Yvonne accepted my words at face value. I realized after I had dismissed her innocent inquiry with the same rudeness and suspicion that I would have used for Braun and his ilk. It was something for me to reflect on. I didn't like that my personality was being influenced so much by people I didn't hold in much esteem.

"Not yet," she agreed, "we have just met. But I have an instinct, a feeling, that we are going to become great friends in the future."

"Are they giving out any more information about the competition now that we have started and the reason for the changes to the tournament have been explained?" I asked ignoring her suggestion. It would be nice if we could become friends, I thought we got on well together, and she hadn't tried to use intimidation tactics when we met or when I commissioned my armor. But I thought it unlikely. Our Sects were too far apart to form any but the most cursory of acquaintances.

"Our Sect Patriarch has explained to all Sect Elders and those witnessing the competition what benchmarks need to be met for a prospective candidate to be chosen," Yvonne explained.

"The requirements differ between secondary professions and the martial bouts. You have already met the requirements to join as an Outer Sect member as an Alchemist apprentice. The top five from each profession get an automatic invitation. The winner gaining promotion to the Inner Sect."

"Is there any reason for me to continue then?" I wondered. "If not, I would really like to track down Elder Shadow. There are a few details, I'd like for him to explain." I still wanted to know why he and Elder Tye were so set on my success for this competition. They had to have had at least a vague notion of what the reward would be, and that if I did well enough, I would be leaving Flowing Water Sect and their tutelage.

"If you wish to settle for an Outer Sect position, then no, there is no reason to participate in the martial competition. But you will earn additional rewards based on how far you manage to advance and your final ranking," Yvonne assured me.

"For this next bout, you will earn inner sect membership and housing that resonates with your elemental affinity.

"The bout after that will give you priority for establishing your Barony, of course, that is if and when you overcome your tribulation and reach the Gathering Qi Realm. If you had already claimed a province on the mainland, the Emperor was willing to purchase those lands. For those that haven't, like you, you are allowed to claim twice as much territory on Delph Island."

"Why would they do that?" I wondered. "You would think they would give more land to those that have already proven they are capable, especially since the Emperor will be filling their coffers with spirit stones after purchasing the lands."

"I asked my mentor that same question," Yvonne admitted. "She believes it was a way for the Emperor to discourage those cultivators who wish to sell and abandon the people and province they have ruled from doing so.

"Once it becomes public knowledge that they will only be able to claim half as much territory, compared to the lands they now hold, they will keep the fiefs they have built up.

"My mentor believes the Emperor is of the mind, that those provinces have been proven, and that the people have come to trust and rely on the cultivators that have claimed them. The upheaval from new leadership may be more disruptive than the Empire can absorb.

"He isn't concerned that their absence will stifle progress for those towns?" I asked.

"Why would it?" Yvonne asked. "Most cultivators are absentee rulers, as it is, leaving the real work to people they have entrusted to govern in their stead. A cultivator may have been granted title and property, but they would all, uniformly, rather spend time cultivating and training skills. Every cultivator's priority is to advance realms, and that requires an immense amount of time and effort. It leaves very little for micro-managing and ruling a fief."

"Why would I want to stake a claim to twice the amount of territory then? If it's more bother than it's worth?" I wondered.

"Some won't. For most, the land is more a headache than a reward. I would guess maybe five percent of all cultivators take their obligations to their fief and the people that depend on him seriously. They make use of the Baronetcy to collect funds, setting taxes, and tithes that can be ruinous for the most callous.

"You will have to decide for yourself if you see enough potential gains from the prospect that might be generated building up a territory. You won't have seen a map of Delph Island yet, but the term Island is a misnomer, the landmass is a third the size of the Cai'Li empire. Your Barony would be considered a small province.

"For some cultivators, even those that have reached the Profound Immortal Realm, they find the monotony and the mortal problems that come from dealing with government help. They often report the mortal concerns that they are forced to deal with, grounds them. It helps them to keep one foot in the world, as they prepare to take that final step and ascend to the Heavenly Realms.

"As I mentioned, you will have to decide for yourself if it is worth the effort. I plan on taking the Emperor's offer and sell the territory I have now. It will mean a smaller fief, but I like governing, working to establish trade goods and crops that benefit my people," she shared.

"There is so much of the world that has yet to be explored, just imagine the beasts that we haven't discovered yet. The armor I can create with new types of leather that have unheard-of properties."

"I thought only people that participated in this competition were going to be selected for membership in the new Sect?" I pointed out focusing on admission she was planning to sell.

"Inner and Outer members, yes," she clarified.

"But the Sect will need Trainers, Elders, and Craftsmen. Did you think the Sect was going to be populated with only junior Sect members?" She teased.

I admit I'd not given it much thought. But now that she mentioned it, it did make sense that the Emperor would need to recruit the people she had mentioned. We still hadn't been informed about Sect leadership, how many Elders there would be, and who the Sect Patriarch was. But that was only a small percent of the people that would be needed to run a Sect successfully.

Even if I did well enough to earn an Inner Sect position, I would still need the hundreds of staff that cleaned, cooked, staffed requisition desks. The Sect would need the clerks, managers, and procurement officers to monitor expenditures. A cultivator may seem to exist in a bubble, using isolation and closed-door practices to advance, but it took a small army of people for all that to happen.

"That's what you meant earlier about becoming a friend?" I realized. "I wondered how that would be possible with us so far apart.

"Partly," she agreed, "but as I mentioned, I just have this feeling. Maybe it's because of the armor design we came up with. I want to see what you can come up with when you can afford and have access to the truly impressive resources that can be harvested."

I wasn't averse to forming a friendship with her. In fact, I was looking forward to it. My isolation and pariah status at Flowing Water Sect had been more than lonely, it had left me wary and sensitive. I didn't like that I met every encounter with suspicion and prejudices. I hoped fervently that Yvonne wasn't like Niake, but I didn't think she was the kind of person that would destroy the beginning bonds of friendship for political expedience.

But I'd not thought Niake was that kind of person either.

I ignored the growing excitement that was beginning to form, that fluttering butterfly feeling you got in the pit of your stomach when you were happy and excited. I wouldn't turn my back on her offer of friendship if it was made in good faith, but I had learned my lesson. Any friendship I made in the future would need to be nurtured, formed over time. I would never again place my trust in a person without first verifying their character.

I admitted in the recesses of my mind, that I was too young to be this jaded. At least in this world. But I had a lifetime of experience that I could draw on, and I had learned long ago just how important it was not to blindly forge ahead.

We may become friends.

I hoped so; she had been helpful, and our personalities seemed to click. We were well suited. But time would tell. Time, I didn't have at the moment if I was going to prepare myself for the next bout.