1. A sunny Introduction

"Death is a flaw in reality. Ascend to the Heavens, and it will die."

- Anu, the Immortal Sovereign, slain during the Culling of the Gods.

Their world was sick, a broken husk plagued with vermin who refused to change their ways even as they faced the brink of extinction. Niva wrinkled her nose at the inside of the carriage. Ahan, front and centre of the border cities, had nearly been breached not even a winter ago, yet the sect would rather waste resources than send aid.

The silk flower-patterned drapery laughed in the face of whatever faux luxury Niva had experienced in her fifteen years of life, and qi-charged vents in the ceiling perfectly regulated the temperature. It felt like the top school on Cella was making a statement with the whole of the vehicle sent to retrieve them: of the sheer difference in scope between it and the rest of the Everdream Empire.

To die so others can make a pitiful display such as this, Riu, how could that ever be worth it?

Already, she saw the ghost of his auburn lips form his retort in her mind's eye. You held a wall not out of duty or hope but out of principle, he would say. It was an analogy she'd never understood. What principle? What use was holding a wall when what you were protecting was worse than the enemy outside? Better to let the Corruption in and wipe everything out, so they could start from a clean slate.

Solune's rays warmed the side of her face, breaking Niva's reverie. She watched as the deities' radiance descended, scouring the land for any who dared defy Her reign in the sky.

Niva scoffed. A Patron, they called entities like Her, for their power could be partaken in with a blessing. She'd never received one herself. Her mother came from a line of prodigious cultivators excelling in flame-based arts, but it had skipped two generations, apparently. Instead, she'd gotten the line of her father. Blood practitioners. Even that amounted to nothing, though. Other descendants in her family had a qi-vision at an early age, gaining them a concept. She had gone unconscious for two weeks and didn't remember a thing but some cryptic poem.

Letting out a sigh, she pulled on the blinds to cover more of her face, stealthily throwing hexes at one of the sources of her frustration. Honestly speaking, the only reason she still tolerated the darned heat sphere was that Her sister came out at night, which was even worse.

Solune may be some stingy poop on the side of the road, but at least it was on the side. Was it unsightly? Yes. Did it stink? Absolutely. However, you could easily hurry, walk around, and proceed to forget about it as you moved on with your day.

Luneil was the turd you found in the middle of your doorway after returning from a hard day at work.

Her sins were more than just being excrement and keeping you from rest; it was what She represented. The complete and utter 'screw you' the universe gave you after doing your due diligence and trying to do good for society.

Blood roiling in her veins, Niva's nerves pulled taut. You know what, fuc—

"We live on the edge every single day," a voice to her left interrupted her fixation, "while the upper echelon lives in paradise. Go figure," Dino said.

The taste of mint passing her lungs calmed her strains as she took a deep tug of the incense-scented air and turned his way.

Dino had made himself completely comfortable: his feet were up, and he wiggled his toes, looking at their soon-to-be home in the distance that he represented with the yellow and black male school uniform, stylised with an embroidered mountain, which fit tightly around his muscular build.

She exhaled, her previously acquired inner peace lasting as long as an aroused bull. "Couldn't you have at least placed your feet on your side of the couch?"

"Nope," he put his hands behind his head. "This is more enjoyable."

At least wear your sandals! No, wait. Maybe no sandals were better. She furrowed her brows...anyhow.

"I suppose," she barely remembered to respond to his original remark, "the setting is a stark contrast to Crayton." She swapped which leg was on top of the other, and her emerald eyes glistened as she gazed at the landscape.

Harmonic convergence.

That was what had wormed its way into their dimension, forcing itself on the mountains, rivers, forest, and the city-sized sect. They formed a blend so perfect that their own magnificence filled them with courage, resulting in a mighty roar that accepted the challenge of the boisterous Deity in the sky.

The drums beat a song of war and bloodshed, the very air reverberating with anticipation. Yet the God remained serene.

Foolish, Solune breathed.

And Niva reluctantly agreed.

The Heavenly Mountain Sect was famous for multiple reasons —political importance and a knack for producing talents were two major ones— but another basis was even more significant.

Although the explanation was beyond her, she remembered her father muttering something about the barrier between the earthy realm and the Heavens being weaker in this place.

Whatever the case, the outcome was a domain with nearly unparalleled spirituality and quality of essence in their realm, only being rivalled by a few other cultivation havens such as the Itari Highlands, a place on the other side of the Empire.

So it was that the Sun God's raucous laughter penetrated the skies as She bore down upon the mortal world with unrestrained ferocity, appalled at the provocation of some lower enigmas. Her rays blazed the core at the being of all they touched, whispering two words:

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Witness sovereignty.

Nature had tried. Nature had failed.

Utterly unable to endure the punishing heat of the God, it had achieved nothing. Instead, those sensitive to Her touch worshipped Solune ever more fervently in light of the sweeping victory and thanked the God for being their patroness.

What a useless piece of trash. Niva swallowed the sour taste in her mouth. When she got powerful enough—

"Understatement," Dino once more interrupted her extremely significant defaming session, blowing on a strand of black hair that fell right back in his eyes.

"Although I love our province, Crayton and the rest of the border provinces are cow dung compared to this."

An apples and oranges comparison, Niva left unsaid since she once again agreed with the general opinion. "At least we get to live here ourselves," she said. If the old guard refused to use their resources for good, fine, their choice. But she'd hog and steal everything they owned before showing them the finger. Wasting was worshipping the nine Hells, and she wouldn't mind wading through the streets, a madwoman, singing hymns at the top of her lungs.

The snort the boy opposite her elicited nearly rocked her seat. "For how long? Trust me on this, and don't get used to it. We'll be back before you know it."

Practically speaking, he was right, but there were other paths as well. "It's possible we get contracted."

Immediately, she sensed the qi circulating in his body increase in speed. Truly, the boy was too passionate about politics for his own good.

She honestly believed her own words, though; Despite her absence of blessings or concepts, she'd reached the middle of the Skin and Jute realm, the second stages of essence and physical cultivation, within but four months of training. Dino achieved it only a few months later and had the two things she lacked to boot. They were talented by all measures of the Empire.

However, Dino had already started laughing her off before she had finished her sentence, his voice lowering an octave due to the permeating earth qi in his lungs. Thankfully, the carriage coming to a stop spared her from his rebuke, which would undoubtedly be a chore to fight through.

A voice echoed from outside. "We're here," their driver called.

Dino gave her a look that said: 'I'll let you off this time', and quickly strapped his shoes. Wiping away a leftover tear, he stood from his seat and turned the door hinge. A few seconds later, he stood outside.

"Milady," he said, offering her his hand.

She rolled her eyes.

"Can't let anyone say I'm not a gentleman," Dino said as he lowered her like he would place a baby back in their crib.

Completely ignoring the teasing, Niva quickly scanned her surroundings.

She barely caught her driver turning the corner of the carriage —probably to tend to his horses after he found his service already done for him. The mask he wore made his expression unreadable. She couldn't sense any circulation of qi inside it, strangely enough. Either the item was too powerful for her, or it was but a standard piece of equipment.

"A warning," the man in question called back over the sound of his horses munching on some tidbit, proving her previous conjecture. "The sect won't allow you inside if you're late. You will have to find your own way back home when that happens—"

She meant to pay attention. She did. But the incessant audible crunching caused her eyes to drift. They found purchase, and she locked gazes with one of the animals, which studied her as she did it.

Streaks of red ran down the length of its face, disappearing beneath a harness that reflected a dark grey. Its trunk-like legs were beyond what should feasibly be possible for a horse. Awakened, Niva realised.

She slightly lowered her head. Partly as a thank you, more as a show of respect. No need to be rude to the beast, which had carried her for hours. Doubly so if it was roused.

Turning to her driver, she saw him in a new light.

She hadn't spared the short, straw-hat-wearing man a second glance, yet overseeing two awakened creatures meant he had to have some power. Humans don't listen to those who are weaker than them. So why would spirit beasts?

"—thank you for the ride, Sir," she heard Dino say as she tuned back into his conversation. "We will leave immediately." Dino made a half-bow, and she joined him.

"My pleasure. Follow the signs, and you'll easily find the entrance hall to the sect." He drove off, leaving them to discover where they needed to go.

The beginning of the winding stairs toward the sect was marred with two large wooden pillars on both sides. At the top was a perfectly cut arch, and the entire thing was ornated with talismans and drawings, most likely to confuse wandering spirits.

Looking further up, she saw the same structure repeated every fifty meters up the path, the last of the ones she could see disappearing beyond the mist hanging low on the mountains.

Dino's bag thumped as he slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go." He set a brisk walking pace, and Niva hurried behind him.

The air grew thinner as they ascended the steps, but Dino and Niva's second stage physical cultivation made that a trivial thing to weather. Their bones and muscles had been saturated with essence, enhancing their hardness, endurance, and strength, after all.

They passed many soon-to-be fellow disciples for whom their lower cultivation made the steep path up more of a challenge. Still, when Niva took her next step, she jerked to a stop, eyes darting in front of her.

Not all their rivals would be weaker than them.

Walking face-down and trudging up the stairs slowly —like he was lost in deep thought— was a disciple who made her hair stand on end. A vicious, dark, and sinister aura whirled around him, not to mention his physique. A bicep the size of Dino's thighs, covered in veins, had ripped through the first-year tunic, shimmering in Solune's glow and proudly displaying the power it contained.

Mother in the sky. What the heck had his family fed him? Could she sign up for some leftovers? She didn't ask, and everyone made a wide berth around the mystery figure. Herself included.

Bravely continuing her climb, she caught a glimpse of his face. His jawline was strong, and his lashes naturally curled in a manner most girls could only dream of. She had never really been interested in someone that way, yet even she had to admit the guy was attractive.

She forced her fingers to unclench after she passed the boy, tension she hadn't known she had held leaving her shoulders. Finally able to breathe, she looked to her right. Dino, whom she had entirely forgotten about, looked just as distraught as her.

"Monster," he whispered, voice filled with respect.

Luckily, they didn't encounter any more anomalies on the rest of the way, and as they reached the top, both took a second to recover before taking in the scene. The entrance building of the sect carried the hints of a church as a heavy door made of an unknown material sat surrounded by high peak roofs.

Despite his misgivings, Dino couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. "Let's not waste any time."

What a child, she thought, taking his lead. Stepping inside the great hall, Niva noticed an immediate change: a fragrance a hundred times as dense and thick as in their carriage assaulted her, and she felt her mind expand as she inhaled.

Thoughts flowed more easily. Moreover, weirdly enough, she felt removed from her bodily sensations. Almost like she was experiencing things in the third person. She quickly spotted the likely culprit behind the effect. Not that it was hidden.

On the ceiling hung a large, upside-down lotus flower, its petals coloured a light purple, and she thought she even saw minute spatial fluctuations around its pistil.

Interesting. An utter waste, again, but fascinating. Anticipation filled her as she looked around.

To her dismay, though, the flower was by far the most eye-catching thing in the room. The rest of the building was unadorned except for a few wall-mounted candelabra fastened to the walls every so often. However, the design caused something Niva thought impossible at first; the structure appeared even bigger than the outside let on.

Meditating here must be an experience.

A tap on her shoulder brought her back to the world of the living.

Dino Pointed at two empty places near the left side of the room. She followed him down the descending tiers of desks and sat on one of the benches.

She stared down at the lecturer's podium with the same enthusiasm as Dino, but for a different reason: today would mark the actual start of her cultivation journey.

It was time to rob this place clean.