John gazed around the interior of the flying ship as it sped along. It was incredibly luxurious, far more so than any other ship he had been in thus far. The ship had several floors, while the very middle was an empty atrium all the way to the top. Each floor had dozens of rooms, making it so that each disciple would be able to have their own room.
The trip was expected to last for nearly a month, and so such a thing was more than appreciated. In the front of the ship was a dining hall, which was attended to by kitchen staff at all times. A crew of Elder's piloted the ship, ensuring it was always under the control of an expert. There were even other luxuries, such as libraries, spas, and observation decks.
John couldn't help but marvel at the ship, his mouth slightly agape.
"You like my ship?" a voice behind him asked, causing John to turn around. Sect Leader Thunderfist was standing there with a beaming smile on his face, clearly happy that John and the rest were awed by his ship.
"How could I not?" John replied. "It's incredible. It's like a luxurious hotel, but on a flying ship."
"Hahaha, how right you are," Thunderfist boomed out laughing. "This ship is my prized possession. I spent a good portion of the money I accumulated over thousands of years on this thing some time back, but it was totally worth it."
"Wait a second…if this is your ship…why did the Grand Elder take it out in the courtyard?" John asked after the thought came to him.
An awkward expression quickly appeared on Thunderfists face, who coughed before replying.
"That's because I lost it one time, so the Grand Elder safeguards it for me until I need to use it," Thunderfist replied, hiding nothing.
"You lost…a ship? A ship of this size?" John asked, completely flabbergasted.
"Ahhh, the details are not what's important, are they?" Thunderfist replied, acting almost like an embarrassed teenager. "Oh, that's right. I need to address the rest of you disciples about this trip," Thunderfist exclaimed as he changed the subject and walked away.
To the side, the rest of the group stood there in silence, stunned that John was talking casually to the Sect Leader. They had never even exchanged a word with the man before, yet John and the Sect Leader almost seemed to be friends.
"John, do you know the Sect Leader well?" Iris asked after a moment of silence.
John turned to the group and saw them all staring at him with strange expressions.
"Ahh, a bit. I met him once before," John replied but didn't elaborate further. He couldn't say it was because he met with them regarding prophecies and other subjects he couldn't mention
"Do you think you can put in a good word for us to get the best rooms on this ship?" Adam suddenly chimed in, his face full of hopeful expectation.
"I'll see what I can do," John replied, unfazed by such a question from Adam. He too wouldn't mind a more upscale room, and so decided such a thing was worthwhile to ask about.
"Gather round," a booming voice suddenly shook the entire ship, catching the attention of all.
All the disciples looked towards Thunderfist, who had just spoken up. He stood at the front of the ship and gazed at the three hundred disciples before him.
"Not bad…you lot are quite impressive when compared to the normal batch of disciples that makes their way through our sect," Thunderfist continued.
John raised an eyebrow at Thunderfists ineloquent words as he listened to the Sect Leader continue his speech.
"With that in mind, I expect you all to do our sect proud when it comes to the Jade Dragon Empire Realm. This will be a great opportunity for you all to raise the prestige and renown of both yourselves as well as my Heavenly Lightning Sect. Who knows, some of you may even become the pinnacle of Honorable Alliance disciples, and obtain glory far beyond your wildest dreams."
Heated expressions appeared in the eyes of many disciples as they heard Thunderfist talk about raising their status in the world, and becoming the foremost geniuses of the alliance. All the disciples strived for such a thing, and many couldn't help but get caught up in the moment thinking about such glory.
"Now listen here, I don't know much about the sealed off lands you will be entering, but I do know a bit," Thunderfist continued. "The Jade Dragon Empire was an incredibly powerful empire at its height of power, and their training grounds were based on that level of talent and strength. There are many dangerous trials within, some with the power to claim your lives."
Thunderfists next words threw ice on the heated gazes of many, however there were still those who were unafraid of death, and only wanted glory and rewards. Thunderfist nodded his head in approval as he noticed such gazes in the crowd.
"Not only that, you will also be joined by tens of thousands of other Honorable Alliance disciples. Many of them are beyond your imagination in terms of talent and power, and the trials of the lands won't be the only danger within. Be sure to remain on guard at all times."
Thunderfists words were clear to all. Although they were all from the same Honorable Alliance, the hearts of men were unpredictable, and so keeping one's guard up at all times was paramount.
"Not only that, but there are bound to be spies from enemy powers hiding amongst the other disciples that will do what they can to take as many talented disciples down within the realm. Do not be one of those casualties," Thunderfist instructed, his voice stern and cold.
The disciples all nodded their heads in unison as they listened to their Sect Leader. They had each thought of this realm as a land of opportunity to help them rise in power and status, but it seemed as though things would not be as smooth as they had hoped.
"This trip to the Honorable Alliance will take just shy of a month, so use that time wisely to raise your power as much as possible within that time. If you have a Heaven Tribulation ascension you need to carry out, the top of the ship has a place at which to do so," Thunderfist further explained.
John raised his eyebrows in surprise, as the ship was even capable of withstanding Heaven Tribulation blasts. However, he knew that was only for normal heaven tribulations, and not his own. If he were to undertake his own tribulation on top of the ship, its outcome would most likely not be pretty.
"Lastly, while you are all free to do what you want inside the realm, I will be assigning several Generals from amongst you all. The Generals will serve as a guiding rod for you lot in times of conflict and confusion, and you must all obey the commands of the Generals within the realm, so long as they are reasonable, is that understood?" Thunderfist asked.
All the disciples nodded their heads upon hearing this. Such a thing made sense, as having a singular voice of guidance was often needed to push a conflicted group forward with cohesion and teamwork. The group already knew who two of the Generals would be; Rael and Lily. No one was unwilling to follow them, as they were the strongest and most respected disciples in the sect.
The only question was who the third General would be. Many expected it to be either Rylia or Lyeon, who were the third and fourth strongest disciples of the sect, and were respected by all the other disciples.
"Good, then listen up" Thunderfist chimed up again. "There will be Three Generals. They are, Rael, Lily…and John."
The crowd fell into a silence upon hearing the third name, and after a short moment, one third year disciple couldn't help but speak up in confusion.
"Who the hell is John?"