Chapter 7 – The Tranquil Mountain Sect

  Jun De sat cross-legged on the soft, downy feathers of the giant swan’s back as his robes billowed slightly in the high-altitude wind. Thankfully, the Elder had erected some sort of Qi barrier that kept out most of the wind and raised the temperature, making the trip comfortable.

  At first, the experience of flying on the swan had been exhilarating. They soared through the open sky, the clouds parting around them like waves while the world below was a tapestry of greens and blues.

  But after a few hours, the novelty had worn thin. The ride was smooth and almost eerily quiet, making it not much different from flying on an airplane. But it made Jun De miss the distractions of movies, music and reclining seats.

  The endless sky and the steady flapping of the swan’s wings, combined with the boredom, were lulling him to sleep.

  But the Elder, sensing the change in energy in Jun De and the other youths with him, cleared his throat and began to speak.

  “Let me tell you about our Tranquil Mountain Sect.” The Elder said, his voice calm and steady over the wind. He began to drone about the Sect’s history, and his voice added to Jun De’s boredom.

  Outwardly, Jun De looked attentive and politely interested. But internally, he kept chanting ‘Stop, shut up, just let me sleep!’

  “We were founded ten thousand years ago, here on the southern continent, and have remained one of the greatest sects to this day. We have endured through war, famine, and the rise and fall of dynasties.

  Jun De shifted slightly to keep his leg from falling asleep and fought to keep his eyes open.

  “Our founder was a man of immense clarity and power. He cultivated in silence for ten centuries before ascending to immortality. Upon his departure from the mortal realm, Master Tranquil Mountain left behind a teaching that he carved into a great stele stone that rests at the center of the Sect.”

  “Be as the tranquil mountain, unmoved by wind or flame. Though the world shifts and trembles, the mountain remains.”

  Jun De nodded his head in response to the words that began to echo in his mind. The boredom faded, not from distraction but from the statement resonating with his own desires.

  “Tranquil.” He murmured to himself, testing the word on his tongue.

  To him, tranquillity meant living his life in peace and quiet, pursuing the things he found interesting and indulging himself in everything that was missing from his previous life.

  As Jun De began to imagine the life he would be living soon, filled with pleasure and indulgence, the Elder mistook his silence for enlightenment.

  “What a remarkable disciple! The words of the Ancestor brought him inspiration and enlightenment!” The Elder stated to himself quietly while nodding his head approvingly and running his hand down his beard.

  Eager to bring Jun De back to the Sect as quickly as possible, the Elder urged the swan to move faster. Soon, the giant swan turned into a streak of white light that disappeared across the horizon.

  Page Break

  Finally, the swan arrived at their destination, and Jun De had his first look at a cultivation sect.

  The Tranquil Mountain Sect sprawled across a range of nine towering peaks, each one cloaked in forests and cliffs that jutted out like spines of ancient beasts. The air was crisp and heavy with spiritual energy that was so thick it shimmered faintly in the light and curled like mist around the stone paths and tiled rooftops.

  Crystal-clear waterfalls poured from the peaks, their waters spreading into winding streams below. Rainbows arched through the falling mist, coloured the stone walkways and moss-covered terraces in pale hues. The air was filled with the sound of running water and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Palaces and elegant pavilions were built into the cliffs and plateaus, their roofs tiled in green and gold, while tall, red pillars lined wide courtyards. White, smooth stone bridges spanned canyons to connect the various peaks like a web of marble.

  Above it all, the sky was alive with movement. Cultivators in flowing blue robes darted between the mountain peaks on flying swords, their figures cutting lines across the fluffy white clouds. Others rode on giant swans, spiritual cranes or scaled beasts that roared as they passed overhead.

  A bustling city stretched at the mountain’s base, its streets winding between low stone buildings with paper lanterns swaying from wooden eaves. There were stalls and shops selling talismans, spirit herbs, and alchemy pills.

  The giant crane descended in slow, graceful circles with its wings outstretched wide enough to cast drifting shadows over the city people. With a soft rustle of feathers, it landed at the foot of the mountain, just in front of a wide stone staircase that disappeared upward into the mist like a path to the heavens.

  The Elder stood in front of the five hopefuls and stepped lightly off the crane’s back. His robes barely stirred as he touched the ground. With a flick of his sleeve, he wrapped them in his Qi, and they descended to land beside him.

  The base of the staircase was crowded with people. Hundreds had gathered, some dressed in travel-worn cloths while others had finely embroidered silks. There were young men and women with swords, barefoot and wide-eyed youths and arrogant nobles who looked down on others.

  Amongst the hundreds, only a handful wore the blue robes of the Tranquil Mountain Sect, their presence quiet and imposing as they oversaw the crowd and waited for the next test to begin.

  The Elder turned to the five with a neutral expression, although there was still a hint of excitement as he looked at Jun De.

  “Wait here, the next test will be conducted shortly.” He gave Jun De a final look before leaping onto the back of the crane and lifting into the air once again.

  To those knowledgeable of the Sect, the Elder was heading in the direction of the Sect Leader at the mountain peak, somewhere the Elder would not normally be allowed to travel.

  But he had to report the matter of Jun De taking the test at once. He had no doubt that the Sect higher-ups would be very interested in the young man.

  When Jun De arrived at the foot of the stairs, the shift in the crowd was immediate. Conversations stilled, heads turned, and hundreds of sets of eyes followed him.

  Unlike the others, travel had left no mark on him. His robes were still pristine and shining a bright white in the sun, while the purple seemed to glow. Jun De’s black hair hadn’t been ruffled by the wind and fell like silk down his back.

  There wasn’t a speck of dust or dirt to be seen, and even the breeze seemed to cooperate, blowing with just enough force to billow his robes dramatically without mussing his appearance.

  Whispers rippled through the gathered hopefuls and spectators alike. Some tried to guess his clan or origin, while others wondered if he was an immortal who had descended from the heavens to observe the test.

  Jun De, for his part, barely noticed the attention anymore. His dark eyes swept the crowd, not in search of threats or rivals, but for something far more important.

  Beauties for his harem.

  He scanned faces, studied postures and tilted his head thoughtfully as he examined a few of the more prominent figures, only to dismiss each with an internal sigh.

  ‘Too nervous.’ He thought as he eyed a young woman clutching a charm to her chest.

  ‘Too serious.’ Jun De noted a beautiful woman who was meditating with her eyes shut tight and a sword on her lap.

  ‘Wow, she’s way too angry!’ Jun De decided as he watched a muscular swordswoman chew on a stalk of grass with barely restrained menace.

  He crossed his arms and exhaled, all while looking as if he were detached from the mortal world around him. To the crowd, their admiration grew by the second as his appearance and graceful mannerisms caught their attention.

  But to Jun De, all that mattered was that something was missing here.

  ‘Where are all the elegant ones?’

  As Jun De silently judged the crowd while waiting patiently for the test to begin, a rustle of motion caught his attention. The crowd parted like reeds in the wind as a youth strode forward with deliberate flair.

  He was the very ideal of cultivated arrogance.

  The young man was dressed in silk robes embroidered with dragons on the sleeves and held an ornate folding fan decorated with painted plum blossoms and calligraphy in his right hand that he lazily twirled.

  Behind him trailed a small entourage of finely dressed youths, all bearing the insignia of noble houses and Clans.

  Jun De blinked as the youth closed in, and he immediately had a new inner thought.

  ‘That’s not what I meant by ‘elegant ones!’ Jun De screamed inside his mind. First, it was old men; now it was young men.

  Shouldn’t a sect be filled with beautiful women?!

  The arrogant young man stopped a pace too close and fanned himself gently.

  “You there. Which Clan are you from? You don’t look like a commoner, but I don’t recognize you.” His voice was smooth, but laced with condescension, and he smiled like he just issued a challenge.

  Jun De offered him a slow, blank stare. Part of him was already regretting coming here.

  Maybe he could pretend to be mute?