“And we have decided Arthur Esset acted to avenge his fellow’s cultivator an unlawful assault and acted with honor and vigilance. We shall not punish him for the duel. Mei Silverhand shall receive no punishment for her unlawful assault, for the Elders decided the wounds she received from her duel with Arthur Esset were punishment enough.” Elder Baran spoke to the assembled outer disciples.

The masses of outer sect disciples were arrayed in ranks behind the small ranks of neophytes. I stood to the side under the roof of the training pavilion. I had no intention of walking among cultivators now, that I was not one anymore.

It was a week after the duel, and Elder Zhin finally released me from the infirmary. The sharp pain in my body dulled under the treatment of elder Zhin and I could function normally. I did not know, if it was coincidence, that the elders announced Arthur’s lack of punishment the day I was let out of the infirmary, or if they had a more complex goal in mind and in truth, I did not care.

Elder Zhin talked to me the morning after I listened to the conversation among the elders and confirmed what I already knew. My body would eat itself in upcoming months. He could do nothing about my condition.

I thanked him for his efforts and asked to spend the rest of my time with my family. I was no longer a cultivator. It would be better to spend some time with my mother and father before the end came, and I did not wish for my friends to see how my body collapsed on itself.

He was understanding and arranged my affairs with the elders of the sect. I would have no obligation to the Fiery peak sect. He even offered to arrange an inner sect disciple to take me directly home, but I refused. The carriages left the mountain each day and the journey would give me time to think.

Of course the rumors of my condition spread through the outer sect. Some hangers on I gained over the time never showed up, but any of my friends and allies showed to give me condolences. They all came once and then moved on. It was pragmatic of them. It would be bad to attract the attention of the new rising star of the outer sect. Then there was Anna and Chang who came daily to check on my condition. Chang even swore he would take revenge on Arthur for what he did to me and apologized profusely for being on a mission outside of the sect. I scolded him for this idiocy. He had no chance against Arthur, but that was Chang in a nutshell. Cultivator too consumed by his own path to care about the unimportant details like impossible odds.

Anna promised she would keep him from doing anything rash, but how she was going to succeed with that task was beyond me.

Chang was standing in the fifth row frowning even as elder Baran recited other punishments. Soon Elder Zhao would go to the podium and offer results of missions undertaken outside of the sect and rewards acquired by various students.

It was time for me to go.

I walked away from the assembly through the empty training hall. The dummies were in the corner ready for the next round of combat training. In another corner were training weapons.

I carried many bruises from this place, but I was not here to drown in memories of my life. This was the quickest way to the living quarters of the outer sect disciples and if I was lucky, I would collect my things and vanish before anyone noticed.

I walked to the large stone building, which housed the quarters and through the empty halls to my room. I opened the door and slipped inside.

It was exactly like I left it a week ago, when the world was still normal. There were mounds of scrolls and manuals at my work table, next to the mound of clothing. I really needed to clean this place up. Well, it was not the time to do it now.

I pulled the traveling sack I used for my missions outside of the sect and begun packing.

I could take none of the scrolls and manuals. They belonged to the sect and Fiery Peak guarded its secrets well. They would also be useless to me in my current state. Scrolls about the best meditation methods were equally useless to me as the technique manuals now. I let them where they lay. I was sure one disciple from the library would come to collect them later in the day.

I went to grab some clothing, but I stopped. I had only robes fit for the cultivator. To wear them without the ability to cultivate was certain to give someone offense and that would end badly. I rummaged through my clothing cabinet. At the bottom I found the clothes I to the sect dressed in, but robes for a seven-year girl were not exactly a good fit anymore.

Now I was annoyed that I refused my mother’s offer to buy me new robes befitting my station, when I returned home to visit.

The only thing I had in my cabinet were several training tunics and a few pairs of trousers. They were well made and would be useful, but my mother would have a heart attack if she saw me in those. At least I had enough bindings and underwear to last me a month at least.

I chucked them all into my traveling bag and reached into the chest next to my sleeping mattress. All of my most precious possessions were there. A beautiful brush from Anna and a nice wooden necklace from Chang went into the bag. It would be nice to have something to remember them by. There was a nice string of money given to me by my mother on my visits home. It was basically untouched. Money had very little use for cultivators and the sect functioned on the economy of contribution points and cultivation resources, although I was sure the carriages who delivered food and other necessities were getting paid.

Well, at least I would not suffer from starvation on my way home I thought, and I put the coins in my bag. This left only the vials and bags on the bottom of the chest. I pulled them out and checked each of them for cracks or impurities out of habit.

These were the veritable treasures I held, cultivation resources. I had seven Blue and red Strengthening potions in vials to allow one prolonged cultivation and fifty low rank cultivation pills which eased cycling and allowed cultivators to refine more Qi in one go and five Burning fire aspected cultivation pills which increased one affinity to a specific type of Qi for limited time and even one low grade Fire Qi shard, which I gained for successfully subduing a pack of Wood Wolves.

Some of those I gained from the sect, others were sent to me by my clan, but all of them served the same purpose to further and speed up my journey towards immortality. I was conserving these resources for the last few months. I would need a lot of Qi to break into the Flowing Soul stage. Of course they were completely worthless to me now, although they could carry a nice price if I sold them.

Of course I was not planning on selling them. I carefully packed them in cloth and went to dress myself. I left my silken robes of the cultivator behind and put on the linen training outfit.

I picked up my traveling bag, which proved to be as light as a feather. It seemed my strength did not yet desert me. I picked the cloth covered resources and looked once again at my room. Now I carried everything I owned on my back. I could leave, Yeet I still had a task before me.

I closed the door and walked towards a different door in the same hallway. There I sneakily opened doors to Anna’s room and put the cloth covered vials and pills on her bed. I started walking away from the room.

“What do you think you are doing, Mei Silverhand?” a voice of doom behind me asked.

I turned around to meet Anna who was looking rather annoyed that I sneaked into her room.

“I was just bringing some stuff to your room, before I finished packing.” I explained and hoped she would ignore the bag I wore on my back.

“And wanting to sneak away like a common thief had nothing to do with it?” Anna asked.

I could not hide my intent from her and there was no point in lying, so I tried to go on the attack. “Shouldn’t you be at the outer sect assembly? Ignoring this important gathering is a punishable offense.”

“I asked to be relieved, so I could help you get your affairs in order and good thing I did otherwise I would just find the emptiness after you vanished.” Anna said, frowning.

”I did not want to burden you. You have to prepare for the upcoming tournament and I am certain you will have a lot on your plate in the coming weeks.” I explained myself. In retrospect I really should have left the cultivation resources with Elder Zhin.

“That is no reason to not even say goodbye to me and Chang. Are we not friends and fellow cultivators?” she asked.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“I am no longer a fellow cultivator.” I pointed out and tried to walk through the gap next to Anna, but she blocked my way.

“You were our friend and benefactor. We fought together, and you helped us a great deal. I will not abandon you just because a great misfortune met you.” Anna was raising her voice.

“You should. I cannot aid you anymore and I will not partake in the journey to immortality. Soon, I will be gone in a flash of an immortal lifetime. My presence will just hold you down.” I explained.

“Do you really think I am that fickle? You are the one who helped a poor peasant girl to learn how to read, when no one else was willing to help. It was you, who helped Chang to get his cycling under control and you did for us so much more. You are the one who shared cultivation resources with us. Do you really think so little of us?” Anna looked at me with such a look in her eyes.

“No, I do not, but mortals and immortals walk on separate paths and mingling with mortals will only lead to sorrow. Mortals' lives are short and full of hardships.” I cited ancient wisdom.

Anna smirked, ”That is rich from someone who badgered me with details on the average length of cultivator lives, she worked out herself by reading journals and notes from the sect archives. You yourself told me most cultivators will not live much longer than a mortal. And mortal life is not so short. I will certainly visit you.” Anna finished her rebuke with a promise.

She believed I would live a normal life. She didn't know I had only a few months. I stopped for a moment. I could not burden Anna or any of my friends with this knowledge. It would be too much of a curse on my friends. I was sure once I was gone they would get over the loss quickly, but to dread it for several months was a terrible burden.

“I guess you are right, while I will go back to my clan and enjoy the life of a clan daughter, while you will break into the new realms of power and skill. You will join the Seven of the Peerless Generation before I die,” I forced a smile on my lips.

I was sure Anna could tell my joy was forced, but she was content with even this meager show of emotions.

“Well, it is certainly a better life than a farmer’s wife. Take all the jewelry you will wear and the perfumes,” Anna tried to cheer me up with the idea of luxuries.

I dimly remembered rather uncomfortable dresses and really boring speeches, but one could certainly dream, ”I will get you a sample of the jewels of the Silverhand clan,” I offered her.

“I will adorn myself in that splendor, but speaking of gifts, what did you leave in my room?” she asked.

“It is just something I will not need anymore. I am sure you will split with Chang somewhat equally.” I said cryptically, sadly I underestimated Anna’s wit.

“Have you left us your cultivation resources?” she asked.

I moved to forestall any dissent, ”They are useless to me now and they will prove useful to you and Chang. It is not like I am doing this for the first time.

“You should not have done so in the first place. I am sure if you used the cultivation resources you shared with us across the years you would already be in the Flowing Soul stage,” Anna scolded me.

I rolled my eyes, ”We had this discussion, Anna. I had no use for the cultivation resources I shared with you. They were worthless to me and with the support my clan provided I did not lack in any resources. I had no reason to not share with others.”

“You might have been stronger and prevented this total fiasco,” Anna pointed out.

I had to cut this train of thought in the bud, or else Anna would blame herself for my fate.

“Nonsense. I was just taking my time moving to the next stage and affirming my cultivation base. As a result, I was not a match for a genius of such a caliber. Take it as a lesson and keep away from Arthur Esset,” I said.

Anna nodded, “I still cannot believe the elders did not punish him. Like Delan needed someone to seek justice on his behalf. He earned a good beating several times over.” Anna really did not like Delan.

“I am sure the elders had their reasons,” I said as I recalled the night conversation I witnessed, “But the time flies and I have to catch my carriage, so could you tell Chang my farewells?”

Anna looked at me for a moment silent, but she saw determination in my eyes and relented.

“I will do so,” she said and hugged me.

I hugged her back, “Let’s meet again and celebrate then,” I said a lie, but Anna was too emotional to recognise it.

“I will write to you, so write me back,” she said and I could see tears in her eyes.

“I will,” I said and turned to get my eyes misty cleared.

I sped away. I did not need Anna’s need to return my gift once she discovered just how much I left her.

I moved to the outer courtyard, which separated the sect from the outer world. There was already a long line of traders and farmers who were waiting for the outer sect members to help them with loading their wagons out. I have worked here frequently, any member of a sect had to do their deal to support the sect and carrying bags of corn and rice was traditional for new disciples of the outer sect, while the neophytes mostly cleaned the halls of the sect.

Of course once I reached the stage of Earthly body a new field opportunity opened in front of me in the form of missions for the sect, but I still had fond memories of this place despite the labor.

I would have reflected for longer, but a passing cultivator shoved me out of the way. It was clear that the assembly was dismissed, and the students returned to work.

“Do not cross the line to the sect, peasant,” one of the eternal outer sect disciples said to my prone form. Luckily for him he decided to not pursue this matter further. I still had enough strength to deal with one like these. I just lacked the drive to shove him off. Nevertheless, I prepared to punch him.

“Move to work and stop bothering people,” Elder Zhin broke this confrontation before it could get any worse..

Elder Zhin spoke to me “I am sorry for their behavior-oh it is you Mei,” he said.

“Thank you, elder Zhin. This could have turned ugly,” I rose and looked at the concerned elder. He was looking at me with pity in his eyes. I thought about what Anna said and my curiosity spiked up.

“Can I have a question for you?” I asked.

“Yes, I have time for one question,” Elder Zhin said and gestured to the empty warehouse entrance, so we would have some privacy.

“Why did you persuade other elders to not punish Arthur Esset?,”

“Ah, so you were awake when we had our discussion,” Elder Zhin smiled at my impertinence, ”Arthur Esset will be a great asset to our sect. He is powerful and his skill in cultivation is undeniable. I could not let such a potent asset slip away from the sect. He will be the new shining star of our sect and bring glory to the Fiery peak sect. It was that simple,” he explained to me with the same smile he always wore.

I was left stunned. I suspected such a thing, but it was still hard to hear, “You know what he did to me, how could you let him get away with it,” words came out of my mouth.

“Well, truth to be told, he did not commit a very serious crime, swatting away an inconvenience should not be considered a great crime, should they?” he said, still smiling.

“He ended my journey to immortality and what is worse he killed me slowly and cruelly. You know that,” I raised my voice at the elder.

Finally Elder Zhin frowned, ”I think you misunderstand your potential and importance. You would never reach any significant stage or greatness. You took nine years to reach a position where you were close to entering the inner sect. It might be impressive to your limited skill, but such slow speed is a clear sign you were never going to progress further than the Flowing Soul stage.”

I looked at him speechless, but he was not finished with his assessment.

“The only affinity you possess is to fire Qi and even that is merely normal, You lack any other affinity, which assures you would stop your journey no matter what. You could get this far thanks to the resources your clan has sent you. You have no future in the world of immortals, while Arthur Esset will go far. This sect exists to support those who can reach great heights. It is not here to help those of minor talent, so you see it was a simple choice for everyone involved. Do you see?”

“Yes, I see,” I answered him. I knew the world was cruel, but I still thought better of my teachers. I was apparently mistaken.

“Perfect, now run and catch your ride,” his smile returned.

I walked away, but he had one more thing to say.

“And please remember a mortal has no right to raise a voice against a cultivator,” he said and his smile gained a dangerous edge.

I walked away still shocked, but this was not the end of my humiliation. As I walked towards the gates, I spotted one annoyance I really did not wish to see.

Delan was there carrying packs of rice. He dropped the pack he was carrying and walked toward me with a smile.

I walked trying to ignore him.

“Well, what do we have here? The Clan trash is running away with her tail behind her back? You know it I really did not expect you would learn this lesson, but here you are,” he needled me, but I just closed my fist and walked.

“It is such a pity everyone saw what a shallow cow you are. Where is your group of hangers on now that you are less than nothing?,” he smiled at his own joke, “I am sure they will find someone actually worthy of their respect. Maybe Anna will finally learn that associating with nobles is never worth it. Maybe she will even come to appreciate Arthur's skill, don’t you think?”

I stopped and turned, “Why are you like this?”

“You clanners have everything and the rest have nothing. You deserve to eat ground and now that boss has risen he will show all of you, you are no better than the rest of us. All of the world will see you are nothing more than cowards living out of suffering of others,” Delan smiled at this image.

I knew from Anna’s and Chang stories he had a point, but still I did not think it gave him the right to act like that, yet I gave him room to rant and rant he did.

“Soon boss will emerge from his seclusion and reach the Flowing Soul stage. He will rise to the inner sect and I will be in charge of the outer sect as his disciple. I will make sure any clanner and their lackeys will eat dust,” he bragged.

I really wanted to deck him for his plans, but the elder Zhin was correct. I was no longer a cultivator. If I broke his jaw, the whole sect would be rather unhappy with me. I would simply have to write to Anna about these plans.

He looked at me and it was clear my lack of reaction bored him. He looked at me like a piece of trash and said, ”Now run like a mangy dog and die as you deserve.”

I left the gates of the Fiery Peak sect with this last humiliation.