initially, i was going to post a really lengthy comment, but i'm just going to say that i dropped this. why do the "brothers" have to be on the same level as him (in terms of cultivation rank). the protagonist should be at least a few ranks higher. if the followers are on the same level as the master, then what makes the master special (aside from his wisdom and excellent gear). the master should be standing atop his followers (in terms of cultivation level). i doubt that the followers are going to have a relevant impact on nie li anyway