Leaves fell upon leaves, branches climbed atop one another. The roots outgrew and poked out from the dirt. The forest was lush, and it became even more so as the paths disappeared. The trek was a perilous one, as the slaves and these men in black were making their way through the dark forest one could hear the noises of beasts in the dark. Most of the slaves were scared, yet no beast ever showed itself from the darkness. Instead, more and more men dressed in black and tight martial artists attire appeared out of the darkness, escorting the group while the Great Crimson Apothecary walked in the lead on his lonesome. He was not disturbed by roots or inclines, his stride remained undisturbed as not even branches touched his loose and elegant clothing.
Tian Mingyun could not help but look at the Great Crimson Apothecary in awe, his mouth wide open as that masked man with long hair moved through a forest without a speck of dirt or a leaf touching him. He was not even moving in an extraordinary manner, to him this was clearly an effortless stride. Tian Mingyun was mesmerized, not paying attention to anything else while holding onto the bars of his bamboo cage and looking intently at the Great Crimson Apothecary’s beautiful figure moving in the dense forest as if it were a paved city road.
Shupi Juren meanwhile finally felt at ease. He was finally in a forest at night, with all the familiar scents and noises. He allowed his mind to trace the path as they traveled, even leaning back while sitting in a lotus position in his cage, meditating with his eyes half open. His mind was truly at peace in a forest, how he would love to walk among the trees where even paths disappeared. How he would enjoy a small house far from everything else, serving fruits and berries to his newfound Older Sister Yanku Zhimei. How deeply he desired the simple pleasures, knowing his fate was likely one of suffering from today onwards, he focused on the joy of the present and faint dreams of the impossible future in his mind rather than dreading the unknown.
The sound of nails being chewed on could be heard from the cage next to Shupi Juren’s. Yanku Zhimei was simply way too anxious, fearing what horrible fate may befall them, especially the three younger kids alongside her. She kept being overcome with anxiety whenever she remembered how much money these people had paid to purchase Shupi Juren in particular. There was no way her precious Little Brother Shupi Juren would experience anything but hell in the hands of these people.
Huo Lan was in an even worse mental state, her child mind playing the screams of those she had killed within the dark forest. She was clutching her head and crying in mental anguish, knowing deep inside that those she had killed would only be the drop in the lake that she would soon fill. Her mind dared not imagine how many more she would kill.
These mental effects that the four of them were experiencing were not only due to their mental struggles and the piled on horrors of their recent week of terror. They were also not alone in their odd mental states, all of the slaves were acting as though something was very wrong with them. Some laughed while others cried, even Xie who had remained without visible emotion was currently looking angrily into the dark forest.
The Deterring Shadows Array was a simple Array Formation that most Formation Masters would learn at the very start of their training. However, even the worst Formation Master would be coveted in a County's capital city within the Tyrant Dragon Empire. Not to mention that every Array Formation would cost its host a fortune to set up.
There was a common rule to Array Formations, one would have to be just as good to set up a small Array Formation as they would a large one. However, as the diameter of an Array Formation increased, the required materials would increase in quantity and the labor required would skyrocket. For it to affect hours of walking range, one would have to be willing to burn a small Noble Family's fortune for it.
The deeper into the forest they walked, the more deranged the slaves became, most of whom were children with little to no mental resistance. However, the Great Crimson Apothecary and the martial artists wearing black that were escorting him seemed to be perfectly fine. The chained and walking slaves had to be poked with spears just to walk straight ahead, while the oxen pulling the caged slaves had to be pulled by their ropes.
The Deterring Shadows Array Formation's effects kept becoming more and more intense until they suddenly vanished as if it were a lie. The moment the effects vanished, Tian Mingyun finally managed to focus his eyes beyond the alluring figure of the Great Crimson Apothecary. The sight ahead of him was just as alluring as that charming man, it was a set of buildings lit up by paper lanterns. Each building differed in size and shape, but they were all the style of the expensive Noble houses back in the Yellow Leaf City.
Tian Mingyun looked around as if he were a child at a fair. He had seen a couple of such buildings before the Yellow Leaf City's razing. However, this was dozens. They were spaced apart, well kept and each of them was painted black and red as if to get lost in the night. Their red accents upon every roof and wall made the walls shine like beautiful women with exquisite dresses and makeup under the paper lantern light. At the very center was a building taller than any other, 6 stories high and with decorations hanging from the corner of every roof.
Tian Mingyun was so lost in the beauty of the buildings that it took him a few minutes to even notice the people dressed in white busily walking around. All of them seemed to be laboring intensely yet quietly, pulling carts full of jars, carrying clothing in their arms, or even hurriedly serving food to other buildings.
The Great Crimson Apothecary suddenly raised his arms, garnering the attention of all slaves to where his hands were pointing, then spoke in a serene tone that was still somehow clearly audible to the hundreds that were listening.
"This is the Immortal Pursuit Demonic Sect. From now on, you belong in this place and shall live by its rules." His words were certain and commanding.
None of the slaves raised their voices in rebellion. If anything, they seemed to submit to their fate as they looked at the sect headboard that the Great Crimson Apothecary was pointing to that read '寻仙魔宗'. The character of 'demonic' was fearsome to the eyes of the few children who could read. They knew from stories and songs just how horrible Demonic Sects were.
The Great Crimson Apothecary then lowered his arms, and one of the martial artists dressed in black quickly brought a loose silk robe for him to wear as he also removed the white mask with the red ink demon face. Upon the silk robe were the characters '赤日', Tian Mingyun could read them as Chi Ri, meaning Crimson Sun.
Tian Mingyun was mesmerized again when Chi Ri turned his face back to the slaves. That face was so elegant and beautiful that it was breathtaking. One could hear every kid gasp in awe at the same time.
Chi Ri's face was so smooth and flawless that it shone like the moon under the faint light of paper lanterns. His lips were such a light shade of pink that it nearly matched the pinkness of his fingernails. His neck was also like a swan, slender and elegant yet long. His eyes were like that of a falcon's, gazing with wit and intent. His eyebrows were so mirrored and tilted upwards near his temples in appearance that one could be fooled into thinking that they were drawn with ink and brush.
Chi Ri was clearly an elder from his calm speech and elegant manners, yet his beauty and youth outshone any young man they had ever seen before. As all were still in awe of his beauty, he started speaking once more.
"Everyone but Huo Lan and Shupi Juren are to follow Instructor Fei. Huo Lan and Shupi Juren are to come with me."
The martial artists dressed in black started undoing everybody's chains and letting the caged ones out of their cages after Chi Ri's words, none dared to even try and escape.
Huo Lan was anxious as she followed Chi Ri, while Shupi Juren had a faint smile on his face as he admired the paved paths of the Immortal Pursuit Demonic Sect.
Before long, the rest of the kids spotted the black robed man with dark yellow accents to all his clothing. He was skinny and tall, yet one could not even notice his gait despite his long legs as he only took small steps under his robes. His hair was long and straight, with hints of gray stripes and thin yet long facial hair befitting a teacher or a scholar. Notably, his neck had a burn scar that seemed old due to its faded color, yet also healing despite the age of the scar. The edges of his scar were pink like a fresh scab.
"I am the First Step Book Pavilion Instructor Wei. Call me Instructor Fei from now on. Follow me and stick close to me, you need to listen to my every word and I am not fond of yelling or repeating myself."
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Instructor Wei seemed oddly civilian with his acts compared to everyone else, but the kids were still wary of him. While they stuck close enough to him to hear his words, only Tian Mingyun, Huoli Siblings, and Hou Yun were close enough to touch his sleeves as he walked. Instructor Fei did not seem disturbed or annoyed by them as he explained while walking.
"I will mention some of the rules you must not disobey as we walk. Never leave the borders of our sect without order or permission from the Pursuit Quest Pavilion, the borders are marked within the forest with black flags. Do not go against the word of anyone ranked higher than you unless it involves harming yourself or another member of the Immortal Pursuit Demonic Sect. Bow when you greet an Instructor, kneel when you greet one of the Elders, kneel with one fist on the ground and your head bowed down when you greet one Suns of our Sect, and prostrate when you greet the Sect Master." Instructor Fei's words were clearly crucial, most were listening with all intent.
The kids could tell that the trick to survive this place was to obey, most had lost any will of rebellion when the kid that spoke up got killed in an instant by Lian Lingzhu's chains in the arena. Yanku Zhimei was also listening, though from a bit further away from Instructor Fei. She was further away because she was repeating his sentences to herself in a hushed tone so that she could recite them to Shupi Juren when he returned, her mind was still occupied with his wellbeing.
Instructor Fei explained some other things like where the food would be distributed at what time of the day and where they could pick up clean white clothes, as well as which buildings they were not allowed entry to. His most important piece of information came as his tone shifted to a more intense one and the First Step Book Pavilion was right in front of them. It was a wide building with three floors and dark yellow decorations all over, with a well right in front of it. The most striking part of the First Step Book Pavilion was the mural on its front gates that depicted a Noble man carrying an entire bookshelf out of a burning building, the man's neck had been visibly burnt.
"I risked life and limb to retrieve each book you are about to see. If one bit of harm comes to any one of them, I shall burn you alive and make ink from your ashes. Those who can not read may ask me for advice on which Cultivation Technique Book to pick. I will give basic reading and writing lessons for three months, starting at every dawn and ending at noon. But keep in mind that you have three months to reach the Skin Refinement Realm, or else you will wear the white clothing even after the season is over, and remain as menial slaves." He then opened the gates of the First Step Book Pavilion to reveal a library with enough books to fill most of the shelves on both floors.
Everybody was shocked. They were expecting to be forcefully used as slaves, not to be given a chance to cultivate. Most of the small number of kids who could read quickly stepped forward into the Pavilion to look for a book, the only reason they were not running full speed was due to Instructor Fei's presence and their fear of his reaction. Tian Mingyun quickly got a hold of Hou Yun, Yanku Zhimei, and the Huoli Siblings, none of them understood why he was pulling at their wrists and walking to a corner so suddenly before they could complain, he started speaking.
"Ask Instructor Fei for advice even if you can read. If any of you can not read, I will recite you the book that he picks out for you until you memorize it. Three months is not enough time, so all of you should start trying to understand your Circulation first before you can start Cultivation proper." He said this part loud enough for others to overhear and then whispered after leaning in close to them.
"I know because I already am at Skin Refinement Realm." His claims were insane.
Huoli Yue was the first to doubt his words, yet her doubt faded a bit when a skilled and experienced fighter like Hou Yun grabbed Tian Mingyun's hand and then nodded. This was silent confirmation that this kid was a Cultivator, even though at the very beginning of the road.
Yanku Zhimei did not understand why Tian Mingyun was being so open about such a crucial secret. These people were their enemies in an arena not long ago, and they might become one in this Sect again, is what she thought. Yet, Tian Mingyun understood Instructor Fei's words the moment he uttered them.
"He said 3 months to learn how to read and 3 months to Cultivate. Do you think anyone who can not read possibly both learn how to read and how to Cultivate from a book within one season? Would one person be left illiterate in this world if it was so easy?" Tian Mingyun was not being quiet any longer, he spoke his mind openly because he understood that this was meant to see which kids could band together in groups to help one another achieve their goals together.
Those who could read had a significant advantage, Tian Mingyun did not know if the Huoli Siblings or Hou Yun could read, but he knew that he was the only person here who had already comprehended a Cultivation Technique Book. He could aid even those who could read. He had to take the initiative to start a group with those who had shown themselves capable in the arena before.
Huoli Yue now finally spoke.
"If you are already a Cultivator, I want you to help us pick good Cultivation Technique Books for me and my brother as well... I don't think you noticed, but I am certain these are all flawed. Only the Cultivation Techniques with great flaws or detriments would be passed out so easily. Even a subpar one costs 200 Golden Taels even if it is just a copy, even if these are copies here, there is no way they would give them to us so easily if some were largely harmful in the long run." Huoli Yue was smart, she had shown it in the arena too, but Tian Mingyun did not expect her to so expertly detect a scheme.
Huoli Jingzi looked proud of her sister, he hugged her and was ready to brag about her if they were not in such a perilous situation.
Hou Yun was the next one to speak.
"I will need one that can enhance my weight... Lead Cloud Body Arts benefits greatly from weight, but I am not capable of putting on much weight. I have heard stories that there are Cultivators who collapse the stone they walk upon despite being as slim as a dancer." There was a tacit understanding already. This was a group, information had to be shared.
Tian Mingyun nodded, then Yanku Zhimei spoke.
"You know my Body Arts, Tian Mingyun. I need even more power and speed when I kick. I need to be decisive." She had learned her weakness in the arena. Her power did not suffice against those who were trained or much heavier than her.
Huoli Jingzi and Yue looked at one another and decided to reveal what they needed as well.
"I was born good with the sword, I need to be able to use a sword if there is a Cultivation Technique that focuses on that. While my sister is..." He could not make sure whether he wanted to say what his sister was good at, that was when Huoli Yue spoke up for herself.
"I am good at handling the dead. Be it burials, cremations, ceremonial rites, or washing the bodies. I don't know if it is of any use for Cultivation, but I was in training to be an Ancestral Rites Shaman before my capture." She seemed to be unapologetic about it, but even Yanku Zhimei clicked her tongue as a reaction out of reflex after hearing her.
Handling the dead was thought to be a necessary yet condemned job. People believed that if the dead were not given proper burials, they may come back as Jiangxi. However, they also believed that the more someone handled the dead, the more evil spirits would cling to them and bring misfortune. The reason why nobody married Ancestral Rite Shamans was also due to such fears, not out of the Shaman's choice.
Hou Yun did not seem to care much, but Yanku Zhimei openly stepped away from Huoli Yue. Tian Mingyun however felt that even if the dead cursed this girl, he had no right to step away. He had been in a pit that looked like a part of the underworld, if such curses were a thing then surely he was far more cursed than anyone else. Just remembering it was enough to make him want to lie down and cry, but he held on with focus.
He quickly walked up to Instructor Fei along with his group and explained the specialty of everyone to get his opinion. He would not blindly follow his advice as per Huoli Yue's advice that these books may have severe drawbacks. However, he needed Instructor Fei's help in order to narrow down his search and see examples. He could never find five fitting books among these thousands.
Instructor Fei looked at Tian Mingyun with an amused gaze, which also extended over to Huoli Yue. He was a Cultivator of the Muscle Refinement Realm, he had heard their entire conversation with his far above normal sensory abilities. These kids were the first to figure out the intent of the First Step Book Pavilion so quickly.