Scarlett stepped through the city gates with the elder and stopped.
Not because anyone stopped her.
Not because of fear.
But because her mind needed a moment to catch up with what her eyes were seeing.
This cultivation world isn't ancient.
It was not rustic.
And it was definitely not the kind of cultivation world she had imagined when she used to read novels in her former life.
This was a city that works.
There is actually no difference from her past life….oh there is…a lot of difference…
Wide roads paved with smooth, rune-infused alloy stretched forward in orderly grids. Vehicles glided silently along designated lanes, hovering slightly above the ground, powered by rotating mana cores embedded beneath their chassis. Screens— actual floating screens— displayed announcements, rankings, public notices, and cultivation advisories.
"Mana fluctuation alert in Sector C—low-risk."
"Beast tide forecast updated. Civilian advisory in effect."
"Verdant Dawn Academy entrance exam: three days remaining for last sets."
Scarlett felt a strange dizziness.
"…wow," she murmured.
Cultivation hadn't stagnated here.
It had evolved.
People moved with purpose around her. Some wore casual clothing, mana infused but casual, others business attire reinforced with defensive structures her brain mentioned as arrays. Cultivators walked openly among civilians, their auras restrained but unmistakable. Drones—some mechanical, others entirely formed from condensed mana—hovered above intersections, maintaining order.
This wasn't a society ruled by sects hiding in the mountains.
This was a civilization built on cultivation.
And then she noticed something else.
The imbalance.
Women walked freely, confidently, many with strong, obvious mana signatures. Some radiated power so naturally that people stepped aside without realizing why. Their clothing varied wildly—from combat-ready uniforms to elegant, high-status fashion—but they all shared one thing….
Authority.
Men, on the other hand…
Scarlett slowed her steps.
Most of the men she saw walked half a step behind women. Some carried bags, devices, or supplies. Others were dressed neatly, almost carefully, their auras faint—different.
Not weak.
Just… different.
She felt it when she passed them.
A gentle, stabilizing presence. Soft. Warm. Almost soothing.
"…Energy cores," she realized quietly.
Her memories stirred.
In this world, men did not cultivate mana the same way women did.
They were born with energy cores, not suited for battle, but for balance.
And those cores had rankings.
F – Common
E – Acceptable
D – Stable
C – Above Average
B – High Quality
A – Rare
AA – Exceptional
AAA – Lineage-Class
Scarlett swallowed.
She saw it now.
Men with higher ratings walked with subtle confidence. They were protected—sometimes openly, sometimes discreetly. Women glanced at them the way cultivators in the book from her old life might look at a rare pill ingredient or a divine artifact.
Families with powerful female cultivators tended to produce higher-ranked men. Bloodlines mattered. Genetics mattered. Mana resonance mattered.
Women were sent to academies.
From a young age, girls with even the slightest mana sensitivity were tested, registered, and trained. Their paths were clear: cultivation, combat, leadership, defense.
They would fight beasts.
They would hold the line during beast tides.
They would protect cities, territories, continents.
Men?
Men were sent elsewhere.
Scarlett passed a large complex, clean, expansive, heavily regulated. A sign hovered above its entrance in glowing script:
HARMONY INSTITUTE — TEST GROUND
Men were learning not to fight.
But to support.
They were taught emotional regulation, household management, social negotiation, and intimacy techniques, how to stabilize a woman's cultivation, how to ease mental pressure, how to prevent deviation and inner demons.
Some learned defensive skills, enough to survive, never enough to challenge.
Others studied administration, arts, healing assistance, or logistics.
It was not humiliation.
It was function.
And the world treated it as such.
Scarlett felt… conflicted.
In her previous life, she had taken vows, renounced desire, removed herself from worldly roles.
Here, intimacy was structured. Institutionalized. Measured.
Power determined responsibility.
Responsibility determined worth.
"…No wonder relationships are messy," she muttered under her breath.
This society didn't encourage romance.
It encouraged compatibility.
Partnerships were strategic. Emotional attachment was optional.
Women with high cultivation often had multiple partners, not out of indulgence, but necessity. Stabilization. Balance. Survival.
Showing off one's partners wasn't scandalous.
It was a status symbol.
Scarlett exhaled slowly.
"This world didn't become cruel," she realized. "It just became… honest."
Weakness couldn't be romanticized here.
Beast tides didn't care about ideals.
Cities stood because women fought.
Men supported because stability mattered as much as strength.
And somewhere in this system, She now existed.
Scarlett straightened her posture.
"…All right," she thought calmly. "Then I'll learn this world properly."
Above her, a screen flashed again.
VERDANT DAWN ACADEMY — EXAM REGISTRATION CLOSING SOON
She turned a corner with the elder and approached a train station, the elder stopped and looked at her… you looked awed by everything, were you leaving under a rock?
Scarlett mind trembled, nobody has to know she transmigrated, she was born here, she was used to this "no elder, I'm just awed by the look of the city" she responded looking calm,
the elder looked at her skeptically
"I believe you are here for the exam" she said as she dumped all the baggage she was carrying, sweeping her hand over them, they vanished, Scarlett didn't look surprised anymore, she just looked on, "…and I believe you will pass" the elder continued "so your first lesson as a student of verdant dawn abbey is never rely fully on what you see" she took a step forward…then vanished.
Scarlett stared at where the elder vanished from for some time, then breathed out.
She needs to adapt…and fast.