The ‘plane’ landed after a few hours in the air. By that time, Yan Mingqing had managed to recover from her headache, returning to her usual bubbly, talkative self.

Well, that was Lin Songmei’s impression of the normal Mingqing, she was pretty sure that the vast majority of the sect would still fall out of their chairs seeing Mingqing be this extroverted...

As they disembarked the flying boat and walked through the transportation hub in Westriver, the group of five walked in silence, Elder Wu Sen being a bastion of firmness and boringness as always.

However, walking through the hub, Songmei had a clear view of Westriver through the clear windows that lined the walls.

From what Songmei had read, Westriver was a vast, large-sized city, a lone city atop a vast plateau covered in nature. Westriver’s population was a blend of normal people and cultivators, but due to the unique nature of Qi on the plateau, there were only a handful of cultivators who had stayed after opening all their meridians.

The city looked... normal, there were tall buildings, sports fields, schools, and everything else someone might look for in a city...

Running through the middle of the city was a vast river though, and since this river ran through the west side of the plateau it was named... Westriver, and since the city was built around it and was the only city on the plateau it was named... Westriver.

The naming in the area needed some help.

With two sides of the city on either side of the river, Songmei had read that in the past there were conflicts between the northside and southside. But, with the advent of ~technology~ they built a floating island above the river, creating a central district. A district that also hosted a web of bridges to the north and the south.

That’s where Songmei was now, making her way out of the gargantuan transportation hub.

Damn this city for being so popular...

As one of the most unique places in the world because of its Qi, allowing for the speedy cultivation of cultivators who hadn’t opened their meridians, Westriver hosted a myriad of young disciples from many sects...

“Alright.” Elder Wu began, disturbing the silence as he came to a stop as they passed through the arch that was the transportation hub’s main entrance. “You all are... smart individuals, I trust you can make your way to the apartment building that the Starlight Lake Sect owns. Once you’re there, the receptionists should help you out and refer you to your rooms. Sound good?”

““Yes sir!””

Looking over at Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei who had replied without hesitation, Songmei raised an eyebrow. What was Elder Wu making them do? Was this the army?

Giving their affirmations that they would be able to make it to the apartment building as well, Songmei and Mingqing fell quiet as Elder Wu gave them a few last reminders.

“Work hard, follow the rules, stay healthy, and enjoy yourselves. Make sure to stay in contact with your master, and keep us updated on your progress. Although we won’t be here, we can still help.” Elder Wu summed up, keeping it concise, “And treat everyone with respect. You will definitely run into the younger generation of disciples from many other sects, especially the other three great sects. This is a great place to build connections and foster friendships. Remember that there are many greater common enemies we have, so don’t get into unnecessary conflicts.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Moreover, although you all are 1 or 2 meridian body cultivators, there are people all the way up to 20 meridian cultivators here, and although you all have improved a lot with fighting, getting a decent handle on your fighting styles and passing the beginner stages, don’t be too arrogant; but also no need to think that this is a mind-boggling, life-threatening trial. If you’re civilized, you’ll be given civilized treatment. So... there’s not too much pressure. Live life. Have fun. Cultivate.”

His mouth snapping shut, Elder Wu gave one last nod before turning on his heel, making a perfect 180 degree turn as he walked back into the transportation hub.

Songmei’s mouth opened and closed a few times, she wanted to say thank you, but Elder Wu walked so damn fast, he was practically gone already!

She really wouldn’t have been surprised if Elder Wu was a robot... on that note, even Cai Yufei could be a robot...

“Well...” Mingqing interrupted the silence, watching Cai Yufei’s fingers blaze across his terminal’s keyboard, typing with enough energy to almost be considered religious fervor. “What are you two’s plans? Songmei and I are going to go to the apartment building first and check out our room.”

Lu Qiang turned, looking towards Cai Yufei to see if he had an answer.

Pause.

A gentle smile on his face, Lu Qiang apologized, “I think we’ll go get lunch first, then we’ll head to the apartments, so you two can go ahead first. It’ll be a while before Cai Yufei finishes his analysis of every restaurant in the city...”

“True...” Mingqing nodded, looking over at Cai Yufei whose eyes were jumping from side to side, reading review after review. “But hey, send me some good ones sometime, alright? Cai Yufei’s good at finding restaurants. Then Songmei and I can save some time.”

“For sure!” Lu Qiang exclaimed, flexing his arms, “I’ll also send you the best training places! Running trails, gyms, training fields, pull-up bars in parks, I’ll have it all!”

“I... yeah... yeah, thank you Lu Qiang,” Mingqing murmured with a small smile, shaking her head in amusement. “Well, see you around, have a nice meal!”

Walking away from the duo, Songmei pulled her coat around herself, blowing her breath into her hands. “Gyms huh? We might need to use one... or a training field?”

“We probably won't have to use it too often,” Mingqing shrugged, pulling up the map on her terminal, “There’s plenty of free space outside the city we can use, after all.”

That was true...

If observed from above, although Westriver was a sprawling metropolis, it was the only city on a gargantuan plateau. One that was also covered in nature, a stark contrast from the other barren plateaus.

It was an interesting fact that Songmei had learned in school. Because of the inherent danger of various beasts and fauna, civilization grew to favor mega cities. Large cities that served as hubs of populations. Although not non-existent, it was rare to find a small town or barren village.

It was fancy stuff really, Songmei had considered taking a class that really dived deep into those matters, but had decided to take a different pottery class instead...

Walking along the sidewalk though, Songmei couldn’t help but notice that it was more barren than she had expected. It seemed most people were working or training.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Mingqing,” Songmei broke the silence, squeezing her hand as Mingqing referred to her map once more. “Thanks for doing the navigation.”

“No worries,” Mingqing laughed, hearing the laziness that had creeped into Songmei’s voice, “It’s the least I can do, you gave me an hour-long scalp massage today already too. So it balances out!”

“Thennn...” Songmei began as they made a turn and Mingqing pointed out that the apartment building was just at the end of the street, “Can you talk to the receptionist~?”

“Only if you let me choose where we eat lunch and dinner.” Mingqing teased back, seeing Songmei give her best begging expression.

“Dammit, fine,” Songmei sighed, knowing that she was going to have to pay a price at about that level. “Choose some good places, okay?”

“I will~”