Privileges
"But Senior… We didn't do the test-"
"Shut the hell up brat, An Elt hasn't even shown up in decades, if not more! Do you know what this could mean?"
"No?"
"Of course you don't, you are stupid and a moron… The Elt are a powerful family that reside in Leynlornd, that you should know, yes? Yes?"
"Of course, Senior!"
"You better, anyways, they are influential and one of our former sect leader, may he rest in peace despite his poor decision making, decided to go and do the equivalent of taking a piss on their doorstep for some reason, it was back when common sense was uncommon, but obviously, when you annoy someone, they annoy you back, right? So we have had bad relations since then"
"Don't speak junior, having an Elt here is a potentially a great boon" leaving the youth at the gate as they closed down, elder Gang presented himself again to Edrick as he decided that he would better be doing the presentations himself lest an idiot junior messed something up.
"So, Mister Anoteros, are you intending on becoming a proud member of our sect?" with his hands behind his back, he led the way.
The inside of the Myriad-Arm Sect was rather shiny, white was the most prominent colouration around, buildings were either out of white wood or white stone, everyone was dressed in white with only a snippet of other light colours.
The roads were paved with rocks, grass and other plants were mostly allowed to do as they pleased, the sect believing that closeness to nature allowed for a more healthy life and training, that basking in the life force of the flora was a gift that permitted warriors to grow stronger.
They passed over a small bridge that went over a running stream of clear water that was so small one could easily just step over it.
As all members were expected to take residence directly within the sect, most of what could be seen were just habitations with multiple people living inside.
"Indeed" offering a single word response, Edrick analysed his surroundings, finding the small spaces in between many of those constructions to his liking, as well as the many areas that allowed for nature to take reign as they were overgrown, he believed there were even a few woods around.
"If I may, why did you choose our sect?" leading the trio deeper in, away from the residential areas for outer disciples, it was the place where one that just arrived would typically land in but Gang had other plans, taking them past another wall, this one rather small, and then into an area that was separated yet again from the rest with another wall, this one bearing decorations painted upon its pristine surface.
"I simply thought it suited me best" Anoteros gave a most uninspired answer.
"By the way, Elder Gang… Is there a disciple by the name of Xiao with a rather uncommon appearance that has arrived lately?" hearing a question, the senior focused, asking this question to any other elder would be meaningless as they wouldn't have a clue, but Gang often hung out near the gates for the express purpose of getting a good look at any newcomer.
"I haven't seen any fitting this description"
'Great, I got here before him' smirking happily, he would have time to set up a good stage for the beloved protagonist.
"And there you go! This is, in my opinion, the best residence we have available at the moment" it took a little while of walking, and a bit of trekking through areas only populated by trees, but the elder was certain of him.
"What do you two think?"
'Oh crap' Gang had completely blanked out on the two accompanying the Elt, although he was pretty confident that any man worth their salt would know how to appreciate a residence hidden away from other people behind foliage, he did not know how this sort of goods fared against the mysterious fancy of women, which even an old cultivator like himself had not yet uncovered.
"I believe it is a perfect residence for you, Lord Edrick" said the blonde, or rather, yellow-haired as this was no typical colouration, Gang sized Linmin up, he had to admit that the youth was right, there was definitely something enchanting about those green eyes.
Though…
'Something is a bit off about her…' the old man could feel his senses tingling but couldn't pinpoint what was possibly making them flare up.
In any case, Linmin carried a dao sword and stood with much poise, definitely a bit skilled in sword handling, it was always good to see.
"I think it's lovely, Lord Anoteros" then it was the black-haired one who spoke, definitely a kind completely different than the first, a bit shorter but absolutely packing in other areas, but as an old man with much experience, Gang didn't let himself be distracted by attractive curves, instead focusing on more important aspects.
Although her physique and posture weren't nearly as refined as Linmin's, she definitely carried a subtle sense of aggressivity, Gang supposed that she was just a bit territorial when it came to Edrick as she stayed awfully close to him at all times.
"I agree with these assessments, you have good tastes, Elder Gang" as for the man of the hour, the senior had rarely seen such impressive physiques, he had often scoured the continent in his youth to find promising talents, but never had he been capable of spotting one by just how they looked.
Edrick was definitely the kind that were born with physical defects that just happened to make them better than others, a perfect cocktail of odd and rare traits to make a man that simply looked built to crack skulls.
Moreover, he had clearly trained diligently and very precisely, which was impressive as the Elt were not known as breeders of powerful warriors like this and knowing how severe they were on who they chose as their partners, it marked him as a true freak of nature, but the good kind.
"Aherm, the residence is pretty large and considering how remote it is within the sect's woods, it can be arranged to be made larger" explained the elder, taking them inside to put down their baggage.
"I believe the two ladies are also to partake in cultivation?" he then asked, not commenting on the fact that the place was lacking in furniture and was rather dusty, Linmin already thinking about how to clean this place up.
"Indeed"
"Alright then, I'll leave you for now, make sure to be here tomorrow, I will conduct tests to determine your talent levels and such"
As he stepped outside, Gang breathed out.
'I probably should have consulted the others about this…' he almost felt guilty but just shrugged, this decision was obviously the right one, and besides, they had no more authority than him with the sect leader in seclusion.
Instead, he was looking forward to the tests, it made no doubt that Edrick could make for a terrific body cultivator, but his wives didn't seem like regular folks either, Linmin might have a talent in sword cultivation, but when it came to Fanqia, although there seemed to be something of interest, Gang hadn't been capable of making any reasonable assumptions on what that might be about.
'Focus, I need to prepare tests as accurate as possible!'