The blue Dragon Star, a celestial body approximately 100,000 li in diameter, loomed in the distant space, a million li above ground level. Its presence felt almost eternal, a constant fixture in space.
Wu Yuan and Kuang Long stood next to Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng.
“In this immortal slip, you will find essential information about our sect, including my contact details in both the Redmoon Immortal Realm and the Dragon Star Immortal Realm,” Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng said, passing Wu Yuan and Kuang Long an immortal slip each.
The two accepted the slips.
“After deciphering the immortal slips and reading the information inside, you will gain a deeper understanding of the sect,” Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng continued. “Should you have further queries, do not hesitate to contact me through the immortal realms.”
“Thank you, Elder,” Wu Yuan and Kuang Long chorused respectfully.
Neither of them were fools. None of the outer disciples or inner disciples who previously joined them on the flying boat had received Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng’s immortal realm contact details. They both understood that Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng was extending a helping hand to them.
“Alright, head to your respective residences,” Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng instructed. “Remember, joining the sect is merely the beginning. Dedicate yourselves to cultivation and do not slack off.”
“Your disciple status will be protected during the first Dragon Star Tournament you participate in. However, a poor showing may lead to a reduction in cultivation resources provided, as well as a loss of face.”
“Those who reach the higher echelons of the sect earn their position through merit,” Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng emphasized. “If you wish to rise above others, you must prove your worth.”
“By your second Dragon Star Tournament, failure to show progress may result in status demotion to inner disciple,” Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng warned. “As the one to induct you to our sect and guide you thus far, I do not wish to see this happen to either of you.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Elder,” Wu Yuan and Kuang Long replied.
Dragon Star Tournament? Wu Yuan wasn’t too sure what it meant, but he surmised that it likely involved some form of competition within the Dragon Star Immortal Sect.
“Very well, I shall depart now,” Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng said. Stepping forth, he transformed into a streak of light and soared toward Dragon Star, leaving Wu Yuan and Kuang Long behind.
The two exchanged a glance.
“Senior Brother Li, what should we do now?” Kuang Long inquired, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. “Fly to our residences? It seems to be hundreds of thousands of li from here.”
For outer, inner, and hereditary disciples, those of a lower status would address those of a higher status as ‘Senior’, regardless of their cultivation level. For disciples within the same status, the hierarchy of disciples was defined by their admission time. Wu Yuan joined the sect one day earlier than Kuang Long, hence he became the senior brother.
“Fly over?” Wu Yuan arched an eyebrow, chuckling. “How long would it take for us to cross that distance?”
Given their flight speed of 100 li per second, it would take them about an hour just to reach the outskirts of their residences.
Wu Yuan fixed his gaze on the huge expanse of space before them. “And this is just a fraction of the sect’s headquarters. I doubt they are expecting us to fly back and forth by ourselves. If that truly is the case, wouldn’t it take ordinary disciples dozens of days to get around the sect? There must be another way.”
“Let’s begin by deciphering this immortal slip,” Wu Yuan suggested.
“Mm,” Kuang Long agreed with a nod.
Kuang Long, a body refining prodigy with less than a century of training, had a straightforward personality. Despite meeting Wu Yuan just a day ago, he harbored no dissatisfaction about addressing him as ‘Senior Brother,’ even though his own cultivation level was higher. The two got along quite well, forming a quick and easy camaraderie.
In a matter of moments, Wu Yuan and Kuang Long deciphered the immortal slip and delved into its contents, absorbing the wealth of information stored inside. The information covered every facet of the sect, from rules and systems to detailed explanations of each region and various things to note for hereditary disciples.
In just a few breaths, Wu Yuan memorized and processed the information. His understanding of the sect reached a new level, and the various structures set in place by the Dragon Star Immortal Sect filled him with amazement.
No wonder it’s such a massive sect that has endured for hundreds of millions of years. Wu Yuan marveled silently. Many of these principles can also be applied to the Middle Land.
A quarter of an hour later, Kuang Long also finished assimilating the knowledge. Opening his eyes, he saw Wu Yuan looking at him with a smile. Clearly, he was done reading a long time ago.
“Senior Brother Li truly lives up to his reputation,” he said admiringly. As a genius, he was naturally proud. But even so, he had great respect for Wu Yuan after learning of the events that transpired on Southmoon Island.
“Senior Brother, it seems we can use the sect’s authority to travel within its bounds,” Kuang Long chuckled, his demeanor straightforward and sincere.
“Mm,” Wu Yuan nodded. “As hereditary disciples, we can harness a level of power equivalent to the first-stage Void Refiner phase within the sect’s boundaries. Additionally, teleportation arrays have been established throughout the immortal cities and several spacetime regions.”
Kuang Long nodded in understanding. With these teleportation arrays, they could swiftly travel to various areas within the headquarters or to other important locations within the sect’s territory.
“Very well, Junior Brother Kuang, let’s first make our way to our respective residences,” Wu Yuan suggested with a smile. “We shall meet again in the immortal realm.”
“Agreed, until we meet again in the immortal realm,” Kuang Long affirmed with a nod.
And so, the two parted ways, transforming into streams of light. Guided by their tokens, they swiftly made their way toward their individual residences.
…
Wu Yuan carefully mobilized a thread of power that protected the sect headquarters. Immediately, he felt an immense wave of power surging through his body, and his speed increased exponentially!
A flight speed of 12,000 li in a single breath, is this the flight speed of a Void Refiner cultivator? Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.
It was equivalent to 2000 li per second, and this was just the first-stage Void Refiner phase!
Soon, he found himself outside Dragon Star, in a space shrouded in wisps of fog. Through his identity token, Wu Yuan could ‘see’ the entrance to another world. This entrance wasn’t too big, but it couldn’t be described by any unit of measurement. It seemed to twist and fold space in strange ways. Wu Yuan, who had yet to comprehend the profundities of space, could not understand how it worked.
It was only with the help of the immortal slip from Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng and the power granted by the sect that Wu Yuan was able to navigate to this strange worldlet.
Hum~ As space twisted, Wu Yuan stepped into the new world.
The scenery around him shifted.
This place? Wu Yuan surveyed his surroundings, taking in the massive sky city before him. His Soul Force extended out, confirming that it spanned over 20 li.
His eyes were immediately drawn to a temple, flanked by rows of halls on either side. Beneath Wu Yuan’s feet lay the entrance to the sky city, and behind him loomed a massive spatial vortex leading back to the world outside.
Whoosh! There was a flurry of movement as dozens of figures approached Wu Yuan from the distant structures and halls, each exuding a vibrant vital aura.
They gathered swiftly before him, led by a middle-aged man in flowing white robes and an angular face. His eyes were bright and exuded a keen intelligence. He wore a badge above his breast engraved with a single blue line. If one observed it closely, it seemed to give off the impression of a vast river.
The middle-aged man bowed toward Wu Yuan, “Lu Zhu pays his respects to the Heir.”
“We pay our respects to the Heir,” echoed the dozens of figures who also wore white robes. Their badges were embellished with only a smattering of blue dots resembling raindrops, their vital auras notably weaker.
Observing this, Wu Yuan couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Though the immortal slip had given him a heads-up, witnessing it firsthand still felt unreal.
The leader was an Amethyst Cradle cultivator, while the dozens or so individuals behind him were all Golden Core cultivators!
They were the guardians of this worldlet, subordinates assigned by the Dragon Star Immortal Sect to Wu Yuan.
Such treatment was customary for all hereditary disciples.
“Custodian Lu, as I am new here, I will be relying on your help in the future,” Wu Yuan said with a smile.
“Haha, you are too kind, serving the Heir is my duty,” Lu Zhu replied, returning the smile.