Fields gave way to mountains and hills, hiding valleys glimmering with moonlit lakes and small, snaking rivers. Off in the distance, an expansive forest spread from the base of the tallest mountains Yu Feng had ever seen, their peaks hidden in the clouds. He watched all this go past in fascination, taking in the first view of the world outside Outer Reed Village.

  "Hrm-hrmm," someone cleared their throat inside the carriage, drawing Yu Feng's attention back to its inhabitants. Li Qian was sitting in the seat farthest from him, while the other Senior Brothers and Sisters were staring at him like he was a very interesting specimen.

  As he tried to figure out what to say, Li Qian began, "Now that we are safe and can talk freely, it is important you understand as much as you can about your situation. Tell me, what do you know about the Thundering Crane Sect?"

  Yu Feng thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not much," he admitted. "The maximum I know is that they govern the region, and that we pay tribute to them in exchange for protection."

  Nodding his head, Li Qian said, "I expected as much. That makes my task much easier, but much harder for you. But first, introductions are in order. These two here, are Wang Ya and Yu Lei." He gestured at the two women. "And the silent ones are Zhao Bao and Zhao Shun. They are brothers."

  The now named individuals all nodded at him as they were introduced. It was disconcerting how unbothered they all seemed, when he had heard stories from the villagers of how high and mighty Immo-cultivators were. As if sensing his thoughts, Li Qian offered an explanation.

  "Mortals are just that, Yu Feng. Mortal. They are innumerable, always there, and thus expendable. It is nothing but a fact of the world that we live in. Us cultivators on the other hand are one in a million, rarer than finding a needle in a haystack. That is why most of the cultivation world looks down upon those that fill the masses."

  A bitter taste filled Yu Feng's mouth as he listened to Li Qian's words. He was not so young to be unable to understand the disparities that existed in life, but to be so blatantly shown its workings did not feel right to him. He still remembered the day when his father had been slapped by one of the bigger merchants in Inner Reed City, and had said nothing. This was similar, but different, as there was no way the mortals could ever voice their dissent.

  Li Qian sighed. "It is deplorable, yes. The mortals are the backbone of our world, yet cultivators look down upon them. But that is where the Thundering Crane Sect differs from the majority of our brethren. We are primarily a military sect, and that has led us to being one of the strongest powers on this Tianlan Continent. In exchange for resources from other places, we provide them with security from external threats, which means we also protect the mortal population of the place. We realize that our existence depends on each other, and we try to protect this relationship as far as possible."

  Yu Feng was quiet for a moment. "Does that mean you were the ones in charge of the protection of Outer Reed Village?" he asked the group at large, accusation evident in his voice.

  Li Qian was still, but Wang Ya and Yu Lei flinched slightly, struck by his words. The brothers were silent as before, but Yu Feng could see a trace of sorrow enter their eyes. When no one offered an apology, he continued in anger, "Because you were late, almost the entire village lost their lives. The Village Head was cut down right in front of us. Now what will happen to his family, huh? What will his son do, if he even survived?"

  Wang Ya's face twisted with sadness, but she replied in an equally sharp tone. "Well, it wasn't our fault we were late, all right? It was that stupid Tian Tan who had messed up the ledgers, which caused Senior Brother Li to crack down on us." She was gripping her dress tightly, crumpling the blue fabric of the skirt. "And don't forget, you are not a disciple of the Sect yet. You are essentially still a mortal, and will address us with the respect we deserve."

  "Wang Ya."

  Her mouth shut immediately, as if clamped down by a pair of tongs. Breathing suddenly became difficult as the air inside the carriage seemed to grow solid. It felt as if Yu Feng's entire body was weighed down by a mountain. Turning his head with difficulty, Yu Feng saw the first real sign of emotion on Li Qian's face since he had met him. His lips were drawn thin as he fixed Wang Ya with a smoldering stare, and the stillness in his eyes was now a churning ocean.

  "It is the second time today that you've committed an offence. Your first was when you called Yu Feng a 'puny' mortal. You've been part of the Sect for a year now, yet you forget our mission. Mortals are human, like we are, and we depend on them for tasks we would otherwise not do. And still you seem to harbor this feeling of superiority. I may have excused if it was just that, but it has been a day of repeated transgressions by all of you."

  Wang Ya's face was stricken with terror as she stared into the ground, not daring to meet Li Qian's eyes. The other three disciples seemed to be struggling against the heaviness too, their clothes damp with exertion.

  "Your second mistake was throwing your Sect Brother to the wolves instead of apologizing for your actions. You share equal responsibility in what happens around your posting, no matter who's mistake it was. That is our ethos as part of the Thundering Crane Sect. You may come from a country that treats their mortals like less than animals, but that will not be tolerated as long as you are under my command. Rest assured, word of this will be reaching Elder Lin."

  As suddenly as it had appeared, the pressure in the air vanished. Yu Feng took in a huge breath of air, his body still trembling as he looked at Li Qian with fear. This. This was the power that cultivators were renowned and feared for, what put them above mortals. While Li Qian did preach about their symbiotic relationship, Yu Feng had no false ideas about how easily he could be discarded and killed. He was just a single mortal among many, after all.

  Wang Ya and the others too sank back into the upholstery shakily. Looks like the experience had affected them a lot more than him. Li Qian was sighing heavily, rubbing his forehead between his fingers.

  Turning to Yu Feng, he said in a assuring voice, "I have already apologized to you, but I do so again for our tardiness that cost many their lives. Rest assured, these four and Tian Tan will be receiving their appropriate punishment when we return to the sect."

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  Yu Feng managed to nod somehow, missing the glare Wang Ya shot at him with lowered eyes.

  "Continuing off from where we diverged," Li Qian started explaining, "As I said, we are one of, if not the strongest Sect on this continent. We house countless cultivators, acting both as an academy and as our base of operations. As a new recruit, you will not be expected to do anything but cultivate for a while, until you are deemed strong enough to actually do something of value. Everything else about how the sect works will be explained after you join, as it is too much to get into now."

  Yu Feng digested the information given to him slowly. He largely understood what was said, but he still had a doubt.

  "But what exactly is cultivation?"

  "'What exactly is cultivation, Senior Brother'," Li Qian corrected. "You must address your superiors in the sect with proper respect. These four do not count, as they are still the lowest level of disciple and military rank, so you are equal to them until you prove yourself better. As for cultivation..." he trailed off, deep in thought.

  "I explained to you what Qi is, correct?" he started. Yu Feng nodded in agreement eagerly. "The process of taking in this Qi is called cultivation, and those who can do this are called cultivators. There are different stages that a cultivator has to progress through as they take in and refine Qi, each being stronger than the last. The first is Qi Condensation, and that is what the majority of the cultivators in the world are at. Following that is Foundation Establishment, and after that comes... Well, you need not worry about the third stage for now."

  "Each stage offers different benefits, mainly an increase in lifespan. That is the perhaps the reason we are called 'Immortals' in the mortal world. Some old monsters have been known to live for more than a millennia."

  Yu Feng's eyes grew wide at that number.

  "I do not want to give away too much right now, as you would be better off learning from the instructors at the sect," Li Qian continued. "But," he said, and his gaze grew serious now, "the sect is competitive. So much so that it is impossible for those who do not put in the effort to survive. And so I want you to give it your all, understand?"

  "I understand," Yu Feng said, gulping loudly. All this sounded too crazy to be true. Cultivators, Sects, military, all this was something he had never encountered before, and trying to wrap his head around it all was giving him a headache.

  Sensing his turmoil, Li Qian said in a soft voice, "Get some rest for now. It will be a few hours before we arrive at the Sect, and you will need your energy for all that will come next." Saying his piece, he walked over to one of the rooms on the other end of the carriage, and closed the door behind him. The other disciples too followed him into their own spaces, Wang Ya eerily silent.

  Left alone in the main carriage, Yu Feng turned his gaze outside the window once again, watching as the distant landscape changed shaped as they swept along to wherever they were going.

  In the market square of Outer Reed Village, three figures stood talking with another well-dressed person. The well dressed man seemed to be conveying something, speaking in a loud tone while the three figures bowed slightly towards him. Reaching into his pocket, the man drew out a piece of paper.

  The woman in the group reached for it with trembling hands, opening it. After a minute, she started sobbing loudly, shoving the paper into the chest of the father, while she knelt down to hug the girl. The daughter was confused about everything. "Oh Feng! Why did you have to leave? Why did you have to go to this cutthroat world, where you may not survive? What did we never not give you, to make you happy?"

  The man perused the letter, and too emerged with moist eyes, crushing the letter in his palm. Wordlessly, he too knelt down to hug what was left of his family. The girl asked him in a soft voice, "Pa, where is big brother? Why did he not come to greet us?"

  The woman started crying even harder, and the man murmured into his daughter's ears, "He is gone Chen-er. He is never coming back again." This made the girl start bawling too, and now the entire family was huddled in the market, crying in grief.

  The well-dressed man looked at all this happen with nary an expression on his face. Suddenly, as if drawn by some unknown presence, he sharply turned his head towards the rooftops of the houses that enclosed the market.

  There, on top of one of the houses, stood a figure. They were silhouetted by the shining moon behind them, but their black robes were unmistakable to the observer, as they billowed in wind that was not present. Growing weary, the man in the square drew a sword out of the scabbard that was fixed to his blue skirt, its edge glinting with sharpness in the moonlight.

  Before he could even speak a word though, within a blink, as if he had teleported, the person in black robes was behind him. Their face was still hidden in shadow, but they now had a blade pressed against the other cultivator's neck. And with a languid stroke, the well-dressed man's head was separated from his body.

  The family on the ground quivered in fear at this display. The person in black robes walked over unhurriedly, as they seemed unable to move. he moved closer and closer, before the father jolted, as if struck by lightning. He rushed at the attacker with a cry, raising his hand in a punch. But before his fist could reach the man's face, it fell to the ground. He too dropped to his knees, clutching his bloody stump, not noticing when his head was cut off.

  The mother screamed. Pushing the child away from the figure, she cried, "Chen-er. Run as far as you can. Find help, keep yourself safe. I'll hold him off."

  The girl ran, stumbling on the stones in the ground, while her mother too was beheaded behind her. She ran, and ran, and ran, but the market entrance still seemed too far away, while the figure grew closer to her with each step.

  Finally, the person reached her, and swung their sword from behind, holding her head up by its hair while her body collapsed. They clutched it in one hand, and turned around so that the light of the moon finally hit his face.

  There, Yu Feng saw the face of the cultivator he had killed, staring with lifeless eyes, blood absent from the dead expression.

  He woke up with a start, heart hammering wildly, drool caked in his mouth where it was smushed against the glass of the window.

  The dead faces of his family swam through his mind, always replaced randomly with the face of the dead cultivator. It stared into his soul, as did his family's, blaming him for their deaths. His heart pounded in his ribcage, and the air was growing hotter and hotter. He clutched at his chest, as the air he was breathing grew thin, his vision swimming.

  He fell to his knees, his body trembling as the images refused to leave his mind. The world was just his thoughts, with nothing else intruding. He could feel the dead cultivator behind him, swinging his blade, and he knew he was going to die. And so he closed his eyes, accepting his end.

  Instead, he felt a warm hand fall on his shoulder. "Calm down Yu Feng. Take a deep breath. Just like that. Keep breathing and focus on my hand."

  Yu Feng followed the instructions, feeling his heart slow, the breaths coming easier with each inhale. Turning his head, he saw Li Qian standing above him with a look of understanding on his face, mixed in with pity. "That man was your first kill, wasn't he?"

  Yu Feng dipped his head, ashamed at his weakness. All of the days events were finally catching up with him now. He had killed a man, and left for a new life without even saying goodbye to his family. What if something like his dream actually happened? Who would protect them? What if someone as strong as Li Qian attacked, because he had killed that disciple?

  His breathing started to grow erratic again, when he was brought back to reality with a sharp pain on his shoulder. He could feel Li Qian digging with his palm, the pain focusing his thoughts onto his body. He was damp with sweat, and his lips were completely dry.

  "You will get used to it," Li Qian said in a soft voice. "You will have to, or you will not survive past your first year in the sect. It is hard, yes, but you must do it."

  Yu Feng stayed silent. Sighing slightly, Li Qian said, "Freshen yourself up. We will be there within the hour, and you want to be presentable." With that, he left Yu Feng in the main room, his head swirling with worry, and the faces of his dead family.