Chapter 99 – The Inner Sect

  After half a day of climbing, Jun De finally stepped onto the final stair. His legs trembled with exhaustion, but his back remained straight. He had endured worse within the Ninefold Refinement Array, and compared to that crushing spiritual weight, the pressure here was significantly more gentle.

  But, despite his increased endurance and resistance, Jun De’s body still carried the remnants of Bai Xuelian’s strike. His bones ached with every step, his wounds had closed but stung from where his sweat came into contact with them, and his drained Dantian felt like a hollow pit in his stomach.

  When he reached the summit of the staircase, the path levelled out, and Jun De came to a halt with the other newcomers to the Inner Sect. His breath caught in his throat from awe as he laid eyes on the Inner Sect for the first time.

  The Outer Sect was impressive enough, resembling a city in many ways with its tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, inhabitants.

  It appeared simple on the surface, but its buildings had been well constructed as they ringed the Nine-Treasure Pagoda, and the residences on the Upper Ridge could have been considered palaces back on Earth.

  But it was nothing compared to the Inner Sect.

  It stretched out in front of him like a realm that hadn’t been carved by mortal hands, but had been conjured by the heavens themselves. Dozens of minor peaks ringed the central Tranquil Mountain, all crowned with pavilions and palaces that were partially obscured by lazily drifting clouds.

  The buildings glowed with spiritual energy, shimmering in the evening light like constellations in the night sky. Great rivers of spiritual mist wound between these minor peaks like silver dragons, and Jun De could see the outlines of even more buildings, residences and training halls peaking out of the fog. Each had tiled roofs that were forged from jade, silver or gold.

  The Inner Sect ringed the central Tranquil Mountain, leaving much of it out of sight from where Jun De stood. It seemed to be organized around the minor peaks, and Jun De suspected that those without ‘rankings’ would be left to train and live on the lower ground where the spiritual energy was weaker.

  Above it all hung a vast, slightly golden array of Qi that formed a formation so immense that it seemed to be part of the sky itself as it cast its protective light down over the peaks.

  Waterfalls spilled from the peak of the Tranquil Mountain, cascading into bottomless chasms before turning into vapour and returning to the clouds as a massive rainbow arced overhead.

  Jun De was shocked to find that there were even buildings and residences on the rainbow, as if it were a physically solid object.

  Spirit beasts could be seen in the sky, cranes with feathers like polished jade or birds as vibrantly coloured as the rainbow in the distance. Tigers leapt into the air, their stripes shimmering with lightning, and there was even a serpentine dragon-like creature coiling around one of the peaks, its spiritual pressure marking it as a Core Formation beast.

  The air in the Inner Sect was thick with Qi, more vigorous and vibrant than anywhere Jun De had ever stood. Even the Ninefold Refinement Array couldn’t compete with it, and he now understood why access was restricted to those in the 7th Level of Qi Condensation.

  ‘Anyone weaker than that would be crushed.’ Jun De observed.

  The spiritual energy here seemed to seep into his lungs with every breath, warming his meridians and settling into his Dantian with renewed vitality. Just standing there felt as if he were actively cultivating, and even Jun De found his body yearning to absorb it despite his usual reluctance to sit in silence and meditate.

  It was as if this were a magical promised land that was urging him toward growth, and it wouldn’t accept his typical laziness.

  When Jun De reached the Inner Sect, many of the Elders and higher-ups in the Sect had taken notice. They had been waiting patiently for him to become available for recruitment to their peaks. As a recognized prodigy and someone who was clearly blessed by the heavens, all the peaks wanted to form a connection with him.

  They had gathered together during his climb, each making the argument of why Jun De should become a part of their ranks.

  Even Mu Yanyu had left her secluded meditations for the discussion, and as the Elder with the closest relationship with Jun De, everyone had expected her to argue for Jun De’s inclusion in her own ‘Jade Lotus Peak.’

  But oddly enough, she remained silent as the conversation washed over her.

  Mu Yanyu’s retreat into seclusion had worked to calm her turbulent storm of emotions that had been stirred by her interactions with Jun De. Her feelings for him, her reaction to his touch or the sound of his voice, had become a knot in her heart that threatened to form an inner demon if left unchallenged.

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  It had taken her months, but she had slowly unravelled it, thread by thread, and she was stronger and more resilient for having gone through the experience.

  Still, to say she was emotionless regarding Jun De would have been a lie, but she was now better able to recognize her feelings and act accordingly. When she had left her seclusion and ordered the Inner Sect entrance ceremony to take place, she had been surprised by an order from the Sect Master’s avatar.

  Mu Yanyu had been planning to take Jun De into her own Jade Lotus Peak in order to protect and guide him, but the Sect Master had different plans.

  When the Sect Master’s avatar appeared in front of her, it reminded her of an afterimage that seemed to blur the line between illusion and presence. One moment her courtyard had been calm and still, and the next a faint silhouette shimmered into being.

  Lu Qingchen’s physical body was still travelling the continent in search of the Demonic Cultivators, leaving his avatar to oversee the Sect and to communicate with others. It wasn’t formed of flesh, but it wasn’t insubstantial either. It occupied a strange state of in-between the two, as if the world couldn’t quite decide whether to accept it or reject it.

  The Sect Master’s avatar wavered in front of her, like heat rising from sun-baked stones. But if she had any doubt of its power, the pressure it exuded made it clear that even as an avatar, Lu Qingchen could protect the Sect in his absence.

  This was a technique that could only be used by those who had reached the Nascent Soul stage. By splitting a fragment of his soul, essence, and consciousness, the Sect Master could leave a piece of himself behind and interact with the Sect no matter how far away he travelled.

  When the Sect Master’s Avatar spoke, it was like a soft echo that came from far away. It seemed to rise from the ground around it, rather than being carried in the air.

  “Jun De’s path is not yours to guide, Yanyu. The boy has his own fate, and the burden of his teaching will fall on another.” Lu Qingchen explained, his voice gentle and understanding, but firm in its command.

  Mu Yanyu had felt a pain in her heart, despite her attempts to remove the emotion during her seclusion, and bowed her head to hide the disappointment in her eyes. She should have known that someone as important as Jun De, with his talent and abilities, would be given to someone else to guide.

  “Does the Sect Master intend to take on another personal Disciple?” Mu Yanyu had asked, and the Sect Master’s Avatar shook his head before looking up toward the distant peak of the Tranquil Mountain. He was quiet for a moment before chuckling ruefully.

  “No, I fear even I am not worthy of such a task. For now, we are to simply provide a place for Jun De to grow without stifling his development.” The Sect Master said, slowly withdrawing his attention from the mountain peak and focusing on Mu Yanyu again.

  “Remember, Yanyu, the lives of cultivators are long and, even with all of our strengths and abilities, we are still caught in the relentless current of the river of fate.” Lu Qingchen counselled, before his avatar disappeared like mist burning away in the strong light of the sun.

  It was due to this order by the Sect Master that the typical jostling and bickering that normally occurred amongst the Inner Sect Elders was swiftly ended when they were informed that Jun De would be residing on the Tranquil Mountain itself, rather than an individual peak.

  Normally, a crowd of Disciples and Inner Sect Elders would be waiting at the top of the staircase to greet talented newcomers, offering them residences on their peaks or encouraging them to take a specific Elder as their master.

  This could often become quite a memorable experience, with the Elders sometimes throwing away all decorum and making outrageous offers. When Mu Yanyu had made the climb decades before, several Elders had come close to trading blows in their eagerness to have her join their Peaks.

  But for Jun De, none of this happened. Instead, the same Inner Sect Elder who had overseen the entrance ceremony greeted him, along with Bai Xuelian, who approached him with a slightly less cold expression than she gave others.

  “Welcome to the Inner Sect. Your tokens will guide you to your residences. The peaks you see before you are reserved for those who have obtained a rank, so I suggest you all work hard to achieve one.” The Elder said, before waving them away and disappearing into the sky in a streak of light toward one of the distant peaks.

  Bai Xuelian stepped toward Jun De, and her platinum hair shimmered in the last light of the evening sun. She didn’t seem to mind the stares of the other newcomers, although each of them was careful to be respectful. Even Zhao Wuxian was abnormally silent as Bai Xuelian spoke.

  “Come, my master has commanded me to show you to your new home.”

  Looking over at the other newcomers who hadn’t received a similar offer and were forced to follow their Sect Tokens for directions, Jun De followed Bai Xuelian along a winding path that curved through the Inner Sect.

  She led him past other buildings, residences and training areas, around several of the peaks of Inner Sect Elders, and toward the towering Tranquil Mountain at the heart of the Inner Sect. As they ascended, the spiritual energy became even more dense until it felt like it pooled around him like a physical thing.

  When they reached the central mountain, Jun De was shown to an immortal cave that wasn’t some crude hollow carved into the stone, but a grand dwelling that harmonized with the land itself. The entrance was framed by smooth jade lined with glowing runes, and a pair of stone lions crouched on either side of it as they were guardians bound to its protective array.

  Inside, a broad courtyard spread out in front of the cave mouth, with white stone tiles that were polished to a mirror sheen. A stream of pure water emerged from the wall of the mountain, infused with spiritual energy as it fed into a pond filled with lotus blossoms and gold-scaled fish.

  There was even a spiritual herb garden, neatly sectioned and brimming with vitality. Rows of ginseng, stalks of jade-green bamboo, and flowers that released a strong fragrance were all being nurtured by the overflowing spiritual energy.

  But what interested Jun De the most was a chair that rested under a tree, along with a stone table. The formation adjusted the temperature so that everything was pleasantly warm, and the trees bloomed here despite the winter outside.

  To Jun De, this was going to be his new home and the place where he was determined to never leave again. No matter what happened, or who tried to pry him out of this place, he wasn’t going to travel outside the Sect ever again.