He could make one of those types of techniques for her...
But that'd be for if any after the pavillions were set-up. Jie Shu steeled his resolve "Sheep-clan, you are now an outer disciple of my sect."
"Eh?"
"-And no; You don't have a choice." Jie Shu felt proud of his recruitment technique, no room for refusal. His excellent talking skills made a grand return, or was it the fact that he was a young master?
He honestly didn't know, or care enough to figure it out. He would give her a manual, but for fairness' sake, in the next book he wrote, he put in a very, very slow way of tempering the body. It was all-rounded, and it's quality for all facets were the same as a specialized E-rank.
If you're wondering why it's only that, well the power of the servant disciple one was a specialized lower E-rank to physical strength. It was only D-rank due to how easy it was to train, comprehend, and the fact that it required almost no talent.
But when there was talent to use, it took far less time to create a manual. It was not unique in anyway except it's all-roundedness. Just sit on your ass and take in spiritual energy to temper your body.
He bestowed it with teary eyes, and great reluctance. It was still difficult to give the fruits of his labor to a filthy, untrustworthy, beast-clan member.
After that was done, he got information about which people could fund him currently.
The list he got was; The supreme elder, the patriarch, the 6th elder, and the Ranger.
Though Jie Shu did not know what a 'Ranger' was, but he was sure to learn if it was needed.
First order of business; The patriarch.
-Written in the 15th of march, 2023.