Whoosh! A figure in pristine white robes soared out from the courtyard. It was a young woman with a divine sword slung on her back, clearly a sword cultivator. Her demeanor was extraordinary, like a divine sword drawn from its sheath, radiating sword intent.
“Bei Hua, you’re here!” The black-robed youth’s eyes lit up, a glint of admiration within his pupils.
“Is it true that Li Xia has arrived?” The woman in white asked. Her gaze was sharp, with a trace of bloodlust.
“Mm, I’ve just gotten the news. Reverend Lu Zhu is currently ushering Li Xia into Dragon Star Island,” the young man in black relayed. “He’s most likely on the way to his mansion now.”
The woman in white nodded slightly.
“Bei Hua, I know you aspire to become a disciple of Ancestor Dong Yang,” the young man said. “From what I’ve gathered, Li Xia possesses remarkable talent and is also a sword cultivator. He may have the same goal as you.”
“Hmph,” the woman snorted, her eyes flaring with contempt. “Ancestor Dong Yang is no ordinary powerhouse. Not just any dog or cat is fit to be his successor.”
“Exactly! I believe you are the most fitting candidate within the sect to inherit Ancestor Dong Yang’s legacy,” the black-robed young man fawned.
The woman in white furrowed her brow.
She aspired to become a disciple of Sword Immortal Dong Yang, but she was self-aware enough to recognize that achieving this goal was still a distant prospect.
“Are you here to ask me to challenge Li Xia?” she asked.
“Bei Hua,” the young man began. “The Dragon Star Tournament is still more than ten years away. It’s customary for us to assess the newcomers and their strengths. Kuang Long has already been taught a lesson by Senior Brother Wen Qing, so he’s not a concern. But we know nothing about Li Xia. He could prove to be a formidable opponent.”
“As a fellow sword cultivator, I believe you’d like to meet him, thus I came to gauge your interest,” he added with a smile.
The woman in white nodded lightly.
Sword cultivators were known for their thirst for battle, and the sect encouraged friendly matches among disciples. One could say that as long as no deaths were caused, the higher-ups would not intervene in spars between the hereditary, inner, and outer disciples, no matter how brutal they were.
“Give me fifteen minutes. Then, we’ll go challenge this Junior Brother Li Xia together,” the woman declared.
The young man nodded. “Senior Brother Hei Lei will join us.”
“Excellent. But inform Hei Lei that I want to be the first to test Li Xia’s strength,” the white-robed woman insisted.
“Understood.”
…
Dragon Star Island, a vast expanse stretching thousands of li, might not be considered large if placed in the physical world. But within the Redmoon Immortal Realm, it was positively massive.
Veiled in thick fog, a plethora of invisible barriers isolated various sectors, preventing anyone from spying in.
Nevertheless, the area was packed with buildings, including halls and meticulously organized streets bustling with immortal cultivators traveling to and fro.
Guided by Lu Zhu, Wu Yuan and his followers made their way deep into Dragon Star Island.
“It seems there are many immortal cultivators on this island,” Wu Yuan remarked, unable to contain his surprise. “It appears far more lively than the headquarters back in the physical world.”
“Indeed, it is rather crowded here,” Lu Zhu remarked with a smile. “But Heir, you must understand that around ten million disciples from our sect arrive at Dragon Star Island whenever they enter the Redmoon Immortal Realm.”
“Ten million?” Wu Yuan echoed, momentarily taken aback. So many?
“It’s actually not much. In the physical world, the sect’s headquarters houses over six million official disciples, including outer disciples, inner disciples, and the like,” Lu Zhu elaborated. “But in the voidrealm, even disciples who are required to graduate after exceeding the age limits are permitted to enter Dragon Star Island.”
Wu Yuan quickly understood what he meant.
“The sect’s headquarters in the real world is over 10 million li in length and breadth, thus when the millions of disciples are spread out among various regions, it creates a sense of spaciousness. The Dragon Star Island is much smaller, only 1000 li in length and breadth. On top of that, it has more visitors, naturally giving rise to a busy atmosphere.”
Wu Yuan nodded in understanding. The Redmoon Immortal Realm was a downscaled version of the physical world.
The residences of Void Refiner cultivators extended across tens of thousands of li or more. Why? It was because they could travel thousands of li in a flash, and tens of thousands of li in one breath.
A spacious residence with ample distance between each dwelling was essential to ensure that high-level cultivators could focus on their cultivation without worrying about their safety.
If high-level cultivators stayed too close to each other, it would only put everyone on edge. Hence, in the physical world, the residences, protective arrays, halls, and other facilities of most high-level cultivators were designed to be spacious. Immortal cultivators typically preferred to live alone.
In the voidrealm, however, such concerns were not an issue.
“Heir, the residential distribution of Dragon Star Island in the Redmoon Immortal Realm mirrors that of the Dragon Star Immortal Realm, with each immortal sect member allocated an accommodation,” Lu Zhu elaborated as they traveled. “The island is divided into four major sectors, while the Dragon Star Immortal Realm comprises several large cities.”
Wu Yuan listened attentively.
“The outermost region of Dragon Star Island accommodates outer disciples, while those further inward, such as the precincts we are currently passing through, houses the Golden Core inner disciples. These two groups make up a large portion of sect disciples,” Lu Zhu continued.
“Here, you will find the majority of taverns, immortal pavilions, treasure shops, and even the headquarters of the various enforcement halls.”
Wu Yuan gave a slight nod. There were naturally intricate systems in place for the sect to govern its vast territory and gather various cultivation resources.
The enforcement halls, in particular, played a crucial role in various aspects such as intelligence, trade, warfare, and exploration of different worlds. The responsibilities of these halls were complex and diverse, and their members primarily consisted of outer and inner disciples at the Golden Core phase.
As for the Amethyst Cradle disciples? Their status was higher, thus they took up higher level positions.
“Ahead lie the residences of the Amethyst Cradle inner disciples. Each residence is larger, and there are fewer in total. The overall count of Amethyst Cradle powerhouses in the sect does not exceed 200,000.” Lu Zhu explained.
“So few?” Wu Yuan subconsciously questioned. The figure was far lower than his expectations.
“Few?” Lu Zhu shook his head, “Heir, not everyone is a peerless genius like yourself. For the vast majority of outer and inner disciples, reaching the Amethyst Cradle phase is a daunting task.”
“Any disciple of our sect is an elite among their peers, but out of every ten Golden Core disciples, typically only one Amethyst Cradle Reverend is born.”
“Amethyst Cradle Reverends hold great power within small pockets of the immortal continent and play significant roles in warfare and exploration of various worlds,” Lu Zhu continued.
Wu Yuan found himself nodding involuntarily.
Amethyst Cradle Reverends didn’t seem like much. However, one mustn’t forget that they were in the Dragon Star Immortal Sect.
When he first set foot in Fengchuan City of the Redmoon Immortal Continent, which held dominion over a territory millions of li in width and ruled over countless lives, the peak powerhouses there were Amethyst Cradle cultivators.
Similarly, during the heyday of the Summerpeak World, those at the pinnacle of power were Amethyst Cradle cultivators.
Most immortal cultivators saw a glimmer of hope to advance to such a level, but anything beyond that seemed near impossible.
“In a sea of tens of thousands, or even a hundred thousand cultivators, the birth of an Amethyst Cradle Reverend is a rarity,” Lu Zhu said, “And becoming a Void Refiner Eminence? That’s a feat achieved by fewer than one in ten million!”
The gravity of those odds struck Wu Yuan deeply, sending a shiver down his spine. It was a sobering realization.
“Our Dragon Star Immortal Sect is known for our 3000 Eminences. Each one is a super powerhouse in their own right, wielding incredible strength,” Lu Zhu explained, “They are allocated residences in the depths of Dragon Star Island.”
“Heir, though you are not a Void Refiner cultivator, your talents are unmatched and your status is on par with them. Your residence also lies within the Eminence District.”
Lu Zhu guided Wu Yuan further into the heart of the island, where the residences grew grander and more opulent, while the atmosphere grew quiet. Only a select few sect disciples were granted access to this exclusive area.
Before long, they arrived at their destination.
“Heir, this is your residence,” Lu Zhu gestured towards a sprawling mansion that spanned several li, “Normally, if there are no matters for us to attend to, we will reside here whenever we enter the Redmoon Immortal Realm.”
“Mm.” Wu Yuan’s gaze swept across the mansion below him.
A mansion that occupied several li might not seem ostentatious, but within the grounds of Dragon Star Island, where the price of land was eye-watering, it was astonishingly large.
It was a symbol of prestige, a representation of his standing within the sect. On regular days, if he wished to meet with someone in the Redmoon Immortal Realm, he could simply invite guests to his mansion.
“Is that the Immortal Sea?” Wu Yuan suddenly pointed.
More than ten li away was a vast lake, shrouded in mist, with the vague outline of floating halls on the surface. It looked both luxurious and ethereal.
“Yes, that is the Immortal Sea, the center of Dragon Star Island,” Lu Zhu affirmed, “The immortals of our sect live there when they enter the Redmoon Immortal Realm.”
“Those with residences in the Immortal Sea make up the true core of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, the pillars upon which our sect stands.” Lu Zhu continued.
“However, the exact number of immortals within our ranks remains a closely guarded secret,” he shook his head slightly.
Wu Yuan nodded thoughtfully. For a large sect, Golden Core and Amethyst Cradle disciples, as well as Void Refiner Protectorates, were akin to the branches and leaves of a mighty tree. The tree’s lush foliage was naturally important and symbolized that it was thriving.
But even if all its branches and leaves were pruned, it wouldn’t affect the life or death of the tree, it just wouldn’t be aesthetically pleasing.
It was the immortals who formed the roots of their sect.
“With your remarkable talent, Heir, it is inevitable that you will one day have your own hall within the Immortal Sea,” Lu Zhu complimented.
“There is no need to flatter me,” Wu Yuan replied humbly.
Become an immortal? Even pseudo-immortals, including the weakest Divided Soul Earth Immortals, were mighty figures that he could not hope to contend with at his current level. One step at a time, he reminded himself.
Let’s head in. As Wu Yuan entered the mansion, a flood of messages entered his mind. These were all authorization notifications from the Redmoon Immortal Realm.
As a hereditary disciple of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, he would automatically be granted various permissions once his identity was verified.
Besides Southmoon Island and Dragon Star Island, there are numerous other special islands within the immortal realm? I can enter some of them, while I have no access to others. Wu Yuan took note of the various levels of authority.
These were all secrets that had eluded him in the past. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Without dwelling too much on it, he made his way to the meditation chamber.
I should read through the information about the other hereditary disciples. He retrieved the virtual immortal slip from Zhuo Haiyue.
Particularly the 30-plus Golden Core hereditary disciples. They will be my potential competitors in the Dragon Star Tournament a decade later.