novelraw Chapter 402 - 401 - Seeking the Circle
Chapter 402 - 401 - Seeking the Circle
Lady Chyou heard the shattering of crystal over the projection in her office. The report from core disciple Shui had been confirmed by the Babylon Guild. It was required that both their own and the guild submit reports.
"WHAT HAVE YOU ALL BEEN DOING DOWN THERE?! WHY WOULD YOU INTENTIONALLY CRIPPLE SUCH A PROMISING DISCIPLE?!" Chyou felt the same and had learned many elders held the view that ascenders were by and large less than them who had been born in the Floating Isles.
Resources were limited and getting into the sect was difficult, but ascenders simply were greeted without a need for tests. Becoming a peak tier 1 Sky Realm was enough to ascend to the Floating Isles from the lower world.
It was the fact they could reach that high in a lower quality environment that made them precious and it seemed that a systematic but very quiet process had been put in place to suppress them.
Chyou had also been an ascender but she had served as a sect master in the lower world and thus was sent directly to the core area. Most did not get such a luxury.
It seemed all the rest of the ascenders were forced to prove themselves and fight harder just to survive. For the sake of nurturing, that was not a bad thought, but it was done with the intention of stopping them.
Chyou knew this would be another public blow to their sect. All of it due to Lind Frey but not because of him. In fact, he was guiltless for the entire event. He had resolved it and saved a cultivator from destruction in the process.
Worse, she knew a group of tier 2 and 3 core disciples had submitted harsh recriminations that they had been ignored in trying to help the ones they came up with. It was not normal for core disciples to teach outer ones but not unheard of.
Still, the sect wanted them to belong to the whole group, not simply the small handful that came up every few years.
The Fierce Fairy had become a legend for the outer sect and even the Divine Sword Sect with Hellfire Sect had appreciated her help on more than one occasion. Now, they had been shamed and revealed to have been mistreating their ascenders.
"I will accept any punishment." Her hair seemed to have turned very thin as her aging body was weakening too. She had failed and failed badly her responsibility as sect master.
"Punishment? Do you think we can simply let you be crippled or killed and move on?! This mess has to be cleaned up and we expect results by the end of the year. For starters, that 'core' disciple will be crippled and expelled. Anyone associated with her as well, without question will be punished severely!" Chyou blanched.
Shui's punishment was understandable. Her blunders left little hope of her getting away. But all of her associates could not possibly have been involved, it would be too much!
"YOU DISAGREE?" The woman on the projection was clearly incensed and cared little for Chyou's opinion. Despite the rage about a lost disciple, it was the shame they were likely more agitated by.
She could see it. If Chyou had discovered this on her own, they would have simply swept it quietly away. She had no doubt it had happened before as her own elders had done it!
For the first time in her life, she felt disgusted by her own sect. Were the others any better though? As cultivation increased, the concern for the lower realms became far less.
Afterall, what did a short lived ant matter to an Immortal?
Chyou suddenly realized that Lind Frey was right, what had they been doing? What was the point of a sect if it suppressed gems like Fey? Competition should spur sisters on, not destroy them.
Sadly, she knew it could no longer be changed. It was too entrenched. For the next generation, things would be better, but in a few short centuries, it would all happen again.
Can he change our fate? The Floating Isles seemed much colder to her suddenly as the twilight of her life seemed ever closer.
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"You will see us again, soon, right?!" Azylea was pulling on his sleeve like a little girl. Lind was half tempted to hit her but Huo beat him to it.
"Master Frey has a lot to do!" The twins' antics got Fey to giggle. She still would not wear her sword but she was not as clingy to Lind after a week since the mediation.
The Heavenly Maiden Sect had no compensation to give as they had enough problems and Lind had gotten what he wanted. His actions were justified in front of plenty of witnesses already so it was already done.
He felt sad for his friends that entered such a cold branch of a sect they loved. He wondered about what Yanmi said that Solon knew better than to accept all the attention. Could the swordsman have known the dangers coming ahead somehow?
If he ever got the chance, he would ask.
For now, he had another problem. He could not advance!
He had reached the peak of tier 2 but the bottleneck felt like a massive fortress wall unlike anything he had encountered. The only clue he had was his weaving. He had a small improvement and the wall in his cultivation shifted ever so slightly.
He had to find a teacher!
The twins only knew of the Circle but warned against him looking for them as he would be restricted to tier 3 forever.
Lind simply summoned all 6 elements and looked at the twins. He had come through worse.
They nodded and told him of a few places he could go but they were remote and usually not very safe. They both glanced at Fey then but he was not worried. For a brief moment, he had seen the old Fey in there.
She could never come back like she was, but it meant that he believed she could become a bright star once more.
She was colder now, more so than ever, but still warm to him. She was neutral to the twins. When she understood why they acted the way they did, she became much more tolerant.
Huo was usually good but Azylea was walking on thin ice.
"I thank you both, for everything." They clinked their glasses and drank the warm ale. They were currently in a large restaurant hosting the caravan. The members were relaxing and enjoying good food and drink.
It was also a goodbye party for Lind. When they learned who had been teaching them and encouraging them, there had been a small explosion of joy and wonder.
They had apparently been pre-partying on the way to the teleportation arrays.
The twins were going back to Epsilon Isle. They had a lot of work waiting and had to formally register Lind's status.
He was heading to a place called East End. It was a city located in the middling islands. It was a smaller island lower than most but still able to float. It was large enough to encompass all of Cimmeria and then some so it was plenty big to Lind's mind.
Still, it was not exactly a place of upright citizens. Several backwater wicked groups made their home there. They made sure not to draw too much attention, but Lind would be like a light in the night to them.
Too big to ignore and too tempting not to try! Baihu would be thrilled to know he was going to such a place but only the twins did.
"Be safe, you 2." Lind smiled at Huo's toast and then both he and Fey moved on. The caravan would relax and be a massive distraction while they joined the queue to leave the Isle of Flowers.
Lind used one of Annabelle's last illusion plates which made Fey smile. She had destroyed her storage so a lot had been lost that relied on Qi. Pills, elixirs, artifacts and so forth were broken or in serious need of repair.
The pin she proudly wore was just metal and thus had no function. She had wanted one badly but could not belong to 2 sects at once.
Lind would make an official one for her later but he suspected she would cherish the current one more.
The line moved swiftly as the operators wanted to get the next group out. Lind constantly kept his senses tuned to any threat but none paid attention to 2 more cloaked people. They were hardly the only ones.
The dark cloaks were of mid grade 5 quality, the most common for Sky Realms and thus there were many couples and groups using them. The familiar feeling of dislocation came over him as the world shifted.
Unlike in the lower world, teleportation arrays were much more carefully calibrated. Despite the fact most of the isles stayed close to each other, they were constantly moving even if only infinitesimally.
Thus, these arrays had to be adjusted carefully or people would be in mid air or in the ground when they materialized.
It was far smoother than any Lind had been in. He made a mental note to get the Moebius Sect to build one for itself!
The trip began as they came out at an artificial island made as a teleportation hub. It existed solely for large groups to distribute to smaller platforms if they desired a better, but far more expensive route!
"Destination?" A very bored attendant in brown robes did not even look up as his hands hovered over several jade slips.
"Two for Yinande." The name was not exactly inventive but when there was an island called Scorched Gorge that was a massive nest of volcanoes and dead forests, it was at least a bit more lyrical.
The attendant actually looked up and froze when he saw Fey's beauty. She only coldly looked back and Lind was glad as the man did not even glance at him. She was being very helpful just by his side!
"50 mid stones." Lind frowned at the exorbitant cost of Sky Stones but put them on the counter before the man froze again. He had never seen all 6 elements before! Technically the dark and light stones alone could have covered it!
The man quickly understood and swept them up into a storage bracelet before handing 2 tan tokens to Lind.
"Take these and be gone within a day!" Lind smiled as bribes were helpful. A day's lead would be enough. He had Fey moved off and looked at the number on the tokens to match it to the next array.
The journey had begun to progress his weaving!