The White Crane banked sharply, its massive, jade like wings cutting through the heavy, spirit-rich mist with effortless power. As they descended toward the largest of the five floating islands,the Ascension Island,the sheer scale of the architecture below left both Hanyuan and Feng Yue speechless.
The Outer Sect, which Hanyuan had once thought magnificent, now looked like a collection of peasant huts in comparison. The buildings here were colossal, constructed from star falling iron and polished white jade. Every surface was inscribed with intricate defensive arrays that hummed with a soft, constant golden light, protecting the inhabitants from both the elements and potential intruders.
"We have arrived," Elder Qi announced as the crane landed gracefully in a courtyard paved entirely with white jade.
As Hanyuan and Feng Yue stepped off the beast's back, they both stumbled slightly, catching their breath. They felt a sudden, massive increase in the air pressure.It was the weight of the Qi itself. It was so dense it felt like walking through cool, invisible water. Every breath they drew wasn't just air, it felt like a mini cultivation cycle, the energy naturally seeping into their pores and feeding their newly formed Mortal Cores.
"Follow me to the Registry," Elder Qi said, his eyes dancing with amusement at their shocked expressions. "You need to claim your Inner Disciple rights."
They entered the Grand Pavilion, a hall so vast that the ceiling was hidden in a light, swirling haze of spirit vapor. At the far end, a stone faced Elder sat behind a desk of carved obsidian. He didn't look up as they approached, his quill moving across a jade scroll with precision.
Elder Qi stepped forward and placed their amethyst tokens on the desk. "Two new Inner Disciples. One fourteen, and the other thirteen years old," he stated, his voice ringing with undeniable pride.
The Registry Elder's quill finally stopped. His eyes flickered, sharp and discerning. He looked first at Feng Yue, then shifted his gaze to Hanyuan. A brief flash of surprise crossed his weathered features before he settled back into a neutral expression.
"Thirteen and fourteen," the Registry Elder repeated, his voice low and raspy. "Impressive. Truly impressive. Very well."
He waved a hand over a spatial array on his desk, and several items appeared out of thin air.
"As Inner Disciples, your monthly allowance is no longer measured in low-grade spirit stones," the Elder explained, pushing two heavy silk pouches toward them. "From this day forward, you will receive 20 Mid-grade Spirit Stones every month. For your reference, one Mid-grade stone is worth exactly one hundred low-grade ones."
Hanyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he nearly reached for the desk to steady himself.
Twenty Mid-grade stones?
He did the mental math instantly. That was equivalent to 2,000 low-grade spirit stones every single month!
"Furthermore," the Registry Elder continued, placing two jade phials on the desk, "you each receive three Qi Solidifying Pills as a starting gift. These will help you stabilize your new foundations.
Hanyuan accepted the pouch and the phial, the weight of the Mid-grade stones feeling oddly heavy in his hand. The Inner Sect was truly a different world, a paradise of resources. No wonder the Mystic Sky Sect was rumored to be on par with the three great Sects of the Southern Continent, with this kind of wealth, even a commoner could be hammered into a master.
"Thank you, Elder," both youths said, bowing low.
Elder Qi grinned at them. "Don't let the numbers make you lazy. In the Inner Sect, a stone is just a tool. It's time to show you where you'll be living. Let's see if your new courtyards are up to your standards."
Elder Qi led them out of the Registry and toward a majestic cliffside. Before them stretched a long bridge made of woven silver vines that shimmered with an internal light, connecting to a smaller, sub-island that floated like a satellite beside the main peak. The air here vibrated with the raw, melodic cries of various majestic creatures, and the scent of wild feathers and sharp ozone was pervasive.
"Before you see your homes, you must have the means to reach them," Elder Qi said, his robes billowing in the mountain wind. "In the Inner Sect, the islands are spread far apart to ensure each disciple has enough space for their cultivation. Walking is for mortals.
They arrived at the Silver Mist Stables. It was a massive complex of nesting platforms carved directly into the rock face. High ranking beast tamers, experts in animal empathy and Qi synchronization, moved efficiently among the platforms. A young man in silver robes, radiating a stable Mortal Core aura, approached them and bowed deeply to Elder Qi before turning his attention to Hanyuan and Feng Yue.
"Two new Inner Disciples? You've come at an excellent time," the tamer said, his voice rhythmic and calm. He gestured to a group of magnificent avian creatures grooming themselves on a sunlit ledge. "The Sect provides a Silver-Winged Eagle to every new Inner Disciple. They are Tier 2 Spirit Beasts, capable of weathering the highest altitude storms and defending their masters with lethal efficiency if necessary."
Hanyuan walked toward a particularly sharp eyed eagle whose feathers carried a heavy, metallic, blue grey sheen. As he drew near, the bird didn't shy away, instead, it tilted its head, its obsidian pupils fixing on him. When Hanyuan reached out to touch its wing, he felt a sudden, sharp resonance,a sympathetic vibration with his own Qi.
The bird let out a low, respectful trill, its feathers ruffling with a faint, icy mist.
"This one likes you, Hanyuan," Elder Qi noted, stroking his goatee with a satisfied smirk.
Beside him, Feng Yue made her own choice. She gravitated toward a Snowy Owl with a wingspan of ten meters. It was a regal creature with eyes like deep, intelligent amber that seemed to see through her soul. Once the beasts were bonded to their identity jades through a drop of blood and a pulse of Qi, the connection was absolute.
Elder Qi pointed toward a cluster of distant, jagged peaks floating higher up in the clouds, where the sunlight hit the islands with a golden intensity.
"Hanyuan, your estate will be in the Crest-Cloud District," the Elder announced. "Feng Yue, yours will be in the Sapphire District. They are neighboring peaks, but you will find the isolation helpful for your stabilization."
They mounted their new spirit beasts and took to the skies. As the eagle beat its massive wings, Hanyuan felt a sense of exhilaration and freedom that far surpassed the passive experience of the jade leaf or the Elder's crane. This was his mount, an extension of his own will. He leaned forward as the eagle shrieked in delight, looking down at the massive Ascension Island as it shrank into a green and white speck beneath them.
After a few minutes of high speed flight through the turbulent clouds, Elder Qi led Hanyuan toward a secluded floating island. They descended gracefully onto a stone terrace.
Hanyuan stepped off and looked at his new home. He was speechless. It was a small but exquisitely designed estate. A white jade wall surrounded a garden filled with Frozen Spirit Lilies, their petals sparkling with permanent frost. In the center stood a two story pagoda constructed from dark obsidian and rare Silverwood, which shimmered with a metallic lustre. To the side, a small waterfall cascaded into a turquoise pond, releasing a perpetual mist that shimmered with rainbow light in the mountain air.
"You will live here from now on," Elder Qi said, his silhouette beginning to fade into the mist. He reached into his sleeve and tossed a heavy, ivory scroll to Hanyuan. "This contains the rules of the Inner Sect, a map of the islands, and information on the specialized resources you now have access to. Do not waste the silence of this peak, boy."
With a final nod of pride, Elder Qi vanished into a blur of light, leaving Hanyuan alone with the sound of the waterfall and the heavy, pulsing Qi of his new home.