Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 155: Azure, Add It To The Collection

The Ancestor and Sect Master led me through the Three-Leaf Clover Sect's grounds with all the nervous energy of two children showing their strict grandfather around their messy room. Every few steps, one of them would gesture at something they clearly hoped would impress me – ancient buildings, training grounds, meditation gardens – while shooting quick glances to gauge my reaction.

I maintained my mysteriously intimidating demeanor, floating along behind them with just enough height to make it clear I could see over their heads. The red glow from my eyes (courtesy of the Shroud rune) cast interesting shadows across their faces whenever they turned to look at me.

"And this," the Ancestor said, gesturing grandly at what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary courtyard, "is where our disciples practice the Sacred Leaf Dance technique. The formations embedded in the stone help channel—"

A young disciple chose that moment to dart across the courtyard, probably on some urgent errand. The poor boy made it exactly three steps before noticing our little procession. His eyes went wide as saucers as they tracked from the Ancestor to the Sect Master and finally to me – the cloaked figure with glowing red eyes casually hovering a few feet off the ground.

I watched with mild amusement as the boy's brain visibly struggled to process what he was seeing. His mouth opened and closed several times, reminding me of a fish suddenly finding itself on dry land. Finally, his survival instincts kicked in. He dropped into such a deep bow that his forehead actually hit the stone tiles.

"Seeing your elders, yet not properly greeting them?" The Sect Master's voice carried just the right mix of stern authority and barely concealed panic. "Where are your manners?"

The boy somehow managed to bow even deeper. "This junior greets the Ancestor, Sect Master, and... and..." His voice trailed off as he clearly struggled with how to address the mysterious floating person.

"And honored guest," the Ancestor supplied quickly, shooting me another nervous glance.

I said nothing, maintaining my ominous silence. Sometimes the best way to be intimidating is to let people's imaginations do all the work.

"Y-yes! Honored guest!" The boy's voice cracked slightly on the last word. "This junior begs forgiveness for his rudeness and... and..."

"You may go," the Sect Master said, taking pity on him.

The boy didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and practically teleported away, his original errand apparently forgotten in his haste to be anywhere else.

"Young disciples," the Ancestor said with a forced laugh. "So energetic, wouldn't you say, honored one?"

I maintained my silence, but I could feel Han Renyi's amusement. "Master, I think you've traumatized that poor boy for life."

"Good," I replied, surprised at being addressed as master. "A healthy fear of mysterious floating figures will serve him well in his cultivation career."

We continued our tour, and word of our presence seemed to spread faster than any movement technique I'd seen yet. Every courtyard we entered was mysteriously empty by the time we arrived, though I could sense people watching from windows and around corners.

The few cultivators who couldn't avoid crossing our path all followed a similar pattern – shock, terror, extremely deep bows, and hasty retreats. One particularly interesting reaction came from an older disciple who actually started reciting protection mantras under his breath when he saw me.

"Your disciples seem... jumpy," I finally commented, just to watch my guides squirm.

"Ah, well..." The Sect Master cleared his throat. "We don't often have the honor of hosting such distinguished guests."

"Especially not ones who can make our Ancestor's Tree do... that," the Ancestor added, then immediately looked like he regretted bringing it up.

I glanced down at the direction he pointed to. One of the Ancestor Tree's roots was following us. The moment it noticed my attention, it froze mid-creep, as though convinced that perfect stillness would render it invisible. ṘâƝo͍฿Еʂ

I looked away, suppressing a smile. In my peripheral vision, I saw the root begin inching forward again, pausing whenever it thought I might turn back. For something that could probably level the entire sect with a single twitch, it was being remarkably... shy.

"Master,” Azure chimed in. “I'm detecting the tree's root system extends throughout the entire sect grounds. Every building, every courtyard – there isn't a spot these roots don't reach."

"Good," I replied, noting how our two guides were very carefully not looking at the floor. "That should discourage our hosts from having any unfortunate ideas about surprise attacks."

Finally, we arrived at what was clearly our real destination – the sect's archives.

The building was older than most, its wooden walls darkened with age but still maintaining their original intricate carvings. Multiple layers of protective formations shimmered faintly in my spiritual sense, though I noted they seemed to be operating at reduced power. Another sign of energy conservation, perhaps?

"The Three-Leaf Clover Sect's Archive," the Ancestor announced proudly. "Nine millenniums of accumulated knowledge and wisdom!"

I had to admit, it was impressive.

The main hall stretched up three stories, with walkways and platforms connecting different levels. Scrolls and books filled shelves that reached from floor to ceiling, their spines marked with characters that glowed faintly. The air carried that distinct mix of old paper, ink, and subtle energy that seemed universal to any collection of cultivation knowledge.

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"I suppose this is where we should make proper introductions," the Ancestor said, he bowed deeply, his beard nearly touching the floor. "This junior is Zhou Tao, Seventh Ancestor of the Three-Leaf Clover Sect."

The Sect Master followed suit immediately. "Li Jie, current Sect Master. We are honored by senior's presence."

Ah, so we'd reached that part of the dance. They were hoping I'd reveal my identity, probably searching for some legendary name from the past that would explain my impossible cultivation level. The way they held their bows just a fraction longer than necessary, the slight tilt of their heads that would let them catch my reaction... they really were quite good at this.

"You may know me as Ling Zhuo," I said simply, watching their faces carefully.

The flash of disappointment was brief but unmistakable. The name meant nothing to them, which meant I wasn't some returned master from their sect's golden age. More importantly, they clearly recognized it as an obvious pseudonym. The Ancestor's beard twitched slightly – probably fighting back the urge to ask my real identity.

"Now then," I continued before they could recover, "remove the seals on your technique archives."

The request hit them like a physical blow. The Ancestor's eyes widened, his magnificent beard actually bristling with shock. The Sect Master's carefully maintained composure cracked for just a moment, showing the panic beneath.

"Senior wishes to..." the Ancestor began, then stopped, visibly struggling with the concept.

I understood their reaction. What I was asking was unprecedented – essentially demanding access to their sect's most closely guarded secrets. In the past, such a request would have been met with immediate refusal, possibly even violence. A sect's techniques were their lifeblood, the accumulated knowledge of generations. Giving someone unrestricted access was like handing them the power to destroy everything you'd built.

But times had changed. With no other living Tier 5 cultivators in their world, they didn't really have a choice. The carrot of potential advancement was too tempting, and the stick of my power too threatening to ignore.

"Is there a problem?" I let my eyes glow just a bit brighter, and both men quickly shook their heads.

"Of course not!" The Ancestor's voice was perhaps a bit higher than usual. "We would be honored to... to..."

"We live to serve," the Sect Master cut in smoothly, probably worried his superior might strain something trying to force those words out. He made a series of hand gestures, and the protective formations around the archive began to dim.

"Azure," I thought as the seals deactivated one by one, "time to do your thing."

"Already scanning, Master," he replied. "Though I must say, their organization system is rather... interesting."

"Interesting how?"

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"Well, for one thing, they've categorized 'Techniques for Pruning Spiritual Plants' under both 'Combat Arts' and 'Gardening'. I suppose it depends on how aggressively one approaches horticulture."

I held back a snort of laughter as Azure began methodically copying everything into his database. While the techniques here probably wouldn't match the power of those from the outside world, I was particularly interested in how they used plants. The unique conditions of the Starhaven Realm might have led to some innovative approaches I hadn't considered for my Primordial Wood Arts.

Plus, having a variety of elemental techniques in Azure's database would be invaluable when I eventually started experimenting with other elements. Even if I never ended up using them directly, understanding different approaches to energy manipulation would be useful.

As Azure worked, I found my thoughts turning to Han Renyi. When I eventually left this realm – assuming I could figure out how – he would be on his own. I didn't want to leave him facing problems he couldn't handle.

I knew he was interested in learning my techniques – he'd made that pretty clear with his not-so-subtle hints about wanting to be my disciple. But without access to the red sun or blue sun energies, most of what I could do would be impossible for him.

I had managed to strengthen his body to the equivalent of Qi Condensation Stage 6, which was something. But he would need more than just physical power to survive in this world. He needed a proper cultivation method and techniques that would work with the local energy system.

"Azure," I thought, "how's your cultivation method design coming along?"

"Still gathering data, Master. The information here is helping fill in some gaps in my understanding of how rouqi functions. I won't be able to improve the World Tree Sutra – that's far beyond my current capabilities – but I should be able to create a decent rouqi cultivation method once I've analyzed everything."

That was about what I'd expected. The World Tree Sutra was a Beyond Heaven Rank method – trying to improve it with information from this realm would be like trying to upgrade a fusion reactor with steam engine blueprints. But a specialized method for rouqi cultivation? That should be doable.

"Han Renyi," I called mentally, "what's your elemental affinity?"

"Wood element," he replied. "It's part of why I initially wanted to join the Three-Leaf Clover Sect, actually. Zhou Shentong had agreed to help me..." His voice darkened. "Though of course, that was only if I agreed to basically hand my family over to him. My sister included!”

I ignored the anger in his tone – that particular problem had been rather definitively solved – and focused on the interesting coincidence. "Wood element, hm? I wonder if our matching affinities were a factor in the successful possession."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, spiritual possession is typically easier when there's some form of resonance between the possessor and the possessed. Having the same elemental affinity might have made the transition smoother." I paused thoughtfully. "How do you feel about joining the sect now?"

His confusion was clear in his response. "With you as my master, why would I need a sect?"

"You sound awfully comfortable with me staying in your body," I observed dryly.

There was a moment of mental silence as he realized what he'd said. "I... I mean, I would love to have you as my master! Just... maybe after you get your own body?"

"My situation is complicated," I replied carefully. "I'm not sure how long I'll be staying in this realm. It would be better for you to establish yourself properly."

He went quiet for a while. Finally, he responded, "You're right. And... yes, I would still like to join the sect."

I turned to the Ancestor and Sect Master, who immediately straightened their postures like students caught daydreaming in class. "I find myself quite busy these days," I said casually, "and the Three-Leaf Clover Sect seems like a fitting place for my disciple."

Everyone in the room understood this wasn't actually a request. Even if they somehow missed my meaning, the way the Ancestor Tree's branches twitched meaningfully outside the window made it pretty clear.

The Ancestor's eyes widened slightly as he caught my meaning. Then he broke into a broad smile. "We would be honored to welcome senior's disciple! Able to defeat a Tier 2 Rouqin? Such talent at such a young age – truly remarkable!"

The Sect Master nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! We'll arrange everything immediately. Special quarters, access to all training facilities, priority for resources..."

I had to admire how quickly they'd adapted to the situation. Not only were they not seeking revenge for Zhou Shentong's death, they were now falling over themselves to welcome his killer into their sect. Politics made strange bedfellows indeed.

"If... if this poor junior might be so bold..." The Ancestor swallowed hard. "Would the great senior perhaps be willing to... to offer some guidance? Even a small hint of senior's profound wisdom would be..."

I remained silent, considering my options. There was no way I was sharing anything related to my actual cultivation method or techniques. But I needed to give them something, both to maintain my cover and to ensure their continued cooperation.

What did I have that would be valuable but not too revealing? Something that would help the sect without raising suspicions about my origins?

Then it hit me.

"Tell me," I said slowly, "what do you know about formations?"