It was early morning when they met again, now a few kilometers away from the capital city. Aerthus simply made a hand gesture, and the ring on his finger, with a quick fsh, produced a slender, ship-like form to materialize before them, hovering in the air. It was big, shaped like a proper boat, but without any sails. Walking closer, noticing its surface, it wasn't hard to tell that it was made of a strange material, not wood, not metal, yet resembling both simultaneously.

  "Oh? Is it made from wood and CC mixture?" Ren walked up to it, touching the side of the ship.

  "Yes." Aerthus nodded, "The base is made from simple wood, but its pieces, before assembly, were soaked and coated with a special solution containing refined CC. After that, it was handed over to formation masters, who id down the main patterns and a master control for use."

  He kept expining as they boarded, arriving at the helm, where an ordinary-looking steering wheel awaited him; the only difference was that it lit up with a complex-looking, lightly glowing diagram the moment he put his hands on it. A moment ter, the whole ship trembled, and without a sound, it rose into the air, quickly ascending into the sky as they flew off, surprising everybody on board.

  "Oh!" Ren looked around, her eyes sparkling, recognizing the design. It was an idea once, coming from her disciple who always thought carrying others who can't fly was a nuisance. Even then, she set out to devise a flying vehicle that any cultivator could use... Yet, it was never ready, thanks to her perfectionist attitude. "Nice, so the formations are imbued with wind affinity? Or is it gravity-reted?" Ren examined it curiously, feeling proud and happy at the same time.

  "Both." Aerthus nodded, with growing happiness of his own, clearly readable on his face. "The tter is responsible for reducing the ship's weight, requiring less energy to maintain it on the course, while the former helps with speed and maneuverability. This basic, standard vehicle costs around eight to nine million CC. Depending on when or where you buy it."

  His words almost made Ren choke, as a cultivator could live happily for centuries back in her time for that amount. When she was a God, she no longer had to worry about money... Yes... Still, before that, it was always a struggle to have enough CC to cultivate, and the price Aerthus brought up invoked some bad memories she immediately suppressed.

  "There are types that are built for war." Aerthus continued, "They could reach hundreds of millions in price. Anyway, that is not important for us. For now, this will be just another means of travel as it is faster to fly a group of people with it than going one by one, especially those of you who are yet to reach Harmony and can't fly." He smiled, looking at Leinor and the others, still only at the peak of the body refinement realm.

  "What about the ring?" Isha asked suddenly, still eyeing his finger.

  "It is a storage ring, the same thing, only it is more expensive to make as the formation etched onto it." He expined, "And it can only be made by demigods. It maniputes space itself and has an independent storage realm inside it."

  "We could easily carry rations for the army if we had something like this." Xendar thought out loud, still acting as a general.

  "Yes, but don't keep it there for long." Aerthus smiled at him, "Time is still flowing inside; they can rot just as much as out here. Anyway, this is a medium-sized ring; it has around 50,000 cubic meters of storage space. The cost of buying is around... 200 million CC or more. Honestly, there is no market for it, as it is a highly sought-after type of item. It's rare because only Demigods can craft it... So usually, a ring is only made by either trading with them or if they gift you one."

  "Oh? Who gifted yours?" Dermitos asked with interest, but Aerthus just smiled.

  "Nobody. I killed someone for it." He answered with a smile. "It's my battle trophy."

  "Ahahaha!" Ren ughed at once, "I like you!" she said, fshing a thumbs-up at him, making the others just look at each other, even Carthus, who was usually reserved, as it was his… Forefather. When speaking to him, there was… etiquette to be upheld. Yet Ren was just as unbridled as ever... and even he had to admit, she had guts to be like that.

  "At my level, a fight to the death is a serious event. If I do it, I need a good reason." Aerthus grinned proudly, looking at them. "Well… he had a grudge and a ring that I could never get my hands on… so yeah."

  "What else is in there?" Leinor asked, also just as curious as his wife.

  "You will see~! Who knows, maybe if one of you becomes my apprentice, I could gift you some things-"

  "The ring." Ren cut in at once, "I want that. Give me that, and I'll call you daddy too." She pointed at his finger, making him almost bite his tongue while Xendar rushed up, pressing his hand on Ren's head, making her bow as the ship itself felt like it went over a big bump in the air.

  "I'm terribly sorry; I spoiled her." Xendar bowed at once.

  "Um… We are sorry." Anya came up too, bowing towards Aerthus while Isha was ughing so hard she was gasping for air.

  "Stop it…" Boursat whispered, coming up to her, trying to hold her mouth, but Isha just whined like a kettle.

  "You are a greedy little girl, are you not?" Aerthus grumbled, pursing his lips.

  "So?" Ren looked up with her eyes as Xendar still held her head down.

  "The ring is out of the question. If you beat me in the future, I'll give it to you. But I can give you this now." He fshed his hand, and a small pouch appeared, throwing it to Ren. "It has the same principle, but this is an inferior product with 10 cubic meters of storage space. Top-level harmony experts can make this if they have the correct diagram. Still, it is not something every cultivator can afford but is usually used by sects and their core disciples."

  "I want two!" Ren immediately answered with a happy expression, pcing it on her belt.

  "You!" Aerthus immediately facepalmed, then ughed, produced another, and threw it to her. "Something else? Speak now or never!"

  "Nyahahahaha! Nope~ This is good! Thanks, Master!" She winked at him, making everyone shake their head while Ren skipped to Leinor, tying the other onto his belt. "There you go, now we have a matching pair~!" She ughed and grabbed the surprised Leinor's arm, giggling like a kid, making Aerthus sigh with a smile.

  "What?" Zern's voice came as Isha just stared at him.

  "I want one too…."

  "Ugh… Well… so… um…” He gulped, but soon Isha just ughed at how easy it was to tease him.

  "Rex, I'm just teasing you!" She patted his shoulders. "We just need to beat them down and steal theirs."

  "That's even worse!" He moaned, looking at her pleadingly.

  "Hey, what if you two share one and pass one for me?" Reignar joined, "I also need one, especially for Orsi's stuff."

  "Eh? She was an orphan from the streets! What stuff? It's all for your stuff! Roofies, sex toys, whips, cuffs, and whatnot, huh?" Isha retorted at once.

  "Wha-? No! Really! Come on… What are you taking me for? Really?" He grumbled like a child as he crossed his arms.

  "A pervert?" came the answer from Ren, Leinor, Isha, and Zern, without missing a beat.

  "Ugh…" Seeing them so united, Reignar just faltered and soon lowered his head with a defeated expression.

  "What's up with you, Poli?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow as her disciple was spacing out at the ship's side, not even joining in on the fun.

  "Huh? Um… yes? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He turned back as he watched the clouds pass by with a bnk expression.

  "Damn… you are this lovesick?" Isha sighed while Ren walked up, tiptoeing as she tried to pat his shoulder.

  "Sorry, but rex; you will see her soon!" She whispered.

  "Ah? Eh? What? No, I mean it's not like that…." Poli stuttered while his face turned completely red as the others slowly started to comfort him while teasing him a little.

  "Ahaha! I see the first generation of my sect will be an interesting bunch~!" Aerthus chuckled, happily watching the youngsters, who were clearly rexed and not really bothered by the prospect of their lives changing drastically right before their eyes.

  …….…..

  The usual travel that took a few days in the past was done in only an hour or so. Soon, they descended from above the clouds onto Teardrop Isnd itself. As they cut through the clouds, the approaching, flying boat drew a lot of attention from both sides, as it was something they had never seen before. Hence, both kingdoms' militaries immediately began gathering and preparing their warships on the river, in case of an attack.

  The flying boat, however, ignored them, and it easily crushed the trees as it nded, thanks to the isnd being covered in thick, unkept vegetation. After everyone got off the ship and looked around, they didn't feel anything different or strange; it was nothing special in their eyes or senses, just an ordinary isnd in the middle of the river.

  "Now, are you ready to see what formations can do?" Aerthus grinned while the others gathered around him.

  After a few gnces, he cleared a spot from the trees and summoned a metal pte with a diameter of about three meters. It was covered with a dizzying amount of runes, abstract, interconnecting symbols, and writings in a nguage none of them could understand.

  "This is even more advanced than what I knew about… my dear student… You surpassed me already..." Ren chuckled inside her head, excited at the prospect of witnessing what Ophi came up with in the past two millennia.

  "This is a formation diagram from the highest level." Aerthus expined, "It was designed by Levictus and Lady Ophi... She became my son's master and was my informal tutor. This is why I said my son will take over the Formation Department; he is a gifted individual in this field."

  "Sect Head," Dermitos asked, already used to calling his Forefather that way. "Who is Lady Ophi?"

  "She is the leader of one of the strongest sects there." He answered proudly, "The sect itself is called the Lotus Manda Sect. And... She is an Immortal."

  It was the first time they had heard about it, and even the name made them gulp while Ren blinked her eyes quickly, almost ughing out of happiness. This meant that all his disciples made a breakthrough from the Demigod realm and went their own way, cultivating something that was not a God... But something... Entirely new!

  "What is an… Immortal?" Carthus asked, getting back the fire inside his heart that he had long forgotten about. The idea of advancing once again came to him suddenly... but it was a welcome change, because he was stuck at the first level of Harmony Realm for centuries, and even his son had surpassed him by now.

  "It is a realm above Demigods." Aerthus said in a serious voice, "I don't know much about it, but they are what I would call true immortals. We may live long, but sooner or ter, we will die. A Demigod's body can live forever, but if it is destroyed, the soul also disperses and enters reincarnation. An Immortal… They aren't like that at all... Their bodies are no longer just a body but... They are... I can only say that they are infinite."

  "How many of them are there?" Ren asked.

  "Only three are known, and they are the leaders of the strongest sects." He answered, "They were my mentors, thanks to Levictus. Their level... It is a realm they created, and they say their teacher was the Mad God who opened the sky and made it possible for them to carve out a new path. I was not talented enough to be taught by them, but my son is, so as a reward, they gave me tips and instructions over the years, which greatly helped me advance to the third realm."

  They were stunned by the revetion that their Forefather was deemed not talented enough to be trained by them... Carthus wanted to say something, but only a sigh came out, shaking his head.

  "Don't be disheartened." Aerthus smiled at the group, "Our slice of the world was poisoned by the belief in the Gods, and we have fallen behind. I had a reason to tell you to slowly push it back and let the religion fade out, but not interfere with the people's faith with force. But this is not yet something you need to be privy to... When you reach the same level as me, I'll tell you more; until then, it is an unnecessary distraction. For now, all of you need to focus on reaching the next level!"

  "What kind of disciples do they accept?" Ren asked curiously.

  "Only those who are talented in a special field." Aerthus answered, "They have a few direct disciples; my son is one of them, almost at the same level as me. As for their sects, each of their disciples is focused on a specific field, excelling in one skill above all others. If you want to know, their sect itself has more disciples in various strengths than you can imagine! The weakest ones that can be counted as true members of the sect, the inner disciples, are all minimum first-level harmony realm experts, reaching it at the 8th level. Anything lower doesn't make the cut." He expined in a strict voice, "The core disciples are all at the first level of Harmony and have reached it strictly at the ninth body-refinement realm. Anyone under that can never be promoted to a core disciple. To be an elder, you not only need to be at the third level of Harmony; you also need to possess enough achievements to distinguish yourself from others and have done enough things for the sect to be recognized for it. You have to be awarded an elder position... It is not something you can gain otherwise."

  "Holy..." Dermitos muttered, gulping after hearing it.

  "That's not all," Aerthus smiled at them, "You must be in the Demigod realm to have a say in the sect's future and be a core or even a grand elder. My sect is based on their structure... One day, we will be the same. Just you wait~!" He grinned, filled with a visible ambition burning in his eyes.

  "And what are we going to call ourselves?" came the question from Leinor.

  "Immortal Wonders Sect." He answered at once, "Because you will see such wonders here, nowhere else to be found in this part of the world~! Also, it is a catchy name that can grab the imagination of cultivators and make them join." He ughed while some of his descendants were twitching their mouths because of the naming, but Ren just pointed a thumbs up toward him.

  "Nice going, Master! So… what about the first wonder?" She asked as she kept grinning.

  "Ahaha, here. Watch this!" He ughed, pced down the big pte, and dropped a tiny bit of his blood on it. The moment it happened, the metal pte immediately lit up like a multicolored gate. "Get back a little!" Aerthus said as all of them rushed backward, hearing a cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoing out from within the pte.

  "Connection Established. Receiving spatial coordinates for transfer. Calcuting. Coordinates fixed. Beginning transfer."

  When the strange voice died down, rumbling could be heard from every direction; the slowly approaching warships from both sides immediately dropped their anchors to halt their advances along the river, as everyone watched, befuddled, as a massive light shot into the sky... Then, how it was repced, and a giant, nine-story-high, pagoda-like structure materialized from nowhere in the middle of the isnd. It was deep red, with jade-green roof tiles and golden dragon paintings around it, getting shinier and shinier as its levels kept rising. The whole transfer took less than a minute, yet long after the giant structure stood before them, they still stood there, mouths agape, watching it like kids seeing fireworks for the first time.

  "They made teleporting work… this is incredible, I knew it was possible, but the energies for it were never there before the Tear…." Ren murmured, also amazed.

  "What do you mean?" Leinor asked with a surprised voice.

  "Ah… in theory, this would be hard, and I can't imagine the work they put into it!" She cleared her throat, looking at him smilingly.

  "It took 600 years for them to complete the theories, develop experiments, and work out the quirks and mistakes." Aerthus said with awe in his voice, "They finished it only... Ten or so years ago. My son came in te, as Lady Ophi had been working on it for over a millennium, but with an on-and-off attitude. Levictus is… a bit… well… a strange kid. He was immediately drawn in by the prospect and spent his years only working on this." Aerthus scratched his head with a smile. "I have no idea how this works. Anyway, this is the Cultivation Block. The nine levels have different rooms, all made from special materials and etched with formations that concentrate natural energies for cultivation. On top of that, the st three levels are only for Harmony Experts. Weaker people would explode from the influx of energy... make sure to remember this or die on your own volition!" He warned them, "This will be the most visited pce in our sect as those who earned enough reward points can come in, choose a level and room, then cultivate with more efficiency than anywhere else."

  "So this is only the first building?" Boursat came to himself just then.

  "Yeah." Aerthus nodded as he fshed his ring again, and dozens more ptes materialized. "Setting up a sect is not easy. Lucky me, I have a good son~!" He ughed proudly, and soon, more buildings appeared from nowhere. It didn't take an hour or so for the previously uninhabited isnd to be dotted with majestic-looking buildings, scaring the onlookers mortals who no longer wanted to set foot on the now frightening isnd...

  …….…..

  "The st one has gone too." Levictus stood on a balcony of a thirty-story high pagoda's top level, watching the st building fshing with different lights before disappearing. "The experiment was a great success. None of the designed buildings was destroyed in the transfer."

  "Of course!" came the reply as Ophi approached him. "Who do you think made the transfer discs? Sadly, they are one-time items."

  "It's not that big of a problem. I am already working on a stable transfer method that can be used multiple times before it deteriorates. It will be able to transfer only human-sized objects in return."

  "That's good," she nodded approvingly. "I'm going to continue working out the method behind transferring living beings. It's still far from safe."

  "I heard." Levictus shook his head. "Last weekend, guts were raining inside the disciples' abode. Some are still struggling with bad dreams."

  "Tsk, what? It was just some cow intestines, nothing major. They have no problem fighting outside the sect, but when it's raining blood, they come crying? Nonsense." Ophi snorted, crossing her arms.

  "They did not dare to come and compin." He shook his head again, maintaining a calm expression, as it was rare to even make him flinch. "I'm more interested in where the rest of the cow nded."

  "Me too. But I couldn't find it. Maybe it was transferred underground. Who knows?" She shrugged her shoulders, no longer interested, "Anyway, congrats on your father's success. Who knows, maybe, ter on, we can recruit some promising children from your homend. If there is at least one of you there every hundred or two hundred years or so... it was already a worthwhile investment."

  …….…..

  It was already night when they were converging in the main hall of the sect. The main sect was now within its own walled-off area, set on an elevated base visible to everyone on the isnd. As for the gate, it had golden writing above it bearing the sect's name, Immortal Wonders, in Aerthus's handwriting.

  Inside its walls were multicolored trees, fake mountains, and artificial ponds already home to dozens of koi, while multiple pavilions stood around the sect's squares. If someone had watched from above, they would have seen a unique formation taking shape, serving a purpose they would not understand. From those, some pavilion was for storing resources, while another was the Library, still pretty empty, but soon it would be filled with the sect's future techniques and various manuals.

  There was also the headquarters of the different departments, still only empty shells but ready to be slowly filled up with the necessary equipment. In the middle was the main pace, where every member of the sect could gather if something important came up, and this was also the pce where, if the future Council held a meeting, they would do so.

  "Now I'm officially announcing the opening of the Immortal Wonders Sect!" Aerthus raised his wine gss happily, while the others returned the gesture with theirs. "It surprised me that we still did not receive any attacks, ahaha! They don't know what to do with buildings appearing from nowhere."

  "I think tomorrow there will be some harmony experts arriving, though." Xendar chuckled.

  "Yeah. I agree." Aerthus nodded. "This will be a perfect time to test out the Disciplinary Department." He looked at Carthus while speaking. "I thought about everyone's attitude and finding your best pces in the sect... Carthus, you are bound by rules and tradition. This can be good and bad at the same time. So, I want you to lead the future Disciplinary Department. We are still drafting the sect rules, but in the future, I want you to ensure it is held up."

  For a moment, Carthus was taken aback before closing his eyes and just nodding.

  "Yes, Sect Head."

  "You are still bearing the shadow of your father. This will be your opportunity to break out of it and show you are not like him, and you won't become a tyrant."

  "I thank you for the chance to do so." He cupped his hand, bowing again.

  "Also, Boursat."

  "Yes, Sect Head?"

  "You will be the department's Vice Leader. Your connection to your brother and Carthus makes you the perfect bance for him."

  "I understand, Sect Head." He bowed to him without question.

  "Mmm. Tomorrow you will entertain our guests; as there are still no disciples to help you, the youngsters will accompany you." He smiled at Ren and the others before moving his eyes, "Xendar."

  "Yes, Sect Head?"

  "You will be the Artifact Department's leader."

  "M-me?" He pointed at himself, surprised.

  "Yes. I studied your earlier invention with that coin; it is a rudimentary artifact. You have potential! I'll do my best to help you, even though I'm not proficient in it... So... You will need to come up with many things by yourself."

  "I… I understand, Sect Head!" He cupped his hand, while Anya just smiled beside him, happy.

  "Dermitos." Aerthus continued, "You will be the head of the Alchemy Department. Our bloodline is perfect for it. I am also well-versed in pill forging, so I'll teach you, and you will take it over ter."

  "Yes, Sect Head." He cupped his hands, clearly excited to learn something new.

  "The rest who reached Harmony Realm are considered Elders; you can ter decide which department you wish to be part of as Core Elders or stay just as Elders and work with the disciples when we announce their acceptance.

  "Even me?" Poli blinked his eyes, gawking.

  "You are at the Harmony Realm, no?" Aerthus asked back.

  "Yes… ah… ahahaha!" He ughed, looking at Isha and the others, but soon he shrank back his neck because of the pressure he received from their gazes. "Ugh… I'll think about it…." He murmured while the others just chuckled at the small, pyful scene.

  "The rest of you are Core Disciples; you can choose your masters. We can start focusing on cultivation when I finish filling up the Library and the Resource pagoda. Also, there is the st post." He looked at Ren.

  "Yes?" She blinked her eyes, a smile of expectation on her face.

  "Ahaha~! As my disciple, you are appointed as Head Disciple and on the same level as a Core Elder. But don't be so sure about your position! Every Grand Elder can have their own Head Disciple. Also, one Master can have multiple disciples... From this group of people, one will be chosen as the next Sect Head when I decide to step down in the future! If someone ter comes along who outshines you, they will inherit my Head Disciple position! So... keep working hard."

  "Ahahaha, of course! Don't worry, Master~!" She grinned with a pyful ugh.

  "Good! Now let's drink, and we can design the sect uniform when everything is settled."

  "Uniform?" a few of them asked at the same time, surprised again.

  "Of course! We need coherent clothing, so when we travel around the continent, everyone can recognize us~!" Aerthus ughed in a good mood, since this was what he had been pnning since he had toured the other side of the desert and seen how exciting life can really be.