The party formation consisted of Wei Lin being at the front, Lin Mei at his side and me at the rear.

  Wei Lin acted as the unofficial guide, pointing out landmarks and warning us about treacherous spots in the road.

  Lin Mei somehow identified and catalogued each of the many spirit herbs we encountered along the way.

  As for me, I was lost in my thoughts on how little I really knew about the world outside of the sect.

  "So," Wei Lin called back, "we'll pass through Three Rivers Town tomorrow. Do you want to stop at the Wei family store or continue on our way to save time?"

  I nodded as if I had any clue where Three Rivers Town was, or that the Wei family even had a store there. The memories of the original Ke Yin were... selective.

  I had clear images of his family, including their small tailor shop in Floating Reed Village, and even the day he was discovered to have cultivation potential. However, everything else was frustratingly vague, as if recalling the plot of a book that I had read years ago.

  "Three Rivers is the main trading hub for this region, right?" Lin Mei asked, carefully stepping over a loose stone. "I heard they have an excellent spirit herb market."

  "Second largest in the Yan Kingdom," Wei Lin replied proudly. "But there’s no comparison to the Golden District in the capital of course.”

  I must have made some kind of face because Lin Mei caught my expression and laughed.

  "Don't tell me that you've never been to Three Rivers? It's barely two days from your village!"

  "I, uh..." I stumbled to come up with a believable explanation for not visiting Three Rivers that wouldn’t sound pathetic. "At the village, I was busy helping my father with his shop and once I joined the sect, I was focused on my cultivation."

  "Wait," Wei Lin looked at me and exclaimed, "you’re saying you’ve not left Azure Peak at all since you joined? Not even for the seasonal town festival?"

  “The sect has everything I need,” I shrugged, trying to downplay that I was actually just too scared to venture out. "Or at least it did until now.”

  "Everything you need," Wei Lin shook his head in mock dismay. "No wonder you are sometimes so... you. Lin Mei, we’ve failed this poor ignorant soul. We need to educate him about the world!"

  "I’m not that ignorant," I protested. "I know of... the Five Great Sects?"

  "Oh? Name them then," Wei Lin teased with a grin.

  "Well, there's us – the Azure Peak Sect," I began with confidence. "And... the Holy Light Sect?"

  "And?" Lin Mei encouraged, clearly enjoying herself.

  "...the Heavenly Jade Sect?"

  "That is three," Wei Lin nodded. "What about the other two?"

  I strained my borrowed memories but came up blank.

  "The... Very Important Cultivation Sect and the We're Also a Major Sect Sect?"

  Lin Mei burst out into laughter while Wei Lin clutched his chest in mock agony.

  "The Black Palm Sect and the Three-Leaf Clover Sect," he corrected. "Though I suppose 'Very Important Cultivation Sect' is not far from how the Black Palm disciples see themselves."

  "Are those not demonic cultivation sects, though?" I asked, grasping onto this fragment of knowledge.

  "Technically yes, although they are also considered one of the five greatest sects of the Eastern Continent," Lin Mei clarified. "They cultivate... differently, but they’re too strong to ignore."

  "The sect politics become complicated," Wei Lin added. "Officially, we’re all enemies. Unofficially... there is too much commerce and mutual self-interest between sects and clans to engage in outright conflict. So, each sect needs to maintain a delicate balance."

  "Similar to the Three Great Clans," Lin Mei agreed. "They help in keeping the peace, even if it is to protect their own interests."

  "The balance of power is interesting," I mused, seeing an opportunity to verify some of the fuzzy aspects of my mental picture of this world. "Everyone recognizes that the Yan Clan rules, but I’ve heard that there is a debate about which of the other two clans actually has more influence."

  At that Wei Lin’s eyes sparkled, clearly, he loved any chance to show off his knowledge of politics.

  "Ah, the age-old discussion! The Xiao Clan controls the trade routes and the movement of cultivation resources; however, the Wang Clan's army of spirit beasts gives them an incredible amount of military power."

  "Not to mention the Wang Clan's alleged ties to the ancient beast tamer clans," Lin Mei added. "But if you believe those legends, then half of the noble families have some mythical bloodline."

  I nodded, allowing them to continue.

  This was definitely better than asking direct questions, people love to share their views on politics.

  "As for me," Wei Lin leaned in close to me. "I think that the Xiao Clan holds the real power. The Yan Clan needs the financial assistance of the Xiao Clan to maintain the kingdom, and even the Wang Clan's army needs resources that flow through the Xiao Clan's trade routes."

  "But the trade routes of the Xiao Clan could be interrupted by any high-level cultivator," Lin Mei argued. "They all need each other."

  "So, if I’m right, the sects primarily focus on spiritual resources - spirit stones, cultivation techniques, enlightenment opportunities?" I asked.

  "Yes, the sects will fiercely fight for a single spirit spring but will rarely concern themselves with governing actual land or mortal affairs," Wei Lin nodded. "But the clans want it all. Land, wealth, armies, AND cultivation resources. Also, they are obsessed with bloodline purity."

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "The Wang Clan won’t allow their core family members to marry cultivators without at least three generations of documented ancestry," Lin Mei added with a slight eye-roll. "As if anyone could fake their precious beast-taming bloodline."

  "Oh that’s why the balance works," I realised. "The sects are too concerned with cultivating to worry about worldly power, and the clans are too busy maintaining their lineages and managing mortals to concern themselves with the sects. But I guess that doesn't stop either side from trying to gain advantages when they can."

  "Now you’re thinking like a real politician," Wei Lin smiled. "But don’t let my father hear you discussing power structures so casually. He’ll try to recruit you into the family business."

  "How does your family fit into all this?" I asked, genuinely interested.

  “We’re well positioned,” Wei Lin replied, his expression becoming thoughtful. “Not strong enough to challenge the great clans, but important enough to be worth protecting. We distribute resources between sects and clans."

  "He means his family profits from everyone's conflicts while being too valuable to eliminate," Lin Mei translated dryly.

  "I prefer to think of it as providing vital services to all parties," Wei Lin sniffed. "It’s not our responsibility that the services we provide happen to be very lucrative."

  "So, when you said your family has wind essence..." I began.

  "We got that through perfectly legal business transactions that technically did not infringe on any sect regulations or clan agreements," Wei Lin completed smoothly. "But maybe we shouldn’t discuss the specifics of the transaction on an open road."

  "Speaking of the road," Lin Mei jumped in, "we should probably take a break for lunch. Unless you boys want to talk about the entire political structure of the Eastern Continent while starving?"

  So, we looked for a small clearing near the path that was sheltered by a grove of ancient trees.

  Wei Lin took out food from his storage ring.

  Luckily for us, it was actual fresh bread and meat instead of the dried travel rations I had expected.

  "Storage rings are wonderful things," he smiled, noting my surprise. "Formations keep everything fresh.”

  While we ate, I carefully asked more questions to fill in the missing gaps in my knowledge without being too obvious about how ignorant I really was. Wei Lin and Lin Mei were eager to answer my questions, although they occasionally exchanged worried glances at some of my more basic questions.

  I learned that the Eastern Continent was in reality the smallest of the four continents but contained the greatest number of spirit veins; which meant it was the best place to cultivate.

  The Yan Kingdom controlled approximately one-third of the continent, while other powers divided the remaining portion.

  "The Western Continent is mostly desert now," Lin Mei explained between bites. "Some huge conflict between immortal cultivators ten thousand years ago. The Northern Continent is full of ice clans and savages. And the Southern Continent...”

  "It’s better not to speak of the Southern Continent," Wei Lin warned. "Bad luck."

  They both performed some sort of warding gesture.

  Clearly, there was a story behind it, but my gut told me not to pry further.

  And I decided to trust my gut.

  My attention shifted to the red sun lurking inside my Genesis Seed - its extremely aggressive, almost predatory characteristics felt eerily similar to the descriptions I had heard about demonic cultivation techniques. I needed to understand this aspect of cultivation better, but asking directly would raise suspicion so I needed to be subtle.

  "You guys mentioned demonic sects earlier," I began. "How do you define 'demonic' and 'righteous' cultivation? The boundary appears... less clear than the sect elders suggest."

  "Now that’s a complicated question,” Wei Lin’s eyes brightened. “Demonic cultivation officially refers to anything that derives power from others without consent or uses corrupted energy. Unofficial...” He glanced around before continuing. "Many 'righteous' cultivation techniques originated as demonic ones that had been modified over time until they were accepted as legit forms of cultivation."

  "Like the Crimson Heaven Scripture," Lin Mei added. "Everybody knows that it originally was a blood-cultivation technique but after ten generations of refinement, it’s now seen as a legitimate fire cultivation method."

  "So, it’s not always about good versus evil?" I asked, thinking about my ongoing struggle with the red sun's energy. I didn’t want to use the red sun's power in the tournament and end up being labeled as a heretic.

  "It’s about balance and control," Lin Mei explained. "Any form of power can be dangerous if not used properly. A lot of our most venerated elders use techniques that exist on the border of what is considered 'righteous' cultivation. They know the risks but are strict about it.”

  “If you think about it practically,” Wei Lin added. “Demonic cultivators are just another part of the larger cultivation world. They pay premium prices for certain goods since most merchants won't deal with them. As long as you maintain proper precautions..."

  “Wei Lin!" Lin Mei scolded, but I noticed she didn’t actually disagree.

  "What? I’m just saying the truth," he shrugged. "Power is power. It’s how you use it that is important."

  The conversation made me feel a lot better about my situation. If even "righteous" sects recognized these gray areas, maybe the nature of the red sun wasn’t as disturbing as I first thought.

  “If we’re speaking purely hypothetically,” Wei Lin added, that merchant look back in his eye. “If anyone is interested in learning more about ‘alternative’ cultivation methods, I might know some people who know some people…”

  “Now that you mention it… ” I joked.

  “This is why I worry about leaving you boys alone,” Lin Mei rolled her eyes. “Who knows what kind of trouble you will get yourselves into?”

  "Us? Trouble?" Wei Lin put on a wounded look. "We’re simply ordinary cultivators traveling to obtain some completely innocent cultivation materials."

  "Speaking of which," I interrupted, "since we’re off the main road now, how did your family get the wind essence?”

  Wei Lin scanned the surrounding area before leaning in closer to me. "Well, it’s actually a funny story involving three completely lost Holy Light Sect disciples, a spirit beast migration, and my father's remarkable ability to be in precisely the right location at precisely the right moment...”

  And that was how the rest of our lunch break went on.

  Wei Lin told us tales of the different adventures his family had in “resource acquisition,” (as he called it).

  Each story was more ridiculous than the last.

  Occasionally, Lin Mei would correct him on a detail or point out the obvious exaggeration.

  As for me, I just sat back and listened.

  I wasn’t just absorbing information about the various political powers.

  I was getting a better understanding of how this world really worked.

  The complex web of relationships between sects and clans.

  The importance of maintaining face while secretly breaking every rule.

  Power wasn’t just about qi and cultivation realms, it was also about connections and favours.

  It was like a gigantic chess match, except everyone was playing by different rules, and half of the players on each side were secretly playing for the opposing team, and no one could come to an agreement as to what victory looked like.

  "Let's move on," Lin Mei said after a while, looking up at the sun. "If we want to make it to the next Way Station before it gets dark."

  "Way Station?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

  Wei Lin gave me that look he reserves for when I'm being a little too cultivation-focused.

  "Don't tell me you've never heard of Way Stations. Sometimes I forget you literally spend all of your time thinking about cultivation. Yes, there are Way Stations. The Xiao Clan operates them along all major trade routes. You must have noticed it on your way to the sect?”

  "I was a little distracted at the time," I admitted sheepishly. "I'm pretty sure I spent the entire time reciting cultivation basics and worrying about the Entrance Exam."

  "Of course you did," Lin Mei laughed. "Well, they’re warded against spirit beasts and contain some level of defensive formation. Most travelers plan their travel around these locations."

  "Somewhat less secure than they used to be since the snake cultivator incident last year," Wei Lin added. "But they are still safer than sleeping in the wild."

  Snake incident?

  I decided not to ask about it.

  Sometimes it was better to leave things alone.

  As we packed up and headed back onto the road, I found myself grateful for my friends’ willingness to explain things to me without asking too many questions as to why I was so ignorant.

  They probably thought I was oddly sheltered and a cultivation maniac.

  Better that than knowing the truth.

  Happy New Years!

  WIshing you all a great 2025!

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