In the Flowing River Sect which sat atop a large hill, a tall tower that overlooked all of Ryuga pierced the sky. At the top of this tower was an open-air room they nicknamed the Dragon’s View that was normally empty for most of the day. A burly man with brown mutton chop sideburns stood in the center of the room holding a sword so shiny, one could use it as a mirror. Bristling chest hairs poked out of his collar as he stared at the room’s door with a frown.

Third Elder Kondo had always considered himself a man of virtue, but his patience was truly being put to the test today.

Where was everyone?! What were those brothers of his doing?

Fine!

He was used to the first elder usually staying underground in his cave cultivating some secret technique or checking in on his treasury.

Third Elder Kondo could accept that.

And he was used to the second elder caring for nothing except his spiritual tools and his tea to the extent that he ignored his own cultivation.

Third Elder Kondo could accept that as well.

Those two would rarely come to this room in the first place, but the remaining four elders were different.

They would greet each other in this room and exchange pointers with one another. At least, ‘exchanging pointers’ was what they claimed they were doing when Fifth Elder Kazane was around. In addition to trading insights, the three male elders would sometimes gloat about some new technique they had practiced, show-off some rare item they had acquired, and brag about their disciples’ progress and achievements. And while the Fifth Elder was absent, they would covertly peep on—no, spy on—no, observe—yes, observe the mortals of Ryuga…for inspiration or potential talents. Yes, for inspiration and potential talents!

Fifth Elder Kazane had been gone for a week, so of course, she could not visit the Dragon’s View which gave the remaining elders a rare opportunity to unreservedly observe Ryuga in all its naked glory.

But what had happened to the fourth and sixth elder? Those two would make an appearance here at least once, sometimes twice-a-day, to bicker with each other. Where in the heavens had they gone for three straight days?

Fine!

There was no obligation for them to visit this room.

He could accept that.

And there was certainly no obligation to inform him, the third elder, of their schedule.

He could accept that as well.

But did they both have to skip the past three days together?

Third Elder Kondo stared at his own reflection on the flat of the sword.

When Third Elder Kondo was not cultivating, overseeing his disciple or idling in this room, he was crafting weapons in his personal smithy.

He had completed a magnificent sword for his disciple Matsushita Hizumi three days ago. After spending much of his time and effort into crafting it, its durability reached the point where it could withstand attacks at the Core Crystallization stage, and its make was compatible with Hizumi’s fighting style.

Having given Hizumi enough time to assimilate the Sanguine Spirit Fruit he had rewarded him earlier, his disciple should currently be available to receive this gift by now. But before he called Hizumi over here, he wanted a chance to flaunt this masterpiece to at least one of his brothers. To have one’s own disciple use a weapon that one personally crafted, it was a good feeling that the other elders would be extremely envious of.

After all, he was the only blacksmith among the elders, so they would struggle to do the same for their disciples. Those eyes green with envy, and a face filled with sourness…Third Elder Kondo just wished for one witness!

…Fine!

The elders did not exist to feed his vanity…even though he had spent three days re-waxing the sword over and over waiting for such a moment to reveal it.

He could accept that…!

But today was the day the fifth elder was returning from her mission around the continent of Yuanxi. Even the first elder passed them a message that he might come and drag the second elder here to greet her.

Yet no one was here aside from him.

This, he could not accept!

Fifth Elder Kazane was the flower in the arid desert that was the Flowing River Sect, the only female elder amongst them as well as the only living woman to have reached the Nascent Soul stage within the sect. She had to be respected and revered for numerous reasons, even by her peers.

Women were placed at a disadvantage in the world of cultivators. The Qi Flourishing and Foundation Establishment stages multiplied one’s physical abilities many times over which served to enhance the biological gap between men and women, increasing the difference in strength by a large factor and making it much more difficult for women to fight for their own share of resources. For this reason, less mortal women chose the path of a cultivator, and even fewer could advance past the Foundation Establishment stage before they reached the end of their lives.

Only after crystallizing their core, did women gain an advantage over men and begin closing the gap, and if they could form their Nascent Soul, they would not only eliminate the gap, but also attain advantages over the men in the form of larger and more powerful souls.

But that was not it.

Elder Kazane’s beauty, rarity and power were all good reasons to value her, but the best reason to respect her was out of caution.

In a world where dogs ate all the cats, it was not the carnivorous dogs one should be most wary of but rather the uneaten cat. For a woman to have survived against all odds and attain a Nascent Soul, everyone would treat her with the utmost seriousness. Even the first elder whose Nascent Soul was more advanced would not pick a fight with her if he could help it.

It was also for this reason that Third Elder Kondo did not celebrate getting the chance to be alone with this pure and beautiful ‘mountain laurel’. While he adored the idea of becoming closer with this reserved sister of his, their exchanges were terse, and she was usually reserved towards him. Even after he used their disciples as a segue into conversation multiple times, her cute, thin eyebrows would furrow, and her mood would noticeably plummet.

Kondo blamed his appearance. When he stood next to her exquisite frame and peaceful aura, his build which was several times wider and three heads taller towered over hers. And his chest hairs and sideburns gave him the appearance of some type of animal. Trimming them was annoying because they would grow back longer within a couple of hours.

Even if she had no reason to fear him, it was natural to assume that a fairy such as Elder Kazane disliked these barbaric features.

For all these reasons, Kondo had decided a while back that he needed to take time and improve his relationship with his Fifth Sister first before expressing an interest in her. He had already settled on thirty years of the following: greet her with a smile, followed by two well-intentioned sentences relating to her well-being, and finish up with a goodbye and a bow. It had only been five years so far, but if everything went according to plan, then in twenty-five years, he would request to go on a stroll with her around the sect and maybe suggest sharing pointers over a cup of tea.

Oh! He should make sure to borrow his second brother’s tea girl when he carried out his plans. She made very good tea which could increase his odds of gaining her affections.

Wait…he got off track... oh, right!

That was why he could not accept this!

He was unwilling to be the only person here to welcome Elder Kazane.

Would she be upset the other elders did not care enough to receive her? Would she be disappointed that only the distant third elder remembered to show up? Would she begin inquiring about the affairs of the sect and the whereabouts of the elders?

Oof, that one was the worst-case scenario! If she did that, Kondo’s plans to take things slow and limit their exchanges to two sentences would go up in flames.

It had occurred to Kondo that such a scenario could improve his relationship with his fifth sister, but it was a bit too risky for his liking.

He did not reach the Nascent Soul stage by taking risks!

Okay, he had, in fact, taken many risks…but they were calculated risks such as his earthly tribulation or peeping on mortal women. Those risks were much easier to gauge than the dangers that came from interacting with a woman, especially one of Elder Kazane’s stature.

At this time, an outer-sect Qi Flourishing disciple with gloves on walked in while carrying a small table and a plate of the Flowing River Sect elders’ favorite snack: skewered marbles of Sanguine Spirit Fruit.

Because the disciple had already greeted the Third Elder when he had entered the room, he did not bow or greet him a second time. He began setting up the small table when the elder waved it off and used his own energy to keep the tray afloat next to him.

Then, he asked the disciple, “Has junior peeked in on the Fourth and Sixth Elders?” His voice was deep and seemed to carry a powerful energy that made the disciple freeze in place.

This poor disciple was suddenly and directly addressed by one of the sect’s elders, and the natural pressure placed onto him from someone at a much higher cultivation stage caused him to break out in a cold sweat. Without a second thought, the disciple kneeled to the elder.

“Junior does not dare! Junior does not dare!”

His head was tilted downward, and his eyes closed in prayer. Which junior disciple would be brave enough to peek in on one of the elders without permission? He had not done anything wrong, so why was the elder angry with him?

Third Elder Kondo’s eye twitched for a moment.

He realized that he had forgotten to hold back his natural aura just now.

When travelling around the sect, the elders would usually hide their powerful presence to ensure they would not scare or alert the disciples. It was only when the elders gathered did they relax and unwind their powerful force of presence.

Actually, the Second and Fifth Elder were exceptions to this rule as well. Fifth Elder Kazane was reserved even when dealing with the other elders which added to her charm, and the Second Elder was always followed by the pleasantly chubby tea girl whom he would frequently speak with.

Third Elder Kondo retracted his aura and pulled out a low-tier spirit stone. “I only wish to know the recent whereabouts of your Fourth and Sixth Elder. Have you seen them?”

Feeling the weight lift-off his shoulders, the disciple gathered the courage to look up at the elder and see his hand holding out a low-tier spirit stone. He immediately sprung up and lunged for the spirit stone more quickly than when he kneeled, donning a polite smile on his face.

“Replying to Third Elder’s question: Fourth Elder and Sixth Elder left together through the well three days ago. As of this morning, they had yet to return, but I am on duty here until the evening, so I do not know if they have returned already. Does elder wish for me to go and check?”

“No need. You may go now.”

Having recently attained his Nascent Soul twenty years ago, he was capable of sensing whether any of the other elders and their equally high cultivations were on this hill unless they were purposely hiding themselves. It was just not very polite to spread his perception with no warning.

The disciple stored the spirit stone into his bag, bowed and left the room. Third Elder Kondo slowly ate his skewer as he pondered his next course of action. When he was halfway done, a flash of inspiration struck which prompted him to slip the remaining half of marbles into his mouth all at once.

He immediately regretted devouring that much fruit at once. Squinting his eyes and scrunching up his lips from the large amount of concentrated Qi gushing through his body, he breathed in deeply and meditated. After a few seconds, he let out an extremely satisfied and content sigh.

That hit the spot!

Good thing he gave Hizumi a week to process the Sanguine Spirit Fruit. He should have made a lot of progress by now.

There was still time before Elder Kazane returned.

Kondo decided to visit Hizumi and gift him the sword now. Afterwards, he would bring his disciple along to converse with Elder Kazane and have him act as a buffer between them. This way, her affection points for him would not decrease.

Best of all, he could have Hizumi demonstrate his new sword’s greatness to Elder Kazane.

Truly a masterful plan!

If there was time after picking up his human shield—ahem, disciple, he could track down the other elders and also hide behind them—ahem, urge them to come receive Elder Kazane with him.

Truly, truly a phenomenal, masterful plan!

How could he not accept such a brilliant and well-thought out plan?