17

Two weeks later (Onari age:11)

Yasaka ended up coming through with the reward she promised Onari. It wasn't that he thought she wasn't capable of fulfilling his request, but finding a supply of alchemical reagents on such short notice wasn't easy. The cauldron and supply of supernatural metals had been given to Onari almost the next day after he made his request.

Onari spent a couple of weeks fiddling with the cauldron and metals before Yasaka came and told him she had found what he was looking for. She had had to spend a surprising amount of effort to find someone who dealt with the specific reagents that Onari requested. The only issue was that the supplier insisted on doing all of his business in person.

The source of the ingredients was an old man who had taken to secluding himself and his daughter from the wider world. The pair were currently living in an isolated part of South-Eastern China. The only way Yasaka found the man at all was by calling in a favor with the Chinese Buddhist faction.

Needless to say, Onari dropped what he was doing and immediately went to visit the hidden supplier. He realized that his mother had put a lot of effort into getting him a meeting with the reclusive old man, and he wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

He took the teleport beacon that Yasaka had acquired, and appeared deep within an area in China known as the Floating Mountains. Tall pillars of rock, stone, and greenery surrounded Onari for as far as his eyes could see. A dense layer of mist clung to the floor between the mountain-pillars. In the distance, more traditional mountains rose up in a circle just beyond the pillars, boxing in this little slice of fantasy.

It was a scene straight out of his previous world. Onari had never traveled much in his previous life. His constitution was always too weak for the harsh natural conditions of that world. But his brother would always regale him with tales of his own travels, and Onari would vividly imagine visions of the pictures his brother's words would paint.

The teleportation beacon had spat Onari out on one of the smaller mountain-pillars. Right in front of him, the tallest pillar in the area stretched until it almost scratched the clouds. Through the greenery at the very top of the pillar, Onari could make out a large, yet modest, compound.

"I guess that's where I'm supposed to go," Onari mumbled to himself. His words were almost instantly stolen by the wind that swept between the pillars. "Climbing the mountain must be some kind of test."

Nodding to himself, Onari bent his knees slightly. With a whoosh, he jumped, soaring through the air toward the pillar. Onari's fingers dug into rock when he collided with the side of the mountain-pillar. He stuck to the sheer cliff face like a lizard.

With a small chuckle, Onari began to climb. His feet seemed to naturally find footholds, and his hands created handholds on their own. The raging wind calmed as he climbed further, becoming a gentle breeze.

The journey to the top was almost meditative. For a cultivator like Onari, the climb was as simple as walking across flat ground. This left him with only his thoughts and the view to entertain him.

The view was spectacular, but he soon found himself ignoring it to focus on his thoughts. The scenery and 'trial' were oddly familiar to him. They were like something out of his previous brother's stories. Specifically his story about meeting a hidden master.

Soon enough though, Onari reached the top of the mountain. With a small "hup", he pulled himself over the ledge. The compound sprawled out before his eyes. It took up almost the entirety of the mountain's peak, and was surrounded by short walls on three sides.

In the middle of the compound was a single story house. The house was laid out asymmetrically. It had a wing on the left side that was smaller than the wing on the right because the right wing ended in a large greenhouse section. Gardens and fields of different sizes dotted the compound's grounds.

There was a small plaza in front of the house with a path that led up to the door. In the center of the plaza, a young girl trained, going through sword forms.

She looked to be about Onari's age, or maybe a year or so older. She was a beauty to surpass all beauties in Onari's eyes. Her silky black hair was tied up in an intricate bun with a couple of strands at the back that escaped confinement. Her flawless pale skin seemed to sparkle like crystal. Her facial features were delicate and feminine, and her lips were painted a vibrant red color.

A black leather collar drew Onari's eyes to her slender neck. She was short, but her short black robes accentuated her surprising curves. The robe's red and gold accents matched the girl's painted lips. It stopped at her mid thigh, exposing her fishnet stockings and knee-high boots.

Onari found his breath stolen from him as he watched her move. Every motion was fluid, flowing into the next. He could tell her sword intent was sharp as glass even from where he stood. Her sword whistled through the air, and the girl spun along with her swing.

The girl's movements slowed until she came to a halt. Her sword was held in front of her, pointing straight up into the air. She breathed what looked like a silent prayer of gratitude to her sword. Sheathing her sword, tension began to leave her body. She turned, accidentally caught sight of Onari and jumped when she saw the stranger intruding in her home.