At the break of dawn, a shirtless young man was practicing his punching routines on top of a large peak. The scattering rays of the rising sun revealed the glistening sweat, sliding down his forehead and dripping off his chin.
Inhaling and exhaling deep breaths, steady and slow, his body was shrouded in a mist of steam. Each punch, seemingly hard yet soft, scattered the air around with every thrust.
He took a deep breath, keeping his stance firm, exhaling the turbid qi from his mouth. With a slight nod, the young man relaxed himself and walked back to his hut. He grabbed a ragged towel on a nearby chair and wipe the sweat off his forehead and chest.
The hut, spacious enough for three people, sat on top of the 14th peak, Eclipse Peak, in Floating Cloud Sect. Sadly, this young man had recently became a disciple and did not have a bath house nor a decent siheyuan*.
Luckily, he knew a cleaning spell and instantly washed off the impurity off his body.
He took his time, putting on his inner disciple robes pondering over his cultivation. As of now, the young man was waiting for news from a spontaneous old man.
He was told to be ready for tomorrow.
His inner disciple long robes appeared pure white with a golden cloud sewn at both cuffs with white pants and shoes. Fixing up his robes, he sauntered down the mountain peak towards the entrance gate of the sect.
He strolled down a small trail that connected to the crowded streets of White Lotus City. As if he was like a passing white blur, he immediately reached in front of a shop entrance. Above the shop hung a giant signboard "Golden Spring Merchant Association".
Opening the doors, he continued towards the receptionist desk. A simple yet adorable young woman looked up at him, giving a elegant yet professional smile.
"Hello, Fei. Is the manager around today?" asked the young man.
"It's been awhile since you last visit, Sir Silver," Fei spoke with a charming smile staring at the young man.
It had been five year yet somehow she felt mesmerized by his handsome face. Silver had truly grown up and matured into a fine man ever since he came out the Isle of Wisdom.
"Manager Poe is here today. Please head upstairs behind me and his room is at the farthest right. He would be very happy to see a familiar face."
Nodding, Silver turned and stepped up the flight of stairs, stopping in front of the manager's office. Knocking loudly on the door, he stood there and waited quietly. The door quickly swung opened, a stern chubby face appeared but soon the expression became startled.
"Brother Silver! I'm so glad to see you. It has been 5 years!" Brother Poe excitedly exclaimed.
He grabbed his arm, tugging Silver inside and waved him to take a seat.
"I've been waiting for so long, I thought you died somewhere outside of the city. Where have you been all this time? I've collect all the items you wanted and kept them safe just in case you came back alive."
"Hahaha, I'm sorry for not informing you after passing the exams at Floating Cloud Sect. Next thing I know, 5 years passed in a blink of an eye. Somehow I managed to become an inner disciple," Silver lightly laughed while answering Brother Poe's question.
"Besides the items I requested, is there any rare materials that made an appearance? I hope you thought of me when they did."
"Inner disciple? You're a Martial King now?" Brother Poe blurting in surprise. His facial expression instantly changed. His chubby jaws dropped as his mouth agape into a huge O. His face felt slightly exaggerated as he lost his cool.
"I can't really bother to explain the small details but I am indeed at the Martial King realm," Silver answered while showing his king's mark.
Brother Poe knew how hard it was to become a inner disciple in the Floating Cloud Sect. Even if one reached the Martial King, the had to do 3 major exams. From his intel, he knew that a little over a hundred individuals had become an inner disciple in the sect after being there for over a few decades.
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Some were still in the outer sect for a few decades. That was how harsh the requirements were to enter inner disciple. The next step is to become a personal disciple, a mighty status to have within the sect. Those who become personal disciples would be able to obtain their own peak and allowed others of their choosing to live on their peak.
If Brother Poe knew Silver had his own peak with just his status as a inner disciple, he would kowtow a thousand times to Silver in reverence.
"I knew you were extremely talented when I first met you but I never thought you'd be a inner disciple within 5 years! Very few could make an accomplishment in a short of time there. Those who are talented reach the inner disciple nearing their 7th to 13th year in the sect. A few years difference seems small but the road to advancement is quite tedious and long. Especially, in the Floating Cloud Sect."
"Now let's continue with my earlier question, Brother Poe."
"Ahhh..Yes, yes. I did buy a few in thought of you. These materials and herbs seemed something you'd be interested in," Brother Poe recalled swallowing up his shock and envy.
He had long reached the late stage of the Martial King, yet his sworn brother had more talent than him, reaching the realm in a mere 5 years from the internal realm. What kind of dogsh*t luck does Silver have!?
Little did he know, due to Blacky's training, it actually took Silver much longer to reach the Martial King realm.
"Here's the materials and herbs I gathered within the last five years. I'll gift this to you, at no cost."
Manager Poe pulled out a spatial ring from his spatial ring and tossed it at Silver.
Silver grabbed the ring and began inspecting the items inside using his divine sense. Everything he needed to upgrade his void constitution to the second grade was there. Although it was good to have a strong cultivation, having a strong body is needed.
With items gathered by Brother Poe, Silver chances to reform and strengthen his physical body had increased.
The first five needed external assistance while the last four needed a special type of energy for each transformation but those thoughts were for future. With a smile, nodding in satisfaction, Silver took out a small booklet from his spatial ring and gave it to Brother Poe.
"This is something I thoughtfully wrote during my spare time in the last 5 years. This manual that I created should suit your tastes. Hopefully it can help you tread further into your path of cultivation," Silver spoke appreciating the kind gesture.
Throughout his life, he always repaid gratitude with gratitude with full interest. He did not want to owe anybody, keeping his heart firm and steady, free of future karmic obstacles.
Brother Poe accepted the manual while grinning widely. He thought the manual would be gibberish, but he still quickly read through it as a form of respect for his brother.
Flipping through the pages, his expression became more outrageous as each page increasingly became more profound than the latter. He deeply inhaled after closing the manual.
Brother Poe stared at Silver, trembling in joy, as if he was his almighty god.
With a big flop, he landed onto his knees. His enormous belly jiggling in fervor while he slammed his head multiple times onto the hard wooden floor. Of course, Brother Poe controlled his strength, if not, there would be a giant hole going through the floor after the first slam.
"THANK YOU BROTHER SILVER, THANK MY GODLY BROTHER SILVER!," Brother Poe exclaimed joyously.
He truly felt indebted after meeting Silver. He have never so much gratitude as he kowtowed passionately a few more times. Once he was done, he stood up with a face wet with tears of joy and running snot.
His grin was quite comical in way. Truly unashamed.
"This manual is extremely profound and I can tell its a one of a kind! I cannot express enough gratitude of what you given me. What I gave you isn't even to the amount of how rare and precious this cultivation manual is. I will definitely follow you through the battlefields of life and death!"
"Err… No problems Brother Poe," Silver sheepishly replied unsure how to feel.
In his lifetime, he never met such an exaggerated person like Brother Poe in his life. He created the manual on a whim based on the style of his brother. Never would he expected an erratic reaction from the recipient.
"I wish I had more time to chat but I must return to the sect, Brother Poe. Thank you for helping me gather these materials. Please continue to keep an eye for more rare, precious and mysterious materials and herbs for me."
If anybody could be given a profound manual, fit to their style, they would react the same way as Brother Poe did. They would even religiously worship Silver like a god, swearing undying loyalty for many lifetimes and definitely sacrifice themselves for him.
In the past, his followers and friends alike had behave in such a way. They secretly protected him with their life without a shred of doubt and fear against his enemies. Sadly, he was a type to be unaware of his actions and the effect it may cause.
"Yes, Brother Silver!" Manager Poe beamed while cupping his left fist with his right palm.
As Silver walked away, down the stairs and out the entrance, Manager Poe quickly got out a small, white jade from his spatial ring.
He placed it on his forehead, transmitting the necessary information into it. After that, he placed the jade on a small array inscribed in the drawer of his desk. If Silver saw it, he wouldn't immediately recognize the array. It was a high-tier transfer array!
The jade disappeared in a flash after he tapped 5 different sides of the array.
Brother Poe swore his soul that he would protect his brother's background and stop those who wanted to pry information on him. From today and so on, Silver's existence will continue to remain a mystery from the eyes of the emperors and those around.
Like a mirage, sifting through the streams of individuals as if in a dream, Silver could be seen strolling back to Floating Cloud Sect.
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Siheyuan* - a courtyard surrounded by buildings on all four sides