Zhanxian, Tun Shi Tian, and Hai Yin Zhe sat in a line, one step behind Han Xuhan. Mu Ran, Yuen Zhou, and Xiao Wu had been asked to take their leave, to go into their respective huts and study the intricacies of the technique. Han Xuhan appreciated the gesture of respect for his privacy from Kong Ye, who seemed to have lost his wrath towards Han Xuhan pretty fast.

It was one of the reasons why Han Xuhan trusted the man; anyone with an anger storage so tiny couldn't possibly be blackhearted...unless of course the loss of anger too was an act.

Han Xuhan could not decide if taking the paranoia-induced scenarios in his mind should be taken seriously. On one hand, they'd keep him alive from possible danger, on the other hand, he might just become an insane schizophrenic.

"Each of your qi accumulation points shall be located in each of your minions. Ten layers, ten minions, ten astral columns to support the ten chambers of your dao base; that's when you will reach perfect stability. I have never seen the result of any cultivation technique that has been twisted to such a degree, not to mention being stacked with multiple other techniques that have no real relationship with the main manual. So even I cannot predict what the actual result might turn out to be. Good luck, disciple."

Qi spilled out of Kong Ye's hands, flowing around the five of them steadily. The total volume of qi was divided into six streams, forming a quarter-circle with Han Xuhan at the center. Three streams were between Han Xuhan and each of his minions, and three were between the three minions, a design that reminded him of mesh topology networks.

"Since I myself cannot cultivate any other technique for the time being, what about my minions? Can they cultivate their own techniques while I practice this?" He asked Kong Ye, holding his gaze meaningfully.

Kong Ye hesitated for a second before answering. "I don't think there's much of a conflict between your cultivation and their cultivation, seeing how your dao base hasn't been crippled...yet. It should be fine. But just to be safe-"

"Really depends on your definition of safety, teacher. Sure, there might be risks of my dao base getting ruined by a conflict of power among us, but we're not in a safe environment, to begin with. Personal power matters a lot here, my experience tells me. If I can't cultivate to a higher level right now, my minions must protect me."

Han Xuhan had put much thought into what he was asking of Kong Ye. This conversation wasn't just about his dao foundation and Kong Ye's new techniques. A deeper stream ran below the surface, and that was the most vital part of this exchange. Only, the minions were not a part of it.

"What makes you think their paltry cultivation can protect you against any danger which you cannot fend off yourself? You do have a higher cultivation than your minions, after all." Kong Ye pressed on.

"So long as they can distract the enemy with their numbers, I can...do something," Han Xuhan answered slowly.

"He means he can run away while using us as meat shields."

"Tch, cowards will never change."

"Meat? I wanna eat meat!"

Kong Ye had learned from Han Xuhan to ignore the minions. The two of them were locked in a contest for dominance, eyes narrowed, gazes cold.

"You're right. The astral column will not be of any benefit to your external safety. Your minions do have to cultivate on their own...which brings us to consider another issue- which technique do you want them to cultivate from now on?" Kong Ye suddenly relented, breaking the stare-off and retracting the qi revolving around the five of them.

Han Xuhan's tense brows suddenly relaxed as he let out an ambiguous smile.

His part here was done!

He had successfully made the man agree to his plan!

The rest of his task here was a mere formality to fool the minions.

Mechanically, he turned toward his minions and began throwing out his bait.

"Minions, it is time for you to make a choice. To this day, you've cultivated the Spiritual Bone armor over your bodies. But that is, after all, a low quality technique meant to offer a paltry protection. Moreover, your only guide in cultivating this technique is me, someone who doesn't practice that technique at all.

Now you have the chance in front of you to cultivate a technique much better in quality, learn from a teacher who created the technique himself in a sense, and learn alongside the most talented disciples of our sect. What do you choose?"

* * * *

Han Xuhan knew what their answers would be. Zhanxian's enthusiasm back when the issue had been first raised was the factor that made him throw the trap he had been thinking of for the past few days. At that time, it was he who had intervened and directed the conversation away to think the details through...as well as for the benefit of the second half of his plan.

"Minions, my teacher is obviously unwilling to accept you as his official disciples. But even if you had more talent than ordinary cultivators, you wouldn't be able to find a better teacher than him. So if you do wish to learn under his tutelage...you'll have to abide by the rules he sets for you, just like I've told you before."

Wiggling his eyebrows towards them silently, he put the pressure of the decision on them. Zhanxian did not hesitate. He had already assented to this arrangement before their learning session with Kong Ye. Tun Shi Tian followed suit. And Hai Yin Zhe's toddler-level intelligence didn't deter it from repeating what everyone else was doing.

Looking at the innocent little snake, Han Xuhan felt a heavy pang of guilt for manipulating it to get his way...however, this was, at the end of the day, for their own good. He wouldn't make the snake do anything fatally risky anyway due to its lack of wisdom.

Their agreements taken, Kong Ye took a deep breath and said, "mere heavenly oaths are too easy to misinterpret and take advantage of. Verbal, normal language has always been prone to such weaknesses. Wait a minute while I make preparations for a proper contract -"

"Will it be enforceable by the heavenly authority and strictly binding?" Han Xuhan asked. He could ask brother BB from the Holy Land of Laws for a contract if Kong Ye couldn't produce anything better than those sentient contracts.

However, Kong Ye nodded pretty confidently.

"Yes. You don't have to worry about that. The only issue is that these things are a bit tricky to produce."

Kong Ye left the room, leaving the four of them behind. Han Xuhan glanced at Zhanxian and prodded for his reaction now that his plan was almost about to come to fruition.

"Are you sure you won't regret your decision? I have no way of influencing what conditions my master puts in the contract. Read the clauses carefully before you agree to them."

Zhanxian took a second to answer. "I can't see what kind of malice your master could possibly have towards useless undead like us. What's the worst condition he could set?" Shrugging, Zhanxian seemed to put his concern away.

Tun Shi Tian snorted. "You're not feeling jealous, are you? Or do you feel threatened that someone else will share your power of unilateral command over us?"

Han Xuhan harrumphed coldly and turned around, trying his best to not display the evil smirk crawling into his face.

"Disciple Xuhan, come here for a minute. I require your willingly donated blood to prepare the contract."

Hearing Kong Ye's shout from another room, Han Xuhan instantly understood the actual reason for the call and came up with a trick to leave the minions behind.

"Hey, you three, since the contract requires me to donate blood, it might require something from you too. Sit here and fill up your qi reserves for any necessities that might arise. And don't touch anything here, got it?"

Without giving them the space to respond, he disappeared from the room.

Kong Ye's original residence had been larger, but not all of it had been transferred accurately to the archipelago. Just two rooms away, at the back of the house, Han Xuhan found the man pacing about impatiently.

"So.,." he began upon seeing Xuhan, "you've convinced me, but how do you plan to convince your martial siblings to share their new techniques and tutelage?"

Han Xuhan awkwardly laughed. "Well, the techniques actually belong to you, teacher, at least most of them do. So if you agree to the arrangements I don't think they could really protest."

"I'm not going to force my real disciples to do something they don't want to for the benefit of your minions," Kong Ye said in all seriousness.

"It's beneficial for me as well..." Han Xuhan trailed off, testing to see if that ruse would work. But it did not, judging by the look on Kong Ye's face.

"Fine. Leave this to me," Han Xuhan waved a hand in assignment, not particularly aggrieved by the failure of his little emotional blackmailing.

This wasn't the first time he was making his martial siblings agree to work for his benefit.