Servants were one of - if not - the most valued resources after ascending to the Heavenly Realm. One's strength won't be sufficient to fully explore the entire Heavens on your own, not even if you reach a cultivation realm above Immortal Venerable. One could still use avatars to multi-task, but their strength was limited and were easy to kill, as just proven by Herman today.

The only proper way to establish yourself fully once ascended, was by having a small army of 'servants'. While it was a term that millennials from Earth abhorred, there was indeed a certain master-servant contract one could sign with aboriginals of the Immortal World. This contract would ensure they will follow your orders to the letter, in exchange for resources for cultivation and more chances to keep growing.

Someone once compared these servants to NPCs in a game that have the potential to keep leveling up. Your character would drag them around during quests or kill mobs to boost their EXP bars, further increasing the overall strength of the said NPC's. Servants were similar since they required huge amounts of resources to grow, usually, more than their master. To backtrack a little bit, someone like Herman could make use of his Censor title to take any servant he wanted with him once he could enter the Heavenly Realm. However, not every mob could survive the ascension.

In order to be able to take a servant with you, there were three things that the System needed to confirm first.

First was the willingness of the said servant to follow you. There would be no point in having tons of resources if the dude/woman didn't want to follow you there and you couldn't exactly force them to do so either. The trust levels were a huge deal, therefore, the second requirement was the Favor of the possible servant. Once discovered a target, the System identifies them as a companion. It's your job as the second party to increase their trust in you to the max and have them fall in love with you, or simply befriend you to the highest level possible. Friendship works as well, but most of the time the relationship ends up on the more intimate side. Taking that bastard Pingu as an example, in his past life all his servants were girls. He almost died a couple of times due to conflicts in his 'harem'.

There was not a need to actually be sexually involved with your companions to ascend them, but most people preferred this route. Cultivation was an assiduous and lonely path. Having someone to share your burdens and also someone you could dual-cultivate with, was pretty awesome.

The main issue was that, while you could have a harem as infinite as your stamina allows, there was no point if they couldn't be ascended even after their Favor reaches 100 points. That brings us to the third and final requirement: bloodline.

Servants that could be ascended were descendants of ancient bloodlines. Once they step through the portal leading to the Heavenly Realm, their bloodline would ignite and their entire cultivation would be reset. It's an unfortunate thing to drop from the Ascension realm or higher, back to Qi Gathering usually. This time, however, their potential would receive a huge boost and their physiques would soar. In less than a hundred years they could gain back their cultivation with ease, as long as the necessary resources are provided.

Herman knew that there were three known bloodlines in The Valley of Fallen Blossom's sect, currently being the Junior Sister, the Chief Disciple, and the Sect Master. The many geniuses from his past life didn't believe that though. The other two major positions Herman just encountered, the main Elder and the Custodian held much more potential than the Junior Sister and the Chief disciple. The problem was the difficulty of getting them to be your companions.

"From what I remember about their background stories, Yi Xuan is impossible to conquer. Every male cultivator starts with a negative value when it comes to Favor, due to her prejudice against them. Also, Wu Xinyan looks up to Yi Xuan as to a big sister and trusts her unconditionally. While she was joking earlier when she 'proposed' to Herman, she wasn't exactly lying. If one could get Yi Xuan, Wu Xinyan would also follow... Which means that I need to start with this unruly woman..."

Seeing Herman stare with such passion at them, both girls turned bashful. Well, one of them did, while the other was staring daggers back to him. He couldn't help but sigh and ask the System to recognize the two as companions.

Request received! Acknowledged!

Yi Xuan and Wu Xinyan were recognized as possible companions.

Warning!

Yi Xuan's Favor is currently negative 10!

Wu Xinyan's Favor is currently positive 10!

Now it was Herman's turn to be surprised. He heard before that when Pingu tried to have the system recognize Yi Xuan as his companion, her Favor was -50... Maybe her impression of him improved slightly because of today's turn of events. Catching the bad guys, being strong enough to beat 25 opponents at higher cultivation realm than him, and most important having the titles of Inspector and Censor (the Realm Oracle was hidden per his choice) must've created a good enough impression for her Favor to be almost neutral.

[What are you staring at you bastard!? Want me to gauge your eyes out?](Yi Xuan)

"Or I could be wrong..."

[Are you serious about joining our sect? You do know that it's a women-only type of sect, right?](Wu Xinyan)

"Yes. Honestly, I would prefer to abstain from abusing my titles and force you into letting me join, so I would appreciate it if you could make an exception..."

[When you put it that way, is there a difference between the two?](Wu Xinyan)

[I am against it!](Yi Xuan)

"Hmm? Why? I'm lacking in talent?"

[It has nothing to do with talent. It's a girls-only sect. The sect master wouldn't agree anyway, so don't waste your breath. Even if you are a Censor, so is she.](Yi Xuan)

"Times change and so do people's hearts. Who knows, maybe in a couple of months you might come to like me as well."

[When Hell freezes over!](Yi Xuan)

Herman remained silent and quipped in his mind that it could be arranged. There was an event like that somewhere in the future... Wu Xinyan on the other hand was curiously studying him, expecting some kind of information to pop-up from somewhere. He couldn't help but chuckle seeing her inquisitive nature. From what he remembered, these two beautiful girls were the second and third strongest in their sect, after Feng Qian, their older sister, and the active sect master.

Knowing the rumors of the past, he couldn't help but silently agree that these two should also hold ancient bloodlines. The System also wouldn't be able to know for certain until the user, him, comes in contact with their DNA. That could be a strand of hair, saliva, or... other types of fluids if things got more heated. With the System acting as a proxy from his own body, it couldn't ask for details of the System in Yi Xuan's body for example. Think of them as independent AI's that have a connection to the main computer and its database, but act only in their own interest and the user's.

[Why are you so sure that big sister Qian would agree to you being the only guy in a sect full of beautiful girls. Isn't that like inviting a wolf in a herd of sheep?](Wu Xinyan)

[A very perverted wolf!](Yi Xuan)

"Hey, cut it out! A man only has his reputation to live by. Don't go giving me a bad one for no reason. It was you who attacked me unreasonably and I only defended myself. Plus that I didn't even hurt you. How come I'm a pervert all of a sudden."

[Hoh? So you mean to say that you didn't try to put your hands where you shouldn't have on big sister Xuan's body?](Wu Xinyan)

"*Cough**Cough* Miss Xinyan... no! Big sister Xinyan, can you please stop? Look at her! If you keep pushing her buttons she might just kill me... I am honestly looking only to advance on my cultivation path. Nothing more!"

[Hehe! And you think you can peacefully cultivate while surrounded by babes, one more beautiful than the other?](Wu Xinyan)

"What do they have to do with anything? I'm planning to get a personal dwelling with a high mountain nearby."

[There are none left in our territory. All have been bought! Guess you will have to go somewhere else.](Yi Xuan)

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I plan on buying one in an independent sub-space."

[Eh!? Isn't that like 500SJ?](Wu Xinyan)

"Yes, it is, but I am highly appreciative of privacy. I would rather spend 500SJ and have a portable residence, than having issues with security or even worse, having to split with somebody else."

[I think I might just try to convince big sis Qian to have you join us...](Wu Xinyan)

Alert!

Wu Xinyan's Favor has increased to positive 30!

Herman almost keeled over when he saw how much of a gold digger this beauty was. A pretty and youthful face, dressed up in a long blue dress with exposed legs and a bountiful cleavage that would bring any young man to his knees... or better put, at her feet.

He also had issues maintaining eye-contact, since they had amazingly curvaceous bodies and he couldn't afford to offend or appear as perverted as Yi Xuan made him be. Not if he wanted a chance to get the two of them as companions.

Alert!

Yi Xuan's Favor has increased to positive 10!

This time he blanked out and was rooted in spot, staring strangely at Yi Xuan. This...

"Look at her all red and shy! Who would've thought that even this frost queen would be moved by money? Seems like LinkWill was right... throwing Spirit Jades at everything in the Immortal World will undoubtedly make a difference for the better."

[What... what are you looking at!?](Yi Xuan)

"Nothing in particular... Now then, can we go meet the sect head?"

[...](Yi Xuan)

[I guess... Let's go! I am curious what big sis Qian would say. Hehe! Maybe you can even get her to personally guide you. Hehehe!](Wu Xinyan)

The guards finished escorting the gang members out of the plaza, leaving behind many confused recruits and the trio in question. Herman wasn't particularly surprised when the two began advertising their sect to the girls that ascended from Earth or other worlds, convincing quite a big number of them to join. What shocked the two, were the looks most of the newbie cultivators from Earth were giving Herman.

Even if he pretended not to see Yi Xuan falling behind and interrogate them, he could still hear the gold-digging troublemaker next to him chortling at his misfortune. Luckily, not even a few minutes later, he got a new alert from the System.

Alert!

Yi Xuan's Favor has increased to positive 10!

"Seems to me that I might actually be able to pull this off. Who knew that the karma sown back on Earth would bear fruit this quickly."

It was very likely that those girls from Earth that Yi Xuan... 'interviewed', were ones that recognized him either from the trials or as the 'benefactor' that gifted all of them his hard-gained knowledge. One way or another, the impression these two had of him should increase since they like gossiping...

Alert!

Wu Xinyan's Favor has increased to positive 35!

...any second now. Seems like the younger beauty is more 'worldly' oriented instead of considering philanthropy to be a more valuable trait in a guy. It would make sense though. These two shouldn't be that old, probably only around 300 years or something. It might seem like a lot, but in the world of cultivation, reaching the Nascent Soul realm this early would make them impressive prodigies. Seeing how they even help with the establishment of a sect and hold titles such as Inspector, there was no way in hell that these two couldn't be ascended.

It was a relatively short walk, given that they used a Travel House nearby to teleport directly in The Fallen Valley of Blossom's territory. Usually, that would not be possible, yet the two girls held high positions in the sect, allowing them to use the said authority and bypass the normal restrictions imposed on others. The surroundings of the sect were similar to what anyone would imagine given the name of it.

Many trees in full blossom were enchanting the senses of all those present, be them visually or olfactory. The wind would dance among the tree and carry with it petals to the nearby rivers, making it a most beautiful sight.

"No wonder so many guys tried to get in..."

[*Giggle* Are you still certain that you will be able to focus on your cultivation with these many beauties around you? Are you sure you will not be tempted?](Wu Xinyan)

"I will try my best not to..."

[Hmpf! Perverted wolf!](Yi Xuan)

"..."

Everywhere you'd look, peerless beauties would be chatting, sparring, dancing, or cultivating. This was for sure the paradise in every man's dreams. Herman had appearances to uphold though and even if he failed slightly in the beginning, he focused on keeping eye-contact with the two officials of the sect while asking them different questions. There was no further increase in Favor, but their impression of him improved a little.

Noticing such a big group and clearly new to this sect as well, curious eyes were darting between the new girls and the odd male standing out like a sore thumb. Seeing him converse in such a casual manner with their ice-queen who held the position of sect Custodian and the main Elder Wu Xinyan, everyone's idol, the imagination of these pure-hearted girls ran wild with delusions.

Few of them even gathered their courage and stopped nearby Herman, looking him up and down as if he was a rare animal. The bolder ones even asked him a couple of questions. Among them, there were two of his remaining targets for ascension.

[Is this big brother going to join our sect as well?](?)

[Little Yue, don't be absurd! How could a man joining our sect.](Yi Xuan)

[But big sister Qian said that we will start accepting them soon...](Lan Yue)

[Eh!? What are you talking about little Yue? Since when?](Wu Xinyan)

[That's not possible! How can we allow this pervert to join our sect! What if... what if he does bad things to our younger sisters!?](Yi Xuan)

[Pervert? Bad things?](Lan Yue)

Herman's face was covered with black lines and was throwing reproachful looks the way of this unreasonable woman, who was ignoring him completely. He shook his head and decided to accept the cold shoulder he was about to get from all the beautiful members of this sect.

Fortunately, someone unexpected came to his rescue.

[Big sister Xuan, we talked about this before. You cannot judge every man you come across by your standards. This big brother here looks refined and gentlemanly. How could you call him a pervert!? Big brother, this one's name is Ling Ye, the chief disciple of the Valley of the Fallen Blossoms sect. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.](Ling Ye)

"It's my honor to meet fairy Ling. My name is Herman Roy. These two ladies by my sides brought me here to meet the sect master... Oh? Does fairy Ling play the zither?"

[Just a hobby I picked up from big sister Qian. Does big brother Herman know how to play it?](Ling Ye)

"Just a little, but not enough to do the instrument justice. I always found the sound of the zither to help calm the mind and the spirit. It's quite useful in one's cultivation path."

[To think that this 'big brother' would somehow have similar interests as our chief disciple who's also a beauty... what a surprise...](Yi Xuan)

[You have to forgive my older sister, big brother Herman. She usually ignores every man in her vicinity. I am surprised to see her talk this much with someone from the opposite gender. She must really like you...](Ling Ye)

[...](Yi Xuan)

"..."

Herman wanted to ask how exactly she reached that conclusion, but kept quiet and smiled instead. Seeing the unreasonable woman keeping quiet as well, the other three girls were glancing between him and her with knowing looks. The smirks on their lips made the Custodian blush and run away. Literally! Those remaining behind were dumbfounded by this turn of events and were looking at Herman strangely.

Trying to shift the awkward mood, Ling Ye continued the conversation about the zither, while Wu Xinyan and Lan Yue were gossiping about their fleeing big sister and were planning to make fun of her later on.

The new girl recruits were sent to a different place, while the three girls and Herman headed to the sect master's pavilion. It didn't take long until the sound of swords clashing could be heard. It was different than something you could hear during a normal spar between two cultivators and instead it was more similar to a song.

Soon, there were flying swords intertwining with each other above Herman's head, wondering the eyes of the girls present. A beautiful yet deadly melody reached his ears, holding a threatening aura. It seems that the sect head wasn't very pleased with his presence here.

[You must be Herman. My sister Xuan has told me quite a lot about you and how you are a very 'hands-on' type of person...](Feng Qian)

"...it does seem so, doesn't it?"

Seeing the unreasonable woman smiling evilly by the side of the sect master, just like a child hiding behind her bigger sister while sticking her tongue out, he turned speechless. To think that she ran before so that she could rat him out to her big sister...

He truly had his work cut out for him.