The Sect Leader System-Chapter 282 - Advice

Yang Ru wasn’t great with emotions, not in expressing them and definitely not in being terribly observant when the women in his life experienced them. He couldn’t help but seeing that his sister was near tears, though, and even he could figure out the reason for that one. More mysterious to him was why it seemed like Kang Lin was a bit distant lately.

He might be imagining that one, though.

In the unlikely event that he was actually right, he probably should do something about it. Which meant another talk.

He sighed. Best to get it over with. As soon as Master dismissed them, he’d pull her aside. Besides, she seemed to be in a good mood after Master awarded her that new movement technique.

After she examined the jade slip, she cupped her hands to Master.

“Yang Ru,” he said, “Your turn. Know what you want?” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Overall, Yang Ru was quite happy with his combat build. Stone Skin and his shield protected him from attacks, allowing him to get close to his opponents with impunity. His spear skill, movement technique, and Momentum Transfer combined to power an absolutely devastating blow. He could even use his skills to defend himself and speed his movements.

He absolutely felt good about his ability to fight opponents in a higher realm than him, an ability not shared by many cultivators. Taken all together, he had no complaints.

That being said, he’d be an idiot to pass up the opportunity to add another skill to his repertoire.

One possibility was a ranged attack. He liked that it would give him an added dimension that he didn’t currently possess. What if a cultivator could hover outside of his range and pelt him with attacks? Sure, such an ability was rare for the lower stages of Foundation Establishment, but Master advocated the belief that literally nothing was impossible.

Yang Ru was sorely tempted to go with that option without even considering any others. After all, his understanding was that he couldn’t use any devices in the tournament that utilized qi unless he crafted it himself. Thus, no glider. A flying opponent could wear him down and cause him to lose.

On the other hand, he did have a bow in his ring, even if he was still dreadful with it. A bit of practice would help shore up that weakness. Besides, it would be stupid to focus on a possibility that was unlikely to come true.

An option that appealed to him greatly was an improved spear technique. He felt great about having mastered the Qi Gathering foundation knowledge spear skill, but according to Kang Lin, the competition was likely to be even more masterful with their weapons than he was.

That one was more enhancing a strength, though, rather than eliminating a weakness. Honestly, he felt like he could fight almost as well without the spear. Between his Body Cultivation, Stone Skin, and his shield, he was confident that he could absorb a blow or two from anybody in his realm—an ability that Kang Lin grudgingly acknowledged—so he didn’t need the weapon for defense. Likewise, he could just as easily transfer Momentum through a punch or even a single finger.

A third option, one that might be more difficult to learn, would be to utilize his aspect to add an attack from a different qi element. Right now, his sole attack and defense mechanisms depended on Momentum. If his opponent had a way to counter that element, Yang Ru would have little chance of winning.

Would it be rare to come across someone with an ability or qi element that countered his? Yes. Was it possible? Yes. How much emphasis should he put on covering that weakness? He wasn’t sure. It was an option worth considering, though.

His aspect was low viscosity lava flowing down Mount Burning Thunder. According to Master, low viscosity simply meant that the lava wasn’t very thick, enabling it to flow faster. Not much potential there that Yang Ru could see. Lava was basically burning, melted rock, which held a lot of promise. Flowing was where he got Momentum. And honestly he didn’t know what to do with Mount Burning Thunder.

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Kang Lin said that it was an actual mountain on a different continent, but how that translated to a qi element was beyond him.

By process of elimination, that left him with Lava, but that option wasn’t exactly limiting. Burning, melted rock sounded pretty darn dangerous to him.

That option, adding a new element to his attack and/or defense, seemed like the clearly best one. How best to integrate it into his existing techniques, though, was a bit beyond his current level of understanding.

He explained his choice and his reasoning to Master. “Do you have any advice for me on a specific technique?”

Master smiled widely. “That is honestly the smartest thing I’ve heard in a long time. You should never take someone else’s advice if it doesn’t resonate with you, but if you have access to someone with a lot more knowledge and experience than you, it’s a fantastic idea to take advantage of their wisdom.”

Both girls grimaced at the fact Yang Ru was being praised at their expense. He grimaced, too, sure that he would pay for that later.

“My first impulse is Lava Skin, an upgrade for Stone Skin,” Master said, “but honestly, I don’t think it’s a good fit. Your shield is a lot more efficient in using external qi than a layer of Lava could ever be. The upside is that it would be very dramatic. Very. And you shouldn’t underestimate the value of making a spectacle.”

Yang Ru was, if anything, very much anti-spectacle. He’d leave that to his sister. Quiet and dependable was more his thing.

“Yeah, I get it. That wouldn’t fit you at all. Let’s see…” Master stroked his chin a couple of times. Honestly, something clean and simple like Lava Burst would probably be the best bet. We could link it to a spear skill, allowing you to generate a ball of Lava from the tip. You could simply coat your spear with it to give you an extra option for causing damage, or you could launch it from the end, giving you the ranged option you were thinking about. Or if you’re willing to put in the time to practice it, we could make you one that could do either based on your intent.”

That option really resonated with Yang Ru. It gave him the added versatility of both a new qi element and a ranged attack. And he never would have thought of it.

He cupped his hands. “Lava Burst is perfect, Master.”

“Are you sure? Think of how cool you’d look literally coated in burning Lava? Armor that was mostly black rock with growing orange streaks through it would be absolutely striking. Kang Lin would have some competition when the girls saw you like that.”

Yang Ru didn’t even respond, not even to grunt. If there was an argument less likely to sway him, for multiple reasons, he didn’t know what it was.

Master sighed. “Okay. Fine.” His eyes moved all about at random, and a moment later, he produced a jade slip. “Here you go.”

After that, the three were soon dismissed. As they walked out of the Administration Hall, Yang Ru opened his mouth to ask Kang Lin to walk with him somewhere private so they could talk.

Instead, Yang Xiu grabbed Kang Lin’s hand and practically drug her away.

Huh?

Yang Xiu could hardly concentrate on anything after Master said what he did. She needed to talk about it. As soon as they were clear of the Administration Hall doors, she drug Kang Lin to the Martial Pavilion and into one of the private sparring rooms.

After locking the door, Yang Xiu spun around. “You heard it, too, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think he meant by it?”

“What do you think he meant by it?”

Yang Xiu grew a bit frustrated. She needed input, not to have her question thrown back at her. “I don’t know!” After taking a deep breath, she continued. “I don’t even know what I wanted him to mean by it. I mean, after losing my parents, the thought of someone else filling their shoes… I mean, I’m an adult, but… You know!”

“I do, Yang Xiu. I really do. Family is important.”

“Did he mean it? Tell me your opinion. Please!”

Kang Lin sighed. “He’s always treated both of you like he’s your father. He’s stated many times that you’re his heirs, for all the good that does for someone who’s probably immortal. I don’t see how this is any different.”

“He treats just about everybody like they’re his kids, though. Especially Jin LiJuan.”

“He doesn’t treat everyone like he treats you two. You’re obviously special to him. It feels to me like he thinks of himself as your father and Jin LiJuan’s grandfather.”

“What do I do about it?” Yang Xiu said.

“That really depends on what you want.”

That was the problem. Yang Xiu simply didn’t know. “Am I dishonoring my parents by accepting someone else, replacing them?”

That wasn’t the real problem, though. Her parents were dead because of her. She didn’t deserve another parent, another father.

Her vision blurred as tears formed.

Suddenly, she was being hugged by Kang Lin.

“It’s okay.” She patted Yang Xiu’s back. “No one is asking you to make a big declaration or even a decision. Master clearly meant what he said, but he also clearly didn’t mean it as a formal announcement. He didn’t even realize the importance. Take your time. Meditate on it. When you figure out what you want, talk to Yang Ru. Then the two of you should talk to Master.”

Yang Xiu forcibly calmed herself. Her sister’s advice was good. Taking time to process would be perfect.