Residence

The Ancient Elder cleared his throat and said, "The world of cultivation is a cruel one. Many heroes and heroines, no matter what their talent is, often face brutali-"

"Sorry to interrupt you, old man, but we understand the dangers of this world. You don't have to worry about us since we're quite perceptive." Bryan interrupted the Ancient Elder.

The Ancient Elder merely perked his eyebrow and continued, "Alright in that case, I'll trust you three."

"You three are weak for your age and talents. There are many little monsters of the same age out there that have well surpassed your cultivation realms by a huge margin. So, first off, increasing your cultivation bases are your main priorities."

"Take this." The Ancient Elder had three rectangular flat tokens in his hand, that appeared from thin air. He threw the tokens at them.

Ray caught his and saw the letters 'VIP' engraved on the golden token. The same letters were engraved for the Bryan and Ash as well.

"What is this token for?" Ash asked.

"This will help you access the several institutions and facilities our sect provides for free of charge. Additionally, you'll get 20 Crown-grade Natural Gems to help you in your cultivation. Other features of the VIP token are for you three to figure it out. After all, nothing is free in this world."

"Natural Gems?" Bryan inquired.

Suddenly, the Ancient Elder frowned and closed his eyes. He did this for a solid minute and no one dared to disturbed him.

He opened his eyes and his usual smile came back, "Sorry, brats. Something came up and I won't be able to accompany you any further. The Sect Master will help you if you have any questions. I'll be back when you three get strong enough."

"Thank you, old man."

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Ancient Elder."

"Thanks, old man!"

The three respectfully thanked the Ancient Elder for giving them an easy opportunity.

The Ancient Elder smiled and wished them, "Good luck and don't let me down."

With that, the Ancient Elder disappeared in a flash, leaving no trace of him.

"You three are stuck with me for now." The Sect Master chuckled.

Bryan was going to ask what natural gems were but then he realized they had the system. They could simply ask the system about anything. So, he refrained from asking it once again.

"I have assigned a place for you three to stay in. After this, just head to the west and you'll find the residential area. Here, take this badge." The Sect Master threw them a white badge with a golden border.

Bryan received it and saw the number '0' on it. They gave the Sect Master confused looks.

"That badge is required for you to enter your home. And that number is your residential number." The Sect Master explained.

"What kind of facilities are there, Sect Master?" Ray asked.

"Hmm, the facilities of our sect are considered to be the best of the best amongst the other sects. Of course, there are other standalone powers that solely focus on one aspect, but our sect is the best all-rounder. As the Sect Master, I can't say I'm not proud of my sect."

The Sect Master looked at them and realized he went a bit overboard. He coughed lightly and specified, "Our sect has whatever you need, be it the Library Hall, the Formation Hall, the Alchemy Hall, the Rune Hall, the Battle Hall, the Judgement Hall and so on. There's a lot and if you want to know more, explore them yourselves. That's the life of a cultivator, am I right?"

"Sure…" Bryan muttered.

"Understood, Sect Master." Ray nodded.

"Alright, as the Sect Master, I don't have a lot of free time in my hands. If you have any more questions, ask your fellow senior brothers and sisters. Now, off you go and cultivate diligently." With that, the Sect Master too disappeared shortly.

"Why does everyone leave so fast?" Ash scratched his head.

"If you haven't noticed by now, even Nirvana disappeared…somehow." Bryan pointed out.

"What the fuck?!" Ash looked around and indeed it was just the three of them.

"Oh well, let's go to the place of residence they've assigned for us." Ray said. They agreed and went on their way.

On the way, they saw a lot of other cultivators on the path, glancing at them weirdly and with curiosity. It was acceptable considering they weren't wearing the sect's uniform robes and they were new faces in the eyes of the others.

Nobody bothered to approach them considering they were new and the fact that they were still in the Mortal Cleansing Realm.

Eventually they reached an area of what seemed to be lines of huge mansions, placed parallel to each other. They naturally assumed this to be the residential area. First thing they felt was the abundant natural energy permeating the surrounding air.

"Holy moly…" Ash had his mouth wide open.

"It feels like we're in the posh part of the world." Ray uttered.

"I certainly did not expect this." Bryan felt a bit weird.

"Well, what are waiting for? Let's get on." Ash excitedly said and dragged the two along.

As they walked closer, they saw the wide entrance to the residential area was guarded by two powerful looking cultivators. Like the black outfit they previously saw on the young girl, the two guards wore a similar red battle outfit.

The two guards saw the oncoming new visitors and slightly frowned.

"Halt!"

The sudden rough shout stopped the three on their tracks. They knew it was directed towards them. The shout attracted the attention of the nearby disciples and they stared at them with obvious interest.

"Is there anything wrong?" Ray spoke up.

"Reveal your ident-"

The guard who spoke abruptly stopped himself after he saw Bryan pull out the white badge. The guards slightly bowed in respect.

"My apologies for interrupting the esteemed guests!"

Bryan nodded his head in appreciation at the badge.

"That badge is handy for sure."

"Let's go."

The nearby bystanders were looking on with shock. Very rarely, they see the guards display an act of respect.

"I thought they were lost…"

"It was entertaining at least."

"Wait a minute!"

"What?"

"I've only seen the guards be respectful once."

"When?"

"When the Ethereal Fairy came."

"Wait…you mean THE Ethereal Fairy?!"

The bystanders were in heated discussion, trying to figure out the identity of the three new-face 'disciples'. To be compared to the Ethereal Fairy is no joke for the rest of them. It meant a change and changes always come with exciting spectacles.

Meanwhile, the three were strolling across the path, glancing at the various houses now and then. They could see a sign at the front of the houses mentioning a number.

"Number 34? I guess we're still quite a distance away from our place." Ray remarked.

-Meanwhile, quite far away in a specific district in the residential area-

The district was positioned in such a way that it looked separate from the other districts in the residential area. There were only thirteen mansions in this district. Everything seemed and felt different compared to the other districts.

Natural energy in the air was abundant and rich. The district was silent but had a certain peaceful atmosphere on the outside. It looked picturesque with beautiful gardens around the various mansions.

Two handsome and muscular young men were sitting cross-legged on the backyard of one of their mansions. One of them had rounded eyebrows and black hair tied into a pony tail, along with a pair of black placid eyes. The other was bald, had arched eyebrows and a pair of blue brilliant eyes.

One common thing between the two of them was that they both wore purple robes, signifying some kind of special status they had in the sect.

"Virion! Listen to this, I heard one of the elders came to our district." The bald man spoke with an excited tone.

"Cut to the point, Rolan." Virion voiced out.

Rolan clicked his tongue and continued, "Tch! Apparently, the elder went to the Zero Mansion."

Virion narrowed his dark eyes and muttered, "Why the Zero Mansion?"

"Maybe they found someone and they're finally coming to occupy it?" Rolan speculated.

"My master told me that whoever gets to live in the Zero Mansion poses a threat to us in the sect." Virion calmly said.

Rolan scratched his chin and said, "Yeah, as if. We're the Prime Disciples. We literally represent the greatest sect in the world."

Virion shook his head and said, "I believe in my master. We should prepare ourselves. Nothing is ever truly set in stone."

At this point, they both heard the sounds of footsteps and someone talking in the otherwise silent and harmonious district.

They looked at each other and walked to the front of the mansion, where the path lay.

"I wish I could fly." Ray groaned.

"Lazy ass." Ash chuckled.

"Shut up! I know you both would prefer flying instead of walking for so fucking long." Ray complained.

"We could have just ran instead." Bryan said.

"…" Ray was speechless.

"Yeah, we should have. I don't feel a single bit of exhaustion and I feel like I could run for days." Ash cracked his knuckle.

Ray pursed his lips and said, "Well, at least we're close to our destination."

"Have you guys noticed something?" Bryan asked them.

"Noticed what?"

"The natural energy increased in thickness. I feel like the quality and quantity is much better compared to the other areas." Bryan said.

"I guess we're being treated good." Ray shrugged.

"I'm not complaining." Ash taking a breath of that natural energy-induced fresh air.

"Nobody is…"

Ash felt that someone was staring at them and he looked around to see two young purple-robed men standing in front of the 6th mansion. He waved at them and turned away. Obviously, Bryan and Ray noticed the two purple-robed men but didn't bother to say or do anything.

On the other hand, Virion and Rolan observed the newcomers carefully. They saw Ash waving at them and they were a bit stumped at the sudden greeting.

Virion smiled, "Interesting."

"So, they're the residents of the Zero Mansion?" Rolan scrunched his face.

"It looks like they are." Virion nodded.

"Hmm, they don't look like much."

"Have you checked their cultivation base?" Virion asked.

Rolan shook his head and probed their cultivation base. Bryan, Ray and Ash didn't know how to reign in their cultivation base yet. Even if they did, it would be impossible to hide their cultivation base against stronger opponents unless they have something with them that can block the prying senses from outside forces.

Rolan had a confused look on his face, "Mortal Cleansing Realm? Two of them in the 8th stage and one of them in the 9th stage? Is there something wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you. That is their cultivation level." Virion shook his head.

"Are you serious?!" Rolan was gobsmacked.

*Sigh*

Virion sighed in puzzlement. He didn't understand why his master told him that they would be a threat to him and the other Prime Disciples. As far as he knew, he and the other Prime Disciples were labelled as monstrous geniuses, far beyond any of their other peers. They had the talent and resources to back it up but now this unknown variable has made everything complicated.

"So, you're telling me that the three of them will be a threat to us? I don't believe this at all. They're at the Mortal Cleansing Realm, literally in the beginning realm. Even if they improve their cultivation base, it's not like we're slacking off and not cultivating. I don't understand your master, Virion." Rolan grumbled in disapproval.

"I understand your frustration, Rolan. But let's not give a hasty opinion. We'll have to wait and watch what happens."

"Alright, but it's still laughable."

"On the other hand, I wonder how the others are going to react to this unique situation."

Rolan laughed and said, "It's going to be chaotic and I'm here for it."