The Spirit testing held at the village meeting hall ended, and there are only two kids who passed the test. The village chief felt sad that there are only two, while the cultivator is extremely surprised that this village managed to produce two when there are small cities that can't even produce one cultivator candidate.
But he didn't voice out his thoughts and let the old village chief do his own thing.
The cultivator told Minnie and Jun to stay along with their parents since he wants to discuss something with them.
While waiting for the cultivator, Jun and Minnie, along with their parents, anxiously wait inside the meeting hall.
Not long after the mysterious cultivator arrived, they stood up to greet the man.
"Take a seat, all of you."
Jun and the others followed.
"The two of you passed the test, and that means you possess a spirit root," the cultivator said.
Jun and Minnie smiled excitedly, but their excitement soon turned into confusion.
"What is a spirit root, mister?" Minnie asked innocently.
"It is part of your body that connects you to the spirit energy of this world; you will learn more about it when you start your cultivation journey," he answered.
"Speaking of cultivation journeys, since you both possess a spirit root, I will offer you an invitation to follow me back to the faction I belong to, to properly cultivate and become an official cultivator like me." The man finished his words, but the hall was completely silent.
"If my son follows you back to your faction, can you ensure his safety?" Jun's mother asked.
Jun is stunned by his mother's words.
"Cultivation is an act against the heavens, so I cannot always be by your son's side, but along the way I will ensure his safety and make sure he arrives at the faction's grounds without a scratch if that is your concern," the man honestly answered Jun's mom.
Minnie's parents also revealed looks of relief when they heard the man.
Jun's mother smiled at the man.
"If that is all, I will wait for you two at the village entrance two days from now," the cultivator said and left.
Jun's mother and Minnie's parents did not question the Cultivator's identity since they trust the village chief; he is a knowledgeable man who once traveled the lands in his younger days, and they are right to trust the Cultivator since the moment he arrived at the village, the chief checked his background.
The Cultivator even presented a document that has the seal of the land's royal family, vouching for his identity.
Since in this world the cultivators rarely interact with normal people, only to recruit potential cultivators, and cultivation factions have an agreement prohibiting them from involving themselves with the affairs of the normal humans unless it is a catastrophic event that harms their survival.
...
Jun and his mother are now walking towards their home; no one is saying anything they are just walking in complete silence.
They finally arrived at their house.
"Wash up while I prepare dinner," Jun's mother said with a smile on her face.
Jun nodded at his mother.
At the dinner table the two of them are now still eating in silence.
"Mom," Jun broke the silence.
"Hmmm?" His mom looks at him.
"Is it really okay with you if I go with the cultivator?" Jun asked.
"Why, don't you want to?" she asked.
"I do want to become a cultivator, but what about you, Mother?" Jun asked with worry in his eyes.
Jun's mother smiled with teary eyes.
"You are still not in the position to worry about me; just do what you want to do, and if you one day miss me and the village, then go visit us."
Jun nodded at his mother's words.
After they finished eating, Jun went to sleep while his mother prepared the things he will bring on his journey.
Time passed in a blink of an eye, and it is already the day for Jun and Minnie to leave the village and pursue cultivation.
Jun walked towards the village entrance with his mother; no words were spoken, but he knew that his mother was extremely sad about letting him go.
When they arrived, Minnie was already there with her parents waiting for him along with the cultivator, the village chief, and some of the villagers who wanted to say goodbye, and among those people were Jun and Minnie's friends.
"Are you two ready?" The cultivator spoke.
"Yes, sir," Jun and Minnie said at the same time.
"That lets us be on our way," the cultivator said, and he walked out of the village with his horse, followed by two seven-year-old kids.
When Jun's back started to disappear, his mother whispered.
"Who would have thought that our son has the potential to become a cultivator?" She then looked up with a smile on her face.
...
The group of three walked in silence; the only sound you could hear was the rustling of the trees and the singing birds, and it continued like this until the sun set.
They then choose a spot to make a small campfire to cook dinner and stay for the night, but this is all done by the Cultivator.
"Go eat." He handed Jun and Minnie a bowl of potato soup each.
They ate dinner in silence.
After eating, the two children washed up and were preparing to sleep in their makeshift tent when the Cultivator called them.
"Do you need anything, sir?" Jun asked.
"Since we will be a part of the same faction in the future, just call me senior," the cultivator said.
"Yes, senior," Jun and Minnie said.
"Good, good," the cultivator said.
"Now let me introduce myself. My name is Gregory, and I am a tier 4 cultivator and am in charge of member recruitment in this kingdom, but because of unfortunate events I was ambushed by cultivators from a rival faction and was gravely injured. That is how I ended up in your village," Gregory said.
"Senior, what is a tier 4 cultivator?" Minnie asked the question that is also lingering in Jun's mind.
"Cultivators are divided by their tiers, and the tiers reflect their strength. Tier 1 is the weakest, and it refers to people who just started their cultivation training," Gregory explained.
"So Senior is a powerful cultivator since you are in tier 4 already," Minnie said.
"That's where you are wrong." Jun and Minnie showed a confused look.
"My cultivation level at tier 4 is only average; the strong cultivators are those who are in tier 6 and above."
"What is the strongest cultivation level then, senior?" Jun asked.
"The highest cultivation level is tier 10, but we don't call them by their level; instead, we call them supreme lords, and they are the strongest beings in this world." Gregory's words shook Jun and Minnie's minds.
"Supreme lord," Jun whispered.
Gregory saw him and shook his head.
"Don't think too much about it; supreme lords are extremely rare. My faction doesn't even have one."
"What?!"
"Really?"
Both Jun and Minnie could not believe it.
"You think it is easy to reach the level of the supreme lord."
"I see," Minnie said.
"Then what is the level of the strongest cultivator in your faction, senior?" Jun asked.
"The strongest cultivator in my faction is at tier 8 and is called a Spirit Master," Gregory proudly answered.
"Wait, senior, what is your faction called, by the way?" Minnie asked.
"At the Thousand Pill Pavilion, we specialize in crafting spirit pills that cultivators use for healing or to aid their cultivation," Gregory answered.
"And since we are talking about the pavilion anyways, I will explain some of the important things you need to know so that when we arrive there, you won't appear as ignorant kids."
"There are three peaks back at the Thousand Pill Pavilion:the protector peak, the spirit garden, and the most important peak, the alchemy peak."
"The Protector Peak is where cultivators who train in the art of combat reside; they are also in charge of protecting the whole pavilion. The Spirit Garden is in charge of growing spirit plants used for concocting pills; it is one of the most important places in the pavilion. And the Alchemy Peak is where the alchemists reside and also where the concocted spirit pills are stored," Gregory explained.