Reborn as a Demonic Tree

Ashlock returned to Red Vine Peak at nightfall, pleased with Nox's efforts to turn Tartarus into a place he could use to do what he did best: power up those around him. The nightmares inflicted on him by past World Trees had taught him early on the importance of having strong allies, and this insight had only been further reinforced by the many battles that he wouldn't have been able to win on his own.

The Ashfallen Sect was arguably at the same level of personal power as his system. Both were 'borrowed' powers that he invested heavily in, whether through resources or by devouring corpses, but in return, he had gained the capabilities to carve out a place of belonging in this hostile world.

Because of this, for his own survival, he needed to use every resource possible to uplift those around him, which is why the upcoming tournament was so important. As his sect members' cultivation advanced, the number and quality of resources required would increase drastically.

While manageable to a degree right now, it wouldn't be anymore if he offered unlimited cultivation resources and opened the gates of the Ashfallen Sect to anybody, including the millions of mortals in Darklight City, that he could turn into cultivators like Sam and Jasmine. His cultivation would stagnate with how much Qi he would have to spend on growing all the required truffles and fruits.

"My Qi generation is immense by siphoning off the World Tree, and my vast body is adept at capturing Qi, but it's nowhere near enough. While my Qi intake is like a burst dam, my soul is the size of an ocean. I also want to divert some Qi to my offspring to help them advance so that I can depend on them in a future crisis to provide the Qi I need. Not to mention the headache of trying to house and manage so many new cultivators. The Redclaws are already spread thin."

That is why he was holding a tournament—to filter out people that resources would be wasted on and keep the numbers manageable.

However, he planned to run this tournament in a rather unique way. He would watch the matches personally alongside some Grand Elders from his sect. As a group, they would decide who passed based on potential rather than results. If someone showed amazing talent with the sword but fell short of a win because of corrupted spirit roots, that was something Ashlock could fix. So, sending such a person away simply because they lost made no sense.

"Ashfallen will be known as a sect that only cares for talent and potential. Background does not matter. If there's one thing we have, it's the resources and capabilities to polish a diamond in the rough. People that other sects would look down their noses at may be the perfect fit for us," Ashlock was getting excited already. He hoped this odd way of selecting individuals would also work as an advertisement and spread his name to attract more talents. There was little point in hiding anymore; every power in the realm knew of the Ashfallen Sect's existence by now.

Which meant it was time for all hands on deck. Disaster could strike at any moment, and Ashlock wanted his sect to be as prepared as possible.