THE PEAK OF OBLIVION - A Cultivation Adventure Novel

Chapter 16 - Burning Heaven Sect

[TPO #17] Chapter 16 - Burning Heaven Sect

After Rin and Aisha settled into their new environment, they decided to explore the room a little. Alric Greybird tagged along, all the while chatting incessantly. Aisha, meanwhile, followed Rin in complete silence. In truth, there wasn't all that much to see. Rin perused a few titles on one of the bookshelves but found little of interest. The books mostly related to the general history of Ravenwood City and the Burning Heaven Sect.

Although Rin was interested in learning about the state of this city and the different factions, especially the Ravenwood Mercenary Group, Rin knew the information he was looking for wouldn't be found here. After all, these materials were made available to any hopeful candidate disciple of the Burning Heaven Sect. It was unknown how many of these youths would even successfully pass the entrance trial.

Alric was an intelligent and talkative boy, but he didn't seem to get along well with many other disciples. However, he seemed to have taken quite a liking to Rin, and they became fast friends. Aisha, however, seemed totally indifferent toward the boy and everyone else for that matter. She silently followed Rin around like his personal shadow, just as she had done during their escape from the prison. Rin was beginning to feel a little concerned over her somewhat antisocial behaviour, but he said nothing.

Strangely, Alric Greybird seemed almost afraid of the silent and reserved Aisha. Whenever their gazes happened to meet, Alric would get a wide-eyed look and start to stammer. Because of this, Alric seemed to be doing his best to avoid looking at Aisha altogether. However, he still snuck the odd wary glance when he thought nobody was looking, as if he feared Aisha would attack when his back was turned.

Rin privately laughed to himself as he watched this odd dynamic play out, enjoying a rare moment of lighthearted amusement. After a week of surviving on the knife's edge, he finally was able to allow himself to relax slightly. Although his circumstances were still uncertain, this was a vast improvement from being constantly hunted down.

After the evening meal had been served, Alric showed Rin and Aisha around some of the public areas of the sect where candidate disciples were permitted. Rin was stunned by the sheer size and grandeur of the Burning Heaven Sect's territory. The more he saw, the more Rin understood just how narrow his horizons had been before.

Numerous buildings were scattered around, housing disciples, training rooms, material stores, and various other mysteries. One prominent building stood out from the rest. It was a towering pavilion with soaring eaves and marble pillars reaching nearly 100 metres into the sky.

[Living in the Endless Forest, I was truly like a frog in a well, unaware of the wide world outside...] Rin mused silently.

In the remote village Rin grew up in, the tallest building had only been a single-story, modest wooden cabin. If the entire village were placed inside the Burning Heaven Sect, it would not even cover a quarter of the central courtyard, which was only a tiny fraction of the sect.

Forested areas and bamboo groves covered much of the land, making it difficult to judge just how big this place was. It was as if they had stepped into an entirely different world from the bustling and crowded Ravenwood City. The Burning Heaven Sect even contained a small range of tall and narrow mountain peaks.

While Rin and Aisha were marvelling at the wondrous sights of the Burning Heaven Sect, Ren Tao was standing in a dimly lit hall. Sect Master Saeval was seated at the end of a large round table, hands clasped. He stared at Ren Tao with an unreadable expression.

Finally, Sect Master Saeval sighed and began to talk. "Ren Tao, what news do you bring me? How were you discovered? Were they able to determine your true identity?"