Journey Towards Dao

The Five Profound Elements Sect was quite relaxed with the management of its disciples.

Other than the Outer Sect Appointment — which every disciple was assigned upon their admittance into the Sect — Outer Sect Disciples were given practically zero guidelines or constraints when it came to how they cultivated or earned their Merit Points within the prescribed Sect rules.

While there were many benefits to the implementation of this type of lenient attitude, the inevitable side-effect was that the majority of disciples opted to take it easy within the safety of the Sect mountains, leaving a large number of recurring Sect Missions that required traversal outside the Sect inadequately attended to.

In order to lessen the disciples’ unwillingness to embark down the mountain, for hundreds of years, the Sect has been consistently curating a wide variety of guided Sect Missions, where experienced Outer Sect Disciples were tasked with escorting and guiding a group of young practitioners through their very first expedition-type Sect Mission.

…

The smoky smell of burning wood pervaded the night air as Irene’s voice repeatedly echoed against the cave abode’s entrance, recessed within the rocky, moss-covered alcove.

At this moment, Irene stood still and gave a sweeping glance across her four Juniors sitting around the fire and said, ”The Sect Mission shouldn’t take us any longer than a few days, as long as you four can sustain an appropriate pace.

“Three of you are 6th Stage of practitioners and Tarek is in the 7th Stage, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Is there any other questions concerning the mission report?”

Auslen was pondering to himself as he flipped through the report.

From what he gathered, Irene’s Inner Sect Evaluation Mission seemed simple enough. Their group was to travel to three separate villages — each of which being under the protection of the Five Profound Elements Sect — in order to receive the villages’ quarterly Spirit Plant remuneration in the Sect’s name.

And during that time, Irene was responsible for teaching their group about various aspects of traveling outside the Sect, so that they could learn a specific set of skills and precautionary measures necessary for proper and efficient mission completion.

Seeing as there were no questions, Irene nodded to herself before a folded stack of thick and tan-colored cloth suddenly appeared in her hands.

Once she placed them into the laps of each kid, she smiled and said, “These are the heat-protective cloaks that I prepared for each of you. It’s been a very hot summer this year, and it’s only going to feel hotter down the mountain.”

Auslen ran his hand along the coarse, earthy smelling material, his enhanced eyes identifying the threads roughly weaved throughout as some sort of processed plant stamen.

“Do we… have to wear these? What’s this rag made of anyway?” Nathaniel grumbled with a disgusted frown, holding up the unfolded cloak before sniffing it like it was a piece of garbage.

“Nathaniel, I just told you that if you wish to ask a question, you’re to raise your hand. Did you not understand the first time?” Irene warned, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “And yes, you do have to wear the cloak, unless you’d like to stay behind while the rest of us go on our field trip without you.”

Nathaniel winced anxiously and immediately stopped whining.

Seeing Nathaniel’s little rebellious outburst crushed immediately sent snickers ringing from Tarek’s nostrils.

“It’s jute, Nathan,” Tarek said, quickly recognizing the fabric. “It’s actually a pretty popular product among the commoners in this continent.”

“Thank you, Tarek.” Irene pointed toward the cloaks and continued, “Now that that’s settled, I’d appreciate it if you all would try them on now for me to see.”

Auslen smirked at Nathaniel’s displeased face as he tossed the tan cloak around his shoulders, seeing through his cousin’s upset. This was probably the first garment Nathaniel was being forced to wear with the material and style of tailoring not produced for the privileged upper class in mind.

But Auslen understood Irene’s intentions for having them all wear the coarse cloak, so although the style didn’t appeal to him either, he still nodded politely and said with a smile, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Irene nodded gratefully to Auslen as she observed him and the rest closely. Slowly, an unsatisfied crease emerged from between her brows.

“Raise your hoods over your heads,” She commanded, squinting slightly as the reflection of the shifting fire writhed in her green irises.

‘Damn. Their looks are somewhat… difficult to hide.’

From each of the four children, there was a certain grace that exuded unconsciously, which stuck out like a painfully sore thumb. Their postures, skin, their voices and hair…

It would merely take a few extra glances for a particularly curious stranger to comprehend that these children were either from very wealthy or very powerful families.

Especially Auslen.

Even for a child of powerful cultivators — and she had witnessed several famous Inner Sect Disciples from notable backgrounds — Auslen’s yet-to-mature appearance and bearing were a step above. His fair skin was absolutely flawless and his golden hair seemed to almost glow with internal luminescence at times. He possessed a gentle and noble bearing, and his calm attitude was enviable.

Although Auslen didn’t seem to have many acquaintances — outside of the few standing before her — he had an excellent reputation. Everyone at the Elixir Refinement Hall was familiar with the young genius.

All he had to do was peek from underneath his hood with his distinctive golden irises or speak a few well-enunciated sentences from his pink lips, and anyone would begin to question his identity.

Irene felt like she was having a slight mental breakdown.

With a sigh, she stepped forward towards Auslen and kneeled down, gently tucking in some of the loose golden strands further into his hood before tightening the hood altogether — to the point where she doubted whether he could see clearly. Once his identity was completely obscured, only then was she sufficiently satisfied.

“The rest of you, follow Auslen’s lead with your hoods. If I can see your eyes, you’re doing it wrong. And here,” Irene said as she turned to toss an additional cloak to the handsome, green-haired youth sitting quietly to the side. “This is yours, Prince Aiden.”

“You’ve brought me one to wear as well?” Aiden looked upon the garment thrown into his hands with some small, but noticeable aversion.

“It’s best if you all do, Prince Aiden,” Irene transmitted privately, while at the same time examining Aiden’s casual, yet unmistakably luxurious black robe. “Your foreign appearance and expensive silks may do well to discourage most reckless individuals from acting rashly, however, there are always a select few within every group of people that are willing to test the waters, no matter how purportedly dangerous. Dealing with fools like that will only waste our time.”

She had left the Sect more than a few times, so she was aware of the typical dangers, and the best methods to sidestep them.

Her goal for this Inner Sect Evaluation Mission was to keep as low a profile as possible. If not for Prince Aiden’s impeccable timing with the numerous cultivators guarding him, there was no chance Irene would have chosen to take responsibility over such a flashy set of disciples.

Seeing Aiden acquiescing, Irene turned to the kids once again. “We’ve covered everything that needs to be discussed. You all have already been dismissed from your Sect duties, so you will not be reprimanded for absences. At 4:00 tomorrow morning, we’ll meet at…”

…

After giving the group a few more instructions, a soft gust of warm air spread from Irene as she levitated off the ground, flaunting her Foundation Establishment realm cultivation.

Her loose red hair swayed slightly in the wind and she waved her hand, summoning a wide, densely colored rug to meet the soles of her boots. A singular wave rippled across the rug, and Irene’s airborne figure rushed away into the trees and back up the mountain.

As Auslen handed the somewhat itchy cloak to Vincent, he casually raked his fingers through his hair as he heard his name being called.

“Auslen, won’t you introduce us to your brother?”

Looking at Tarek walking over from the fire pit, Auslen smiled as he gestured to Aiden, who was patiently awaiting to be introduced.

“This is my elder brother who’s accompanied me growing up and the one who I’m closest to, Prince Aiden Tyler Rinaldi Lawrence. You both can just call him Aiden, though.

“Aiden, these are my, Nathaniel, and Vincent’s friends, Tarek Sharif and Mia…”

Auslen’s smile lowered indiscernibly as he looked at Mia, once again realizing that he had never gotten her last name.

“Mia Embry,” she supplied after another moment, her voice soft, with a faint whisper of exhaustion. “Pleasure to meet you, Aiden.”

Aiden stood from his wooden armchair and smiled kindly, his height half a head taller than Tarek, who was a year younger than him.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Mia. And nice to meet you as well, Tarek. Auslen has told me great things about the both of you.”

His gentle and perfect smile that bore certain similarities to Auslen’s instinctively gave both Mia and Tarek a good impression of him.

“As a thank you gift for taking care of my younger brother while he was away from home…”

Aiden lifted his hand, and Durk, Aiden’s young manservant, suddenly appeared beside him in silence, his long, blonde braid swinging slightly. In his hands were two small boxes presented in Aiden’s direction.

Without a break in his movements, Aiden gently lifted the lids on both of the boxes, revealing two golden rings, each embedded with a gleaming gem. Embers from the nearby flame and faint starlight could be seen refracting within the transparent crystal.

Auslen nearly rolled his eyes while watching his brother showing off so unreservedly.

Aiden continued, “These are Medial Grade Mystic Artifacts our mother designed. Upon activation, it can instantly activate a 360 degree force field, obscuring your presence from the eyes of others. They have been modified slightly so that those with weaker Soul Force can use them without too much strain, however, the trade-off is that they can only be activated thrice per day, and they cease functioning a little earlier than normal.”

Seeing the two gearing up to refuse, Auslen’s manners were just as impeccable as his brother’s as he persuaded the two children to take the Mystic Artifacts.

Eventually, Mia smiled gratefully and Tarek nodded appreciatively as they both finally received the gift.

Since Aiden was so happily willing to give his things away, Auslen was content as well, as he was gaining some free affection and indebtedness from the two. His actions may not have meant too much as of yet, but Auslen knew the value of building relationships early on. Some day, there may very well come a time where Auslen would need assistance — the type of assistance that could only be provided from those that shared a certain amount of intimacy and trust with him.

For similar reasons, he continuously treated even the strangers he passed by in the Sect with an equal amount of kindness and respect, not showing any discrimination or even a slight attitude of superiority.

Even though he had a special identity, this was still a Major Sect. Everyone here was an extremely rare talent in the outside world, and Auslen would treat them as their potential worth deemed appropriate, regardless of how fatigued it made him.

To Auslen, Tarek’s value as a friend was immediately apparent. The Sharif Clan was a highly reputable and powerful clan within the Eastern Empyrean Continent, known for producing multiple of Dhara’s current top Alchemists and Botanists. In addition, the clan facilitated an extensive Spirit Plant and Alchemical trade that spanned nearly a quarter of the inhabited potions of the continent. Having a close relationship with such a major power was quite an attractive prospect for anyone.

Mia, on the other hand…

Auslen was thoughtful for a moment before giving up. He still couldn’t categorize the overly-mysterious girl within his internal classification of inherent value.

“Cousin,” Nathaniel called as he ran up excitedly. “You brought me a gift too, right?”

…

They chatted for a little while longer before Tarek brought out his jade-colored flying boat, bringing Mia along as they departed back to their cave abodes.

Still happy from receiving his own Mystic Artifact ring, Nathaniel pulled Aiden along on a small tour through their cave residence while Vincent, with Durk’s help, took the opportunity to grill some meats and vegetables with the fire still burning in the iron pit.

Auslen stayed behind, lying on his chair in peaceful silence as he watched the two servants work. He idly ran the fingers of his right hand through the soft grass, feeling the warming comfort radiating from the soil below.

He let out a relaxed sigh and stared into the starry sky, the silence filled with crackling firewood and endless thoughts.

“Auslen!” Nathaniel’s call sounded from the cave entrance just before he could be seen running back outside. “One of the rooms won’t open.”

Auslen blinked, and then he understood what room Nathaniel was speaking of. There was only one room in the cave that Nathaniel couldn’t enter.

Not ready to reveal that secret to the talkative child, Auslen lazily waved his hand, replying, “If you broke the door, you’re paying to fix it.”

Scrunching up his nose at the idea of wasting his newly gained Merit Points on a door, Nathaniel immediately turned around and ran back to Aiden, his tone suddenly dismissive. “It’s a boring room anyways. There’s just a bunch of dirt in there.”

…

The night passed quickly, and very early in the morning, Auslen, Aiden and Nathaniel were already wearing their jute cloaks as they walked through the quiet and nearly deserted peak of the Outer Sect mountain. Vincent and Durk had departed the Sect beforehand.

‘Wow,’ Aiden thought as he stared in amazement at the innumerable glaze-tiled palaces that towered into the still dark sky. This was his first opportunity to travel so far away from home, so while his royal bearing remained intact, a hint of youthful curiosity was still present in his gait.

As instructed, their group met up with Irene and Michail’s chatting figures at the exact same time as Tarek and Mia, just outside the entrance of the Palace of Outer Sect Affairs.

“Thank you all for your punctuality” Irene said as she turned her gaze away from Michail. She nodded in satisfaction after taking in each of their cloaked appearances, only to take out a jade spray bottle under the children’s curious gazes.

“This is a Tier 2 Scent Obscuring Spirit Elixir. Stand still, this stuff is expensive.”

Once she finished spraying each of the children with several puffs of scentless mist, she spoke. "On this Sect Mission, there is one primary rule you must abide by. That is, you are to listen to what I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you. This excursion is about as simple as it gets but if something unexpected occurs, you all are not to act rashly. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Senior Sister,” several youthful voices replied in unison.

At this time, Michail stepped forward to speak as well. “Remember to listen to your Senior Sister Irene closely on the way. She has a lot of experience traveling outside of the Sect. She’s very capable, so you all will surely learn a lot from her.”

Before Auslen and the others could reply, a raspy male voice emerged from above.

“Why is there one extra?”