Dao Xu and her three sister's all sharing her silver white hair were at my damned door after I left after the night of light training to practise my new spell techniques.
And as I looked at the four sisters in total... I could only nod as they were all beauties for sure with their own highlights though. I noted that their fortunes, besides Dao Xu's were dull grey halos above their heads.
Which made sense, as they were destined to literally be fucking dead in the next 48 hours of course.
"Hello, my name is Jake Bariss, may I have your names?" I tried to be respectful.
And Dao Xu for a moment, looked ready to be snarky, but then she took a breath and refocused before she said in a haughty tone. "Fine! My mother said that you are talented and I shoudn't be cause you problems, so I will do you the honor of knowing my sister's names at the least!"
She then stepped in front of her three sisters who gave her amused if not bland looks as she tried to show them off as she pushed the three into a line to introduce them.
"This is the youngest sister of the Dao family. This adorable fairy is Dao Xuan!" She introduced an somewhat shorter and more petite woman with sky blue and silver hair. And she was also wearing a shorter skirt then usual.
Then the next sister was... An offering to a goddess of fertility in being very curvy in all the right places with darker and more shrewd blue eyes and she clearly wasn't afraid to display her beauty as her robes top was open well and her long skirt had a slit to allow her legs free movment.
"This the eldest sister Dao Mengdi, and she is the strongest of us four with the highest cultivation at the Eighth level of Foundation Establishment!" Dao Xu said proudly with Mengdi rolling her eyes.
Then she went to the last and it was also a girl with silver hair. But she had a blind fold over her face who was wearing a tight-fitting qipao with open legs, and the dress didn't attach to her sleeves which gave her ample room to move her arms as she was clearly a sword cultivator.
And that was all to clear as Dao Xu said even more proudly. "This is Dao Toubi! The pride of my family. As a Grand Elder said she had the potential to become a true Sword Cultivator with sword intent in the next few decades!"
I looked at Dao Toubi who had... Zero facial expression as she was holding her sheathed sword in both hands against her ample chest.
And then Mengdi spoke in a more elegant voice. "Don't tell him all of our secrets little Xu. As she already said, my name is Mengdi and I am a servant of the Sect Master, and I have heard... News of you as well."
I tilted my head to the side and asked with some confusion. "Oh? What kind of news have you heard? It's only been a couple days, since I became a true disciple in reaching Foundation Establishment."
Mengdi's face became much more truly amused before she said in amusement. "Oh, our mother also told us about your Heavenly Foundation Establishment. But no, you are well known in the elder's circle for being in the sect for only a few months. And getting the last descendant of an elder banished from the Sect."
My face went stiff as all three of the other Dao sisters shared a look with Dao Xuan, saying uncertainly to me. "Oh, it was Lumao Shan right? The grandson of that elder whose seal got stolen and used to falsify Sect orders."
Dao Mengdi nodded as she said with a chuckle. "Correct, Dao Xuan. But the fact you have also created your own Heavenly Foundation Establishment will likely spread a whole new bushfire among the elders. As it's going to raise questions as to why a talent like you doesnt even have a teacher or a Dao Guardian yet."
The youngest Dao Xuan in a softer voice, said. "It really is weird a talent like you doesn't have a guardian or teacher though."
I just shrugged and said helplessly. "Who knows, I am still new to the sect, and half the elder's could have been in retreat for a small cultivation session the whole time I have been in the sect."
There was also the fact that I was a Westerner in this Eastern sect to boot. Sure, they hadn't been overtly racist or anything at all. But I was well aware that I was different to these people.
Toubi then spoke out in a cold voice. "Let's get moving. We already scheduled a portal to Shanghai as well."
I nodded as I could tell Miss Sword cultivator here wasn't much for simple conversation. And Dao Xu was still being... Not so much arrogant right now, but she clearly was trying to have some form of attitude as she didn't want to pay any respect to me.
Which I frankly just found fucking funny at this point. She was barely at the mid levels of Foundation Establishment, from what I could sense. And her actual cultivation talent was... Crap.
She would be lucky to break through Golden Core with a decently ranked Golden Core and wouldn't make it to peak Golden Core if that at all.
It was only through the combined efforts of two powerful Gu implanted inside of her and an Earth Immortal Gu she could control through the Calamity Gu Gem she found. And that Earth Immortal Gu was an actual immortal tier living being, even if it was extremely weak for it's level.
Because it fed off the faith that filled Shanghai as the worship of ancestors and random spirits. It leeched off that worship for millennia until the Earth Will from what I caught up in her destiny chance. Literally accidentally sealed it within the dungeon.
She had a literal divine wasp that could kill a peak Nascent Soul that was going to turn into an immortal. As well as two powerful ice and water gu that did the cultivating for her... And even with all of that, she couldn't even break through mid Nascent Soul as her comprehension was garbage.
So let her keep her attitude. Within a year, I would be at the peak of Foundation Establishment and making my Heavenly Pillars in the genius stages to make a perfect Golden Core.
We swiftly moved through the sect as we headed towards the main sect's grounds beyond the Wood Sword Mountain I was based in. And as I saw the familiar teleporting grounds, I wondered how Zhu Yuan was actually.
"So... Jake, with how you are from the Wood Sword Mountain, and I can feel the fire qi within you as well. Do you have any plans to learn alchemy?" Dao Xuan, the youngest sister, asked kindly as she walked beside me.
I nodded and said helplessly. "Yeah, I am heading to this commission to collect materials to start self teaching myself Alchemy at this point. As I have zero idea who to go towards for lessons."
Dao Mengdi from the front of our group threw back casually. "After this mission if all goes well. Maybe our mother can introduce you to an elder in the Inner Courts who can teach you Alchemy."
I raised an eyebrow at that and I said with a small smile. "I would appreciate that. Thank you Senior."
And it seems my respect made Dao Xu just snort. But thankfully we reached our portal so she held in any indignation as we handed over our group pass to the Golden Core guards who were in charge of this transfer station.
Then we were directed towards our teleportation room which would spatially transfer us to another room but in Shanghai. And as we came out we likewise shared out identification and then made our way out into the heart of one of the most lively cities even in this world.
'After a good couple months in the still semi-modern life in the sect. Seeing the true modern life of a concrete jungle like Shanghai is still a shocker.' I mused helplessly as the giant skyscrapers surrounded us as we walked out of the Five Element's Sect owned building.
"I will call up bus to take us towards the Dungeon. Unless, Jake do you have anything else you need to do here in the city before we go? As we planned to remain outside of the sect for a few days anyway." Mengdi explained with a lazy wave to the surrounding city.
With Dao Xu saying with a proud smile. "After all, we have been in the Sect all of our lives so we are interested in seeing what the more mundane world is like beyond just the Cultivation side of things."
Dao Toubi on the otherhand said in a cool voice. "Spending days shopping with the excuse that Jake wants to look around is boring. We have a mission to clear a dungeon, wasting time will only make mother look indolent."
All three other sister's sagged as they clearly were excited to go shopping at the get go. Still I threw my own thoughts in as a I said simply. "I am going straight to the dungeon. Then with some money on hand, I am going to go shopping."
Though... On one hand, for my shopping I also meant 'shopping' around for people with great chances I could steal/'help guide' them towards depending on the chance and the type of person they were.
But Toubi stepped forward and said cooly. "Good, let's get going to the dungeon now then. Wasting time is wasting talent and lifespan."
And thus I knew Toubi wasn't just a 'cold beauty' she was just pragmatic and clearly wanting to be the best version of herself in terms of martial might.
With Dao Toubi's impatience for messing around all to clear to the other girls. They could only grumble in annoyance before we headed off to the dungeon.
And while on the way I reviewed both the public information on the dungeon we were going to be closing. As well as the information I myself saw through the vision of Dao Xuan's own chance encounter.
Though honestly, the fact that all three of her sister's died in this dungeon actually explained why she became a powerful Gu user who was fucking insane.
Because only someone insane would allow hundreds of Gu, insects of various forms to form symbiotic growth within her body.
Dao Mengdi called us a cab that then brought us across the city and to the dungeon without anything major happening. And as we got to the dungeon I coudn't help but notice that this dungeon unlike the one I went throught at the Sect. Didn't have a concrete entryway into it.
'Almost like Fey Wild's myths. You walk in the wrong direction and poof. You basically walk into a different demension and you are fucked.' I thought as while we walked. I could literally feel the spiritual energy in the air change all to quickly as we entered the dungeon.
"Alright, the dungeon has been roiling with too much energy as you all know. It is going to 'Dungeon Break' within the next few weeks, so all the dungeon spawns will be of higher strength then they should. But they shoudn't be beyond Mid-Foundation Establishment." Dao Mengdi spoke confidently.
But inwardly I was laughing as in reality... ALL of the monsters were at the very least Mid Foundation stage. And seeing as they were dungeon monsters with little to no care for their lives they were even more dangerous.
But with my Heavenly Foundation and the memories of the monsters that Dao Xuan saw and fought. I knew my actual strength was more then enough to protect myself.