the multi

Beast tides had a number of distinct phases. Following the quick escalation in quantity and quality of beasts in an area, the next step was a complete withdrawal. The number of beasts would keep increasing until suddenly all would quickly vanish.

Benton suspected that time was getting close.

Four days later, he was guarding the sect members cultivating in the Wood when it happened. All the spirit beasts in range of his spiritual sense ran back toward the mountain. The process took a while with some of the creatures faster than others, but within a couple of hours, none were left.

Rank ones, twos, all the way up to sixes. It didn't matter. They were all just gone.

The pressure on him and the sect to finish up preparations intensified greatly. They had a week, two at the most, before the tide hit.

Oh well. They'd known it was coming. Now, they were out of time. At least, they wouldn't have to wait much longer with the pall of it hanging over them.

What to do? What to do?

Benton started with consolidating the gains he'd gotten over the last several days.

Since he'd last checked his status, Only Yang Xiu had made any progress on her techniques, finally advancing her shield to Small Success. The failure of the others made sense, though. Most everyone was working on trying to get to Large Success by that point. To reach that level could take months and rarely less than weeks.

His other two sources of points yielded much better news. The third set of fifty villagers had all advanced from minor realm one to minor realm two, giving him fifty points.

Body Cultivation gave him an even higher total with the twins and Zou Tian reaching Bronze minor realm eight, ten members of the martial pavilion and the twenty village guards making minor realm five, and thirty other volunteers attaining minor realm two. All told, his increasingly physically imposing sect members gained him sixty-three points.

Combined, he'd increased his Sect Points by one hundred fourteen in those four days.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

That gave him twenty-two to spend to make himself even more powerful.

Which was way too few to do much.

He chuckled softly, remembering how awesome it had been back in the beginning to earn even a single point. How things had changed.

Honestly, to be prepared for the tide, he needed to buy Perception to Mastery, and do the same for the Concepts to supercharge that technique and Stealth. To accomplish that power up, he'd need fifty-six points total, thirty-four more than he had.

Correction, thirty-four more than he'd arbitrarily allocated for himself. His overall Sect Point total was sitting at a nice and healthy eight hundred forty-four.

He had no idea how he'd spend eight hundred forty-four points if he wanted to. A unique cultivation method for every sect member?

Well, that particular extravagance would bankrupt him right quick, but the point was that he could well afford to spend whatever it took to keep the sect and village safe during the tide.

Hmm.

What else should he do, then?

Neither more Concepts nor advancing Mind or Soul Cultivation was likely to help him in his current situation, but he needed to do something. Anything. He racked his brain.

Was there another spell he could use to wipe out spirit beasts? Between his main attack spell, the Gravity Burst, and Chain Lightning, he felt he had attacks covered. As long as he was in the village, he couldn't imagine any beast threatening his people.

The problem was that he'd have to leave the village at some point. The danger of having the villagers and sect members be attacked by lower ranked spirit beasts was much less than the potential devastation that a fight between him and a true monster might cause as they both threw massive qi techniques around.

He needed a way to protect his people when he wasn't in the village.

Benton slapped his forehead. He was a complete idiot. It was time to start thinking like a real sect leader, one who didn't rely solely on their own power and that of their sect members.

"System, how much would it cost to buy a formation to protect the entire village from intrusion from beasts rank nine and lower?"

2,000 Shop PointsOkay. Well, that was a non-starter. He only had a hundred fifty-nine.

"System, how much for the materials to create a formation to protect the entire village from intrusion from beasts rank nine and lower?"

Assuming the formations were carved into the Orange Vigor Spirit Wood used in creating the wall surrounding the village and peak Golden Core materials were used in the crafting, the cost of materials, including a template for the formation in question, to create such a defense is 54 Shop Points.Ouch. That was still very expensive but doable.

"System, what techniques would I need to master to be able to create such a formation?"

Knowledge of Rank 1 Formations (Qi Gathering)

Knowledge of Rank 2 Formations (Qi Gathering)

Knowledge of Rank 3 Formations (Qi Gathering)

Rank 1 Inscription (Foundation Establishment)

Rank 2 Inscription (Foundation Establishment)

Rank 3 Inscription (Foundation Establishment)

Rank 1 Formation Construction (Foundation Establishment)

Rank 2 Formation Construction (Foundation Establishment)

Rank 3 Formation Construction (Foundation Establishment)

Mastery of Qi Concept (Earth or Ice recommended. Already purchased.)

Wow. Three Qi Gathering techniques at four each equaled twelve, and six at Foundation Establishment came to forty-eight. Sixty total.

Expensive.

"System, do I really need a separate technique for each rank? Couldn't I just buy one technique that gives me information for all three?"

Host could save points by taking such a shortcut, but Host's level of expertise would suffer. To be guaranteed the ability to create the formation requested, it is advised that Host learn all the recommended techniques.Benton sighed. Following the System's recommendation would be expensive, but it wasn't like he didn't have plenty of points.

"System, just to be clear, I'd be able to create the formation in question in less than a week if I buy all that stuff?"

Creation of the technique by a single peak Golden Core cultivator would take two weeks to a month. To reduce the necessary time to days, Host should also buy:

Rank 1 Formation Construction Acceleration (Foundation Establishment)

Rank 2 Formation Construction Acceleration (Foundation Establishment)

Rank 3 Formation Construction Acceleration (Foundation Establishment)

That solution added another twenty-four points, or eighty-four total for him to be able to create the formation. Those points combined with the other fifty-six he needed to max out Stealth and Perception would see him spending one hundred forty.

That was a lot even with the total he had, nearly a fifth.

"System, what would the formation do exactly?"

Assuming the formation was supplied with enough qi, either directly from cultivators charging it or from beast cores or another such source, the formation would create a domed barrier anchored by the wall that prevents any beast rank nine or below from entering the village. Cultivators and their ranged attacks would still penetrate the barrier. Any object not connected to a beast would penetrate the barrier. For example, a beast swiping its claw would be blocked. A beast's claw that had been separated from its body and thrown would penetrate the barrier.Okay. The beasts not being able to enter the village walls would be a huge benefit. He wouldn't have to worry about his sect members and the villagers nearly as much when he went after the Big Boss.

If there was ever a time to splurge, it was when spending points might save lives, and frankly, if he didn't buy the formation and someone got hurt, he'd never forgive himself.

"System, please spend all one hundred forty Sect Points and fifty-four Shop Points."

Selections confirmed. Technique integration commencing in ten seconds. Prepare yourself.

(Hint: Might want to sit down for this one.)

Uh oh. It had been a long time since Benton had first had the System downloaded into his brain, but he'd never forget the experience. And the warning he just received was the same one he'd gotten back then.

He sat quickly, assuming a lotus position.

Information flooded him. It was like he'd spent ten years doing nothing but attending one college math class after another, only everything he learned was condensed down to a few minutes and shoved into his brain.

Except it wasn't math exactly. Kind of, though. Definitely math adjacent. He understood why Su's instructors had called out people with that trait to try their hand at the Formation Pavilion.

In addition to loads of knowledge, he also gained a massive headache.

Ugh!

He hadn't even realized that a peak Golden Core cultivator at the Gold realm of Body Cultivation could get a headache.

"System, next time I want to download three Qi Gathering techniques, ten Foundation Establishment techniques, and three Concepts, all to Mastery, at once, please remind me how I feel right now."

Host directive confirmed.That worked? Really?

He pulled up his status.

Sect Name:Rising TideSect Members:212Disciples:57Sect Points:704Shop Points:105Host Cultivation:Golden Core - Minor Realm NineQi Available:5,647,745Host Body Cultivation:Gold - Minor Realm OneHost Mind Cultivation:Higher - Minor Realm OneHost Soul Cultivation:Manifestation - Minor Realm OneHost Techniques (Qi Gathering):Basic Archery – MasteryBasic Spear Combat – MasteryExpert Golden Core Cultivation – MasteryGeneral Knowledge of Mind Cultivation – MasteryGeneral Knowledge of Soul Cultivation – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 1 Formations – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 2 Formations – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 3 Formations – MasteryNascent Soul Cultivation Knowledge – MasteryPill Basics – MasteryHost Techniques (Foundation Establishment):Analysis – MasteryAutomatic Reaction Variable Shield – MasteryChain Lightning – MasteryFolded Space Quickstep – MasteryHealing – MasteryLayered Variable Shield Breaker with Void Finisher Weapon Augmentation – MasteryMeditation – MasteryPause Time – MasteryPerception – MasteryRank 1 Formation Construction – MasteryRank 2 Formation Construction – MasteryRank 3 Formation Construction – MasteryRank 1 Formation Construction Acceleration – MasteryRank 2 Formation Construction Acceleration – MasteryRank 3 Formation Construction Acceleration – MasteryRank 1 Inscription – MasteryRank 2 Inscription – MasteryRank 3 Inscription – MasterySeeking Speeding Arrow – MasteryStealth – MasteryVariable AoE Gravity Burst – MasteryVariable AoE Shield – MasteryVariable Spirit Coin Manifestation – MasteryHost Techniques (Golden Core Concepts):Earth - MasteryFire - MasteryGravity - MasteryHealing - MasteryIce - MasteryIllusion - MasteryLight - MasteryLightning - MasteryMetal - MasteryMomentum - MasteryPoison - MasterySmell - MasterySound - MasterySpace - MasteryTime - MasteryVoid - MasteryWater - MasteryWood - MasteryMenus:[Cultivation Method][Technique][Quest][Perk][Advancement][Shop][Sect]