1584-1597

Chapter 1584: What about you, Hage?

It turns out that it was the old man, Hage. Out of everyone Rean invited, Hage was by far the weakest and in the worst shape in terms of cultivation. But then again, Rean had to admit Hage was the guy he liked the most and wanted to appear by the gate. Naturally, it delighted him to see Hage there. "So you came, huh?"

Hage shrugged his shoulders, responding, "Well, I won't lie. Your offer triggered all the alarms in my mind. I'm pretty sure whatever you have to ask me for isn't something I'll like. However, who cares? I probably can't live for more than 20 or so years with my current cultivation, so I'm already at a stage where I have nothing else to lose."

Rean nodded before pulling Hage to a corner with less movement. "Here's the deal. My brother here and I are starting a new sect, and we need people to join. Their age, talents, and backgrounds aren't an issue. However, if you join, you won't be able to leave the sect for a while unless you decide to quit the sect altogether."

"A sect?" Hage was taken aback to hear that. "That doesn't make sense. Why would you ask someone like me to join then? With your strength, I'm pretty sure you can get some better members, even if these members won't be able to leave."

Rean then pulled out a Soul Binding Contract in response. Obviously, it was the new version that couldn't be rejected. "Read it and see if you want to join or not. This is a Soul Binding Contract."

Although Hage didn't have a good level of cultivation, he at least knew what a Soul Binding Contract was. As one could imagine, he became even more suspicious after reading the contents. It was just too vague, even if it could keep the secret. "Sigh… whatever. Let's see what kind of crazy place I'm getting into. Here goes one of my life's last bets."

He quickly signed the contract, which burned down before a seal was put on his soul. Seeing that, Rean touched Hage's shoulder and said, "Don't resist."

Hage was puzzled about what he shouldn't resist, but he relaxed his body and let Rean do what he intended. For a moment, his vision blurred as the scenery around him changed completely. The next time he saw anything, he was already inside the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm.

[Finally, an adult!] Sister Orb was ecstatic seeing Hage there. 

Hage, obviously, was completely lost. "A talking orb?"

Sister Orb ignored his words as she quickly used the Dimensional Realm to pull Hage over. Well, to be more specific, she pulled Hage to where Luan and the other kids were located. [Alright. Your job is to take care of these kids. We're still recruiting people, so it'll take some time until we start building the sect. Well, at least we already have the materials for a few buildings. Anyway, good luck.]

"Wait, what?!" Hage was completely lost. How come him joining the sect changed into him becoming a babysitter?

Luan then approached Hage and said, "Hello, senior. You don't need to worry. I'll be checking on the kids every now and then to make sure they're following your orders. Besides, they will have to cultivate a lot from now on, so it should be pretty silent."

"Cultivate?" Only then did Hage notice the environment's Divine Energy, which was around 40 to 50% denser than outside. "Holy shit! So much Divine Energy!"

Of course, he didn't forget what happened. "Who are you? No, wait! Where are we at the moment? I was at the city's gate. How did I end up here?"

Luan noticed that Hage had just arrived, so he tried to give him a quick explanation of what this place was. However, Luan was a kid himself, so he didn't do quite a good job. Then again, it was just enough for Hage to understand the situation.

"So this is a Dimensional Realm… or whatever these words mean. It's like a piece of land separated from reality or the like. That's… quite hard to believe." Hage was old but had a good head, at least.

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, which gave Hage a scare. "Hahaha! There's no need to be so afraid. You already signed the contract, so no one will do anything to you, Hage." 

Hage sighed in relief and quickly noticed that two new cultivators were on Rean's side. "Are they your friends too?"

Rean shook his head in response. "They received the same offer as you." Rean then pointed at the two and introduced them. "The left one is Himfal. The right one is Vania."

Himfal and Vania were obviously much more at a loss since they didn't get Luan's explanation. "Sir… what is this place?"

Rean then pondered over it for a bit before using a Divine Sense message to tell them everything they should know about.

"Dimensional Realm?"

"A moving sect?"

"More Divine Energy?"

Rean nodded to all of their questions. "Yes. I haven't drafted the specifics yet. However, I intend to realize payments in Divine Stones according to contribution. We will build the sect here. Oh, right! You guys already signed the contract, so you won't be able to talk to anyone about it even if you wanted to. With that said, I can give you another chance. If you want to leave, this is your last chance. I'm a man of my word. Since I said I wouldn't force anyone to stay, then I won't." 

Vania, Himfal, and Hage were still processing all the new information Rean passed to them through Divine Sense. It was just way too much. However, one thing was certain, this could definitely become a turning point in their lives.

Himfal was the first one to answer after organizing all the information in his head. "I'm willing to stay. Just the Divine Energy alone is more than welcome." Himfal seemed to be around his forties. Of course, Rean already asked his real age, which was 212. It's just that his cultivation made him look younger.

Vania, who seemed to be in her thirties, but was actually 147 years old, was the next one. "Me too. As long as what you said is true, of course."

Rean was happy to hear that, so he asked the last one. "What about you, Hage?"

Chapter 1585: Body Transformation

Hage obviously liked the idea. However… "It's good and all that. But the problem is that those advantages have little use for me due to the issues I told you about. Even with this extra Divine Energy, I don't think I can reach the Nascent Soul before I run out of lifespan. I only have another 20 years or so left to live, you know? By the way, I've never mentioned my talent color. Believe it or not, I'm also at the bottom. I'm a Gray Color Talent."

Rean nodded, not minding it at all. "Your talent color matters little to me. There's nothing I can do about your foundation either. However, although those two definitely affect your cultivation speed, they aren't the main problem. Obviously, the main culprit for your slow cultivation is the blocked meridians."

Rean understood why it was a problem. In fact, this was something that could be easily fixed. Contrary to what others might think, Rean and Roan didn't need to do anything with Hage's body to resolve the issue. "Alright, if the issue is your blocked meridians, then I have the solution right here."

Hage was taken aback to hear that. "Are you for real?"

Rean nodded in response before he took out a very simple cultivation technique that anyone had their hands on back in the Mortal Realm. It was the most basic thing for anyone wishing to become a cultivator in their lives. The Body Transformation Technique.

As mentioned before, in the Realm of Gods, everyone was born in the Foundation Establishment Realm. With that said, they already had all their meridians open. However, in the Mortal Realm, such a thing didn't happen. One had to cultivate the Body Transformation Technique's first five stages in order to open their meridians.

The stages for Body Transformation were Blood Replacement, Bones Enhancement, Muscles Strengthening, Organs Change, and Spiritual Vision. Once all five were complete, the cultivator would enter the last stage, Meridian Opening! Once that was concluded, they would start their breakthrough into the Energy Gathering Realm. 

However, something so basic as that was pretty much unheard of in the Realm of Gods. Except for those who ascended, no one had any idea about this phase in a cultivator's life back in the Mortal Realm. 

Sometime later, Rean put all the contents of the Body Transformation Technique into a jade slip and threw it at Hage, telling him, "You can just ignore the first five stages described in the technique. Instead, start from the sixth one. As long as you do that, you should be able to open your meridians."

There was one more advantage with that method. Because Hage was in the Realm of Gods, he could use Divine Energy instead of Spiritual Energy. With that said, he wouldn't have any trouble opening all the remaining meridians in his body. If he was in the Mortal Realm, Spiritual Energy would be the only thing available, and it's quite hard to open every single meridian with it. One would need background and high talent to achieve it.

Hage quickly read the contents of the technique and couldn't hide the excitement he was feeling. "This! This! This is perfect!" Immediately, he sat on the ground and began to cultivate the Body Transformation Technique's sixth stage.

Rean watched that with his Divine Sense and smiled. One by one, Hage's meridians opened without stopping. Not only that, but he saw something quite intriguing. 'Now, would you look at that! His closed meridians seem to be in much better shape than I thought. Could it be that the longer you keep your meridians closed, the greater the benefit when you open them for the first time?' Sadly, Rean couldn't test that theory since all living beings in the Realm of Gods already had them open by birth. Not to mention that even if they didn't, Rean would have to wait decades, if not hundreds of years, to check and compare the results.

With Divine Energy, Hage opened all his meridians without a problem. As soon as he finished, he took a deep breath and began to cultivate. Divine Energy quickly surged into his body, and it was converted into Divine Energy compatible with him only.

After seeing that, Rean nodded, satisfied. "Turns out your cultivation speed is much higher than I expected. Those meridians of yours are quite good. If not for your own talent and three-pillar foundation, I would definitely call you a genius."

Hage couldn't care less, though. "Hahaha! I'm already more than happy enough that my cultivation speed is on par with other people. Rean, you had my loyalty because of the contract before. However, this sect of yours now has my loyalty by heart! Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it!"

Himfal and Vania became curious after that as one of them asked, "Errr… Rean, would the technique he used help us too?"

Rean immediately shook his head as he told them, "Your meridians have no problem. At most, I could give you a pill that would wash and get rid of the impurities. That would definitely increase your cultivation speed by 20% or so, but that's all."

"What?!" Rean talked as if it wasn't anything impressive. However, Vania and Himfal wanted nothing more than to take that pill right now. "What do we need to do to gain this pill?"

Well, pretty much all of Roan's pills had this effect. That was more of an extra perk that the pills got by using Rean and Roan's Light and Dark Elements. However, Rean knew that it was a very good bargaining item. "That will depend on how much you contribute to our sect. Let's wait a year or so. Depending on the results, I'll give you one pill each."

Himfal and Vania immediately joined Hage as both of them said, "Just tell what we need to do, and it'll be done as long as it's something we can accomplish."

In response, Rean then pointed at the kids. "Well, take care of the kids for now."

"This…" Vania, Himfal, and Hage didn't expect it to be that easy. "Er… alright then."

Rean nodded before he thought out loud. "Now… where would I find someone who knows how to build things willing to join the sect…"

Suddenly, one of the kids raised his hand and asked, "Uncle Rean, do you need a builder?"

Rean looked at the kid. It was a boy called Gustav. "Yes. Otherwise, our sect will never be built."

The other kids then joined Gustav. 

"Then you should talk to Grampa Logu."

"Yes! Grampa Logu is very good at building things!"

"He often built toys for us."

"He lived in the streets as well."

"He's one of the very few adults that didn't mind us."

Rean smiled after hearing that. What he needed was not a toymaker but a real builder. However, he couldn't force himself to refuse the kids' goodwill. "Luan, who is this Grampa Logu? I can go and talk to him a little." 

Luan nodded as he told Rean, "I don't know him very well. You better take Gustav so that he can bring you where this Grampa Logu lives."

Rean nodded as he looked at Gustav and asked, "Will you bring me there?"

Gustav immediately nodded in response. "Yes!"

Chapter 1586: Logu

Rean exited the Dimensional Realm and returned to the city with Gustav. Since he was in the Transition Realm, he didn't need to pass through the gate. Instead, he just flew over it and headed straight to where Gustav lived before. The city was still enormous, so Gustav didn't really know it all. Rean had to return to somewhere close to where he lived so that Gustav could show him the way from there.

"So, where to?"

Gustav looked around before he dashed away, saying, "Through here, uncle Rean."

Rean laughed after seeing that. He could have just flown with the kid, but the kid completely forgot that.

They ran through the streets for around 30 minutes. Eventually, they arrived at a rundown place where one could see quite a few poor people. Every city had such things, and the Realm of Gods was absolutely no exception. It was then that Gustav stopped in front of a tree in an open area. "Grampa Logu would usually come here once a day to relax. If we wait here, we can definitely see him sooner or later."

Rean shrugged his shoulders as he said, "How about you use your Divine Sense to show me his appearance. I can then look for him with my own Divine Sense."

Gustav was surprised to hear that. "Uncle Rean, how big is your Divine Sense?"

Rean smiled before answering, "At my current level, my Divine Sense can reach up to 10 kilometers."

"What's a kilometer?" Sadly, Gustav didn't receive any education, so he didn't know the concept of kilometers.

Rean pondered over it for a bit before saying, "Do you remember that shop of treasures at the entrance of this area?" Gustav nodded and waited for Rean to continue. "My Divine Sense can reach a little further than that." The shop was almost at the limit of his Divine Sense range, so it was a little less than 10 kilometers. It was 8 kilometers back when Rean was in the Peak Stage of the Elemental Transformation Realm. Surprisingly, his range increased an entire two kilometers from the breakthrough alone.

Sure enough, Gustav looked at Rean with a shocked expression. "So biggggg! Will I have such a huge Divine Sense in the future?" The kid obviously wanted to do that.

Rean nodded in response. "As long as you train hard in our sect, one day you will get strong enough to spread your Divine Sense to this distance." He then returned to the main topic. "So, can you tell me what this Grampa Logu looks like?"

"What about me?" Suddenly, Rean heard a voice coming from behind the tree. He couldn't help but be taken by surprise. He didn't notice the man… 'No wait, he isn't a he, he is a she!' Although the person in front of him looked like a man, Rean's eyes could tell with a glance that this person wasn't male.

"Ahem… why did you let the kids call you grampa if you're a woman?" Rean couldn't help but ask. "Also, is Logu really your name. It isn't very… female… if you know what I mean."

Logu was as surprised as Rean when she heard those words. It had been a very long time since anyone was able to tell that she was a woman. She even used Divine Energy to alter the sound of her voice to sound more like a male. "How did you know? My concealing technique should make it impossible for you to see through my body with Divine Sense."

Rean was taken aback again to hear that. "Technique?" Only then did he remember that the old woman indeed didn't appear in his Divine Sense. "Right! I didn't notice you getting close to me at all with my Divine Sense. That's quite a good concealing technique you have there."

Logu couldn't help but ask, "Then you didn't use Divine Sense to tell what gender I am?"

"I didn't," Rean confirmed as he nodded. "I'm specialized in healing skills. I have treated the bodies of both genders of countless humanoid races, believe it or not. All I needed was to look at you to know that you weren't a man. I have no need for Divine Sense. Besides, you just happen to be part of the human race, so it was even easier. Not that I couldn't do the same with other humanoid races."

Logu pondered it for a bit before nodding. "I see…" Soon after, she looked at Gustav on Rean's side and got cautious. "What do you want with me? Why do you have little Gustav with you?"

Gustav immediately answered, "Grampa Logu, we joined Uncle Rean's sect! You should join as well. You will have a lot of food to eat if you do."

Rean felt like crying after that. Didn't those words make him look like some perverted guy who used food to lure homeless kids? 

Sure enough, Logu's expression turned dark when he heard that. "Brat, you better give me a very good explanation. Otherwise, even if we're in the city, I'll skin you alive. This kid already has it rough, and I won't permit anyone to take advantage of him."

Rean bitterly smiled in response. "Well, it seems like you got the wrong idea. Don't worry. Although it looks weird, I can guarantee that what he said is the real thing. I'm opening a new sect, and I'm recruiting people. I don't intend to do anything bad to him or any of the other kids."

"So you got more kids, huh?" Logu didn't seem to be any happier after hearing that.

As for Rean, he felt like this conversation was going in a direction that he didn't anticipate. "Ahem… Yes. Of course, it's not only kids. I also got a few adults who can take care of them. Anyway, in my sect, they will have access to food and cultivation resources. It won't be for free since they will have to work for it. However, it's definitely much better than their current lives," Rean quickly explained.

Logu obviously had her suspicions. Nevertheless, she decided to take a look for herself. "Is that so? How about you show me this sect of yours? If I'm not happy with what I see, don't blame me if I haze it to the ground."

Chapter 1587: Alright, Show Me

"Haze it to the ground?" Rean found that unlikely. "Do you even have the strength to do that?"

Suddenly, a burst of Divine Energy came out of Logu's body, which allowed Rean to finally see her cultivation. "Elemental Transformation Realm?" Rean didn't feel any danger from it, but he was also surprised that someone with such cultivation would be living in the streets.

It turns out that Rean had always kept his Divine Sense bending skill active. Logu obviously didn't see Rean flying since Rean followed Gustav on foot. In her head, Rean would hardly be someone stronger than herself.

However, Rean didn't try to intimidate Logu with his own cultivation. Instead, he was happy to see that someone like her took her time to take care of the homeless kids on the street. Cultivators spent almost all their time cultivating or trying to get cultivation resources. Let alone someone at Logu's level. Solidarity? Such a thing was pretty much nonexistent in the Realm of Gods.

Rean then smiled as he told her, "Lady Logu, I quite like you."

Logu didn't feel the least bit happy about that. "Cut the crap, and let's go. I won't let you escape. You better bring me to where the other kids are located. I'm true to my words, understood? I will destroy this sect of yours depending on how it turns out."

Rean shrugged his shoulders in response. "That would be very hard to accomplish."

Logu snorted as she replied, "Do you think I can't?"

"That's not it," Rean answered. "It's just that I only have the materials to start building it. How can you haze something to the ground that hasn't been built yet? It's already in the ground to start with. Hahaha!"

Unfortunately, those words didn't make Logu any happier. "So you really are fooling the kids, huh?" Logu's Spiritual Energy increased as she was about to attack Rean, depending on his answer. 

However, Rean suddenly extended his hand to her and said, "Shall I show you?"

"What do you mean?" Naturally, that action puzzled Logu.

However, before Logu could react, Rean's hand grabbed her own. At the very next moment, Rean, Gustav, and Logu were already in the skies, flying out of the city.

"Ah!" Only then did Logu understand how foolish she looked in front of Rean. "Y-You can fly!" She couldn't tell his cultivation level before because of Rean's Divine Sense bending skill. Even though it became less effective the closer one was, Rean was still an entire cultivation level above Logu, so it wasn't hard to hide.

Rean nodded in response. "I'm in the Transition Realm, after all. It would be weird if I couldn't, don't you think?"

Logu could finally tell Rean's cultivation since he was holding her hand. Well, there was also the fact that Rean allowed her to see it.

"Yayyy!!!" Gustav, on the other hand, loved being able to fly again. "This is so fun!"

"Hahaha!" Rean laughed in response. "It's like I told you, Gustav. If you train hard, one day, you will be able to fly as well."

"Really?" Gustav's eyes lit up.

"But of course!" Rean then looked at Logu and said, "Isn't that right, 'grampa' Logu?"

Logu bitterly smiled and nodded. It's not like she had much choice at the moment. Even though they were in the city, the guards would hardly come out of their way to stop a Transition Realm cultivator. This was a small city at the corner of a continent, just like Cosec City in the past. Transition Realm was already at the peak level for people in this place. Probably only the City Lord and a few big powers in the city had experts of that level. 

Rean didn't leave the city, though. Instead, he just went to a corner where there weren't many people who passed by. "Alright, we arrived."

"Arrived?" Logu was taken aback to hear that. Other than a few rundown houses, she couldn't see anything else. "Are you going to build your sect here?"

"Of course not!" Rean answered.

Gustav, on the other hand, wanted to tell the other kids about the adventure he just had. "Uncle Rean, can I go back already?"

Rean didn't mind. "Sure."

*Vup!*

Suddenly, Gustav disappeared right in front of Logu, much to her shock. Her Divine Sense had been active all this time. However, she still couldn't tell where Gustav went at all. "W-Where did he go?"

Rean then took a Soul Binding Contract from his spatial ring and told her, "Here. If you sign it, I can show you everything."

Logu obviously knew very well what that thing was. "Do you expect me to become your slave? I would rather die!"

Rean didn't want such a thing, though. "What are you talking about? Have you even read the clauses of the contract? Take a look first before coming to a conclusion."

Indeed, Logu had not checked it before. Eventually, she reluctantly took the contract from Rean's hand and read the information inside. "This…" As one could imagine, it was the same contract as everyone else signed before. It only asked for loyalty to the sect and allowed anyone who joined it to leave anytime they wanted. The only point was that one could never speak about the sect to other people unless Rean or Roan allowed them to.

Rean then explained, "It's that simple. If you don't like what you see, I will simply let you leave. Let's be honest, if I wanted to kill you, you know I could. With that said, do you have anything to lose?"

Logu still had her suspicions. After all, perhaps she would be used in some experiments and things like that. Then again, it was true that Rean could kill her if he wanted. "I shouldn't have left my corner today…" She then signed it with her blood. She had to admit she was at least curious about it.

Rean once again extended his hand after seeing everything went well. "Well, shall we go?"

Logu took a deep breath and nodded in response. "Alright, show me."

Chapter 1588: Logu's Achievement

After that, Logu grabbed Rean's Hand as she heard his voice. "Don't resist." The next thing she knew, she was already in a completely different place. Naturally, she was pulled into the Dimensional Realm. "What is this place?"

Rean did the same thing as the others, using a Divine Sense message to explain everything about the place she was in at the moment. "And that's how it is."

Due to her cultivation, Logu knew a lot more about the wonders of the Realm of Gods than the others. "A Dimensional Realm? Is it some kind of ability that comes after the Void Tempering Realm?"

Suddenly, a floating orb approached and answered Logu's question. [You're not wrong. This place was indeed created by someone above the Void Tempering Realm. Without the power to control space, it's quite hard to open a Dimensional Realm. It's just that things went a little different here.]

Seeing the orb, Logu couldn't help but ask, "Are you some kind of spirit or demon beast?" There were so many races in the Realm of Gods, so she simply thought Sister Orb was another one of them, even if it was the first time she saw someone like that.

[Hmm… not quite, but it won't be a problem if you think that way either.]

It was then that the kids Rean left with Hage came running. "Grampa Logu! Grampa Logu!" Hage was there as well, but he didn't say anything.

Logu sighed in relief when he saw the kids. At the very least, the kids didn't seem to have been mistreated. "You guys! How could you do such an idiotic thing as signing a Soul Binding Contract? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

Gustav and the others then looked at Luan before replying, "But big brother Luan is not a bad person."

"Luan?" Logu looked at Luan, who seemed to be around twelve or thirteen years old. "I haven't seen you before. Are you with this guy?" Logu asked as she pointed at Rean.

Luan nodded in response. "Yes. Uncle Rean and my dad let me bring the kids with us on our travels. I explained everything to them before they signed the contract."

Rean then patted Luan's shoulder and told Logu, "Whether you want to stay or leave is up to you. However, this is definitely a very good place. Have you noticed the Divine Energy in the environment yet?"

"Divine Energy?" Logu was so busy trying to make sense of the situation that only now did she stop to check what Rean mentioned. "So much Divine Energy…"

She didn't relax, though. "What do you really want from us? Also, it was obvious you came looking for me. What could I possibly do for you?"

Rean shrugged his shoulders as he told her, "To be honest, I didn't really want to go after you. However, after what the kids said, I decided I should at least offer you this chance. Now I'm certain. You are at the Initial Stage of the Elemental Transformation Realm. However, you don't look down on those kids at all and even help them. I would be very happy if you joined us."

"You didn't want to look for me?" Logu found it weird. "Then why would the kids even mention me? It's not like I see them every day. I sometimes pass by to give them some toys I make on the spot, but that's about it."

Rean then explained, "It's because they heard when I said I needed someone who knew how to build large buildings. The sect will be raised in this Dimensional Realm, so I obviously need someone who knows how to make them. Because you knew how to make toys, the kids thought you would be perfect for the job. I simply couldn't force myself to refuse their help even though I knew it wouldn't have anything to do with what I needed. In any case, I'm happy to have you here and will be even happier if you decide to stay. As I said, I like you… or, to be more specific, the type of person you are."

Logu narrowed her eyes in response. "So you really are starting a sect. And the reason you're looking for those with harsh lives and no family is that this sect of yours will be on the move. Is that what you're saying? Will you be able to provide everyone the resources necessary to build it? You might be in the Transition Realm, but building a sect needs a lot of resources, you know?"

Rean nodded in response. "If it's Divine Stones, believe me, we have more than enough. Anything else can be provided. Oh well, I first need to find someone who knows how to build things and is willing to join and travel. As for you… well, you can help Hage take care of the kids and make sure they're cultivating properly. You can even make those toys they mentioned since there aren't many things you can do to help us at the moment anyway."

Logu finally organized the thoughts in her head before asking, "And can truly leave whenever I want, is it?"

Suddenly, Rean and Logu reappeared in Glastocen City, much to Logu's surprise. "What is it?"

Rean then shrugged his shoulders again. "Here you go. If you wish to leave, you can do that. I won't stop you. Once again, I'm not putting anyone in prison. However, if you truly decide to join us, you won't have many opportunities to come out since we're traveling. There will come a day where we will spread our roots in a specific location, but that will take time." ȓἈ𝐍ốʙËŠ

Logu pondered over it. "You said you need someone who can build large buildings, didn't you?"

Rean nodded, slightly confused. "I did. Why? Do you know someone? If you do, please let me know."

Logu nodded as she replied, "Then I'll give you a chance. I'm exactly the person you're looking for. After all, most of this city's design was planned by none other than me."

Chapter 1589: Logu's Story

Obviously, that surprised Rean. After all, wasn't it too much a coincidence that he found the person he needed? It was at this moment that he remembered something. "Right! You still haven't told me why you're pretending to be a man. You also mentioned that 'you shouldn't have left your corner' today. That means you do live in the streets. Last but not least, why would someone with cultivation like yours live in the streets like a beggar anyway? You could even start your own sect at your cultivation level."

Rean wasn't lying. The Lukimira Sect, for example, had a Sect Leader who was still in the Saint Realm. Logu was at the Elemental Transformation Realm, which was a very high level of cultivation for a small city like this one. "Even if you don't want to start a sect or some other power, you would definitely be welcome in any of the other powers as a guest elder or something like that."

Logu already expected Rean to ask it sooner or later, so she replied, "Simply put, I don't care about riches. No, that's not right. It's better to say that I lost interest in it."

Rean found it weird. "How come?"

"It might look weird to you, but my cultivation started to advance much faster when I did it," Logu said in response. "I was always invited to design the buildings of those in power in our Glastocen City. In exchange, I got quite a few Divine Stones. However, my cultivation also began to delay nonstop. At some point, I spent more time designing constructions than anything else. Since you want to build a sect, you definitely know how important a well-organized sect is, right?"

Rean nodded in response. "Of course. That's why I was looking for someone who knew what they were doing." Back on the Zasfins' planet, the Freedom Sect was built without any planning. It did serve the purpose of the sect itself, but Rean knew how inefficient it was. That's because the buildings were built as the necessities arose. It was especially bad when it came to his communication system.

Logu continued, "Anyways, when I refused to do any more blueprints, those who wanted me to work for them didn't like that very much."

Rean still found it weird, though. "Was there a reason to pretend to be a man? Couldn't you simply take the Formation Guild's teleport formation and move to another city? You said it yourself. You made quite a few Divine Stones, so it shouldn't have been a problem."

Logu agreed with Rean. "True. However, I didn't want to leave. You must understand. It's not that I don't like to design projects. It's just that I was doing way too many of them. That's one more reason why I decided to live on the streets. First, when I stopped working too much, my cultivation finally advanced even though I didn't have Divine Stones anymore. Second, walking through the streets and looking at all the projects I finished makes me feel at peace. That somehow helps me with my cultivation as well."

Sister Orb, who was listening to everything, immediately understood. [There's nothing weird about it. A free mind will always have better progress than a mind that's getting stressed all the time. Then again, just how much work did you do to make it affect your cultivation? That's kinda crazy.]

Logu still felt weird seeing the orb speaking. However, she admitted Sister Orb was right. "I also believe it to be the case."

Rean couldn't help but ask, "But if you accept my offer to build my sect, you will become busy again. Doesn't that go against your cultivation? Not to mention that you will leave all the buildings you built behind. I won't lie. I doubt we will ever come back to this city."

It was then that Logu sighed as she told him, "To be honest, I was already thinking about leaving on my own. The last time I finished a design was 43 years ago. Since then, I've been living on the streets. That's more than enough time. Even though it pains me to leave everything I did behind, I feel like I need to get my hands on some new projects. There was only one reason I haven't left yet."

Rean could guess what it was. "The kids, right?"

Logu nodded in response. "Yes. These kids you got here aren't the only ones I helped every now and then. There are at least a hundred of them around the city in a similar situation. I couldn't bear to leave them behind."

Seeing Rean's puzzled expression, Logu understood what he was thinking. "You wonder why I didn't use my connections and strength to get these kids out of the streets, right?"

Rean was taken aback as he responded, "Was it that obvious?"

Logu nodded in response. "Pretty much. Anyways, the reason is quite simple. I helped the kids to a certain extent, but I didn't want them to rely on me. That's why I only gave them the most basic help so that they would grow and mature fast. You don't know it, but quite a few of them have already grown up and found something to pursue."

Rean was happy to hear that. "Is that so? Could it be you think this sect would help with that?"

Logu nodded once again. "If everything you told me with that Divine Sense is true, then they will have plenty of opportunities and challenges ahead. That's a good thing."

Logu then raised her finger after that. "However, for me to go with you, I have one condition."

Rean could already imagine what it was. "Don't worry. Just show me the other kids you were taking care of, and I'll offer them to join our sect. However, I won't force them. If some of them refuse, they will be left behind."

Logu didn't mind it. "That goes without saying. Anyways, shall I bring you to them? Although some of them created their own groups, they're quite spread out in this city."

"Sure," Rean nodded. After that, he grabbed Logu and took flight once again as Logu showed the way. From what Rean knew, they had a few extra kids to invite.

Chapter 1590: That will do!

It turns out the kids Logu took care of weren't the only ones Rean ended up taking with him. There were some other people involved in construction that worked with Logu in the past. Although the majority got other jobs, those that Logu invited were people who decided to follow in her footsteps. By the time Rean finished gathering everyone who signed the contracts, he had over a hundred kids and seven adults.

'Hmm… I better recruit more adults later,' Rean thought to himself.

With that resolved, Rean decided to ask Logu, "Logu, what do you think the sect in this place should be like?"

Logu narrowed her eyes a moment before changing the topic. "I guess there isn't much sense in pretending to be a man anymore." Immediately after, the concealing skill that she used disappeared. She then used her Divine Energy to create a layer that impeded others from seeing through. Eventually, the layer disappeared as she returned to her female appearance.

Rean and Roan still found this kind of thing quite useless. Divine Sense could see through everything, so clothes were quite useless. Well, they guessed people still felt embarrassed nevertheless if they didn't use it. 

Surprisingly, Logu wasn't as old as Rean thought she was. 'No, she's definitely much older than me. It's just that her cultivation made her look like she was in her thirties.' Well, Rean was right. Logu was, in fact, 347 years old. Not everyone could cultivate as crazily fast as the twins, after all. Nevertheless, considering the lifespan of an Elemental Transformation Realm cultivator was around 3000 years on average, she was doing very well.

Logu then looked at Rean, as well as the subordinates who decided to come with her. "Alright, there's no need to call me Logu anymore either. You guys can call me Eliana once again. Since we're not staying in Glastocen, it won't matter anymore."

With that, Eliana looked back at Rean and asked, "You didn't lie about the amount of Divine Stones available for the building, right?"

Rean nodded in response. "I didn't. You can use as much as you want as long as the sect is efficient. Remember, I don't care about appearances. What matters most is the efficiency of the sect itself."

Eliana nodded, saying, "Don't worry, with me and these guys here, it'll become perfect."

Eliana then introduced those extra six adults to Rean, with her being the seventh one.

"This is Katia. She's very good at designing foundations."

"Ricardo's good at architecture, just like me."

"Omacro was the one responsible for sanitization. In any case, don't look down on his job. Although many think that sewers are nothing to be proud of, a real city can't live without people like him."

Rean immediately nodded, saying, "Don't worry. If there's one thing I'm absolutely sure about, sanitization is extremely important. I don't care how much it costs. Make sure the sect's sanitization is perfect." Rean came from Earth, after all. He knew how much of a difference it made.

Omacro was surprised to hear Rean say that. Usually, when he worked with Eliana and her projects, those contracting her put little to no thought into his job and wanted to spend as little as possible on it. "T-Thank you, sir. I'll do my best."

Eliana's opinion of Rean improved quite a bit after she heard that. "You aren't half bad."

She then continued to introduce the rest.

"This is Luto, Jana, and Asfrika. You could say they don't have one specific talent. However, you can put them in charge of almost anything, and they will see it through. That in itself is a very good talent already."

The three nodded at Rean before saying, "Thank you for taking us in."

Rean smiled in response. "I'm surprised that you guys didn't mind joining my sect at all, especially since it hasn't even been built yet."

Eliana shook her head, though. "You have the wrong idea here. It's exactly because it still doesn't exist that they joined me on this crazy idea."

"How come?" Rean asked back.

Asfrika was the one to answer, telling him, "Hehe! Unlimited resources! How many people can say they have a bottomless account to build a sect? These were the words that captivated us. Besides, none of us have families or anything like that, so we didn't mind joining either. It'll also be good for our cultivation." 

Eliana added, "To be honest, I had many, many more people who I worked with back in the past. However, these guys were the only ones I knew that didn't have anyone to worry about. As for the rest, they all have their families, parents, friends, and their own accomplishments that they wouldn't want to leave behind in this city."

Rean nodded after hearing that. "Well, that makes sense. It would be too strange if everyone you knew back then suddenly accepted to give everything up and come with us."

After finishing introducing everyone, Eliana finally went back to the main topic. "So, there's one very important thing to ask. Would this sect be able to come out of this Dimensional Realm of yours? Or will it be locked in this place forever?"

Rean was taken aback as he pondered over it. "This…" Even he didn't consider this point. He thought he would need to rebuild the sect's building in the future once they decided to establish themselves somewhere. "Well, we're able to bring everything out. However, is it really a good idea to move an entire building? You have to consider things like the terrain, the structure, the things inside, and so on, no?"

Eliana and her group's eyes all lit up after hearing that. "Really?! You can really move everything at once out?!" Rean nodded in response and waited for them to continue speaking. "Then you don't need to worry. We will make a sect that can be positioned in almost any terrain."

They couldn't help but laugh after that. "Hahaha! This is going to be so fun!"

Eliana had only one request after that. "We will need some high-level Formation Masters, though. Can you invite some later on?"

Rean shrugged his shoulders as he replied, "I'm a Golden Peak-level Formation Master. Would that be enough?"

Eliana's group became more shocked when they heard that. However, that only made them happier. "That will do!"

Chapter 1591: We were fooled!

Suddenly, Roan arrived where Rean and Eliana's group were talking. "Did you get everyone? If you did, let's depart. We have been stuck in this city for over a few weeks already."

"Oh, right!" Rean agreed with Roan on that. Soon after, Rean used his control over the Dimensional Realm to make Havek appear right in front of them.

Havek, obviously, was taken aback by that. "What?! How the hell did I appear here?!"

Rean shrugged his shoulders as he told him, "I brought you here, of course."

"Next time, let me know. I was working on formations, you know? How can you stop me in the middle of my research? First of all, you're wasting too much time. Just finish whatever you're doing and come back to the Circuitry Formations Repository for us to continue our work." Naturally, Havek wasn't very happy.

However, Rean didn't mind it. "Both of us are going to have a lot of time to work on them. For now, we need a sect. I'll need to go outside for a while, so I'll leave you to do any formation work Eliana here requires." Rean then looked at Eliana and said, "Havek here is a Sea Chilling Spirit. Anyways, he's also a Golden Peak-level Formation Master and would probably be a Divine-level one if he had access to the knowledge necessary. He's also at the Late Stage of the Void Tempering Realm. Use him however you like."

"What are you talking about?" Havek wasn't following. "Do I look like someone who likes this kind of work?"

Rean smiled in response, telling him, "If you don't help, I won't give you access to the Circuitry Formations' Repository's testing ground anymore." One must remember that one of the perks of the repository was its capability of simulating formations without really building them. By far, that was one of the things Havek loved the most.

"You're despicable!" Sure enough, Havek couldn't live without that anymore. He then looked at Eliana before saying, "Let's go. Tell me what to do so that I can head back to my own work."

Eliana's group looked at each other after that. Seeing a Spirit was already a very rare thing. Some of Eliana's group members didn't even know about them. But now, one with cultivation at the Void Tempering Realm just appeared in front of them. That Spirit could totally enter Glastocen City and do whatever he wanted. No one would be able to stop him. However, here he was, joining Rean's sect. 'Just how influential are those twins?'

"Ahem…" Eliana came back to herself. "S-Sure… we will need some foundation strengthening formations first."

Rean was satisfied and was just about to go out with Roan when suddenly, Eliana called him back. "Wait, Rean!"

"What is it?"

Eliana then pointed at a giant tree in the distance before asking, "That there seems to be an amazing tree. I can tell this much just by looking at it. Can we cut it down to make the main building of the sect? I guarantee it will be to your liking."

Rean almost burst into laughter after hearing that. However, he quickly held himself back and warned Roan to stay quiet. 'Don't say anything. You couldn't possibly find it not funny.'

Roan didn't really care and simply left the Dimensional Realm. He was already used to Rean's personality.

Celis, the amazing tree that could become an amazing sect's main building, was cultivating normally while in his original form. If he didn't move or talk by himself, he truly would look like nothing more than a very big and high-quality cedar.

Havek and Sister Orb understood what Rean wanted to do, so they kept quiet as well. Roan might not like fun things, but they definitely did and wanted very much to see what would happen. 

Rean knew that, so he smiled back at Eliana and said, "Hmm… that's a very hard tree, you know? Are you sure you want to use it?"

Eliana and the others nodded in response. "Don't worry. We have the equipment to cut down any type of tree. It's just that it will take some time."

"Very well," Rean answered, holding his laughter as well as he could. "You can use as much of that tree as you want. Just don't complain later if you find it too hard to deal with."

After that, Rean left the Dimensional Realm after leaving those words behind. Of course, he used his connection with it to watch everything that happened inside. 'This is gonna be fun.'

Roan, who was by his side, didn't seem to want to wait, though. "Let's go. We will take the teleport formations and travel the continent. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like we'll have a problem teleporting all the way to the continental barrier between Xinfia and Aesfer Continent."

"Alright," Rean nodded.

The twins then went to Glastocen City's Formation Guild. Due to their cultivation, no one found it strange that they had enough Divine Stones to pay for the teleport. It's just that they didn't know why they had never seen those Transition Realm cultivators before.

Rean and Roan then teleported from one city to another. That way, it would be much cheaper. 

It was then that Rean heard a scream resounding through the entire Dimensional Realm.

"Ahhhhh! Who the hell dares to attack me?!"

Rean immediately burst into laughter in the middle of another Formation Guild, which caught many people's attention. Celis wasn't expecting to be attacked, so he didn't put up any defenses. He was 100% focused on his cultivation and his cultivation alone. Otherwise, how could someone like Eliana and the others possibly injure him?

"Wait, wait, wait! I didn't know you were a Demon Tree! We were just trying to get wood for the sect building!" Sure enough, Eliana's group was terrified when Celis' cultivation appeared in their Divine Senses. 

Celis then grabbed all of them with his roots, making it impossible for anyone to escape. "So it would be okay if I wasn't a Demon Tree, huh?"

Eliana felt like crying after that. "It was truly a misunderstanding. Rean said that we could use yo-"

It was then that she remembered Rean's words. -Are you sure you want to use that tree? Just don't complain later if you find it too hard to deal with-

'We were fooled!'

Chapter 1592: Ten Thousand

Rean didn't return to the Dimensional Realm for the entire week after that. After all, both Celis and Eliana's group wanted to skin him alive after they resolved their misunderstanding.

As the twins traveled between cities, they stopped here and there to go out recruiting people. Of course, they also took caution so that they wouldn't get involved in anything complicated. Sure, Destiny Avoidance Mode was activated, but it wasn't perfect. 

Little by little, the Dimensional Realm started to fill up with people… well, not that much. Not considering the first city, Rean and Roan usually didn't recruit any more than four or five people in every city they stopped to look. Of course, the reason was simple. They wanted as much diversity as possible. 

The only exceptions were races that had special needs. For example, the Cosgles Race. They need a constant supply of Earth Element to survive, so the twins obviously wouldn't take people from their race.

Eventually, the twins arrived in one of the biggest cities in Xinfia two weeks later. The city of Brin. 

As soon as they appeared there, Rean and Roan went to some concealed corner and got the people they needed out of the Dimensional Realm. 

Roan took Luan so that he could give him new tasks to work with. "This time, try not to recruit a lot of kids. You need to be able to do things alone as well."

"Yes, dad!" Luan nodded as he received Roan's missions. Roan didn't say anything, meaning that Luan would have to deal with everything on his own. Nevertheless, Luan couldn't help but ask, "Dad, is it okay to leave the kids in the Dimensional Realm there? Shouldn't they come out and train as well?"

Roan shook his head in response. "Their cultivations are pitifully low. I intend to let them cultivate for a few months first. With the Dimensional Realm's Divine Energy, they will definitely improve a lot. Not to mention that we've already set up several tasks so that they could acquire Divine Stones."

Building the sect would obviously require manpower. With that said, one of the first missions drafted for the new members was related to the building of the sect itself. It wasn't only the kids that Hage and the others took care of. The adults the twins recruited could also use it to get Divine Stones.

Luan didn't ask anything else after that. "Alright, dad. I'm going."

Rean, on the other hand, had already left with Eliana. It's just that Eliana had a dark expression every time she looked at him. "Oh, come on! It was just a welcome joke. It's not like you guys would actually be killed. After all, I could contact Celis at any moment to stop him."

"Joke?! You call that a joke?!" Eliana was truly terrified that day. "I had already accepted my fate to become that cedar's fertilizer! Who the hell would make that kind of joke?!"

Rean, trying to hold his laughter once again, shook his head as he replied, "I already apologized, didn't I?"

Unfortunately for him, it was too obvious that he wanted to laugh. "You fucker! You don't feel apologetic at all!"

"Hahaha!" Rean couldn't hold back anymore after that. "Sorry, sorry. It was just too funny!"

*Bang!*

Suddenly, a fist stopped right in front of Rean's face. Eliana didn't hold back at all as she punched him.

"Phew… so close, so close…" Sadly for her, Rean used his own arm to stop the punch. Not only that, but he also used his Divine Energy to stop the shockwave from spreading. After all, Eliana was still an Elemental Transformation Realm cultivator. Her display of strength would have caused quite some damage to the surroundings. "Is that how you treat your sect ancestor?"

"Ancestor, your ass!" Eliana rebuked. "What kind of goddamn ancestor would do what you did?" If not because of their cultivation difference, Eliana would have really given Rean a thorough beating. Perhaps she would have even killed him.

Unfortunately for her, Rean didn't even need to use Divine Energy to defend. With his Third Grade Star Body, his natural defense was already enough to stop her attacks. "How about this? I will let you go to the shops here in the city and buy any materials you want for the construction of the sect. Does that sound like a good apology?"

Eliana's expression finally eased up a bit after that. "Only if you let the others come out and do the same."

*vup, vup, vup…*

Immediately, the rest of Eliana's group appeared in the street. Of course, Rean used his Light bending skill so that no one would notice them coming out of nowhere. It's just that they all didn't seem very happy when they saw Rean. "Ahem… I made an agreement with Eliana as an apology." He then explained what he promised her, which obviously delighted Katia and the others.

"You said it!"

"Hmph! I'll buy all the best materials!"

"You better not regret it later!"

Rean smiled as he walked with everyone. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sigh… a bunch of people who can't even take a playful joke."

"Did you say something?" everyone asked with angry expressions.

"Ahem… you must be hearing things," Rean answered.

After some time, Rean arrived at his first destination. "You guys wait outside for a bit. I just need to do a few transactions."

Back in Glastocen, Rean tried to exchange Rank Two Divine Stones for Rank One Divine Stones. Unfortunately, the city wasn't even close to affording all the Divine Stones he wanted. That's why he waited until he arrived in a real big city before exchanging them. 

At the counter, Rean was greeted by the worker there. "Hello, welcome to Brin City's bank. Are you here to open a new account?"

Rean was surprised when he heard about banks existing in Xinfia. So far, the other continents had nothing like that. Of course, he expected to find them sooner or later the closer he got to Jhiod Continent. "Hey there. I wish to exchange a few Rank Two Divine Stones for Rank Ones."

"Sure, how many?" It was a common thing for such exchanges to occur in a big city like Brin, so the worker didn't find it anything out of the norm. 

Well, not until Rean spoke again. "I want to exchange ten thousand of them."

Chapter 1593: Exchange Deal

The worker's smile suddenly froze in place after hearing that.

"Y-you mean ten, right?"

"Ten thousand."

"A hundred?"

"Ten thousand."

"A thousand?"

Rean's mouth twitched after repeating his answer a couple of times. "Is this some kind of joke? I keep saying ten thousand, so it's ten thousand. Or what? Could it be that your bank can't exchange them?"

The worker quickly shook his head as he replied, "N-No! That's not it. It's just that no one would throw away so many Rank Two Divine Stones. They're a cultivator's lifeline, after all."

Rean was confused to hear that. "Throw away? I'm not throwing anything away. I'm just exchanging them for Rank One Divine Stones."

"That's the same thing," the worker answered. "First of all, it's rare for anyone to trade more than ten or so of them for lower rank Divine Stones. That's because they're much better for cultivation. If you try to buy Rank Two Divine Stones with Rank Ones, you will need to fork in quite a lot to convince the other party. And that's considering the other party is willing to trade at all. Just so you know, you need to pay 30 Rank One Divine Stones to get a single Rank Two in our bank."

Rean was very happy to hear that. "That's great! That means I'll get three hundred thousand Rank One Divine Stones. That's perfect for me."

"Of course not!" The worker immediately shook his head. "This is a bank, so we obviously sell them for more and buy them for less. Otherwise, there'll be no profit. If you want Rank One Divine Stones, you will get only twenty for each Rank Two."

Rean was taken aback to hear that. "That's pure daylight robbery! I would understand if you gave twenty-nine or maybe twenty-eight. However, only twenty Divine Stones when you're buying while you ask for thirty while selling? Isn't that too unfair?"

Well, Rean was expecting to trade his Rank Two Divine Stones for ten Rank Ones or so. The fact that he could get twenty was also far above what he expected. However, he was the one responsible for the finances of the Dimensional Realm. Naturally, he would try to negotiate as many as possible. That's also why he offered ten thousand in a single go. If he sold in bulk, he could definitely get a better price, especially after finding out the difference in price between buying and selling.

"Ten thousand Rank Two Divine Stones should be quite a deal to your bank, even if this is one of the biggest cities in Xinfia. Unless you give me a better price, I will try to trade with someone else," Rean threatened.

The worker didn't know what to do when suddenly, a voice came from further back the counter. "Raszas, you can leave it to me."

Raszas was obviously the name of the worker Rean was talking to until now. "Oh, Manager Rui. Please, go ahead." Raszas didn't have the authority to make any offers, so he was happy he didn't have to go to someone else to deal with it.

Rui then looked at Rean and said, "Ten thousand Rank Two Divine Stones is quite a small fortune, and that's already considering the top powers in our city or maybe even the continent. Where did you get this many?"

Rean shook his head as he replied, "Does it matter to your bank? If all you want to know is whether I robbed someone, I'm pretty sure your bank would have heard about such news already. Am I wrong?"

Rui couldn't help but smile after that. "Smarter than I thought. Indeed, if some of the big powers here had been robbed, we would have definitely been one of the first ones to hear about it. Anyways, what our bank cares about is profit, so I won't inquire any further about the Divine Stones' origin. Tell me, how much do you want for your ten thousand Rank Two Divine Stones?"

Rean then pointed at Raszas before saying, "He already said it. You sell Rank Two Divine Stones for thirty Rank Ones. In that case, I want three hundred thousand."

Rui immediately shook his head. "In that case, we won't make any profit at all. I'll give you two hundred and ten thousand."

Rean obviously didn't like it either. "Don't you feel ashamed to get a profit of ninety thousand stones from this one trade?" Rean then slammed the table as he continued, "Let's not drag this any further. Both you and I are going to counter the other's offer until we reach the middle. However, I'm not interested in that kind of offer. Two hundred and seventy thousand Rank One Divine Stones. That is my last offer." 

Before Rui could say anything, Rean continued, "Don't tell me this deal isn't worth it. I would agree if this was some small trade. However, from the sheer size of the trade alone, your bank would still make a profit of thirty thousand Rank One Divine Stones if you sell them. I wonder, do you even make this many Divine Stones in an entire day of business? I highly doubt so."

Rui narrowed his eyes for a moment. Unfortunately, it was obvious to him that Rean would leave straight away if he didn't accept this offer. Rean was right. If this was a small trade, the bank wouldn't even consider it. However, due to the huge number of Divine Stones, this was indeed a very profitable deal, even if they were paying more than they usually did. "Fine! Two hundred and seventy thousand Rank One Divine Stones!"

Rean finally relaxed after that. To be honest, Rean would have accepted two hundred and fifty thousand, but he didn't show it on his face at all. "Thank you. Should we proceed with this trade?"

Rui nodded in response. "Please, follow me."

Around an hour later, Rean left the bank with a spatial ring filled with all the Rank One Divine Stones he traded for.

Naturally, Eliana's group noticed when he appeared. "So, should we go?"

Rean smiled in response as he sent the spatial ring into the Dimensional Realm. "Sure. I promised, didn't I? Let's go buy the materials."

Chapter 1594: Taking Shape

In any case, Rean didn't plan to build some average sect. He truly wanted it to stand out. The fact that Eliana's group assured him that it could be moved into almost any terrain made him happier, so he gladly bought all the materials they asked for. "In any case, I didn't expect to spend five thousand Rank One Divine Stones in a single go."

Katia laughed in response, saying, "Hahaha! Well, we really went on a shopping spree."

Luto agreed with her, adding, "Did you see the construction shop manager's face when we grabbed all those materials? He even had to send people to other shops to be able to fulfill our demands."

"Indeed," Eliana smiled when she heard that. "That was probably the best deal of his life."

Of course, Omacro was just as excited. "In any case, look at everything we bought today. We can build at least 5 to 6% of the sect with it."

"5 to 6%?" Rean was taken aback to hear that. He really bought a lot of materials. It was probably enough to rebuild the entire Freedom Sect back on the Zasfins' planet from scratch. "All of this is only enough for that much?"

Eliana snorted in response. "Hmph! You asked us for the best sect ever. Obviously, we're going to make something up to that standard. With that said, these are only the materials we builders know we need. You still haven't accounted for the materials of parts that we aren't very familiar with. For example, the formations that will allow you to deploy the entire sect in any field. You better be prepared to spend a real fortune later on."

Eliana continued, "Of course, if you think you don't have the resources to do it, let us know right now. We can reduce the size of the project to accommodate your budget."

Rean shook his head in response after that, saying, "No, it's fine. I just didn't expect that it would be this big. Could it be that you're planning to use the entire 30-kilometer area I allowed for the construction?" The Dimensional Realm would have a demon beast forest that would occupy 250 kilometers. As for the remaining 50 kilometers, 20 kilometers would be kept open for other things that might be necessary for the future. For the other 30 kilometers, that was allocated for the sect itself."

Eliana's group nodded in response. "That's what we intend to do."

With that, Rean got everyone back into the Dimensional Realm. However, before he left again, Eliana made another request, telling him, "We need manpower. The kids are barely able to do much more than simple tasks. As for the adults you added into the sect, there are just too few of them."

Rean nodded after hearing that. "Don't worry. I'm going to meet with Roan right now so that we can go around looking for new members in Brin. This is a giant city, after all. Among the billions of people living here, I'm pretty sure we can find some heads. By the way, if you need help with formations, just drag Havek with you."

It was then that Eliana remembered something. "Oh, right! You mentioned something about the Communication System and other… errr… Circuitry Formations? I will need you to tell us exactly what they are, the space they'll occupy, how many buildings they'll take up, and so on."

Rean nodded in response. "Havek can also help out with that. Besides, I'm always watching the Dimensional Realm, so you just need to ask out loud, and I'll hear and see you wherever you're located."

Katia couldn't help but ask once she heard that, "Doesn't that mean you can see us when we're in our private quarters?"

[Oh, you don't need to worry about that.] Suddenly, Sister Orb intervened. [I designated those parts of the Dimensional Realm to be unaccessible by anything outside. Divine Sense, the twins' control, Soul Power Scan, you name it. Privacy is definitely guaranteed as long as I'm here.]

Katia and the other girls sighed in relief after that. [Thank you, Sister Orb.]

Rean didn't really care about that. "Alright, since you have everything, I'm heading out."

Later that day, Rean and Roan headed their separate ways in the city. They had their Soul Connection, so it wasn't a problem where the other one was.

Time passed, and another two weeks went by in a flash. The number of people in the Dimensional Realm had now increased to 1378. However, Eliana was still the only cultivator at the Elemental Transformation Realm. Everyone else was mainly in the Nascent Soul Realm or below. Some of them, surprisingly, had families and asked if they could join the sect with their relatives. Then again, that was quite rare. Only five families or something along those numbers joined the sect. After all, one must remember that the twins were aiming for people they thought wouldn't have any attachments to their homes.

However, there was a problem gradually appearing. That was the fact that there were no 'leaders' between them. Other than Eliana's group controlling the manpower for the buildings, nothing similar could be found.

That being said, the twins had to open a contest to indicate the people who would act as elders of the sect. Of course, that wasn't all. The twins also decided to take this opportunity where everyone was gathered to discuss a lot of things regarding the sect's future.

Roan, who was quite enjoying all these simple tasks, created the test. The fact that he didn't need to worry about some complicated event was really doing its magic. Sure, raising a sect was definitely 'complicated.' However, it wasn't a life and death situation where they had to get involved with people and events far beyond their own power. 

"First, let's talk about the test I came up with," Roan said. "This test will be far from only focusing on strength. At the moment, we need management and leadership. Of course, having the strength to back up your decisions is also important, so it will be tested as well."

He continued, "At the moment, everyone helping with the sect's construction is receiving one Rank One Divine Stone every half a month. It goes without saying that if you're designated for one of the elders' positions, your income will increase. Simply put, it'll become three times higher."

Roan then introduced an old but effective system as he added, "However, paying everyone with Divine Stones is quite complicated since it can't be divided into smaller values. Using coins would be quite annoying as well, so we won't do that. That's why the sect is going to establish a point system."

Chapter 1595: System Sect Future

In fact, the twins used this many times. Be it during wars with their merit points or sects with their sect points. All in all, it was a very good system that could further divide the value of a Divine Stone.

*Vup, vup, vup…*

Suddenly, over a thousand badges flew over the air before they landed in the hands of every single sect member. Naturally, it went without saying that Rean was the one who prepared them. "Put a drop of your blood over the badge, and it will be bound to you. No one other than yourself will be able to use it in the future."

Roan then looked at Eliana, who also received her own badge. It's just that it seemed that Eliana had already expected that. "Is that part of the sect complete?"

Eliana nodded, replying, "There are still a few things we need to plan, but the rough design is already up. Havek and Rean got the Circuitry Formations on the desk working as well."

Roan was happy to hear that. "Good!"

After that, he turned his attention to everyone else once again as he said, "This test will not only find elders for the sect. It will also judge your aptitudes for the several other tasks needed for a sect. Working on resource distribution, working at the mission hall, working on building cultivation formations, and other similar examples. It will all be decided through this test."

Someone couldn't help but ask after that, "Is this a written test?"

Roan nodded in response. "Most of it is indeed a written test."

"Then… what if we don't know how to write or read?" Of course, another question soon followed.

Roan was expecting that already, answering, "That's not a problem since we will decide who will be working as teachers in our sect. I had Eliana build quite a few studying rooms. Depending on your knowledge and traits, you might be designated as teachers as well."

Roan then took the opportunity to mention, "Just so you know, this will not be a sect where only strength means everything. If you want to advance in our sect, you have to be both strong and intelligent. Just so you know, there will be another system called knowledge measurement. Be it the position of elders or higher-ranked disciples, it will also depend on your overall knowledge. Writing, math, and chemistry. For now, those will be the three starting classes."

Everyone at least knew what writing was about. Math obviously wasn't hard to imagine, although quite a few faces turned ugly after hearing that word. However, it was the first time everyone had ever heard about chemistry. Even Eliana's group had no idea what Roan was talking about.

Roan didn't explain it there, though. "You can forget about chemistry for now. Once the classes start, Sister Orb will be interacting with the formations in every classroom and teach you."

[Sigh… why do I have to be the one to do that?] Sister Orb was obviously very good with chemistry since she had all the modern knowledge from Earth. She just didn't want to do that. Sadly for her, she didn't have another choice.

In fact, that was another new Circuitry Formation Rean and Havek came up with. Using the communication formations in all classrooms so that Sister Orb could teach everyone at once. She was an AI, after all. It was no problem for her to talk, teach, and hear in several places at once.

Roan continued, "Anyway, this first test I'm giving all of you will not have chemistry, but it'll help find those who should be taught. These people will then be responsible for helping other classes to learn it with Sister Orb's help."

"Next, I absolutely don't want to hear any complaints once you are designed a task. For example, there will be people who will be assigned to work with Omacro. For those who don't know, he is responsible for the Dimensional Realm's sanitization. That means things like sewers, toilets, garbage collection, all types of cleaning, and so on. If you don't like it, we can throw you out of the sect straight away. If you want to leave this job, then you better increase your overall score. Only those with high scores in physical, cultivational, and mental ranks will have the privilege to select what they want to do."

Roan then coldly smiled as he added, "Hehe. Only the top 5% from each cultivation realm group will have the privilege to select their jobs in the sect. I wonder who will appear there." That was the method Roan used to separate the groups. After all, the IQ of kids in the Foundation Establishment Realm couldn't possibly match the IQ of an adult in the Nascent Soul Realm or above. There would be younger and older people in the same realm, but Roan wouldn't change this.

"It goes without saying that the better the job, the more sect points you'll receive. For example, the management office, which takes care of the sect's overall procedures, will definitely have a higher payment of sect points."

Rean, who was listening to all of that, couldn't help but apologize to Omacro with a Divine Sense message, saying, 'Sorry, Omacro. Although I know that the sanitization side of the sect is definitely important, people still don't have a good view o it. We had to use your job to scare people into putting more effort.'

Omacro didn't mind it, though. 'It's fine. It's not like I wanted to do this kind of job when I was born, you know? Besides, it'll be quite fun to manage cultivators who don't want to be there. I can already see all the punishments I will apply to the annoying ones. Hehehe.'

Of course, Rean was happy to hear that. 'Thanks.'

As for Roan, he didn't stop there. "For those who think that I'm talking too much for you to remember, I prepared jade slips with all the sect's rules for you to take a look at later. Our sect will have a lot of things in common with the sects outside. However, you will quickly find out that we're definitely very different from them."

Someone raised a hand, confused. "What would be this overall score?"

Chapter 1596: The Badges

"What else could it be?" Roan asked back. "You will receive a score for your teaching, a score for your physical condition, and a score for your cultivation progress. By the way, I recommend you to take a body cultivation technique if you want a good physical score."

The ones who knew what a body cultivation technique was were taken aback to hear that. They at least heard how hard they were to be cultivated. With that, it was natural that one of them eventually asked, "But, can we even cultivate them?"

Roan nodded in response. "You can. I've prepared the jade slips with the body cultivation techniques that I know. There are quite a few, actually. Also, I fixed all the flaws I could find in them, so they should be quite useful."

"What about all the pain? I heard one could even die because of it. Refining other materials into one's body should be quite dangerous." Sure enough, that was what everyone who knew about body cultivation techniques was afraid of.

However, after Roan helped Luan with his breakthrough to First Grade Star Body, he understood that they needed something to alleviate that side effect. Fortunately for him, he had the Soul Gem Alchemy Workshop and a huge herb garden that had been taken care of by Celis. Roan worked on a pill that would give the same effect as Rean's Light Element.

"Don't worry. Our sect has something called the Analgesic Pill. Once you take this pill, you'll be able to break through into the next grade of your body cultivation technique without feeling much pain," Roan explained.

Rean's mouth twitched after he heard that. It was the first time he heard about this pill from Roan. 'He totally took that name from Earth.'

"However, that doesn't mean you will succeed," Roan warned. "This pill can only do two things. First, it won't make the pain disappear. However, it will definitely reduce it by at least 90%. That should definitely be within the bearable range since there are people who can cultivate body cultivation techniques without it. Second, it'll prevent permanent damage to your body."

Roan continued, "It means that you guys can still fail your breakthrough and do it all over again, including acquiring more of the same materials for your breakthrough."

No one found it to be a problem at all. Those who knew about body cultivation techniques were aware that successfully cultivating them would give a huge boost in strength. If Roan's pill could indeed prevent death or permanent damage, then all of them were definitely willing to give it a try. Not to mention that the reduction in pain made it all the more worthwhile.

Roan, of course, did not release the Starlight Body Cultivation Technique. In the end, that thing was too overpowered. Compared to other techniques, it was twice as good at the very least. One must remember that no one was forced to stay in the sect forever. It would be a problem if someone decided to leave before starting to spread the Starlight Body Cultivation Technique.

The same went for the Immortal Cultivation Techniques. Those ones were also not included in the cultivation technique repository that Eliana built with the others. The cultivation techniques there were still top-notch, though. In fact, they were all at the level of Huring Sacred Land.

Rean had discussed it with Roan. Those techniques would be hidden from everyone at first. Only those who proved that they would stick with the sect from now on would receive them. Of course, that meant both the Starlight and Immortal Cultivation Techniques.

In this regard, the Soul Binding Contract would have no effect. Well, at least not later on. If they allowed these people to cultivate the Immortal Cultivation Techniques, some of them would definitely reach the Void Tempering Realm. The twins were already informed that once someone reached that level, they could get rid of the seal in their soul with their spatial powers. Everything had to be considered carefully. At the moment, other than the twins, only Luan had access to an Immortal-level Cultivation Technique and the Starlight Body Cultivation Technique.

Of course, the Analgesic Pill was nothing like the one back from Earth. The herbs it used were based on which grade of body cultivation technique someone was trying to break through. For first grade, Bronze-level herbs were used. The second grade used Silver-level ones. Roan still hadn't worked on it, but he was sure he would need Golden-level herbs to crate a pill capable of withstanding the pain and dangers of a breakthrough to a third grade body. Other than the twins and Luan, no one here had even started to cultivate body cultivation techniques, so there wasn't a need to be in a hurry for a Golden-level Analgesic Pill yet.

Roan could see the light in the eyes of those who knew what that pill meant to their cultivation paths. "Those who understand what it does can explain it to those who don't know yet after we're done here. Now, let's go back to the previous topic, the overall score. The cultivation progress and knowledge level will obviously play their parts here. We haven't decided yet, but depending on your overall scores, you will also have access to some special perks."

"The scores will be recorded automatically into your badges. If you send your Divine Sense inside, you will be able to check your score as long as you aren't far away from the sect."

When Roan said that, Rean and Havek looked at the sect that was being built in the distance. There, they could see one single tower that stood tall at the very center. The tower itself was built above a giant building as well. That was projected to be the tallest construction in the entire Soul Gem Dimensional Realm. Well, at least until it increased in size during the next upgrade.

That was one of the very first buildings to be raised. As for its use, it was obviously Rean's Communication System, which had been upgraded with Havek's help.

Roan then took out a badge similar to everyone else's. After that, everyone's badges began to slightly tremble while releasing a tiny amount of Divine Energy that their owners couldn't miss even if they wanted. "There's also another use for your badges. Send your Divine Senses inside."

Chapter 1597: Keep That In Mind

Everyone looked at each and sent their Divine Senses inside. Soon after, Roan's voice entered their minds through their own Divine Senses. 'All of you should be able to hear me, right?'

Sure enough, everyone looked in shock at the badge, especially the knowledgeable ones. They knew it was definitely not a Thoughts Transmission Talisman. Not to mention it wasn't burning out after being used. With that said, how did they receive a message from inside it?

Roan continued, 'This is what you can do. Each of your badges has a number on it. As long as you use your Divine Sense to input the number of someone else's badge, that person's badge will react the same way. From there on, you will be able to talk with each other. Once you finish, just retreat your Divine Sense from inside, and the communication will stop.'

Roan did exactly that, which caused everyone's badges to stop receiving any communication from him. "These badges can work anywhere inside the Dimensional Realm, so you can contact anyone or any building by inputting their numbers with your Divine Sense."

Of course, Rean and Havek had even further upgraded the badges, which were based on the design of the smartphones. Not only that, they even added a tiny DPU inside, which was responsible for managing the information about the members. Sect Points wasn't the only thing it could display. With the way Rean and Havek created those badges, they would be able to add new rows of information on it as well.

Rean smiled when he looked at everyone's faces. 'Hehe! This is just the start. What the DPUs are really good for are the heavy workloads. Places like the Mission Hall, the Resource Building, and the Management Office will be the areas where the DPUs will truly stand out,' he thought to himself.

Rean stepped forward and continued from there. "These badges can also communicate with others outside the Dimensional Realm. However, unlike here, they have a very limited range outside. If you look in the sect's direction, you will see a tower there. It's that tower that allows for long-distance communication. If you aren't anywhere inside its range, you obviously can't reach anything too far away. In any case, these badges have a range of two to ten kilometers. Though, that will all depend on the location. If there are a lot of obstacles, they can't reach that far. If it's an empty space, their range can obviously go further. That's why I said two to ten kilometers when you're not within the tower's range."

"Sect Points, communication, sect warnings, missions, resources, etc. You will be able to get information and make requests regarding all of that with your badges. Make sure you keep it with you. If you lose your badge, that will incur a penalty of 300 Sect Points," Rean warned everyone soon after.

However, it was hard to tell whether 300 Sect Points were a lot or not. With that being said, someone immediately asked, "Can you give us an example on Sect Points?"

Rean pondered in silence for a bit before saying, "How about this? You know that you won't receive Divine Stones as payment anymore, right? Instead, you will get Sect Points, which you can use to exchange for Divine Stones. Well then, each Rank One Divine Stone costs 50 Sect Points. That means you will lose a total of six Rank One Divine Stones if you end up needing a new badge."

Immediately, quite a few hands tightened around their own badges. Pretty much everyone here was poor. Well, that's the kind of people the twins recruited. For them, even a single Divine Stone was priceless, let alone six.

Rean also warned them, "Your Soul Binding Contracts stated that you must be loyal to the sect. That means you can't do anything to harm it in any way. I think I don't need to tell you that telling others outside about what your badges can do is definitely one of those things. After all, have you ever seen a communication item that can be used almost infinitely without losing anything? I don't think I've ever seen a Thoughts Transmission Talisman with such capability before."

Naturally, they all understood what Rean meant. It was obvious that this badge was not something one could find outside. It also would be worth a lot if they tried to sell it. It's just that the Soul Binding Contracts, which stated death for those who broke it, would definitely stop anyone from opening their mouths.

"Well, it's not like you could get anything from it outside anyway," Rean added. "These badges were made in a way that their owners and only their owners can use them. Even if you try to sell them, they will be completely useless in anyone else's hands. You would have to convince others that it's capable of doing what it does."

Sure enough, that would be even harder. An infinite Thoughts Transmission Talisman-like item? Who would believe that if they couldn't use them themselves? From the outside, it truly just looked like a badge. If one tried to open it to check inside, it had a range of Circuitry Formations that no one knew how they worked. Rean and Havek were pretty much confident that their secret wouldn't escape the sect at all.

Roan then put an end to that part. "Alright, that's how it works. Later, you guys can try it out since they don't cost anything. Now then, onto the next topic. If you look in the Cedar Tree's direction, you will see that a forest is rapidly growing there. We can't let you all simply cultivate forever, after all. With that being said, that forest will be filled with demon beasts really soon. Not only that, but you'll also be able to find herbs for alchemy, ores for forging, crafting materials, and so on. It will be the perfect place for you guys to gain experience. Also, remember that killing and permanently crippling sect members is prohibited. Other than that, everything is valid. This is not a happy family. If you want to grow in the sect, you'll have to fight for it. Keep that in mind."