The morning sun spilled soft golden light across the village, illuminating the dew-specked grass and casting long shadows that swayed gently with the breeze. Two boys cautiously approached the garden, their footsteps muffled by the soft earth beneath their feet. The air was alive with the scent of damp soil and blooming flowers, mingled with the faint rustle of leaves and the distant calls of waking birds.
Suddenly, a formation barrier shimmered into existence at the garden gate, its surface flickering like liquid glass. The boys froze in shock, hearts pounding in their chests. Enhui and Yiselie both jumped in fright, instinctively stepping back a few paces.
"Don't panic. Your father has informed me that you are coming here," a calm, resonant voice echoed from the barrier, vibrating softly through the morning air. The sound seemed to flow around them, gentle but commanding, like the tide pressing against the shore.
A moment later, a circular hole appeared in the formation barrier. Beyond it, a tall gate slowly materialized, standing at least twelve feet high. Its surface gleamed in the morning sunlight, engraved with intricate formation patterns that seemed almost alive, shifting subtly as if breathing. Embedded within the gate were twelve isotropic formation gemstones, their surfaces catching the sunlight and scattering tiny prisms across the ground like dancing sparks.
A man stepped forward through the gate. He appeared to be in his early twenties. His hair shimmered in colors like a rainbow, though streaks of white ran through it, as if some mysterious energy was slowly altering its hue.
The boys stopped, mesmerized. The gate was more beautiful than anything they had ever seen. Yiselie could not contain his wonder.
"Wow… this gate is beautiful!" he breathed, eyes wide.
Enhui nodded, equally awestruck. "Yeah… really beautiful."
Their gazes shifted past the gate and into the garden beyond. The trees stood slightly taller than normal shrubs, their trunks slender but strong, reaching around fifteen feet into the sky. Each branch was carefully trimmed, and the flowers were pruned into intricate, almost artistic designs. Everything blended together in harmonious beauty, as though the garden itself had been shaped by unseen hands to be perfect in every detail. The gentle morning breeze carried the subtle perfume of the flowers, mingled with the earthy scent of the trees.
"Are you the keeper of this, sir?" Yiselie asked, curiosity threading through his voice. He had never seen this man before, not in the village nor in any of the surrounding areas.
"Oh yes," the young man replied, his expression calm and kind. "I do keep this place, but that is not my real job here. That is for another time. All I can tell you is that your father said you two were about to select a profession to support your cultivation."
"Yes, sir," the boys answered in unison.
"But before you choose, have you enquired of God?" the man asked, his voice serene yet piercing, carrying a weight that made the boys straighten instinctively.
"No, sir," Yiselie replied. "My father just gave us the list of professions we should choose from, and he said we should pick a reliable one out of those lists."
"Well, he did say that," the young man said with a small smile, "but he expected you to choose and then enquire of God. That is why he sent you to me." His voice had a gentle cadence as they began walking deeper into the garden, following a path lined with smooth stones. "He has already tasked me with lecturing both of you."
"So… what should we call you, sir?" Enhui asked.
"You may call me Young Teacher," he replied.
"Ok, Young Teacher," the boys said together.
"I don't want you to call me teacher," he continued, shaking his head slightly, "because God will be your real teacher. My job is to help you find Him—or rather, to guide you to Him."
Sir… which rank of realms are you? Yiselie thought silently. His heart quickened. He must be incredibly strong…
"I cannot tell you," the voice responded in his mind, smooth yet firm. "It will affect your cultivation and make you eager. Remember this: the path is steady and patient, yet not slow. Many have rushed and died due to impatience." His voice hardened slightly, carrying the gravity of experience. "Fantasizing about the outside world or the martial path is not wrong, but remember my warnings."
"Yes, Young Teacher," the boys said obediently.
"Good. Now I will explain to you the meaning of Mortal Realms," he said as they walked toward a gazebo hidden deep within the garden. The structure was nestled among trees, sunlight filtering through its carved wooden beams and flowering vines. A gentle mist curled around the cobblestone path, softening the light and creating a serene, almost magical atmosphere.
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The Mortal Realms
"The Mortal Realm," Young Teacher began, "can also be called the Above-Mortal Realm."
"At the first rank, you should be able to run faster, see sharper, and hear more clearly than any mortal—or at least up to or slightly below their peak."
Enhui frowned. "But isn't that disappointing? The first rank of the first realm of cultivation can't even surpass every mortal?"
"Yes, you are right," the teacher nodded. "But this world is vast. Some mortals train their bodies from birth. Some run faster than dogs and warhounds using only their physical strength."
"Wow… I never knew humans could be capable of this," Yiselie said, astonishment clear in his voice.
"It shouldn't surprise you," the teacher replied. "Many train from birth. Some live in jungles their entire lives. Strength appears in many forms."
He continued, his voice steady and rhythmic:
"The second rank makes you faster, stronger, surpassing dogs and warhounds.
The third rank makes you as fast as an ostrich.
The fourth rank as fast as a cheetah.
The fifth rank nearly doubles the speed, strength, and your senses highten to 200 meters
The sixth rank matches the dive speed of a peregrine falcon.
The seventh rank doubles that speed and greatly enhances senses and strength.
The eighth rank allows you to travel one thousand meters per hour.
The ninth rank strengthens your body enough to bend three thousand kilograms of iron and travel more than three thousand meters per hour."
They then continue discussing about the martial Cultivation world and how really vast it is.
The then gazebo came into view, bathed in the soft golden light of the evening sun. Vines swayed gently around its wooden beams, and small petals drifted lazily through the air. Inside, a tiny, colorful beast was playing, its movements quick and playful, almost like a streak of living rainbow.
"Uh… how did Xin Yēlālěng reach here?" Enhui asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"Oh, that beast's name is Xin Yēlālěng," the teacher replied, voice calm and gentle. "What a beautiful name, isn't it?"
"Yeah… it is. Where did you get it from?" Enhuu asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
"I took it from the Holy Scriptures," Yiselie explained. "It means 'a great heavenly city.' It was a hard decision. I pondered for days on what to name it, until God appeared to me in a dream and said it represents a great city in the heavenly realm. So I named it Xin Yēlālěng."
Enhui furrowed his brows, thinking. "But… how did he get here?"
"Oh, he jumped out of my hands while I was petting him as I was about to enter the house—no, that's not what I meant. I mean, how did he pass through the barrier?"
"Oh, that's true," Enhui said, eyes widening. "Shouldn't the barrier prevent anything from entering?"
"Yes," the teacher replied, "he bypassed the formation stones barrier."
"Uh… how is that possible? I've tried breaking barriers in the past. They were unbreakable no matter what tools I used. I even tried digging into the ground, but the formation is actually a sphere. It just appeared as a semi-sphere because the ground blocked the view of the barrier."
The teacher smiled faintly. "I meant he passed through the barrier as if it doesn't exist to him."
"Wow… how did he do that?" Yiselie whispered, awe in his voice.
"I'm not entirely sure," the teacher admitted. "But I think he is the manifestation of all formation gemstones in the form of a beast, a living thing."
"Wow… where did your dad see the beast?" Enhui asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Oh, he just bought it from the Martial Cultivation Pet Store. He saw a strange formation pattern and purchased it, hoping the beast might be a special type."
"But… have you forgotten? The Eternal God said it was He who guided her to my dad to purchase it," Yiselie said, remembering.
"Oh, yes," Enhui seemed to recollect. The teacher then nodded. "Well, it is no surprise to me. After all, the Eternal God made your dad purchase it. So, by calculations, it should be special in some way."
The boys climbed the steps to the gazebo. The teacher gestured with his hand toward two tables arranged neatly in a row. "You can sit, both of you," he said.
Yiselie and Enhui sat cross-legged in front of the tables. On them were three sets of books: one blank, one the Holy Scriptures, and the third a Martial Cultivation book. Beside them lay a single feather, pristine and glowing faintly in the almost evening sun.
"Xin Yēlālěng, come here," Yiselie called softly.
The little beast leapt gracefully into his hands. Yiselie laughed, stroking her soft, colorful fur. Enhui reached out his hand to pet her as well, but she playfully bit his finger.
"Ouch! You little beast! You always look for trouble. I will not buy you tboa meat. Taboa meat was made from high martial cultivation wild beasts that were killed. Not only are they beneficial to martial cultivation to the point that if eaten for a week a martial cultivation will have a Forty percent chance of raising their cultivation rank by one, they are also really sweet, making it a sweet delicacy which everyone wants to get a piece. Even as they are expensive, people still are trying to get hold of it by offering higher prices. Enhui was only able to lay hands on it because they are usually prepared as high-end medicine, so Enhui's father asks for the meat in payment or, when the meat is booked, he collects a little piece of it and pays with money. When I come next time!" Enhui exclaimed, laughing through the pain.
Xin Yēlālěng jumped from Yiselie's hands to Enhui's, curling against him as he started petting her.
"You have such a beautiful beast, yet you don't treat her to delicious meals every time, only once in a blue moon. If I were her, I would have left your side long ago," Enhui said, a faint smile touching his lips.
The evening light seemed to linger around the trio, the soft breeze carrying the gentle rustle of leaves and the faint scent of flowers from the surrounding garden. The tiny beast twitched her colorful ears and yawned, settling comfortably into Enhui's hands as if she belonged there entirely.
If you find flaws in the story please comment on it, you know, it is not easy to write a novel
2."I'll be posting a chapter per day. On days when I don't upload a chapter, the next day will have two chapters. However, I'll be posting 7 chapters in a week."
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