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Chapter 323 323 – The Fifth Companion

A young man sat in his house, surrounded by four friends. The man had long, flowing black hair that would make any woman jealous, skin tanned from long stays in the sun yet smooth and pleasant to touch, and celestial facial features that barely testified to his gender. Even among these extraordinary traits, his bright red eyes captivated everyone\'s minds.

"Did you fail again, Vivi?" asked the young man, his red eyes showing a hint of disappointment.

"I did. The domain seed requires too much Qi, I cannot provide it enough before it crumbles."

Vivienne\'s hands were slightly trembling, and her skin seemed paler than usual. Her friends could easily sense her unstable Qi raging and trying to lead to a Qi deviation in her meridians.

"I see…"

Despite being in his late twenties, Ken still looked in his late teens. One might label him with the age of eighteen. He sighed when he heard about Vivienne\'s failure to advance to the seventh stage. After fifteen years, he was more patient and had a better grasp of the right way to make others do his will without compelling them.

"It\'s already her fourth attempt. Team Leader, even you have failed once by now, are you sure we can advance without making some sacrifices?" 

The speaker was another young man with black hair tied neatly behind his head, two stray bangs framed his strong, kind face. As for his face – his strong jaw and amiable expression stayed almost the same as fifteen years ago. Alaric did not change much, at least not in visage.

"The rest of us are nearing the peak of the Sea of Consciousness Expanding Stage, we should agree on a limit for the time we try to break through without compromising."

This time a woman voiced her opinion. A graceful lady with sleek blonde hair and charming blue eyes. Her face seemed to be carved with utmost care to perfection. Even her voice had an enchanting effect that calmed the listeners. 

Tiara only turned more beautiful as she advanced through the stages, and with her mind strengthened significantly in the sixth stage, her Charm Qi had a natural effect without her intentional efforts.

"It is fine. I believe we cannot harness enough Qi for our breakthrough in the traditional way, but I have another plan," Ken calmed his companions. The one who needed those words the most was Vivienne, whom the group gave the nickname "Vivi".

"You better have one, because I\'m not attempting your manuals again," Vivi said with a pout. Despite being a "natural" with no Charm Qi, she was still not inferior to Tiara, although she lacked Tiara\'s special allure. Since her body was not tuned to Charm Qi, she did not pressure bystanders into submission.

Sprawled across the couch, the platinum-haired beauty lounged with an ease that flaunted convention, indifferent to the disarray. Ever since she switched sides to the Serene Lotus Sect and nobody nagged her to train, she only did things at her own pace. 

"Pain is unavoidable, suffering is optional," a blindfolded monk rebuked the woman for her reluctance to go through pain. Henry sat in the room\'s corner in a lotus pose, remaining silent other than occasional remarks.

"Optional? After spitting up blood for the fourth time, I feel more like a lab subject than a cultivator! No more, I\'m done!" She pursed her lips and spoke with her eyes shut, as though she was conserving her strength or trying to catch some sleep. Even the girl\'s attire was messy like she just got up from bed.

\'Ah, maybe I shouldn\'t have removed that collar…\' Ken mused as a memory from fifteen years ago surfaced in his mind.

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Fifteen years earlier:

"Young Master Ken, you\'ve been called to meet with Elder Layla," a messenger arrived at Ken\'s house a few days after the latter made it back home from the Martial Arts Summit.

\'It should be regarding Vivienne\'s fate and future in the sect,\' Ken thought to himself. He was rather satisfied with the recovery of the "Young Master" title. Many had referred to him that way ever since his exploits in the competition were publicized.

"Sure, I\'m coming," Ken replied casually and put his white core-disciple robes on before heading outside. He followed the young woman to one of the highest peaks in the area until she stopped.

"Climb to the peak to find Elder Layla. I\'m not allowed to go any further." She bowed and cupped her fist before turning around to leave.

\'Mhm, why do those elders love living on mountains\' peaks? It has slightly purer Qi, but they all use training chambers equipped with formations for their meditations and training, so the peaks\' benefits are meaningless,\' Ken sighed as he climbed on the mountain with light steps, jumping from stone to stone on his way to the summit.

"You may enter," Layla\'s voice came from the building when he arrived. It was too big for a house but too small to be called a mansion. Two-story building made of wood with delicate carving and style, a beautiful and peaceful corner amidst the sect.

"Ken Sue greets Supreme Elder Layla," Ken cupped his fist and bowed according to the traditions. "Did you call me to pay me the immortal Qi Stones we agreed on?" Ken asked with a slight smile.

"Don\'t worry, I won\'t go back on my word. Here are your Qi Stones. You have killed 6968 enemies and earned 174,200 immortal Qi stones. It\'s about twenty percent of the sect\'s savings, so I hope you can justify this number. After all, my fellow elders want to crucify me for taking out so much for the sake of one Nascent Soul cultivator," Layla groaned in regret. 

If it were within her power, Layla would rewind time and adjust the reward to a mere 15 Qi Stones per head. Alas, some choices, like the flow of time, were beyond her reach.

"Pleasure to do business with you. Don\'t worry, recruiting me was an expensive decision, but certainly a lucrative one," Ken said confidently.

"Hm, big talk. Anyway, back to the topic I called you for. We still haven\'t interrogated the sect seed of the Four Seasons Sect since she\'s your recruit, but it\'s inevitable. What makes you trust her so much?" 

"I bound her to me with an item I received as a prize in the Bloodthirst Sect\'s secret realm. They called it the "Slavery Collar", and it should make her unable to lie to me or disobey my orders. Of course, since she switched sides, I will take it off," Ken explained.