Arthur was sitting inside what looked like a boat, but the thing is it was not sailing on a sea but was flying in the sky.
He sat inside the flying vessel with a quiet sense of curiosity, his gaze drifting across the translucent barriers that curved around the deck like a glass dome and wind slammed against it. From the inside, it resembled an ordinary boat with wooden flooring, simple railings. They passed by clouds which were torn apart by the vessel's passage, while the city receded slowly behind them.
Even though it was flying extremely fast he felt no turbulence. Now that he was paying attention Arthur could feel layers of interlocking energy channels were curved beneath the surface of the vessel, some of these energy channels were supporting the shield surrounding the vessel and some were helping it to fly.
After a few minutes of observation, he turned toward the woman seated across from him.
"Elder Yue," Arthur said casually, "how exactly is this thing flying?"
The woman, Yue, looked up from her meditation and studied him for a moment before smiling faintly. She hadn't missed his curiosity when he examined the vessel, nor the awe displayed by Chen Yan that most new disciples showed after seeing the flying vessel.
The lady felt it might be an opportunity to build a connection with a future powerhouse. As far as she knew only the Sect Master of Spirit Pagoda, their main sect possessed Heaven grade cultivation talent. And anyone with such a root was almost guaranteed to become a towering figure in the future, assuming they survived the path of cultivation.
If building goodwill early mattered anywhere, it was when they were weak.
"Disciple Arthur, in the cultivation world," Yue replied patiently, folding her hands into her sleeves, "only cultivating and gaining strength is not everything. Just as mortals rely on craftsmen, scholars, and farmers, the cultivation world also has its fair share of professions, like formation masters, artifact refiners, talisman masters, pill refiners and various other professions."
She gestured lightly around them. "This flying vessel is the result of cooperation between an artifact refiner who shaped its core and a formation master who embedded flight and stability formations."
Arthur nodded slowly. None of the things Elder Yue said contradicted what he already knew, but hearing the terminology proved his theory. "So formations are closer to… structured rules than energy manipulation?"
"Precisely," Yue said, clearly pleased. "A formation does not rely on the cultivator's constant input. Once established, it draws power from the environment or a fixed source. That is why even sects with weaker individual cultivators can still protect themselves."
Chen Yan, seated a short distance away, listened quietly with her hands folded in her lap. Every now and then her eyes flicked toward the clouds below, her excitement barely contained. This was her first true departure from home, her first real step into the world she'd dreamed of.
Arthur noticed and filed it away without comment.
For the next hour, he asked various questions related to sect hierarchies, disciple rankings, cultivation realms, the Spirit Pagoda sect, about the difference between external and internal cultivation paths. Elder Yue answered all of it without irritation, occasionally pausing to clarify terms or provide context, while Chen Yan absorbed everything with the focus of someone afraid to miss even a single word.
Eventually, the flying vessel slowed down. Ahead of them was a mountain range covered in mist, its peaks appeared sharp and imposing. Spiritual energy here was denser here noticeably so and Arthur sensed the change the moment they crossed an invisible boundary of the sect where the energy was concentrated, most probably with the help of a formation.
The vessel descended smoothly and settled onto a stone platform without much disturbance.
As they left the flying vessel they saw a man in sect robes was already waiting for them, his posture was straight and his expression was composed. He bowed the moment Elder Yue stepped off the vessel. "Elder Yue, the Sect Master has summoned you."
Yue nodded, she had expected it as she had already notified him using a communication talisman before arriving.
She turned to Arthur and Chen Yan. "Come, we should not keep him waiting."
Rather than walking, Yue rose into the air effortlessly, spiritual energy gathering beneath her feet like an invisible current. She also wrapped her spiritual energy around Chen Yan and Arthur to take them with her.
Arthur didn't resist the energy wrapping around him and just observed the application, it lifted him smoothly through the air following Elder Yue. Chen Yan stared with wide eyes, she was amazed as she felt the sensation of flying for the first time. Although they used the flying vessel to fly to the sect, they were inside it the whole time.
Seeing it Elder Yue smiled and said, "When you reach the Golden Core Realm, you'll also be able to fly like this using spiritual energy."
Chen Yan nodded vigorously, awe replacing her earlier nerves.
They reached the peak where the sect master usually stays within a minute, it was a broad plateau carved into terraces and stone halls. At its center stood a manor both austere and imposing, and Yue led them inside without delay.
The hall they entered was quiet, lit by incense that burned with an unfamiliar scent. The moment Arthur stepped inside, he felt the difference. His thoughts sharpened, and he felt his mind becoming a bit more focused without any distracting thought. This clearly wasn't an ordinary incense, it carried a mild mental-stabilizing effect.
At the center of the hall sat a man on a mat, his posture was relaxed and he was meditating. He appeared to be middle-aged, with dark hair streaked faintly with white hairs at the front, and his eyes were closed.
From his life force Arthur felt the sect master was as strong as an Archmage/ Grandmaster from Thyrandel.
The man finally opened his eyes and looked directly at Arthur. "So," he said calmly, "he is the one with the Heaven-grade elemental root."
Elder Yue bowed deeply and said, "Yes sect master.".
Seeing that Chen Yan also followed suit, her movements were careful and respectful.
Yue frowned slightly seeing Arthur was not bowing and shot him a warning glance telling him to bow but before she could speak, the Sect Master raised a hand.
"It's fine Elder Yue," he said. "There's no need for such formalities here."
He studied Arthur openly now. "I've already informed the main sect. They'll arrive tomorrow to take him to the Central Continent."
Yue inclined her head. "Understood sect master."
The Sect Master turned his attention to Chen Yan. "Elder Yue, since you lack a personal disciple, why don't you take her as your disciple."
Chen Yan froze, then bowed deeply towards the man. "T-Thank you, Sect Master."
Yue smiled, and nodded. "As you wish, sect master." The main reason she volunteered for disciple recruitment this year was to search for a suitable disciple. And Chen Yan had good talent with a hybrid elemental root so she was pleased with the sect masters order.
The Sect Master closed his eyes again, signaling the end of the audience.
They departed shortly after. Yue led Chen Yan away to settle her formally, while Arthur was assigned a temporary quarter. Left alone, he took the opportunity to explore the sect.
The Spirit Furnace Sect consisted of three primary peaks. The tallest housed the Sect Master, another belonged to the elders, and the third was the place where the disciples stayed and practiced. Arthur passed by training fields, cultivation halls and much more.
The next morning arrived quickly.
Arthur stood on a stone platform as a far larger flying vessel descended from the sky, its looks were much more imposing than the one using which he arrived at the sect. The Sect Master and all available elders were already present, their posture were formal as if they were waiting for their superior.
A young man stepped out from the vessel, his aura was dense and restrained. It suggested he was clearly stronger or at least equivalent to the Sect Master.
The Sect Master bowed slightly. "Lord Envoy, he is the boy I informed you about."
The man nodded once and turned his gaze to Arthur. His spiritual sense swept over him and paused.
"We will leave immediately," the envoy said. He then looked at Arthur, "You, follow me."
Then he turned and walked back toward the flying vessel without waiting.
Arthur turned towards Elder Yue and gave her a brief nod, then followed the man.
They then boarded the vessel and it flew away. The journey was uneventful as no one in the vessel talked with Arthur after a guard showed him his room. It took nearly three hours to reach the sect in the central continent, so Arthur practiced his Aether manipulation throughout the journey. And to not let others notice he was practicing he placed some runes around the room.
After reaching the sect Arthur was guided by another guard, and he didn't see the envoy. The guard took him through the sky towards a huge mansion at the centre of the sect. From the sky Arthur noticed the Spirit Pagoda Sect was as big as a small city, and it must contain at least tens of thousands of disciples, the scale of the sect stunned even him.
They finally reached the mansion, then the guard took him before the central hall and asked him to enter it. Arthur nodded and entered the hall as the guards at the door opened it.
The moment he entered, dozens of eyes locked onto him. At the far end of the hall sat a man upon a throne made with some kind of metal, and Arthur turned his gaze towards him. He had already guessed the man on the throne must be the sect master.
The man was clearly the strongest here and from his aura Arthur sensed he was as strong as a Transcendent rank expert, and the others who he guessed were elders flanked him, each radiating power equivalent to Sage rank experts.
Arthur met the Sect Master's gaze calmly. And as he was looking at the man on the throne the man was also probing him.
An old man with a long flowing beard slammed his staff against the floor. "Impudent! Do you not know where you stand before?"
Arthur tilted his head towards the voice and he saw an old man with a long white beard looking at him with angry eyes. Seeing Arthur was not answering him he got even more angry and tried to put pressure on him.
Arthru felt like someone had put a lot of weight on his shoulder, and the pressure was not physical; it was as if someone was forcing him to kneel, but that amount of pressure was nothing for him and he resisted it easily.
The Sect master didn't say anything and looked at Arthur with amusement, a few seconds later seeing Arthur was still standing he raised a brow.
The others present in the hall were also surprised, then the man waved his hand and said, "Interesting, it appears you have a very strong will." he said. "What is your name, boy?"
Arthur felt the pressure on him vanish, but he never took his eyes from the man, "You can call me Arthur," he replied evenly.
The old man who was putting pressure on him before shouted, "Sect master this lad is clearly disrespectful towards his elders. I think we should teach him humility before accepting him into our sect."
The sect master just smiled and said, "There is no need for such a thing Elder Ming. I'll allow him to take the Pagoda's test."
Now not only Elder Ming but all the other elders widened their eyes, it had to be known only core disciples were allowed to enter the Pagoda and allowing someone who had just entered the sect was unheard of.
Elder Ming tried to protest, "But, Sect master..."
But the man interrupted him, "If you are worried about the rules then..." He looked at Arthur, "I will take him as my disciple, so he could be considered a core disciple of our sect."
The hall fell silent.
Elder Ming was puzzled, why was their sect master showing so much favouritism towards this lad. It was true Arthur possessed Heaven-grade elemental root but it was still surprising the sect master would take him as his disciple without testing him first.
Arthur was then led towards a separate room by a guard, and an hour later he heard a knock on the room.
***
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