Shuren was about to commit to a cultivator's bow to greet his senior. But it was Haze. Shuren was considering giving a serious answer. Still, it was Haze.
He heard enough rumours about him, let alone his own personal experience.
Though Haze was one of the older and most famous senior disciples, he had a very playful personality.
He had that aura which attracted anyone. His playful and relaxed nature was a spark of colour in a dull routine that was the etiquette of cultivators. Normally a very risky thing to do, but he pulled off a balance, somehow.
Shuren moved his cloud next to Haze, plopping down for a minute. He needed a minute to relax, anyway. Tiny freckles of water splashed on him as the raging waterfall thrashed on without end.
"Yes, I have," Shuren looked to his left, observing the fishing rod. It was just a branch. *How's he going to reel anything in?
Haze met Shuren's eyes in amazement. "Oh my junior, that's wonderful. Tell me, where did you find it? "
"It was on my plate. I ate it."
…
Haze stood there, mouth slightly agape. He didn't expect the most boring of the bunch he had toured to have this side.
"Have you heard of the Aurum fish, Haze? Its taste is superb. I doubt you could find anything similar beyond the cascades." Shuren's tongue shivered, remembering the texture and taste of the soft fluffy sweetness sliced with the sharp spicy blood.
Haze scratched his fingers on his chin, free from a speck of hair. "Hmm, I cannot say I've heard. Tell me more, junior."
"The Poet Dan Zi proclaimed the essence of the Aurum fish is in its blood. Its entire life is to consume the dregs of the sea, the weakest in the food chain. Beneath their skin, their blood broils and rages without end." Shuren's palm lifted up with his index fingers stretched out. The sensation of his knife slicing into the Aurum fish with hot blood bursting out. "Even when it's dead, its body continues to cycle blood relentlessly, as if defying death."
Haze chuckled. "This Dan Zi is an interesting fellow. I'd love to sit down and have a talk with him." The crimson string on his branch somehow reeled up, even though Shuren sensed no Qi fluctuations. A glowing gemstone was tangled up at the end, and the violet crow violently pecked at it, stealing it and flying away.
"Where is this Aurum fish found?"
"The most eastern region of the Devanthra Archipelagoes. Beyond the road to Scum Heap and towards the Irrev Glastfalls. You'll find the Aurum fish there. If you're lucky, maybe one'll wash up here." Shuren patted Haze's back in consolation.
Haze sighed, slouching back and throwing his branch up. It somehow landed neatly on a large bird's nest, adding to its home. "Too far, too far. The person I'm doing a quest for wants one from nearby. They really want a fish that can evolve with them." Haze stood up, stretching both his arms out. Even after all this, the tip of the tree branch didn't strain, like his existence made no mark on the world itself. Shuren wondered what kind of Path allowed such a technique.
"Keep a lookout for me, will ya? Ah, right. Don't worry about the strange kids coming here soon. They won't mess with you." Before Shuren had a chance to say anything, Haze donned his cloud pyjamas and flew off into the distance. Shuren's cloudmulet began vibrating. His confusion had been quelled at the message he saw.
"Message from the Hall of Sigils. Due to your incident with being harmed by a Core Genesis foreigner, you have been remunerated with 1000 sigils. Visit the Sixth Sensority Mountain for a checkup."
''A thousand sigils, just like that? Only because I had dealt with those delegates?" He knew all of them were granted authority and status easily equal to that of Core Disciples, if not higher. They all had immense backing. His respect for the Seven Clouds grew fervently further. Their philosophy on how they run their sect truly wasn't for show.
He could easily rent a spacious room for over a year with just a thousand sigils. Standing upright on his clouds, he closed his eyes as he faced past the mountains in the distance.
"In the end, I was stressing for no reason."
Amidst the solitude, Shuren eased up. Hands clasped behind his back, he sang a new poem. "Righteousness born of the Heavens, It's Will metes out justice. Oppressions forever unsung, purgatory fears the patient." A sincere smile was sown on his face, as his hair began to dance wildly in the sudden surge of wild winds. The tranquillity once more returning to his heart.
The crackling of thunderclouds formed. Within one breath, the atmosphere had gone from silent and peaceful to roaring and thunderous. As if the Heavens themselves heard his pleas, a giant translucent sword formed above the Seven Mountains.
Shuren almost fell down the mountain. "What the hell?!"
***
A loud thud reverberated in the Elden Crownhall, floating above the peak of the Seven Clouds. A place that only opened up when all seats were filled. With the exception of advanced clearance, every External, Internal and even Grand Elder had to join
"Those damned Divinators. Just because they're in bed with everyone, they think they can do as they wish? A bastard Rank 3 brat dared to attack a baby not even past Rank 1? On top of that one of our own?" The closed large fist of a tanned, brutish man lay slammed on the table. Elder Glorn barely held himself back so as to not destroy the furniture.
The grey oak table had glowed as its inscriptions activated to enforce its defence. A lesson learnt after too many tables and chairs had broken from the Elders exerting too much Qi in stress or anger.
A golden-haired woman with the smell of medicinal herbs chided in. "Enough Glorn. Wait for our sect leader to arrive before causing a ruckus." She swirled a cup of tea, the scent of flowers flowing across the floating building.
More than a dozen elders were seated and waiting for their sect leader. Though one would assume having all of their powers conglomerated in one spot was a terrible strategic decision, the Seven Clouds had full authority, arrogance, and confidence that there would be no trouble. Even in the case of danger, being at the zenith of their region, they could dispatch to any place with near instantaneous speed with the help of space formations. The Crownhall was both a convention spot and a Sky Battle Ship with an absurd number of features.
The youngest, Elder Harmony, snorted. She braided her long brown hair as she felt the room grow increasingly crowded. "The delegate kids always try to pull a stunt every time they come here. They never realise we're the one doing them a favour." Frowns formed on her face, thinking back to an unpleasant incident back when she was a disciple.
The murmuring of all the elders came to a still when a young man with simple robes walked in, waving his palm outward. With each step he took, his form changed. With the first step, his body and face were rubbed clean off any dirt and dust. With the second step, his hair grew back to its radiating silver colour. The third step came with him donning a glamorous furred robe with translucent numerous formations and runes inscribed, flowing past as if a wind bore forth. The fourth step caused a fundamental change in the atmosphere, as all the clouds outside began to sway and dance. Finally, as he stepped onto his chair, the intense Qi of a cultivator at the peak of Nascent Soul enveloped everyone, not in domination but to quell unease.
"I've had a look at the kid. They dared to place the aura of a Soul Scourge Dissonator on him. He's with the Liu Clan up north as well."
A Soul Scourge Dissonator. The meaning was clear amongst the elders. A parasite that used the victim's own soul to continuously send out their location to the owner of the dissonator.
Elder Swordfall gripped the arm of his chair. Still, he dared not utter a word until the sect leader was done.
"Harmony, go remove it. Send him to Mount Sensority for the time being."
Elder Harmony stood up to bow, her face glowing. "Understood, Sect Leader." She pressed the corners of her mouth together as she agreed to the command. She knew the sect leader gave her a chance to show results as the newest elder, even though he could've effortlessly removed it on his own.
The ancient aura that welled in that room began to condense even further. Creaks of the Elder Crownhall bellowed out as the entire structure began to sink beneath the clouds. The elders watched on outside as clouds as far as the eye could see began to coalesce in one spot.
A ginormous cumulonimbus hovered above the Crownhall. Its innards expelled a sword of its own size, shrinking until it sang a sharp whistle throughout the Seven Clouds, flying downwards towards an ornate, luxurious carriage stationed in front of the Evening Clouds Sect.
Stabbing deep into the earth, the aquamarine sword exuded an intense aura with the scent of sea salt, and for a moment, all the guards felt like they were on a ship in raging waters.
That same Core Genesis guard who injured Shuren cursed out. "Hell's shadow! Why didn't the Lady listen? I knew this would happened!" Sweat trickled down his neck as he realised the chances of him turning into a scapegoat, to appease the Seven Clouds Sect. He could only pray that he would avoid responsibility. A large, rugged hand clasped on his shoulders, the captain of the guards speaking out. "It's fine. I've already sent a message to the higher ups. They'll be occupied disciplining the Lady instead."
That guard heaved a sigh of relief, thankful to live another day.
***
"Kick them out. Until we get a response from the Shar himself, and enough compensation, they're banned indefinitely. It is a gift that we provide, and so we take as we will." The Sect Leader proclaimed with a heavy voice. If it was his choice, he would've given them no chances to come back, but he had to leave an opening for the high rank factions. To leave them some face.
This way, their forces can discipline the delegate, while paying a small favour to join back.
"First, the entrance to Seven Clouds is severed from your mortal, political, and familial matters."
"Second, Kowtow to the Seven Clouds for their gift of teaching you, regardless of your affiliation. Swear a Heavenly Oath to acknowledge us as your master until the day you depart."
"Third, do not involve yourselves with the other disciples outside of the Seven Clouds. Do not use your influence and power to force them to do your bidding."
The Sect Leader had enough to deal with balancing the forces of the entire world dispatching their successors to him. He was edging on a thin line, and only the price they paid to ask for such treatment gave him these considerations in the first place.
"Three. Only three rules we gave them to obey. Yet they couldn't even accomplish that."
The Patriarch of Seven Clouds waved his palm towards the ensemble of elders. The meeting had officially ended. And when everyone left, the Rank 5 Nascent Soul could only slump back on his chair, with a palm covering his forehead. A Rank 5 province being toyed around by even higher rank factions, he had to take care lest his entire city would fall into ruin, ravaged by avaricious wolves.
"Foolish girl, if you love causing trouble for your court, then don't get mine involved with it." Sect Leader Aether Ul-Regen interlocked his fingers, staring at the ceiling.
"They must've realised I made headway into unsealing that Unhallowed Monolith, so they want to play their games."
"Typical Immortals. What a headache."