In the two days after the duel, Kai eagerly explored the Pits of Strength and discovered the possibilities. He'd been concerned at first that there might be retaliation, but since he hadn't killed or maimed the champions, his victory seemed to be respected. Most cultivators gave him a wide berth, so the biggest obstacle was actually getting people to talk to him.
He trotted out toward the central area he hadn't yet explored, barely glancing at the pits to either side because they weren't worth it. The one to his right, for example, was filled with concentrated qi and only guarded by a pair of Body Refinement cultivators... the qi in it wasn't worth the time it would take to beat them. The lesser pits might be useful for weaker cultivators, not those with direct access to a significant faction like the Bloodcoral sect.
Once he got to the more powerful pits there were Thundering Scorpion guards nearby, but they were all lower stage cultivators than him - when they glared, he just stared back at them and they'd look away. Since he'd won access for the Bloodcoral sect there should be nothing stopping him from exploring anyway, so he didn't think it could cause a problem.
An intense source of mana caught his attention and he ran across the empty space to investigate the next pit. Narrower and deeper than most, with an intense source of mana burning at the bottom. It was good enough to have been a Class awakening pool for any city in Goralia, actually quite a powerful one. Such gathered sources of mana just developed naturally here.
The only people nearby were a pair of cultivators floating on a hovering sword near the mana pool. A man had his upper robes off to bare his shoulder, while a woman dipped a needle into the mana and pressed it into his skin. Kai realized that he was seeing one of the mana tattoos being created and observed eagerly.
Instantly the couple reacted, the woman smothering the mana on the needle and the man pulling up his robe as if embarrassed. Kai had gotten a good look at the work, though, and saw blurry symbols that seemed to be forming into "Heavenly Sands Tattoo" in the man's soul.
"You have no business here!" The man flew their sword up to the surface level, scowling fiercely, while the woman shifted to a sturdy needle that could be used as a weapon. That just reminded him of his wives - the needle was like Omilaena's, and the scowl was a bit like Zae Zin Nim.
"I'm not here to challenge for your pit," Kai said with a polite bow. "In fact, if you're willing to give me some information about those tattoos, I'd be happy to help you challenge for another pit."
"Cultivation tattoos are great secrets of sects and tribes," the woman insisted. "We will never give them up, even on pain of death."
That seemed a bit extreme. The couple had both achieved Nascent Foundation, so they were strong enough to defend a powerful pit like this, but he could take them on and they probably knew it. Kai sighed and took a step back, just raising his hands.
"I'm really not here to fight you," he said. "Are you sure we can't work together?"
"I don't know what tribe you're spying for, but they should send someone more subtle!" The man took another step forward to the edge of his flying sword.
Since he didn't want to start a fight for no reason, Kai headed on to scout the remaining pits. If he really needed access to that mana, he could just challenge them for it. Acquiring the knowledge of the cultivation tattoos would be the more powerful boost, so no sense in creating animosity. What he needed was to find a tribe that was more willing to cooperate with him, then see if he could earn their secrets without actually joining.
As he explored the heart of the Pits of Strength, Kai noted a few valuable pits, but none leapt out at him until almost the end. He was turning around, arcing back toward the town, when suddenly he felt a pulse of power. It was subtle, not as overwhelming as the others, but it was the combination that struck him.
A perfect balance of pure qi and cool mana.
On instinct Kai started moving toward it, hungry for the power. Taking it himself would only provide a small boost, but it felt perfect for Zae Zin Nim. She needed a strong source of mana that would match her qi, and this seemed far closer than anything he'd seen before. Fixated on the source, Kai almost ran into the pair of burly tribesmen guarding it.
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"We can only challenge once during every month," Cor Li Xan said with a shake of his head. "We need to be as confident as possible that we'll win. Here, let me introduce you... this is Cor Yan Wei, my elder brother in the sect. He and I have the best chance to lay claim to the strongest pits."
The old man lowered his shroud enough for Kai to get a glimpse of his soul.
Name: Cor Yan Wei
Total Power: 621
Cultivation: Earth Soul 41% (446)
Bloodcoral Qi (+70)
Physique Level: E-0 (80)
Soul Level: 5 (25)
>
It was interesting that Cor Yan Wei had a new power called "Bloodcoral Qi" but Kai couldn't analyze it, not while his mind was churning over what exactly had happened. There was a positive interpretation to this: without knowledge of his monstrous soul, Kai looked slightly weaker than the old man's 621 power. Maybe they really did just want what was best for the sect.
But Kai didn't believe it, not for a second. It seemed more likely that Cor Li Xan had just used him for his poison resistance to defeat the champions and gain access. The limitations on challenges had intentionally not been explained to him beforehand, and perhaps that was the reason he had been given the information so late.
"You'll join us here soon enough," Cor Li Xan said with a smile. It didn't even look false, like he didn't consider this a betrayal, just the way of things. "We've been discussing our policies, and the rule will be that any Bloodcoral cultivator with at least five marks will be able to participate in the challenges."
"Leaving me two short." Kai gripped his medallion by the band and held it up. He kept his voice calm, but the muscles in his arm flexed and the cultivators seemed to sense his tension.
"No, of course you deserve a reward for your contribution." The old man reached out and touched Kai's medallion, adding a fourth crystalline mark. "You could be a pillar of our sect, young man. But leave the delicate politics to your elders."
"Of course." Kai doubted his smile looked very pleasant, but he smiled and stepped out.
Back in the wastes he paced beside the tent, considering his options. The conventional choice would be to go back to the sect headquarters and earn his way to a fifth mark. Once he had that, he could grab almost anyone in the sect as a "partner" and win duels on his own. Unless they twisted the rules and insisted that both participants needed five marks.
No, screw the conventional path. Kai didn't care about the Bloodcoral sect except as a step to his real goals. He had what he needed, so it was time to meet up with the others and take what they wanted.