Delph Island was about the same size as California, Washington, and Oregon combined. Longer than it was wide, the island followed the tectonic plates in the area flowing from west to east. From North to South, the land was shaped with a curvature that slanted 45 degrees from true North.

The map the Hindel supplied had detailed coastal information, with almost nothing from the interior. Which made sense from their perspective. They lived within the ocean depths, they only needed to know the shape of the island as it related to their world.

The island had been formed over time by a series of volcanoes, part of a Ring of Fire that had formed within the Enceladus Ocean. The tectonic plates were divergent, adding to the island's landmass. Mount Seia, the largest mountain found on the island chain had been shaped and still sat atop a dormant volcano.

Although not extinct, the volcano was not expected to erupt anytime soon. Some rifts allowed lava streams found deep within the mountain to flow sluggishly within reach, meandering rivers of magma that traveled within a network of lava tubes that would be tapped by the new Sect for both fire and earth elemental Qi.

We reached the coast mid-afternoon. Not so late that we couldn't get an unobstructed view of the bio-diversity the flourished in the temperate weather the island enjoyed. Mount Seia was located slightly south of the equator, but not by much. Because the island stretched more east to west than it did north to south, the entire landmass was contained within the planet's tropical zone.

There would be no winter season to contend with, and the growing season could be extended year long. Temperatures fluctuated by small degrees, and although we would never need to worry about blizzards, we would have to deal with hurricanes and tropical storms. Something I would have to consider when building and protecting the city and territory Patriarch Umbra had set aside for me to claim.

That territory and city would languish without my input until I broke through to the Qi Gathering Realm. I was constrained by Empire Law from the position of Baron until after I had proven I could survive this first Heavenly tribulation. Patriarch Umbra and Elder Shadow had included me in plans in the belief that I would breakthrough, and soon.

That would be my first goal once I arrived at Four Elements Sect.

Advancing from the Body Refinement Realm to Qi Gathering was frightening, so few cultivators survived. At least as a segment of the population. Barely one in a thousand cultivators would take the risk, and of those perhaps ten percent would succeed. It was why there were so many cultivators stalled at the Body Refinement Realm. They would never take the risk and advance.

The tribulation itself created a phenomenon, a localized weather event. Actual storm clouds formed, and I would need to channel and survive a series of lightning barrages as part of that tribulation. For this first tribulation, the effect was rather tame, and I only needed to survive one real lightning strike, aside from the barrages that would come after that survival to temper my Dharmic body.

No one had ever been able to prove why the event occurred. Two theories had grown over time. One that the process was a supernatural test, the result of forces that originated from the Heavenly plane. The other that it was a natural process that responded to the increase of electrical stimuli that cultivators released as they attempted to advance. The electrical signals the body uses, the neural stimuli to allow for thought and action.

A tribulation could be attempted at any point a cultivator had reached the perfected tier for any Realm. I could have made the attempt weeks ago, the same time I broke through to the perfected tier. I hadn't, partly because the tournament was fast approaching, partly because I didn't think I would have the time to familiarize myself with the additional power I would gain with a Realm increase.

Mostly because if I had, I would have been barred from the competition. The tournament had been restricted to Body Realm cultivators. Those that had reached a higher Realm could only test for secondary proficiency.

Even if Dragon Spire and the Emperor had opened the competition to higher Realms, I still wouldn't have taken the chance. I was realistic enough to know that there wouldn't be enough time for me to gain complete control of my Dharmic body in time there was left.

For the next hour or so after we had crossed the border into Delph Island proper, I spent my time watching the abundance of life, plant, avian, and insect pass us by. Palm trees were extensive, creating closed canopies that made it impossible to see much of the robust life that grew beneath the tree's branches. But when openings did exist, insects seemed to be prolific.

Giant insects that were the size of elk. And even at that size, they were able to fly. There had to be more that I couldn't see. Smaller sized relatives that adapted to the profusion of flower and plant. These large versions of bugs would never be able to pollinate anything but the largest flower bud.

The sea of green was occasionally broken with bodies of water or in one case a chasm that appeared to be a series of old lava tubes that had collapsed. The chasm wasn't deep or wide, but the volcanic rock had yet to be broken down and claimed by the diversity of life that was everywhere. There were small patches of lichen and moss, plants that worked to break down the igneous rock that had been left as molten lava cooled.

The first sighting of Four Element Sect was a welcome surprise. I had been expecting something like a Japanese Pagoda. The Empire of Cai'Li had developed a culture and people that heavily leaned on themes that reflected Asian sensibilities and ethnology.

Instead, Four Element Sect had borrowed heavily from Indian and Hindu themes and architecture. The only visible building sported a white marble dome, gold finial, with marble decorated with lotus. Fluorite had been used judiciously, prisms of polychrome crystal that had been used for windows and doors. The building could only be described as a palace.

The location of the building had been nestled perfectly, taking advantage of the mountain and a lake that had formed in the crater left behind by the dormant volcano. The mountain served as a backdrop; with the palace built on the edge of the lake. The clear blue waters reflecting the majestic architecture, a perfect mirror that evoked an ethereal, surreal emotion.

The view was perfect, a serene exposition that fit Four Elements Sect perfectly.

More importantly, the four elements of earth, fire, water, and air were balanced, somehow converging and heavy with accumulated Qi that would allow the Sect to prosper and quickly earn the High-Tier ranking the Sect had been gifted.

Unlike Flowing Water where the different Halls was divided into different buildings, spread over property claimed by the Sect, Four Elements had built one massive structure that could contain all departments. I hadn't had a chance to explore yet, but I suspected that most of the Halls had already claimed space within the mountain, tunnels, and caves carved out by earth aspect cultivators.

At this elevation, it would make the most sense.

It was also a defensive strategy that would minimize the area that could be accessed or attacked by flying monsters or beast tides. The palace would act as bait to draw the attention of attacking animals, while the real infrastructure was protected within the depths of the dormant volcano.

There was an island centered in the crater lake. I doubt it had formed without assistance; the dimensions were too exact, as we approached, the ninety-degree angles of a perfect square made it impossible for it to have formed naturally. It had probably been created by those same earth cultivators that cleared out tunnels and caves.

This island had been designated as the landing site for the large influx of arriving members. The jade tokens that we had been issued were programmed with Four Element communication protocols. Mine had been silent until now, but as we landed mine, and those around me activated with a flood of incoming messages before we could even disembark.

Staff had arrived weeks and months ago, but the real work could only be done now that we had arrived. Sect operations that required Dharmic spells or Qi action could only be performed by Inner and Outer Sect members once we arrived. It was true of all Sects, Inner and Outer members earned contribution points by performing those duties that kept Sects operating smoothly.

There weren't enough people to give individual attention to such a large influx of people, so the token's replaced that personal touch with missives instructing each of us where to go and who to report to.

A map was made available now that the tokens were connected to the Sect's communication array, and I was happy to find my guess about building into the mountain proved correct. This first day was given over for exploration and settling in. I had been assigned quarters in the Palace proper.

I wasn't sure, but the palace map seemed to suggest that my room would come with a view of the lake as well as a balcony that opened over the lake itself. The balcony had been constructed for cultivation, the flow of water and air elements that I could access from this spot would be easy to access, which was probably the reason not all Inner Sect members had been quartered in this area.

It made more sense for those cultivators that resonated with earth and fire to find accommodations within the volcano itself.