"I wonder what they will tell their Sect about the battle. It didn't really go well for them, and it might be a bit embarrassing to learn that they lost ten on five against the ladies of the Forbidden Treasure Sect." Elder Ling asked softly.
"Well, my Disciples were the Outer Sect champions, so it's not unexpected to lose to them. They might not mention that they sent the whole team at once, but their loss should be no surprise." Cain shrugged.
The Disciples in question had already left the ring and were returning to Cain's side, where Luna directly picked the seat in his lap so that he could not ignore her or delay her customary celebratory affection. Nobody was surprised by it anymore. Luna's quirks were common knowledge not only among her companions but among the Lotus Blossom Sect and their Disciples as well.
"How are the other challengers doing? You should be able to sense the battles from here, right?" Luna asked as she relaxed into Cain's hand, which was gently stroking her head.
"They seem to be much more evenly matched. We might not have gotten the strongest of their Outer Sect Disciples, but it looks like most of the teams are on similar levels, so they might have balanced them for a better demonstration of their average strength." Elder Ling explained.
"Oh, that's good. It would have been sad if we got the only team that couldn't take their assigned targets." Luna replied.
That would have been a hit to the pride if the boys could hear that, but they had no room to complain. Their fight didn't even last a single round, and they were solidly trounced. After a fight like that, the best thing they could do was fly away.
And that was exactly what they did. They asked the room to eject them into the air above the arena a few minutes later, and after looking at the distorted view of the compressed space, they bowed to the Disciples and flew away without a word.
"I like those ones. They asked nicely, and they didn't brag or talk trash at all." Penny stated, tilting her chin to indicate the disciples who were flying away.
"Not all Sects are obnoxious and aggressive, no matter how prideful the younger generation might be. I am glad you managed to meet some nice people while you were here." Elder Ling replied.
Luna looked at the Elder with a hint of pity in her eyes. "It will be a shame to have to let you stay behind while we go traveling. But we are running low on shiny things, and we were promised that there would be an Ancient Dragon at the other end. I haven't seen one of those since we got to this world, and I am looking forward to it."
"You know Ancient Dragons are easily angered and incredibly dangerous, right?"
Luna shook her head. "You just need to give them a reason not to be in a bad mood. When you get that old, you get bored and don't want to be bothered. But I am prepared. I have collected a huge selection of interesting things so that I will have something that he wants."
Elder Ling smiled at the girl's confidence and joined Cain in petting her head. "As long as you are certain that you have it handled, I will believe you."
"Tena's advancement and everything else can wait until we find a good clue during our travels. You can't rush a future advancement path. But this is the perfect opportunity for you to swap out the arena. Most of the Disciples have left for dinner, and there are no fights going on." Cain told Elder Ling.
"Oh, right. I will clear the area now."
Elder Ling used an energy technique on her voice that made it carry across the Camp, getting everyone's attention in an instant.
[Please clear the area around the Arena. The ability is about to be disabled and reactivated.] She ordered, getting all the lingering Disciples moving.
"We should also get going to dinner as soon as she is finished. I heard that the puppets you left are almost done training the first batch of Disciples in basic cooking." Penny informed the group.
"Since they're just clones of the Kitchen Elder with their ages regressed, I will free them from my influence and leave them here when we go. Watching her get all flustered when someone flirts with the clones or teases them has become a Sect hobby." Cain whispered to Elder Ling, then disabled the spell and let the Arena vanish, catching the attention of the Sects camped nearby.
The youthful-looking Elder scrunched up her face as she focused, and a few seconds later, a new arena faded into being. This one wasn't quite like the last one, it was far more ornate, with cushions on the seats for the spectators, and the monsters that flanked the entry were replaced by statues of Elder Ling herself.
None of the Lotus Blossom Sect members had realized that the monsters at the door were statues of Cain in his true form, but they would all realize right away that the particularly alluring statues were Elder Ling.
The old entry had given off a vaguely forbidding atmosphere, giving the Disciples that were coming to train a sense of solemn duty to do their best. The new one did not have that feeling. Instead, the entryway gave off a feeling of warmth and motherly compassion, encouraging them to do their best.
"Who would have thought that the Arena would be so different depending on who made it? We totally should have had cushions the first time." Jen commented as she looked around the revamped area.
The space also seemed to be more compressed, possibly due to the fact that Elder Ling was an Immortal, whereas Cain was only Spirit Awakened, despite the fact that he had surpassed all sense of normal power scaling.
With the Arena replaced and Elder Ling's assurance that everything was working as intended and they wouldn't come to any real harm, the Disciples who finished their dinner the fastest joined the battleground, picking sparring partners for their evening training.
"So, are you going to leave an Heir behind before you leave for the mountain? You know, just in case something happens to you?" One of the Lotus Blossom Disciples asked as she followed Cain and the group toward the kitchen.
"Well, Luna is coming with me, and I think that the alternative might not go over well with my wife of my mistress." Cain chuckled, and the girl's face blushed bright crimson.
"A wife and a mistress? I always knew that the normal rules of propriety didn't apply to the powerful. Do you think that I can have a harem, too, if I get as powerful as you?"
Elder Ling thumped the girl on top of her head. "No harem talk in the dining hall. But no, you need to at least reach the level of the Sect Master first. Master Cain is a special case."
"So, it is possible. Don't worry, Elder, I will work hard." The girl laughed, then scurried away into the crowd.
Elder Ling shook her head, blushing at the thought of such indecent things happening inside her Sect, while Penny turned a meaningful look between her and Cain.
[She is the only one that he didn't make too young to be a potential romantic interest. Does that mean that he really might go for it before we leave? Maybe I should convince everyone else to take a late-night stroll.] Her thoughts were saying as Cain listened in.
Cain checked Elder Ling's thoughts, but all he could hear was a focusing Mantra, blocking out all other thoughts which might have been in her mind.
At the same time, in a hidden portion of the Divine Planes, two pairs of eyes, one green, the other entirely black, were watching the scene unfold from above using a remote viewing spell.
"I think that we might have to take direct action soon at this rate. He is too tempting to humans." Nyarla whispered to Misha.
"I have put in a request with the Creators, and they have assured me that once we finally get him here to complete the quest, they have a way to keep him still and entertained for at least a few centuries," Misha assured her, with the hint of a jealous smile on her face.
"Those old gods are going to intervene? That should be enough to keep him in one spot and away from thieving little dolls like that Elder. If I didn't know that she looked like that, to begin with, I would think he was making himself a replacement beauty." Nyarla, the Ancient midwife in charge of Misha's care, complained while using her facial tentacles to feed herself popcorn as they watched the scene unfold.
"Is that the dill pickle popcorn? No hoarding the good stuff. And where is the mint chocolate ice cream?" Misha asked, looking toward the enchanted ice box in the corner over the top of her heavily pregnant belly.
