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Chapter 273: Perfect Foundation

Sebastian\'s eyes glided over the agreement before setting the parchment down with a resigned sigh. "If the benefits are as great as I believe them to be, agreeing to this would be a no-brainer. But as it stands, this is asking too much and giving too little."

"Is that so?" Stella summoned two root improvement truffles to her hand. "What I have here is a mythical truffle that will permanently improve the quality of your spirit root. It\'s what turned Jasmine from a mortal to someone capable of becoming my Disciple."

Stella placed them on her side of the table, "Sign the oath as we agreed upon, and it is yours. Consider it a signing bonus."

"You really are ruthless," Sebastian shook his head in resignation. "Fine, I had no intentions of backing out anyway, and you just sweetened the deal."

Stella knew she had played into Sebastian\'s little scheme, but she just wanted them to hurry up. Every moment she spent in this room made her nervous that a meeting would spring out of nowhere and sink its claws of misery and drama into her shoulders. Forcing her to sit down and argue over things she had no care for.

Sebastian and Ryker both inserted Qi into the contracts. The words glowed with heavenly light. Lifting off the page, they floated into their bodies.

"Welcome to the Ashfallen Sect," Stella smiled. Knowing they were now under an oath of loyalty gave her more peace of mind. Before, it had felt like walking on eggshells around them as they were only business partners. But now she could be more open about things... if she could be bothered. "If that is all, I will be going now."

"Just one last question," Sebastian said.

Stella slowly turned to him with the fakest smile she could muster, "Mhm?"

"Other than shareholders of the Ashfallen Trading Company, we have nothing else to do here in the sect. Since we have a vested interest in its success, could we help out with selling the pills?"

Stella honestly didn\'t know the answer. She would ask Tree or Diana, but they were busy having a meeting, which she managed to escape.

"I\'m sure Julian would appreciate some help. You can find him down in Ashfallen City or around here somewhere." Stella used a tactic she had learned from Ash: pass the problem on to somebody else! It appeared super effective as Sebastian bowed and gave his thanks. Not even giving him the opportunity to say anything else, Stella took her leave.

The hallways of the White Stone Palace swirled with fire Qi, and the defensive runic enchantments installed after the incidents with the merchants made creating a portal inside a hassle, so Stella chose to walk to the courtyard. As the morning sunlight hit her face, she breathed in relief. The courtyard was empty so she could summon her flying sword in peace.

"Mistress!" A voice boomed down the corridor behind her.

Stella\'s eye twitched. I am exhausted and annoyed. Now is not a good time. Glancing over her shoulder, she was surprised by who it was. "Elder Mo?"

"Phew, I heard you were visiting, but to think you would scurry away so soon," Elder Mo grinned, "Don\'t worry, we are both busy people, so I won\'t take too much of your time. I wanted to give you this."

His spatial ring flashed, and a short sword appeared in his hand. It looked rather basic, with a simple steel blade and a cloth-wrapped handle. The only noticeable features were that the cloth handle was dyed green and the word \'Jasmine\' had been etched into the hilt.

As Stella took the short sword, she could feel something tickling at the back of her consciousness, compelling her to swing the sword in a certain way.

"I heard you got a new disciple from the Grand Elder and wanted to gift her this. I used Spirit Fire to imbue my teaching spirit into the sword. As I\'m sure you can feel, it compels the user to practice and guides them on proper form. I know it\'s not much, but I wanted to show appreciation for everything you and the immortal have done for me and my family."

"This is incredible," Stella said as she weighed the sword in her hand. "What a great gift, I am sure she will be thrilled."

"I assume she will grow out of it quickly, and I didn\'t have much time to work on it, so the materials are rather plain." Elder Mo grinned, "But once Jasmine grows tall enough to swing a normal-sized sword around, come see me, and I will make her something befitting of the Mistress\'s Disciple."

Stella stowed the sword away, "Thank you. I will ensure she gets this sword when she\'s ready, and she will know it\'s from you."

Elder Mo left down the corridor, "As promised, I won\'t bother you for too long. Take care of yourself, Mistress. Until next time."

"You too, old man," Stella laughed. With her mood lifted, she hopped on her flying sword and flew over to Ashfallen City while enjoying the view of the clear blue skies and sprawling scenery. The once dull grey mountain range was now a vertical forest of red-leaved trees, which made Nox and the field of white jasmine flowers surrounding her stick out.

Sitting crossed-legged under Nox\'s canopy was a blob of light green hair that Stella recognized as her Disciple. Gliding down, she paused overhead, blocking the sun and casting Jasmine in her shadow.

Jasmine stirred from her meditation and glanced up, "Master?"

Stella withdrew her flying sword into her spatial ring and casually dropped down. "Morning, my dear Disciple. I see you have already started cultivating."

"Well, it\'s almost noon," Jasmine said as she got to her feet and patted down the black cloak that Elaine had gifted her. "I was starting to worry that Master wasn\'t coming today. Did you oversleep?"

Stella snorted, "Absolutely not. I was busy in... meetings."

"I can tell you\'re lying," Jasmine squinted at her.

Stella blinked. How?

"You don\'t need to put on an act before me, Master," Jasmine beamed, "Just be yourself. Now that I know Master is lazy, I will remember that for the future."

Stella felt the upstanding and dignified persona of a Master she had been trying to put on for her Disciple crumble away before her very eyes while Jasmine smiled at her with a smug look on her face.

"Tsk, being called lazy by a darn kid." Stella ran her hands through her hair with a sigh. Today was not going how she expected at all. "I was trying to act like a dignified Master for you, but if you don\'t want that, then fine." Stella crouched to Jasmine\'s eye level, "But you better tell me how you knew. No secrets, remember?"

"Master is no fun," Jasmine pouted, "But if you insist... I can feel your emotions through our Master Disciple link. It\'s vague, but if you are standing before me, I can get a sense of your mood. I know you didn\'t just come from a meeting because you weren\'t angry or irritated."

Stella\'s eyes twitched, "Why can you read my emotions through the link?"

"And now you\'re irritated," Jasmine giggled, "As for the link, I have no idea. It was like that from the moment I accepted you as my Master."

"Strange, I wonder if it\'s because I was the one to ask, and you accepted me as your Master," Stella stood up, "Well, no matter. If you can feel my mood, that\'s helpful. We should head back to Red Vine Peak. Are you ready to go?"

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"Yup," Jasmine nodded and held up a cloth bag, "My mom even made me lunch."

The image of a giant golden tree dropping a fruit on Stella\'s head appeared in her mind. Is that how my mother would have given me lunch? Shaking her head to remove the ridiculous thoughts of the World Tree being her mother, Stella glanced around, "Now, where is the root Ash was talking about..."

Nox\'s shadow body emerged from behind the trunk like a ghost and gestured to a hole obscured by the flowers near her roots.

"That leads to Red Vine Peak?" Stella cautiously asked while stepping forward to put herself between Nox and her Disciple. Even if Nox was a changed person, she still didn\'t trust her.

The shadow nodded wordlessly, so Stella walked over to check. "Take my hand, Jasmine. Let\'s go together."

I wonder how it feels to use one of Ash\'s roots now. Will we fly through it, or will it feel like a portal?

Stepping down into the hole while holding Jasmien\'s hand, Stella was surprised. Compared to the tight squeeze filled with sap she had experienced the last time she traveled through the mountain, this was a spacious tunnel. Almost too spacious, as if it was expanded with spatial Qi. The tunnel was lit by light cascading down from the hole above. There was a similar hole letting in light a few steps away.

Walking forward, Stella felt a slight tug on her body, and if she paid close attention, she could see that the tunnel walls were blurring as she moved. Arriving under the next hole in the tunnel within five steps, Stella jumped slightly and felt the tunnel eject her out of the hole.

"Woah," Stella caught her footing and glanced around. It was unmistakably Red Vine Peak. Jasmine popped out beside her, equally bewildered at how they had covered such distance in a few steps.

Diana waved to Stella and walked over, "Welcome back."

"Is your meeting done?"

"Yeah," Diana glanced back at the illusionary map that Elaine was still walking circles around, "You were right, by the way."

"Oh?" Stella raised a brow, "About what?"

"The beast tide is looking to be more of a feast than a threat," Diana chuckled, "How ridiculous of a statement is that? Of course, there are still some things to work out and do, but Elaine is far more on board about fighting it out than trying to run."

"Good, I wouldn\'t have let her flee anyway," Stella smirked.

"She knows," Diana glanced at Jasmine, "I see you\'re here again today. I heard from Elaine that you have the potential to pick a second affinity. Have you chosen one yet?"

Jasmine shook her head, "No, Mistress Diana, I have not. I only just started learning about the truths of nature Qi from heaven\'s whispers yesterday. So I am not sure what I should even pick..."

Diana nodded thoughtfully, "It\'s indeed a hard choice, and there\'s no shame in learning more and establishing your base in the nature affinity first, as it may give you an idea for a fitting affinity in the future."

Jasmine nodded and fell into thought.

"Talking of establishing her base," Stella patted Jasmine\'s head, "Would you be able to help me give her truffles? There will likely be a heart demon to kill and some impurities to wash away."

Diana shrugged and gestured to the hut, "Sure, I don\'t have much going on until Julian finalizes the plans for the mortal branch of the Ashfallen Trading Company so I could help."

Stella decided to stay quiet about how she suggested Sebastian Silverspire get involved.

I\'m sure it will work out fine.

Once the three were inside the hut, Jasmine placed her lunch in the storage cabinet before joining Stella and Diana on the fur bed. It was a tight fit with the three of them.

"Let\'s do the heart demon one first," Stella summoned it from her spatial ring and handed it to Jasmine. Her Disciple eyed the black mushroom with caution, which was understandable given its name.

"Negative emotions and experiences condense into what we call heart demons, and they cause bottlenecks to form," Diana explained, "Eating this truffle will force the heart demon out, leaving you with a serene mind perfect for cultivation and accepting heaven\'s will for change."

Jasmine frowned with concern, "How does the heart demon get out?"

"It will crawl its way up your throat and emerge out of your mouth," Stella replied bluntly, "But don\'t worry, we are here to kill it and take care of you. Just trust us and let the process happen. Don\'t fight it."

"O-okay," Jasmine hesitantly ate the truffle. The three sat there in silence. Stella and Diana stared at her mouth, and Jasmine shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

"I feel something coming. What do I do?!" Jasmine\'s eyes shook with fear as she looked between Stella and Diana.

"Relax," Stella patted her hand, "Just let it out."

Jasmine tried her best to relax, and a moment later, she opened her mouth. A tiny black phantom the size of a thumb climbed out, and Diana swiftly grabbed it.

It\'s so tiny, which I guess makes sense since Jasmine hasn\'t lived long enough to have many negative experiences.

"That thing was inside me?" Jasmine shuddered.

Diana threw the phantom into her mouth and gulped it down. "They aren\'t so bad," Diana licked her lips, "Quite tasty actually."

All the color had left Jasmine\'s face as she stared at Diana in horror.

Diana seemed to find the reaction amusing as she leaned forward and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Her nails extended into claws, and her long black hair, tinted with streaks of blue, covered half her face. "If you found something as tiny as that phantom terrifying, you should have seen the one Elder Mo housed, which was the size of you."

"Knock it off," Stella flicked Diana\'s forehead, "Stop trying to intimidate my Disciple. It\'s perfectly normal to be scared of the horrors that mortal bodies house."

"What could be worse than that?" Jasmine asked as she hugged her legs.

Stella exchanged a knowing look with Diana.

"Well, this next truffle is the spirit root improving truffle, which you have already had before," Stella said as she placed the mushroom before Jasmine\'s feet. "It\'s not as scary as the heart demon expelling one, but it is far more messy."

"I don\'t think I want to eat truffles anymore," Jasmine pouted as she hugged her legs tighter and side-eyed the truffle on the fur bed beside her.

"Really?" Stella frowned, "After this one, I was going to give you the skin improvement truffle that will give you skin as smooth as ours. But if you don\'t want to eat any more truffles, then I suppose it can\'t be helped"

Jasmine grabbed the truffle off the bed and gulped it down without even taking a bite.

"Or you could do that," Stella smiled at her Disciples\' sudden change of attitude. "Take off your cloak. Close your eyes and cycle Qi through your body."

Jasmine followed her instructions, and soon, a pungent smell filled the hut as her impurities were pushed out through the pores in her skin. Her clothes darkened as they absorbed the impurities, causing Jasmine to gag.

"Ugh, I smell awful." Jasmine scrunched up her nose, "What is this stuff."

Stella coughed and waved a hand before her face, "Impurities, and there will be a lot. Your spirit roots are of poor quality, so I will have you keep eating these truffles until you have as good or even better spirit roots as me."

"It\'s almost unfair how good of a foundation you are receiving, Jasmine," Diana hurled water at the girl, causing her to cry in shock. Diana then pulled the water back into a murky ball that floated above her palm. "I am very curious to see how fast you will grow under Stella\'s guidance and resources."

"So am I," Stella snapped her fingers to create a portal leading outside where Diana could dump the impurity-filled water. "But there\'s a lot of work to be done."

Splashing Jasmine with water and then pulling it off continued for the next hour.

"I think the process is finished," Diana said, "Jasmine, try to push your Qi to your fist."

"Okay..." Jasmine said absent-mindedly. Being drenched and then dried over and over had taken a toll on her. Jasmine\'s hand became wreathed in untamed Qi. It burned brighter than before and held its shape.

"How does it feel?" Stella asked.

"Amazing," Jasmine grinned as she woke from her daze, "It\'s so much easier than before."

"Great, let\'s continue truffle eating tomorrow," Stella stood up and stretched. Sitting in such a small hut for so long was tiresome.

"But my skin improvement truffle..." Jasmine grumbled.

"Come on, get up. You can eat that tomorrow."

"What are we doing now, Master?"

Stella glanced outside, "While the sun is still out, it\'s a perfect time to practice sword fighting. You still have that tournament to fight in a month, remember? Having high-quality roots and good skin won\'t help if you lack ways to attack and there\'s too little time to form your nature Soul Core and learn many techniques."

Jasmine\'s shoulders sagged, "But Master, I don\'t even have a sword."

Stella felt her lips curl up into a smile, "Would you believe I had one made just for you?"

"No way." "I doubt it." Jasmine and Diana answered simultaneously.

Stella scowled, "Why not."

"When would you have had time? You are far too lazy," Diana shrugged, "You were with Jasmine all of yesterday and then slept so deeply last night"

"Ha!" Jasmine grinned, "I knew Master slept in."

Stella crossed her arms and frowned, "I don\'t even want to give you the sword anymore."

"You actually have one?" Diana seemed surprised.

"Well, Elder Mo gave it to me as a present for Jasmine." Stella smirked, "But Disciples that are rude to their Master don\'t deserve gifts. Take this wooden sword instead."

Jasmine stared down at the tiny wooden sword that was basically a stick in her hands, "Master, I\'m sorry."

"Apologize to me by running a lap around the peak and doing five hundred sword swings before evening," Stella instructed, "Maybe then I will reconsider."

"Yes, Master..." Jasmine walked out of the hut and sprinted off.

"Isn\'t that a little cruel," Diana asked.

"The sword Elder Mo gifted me will make learning the sword too easy as it was imbued with his will via Spirit Fire," Stella replied as she leaned on the hut\'s doorframe with her arms crossed and watched Jasmine sprinting into the distance. "I want to spoil Jasmine, but she must understand how big the advantage I am giving her is. It\'s why I had her practice cultivation before feeding her the truffles and will now swing a practice sword around for a few days before earning Elder Mo\'s gift."

Diana hummed in agreement, "You actually put some thought into this."

"Of course I did," Stella smiled, "I plan to turn Jasmine into the greatest cultivator that ever lived. That way, I can laze around knowing Tree is safe."

"There it is," Diana walked past her with a sigh, "I wonder how she would react if she knew that was the reason. Anyway, remember she is still just a child."

"Exactly, children are more malleable and are good learners," Stella waved her off, "I will train her personally in sword fighting over the next few days until she meets my standards."

"That\'s not what I... never mind," Diana wandered off while shaking her head. "She is your Disciple. I can only pray for her."

Why would she be praying for my Disciple? Stella tilted her head in confusion.