Chapter 38 – Taking Ownership of a Mountain

The manor was a whirlwind of activity as Zhao Ren swept up all his belongings into his spatial pouch, which was almost full. Having spent every spare moment researching in the new library in the Hall of Scripture, Ren had only taken care of the important things in his manor. Only on the morning of his departure did he remember the furniture he had bought, his various teas, assorted keepsakes, leftover materials, and all the household items. Afraid of being late to meet the senior who would be guiding them to the inner sect, he just threw everything in to be sorted later.

Only at the gate did he stop rushing about and look back. This had been his home for over a year. Where he had taken his first shaky steps on this grand adventure. Where he had learned to become independent, made friends, and adapted to life as a cultivator. He could picture himself dancing the funny steps of the Nurturing Rain Sutra over the fields where he had grown his precious spirit herbs. The little pool where his tortoises soaked in the sun. Forging Hua’s sword and drinking wine under the stars.

The manor itself was unrecognizeable from how he had found it. The natural formation he had made using qi-rich materials still enhanced the qi to the levels of a weak cultivation chamber. The soil was so well fertilized and rich in qi that even some herbs could transform to weak spirit herbs.

All these and more were the marks of his legacy, to be inherited by the next generation. As he closed the doors behind him for the final time, he found he wasn’t envious of the lucky tenant who would be assigned to this manor. After all his ponderings on karma and merit, he found himself thinking it was simply the next owner’s good karma. A new thread to connect.

As Ren hurried to the Hall of Contribution, the nostalgia that washed over him slowly receded. He felt renewed as the anticipation for the next step on his journey grew to take its place. When he reached the small crowd at the Hall’s entrance, the only feelings left in his heart were peace and excitement. He wanted to just sit down and cultivate, but now wasn’t the time for that.

Ren spotted Hua and Ling and went to greet them. They looked just as excited as he felt. He took a moment to glance around and recognized a few other faces. Some from his days as the popular senior in the outer sect and some from the frantic days of the inheritance trial. A few were starting to approach him when they were all interrupted by the inner sect disciple arriving on a huge flying leaf.

Ren knew that cultivators of the inner sect flew on swords, but this was the first time he had seen a leaf used as a flying treasure! He wondered about the size of the tree it had come from and wanted to examine it for the array inscriptions engraved on it that allowed it to fly. Unfortunately, the inner disciple didn’t look like he would have allowed it. The annoyed impatience on his face was clear to see.

“Hurry up and get on! I have much better things to do than wait around for you weaklings!”

Startled into motion by the unwarranted scolding, the 10 or so disciples quickly climbed aboard the large emerald green leaf. No sooner had the last one stepped on, the leaf took off into the sky. Strangely, none of them tilted or fell off despite the alarming speed.

“You all have received your inner sect identification jades and robes. Now all that remains is to select your abode in the inner regions. I will take you first to the inner sects’ entrance, beyond which lies the vast regions of the inner sect. Our Heavenly Sword Sect controls the vast mountain ranges you see! Our territory extends beyond the horizon!” The arrogant tone of the inner disciple shifted to take on a note of pride as he instructed them.

“You will be allowed to select a mountain and build your home and cultivation chambers there. Mountains serve to act as natural accumulators of qi, allowing them to reach the density required to cultivate beyond the qi gathering realm. Yet each one is unique. Whether you find a good one is up to your own fate. Don’t worry, there are hundreds to choose from. The inner sect is far smaller in numbers than the outer sect, where the disciples number in the thousands. Here there are fewer than 500 disciples. Never forget that you are a crane amidst a flock of chickens! You have done well to reach here, but there is still an incomparable distance to go.”

“Remember to choose carefully, for you will not be allowed to change except under certain rare occasions. And be sure to obey the rules and follow basic courtesy or you risk offending other disciples. Don’t come crying to the Hall of Discipline for every small issue! You are cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect. You are expected to handle your own matters.” The supercilious tone once again came to the forefront.

Ren knew some of it beforehand. Life here was far less sheltered than in the outer sect. They were flying west, over the regions where the strong beast tides had originated. Those beasts had been at the early stages of the foundation realm. Essentially the layout could resemble two circles lying next to each other. The sect had built its foundation on the eastern edge of each circle. He hadn’t seen it for himself yet, but the inner sect was supposed to be many times larger and contain beasts of a much higher cultivation. It was up to them to defend themselves. It was a trial of its own.

The flying leaf treasure was deceptively fast. Below him, Ren could make out familiar landmarks that indicated they were already halfway past the central region. A journey that would have taken weeks as a weak qi gathering realm disciple. He had never explored beyond this point, occupied instead by the beast tides. A few of the other disciples decided to take the opportunity to ask questions, but the senior disciple only responded in a few gruff words. Soon, everyone fell silent and just took in the sights as they approached the gates of the inner sect.

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When the gates were within sight, Ren channeled qi into his eyes to make out the characters carved on them. They were the same as on the sect’s main entrance. “Cultivating Immortality.” This time, however, they were more piercing than ever. His studies had shown him the depth he had been unable to appreciate in the past.

Ren had learned that any cultivator could use qi to carve channels that emitted qi. In fact, that was how arrays were carved and implemented. But when a cultivator reached higher realms, they came in contact with the Dao, the fundamental laws that governed the world. When their understanding was high enough, they could impose their will on the world even without qi. The Master who had engraved the characters on the gates both here and at the main entrance surely had a very high understanding of the sword!

They disembarked the leaf and followed behind the inner sect disciple like ducklings. Ren could immediately tell the qi here was far more bountiful, even beyond the levels of the central regions of the trial’s subspace. The surrounding buildings were impressively decorated yet pure in appearance.

“The various halls here are the same as in the outer sect but of a higher realm. Over there is the Hall of Learning, and over there is the sects’ Dao Reserve. You can exchange contribution points for techniques and manuals here. The mission hall is joined to the Hall of Discipline, so don’t even dream of acting up! There you will find the gathering field.” Despite his annoyed and rough attitude, they were properly introduced to the inner sect. Ren could tell that regardless of what the inner disciple thought of others, he held a deep respect and pride for his sect.