"That's Player Yuan? What an unfathomable aura… I can feel it even this far away…" One of the seniors there spoke in a low voice as they approached the lake.
"I didn't believe when you told me that he was a Spirit Master, but now that I am seeing him personally… heavens…"
"Do you think he's from a secluded family? I don't want to believe that he'd managed to achieve that level after Cultivation Online was introduced…" Another one said.
"We'll find out in just a moment."
A few moments later, Senior Wang and the five seniors stood in front of Yuan and Meixiu on the other side of the table, and they started introducing themselves.
"Once again, I am surnamed Wang from the Wang Family, from one of the Six Spiritual Families, and I am a Grand Elder."
"I am surnamed Wu from the Wu Family. I believe we have met at the Cultivators' Association as well."
"Surnamed Zhi, and we have also met at the Cultivators' Association."
"My surname is Li."
"Surnamed Xi."
"And my surname is Hong."
Yuan stood up and said in a calm voice, "My name is Yuan, and this is my caretaker."
Meixiu stood up and said, "Surnamed Feng."
Since Yuan gave himself an alias, Meixiu decided to do the same, especially since her recent incident that made her name public, and she picked Feng Yuxiang's surname as her alias.
"Allow us to welcome you to the Jaded Garden once again, Yuan. Whether you believe it or not, your presence here means a great deal to us." Senior Wang said to him with a respectful bow by clasping her hands together.
The other elders did the same.
A moment later, they all sat around the marble table.
"There's a lot to talk about, but let us start with our background." Senior Wang said.
And she continued, "The Six Spiritual Families have existed for thousands of years, but we were not always this peaceful with each other. In fact, we used to be at war with each other until 300 years ago."
Senior Wu then continued, "However, there was one thing we all agreed upon even during our times of war, and that was to keep the existence of cultivation a secret."
"Thus, we have managed to keep cultivation a secret from the public while silently cultivating ourselves."
Senior Zhi then said, "That's the purpose of this place— to train our juniors together. It's like a sect— the same ones you see in Cultivation Online, but we're much smaller. If you'd like, we can even show you around the place afterward."
"I'd like that," Yuan said, as he was curious what a modern-day sect would look like and how it compared to the sects within Cultivation Online.
The elders continued to spend a couple more minutes talking about their families' history before one of them asked, "Yuan, can you tell us a little more about yourself? If you want to keep your identity hidden, that's perfectly fine. What about your cultivation level? When did you start cultivating?"
He nodded and said, "As you already know, I am a Spirit Master, but I only recently achieved this level. As for how long I have been cultivating… shortly after I began playing Cultivation Online, I guess."
"Aiya…"
The elders there suddenly released stressful sighs, and all of them held a defeated expression on their faces for some reason.
"I was hoping you'd started cultivating many years ago so we don't look as bad before your talents, but alas, you have managed to achieve Spirit Master in less than a year while it took all of us over 100 years to reach Spirit Master. The difference is like heaven and hell… No, it's incomparable…" One of the elders there expressed his distress.
"Why is there such injustice under this heavens?" Another sighed.
After a few moments of contemplating their lives, the elders eventually gave up and said, "Do you want to take a look around the place?"
"Sure," he nodded.
Although the elders wanted to ask more questions about him, they didn't dare to ask them, as they were afraid of offending him.
After all, it was clear to them that Yuan wanted to keep his identity a secret, and as people who have kept cultivation from the world for centuries, they knew very well what Yuan was feeling and his thoughts, so they purposefully avoided asking him questions that could reveal his identity.
Furthermore, they believed that if they earned his trust, there was a good chance that he would reveal his identity willingly. Until then, they will have to approach him with caution.
Yuan's talent that allowed him to reach Spirit Master in less than a year was something incomprehensible for these elders that used to be the top genius within their generation.
"What do you think of the cultivation world this far?" Senior Wang asked him as they walked around him like a group of grandparents and their grandchildren.
"Although it has its flaws, I genuinely enjoy the cultivation world within Cultivation Online, but whether cultivation is a good thing or a bad thing for this world… I still don't know yet," he calmly responded.
"I agree. Everything was fine before since there were only very few of us that knew about cultivation if you consider the world's population, but now that everyone is aware of cultivation… I fear what might happen in the future."
"This is also why we opened up the Jaded Garden to the public to attract talents— because we fear the future and want to prepare ourselves before it's too late."
"What do you mean?" Yuan asked her, his interest piqued.
"You see, inside an ancient scroll left behind by our ancestors, there is a prophecy— that when the world starts cultivation, there will be a calamity."
"A calamity?" Yuan raised his eyebrows behind the mask, as did Meixiu.
"Yes, a calamity will befall upon this world, propelling this world into chaos." Senior Wang said in a sighing voice.
"This is another reason why we decided to keep cultivation a secret from the world. If you want, I can show you the scroll after the tour."
"Okay," he quickly said.