136 Fire Dragon Sec

At the group of carriages and carts continued, they passed through a small town. The walls surrounding the town could only be described as ordinary wooden fencing one might see on a farm. Cultivators wearing bright red and orange robes patrolled the area, likely as part of long-term Fire Dragon Sect missions.

As the group travelled down a wide stone road, they passed rows of old fashioned buildings made of wood and stone. It was as if they had travelled back through time to the medieval era. Any people near the road that saw the carriages stopped what they were doing and respectfully bowed, not daring to lift their heads until the carriages passed them.

"What are they doing?" Ed questioned as he stared out the window.

"Showing respect." Tai replied. "Though we generally stay out of their lives, they know who is responsible for their current safety. Not only that, but they view us as deities and immortals. Many of them hope for their children to be accepted into the sect, and so they are careful to not offend us in any way."

"I See." He nodded. "And does the sect actually recruit them?"

"They do." Tai nodded. "Once a year, we assign missions to cultivators that are capable of checking if a human has a mana-core. They travel to all the cities, towns, and villages in our provinces. Any children that are capable of cultivating fire are sent directly to the Fire Dragon Sect. If they can't cultivate fire, then they're given the option to go to one of the other sects that specializes in their element or the option to become an honorary member of the Fire Dragon Sect. Of the eight sects, seven specialize in just a single element. This makes teaching easier while also fostering a strong community for the cultivators."

"What about the Purple Origin Sect?" He questioned.

Tai waved his fan towards his face. "The Purple Origin Sect is a bit special since they're the only sect that accepts cultivators of all seven elements. Typically, they won't recruit an ordinary human unless their mana-core holds at least five elements. Other than that, they often recruit geniuses from the other sects even if they don't meet the five element minimum."

"And the other sects are just okay with this?" Ed replied.

"They are." Tai nodded. "Not only is it considered the highest of honors, but it allows the cultivator to obtain better education and training. It also allows for the individual sects to obtain more political power. Any cultivator that switches sects will usually still have a great degree of loyalty to their original sect. So, if your sect makes up the majority of the Purple Origin Sect, then you have far more control over the decisions made at the highest levels of government."

"Sounds like a mess that's just waiting to implode on itself." Ed sighed.

"True." Tai agreed while continuing to wave his fan. "Only Fang Chonglin manages to hold things together. Of course, the Purple Origin Sect has its own core geniuses from their occasional recruitment, and they likely make up some of the strongest cultivators in the country, but they are few in number. Quality can't always make up for quantity."

Ed smiled. "So, where does the Fire Dragon Sect stand in the rankings?"

"Naturally, we're the strongest behind the Purple Origin Sect." He grinned. "In fact, our members make up over 20 percent of the Purple Origin Sect. So, you could say we're pretty well respected."

"Is that right?" Ed replied, half-wondering if Tai was just shamelessly bragging or not.

The journey continued as they passed through multiple towns and cities, each just as ordinary as the last. Occasionally they stopped to trade out horses, but Ed couldn't help but wonder why they didn't just capture some strong mutants to speed things up. Perhaps it related back to the cultural difference of the Chinese wanting to keep things simple.

Finally, after nearly two days, they arrived at their destination.

"Ugh, it smells like sulfur." Ed frowned as he covered his mouth.

"Haha." Tai laughed. "Of course it does. Do you think it's called the Longgang Volcanic Fields for nothing?"

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue while looking out the window. "What kind of masochists would choose to live in a place like this?"

Just beyond the stone road were a series of crater lakes. They were filled with clear blue water, and steam continuously rose from them. It might be more accurate to describe them as natural hot springs. Lush green trees and plants surrounded the lakes, making them look like miniature gardens of Eden. But as they continued deeper, the crater lakes became uglier, and soon, they were replaced by volcanic lakes filled with reddish-orange lava.

The smell of sulfur continued growing stronger. Some of the lava lakes were eerily calm, while others bubbled like giant pots of boiling water. Things continuously grew hotter and dryer. Fortunately, the stone road wasn't affected much by the heat, and the horses could continue forward.

Finally unable to withstand his curiosity, he turned to Tai. "Why would your sect choose such an awful place as their base?"

"Awful?" Tai smiled. "You just don't understand the benefits. As someone who walks the paths of fire, you should surround yourself with it as much as possible. Not only will this strengthen your connection with the element of fire, but it'll also allow you to master the paths of fire faster. It's only natural we'd set up shop in such a holy land."

"Is that so?" He rose an eyebrow and nodded, but internally his thoughts were in complete disagreement. 'Hopefully the Purple Origin Sect is better. This place is a hellhole. No wonder Tai seemed so comfortable in the cage. With lava everywhere, he probably felt right at home except for the color being different.'

Moving past the lakes, they reached a towering black wall. The wall was even taller and wider than that of a city, and Ed couldn't see the end of it in either direction. Sharp spikes jutted out all over the wall, and it took a moment for him to realize it was actually made of obsidian. They soon reached a pair of open gates lined with guards. Tai held his jade medallion out the window as they passed, and the entire group of carts and carriages easily entered.

Once inside, it was as if they had entered another world. The smell of sulfur and the dry miserable heat were both gone. Modern buildings made of concrete appeared, along with fancy restaurants and shops. Other than a lack of skyscrapers, it looked like a fairly typical city. They even had paved roads with steam wagons speeding along them.

"What happened to the traditional life style?" Ed questioned, surprised by the unexpected change in scenery.

"Well..." Tai half-smiled while sighing. "Once you get used to technology and the city life style, it's pretty much impossible to go back to the basics. The sect tried the traditional route at first, but cultivators can move around pretty easily. They'd go on long excursions out of the country and enjoy slothful lives in foreign modern cities. To stop them from wanting to leave, pretty much all the sects have become... like this." He waved his fan towards himself. "I have to admit, I might be tempted to move shop as well if we lived like the commoners. Fortunately, the sect is pretty flexible with these things."

'Hypocrites.' Ed thought. 'They live the highlife while ordinary people are farming fields with mediocre tools and living in wooden shacks. I guess things are the same even when they're different...' He sighed while shaking his head. "So, where are we headed?" He asked.

"Well, we've already arrived." Tai replied. "Every single person in this city is a cultivator or a family member of a cultivator. The headquarters is in the center of the city. Try not to be too surprised by it."

"Sure." He nodded.

The carts began to move in different directions as they went deeper into the city. It seemed Tai had made arrangements for his existing members to sell off his goods to various stores and merchants. However, all of the carriages continued forward, as they contained the recently recruited prisoners that needed properly inducted into the sect.

After an hour, the carriages stopped in front of a series of red and orange buildings. Stepping out of the cart, Ed's eyes widened in surprise. He looked towards Tai, who nodded in return. 'So, this is the Fire Dragon Sects headquarters...' The series of buildings were neither mysterious nor overly grand. Instead, they were fairly ordinary other than their bright red and orange colors, as well as the occasional dragon logo decorated upon them. If anything, it looked more like a university rather than a mysterious sect. The buildings were spread far apart, leaving plenty of open areas containing basic gardens. Bookish looking individuals hurried back-and-forth between the buildings, many having books tucked under their arms.

"Wow!" Flair shouted in delight as she stepped out of a carriage. "It reminds me of my old university, but it's so colorful!" She jogged towards Ed and Tai. "Can I go in and check things out?" She questioned excitedly.

"Not yet." Tai shook his head. "I need to get all of these espers processed and get you guys guest passes. Follow me."

Hundreds of espers exited their carriages and followed behind Tai like a massive mob. He kept a careful eye on them, making sure none strayed from him. Not that they were likely to try, as the cultivators within their sect were watching the foreigners with interest. While there were a few foreigners amongst the existing cultivators, they were practically nonexistent in comparison to the many Chinese cultivators.

They walked along paths paved with obsidian stones, which looked a bit odd in contrast to the surrounding green grasses and trees. They went through many twists and turns as they continued deeper into the sect, passing many buildings along the way. It was like a maze, and an ordinary person would most likely get lost within it. However, espers usually had stellar memory, so most of them had likely memorized the paths along the way.

Soon, they reached a tall black and red tower with a sharp roof. They all crowded inside, but the tower was more than wide enough to accommodate them all.

"Listen up!" Tai yelled towards the crowd while creating a flame dragon to lift him up above their heads. "This is the Fire Dragon Sect. Each of you will be processed one at a time as you head upstairs. Those with the fire element shall be directly inducted into the sect as probationary members. Most of you I have selected precisely because you have such powers. However, I know there are a few of you that chose to follow me despite not having any fire abilities. You will have two choices upon being examined. One, you can join the sect as an honorary member. Your privileges will be more limited, and you'll have less opportunities, but you're free to live in the city and will still receive some good benefits. Two, you can choose to join another sect more suited to your element. In exchange, that sect will trade us somebody for you or provide us another form of payment." He pointed towards a staircase on the right. "Now go, one at a time. Proctors are on the 2nd floor. Above that is just administration staff, so don't bother going higher."

"Yes, Mr. Long." A chorus of voices echoed. A horde of footsteps sounded as they somewhat orderly made their way up the stairs.

Tai turned to Ed and a few others. "Follow me." He turned around, heading up a different staircase to the left. As they passed the 2nd floor, they could see the horde of espers lining up in front of several individuals that were glowing with white light. They continued up to the third floor and entered.

This floor looked like an ordinary office, with desks, chairs, and paper everywhere. Tai stopped in front of a desk with an old man sitting behind it. "Hey, long time no see." He smiled.

The old man looked up from his work. "Tai!" He happily called out. "Finally finished your mission? Don't forget about your old friend when you become Sect Leader!"

"I won't, I won't." Tai laughed while waving his hand. "Do me a favor and help process these guys as guests." He pointed behind himself. "Ah, except for the tall one. Process her as a full member."

"Sure." The old man smiled while gesturing for Ed and the others to come closer. Ed, Flair, and even Tao were given small red medallions with Chinese lettering that spelt 'Guest' on them. Hina and Haru had also received the same medallions, as they had chosen to follow Ed instead of the crowd of prisoner espers. Though it seemed that Hina was really following Haru as opposed to Ed. Last was Rubi, who received a full-fledged member's medallion. The old man miraculously carved her portrait on it with a white light, and the sect leaders signature seemed to already be on the medallion beforehand.

"Excellent!" Tai smiled and thanked the old man. He turned to the others. "Let's go assign you guys some guest rooms."

The group left the tower, leaving behind the horde of espers that would likely take hours to process. Together, they travelled to what looked like a housing district. There were rows of mansions, many featuring their own unique colors and architectural designs. Tai walked past them before stopping in front of a three-story mansion decorated with the sect colors. "This is my place. You guys can stay in it for a few nights before we head out. The normal guest housing is far too ordinary, and I'd feel ashamed to let me good friends stay there."

Rubi's eyes sparkled. "I'll happily stay here! Ah, but what about my sister..."

"Oh, she should be getting processed with the others." Tai rubbed his chin. "She doesn't have fire powers though... there's a good chance she'll just join the Earth Dust Sect."

"Oh, crap!" Rubi panicked as she turned around and ran away, seemingly having forgotten all about her fantasies of staying in Tai's mansion.

"Ahem." Tai coughed into his fist in embarrassment. "Allow me to show you to your rooms. You'll find many outfits you can choose from in your closets if you feel like getting changed. We'll have dinner in an hour or so." He turned to Ed. "After dinner, I'll introduce you to my father, the Sect Leader. I think he'll be quite interested in meeting you." He smiled. "If you impress him, he might even want to take you on as his personal disciple."