Chapter 284

  Moon Lake (X)

  Shockingly, this was actually better than airplane travel back on Earth.

  No, seriously.

  I mean, there wasn't a guy or a gal coming up and down the aisle every once in a while asking me if I needed nuts, cashews, or almonds (they were making fun of me 'cause I didn't know the difference), or an assortment of wildly cheap alcoholic drinks, but I also had legroom for days--so much so I could lie down and just fall asleep while not bothering anyone--and, strangely, it seems that the chariot has some kind of an air filtration system.

  We've been travelling close to an hour, and despite how 'clean' cultivators tended to present themselves, and despite me teaching the kids the Art of Survival more so as a utility tool rather than an enhancement to their cultivation, I can attest to the fact that if we're stuck together in an enclosed space... they kind of do stink it up. A bit.

  And yet, the air was as fresh as it was the moment we entered.

  I'm kind of glad I whipped it out, to be honest, as for the tens of miles that we've travelled so far, the terrain hasn't changed in the slightest--or, well, almost imperceptibly. It was just grassy hills rolling out and on, with occasional clusters of trees too small to be classified as a forest, and an occasional stream seeming to cut the monotone spread a bit.

  I don't know quite what to make of it--perhaps it's the same on Earth (I mean, I know it can be the same, having driven through the Midwest twice; it was literal nothingness for tens of miles), though it might just be my distorted perception of the world. To this day, I don't actually know what any of the 'dividing classifications' mean. I don't know if different layers of heavens mean just different continents or are more literal in that there are worlds existing up there in the clouds or even more literal in the astral sense.

  Beyond that, even if this one world is just one planet, I don't know even the remotely approximate size of it. Most of the maps that I've seen in my life here, even those that tried to loosely detail things clearly beyond their grasp, never seemed to make it past this sort of a central 'gorge', as it were.

  Even then, I don't really know the exact size of the gorge. I don't think it's monstrously big, as I've already covered a few distances that the books kind of lied about, so it's entirely possible that this entire region is no larger than an average European country. Or it could be the size of a Euro-Asia.

  Who's to say? Certainly not the historians.

  Regardless of which it was, the samey terrain very much felt like being at home. All good things must come to an end, however, and after an hour of burning through mid-grade Spirit Stones, I finally, and as slowly and gently as I could, landed us just by the somewhat narrow stream of water.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Though flying was quite pleasant, it still felt good to stretch legs, even if it was mostly ritualistic.

  Most of the kids immediately jumped into the stream, though it wasn't exactly swimming weather. Even if it was sunny, the wind was fast and cold, and the temperature was closer to freezing than pleasant.

  I pitched the tent and packed the chariot back into the toy, tossing it into the spatial ring, which was when I also noticed another, similar toy resting in one of them: the 'warship' that what's-his-face and his 'buddies' chased Wei on.

  Honestly, I had half a mind to just toss it away; it was clear that flying artifacts were relatively unique, at least in this corner of the world, and each was likely heavily associated with one power or another. I'd rather not have a clear indicator we killed somebody sitting in my ring, but, at the same time...

  ... that thing was worth a lot of Spirit Stones. Like, a lot. Ah. Greed always wins, doesn't it?

  "Last year," as soon as the campfire roared, Wei resumed his chattering--I'd grilled him a bit more about the lake, and he seems to have finally relaxed somewhat, excited to share every rumor he ever heard about the place. "A disciple of the Soul Sanctuary Sect is said to have found a piece of Meteorite Ore the size of a fist!" Hm? Soul Sanctuary? Why does that name feel familiar?

  ... oh, right! Old Zemin and that weird girl that I refused to spend 100 points on to see her status window! Right! Maybe this kid can clue me in a bit more into the politics of the sects?

  "Forget the lake," I interrupted. "Tell me about that Soul Sanctuary place."

  "Hm? Ah, yes, of course. Hmm, let me think. Not much is actually known about them--of all the Holy Lands, they are by far the most reclusive one. Their Disciples rarely venture out with sect robes, they don't compete in tournaments frequently, and I'm fairly certain only the select few leaders of other Holy Lands even know who their Sect Master is. They are, however, quite feared; not necessarily because they're the strongest, but because they practice the Soul Arts almost in equal measure to cultivation.

  "Rumors have it that their Sect Master can overpower the soul of another person to the point of outright possession!"

  "Didn't you say nobody even knows the Sect Master's identity?"

  "Yes."

  "So, how would anyone know what they're capable of?"

  "It's just a rumor, Master Lu." Wei smiled sheepishly.

  "Hm. Hey, I heard a rumor, too."

  "Oh? Really? What is it?"

  "Supposedly, there's this know-it-all who believes it's his duty to spread every rumor from every source, even if that source is literally a homeless man lying in the pool of his own piss. The rumor has it, if he doesn't stop, a certain man might slap him across the back of his head until all the stupidity falls out of his skull."

  "..."

  "...."

  "H-Holy Son Bao!"

  "Hm?"

  "Holy Son Bao of the Soul Sanctuary!" Wei quickly said. "I heard from a very reliable person that he will attend this year's gathering at the lake! In fact, one of my Seniors in the Sect told me he saw Holy Son Bao fighting before--he said that the man never even moved! He just stood in place, arms behind his back, while his opponent flailed about crazily on their own before completely running out of Qi and surrendering!"

  "Oh?" Bao... Bao... Bao... why does that name sound familiar? I don't recall meeting anyone by that name, yet, it's itching my brain a bit. Ugh. I thought that my memory was supposed to become photographic now that I'm a cultivator? How come it seems to be getting worse?

  "On the ranking of Holy Sons and Daughters, he ranks in the top five!"

  ... haah.

  Of course there's a ranking. And of course I've now summoned the gods of jinxes, and of course I'll be forced to interact with every single one of those kids, whether I want to or not.

  Of. Fucking. Course.