64 Ruining The Sec (1/2)
Right before stepping out of the shadow though, Shin Sumi stopped, suddenly pondering about something. In a simple movement, she exchanged her green robes for orange ones. With magic it was much faster than a blink and soon her green robes were hidden in her bag.
She then walked rapidly from behind the arena wall, intent on making her way through the upper valley.
It was only then, in the bustling activity of disciples fighting and walking in small groups or alone that she realized that she knew basically nothing about the upper valley.
”Lan Hui was the one who showed me the ropes of the lower valley, but here... There is nobody I know besides Yue and Brother Fen.”
One landmark that Shin Sumi remembered was the arrival platform from the Rising Star Tournament. Heading there, Shin Sumi made sure to open her eyes wide, taking in all the sights, smells, sounds and feelings.
Between her breasts, hidden in the orange folds of her robes, the little nut seemed as impatient as her to discover another part of the sect entirely.
If the lower valley was still somewhat similar to a mortal city, it was completely different in this part of the mountain.
Everywhere Shin Sumi looked, she could see cultivators, not just people. Some were reading ancient scrolls, others simply walked around with swords spinning around them.
Magic was everywhere, the flow of Shinsoo unperturbed despite the bustling atmosphere.
”Wow, over there, what is that?!” Shin Sumi had just spotted a cultivator feeding what could only be a Devil Fox, a beast high enough to touch his chest with its head.
The Devil Fox had two bone horns poking out from between the ears, as well as three tails. It looked ferocious and impressive but in the hands of the cultivator from the Divine-Beasts Pavilion it was simply a pet.
On the cultivator's neck was a tattoo representing two horns, engraved in his skin with a dark red mark.
Shin Sumi had almost stopped to observe the scene better when the neck of the cultivator flashed with a vibrant orange color. In a very fast vortex, the Devil Fox spun through the air, sucked into the marking like a pile of dust in a strong wind.
Besides Shin Sumi, nobody was surprised to see such a thing happen. Everything was just common feats around here.
”Oi, Ken Dang, I'm over here! I need to ask you a favor!”
Just behind Shin Sumi a disciple with a long black beard interpelled somebody in the distance.
”About that plant growing formation that you said you had mastered... If I offered you a short sword and a Cleansing Spirit Pellet, would you help me with my Centenary Ginseng root?”
”So people exchange favors in the street just like that...”
The sense of community and being part of a whole was mind-blowing to Shin Sumi.
”Are these really the same people that would fight to the death at any occasion during a trial or for resources?!”
Coming from the Rising Star Tournament where unless you had enough strength you couldn't relax your guard at any time, the peacefulness of the upper valley was a drastic change.
Shin Sumi found the platform where she had caught a glance of Xiao Yue two days prior after more than an hour of leisurely walking through the sect.
Past the excitement of seeing the first new Liquid Realm cultivators come out of the trial successful, not many disciples were around.
The only groups left were those that were waiting specifically for a friend or a clan member, somebody they knew was still in the lower valley.
Waiting for the opportune moment, Shin Sumi only made her appearance on the platform when nobody was paying attention to it, by eyes or divine sense.
From then on, she would just have to act like she had just been teleported.
Motion sick from the 'teleportation' she had just 'gone through', Shin Sumi fell on her knees loudly, catching the attention of a young man that had been on the other side of the platform.
”Oh, an orange robed girl! That one surely isn't half bad to have arrived this early!” he said in a low voice before continuing out loud: ”Hey there Sister. Are you okay? Welcome to the upper valley!”
Shin Sumi looked up towards the young man who presented himself rapidly before answering her questions.
”From what I've heard, you're the fifteenth person to walk out from the trial. The first arrived two days ago and we can expect the late bloomers to finish in a couple of months at most!”
Shin Sumi nodded, acting much happier now about her ranking.
”Do you want me to take you to the Resources Pavilion? From there you'll get your rewards for your ranking as well as a jade slip allowing you to take a house for yourself somewhere in the valley.”
Great! Shin Sumi didn't even have to ask before the serviable young man already gave her the answers she was looking for.
The massive building holding the main center of resources distribution was a dozen or so kilometers away from the platform they were in, which made it close to the center of the upper valley.
But for Liquid Realm cultivators, what was a dozen kilometers except a short run. Shin Sumi even had to cut down her speed a bit to not arouse suspicions that she was already completely used to her cultivation level.
”Head in there and go to the clerk in a red robe, he'll help you. If you need any more assistance, you can send me a jade slip message. Or just ask for Juwen Xi at the Shinsoo-Medecine Pavilion! I'll see you later Sister Shin!”
Shin Sumi bowed rapidly, expressing her thanks before turning towards the Resources Pavilion.
”Hello? Is there anybody here?” she asked, unsure of what to do after she found the high ceiling room completely empty.
A bang followed by the screeching of somebody trying to pick up tens of scrolls and papers at once answered her.
”I'll be with you in a second, sorry for the wait!”
Shin Sumi's ears twitched. Hadn't she heard that voice before? Before she could find out in her memory, a young man walked up from hidden stairs behind the counter.
The face was indeed familiar, even after about two years had gone since she last saw him.
”Brother Azu?
-Green talented girl! Big Brother Wudao's protegee! You've made it into the Liquid Realm in no time, are you here for your rewards?!”
Shin Sumi answered affirmatively, happy to see someone she had already talked to once.
She remembered him, the second Immortal she had ever seen. Little Azu had been sleeping on the platform hosting the second test for entering the Dark Sky Starry Sect.
He was the first person to discover her supposed green talent when the nut touched the testing stele, hidden in her hand.
Little Azu took out a piece of jade on which were inscribed the names of the disciple that had already finished the Rising Star Tournament, all the while making small talk.
”So do you know which Pavilion you want to get in? With your ranking, there's bound to be room in any of the five.”
Shin Sumi thought about it. She knew she had three slots but still hadn't decided on which branch would be most interesting.
”About that... I don't really know what to choose, Little Azu. What is your opinion on them?”
Little Azu's smile turned more confident in the blink of an eye. Brushing his short hair machinally, his tone turned to that of a teacher talking to a kid.
”Well from my own experience... The Breaking Style is for muscle-heads. A cute girl like you isn't fit to be there, unless you want big bulging muscles everywhere and air in your head.”
What Little Azu said made sense to Shin Sumi.
”Then there's the complete opposite, the Shinsoo-Medecine. Becoming an apothecary isn't great for fighting but you get to learn a lot. The only other bad aspect is that your control needs to be on another level. It's not about power, rather about your ability to control Shinsoo to perfection in order to create medicine. Because I'm not good at fighting anyway it's the Pavilion I chose initially, but I got rejected when my teachers found out that I have no talent.”
Shin Sumi's face must have turned to worry or pity because Little Azu instantly dispelled her thoughts with a casual wave of his hand.