Chapter Five: The Mortal World

“Nothing but a bandit,” Song Changsheng muttered discontentedly as he straightened his rumpled robes, having been thrown out of the grand hall. He was inwardly annoyed with himself for getting carried away—he knew his fifth uncle was as miserly as they came, yet still had to run into him headlong. Now, he’d learned his lesson.

Returning to his courtyard, Song Changsheng wasted no time and immediately began weaving formation banners. The art of formations required foundation stones, banners, engravings, and spiritual veins. To set up a great protective formation for the clan, a permanent array, all of these were indispensable.

Of these, engravings and banners could also be used separately. For instance, inscribing array patterns on magical artifacts endowed them with special functions and enhanced their quality. Yet more commonly, banners paired with engravings were used—such formations were known as temporary arrays, notable for their low cost and swift deployment.

What Song Changsheng needed to do now was to weave a new set of first-tier banners. Setting up a first-tier formation required twelve banners. Depending on the array master’s level, the finished formation would fall into one of four grades: basic, intermediate, superior, or consummate, corresponding to stages of cultivation.

Song Changsheng was always thorough in his preparations—even though he already had a set of banners, he wanted to make another, just in case. Weaving banners was painstaking work, demanding utmost patience and focus. Thus, the remaining hours slipped quietly by.

“Changsheng, cousin, it’s time to set out!” At dawn, as he finished his morning cultivation, a youthful voice called out to him. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw four people approaching—two elders and two youths. One of the teenagers was waving at him.

Song Changsheng quickly went to greet them, clasping his hands respectfully to the two elders at the front. “Nephew greets his uncles.”

One was tall, the other short. The tall one, Song Luding, was over seventy and had reached the consummation stage of Qi Refinement. He served as an elder in the clan’s Spirit Testing Hall. The shorter one, Song Luzi, was just past fifty, at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, also an elder in the Spirit Testing Hall.

“No need for formality, nephew. These are Changjiu and Changying, descendants of your fourth great-uncle. They’ll be joining us this time to broaden their horizons,” Song Luding said cheerfully, indicating the young man and woman by his side.

“Greetings, cousin Changsheng.” The two saluted. Song Changying was composed and gracious, while Song Changjiu kept sneaking curious glances at him, his eyes brimming with wonder.

As Song Changsheng returned their salute, he also sized them up. Both were fifteen; Song Changying had reached the fourth level of Qi Refinement, Changjiu the fifth. Though both lagged behind him, they were still quite accomplished among their peers.

“It’s getting late. Let’s be on our way,” Song Luzi said abruptly.

“Indeed, let’s make haste and return swiftly,” Song Luding agreed, nodding. With a wave of his sleeve, a large paper kite appeared before them.

Qi Refinement cultivators could not yet ride swords to fly, so they often used flying shuttles or paper kites as conveyances. However, such magical artifacts were difficult to craft and required mid-grade spirit stones for power—a single mid-grade stone could be exchanged for a hundred low-grade ones, making them prohibitively expensive for most.

“Wow, so this is a paper kite! I’ve never seen one before,” Song Changjiu exclaimed, poking and prodding it like an inquisitive monkey, occasionally letting out odd yelps.

Song Changying immediately turned away, her expression saying, “Don’t look at me, I don’t know him.”

Watching Changjiu’s antics, Song Changsheng couldn’t help but recall the first time he’d watched his father wield magic—he’d been just as awestruck.

The five of them boarded the kite. Song Luding gently guided his spiritual energy, and the kite flapped its wings, soaring into the sky toward the endless expanse of forest on the horizon.

The cultivation world of Great Qi lay in the southernmost reaches of the human domain, officially known as Nanchuan Wildlands, or the Southern Continent—the youngest of the five great human territories.

Its lands were dominated by mountains and hills and was renowned for its scarcity of cultivation resources. In all the Southern Continent, the borderlands like Great Qi were the most desolate—mountain ranges and hills everywhere, but precious few spiritual veins.

When the Song clan began, its numbers were small, and Mount Vastness was sufficient. But in less than two centuries, the clan’s mortal population had swelled to the tens of thousands, far beyond what Mount Vastness could accommodate. Moreover, the mingling of immortals and mortals brought many inconveniences.

Thus, the third clan leader, Song Yungui—a Purple Mansion cultivator—led the effort to carve out a new settlement for the mortals. After careful deliberation, they settled on a small plain four hundred li from Mount Vastness, and it took the whole clan over a decade to make it habitable.

But human flesh was coveted by both demonic cultivators and monsters. To protect the clan, Song Yungui oversaw the construction of seven cities. These were arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper, each with several first-tier spiritual veins beneath it, and a second-tier vein at the center.

They invited a third-tier geomancer and array master to link these veins, creating a vast third-tier lower-grade formation called the “Seven-Star Mountain Lock.” Though lacking a third-tier spiritual vein, the formation could still withstand an assault by a Purple Mansion cultivator for several hours—enough time for the clan to send reinforcements.

Later, when the clan no longer had a Purple Mansion cultivator to preside, the current patriarch, Song Xianming, further strengthened the defenses by integrating the “Black Tortoise Mountain Seal”—a lower-grade magical treasure left by Song Yungui—into the formation as its core.

With a skilled array master at the helm, it could stand toe-to-toe with a Purple Mansion cultivator, becoming the very symbol of the clan’s strength.

———

The paper kite sped along, encountering no reckless monsters on its way. Four hundred li passed in half an hour.

“Wow, cousin, is that the Demon-Reflecting Mirror? They say even demonic cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage cannot escape its gaze!” Song Changjiu gawked at everything with the wide-eyed wonder of a country bumpkin in a grand estate.

They hovered in midair, gazing down on all seven cities. At the center, a massive glazed mirror hung suspended, shining brightly—this was the Demon-Reflecting Mirror Changjiu referred to.

“It’s true. Without it, who knows how many demons and monsters would have infiltrated this place?” Song Changsheng nodded.

“Incredible,” Changjiu said, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the floating mirror.

He was an incorrigible chatterbox and clown—by now, no one was surprised by his antics.

Song Luding steered the kite directly into the city, landing in the central manor.

The city’s governor and his officials had long awaited their arrival; before the kite even touched down, a crowd had already knelt, chanting, “Greetings, Immortal Masters!”

Though it was his first time witnessing such a scene, Song Changsheng found the stares of these people rather unsettling.

Song Luding said mildly, “Please rise, everyone. We are all of one clan—no need for such ceremony. I am Song Luding, the overseer of this Ascension Gathering.”

The middle-aged governor rose and cautiously asked, “Immortal Master, when will the gathering begin?”

Song Luding glanced at Song Changsheng before replying, “In three days’ time. Go and make your preparations.”

The governor led his people away. Though he longed to speak further, he knew better than to overstay his welcome; it was best to perform his duties well and leave a good impression.

After the crowd had dispersed, Song Luding turned to the others. “There is still time. Find yourselves a room and settle in. Changsheng, I must trouble you to pay respects to the Fifth Elder on our behalf.”

Song Changsheng was overjoyed. “Understood, uncle!”

…