"Oh! Senior Brother Long! Are you here for the noodles?"
I smiled at the young outer sect disciple who usually manned this stall and shook my head.
"No. I want some Steam Buns today."
"Of Course!"
The disciple quickly moved about the stall, making fresh Steam Buns for me while utilizing his full force as a Qi Refinement realm cultivator.
In this world, Cultivation is divided into six major realms.
Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, and finally the Void Refinement realm.
While there are realms higher than this, as is classic for any Xianxia novel, the Void refinement realm is the pinnacle of this world for now, since the Spiritual Energy has been on a decline for thousands of years at this point.
Of course, all of this will change when the Protagonist walks into the picture and goes through the usual shenanigans, leading to the Spiritual Energy revival and all that.
But that is a future that has nothing to do with me.
Right now, the only goal I have is to be a Salted Fish, as they used to say in the eastern countries back home. Simply put, to laze around and enjoy life for what it is.
Where was I? Oh, right, Cultivation.
As Cultivation is a central part of life for most people in this Sect and for most of the other powerful forces in the world, it makes sense that privilege and status come to those who have personal strength.
For example, let's take this sect. The Heavenly Sword Sect. Quite the generic name, I know, but there is nothing I can do about it unless I become the Patriarch, which I don't plan on doing, ever.
In this sect, we have mortals, regular people who can't cultivate due to various reasons or those who are in the Qi Refinement realm's 1st and 2nd stages.
After that, we have Outer Sect disciples who are usually in the Qi Refinement realm's 3rd stage, all the way to the 9th stage. Once they reach Foundation Establishment, they can participate in annual tournaments to promote to Inner Sect.
The Inner Sect is where those who are in the Foundation Establishment realm and above stay.
Why do I say that the above Foundation Establishment must also stay in the Inner Sect and not the Core? Simple. They need connections and recognition to become a Core Disciple.
Classic nepotism at work.
It is the only reason why Yao Xin and I are part of the Core disciples despite the girl being only at Foundation Establishment and me being in the Core Formation realm.
Yao Xin is a favored daughter of the Yao clan from the Empire, while I am the Third Prince of the Empire.
Like I said, classic villain setup.
I ignored the sympathetic looks I was getting from those around me and started eating the steamed buns that the disciple served me, relishing in the otherworldly taste that even something so simple has.
[!@#$##@ InCreased: +1]
I dismissed the damned notification from the bugged system and went back to eating. This damned thing always pops up whenever I am doing anything, and since I can't make heads or tails of what the notification is actually saying, I didn't really care about what those notifications are about. At this point, I immediately dismiss them the moment they appear.
Once I was done, I put down a low-grade spirit stone as payment and headed out, once again ignoring the various looks I was getting.
Why am I getting so many strange looks from the disciples? Well, that is quite the story with a lot of twists and turns.
Long story short, they all think I went insane after a certain event that happened a week ago.
An allegation that I can't exactly deny, since I suspect the same thing, what with me talking to myself like this and making a running commentary on everything around me.
Solid evidence for insanity right there.
Fortunately, despite being insane, I am still a Prince and a decently powerful Cultivator, so nobody dares to cross me in this Sect, leading to quite the peaceful stay for me.
"What to do~? So many options~!"
I walked around the Sect, searching for something to pass the time and escape from the responsibilities that come with my position.
Just as I walked by the entrance that led to the back mountains, the place where various dangerous Demonic Beasts were kept, along with a certain someone, I grinned with anticipation.
"Right! I forgot all about that one."
With my mind made up, I took out my flying sword artifact and pumped it full with my Qi, shooting forward at speeds that would put a commercial jet to shame.
Technically, as a Core Formation realm cultivator, I can fly under my own power, but I am too lazy to do something that strenuous, so I still prefer to use my flying sword.
Within minutes, I arrived at my destination. A rather large cave carved into the Mountain that none of the Demonic Beasts here dare to approach.
"Xiao San~ I am here to play~"
The only reply I got was a rather comical whimper, followed by the presence I felt within the cave receding even more.
Instantly, I felt my annoyance peak.
"You better come out here by yourself, or don't blame me for treating you like I did with Xiao Yi, and Xiao Er, and then replace you with a Xiao Si."
Xiao San, little three, finally relented at my threat and ambled out of the cave rather timidly.
For a Demonic Roc that has achieved Nascent Soul a long time ago, this little guy is far too timid.
Granted, it might be because I killed, seasoned, and cooked his previous predecessors, Xiao Yi, and Xiao Er, because they annoyed me too much under Master's orders, but still, he should have some pride as a Nascent Soul-level Demonic Beast.
The moment half his body appeared out of the cave, I latched onto his wing and dragged him out completely, making him whine in panic.
Fortunately for him, I don't plan on eating him, yet.
Letting go of his wing, I got on his back and grabbed his feathers.
"Come, take me to the city."
Without hesitation, the pathetic Nascent Soul realm Demonic Beast took off and headed straight for the city that existed at the base of these mountains.
Just how did I manage to manhandle a Nascent Soul ream Demonic Beast like this? I don't know. I guess I was always naturally stronger. Either that, or the Demonic Beasts within this sect are pathetically weak.
Whatever the case may be, I don't really care about it. As long as I get to do as I please, the means don't really matter to me.
And for now, what I want is to disappear into the city before Master manages to find out that I am missing and have successfully escaped my responsibility in helping the Sect with preparations for the Sect Recruitment.
Of course, aside from escaping work, there is another purpose to this excursion.
To avoid the Protagonist who is going to be recruited into the sect today.
Instead of getting face-slapped by some nobody who was lucky enough to get a grandpa in a ring, I would rather spend the day happily indulging in the culture of this world.
Speaking of.
"Xiao San, go down over there, near the gates, and don't you dare fly away or expose yourself until I return."
The Roc nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice. Satisfied with his answer, I swiftly headed into the city and headed straight for the entertainment district.
Time to play to my heart's content!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Author Notes:
Xiao San= Little Three.
Xiao Yi= Little One.
Xiao Er= Little Two.
Xiao Si= Little Four.