Mira made her way to the Inner Court''s library, clutching the token Aelina had given her. She had received plenty of looks from the other disciples, but they could all see the token in her hand and chose not toment.
By now, Mira''s infamy was growing due to all her exploits, so although many still didn''t know who exactly Mira was, they immediately recognized the 9 tails and her drop-dead gorgeous face.
Upon entering the library, Mira was greeted by a disciple at the front desk.
The woman had a neutral smile on her face as Mira entered. A light of recognition shed through her eyes, as she had heard of Mira before, but she didn''t lose her professionalism.
"Are you here to pick out a technique?" She asked.
Mira nodded and showed her token to the woman, who scanned it with an array before nodding.
"Alright, I''ve confirmed that your token is authentic. Just insert your Qi into the token, and it''ll grant you ess to the library."
Mira nodded once again, doing as she said. Suddenly, the token shone, and she was teleported deeper into the building where all the books, manuals, and techniques were.
Mira was greeted by a sea of bookshelves that seemed to stretch on for miles. The library was massive and filled with ancient knowledge, but an air of solemnity permeated the entire space.
As she walked through the aisles, though she was indifferent to most things, even she couldn''t help but feel a sense of reverence for the countless books surrounding her. Each one represented years of umted wisdom, and she was eager to uncover the secrets hidden within them.
''I''ll ask Aelina if I can browse through the libraryter. For now, I''ll just find the technique I''m looking for and leave.'' Mira thought and continued looking for anything regarding the envement of another person.
A few minutester, as Mira carefully scanned the shelves, her eyes eventuallynded on a weathered scroll under a section called [Dangerous and Forbidden Techniques. Use at your own risk.]. The title read, "The Abyssal Envement Technique."
Her eyes shook for a moment, and she pulled out the scroll. Something about the word "Abyssal" drew her in, forming a faint connection between them.
Reading it, Mira learned that, at its core, the technique was about using the target''s Qi, meridians, and Core to control their mind. It was extremelyplex, and one wrong move could lead to the death of not only the target but the user as well.
The technique required the practitioner to insert their Qi into the target''s meridians, infiltrating and weaving through their energy channels like a venomous snake. Once inside, the practitioner would carefully manipte the target''s Qi, suppressing their consciousness and bending their will to the user''s desires.
Moreover, the technique was highly addictive, and overuse could lead to the user bing consumed by the dark power it bestowed, ultimately corrupting their own mind and soul.
As Mira studied the technique, she couldn''t help but nod, feeling satisfied with her pick.
She browsed through a few more envement techniques, but none were as full-proof as the [The Abyssal Envement Technique].
Taking it back to the receptionist, she had Mira sign something saying that she had borrowed the technique.
The receptionist was surprised that Mira chose a Forbidden technique but didn''t say anything. There were plenty of warning signs, not just in the library but on the technique as well. If Mira still didn''t know what she was getting herself into, she deserved whatever bacsh she received.
Afterward, she left the Inner Court and returned to her residence, where she sat beside Dominique and began studying the technique.
***
Meanwhile, two hourster, the summit of the mountain was abuzz with activity as the top disciples gathered for Aelina''s meeting. They whispered amongst themselves, excited about the thought of having a meeting with the Sect Master and many of the other Elders.
There were 20 disciples with white robes, 10 with dark blue robes, countless (somewhere in the thousands, maybe more) with ck robes, and 40 with red robes.
Those with white robes were from the Outer Court, the ones with blue were from the Inner Court, the women with ck robes on were all the Core Disciples, and the 40 red-robed people were all the Direct Disciples.
The numbers seemed quite skewed, as the amount of Soul Transformation Realm disciples here was immense. However, most of them had already reached their full potential and would never step into the Mortal Shedding Realm.
One must remember that those in the Soul Transformation Realm were the backbone of a Sect. The minimum goal of any of the Top Sects on the Western Continent is to, at the bare minimum, nurture a disciple to the Soul Transformation Realm.
The Mortal Shedding Realm is a massive hurdle for the vast majority of people, and expecting every disciple to be one is nothing more than wishful thinking.
The Battle Maiden Sect only has around 50 Mortal Shedding Realm Elders, and each of them is busy with something.
Whether they are helping guide the younger generation, cultivating, creating techniques, creating weapons/armor, studying auxiliary upations, or on a mission, they are all busy with something.
Even in war, they usually don''t fight unless necessary, as the amount of noise and destruction they can cause is not to be taken lightly.
Thus, the Core Disciples take on most of the missions or assignments that generally deepen a Sect''s foundation, making it so they can survive countless more generations.
Not to mention, those in the Soul Transformation Realm live a very long time, and with how long the Battle Maiden Sect has existed, it''s not strange there are so many of them.
Quietly, Mira used the Hidden World Technique to integrate herself into the crowd. She didn''t want to draw too much attention to herself, as surprisingly, she was exhausted after studying the [Abyssal Envement Technique].
It was as if just thinking about using the technique drained her.
''No wonder it''s considered a forbidden technique.'' Mira thought. Still, she didn''t regret her decision. She looked around and saw a few familiar faces, mainly Eden, Nova, Seraphina, Everly, and Rayna.
She also noticed Asami and Cine standing beside each other, with their white robes on.
Mira nodded, satisfied, when she noticed they had reached the peak of the Core Formation Realm. She could even feel an incredibly sharp and powerful auraing from Cine, which excited Mira for the future when Cine learned Saber Manifestation and broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
''I''ll say hi to herter.''
A few momentster, when Aelina finally arrived, all the elders apanied her, each wearing serious expressions. The air was heavy with anticipation as Aelina addressed the assembled disciples.
"Today, we gather to discuss the uing war with the Crimson yer Sect," she began, her voice echoing throughout the summit. "We are at a critical juncture in our history, and the oue of this war will have a profound impact on our Sect''s future as we are not just against a single Sect, but an entire Faction!"
"You might think that the Unorthodox Faction is just a group of savage brutes who terrorize themon people and don''t care about anyone other than themselves, and you''d be right. However, they are a legitimate Faction and won''t just stand by and watch as we uproot one of their main Sects! Thus, in the case that we face off against the entire faction, we must prepare for the worst! That''s why I called you all here today!"
Seeing all sorts of emotions sh through her disciples'' eyes, Aelina spoke again before they could form any misunderstandings.
"However, I must rify that we are not helpless in this situation. I have formed an alliance with a few of the other Orthodox Sects, and they won''t stand by and watch should the rest of the Unorthodox Faction intervene in our war!"
Aelina''s words settled their conflicting emotion, leaving only fear and excitement for the uing war.
"Now, you might be wondering why I called you all here," Aelina said, eliciting a nod from everyone, "Well, that''s because you all will be the leaders of this war! The Elders and I will be there to prevent any of those old folks from killing you all, but the war itself will be left on your shoulders!"
"..."
The women nced at one another, anxiety clear in their eyes. Most of them weren''t new to leadership and, thus, knew how tough it could be. However, whilemanding small teams on group missions was fine, war was apletely different beast…
"However, I''m not just dropping this role onto you without giving you anything in return! For those of you who perform well and kill as many Crimson yer Sect disciples with as few casualties as possible, I''ll put you in the running for the Sect''s Prime Disciple position!"
"...."
After hearing thatst bit of information, the crowd stood there in stunned silence. It took them a moment to process everything before going into an uproar!
"OOOOOH!! Did you hear that?! I could be the Sect''s Prime Disciple!"
"Those nasty Crimson yer insects must die! Now! And by my hands!"
"Hahaha! Finally! With all the Sect''s resources at my fingertips, I''ll be able to break through to the Soul Transformation Realm!"
"Fuck the Soul Transformation Realm! I might be able to reach the Mortal Shedding Realm!"
Aelina smiled at their reaction, but before they could get too crazy, she waved her hand, silencing them.
"I know it''s exciting, but please wait until the end to celebrate. Now, let''s talk about your individual roles in this war!"
As the meeting continued, Aelina detailed the uing training ns, discussed their various strategies against the Crimson yer Sect and their roles and responsibilities. The disciples listened attentively, their spirits ignited by their Sect Master''s words.
As the meeting drew to a close, Aelina looked out at her disciples, her gaze filled with pride.
"That''s all for now. Everyone other than the Direct Disciples and Mira may leave and begin preparing for your uing inspections with the Elders, which will happen tomorrow. Thank you all for participating in this meeting, and I look forward to your results!"