"I never believed the rumours, but… Truly, you are the divine healer! Thank you," the woman said, grasping my robe as tears of happiness streaked down her face.

I smiled back at her. "I'm only doing what should be done," I replied. With a final nod I left her to marvel at her regrown arm and body that was free of disease.

My mental state was far from the amicable exterior I presented. It had been three days of non-stop healing, treating the worst cases of dismemberment, disease, and more. Yet I had made little progress.

My previous medical knowledge allowed me to understand what my technique was doing on a fundamental level, but I was still unable to actually sense what my medicinal qi did as the technique unfolded.

Practice makes perfect, but blindly smashing my head into a wall until it broke was not my path. I walked into the light of the sun, letting the sounds of the mountain peak relax my frayed nerves.

If I couldn't improve my own abilities, then I should spend my time raising those of my disciples'. There were two large projects I wanted to complete, which had been put off due to the high priority tasks I'd needed to accomplish on my return.

The first of these projects was to establish a long term system for reward and punishment for all disciples. The carrot and the stick were foundational for growth.

When they succeeded in a task or contributed to the Grasping Life Sect, they should receive an appropriate reward. However, discipline was also necessary. Preventing more large scale conflicts like the one I'd returned to was essential.

I could draw inspiration from novels I'd read, but books weren't the source of all life's answers. Especially the ones in this world… Damn cryptic old geezers need to learn how to spread knowledge in a concise manner and not flowery poetry.

Anyway, my basic idea was to set up a place where they could go to trade in contributions for rewards. Obviously there would need to be some way of verifying these contributions, but that could quickly become difficult to measure.

In the Cloudy Falls Sect, the ways most disciples earned such contributions was by harvesting resources, defeating enemies, and slaying beasts. Then there were more complex and individual requests as well as rewards from Elders and other complexities.

Things would be even more complicated for our Grasping Life Sect. Not only did I have to consider all the typical activities of a sect, but I had to consider how to reward medical advancements and accomplishments.

If a disciple figured out a new way to treat a particular affliction, which was more efficient than the previous method, what reward were they entitled to? If I had to spend all my time judging such things I would never get anything else done. I would need to delegate.

That made things a lot easier. I simply needed to construct a barebones framework that included 'standard' contributions and rewards, while the person or people I put in charge of distributing the rewards could assess more complex cases on an individual basis.

Getting started was easy. I had plenty of cultivation resources to hand, ranging from low level herbs and treasures suitable for Body Tempering practitioners all the way up to artifacts that even a Foundation Building expert could use. Of course, many of those were reserved for personal use, but a lot of the lower realm stuff wasn't that useful to me anymore. Using it to motivate my disciples would be far better.

****

I found the Yu twins sparring with one another in a dirt courtyard. There were racks to one side filled with wooden practice weapons and a few training dummies lying about. I don't remember this being here when I left, so they must have built it in my absence. If it helped them improve, I had no issues with it.

"Sect Leader!" Yu Bao exclaimed, eyes going wide moments before his brother's fist smashed into his jaw. "Oi, you cheap bastard!"

Forgetting my presence, he leapt on his twin and they started to wrestle in the dirt. After a few exchanges I cleared my throat, causing them both to leap to their feet and bow.

"Apologies, Sect Leader. We…"

I flicked a sleeve dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I need your help constructing an important hall. It will be equal in size to the Grasping Life Palace. Can you manage it?"

They glanced at each other, sharing a nod, before turning back to me with big grins on their faces. "Of course, Sect Leader," said Yu Bao. "No problem," Yu Jin mimicked.

"Great, then follow me."

They hurried after me without complaint. I wasn't using anywhere close to my full speed, but they still grew short of breath after just thirty seconds. I supposed they had been sparring, it was an excusable fault.

Adjusting my pace so that they didn't collapse before we reached our destination was almost painful, but necessary. Looking at the exhausted boys, I remembered that I was no better when I first arrived in this world. To think it had only been a year or so since then…

Looking around the mountain peak, I considered if a major reconstruction was necessary. When we'd arrived, everyone simply built their homes here, gathered around the Grasping Life Palace.

It had worked when it was only the six of us, but now that the sect was truly developing into an organisation, with almost two hundred members so far, even the architecture needed to follow suit. However, after deliberating internally for a few seconds while I waited for the twins to catch up, I decided I didn't like the idea.

Those five had been with me since the beginning and regardless of their status or accomplishments in future, they held a special position in my life. I would not uproot their homes and send them to live down the mountain with the other disciples. If anyone had a problem with that, then they could take it up with Wang Ren.

The Yu twins arrived, immediately collapsing and panting like dogs. I chuckled to myself, thinking of Wang Ren disciplining some poor, curious kid. The twins looked at me strangely, but then resumed their recovery.

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Now that they were two-star Body Tempering practitioners, their physical prowess was much improved and it only took them another few seconds to be up on their feet and ready to work. Putting the contribution hall right beside the palace would take away from the latter's grandeur. Instead, I felt that it should be near the path which led down the mountain.

That way, any disciples ascending Million Flowers Celestial Peak would be reminded that progression was rewarded. A way to keep them motivated.

"So, we'll be constructing a large hall about the same size as the two treatment pavilions. The design should be similar in grandeur as the Grasping Life Palace, but not so imposing. I have some suitable materials here," I said, waving a hand and conjuring a large stack of logs and a pile of stones from the ruins in the Blossoming Heavens. "Working with these materials might improve your cultivation, now that I think about it. Don't slack off! Now, here's how we'll start…"

****

After helping the twins lay the foundations and giving them instructions for the rest, I had left them to their work. Despite my far superior cultivation, I was far from a talented builder. Delegation was an important skill for a sect leader, after all.

I considered how I would manage the other side of the coin. Discipline and punishment was, unfortunately, a necessity in such a large organisation. I wasn't a tyrant, but there were behaviours I refused to tolerate from my disciples.

Bullying, exploitation, and needless cruelty. All the worst aspects of cultivators I'd seen in the Cloudy Falls Sect and elsewhere. My memories of Zhao Dan's childhood in particular, the way he had been treated by his clan… I shuddered, pushing them back into the dark corner of my mind where they belonged.

I decided I wouldn't establish such an obvious system when it came to punishment. I would leave Wang Ren and eventually, the others who rose to the position of Elder, to handle incidents on a case-by-case basis. If needed, I would step in myself.

That didn't mean I was going to ignore the growing hostilities between the two 'factions' which had cropped up around Little Cui and Feng Mei. Sometimes, the best discipline was to ensure problematic incidents never happened in the first place. But how could I ensure that…?

I would think about it as I continued my work. There was no immediate rush, but I would have to put something into place soon. I made my way towards the forest, where I knew Wang Ren would be training. He would have a strangely deep insight, as usual.

****

"Discipline is important, but it's better to instil the proper values in the first place than to bring a wayward disciple back from a deviated path," Wang Ren said, a gust of wind buffeting my face as his glaive came to a halt millimetres from the grass.

I nodded, idly rolling a blade of grass between my thumb and forefinger. "I had similar thoughts, but many of those now in the sect come from a mortal upbringing. Even if we are to set ourselves apart from other sects, it is difficult to truly change their mindset," I replied.

"Well, healing things is what you do best. I'm sure you'll figure something out," he said with a smirk, muscles rippling as he began his set of glaive movements once more. "Besides, kids often get into fights because they seek validation. It's up to us to lead the way."

I froze. The simplest answer was often the greatest solution. "You're too wise, Ren. It doesn't suit you," I quipped, rising to my feet and letting the blade of grass fall to the ground.

His glaive cut a smooth yet deadly arc through the clearing, a soft clap of thunder as the carved air closed in its wake. "I take offense at that. I've always been wise, the physique came after. Hard work always pays off."

"True. What are you going to do about the Mist Princess? Do you think she will cause problems for us?" I asked.

"I doubt it. The Cloudy Falls Sect has enough problems in its own house to worry about our little garden. Anyway, we're not the same brats we used to be. By the time those bastards take notice of us, we'll have already leapt ahead."

He was right, of course. We were now both in the Foundation Building Realm. In the grand scheme of things, it was still far from the zenith. Yet, even the Sect Leader of the Cloudy Falls Sect was only a one-star Core Forging Realm master.

The younger generation always surpasses the old.

I would ensure those that came after me had a better environment to grow in, even though those who'd come before me hadn't paid much attention to such things. Wang Ren's words had brought me to the perfect answer to our problems, but it would take some time to implement.

Before that, I needed to figure out the truth behind my healing technique. It was only by comprehending that, that I would be able to establish a clear path of progression for the budding healers in the sect.

"I have one last favour to ask," I said, making Wang Ren pause his practice for the first time since I'd arrived. He raised an eyebrow and I took it as a sign to continue. "Can you push Teng Sheng to nine-star. I need to observe the dissipation process rather urgently."

"Sure, the kid has been slacking off recently. I'll give him a good thrashing," Wang Ren replied with a wink. Poor Teng Sheng… He'd thank us when he was an unparalleled hegemon of his generation.

****

The next day, I decided to go to the treatment hall for the less urgent patients. My talents were probably better used on severely wounded people, but I wasn't just here to cure the sick—I needed to understand medicinal qi and my healing technique.

To that end, my discussion with Wang Ren and my observation of his training had led me to an obvious but painful realisation. To reach perfection, one must first master the basics.

I had sought to understand my medicinal qi and its effects by treating the most severe wounds and insidious diseases, but that was misguided. Instead, I needed to begin from the ground up.

That had brought me here, facing a six year old boy who suffered from the common cold. The only reason he'd come to the sect to have it treated was the lower cost and the fact his village was within walking distance for his father, who'd carried him here.

Yet, it was patients like this who were going to help me achieve the impossible. "You're a brave boy, you know that?" I said with a smile, kneeling down beside the futon he was resting on.

He threw me an odd look, glancing at his father as if for approval, then turned back to me and grinned, flashing a gap-toothed smile. Even in this world, losing teeth was an inauguration ritual for all children. "The bravest in the village," he declared.

"I'm sure. Now, this will tickle your chest, but you need to hold on. Can you do that?"

"Of course! I'm not ticklish," he insisted, but his father's smirk told another story.

"Great! What a talent that is. I envy your skills, kid. Now, prepare yourself," I said, slowly initiating my healing technique.

The difference was immediately clear. When not doing something as intensive as restoring limbs, less medicinal qi was required. What that meant was the process itself was far more visible to my spiritual senses.

The strand of qi diffused into a cloud, mostly filling his lungs while some settled in the rest of his body, healing minor wounds and defects that had accumulated over the boy's short life.

I wasn't directing the qi whatsoever. Aside from my initial usage of the technique, I was simply a spectator.

When I only had access to blood essence, I had seen my technique as raging whorls which glued themselves to sickness and injury, purging them and restoring the patient anew. Now that I used medicinal qi, the outcome was the same, but the process was a little different.

The faint green cloud filled the boy's lungs. If I strained my perception I could faintly sense the viral cells within them. My qi methodically covered and then decimated the virus, eventually purging it within a few seconds.

This was an effective treatment. The boy coughed a few times during it, but he wore a weak smile and his body was restored once it was over. My own smile was far wider, stretching from ear to ear as I ruffled his hair and moved on to my next patient.

The reason? I had finally figured out exactly how my technique worked. More than that, I had a few ideas for how to improve it. All I needed was to diversify what I was treating.

Today was going to be productive.

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