Half a month passed, during which Meng Hao spent most of his time sitting cross-legged in the Sect’s Magic Pavilion, studying the ancient records. Now he had a much deeper understanding of the State of Zhao and the Southern Domain.
He had even discovered a hand-drawn map of the sprawling Nanshan continent, which showed the Great Tang in the Eastern Lands, the Northern Desert with its Qiang Di flutes, the Barbarian Western Lands, and of course the Southern Domain, where he was currently located.
The whole world was neatly displayed on the map, and its image was now burned into Meng Hao’s brain. The Southern Domain comprised a vast section of the Nanshan continent, whereas the State of Zhao was just a tiny dot on its perimeter.
“The Southern Domain is so big that it could hold thousands of the State of Zhao…” He looked out at the blue sky outside the Magic Pavilion, his eyes filled with a fascinated look.
“So it turns out that traveling to the Great Tang in the Eastern lands isn’t that simple. You have to cross the Milky Way Sea…” After a while, Meng Hao looked back down at the map, looking at all the four major regions of the Nanshan continent. The Eastern Lands and the Northern Desert formed a subcontinent, separated from which by a large ocean were the Western Barbarian Lands and the Southern Domain, which formed another subcontinent.
When the sun began to fall behind the western mountains, and dusk approached, Meng Hao rubbed his eyes, returned the map to its place, and left the Magic Pavilion. He looked off into the distance toward the east for a while, then turned and headed back to his Inner Sect Immortal’s Cave.
Inside the Immortal’s cave, the luminescent pearls inlaid into the ceiling emitted a soft light onto the light green walls. There were five stone rooms, and a gurgling Spirit Spring, filling the cave with dense Spiritual Energy. This was a perk available only to disciples of the Inner Sect. Meng Hao entered and sat cross-legged onto a slab of white jade. It was not made of Spirit Stone, but meditating upon it helped one’s mind to be clear, and was a relatively rare treasure.
This also was something only for Inner Sect disciples.
“Only Inner Sect disciples can truly be considered members of the Reliance Sect,” thought Meng Hao, quietly looking around. The light green stone walls were carved with various birds and beasts, each of which seemed to be filled with deep meaning. Even looking at them left one feeling refined.
“These are very different perks from those in the Outer Sect. This is in order to emphasize the outstanding qualities of Inner Sect disciples. Just like in the mortal world, there is a division of layers. By struggling, one can surpass the Outer Sect. After that, if one wishes to become exalted, one must become stronger!
Soon, dusk fell, and then Meng Hao heard a respectful voice from outside.
“Elder Brother Meng, Li Fugui from the foot of the mountain requests an audience.” It was the voice of a boy, a servant. After Meng Hao had joined the Inner Set, this boy had been assigned to help him care for his daily affairs.
This was yet another perk of life in the Inner Sect. At first, Meng Hao had a hard time getting used to it. He had never had someone waiting upon him before. But when he saw Elder Brother Chen’s servant helping him, it was easier to accept. However, he still held firm to his desire to grow stronger.
Only the strong can have power over others, and prevent others from controlling them. The law of the Cultivation world and rules of the Reliance Sect were the same. It was not reasonable or fair, but it existed, and that was the way of life.
Existence was truth. The world is fundamentally unreasonable, and naturally, there is no true fairness.
“Send him in,” said Meng Hao coolly. Filled with reverence, the young servant complied. After being assigned to wait upon Meng Hao, his very life belonged to him.
Shortly thereafter, Fatty entered, clicking his teeth and striding with long steps. This was not his first time to visit, but rather his third. Every time he came, he was filled with excitement. This was not a place Outer Sect disciples could visit without the consent of the person they called upon.
The young servant led Fatty in respectfully. Fatty looked around, rubbing his hands along various items in wonder, even the white jade slab that Meng Hao sat on.
“It’s not your first time here,” said Meng Hao with a laugh, watching him.
“Meng Hao, this place is just too amazing. Every time I come, I just can’t control myself. The Immortal’s Cave of an Inner Sect disciple. It’s a place of legend! You know, after the last time I came here, a bunch of Outer Sect disciples crowded around me asking all sorts of questions. I’m important now!” His body trembled, and it took a moment for him to stop thinking about it. He sat down in front of Meng Hao.
“If you’d like, I can request for Wang Tengfei’s Immortal’s cave to be given to you.”
“That… that would be incredi