Chapter 7: Arriving at Dark Water Sect

Wang Zhu decided to close his eyes, relaxing for the rest of his journey. Although he had achieved a miracle it hadn't been without a cost. He endured the most excruciating pain in his life, but as the Ice Prince's Formula suggested it was worth it.

Drifting off into a world of dreams Uncle Shi saw a slight smile on Wang Zhu's face.

When one dreams they often forget 90% of its events, this was the case with Wang Zhu. As he opened his eyes to see the sky above him he had only remembered the image of him sitting on a throne carved of ice with all manner of creatures bowing to him proclaiming their loyalty.

Although it was only a dream, and he remembered less than a slight fraction of the imaginary world, it brought a smile to his face.

Opening his eyes he heard Uncle Shi's voice, "Good, you've awoken just in time."

Wang Zhu sat up to look at where Uncle Shi was pointing, slowly his positioned his head to look at the breathtaking sight!

There was a mighty river running through the ground, hundreds of feet wide. The water was dark and murky but looked beautiful none the less. Within this majestic flow though was a series of ever-growing spires that pierced through the water, white was the smallest, but also had the largest circumference. Then came yellow which was taller, yet had a smaller circumference. Then finally the black which was tall and thin, which wasn't half as wide as the white, but much taller standing thirty-three feet high.

All the towers were connected by a thin bridge, that swayed from the high winds. It was a magnificent yet terrifying sight to behold.

"Impressive is it not?" Uncle Shi smiled and Drek sqwaked in agreement.

"How comes there are so many towers?" Wang Zhu asked, thinking it would be more efficient to create one colossal tower!

Uncle Shi smiled, "Each tower represents a different ranking in the sect. The White tower has the outer court disciples, the thousands of them live in their crowded together like animals. The Yellow represents the inner court disciplines, there are only a few hundred of them that's why it's much smaller. It also has the weapons and smithing departments there, which is why it's so much taller. Finally is the Black tower, this is the place where the core disciples and the great library of our sect resides."

Wang Zhu mouth made an 'O' shape, appreciating the wondrous sight.

"Where do the Elders and Sect master reside then?" Wang Zhu slightly frowned.

Seeing this line of inquiry Uncle Shi smile widened, "Hehe, a deductive one, aren't you? Us old folks like our space, as well as our precious 'alchemy department'." he said mockingly.

"We all have personal underwater abodes varying in size, making us both less vulnerable to attack, and at the same time giving us more peace and quiet. Of course, there will be Elders and Guards wandering about the place to enforce the sect rules. There is a reason for this after all, and that's because unlike our rivals we're a very traditional sect."

"Traditional sect?" Wang Zhu asked, looking rather puzzled.

"Yes, the Dark Water Sect has some very strict rules. First off, to leave the outer court one must be above the eight level of Qi condensing realm, even if your a prodigy in blacksmithing or your the grandchild of some water sleeper!"

"Water sleeper?" Wang Zhu was yet again lost.

"Oh yes." Uncle Shi chuckled, stroking his long pointy beard.

"Water sleepers is the derogatory term for Elders that refuse to come out of seclusion because they want to break through to the next realm. Therefore they stay in their underwater abode for decades at a time - hence water sleeper. It's something the Sect Master himself came up with." A grin lit up across Uncle Shi's face.

"Anyway, where was I? Ah, rules. The second one, that's it. We do not allow bullying from different courts. If you get someone from the inner court picking on an outer court disciple they're immediately expelled. Of course, we don't mind if other disciples form their own courts bully or exert pressure on each other, this both builds character and encourages the strongest to survive. A mountain can only have one tiger!" Uncle Shi's face was full of decisiveness.

"The third rule is don't destroy sect property. Trust me, the second strongest member of the sect - head blacksmith Guo Ki, had one of his hammers destroyed by two brawling inner court disciples! That was three years ago but on a quiet night you can still hear those poor boys screams across the waterfront." Shivers went down the duo's spines. Three years of torture just for a set of hammers? This seemed a bit ridiculous.

"On a lighter note the fourth rule is don't question a superior in the sect, that being Elders, Guard, and Core Disciples. But this shouldn't be much trouble, soon enough you'll be in the Core of the Sect. The requirements are rather high, as there's only a finite amount of spots, but as someone who cultivates the Ice Prince's Formula this shouldn't be an issue." Uncle Shi said with a face full of confidence, fully expecting to wake up any day now and see a core disciple's robes draped over Wang Zhu's shoulders.

"What are the requirements?" Wang Zhu wondered.

"I can't tell you everything can I?" Uncle Shi laughed.

"I'll leave you with a fresh batch of recruits. I have important matters I have to report to the Sect Master." A hit of excitement was leaking from Uncle Shi's eyes.