Chapter 957: Choices P7: Arranging Lord-level Masters for Five Experts

Aksai’s gaze then moved toward the remaining five members of the Seven Stars.

He had already spoken with Shuan and Ruan. Now, it was their turn.

"Ivy, Violet, Zara, Goren, Vienna."

All five stepped forward together.

Aksai looked at them for a moment before asking,

"What are you five planning to do?"

The five exchanged glances.

They had already discussed this among themselves.

Before anyone could answer, Aksai’s gaze lingered on Ivy.

She was his disciple.

Among all the Seven Stars, Ivy was perhaps the least suited for dangerous independent adventures.

That wasn’t because she was weak.

She could hold her own against ordinary opponents of the same realm, but fighting had never been her greatest strength. Mentally, she was averse to killing.

Ivy was much more talented when it came to Spirit fields and Spirit plants.

She could recognize subtle changes in Spirit soil, understand the needs of different Spirit crops, and patiently nurture plants that other cultivators would have difficulty keeping alive.

That was precisely why Aksai had taken her as his apprentice in the first place.

Her talent wasn’t extraordinary, but she was diligent and intelligent enough to understand her own limitations. She knew when to advance and when to retreat.

Even so, she was still only at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment and remained quite far from reaching the mid stage.

Aksai didn’t want her wandering around the mainland alone and getting herself killed while trying to prove something she didn’t need to prove.

His gaze then shifted toward Violet and Zara.

The two beautiful women had started as his personal maids.

Over the years, however, neither had remained content with merely serving him.

They had fought, worked, cultivated, and gradually proven themselves worthy of their current positions.

With Aksai’s guidance and the abundant resources available on Emerald Cove Island, both had progressed to the mid stage of Foundation Establishment relatively quickly after entering the second major realm.

The pressure they experienced during the battle against the original Kalingoot forces had also helped temper them.

Neither possessed monstrous talent, but both had above-average aptitudes and, more importantly, the willingness to put in honest effort.

Aksai had invested quite heavily in their cultivation as well.

The results were now visible.

Both had the potential to reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Whether either of them could eventually become a Lord seed was still far too early to determine, but they were certainly heading in the right direction.

Aksai had relied on these two women for years to help manage Emerald Cove Island’s affairs. As such, he didn’t want them throwing away their lives in the mainland’s chaos either.

Finally, his gaze settled on Goren and Vienna.

Compared to the others, their stories were much simpler.

Both had been born and raised among the mortal population of Emerald Cove Island.

They had never possessed powerful backgrounds or influential masters.

They had simply cultivated step by step after being shortlisted to serve under Aksai through one of the island’s local competitions.

Their cultivation talents were decent, and their loyalty had been proven repeatedly over the years.

That loyalty was something Aksai valued greatly.

He could always find stronger cultivators.

With enough resources, he could even nurture them himself.

But finding cultivators who had grown alongside him and whose loyalty had been forged through years of shared experiences was much harder.

That was what made the Seven Stars special.

Aksai had initially considered taking all seven of them to the Shinayin Empire.

After all, having trusted subordinates by his side would make many things easier.

But after thinking it through, he had abandoned the idea.

The journey itself was too dangerous.

The mainland was already in chaos, and the route to the Shinayin Empire was hardly safe either. After all, the Seven Stars did not have the Core Formation cultivation base.

Without sufficient individual might, how would they journey through the depths of the Duya Forest safely? Especially at this point, when the various routes leading to this subcontinent were being explored by the imperial cultivators.

Bringing seven people who were all still at the Expert level would only increase the number of variables he had to worry about.

For their own safety, it was better for them to remain in the subcontinent for the time being.

The five Experts understood this as well.

None of them demanded to follow him.

Instead, after a brief exchange of glances, Ivy stepped forward as their representative.

"My Lord, we will follow your arrangement."

Aksai raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You’ve already discussed this among yourselves?"

Ivy nodded.

"Yes, My Lord."

She glanced briefly at the other four before continuing.

"We know that we won’t be able to accompany you for the time being. At least, not until you’ve found a safe place for yourself and decided that it is safe for us to join you."

Violet, Zara, Goren, and Vienna nodded in agreement.

The Spirit farmer had to appreciate the thoughtfulness shown by the five Experts. They had been with him for too long not to understand the situation.

Aksai sighed softly.

"Very well."

Aksai’s attention then shifted toward the two lady Lords sitting on either side of him.

Jina and Naisha had remained silent throughout the discussion post the narration of the current events, quietly observing how Aksai arranged the future of his subordinates.

Now, it was their turn.

"Jina. Naisha."

The two women looked toward him.

"Are you perhaps willing to accept disciples of your own?"

Jina and Naisha exchanged a glance before turning back toward Aksai.

"We’ll follow your arrangement, My Lord," Jina replied.

Aksai smiled faintly.

"Then I’ll make the arrangements."

He first looked at Jina.

"Jina, I want you to accept Violet and Zara as your disciples."

Both women were slightly startled.

They had clearly not expected this arrangement.

Aksai continued before they could say anything.

"And for the time being, I also want you to mentor Ivy Elbak on my behalf."

Jina’s eyes briefly moved toward the three women.

Violet, Zara, and Ivy all looked at her with varying degrees of anticipation.

Jina smiled.

"Very well."