"You have a pleasant voice, but your bloodlust is too strong. Have you killed aimlessly?"
"Is my bloodlust filthy?"
Ken was controlling the Bloodlust Qi around him, coating himself with a thick layer of it to let the monk sense it better. He knew he got under the monk's skin if he made him talk. Ken didn't know if Miles was speaking the truth when he said the monk never spoke, but the young boy never believed that he couldn't.
"No… it's overwhelming and menacing. It makes one's feel there's a danger looming above their head."
"Then you have your answer, it wasn't achieved by filthy actions."
Ken was confident in his bloodlust. His bloodlust was fundamentally different from others' since it wasn't as simple as a side effect of killing many people. Instead, it was part of his soul and an attribute of his core.
'What do you want from me?'
Ken felt this intent coming from the monk, probing to understand his goals. Ken's goal was simple, he believed that this monk was the perfect hypocrite. His discipline allowed him to view nearly anyone as his enemy and kill them mercilessly while pretending to be righteous.
At the same time, by recognizing Ken as an ally, it'd be hard for him to target Ken as an enemy later and try to harm him, and if he tries to, there will be at least a few signs that would warn Ken in advance.
"Nothing, I want you to be by my side since I trust your character. Your deep foundation coupled with my support will allow you to reach farther heights than you can imagine."
"How can you help me?"
"For starters, your foundation isn't deep enough. Don't you think so?"
Henry's usual calm expression finally broke, and Ken could see signs of surprise. He was confident in facing Ethan, the high Nascent Soul cultivator they fought in the Outer Ring, even when the latter was in top condition if he went all out.
"My foundation? I haven't seen anyone with a deeper foundation than mine."
"Well, hello there, here I am."
Ken spread his hands with a confident smile. His lower body was submerged underwater, but his upper body was exposed.
"I admit that our foundation is similar in strength, but I don't think yours is better."
"Here, take this. Let's talk after you consume these pills."
Ken planned this conversation with the monk long ago, and he prepared a few pills in advance. He threw the monk a few perfect pills to increase the strength of his body and brain, the very first stage of cultivation.
"Third-grade pills? I've already gained the maximum benefits from those."
By now, the formerly mute monk was talking normally. Henry opened the lid of the jade bottles and sensed the pills inside. The old female monk left behind for her inheritor a storage ring filled with treasures and pills meant to help him grow as perfectly as possible.
There were plenty of pills there, and Miles got to where he was today because Henry even had some powerful pills to spare.
"Try them first. The gray pill will strengthen your bones, take it."
Henry was already sitting down and just swallowed the gray Bones Strengthening pill. He felt Qi from the pill seeping into his bones and strengthening them further, elevating his strength. It wasn't a qualitative change, but it was a change, and if he could have that change before forming his core, he'd be even stronger now.
Intrigued, he took out a red pill and consumed it.
"This is the Blood Vessel Strengthening pill; the name is self-explanatory."
Ken explained to the monk which pill he was taking whenever the latter popped a new pill. He gave him a set of body-strengthening pills, one similar to the set he took a few years ago with Sol. Next was the Skin Strengthening pill, the Organ Strengthening pill, and eventually the Brain Strengthening pill.
"What about my nascent soul, my core, my soul, and my meridians?"
The monk asked, unable to hide his growing interest in joining Ken's side.
Ken smiled and brought many pills out of his storage ring, making them slowly hover and spin around him.
"There are pills for everything, and you can enjoy all the benefits by being my ally."
"When are you planning to leave Phoenix Feather Sect?"
"When I feel I have an opportunity to get stronger somewhere else. Aren't you the same?"
"Indeed. I thought to join Peaceful Demon Sect, they have more resources related to Buddha and Demonic cultivation."
"Then there shouldn't be a problem. I don't know which sect I will join, but it won't be Four Seasons Sect nor Peaceful Demon Sect, since they don't fit me."
Out of the top 5, those two didn't match his strengths. The former specialized in Elemental Qi while the latter specialized in Buddhism and Demonism. Serene Lotus Sect and Divine Sword Sect could support his sword cultivation better, while the fifth sect, Infinite Wisdom Sect, specialized in creation.
No sect was self-sufficient when it came to pills, talismans, and scrolls. Infinite Wisdom Sect focused on supportive professions like Alchemy, Runology, Formation Mastery, Blacksmithing, and more. They groomed the largest number of masters in those fields, and their merchandise was the pillar of the cultivation world.
In truth, their combat power was weaker than any other sect in the top 10 when it first joined the top 5. However, they demanded the fifth rank in exchange for increasing their manufacturing volume and giving priority to the top 4 sects. Those four sects joined hands to ensure the deal will be made, and thus Infinite Wisdom gained its rank.
Now, after many years of enjoying the benefits of cultivation in the superior environment of the Central Zone, even their combat strength rose, and they could match the former 5th-rank sect in prowess.
"Anyway, here's a set of pills to empower your foundation. You can pass the next month consuming it. If you want me to strengthen the attributes of your core, I need high-quality items embedded in Demonic and Buddhist Qi that I can extract. The richer and purer the Qi inside, the better I can make those pills."
"Sure, take this necklace."
Henry sent Ken a brown bead necklace with his Qi. Ken sensed that half of the beads were demonic while the others had Buddhist Qi.
"I need your help with something, Henry. How would you describe your luck?"
"It's pretty good, I guess. Nothing special."
Ken felt a strong desire to beat the bald monk, but just relaxed after pursing his lips. The monk got an overpowered inheritance by simply stumbling upon it, and now he was getting free pills from him without working for them. Unlike Ken who worked and learned to get where he was, Henry had everything served to him on a platter of silver.
"I see. I would like you to share it with me. My luck is quite terrible, you see, and I have a technique that can share luck between two people. Do you mind?"
"I don't believe in luck, and I think yours must be pretty good to get where you are today. Sure, you can do your magic trick."
Ken approached him and activated his technique, feeling a surge of luck leaving his body and a new surge of luck, stronger than the previous one, coming in.
He released Annie's luck without being by her side, making her luck disappear. She'll never be able to restore it again.
"You can come to my new place in a week to pick up the new pills, I'm sure you've heard of it."
"I have. I had to deter 3 low Nascent Soul cultivators from kicking you out."
Ken just shrugged it off.
"That's what bodyguards are for."
From that moment, the monk returned to his mute persona.
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