As the three days of studying passed, Lou Ben got used to the people around him.
He noticed that the scarring and wrinkles that come with time disappeared on the faces of his new brothers. It was as if they had regained their youth.
The original thirty-four other brothers contained mostly middle-aged men, so when the third stage of testing happened not too long ago, the bigger and burly characters directed their attention towards each other first.
"It's only natural to pick the more domineering looking character out to try to maximize your potential to win." Lou Ben thought as he recalled and summarized the battle of the third stage.
He finished reading and understanding the basics of the book that was given, he was mostly trying to understand the current situation that he was placed in.
Ever since Lou Ben came to this world, he has been directed in the direction, without the power to fight against it. He felt as if he was losing control of what made him human, and that was his own freedom.
"Huhh… even the other day I had to murder someone." Lou Ben sighed.
"If the trend continues, then I will probably have to commit more acts of murder and fight for my life on the line."
"It would be natural to think this, I just wonder if I'll be ready for when it happens."
Lou Ben looked up and saw the thirty-four brothers sitting crossed legged trying to engage themselves with the book.
"At least these people regained their youth, it looks like once you walk the path of a dao master, the world truly changes."
"Makes me wonder how old Steward Wen Guoliang and Master Xiao are, maybe I can ask Steward Wen Guoliang after this phase of time ends."
Lou Ben prepared himself for the future, but he could only do so much.
The three days of studying ended, and in the morning, Wu Gen, now Xiao Wu Gen, began the physical aspect of training.
Wu Gen was naturally gifted in fighting, the same way Lou Ben was naturally a scholar, unfortunately for the rest of the thirty-four brothers, this meant that intensive training was required.
"Alright brothers, this will be the most difficult portion. I have been thinking about it a lot."
"We will have a regimen of early morning running, strength training, mid-day sparring, mid-day running and strength training, night sparring, and finally night running and strength training."
"If we didn't have the last three days of such a long session, I would have wanted to stretch the times out, but all of us are putting our hearts into becoming a dao master so I can only follow the lead and push us all to do our best!" Wu Gen was standing as everyone was sitting cross legged.
With the regimen that Wu Gen established, it didn't take long for his brothers to slowly out-pace his fighting style. He told them many secrets on how he was going to feint, probe, and run away to maintain stamina.
Four weeks later, every single person was able to be on par with the fighting skills of Wu Gen, and only sometimes would he be able to win.
He didn't hide anything and gave away all his secrets. Originally, he felt crossed with this sort of teaching, but the orders from Steward Wen Guoliang were to make sure everyone here could beat him.
Now that everyone had the sense of fighting instilled inside their bodies, they were naturally each owns opponent. No one reigned supreme, because the moment that a person had a winning streak, they would divulge all their experience to each other.
The arena slowly became the best place to sharpen both intellect and martial prowess.
"Oh, brother Wu Gen, you have given us all this experience, and I can only win our fights half of the time. No matter how close we get to gaining the upper hand, one of us always has a bright idea and turns it around." Lou Ben was sitting on the floor next to Wu Gen as they exhausted their breaths.
"Haha, brother Lou Ben, I thought you said that If you didn't have to fight Liang Jianjun, then you would win one-hundred times and only lose once. Where did that confidence go?" Wu Gen chuckled as he didn't take Lou Ben's words to heart, but instead felt the intensity of competition instead.
"Yes, now brother Liang Jianjun has gained some brains from reading the book over and over again, now his fighting style is more vicious and meticulous."
"Every time I spar brother Liang Jianjun, I feel like I meet both myself and brother Wu Gen in the arena. He has my charisma and your courage."
"Huhh…"
"Then there's brother Xie Xin, his techniques are unique. It's like I'm trying to fight a snake."
Wu Gen and Lou Ben were summarizing their brother's growth over the time together.
Steward Wen Guoliang never showed up, but would leave messages with the cooking servants, mostly praises for Wu Gen and Lou Ben for being able to sharpen both the intellect and strength.
It was surprising, even Master Xiao was pleasantly surprised at how the clan was starting to take shape.
Steward Wen Guoliang would often give updates to the pondering figure of Master Xiao, and many questions would arise, such as which technique would best fit the Xiao clan.
"Master Xiao, I think your space cultivation would be the best foundation for the clan!" Steward Wen Guoliang bowed and was determined to say.
"Oh, Steward Wen Guoliang, I was thinking this too, but the problem is that I am also proficient in fire techniques. I also want to see the day that both can intertwine, so as you created this clan I was wondering if it would be possible to see these children of mine adapt such a technique." Master Xiao sighed as his chin reached his palm.
"Master Xiao is ahead of the times; I would have never imagined such a way of thinking. What do you think you will impart on Xiao Wu Gen?"
"Hmm, for my one and only disciple the way of the world is best. I can travel with the youngster and come up with a better cultivation technique suited for him." Master Xiao looked up and thought of the many places to develop a sharp blade that he will call his disciple.
"Who knows, now that I have so many children, the world is endless with possibilities. I can truly rest in peace and grow old as I watch the fire of youth kindle in the eyes of those new dao masters."
"Master Xiao, we are both far from dying of old age. Although I am truly happy to see how these children are affecting you and your heart, I only want whats best for my life savior. I would not want you to look forward to handing over your life as you watch it run past you!"
"Haha, Steward Wen Guoliang, I am only kidding, when have I ever been the person to allow calamity to strike?"
"Yes, haha, that has never been your character. I recall not too long ago the time when you protected this village from a necromancer raising the dead and burning the surrounding forest."
"Ah, Master Xiao, the people today still remember your kindness and mercy when you approached the necromancer and isolated him in his own world to cause havoc to mortals."
"haha, that fool. He was a frog in the well, unable to see Mt. Tai."
"Put him in a secluded world and make him believe that all his hard work will allow him to reign supreme."
"Little does he know that no matter how much he cultivates, nor how much he wishes to escape, he is restricted and will never leave."
"Oh, Steward Wen Guoliang, I once had the idea to create a righteous clan and use secluded worlds to jail demonic cultivators, what do you think?"
"Master Xiao, this would greatly raise the reputation of the clan. I think I was originally thinking too small and only wanted the clan to become strong, but Master Xiao was able to see into the future and predict such a strong foundation."
"Truly, Master Xiao, I am in awe at your abilities."
"Haha, okay Steward Wen Guoliang, that is enough. We will continue with this in mind, the foundation of cultivation will be fire and space dao, and our overall objective would be to jail demonic cultivators."
The stage was being set for the newly formed Xiao clan, with a few words, the choices of life and death were being determined for the thirty-five Xiao children.
In the future they will create a house to store small worlds that jail demonic cultivators, those who perform morally wrong actions in the pursuit of cultivation, demonic cultivation which had yet to truly be defined by what cultivators thought themselves to be, the righteous.
With Xiao Weizhe at the wheel, the world was in the midst of ushering a new era that defined what it meant to be demonic and what it meant to be righteous.