"Come to my residence. Your disciple token will lead the way."
The message was short, but it was all Damien needed. He had been anticipating the teachings he could get from his new master for an entire week.
It wasn't simply due to his new master's strength or status, but the fact that someone with the same affinity as him was going to teach him.
This was someone whose comprehension of space was undoubtedly leagues ahead of his, this much could be judged based even just on how Tian Yang teleported. Without wasting a second, Damien got dressed and left his residence.
The distinction between the three versions of disciples was made prominent even by their position on the mountain. Outer court disciples didn't have their own place. They lived within the Star City where many of the sect's other functions also existed.
This was a way to show that they genuinely didn't have any position in the sect. Even if they made it in, they didn't work to climb the ranks. But if that was what they desired, so be it.
The Star Mountain had a massive ancient staircase that spanned its entire length, from the very base to the peak. The staircase was made of polished stone and looked like something one would usually see at a shrine. As for its steps, there were thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of them.
After all, Star Mountain was massive.
The Inner court was slightly higher up the mountain compared to Star City, and the only way for outer court disciples to access it was by climbing this staircase.
There was an odd feature to it. Unless one's disciple token had a mark of authorization that allowed the disciple to climb the steps, they would feel a growing pressure with each step they took.
It was rumored that by the time one reached the Sect Master's abode, the pressure could even crush any normal Law Connection realm expert.
This both prevented outsiders from moving unabatedly within the sect and lower-status disciples from wandering where they weren't qualified to be. A part of the inner court examination was to climb these steps while bearing the pressure.
However, none of this mattered to Damien. He had the authorization needed to climb uninhibited. Reaching the grand archway that indicated the entrance to the inner court, Damien was met by two powerful auras that locked onto his body.
"Halt! What business do you have in the Inner Court, outer court disciple?" A loud voice came from the gate.
Although the pressure did weigh on him, it wasn't nearly strong enough to make Damien feel constricted. Raising his disciple token for the guards to see, he responded.
"I've been called to my master's residence."
The pressure he felt reduced by a large margin and was replaced by two waves of mana that scanned his token. Obviously, Damien wasn't the only one who could spread his awareness.
The two gazes stayed on the badge for close to a minute before receding along with the remaining aura suppression. "Alright, you may continue."
The gates to the inner court opened, allowing Damien to pass by. The scenery he saw was a massive improvement compared to the outer court.
Large pagodas intermingled with the trees of the forest, walkways and fountains decorated the scene. Even if it still looked like a small town, it was much less cluttered than the outer court. Not to mention that the quality of the ambient mana had increased.
But Damien didn't pay any attention to this. He just continued walking until he reached the staircase leading to the core court before repeating the same procedure.
After another scan of his disciple token, he was allowed entry once more. However, the core court truly stunned him.
There were only a few dozen residences within his immediate vision, but they were all grand enough to be the most expensive mansions on earth. The flora of the mountain was much more lively here as well, with the plants actually seeming to have gained sentience.
Damien didn't know why the plants were so tame even after gaining a sense of self, but he assumed that the sect had cultivated them to be so.
What took his attention, though, was once again the ambient mana. If the ambient mana at the inner court was a 10x increase in density and purity compared to the outer court, the core court was a 100x increase.
The mana was insanely pure to the point where Damien could genuinely feel its weight on his shoulders as he walked. It was like wading through shallow water, except the entire atmosphere felt like that.
Damien continued forward, looking around for the residence he was supposed to go to. In the distance, he could see the expansive palace where the Sect Master resided.
Not too close yet not too far from it, he saw another residence that didn't quite fit the rest of the core court's ambiance. It was a small pagoda the size of a two-story house. It looked simple and comfortable, like something an average family would live in.
Yet, that was his destination. It was the residence of the Grand Elder of the Celestial Star Palace.
'As expected of that old monster' Damien thought as he reached the house. He felt that this setup would fit the "playing pig to eat the tiger" saying very well if not for the old man's status within the sect.
Without even needing Damien to announce his presence, the door to the residence swung open, revealing a plain room with minimalistic decoration.
"Welcome, Damien. This is where you will be spending most of your lessons with me, so get used to it. However, we will not start right away. We need to wait for your senior sister to arrive."
"Eh?" Damien exclaimed. Senior sister? Well, he didn't know anyone here and hadn't made any enemies, so he calmly waited until she arrived.
He didn't need to wait long, though. Within a few minutes, a crisp voice resounded through the room.
"Master, why did you call me here? You know I am trying to have a breakthrough in my Yin element."
Damien felt that the voice was somewhat familiar as if he'd heard it before. Yet, the tone of the voice didn't nearly match what he had heard last time. Due to this, he didn't expect to see the person he saw when he turned around.
The two of them locked eyes, and the woman's gaze immediately chilled. "What're you looking at?"
That was the tone he had expected. It was cold, arrogant, and held a slight tinge of disgust.
"Hm? Well, my master just told me I'd be meeting my senior sister, so I turned to look at her." Damien responded with a deadpan face.
This girl might have been arrogant, but he didn't lose out in this department. It was just that he usually tried to push down his arrogance by keeping his eyes on the taller mountains.
But he didn't like the way this woman always seemed disgusted by his presence. He literally did nothing to offend her, but he was receiving this treatment? He wouldn't take such a slight lying down.
Damien's sarcastic answer clearly pissed the woman off more, and as the two glared at each other, Tian Yang smiled in amusement.
"Damien, meet your senior sister, Xue Ruyue."
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