Chapter 54

Rachel stood on the railings of a balcony, the structure overlooking a plaza. Hundreds of women were walking about while chatting. Others were walking with their heads down, staring only at their feet. Some sat in front of a monument with their legs crossed, their eyes closed in cultivation. It was an ordinary sight in a successful sect. The only unordinary aspect about it was the person standing on the balcony.

Rachel was the sect leader of the Moon Lotus Sect, a sect famous for its sexist policies of only recruiting women. It was also famous for its overwhelming strength, but people always seemed to conveniently forget that. Recently, due to the recent social movements in the media, Rachel had been pressured by multiple people, all with different levels of power, to open up her sect and become more inclusive. She thought it was bullshit. The Moon Lotus Sect had been founded tens of thousands of years ago, and from the moment it was conceived, it had always been an all-female sect. No one had complained about it before—well, there were some complaints, but they were always quashed by force, something that was frowned upon greatly in these more modern times—so why was segregation of genders such a big issue now?

Rachel shook her head and stepped backwards off the balcony while turning around, landing next to a potted plant. The sect didn’t even have any cultivation techniques for men. If a man tried to learn the core technique of the Moon Lotus Sect, their genitals would freeze and explode in a bloody, red, crystalline mist. Rachel walked into her office and sat down on a cushion in the middle of the room. She glanced at the newspaper resting on the low table in front of her. There was a picture of a half-naked man with red hair plastered on the front page. He was Tom, the leader of the Sun Cactus Sect, what used to be an all-male sect. However, due to the same social pressures Rachel was facing, the Sun Cactus Sect had opened up and began recruiting female disciples just last year. Rachel had no idea what the hell society was becoming. The new generation was hellbent on upturning tradition, throwing away age-old customs in fits of hormone-induced frenzies. Soon, there would only be unisex clothes available in the market, and everyone would either lose their genitals or grow some of the opposite sex. Rachel shuddered at the thought.

[Pravos’ Social Justice System has been installed!]

[New Mission: Diversity!]

[As one of the leading sects within the country, the Moon Lotus Sect commands the respect of all below it. This is a good thing—only if the Moon Lotus Sect is a righteous one. The Moon Lotus Sect should lead by example, and what kind of example is it setting when it refuses to allow half the population to join because of the gender they were born as? No one asked to be born as a male or female; it’s only fair if males are also given an equal opportunity to join one of the leading sects.]

[Reward: One Seedless Moon Lotus]

Rachel froze. What the hell was this? Was she being attacked by an illusion? Multiple types of spirit beasts and demonic entities flashed through her mind as she went through her memories, trying to identify where the unknown source of attack came from; however, she came up with nothing. Since that was the case, it was likely an attack from a technique she had never heard of before, and those were few in number. Logically, it should’ve been a self-created technique that was recently perfected. Multiple faces flashed through her mind as she went through all the people who had created a nascent soul within the last century. One face in particular came to mind: Lila, Tom’s youngest cousin.

[Wait, wait, wait. Don’t you think you’re getting too ahead of yourself? I’ve barely given you any information, so how did you come to such an outlandish conclusion? I’m a god of sorts, and I’m here to give you some guidance.]

The adamant refusal from the attacker’s response was all the evidence Rachel needed. The Sun Cactus Sect was trying to rid themselves of their second-place status by tearing the Moon Lotus Sect down. First, Tom created external pressure by calling attention to the fact the Moon Lotus Sect only recruited females. Then, he elevated the Sun Cactus Sect by donning the title of inclusive by recruiting a few women. Now, he was attacking the leader of the Moon Lotus Sect directly, trying to convince her to open up the sect. Once it was open, the dirty bastard would sneak in the spies he had been raising since young to sabotage the Moon Lotus Sect from the inside. Rachel’s eyes burned. There was no way in hell she was going to let that happen. She slammed her fist down on the low table, shattering it. Beneath the table, there was a formation which she activated by inserting in some of her freezing qi.

[Wait, wait, wait! Stop! Don’t do that!]

Rachel took in a deep breath, preparing her speech for when the formation activated. A second later, a microphone appeared in the air in front of her face. “All sect members, prepare for battle! The Sun Cactus Sect is planning to declare war on us; luckily, I’ve caught wind of their plan before it was too late. Before they can strike, we’ll rain a freezing hell down upon their souls and make them regret ever being born! Elders, prepare the sect-annihilating treasures! Tonight, we shall walk over our enemy’s frozen corpses and bathe in blood, glory, and riches!”

***

Vremya stared at Pravos with his arms crossed. The god of justice was kneeling in front of the couch with her forehead firmly planted on the ground. Of course, the place was completely dark, but it didn’t affect the atmosphere too much. “I gave you one job,” Vremya said.

“I know.”

“You’re the one who begged me to let you do it,” Vremya said.

“I know.”

“You said you’d complete the job so perfectly that I’d let you do all the other jobs in the future,” Vremya said.

“I know.”

“So, how come instead of opening up the sect for my avatar to eventually enter in the future, the sect leader of the Moon Lotus Sect decides to waste their resources on a war?”

“Y-you saw what happened,” Pravos said, her voice barely audible. “A normal person would’ve opened up the sect, but that woman’s batshit crazy! I, I think I did you a favor. How would your avatar grow up in a sect with a leader like that? It’s better that we found out now instead of after your avatar joined.” Pravos swallowed. “And, um, besides, technically, I haven’t failed the job you’ve given me. I can still get her to open up the sect!”

Vremya sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Alright, I’m going to give you another chance.”

“R-really!?” Pravos asked, her voice cracking as she jerked her head up.

“Yes, really,” Vremya said. Pravos had done really well raising his users into immortals. She had just made a wrong assumption, one that he also would’ve made, about Rachel. Now that the god of justice knew Rachel’s personality better, Pravos’ chance at convincing the woman to open up the sect just increased.

Pravos straightened her back and thumped her chest with her fist. “I won’t let you down!”

“Again,” Karta added.

Pravos gave Karta a dirty look. It was no wonder why Vremya called the snack god a stinky dog. It wasn’t about the actual smell; it was about the dog’s personality. Why did Vremya even keep Karta around anyway? He would be much better off without her.