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Transfer Offer [Cosplay Cultivator Chap 81]

Transfer Offer [Cosplay Cultivator Chap 81]

Yin Tiang whistled as he saw some of the ingredients they were given. "Wait - they're even offering refills? This stuff is crazy!"

"Help yourselves to what you think you need," Tang Ze said. "I mean, you guys helped me out quite a bit." It was thanks to their extra resources that he was now at the third minor realm of Qi Condensation, he would have been stuck at the second minor realm if they had not volunteered their own pills.

It was time to repay that. A drop of water given in a time of need was to be repaid with a spring when one was in clover - such was the saying often passed around when it came to the concept of karma.

Tang Ze had wanted to divide the pills equally, though the others had refused such a distribution measure, citing it was all due to Tang Ze's efforts that they had been able to get this in the first place.

They finally agreed to divide a good portion of the spoils into five parts - with Tang Ze getting two shares, which was the maximum amount of equal distribution that they were willing to tolerate.

Some things went entirely to one person, like Yin Tiang getting all of the alchemical ingredients though he agreed to share the finished products with them. Chen Yu took the vase - it wasn't something that could be easily divided as it was, and Tang Ze had no interest in keeping it as he was pretty sure he would end up breaking it sometime. Tang Ze didn't need the guilt of breaking a great work of art to weigh down on his mind in addition to the other things that he'd done up till now.

"I'll keep this in our house," Chen Yu said with a glint in his eyes. He mainly wanted it to spite his great-aunt, who had a habit of showing off her wealth through things like the plate. Chen Yu wanted to be there when she saw the vase sitting in their living room just to see her expression!

Zhang Long however, did not ask for anything solely for himself. "Heh - my village told me about what you asked the third prince to do. That's more than enough for me."

His village was now having multiple amenities added to it courtesy of the third prince's generosity, whose lackeys had been unable to find anything of note in his village.

For Zhang Long, that was all he truly wanted - for him and those close to him to live in happiness.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Just please don't ask your fiancé to cook for us again," Chen Yu and Yin Tiang said simultaneously, their gazes haunted by the memories of that tortuous day.

"Hey, it's not like I asked for that," Zhang Long said. "I told her multiple times that it was a bad idea... without saying that to her face, you know, but she was so persistent... I just hadn't expected her to drop by unannounced like that time! She caught all of us off guard."

Now, they had instructed the guards that although she was Zhang Long's fiancé, they should give them all a heads up if she ever dropped by again.

Such security measures needed to be put up for their safety.

Additionally, they had yet another layer of defense. Yin Tiang had made a small concoction in a bottle that could light something ablaze, causing a small but controlled fire.

If she were to sneak past their outermost defenses, as a last resort, Yin Tiang would throw this concoction out of the window and towards the corridor beneath them. Soon, a small fire would start and smoke would spread - and they would have to run out to 'take care of it' of course.

Naturally, this plan had risks. There could be an accident with this concoction, causing a fire in their own room. And if they were caught doing something like that, they would be severely punished for arson.

But, these were 'acceptable risks' as per all of them.

As Chen Yu put it, "When fighting the supreme evil, one must be ready to make sacrifices!"

Zhang Long did not really appreciate them referring to his fiancé and childhood friend like that, but it wasn't like he didn't understand their sentiments.

He had eaten the most of them last time, and his stomach was already doing somersaults at the mere memory of that event.

Thankfully, they were spared this tribulation for the time being, though it turned out that for once, Tang Ze's run of good luck was not ending anytime soon. Aside from the basket, there were other rewards awaiting him.

Elder He Xuan called upon him one day. "Junior Brother Tang Ze, I hope you are doing well."

"I am. How are you? Ah, you wanted to see me?"

"I'm as well as can be, and indeed I did," He Xuan said. "The central headquarters of our sect have sent word - they are willing to accept you as a transfer Initiate."

The Rising Phoenix sect had multiple divisions - this place was an outer division, and to be frank, was not a very high-ranking one being located in what was considered a backwater.

The best division was, of course, the main headquarters located in the capital city of the Rising Phoenix sect's territory - a city that hosted four million people. It was nearly impossible for Initiates from outside the city to get into that division, as a matter of fact many residents of the city couldn't even get in and had to make do with joining other divisions.

That was the place where the Rising Phoenix sect's Nascent Soul realm cultivators, and when they had one, Eternal Soul realm cultivators lived. It was also the seat of the Supreme Elder of the sect.

"If.. I transfer, would it be beneficial?" Tang Ze couldn't help but say that aloud. He'd still be an Initiate, just an Initiate in a bigger division.

"Well, it is a bigger sect division in a large city with more resources that you could more easily get. There are also more budding talents and 'better' teachers, at least they tell me so - though I think we have a very fine batch here as well," Elder He Xuan said. "Ultimately, it is up to you - though if you are asking for my objective advice, yes, your cultivation would greatly benefit from it. And it is not easy to transfer there, they get hundreds of applicants asking to transfer, most of which are rejected. As for my own personal experience, whenever a cultivator reaches Golden Core, they are trained for five years in the central headquarters before being assigned tasks elsewhere in the sect's demesne. I can tell you that even the training given to the Initiates is quite rigorous there. Of course, do remember that this offer is for you and you alone - you will be assigned a new team once you get there."

Tang Ze thought it over for a moment, and then reached his decision. He shook his head. "Thank you very much for the offer - but I would prefer to remain here." Even if it might have been slightly better for his cultivation - there were things here that Tang Ze was fond of.

His squad members being one of them. He couldn't help but remember how odd it had felt back when he was away at the Starfall Basin, even surrounded by other sect members. Sure, they would definitely be separated sooner or later - most likely when Zhang Long broke through to Qi Refinement realm, but why hasten that? They still had a few more years to work together. He would also end up likely missing things like Zhang Long and Jin Zhen's wedding if he was too far away when it happened.

There was another aspect to this though. He had decided to keep his abilities more on the down-low for now. Zhang Long, Chen Yu, and Yin Tiang knew about it already, but if he went somewhere else, he might be found out as more people would be privy to what they would perceive as an odd hobby. That, and the sect members here were somewhat beginning to tolerate him walking around in costume and out of uniform, but he had a feeling that things would be far more strict in a place like that.

Plus, what did he really need to accelerate his cultivation for? Right now, it was more beneficial for him to increase his strength passively through his costumes anyway.

If he truly wished to transfer in the future, he could do so if he ended up winning a few more events in the next novice tournament, right? Although, he would try not to win three on his own like he did this time.

"So be it," Elder He Xuan said, nodding, his eyes telling Tang Ze that he understood why Tang Ze was declining this chance that some others might kill for.

If anything, it seemed as if Elder He Xuan had been expecting that answer.

There was yet another present for Tang Ze though, in addition to this.

When he went to go for his usual extra set of martial arts lessons, which were still going on even after the tournament had ended ("You need to keep up training or else you'll lose those skills you worked so hard for! It's never too early to prepare for the next Novice Tournament!" the martial arts instructor had told him) there was a woman there whom he hadn't seen before.

Several things were surprising about her - first, that he couldn't feel any Qi from her, meaning that she was at the Golden Core realm at the very minimum. However, her hair was grayed out, meaning she was quite an old cultivator. Secondly, she was wearing the uniform of the Diamond Dust sect, though hers was slightly different than what Tang Ze was used to seeing. It was likely a modification for a higher-ranked individual of the sect. Elders and Senior Elders wore different uniforms to distinguish themselves.

"Elder Su Ruo greets junior," she said. Though she outranked him, she introduced herself first.

Tang Ze wasn't sure how to respond, and he had several questions, but the instincts drilled into him over the past year told him what to do next. "Junior Brother Tang Ze greets Elder Su Ruo."

She had a puzzled look as she glared at him, as if trying to x-ray him.

The martial arts instructor was also there, watching the two of them, but he did not speak up.

"I should explain why I'm here," Su Ruo said. "I am the creator of a special technique - the [Lotus Palm]. I have been urged by the emperor to teach this technique to those who are worthy of learning such - and after seeing your victories during the Novice Tournament, you have been judged as being worthy of such."

"Oh is t-" Tang Ze began to say, but then Su Ruo unexpectedly closed the distance between them with lightning speed and then punched him in the stomach, her first having a strange glow to it as she did so. "Oof!" It felt like he had been punched in the stomach back on Earth, without any of the current boosts to his physical ability.

"Amazing!" Su Ruo said, taking a step back, a wide smile appearing on her face. "To take my [Shell-Cracking Fist] and to still be standing! You truly are as remarkable as they say you are!"

Tang Ze winced as it still kind of hurt, and he asked, "Aren't you from the Diamond Dust sect? Are you... really okay with teaching me?"