A Day Later…

"Hnngh…?"

A dissatisfied groan leaves Kenki's lips, a hand rises to cover his eyes.

"Stupid window." He mutters under his breath, turning around on the furs he'd been sleeping on.

"Urgh.." another groan. "Fine, you win this time around, sun." The boy spits out in disdain as he stretches, the bones in his body popping one after another. Although he won't admit it, he is secretly happy to be woken up now of all times. Had the blinding rays of the morning sun not roused him from his slumber here and now he would have most likely rested until the middle of the day.

'I really need to do something about this window though, it's annoying' Once more he sends a glance upwards. The thick glass pane that acts as the 'roof' of his humble shack is there –a true blessing for his cultivation, somehow being capable of concentrating the sun Qi as well as keeping whatever energy had been trapped by it inside.

…But a curse worse than anything in most other situations. Case and point –mornings.

Not to mention that the cultivation room that allowed him to enter the 4th stage was better. A bottle of sun blessed wheat, a crop that he'd assisted his father in harvesting, had provided better results than this.

Why not just buy the bottle, instead of going through hoops and installing this pane.

'It can't be that expensive, can it? That bottle had about a quarter of what his family would harvest in a year. It must have cost a dozen gold coins at most to buy.' Kenki shakes his head. The math isn't adding up, why had the cultivation room cost so much to rent for a single bloody day?

Ten whole spiritual coins –that's one thousand gold!

A sudden sharp pain to the neck makes the boy whimper. He twists his head around left and right until a strong pop is released from one of his vertebrae properly realigning itself.

"Emperor… I've had it up to here with these fucking furs!" Kenki shouts at the top of his lungs, his voice and intent flare out wide. A few sparrows that had been perched on the edge of the structure fly away in fright while a mortal servant that happens to be passing by hastens his steps to leave the area.

Rising on both legs Ken kicks the fur across the small room. It flops against the wall before sliding down onto the ground.

"Hmph!" The boy snorts in annoyance, his task for the day now decided.

Get a bed.

Or at least something soft to sleep on… it's a good excuse to go out and touch grass. Kenki isn't planning on doing any serious cultivation for a while now that he's entered the fourth stage.

One would think that a man would get used to sleeping on a hard surface after being locked up for a year in a run down caravan.

It doesn't get easier. Not at all.

Especially after the week that Kenki had spent in Rinako's mansion. Soft beds, good food. Pampered at every possible opportunity by the servants.

'I have a steady source of income' He reasons. Ryo had allowed him to take his kill with him, only under the condition that Ken is the one responsible for carrying it back.

He had ultimately sold the hare on the market. The headless body and the horn he'd found on the grass after the battle. they had netted him a total of sixty gold coins, eleven for the body and forty-nine for the horn that had turned out to be a beast treasure of the wood element.

While his mind is still on Ryo, Kenki recalls the previous day's events. Out of the forty-seven disciples that had taken the exam only him, Ryota and Suzu had passed –the rest having no other choice but to train and try again later.

The important bit is what had happened after their return. The core disciple had taken Ken to a secluded room in order to discuss some rather important topics…

'Most importantly how I am capable of controlling every single element under the sun…' the boy chuckles. 'Well, I can see why they hid the information from me. Wouldn't want the twelve year old to accidentally expose himself so they'd kept that piece of information under wraps… but why tell it to me now? If I was in Ryo's position I definitely wouldn't trust some random kid to keep his mouth shut' he spends some time contemplating that particular conundrum.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Bah!" Not for long, though.

'There are obvious power struggles within the sect, why else would they be trying to hide my very existence. Not to mention that I don't even know what faction Rinako and Ryo are part of. What's the point in smashing my head against a wall when I can't even begin to understand the intricacies of this sect?' Ken shoves the topic into the back of his mind, he's too weak to do anything about it anyways.

'At least at the end of it all I walked away with some big daddy super-duper god realm life saving artifact that is also conveniently a hairclip and impossible to lose since it's bound to my very existence.' Ken unlocks the door of the hut as he turns to leave.

'To the mortal resources sector!' The chilly morning air engulfs his body as the door is opened.

=======================

This branch of the Verdant Sword sect is divided into several main regions –each separated by walls and inscriptions. The core sect, the inner sect, the outer sect, the emerald forest and finally the mortal resources sector.

Despite dealing strictly with non-cultivation matters the mortal resources sector is one of the most well guarded places in the entirety of the sect. The security is top notch, it must be as it is easy for enemies to infiltrate through here.

The sect is massive –having tens of thousands of mortals within its grounds. Each one must be fed, clothed and taken care of. Buildings and roads must be maintained, broken tools must be replaced.

Glassware, cookware like woks and pans, silk, porcelain and other such things must be provided for. Cultivators demand only the best of the best when it comes to mortal materials.

Hence the necessary existence of the mortal resources sector. A paradise for merchants where gold flows like water.

'It's getting quite busy already. Maybe I should consider coming here at night.' Ken thinks to himself as he bears witness to the sea of white-clothed servants moving energetically through the streets. The occasional a black clothed individual like himself could be seen - outer disciples. And very rarely even inner and core disciples could be spotted.

"Master Kaito!" A voice resounds from nearby, calling for the boy's attention.

A rotund salesman named Joshi is standing behind his stall and waving at the young cultivator.

Ken approaches, naturally. The servants in the boy's way part as they aren't too interested in finding out what's going to happen should he bump into them.

"Ah. I see that your excellency has found great success in their efforts." The man gleefully rubs his hands together "To have stepped into the fourth realm only ten days after entering the grounds of the sect. Master Ken truly is a genius like no other"

"How do you know my level of cultivation, Joshi?" Ken inquires with a stoic face. His arms are crossed, gaze contemptuous –an almost perfect copy of the way other disciples treat mortals.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

"It is through the use of a special mineral, Master Kaito" The man takes his golden ring off, presenting it to the boy with a bow. "The jewel in this ring is made from Ardite, it changes color depending on the strength of a cultivator's presence"

"I see" Ken takes the offered item, examining it. The so-called ardite is purple in color.

'Does it pick up on my intent?' Ken questions in his mind. It should be the only form of energy that is currently leaving his body.

And truly, the moment that he locks down his emotions the ardite in the ring changes colors to blue. Focusing all of his intent on the object changes it to red.

"A shame." The boy comments after a while, placing the item back into the plump man's hands "It would seem that this ring is only useful for mortals." The reason why cultivators keep their intent flared out in the first place is in order to make their presence known. It's just that the aura cannot be perceived by regular folk.

"So have I been told." Joshi says in response as he puts the ring back on.

"Now then, how can I help? Has Master Cultivator run out of food? The quality of the goods In 'The Dragon Feast Emporium' are always top notch"

'I still haven't finished half of the rations I bought from this guy.' Ken thinks to himself 'The food is delicious, but this is not the reason why I am here today.'

"Maybe tomorrow." The boy places a golden coin on the counter, pushing it forwards without much subtlety "Do you know where I can buy a bed from though."

"A bed?" Joshi replies with a hint of surprise.

"Hm." Ken nods, rubbing his neck "I don't know if it is a peculiarity about my abode or just standard practice but the residence I was given has absolutely nothing to sleep on" he begins to explain. "Just some measly mortal fur that is so thin that I might as well be sleeping on the hard wooden floor."

"Ah.." the salesman's eyes light up "I see, so that is the problem. Just to make certain, Master Ken, from what I have heard the residences of the outer disciples aren't that large, are they?"

"Not at all." Ken shakes his head. "Somewhere about five meters by five meters in size" (author note: 16x16 feet)

"Then may this Joshi make a suggestion? Why not buy a bedroll instead of a bed? A high quality one, of course, filled with goose feathers to ensure its softness." The man makes his opinion known "Nothing like those rough leather and linen rolls that commoners use, and that way your excellency won't have a large piece of furniture hogging up a quarter of the room." He uses gestures to help emphasize his point.

"That's fine and all but where's the shop that sells those bedrolls in the first place?"

The merchant leans over the stall, his large gut pressing against the wood and making it creak. The gold coin that Ken had placed down is also stealthily stashed away.

"There." He points "Past the corner and to the left your excellency will see a shop named 'Ronhei's Heavenly Silks'. It's one of the largest establishments here and they sell anything from robes to towels to the bedrolls I've been talking about. They're a surprisingly hot item amongst outer disciples, and with good reason as it seems!" Joshi hearily laughs as he leans back.

"Quite" Kenki comments "Your assistance is appreciated."

"Kai!" A sudden excited shout interrupts the two's conversation. Kenki turns around swiftly to face the origin of the voice.

He sees a very recognisable freckled girl in black robes walking towards him.

Naoe.

A boy at least two years younger than Naoe and clad in white robes is following behind her. He's struggling to carry two rough linen bags filled with what Ken assumes to be groceries. The effort on his red face is clear.

"Long time no see. Watcha doing, buying food?" She asks when the two are within talking distance.

"A bedroll actually." Ken corrects her, his eyes following the struggling young boy with some apprehension. "You wouldn't happen to have heard of a shop named 'Ronhei's Heavenly Silks', have you"

The teenage girl's eyes sparkle as she nods "Have you been sleeping on the floor this whole time?" She grabs Kenki's arm "Come on, I'll show you where it is"