They had already packed for the trip, their belongings loaded into the back of the carriage. The journey by land to Raintree Town, where the Sky-Ascending Peak was located, would take five days. It would be faster if they rode their swords, but even then it would still take about three days and it would be significantly more tiring. Plus, since neither of them were familiar with the area where Raintree Town was located, it was best not to send them off into unexplored places alone.
“Have a safe journey and make sure to take care of yourselves when you’re there,” the sect leader placed a reassuring hand on Gyuvin’s shoulder. “Gyuvin, I’ll keep in contact with you via communication array every now and then, okay?”
“Got it,” Gyuvin said, bowing shallowly. “Thank you, sect leader. We’ll be going now.”
They rode for five days in the carriage up to the North, staying in inns along the way if they needed to rest. As the carriage entered the boundaries of Raintree Town, Gyuvin poked his head out the window.
It was clear why the town was named as such; the mist and fog gathered around the Sky-Ascending Peak in the distance hung so low even the trees seemed to be dripping with dew, even though it was well into the afternoon. As the carriage passed under a big oak tree, a shower of dew rained down from the canopy above and Gyuvin laughed, retracting his head back into the carriage. “I look like I just took a shower!”
“I wonder how the trees here do that…”
The carriage rolled to a stop at the foot of the Sky-Ascending Peak. Gyuvin and Hanbin alighted, taking their packs from the trunk of the carriage, and weaving through the other carriages there to register their names and enter the training camp. Gyuvin could recognise some of the other sects’ carriages; the sleek black wood and gilt carriage that could only belong to the Lunar Valley sect, the carriage that bore Moonrise Palace’s colors of white and periwinkle blue. He didn’t know any of the other cultivators, but as he looked around, he was relieved to see that it didn’t seem like many of them knew each other as well. Many of these sects were located far away from each other, and even the very edges of their territory were hardly close to any other sect, so it made sense that they wouldn’t be familiar.
“Sung Hanbin and Kim Gyuvin of Meteor Court,” Hanbin greeted, bowing politely to the person who was walking around with a scroll in hand, seemingly taking down names. She was dressed in neutral colors so it was impossible to tell which sect of the coalition she was from, but she smiled welcomingly at the two of them and handed them each a pearl-colored tassel.
“These are entry tokens you’ll need to enter the training camp and access areas on the peak,” she explained. “Make sure you have it with you at all times, because it’ll be a hassle to get it replaced. It’d be best for you to secure it on your weapon or on your clothing itself.”
Gyuvin nodded, weaving the loose end of the entry tassel into the belt of his outer robe. “Looks like they’re pretty tight on security here,” he remarked.
“It makes sense. There’s a lot more kids here than they can handle, probably, so they need to take all precautions to make sure nothing goes amiss.”
The Sky-Ascending Peak was tall enough that some of it was obscured by fog, but the seniors designing the training camp had enchanted a special elevation system which could take cultivators up and down by a special rope reinforced with horsehair. It could only take one person at a time, so Gyuvin and Hanbin waited in a short queue for it before it was their turn. The elevator enchantment was stable and safe yet extremely fast, and Gyuvin found himself breaking through the fog to the top of the peak in less than ten blinks.
The training camp ground was dazzlingly beautiful, not in a gaudy and decorated way but in a serene, tranquil-looking way. All the outdoor paths were paved with white sand embedded with energy stones that would light up when it was nighttime, and the buildings themselves were made with varying shades of bleached wood and dark colored panels. Wind chimes hung at even intervals from the rafters, tinkling softly in the afternoon breeze.
There was a list of names and sleeping quarter assignments pinned onto the entryway of the grounds, and Gyuvin scanned the list for his name until he found it. Each living area was shared by three cultivators and contained their bedrooms and a little space for them to eat together, play games or socialize in whichever way they wanted. His other two neighbors hadn’t yet arrived when he got there, so he picked a random room and set his pack down in the entryway. The bedrooms were decorated sparely but comfortably, with a bed at the far wall, a low table for writing or reading and a window with a simple bamboo sill.
He was unpacking his belongings and arranging them into the drawers by the side of his bed when he heard someone else’s footsteps in the courtyard of their living area. Another cultivator stood in the entryway. He was dressed in the sleek black uniforms of the Lunar Valley sect, his hair tied back and his headpiece glimmering with inlaid moonstones, and his expression was dark, eyebrows furrowed.
“Hi! I’m Kim Gyuvin of the Meteor Court,” he greeted tentatively, bowing. “We’re going to be neighbors.”
The other cultivator bowed politely, his expression smoothing into one of neutrality and welcome. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you. Kim Jiwoong of Lunar Valley. Has our other neighbor arrived yet?”
“No, he hasn’t,” Gyuvin answered. “I think some of the sects sent more cultivators so they needed more time to get registered.”
“Right,” Jiwoong answered. He took the room across the courtyard from Gyuvin, leaving the one in between the both of them for whoever their last neighbor would be.
Another half hour passed before there was any more commotion in their courtyard, though he could hear passing laughter and chatter from the people walking in the corridors. This time both him and Jiwoong emerged from their own quarters at the same time, looking towards the entryway to see who their last neighbor was.
It was a cultivator from the Moonrise Palace, dressed in the signature flowing blue robes embroidered with the phases of the waxing and waning moon on its sleeves. He was tall, about the same height as Gyuvin and Jiwoong, and his hair was strikingly gold in color, making his features look even sharper and more regal. He had the aura of an angel, almost ethereal, like if Gyuvin reached out to touch him he might disappear into wisps of smoke.
“Kim Gyuvin of Meteor Court,” Gyuvin said, inclining his head politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The blonde cultivator’s voice was soft and refined when he spoke. “Ricky Shen of Moonrise Palace. It’s nice to meet you.”
Comment