As my eyes awake to the sun coming over the horizon, my awareness shows that nothing happened throughout the night.
This opens my eyes to one of the things I knew about this world, but never really consciously noticed. Mainly, because I was always surrounded by structures in the city.
How far I can actually see, to the horizon on this world.
Privilon is a massive planet and because of that, I can see much farther along to the horizon from the ground.
In fact, I can easily see a large portion of the mountain peak, upon which the sect resides. I've been able to see it, since we emerged out of Monchon City, where I first came into this world and Gong resides.
As we've continued to get closer, I can see that the mountain gets larger and larger. Spreading almost impossibly wide. Back on earth, I was used to mountain ranges, if I saw any mountains at all.
But here, there's only this one mountain and standing imperiously against the horizon, filling the space. At some point, all I'll be able to see in the sky is just this mountain due to the height of it.
It's just that imposing and large.
What brings me some measure of fear, is that I know at certain levels of cultivation, a person could literally rip the said mountain out of the ground and toss it around. Causing untold destruction.
Luckily for everyone, those are the levels above Nascent Soul, which are generally kept secret and are extremely rare.
To the knowledge of most people, at least. Even I don’t know what they are, though.
My scan wouldn’t take me that far when I first tried findings the levels. Just that they exist.
My thoughts are interrupted, as my awareness catches the fact that there is an altercation occurring in one of the carriages ahead of me. Unfortunately, since I'm only using my awareness, I don't see the specifics.
The reason, I don't use my scan is because it just looks like it was an argument.
Whatever happened, it's solved pretty quickly when the cultivator jumps into the carriage and checks in on them.
Focusing back in this carriage, Mei Lin has been openly calling me Brother since last night. Normally I would assume that this was all to maintain the cover story, that I am her brother. However, she’s been playing the part a little too well.
To where I’m placed in a bit of an awkward situation.
She's been asking me my advice on things for when we get to the sect and specifically the outer city of the sect.
I had reviewed it earlier with Ai, Lin, and Gong, but there are several important aspects about the sect that I needed to remember. This was primarily the only information we really knew and could gather about the sect, as they keep things somewhat secretive:
The sect itself is over 10,000 sq km large. It controls approximately 170,000 sq km of area, and compared to my world is a little bit above Florida in size.
The majority of the land the sect controls is wilderness, with a variety spirit beasts and creatures. The mountain the sect inhabits is twice the size of Olympus Mons with a 1200 sq km wide base, 44 km tall.
The sect has 12 layers from level of importance and layout:
1. Palace of the Ancients (mountain top)
1. This is where the sect’s leaders train and live. Some sect leaders own their own smaller mountains peaks, but use this as a meeting/cultivation area
2. Gates of Heavenly Light
1. This separates the Halls from the Palace
3. Halls of Exalted Purity
1. These buildings are where important sect items, cultivation techniques, and pill storages are. This is also where all disciples come to pay respect and receive cultivation techniques
2. This is also where pill refining and formation creation happens. Other experiments are also held here.
3. For tournaments, there as a stadium here for the last portion of tournaments
4. Core Disciple Towers
1. This is where the core disciples live and train. Different from the outer court towers, that each tower belongs to a core disciple, to use as they wish.
5. Inner Court Pagodas
1. This is where different inner court disciples’ lives. Each disciple has their own floor of a pagoda.
6. Inner Court
1. This is where the inner court disciples train
7. Gates of Glory
1. This separates the sect’s dedicated area for their most important members from the inner city
8. Inner City
1. This is where the sect’s noble clans, cultivation merchants, and citizens live. Living in this part of the city, most people are cultivators of some form.
2. This separates the outer courts from the inner city
9. Gates of Longevity
1. This separates the outer court from the inner court
10. Outer Court Towers
1. This is where the sect’s outer court disciples live, typically in group living quarters
11. Outer Court
1. This is where the sect’s outer court typically trains
2. Where potential new sect members are brought in for evaluation
12. Gates of Introspection
1. This is the final wall, separating the outer court from the outer city. Representing the first steps made to begin cultivation. Prospective sect members must make the trek up the steps to the sect.
13. Outer City
1. This is the city formed outside of the sect. This is a large portion of the sect’s ‘city’ areas.
14. The Refining Forest (outside sect)
1. Leading into the dangerous parts of the land, one of the gates leads directly into the forest. The outer city has walls against this direction and a distance away from the edge of the forest.
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Looking back at Mei Lin, when we arrive at the outer city, she wants to go around and explore different things. Things like taking her shopping, or visiting a variety of famous sites there.
All with truly good intentions, as it's clear she knows that I don't know much about the city and other aspects.
Even as she talks about these things, she's filling in different information that I didn't know and haven’t bothered to scan for. Things like a difference in the types of courtesy that someone should show at different types of markets. Or which sectors to avoid, as they have bad influences in them.
She even does the favor of listing off some more clans and groups that are major players in this outer city.
All in a way, like she was taking a test that we had done plenty of times, to make sure she knew what to lookout for.
She looks like she’s actually really excited to go with me.
If I’m not wrong, she looks a bit happy at having an ‘older brother.’ Whether that’s a just a tactic she’s using or being genuine, I’ll have to see with time.
Unfortunately for her, I decline as I will need to stay low and have my own goals to accomplish.
She quickly seems to back off from this and seems disappointed. I manage to cheer her up with promises for sometime after we get accepted into the sect, which cheers her up.
I’ll see what I can do, though, there will be many things to consider, with this new family relationship. Obligations and manipulations from her family. I can’t imagine that this wouldn’t be used by them.
So many things to consider.
All this passes through my mind, as I see the landscape zip by past us.
One of the interesting things I note, is the very tips of a forest that spreads for quite a distance around what seems like the base of the mountain.
Based on what I know about the size of this mountain, the trees that I can see are likely not near the base of the mountain, but are large enough to be seen from quite a distance away.
True enough, after the full day of time passes, landing us back in the evening of the next day, we've been passing by the forest. Absolutely enormous trees are in the far distance on both sides, but are nowhere near the road.
It looks like they may have cleared the area around here for safety reasons.
Another day passes without worry or care. Going to sleep, my awareness keeps me on my toes for anything that could happen.
Funnily enough, nothing much happens the next day.
All the way up to where we reach the final approach to the outer city limits, it’s calm and peaceful.
I believe I made the right decision with my scan and awareness abilities. It now feels more powerful than ever.
I should have realized this ability is like a muscle. While constant workouts are good, you have to give it time to rest, in order for it to grow stronger.
I should be in a good position to handle the upcoming situations.
I have the tiny hero group to consider and a new little sister, so at least this is taken care of.
A mixture of excitement and apprehension fills my heart, as I see a different style of architecture rise from the ground on approach, the next morning.
Here we go.