Several Kinds Of Necromantic Cultivation
“There are many kinds of undead, Young Master... And I am not talking about the big stuff like the differences between a zombie and a vampire. There are several different kinds of zombies to begin with, and they all have their own specificities, strong points, weaknesses, and such”
“Zombie–In itself–Is a very broad term. Some beings carrying this name aren’t even undeads. It is more so a word used to describe a being whose free will has been hijacked by some other entity… In any case, down here, you can see fresh recruits learning about anatomy”
“Anatomy is of great importance to disciples yearning to become the most common kind of necromancers–Those most often called ‘Corpse Refiners’. There is a greater focus on the preparation of the dead body than its raising as an undead, with refiners. A necromancer who is instead focused on spell-casting is capable of raising many corpses at once, over much larger distances, and even of creating undead creatures without an actual corpse around”
“Corpse refining is by far what the vast majority of our disciples focus on, and most–Even the core disciples–Usually never learn more than the one discipline they initially focused on. I personally find it to be a shame, but corpse refining is much like tool refining or puppet refining. It is a lucrative and incredibly useful class of craftsmanship”
“Thanks to the Elt clan, we have direct connections to many other sects, to whom our disciples can sell refined corpses with ease. Of course, thanks to the size of our sect, the overall market for… Let’s call it ‘hired assistance’, is dominated by us. Bestial companions and puppets are far more uncommon, and they can’t compete with us in terms of price”
Kaeleanth walked slightly ahead of Anoteros, as they moved through hidden corridors that only she–As the sect leader–Seemed to have access to. These hallways had one-way windows lining them. The people being watched inside the rooms were oblivious, believing that these were only walls, but they could actually be observed by Kaeleanth.
She often walked these halls, looking for diamonds in the rough. However, until Jingyi was presented to her, it had been a very long time since she had seen anyone who had what it took to grasp her interest. The older she became, the more her power and knowledge increased, and the more her standards rose in consequence.
Especially since she had begun cultivating this gruelling technique that caused her body to decay, she really didn’t have time for anyone who wasn’t absolutely worth it.
Edrick stopped and looked into a far less densely populated room. There, only a dozen disciples were to be found, but unlike the rest, they were actually training with weapons to fight…
“Ah, it seems like the most recent batch yielded a high number of them this time”
“This is a lot for this kind of training?”
“Indeed, Young Master. We don’t care much about physical capabilities here, as most of our disciplines do not require any form of good stamina, strength, or anything physical at all–But we do have a few youths every so often who seek to cultivate in wielding death itself through a direct weapon… It is an incredibly powerful application of our teachings if learned and applied correctly”
“Even a below-average disciple here, if they push through to the end, will definitely be a force to be reckoned with due to the nature of what they wield… Unfortunately, most aren’t able to meet the gruelling requirements. Wielding death isn’t child's play, after all”
The sect leader brought her hands together, observing the early training of these youths. They had big dreams, but she knew very well that most–If not all–Of them would end up switching over to another discipline. Even if they had what it took, this particular wing of knowledge could be too much to endure.
Next, she led Edrick to where the spell and energy cultivators were located. More often than not, spell and energy cultivation went hand in hand. In particular, the latter in particular was pretty much never cultivated on its own.
This place was a bit more populated compared to the training grounds for martial artists.
Most here were going to be necromancers, but some were definitely hoping to be able to get their hands on the well-known spell of instantaneous death. It was rarely seen, but very popular for obvious reasons. A single spell to defeat an opponent without actually dealing any visible damage to them was something worth talking about... Even though the actual number of people capable of using such a spell could be counted on one hand.
“I assume that everything we have seen so far, you are able to do, Miss Kaeleanth?”
“Yes, as the leader, I must understand all that we teach, and I believe that Jingyi will be able to do the same…”
Kaeleanth was a woman of few words when directly questioned about something. She could speak a lot when explaining things, but when prompted with anything that might relate to her, she was quick to be done talking.
This made it difficult for Anoteros to get a more intimate conversation started. Kaeleanth was just too distant... But that only sparked his curiosity further. The more it seemed like a challenge, the more he wanted to conquer her.
“Aherm… Here is a wing of our sect that outsiders are not aware of…”
The window gave sight into a big room that was equipped with several arrays which concentrated certain kinds of energy beneficial to undeads and those close to the concept of death. Edrick honestly did not get what he was looking at, or why Kaeleanth had taken a different tone when talking about it.
The room was filled with what looked like small, but somewhat tall tents.
Disciples would come in, accompanied by an undead creature, usually a humanoid draped in long, flowing clothes that completely concealed the appearance of the cadaver.
Seeing that Anoteros lacked information to understand what was going on, the sect leader decided to explain.
“This area is adapted for dual cultivation”
“Oh, they are having sex with their own creations? I wasn’t aware that there were dual cultivation techniques for necromancers”
Kaeleanth was a bit surprised by his casual reaction, but she supposed that it should have been expected, considering what she had heard about him.
‘He even sounds interested in it. Does it mean that he really is that omnivorous…? Which would mean that… Oh my’
Even when Kaeleanth detected a hint of flirtation in a man when talking with her, she didn’t really believe it. Any portion of her body that wasn’t covered in bandages would quickly begin to decay. Hence, ever since she had begun cultivating this technique, her intimate life had grown sparse. She could only do the same as those disciples down below, and perform some dual cultivation with some of her undeads.
It had been a while since a man had expressed interest, knowing full well that she would turn into a rotten mess…
‘What an odd man’
“If you wish, you could try it out for yourself. We have some undeads made for this. Disciples training dual cultivation techniques are expected to make their own partner after a while, but at first, they have some made by the elders and me at their disposal to get started... Or test if they are actually willing to engage in the practice”
“Oh? In this case, don’t mind if I do, Miss Kaeleanth!”