The ship arrived in front of a mountain – or, rather, a cliff.
"This is our families' mountain, the Seven Steps Mountain, also called Seven Steps to Heaven or Seven Steps Cliff." An older member introduced to Jia Yi and the others.
He nodded, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the seven levels of the mountain.
It was truly split into seven stages, from afar looked like steps.
And the reason they called it 'Seven Steps to Heaven'? It's because the cliff was in the western part of the mountain, facing towards the west, its edge touching the lower green cloud in the west.
The distance was only that of a mortal's jump, as if a single last step would allow you to ascend to heaven, leaving the mundane world!
Of course this was only the outer appearance. There were various formations all around, hiding various things.
For example, Jia Yi saw a few symbols shining one each step, especially the last step. At the peak, the circular formation seemed to encapsulate the lake in the centre, hiding everything inside.
From the outside, it looked like a calm lake, but Jia Yi knew very well that this was just an illusion.
Unfortunately, his ability was limited to "seeing" the symbols, not to pierce them.
The ship flew and approached the second step, where it landed on a platform.
Huts were all around this platform, similar to the entrance of the valley. It had an open air, feeling less stuffing than the usual large buildings and pagodas one could find in other sects.
At least Jia Yi, a lover of nature, preferred this design. If that wasn't the case, why would his own temple be open, barely a few pillars to give it the appearance of a temple, but really just being pavilion.
Jia Yi and the others went down, this time, they didn't go to the huts but instead asked a nearby member "Cousin, do you know where the courtyard of aunt Miaoxue is?"
If you didn't know a person directly, no matter what their generation was, in the family, you would address them "Cousin" if they were of your stage, "Aunt" a stage higher, "Grandpa" another stage, and finally "Ancestor" to the highest.
Even if you knew them, you would most likely address them as such, except they were close relatives or had a close relationship with you, like Jia Yi's uncles and aunts.
The member didn't seem surprised. He was a guard of this area and had experienced this several times.
Thinking for a moment, he answered "Aunt Miaoxue resides in the yard A-17 in the third step. Go to that wall over there, it has a map of our seven step mountain."
Jia Yi cupped his hands in thanks before leaving, looking at the map.
And just as the guard had said, Miaoxue's name was marked on the third step's yard A-17.
Jia Yi walked to a reception and asked how to get to the next step. He was told to go to a larger hut a few metres away.
It seemed most people went and came from there.
Walking inside, he saw a reception and several doors to the left, from which cultivators came out, and several to the left, where cultivators entered.
He walked up to the reception "Aunt, I would like to go to the third step, is that possible?" he asked, unsure about how it worked, but having a speculation already, based on his vision.
"You three must be new! It's nothing special. This is our teleportation station, a short-teleportation. Every member is allowed to teleport three times a day for free, from then on, it costs extra.
Just wait in front of a door on the right (her right, Jia Yi's left), and enter once the door opens. You then press your badge on a small opening at the back, say the step you want to enter, then take it back. After three to five seconds, you will be teleported.
Only one person per room, and make sure to stand steady, as the first teleportation might take a toll on you. Especially you young lady, your cultivation is a bit weak, so you might experience a headache. Don't worry, it will disappear on its own after a bit." The older lady explained kindly.
Jia Yi nodded and went to the left.
The queue's were short, and he quickly entered. His two younger cousins walked behind him, seemingly wanting to take his room.
He smiled and didn't say anything, entering once the door was open.
Just as the lady said, there was a small carved out socket on the wall on the other side, exactly the size of his badge.
He looked at it and saw that in the depth, there was the symbol of the Jia family.
Putting his badge inside, it shined for a moment, before dimming. He said "Step Three" somewhat loud, before becoming quiet, as no sound came.
Unsure but trusting the lady's words, he simply took it back, then readied himself.
Before he could develop any fear, he saw a formation below him lighting up.
Just a moment later, not even a second, the light dimmed again.
The room looked the same, but at the closed door, he saw the number "3" on the top.
And, just five seconds after being teleported, the door opened automatically, barely giving him time to adjust.
Though to be honest, there wasn't much to adjust, so he just stepped out, waiting in front of the door.
This time, he was in a similar building, just standing on the left of the receptionist.
He only waited for a few seconds before Miaohu came out. Although a bit unsteady, he quickly calmed down.
Finally, Xianghe followed, this time, she was a bit weak, taking several seconds to steady and leave the room.
Jia Yi could already imagine the people on the other side complaining that it took too long.
Walking forward, he took her hand and helped her out, asking "Are you fine?"
"Yeah, it's just a slight headache and dizziness. Wow, after entering cultivation, I never became dizzy!" she was delighted instead of depressed, making Jia Yi laugh.
Xianghe on the side nodded repeatedly, agreeing with her. Although he didn't have a headache, in the first second, he was really dizzy.
Jia Yi thought about it and guessed this was the main reason why the family didn't send them into the sect before they became at least mid-stage cultivators. It would be even better if they only entered at the late stage. After all, he hadn't even realised he was teleported, and felt nothing at all, not even a slight dizziness.
Though this might be because of his strong mental power.