Mortal Nation
Yaan could see that a few miles in the distance, there was a large palace, elevated above the rest of the city. It was difficult to tell from the city outskirts, but he guessed that the palace was located within the centre of the city. From this, Yaan was able to deduce that the city measured around ten miles from end to end. Looking around, he saw that the people lived here in a densely packed manner. This meant that there were likely millions of people living in this city!
As he walked through the streets and delved deeper into the city, Yaan quickly blended into the crowd. He still attracted some strange stares, even though the people here hadn't witnessed the scene outside of the gateway. After looking down at himself, Yaan smiled wryly, realising that those were the stares of people looking down on him…
Yaan didn't really care about the opinions of ignorant mortals, but he really did need to find himself a new robe, since his current robe was just a tattered rag at this point. It was a bit unfortunate that he was forced to part with his sect robes, but they were no longer fit to wear.
He spent some time looking around through the various shops and houses along this street, but he didn't find anything that caught his eye. During this casual exploration, he ended up walking a couple of miles deeper into the city. By this point, he noticed a change in the surrounding scenery.
The people here looked cleaner and more refined, whilst the roads were well maintained and clear of any litter. The building architecture was also more impressive; some marble buildings and small temples could now be seen.
Just as Yaan was gazing at a temple with intrigue, his eyes brightened, focussing in as someone exited the premises
A cultivator!
This person had an elegant air about him. He appeared to be a middle aged man, he was clean shaven and wore a delicate blue silk robe as an entourage of mortals followed behind him. His expression was filled with pride and arrogance, he seemed to be enjoying the incessant praises thrown at him by the mortals around him.
One of the mortals noticed that a small beggar child was looking their way. He had a thought, then decided to give this scruffy looking child some trouble.
The man said something to the cultivator, then strode pompously towards Yaan and stared down at him.
"Boy, what's beggar like you doing in the noble quarters?! Don't you know that this is where the nobles and cultivators live? You don't have the qualifications to enter!"
The man raised his hand and brought it down to slap Yaan. Yaan narrowed his eyes. If he really had been an ordinary mortal beggar, this man's slap would have certainly caused him some serious pain.
BANG!
The entourage and the single cultivator were watching in amusement, but their jaws dropped at the unexpected outcome of this confrontation. Yaan only stretched out his hand and pushed the man's chest lightly, but the man actually flew backwards and slammed into the temple walls with a loud bang!
The temple shook slightly from the impact, whilst the man in question was severely injured. Over ten bones were broken and his organs were damaged, he would take at least a few months to recover from this harsh lesson.
The noisy ruckus caught the attention of some robed individuals within the temple. They all rushed out and stared at Yaan, causing their expressions to change dramatically.
Yaan was currently releasing his aura, an act that left these people feeling a terror deeper than any they had experience throughout their lives. In fact, rather than a child, they felt like they were facing a savage beast, a beast with the ability to tear them apart, limb from limb!
The fact that Yaan's appearance was so young only further terrified the more knowledgeable individuals.
The three people who rushed out from the temple were all cultivators, but the person with the highest cultivation was only at the Late Qi Gathering Realm. This person, an old man who was respected greatly in the temple, stepped forwards and bowed deeply. His lips trembled slightly as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Esteemed daoist, I apologise if the people from my temple have offended you! I beg your forgiveness!"
By now, Yaan had attracted quite the commotion. All of these people were familiar with the immortal temple and the residents within, which was why the scene before their eyes left them feeling dumbstruck. Upon witnessing the temple lord bowing to Yaan so subserviently, they all sucked in a breath of shock.
The temple lord was usually so overbearing, yet now, he was showing such respect towards a scruffy looking child!
Yaan retracted his aura and wore and indifferent expression once again. This city interested him, so he didn't want to cause too much of a fuss just yet. Besides, he believed that he could use this situation to his advantage.
"It's fine, but I have a request."
"Yes, anything my lord!" The temple lord looked up in relief. He was worried that this terrifying monster might request something extreme that he could not fulfil, but Yaan's next words allowed him to finally relax properly.
"I need a new robe, and I would like to learn more about this city."
"Yes, of course my lord!"
The old man led Yaan into the temple whilst the crowd watched with mixed expressions. Everyone aside from Yaan and the temple lord stayed outside, leaving the two to discuss their matters in private.
The prideful cultivator, as well as his entourage, all looked extremely shocked.
The middle aged man acted like a big-shot in front of the mortal nobles, but truthfully, he was only at the Early Qi Gathering Realm. This was the first time that he had met someone at Yaan's level. This encounter left a deep impression on him.
The inside of the temple somewhat reminded Yaan of the Heavenly Path Sect's temples. The interior was simple, with a small table positioned in the centre of a wooden hall. Yaan sat down on a soft cushion at the table and waited as the old man poured him a cup of tea.
After telling the temple lord that he would like a red silk robe, the old man sent away two servants to find something that suited Yaan as quickly as possible. After this, the temple lord looked down at the table hesitantly.
"It's fine, just sit." Yaan glanced up and gave a faint nod. The old man nodded hurriedly in response, then took the seat opposite Yaan.
"Could you tell me a bit about this city? I'm not from around here, it's my first time seeing mortals and cultivators living amongst one another like this." Yaan explained. He saw no reason to lie, and explaining his situation would allow him to learn more.
The old man's eyes lit up. When he heard Yaan say this, he immediately thought that Yaan must be from a sect or clan! Only those cultivators who had spent most of their lives within a sect would say something like this!
Even though the child before him seemed to be ignorant regarding the outside world, the old man didn't look down on Yaan at all. He understood well that anyone able to retain a youthful appearance at Yaan's level of power must be a peerless genius beyond anything that he could compare with.
Anyway, the old man had never seen the inside of a true cultivation sect personally, so he really considered himself to be the one lacking horizons.
"Lord, this is a mortal country, the Country of Danso. Although it might seem like a mere city to someone as esteemed as yourself, it is common for mortal countries to be like this."
Yaan nodded slowly as the old man explained. So this was a mortal country, interesting.
"What is the power structure like in this country? Who rules these lands?"
"As you have already seen, the outer parts of the country are inhabited by common mortals, the inside by noble mortals and cultivators. There are many schools and sects in this area…of course, they are nothing compared to true cultivation sects."
The old man stared at Yaan for a moment, before shaking his head lightly with a sigh and continuing with his explanation.
"The current ruling power is King Danso, he is an Innate Qi Realm cultivator. The king is the only Innate Qi Realm cultivator in the country."
"I see." Yaan pondered briefly, before asking: "Does he live in that central palace?"
"Indeed, that is where the King resides. He rarely leaves the palace."
"Do you know why he chooses to live here? The Spiritual Energy concentration in this country is only average, I don't see what's so special about this place." Yaan frowned. Compared to the Northern mountain range, the conditions here were simply too pitiful. This environment simply wasn't suited for cultivation. In this place, a cultivator's efforts would be highly limited whenever they refined the atmospheric Spiritual Energy into Innate Qi.
'I'm now certain, this lord is definitely from a sect!' The old man thought. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and the respect in his gaze grew deeper.
"My lord, the conditions here are average, but an Innate Qi Realm cultivator is able to rule over millions of people by establishing a mortal country. For many cultivators, that is all they wish for."
"I see…" Yaan understood now.
Basically, the cultivators in this country were not devoted to cultivation. They cultivated for status and authority, not for personal enlightenment.
A place like this wasn't so bad. Living a comfortable life without danger, without suffering. A life where you stood at the top of the people around you. A peaceful life filled with tranquility and serenity. Until you died from old age…
Yaan considered it, but immediately shook his head. Was that really what he wanted from life? He had asked himself this question many times since leaving the sect.
What was it that he wanted? What was his goal, what did he strive for?
And why was it that he felt the desire to live, even though his life had always been nothing but suffering…?
After leaving the Heavenly Path Sect, Yaan had been filled with a sense of emptiness and pain. When he lived in the sect, he had single mindedly devoted himself to cultivation, solely because he wanted to become strong enough to avenge his family.
But suddenly, his revenge became impossible. Elder Sun had died unexpectedly, and now, Yaan found himself alone, with no direction in life. He had no responsibilities or expectations to live up to, because there were no others in his life.
Whilst he had nothing tying him down and nothing to live up to, this also meant that Yaan now had nothing tangible to live for.
During those months of solitude, Yaan remembered something. He began to recall the feeling of excitement that encompassed his heart after he successfully learned and cast the Water-drop Slash Spell for the first time. He remembered the sense of serenity he felt when practicing his sword arts alone. He remembered his joy every time his cultivation broke through to a new level.
It seemed that…he enjoyed cultivation?
No, perhaps he just enjoyed engrossing himself in activities wherein he didn't need to think, and where his worries seemed to fly away.
But anyway, Yaan knew that he wanted to cultivate further. He wanted to experience more of the world, he wanted to deepen his understanding of cultivation. This feeling grew even stronger when he thought back to those shocking Origin Soul Realm clan lords from the tournament.
Back then, he felt like a helpless ant before those powerhouses.
Yaan felt intrigued by the Origin Soul Realm cultivators' dao comprehension. Their outlook on life and their understanding of the world was something that he could not even begin to imagine.
After all the suffering he had endured, all the pain, the sorrow, the anger and conflict…Yaan wanted to know why. What was it all for? What was the purpose of this life? Why did people have to suffer,? Was there a reason for it all, or was the world just innately cruel?
These questions were all too vague, yet he still felt a strange burning desire to uncover the answers.
After being faced with these cultivators who only cared for status and authority, Yaan knew that this path was not for him.
He questioned the old temple lord some more. After finding out that the resources in this mortal country were extremely lacking compared to what he was used to, Yaan decided that he wouldn't stay here for long. After receiving his new robe and a map of the surrounding area, he slept in the temple for the night, then departed the following day without saying a word to anyone.
Yaan saw no need to visit this 'King Danso'. He already had a map which explained everything of importance within a 200 mile radius, finally providing him with a clear destination. The place he was heading to was infinitely more grand than this little mortal country.
North Ghu City.
North Ghu City was completely different than the many mortal countries, villages and towns that littered the province sparsely. This city was a true cultivation city, a gathering point for cultivators from all walks of life.
Most cultivators generally belonged to a sect, school or clan, but there were also lone wandering cultivators. Whatever one's background, it almost became irrelevant once they entered North Ghu City.
Yaan hoped that in this city, he would be able to start his life anew.