Molting the Mortal Coil

Branding only became powerful because of the advent of mass media. It was all based upon fame. Without being popular, no one would care about such a thing. Without a way to advertise them, a specific product or brand would be no different from any other. Advertising was used to create a desire. Branding was a way to tie together disparate products into a group. Advertise a single product, and sell a single product. Advertise a whole brand and you increase the desire for everything wearing the brand. It was also a way to put a face to stacks of mass produced goods. For those accustomed to buying from a well known local, it was a method to give these things a recognizable source or identity.

Either way, as usual, Sage didn’t get directly involved. He merely recorded down the random things he remembered hearing about business and advertising, then passed them over to Wan Ling. He answered her questions as best he could, but she took it in stride. Already she looked at him like he was an oddity. It was like he could channel insight into so many things that he had no right to know about, and she just took it to be some sort of mysterious technique. 

Sage had much more fun just doodling little logos. Since this little brand would start in Lionheart Town he was randomly inspired. He drew out a little thunder cloud, but in the shape of a male lion’s head and mane. A single bolt of lightning was being spit out of the lion’s open mouth. With a few passes he simplified the logo as much as possible and then used a Memory Sphere to spin up an animated logo. It was something people on this world would have never heard or even imagined, but extremely commonplace on Earth. He stole the image of a large rock jutting upward from the ground at a high angle from a certain animated lion film, with a massive storm boiling in the sky. Then a huge and majestic lion climbed up that rock and roared into the sky, releasing a bolt of lightning from its mouth. At that moment the video froze. Then in familiar fashion it transitioned to the image of an oil painting, a watercolor, an impression, and then finally the very simple logo. 

He passed this over to Wan Ling as something to include in their advertising lineup, along with the usual methods of repeating their name a dozen times and including snippets of things they were selling. Finished with that fun diversion, Sage moved on to more important matters. 

There were still many groups and individuals that he had to get even with. In order to do that, he needed to be strong. Many of those groups were first rate powers, which meant they had more than a few Nascent Souls under their command. As it was now, if Sage had a few years to consolidate his strength and build a foundation, with himself and Ruanfu they could be about equal to a second rate power, at least in the strength of their cultivators. The main thing they were lacking was resources. Resources that were born from territory. There was a reason that the stronger a power was, the larger a territory they governed. Simply having one or two powerful cultivators did not make a powerful force. There was a limit on what one person could do. It was also a very common desire to continue to grow more powerful. For those that had reached their peak, they would focus upon the next generation. Raise some descendants and use your own advantages to push them to a higher peak than yourself. These powerful Clans had been following this plan for hundreds or thousands of years, constantly pushing their limits and raising their prestige. They fought for larger and more valuable territories to gain access to more resources which could then strengthen their next generation. 

Sage’s own accomplishments only made him into an upstart. Cultivators ran into fortuitous opportunities all the time. Usually, this raised their station to a higher level and they would join a power far beyond their old means. Of course, that was not what all of them did. Many more grew arrogant and tried to forge their own path, walking a lonesome path and battling against all odds. Such a heroic figure was present in many songs, poems, and legends, but nearly all of them ended in two ways. Either the hero finally settles down to rule some great group, or they die tragically along the way. Sage on the other hand, didn’t join some great power, nor did he want to become a lone hero. It also wasn’t unusual for people to pop up out of nowhere and take over a small power. Whatever fortune fell into their hands became enough to propel them into a position of power, one that was usually taken with the strength of their fists. 

This was a world ruled by strength after all. While a supporting force could create a great background and was necessary to control a large territory, it also wasn’t everything. Even with great amounts of resources, the younger generation didn’t always improve. They could grow arrogant of their power and position and with just a few generations of complacence lose their edge completely. A truly vicious and powerful cultivator could single handedly destroy those generations of effort. This new Warlord either sought to monopolize all those resources for themselves, or they were starting the process all over again, using their seized resources to train their own descendants. 

Sage didn’t truly have such interest in controlling territory and using its resources to raise descendants like that. He much rather preferred the life of the wandering cultivator. Yet, the Ancestor had given him a task and he felt obligated to fulfill it. He would much prefer sitting atop the peak of a mountain and cultivating for many years, or chasing opportunities in the untamed wilderness. The lifespan of a cultivator was so long, why should he be in such a rush? He felt no attraction to power, only strength. He didn’t want the power to control other’s lives, he only wanted the strength to live his own freely. 

Haha, what a hypocrite I am! I don’t want to control others, but then I go and become an expert at mind control.

It was a choice made to be merciful and to maximize his resources, but it was still pretty ridiculous. Many times he’d imagined using the Hypnotic Eye to change people’s attitudes and alter their bad behaviours. Wouldn’t the world be a better place then? Yet, that idea felt abhorrent to him. Even using the Hypnotic Eye in combat left him feeling somewhat torn. For those that sought to take his life, they should be prepared to lose their own in return, but the Hypnotic Eye was just so overbearing. For those who didn’t match his strength they were completely helpless to defend against it. If they met his gaze, they were completely at his mercy. It left a bitter taste merely because it wasn’t sporting! It wasn’t a deadly competition, it was an execution. 

Hmm… I didn’t feel this way back when I first gained the Hypnotic Eye. That’s odd.

All of these thoughts ran through his head as he cultivated. As a Nascent Soul, the only way to improve his level was to raise his understanding of Laws and studying the Law of Corruption wasn’t as simple as just staring at flames, or watching the waves move. He was immersed in contemplation of his own thoughts and actions. Careful review led him to realize that, unsurprisingly, his character had undergone subtle changes every time he fully Merged with another creature. The Silver Liberator Butterfly had put his own personality and persona thoroughly in charge, but the others still influenced him in small and subtle ways. 

There was also another important factor. The Primal Law of Corruption was not just good at empowering corrupting influences, it could also weaken them. The more he trained, the more those influences upon his personality were diluted. In the past, if someone was his enemy, then any and all means should be used to defeat them. The influence of so many vicious beasts had been slowly eroding his morality. In the early years, fear led him to become a survivor, doing whatever it took to stay alive. At the Holy Flame Sect he was finally safe and dealt with that trauma, but then his mind was corrupted by the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent. It only got worse as the years passed and he got into more and more life threatening situations. 

Inside the Universe Ring, he sat cross legged in an empty room of the manor. The air around him suddenly rippled and the energy around him pulsed. It swirled and crackled from the influence of an invisible power. Then there was a loud shattering sound and Sage broke through. Power rapidly flowed into him, and his strength rapidly rose. The nebula within the Dantian of his Nascent Soul swirled faster, the many little star lights multiplied in number, getting larger and brighter as they did. After a few hours the flow of energy finally slowed down and Sage examined himself.

Haha, two Stages in a row. Level 63 now!