Chapter 312: Manual Learning
Benton felt conflicted as Zou Tian left the office. With him departing for the tournament—albeit with a long layover in Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town—the sect’s participation in the event became a lot more real. The decision to go had been left to the council, and Benton wouldn’t go back on his word to support their decision. But he still hated the risk they were all taking.
The danger wasn’t his only hesitation, though. The prospect of going head to head with members from other sects had really brought out the competitive spirit in his members, all for the honor of the Rising Tide Sect.
Honor? Hooey.
Their sect had so many cheats that he really felt their performance in the tournament didn’t matter a lick. The sect’s rise was inevitable as long as he could get safely past whatever coalition of forces aligned against him over the next few years. Honestly, since he had reached Nascent Soul and there were no Nihility realm cultivators on the continent, he was pretty sure that, if the currently neutral factions joined forces with his enemies, he’d still have nothing to worry about.
Not that such was his desire. He much preferred to keep a cordial relationship with his neighbors, especially those like the Poison Claw Sect who had stood by him to a much greater degree than he had expected. But he didn’t need any of them. How any of them reacted to the Rising Tide Sect’s showing at the tournament was completely irrelevant.
Still, he’d been a young man once and remembered how important his school winning the state championship had seemed back in high school, and he hadn’t even been one of the players! He really couldn’t fault the kids for being enthusiastic.
“I’ve not been to the Quinquennial Tournament,” Benton said to Yuan Yaozu. “What’s the level of competition like?”
His Nascent Soul disciple looked him over for a moment before answering. “Your real question is whether your juniors have a chance, right?”
Benton nodded.
“It’s tough, but you’ve got some advantages on your side,” the Nascent Soul said. “The twins are, frankly, scary. The combination of their natural talent and the quality of the scriptures you gave them is formidable. And Body Cultivation is a major plus, especially in the lower realms. I’m not saying either will win, necessarily, but the low Foundation Establishment division isn’t as tough as the one for the top of the realm. They should vie for a chance, which is more than can be said for the members of most small sects who have ever been invited.”
“Anyone else catch your eye?”
Yuan Yaozu hesitated. “Not really. Sorry. All your members, even the ones with poor spiritual roots, will end up being above average for their realm once they gain expertise with the Foundation Establishment realm techniques that you give them. The ones who reach Golden Core will likely excel. Right now, though, your techniques just haven’t had enough chance to give them the foundation needed to stand against the top tier of a major sect. It will be your members’ physical advantage versus the better talents of their opponents.”