Chapter 9: The Seven Gems Technique

- You didn't care about my plans before. - Yee Rhys calmly responded.

- If I'm not mistaken, earlier your plans were to sit somewhere and wait till weakness is gone and then continue cultivation. - The pretty girl wrapped her thin fingers around the cup of tea. - At least you had plenty of opportunities to speak your mind earlier, which you didn't take advantage of, apparently for lack of other plans. Am I right?

- Yes. - He admitted reluctantly.

- You see. - The Lady smiled. - Well, if you've done the first and main point of the plan, to sit through the weakness, it would make sense to leave that point behind and go on to the second. After all, how and where you cultivate will directly determine the outcome. So it seemed logical to me to ask, what do you want?

Yee Rhys thought about it. The lady had said all the right things. And, unfortunately, his present is entirely at the mercy of her dainty fingers. So it was not in his interest to spoil an already strained relationship. On the other hand, the Supreme Elder's support might make it easier for him. Except, looking into those tricky mirrors of the soul, it would be better to forget about unselfish assistance. Any favor from this beauty would have to be repaid tenfold.

- Strength. I want strength. - Yee Rhys smiled honestly.

- What about power, money, women? - Lady swiped a finger over her lips.

- If there is strength, there will be power, and money, and women. - The young man explained his point of view.

- Well said. - Dra Jae brought her cup of tea to her lips.

- Now I am ready to hear your proposal. - Took his cup in his hands Yee Rhys.

- My proposal? - With bewilderment the beautiful girl asked, putting the cup back on the table.

- Of course. I'm sure you have something to say. Otherwise you would not dignify me with a glance, let alone a private conversation. - Finished speaking, the young man picked up his cup and took a sip.

- My offer will depend directly upon what you have to offer. - In the woman's narrow palms, a crystal ball appeared out of nowhere. The lady carefully placed it between them. - I am very curious to know if your torment has brought any results. Please.

Yee Rhys looked at the marble. It looked like an ordinary talent evaluation ball. Then he turned his gaze to the smiling Lady. A cultivator of her level could evaluate the talent of mortals more accurately than any ball. Why, I wondered, was she interested in this farce? Or does bloodline complicate the evaluation so much? But then the marble wouldn't help either.

Putting his suspicions aside for later, Yee Rhys leaned forward slightly and put his hand on the ball. He, too, was curious as to what came out of all this. The young man felt a thin trickle of energy run through his body and back into the ball. In the next instant, the marble glowed. A beam of light shot upward. Then a second. A third. A fourth.

- Talent level is the highest fourth. - The beauty stated what she saw. - Impressive. But. - A charming smile bloomed on her lips like a scarlet rose. - In the past you had the lowest fourth talent, so the increase is not so great. As you know, the main way to increase your talent is to purify your body of toxins. Over the past few years, your body has undergone such a purification that an increase in level is no longer surprising. And given that there are a lot of resources available, albeit expensive, to boost your talent, you didn't need to suffer so much for a couple of sub-levels. Not to mention the rolling back of the cultivation. So what did you eat, then, and what did you get out of it?

Under Lady's gaze, Yee Rhys only smiled innocently.

After a minute of staring, Dra Jae shook her head in disappointment. Silent as a rock. A memory search? That's a good idea, but Master wouldn't approve. Besides, there's the possibility that the boy himself doesn't know exactly what he ate. As for the disadvantages, it is safe to say that such an act of violence will rock an already ambiguous relationship for the worse. And the kid's talent isn't bad after all. There aren't many geniuses of his caliber in the sect. But if he becomes the enemy, we'll have to eliminate the kid. That's a shame. Not about the kid, though, but the wasted effort.

All right, if he won't talk, we'll let him play secret for a little while longer. And then... all secrets come out sooner or later, kid. And I'll be very attentive.

- If you don't want to talk, don't. - The Lady's affectionate smile sent shivers down the boy's spine. - Your talent is not bad. But if you were hoping to become a personal apprentice because of it, I must disappoint you, talent alone is not enough.

Yee Reece's palms became sharply sweaty. A personal apprentice? No way. I don't think I need to be so lucky.

- I think the right thing would be to give you a trial period. - The beauty continued, lifting the cup. And the young man mentally took a breath. - We've just finished recruiting new apprentices. Once you've created your first wisp, I'll let you enter the Outer Sect. There will be a Beginner Ranking Tournament in a month. I think it will allow you to bring out your abilities to the fullest. If you manage to impress me, I'll consider an extra reward. You in?

- I'm in. - Nodded the young man. The lady is certainly planning something. With his talent, with the standard method of cultivation, it would take him exactly a month to reach the first wisp. More than that, a dozen days of that month were already gone, and he'd be lucky if he made it to the tournament. He was otherwise quite happy with the standard way of advancement within the sect with the accompanying trials.

- And one more thing. - The pretty woman smiled sweetly and put the cup back on the table. - Since you are becoming a disciple of our Seven Dreams sect, you should cultivate the techniques of the sect. - A scroll appeared in her hands. - This is the Seven Gems technique, the core technique of the sect. The first part.

With a smile, the Lady placed the scroll in front of her interlocutor. Yee Rhys froze for a moment, looking at the scroll like a poisonous snake with a big pink bow on top. To learn the basic technique was to join the sect permanently and irrevocably. A simple outer disciple without much sin will not even be sought out by the sect. They came and went on as they came. But those who have learned the basic techniques will be looked for long and hard. Not to mention those who had learned secret techniques.

He smiled and took the scroll. A trap? Another one? There was no place for trembling creatures among cultivators. Besides, he'd always wanted to see the level five sect's technique. By the way, the right to learn this technique is one of the main prizes of the upcoming Beginner Ranking Tournament.

Unrolling the scroll, Yee Rhys saw flat lines of text. Right. He hadn't even formed his first wisp of Qi yet and couldn't read from the slips. After a quick look at the technique, the young man raised his eyes to the beauty who was curiously tracking his reaction.

- Now will you take them off?

- Take what off? - With sincere bewilderment asked the Lady.

- Spells about suicide ban and restrictions of movement. - Yee Rhys calmly explained.

- Do they bother you? - Dra Jae acted puzzled.

- Yes. - Yee Rhys said, trying to keep his expression calm.

- Do you have something to do outside the sect? - The beautiful girl continued to play dumb. - Or do you want to die?

- You never know what kind of mission I might want to undertake. - Yee Rhys explained in an even tone, raising his cup of tea to his lips. - Pick up some weed or hunt some beasts. I've even heard that they take rookies out hunting.

- Well, that's only in two months. - Lady happily "understood." - And before the hunt you have to raise the level, otherwise they will hunt you.

The young man remained silent. That last remark was an eye for an eye.

- You see. - She raised her cup, took a sip, gladdened at her small victory. - They don't bother you. And we'll talk about hunting after the tournament. And I can't take them off, honestly.

- You can't? - Yee Rhys asked. For him she was already like a god's assistant.

- Because I didn't put it on. - Explained to him like to a little boy Dra Jae, hiding a grin in her eyes. - It was the Master.

Now the god himself has shown up.

- I see. - Nodded the young man. With his current status, even begging for the removal of restrictions is useless.

After that, Yee Rhys defiantly moved his cup away and put his nose into the scroll, carefully re-reading the technique, then put the scroll on the table, sat down in a lotus pose and closed his eyes.

The lady stared at him dumbfounded. What? This rascal is going to cultivate right here? He's got a lot of nerve, the little fellow!