Chapter 1 - A Fine Day to Die
Six o'clock had came and went, but Benton York was still at his desk, just about ready to pack it in for the day.
Edward, the executive vice-president of sales slipped in the open door. "Is there anyone in your section still here? I've got a presentation in the morning, and it needs some touchups."
"Just me, Mr. Abbott," Benton said. "But I can get it done for you."
The PowerPoint emergency took close to another hour, but he didn't mind too much. He liked helping people. Besides, it wasn't like he had anyone waiting for him at home.
At sixty years old, Benton knew that death approached faster than he would like, but he never expected it to come so soon. Then again, not many people did once their number was up.
Nothing in the spring weather portended disaster. A gentle wind blew from the south. Wispy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky. It was a fine day. A fine, fine day.
Though it was well after the rush hour, many people still dashed hither and yon finishing up their business in the downtown metroscape, preparing to escape the daily grind. One such young lady grinned as her fingers rapidly tapped her phone, surely making plans for the evening. A young man hastily stepped into an Uber, eager to be about his life.
Benton sighed. He was much more conflicted. Though he definitely looked forward to kicking off his shoes and ditching his tie, maybe relaxing to the latest chapter in his grandson's webnovel, he no longer had anyone to look forward to seeing. Even five years after Evelyn's passing, he still wasn't quite over it. Maybe he never would be.
It was the little things that really got him. How quiet the house always was. Reaching his arm across the bed upon waking and finding her spot empty. Having someone to share a meal with. Heck, even figuring out what to eat.
He grimaced. Probably fast food again.
Letting out a long breath, he expelled the melancholic thoughts that had overtaken him. He'd never been a gloomy person, and Evelyn certainly wouldn't have put up with him becoming one in his old age.
Benton put a smile on his face. It was, after all, a fine day.
At the crosswalk leading to the parking garage on the other side of the street, a small crowd of about a half dozen had gathered, waiting for the light to change. The last man in line was a tall fellow with dirty blond hair wearing a suit. Generally, people's backs were fairly nondescript, but something about that one tugged Benton's memory. Something looked familiar.
"Mike?" he called. "Mike Larson?"
The man turned, his questioning visage quickly contorting into a slight frown. "Benton. Hello."
"Congratulations on the promotion!"
"You almost sound like you mean it," Mike said.
"I do. Why wouldn't I?"
"Uh, because…"
At first, Benton was truly confused by the man's reaction. In the years since transferring out of Benton's section, Mike had rapidly ascended the corporate ladder, recently reaching the lofty status of vice president. And he deserved every bit of his success. He was hard working, sharp, decisive, and thought well on his feet, everything the board wanted and more.
"Ahh. You're feeling guilty that you've left your old mentor languishing in a dead-end position, eh?"
Mike's face scrunched up. "Well, yeah. Kind of."
Benton laughed. "I am perfectly content where I am. Corporate climbing is a young man's game, and I know my strengths, mainly nurturing young talents. Did you know that two of your fellow VPs worked under me at one time or the other?"
"Really?"
"Do you think it was a coincidence that a rising star like you ended up with me as a boss? Do you think that it's a coincidence that at least two other young people in my division will soon be on that same fast track?" Benton watched as his words clicked home to his former protégé. "The company has been my home for almost my entire career. It's been good to me and mine. When Evelyn got sick, they bent over backward to help. I'm happy I can give something back by nurturing the future."
Mike nodded, the ends of his mouth slowly turning upward for the first time in the conversation. "To think I never realized. And here I am considering myself so clever." He paused for a moment. "I'm not sure I really ever stopped to think about how much I learned during my time with you, from navigating the company's labyrinthine bureaucracy to simply how best to effectively deal with people."
"Well, you weren't always the quickest, but you always got there eventually. Like figuring out that we've only got about twenty seconds before we have to wait through another light cycle."
Mike turned saw that the rest of the people were already across the intersection. "Crap! Sorry!" He dashed out into the street.
Benton barked out a laugh at his protégé's antics. His mirth lasted for but an instant as he noticed something that made his blood run cold. A white panel truck of an unknown make was barreling down the road right toward Mike.
There wasn't much time for thought. There wasn't much time for anything. Benton sprinted forward as fast as his aging legs could carry him and plowed into Mike's back, propelling the man well into the next lane. To safety.
The collision had completely halted Benson's momentum, leaving him staring at the hood of an oncoming truck that showed no sign of slowing. He did not want to die. To survive, he needed to get to the next lane. Fast.
Alas, it was not to be. He wasn't nimble enough, not quick enough, and the truck was traveling far in excess of the speed limit.
Benton didn't even have time to sigh.
It could have been worse. With Evelyn already passed, there was no one depending on him. His kids were all grown. He'd miss seeing his grandkids, but they'd all be just fine without him.
The important thing was that Mike would make it. His rising star would not be extinguished so soon. Benton's death meant something at least.
Just then, he noticed a truck, identical to the one about to plow into him, traveling the opposite direction in the opposite lane and just as fast.
There was no way for Mike to escape.
Shit!
The last thing that Benton saw before the world faded to black was a weird hood ornament on the truck, a snake eating its own tail.
Chapter 2 - Game Over or Press Continue?
The next thing Benton knew, he was standing in what looked like a bog-standard corporate office. Cheap carpet squares. Lay-in acoustic tile ceiling. Fluorescent lights. White dry-erase board.
The truck had crashed into him. He remembered vividly standing in the street facing it with his arm covering his head. The hood had struck his torso first, forcing his head forward.
Things had gone black at that point. He didn't even recall any pain.
The best explanation he could come up with was that he'd hit his head on the truck, causing him to lose consciousness. But where was he and how did he get there?
Benton patted himself down. No injuries. No blood. His clothes, the same ones he'd put on in the morning, had no tears or stains.
What. The. Heck.
"You present me with quite an annoyance," a flat voice said.
A man was sitting behind a desk. Benton hadn't noticed him. Nor the desk.
"This is not an unprecedented situation," the man continued, his face blank of any emotion, "but it is quite rare. Usually, when a civilian interferes with a Truck-kun, the potential hero is actually saved, so we simply send the civilian in the hero's place. No problems. No complications."
Hero?
"This time, however, that particular hero was too important, so we sent two Truck-kuns." Despite the complete lack of expression either on his face or in his voice, the man seemed very satisfied with the statement. "The hero is beginning his journey as we speak, so all is right with that plane. What to do with you is the question."
Benton had always been pretty quick on the uptake, so even though his present circumstances were far outside his experience, he grokked the situation somewhat, enough to figure out that his fate hung in the balance.
"Sorry for interfering with your plans, sir." Always best to be polite when dealing with the higher ups. "I don't suppose you can just send me right back down to Earth?"
"If you so desire."
Benton would have been elated had he not spent much of his life in meetings with bigwigs. He sensed a huge caveat to the man's statement. "But?"
"But you died. There is no returning to your former life. We can, however, return your soul to that plane and allow it to continue its journey as if this encounter had never happened."
Benton opened his mouth to ask a question, but the man cut him off.
"The rules of your plane of origin are quite strict," the man said. "I cannot tell you anything about your future journey if I were to return you. Not even I know fully what will happen."
Ah. If the man were positive that returning would have meant Benton would be able to return to Evelyn, any decision would have been a no brainer. Seeing as how that wasn't guaranteed, he figured he might as well see what else might be available.
"Can I go to whatever place Mike went?" Benton said.
"Unfortunately, no. The restrictions surrounding his transmigration are quite complex and limiting. Had he not been successfully recruited, that plane would have had no option but to accept you as a replacement. As things stand, however, under no foreseeable circumstances will you encounter the entity formerly known as Mike Larson again."
"Oh. I suppose that's fine if that's what he chose. It's not like the two of us were close."
"He did not choose," the man said, his voice and face still utterly flat. "Entities recruited by Truck-kun are almost never given a choice. If the entity formerly known as Mike Larson had survived, you would not have had any other option than to take his place."
"Interesting. Why are we having this discussion, then?"
"Because there are no planes currently available with a selection criteria that you match, and because Truck-kun inadvertently recruited you, we are obligated by Rule to do something about it."
That was really interesting. It seemed as if Benton had more than a little sway in the process.
"What are my options, then?"
"Infinite," the man said. "It would be far easier if you simply told me what kind of plane you would find interesting, and I will select the most appropriate available one."
"I don't suppose returning to Earth in another body would be possible?" That wouldn't be ideal, but he'd at least be able to keep tabs on his family.
"No. Again, the rules associated with your former plane are quite limiting. We cannot return you to that plane as a living being, only as a soul. In fact, we must return your soul once you have completed any potential life you live in another plane."
Benton had been a little bit on the fence about the whole being transmigrated thing, but the fact that his soul would eventually return regardless changed his mind. If souls eventually found loved ones in the afterlife as he believed, his soul and Evelyn's would be reunited no matter his choice now. Going on an adventure in a new world had no real downside.
A thought struck him. "Will I retain all my memories from my past life?"
"Is that your desire?" the man asked.
"Definitely. That's a no brainer and non-negotiable."
"That decision will eat up a chunk of your available Karma Points, but I can make that work, depending on what other conditions you require."
Benson found the fact that the man was only just now mentioning something that sounded as important as Karma Points to be more than a little frustrating, but he also found little value in expressing his displeasure at that point. Best to just continue on. "My grandson writes webnovels where people in a situation like mine end up gaining a System. I want one of those." Greg's stories always made those sound fun.
"That is acceptable."
"Really?" Benton had been kind of throwing out a wild idea, not expecting Systems to be a thing. "There are enough worlds that you can find one with a System?"
"There are an infinite number of planes in which Systems exist just as there are an infinite number of planes without Systems."
Benton nodded. Besides internalizing the assumption that a 'plane" and a world were basically the same, things always got weird when talking about infinities.
"Prepare for departure in five … four—"
"Wait!" Benton cried. "I'm not done. I want perks."
The protagonists in Greg's stories always got powers that made them overpowered compared to everyone else.
"Sorry," the man said. "Compliance with your two current conditions have exhausted your supply of Karma Points. You will take what you get."
Benton was definitely the go-along to get-along type, but being polite with a bigwig only got one so far. Sometimes, one had to show their mettle.
"Your Truck-kun made the mistake, not me. You are responsible for making this right. And simply dumping me on a System world with my memory intact and no advantages is the very definition of not making this right!"
"I'm sorry, but—"
"No. No 'but.' Make this right or get me your boss. Now."
Ugh! At that moment, he sounded like someone he really didn't want to be, but literally an entire lifetime hinged on this one interaction. He had to be forceful.
For the first time, the man's relentless impassiveness cracked. He appeared at least slightly perturbed. "The best, the absolute best, that I can do for you is to put you on a world where you, and you alone, have access to a System."
Benton tried to interject but was shushed.
"I will ensure the System specifically offers you perks."
"That sounds acceptable." Benton grinned. "Now, about the specific world you're sending me to. I'd like—"
"No. I've wasted enough of my energy on this conversation. This is a one-time offer. Your choice is to accept it and move to the new plane that I will personally prepare for your arrival or to return to your plane of origin."
Benton sensed that the man was truly done. "Fine. I choose to go to the new plane."
"Ready yourself. Transition in five … four…"
Considering the circumstances, Benton felt like he'd done a good job negotiating for himself. He'd have access to a System and perks and would retain his current memories. What more could he ask for?
"Three … Two…"
Benton envisioned himself joining an adventurer guild and grinding until he was able to fight dragons. As long as his new world wasn't one with cultivators, it would be fine. He shivered at the callousness displayed by the characters in those types of stories.
"One."
Wait. Maybe he should have said something about the cultivators.
The world went black. Again.
Chapter 3 - A Whole New World
When the world—or a world at any rate—came back into view, Benton was lying face down in stinky mud. He groaned. What was that putrid smell? It almost made him gag.
While holding his breath, he climbed to his feet and, once up, looked around. Beside him was a small pond surrounded by a thick forest. The sky was blue, and there were trees and bushes with brown trunks and green leaves. He hadn't exactly been a nature person in his previous life, so the plants may or may not have been the same as he'd find on Earth. They didn't look alien or anything, though.
Looking down, he noticed that none of the other dirt near him was terribly wet, and where he'd been lying was tinged distinctly red. And his shirt—robe?—was stained with a rusty brown color.
The color of dried blood.
He felt fine, though. Better than fine, actually. Strong. Healthy. Energetic. He stretched his arms and bent his knees and did a few jumping jacks. None of the aches and pains that had been his constant companions for years made their presence known.
It occurred to him that he might not be in his original body. He walked a few steps forward until he could see his reflection in the pond. A young man, maybe early twenties, with Asian coloring and features stared back at him. His hair was dark and close cropped, and he appeared much more fit than Benton had ever been. And he was most definitely wearing some form of robe.
"Nice."
He really was on a new world in a new body.
"Evelyn, honey, you wouldn't believe it if you could see me now. I'm young again. This is going to be so much fun!"
A further thought struck him. Asian features. A robe. Had he been sent to a cultivation world after all?
A blue panel popped up in front of him.
Welcome Transmigrator. Memory integration commencing in ten seconds. Prepare yourself.
(Hint: Might want to sit down for this one.)
The box faded away, and Benton quickly sunk to the ground. He was glad he'd listened once the specified time passed. It felt like someone stuck a hot poker directly into his brain.
Once the active infliction of agony ended, the pain faded relatively quickly, leaving him with a new set of memories on top of the one he already had from Earth.
The owner of his current body had been Chao Su. In a way, that made Benton the new Chao Su.
"Huh. Years ago, I would have been a boy named Su." He laughed and whistled a few bars of the Johnny Cash song.
The memories made him quickly turn more somber.
At fourteen, Su had attended an annual testing event conducted by member of a nearby sect who'd come to his small village, and he'd tested well. Cultivators were rated on potential talent using a scale from little ability, F, to great ability, A. There were a minuscule number of outliers on each end of the spectrum, people with literally no ability to cultivate, G, and absolute powerhouses, S. Each of those grades was further divided into three subsections, denoted by either a minus, nothing, or a plus.
As a C+, Su had been feted as a true talent, able to bypass joining the local small sect and instead being inducted straight into the parent medium sized one, the Flowing Tiger Sect. And he lived up to his promise. Through hard work, a few auspicious opportunities, and diligent cultivation, he reached the second major realm, Foundation Establishment, in under two years and had continued on to the third minor realm well before his nineteenth birthday, which was good enough for him to be inducted as a member of the inner sect.
All had come up roses for the young man over the next few years until a night about a month ago. Figures dressed in black had performed a daring raid on the sect. At first, it had seemed like the invaders would be drowned out by the large number of sect cultivators, including the powerful elders and the peak nascent soul stage patriarch.
The invaders turned out to be demonic, however, able to drain the cultivation of individuals several major realms above them. Two or three of the attackers would gang up on a higher realm cultivator and focus on piercing the defender's qi shield. Once an attack got through, the demonic cultivators concentrated on draining their victim's cultivation. With two or three of them focused on the task, the defender fell in seconds.
Su's sect brothers and sisters fell like flies to the well-organized raid, and the battle soon turned into a rout.
Su fled. As he crossed the outer wall of the sect, he thought he'd made it. Just as hope dawned, a figure dressed in black hit him with a technique, puncturing Su's hastily erected qi shield. He had no talismans left, and the next attack went for the drain. In seconds, Su's cultivation was consumed. Just like that, eight years of dedication was ruined.
As all but the merest of hope fled, an elder managed to get a shot on the black clad figure, letting Su somehow stumble far enough away from the conflict to avoid further pursuit.
The technique that had destroyed his cultivation had done much damage to him, and he spent the next couple of weeks seeking healing pills and any resource that might either stabilize him or even restore his cultivation, trading away everything he owned, even his spatial ring, for what turned out to essentially be snake oil.
He'd finally succumbed to his wounds not long before Benton took over his body.
Processing everything that now occupied his mind was quite difficult. New memories of spending his fifteenth birthday cultivating in a cave clashed with spending the same birthday with friends in a movie theater. And that wasn't even taking into consideration his new instincts. If Benton encountered a mugger, he'd immediately relinquish his wallet and plead for his life. Su would leave the mugger bleeding out on the ground. Or skills. Benton had never seen an animal larger than a squirrel in the wild. Su had killed and skinned a tiger before roasting it over an open flame.
Long before everything was fully reconciled in his brain, another blue box popped up.
Transmigrator, you have been granted the choice of one of the following three Systems. Choose wisely for there is no redo.
Supreme Cultivation SystemHeaven Defying Crafting SystemSect Leader SystemBenton hadn't expected the man to have arranged to let him actually pick his System. Not bad. Despite it being a brutal cultivation world, any of the three options should give him a leg up in becoming a true powerhouse. He just had to choose the best one. Or at least, the one that fit him the best.
"System, can you show me more information about each of these?"
The box was replaced with a new one.
Supreme Cultivation System
Want to climb the heights of the cultivation world? This system is for you. Breeze through minor realms in a fraction of the time others take. Defeat opponents a major realm stronger than you. Never encounter a bottleneck. Immortality awaits. Of course, cultivation can be a lonely path and a dangerous one. Climbing so fast leaves little time for finding allies. Not having anyone to cover one's weaknesses can be a mistake.
In a cultivation world, strength wasn't everything; it was the only thing. This Supreme Cultivation System would give him that in spades.
There was a problem, though. No matter how powerful one gets, no matter how high someone climbs, there would always be someone more powerful. Besides, the thought of constantly fighting didn't fit who he was as a person, Su's memories and instincts notwithstanding.
"Thanks. Next please."
Heaven Defying Crafting System
The cultivation world runs on resources. Alchemy. Formations. Smithing. Talismans. Your skill for each of those will be heaven defying. Use your superior crafts to conquer the cultivation world or simply buy the muscle you need from the massive wealth you'll accumulate. Best be diligent, though. Every hour spent cultivating will be accompanied by many hours crafting, and the System cannot add any more time to a day. You'll probably get to the top, but it won't likely be a quick journey.
Honestly, that sounded much more his speed. He had enjoyed puttering around in his workshop building stuff. And he had no doubt that unparalleled skill in those areas would bring him great riches.
It would also make him, especially early on, dependent on others for protection. Su's memories told him that sects would fight over a truly talented crafter, possibly to that crafter's detriment. Some ended up as little more than slaves, forced to endlessly fulfill the sect's needs for a pittance in return.
"Thanks again. Final one please."
Sect Leader System
The power of many can easily outweigh the power of one, no matter how strong, especially if a leader can smooth the way for sect members by creating perfect cultivation methods and techniques. It's low risk and high reward to have others fight for you, but there is a downside: you will have no way to gain the heights of personal power except through recruiting and building up those around you.
That one sounded perfect for him. He would have to depend on finding and mentoring recruits instead of cultivating to progress, but building up the people under him was his entire raison d'etre. Sure, there would probably be challenges, but nothing was ever perfect.
There was no use agonizing over a choice that was a no brainer, no matter how important that choice was.
"System, I choose the Sect Leader System."
Chapter 4 - Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing the Sect Leader System!
Though Benton had never regretted his choice of careers back on Earth, he had to admit that his life hadn't been the most exciting. Besides a few nice trips—seeing the Colosseum in Rome and glowing lava flowing across a nighttime landscape at Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii stood out—most of the big events he'd experienced centered around his family. He grinned thinking about the birth of his first grandchild.
That was then, though, on a whole different planet. He'd been given the opportunity to start fresh, to experience a life of excitement and adventure, and he planned to embrace that chance.
So far, so good, too. The decision to become a sect leader, though maybe not as powerful as the other two choices, fit him perfectly. The only hiccup so far was Su's instincts telling him that the demonic cultivators might track him down if they ever discovered that he lived. Still, if his grandson's stories were any indication, having a System would make all the difference even against the greatest of odds. He just had to leverage the power it provided.
Speaking of which, a box popped up.
Prepare for System integration. Beginning in ten seconds.
(Hint: It's good that you're already seated.)
Knowing what to expect after the last such warning, Benton braced himself. Not that it would do any good.
His atypical pessimism turned out to be on target, as the searing pain inflicted inside his skull rivaled the memory integration in intensity. The experience did seem to pass quicker, at least. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to endure too many more instances like that.
The musing instantly brought a subset of Su's memory to the fore, clearly telling him that to be a cultivator was to embrace pain. Challenging the heavens was not for the weak or timid.
Great.
The next popup box made the pain worth it.
Welcome System Host! The Sect Leader System is designed to help you build a sect that will defy the heavens.Sect Name:Not ChosenSect Members:0Sect Points:100Shop Points:0Host Cultivation:NoneHost Techniques:NoneMenus:[Cultivation Method][Technique][Quest][Perk][Advancement][Shop - LOCKED]Gaining access to a System was everything that Benton had expected and more. It was just so neat. He couldn't wait to get started.
The first two lines were self-explanatory. He'd not established a sect yet, chosen a name for it, or recruited any members.
The next line, though, seemed important.
"System, what are Sect Points?"
Sect Points are a resource used to create cultivation methods and techniques for sect members. When members advance a minor realm using one of the cultivation methods so created, Host will receive one point. Bonus points will be awarded upon advancement to the next major realm. A Sect Point is likewise awarded when a member advances to Lesser Success of a technique so created and then to Great Success and two points when advancing to Mastery.
Sect Points can also be used to advance Host's cultivation and understanding of techniques.
Okay. That was pretty understandable. Benton would make an investment of points by creating a cultivation method and/or technique for a member and would, hopefully, gain a profit when that member advanced. The minor downside was that the point pool drawn from to invest in his members was the same one used to make himself stronger. He'd have to manage the usage carefully as he doubted there was any way to run a debt. If, for instance, he decided to immediately use all one hundred points to make himself strong, there would likely be no way for him to ever gain any more.
"System, what are Shop Points?"
Sects run on resources, and a beginning sect simply isn't likely to run across enough assets on which to build a solid foundation. Through completing quests and reaching certain milestones, Shop Points will be awarded to assist Host in gaining crucial resources, be it pills, weapons, talismans, or materials and tools needed to build formations.
(Hint: Shop Points are provided in limited quantity. It is advised to pursue other means of acquisition, such as purchasing from merchants or training sect members in the arts of production, to the greatest extent possible.)
That explanation was, as his grandkids would say, #asexpected.
The next two lines were a bit concerning but not exactly surprising considering Su's memories. His cultivation had been reset to the beginning. The good thing was that, if he was understanding things correctly, all he had to do was use points to increase his level, so there was presumably no worry about any potential damage done by the demonic cultivator's attack interfering with his future advancement.
As someone who'd previously reached the middle of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Su's instincts were making him feel more than a little anxious about sitting in the depths of a forest with no cultivation at all, tempting Benton to spend some of those points immediately. He resisted that urge, however. There was no way he would move from his current location before making himself stronger, and he'd obviously spend the necessary points quickly if anything threatening emerged into the clearing around the pond. Until then, he felt like he had time to gain more information by exploring all the tabs before making any decision.
"System, please show me the Cultivation Method menu."
Welcome, Host, to the Cultivation Method Creation Menu.
Select Cultivation Realm:
Qi Gathering
Foundation Establishment
Golden Core
Nascent Soul
Nihility
Ascension
Half Immortal
True Immortal
Immortal King
Immortal Emperor
Heavenly Saint
Celestial Being
Su's instincts boggled at that list. Some of those realms existed only as rumors of legends, but presumably, the System would allow him to create cultivation methods for them. Did that mean all he had to do to reach those realms was earn enough points? That was a question for much later, though. He needed to focus on what was important for the beginning of his journey.
"System, can I go through the process of creating a cultivation method without spending any points?"
Host will be given the choice to commit at the end of the creation process. If commitment is declined, no Sect Points are charged.Perfect!
"System, for this test case, I select Golden Core."
Cultivation Realm set to Golden Core.
Sect Point Factor set to four.
Select Applicability:
Targeted to Specific Qi Aspect
Sliding Scale (Specify)
Any Qi Aspect
Benton understood little of details of that menu, so he had a lot of questions.
"System, what is the Sect Point Factor?"
The Sect Point Factor is the number by which the initial value of the cultivation method will be multiplied to calculate the final value of Sect Points required to create the method. The Sect Point Factor for the Qi Gathering Realm is one. Foundation Establishment is two. Nascent Soul is eight. And so on.Wow. That progression would get expensive fast. He'd have to carefully watch his points if he didn't want a single Immortal Emperor to bankrupt his entire sect.
"System, what is a qi aspect?"
Each user's qi is uniquely aspected to that individual. Two users might both posses a fire aspect, but one may be the smokey flame burning wet wood in a campfire in order to char spirit beast meat while the other may be the glowing embers in the hearth of a fireplace used to warm a family. Cultivation methods may be tailored specifically to a particular qi user's aspect. In that case, the method would be much more difficult to cultivate and would be much less powerful for anyone not possessing that exact aspect. Methods may be more generally applied to a broader category such as fire or set to apply to any qi user. The broader the application, the more Sect Points are required to be used.Okay. That made a lot of sense.
"System, how many Sect Points are required to target a specific user's aspect?"
The initial value to apply a cultivation method to a unique qi aspect is ten.Ouch. That number was a full ten percent of his starting value.
"System, how many points will be returned when a Qi Gathering member reaches Foundation Establishment?"
Assuming the member started from the beginning of the Qi Gathering Realm with a created method, the total Sect Points earned when the member reaches Foundation Establishment is twelve.Yikes. The profit margin was kind of low.
"System, if we apply the same scenario going from the start of Foundation Establishment all the way to Golden Core, would the member return twenty-four points from an initial investment of twenty?"
Host's calculations are correct."System, if I were to create a Qi Gathering method and set the Applicability to any aspect, what would the cost be?"
The Sect Points required to create a cultivation method for the Qi Gathering realm that is accessible to all qi users is twenty-five.Ouch. Double ouch. That quantity was one quarter of his initial funds.
"System, how much would a sect member going from beginning to Foundation Establishment with that method earn me?"
The same as with the previous example. A member starting from the beginning of the Qi Gathering realm with a created method will earn you a cumulative total of twelve Sect Points upon reaching Foundation Establishment.Wait. That answer didn't make sense.
"System, so I'd lose thirteen Sect Points?"
For that one member, Host would lose thirteen Sect Points. Correct.That qualification at the start of the answer was interesting. Benton was apparently missing something important.
"System, can I give the same method to multiple sect members?"
Yes."System, how many sect members can use the same method and what is the additional cost per member?"
The Sect Leader System does not regulate the number of members that may use a cultivation method or technique, and Sect Points are only charged for the initial creation.That meant that the number of points that he could earn for his twenty-five-point investment was essentially infinite. At a return of twelve points per member, almost everything the third member on earned would be pure profit.
Targeting the method to a specific person was cheaper, but it had a much lower profit ceiling. Unless he was bingo on points, why would he ever choose to use that option?
"System, besides the reduced cost, is there any other advantage to tailoring a method to a unique qi?"
A user cultivating a method perfectly suited to their unique qi aspect will find that advancement between realms comes faster and easier, more power is obtained, and a better foundation is built than if the user had used an equivalent, broader method.Okay. The whole thing was starting to make a lot more sense. If you have an awesome recruit that you want to be ultra powerful, feed that recruit uniquely attuned methods and techniques. Meanwhile, profit from the sect's rank and file who are stuck using the generic ones.
That setup was not as egalitarian as his Earth sensibilities wanted, but according to Su's memories, that was just the way a cultivation world worked. There simply weren't enough resources for everyone to receive the best ones.
And that standard operating procedure really made sense given the numbers that System had thrown at him. Ten points here and ten points there and twenty-five over there and he'd be flat busted in a heartbeat. Waiting a year or two to gain a measly profit of two points was just too slow.
The other side of the coin was that his sect was going to need protection, and the higher ranked members were simply going to be better equipped to provide that than anyone else. Benton had no choice but to prioritize talent when it came to spending.
"System, please proceed with the creation process. I choose Sliding Scale, any qi user that has an aspect even tangentially related to fire may use."
Sliding Scale selection accepted.
Please allocate 100 Cultivation Method Creation Points in the following three categories:
Ease
Power
Foundation
Based on the previous answer, he felt pretty good about what those three categories meant. But it was better to make sure, starting with the absolute basics.
"System, what do these categories actually do?"
Cultivation Methods provided by the Sect Leader System are, in general, easier to use, produce more powerful results, and build a stronger foundation than the cultivation methods commonly found on this world. The categories allow the Host to add bonuses to each of these categories."Okay, System, what I heard is that my sect member will already be better off than those of other sects just from the base cultivation method without any of the Creation Points being used, but you're making the method so overpowered that I can add a bonus to any or all of these categories on top. Correct?"
Yes.Benton asked in turn about each of the three categories. Ease was a measure of the difficulty of using a method. A sect member would be able to progress from the start to the peak of each minor realm using a method with Ease set to one hundred much faster than with a method that had Ease set to zero.
Power in the context of the creation menu referred to how much qi the cultivation method would add to the sect member's pool with each advancement and how much the method would increase the strength of the sect member's intrinsic qi aspect.
Foundation was a measure of the stability of cultivation developed by using a method. A sect member would be able to breakthrough from the peak of a minor or major realm to the next using a method with Foundation set to one hundred much easier than with a method that had Foundation set to zero.
All three categories were important considerations for a cultivator, and the fact that Benton could determine how much weight to give each was amazing.
He thought he understood the hundred points as well but wanted to make sure.
"System, please elaborate on how the points are distributed and what the exact impact of those are."
Cultivation Method Creation Points allow the Host to customize a cultivation method to fit the sect's priorities. If the Host desires a method that is balanced between the three, set two categories to thirty-three and the third to thirty-four. If the Host prioritizes cultivation speed above all else, set Ease as the highest of the three. Likewise for Power if strength is desired above all else, and Foundation if advancement to the next major realm is all important.
That explanation really clicked with Benton. He'd really need to think about what was most important to him. Did he need his members to ascend the realms as quick as possible or to be able to easily defeat opponents of the same realm or was increasing the height the members could eventually reach the most important criterion?
"System, please set Foundation to fifty, Power to twenty-five, and Ease to twenty-five."
Cultivation Method Creation Point allocation selection accepted.
Please provide a name for Host's cultivation method.
Ugh. Benton hated naming things.
"System, please name the method the Supremely Ultimate Heaven Defying Blaze of Glory but for Test Purposes Only Method."
Name accepted.
Congratulations, Host, on the creation of the Supremely Ultimate Heaven Defying Blaze of Glory but for Test Purposes Only Method!
Would Host like to create this method for eighty Sect Points?
Yeah, that was a hard no. Still, he wanted to make sure he understood the process before he officially declined.
"System, could you display the calculation method used to arrive at eighty points?
Applicability set to Sliding Scale (all qi aspects even tangentially related to fire): Initial Value = 20 Sect Points
Sect Point Factor = 4.
Total Sect Points = 20 x 4 = 80
Good. He'd successfully grokked the explanations. Perfect.
"System, I do not want to create this method. Please delete it."
Decision not to create the cultivation method accepted.
Sect Points Remaining: 100
That was fun. Benton couldn't wait to see what was next.