"Farewell Hurts but they are necessary for the start of a new journey" The senior brother who was incharge of the ceremony said after seeing the sad look on mine and many childrens faces.
"Don't worry about your parents and think about the happiness and pride they will feel when you all will become proper cultivators" and with a wave of his hand a large boat appeared it was blue in colour and drawings of dragons and mountains could be seen on every colour. It looked majestic.
"Come on little junior brothers and sisters it's time for you to go and join the sect" and following him we all boarded the boat and it was massive. There were many rooms on the boat and countless chairs could be found neatly placed on the boat.
"Everyone you could either go to the room to rest or you could sit on the chairs and enjoy the ride" following the announcement I ran and sat on the chair that was on the front of the boat and the other children also choose to sit on the chairs no one went to the room prepared for us for obvious reasons all of us wanted to experience this ride and see the landscape below.
Shoom bhhhh. And the boat started flying.
It was fast, maybe too fast as we couldn't even see the scenes below us. Everything was blurred and realising we couldn't see the landscape below all of us went to the rooms prepared for us.
After three hours the boat suddenly started to produce the sound of bells and chimes and one of the senior brothers informed us that this meant we would be reaching the sect soon.
As we all came out of the rooms and stood in the lobby of the boat and started chatting with each other I also spotted a few of my friends and started talking with them.
Thuddd
The boat rocked and stopped moving and it only meant one thing: we finally arrived at the sect.
Following that the three senior brothers appeared and ordered us to form a line and follow them.
When I left the ship, what appeared before me left me with shock and awe.
It was a mountain, no it was a humongous mountain.
Rising like a celestial pillar from the earth, the mountain stood shrouded in drifting clouds and ancient mysteries, its peak lost beyond the mortal gaze, caressed only by the breath of the heavens. Verdant forests cloaked its slopes, where even thousand-year spirit herbs could be bloomed there waterfalls of crystalline qi that cascaded in silence, nourishing the land with ethereal vitality.
There were Craggy cliffs that bore the marks of time and the scars of long-forgotten battles, their surfaces etched with ancient runes that shimmered faintly under moonlight.there were Grand pavilions and jade pagodas clung to impossible heights, suspended between sky and stone, their rooftops glinting with talismanic light. Along with winding paths made of unknown stones we saw many disciples, some still training and some conversing with each other.
According to the senior brothers At the mountain's summit, hidden behind veils of formation arrays and ancestral seals, rested the Main Hall—an awe-inspiring structure of gold and obsidian, where the air itself thrummed with the will of cultivators past, and where Heaven and Earth seemed to pause in reverence.
This was no mere mountain—it was a sacred realm, a trial and sanctuary, where mortals strove to defy the heavens and touch the eternal.
The senior brothers then took us near an ancient tree and bowed. Beneath the sprawling boughs of an ancient spirit tree—its silver leaves rustling gently in the breeze like whispers of forgotten ages—sat the Outer Sect Elder, cross-legged upon a worn stone bench, veiled in the soft glow of the descending sun. His robe, though plain, was lined with cloud-silk and frayed with years of quiet service. Long white eyebrows arched over half-closed eyes that looked like it had continuously witnessed the rise and fall of countless talents, and his thin, bony hands rested upon a wooden cane carved with dragon motifs, the surface smoothed by time and use.
His presence was humble, yet beneath the weathered skin and hunched posture lay a reservoir of spiritual power so deep that even the mountain winds seemed to tread lightly in his presence. Wrinkles traced stories across his face, and his voice, when it came, was like the rustling of autumn leaves—soft, deliberate, but with a weight that silenced idle thought.
Before him bowed the newly recruited disciples, their eyes wide with awe and uncertainty. They wore fresh sect robes, their hair still smelling faintly of the mortal world. None dared speak as the elder opened his eyes—clouded, yet sharp as blade-light beneath the surface.
"You stand now at the threshold," he said slowly, each word falling like a drop of water into a still pond. "Beyond lies a path of suffering and wonder, of bloodshed and enlightenment. Some of you will rise. Most of you will fall. But all who walk the Dao must begin somewhere—and this place, this humble outer sect, is where Heaven watches to see if your spark can become a flame."
As the spirit tree rustled once more, a strange stillness fell over the clearing—as if the mountain itself had paused to listen.
''Now follow me it's time for the feast and you three can go to the mission hall to collect your reward''and with a wave of his hand he dismissed the senior brothers and took us all to a large hall which was surrounded by long and beautiful bamboos and various colours of flowers . ''Come inside'' and we followed him the inside of the hall was filled with tables and chairs
''This place is simply called dining hall or if you are poetic Verdant bamboo hall all disciples of our sect can come here to eat food the food can cost from 10 contribution points to hundreds of thousands of contributions points but to newly registered disciples it is free for 2 months''
Suddenly many people began coming from a door which I can only assume is the entrance of the kitchen and in their hands were plates full of different dishes as they put the plates of food on the tables. The elder motioned us and we began to eat. And the food was delicious. The different types of meat and vegetables which I didn't even know existed. The rich soup was like a balm on the soul and the dessert at the end was even more delicious even the thought of the dessert made me more hungry.
''Now that you all have feasted it's time for you to know the sect's rules and regulations. This is the rule book and inside it all of the sect rules are mentioned. You all will memorize them and follow them. Failure of doing so will lead you to the disciplinary hall''.
''The disciples here will lead you to your sleeping areas and in the morning you all will know your roles''.