Capítulo 77: Return of the Ace (3/3)
For the organizations, Ace intended to develop them after the sect had fully settled down and entered its peak phase of development after winning the annual sect competition which would be held soon.
From the information which he has just gotten from Cidd, it was apparent that the strength of the sect currently was still far from enough.
The combat section of the annual sect competition required a team of seven disciples and three elders.
Even though Ace had not fully decided on the participants, the number of disciples he could choose was too few to begin with.
For the first two choices, Lancelot and Ray both deserve a spot with their overwhelming strength that exceeds that of other disciples. There was also Alexander who would most likely rush back in time for the annual sect competition to aid him.
Next was Ruby and Max who had been trying to find an opportunity to repay him for bringing the two of them together safely without losing each other.
There was also Garen who should return from the Valor Kingdom soon enough. Not only that he should be a Great Martial Master realm cultivator by then.
This is where the last problem comes in, where was he going to find the last candidate or participant to represent his sect in the annual sect competition?
There was Tiger, but judging from his current state and progress, there was no way he would be out of seclusion in a month's time, not to mention that he was only a Martial Master as well.
There were a few other disciples who have been demonstrating good conduct backed up with immense strength that have contributed to the sect in one way or another, but compared to the six that he has already chosen, they were still way too weak.
Right at this moment, sudden realisation struck him as he whammed his fist into his own palm.
"Sect master, sorry for the long wait, my father didn't expect you to leave that quickly without being noticed." This young man was Luke and even though only half a month or so had passed since the last time they met, his skin was already of a healthier colour and from his body, a strong aura could be sensed.
Luke was already in the Great Martial Master realm and even though this was fast, it wasn't enough to surprise Ace. Luke's cultivation had been sealed since the past and now that he's able to cultivate, the suppressed growth talent of his would only explode shackles after shackles until he reaches a bottleneck which wouldn't happen anytime soon.
Not only that, considering his identity as the son of the third guardian of the Sword Court, the infinite high quality cultivation resources and personal guidance of the sword path from his father had also attributed to his rapid growth as a cultivator and sword master.
Perfect! Ace heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Luke's arrival as he asked, "How has your body been recovering since that day?"
"I feel great, not only was I able to cultivate, my cultivation was rising rapidly without stopping at all." Luke replied confidently as he clenched his fists together and raised his arm.
"Luke, follow me." Ace told Luke as he turned around to leave while sending a communication message to the main hall for everyone to head there for a meeting immediately.
Travelling quickly, Ace and Luke arrived before everyone else. As Ace signalled for Luke to find himself a seat on one of the chairs below the platform where his seat was, Ace then left the main hall without explaining himself as he headed towards the elders dwellings.
Dashing past Clarissa who had failed to notice him, he found Arith's room swiftly as he stepped inside and took out the fruit meant for him to recover.
The fruit was small, maybe only about the size of his finger as he placed it into Arith's mouth, but before he could even activate his spirit energy to help Arith digest the food, his body had already started the recovery process by itself.
In just a few seconds, Arith had already regained consciousness as he sat up and asked, "Sect master, am I dead yet?"
"Are you cursing me right now?" Ace joked around as Arith broke out into laughter and stood out brimming with life to stretch his stiff body.
"Sect master, thank you for going through the effort to help me recover from my coma. Not only that, I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time before I become a 5th grade blacksmith." Arith said weakly. Even though he had regained consciousness, his body was still in a weakened state."
"You owe Clarissa too much by now, don't let her get hurt any further. Before you make any rash decisions in the future, don't just think for the future of the sect, think about Clarissa who you had promised a forever." Ace said to Arith before taking his leave, closing the doors behind him.
"Head to the main hall, she will be there."
*Main Hall*
One by the, the disciples were the first to arrive for some reason. The elders were just on time as they took their seat closer to the main platform.
Ace was the last person expected to arrive, but when he sat down on his seat, the first words that came out of his mouth shocked everyone present.
"Arith, you may come in now."
What? The disciples were shocked, but still remained seated on their seats as they turned towards the entrance of the main hall. The elders were surprised, but still remained calm with their attention attracted to the entrance of the main hall as well.
Clarissa was the only one who bolted out of her seat, a massive tidal sending waves of lost happiness into her heart. The man she loved with all her heart, did their sect master go the extra mile for them or was it a coincidence?
That was just a fleeting question she had in mind as she stared at the main entrance of the main hall, the suspenseful air around them was lifted when they saw someone taking the first step into the main hall.
Without a doubt, that person was Arith in his usual attire, a simple robe without any exquisite designs, made only with the purpose of being heat and rust resistant.
This was made using rare metals that had a high resistance against heat while possessing an attribute to evaporate any water droplets that might get onto it. (Rusting can only take place when both oxygen and water are present)
"Arith, is that really you?"
Clarissa herself knew the answer better than anyone else, this familiar aura and face could only belong to the man she loves. The man who had almost caused her to lose her mind if not for that last straw of hope that he might regain consciousness.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but before they could fall, the warmth from his body soothed her anxious mind as Arith pulled Clarissa into his embrace, whispering into her ears, "I'm sorry for having made you worry about me."
Clarissa had countless words to say to Arith. About how much he loved him, about her much pain and suffering he caused her to experience, about how she wanted to...there were just too many things she had to say. What she needs from him is an entire lifetime.
Giving the couple the time to relish reunite in their sorrowful moment of blissfulness, everyone remained silent and turned a blind eye to what they were seeing before their eyes.
Ace understood the current situation and remained silent as well, but by the time almost ten minutes had passed and the two still only had eyes for each other, even the disciples and elders who cherished their precious time couldn't help but roll their eyes.
They still needed that time for cultivation and if the two elders were going to spend the entire day enjoying each other's warmth, then what were they going to do about it? Were they supposed to leave as though the meeting wasn't called for in the first place?
As for the elders, they understood just how important the two cherished each other, that was the only reason for their patience.
In the end, Ace was still young and even though he has already been through much more than others in life, he was still a young boy who isn't an adult yet. Not until the day he's fifteen years old in the cultivation world.
"Ahem!"
Ace couldn't think of a better plan but to cough aloud in order to bring Arith and Clarissa back to reality. Clarissa had tried to struggle out of Arith's embrace as a crimson shade dyed her cheeks, down to her neck.
Arith however wasn't willing to let her go this easily as he pulled her back into his embrace, only settling down after she was willing to sit beside him.
While the disciples agreed with Ace's actions, the matured elders seated at the front couldn't resist but sigh and shake their head in disapproval.
If Ace had more experience with dealing with such awkward situations, he would have gathered them outside the main hall to discuss the purpose behind this meeting briefly before dismissing them for now.
What's done is done as Ace starts to talk about the reason he held this sudden meeting.
"I am sure that all of you know about the annual sect competition that will be held soon. In order for us to do our best, I have already chosen the participating members which will be all of you present."
"As for the alchemy and forging section of the annual sect competition, I might have to trouble both elders to take part with another disciple who can get us a decent placing."
After Ace finished explaining everything in simple terms, the disciples remained silent with Lancelot being the first one to propose a question.
"Sect master, I understand why you have chosen us. But about junior Luke, would the other disciples be able to accept this decision of yours considering that he has not contributed to the sect in the slightest?"
Lancelot might not have the intention to sound provocative, but to Luke who only came into contact with outsiders for the first time, he felt a great sense of dejection as his body trembled in disappointment. Was he going to be replaced without being able to return Ace the favour before it even began?"
"Sect master, I...I can try my best to...so…" Luke tried to explain himself, but all he did was stammer without being able to convey his thoughts fluently.
The elders as per usual remained silent, not because they didn't have any concerns to voice out, but because they understood that while their sect master is young, he was someone who did matters with a clear goal in mind.
"I know your concerns pertaining to this matter. Contribution wise, there's still enough time for Luke to accomplish a few things. I may not have said this yet, but in terms of comprehension for the sword path, he might already be a Half-Ancestor while I'm still in the early stages as a sword master."
Ace's next words shocked everyone as they blinked their eyes, as though this would allow them to see Luke with a pale complexion in a new light.
"Sect master, are you suggesting for him to spend this time guiding the other disciples in order to gain their recognition?" Lancelot thought to himself for a moment before asking the question despite knowing the answer.
With a nod, Ace answered without uttering a single word as Luke promised to do his best to help the other disciples.
For Ace, becoming a Sword Ancestor would require him to awaken at least five hundred blood pools, each hundred blood pools till then would help him progress further down the path of a Sword Master.
All weapon realms are divided into four stages, the early stage, the middle stage, the late stage and the completion stage.
From the Sword Ancestor realm onwards, every seventy five blood pools would progress him to the next rank, allowing him to step into the Sword Supreme realm. As for the realms and progressions after that, even Lucifer and Jay said that they had no clue.
If he wanted to know the answer, then someone would tell him one day when he becomes a Sword Supreme through his own efforts without taking any shortcuts to ruin his foundation.
With this, the members were decided and since some of them were still striving to make their final breakthrough outside the sect, Ace decided to take a week off from the sect management duty to cultivate.
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