The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Upon his return to Starpoint Island, Li Lang was instantly pulled away by Wei Ping after being welcomed by the students.

"What's the rush? Something happen?" Li Lang asked as his friend closed the door to the meeting room they rarely used.

"Yes! I-I'm not sure how much time we ha-have."

The panic lurking in Wei Ping's voice caused the headmaster of the Star Gem Academy to raise an eyebrow.

"So? What's going on? I assume it can't wait, seeing how you pulled me here straight away before I could settle the Thousand Change Sea Breath into the Crucible. If it's so urgent, then out with it already."

"First, th-the delegation from the Rolling Tide Sect sh-should be arriving today. Second, we re-received messages from several dif-different sects across Violet Isle about sus-suspicious activity th-that is possibly the Abductress. And lastly, Sunset Peak has invited y-you over on behalf of their mainlander guest."

Hearing the barrage of news, Li Lang was momentarily stunned as he tried to process the onslaught of information. For some reason, these events came in waves instead of a steady trickle.

"Several sects have alerted us to possible hints of the Abductress? Why now, of all times, and why don't they just investigate it first?"

"Well, we're th-the officially recognized force to hunt down the Abductress. The for-forces of Violet Isle have likely all conducted an investigation of th-their own territory recently to ensure they ar-aren't framed as working with her."

"So we're the scapegoat. They don't want to be linked to the Abductress, nor do they want to be the ones to actually uncover her traces in case she retaliates?"

"Yes," the man wearing the wooden mask solemnly nodded.

"Well, we still have to respond to them. Sounds like more political trouble if we ignore them. How long do you think is a reasonable timeframe to respond?"

"Our low cul-cultivation is a good excuse. They likely won't complain as lon-long as we arrive sometime within the year."

"That settles it, then. Around ten months from now, we'll have to send people out to every sect that has messaged us. We'll need to make as many preparations as we can. Not only do we need to be ready, but our older students, too," Li Lang said with a thoughtful look while glancing out the window at the rest of the academy. He then abruptly turned back to Wei Ping. "What about the invitation from Sunset Peak, then? Did they have an expected timeframe for our arrival?"

"They ar-are awaiting our response for your availability. They pro-probably will send someone to get you once w-we respond."

"Then we don't—"

Before Li Lang could finish, the two cultivators spotted a tiny dot in the distance. They fell silent as they stared at it for a moment, watching it rapidly grow larger before exchanging a look.

"It seems like our guests have arrived," Li Lang continued. "Let's go deal with them first, before discussing what to do about the invitation."

The two exited the main hall and flew up to the edge of the island to greet their guests. Within a minute, the dot had grown to a full-sized Skyrunner, hovering just next to their defensive formation that encompassed the entire island. With a wave of the hand, Li Lang opened up a hole for them to pass through.

"Welcome, guests from the Rolling Tide Sect. I am Li Lang, the headmaster of the Star Gem Academy," he greeted with a clasped fist.

Instead of the dignified response he expected, all he heard was some girl giggling. Then, the doors to the Skyrunner blew open, and a figure darted out of it, straight toward him.

A spear instantly materialized in his hand as the defensive barrier around them swiftly shrank, moving way faster than the assailant. It passed through the figure in the blink of an eye, settling in place a few paces in front of Li Lang.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

At the same time, Jun Ziyan and her two companions, Da Feng and Da Xing, appeared protectively in front of the two Star Gem Academy cultivators.

Just before the assailant collided with the barrier, they came to an instant halt. It was only then that the cultivators on the scene realized what was happening. Their eyes widened in shock as the assailant had the audacity to cutely wave her hand at the people behind the barrier.

"Hey ya, long time no see!" the woman gleefully called out.

"Sima Xue?" several voices cried out in unison.

"What are you doing here?" Jun Ziyan pressed on, leveling her sword at her.

"Hm? I finally got permission, so for a visit, of course! Oh, and to oversee the people from the orthodox sect coming to visit our domain."

"You? Alone?" the Sword Saint disciple scoffed.

"What do you mean by that? I'm more than enough for a babysitting task," the princess from Nightmoon Valley proudly declared, with her chest puffed up. She then directed a fierce stare at Li Lang. "And could you lower this stupid barrier already? I want to tour your little island!"

Shaking his head with a sigh, Li Lang relented and let the headache-inducer in human form onto Starpoint Island. She started playfully oohing and ahhing as soon as she stepped in, as if she could see more now that she passed through the barrier.

"Come on, introduce me to your place!"

"Um, I'll g-get one of the students to guide you," Wei Ping suggested. "Li Lang and I have t-to wait for the delegation from the Rolling Ti-Tide Sect."

"It's not like they're here yet. You'll be fine as long as you're on the island, right? You can come greet them when they actually show up."

Seeing how she wasn't exactly wrong, Li Lang once again relented. They brought her over to tour their facilities, where she paid particular attention to the formation rooms used for training and the bathrooms in the residences.

By the time she was pestering to see all their cute new students, another Skyrunner finally arrived in the vicinity of the island.

The welcoming went off without a hitch this time, as an elder by the name of Han Gu arrived with several disciples in tow. Han Zemei just so happened to be one of them. With the pleasantries out of the way, the cultivators soon settled in the largest meeting room within Star Gem Academy.

Sitting on one side was the trio, consisting of Li Lang, Wei Ping, and Long Yi. They also had the former deviator, Niu Ben, standing by the door. On the opposing side of the rectangular table was Elder Han and three other members of his sect. And finally, in the center, were the witnesses to this meeting, the group from Sword Saint Isle and Nightmoon Valley.

As the only proper member of demonic cultivators present, Sima Xue received a few mean glares from the young orthodox cultivators before the meeting finally started.

"Thank you for welcoming us to your island," Elder Han began. "As my sect has previously indicated, our goal this time is to finalize the terms you had made during your visit to our sect."

"Yes, we are ready to do so," Li Lang replied. "Here is the outline of what we propose in terms of trade agreements and the outposts we will be establishing on each other's territory."

Wei Ping slid over a stack of papers for their guests to go over.

It detailed the free trade and immigration policies Star Gem Academy had thought up.

"Free trade for Mortal-grade resources and unhindered immigration is fine," Elder Han muttered. "But we cannot agree to unregulated free trade. There are many resources that are restricted to various degrees in our territory, which we will not allow to flow freely."

As if expecting that response beforehand, Li Lang swiftly nodded. "That's fine. Please write down the addendum on the agreement, specifying exactly what you will be restricting."

The elder nodded and handed off the task to his disciples before directing his gaze back at the headmaster across from him.

"Then I believe we can move on? I will send the agreement to the mortal representatives in our territory once we head back. They will be able to implement these policies of yours."

"Very well. Let's move on to talk about the outposts. We have a building prepared in our new mortal city. We can go inspect it if you would like, but you're free to do whatever you want in that lot of land."

"That is sufficient. As for the outposts you requested, I'm not so sure if I can agree to it on behalf of the sect right now. There is nothing wrong with your request in Qingluan City, but to have a store, no matter how small, right on the doorsteps of our sect—that is another matter."

"Then please convey our wishes to your Sect Master. Be sure to tell him our intentions are pure; thus, we only requested an area outside the protective formation of your sect. We simply desire to have a place close to your sect's main headquarters, should we or any of our students come to visit, and an area for exchange for the younger generation."

As weird as it was to talk about the younger generation that he himself was part of, Li Lang soldiered on. These talks might seem whimsical to most observers, but a vital first step in his plan to start exerting his influence on the rest of the island.

Culture could be easily spread through media, especially against an unprepared populace. Having a store established right next to the Rolling Tide Sect would be his first step to his media empire.