Jessica hated asking for recruits. She also hated asking for volunteers. But she needed more. So she had taken two of her aunties down to Frosthaven, and An-Yong of course. They waited in the new town square, a cleared area that Jessica had been told was the only good thing that the divine beast had done.

“We’ve already asked so much of them,” She said.

“But they can give back this way,” Mary said.

“Hmm,” Elaine said.

An-Yong had gotten the job of knocking on doors and was in charge of the bowl that the potential students would use.

Already, in the month since she had been here, half of the first realm cultivators had made it to the second realm, and she was itching to make more third realm cultivators.

A line of hopefuls swelled after Mary pushed the word around that there was a chance that they would be the ones to help eradicate the divine beast. It appeared that the gentle people of Frosthaven held grudges.

Even her once rival, Gina showed up with a basket full of baked goods.

Jessica and the aunties accepted it greedily.

“Thank you for what you are doing. I never thought that we might have to face the divine beast not once, but possibly twice in my natural life,” Gina said.

“We do what we can,” Jessica said.

It didn’t escape Jessica's notice that Gina had brought all of her nieces and nephews to be tested.

“Gina, it would be our pleasure to have you visit us sometime to play mahjong. These wonderful aunties don’t bite, I swear,” Mary said, munching on a crescent shaped roll.

Elaine nodded, insistent. She had one of the chocolate ones. It turned out that half were chocolate and half weren’t and one just couldn’t tell until you cracked into it. They could have drizzled some onto the crescents to indicate it, but they didn’t. Jessica resolved to have a talk with their chocolatier about the problem.

“This one does see what you meant about people wanting to help out in a crisis,” Mary said.

Forty potential students waited as An-Yong explained how to dip their hands into the bowl and what they needed to do.

“We do want to help. That was an absolute disaster, and I am so grateful that I was able to make it through. I didn’t expect to live through it, but you have given us some measure of hope,” Gina said.

“And coin,” Jessica added, smirking.

“The coin has also helped, yes,” Gina said, in a sincere tone, “But what else could I spend it on? I cannot eat gold. I need help from strong cultivators to grow crops once the snow is gone. I’ll be calling upon your strength next week, I think.”

Gina gestured to the green grass peeking up from the ground around them. Life, it seemed, had found a way.

“And the Coldsteel Sect will be more than happy to help.”

***

An-Yongs voice jumped out at them.

“Alright, now one at a time, as I’ve instructed, hands into the bowl. Help your town, help your brother and cultivate!”

The first scrawny child stepped up. They must have been all of eleven. An-yong didn’t know how to feel about accepting students so young. He too was accepted young, and it had changed his life.

Putting their fingers into the bowl and immersing them fully, the boy laughed. An-Yong remembered the cool touch and instantly he knew that the boy had the capacity to become a cultivator.

The boy knew also, and smiled.

It was a bit unfortunate for An-Yong that he hadn’t discovered this young man earlier, but he was happy to see that he was immediately ready.

“Step to the side, you have passed.”

Nodding, he stepped away and out of An-Yongs peripheral vision.

Another bright eyed potential cultivator stepped up to try her luck. This one at least looked like she didn’t skip meals, even if the meals were skimpy. It didn’t make her large, but she was tall.

Two dirty hands were thrust into the waiting bowl. An-Yong silently cursed. He would have to remind the potential cultivators to wash their hands. He would need to renew the water quickly.

For a long minute, she sat there, attempting to feel something, and in his heart of hearts An-Yong wanted nothing more than for her to succeed, but her spark wasn’t right.

“Try again in a year. You’ll be helping your family if you can cultivate, but you’re not quite ready yet.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and An-Yong briefly considered if he should have thought about how he talked to people outside of the school. The rigid hierarchy of the school always did one thing right. You always knew how to talk to the people around you. It had been a while since he had to address a little girl who wasn’t a student.

She didn’t stomp off, but her footsteps were heavy as she left.

As quickly as she left, another one stepped up, and the cycle began again.

An-Yong breathed, cycling in the circular pattern that pushed his qi around as he tried to make his core larger almost through just the force of his will. That he was getting closer to the fourth realm day by day, and he could feel it, it was all worth it. His short hop to the third realm after years felt like forever, but the last month really sold it for him.

***

“Ten potential cultivators elder.”

Jessica turned to address those that remained. By and large they looked hungry and leaked resolve.

“We will take any who will volunteer to go with us. Know that we won’t be seeking vengeance, just yet. It will be a long time coming for this divine beast as we determine a way to beat it back and keep it away.”

An-Yong nodded. He’d gotten them into a formation behind the elder and as the last one finished, they had simply waited for something, anything.

“That said, you are all welcome to join and attempt to follow the path of Coldsteel. I won’t deny that it will be difficult and I expect you to give your best, in all that you do everyday with us. Anyone that does not wish to cultivate, may depart now with my blessing.”

Jessica paused, waiting for their number to drop.

No one moved.

Whether it was indecision, or a desire to get back at the beast that ravaged their homes, possibly killing most or all of their families, each of them stood fast.

“Excellent. Welcome to our school. Now Please follow An-Yong back to the school, and good luck to you.”

The line of students filed in behind An-Yong as he plodded up the path.

“Now that he is gone,” Mary said, “Gina, do you think that you have time for a game?”

***

Arriving at his old home, Fa Za almost got back into his old routine. His body was ready to move to his sacred cultivation spot, and he knew that it would restore some of the mess that had been made from his complete miss with the potions.

It was dark, and a lone servant waited out front. They’d known, as they always did. He’d reached out with his nascent soul and bidden one to attend him.

He thought he had more time.

Inside of his negative space pocket, the two potions sat unused. He was going to need another chance.

Fa Za hated when his plans got disrupted.

The only time that he hadn’t hated it was when he’d been upstaged by Elder Jessica.

He couldn’t have her, which made him want her even more. The damn woman was so insufferably rational about everything that she never blew up at him.

His mother always was on about something when he was a child, blowing up at her father.

That was just how love went, wasn’t it?

Perhaps hers was a more even caring love. Without passion, would it even be the same?

What was love without yelling?

“Bah.”

Fa Za nodded to one of his servants. An elderly man in gray robes bowed in front of him.

“I must speak to the clan elders immediately.”

“As you wish, Elder,” he said, disappearing into the shadows.

He held back a shudder. The shadow cultivators truly scared him sometimes. Somewhere else, he would be stepping from a shadow to address other shadow servants.

Their powers weren’t infinite, but the better a shadow cultivator got, the further they could teleport. It wasn’t a skill that was along his path, but he knew that it would have been a potential game changer for him.

His main decision, now was if he should wait for them, or if they were going to come to him. Searching his memory, he tried to remember a time when any of the other elders visited him.

It would have to be the other way.

Fa Za sighed, taking his time to walk his way back up to the Heaven’s Mountain Schools senior leadership meeting rooms. He would arrive first or second and find the most ostentatious room to use to announce his arrival.

A second cultivator, this one a more senior servant ran ahead, anticipating his needs. The senior disciples footfalls were silent, and it was only because of his spiritual senses that he knew.

The immediate euphoria of his arrival now drained, he set about to keep his elders in check. They would argue that he couldn’t allow the Sect to be used to help in a disaster, but the real problem would be if they took too long to act.

The divine beast Raelish was a force of nature. It cared not for the opinions of me, and Fa Za wanted cultivators in his Sect.

His would be a boring life if he was the sole cultivator, or the sole elder left.

Three red carpeted staircases later and he arrived in a well lit gold flecked hallway.

When the marble cracked in places, they replaced it with gold, trying to keep the same feeling. It had cracked often, but not upon his arrival a large crack ran all the way down.

He idly wondered if it was because of one of the beast's footfalls earlier. None of the shockwaves had been close enough on its approach for him to even notice.

At the end of the marbled hallway, the largest meeting room sat. It was reserved for the most important of meetings with foreign dignitaries and higher realm cultivators. It had been rumored that once a tenth level cultivator had graced their presence. At least a cherry blossom tree, an ancient gnarled beauty, was planted in honor of the occasion.

It would witness him.

They filed in, and he thought about the eastern wind.

Total Sect Disciples/Followers: 218(+10)

Inner Sect

Fifth Realm: 1

Fourth Realm: 3

Outer Sect

Third Realm: 35

Second Realm: 88

First Realm(or lower): 92(+ 10)

Daily Tasks or Special Jobs

Aunties: 22

Daily Upkeep (general pool): 20

Library Specialists/Quartermasters: 3

Alchemists: 5

Scouts: 10

Artisans/Craftspeople: 6

Emissaries: 4

Healers:5