It wasn’t possible for Chao to throw himself through the air as Huifen was doing with an effortless tap of her foot, but his speed far surpassed that of a mortal. It was even more helpful that this part of the forest was mostly flat, so running behind her wasn’t as difficult as it could have been.

Before they’d gone a kilometer, he’d thrown some herbs into his mouth and began to suck on them. Not only would they help him stave off exhaustion, but they had a subtle minty taste with a hint of salt, so they even improved the smell of his breath. He was sure Huifen would appreciate that from dozens of meters in front of him… He snickered at his own weakness in comparison to her own. She’d been in such a sorry state just days ago, but now she could kill him with a look.

She didn’t turn back to look at his progress, but she didn’t have to. Using her perception, she could keep track of him, and he knew she had already slowed her pace to accommodate him.

He was much more familiar with the Redwood Aurora than she was, but he’d never traveled at this speed and only his hearing could compare to her perceptions thanks to his sound laws. While he was running, he made good use of them and listened for any dire beasts in the area or coming up ahead.

They’d been traveling for less than half an hour when they came upon a clearing. He could sense the strong yang presence before he’d even stepped foot into it. It was so bizarre that Huifen stopped and waited for him to catch her at its edge.

When he stepped up to stand near the ice fairy’s side, he saw the great expanse of blackened earth under the moonlit night. It stretched for many kilometers.

“What happened here?”

“Answering Senior Sister.” He swallowed back the tightness in his throat. “After my mother died, Father came here and...”

“I see. Do you know what realm your father is at, Junior Brother Chao?”

“No, but I don’t think your guesses are far off. He was injured before he met mother and then burned his blood essence to kill the man who murdered her, so I’ve never seen him at his peak, and he doesn’t speak of it. I think it’s because he’s trying to protect me.”

She gave him a sideways glance before nodding. “We will use this open area to cover some extra distance before turning and heading west. Let’s go.”

Once again, they were off.

It was impossible for him not to admire Fairy Huifen as he ran behind her in the open space. She had her dark hair in a tight braid, so the soft glow of moonlight shone from the skin of her back just above her collar and neck. Only her hands and feet were otherwise bare, so she looked like a celestial being adrift in the realm of men.

What he had the most difficulty figuring out was if it was her physique or realm gave her the seemingly boundless strength she used as they traveled. Could all earth realm cultivators skip through the world like this?

While they were in the yang-dense clearing, they didn’t see any signs of dire beasts. They used it to travel as far north as possible before turning to the west. The Ice Phoenix Sect was in the eastern central region of the Monolith continent, so they had at least a thousand kilometers to go before reaching it. Chao had never been there before, so he only had the stories of others to base is expectations on.

They soon had gone as far as they could in the open clearing, so they plunged back into the forest in the dead of night. With the dense canopy above, visibility was sparse even for a cultivator at his realm. Huifen may have not had the same problem, but he wasn’t sure.

He swallowed his thoroughly chewed wad of herbs before removing a jug of water from his storage ring while still running. Holding it out in front of him, he removed its cork and did a quick Borrow to summon some water to fly into his mouth. Replacing the cork, he stored it again before placing more herbs on his tongue. It was then that he heard something that didn’t bode well ahead.

He called out but wasn’t too loud. “Senior Sister.”

“I sense it,” was all she said.

A minute later, when they came upon a patch of dense foliage, a cat the size of a horse and as black as night leaped out with her in its sights.

Chao cried out, but before he’d even finished speaking, she waved her hand toward the panther as if she were brushing it aside. Something tiny sparkled in the moon’s light as it shot toward the mighty cat and disappeared into its neck. The spray of blood erupted from its upper back and side when whatever she’d hit it with had exploded inside of it.

The panther fell to the forest floor and twitched a few times as he sprinted around it. Huifen had already bound off into the night, and he was quick to chase after her. He couldn’t tell the dire beast’s exact realm, but he knew for sure it was higher than his. He doubted it was at the earth realm, but a high rank nascent realm was most likely. He’d been wrong about her being able to kill him with a look. She wouldn’t have to bother. A thought would do.

They traveled throughout the night and only ran into a few more dire beasts that unwisely decided that hunting them was a good idea. If you run across a barefooted fairy in the forest, it’s best to be wary. He decided it was a good principle to live by.

The first ray of morning light warmed the night’s sky. A few minutes later, the canopy above was catching its own rays as it woke from its drowsiness. Even as dawn reach full swing, Huifen didn’t stop for another hour. When she did, she was standing on the outstretched limb of an ancient redwood many times overhead.

He came to a stop beneath her, and she didn’t join him until after she spent a few moments examining their surroundings.

As she dropped from the limb above, he could tell she had already touched on the ability to fly, for gravity seemed to struggle against her as she fell at her own pace.

“Report on your condition,” she said while examining him herself.

“Long Chao answers Senior Sister. I’m good for a while longer,” he replied. He wasn’t being modest.

“It’s good that you had the foresight to do some extra energy gathering before we left. We will rest for half an hour. Eat and cultivate to stabilize your developing dantian.”

“Okay. I brought some dried snow fox strips and white sauce. Did you want some?” He’d removed two jars from his storage ring and held them up for her to see.

She wavered momentarily before nodding.

He quickly fetched a wooden plate from storage and filled it with her cultivator’s portion before handing it to her. A jug larger than the one he was using while running also appeared, and he uncorked it, then sat it on the ground.

“Borrow as much as you need,” he said when she gave him a look.

He removed his own jar of strips and filled his plate. Soon, they were both eating and Borrowing water as they liked. Since they left, what he’d originally feared would happen when she began using Heart of Ice again seemed to be occurring to full effect. She was like a living statue as she ate her food with no sign of human emotion.

He finished before her purposely so that he could conveniently take her plate when she was done. With a small Borrow of water, he rinsed the plates and stored them. He left the jug where it was and sat down to stabilize his core as she’d requested. He also threw some more herbs into his mouth.

“What are those?” she asked.

“Laborer’s Weed, Sashroot, and Holly Leaf Extract,” he replied with his customary smile. “Chewing them slowly helps ease exhaustion. You probably don’t need them, but would you like to try? The taste isn’t unpleasant. They aren’t as potent as they are when refined into pills, but in their natural state, their impurities are easily digested and won’t cause any long-term side effects.”

“Okay.”

He took out a small jar. As she reached down, he handed her the entire thing. “Keep it. I’ve already mixed and crushed the herbs up partially. The Sashroot helps make it like a paste, and the more it’s broken up, the more of its restorative properties are activated. Just take a little pinch and set it on your tongue, then chew and suck out the juices as needed. It’s quite refreshing.”

She did as he said and placed some on her tongue before closing her mouth. A few seconds later she said, “It’s as you say. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She sat down across from him and began stabilizing her cultivation as well.

It wasn’t long before they were coming to their feet and off again. They traveled throughout the day. It wasn’t until later afternoon that Chao felt his energy getting low. He still didn’t let it get to him. He was prepared for this as well.

Swallowing the rest of his herbs with a swig of water, he removed a different jar with a much more potent and bitter smell. This mixture of herbs was not as pleasant, but he didn’t falter in tossing a wad into his mouth and putting the jar away. It wouldn’t stave off physical exhaustion like the first blend but would help open up his meridians so he could gather more energy while running. He’d feel the effects of fatigue, unlike with the first mixture, but it was actually more beneficial for keeping him on his feet longer.

Huifen stopped momentarily as if noticing the change, but then she proceeded without a word. It wasn’t until dusk that they finally ended the day’s trek.

Chao’s limbs were jelly, and his core felt like an empty vacuum. He even found it difficult to focus on something for more than a few seconds as he looked around the small clearing they’d stopped in.

“You will cultivate the first half of the night, then sleep the rest,” she said as if it was just the way of things. “I’ll be shallowly cultivating all night, so you don’t have to worry about any dire beast attacking.”

“Yes, Senior Sister.” He didn’t mention anything about food since she hadn’t mentioned it either, but he did remove a jug of water and uncorked it. “Please help yourself.” He placed it on the ground before him where he sat cross-legged and began to meditate.

He was hoping he could entice her to use some of her time to work on her water laws, but after a few minutes, he opened his eyes and saw her nearby with her back against a tree, meditating as well.

There was seriously nothing for him to worry about, so he gave himself over to recovering as much energy as he could. He still had a little bit of the meridian opening herbs in his mouth, so he used them up but didn’t chew any additional ones. Once he’d reached a decent meditative state, his meridians would be fully opened anyway.

After about six hours, Huifen caught his attention with a gust of cold energy. “Sleep,” was her only command.

He’d recovered a good deal of qi, but his physical exhaustion was still present. Removing a blanket from storage, he folded it up and placed it under his head as he lay down. Even though it was a little cool, he should be just fine without anything covering him. If he needed something, he had another couple blankets just in case. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he was asleep.

***

Huifen’s eyes cracked open to examine her Junior Brother Chao as soon as his breathing slowed. She looked down at where he lay, using the cold reason that Heart of Ice granted. Before they’d left, she’d known he was a second-level nascent cultivator, but part of her hadn’t believed it. As they studied the laws, she’d thought of him as a peer, even a teacher, but now, his lowly cultivation and its many limits were painfully manifesting. His speed was sluggish, even if his endurance made up for it a bit.

She was second-guessing her decision in bringing him with her. Senior Long hadn’t chased them down, but that didn’t mean what he’d said lacked wisdom. It was too easy to forget how weak Chao was. He was like having an impractical pet that was as cute as it was delicate and would be easy to accidently injure. That didn’t mean she’d go back on her word. She was even thinking of shoving a bunch of pills down his throat and making him cultivate until he reached the earth realm before letting him out of her sight, but he’d requested to start out as an outer sect disciple to make his own way. His intention, she wholeheartedly agreed with, otherwise she would’ve insisted on him at least starting as an inner sect disciple. It was probably wiser to keep him among the late nascent realm and early earth realm disciples as long as possible.

But how long could they keep him there? It was only a matter of time until he did something implausible to get everyone’s attention. Then what?

Another problem was resources. The Ice Phoenix Sect didn’t deal in low-quality pills, but the quality that the inner sect disciples received was on a completely different level than the outer. It would be too big of a shame for him to progress slowly because of something so simple. His half of the sky realm beast core was worth decades of such pills alone. She’d first give him some time to settle in and see how he progressed before deciding what she was going to do.

She removed the jar he had given her from her storage ring and placed another pinch on her tongue. Stopping Heart of Ice’s circulation, she rested her head back on the tree behind her and looked up at the sky. Through the forest’s canopy, she could see a few stars shining through. When much of the numbness of her technique had worn off, she sipped down some of the minty juices. The herbs were a complete waste on her because of her physique, but she found she enjoyed the taste.

Putting the jar away, she glanced over at the still open jug of water at Chao’s side. With a twirl of her finger, three small beads of water flew over to hover before her. A little energy flow filtered through Create turned them into fist sized balls. They began to move at her direction and weaved in and out around each other as she wistfully watched them perform.

***

Chao was used to waking early, so he’d risen before the first light of the day. Huifen hadn’t moved from her place and was still meditating like before. It was now impossible to miss the inhuman radiance that shone from the surface of her skin. He was really interested to know what it was like when she reached her peak.

She opened her eyes as he stood to his feet. Immediately, he started preparing another plate of meat strips and white sauce for the two of them before she said anything. She approached him, and he handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said rigidly. “We will stop again tonight. Hopefully, we can put a couple hundred kilometers behind us.”

The next couple days were filled with the bland repetitiveness of traveling through a region that changed little. It was even worse for Chao because Huifen took care of every dire beast with little effort. Only the beast cores she carved from the chests of the few earth realm beasts broke up the monotony.

They ate in the morning after a night of cultivation and rest, then ran until dusk. On the fourth day, he was surprised to see her asking about the herbal blend. Without answering, he immediately removed another pre-mixed jar and handed it to her. He knew it probably would’ve taken her half the time to return without him, so he was doing everything he could to show his worth.

It was early on the fifth day that they left the Redwood Aurora and he left the region for in his life. The hills were thick with grass and grain. Beautiful in their own way, they still weren’t they eye-opening experience he was hoping for. It wasn’t until they skirted past the first village that was filled with flat-wall buildings of painted yellows and greens that he felt he was in a new world.

The Redwood Aurora was a sparse region, but it wasn’t without villages and a few cities. He’d even been to one of the bigger cities a couple of times, but its construction was similar to that of his log cabin home. Because of the endless supply of redwoods, everything had been constructed with the towering trees. Even the city’s fortified wall was made of the thickest redwoods they could find.

These homes, with their stone shingled roofs, looked simpler in their construction, but much more advanced.

It wasn’t too long until the hills became barren and heavy in red clay. It had become the area’s defining feature when they came across a wide gravel road that cut right through the landscape. Huifen stopped at its edge before stepping onto it. She waited for him to catch up.

As he did, his energy was still in good shape.

“From here, we walk,” she said. “This road goes to the main city at the base of the Ice Phoenix Sect. We should be there in a few hours.”

He followed slightly behind her and to the side as he looked into the distance, where a mountain range had appeared not too long ago. It looked like they were heading for it.

They came upon it much faster than he thought they would because of the road’s subtle downward heading. Soon, they came upon fellow travelers, merchants mostly. They commonly used large horse-drawn carts packed with goods, and some even had small trains of carts with earth realm cultivators guarding them. Even though they were walking, it was at a brisk pace, and they commonly hurried around any slower traffic. In other words, Huifen would pass over them in a single bound, and he was forced to sprint alongside the road across the packed clay.

He started to receive curious looks. The cultivators and merchants that knew better would bow their heads as Huifen passed without saying a word to inconvenience her, but he didn’t receive the same treatment. They looked at him like he was her luggage courier. He knew it was his low cultivation that was giving them such ideas.

As they neared, the traffic thickened. They stopped skirting by everyone else, and Huifen walked with him to explain a few things as they went. “We will pass through Phoenix City to get to the Ice Phoenix Sect. This city is one of the largest trade hubs on the Monolith continent. It’s at the base of two peaks. On one peak is the Ice Phoenix Sect, and the Fire Phoenix Sect is on the other. Between them, about a thousand meters up, is the joint sect campus where the inner sect disciples, and greater, attend classes, find dedicated cultivation grounds, array formations for training, and ancillary support facilities for things like choosing missions, pill refinement, weapon manufacturing, herbalism, and the sect library. These are things you will have very limited access to as an outer sect disciple, but if you work hard, you will earn points that can be spent on all of the above and even in the major trade halls throughout the city.”

She glanced at him to make sure he understood. “When you first arrive, outer sect disciples are expected to work to earn their place, so your time cultivating will be limited. I still expect you to cultivate as much as you can. You need to speed your progress to the earth realm. Once there, just imagine what experiments you could do with your laws and the increase in energy.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister,” he said with all sincerity. “I understand.”

“Good. Even if your talent isn’t the best, the sect honors hard work. Work hard, and you’ll earn your place as well as more time to cultivate and greater resources. As your sponsor, I expect you not to be lazy, or I’ll personally kick you out of the sect.”

“Yes, Senior Sister.”

At her words, he became aware of how big of a favor it was to have her personally bring him and grant him entrance into the sect. How well he did wouldn’t just reflect upon him, but her as well. He certainly had no plans of slacking off. Father had said she’d be leaving this realm in ten years or less, so that meant he probably had eight years before she left, or even less. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to go to the divine realm, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to put himself into the position of joining her one day. Doing so in eight years was probably impossible, but he wasn’t afraid of lofty goals.

The two peaks came into view before the city gate became discernable. The closest peak was thousands of meters high with the Ice Phoenix Palace pointing up toward the sky like a towering icicle. It was almost an identical color to Huifen’s ice blue dress. Further away, like a backdrop to the city, was the Fire Phoenix Palace atop its peak. Instead of scaling upward, it stood like an imposing fortress with smoke billowing out its top.

“The Ice Palace uses the mountain’s peak to gather massive amounts of ice qi, and the Fire Palace has piped channels that gather fire qi from volcanos many kilometers to the east,” Huifen said offhandedly. “As we approach the gate, follow me closely. Gaining entrance can take hours without me with you.”

The closer they got to Phoenix City, the heavier the traffic became. The road widened, and three lanes of traffic soon appeared. Those coming hugged the left side of the road, and those going the right. Down the middle, Chao joined Huifen in a mostly clear lane that only a few cultivators in red or blue clothing used. It moved much faster than the other two lanes.

About a kilometer from the gate, the road changed from gravel to brick, but these were no normal bricks. They were half as tall as a person and just as wide. He didn’t know how deep they went, but they were almost perfectly level, which left him scratching his head.

As they finally drew close, the left lane had stopped and was moving slow through the admittance process. Chao stayed right on Huifen’s tail.

It was impossible to miss the scornful looks and snide remarks directed at him. It was mostly from the cultivators awaiting entry. Most of what they said held a common theme—philanthropy, charity, extreme kindness… They thought he was here, not because he deserved a spot, but because Fairy Huifen had taken mercy upon him. In a way, she had.

“You are currently unknown, which is in itself a kind of shelter,” she said without turning her head. “Their words might sting, but remember that fame does not always bring with it good fortune.”

He was quick to respond. “I will, Senior Sister.”

He wasn’t the only one people were looking at. Their eyes always first fell upon her. There was both fear and admiration, but rarely did someone try to address her directly. There were many mentions of Fairy Huifen and Sect Master’s personal disciple said under their breath, though. She probably heard many of them, but he heard everything. He had a feeling her advice came from personal experience.

When they reached the gate, it looked like two immense phoenix wings made of bronze that were opened outward. He’d seen something like it before. Fairy Quinyuan’s personal residence she’d summoned when his mother was dying had an almost identical entrance minus the bronze and enormous size. He wondered if he’d one day see her here…

There were guards at the gate who wore golden scale armor with winged helmets. They had fiery cloaks adoring their shoulders.

As Chao approached, he saw that only one guard stood at the middle lane, and he didn’t even have his spear drawn. With his hands crossed behind his back, he bowed to Huifen.

“Greetings, Fairy,” the man said. “This one is with you?” He nodded at Chao.

“Yes. For admittance into the outer sect,” she replied.

“Second-level nascent realm?” He sounded surprised.

She didn’t answer.

Seeing her reaction, he stepped aside and waved her through without another word. Chao followed quickly behind.

The streets were packed with people and carts coming and going. He immediately noticed that the buildings were all made of stone, but it looked like they were competing with each other over who could build with the most interesting material. There were granite and marble of all colors. Some buildings had each story made up of a different stone, while others were seamless from top to bottom. Chao wanted to balk at everything but didn’t slow his steps as he followed Huifen.

They came upon a great pavilion with a low-lying roof covered in arching blue shingles.

“This is where most hopefuls come when looking for information about joining the sect,” Huifen said, walking through a gap in the line and heading straight for the front.

Chao walked with her and was suddenly self-conscious. Ninety-five percent of the people in line were girls, and many of them were younger than him. It wasn’t just any odd assortment either. Most of them, except for the youngest ones, were at least in the nascent realm and had their bodies tempered with ice for a few years. He was like a human tomato walking through a section of winter pears. Beautiful ones. Yu Sying, the girl he’d considered marrying from the Redwood Aurora, would be among the plainest here.

He decided to keep his eyes on Huifen’s back. The whispers directed toward him weren’t as spiteful as those at the gate, but many of the girls were questioning his age and cultivation. There was more than one mention of his dantian looking strange. They’d obviously never seen someone that cultivated heaven and earth qi solely.

There was a desk stretching from one side of the pavilion to the other. When they reached the front of the line, both stewardesses to either side excused themselves from the girls they were talking to and hurried to compete over who would attend to Senior Sister.

“Lead Disciple,” they said at once.

She didn’t choose one or the other but simply stated her purpose and let them decide between themselves who would serve her. “I’m here to grant this one entrance as an outer sect disciple.”

The girl to the right was quicker to answer, “Of course! Name?” she said, looking to him.

“Long Chao,” he replied.

“Age?”

“Seventeen.”

“Cultivation?”

“Second-level nascent.”

The entire front row of girls seemed to gasp all at once. It really was pathetic when compared to the rest of them.

Fairy Huifen glanced backward at no one in particular, and the entire pavilion went silent. As she turned back, the girl attending to her visibly gulped.

“Just one more thing,” the girl said. “Demonstration.”

He was afraid that Senior Sister was about to rebuke the girl, but she instead turned to him. “Show her a small sample of your ability with ice.”

Bowing his head, he said, “Yes, Senior Sister.”

The murmur wasn’t as loud this time, but he’d obviously said something wrong. Against such a disapproving flock of aspiring fairies, he could either shy away or stand unwavering. He wasn’t about to cause a commotion, but he wasn’t here to hide either.

Holding up his hand, he quickly considered what he should do when he thought of the little snow soldier he’d made as a kid. It was far too simplistic, but he could borrow his fire dragon’s design. Ice was far easier to shape anyway.

He didn’t dare use his illusion technique because it would draw far too much attention with its size, so he’d keep it small. He focused on his palm, and a little ice figurine started to form. There was no way they were going to give him much time to complete it, and people were waiting. He instead focused on the eyes like he always did, got them just right, then filled in the rest of its body. After a few seconds, a little curled-up dragon that was looking up boldly from where it lay had formed in his hand.

The girl just blinked at it, and the crowd grew quiet.

“Is this sufficient?” Fairy Huifen said, trying to hurry the girl along.

“Yes-yes,” the girl said, nodding and fiddling with something on the desk. “And Lead Disciple would like to be recorded as his sponsor?”

“I would.”

With one last adjustment, the girl pushed firmly on something with one hand and pulled with her other. A small blue medallion with a dark blue sash seemed to pop out of a container to rest in her hand. Leaning forward, she motioned for Chao to come near. As he did, she held it out to him. The ice figurine had already dissipated into nothing.

“This is your Ice Jade Sect Token that holds your information and the record of the points you’ve earned. Keep it safe. Losing it doesn’t mean you lose your points, but it will cost you to replace it. This is also your identification token to be used throughout the sect and Phoenix City. It is also recognized by many other cities and nations, so check with the administration ministry before you depart if you aren’t sure. And finally, welcome to the Ice Phoenix Sect, Junior Brother Chao.”

“I thank Senior Sister for her assistance,” he replied.

“Come with me,” Huifen said, and she turned around to leave.

He followed quickly, trying to avoid the stunned and pleading faces of the girls waiting in line. He’d basically just been granted what all of them were there hoping for.

When they were clear of the crowd, he braved a question. “Did I do something wrong back there?”

“No,” she said without turning. “Most people don’t call me Senior Sister because it’s considered too intimate. But I’ve given you permission, so you don’t have to worry about offending me.”

“What do most people call you?”

“Sect Master’s Disciple, Lead Disciple, and Lead Sister are common. Fairy Huifen is also appropriate, but most people won’t use my name if they’re trying to be respectful or get something from me.”

“I see…” He really had no idea what kind of status she had when she’d been staying in his home out in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps he should have been intimidated, but he knew the girl behind her Heart of Ice and decided immediately not to be. “Senior Sister, what about my use of ice?”

“They were caught off guard is all. When they saw your cultivation, they assumed you were the son of some noble in which the sect owed a favor. Most of those girls could easily execute an ice technique more powerful than yours, but the control you showed was something few of them could even come close to. It nears the control of a middle level earth realm cultivator. It proved you had merit in being here despite your cultivation. It was the same for me when I came here. Keep a low profile as long as you can, because once your name’s known, there is no going back.”

She led him out of the pavilion, then around it and moved toward the foot of the mountain. There was a tremendous staircase of pearl-white stone heading upward toward what he guessed was the joint campus a thousand meters up. At the foot of the mountain were many buildings, and it looked like its own village.

“This is the building for the administration ministry for the outer sect,” she said as she walked him toward a wide, low-lying building with the blown-up image of a blue phoenix on one side of the entrance and red on the other. “Here, you will get your uniform and have your lodging assigned. I’ll leave after I find out where they place you. My master will be expecting me to make a report, so I can’t delay much longer. I’ll come find you in a week after I cultivate to my peak state. I recommend you do as well. Remember to work hard.”

“I will, Senior Sister,” he said, determined. “I promise.”