After a bit of time hugging Ai and giving her head pats, she reluctantly pulls away to look back at the group.

“… I guess we should get back over there soon. There’s a lot we’ll need to do.”

She walks away, but then pauses.

I can just hear her voice. Low, but clear.

“Lin said she won’t be doing anything next time we get a chance to be in bed… but I think I’m ready to. Let me know when you are.”

Immediately after saying that, she briskly paces away, with my scan showing her pale skin shining a bright red.

… she’s changed.

After we went our separate ways, in that short time, she’s grown. And seems that she and Lin are truly wanting to get closer in a deeper way.

I mean, I already suspected that with them pushing for being my sworn sister… which in this culture has multiple connotations, including being potential fiancees.

And it also doesn’t seem like they are trying to manipulate me.

Just… wanting to be closer in a different way.

With the healing method constantly running on all of us, it makes it easier to think about things. Like being refreshed mentally, but on a constant basis. That state helps with figuring things out, as it’s done for me. I’m sure they’ve benefited from it, as well.

But that’s just the surface of this.

… What do I really want?

My thoughts trail back to that time with Meili, the assassin at the teleportation gate. Where I froze in the face of a sexual encounter.

Her desperate attempts to gain my favor. The feeling of holding power over her and satisfying some urges that I’ve been suppressing, so that I don’t do the wrong thing.

Yeah.

I think I’d much rather go down this road with Ai and Lin than anyone else. Except maybe Shi.

I need to be more proactive about this. To confront my feelings, both romantic and sexual.

If I don’t, I’ll simply be setting myself up for failure.

Meili won’t be the last person to confront me sexually. Especially considering my abilities are truly life-changing for people. For good or bad, people’s bodies are a way of repayment.

Eventually, someone will come that will eat me up sexually and I’ll need enough experience to be able to maturely handle that. To not allow it to sway me too significantly.

…

It’s decided then. I’m going for it.

I’ll be honest with her and Lin when that time comes and will look to them, actually being the ones that I breach things with.

I just hope I do this the right way.

With this in mind, I head back over to the group. Ai and Lin have already seemed to have taken to their position as leaders, helping to coordinate and resolve and minor items.

The others are also looking to them by asking for direction on what to do and what to look out for.

After everyone gets settled in, I hop into the seat of the front carriage and close my eyes, feigning sleep. In the interim, I’m using the time to continue using my scan for long-term projects, such as sorting out problem issues with other members and how to achieve the things I’ve promised to others.

But subtly, and in a way, that won’t trigger any issues.

I’m certainly much more wary about my approach since I had issues with Ao Jin, the demonic cultivator I fought in the jungle. And on that note, I suspect that even with the easier method to save his family, my scan showed me before, there will be ramifications to those actions…

Me using this ‘hidden’ scan this won’t be a ‘one day and done’ type.

It’ll be something that I used to cover as many bases as possible.

As is pretty clear, I’m not alone. I have a huge number of people I’m directly responsible for.

…

…

… Which reminds me. I should probably use the healing ability on them.

Since the members aren’t tamed creatures, normally it would be harder to pinpoint them from a distance with my scan.

However, the contract provides the perfect connection to use my scan through.

An interesting note, I will keep in mind for later.

Through it, I can feel my healing aura channeling to them at an extremely low level. After forming the link, I establish the same bit of reactive healing to them I have for the others.

Out of curiosity, I check on the healing data for the demi humans, back in Monchon City, with my scan. It appears there’s only been some minor mining related injuries, along with ones related to constant body building.

… They are all absurdly powerful now, body-wise.

I’ll see if I can utilize spirit beast cultivation methods alongside human ones to help them out. I know they can use human ones, which I will get to them, but the spirit beast cultivation methods can depend on a lot of different factors.

I might have to create an amalgamation of the two types.

Heck. I might see if there’s a way to forge a body cultivation method, as well from it.

But everything will depend on what I can get from the Radiant Library.

My thoughts trail to the areas we’ll be heading to on the mountain, within the Halls of Exalted Purity.

The Radiant Library.

A place full of knowledge and mysteries. Where normal sect members, even sect servants, can read a variety of works.

It is also where you can pick up a cultivation method and, if applicable, an additional paired hidden realm body cultivation method. Both of which are behind the first of the sealed areas in the library.

Outer court members can gain a book for the first step of whatever method they choose. As cultivation methods are your way of progressing through cultivation, it will be the first level of Qi Condensation.

Those who are switching methods after already being cultivators, will still use the first level for the cultivation method and will have to disperse a majority of their cultivation base, depending on how different their original cultivation method was.

This is because a large amount of a cultivation base is built off of the method used.

Typically, outer court members won’t be able to get a jade slip of the method. It is assumed that they won’t be able to reach the upper levels of the technique and will take longer to reach every level. So, they won’t have any need for more than one level at a time.

Inner court members, on the other hand, can get access to multiple levels of the technique at once in book form. Since this is the level of people considered having potential for growth, they are assumed to move through these methods quicker and farther than outer court members.

If they can get the backing of an elder, they may also get access to a jade slip for the method they practice.

Being in the inner court, they can go into the deeper parts of the library, containing higher quality methods. For these methods, they can get jade slips, but need more than one elder to back them in exchange.

And as could be assumed, core disciples can get access to the highest level of methods, with their elders’ recommendation. These would definitely be contained on a jade slip.

Cultivation techniques, being able to be used by multiple methods, are treated similarly but with slightly fewer restrictions.

For those who already have a cultivation method, but had the right to choose one from their standing, they can exchange that for a correspondingly valuable merit. Something that I’ll personally be using to further our goals.

Of course, these are meant only for the person who picks them up. The only time you can share anything with any type of method, style, or technique is if you have permission from the owner.

Already, there’s a divide between the different tiers of groups.

The next steps only further separate their potential.