On the other side of the gate, I stared at a very large estate. Like Huan Ping's home, the design was opened with a large courtyard with a pavilion in the middle. The courtyard was segregated by four roofed walks ways. One section of the pond had a circular stone platform with a plush cushion for meditation. Another section had a fountain made of stones and bamboo shoots. It was very artistic, and the sound of the running water was a calming melody in the background. The third section was a little garden with many herbs and flowers. Scents carried on the air from the little garden were heavenly. The fourth and last section of the courtyard looked almost like a cooking station. Except there was a bronze cauldron and other devices I didn't recognize.

It took me a while before I realized I was lost. I looked around me and saw nothing that was remotely familiar. Had the gate malfunctioned? If I had been teleported to the other side of the continent, I was going to be furious. In the next instance, I saw a familiar figure approaching me from the manor.

"Welcome back, Master Ivory." Liu Feng said, smiling shyly.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you. Is this your house? I'm sorry if I've intruded."

She giggled adorably. "No, Master, this is your house. This is where you'll be living. I'm to be your attendant." She curtsied again. "Allow me to show you to your first lecture."

I nodded my head. "Thank you."

My house was on Xiu peak. My sect residence was isolated, giving me privacy. The main compound was not that far away from my home.

"Your first lecture is on cultivation. It's an outer sect lecture. Normally you wouldn't need to attend it since you're an inner sect member, but Huan Ping suggested it since you admitted to not having any formal training in cultivation."

I nodded my head. "That's very thoughtful. I'll have to thank him when I see him next." She showed me inside a lecture hall that reminded me a lot of my college days. I found a spot to sit and waited. The hall quickly filled with outer sect members.

Young men and women in their early twenties and some around their teens. I was a good crowd. The sect must do well.

A gorgeous woman in her mid-thirties stood in front of the podium. "Be sure you have your pen and paper ready for notes." Her voice carried well. I had no problem hearing her. Liu Feng handed me a small stack of papers and a brush pen and some ink. I thanked her and settled in to hear the lecture.

"QI is the vital energy that permeates our world. It is limitless. There are two types of Qi where humans are concerned. Inner Qi and Outer QI. Body cultivators use their inner QI to cleanse their meridians and infuse their muscles and nerves with it. By doing this, they achieve longevity and inhuman strength. Spiritual cultivators gather QI from their environment and use it to strengthen their bodies and spirits, achieving true immortality."

I raised my hand. A brief flash of surprise crossed her face before she schooled her expression. "You have a question?"

"Forgive my ignorance, but where I am from spirit is another name for the soul. Isn't the soul already immortal?"

I heard some snide chuckling from some of the other students. They shut up when the lecturer turned her ice-cold gaze on them. "An intelligent question for a change." She turned her gaze to me. "You're obviously new here. All questions are to wait till after the lecture. But I will answer since that is an excellent question. The soul is indeed immortal. When we die, our souls are wiped of their memories and then sent to be reincarnated. By cultivating Qi, we strengthen our souls against this natural process, separating ourselves from the natural order. In theory, any of a high enough cultivation can form a new body after their old one has perished, either in the mortal or immortal realm. This is just a theory since none has ever dared to attempt it."

I bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your patience. I won't interrupt again."

She nodded her head, her stern expression lightened by the little smile on her face. "To continue. The human body has 12 meridians and 3 dantians. 9 meridians are used in Body cultivation, while the last 3 are used as Qi storage for spiritual cultivation. "

The lecture continued for the next hour, getting into the history of cultivation in this world. It wasn't boring. It was very interesting, and I made several notes that I would read over later. When the lecture was over and I was walking away from the hall with Liu Feng, I felt lethargic. It was an odd sensation. But good.

"All members of the sect have to pay a monthly rent of 200 contribution points. You get contribution points by performing assignments. Some can be simple, others will be dangerous. I'll show you where the Assignment hall is."

"When is the rent due?" I asked her.

"The master has waved the first month's fee. But I would suggest taking a couple of assignments. Food and other necessities will cost contribution points."

I nodded my head and paid better attention to his surrounding so he wouldn't have to rely on her every time he wanted to move about the sect. The assignment hall was little more than a shack with a service booth. "I think Assignment shack would be more accurate." Liu Feng covered her mouth, trying to hold in her laughter, and swatted my arm. "Don't let elder Chan hear you say that."

I chuckled. "Okay. I won't say anything like that again."

There was a short line to the service booth. I suppose I was lucky the line was short. If this was the only place to find work to make ends meet, then I bet the line could get ridiculous. When I arrived, an annoyed-looking attendant held out a hand. "Sect Seal." I looked at Liu Feng, not knowing what to do. She tapped the Seal the artisan gave me. "Hand it to him. I'll explain later." She whispered to me. I handed over the Seal.

The attendant placed the Seal into an indent at the foot of a mirror. His eyes flicked as if he was reading something. His expression turned from annoyed to confused. He took the seal and walked off into the shack. A moment later, a thin man who I would've pegged as an accountant back home placed the seal in the same indent and read whatever appeared on the mirror. He snorted with derision.

"So you're the sect leader's pet. Come to make yourself useful? I have just the job for you, then." He slammed down a piece of paper. Hostile much? I picked up the paper and read.

Assignment

Hunt down a Huli Jing terrorizing the Yun family.

Location: Hanshu village

Reward: 1,000 contribution points, 500 Spirit stones.

I shrugged and handed the paper back to him. "Done."

The elder smirked maliciously at me and stamped the paper, handing me back the Seal. "Bring the Seal back when you've completed the mission."

As soon as we were out of sight, Liu Feng pulled me aside. "Are you crazy? Do you even know what a Huli Jing is?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

She covered her eyes, letting out a whine. "A Huli Jing is a fox demon. They're powerful and irresistible to men. Why would you agree to do the mission?"

"He challenged me. The whole point of him handing me a mission like that is because he thinks I'm unworthy of being here. You and he think I'll die on the mission. I'm going to prove you both wrong." I told her and continued along the path to my home.

Liu Feng cut in front of me and kowtowed. "Please don't be angry. I didn't mean it like that. I have faith that you will prevail. Forgive my impudence."

"Stand up already," I told her.

She did but kept her head bowed.

I sighed. "I'm not angry at you, but clearly I'll have to prove to everyone that I belong." Just like college. He remembered why he hated college and he now wondered if he made the right decision coming here. I patted her head. "Stop looking so worried. We're good."

The shy little smile graced her lips, and I wrapped an arm about her shoulders, walking back towards the house with her. "I'll need your help. Can I count on your support?"

"Always." Liu Feng said as her body leaned into mine.