Falenthur, the Sect leader of the Drifting Clouds sect, was sipping tea in his pavilion, guiding a few of the sect's Elders in their cultivation. After returning 2 months prior, he decided to take time out of his busy schedule every few weeks to help the Elders of his sect progress in their cultivation.
They had lost several Elders during the ambush on the way to the tournament last time, so their sect's overall strength had declined. He was determined to make up the difference by investing in their current Elders rather than spending an unknown amount of resources trying to find new Elders to join them.
On this day however, he received a sudden visit from Supreme Elder Faldon which was out of the ordinary. Usually he'd only see him at the Elder's meetings every 3 months to discuss overall sect matters, disciple progress and plans moving forward.
"Sect leader, i'm glad to see you doing well. Might I trouble you for some time to discuss a pricate matter?"
Faldon bowed in respect upon entering the Sect leader's pavilion. He'd noticed the other Elders present at the scene when he arrived and wanted to talk to the Sect leader alone.
"Of course, we were just finishing our talks anyways. Gentlemen, thank you for coming today, feel free to seek me out if you have any more questions."
Falenthur dismissed the Elders lresent and then focused on Faldon. He'd noticed something was different about him when he first arrived but it wasn't until now that he realized what it was.
'I can't see through his cultivation? That's impossible unless he's using a concealment technique or…we're equal in realm'
"What have you come to discuss today, Supreme Elder Faldon?"
"Haha please Sect leader, just call me Faldon as usual. I came to inform you that i'd gained sudden enlightenment recently and made a breakthrough in my cultivation. I've stepped into the perfected Nascent Soul realm."
Falenthur was completely shocked. The last time he saw Faldon, he was still several levels away from the perfected realm and he was suffering from an old injury. But now it seemed his injuries had healed along with his improved cultivation.
"This is absolutely incredible news! Congratulations Faldon, our sect has been blessed with yet another powerhouse. If you need anything do not be afraid to ask!"
The Falenthur was overjoyed at the news. He'd been working extra hard all this time to increase the sect's strength but now with Faldon achieving a cultivation equal to his own, their strength had increased even compared to before they lost those Elders. He needed to ensure that Faldon would stay in the sect and not leave to join somewhere else. It was a selfish thought but a necessary one for the continuation of their sect's existance. Especially considering the limited time he had left in his lifespan.
"Thank you, Sect leader. I actually have a request if I may. It is to be allowed to use Enlightenment Peak as my own private cultivation mountain. I recognize that normally Supreme Elders are expected to move to a mountain in ther periphery of the sect to ensure a safe boundary is maintained and supervised around the sect. However, my disciple James' talent is much higher than we first thought and i'd like to keep him as safe as possible. Which would mean staying within the sect's territory."
"Of course I have no issues with that. You were already allowed to stay as a Peak master after attaining the Supreme Elder status since your strength had yet to reflect your position. With your new strength, it would be better used looking over and protecting your disciple as he is the future of our sect. I only spent a limited time with him but I could tell that his talent was something our sect has never seen before."
After receiving permission to stay on Enlightenment Peak, Faldon made his way back to continue his cultivation. Although he'd reached the perfected Nascent Soul realm, the new technique that James had given him allowed him to continue to grow stronger. The more he comprehended and mastered the technique, the higher his limits became.
——
Hovering in the skies above the Drifting Clouds sect, Valeria gazed down, watching the hustle and bustle.
'I've observed for the past month but have yet to find any abnormality within this sect. All i've found was the presence of a couple formations with the ability to gather some rather pure mana. They aren't exceedingly high level so it's possible they were just some opportunity they'd found from a long dead cultivator. I'd like to find the anomaly with my own eyes before speaking with this Sect leader.'
Valeria then turned towards a certain direction, gazing at a far off mountain range.
'That could work…'
——
James practice in creating different formations has seen a lot of progress. They really weren't all that complicated once you understood the basics. He had created 2 new formations in the last month, the first was a defensive formation and the second was an offensive formation. They were a simple barrier formation and a lightning formation.
Similar to what happened with the Mana Gathering formations, the Barrier formation and the Lightning formation both attracted a Heavenly Tribulation. His master had already given him a dozen formation plates to practice with and told him he would give him more if he ran out.
James went to talk to his master, bringing the formations with him.
"Master, i've created a defensive and offensive formation. Would it be alright if I set them up around our mountain?"
"Hmm we have a Nascent Soul level sect defending formation surrounding the entire sect, what are you thinking of defending our mountain from?"
"It's simply a precaution master. You never know when a demonic cultivator may sneak into our sect. I'm not saying there are any currently, but i'm sure you know it's not uncommon for sect's to discover demonica cultivator spies hiding within. If we set up formations to defend our mountain, it will prevent any trespassers and protect us in the worst case scenario."
"Alright let me see these formations of yours before I decide."
James then took out both formations for Faldon the examine. He also wanted to find out how powerful they were since with his limited cultivation, he currently couldn't tell their upper bounds.