1 Chapter 1 - Lone Phoenix Sect

The wind whistled through the mountain at night, but it did not disturb the many who slept, who had lived here for many years. In one bed laid a young man of the age of sixteen by the name Aster Wen. He was awake as he had not been here for many years, but had just been accepted as a disciple of Lone Phoenix Sect and was not used to the howling wind that drifted through the mountain. Without the experience of falling asleep to the wind, he took this time to cultivate and get closer to his path to become a true cultivator.

As the name of the sect implied, they were taught to rely on themselves on not others to improve their cultivation, and only by contributing enough to the sect would they be able to collect a reward. But even then, if it was something such as a pill or artifact, they would have to collect materials of the same value to trade as well. This led to fierce competition within the sect, and only those with the ability to could trade for cultivation resources.

Cultivation techniques in the sect didn't need quite the same competition, but you could only take out a technique for a few days before having to return it to ensure that you would continue contributing to the sect. This allowed for the sect members to have loyalty to the sect and each other as nothing permitted them from not sharing their own knowledge with each other. Though they were taught to rely on themselves, they knew by helping each other they could contribute more to the sect, in turn making it easier to get more resources.

Other sects in the area had a different modus operandi which led to many internal conflicts and left a rift between Lone Phoenix Sect and the others. The other sects viewed Lone Phoenix Sect with envy and would always be at odds with each other if their disciples met. They would try to sow discord within the ranks of the Lone Phoenix Sect disciples, but it would never work due to their loyalty to each other and the sect which only fueled their envy more.

To get into the Lone Phoenix Sect was a blessing and a curse, as you would have to work harder than in other sects for resources, but you had more loyalty than other sects, which then led to them envying you. The way you were chosen was an elder from the sect would venture out to certain towns and cities and gather a crowd. From this crowd, the elder would close his eyes, point, open his eyes and choose the person he was pointing at. No one knew if the elder was doing something while his eyes were closed to choose, or if it was just pure luck that allowed one to be chosen, but most thought it was luck.

This was how Aster Wen was accepted into the sect. Before then, he had wished to be accepted into a sect but he hadn't had any chance to, nor the monetary capital to be able to enter one either. His parents died young and he was raised by his older brother on the streets of the town he lived in. When he was accepted into the sect, his older brother was overjoyed but also sad as he wouldn't be able to see him for quite some time.

Aster Wen now sat in a lotus position on his cot in the room the sect arranged for him. Until he could reach a higher stage of the Foundation Body stage of cultivation, he would not be able to absorb the natural qi of the world into his dantian to circulate. He had not yet even reached the first stage of the Foundation Body and could only meditate to familiarize himself with his dantian and meridians. To breakthrough to the first stage, he would have to take a pill that released natural qi throughout his body to enhance it.

The technique to refine this pill could be bought using contribution points, or could be bought if you brought the materials to make it as well as using contribution points. Aster Wen had already decided to buy the technique to make the pill as he wanted to rise to the peak and he knew he had to use certain pills to be able to do that. If he had to always buy them from someone else, there could be a time when he wouldn't be able to find one. So he decided to start his way in alchemy at the very beginning so in the future he wouldn't fall behind in it. The materials of the pill were all known as everyone needed the pill to even begin their journey into cultivation, and there was even a public sign listing the ingredients of the pill in the contribution hall.

The materials weren't that difficult to find, but the technique could fail quite often if you didn't have experience in it. But Aster wasn't worried about this problem as no matter how many times he failed, he was sure he could make it successfully at one point. To make it he needed the petal of a Spirit-Dripping Flower, the leaf of a cherry blossom tree, and the blood of a Foundation Body first stage monster beast.

The most difficult to obtain was the blood of the monster beast, but as you didn't need much for the pill, one group could split the blood and everyone would get enough to make at least ten attempts of making the pill. Going out to kill a beast would also give you a few contribution points killing two birds with one stone. Aster Wen would go to the contribution hall in the morning to join a group task to take down a beast. If there was one thing that Aster Wen wasn't worried about, it was his physical condition. Living on the streets of his town had made him have a stronger than most disciples who had just joined the sect. It would also be likely for some Foundation Body first stages to join on the task.