"Please, settle down. This 'relocating of Cultivators' is not absolute, please do not worry too much about these affairs!"
"I understand that our discussion was held out of fairness, and I don't intend to betray that now!"
Silver Extreme and Warrior of Spring were dealing with the aftermath of their discussion.
The Cultivators were allowed to choose which expedition group they wished to join; this was decided fairly.
Now, their choices seemed to be getting stepped on, specifically those on the expedition to Corpse Mountain with Warrior of Spring.
Most of this drama was caused by Warrior of Spring, who was willing to rope Dawn into his side.
He tried to use 'fairness' as an excuse; that everyone, specifically Dawn and Sun, should be given a fair chance to choose their expedition.
Of course, most of the Cultivators were still suspicious.
They did not know truly know why Silver Extreme and Warrior of Spring were chasing after Dawn.
Maybe they were attracted to her power? Perhaps they were infatuated with her...
Regardless, most were unhappy with Warrior of Spring's actions and were in a state of unrest.
Silver Extreme was inwardly happy to see this State Cultivator's reputation being tarnished, but didn't let his ego get in the way of his duty.
He knew that if there was discord within the other expedition party, they could harm their performance, thus jeopardising the Corpse Mountain Settlement's safety.
Even if there was a petty grudge between the two, Silver Extreme did not want to implicate the lives of the people because of benefits.
The two State Cultivators managed to calm the situation. They looked at each other before turning to Dawn and Sun.
They could not hear them, even as they tried to listen carefully, they could not hear anything.
Sparing each other another glance, they decided to wait for the two juniors to finish their conversation, ignoring the quiet chattering behind them.
...
Soon, they seemed to have finished discussing.
Anticipation lit up in the eyes of the two State Cultivators as they watched their two juniors approach.
"I hope that your discussion has gone well, hmm?"
"Tell us, Junior Dawn, Junior Sun, what are your decisions in this matter?"
They asked eagerly, marking the final step of their 'competition'.
Dawn paused as she looked at sun, then spoke up for the two of them.
"We will be going our separate ways. I will remain with Senior Silver Extreme on the expedition to Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement, Sun will join you, Senior Warrior of Spring, on the expedition to Corpse Mountain Settlement."
Silver Extreme's mood instantly lightened; he secured his benefits without having to risk his reputation, unlike somebody else.
Warrior of Spring looked slightly surprised. He resisted the urge to bury his face into a palm.
His efforts went to waste, and he instead caused himself trouble.
He couldn't help but sigh.
"I understand. I will help with your decision, Junior Sun."
Although he didn't really care about this junior First Foundation Cultivator, Warrior of Spring could at least use him to try and remedy his situation.
He was boasting all about fairness and one's right to a choice, so he could not abandon that facade in the end.
...
"That is what happened, Lord."
With the help of Dawn and Sun, Silver Extreme and Warrior of Spring were able to get an audience out of Immortal Union.
Silver Extreme had briefly explained their situation, and the decision of these two Juniors.
Immortal Union looked upon them solemnly, questioning.
"Junior Sun, is this truly your wish? I thought that letting go of Junior Selene would have been too much in of itself..."
"Yes, Lord Immortal Union. When we first met, I vowed to become stronger, to walk my road. The chance to join this expedition was a great gift, and I wish to embrace it fully."
"Junior Dawn, you are content with separating for the sake of embracing your differing Ways?"
"I am, Lord Immortal Union. This expedition means a lot more to us than merely fulfilling duty. We wish to seek... consolation, through our own means."
He gave them a solemn look, thinking for a moment before nodding.
"I understand, I will allow this appeal to go through. In light of Dawn revealing her possession of a Qi Trait and her performance in a spar, we can determine that her battle strength is of a pseudo-Third Foundation level."
"This should be able to make up for Sun's absence, allowing him to transfer over to friend Warrior of Spring's expedition group without needing to further rearrange the expedition members."
"Should this be all, I will see you all off. I hope you can continue to promote sparring as a form of recreation to connect people and prepare yourselves for the eventual departure."
...
Three nights till departure.
Dawn and Sun had returned to the Spirit Spring in the innermost regions of Union Settlement.
They sparred in seclusion, Sun was increasing his proficiency with his main offensive Dao Art--Golden Arc and Ribbon, raising his clarity to 'middle level'.
The Hundred Pills Dao Art is also at the middle level of Clarity. Although he focused on offence primarily, he did not stint on his healing capabilities.
They would still be useful in times of need.
He also focused on drawing Dao Art images more efficiently.
When they weren't sparring together, they often visited the Army Hall and contended against the other Cultivators.
The majority of the Second Foundation Cultivators were reluctant to spar against Dawn, she mostly sparred against the Third Foundation Cultivators.
Sun held sparring matches against the First Foundation Cultivators and Second Foundation Cultivators of his expedition group. His talent was amazing, but not as shocking as Dawn's talent.
There were originally sixteen Cultivators in each expedition group, but with Sun relocating to the Corpse Mountain expedition, Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement was reduced to fifteen.
Although Dawn makes up for the imbalance with her impressive battle strength, it still leaves their overall manpower short.
Silver Extreme was looking to overcome this manpower through Dao Art mediums. He was absent from this night's sparring matches.
Likewise, Warrior of Spring acted as the overseer of these sparring matches. He was the only present State Cultivator; none of the Third Foundation Cultivators could match him, even with the rules in place.
Shade of Autumn was also not present. Warrior of Spring delegated a few tasks to her in preparation for the departure.
Overall, the sparring continued from the second hour of Early Hour till the second hour of Falling Hour.
The majority of Cultivators tended to their own preparations.
Dawn and Sun also looked around to purchase something. Immortal Union gifted them an 'allowance' long ago, when they first came to Union Settlement.
It was finally time to put it to use.
Each of them had fifty bronze tablets, ten silver tablets, and a single gold tablet.
This kind of wealth was slightly above the average earnings for a Second Foundation Cultivator.
They walked down the Commerce District, where food and wine were most popular. Ornaments and tools were also prevalent, but these did not interest either of them.
Eventually, they reached an area which offers smithing services.
Sun eventually found an armour smith and wished to commission protective armour that wouldn't restrict his flexibility, it also had to be durable and lightweight, easy to wear, store, and remove too.
After figuring out the design, Sun paid five silver tablets and all fifty bronze tablets.
Dawn also commissioned something similar and paid three silver tablets.
While in he area, Sun also visited a smithy to commission a suitable weapon.
He favoured the halberd design and opted for a slightly lighter weight, paying two silver tablets for this order.
They were given approximate times for when their commissions would be finished, they just had to pick them up during the following nights.
Leaving the Commerce District, they returned to their Spirit Spring.
...
Two nights till departure.
Dawn and Sun maintained the same routine from the prior night; secluded cultivation, then spar at the Army Hall.
This time, however, Silver Extreme and Warrior of Spring were both present.
They were standing against each other, having amassed an audience full of awe and shock.
Silver Extreme was holding the handle of a polearm, the wood snapped in half; Warrior of Spring was duel-wielding two wooden handles with broken blades.
Dust was caught in the air, and the parted gravel beneath their feet revealed the extent of their fierce sparring.
Even though they restricted themselves to wooden weapons, the damage far exceeded anything the prior sparring matches had shown.
Due to the damage, there would be a delay before anyone else could spar.
For now, the present Cultivators conversed with each other.
Chatting about their preparations, possible goals during the beast tides, and other conversations about the expeditions.
Dawn and Sun joined their conversation for a while. After half an hour, the grounds were fixed.
Warrior of Spring dismissed himself, Silver Extreme was staying behind to monitor the future matches.
Sun, however, was not staying around for any sparring matches. Informing Dawn of his leave, she remained behind to spar with the other Cultivators.
Walking back to the Commerce District, he was here to check on his commissioned weapon.