“Good day, Senior Brother Xi.”

“Ah, Junior Nephew, it seems your foundation has stabilized, and there seem to be hints of you entering the Spiritual Pillar Stage. Congratulations.”

“So that’s the son of the Jade Peak Lord.”

“Waaah, the aura around him isn’t cold like the rumors.”

“Sword Immortal Xi is the one with the frost-like aura around her because she was born with a mutated heavenly yin spiritual root. The prince was born with a heavenly lightning spiritual root, so naturally, there will be differences.”

“The prince has a small sword on his waist. As expected, he’s cultivating the Heartless Sword Art created by Grand Elder Xi.”

“I’m more interested in who the father is? Who could make spring arrive for Heartless Sword Xi?”

“Shhhhh! Do you not want your life anymore, daring to gossip about the Grand Elder?”

“He’s like a jade doll. I just want him to bring him home with me!”

“Junior Sister, be careful of what you say. But... ah, I totally understand that feeling!”

“It’s best to strike first while the prince is still young!”

“But, but... we’re still just outer disciples, can he even put us in his eyes now? The prince is already in the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

“Psh...we can just be his mistresses. Even then, we would receive a lot of resources!”

Tianyi ignored all the gossiping voices and continued towards his destination. The Mortal Severance Gate, a landmark that officially divided the external world and the Buzhou Immortal Sect. At the gate, Elder Shan stood there, waiting for him.

“Tianyi, you’ve arrived.” Elder Shan looked at the adolescent wearing a purple robe and a sword at his waist. He laughed, as Tianyi’s coronet shimmered under the sun. “It seems you didn’t bring any spatial bags with you. Is that fine?”

Tianyi showed his left hand, which had a gold ring with three jewels encrusted onto it on his middle finger. “I put everything in my spatial ring.”

The amiable expression on Elder Shan’s face disappeared, and he showed a serious one instead. “Little Tianyi, although you can use the spatial ring once you entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, it doesn’t mean you should. Don’t use it out in the open where others can see. Even if you are Elder Xi’s son, many are willing to risk offending Elder Xi to attain a spatial ring, especially in a remote place like where I’ll be taking you. Use your spatial pouch for most matters. Although a spatial pouch is rare, it isn't as valuable as that spatial ring.”

Tianyi nodded. “I understand, Elder Shan. I’ll just say it was you, then, whenever I need to bring something out.”

Elder Shan’s face twitched as he rubbed his own spatial ring on his right thumb. “Little brat.”

“So this is your mount?” Tianyi looked behind Elder Shan to see a large eagle with red wings standing obediently. “Is that your spiritual beast?”

Elder Shan smiled proudly. “The Crimson Winged Eagle has the bloodline of the Vermillion Bird and is naturally attuned to fire. Had it not been for me using a nascent soul ranked fire to hatch it from the egg, it would not easily have been easily tamed.”

“Where did you find such an egg?” Tianyi asked.

“What, you want one too?” Elder Shan asked curiously.

Tianyi shook his head. “No, just curious. I heard that Vermillion Birds are rare to find in the modern world and have been sequestered to their own little realms for a thousand years now.”

“You even know this secret?” Elder Shan said, surprised. “Mmmm, since we humans have won the war against the divine beasts, they no longer dare to openly show themselves in the Huang Realm.”

“But I’d rather have a dragon than a bird as a mount. They are much more dignified,” Tianyi commented.

Once again, Elder Shan’s lips twitched. “Not even your mother has a divine beast as a spiritual beast, much less a mount, so don’t even dream about it. We should get going before it’s late,” Saying so, Elder Shan jumped onto the Crimson Winged Eagle. Tianyi, naturally, also joined him.

With a mighty flap, the Crimson Winged Eagle sent all the surrounding loose soil flying. The eagle soared through the sky, reaching an astonishing speed that most Unity Realm cultivators would not be able to without a secret technique. Luckily for Tianyi, Elder Shan had spared some attention to him, and used some of his qi to cover him so that the high altitude and turbulent wind would not affect him.

With the trees flying past like a green blur below, they soon left the headquarters of the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Lakes, mountains, meadows, forest, and clouds passed by, and soon, Tianyi grew bored.

“It’s all going back to cultivation. It’s always cultivation in the end.” With a sigh, Tianyi sat down in a lotus position and closed his eyes once more. Despite having Elder Shan’s protection, Tianyi did not enter his inner world where the three figures existed, as that would mean cutting off all his senses to the outside. If he were to fall, he would be unable to laugh or cry, not even knowing how he died.

Tianyi thus focused once more on forming his spiritual pillars. However, different from when he was cultivating in his Jade Lotus Clear Pond, when Tianyi’s spiritual sea ran dry, he needed to purify the spiritual qi of heaven and earth he absorbed from his surroundings. As a result, the time consumed was severalfold longer.

Elder Shan, who saw this scene, nodded with a smile of acknowledgement. ‘Born with a mutated heavenly lightning spiritual root, even if Little Tianyi just cultivated occasionally, he would still be counted as a genius. But a genius who works hard and is born with a silver spoon in his mouth will rise above geniuses who work hard without the silver spoon.’

Their journey continued for two weeks, before they finally reached Elder Shan’s destination. Luckily, Tianyi had already reached Foundation Establishment, which allowed him to exhale the impurities within his body. Otherwise, they would have needed to make several resting stops along the way.

The Crimson Wing Eagle floated above an enormous mountain that seemed to be eternally covered in a mist. At the foot of the mountain was a wall-less gate, separating the outside and inside, but it was too far away for Tianyi to distinguish the words written upon it. But Tianyi guessed that the words “Fleeting Mist Sect” were written on it, just like Buzhou Immortal Sect’s Mortal Severance Gate.

“Old Codger Yun, I’ve come to visit you. Are you not coming to greet your old friend? Or have you already kicked the bucket?” Tianyi covered his ears with his hands at the sheer volume that Elder Shan had spoken in.

Rumbling laughter was soon heard from the mountain below. “Stubborn Shan, have you forgotten why you’ve come? Unless… in your old age, you forgot I sent that letter to you?”

A middle-aged man with white sideburns flew out atop a fan from the mist. He wore airy grey robes with a gauze light blue mantle atop. The man gave an unsettling laugh, of which, Elder Shan responded in kind.

The strange manner of the two men’s laughter deeply unsettled Tianyi. He couldn’t help but think whether it was a wise choice to follow Elder Shan or not.

Old Codger Yun then glanced at Tianyi, who stood slightly behind Elder Shan. “Oh? A child who has already reached the seventh stage of the Qi Gathering Realm,” he sighed in admiration. “How envious, your Buzhou Immortal Sect is full of dragons and phoenixes. Is he your disciple?”

Elder Shan stroked his beard, clearly pleased. “This child is Tianyi. He is the son of a senior of mine. Since I was coming here, I thought I’d take him out to see the wider world. The child has been raised in the sect since young and had never left before. Tianyi, go greet the Sect Master of the Fleeting Mist Sect.”

Tianyi smiled and brought his right fist and left palm together in a salute, bowing slightly before the man before him, unsure of his cultivation realm. “Tianyi greets Sect Master Yun,” he said, solemnly.

Sect Master Yun smiled, his long eyebrows twitching in delight. “A cute child, polite too. Much more pleasing than an old man like you.” Sect Master Yun threw a half-hearted glare at Elder Shan. He retrieved a jade folding fan from thin air, before handing it to Tianyi. “This is just a little greeting gift from me.”

Tianyi accepted the fan, the cool jade feeling especially pleasing in his hand. He silently rubbed the jade ring on his right pinkie finger with his thumb before thanking Sect Master Yun. The reason Sect Master Yun thought Tianyi was still at the seventh stage of the Qi Gathering Realm was due to the effects of the ring on his pinky.

Elder Shan frowned as he saw the fan. “Hey, wasn’t this the foundation establishment artifact you won from me all those years ago? You’re using the artifact you gained from me to give to my junior nephew?”

Elder Yun snorted. “I’m a poor Core Formation Realm sect master of a sect in a backwater region. This is already the best. I’m not like you, a nascent soul elder of the hegemonic sect.”

The two had landed onto the tallest peak, at the main hall where Sect Master Yun had flown up from, while talking back and forth. Elder Shan pointed his finger at Sect Master Yun, “You, ah you…” before helplessly letting it fall to the side.

“Greetings, Sect Master!”

Once the trio entered the hall, the Crimson Winged Eagle having been left outside on the doorsteps, the elders and a disciple within the hall greeted Sect Master Yun. Inside, were four elders at the Core Formation Realm, one elderly woman, and three middle-aged men, and one girl at the Qi Gathering Realm, who still had the tenderness of youth.

“This is my sworn brother from my adventures during my younger years, Elder Shan of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, and this child is a disciple of the Buzhou Immortal Sect,” Sect Master Yun introduced the two, causing the people in the hall to look at the duo with shining eyes upon learning of their background.

In the Heaven Continent, there was hardly an organization worth their salt that did not know of the Heaven Continent’s hegemon, the Buzhou Immortal Sect. They were the equivalent of the emperor of mortal worlds—a single word could decide their fate.

“Yue’er, come here and greet Uncle Shan.” Sect Master motioned for the girl to come forward. “This is Pan Lanyue, a girl I discovered from the royal family of the Pan Kingdom. Her talent is extraordinary, comparable to the disciples of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, having a perfect fire spiritual root with a minor flawless water spiritual root!”

Sect Master Yun gave Elder Shan a meaningful look as he turned his eyes toward the fan in Tianyi’s hand.

Elder Shan felt his lips twitch at Sect Master Yun’s shameless action. He looked at the jade fan in Tianyi’s hand, before looking at Pan Lanyue’s empty hands. Forcefully suppressing another twitch, Elder Shan pulled out a scarf from his spatial ring. It was a transparent milky white, and seemingly woven from air. “This is my greeting gift for you, the Fleeting Wind Scarf. It seems to have karmic fate with little friend Pan. It can block any attacks under the Core Formation Realm and might even slow down an actual Core Formation Realm expert’s attack.”

Lanyue accepted the gift with glowing eyes of awe, as she felt the smooth sensation of the sheer scarf.

“Alright, why don’t you show little friend Tianyi around?” Sect Master Yun immediately suggested afterward. “Old men like us will only bore little juniors like you.”

“As you command, Master.” Lanyue bowed before pulling Tianyi’s hand with hers. Tianyi saw the glance Elder Shan offered and did not resist, as he allowed himself to be guided away.

Once they were far enough away from the main hall, Lanyue turned around to observe the disciple of the mythical Buzhou Immortal Sect. As a princess of the Pan Kingdom, she thought her royal brothers and her royal father had a dignified air, but they could not compare to the dignity exuded by the child before

Especially his pair of bedeviling eyes. Just a single look could cause anyone to lose their breath. “Little Brother Tianyi, what do you want to see? Big Sister will take you.”

Tianyi held his chin in his hand for a moment before replying. “Where do the disciples of your sect cultivate?”

Lanyue led Tianyi towards the back of the mountain, where the mist was heaviest. “Here, take this, Little Brother.” Lanyue handed Tianyi a jade pendant with the word “mist” carved on it. “If you don’t have this, you’ll get lost and attacked by the formation protecting the location.”

The two reached a gate, where two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators stood guard. “Master Uncles.” Lanyue handed her identity token to them. “So it’s Junior Niece Pan. What business do you have here? I recall you recently broke through to the tenth stage of Qi Gathering Realm,” one guard, a fierce-looking bald cultivator, asked. The other guard smiled amiably at the two, contrasting greatly against his partner.

Lanyue took back the token before smiling. “Sect Master told me to show Little Brother around. Little Brother Tianyi is a disciple of the Buzhou Immortal Sect.”

The two guards shared a look before smiling. “So it’s an esteemed guest from the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Come in, but be wary of the Lightning Sea.”

“Lightning Sea?” Tianyi asked as they passed through the gate.

Lanyue nodded. “It’s the source of the pure mist that we absorb. Part of the reason our sect is so powerful is because of the pure mist that allows us to cultivate twice as fast with half the effort.”

Tianyi felt the qi around him grow purer and purer, but still far from his Jade Lotus Clear Pond. “Hmmm, the spiritual qi here is leaning more towards yin and water, so the ones who would benefit the most are water and earth spiritual root cultivators.”

“Little brother is knowledgeable,” Lanyue said, “Indeed, the strongest cultivators in my sect mostly have water and earth spiritual roots...”

“What about the Lightning Sea?” Tianyi asked.

Lanyue shook her head. “It is too dangerous. It has been here for thousands of years. Although the elders can venture deep into the Lightning Sea, they cannot absorb the qi there. It’s too tyrannical. Unless you have the legendary lightning spiritual root, it is useless.”

Tianyi smiled, “I just so happen to possess the lightning spiritual root.”

“Wow, little brother is very impressive. I heard that all lightning spiritual roots are able to become geniuses!” Lanyue said.

They soon reached a circular platform over a hundred meters in diameter with several runes carved into it. And above that, was another platform only a third as large, with only a fraction of the number of people on it. Both of them were covered in a formation that continuously pulled in mist from the Lightning Sea and purified it into a dense mist-like qi for the people on the platform to absorb.

From where he stood, Tianyi could see the continuous lightning strikes in the distance like an everlasting heavy downpour of rain.

“Big Sister, I only see Qi Gathering Realm cultivators on the first floor. Are only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators allowed on the second floor?” Tianyi asked, curious.

“The Foundation Establishment Realm seniors naturally need more than the Qi Gathering Realm disciples. I heard that there is a special location for Core Formation Realm elders, although I’ve never personally seen it,” Lanyue explained.

Tianyi nodded. He had been excited at seeing another sect’s cultivation grounds, but he was honestly quite disappointed. Tianyi felt it was a bit too boring just having the disciples all cultivating on a single platform. Shouldn’t there be some competition for the best spots? Where was the excitement?

Losing interest, Tianyi turned his attention towards the Lightning Sea. The Lightning Sea wasn’t truly a sea, but a location where dense dark clouds gathered and constantly spewed lightning nonstop. And under the clouds, was the pure mist that the Fleeting Mist Sect prized.

“Big Sister, I’m going to check out the Lightning Sea,” Tianyi suddenly said, as he jumped towards the lightning.

“Huh? Wait!” Ignoring the disciples whose attention she held, Lanyue ran forward to stop Tianyu, but she was too slow despite her “higher” cultivation level.

Lanyue sighed in relief when she saw that the lightning did not affect Tianyi when he was struck. Still, she felt endlessly helpless, not daring to enter herself. “What should I do? Should I ask for Master, or should I look for a senior brother or elder?”