On the flying boat.
The children were in amazement as they saw the sect buildings from afar. Every building they were seeing felt like a palace to them. They have never seen a palace but these buildings matched their imaginations of a palace.
The sect was located in a large area in the middle of a forest. From the sky it looked liked a city. The sect was divided into areas with walls around them. There were two circular walls within the sect. The children and teenagers guessed them as the boundary between outer sect, inner sect and core areas. They have heard about this.
For Su Yuchen this sect gave the impression of a big town. Except the buildings were from ancient times, built rich and maintained better.
After a long ten hours journey, the flying boat descended in the Star Falcon Sect. Although the children were fully excited, they remained silent and maintained discipline under the presence of the elder.
After they landed, Su Yuchen left with the elder to register his identity. Others had to follow the sect disciples to participate in further assessments to determine their eligibility as a outer sect disciple and menial disciple.
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Inside the temporarily arranged Disciple register hall.
“This is your storage bag, you can store and carry your things easily with this. You will have your inner sect uniform inside it. The bag also has, a book on basic cultivation knowledge, 10 stellar rocks and 30 astral refinement pills. Next we will meet the sect master, try to be calm, silent and respectful. Be confident and when asked a question, try to speak with the leader without stuttering.” The elder gave instructions to Su Yuchen after completing the registering formalities for new disciples. As an inner sect disciple candidate Su Yuchen needs to meet the sect master before declaring his eligibility.
Su Yuchen eagerly took the storage bag and said, “I will show my best self.” as a reply to the elder. He doesn't know the value of other things, but the stellar rock could be converted to 1000 gold shells. Gold shells is the highest denomination of currency. He didn't even earn 1 gold shell by working a whole year. Now he got 10 stellar rocks, that's 10,000 gold shells.
The elder placed his hand on Su Yuchen’s shoulder, took him into the air and led him to the centre of the sect where the main hall is located.
Su Yuchen could see the bustling streets in the sect from above. Some were travelling on beast mounts and some were using horses, donkeys. It was a strange experience for him, seeing people in identical attires roaming in such large numbers in the streets. This city is filled with the blue colour of the outer sect robe. This was a grandeur experience than seeing the students gathering from the top floor in his school.
Few people were flying in the sky above the sect, there’s a serious lack of traffic in the sky compared to the traffic in the streets. He guessed that there may be some restrictions in the sect.
The elder passed through the gates of the inner sect, no one stopped him. Shockingly as the elder flew into the sky the view below changed, he could only see a barrier below. Through that barrier all he could see are the buildings, courtyards and arenas inside the barrier. No person or beast was visible from the sky.
When they were in front of the gate of the innermost area, the guards stopped them. After a jade token on the elders waist lit up and a guard turned his head to check on a mirror on the wall, the guards let them in.
Su Yuchen and the elder had to walk after entering the centre area, flying should be restricted in the core area.
The majestic palaces and halls that came into his view stunned him. The walls of these palaces had to be built from crazy amounts of gold, silver and high quality construction materials. The patterns on the halls and palaces were inlaid with gems and jewels. Many details on the important structures of the buildings were made with shiny colourful metals that he doesn’t recognise.
Su Yuchen looked around and appreciated these buildings as he walked.
After a while he realised that it was actually a long walk to reach the main hall. He stared at the buildings as he walked and soon reached the main hall.
The main hall is just gigantic. It is majestic and imposing. The pillars of the main hall are too wide and its height is so tall a person will fell that its width is thin. There were many inscriptions and beasts inscribed on the pillar. The walls are too big in length and also had many things inscribed on them. The roof is like a golden crown adorned on the main hall.
This majestic structure was not seen by him when he was on the flying boat. He doesn’t know why it was hidden from outside.
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Two huge black tigers were resting on both sides of the steps with two guards standing besides them. As they passed them he felt the pressure from them. This pressure instantly shook his mind.
Su Yuchen’s thoughts didn’t divert anymore as he walked on the steps, he was in a state where he was concentrating on every step he was taking. And thus his tiny figure in front of the main hall began to make him nervous.
When he entered the main hall Su Yuchen gathered his courage to look in front. In the big, spacious, grand hall, a middle aged person was sitting on a high raised platform. From him he felt a sharp glance for a second. The elder led him near to that man and then bowed to him. He also followed the elder and bowed to him. He should be the sect master of the Star Falcon Sect.
After the ceremony, Su Yuchen’s brain realised the information that there were other figures sitting in seats on both sides. Surrounded by them his nervousness grew more and more. They should be the main elders of the sect.
The elder said, “Sect master, I brought a talented child from my recruitment mission in the mountain villages. This child, Su Yuchen has a top grade talent with top tier affinity to water element and medium tier affinity to earth element.” He continued confidently, “I believe he can become one of our sects finest disciples and I want to make him an inner disciple.”
In midst of the elders words everyone’s attention shifted to Su Yuchen.
The sect master narrowed his eyes and a wisp of energy flew from him into Su Yuchen’s body. The wisp of energy travelled inside his body and examined him.
Su Yuchen trembled.
“This boy sure has potential, Elder Shu. Letting him stay in the outer sect will waste his talents.”
Elder Shu’s eyes gleamed as he listened to the sect master.
The sect master looked into Su Yuchen’s eyes, “Our Star Falcon sect doesn’t promote disciples into the inner sect so easily and you haven’t even began cultivation, but your exceptional talent can still warrant a spot for you in the inner sect.”
Su Yuchen tried hard not to avert his eyes and concentrate on what the sect master is saying.
“Many want to enter our sect for resources and prestige. Why do you want to join our sect?” The sharp eyes of the sect leader were penetrating Su Yuchen, “Why do you want to cultivate, Su Yuchen?”
Su Yuchen thoughts slowed down when he was asked a question. He thought for a reason for cultivating. Some answers like strength, protection, freedom came to his mind, but he wasn’t satisfied with them. He became anxious, bowed and just replied, “I want to cultivate and reach as far as I can.”
What’s with this answer! Did he really answered like this! Su Yuchen felt his body temperature decreasing within seconds, he could feel the coldness his body was covered in.
He continued to answer with whatever that came to his mind, “I heard about the reputation of the Star Falcon Sect for a long time. I dreamed about becoming a part of this sect and make contributions.”
Now he didn’t dared to raise his head.
The sect master of the Star Falcon Sect was observing Su Yuchen all the time. When he saw him blanked out, thinking to reply, he knew this child was ignorant. The answers are also the same.
Even then he still spoke, “Su Yuchen, you are young without any experience of the cultivation world. The sect will train you, provide you with resources and guide you to experience the world. From this day forth, you will be a disciple of the Star Falcon Sect. You will start as an inner disciple.”
Su Yuchen hurriedly replied, “I am honoured, sect master.”
The sect master replied, “Good, I hope to see your strong will and resolve on your path.”
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“Is the third elder faction going to have another talented disciple?”
“An ignorant village child. Do you guys think he will try to learn and progress?” The sect master remarked.
“Even if he tries in the beginning, he might degenerate and even waste his talents.”
“That happens all the time.”
“These poor children, they easily lose their obedience. Once that happens they stop behaving in a disciplined manner.”
“How did this child behave? Anxious and panicked. He is too ordinary and ignorant. He should be 15 and still doesn’t have a reason to cultivate. Can we expect discipline from children like him?” The sect master asked.
“All the disciplines are same, they are not diligent in cultivation and don’t progress according to their potential.”
“Without discipline when can you find diligence in cultivation from them?”
“All that talent in the sect is getting wasted because of our failure to discipline them.”
“Is it really our incompetence? I argue that it is their fearlessness. They know we, the elders, wont monitor them all the time. They just want to relax.”
“The path of cultivation is filled suffering and sacrifices. Which child is ready to face them everyday? Which among them is ready to persevere? Once you breakdown all you want to do is to relax and once you relax you don’t want to suffer again.” The sect master continued, “Say, how many disciples that had been promoted to the inner sect remained motivated to progress in cultivation? Haven’t they relaxed? Haven’t they felt the joy of superiority and control? The happening progress we see among the sect disciples, it has been only due to the environment of artificial competition we created.”
“Running this huge sect is a huge burden on us and still these idiots form factions and obstruct us from maintaining a healthy atmosphere in the sect.”
“If all of us had worked together to maintain discipline among the disciples maybe we wouldn’t have had a need for the artificial competition among the disciples. We could have had nice spare time without any worries to delve into cultivation.”
“Those elders whose potential had faded, they obstruct others from progressing.”
“They could just obstruct the disciplines from degenerating.”
“That means they have to work.”
“Those who always think about obstructing others and cause problems, do they even want to work?” The sect master asked.
“They aren’t contributing anything to the sect.”
“They are contributing for the downfall of our sect by letting disciples see their means of obstructing others from cultivating.”
“Is our sect even going to last long with these parasites?”