Power Structure of the Continent

"Ultra Sword Sect" muttered the boy as he was walking towards the pond to have a bath. The content the old man just told him was running through his mind.

The continent they lived in was called the Great Azure Continent. That is because, in the earliest existing records, the entire forests used to be covered with azure trees. Humans gradually cleared a space for themselves by conquering land from the demonic beasts. Currently, the forests cover only half of the continent. The huge forest spanning half the continent is called the Azurewood forest. Sometimes, groups of humans launch expeditions into the forest. At other times the demonic beasts launch a beast tide towards human settlements. There are powerful cultivators among humans. There are equally powerful demonic beasts in the forests. They keep each other at bay and have a tactic agreement of mutual non-invasion. The higher ranks of each side do not casually enter the other's territory.

But two powerful demonic beasts went nuts and are now ready to attack the mainland. The place he and the old man lived in was at a secluded edge of the forest. The old man was a decently powerful cultivator. But since he decided to live in seclusion at a remote place, neither side decided to bother him. But with a war around the corner, he could not stay here and had to move.

There are organizations called sects all over the continent. When the forests were being cleared out in the initial age of the Great Azure Continent, people formed groups to claim land from the demonic beasts. The strongest among them was considered the leader. They used to accept young people to replenish their ranks every so often. These young people used to be groomed by the previous members of the group, who in turn groomed the next people accepted. This led to the prevalence of the sect system.

There are countless sects scattered around the Great Azure Continent. The seven strongest amongst them are sects that used to exist since the antiquity period of the Great Azure Continent. These sects are called 'The Seven Sovereign Sects'

They include:

The Flame Ridge Sect - Experts in fire manipulation and mastery

The Ultra Sword Sect - Focused on the mastery of the sword

The Tyrannical Bull Sect - Focused on body tempering legacies

The Jade Lotus Sect - All women sect with profound cultivation methods

The Lightning Temple Sect - Focused on the mastery of lightning

The Blue Jade Sect - A sect which primarily recruits from the Velkrion race, who specialize in multiple bizarre cultivation methods

The Great Earth Sect - A sect which primarily recruits from the Dwarven race, who specialize in forging, tinkering, and building

Other than these seven sects, there is an Alchemy Pavillion, which specializes in alchemy and healing. There is also the Thousand Treasures Pavillion, which is an open market for all kinds of resources and products, who host frequent auctions and trading events while also dabbling in a multitude of other businesses. Both these superpowers have branches in almost every major city on the continent and have a complicated relationship with the seven sovereign sects.

The Mercenary Association also spans across the continent, but they are more concentrated near the Azurewood forest. They provide information and resource exchange facilities to mercenaries and adventurers who risk their lives for resources in dangerous areas, while simultaneously acting as an intermediary for those who wish to recruit people for any task.

Other than the two races allied with humans, there are multiple races like the fairies and elves that are neutral towards humans, while there are races like the demonic beasts and trolls that are outright hostile.

There are countless resource points situated across the Great Azure Continent, in the mainland, in the oceans surrounding the continents, and in the Azurewood forest. All races fight to occupy these resource points, so there are always wars happening in every place on the continent. After all, resources are essential to cultivation.

Spiritual Energy Cultivation is the prevalent system of cultivation in this world. Spiritual Energy Cultivation involves harnessing the spirit energy present all around us and gathering it in our body for future use. Of course, it is impossible to simply stuff spirit energy into a mortal body, and hence a gradual process of acclaiming your body to spirit energy while increasing it is necessary. Resources can shorten this process, provide pure spirit energy, and help in using this spirit energy. Hence the neverending struggle for better resources.

The two events that triggered the current war, for example, happened because the Flame Ridge Sect tried to acquire the demonic core of the Flare Bull Demonic King, which is a great resource to assist in the cultivation of fire type cultivation techniques. And Nightmare Demonic Fox King's cubs have the possibility of growing up to be just as strong as the Nightmare Demonic Fox King, and hence there will be sects willing to pay a massive fortune to tame a future protector who could be as strong as a supreme human cultivator. This led to the mercenaries trying to steal the Nightmare Demonic Fox King's cubs.

The old man's friend is the vice head of one of the Seven Sovereign Sects, the Ultra Sword Sect.