novelraw Chapter 337 - 336 - Explosive Growth
Chapter 337 - 336 - Explosive Growth
The cultivation world seemed to suffer a storm with the return of Lind Frey. Not only had he resurfaced after nearly a decade of silence, he was stronger than ever.
He had successfully reached Diamond Tier as he had once done so from the Soul Realm to the World Realm. Not only that, but his skills in elixirs and Forging had gone far beyond anyone's wildest imaginations.
He had become a recognized Heaven grade master in both fields! That was not a small thing at all! Even a Heaven grade 1 master was treasured by all powers but was so rare that they had never been heard of in over a million years.
It was also possible some had been lost due to being hoarded by powers over the years, but there was no way to prove it.
Lind Frey, however, was far above such concerns of being snatched away. He was a low Heaven grade 5 master! It put him on par with Sky Realms! Cimmerian envoys confirmed the news and Starfire House reaffirmed its support of Lind Frey whole heartedly.
The auction of 3 elixirs and 3 artifacts of Heaven grade 2-4 was held a month later after Master Frey had a meeting with the current head of Starfire House. Stardust Emporium made several trade deals with Moebius Sect to have an annual supply of such items in Cimmeria.
Afterwards, Lind Frey somehow traveled back to his sect without anyone the wiser. Several battles broke out as people hunting him made mistakes and were revealed to be remnants of powers that fell due to his revealing of the Cannibalistic Inheritances.
It was not the first time he had snuck around but it was quite blatant in the current attempt. He literally vanished from Cimmeria where no formations or skills seemed able to find him and physically appeared in front of his sect a mere day later!
Such travel time was unheard of even by Sky Realms, but it was said if they pushed all their Qi into it, it was possible. Still, no one believed Lind was capable of such speeds although there were rumors about the female dragon at his side doing so.
After his return, things seemed to change at a pace even mortals had never dreamed possible. Their short lives often had far more chaos than cultivators, but the long lived beings usually kept things stable for their residents.
Lind did not.
He raised a storm on his return and then seemed to shatter some kind of chains holding back 6 elementals the world over. Gold Tier tribulations became so common for years that a designated place had been set up no one went near.
It was not only the Moebius Sect. Clans that nurtured 6 elementals had similar incidents. It was clear Master Frey was not withholding his wisdom as always. If it was just that, then most could simply find it an extension of his teaching as he had always done.
The odd free knowledge often helped all cultivators after digesting it as well so no one would complain too much, but there was a drastic change to the power dynamics most had lived by.
Once low powers began to find themselves with new powerful pillars in the form of 6 elemental cultivators. It seemed once they succeeded in breaking through the World Realm, their cultivation was much easier compared to others.
They also had far more flexibility and power but so long as they were restricted to Iron Tier, it limited their opportunities. Gold Tier changed that. Gold Tier cultivators were the standard by which many powers were classified.
Most low powers were lucky if they could produce 1 or 2 Gold Tiers every few generations, but 6 elementals changed that standard drastically.
The Gu Clan of the Lotus Empire made a prime example. So long as they were stuck at Iron Tier, the Lotus Empire held the advantage, but almost overnight the Gu Clan had closed to a dozen Gold Tiers!
The Empire might have as many across its entire borders but even with a century of nurturing, they were wary of using up resources to help them breakthrough. It now became a bit chaotic but then the real change to Lind Frey came.
He had only spent a year back in his sect but the spirits had to be favoring him due to the fact he not only had Gold Tiers, but a team of 5 Diamond Tiers as well!
No one knew how he did it but the result was there. They were revealed when some Clans tried to breakaway from their native powers or cause strife that would only result in civil wars.
The supreme powers had been about to step in when every single troublemaker was flattened into the ground by an aura that showed no mercy!
Emerald light blazed in those skies as 5 Diamond Tier 6 elementals swooped down to restrain the unruly people.
"I did not share my wisdom to let you indulge in delusions of grandeur. We struggled and suffered for countless epochs but that is not the fault of others, just ourselves for taking shortcuts when patience was the tool we needed most." Lind Frey's words seemed to boom across the 3 continents by rumor if not in fact.
He led the team to several areas and the result was always the same. Some thought he could not take care of things since he was only 1 man, but then a powerful creature sporting the emblem of Moebius Sect could show up at any time.
It was a massive bird that seemed to invoke fear in all that saw it. It had platinum wings tipped in black and its cry easily ruptured ears and disrupted Arts. While they could not directly interfere, many saw a couple Sky Realms also bearing the sect emblems.
The moment those 2 showed up, all understood that Lind was no longer playing around as a scholar. He shared his knowledge to help the world, but would not allow it to be abused.
The Moebius Sect seemed to always be ahead too as the effects of Heaven grade elixirs became clear. If he had 5 Diamond Tiers, who was to say there would not be more?
That level of knowledge was not currently shared, only the Gold Tier. It made it clear that Lind was not as naive as some believed him to be. Darkmoor, Divine Sword Sect, and Heavenly Maiden Sect backed him up as before.
The 2 sects made sense, but the demon kingdom mystified many as King Ryu was rumored to be already getting close to becoming a Sky Realm or had been one for some time. His successor was yet to be chosen but given his love of battle, his backing of Moebius Sect seemed in opposition to the coming battles.
In a mere 2 years, Moebius Sect had established new rules regarding acceptance of students that would never be disciples. They would be taught up through the Gold Tier, but Diamond Tier would be denied them.
No one knew why Lind cut that off compared to his previous actions, but it was only a matter of time before someone else found the way forward.
Still, it stabilized the world. Gold Tiers were powerful, but were ants in front of Diamond Tiers. It was a mystery how many Moebius Sect disciples became Diamond Tiers in that time but it was not impossible the number was disturbingly high.
The Clans, however, were not punished the way some hoped. Those that truly committed crimes were killed or forced to make compensation depending on severity, but it would not stop the advancement of their rise.
In that, Lind Frey simply acted in concert with the supreme powers which finally hammered home the truth.
The Moebius Sect was a new supreme power. Its disciples were not to be touched but even Lind Frey advised all kingdoms, sects, and minor powers to report any issue. He warned that if the accusations turned out to be false there would be penalties.
After seeing his power, both disciples and outsiders took his words very seriously.
It took 3 more years for all the upheaval to settle and some new sects to be born. The one exception was the Gu Clan. They seemed content to stay in the Southern District but no one knew why.
They were one of a handful of clans that did not cause a ruckus either.
Their fame, however, came from the fact that the origin of Lind Frey was tied to them by marriage, the Frey Clan. They too stayed in the Southern District but their reason was easier to understand.
While they had benefits from Lind, their roots were long settled in the Lotus Empire. The Emperor greatly appreciated their loyalty and worked hard to promote the Frey Clan as much as they allowed.
It was now the 6th year since Lind returned as Sect Master. The once sprawling sect between all the supreme powers had now swallowed the neighboring kingdoms at their own request.
Wyndam had negotiated for his own kingdom while Lysanna had brought many of the others through treaties her ancestors created. The benefits of living under the Moebius Sect far exceeded trying to retain their own power.
Cultivators could be strangely pragmatic where benefits were concerned. It helped that Lind's reputation for fair and open policies made him far more trustworthy than others. A century of such treatment made him very appealing.
The former royal families still retained a special status as founding Clans of the newly reborn Moebius Sect. There really had not been any other clans officially part of the sect up to that point.
Lind looked out his window as he examined his dantian once more. He had just barely advanced to mid Diamond Tier in 6 years. Compared to his leapfrogging in a mere year from Gold to Diamond Tier, it seemed very slow, but the amount of Qi needed was enormous.
It did not help that he had a mountain of things still to do.
"Sect Master, it is time." Wyndam seemed to still have a youthful face but his eyes betrayed the responsibility on his shoulders. His wives, the twins, had given him fine children as well to distract the man but he loved that particular distraction a bit too much!
"She has worked hard, harder than I could ever imagine. It just shows how much those elixirs covered the long road ahead for us all in the Diamond Tier." Like Lind, Wyndam was now a Diamond Tier. It had been easy for the young man to become a Gold Tier on his own. He had been close like Lind had before he left.
After that, however, Lind had prepared a large batch of low Heaven Grade 5 Qi gathering and tempering elixirs. It was his most profound elixir and was a monster of ingredients to make.
He only had it thanks to the Skinwalker Inheritance. The mortal realm might have only 1 of the ingredients he needed and Lind did not dare to reveal it openly. Even those that had it barely rose above 20.
It still relied on the cultivator to have comprehended their elements, but most of the 6 elementals had over a century at Iron Tier to do just that.
The 2 men quickly left the central tower for a flying artifact of a simple dingy. It was the most common artifact to fly through the sect but the speed and grade varied by status. The current item was a peak Heaven grade 4 version that Lind had Forged as a demonstration for a class.
None of the disciples or students could match Lind, but his demonstrations inspired them greatly. Many of the elixir masters had begun to touch on the peak of grade 4 in both areas.
The foundation laid was so stable that progress simply defied all common sense!
The 2 men finally left the walls of the main sect and found themselves over a sprawling amount of activity. Construction of new areas was slowing down but the once vast forest had been exchanged for residence and businesses.
There were local councils being set up to run the day to day activities but Lind made sure the sect stayed involved. He was incredibly glad the burden of the work was delegated to others as he had no desire to delay his cultivation that much!
It still took quite a bit of time to clear the new areas but none dared stop the Sect Master and one of the Vice Sect Masters. They finally returned to forest and open plains. It was nearly noon when they saw a small group of people looking at a stretch of barren ground.
It was a massive circular area cordoned off by peak Heaven grade 4 artifacts. Lind had made them all. It had become a necessity.
At the center of the grounds was a single woman. Normally it could accommodate up to 6 people but not this time. She had pale blue hair and rosy cheeks. If open, her eyes would be amber.
Lysanna Tur had made explosive progress with Lind's guidance. Of the group looking on, Ethry was pouting heavily but she had long ago agreed with her big sisters about Lysanna.
Kora was next, who was getting closer each day to Sky Realm herself, was here to see if inspiration could come. Tal ran up to him and hugged him tightly as his mother looked at Lysanna carefully.
They seemed to have made it just in time, as boiling black clouds began to gather and the pressure of Heaven came down on them all. It was an ascension tribulation, the first since Lind's return.
He was going to start studying them as much as he could, but he was also here if Lysanna needed him. The tribulation would be brutal and they all looked on as lightning began to dance and the world went silent before the first bolt fell.