The journey back to the sect was mostly uneventful. They were in no rush to get back, now that they had achieved their goal, giving Yu Chen plenty of time to enjoy the scenery as they traveled. Still, they were cultivators, and they made pretty good time even when they weren’t trying to move as fast as possible, and they managed to arrive back at the sect right as the sun was setting for the day.

As they reached the gates of the sect, Yu Chen turned around, looking back the way they’d come. The sun lay heavy on the horizon in the distance, draping the mountain range in a riot of oranges, reds and yellows, as the last light of day cast a blaze of glory across the world. A hazy mist covered the deep valleys that lay between the mountainous peaks, obscuring the deep forests that lay hidden beneath.

Those were the wild places of the world, untouched by man and unspoiled, and something within him stirred at the sight. He’d only just arrived back at the sect and already he yearned to be back out there, exploring the mysteries that lay hidden in the wilderness.

A hand fell onto his shoulder, shaking Yu Chen from his reveries. He looked up and saw Han Li smiling down at him. Any earlier animosity that had existed between the two was long forgotten and the older boy treated him like a close friend. Jin Hua and Xue Lan were also nearby, wearing smiles now that they’d all safely returned to the sect.

“Let’s go and see how much we’ve received from this trip.” Han Li said to him in excitement, as a wolfish grin appeared on his lips, looking a bit out of place on his porcelain face.

“Another successful trip.” Xue Lan said, yawning as she stretched her hands towards the sky. “I can’t wait to see what we’ve earned this time.”

“To the Mission Hall!” Jin Hua declared as he led them into the sect. Yu Chen followed behind, enjoying the feeling of easy camaraderie that now existed between the group, the kind that only came naturally to those who had fought and survived together.

They managed to make it to the Mission Hall right before it closed for the day, and after a short discussion with one of the clerks, they followed him to a small room they all just barely fit into. Without preamble, Jin Hua pulled out the snake's skin and laid it down, followed by the bundles of flowers they’d gathered, filling up the remaining space on the table.

Last but not least, he rummaged into one of his pockets before pulling out the greenish beast’s core.

A brief look of surprise crossed the clerk’s face as he took in the number of materials they’d brought back to the sect.

He was a professional however, and quickly recovered, taking his time as he examined the items one by one. The skin he was quite critical of, a frown crossing his face as he turned it over once or twice before putting it back down and leaving it alone. He analyzed the core rather quickly as well, but he paused for a moment after opening the first bundle of orchids. He tapped his chin, before leaving the room and returning with a long scroll, referring to it as he picked through the flowers on the table.

Finally, his inspection came to completion, and he turned towards the group, giving them his attention before speaking.

“Well, the skin is quite damaged but it’s still mostly intact. I believe the Mission Hall can reasonably grade it a C. As far as the Orchids go, they vary in quality, somewhere between the C- and B grade. I’ll grade the entire lot at an average of C+, how does that sound?”

“Acceptable!” Jin Hua said without hesitation, and Yu Chen watched as the other two nodded along with him. Xue Lan had a large smile on her face, while a greedy look had entered Han Li’s eyes.

Yu Chen wasn’t quite sure what was going on, so he simply nodded as well, trusting the others.

“Good.” The clerk said, before reaching beneath the table and pulling out a scale. He weighed the items and referenced his scroll a few times before offering a number that made Yu Chen’s eyes bug out. Even split four ways, and even with his smaller cut, Yu Chen’s portion was greater than the amount he’d earned working in the sect the last few months. It was no wonder everyone considered missions such a lucrative source of income.

Once he finished tallying their goods the clerk added the contribution points to each of their jade slips. The next thing Yu Chen knew, his group was spilling out of the Mission Hall, saying goodbye to each other as they all headed off on their separate ways.

Yu Chen glanced up at the sky, at a loss as he considered what to do next. The sun had already fallen below the horizon, and only the faintest rays of sunlight still lingered to guide him. There wasn’t much time left in the day, so he decided to return to his room, where he fell into a well-deserved slumber.

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In the morning Yu Chen woke up feeling refreshed, and quickly fell back into his daily routine, beginning with his morning exercise. It happened to be a training day, and Li Ming was present, teaching the class. They had a good conversation, and the older man congratulated him once he realized Yu Chen had achieved another breakthrough in the Condensing Fist.

“Quite good.” Li Ming said approvingly. “You’re quite talented. It seems you are close to entering the next level as well? You’re progressing fairly fast. I think you’ll be an Inner Sect disciple sooner rather than later.”

“If the heavens will it, senior.” Yu Chen said, bowing his head towards the older man. He liked Li Ming, finding his company enjoyable, although the man had a tendency to talk too much. He was also a close disciple of Elder Gu, and Yu Chen still entertained thoughts of working with the defense department one day, so he did what he could to remain in the man’s good graces.

Once his morning training was finished, he went off to the baths, a part of the sect that Yu Chen found quite luxurious, especially for a boy who’d once been a simple shepherd's son.

The baths were great marble pools, cut into the side of the mountain. Filled with heated water, they provided a relaxing environment for cultivators to rest and recover. Yu Chen used to wonder how they managed to keep the water at such a temperature, but he now knew such miracles were the product of formations. How else would men have managed it?

Perhaps if he was born rich, he could have experienced this every day, he thought, as he sat in the shallow pool comforting his tired muscles. His fellow cultivators came from all walks of life, some born from businessmen who lived in the nearby towns, others from more humble beginnings such as himself, and still others from an even higher caste.

Yet, it was something that was never mentioned. Cultivators themselves existed on a separate stratum from mortal folk, and anyone who relied on such clumsy reasoning as birth to justify their position wouldn’t make it far in the world of Immortals.

The only thing that mattered here was the level of one’s cultivation.

Once he had finished cleaning himself, he returned to work, where he spent his afternoons making deliveries around the sect. In truth he found it less exciting than he once did, his thoughts turned more and more to returning towards the wild, and the mysteries within. Now that he’d had a taste of the world outside the sect, he’d had a desire to go and explore, discovering the unknown. Perhaps Jin Hua would be willing to go on another expedition soon?

Or perhaps it was time to strike out on his own.

Either way, Yu Chen planned to cross into the Qi Stabilization stage before leaving the sect once again. The boundaries that he’d felt himself pressing against in the forest had only become more defined as the days passed, and Yu Chen felt as though he would soon be ready to cross it.

There was, of course, one major change to his daily activities after his trip. Part of his day now revolved around caring for the little snake who had joined him in the forest. The small serpent was even younger than Yu Chen had previously thought, and he found himself becoming attached to it as he cared for it day after day. He’d even given the little fellow a name.

He’d decided to call him Lan She, after the flower patch where he’d been found.

Taking care of Lan She had become a serious concern to him, and Yu Chen had even returned to the Manual Pavilion, chatting with Ling Xia about various techniques for rearing spirit beasts. She’d helped him pick out some books, using some of his contribution points to purchase information about spirit beasts. Truthfully, most of the books in the Pavilion weren’t particularly useful to him. Yu Chen had no need for a bestiary, or for techniques on how to calm and tame wild spirit beasts. She did, however, help him find a guide on contracts, and he spent many nights reading it.

Honestly, he didn’t think he needed a contract at all, as the snake had already submitted itself to him. However, from his reading he came to understand that the relationship between a cultivator and their contracted beast was something more personable and intimate than whatever it was that he currently had with the snake.

Truth be told, he didn’t particularly care to feel as though he were the little snake’s master, ruling it through force. Spirit beasts were more than a pet, something that could be owned and possessed. Having awakened the ability to cultivate, they were many times more intelligent than a regular house pet.

If a spirit beast reached Foundation Establishment it would have intelligence at least on par with a human, and even in the Qi Condensation realm, beasts were akin to children intellectually. Yu Chen’s conscience wouldn’t allow him to accept the current relationship they had, and he’d determined to form a contract with the little fellow, viewing himself as something closer to an older brother than a slave master.

He’d picked up another book as well, one Ling Xia had recommended to him after he’d told her what he was looking for. The large manual contained hundreds of little tricks you could perform with your qi, and it was fairly cheap to acquire, not costing many contribution points. Most cultivators seemed to consider such things useless, after all, and focused on using their points to purchase strong techniques, so it wasn’t considered very valuable by the standards of the Manual Pavilion.

Yu Chen however, had the guidance of a dragon, and his thoughts constantly turned towards what Xiao Huang had said. Techniques provided a pathway for your qi to follow, allowing you to accomplish all sorts of wondrous things. However, all of those things were accomplished by the qi itself.

Which is why he’d resolved himself to master his qi, becoming as flexible in its usage as possible.

After all, wasn’t it possible that Yu Chen could simply will his qi to do those things others needed a technique for? Well, it was still something that would be exceedingly difficult if you didn’t know the way. It was like stumbling along a path of daggers blindfolded and hoping one didn’t fall off the edge.

That was the benefit behind acquiring the qi manual, however. It provided direction on accomplishing all sorts of neat tricks, such as providing a way for his qi to circulate, generating warmth on cold nights, or a rather neat one that he wished he had before, that coated his body in a light layer of qi, repelling dirt and dust.

There were many such tricks, from extremely practical ones, such as ways to soften your footsteps, to useless techniques that simply spun his qi in an interesting vortex. He spent some time every night practicing different qi patterns, and he felt his control slowly growing as he did so.

Even if the tricks weren’t that very valuable on their own, perhaps they’d provide the foundation of something greater in the future.

He did have one meeting of note. He’d run into Zhang Lie while walking through the sect, and the man congratulated him on his first successful mission. Yu Chen wondered how he’d found out, but he assumed the older man had heard it from Li Ming. He was a notorious gossip after all.

Zhang Lie had given Yu Chen back the spirit gathering pills that he’d received from the sect a few short months ago. Yu Chen had thanked him, making small talk for a short time before parting ways and heading in different directions.

Yu Chen considered the small pills that lay in his palm and a smile slowly grew across his face. With them in hand he finally felt as though he were ready to make the attempt at stepping into the next level.