Trampas and his ladies walked behind the elders until they came to a large field. Sitting on a cloud above that field was a good-sized ship around 165 feet in length and near 50 feet wide. A small basket was lowered down from the ship in the clouds and the two Elders with Trampas and his wives climbed aboard. Once they were pulled up, it looked like the ship was an Ocean going vessel and it felt like one. Instead of the sea, it rode on an ocean of clouds. The ship's captain barked out the same orders you'd hear from a sailor at sea. Soon the giant sail was raised and the ship got underway. Much like an ocean-going vessel the huge sky ship bobbed and crashed through waves of clouds in the sky.
One of the nice side effects of having a Foundation Building cultivation was that none of them felt seasick. The two Elders led Trampas and his wives to a large cabin and Elder Li said, "This is your room, we have cultivation rooms you can use on the deck below, just ask any member of the crew and they can take you there. We'll be sailing for one week to get back to the sect. The rules for the main sect are the same as the rules you learned for the Red Runner Clan. The only difference between our satellite sects and the main sect is the cultivation levels of our disciples. At the main sect, the core formation level is the minimum level of our outer disciples. Our Elders are at the Nascent Soul level and above.
Tutor Chen asked, "Elder Li, I don't know the different levels can you explain in more detail please?"
Elder Li nodded and continued, "As you know you started at Qi Refining and then moved to Foundation Building. In the area of Baichi city cultivations would rarely be seen above the Foundation Building level. Or even AT the Foundation Building level. Core Formation is the next level you will attain, most likely as we travel to the sect. Above Core Formation, you will achieve your Spirit Lake and then your Nascent Soul. Above that level are the True Immortal and Divine. Each of the 8 great sects has at least one person who has reached the True Immortal level which is how they became the 8 great sects. No one knows whether or not anyone has risen to the Divine level. Although it is rumored that the royal family's first Holy Emperor broke through to the Divine which is why the royal family is untouchable. "
"How many Princes and Princesses are there in the Capital?" Zi Chyou asked.
Elder Song shook his head and then said softly, "The current Royal Emperor has three thousand wives. There are hundreds of Princes and Princesses. Not all of them are worthy of the title. The Emperor has his favorites who are thought of as untouchables. Then the next tiers are the Princes and Princesses who have only recently fallen out of favor, they are still basically untouchables as well. The next tier down from that is the Princes and Princesses born of women without political backing and whom the Emperor has either forgotten or simply doesn't have time for... These people should be granted the respect of the title and not openly challenged but with the sect's help won't cause any lasting problems."
Elder Li nodded along and then spoke, "The last tier is the illegitimate Princes and Princesses. They are no different from commoners although it is always best to greet them with the same courtesy you extend to any Royal family member. If you need to kill one of these Princes or Princesses you can do so thanks to your sect's backing."
Elder Song nodded and said in warning, "I recommend not leaving the sect's walls until you reach the Nascent Soul level before that there are still many in the capital the sect can not afford to offend."
Trampas spit over the side of the ship and then said, "Alright, until we get back to the sect, everyone cultivates like our lives are at stake. We were big fish at the Red Runner Clan, but we'll be tiny fish once we get to the Blood Sword sect. Let's meet for breakfast and Tutor Chen's lessons and the rest of our time will be cultivation."
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After Trampas and his ladies left the deck Elder Song and Elder Li looked at each other and shook their heads, "I am not worried about Young Master Tea Dubuya, but that Fairy Bai." Elder Li said as she shook his head.
Elder Song nodded and replied, "She is in for a rude awakening when she sees what the women at the sect look like. It is one thing to be called a fairy in a backwater like Baichi quite another thing to be called a fairy when you are among the best-looking women in the country."
Elder Li nodded in agreement, "His other two wives are quite common looking, they might fall out of favor with Young Master Tea Dubuya. Well, they are cultivation geniuses, they will be able to survive just fine. It's only Bai Xiao Yin that will face difficulties. She's too used to being the prettiest face in the room."
After stepping into the cultivation rooms aboard the ship each of them cultivated frantically as they felt the pressure of joining the main sect. They had barely enough time to get to know the layout of the Red Runner Clan before being whisked away to the Blood Sword sect, one of the eight great sects in the country. Thankfully they took a break each morning to attend Tutor Chen's lessons with Trampas or else they might not have even stopped cultivating to eat. Each of them smoothly made the breakthrough to the Core Formation realm and quickly rose to the fifth layer.
After the breakthrough, each of the girls noticed that her beauty was raised along with their cultivation level. Zi Chyou even asked Elder Song discreetly, "Excuse me Elder Song, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. I have noticed that my skin and features look different after reaching the Core Formation level, does our beauty increase with our cultivation level?"
Elder Song nodded, "I know what you are wanting to ask, yes, when you reach the sect you find many of the young women are much more attractive than your Fairy Bai. Baichi is a backwater town. The Red Runner Clan was only a tier 1 sect. The great 8 sects are all tier 9."
Zi Chyou looked down and then sighed, "Then we can expect that our Husband will see many beautiful women who make us look like the very common looking women that we are."
Elder Song nodded and then smiled, "Have faith in your husband, you three are very lovely girls. Plus, you are a cultivation genius, that's something that will let you stand apart right from the beginning. By the time we reach the sect, you may well be qualified to be an inner court disciple."
Elder Li was walking down the hall to use one of the cultivation rooms when Tutor Chen was coming out to have breakfast and teach Trampas when their eyes met. Elder Li gasped and looked at Tutor Chen carefully for the first time. He immediately fell to his knees and said, "Your Highness, I'm sorry for not recognizing you sooner!"
Tutor Chen frowned and then said, "Please, get back on your feet. No one has called me that since I was a small child."
Elder Li shook his head and then said, "But Princess you may not be in favor, but you are still of Royal blood. Does your Husband know?"
She shook her head no and then said, "Maybe it was a mistake coming this way. My family left Xia so long ago in order to save me from the problems of my father's family."
Elder Li chuckled and said, "Anything for love, eh?"
She nodded and sighed before asking, "Will Elder Song guess once he sees me?"
Elder Li nodded and then smiled, "I will inform him before that. I'm afraid it's impossible to hide anymore. I don't know if you have looked in a mirror since you broke through to the Core Formation realm, but the mark of Royalty is as bright on your forehead as the Crown Prince himself."
She scrunched her forehead and then asked, "What mark?"
Elder Li brought out a small hand mirror and showed Tutor Chen her face. Instead of the plain Jane face she was used to seeing her face had become shockingly beautiful. Even the Jade Lake's Fairy looked common in comparison. On her forehead was a bright purple seal of the first Holy Emperor.
She opened her eyes wide and then looked away from the mirror and asked, "Is this really me?"
Elder Li had a wide grin on his face as he nodded. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm afraid your husband may not even recognize you this morning."