The Young Master sighed. As expected, his opponent knew him too well to fall for his tricks.
“It wasn’t like I had many other options,” Feng said, wincing as he straightened his back. The young cultivator cycled his qi once more — healing the most pressing of his injuries as his stores of spiritual energies were cannibalised to repair bruises and mend bones — before turning to face the speaker.
She was tall — taller than most men, taller than even his Father, whose visage stood like a pillar among lesser cultivators. Her hair was the shade of twilight blue, its darkness forming striking harmony with her flawlessly pale complexion; one akin to that of drifting snow found atop a mountain’s throat.
Hers was a beauty that would have stopped the heart of any lesser men unacclimatised to the sight of cultivated splendour. Even then, the fleeting remembrance of her face alone — dark eyes of predatory amber framed amidst a sea of unearthly perfection — might be enough to torment their thoughts with longing for the rest of their days.
At the moment, however, Feng’s feelings towards her leaned more towards a disgruntled nature, rather than any appreciation of her inhuman resplendence.
“You have grown even faster, Lianshi,” he commented as his ribs realigned themselves. “Not even the training weights of the Inverted Monks slow you much any more.”
The Young Miss of the Chen Clan grinned cockily. She waved her arm at him with a mocking gesture. The heavy weights strapped to them barely hindered her movements, yet the action still carried such heft that Feng could feel the air shiver from her swings. “Perhaps I should double them again, hm? That should give you at least even odds of landing a hit on me.”
The weights strapped to her arms and legs were heavy enough that even ten mortal men wouldn’t be able to lift a single one together. On top of that, she had already been holding her strength back significantly throughout their fight earlier. The fact that his torso had not completely caved in from that single palm strike she had landed before was a clear indication of that.
Even with all those disadvantages, he could not last more than a minute in a spar against her. Unbelievable.
The Chen Clan of the Split-headed Carnivores Sect had truly outdone themselves this time. Their Young Miss was an unprecedented prodigy, even among the high standards expected of a Clan Heir within the Four Mountain Sects Group.
Feng did not consider himself a bad cultivator. Indeed, even when held up to the strict requirements expected of a Young Master of the Hei Clan, he did not come up short. At eighteen years old, he was already in the second Step of the Third Realm — the Body Tempering Realm.
By comparison, the other Disciples of his age within the Beheaded Phoenix Sect were almost all either still in the apex of the First Realm — the Foundation Realm — or just barely within the lower steps of the Second Realm — the Qi-Shaping Realm.
Even when comparing himself to the Core Disciples, many of whom were at least twice his age and considered the strongest disciples within the Sect, he was still above average in cultivation standing. Not even the venerable Elders had much to speak against his progress.
By the standards expected of him, Feng knows that his cultivation has thus far left nothing to be wanting. Hence, despite losing to his best friend for the fifth consecutive time that day, the Young Master did not feel much embarrassment.
After all, it was just that Lianshi was ridiculously strong. That was truly all there was to it.
Or so he told himself, anyway. Privately, there was a tumour of despair nestled deep in within at the enormous gulf in strength. It had not even been half a decade ago where he had been her superior in all matters of cultivation.
Where, then, had this ridiculous growth in potential come from? His only comfort was that Lianshi’s explosive cultivation development baffled everyone within the Province equally, disciples and Elders alike.
Even prodigies should have limits. Yet it appeared his friend held none.
“Perhaps we should call it a day,” Feng suggested, trying not to grimace at the pain as he walked back into the ring. The blow that Lianshi left on him had mostly healed. Feng’s cultivation, while nowhere at the level of his opponent’s, was still advanced enough for him to survive blows that would outright kill a mortal man. His recovery abilities were also significantly more developed than the rest of his peers, on account of a superb cultivation upbringing.
Nevertheless, it would still take a little longer for his body to fully recover from their soreness. His partner might be raring for another round already, but Feng would greatly prefer it if they stopped. The bruises and wounds he had accumulated over the past five fights were beginning to take their toll.
He could burn away those minor injuries in an instant if he expended most of his qi, but that would be a wasteful choice. The day had barely begun, the waxing moon dipping below the flowing curtains of the Jade skies — radiant auroras shimmering in their usual resplendence of sea green and violet, set against the dark backdrop of starry nights — and there were still many things he had to do.
To her credit, Lianshi always ensured that their matches never inflicted anything too debilitating or permanently injurious. Despite her youth ill-matching with her preternatural cultivation levels, the Young Miss’s control over her strength was exceptional, another clear indication of her prodigious talent. Additionally, with the Young Master’s cultivation level being within the Body Tempering Realm, Feng could take a considerable amount of physical punishment and still be in good shape afterwards.
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All the same, the youth wished for a reprieve from the non-stop defeats handed to him by the enthusiastic Young Miss. While he could always move or fight after the rounds, they still left his body unbearably sore and his ego thoroughly bruised.
At his words, Lianshi frowned. “Is the Young Master of the Hei Clan such a disappointment that he lacks the vigour to keep up with a fellow Young Miss? How far you have fallen. I still remember the days when we would go for ten rounds, at least!”
Was she not aware of how her words might be misconstrued by an outsider? Feng narrowed his gaze at her and caught the faintly amused glint in her orange, snake-like eyes.
No, she was deliberately saying it that way. Feng supposed it was good that she had convinced her Core Disciple bodyguards to leave them alone together before they started sparring. Not that their presence was truly required. Setting aside that the safety within a Sect’s compound was second to none, with Lianshi’s cultivation levels, any protection that the Core Disciples could provide for her was laughable.
“This Young Master has plenty of vigour,” Feng replied, suppressing a sigh as he masked his exasperation behind a practised smile. “It is simply that he is outmatched by the Lady’s splendour. Perhaps the Young Miss would be better off sparring with her equals rather than her lessers. I am sure the Elders of the Hei Clan would be willing to trade pointers with you.”
The Elders of the Beheaded Phoenix Sect were all venerable cultivators, each a talented individual who likely had spent several decades of their lives in cultivation. The majority of them stood at varying steps within the Fourth Realm, the Nascent Realm; an achievement that most Disciples within the Sect could only dream of.
Lianshi was barely eighteen years old, and already she was more than their equal. She stood firmly within the Ninth Step of the Fourth Realm, an utterly absurd level that had her completely eclipsing any other Disciples within the Four Mountain Sects Group.
No, Feng thought privately to himself. It is likely her cultivation already eclipsed every single Disciple within the whole Outer Provinces.
While Feng had said the Elders were her equals in a spar, it was his sincere belief that she would triumph against the majority of them. The Elders held the edge in experience, thanks to their greater age, but that was their only advantage. In terms of cultivation level, few exceeded or even equalled hers. And in terms of sheer talent and potential, Feng felt confident in saying no one within the Four Mountain Sects Group – not even the four esteemed Patriarchs – surpassed her.
It was no exaggeration to say she may one day become the strongest cultivator not just within the 103rd Outer Province State, but also the entire Outer Provinces as a whole — a territory that spans near half a billion mortals and countless tens of thousands of cultivators.
No doubt it was one of the reasons why her every demand had been met by the Elders since her arrival at the Beheaded Phoenix Sect, lest they earned her ire and she challenged them to an honour duel.
Refusal would be an insult to the Chen Clan, while acceptance risked defeat and almost certain humiliation by their peers for losing to a Disciple several times younger than them, never mind her absurd cultivation level.
Knowing all this, it begged a single question that any outsider would ask: why would such an amazing individual waste their time sparring with him? True, he had some considerable prestige as a Young Master of an important Sect, but there was little he could provide her that she could not gain herself, less so in such horribly lop-sided duels.
In terms of knowledge or wisdom, the consult of an Elder would no doubt prove superior to a youth barely in the throes of adulthood. Likewise, if it was a spar the Lady sought, a fight with an Elder would doubtless provide a more engaging experience than anything he could provide, as he was more than an entire realm lower than her in cultivation standing.
Indeed, from a glance, it was a mystery that would puzzle any outsider.
But the reason for her favour was clear to every cultivator within the 103rd Outer Province. It has been clear for many, many years now.
Lianshi gave an unladylike snort at his reply, crossing her arms as she walked over to him and playfully bumped her shoulder against his. “Now, why would I want to waste my time with a bunch of ancient bookworms over my Fiancé, hmm?”
And therein lies the reason.
Hei Feng, Heir to the Hei Clan and Young Master of the Beheaded Phoenix Sect, had been blessed (and cursed, he thought half-humorously) with the great fortune of being engaged to the Young Miss of the Split-headed Carnivores Sect — the greatest prodigy possibly ever seen in the Outer Province, and his dearest friend.
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Sects
Sects are monasteries built for the — alleged — sole purpose of educating cultivators and ensuring the continuous rise of Humanity as a whole towards Immortality. They are a relatively new creation, officially established in the wake of the new Empire heralded by His Perverse Majesty.
Before the rebellion, the administration of mortal cultivations was usually controlled by Clans — Human families under the direct supervision of their chosen Divine God. While family Clans still exist in the modern era, their importance in spiritual cultivation is now secondary compared to Sects.
The purpose of Sects goes beyond merely providing an institution for educating prospective cultivators, however. They represent the main administrative body of the Empire within the region and are often responsible for governing the local population. Such bureaucratic duties include but are not limited to: the enforcement of His Perverse Majesty's laws, the collection of taxes and tithes from the region’s inhabitants, the culling of Spirit Beasts and other associated dangers that may stalk their lands, and the ensuring of safe trade routes throughout His Perverse Majesty’s Empire.
Sects are referred to as simply Outer, Inner, or Core Sects depending on their province’s location within the Empire (Outer Sects exist in Outer Provinces, Inner Sects exist in Inner Provinces, and so on.)
Each Sect is led by a head cultivator, referred to as Patriarch or Matriarch. The governing bodies and day-to-day activities of the Sect are overseen by Elders, the Sect’s strongest cultivators. Finally, the cultivators that have come to learn from the Sect’s teachings are called Disciples, who themselves are categorised into Outer, Inner, or Core Disciples depending on their standing within the Sect.
Sects may also be comprised of one or several Clans: large families or lineages bound by familial blood, ancestral name, martial arts heritage, or common ideology. The head Clan of the Sect is usually the Clan of the Sect’s Patriarch/Matriarch, and their chosen Heir is often referred to as ‘Young Master’ or ‘Young Miss’.
As a final note, any Sect of worth would also house the body of a Divine corpse, from which they may revel in the qi released from its decaying carcass, and plunder its body for secrets to learn and Divine flesh to consume.
– Excerpt from To Those Worthy of the Eternal Banquet