The Undying Immortal System

While NiangBa’s appearance was somewhat fabricated, it accurately conveyed the reality of his life over the past month. He had been ruthless to himself during training and had been relentless in his study of martial arts. The only others who showed anywhere close to his level of dedication were Mo and GuiMing, but NiangBa’s combination of focus and natural talent allowed him to improve much faster than either of them.

My hope was that after seeing NiangBa dressed in his bloody rags, only those Disciples who weren’t afraid of hard work would even consider joining me. If he showed up in fine silks, some might see my patronage as an easy path to a life of luxury, and I had no desire to deal with all the problems that would arise from recruiting such people.

Not long after we arrived, the arena’s courtyard started filling up. A quick peek at the elites showed that they were all either Martial Disciple 4 or 5. Their foundations weren’t ideal, but considering that this reflected their first-ever attempt at cultivating, they weren’t too shabby. They each showed definite improvements with every acupoint they opened.

In contrast, NiangBa’s cultivation base was a mess. To learn martial arts properly, he had taken an Energy Expulsion Pill and reset his cultivation base to Martial Disciple 1. He then spent two weeks as a Disciple 2 and one week as a Disciple 3 while slowly practicing the contents of the martial arts memory orb. Then, a week ago, I asked him to quickly raise his cultivation base to Martial Disciple 8 so that the Su Clan elders wouldn’t see anything amiss. With the help of pills and formations, he had been able to accomplish this, but his foundation had suffered in the process.

Normally, this level of corruption in one’s foundation would cause a person to have serious problems with cultivation madness. However, the cultivation technique orbs included information on how to deal with this by sealing one’s acupoints. NiangBa’s proficiency with this technique wasn’t perfect, so a few impulses leaked through, but he was still able to think rationally.

Once all the Grandmasters and Disciples had arrived, the competition proceeded as expected. A few of the normal Disciples, driven by their cultivation techniques and lacking in good sense, stepped forward to challenge the elites. Any who did so were quickly beaten down, and the facade of the elites’ dominance was maintained.

The elites then battled amongst themselves, and like the previous year, there was a clear delineation between the fighters and the auxiliaries. While there were no markings to indicate which group a person belonged to, the fighters only challenged the other fighters and the auxiliaries only challenged the other auxiliaries.

When everything was over, BoWen, the boy who had severely injured NiangBa during the first competition, was ranked second from last among the fighters.

With everything wrapping up and the time for recruiting Disciples approaching, I wanted to make an impression that would encourage as many of them to join me as possible. While NiangBa’s appearance would discourage anyone from thinking that joining me was an easy path to a life of luxury, I also needed to draw the interest of those who were willing to work hard to grow stronger.

I turned to YuanFei.

“How about we let NiangBa challenge one of your elites? It might help everyone understand the harsh truth of this world.”

YuanFei looked at me with a worried expression. “Prince Fang, while I have no objections to such a challenge, you must understand the dangers involved. These children are just starting to come into their power, and it can be hard for them to control it. Your disciple could end up seriously injured.”

I waved his concerns aside offhandedly. “A little pain is a good motivator.”

“Prince…” YuanFei let out a sigh and shook his head. “Very well, but please do not interfere in the fight. Aside from ensuring that no one dies, us Grandmasters must not involve ourselves in a competition between juniors, even if the results are… unpleasant.”

I wanted to snort at the man in disgust, but I held myself back. Instead, I just turned to NiangBa who had been looking in our direction and gave him a nod.

NiangBa confidently walked onto the arena stage and turned to where the elites were seated.

“I wish to see the true quality of the Su Clan elites.”

This pronouncement was met with mocking looks, both from the elites and from the Grandmasters.

NiangBa looked at BoWen. Just as the other boy started to move to accept the challenge, NiangBa grunted in derision and turned to look at the other elites. His gaze landed on the boy who had placed first among the fighters.

NiangBa opened his mouth to challenge this boy, but the moment he did so, a shout came from BoWen.

“You dare look down on me!”

NiangBa snorted at him and turned back to the first-place finisher.

This enraged BoWen enough that he leaped forward onto the arena’s stage.

YuanKong walked up beside me.

“Prince Fang, isn’t this a bit much? Su BoWen is my disciple, and while his results against the other elites were a bit disappointing, having a piece of trash like NiangBa treat him this way is a bit too disrespectful.” �

I glanced at YuanKong and then shouted to the boys on the stage below.

“NiangBa, act properly.”

He gave me a quick bow of his head and turned to BoWen. He gave the other boy a deep bow and spoke in an even, measured tone.

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“Su BoWen, I challenge you to a formal duel before these witnesses. I hope that we may exchange pointers and use this experience to improve ourselves.”

Bowen growled at NiangBa. “You piece of trash. Do you really think I want to learn anything from you? Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. If you do, I might leave you with an intact corpse.”

I looked at YuanKong. “NiangBa’s previous performance might have been a bit disappointing, but don’t you think that treating him this way is a bit too disrespectful?”

YuanKong dipped his head slightly. “You must forgive BoWen. This is just the exuberance of youth.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw YuanFei wince at this response, but he didn’t speak up to condemn it.

Down below, the elder in charge finished explaining the rules of the match and signaled for the fight to begin.

NiangBa took up a guard stance, and BoWen just looked at him mockingly.

Behind me, I heard the Grandmasters muttering to each other.

“The trash is too afraid to even move. He’s frozen in place.”

Down below, BoWen started goading his opponent into action.

“Come trash. Try and attack me. I’ll give you one free shot. I won’t even move.”

NiangBa gave him a confused look. “Are you sure?”

“A man doesn’t back down from his words! You would know that if you weren’t so pathetic.”

NiangBa looked up at me, and I gestured for him to proceed.

Dropping his guard stance but maintaining his vigilance, NiangBa walked forward with a casual gait. After stepping in front of BoWen, he pulled back a fist and readied a punch.

“Are you sure about this?”

Again, I heard the Grandmasters muttering behind me.

“Too afraid to even throw a simple punch.”

“No wonder the Dao made him a weaver. He lacks the heart of a warrior.”

Shaking my head slightly, I could only watch as NiangBa punched BoWen in the solar plexus.

BoWen had been trained to concentrate his qi, and the purity of the energy in his chest far exceeded the purity in NiangBa’s fist. However, his ability to focus his energy was a bit lacking, and he didn’t even try to use qi from elsewhere in his body to steady himself.

As NiangBa threw his punch, he released the restrictions on his acupoints and flooded his body with qi. With pinpoint precision, he manipulated his muscles to produce the most powerful punch possible.

The moment NiangBa’s fist landed, BoWen was knocked ten steps backward and collapsed to his knees.

His breathing was ragged, but he was still able to force out a few curses.

“Damn trash. How dare you sneak attack me!? You’ll pay for that!”

Next to me, YuanKong clenched his fists on the balcony railing hard enough to shatter it.

“Prince Fang, such disgraceful behavior is beneath the dignity of this competition. I hope you don’t condone such actions.”

I didn’t even bother replying, I just kept my eyes on the competition below.

With his energy unleashed, the effects of NiangBa’s corrupted qi hit him at full force, and he lost himself to cultivation madness.

Seeing his opponent cursing at him, NiangBa rushed forward and started pummeling the other boy with all his strength. BoWen didn’t even have the wherewithal to surrender.

“STOP!”

YuanKong’s shout echoed across the arena, but lost in his madness, NiangBa didn\'t care.

As the boy readied himself for another attack, YuanKong threw himself down onto the stage and cycled his qi as he prepared to blast NiangBa with the full force of a Martial Grandmaster.

I turned and glanced at YuanFei.

His face had gone pale. He understood what YuanKong’s actions might mean, but he did nothing to stop him.

I waited until the last possible second to see if anyone else was willing to step in. When no one did, I cycled my energy and connected with a set of roots that I had prepared underneath the stage.

With an effort of will, I reached out, grabbed YuanKong, and forced him to the ground before he could unleash his attack.

“What is the meaning of this!? How dare you attack me!”

Using a root, I forced his mouth shut and jumped to the stage next to NiangBa. Then, with a slight exertion of energy, I sealed the boy’s acupoints, blocking the flow of his tainted qi.

With that, the boy collapsed to the ground, and I turned my focus to the Disciples who had been watching everything with wide eyes.

“My name is Fang Su. I am here to recruit any Disciples who wish to join me. If you work hard, I can turn you into a powerful cultivator. This is not an easy path, but as you can see, it is an effective one.”

I had originally intended to let the Su Clan expel the Disciples they didn’t want before I made my offer, but with YuanKong’s magnificent performance, I no longer felt that was necessary. Anyone who wasn’t interested in joining me after watching everything that happened on stage wasn’t worth my time, and I didn’t feel like recruiting any extra Disciples just because I was their only option.

In the end, eighteen of the Disciples chose to join me, including one of the elites. However, based on the impressions I had gotten of them over the past few months, I rejected three of them, including the elite.

With the competition over, I led the fifteen who were joining me back to my guest house to prepare for the journey ahead, but when we arrived, I was greeted by the Grand Elder.

I motioned for the Disciples to wait in the back of the house and then sat down to chat with the elder.

“Prince Fang, the elders did not wish to impose on you, so they sent me here to collect your payment for this year’s Disciples directly. This way, you will not need to go through the hassle of traveling all the way to Dragon Gate City.”

The corner of my mouth rose into a faint smirk. “What you mean is, the Patriarch would rather not meet with me again, correct?”

The Grand Elder gave a faint smile, but he neither confirmed nor denied this accusation.

I reached into my storage space and pulled out a large bag filled with several pill bottles.

“This contains everything we have agreed upon.”

The elder nodded in acceptance and didn’t bother checking to see if the amount was correct.

“There is another issue that has come up, and it would be best if we could discuss it right away.”

I motioned for him to continue.

“You have taken away a skilled member of our clan, his wife, and several of his associates. Su LianFu and Ma XinYi were talented bakers and vital employees of our clan’s largest bakery. While their associates might not have been members of the Su Clan, they still contributed to the stable functioning of Dragon Gate City. This has caused the elders—”

I waved him to silence.

He was talking about GuiMing and GuiAi’s parents along with the others who had accompanied them to Mount Jiang. I expected this to come up at some point, so it was good to get it taken care of.

“How much?”

The Grand Elder blinked at me.

“How much do you want? We both know that this is only a matter of price, so how much? And before you speak, remember that we are talking about mortals. Su LianFu might be a Martial Disciple 7, but his cultivation base has long since calcified.”

“Two Perfect Rank 2 pills each.”

“Two for the members of the Su Clan. I will give you one for each of their associates, but only because I am feeling generous. You have no claim on them, and they were free to join me at their discretion.”

The elder began to signal his agreement, but I held up a finger to stop him.

“We will maintain this price in the future, but you must pledge that no harm will come to the families of anyone I recruit if they decide not to follow me.”

“Prince Fang… I understand your need for skilled workers, but could you… could you please avoid recruiting too many of our adults? Too many absences will eventually cause problems, and we will not be able to provide you with young Disciples if there is no one to sire them.”

I thought about this for a second and then nodded. “Very well. Except in extraordinary circumstances, I won’t recruit any more adult members of your clan. If I need mortal laborers, I will look to the commoner families among your populace and pay the requisite price.”

Not being members of the Su Clan, these workers wouldn’t be of any assistance in generating Sovereign-level karmic energy, but they would add to the genetic diversity of the colony I was creating. This would hopefully alleviate any problems caused by focusing too much on recruiting people from a single bloodline.

With this agreement in place, the Grand Elder left. Once he was gone, I collected my new recruits, feigned a journey to Rosehill, and carried everyone to Mount Jiang.