Invite Players to a Cultivation World

Things have been going well so far.

My disciples have been working hard, contributing to the sect, and learning more about how everything works.

I've been keeping an eye on them, and I can confidently say the Void Fae chose the right people to join first.

PCliver is keen to learn, and he seems to be playing the role of model disciple. This will help a lot with our development, and the way he treats everything realistically makes him the obvious choice for first interaction with the locals. I'll need to make it clear that he's being rewarded for his playstyle.

JadeBea is diligent, and her ability to properly harvest Sky Pearls surprised me. Most cultivators need a precision enhancing technique to aid them, but there are some cases of geniuses who manage with pure skill. This is a great indication that she'll do well on the production side of things, which will be essential for expanding the number of disciples.

CoDestiny I was worried about at first, I knew having a streamer showcase the 'game' would help increase the popularity, but most are not the best suited to building the formations of a sect.

My worries were reinforced when he went out on his own, and when he went looking for danger I thought I'd made a mistake.

It wasn't all bad though. If he died then it might have hurt the 'games' image for a bit, but it would also act as an important lesson.

I'd have made a spare vessel for him to respawn into, but with serious consequences that put him behind the other two in terms of progression.

None of this ended up being necessary though. He survived, which was possibly the best possible outcome.

I'm starting to realise it isn't that he's reckless or an idiot. He just has an audience he has to keep appeased and show the 'game' to.

Now they're all returning to the sect. They do have enough Sect Points to get the Basic Cultivation Technique, and I'll even throw in a bit extra as a bonus since I want to encourage teamwork.

For now I'll listen in until the right time.

"So I earned 37 SP from chopping trees." PCliver says. "That rate will probably go down in the future since we'll need to chop trees further from the sect and then carry them further, but it should still stay a reliable source. How about you two?"

"I'm up to 125 SP." CoDestiny says. "Taking into account what I had before, that's 36. I was just filling in the local map though, and the parts I'd missed before were very separate."

"So mapping will have better rates, but you quickly run out of places to do it, so it's more like a bonus when you're already looking for new things." PCliver nods. "How about you Jade?"

"I have 75 SP." She says. "That's five Sky Pearls each for 15 SP."

"Cool." CoDestiny says. "You certainly earned it given the difficulty."

"More importantly." PCliver looks at CoDestiny. "You can now buy the Basic Cultivation Technique. Could you do so now? I'm interested to see how the Techniques work."

"Sure, where's the shop?" CoDestiny asks.

"I'll show you." He replies.

That's my cue. "Or you could just buy it from me personally." I enter the dinning room where they've been chatting.

"Master Stone!" PCliver bows as soon as he realises it's me, followed by the other two.

"Excellent. Five Sect Points all around!" I announce.

"Master, may I ask a question?" JadeBea says.

"That depends. Are you asking as a Disciple, or a Player?" I ask.

"Well... I just wanted to know if it's possible to buy techniques on someone else's behalf?" She says. "At this rate it seems I'll be the one with the most Sect Points, so I thought it might be for the best if I paid for the others."

"That is exactly the type of thinking I encourage. Ten Sect Points. I know I'm being a bit arbitrary with them, but oh well." I sigh. "And to answer, practically speaking yes you can."

I bring out a book. "You see, when you buy a technique you are actually buying a book detailing how it is done. I've given these book a special property though, so when a disciple who doesn't know the technique reads it, they instantly learn the technique. The books will only start with one of these Learning Charges though, so if you want to share it then you'll have to pay for a new book or simply recharge it by spending the same amount of Sect Points."

"Does that mean it's possible to learn the technique by actually reading the book normally then?" PCliver asks.

"Good observation. It is very possible, I know that most of my disciples won't have the patience to read it and practice to a usable level, so I implemented Learning Charges as a shortcut." I explain. "Keep in mind that while this grants you all the information, the instincts it gives will only be good enough to do it at the most basic level. Further efficiency and power will require practice and understanding."

"Then I guess we have to decide who will learn the technique first then." CoDestiny considers. "It might be best to consider our skills and who will benefit the most."

"Isn't it obviously you?" JadeBea says. "They're your points after all, and you have an audience to consider."

"Actually it doesn't matter." I say. "As a special reward for your teamwork, and to encourage it in the future, the first copy of all currently listed techniques will have two additional Learning Charges."

"I'll buy it!" CoDestiny yells, so I hand the book over to him and deduct the points from him.

"I must warn you though. Cultivation for the inhabitants of this world, and all others I know of, is a lengthy affair." I say. "Many people spend their entire lives focused on cultivation, only to fall short of greatness. I understand this won't appeal to you, which is why we have the Impurity Cleansing Technique instead. It is far better suited for you, and I'm confident will become the foundation for our sect."

"They why don't we start with that technique instead." PCliver asks.

"You don't yet have the cultivation level required to use it." I explain. "And even if you did, it's important that you are familiar with how cultivation works for most people. That's why I'm making you experience the quickest part of it."

"If that is your judgment." PCliver nods respectfully. "And how much will the Impurity Cleansing Technique cost? I was only able see the cost for the Basic Cultivation Technique."

"You can check the costs once you have the cultivation level required to buy them." I explain. "But the Impurity Cleansing Technique is an outlier, as it's completely free. I obtained it thanks to my contract with the Void Fae you see, and they would be very displeased if they learned I hadn't been sharing it with everyone who could learn it."

"What are the Void Fae then?" PCliver asks.

"Sorry, that information will require you progress further first. I have to leave some secrets." With a smile, I transfer back to my office.

That doesn't mean I'm not still watching over them of course.

"I'd say he's already leaving us plenty of secrets." CoDestiny complains. "Like, how does any of this even work, and why is he so insistent on us going along with the world building for a beta test?"

"I think it's just the kind of game Sect Tech wants to make." PCliver says. "I'm not even sure this can be considered a beta test. Since we will have a way to invite new players, I think we can consider this more of an early access. No idea about how the technology is possible though."

"Surely it'd be a company secret." JadeBea says. "Though it is strange they'd use it for an MMO. You'd expect something like this to have more profitable applications."

"Fair enough. Now lets see what this technique is all abou-" CoDestiny stares blankly at the now opened book. "I... I know everything... I though it'd just be some activated skill but..."

"Let me have a look at that." PCliver goes over to look at the book himself and... "Wow... you're right..."

"Guys... you're sorta scaring me." JadeBea says. "What's so special about that book."

"It's the Learning Charges he told us about." PCliver explains. "It taught me everything inside the book. It's like I read the entire thing in a single moment. And I feel like I could do the technique now."

CoDestiny sits down into a meditation pose.

"You're already trying it?" PCliver asks.

"Well yea." CoDestiny responds. "We have to do it at some point, and I want to try out this new knowledge to see if it works."

"Don't you have a stream to entertain? This doesn't seem like the most entertaining content."

"All the more reason to do it now. My stream is probably going to experience a lot of grown over the next few weeks, so I should get the boring part over with while it's still relatively small." CoDestiny explains. "I've already streamed for over four hours so far anyway. That's much more than normal for me."

"We'll I'm not about to be left behind." PCliver sits and tries to cultivate as well.

"Sigh... guess I'll join." JadeBea looks at the book, and after a brief moment of stunned silence, sits down and concentrates on bringing the ambient Qi into to herself.