The party formation consisted of Wei Lin being at the front, Lin Mei at his side and me at the rear.

Like a guide, Wei Lin would occasionally point out landmarks or warn us about treacherous spots in the road.

Lin Mei somehow managed to identify and catalog various spirit herbs even while walking.

At the back, I was lost in thought about how little I actually knew about this world beyond the sect walls.

"So," Wei Lin called back, "we'll be passing through Three Rivers Town tomorrow. Should we stop at the Wei family shop there, or push straight through to save time?"

I nodded, as if I had any idea where Three Rivers Town was or that the Wei family had a shop there. The original Ke Yin's memories were... selective.

I had clear images of his family, their small tailor shop in Floating Reed Village, even the day he was discovered to have cultivation potential. But everything else was frustratingly vague, like trying to recall the plot of a book read years ago.

"Three Rivers is the main trading hub for this region, right?" Lin Mei asked, carefully stepping over a loose stone. "I've heard they have an excellent spirit herb market."

"Second largest in the Yan Kingdom," Wei Lin confirmed proudly. "Though nothing compared to the capital's Golden District, of course."

I must have made some sort of face because Lin Mei caught my expression and laughed. "Don't tell me you've never been to Three Rivers? It's barely two days from your village!"

"I, uh..." I scrambled for an excuse that wouldn't sound pathetic. "Back at the village, I was busy helping out at my father’s shop and then after joining the sect, I was focused on cultivation. Didn't see much reason to leave the mountain."

"Wait," Wei Lin turned to stare at me. "You mean you haven't left Azure Peak at all since joining? Not even for the seasonal town fairs?"

I shrugged, trying to play off that I was just too afraid to venture out. "The sect provides everything I need."

"Everything except a basic understanding of the outside world," Wei Lin shook his head in mock despair. "No wonder you're so... you sometimes. Lin Mei, we have failed this poor ignorant soul. We must educate him!"

"I'm not that ignorant," I protested. "I know about..." I searched the original Ke Yin's memories for something impressive. "...the Five Great Sects?"

"Oh? Name them then," Wei Lin challenged with a grin.

"Well, there's us – Azure Peak Sect," I started confidently. "And... the Holy Light Sect?"

"And?" Lin Mei prompted, clearly enjoying this.

"...the Heavenly Jade Sect?"

"That's three," Wei Lin nodded. "What about the other two?"

I racked my borrowed memories but came up blank. "The... Very Important Cultivation Sect and the We're Also A Major Sect Sect?"

Lin Mei burst out laughing while Wei Lin clutched his chest in mock pain.

"The Black Palm Sect and the Three-Leaf Clover Sect," he corrected. "Though I suppose 'Very Important Cultivation Sect' isn't far off from how the Black Palm disciples act."

"Those are demonic cultivation sects though, right?" I asked, grabbing onto this scrap of knowledge.

"Technically yes, though they're still considered among the Five Great Sects of the Eastern Continent," Lin Mei explained. "They follow... different paths to power, but they're too strong to ignore."

"The sect politics get complicated," Wei Lin added. "Officially, we're all enemies. Unofficially, there's too much trade and too many shared interests for open warfare. So, everyone maintains a careful balance."

"Like the Three Great Clans," Lin Mei nodded. "They help keep the peace, even if only to protect their own interests."

"The balance of power is interesting," I said thoughtfully, seeing an opportunity to confirm some details that were a little blurry in my mind. "Everyone knows the Yan Clan rules, but I've heard different opinions about which of the other two truly holds more influence."

Wei Lin's eyes lit up – he loved any chance to show off his political knowledge. "Ah, the eternal debate! The Xiao Clan controls the trade routes and therefore the flow of cultivation resources, but the Wang Clan's spirit beast army gives them incredible military power."

"Not to mention the Wang Clan's rumored connection to the ancient beast tamers," Lin Mei added. "Though if you believe those stories, half the noble families have some mythical bloodline."

I nodded, letting them continue. This was much better than asking directly – people loved sharing their opinions on politics.

"Personally," Wei Lin lowered his voice, "I think the Xiao Clan has the real power. The Yan Clan needs their economic support to maintain the kingdom, and even the Wang Clan's army requires resources that flow through Xiao-controlled trading routes."

"But the Xiao Clan's trade routes could be disrupted by any high level cultivator," Lin Mei countered. "It's a complex web of interdependence."

“So, if I’m right, the sects focus almost exclusively on spiritual resources - spirit stones, cultivation techniques, enlightenment opportunities?” I asked.

"Yes, the sects will fight viciously over a single spirit spring but barely care about ruling actual territory or dealing with mortals,” Wei Lin nodded. “ But the clans want it all. Land, wealth, armies, AND cultivation resources. Not to mention their obsession with bloodline purity."

"The Wang Clan won't even let their core family members marry cultivators without at least three generations of documented ancestry," Lin Mei added with a slight eye roll. "As if anyone could fake their precious beast-taming bloodline."

"That's why the balance works," I concluded. "The sects are too focused on cultivation to properly manage secular power, and the clans are too busy maintaining their bloodlines and trying to rule mortals to bother with the sects. Though I guess that doesn't stop either side from trying to gain advantages when they can."

"Now you're thinking like a proper politician," Wei Lin grinned. "Though don't let my father hear you analyzing power structures so casually. He'd probably try to recruit you into the family business."

"But where does your family fit into all this?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Wei Lin's expression turned calculating. "We're... well-positioned. Not powerful enough to threaten the great clans, but useful enough to be worth protecting. We handle a lot of the resource distribution between sects and clans."

"He means his family profits from everyone's conflicts while being too valuable to eliminate," Lin Mei translated dryly.

"I prefer to think of it as providing essential services to all parties," Wei Lin sniffed. "It's not our fault if those services happen to be very profitable."

I absorbed this information, trying to fit it into my growing understanding of this world. "So, when you said your family has wind essence..."

"Acquired through perfectly legitimate business dealings that technically didn't violate any sect regulations or clan agreements," Wei Lin finished smoothly. "Though perhaps we shouldn't discuss the exact details on an open road."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Speaking of the road," Lin Mei cut in, "we should probably break for lunch soon. Unless you want to explain the entire political structure of the Eastern Continent on an empty stomach?"

We found a small clearing just off the path, protected from view by a stand of ancient trees. Wei Lin produced food from his storage ring – actual fresh bread and meat rather than the dried travel rations I'd expected.

"Storage rings are wonderful things," he said, noticing my surprise. "Preservation formations keep everything fresh. Though they cost enough that most people just use them for cultivation materials."

As we ate, I carefully asked more questions, trying to fill in the gaps in my knowledge without being too obvious about my ignorance. Wei Lin and Lin Mei were happy to explain, though they occasionally exchanged worried looks at some of my more basic questions.

I learned that the Eastern Continent was actually the smallest of the Four Great Continents, but had the highest concentration of spirit veins, making it ideal for cultivation. The Yan Kingdom controlled roughly a third of it, with various other powers dividing the rest.

"The Western Continent is mostly wasteland now," Lin Mei explained between bites. "Some great war between immortal cultivators ten thousand years ago. The Northern Continent is all ice and savage cultivation clans. And the Southern Continent..."

"Best not to talk about the Southern Continent," Wei Lin cut in. "Bad luck."

I noticed they both made a subtle warding gesture. Clearly there was a story there, but some instinct told me not to push.

My thoughts turned to the red sun lurking within my Genesis Seed - its violent, almost predatory nature felt uncomfortably similar to what I'd heard about demonic cultivation techniques. I needed to understand this aspect of cultivation better, but asking directly would be suspicious.

"Earlier you mentioned the demonic sects," I said carefully. "What exactly makes cultivation 'demonic' versus 'righteous'? The boundary seems... less clear than the sect elders would have us believe."

"Now that's a complicated question,” Wei Lin's eyes lit up. “Officially, demonic cultivation is anything that takes power from others without consent or deals with corrupted energy. But unofficially..." He glanced around before continuing. "Many 'righteous' techniques started as demonic ones that were gradually refined into more acceptable forms."

"Like the Crimson Heaven Scripture," Lin Mei added thoughtfully. "Everyone knows it was originally a blood cultivation technique, but after ten generations of modification, it's now considered a legitimate fire-attribute method."

"So, it's not always about good versus evil?" I pressed, thinking of my own struggles with the red sun's energy. I did not want to use the red sun’s power during the tournament only to be labelled a heretic.

"It's about balance and control," Lin Mei said. "Any power can be dangerous if handled poorly. Some of our most respected elders use techniques that skirt the edge of what's considered 'righteous' cultivation. They just maintain strict discipline and understand the risks."

Wei Lin nodded. "From a practical perspective, demonic cultivators are just another part of the cultivation world. They pay premium prices for certain goods since most merchants won't deal with them. As long as you maintain proper precautions..."

"Wei Lin!" Lin Mei scolded, but I noticed she didn't actually disagree.

"What? I'm just being honest," he shrugged. "Power is power. It's how you use it that matters."

I absorbed this, feeling slightly better about my own situation. If even "righteous" sects acknowledged these gray areas, maybe the red sun's nature wasn't as concerning as I'd feared. It was all about control and understanding the power you wielded.

"Though speaking purely hypothetically," Wei Lin added with a merchant's smile, "if anyone were interested in learning more about alternative cultivation methods, I might know some people who know some people..."

“Now that you mention it…” I joked.

Lin Mei rolled her eyes. "This is why I worry about leaving you two alone. Who knows what trouble you'll get into?"

"Us? Trouble?" Wei Lin affected a wounded look. "We're just simple cultivators on a completely normal journey to acquire some totally legitimate cultivation materials."

"Speaking of which," I cut in, "how exactly did your family get wind essence? Since we're off the main road and all."

Wei Lin glanced around before leaning in. "Well, it's actually a funny story involving three very lost Holy Light Sect disciples, a spirit beast migration, and my father's exceptional talent for being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time..."

The rest of our lunch break passed with Wei Lin spinning tales of his family's various adventures in "resource acquisition," each story more outrageous than the last. Lin Mei occasionally corrected details or pointed out obvious exaggerations, while I just listened and learned.

Not just about Wei Lin's family or the various political powers, but about how this world really worked. The complex web of relationships between sects and clans. The importance of maintaining face while secretly breaking every rule. The way power flowed not just through qi and cultivation, but through trades and favors and carefully maintained connections.

It was like a giant game of chess, except everyone was playing by slightly different rules, and half the pieces were secretly working for the other side, and no one could quite agree on what winning looked like.

"We should get moving," Lin Mei said eventually, noting the sun's position. "If we want to reach the next way station before dark."

"Way station?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Wei Lin gave me that look he reserved for when I was being particularly cultivation-brained. "Sometimes I forget you literally think about nothing but cultivation. Yes, there are way stations. The Xiao Clan maintains them along all major trade routes. You know, those buildings with defensive formations where normal people rest while traveling?"

"I was a bit preoccupied during my journey to the sect," I admitted sheepishly. "Pretty sure I spent the whole time reciting cultivation basics and worrying about the trials."

"Of course you did," Lin Mei laughed. "They're warded against spirit beasts and have basic defensive formations. Most travelers plan their journeys around them."

"Somewhat less secure since the incident with the snake cultivator last year," Wei Lin added. "But still safer than camping in the open."

I decided not to ask about the snake cultivator incident. Some things were probably better left unknown.

As we packed up and returned to the road, I found myself grateful for my friends' willingness to explain things without too many questions about my ignorance. Even if they clearly thought I was oddly sheltered, they seemed to accept it as just another Ke Yin quirk.