Chapter 22 - Northern Wilderness
Shortly after the beast tide resistance groups were established, spiritual treasures were given to those core disciples who lacked such a treasure. Spiritual treasures were all valuable items, so those disciples naturally felt overjoyed. With a spiritual treasure, it became possible to properly channel their Innate Qi, amplifying their strength significantly!
It wasn’t a problem for Great Elder Wan to provide Yaan with a spiritual treasure personally. The only reason he hadn’t done so until now, was simply because there hadn’t been any need.
A basic treasure which could be used by a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator was nothing much to the great elder. That said, the sword he gave Yaan was not simple, this weapon would continue to serve him well even after ascending to the Innate Qi Realm! Great Elder Wan wanted to ensure that Yaan was fully protected when he ventured into the wilderness, it would be too pitiful if he died to a wild beast.
Yaan examined his new sword carefully. It was similar in size and shape to his old sword, but the blade was far sharper, and when held at a certain angle, it actually released a red glimmer of light. The handle was wrapped with a unique flattened black vine, providing it with a strong and durable grip.
According to his teacher, this sword could channel Innate Qi, forming a sharp blade light around the edge of the blade. When this blade light manifested, the weapon also felt lighter, making it easier and faster to move.
After sheathing his sword into a holder which he attached to his back, Yaan glanced around curiously.
Not long after the groups were equipped with sufficient treasures, the great elders led the disciples and lower elders down the mountain, towards the Northern part of the outer sect. Everyone descended from the core sect, passing through the winding paths as a caravan of people, with the great elders a few dozen feet ahead.
Their pace was slow but steady, reaching the inner sect within an hour or two. The inner sect disciples were already being herded across the sect to the Northern face of the mountain, joining the core sect disciples. As the two groups converged, the swarm of people did not stop, but continued with their journey downwards, towards the foot of the mountain
The inner sect disciples wore expressions of reverence when they saw the majesty of the core sect disciples in their distinctly recognisable crimson robes. Even some of the weaker inner sect elders showed respect towards these genius disciples.
The hierarchy of the Heavenly Path Sect was fairly simple. The outer sect disciples were all mortals, disregarded by the sect and considered ‘sect candidates’ rather than true sect members. Upon reaching the Qi Gathering Realm, the outer sect disciples could enter the inner sect. Of course, those mortals who possessed high talent were able to enter the inner sect directly.
If an inner sect disciple broke through to the Innate Qi Realm before the age of 50, they would have the opportunity to rise up and become a core sect disciple. If they only reached this realm after their 50th birthday, they would most likely find themselves stuck as a low ranking elder of the inner sect for the remainder of their lives.
Reaching the Qi Temple Realm meant becoming a higher ranking elder, whilst the great elders were those at the Spirit Core realm.
Anyway, anyone could see that a core sect disciple was considered more valuable than an Innate Qi Realm elder. Even towards a child such as Yaan, these elders would act with respect, despite the difference in both age and strength.
Yaan and Elia were by far the youngest disciples in the core sect, but nobody dared to look down on them for this. On the contrary, any Qi Gathering Realm child capable of entering the core sect must be a heaven defying genius that the sect was carefully nurturing…these lesser elders could not afford to offend such children!
The core disciples mostly kept to themselves, not mixing with the inner sect disciples. Many of the core disciples wore prideful expressions when they noticed the attention and reverence that they were receiving from the others.
Elia also felt extremely proud as she overheard the awe and praise directed towards her. She and Yaan would always attract this sort attention as the youngest core sect members, no matter where in the sect they went. She glanced over towards Yaan secretly, wondering if he felt the same way.
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Yaan looked totally indifferent, as if he hadn’t even noticed the countless reverent gazes. Elia’s heart sank, feeling again that she was inferior to Yaan.
Really though, Yaan was just more focussed on the surrounding inner sect. He had never actually been to this place before, so he was quite curious to see how the conditions differed compared to the core and outer sects.
As expected, it was a moderate midway point between the two extremes of the sect that he had experienced until now. The atmosphere inner sect’s Spiritual Energy density was between that of the outer sect and the core sect, whilst the architecture and scenery also seemed more tame. The conditions here were much better compared to any mortal settlement, but it obviously couldn’t compare to the beauty of the core sect.
A serene atmosphere, an abundance of bright flowers, fruit trees and well-kept grass, properly designed housing that was obviously properly maintained by the servants…this was basically what Yaan had been expecting from the Heavenly Path Sect prior to his arrival.
The further down the mountain they descended, the less luxurious the conditions became. The crowd was steadily growing, until there were thousands of disciples and elders making their way downwards, towards the bottom of the mountain.
Yaan quickly noticed that the Spiritual Energy density in was steadily decreasing. He had spent so long in the core sect and never actually stepped foot outside since reaching the Qi Gathering Realm. This was the first time that Yaan had ever felt such a low Spiritual Energy density.
“Is this the normal Spiritual Energy density throughout the world…?” He muttered to himself, not really asking this question to anyone in particular.
“Spiritual Energy density varies massively between places. Even moving between countries on the same planet, or between provinces within the country, will lead to a big change in the surrounding Spiritual Energy.” Rui chimed in.
‘What’s a planet?’ Yaan thought to himself, but he didn’t continue speaking in this crowded place.
Down the mountain the group travelled, now five thousand strong and counting. The beautiful scenery faded away, replaced by ordinary trees and grass like that found within the surrounding mortal villages. Upon reaching the outer sect, even the grass and trees thinned out.
Seeing so many prestigious cultivators passing by their village caused the mortal outer sect disciples to feel terrified. However, they were mostly ignored, the elders walked straight past their village and stopped at the other side.
The mountain was surrounded by forests on all sides. The dark forest to the South, the Northern wilderness to the North, and the forests segregating them from the adjacent mountains to the East and West.
The Sect Lord turned around to address the now slightly anxious crowd.
“We will establish more sturdy borders and station points throughout the Northern outer sect. Each village will be renovated and transformed into a station point, where groups can return to rest and receive their merit points.”
It seemed that Sect Lord Shin had already conceived a clear strategy for resisting the beast tide’s first wave. Strengthen the border, reinforce the outer sect and tempt everyone with rewards and glory.
“He is somewhat capable, at least he satisfies the minimum requirements to maintain a sect.” Rui commented plainly.
The efficiency of a group run by an absolute power was displayed in all its splendour in this moment. The outer sect disciples were put to work, doing manual labour and assisting with the reinforcement of the borders and villages, whilst the inner and core sect resistance groups were organised and assigned to their own posts.
Yaan’s group was sent to Hun Village, an outer sect village located Northwest of the mountain. His group would not be assisting with the renovations, instead immediately embarking into the Northern forest. For now, they were instructed to search the Southern border of the Northern wilderness, which could also be considered the Northernmost territory of the Heavenly Path Sect.
The scouts finally retuned with vital information. According to their reports, the first wave of the beast tide was heading towards the outer sect rapidly. The number of beasts in this first wave made up only a tiny fraction of the total, whilst their average strength was just Rank 1 to Rank 2.
With this preliminary information to reassure them, the various groups, Yaan’s included, headed out.
Even though he knew that the danger should be minimal, Yaan kept up his guard. His eyes darted about as he tried to maintain his maximum alertness, wary of any potential dangers.
He had never actually seen a true demonic beast. The closest he had encountered was that strange black fish in the dark forest, but that monstrous thing was only the new-born baby of an actual demonic beast.
He had encountered a few tamed spirit beasts used as mounts by some of the great elders in the sect, but those beasts alone were enough to make him feel quite wary. Demonic beasts and wild spirit beasts would have very different temperaments compared to tamed spirit beasts, though…
Towards this unknown threat, he naturally felt apprehensive.
“Don’t worry so much, Elia, Yaan.” Boln smiled back at them. “Rank 1 and 2 beasts aren’t all that powerful, I can even deal with Peak Rank 2 beasts alone.”
His bragging wasn’t for nothing, Boln was indeed capable of this. Learning this comforting fact allowed Elia to relax slightly.
“He’s right Yaan, you need to relax. If you are always tense, you will exhaust yourself rapidly. When travelling alone in the outside world, it is essential to remain both aware and relaxed at all times. This is a skill that can only be developed through experience.”
Yaan nodded his head when he heard Rui’s advice. Boln mistook this as Yaan accepting his words of comfort, so he returned his attention to the path ahead.
There were some differences in this Northern forest compared to the dark forest to the South. This forest was much brighter, whilst the trees were larger and spaced further apart. The plants displayed a variety of bright green and blue colours which reflected the midday sun, creating the feeling of an exotic rainforest, rather than a gloomy and suppressive wilderness like in the South.
The high humidity added to this feeling…it was as if they had entered an entirely different world.
This sort of unfamiliar climate left Yaan and Elia feeling even more uncomfortable. The other three in their group were slightly better off, since they had all explored the Northern wilderness once or twice in the past.
Yaan tried his best to calm himself and adjust. Rui had drilled it into him that he could not rely on the sect, he could not assume that he would always have a safe place to live on Heavenly Path Mountain.
In this world, he could only rely on himself. Yaan could only obtain revenge for himself, and he knew that if he really killed Elder Sun, he would have betrayed the sect…at that point, he would no longer have a place to call home.