Now that Ketis made a decision, she announced her intentions for ther Swordmaidens. "For now, the Swordmaidens as well as the Heavensworders within our clan should practice the Preparatory Sword Adept Auxiliary Qi and Body Cultivation thod. Different from the other ones, this thod not only seeks to improve a practitioner's affinity to the tal attribute, but also seeks to strengthen her fitness. A strong body often results in better swordsmanship. We have made sure it is compatible with most of the people that aspire to beco better Swordmaidens of Heavensworders, but it works out better if they already possess an existing talent in the tal elent."
"Why is it a preparatory thod?" Commander lkor curiously asked.
"The word 'preparatory' is included to make it clear that this is only a rudintary thod. I do not want my people to have any misunderstandings about that. Its ceiling is low and the improvent in power is relatively limited. I tried hard to improve the aspects that can increase the chances of achieving a breakthrough in willpower as opposed to the alternatives."
"Does that an that if the Swordmaidens or Heavensworders who practice it will not be able to make any significant attainnts if they fail to break through?"
"That is correct." Ketis said. "Ideally, I would like the Swordmaidens to commit to this approach. Many sisters will not be able to breakthrough despite the harsh training and sacrifices they endured, but... life isn't fair. I would rather have 10 of my sisters turn into powerful expert pilots and gain the power to protect the rest of us than have 1,000 Swordmaidens break through as sword-wielding qi cultivators. I feel we firmly need to stick to the elite approach for our sisters. What do you think, Sendra?"
The Swordmaiden Commander made a firm nod and adopted a firm if almost cruel expression.
"Your thoughts coincide with mine. Before we joined the Larkinson Clan, we endured many greater hardships than now. We have it so much easier these days, but that is not an excuse to grow soft. We cannot allow the na of the Swordmaidens to degrade. Every true sister must work hard to break their limits. There should be no complaints from them about accepting the toughest and riskiest field assignnts. Whether a breakthrough occurs or not, we must not let the possibility of dying deter us from becoming stronger. As long as we commit to this course, we will eventually be able to produce enough breakthroughs to make this effort worthwhile."
This was a risky approach, but one that could pay off well. The Swordmaidens did not have as much interest in giving every sister an equal opportunity to grow stronger. They instead chose to commit to the developnt of future champions.
"The Preparatory Sword Adept Auxiliary Qi and Body Cultivation thod is ultimately supposed to serve as a precursor to willpower cultivation." Ketis emphasized. "There is no good reason to practice it anymore if a Swordmaiden has chosen to forgo the chance
to beco an expert pilot and beco a qi cultivator instead. I think it would be appropriate to transfer the sister in question to the Heavensword ch Legion."
Commander Valerie Chancy looked intrigued. "Have you finally decided to organize the Heavensworders into a formal ch legion as opposed to letting them run around in small ch units?"
The swordmaster nodded. "They deserve to have their own ch legion long ago. I have not been in a hurry to raise it because I wanted to do it right. Previously, there was not that much that set the Swordmaidens and Heavensworders apart. These days, I think that can be changed. The Heavensword ch Legion should be positioned as a broader and more accessible club for sword wielders. There will be a small asure of overlap with the Living Sentinels, but I do not think it should pose too much of a problem. The Heavensworders should still be fairly serious about swordsmanship."
Everyone grew thoughtful at that. This was a big step. The addition of a new ch legion demanded a lot of administrative work as well as shifting of assets and resources.
It wasn't difficult to create a new ch legion in the past, but that was because the Larkinson Clan was a lot smaller at the ti.
Now that it had grown so much, every change involved a lot of work. It couldn't be helped. One of the reasons why Ketis pushed to organize the Heavensworders under a formal ch legion was because it would beco even more troubleso to implent it in the future.
"Is it necessary for us to maintain two dedicated ch legions based on pure swordsmanship?" Commander Sorral Larkinson asked. "It is not as if the Avatars of Myth or my own Living Sentinels reject the recruitnt of serious swordsman ch specialists. We have already absorbed a fair number of Heavensworders who cannot join the Swordmaiden ch legion due to their gender."
"You are correct about that, Sorrel, but I can see the rits in organizing them in a single cohesive ch legion." Commander Sendra retorted. "ch legions like yours have adopted broad and versatile ch doctrines where swordsman chs are rely treated as offensive tools. It is different in the case of my Swordmaidens. We can do so much more with our swordsman chs because we know them best and drill more complicated and effective tactics. Once the Heavensworders grow much more powerful with the help of qi cultivation thods, they can pull off even more stunts. To keep them within the Avatars of the Living Sentinels will only constrain them from using their best swordsmanship to the fullest. That will not happen within this new ch legion." That was a powerful argunt in favor of Ketis' proposal, but it did not convince everyone.
The conference room began to play host to a mild argunt and discussions about the pros and cons of forming a new ch legion.
The Avatar Commander suddenly recalled an important piece of information.
"Ketis, did you decide to push for the creation of the Heavensword ch Legion
because of the strange self-animated sword that carved its way out of that tal sphere?"
The swordmaster glanced over at lkor. "That is an astute observation. I was working on this proposal longer than that. Seeing the Heavensword smuggle its way into the Red Ocean has made decide that it is better to do it now than later. I do not want to give that bossy weapon an excuse to complain that I have been dragging my feet or neglecting the forr citizens of the Heavensword Association."
"I see. Will we... will we have to prepare for the arrival of the Heavensword?" Ketis paused for a few seconds as she tried to decide how to formulate her answer. "I do not wish to sound vain or arrogant, but I am almost 100 percent certain that the Heavensword is on its way for a reunion with ." She slowly stated. "I don't know why the sword chose to enter the Red Ocean at this ti when it has always been content to remain in the galactic rim of the Milky Way. Whatever its motivations, as long as it does not hold any ill intentions towards us, having this weapon by our side will probably do more good than harm. It was already powerful in the Milky Way. Now that it has entered a galaxy that can feed it with F. energy every minute of the day, it is probably growing even more powerful as we speak. We may be able to take advantage of that by borrowing its power to defeat tough opponents, but I am afraid that it will try to push its own ideas onto us. No matter what, we cannot allow ourselves to beco its slaves, no matter how benevolent it may appear."
The surprise transfer of the Heavensword caught Ketis off-guard and unprepared. She truly did not know how to handle this soon-to-be-developing situation.
Perhaps other people might beco ecstatic at the thought of being able to stay in the sa room as an impressive grand work. They would even be willing to kill their own parents just to wield such a mighty relic!
Ketis was not one of those people.
She only recognized the arrival of trouble. The Heavensword possessed a mind of its own. It was impossible for a re swordmaster to control it in any way. Fortunately, the sword was not a complete wildcard to her. Ketis had the pleasure of wielding it or a phantom version of it years ago. That brief mont of contact and cooperation had given her a good insight into what the ancient and respectable weapon
was like.
Ketis recalled that she had beco impressed by its forr wielder's swordsmanship and the swordsmith's craftsmanship.
Just the thought of the Heavensword trying to impose its own ideas onto her and her fellow Larkinsons made her concerned. What if the sword wanted more from Ketis and the Larkinsons? What if it overreached and tried to take over her ch legions? Powerful relic or not, Ketis would not allow her fellow Swordmaidens and Larkinsons to beco completely subservient to the intelligent sword!
"Let us leave aside the Heavensword for a different eting. We do not know what it intends to do, why it is heading in our direction and whether it will stay with us." The swordmaster calmly said. "For now, we need to plan the adoption of systematic cultivation for every ch legion. Now that you know what your subordinates will be practicing in the future, do you have any suggestions?"
Commander lkor raised his arm. "I do. Since there are auxiliary qi cultivation thods, there should also be proper qi cultivation thods. How much of the latter is
available?"
"Not much, to be honest." Ketis replied. "Most are still in the works. The T Institute prioritized the developnt of the auxiliary qi cultivation thods because of the need to enhance the combat power of all of our ch pilots first. If you, your companion spirit or anyone else wants to beco a full-ti qi cultivator, our clan will gradually release more and more certified qi cultivation thods. If you are not patient enough to wait for that, you are free to spend your war rits on exchanging a premium curated cultivation thod in the RC's Repository. We cannot guarantee that you can switch to practicing a Larkinson-exclusive thod afterwards, though. There is a chance that you will build an irreversible foundation that cannot be removed without suffering massive consequences. Choose carefully."
That caused lkor to frown. During the eting, he had beco more and more impressed with the possibilities offered by qi cultivation. It might not sound as powerful and absolute as becoming a high-ranking ch pilot, but he could exercise much more control by selecting which qi cultivation thods he wanted to practice.
Since lkor happened to possess a companion spirit, he was not locked with a single
choice!
He could practice 2 qi cultivation thods at the sa ti in the hopes of producing impressive synergies!
Alternatively, he could also choose to have his companion spirit beco a full-ti qi cultivator while leaving his main self open in the hopes of breaking through one day. Even if that day never ca, his powerful companion spirit might be able to make him powerful enough to satisfy his need for power, if only barely!
Other legion commanders made similar calculations. Their command responsibilities often ant that their ability to step onto the path of godhood had crashed.
For example, Swordmaiden Commander Sendra had beco a lot more llow and less eager to blindly charge forward now that she married Venerable Brutus Larkinson and beca a mother.
For ch pilots and ch commanders like that, the stabler and less demanding requirents of qi cultivation was a much better fit for their current lifestyles and
outlook.
"By the way, what does our patriarch think about all of this? Does he plan on pushing Carmine chs onto us as well?"
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