Arrival to the Sect

After the brief tour of places that were currently inaccessible to us, but nevertheless inspiring, we saw cottages and closed-off areas surrounded by a small mist, probably meant to hide them from prying eyes. It felt like we were standing on islands in the middle of the sea, except that instead of water, there were clouds. It was truly magnificent.

I wondered if it ever rained here, and if it did, how would it look like? I asked myself silently.

"We definitely made the right choice joining this sect. I can't imagine a place I'd like more than this" I said, feeling inspired.

My maids nodded in agreement. After a moment, our guide cleared his throat and said, "If you want to live in this place, strive for greater achievements! Now, please follow me."

He turned around and led the whole group towards a medium-sized building compared to the cottages we had seen earlier. The wooden structure was beautifully decorated with carvings depicting animals that appeared to come alive. We entered the building and found ourselves on a square platform measuring around 40 by 40 meters, accommodating our entire procession. The guide looked around to make sure everyone was present and then performed several hand gestures, reminding me of the hand seals from the Naruto series. After a few seconds, he lowered his hands, turned to us, and said, "Here we are. You may now exit."

He walked towards the exit on the opposite side of the building, and the people followed him. When everyone was outside, they seemed puzzled and started whispering to each other. Nonetheless, they followed the guide, who led them to the door. As we stepped outside, we found ourselves on a small hill surrounded by various buildings and students bustling around—some walking, some using flying shuttles, and others even riding spirit beasts. Life here was vibrant and full of energy. Although it didn't look as beautiful as the initial view we had seen, witnessing all the activity made my blood surge with excitement. I glanced around and noticed numerous peaks and elevations, as well as a big river flowing below.

"Wow, we just moved to another location without even realizing it. I wonder how expensive such devices are" I said, feeling a strong urge to explore and discover more in this world. We found ourselves in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, and even though it didn't match the grandeur of the previous view, the lively atmosphere invigorated my spirit.

Upon our arrival, three individuals greeted us. One of them stepped forward and said, "Elder Zhang Mei from Serenity Peak and her disciples, please follow me." Another person also called out to someone, while the third one took the rest of the group and led them elsewhere.

When we approached the young man, he introduced himself, "I am Elder Li Yan, and today I will be your guide."

"According to the agreement, a territory on the outskirts has been allocated to you. It has been unoccupied till now, which means there are no facilities or buildings there. Here are your tokens; they hold arrays indicating your sect points and position, where the allocated sect points are recorded based on the agreement. You can also transfer points using these tokens. Keep in mind that an ordinary external disciple needs to pay 5000 sect points annually to continue staying here. As an external Elder—meaning you, Elder Mei—you must pay 200,000 sect points to remain in the sect. Additionally, the Elder is entitled to a salary from each disciple they teach, which amounts to 2000 sect points per year. This information is open to everyone."

He handed each of us a cheap ring, containing instructions on behavior, sect rules, and penalties, as well as a map and general information about the sect. He advised us to read it in our free time.

After that, he approached a designated area, performed several hand gestures, and a cloud materialized before us. We were astonished by the wonders we had seen so far during our journey. He climbed onto the cloud and motioned for us to follow.

As we stood on the cloud and soared through the sky, the exhilaration of the experience filled us with awe and excitement. I couldn't help but marvel at the magical world we were now a part of.

We flew for about 10 minutes, passing over small mountains, hills, and numerous people. Our guide chuckled at my amazed expression and said,

"This is the technique of the Summer Breeze Cloud. It's quite convenient for transportation and allows us to move a considerable number of people over short distances. It's not easily accessible for external disciples due to its cost, but for Elder Mei, it's affordable. Or if you wish, I can personally teach you in exchange for a cup of herbal brew. I know some very interesting recipes." He looked interestedly at Mei, who continued to look forward without showing any emotion, and calmly replied

"Elder Yan, you are kind, but we have just arrived. It's too early to decide on our plans. I'll keep your offer in mind if needed."

He made a 'tsk' sound, lost interest, and fell silent.

About ten more minutes later, it seemed we had arrived, as the cloud began to slow down. I marveled at the sheer size of this sect. It was difficult to imagine how vast and populated it must be, given the time it took to fly here. However, I noticed that as we moved away from the original place on the cloud, we encountered fewer people and buildings. Apparently, our territory was located quite remotely.

When we finally landed in the air above a moderately large but not very tall mountain, our guide spoke again.

"This is your mountain. Any intruder on your territory without your permission, except for higher-ranking Elders, will be considered a violator, and a signal will be sent to the token indicating the territory is occupied. If they do not leave the territory, you are free to do as you wish, even to bury them alive. Your territory, your rules. Beyond your territory lies an unnamed desert, and generally, there aren't many problems coming from there. Just don't expect much rain and water due to its presence. Occasionally, some random spirit beasts may wander into this territory, but that's not usually a big issue. " he said and stamped his foot. The cloud divided into smaller clouds, and he remained in the sky while we began descending.

"Just one more thing, Elder Mei. If you ever change your mind and decide to have that herbal brew with me, I've left a way to contact me in your ring" he said with a lustful expression, licking his lips. Afterward, he glanced at our territory with a mixed look of disgust, turned around, and flew away.

Once he disappeared beyond the horizon, and we landed on the somewhat barren and lifeless mountain, Zhang Jing commented

"Pff, to make advances on my sister in the presence of a young master, who does he think he is? Even if he were the last man in the World, I wouldn't be interested in him, I'd rather be a lesbian or die alone. Did he ever look at himself in the mirror?"

I chuckled at her straightforward and protective response