Chapter 7 : Hope City

On the dirt road leading to Hope City, the two young men walked side by side at a steady pace.

"Do you understand, Chikara?" Akeno asked.

With a serious look, Chikara tried to show his seriousness and recited the main points of what he absolutely needed to know: "I am an orphan. My parents died three years ago during an attack by beastmen. I wandered from village to village until our encounter to come here.

Now, you offered me to follow you in exchange for a home, and I accepted."

"That's right. The more complex a lie, the more easily it can be uncovered. This story is perfect because there's no connection between our respective lives before our supposed meeting yesterday," Akeno replied.

Nodding to show he understood, Chikara practiced perfecting his technique for concealing his Chakra.

After Akeno explained what he absolutely needed to know and hide from others, Chikara understood that if a powerful master wanted to check his condition and discovered an entirely new energy enhancing the body and allowing everything Chakra could do, he would be captured and then killed to unveil all the secrets of his body.

Since his arrival in this world, all the Qi masters represented a potential threat, as long as he didn't possess enough strength to defend himself.

While Akeno and Chikara refined their cover story about Chikara's alleged life, Hope City began to slowly appear on the horizon.

Stone walls surrounded the city, and two guards stood watch at the open wooden gates. The city was nestled in a valley, surrounded by dense forest.

Unlike larger cities, as they approached Hope City, silence reigned and the roads leading to the gates seemed deserted, with only a few wandering merchants venturing there.

Presenting their recommendation documents from the sect to join the branch, Akeno and Chikara, with growing anticipation, entered Hope City for the first time.

While Chikara was amazed by the new architecture of the houses and buildings, Akeno paid more attention to his surroundings. The surplus of guards on the walls, the few civilians in the streets, the appearance of some poorly kept children running in the streets, and finally the tension in the air, the atmosphere of war present in the city.

Contrary to this oppressive climate, the city was rather clean, with no waste, no particular odor, and no destroyed buildings.

Passing through the main roads after asking for directions from a guard, Akeno and Chikara made their way to the sect's branch.

Unlike in Glory City where the sect claimed an entire mountain and its surrounding land, the branch here consisted of only a large building with inner courtyards.

The building sported an oriental style, and on either side of the door, the sect's name was painted on flags hung on the wall. No guards awaited outside. Once again, the lack of manpower, resources, and interest in the city prevented the branch from seeking significant help from the sect.

Pushing the wooden doors, they entered the entrance hall, revealing a reception desk where an old man was seated in meditation on a wooden chair. With a long white beard, bushy white eyebrows, a bald head, and a white robe with the sect's name written on it, the old man seemed to be sleeping rather than meditating.

Akeno took the lead and approached the desk, observing the old man's state closely. However, just as the calm rhythm of the old man's breathing indicated he was asleep, his eyes suddenly opened as Akeno stood right in front of him.

"FU**!" Akeno exclaimed as he took a few steps back.

"Oh, oh, oh! What do we have here? What brings you to the branch of the Thousand Lotus Sect?" the old man asked, amused.

After being taken by surprise, while Chikara chuckled quietly, Akeno regained his composure and looked at the old man more seriously. A simple old man wouldn't normally have been able to startle him and hide his pseudo-sleep like that.

"Um, sorry for the sudden intrusion. My name is Akeno, and I come from Glory City to join the branch. Everything is stated in these documents," Akeno replied, handing over the documents he had prepared earlier to the old man.

Carefully reading through the documents, the old man verified that everything was in order before continuing the conversation.

"Akeno? That's a rather unusual name around here. I've never heard a name like that. I see you've already reached a good level, I imagine you must have been banished, just like me... Don't worry, I'll make sure you settle in well here," the old man said, his tone carrying a hint of pity.

"However, something puzzles me. I only see one person mentioned in these documents. Who is this child behind you?" he added curiously.

Under the old man's suspicious gaze, Chikara moved closer to Akeno and held onto his arm.

"He's an orphan I found on the roads coming here. If you agree, I'd like to keep him with me; he resembles me a lot," Akeno explained, presenting the young Uchiha.

Without hesitation, the old man waved his hand and invited them to follow. "No problem at all. If you'd please follow me, I'll give you a tour. Although we're just a branch and far from the capital and the major cities, we still adhere to the sect's rules.

You'll probably see many orphans among our young members. We lack resources, so we allocate them based on points earned by participating in sect activities or completing missions."

Walking through sunlit corridors, the group arrived in a spacious courtyard. In the center of the courtyard, about twenty teenagers around fifteen years old were practicing. Using wooden swords, spears, or other wooden weapons, the youths engaged in duels under the watchful eyes of some adults.

Upon the arrival of Akeno's group, all the youths abruptly stopped and respectfully saluted toward them.

"We greet the master!" the youths exclaimed.

Saluting with folded hands, the youths stood silently, adopting a respectful stance. Even the present adults remained quiet, showing deep respect for the old man.

"It's alright, it's alright. Don't mind us, continue with your exercises. May you advance peacefully on the path of cultivation," the old man said.

While Akeno was frozen in surprise by the revelation of the old man's identity, the latter laughed at the expression on Akeno's face.

"So, this old guy who sleeps at the front desk is actually the master of the branch! Why didn't I think of that earlier? It's so cliché! The only thing missing is a child with a special ring, quickly climbing the ranks of cultivation," Akeno thought.

"Is everything okay, big brother?"

While he was still lost in thought, Akeno heard a soft voice at his side. Looking at Chikara holding onto his sleeve, he ruffled his hair and reassured him while looking at the old man: "Everything's fine, I was just surprised that the master himself welcomed us."

The old man continued to laugh at Akeno's reaction: "Oh, oh, oh. Have I forgotten to introduce myself? My apologies, my apologies. I'm Fang Qin, the master of the branch in Hope City. Welcome among us."

"Oh, it's nothing, please forgive my surprise. I didn't expect to meet you so quickly, Master," Akeno replied.

'I can't determine his level,' Akeno thought.

For cultivators, it was easy to determine others' levels as long as they were equal to or below their own. Arriving in Hope City, far from resources and major cities, Akeno logically thought there were no truly powerful experts around. The appearance of an expert who could completely conceal his energy was a variable he had hoped to avoid.

'I guess my adventure starts with a few unexpected twists. Hopefully, it will be easier to handle than those in the major cities who think they were born superior,' Akeno thought.

"Don't worry, if you'd please continue to follow me. The tour isn't over yet," Fang Qin replied.

Crossing the courtyard, they entered the building again, walking along creaking corridors. They explored the various rooms one by one, training rooms, classrooms, up to the bedrooms.

"Akeno, here's your room. I suppose in Glory City, you had a private room, but here it's different. Due to the lack of space, you'll have to share it with other disciples. They should be back tonight from one of their missions. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable.

Oh, and the little one can sleep in one of the rooms at the end of the hallway. It hasn't been occupied for a while now; I hope he'll like it," Fang Qin explained.

Accompanying Chikara to his room, Akeno sincerely thanked Fang Qin, "Thank you for welcoming us, Master."

"Oh, oh, oh, don't worry about it. I imagine that in the future, others will guide you through everything you need to know here. I look forward to seeing you both again...," Fang Qin replied enigmatically before disappearing from their view.

'Does he do this with all new arrivals, the old man?' Akeno and Chikara wondered.

"Chikara, now it's time for us to get to work, and I'll need your help," Akeno declared.

Excited to finally be able to contribute, Chikara was eager to start, "I'll do my best!"

"It's time to forge our own path to power," Akeno thought.