While Luna took over the kitchen, under the supervision of the other disciples, who were eager to see her cooking skills, the Lotus Blossom Sect Elders took Cain to see the practice grounds.
Most of the disciples were training in the early stages of the Sects own style, but Cain noticed that one was trying to learn the Holy Sword technique.
"Is that technique actually very popular? I see it everywhere I go lately." Cain asked.
"For those with the Affinity, it has tremendous potential. Did you have one among your disciples who was attempting it as well?" Elder Ling asked.
"In a way. Jen has become quite Adept with holy attacks already, though her style is somewhat different than most, as she uses a sword and shield." Cain explained.
The shield was essential to many of a Paladin's defensive techniques and could be effectively used as a secondary weapon once you had enough skill points into the appropriate trees.
Cain watched the disciple struggle a bit longer then turned to the Elders "Do you mind if I go give pointers? I've seen the technique used enough that I have the energy flow memorized."
That wasn't even a lie. The Affinity activated the same way, except for the source of the energy, and the Ancients were very good at deciphering energy flows.
"If you think she will listen, feel free." The Elder chuckled, reminding Cain of the Sect's reputation as man-haters.
This disciple looked like a very competitive sort, so Cain decided to start with a challenge. After rummaging through his crate full of random items to be reworked, he came up with a ring that had some dexterity and added holy damage to it.
"Disciple, would you care to take on a challenge? Follow my instructions and activate Holy Sword, that's it. If you can complete it, I will give you this ring that will improve your holy abilities, but if you lose, I ask for a small price." Cain suggested.
"What sort of price, you old pervert?" The disciple retorted, while her Elders smiled at Cain's misfortune.
"If you lose, you will wear this as a hat until the end of the day." Cain teased, taking out a conical hat that appeared to be made of rolled newsprint.
It was actually an item to improve intelligence and comprehension, it was just hideous, in the fashion of dunce caps everywhere.
"Can you even teach me anything? Or do you just get off on having strangers wear hats?" She asked.
Cain picked up a wooden training Sword and activated the skill, laying it flows with intense white light and drawing the attention of the whole training ground.
"Now, do you accept the challenge?" Cain asked.
"Fine, but you had better make good with the reward when I win."
Cain tossed the prize ring to Elder Ling and turned back to the disciple. "The Elder will referee. Take your Sword in your right hand and follow my lead."
[Record Keeper can you use an illusion on my arm that will show the mana flow as Holy Sword activates in spite motion please?] Cain asked his introspective Merged Demon.
[On your cue.]
Cain took his shirt off and faced the disciple.
"Alright, gather energy and move it to your shoulder in the shape of this symbol, then spread it like this, so it moves down your arm in a blade-shaped wave that will flow into your sword. That's how Holy Sword activates."
As Cain explained, the record keeper cast the illusion, and white lines flowed down Cain's arm in slow motion. She already knew the sigil, so all she had to do was follow the pattern for activation.
The first attempt was a failure, as she just pushed energy across the surface of her arm in one wave.
"Not on top, that was just for demonstration. Use the pathways in your arm in that pattern." Cain tried again.
"Like that's so easy." She muttered.
A teen girl in the simple uniform of the uninitiated acolytes who were still working toward becoming disciples while doing the Sects chores, was watching carefully with a simple wooden sword in hand, and as Cain repeated the demonstration she followed his lead exactly and the blade faintly lit up.
"Haha, it really works. Hey Mister, do I get a reward too?" She asked, with a smirk on her face that said she had been looking forward to getting one up on what Cain assumed was her Rival.
[Quest: Reward the Faithful] give the one who pleased the Laughing God a token.
When the Quest appeared a small silver pendant also appeared in Cain's hand.
"Good job. How about you take this? It will bring you good luck and fateful encounters," Cain offered, patting her head as he gave her the token from the Laughing God.
"That brat." The first disciple muttered but continued the practice for another minute until she finally grasped the final step and activated the skill.
"Yes. I win, old man." She gloated.
"Excellent work. That was indeed the Holy Sword. Hold the feeling and it will stay active for a while, and not just for one strike. You can collect your reward from the Elder." Cain agreed with a smile.
The successful disciple bowed politely to the Elders and collected the ring that Cain promised before going to show it off to her friends.
"Those two started at the Sect during the same recruitment, and the little one had no base at all, she is one of our charity cases, still too weak to be a full disciple.
It was kind of you to encourage her despite her lack of talent." The Elder told Cain.
"Lack of talent can be overcome with hard work and the right attitude. Even if they lack the ability to make it far on their own, they can still make it further than those who close their eyes to opportunity." Cain shrugged.
"That's an interesting take on it. Do you not vet your disciples by talent?" The Elder asked.
"No, only by tenacity. If they want to follow me I find them a good opportunity elsewhere. If they still follow I will give them a chance."
Cain's description made a few of the disciples smile. He didn't seem like a bad person, and he wasn't forcing his disciples to follow him, which was unusual for a Sect Master. Normally they put a lot of effort into growing and building their power base.
"Since each of them is learning a unique style, motivation is important. Take Tena for example. She is learning the ways of a Dragon Monk. If she wasn't self-motivated, there wouldn't even be a similar style around for her to emulate." Cain continued.
"A Lycan, a Holy Power user, and a Dragon Monk? That's quite the skill set to be teaching. Might I ask how you learned all that yourself?" The Elder asked.
"Good fortune and the will of the Divine. It keeps my days interesting. Especially with Luna following in my footsteps."
The dinner bell cut their conversation short, and a very happy Luna made her way back to Cain, leading the other disciples.
"Just like you asked, no spice in the stew. But it turned out pretty well. The kitchen lady says we can eat as soon as you finish talking to the Elders."
"And that explains why you came searching for me with such vigor. I think we have covered the essential areas already, perhaps the Elders would like to join us for the evening meal?" Cain asked.
"As Immortals, we don't require much physical sustenance anymore, but I will gladly join your odd band of travelers for a meal today." Elder Ling agreed, dragging her counterpart along with them.
When they arrived back at the kitchen area, the whole Sect was abuzz with gossip. Not about the stew, though it was getting very good reviews from the ladies of the Lotus Blossom Sect. Instead, everyone was talking about the acolyte who learned a skill in a single try.
Even for the true geniuses of the sect, that was unheard of, and the Core Disciples who were looking to take on a Disciple of their own to prove themselves worthy of becoming Elders were very eager to see if the girl could do it again.
"Mister Cain, could you repeat your performance for us tonight? Everyone is very eager to see if your rumored Divine Teaching Method can really teach a skill in one attempt." One of the Elders, a scar-faced woman with more than a few extra pounds on her body, both of which were a rarity among cultivation sects, asked politely.
"I don't see why not. Is there a technique that you had in mind?" Cain asked.
"Our Lotus Blossom Style emphasizes fire skills once it reaches beyond the beginner levels, do you know much about fire manipulation?" The Elder asked.
"Ooh, teach them [Meteor Strike]," Sabbat suggested, with an eager gleam in her eye.
As a Cleric of the Magic Aspect Demons, various types of fire were her specialty. That wasn't quite a fire element class, as most of them were Demonic in nature, but some of the basic ones were plain old flames.
"I suppose we could start them out with something simple. Do many of them know the ability commonly called [Flame Arrows]?" Cain asked. It was the fire element version of Magic Arrow, a rank D spell that pretty much every mage would take before they hit level 5 unless they were going for the Ice Element and needed to avoid fire skills.
"All of the Inner Disciples have the power to accomplish it for certain, but external energy manipulation isn't as easy for us as it is for a Magic Type Cultivator like yourself and most of your disciples." The Elder sighed.
"That's fine, once you know, you know. Learning it might even help their progress, if some of them are stuck at the breakpoint between using their power to build their own body and learning to release it." Cain suggested.
A whole army of Low Level Martial Artists using Flame Arrows to start the fight sounded like a great prank to play on the next people to bother the Lotus Blossom Sect.
