Chapter 19 - Advancement
Over the next several days, Benton fixed meals, sparred with his disciples, and offered guidance where appropriate. Mostly, though, the kids stayed on the right track, cultivating and practicing diligently.
Late on the fourth day, he got the notification he’d been waiting for; Yang Xiu had advanced to the third minor realm. Even better, it took only another full cycle for Yang Ru to reach the same milestone, leaving them both plenty of time to consolidate before dinner.
The next morning after breakfast, Benton said, “I am so proud of you two. It took you only two weeks to advance from never having so much as sensed a mote of qi to reaching the third minor realm. It’s now time for me to deliver on my promise to you and speed your ascent to the next level.”
He handed each of them a large, dense pill that emitted a strong herbal fragrance. “This is a Qi Condensing Pill. It is chock full of qi, literally crammed with so much as to almost be bursting. That quality is in fact what makes these so rare. Even a master alchemist fails at successfully creating one of these more than half the time. I’m hopeful I can get more of these in the future, but they’re the only two I have right now.”
The siblings exchanged a look, apparently settled on something, and nodded at each other.
“May I ask Senior Brother Chao a question?” Yang Xiu said.
“You may.”
“Senior Brother Chao, would a better use of these pills be for the senior brother to use them instead of these lowly disciples?”
Benton did what any wizened old expert should do in such a situation. He answered a question with a question. “In the time since you’ve known me, have you seen me cultivate even once?”
The siblings looked at each other again and did that weird twin communication thing.
“No, Senior Brother Chao,” Yang Xiu said.
“Can you guess a reason for that?”