Shuren stood on his flying nimbus, heading back to the Seven Clouds Sect. Though it was a journey meant to be relaxed and enjoy his first few days learning everything, he held a stern gaze as the cloudmulet manifested in front of him.
"After the curriculum introductions today, I'm to visit the Hall of Missives on the Fourth Mountain. But what exactly is the reason?"
He held a finger to his chin, speculating on the situation. Was it related to the incident from last night? Perhaps, but Shuren had already given in his report.
Out of instinct, he tested the range of his right arm. The injury from yesterday was completely gone, the effects of Qi Reversal were no longer there.
"I reached Stage 7 as a Rank 1 cultivator yesterday, so the deeper reserves of Qi must've somewhat improved my natural regeneration with that pill. Good, next I have to aim for Stage 8 as soon as possible." The warmth of the breeze amongst the morning rays of sunlight soothed Shuren, with only excited anticipation for what lay on the horizon.
Even with the morbid incident from last night, things were looking good.
Heading towards the First Mountain, where classes for Theory of Cultivation and Introductions to Spiritual Alchemy were held, Shuren had decided the main focus of his curriculum for the year.
First, was to learn of the Seven Cloud Sect's methods of cultivation. There was a reason the Seven Cloud Sect had the highest rate of breakthroughs from Rank 1 to Rank 2 in the world. That secret would be found here.
Second, was to focus on Spiritual Alchemy, the main derivative that led into Spiritual Tea Brewing. It was better to focus on Spiritual Alchemy as a whole, and learn a sub category from it.
The First Mountain was swarming with hundreds of cultivators, each Inner Disciples ready to learn the arts of cultivation. Shuren and his group were not the only new Inner Disciples in the sect.
Many Outer Disciples who've been in the sect for multiple years also gained an opportunity to become an Inner Disciple, and they would've been promoted with their own requirements.
"Now then, for the first class, I have to go to the largest cloud at the centre of the mountain. The blue coloured one, I believe." Shuren slightly adjusted the amount of Qi going through his nimbus, speeding up as he noticed a thin sky-blue platform with a handful of disciples kneeling.
"To think there are some early birds before me. Tsk, should've woken up a bit earlier, but I needed the rest after yesterday." Shuren unclenched and tightened his right fist as he said.
Though he was a dozen metres above the platform, Shuren leapt off it to land on the cloudy platform. Qi flowed through his legs, contracting and condensing at the soles of his feet.
He landed without as much of a resistance or flinch of his body. Once I can land even smoother at higher heights, flight won't be a distant goal! I have to thank Mother for throwing me off that other day, unironically.
Ignoring the gazes from the surrounding class members, Shuren walked to the front and sat. With how large the cloud platform was, everyone had plenty of room between each other.
This was an introductory lecture, so it wouldn't be difficult to understand.
Half an hour had passed in a breeze, and Shuren sat to cycle his Qi. Though the focus wasn't to absorb Qi from the surroundings, but rather observe his Spiritual Meridians as a Stage 7.
I can sense the opening of another Spiritual Meridian. If I can unseal it by Stage 8, I'll be a step closer to a Gold Talisoul, as distant as it is.
By now, a hundred Inner Disciples sat, waiting patiently for the teacher.
The surroundings shifted to utter silence, the soft breeze completely stopped. A dome formed around, darkening the skies, and yet inside the dome, the vibrance of the day still remained.
"There is no strongest method of cultivation, only the strongest cultivator." An old, raspy voice filled the entire dome of the class, reverberating into everyone's ear.
The teacher had already arrived without anyone noticing!
In front of Shuren was a man so old, his wrinkly brows drooped over his eyes. His beard dropped to his chest, and he sat on a puff of smoke, wearing dark robes. To the average eye, he would seem like an evil and demonic cultivator.
But this was the oldest Elder in the Seven Cloud Sect, the one most knowledgeable in Spiritual Alchemy! And he was holding both classes of the Theory of Cultivation, and introductions to Spiritual Alchemy.
Elder Spiritweaver continued.
"You must remember this from now on. Do not be lulled by the allure of mystical and ancient manuals and techniques. The old notions that the ancient are wise and the greatest is long been thwarted as a lie. Ignore the myths you've learnt from your villages and the blabbering old men who haven't kept up with the times."
Everyone almost had a sweat drop from their forehead, Shuren included. The act of insulting or looking down on an Ancestor, especially if they were Immortal, was even worse than insulting someone's parents. Yet this Elder almost toed the lines of doing such a thing.
The words of the eldest cultivators were akin to law. Especially the ancient cultivators who pioneered most of civilisation today.
A long and hearty laugh rung out, as if seeing the reaction of the new disciples was amusing to Elder Spiritweaver. Though the question of how he saw such a thing was debatable, with his eyes covered by his brows.
"Ever since the First Grand Era, the Immortal Reverend Seraphim All-Seer graced all mortals with the power of literacy. Before then, knowledge was even more scarce than even warmth in the Glacial Volcanoes. Do you think he achieved that power by following his ancestor's words, or did he pioneer the Lexis Path by setting himself apart from the rest?"
Everyone knew what the answer to that was.
"It's innovation! Without innovation, the Grand Era's would have never existed, and the propulsion of civilisation would've fallen as we still remained in the Oblivion Era, where beasts reigned supremacy over us humans." Elder Spiritweaver held a wide bowl filled with liquid, taking a sip as he talked.
"The reason why we have the highest success rates of breakthroughs from Rank 1 to Rank 2 is quite simple. We have the highest rate of survival as well. Perhaps some of the outlanders here may know, but the culture of the regions beyond Cloud City is far behind us when it comes to cultivation." When Elder Spiritweaver teased the secrets of the sect, everyone paid the utmost attention, even more so than they were before.
A thin smile, though with a ghastly appearance, formed on Elder Spiritweaver's face. "One of the most renowned vocations in the world is Legacy Scavengers. These people act as scouts for their factions, locating hints for the legacies of ancient cultivators. But in a local region with multiple factions, it's not rare to have a legacy found by multiple scavengers. In return, you have multiple cultivators, the military force of these factions, sent out to explore and gain the resources from these forgotten and ancient legacies."
With another gulp of his drink, Elder Spiritweaver continued. "The amount of deaths from cultivators scouring for ancient treasures is innumerable. So what do you think happens when they're rewarded with ancient techniques and manuals that are irrelevant and completely inefficient in the current era?"
Old Spiritweaver grinned, almost holding back his laughter. "Mortals die for wealth, beasts die for food, and cultivators die for some dogshit manuals. Hahaha!"
Shuren gulped when he heard these words. This elder… Is really crass. But he still speaks the truth.
As if sensing the questioning thoughts of some of the disciples, Elder Spiritweaver explained the basics of the paths.
"I will give you all a simple example. One of the most offensive Paths right now is the lightning Path. It requires the control of intense heat, incredible speed even beyond sound, and masterful control of air and water, at the bare minimum. But, such a Path was almost impossible to develop in the past."
The ceiling of the dome darkened with grey clouds forming atop the disciples. In the silent room, strong winds had now appeared, causing everyone's hair and clothes to wildly sway in the midst of it.
"That is because the Lightning Path requires one to traverse on the Electricity Path, the Fire Path, even the Cloud Path first, to name a few. Lightning requires the combination and understanding of multiple Paths, before traversing it. This was nearly impossible in the past. So let me tell you a bit of ancient history, which most of you wouldn't know."
The thunderous clouds in the dome dissipated, bringing tranquility back once more.
"Qi Condensation, which you modern kids now shorten to… that lingo, Qidense Realm, was it? Bah, you kids love shortening words these days." Old Spiritweaver grumbled, grabbing on to his beard. "Path Foundation. Core Genesis. Path Forger. Nascent Soul. We will touch upon Physique Rebirth realm another time. But these are the first five ranks of cultivation, leading up to becoming an Immortal Cultivator."
"Path Foundation allows you to tap into the Grand Paths of the world. You gain an intrinsic understanding of your soul, recognising your attunement to multiple paths. But in the past, only a Rank 6; an Immortal Cultivator could tap into the Grand Paths to learn the laws of the world." Words had formed in the air, listing out the first five ranks of cultivation. Soon, the second and fourth rank's name had changed.
"In the past, there was no such thing as Path Foundation. Instead, it was known as Foundation Establishment. The same goes for Path Forger, which originally was called the Golden Core Formation. We have the Grand Sovereign, and the Virtuous Paragon to thank for these advancements, the leaders of the Second and Third Grand Era."
Shuren gained an old memory of his grandfather, who actually touched upon this topic. That's right, even now countless people are researching to improve and increase the efficiency of cultivation. The ranks of cultivation aren't set in stone.
"This is why Rank 2; Path Foundation is the most important realm for all cultivators. It allows us to gain comprehension in the laws of the world early, a glimpse of the Grand Paths. I can't describe too much, as everyone's breakthrough experience differs, lest I lead you astray with false thoughts. But, through this, even greater and unique paths were pioneered. The Lightning Path was made easier to master, the Dragon Path was created, the Sagacity and Wisdom Paths were advanced, we could go on and on."
And on Spiritweaver did. By the time he was done, with both lectures passed, the afternoon had long come and gone.
Shuren continued to think back to the specifics of the lecture even as he stood in front of the Hall of Missives, ready to receive the news from the sect.
The cool air inside the Hall of Missives didn't distract Shuren, even as he walked to the reception. His mind still focused on the words said by Elder Spiritweaver, he didn't notice the smoking receptionist lounging about.
The bangle on Shuren's wrist buzzed, bringing him back to reality.
"We've deposited 2000 Cloudsigils in your name. A reward for the incident last night. Touch this sphere as well," the smoker said, holding out a glass orb.
Shuren walked to touch, forgetting to even greet his senior. When his finger was imprinted on the sphere, he felt a light force dig into his upper chest.
A glowing mark appeared before dissipating.
"That's your Sacrosanct Artifact. You'll survive a fatal blow once. Granted, so long as your entire body isn't incinerated in one shot."
Shuren clasped his hands to bow. "Thank you, senior."
"Don't thank me yet. You got a request from Old Spiritweaver."
Shuren's mouth was agape with shock. "What?"
"It's a collaborative effort between the Inner and Outer disciples. Wanshang and Spiritweaver decided to have you lead a team in a week. Our contacts say some smugglers of Deviant Beast will be passing in our region to deliver illegal goods to the Granxian Continent. I'm sure you know why they chose you to lead."
He took a puff of his cigarette, spewing out nine-coloured smoke above him.
At the same time, Shuren's cloudmulet turned into words in the air, detailing information of the missive he had to do.
And though it was no easy quest, only excitement revelled within him.
"This is it! It's my chance to spread my reputation amongst the Elders!"