As the spiritual ship descended, the vast sprawl of Jade City came into view. From above, it was a sight that caught even the most reserved eyes. Roofs gleamed in the sunlight, pagodas stretched high with golden bells that rang faintly in the wind, and canals cut through the city like threads of silver, busy with decorated barges.
Jade City serves as the heart of the Cloudwater Sect’s sphere of influence. Most trade, missions, auctions, and exchanges with outside cultivators pass through this city, making it the sect’s center of commerce and administration. Although the sect’s mountain headquarters lay elsewhere, many regarded Jade City as its true capital.
Yu Liang, Wei Feng, and Xiao Fei leaned against the railing of the rear deck, watching in silence. Xiao Fei’s mouth hung open as he pointed excitedly at a large building glowing faintly green.
"Is that... a cultivation guild hall?" he asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
Wei Feng, usually quiet, could only nod, his eyes fixed on the crowd below. "There are a lot of different kinds of people down there, too."
Yu Liang looked as well, but without the same wonder but there was a glimmer in his eyes. He had seen Jade City before, though not so close. The initial awe had long since faded for him. To him, it was no longer just a grand city. It was a place filled with opportunities, a market waiting to be understood.
The ship touched down gently onto the large stone landing pad. As soon as the deck stabilized, the peaceful sky was filled with noise from the town below, metal being forged, hawkers yelling, shouts of selling.
Ling Tao and his female companion, both outer sect disciples, led them off the ship. Senior Brother Luo Chen didn’t bother with words. He stepped into the crowd, silver robes distinct even from a distance, and disappeared into a nearby building.
Ling Tao stopped and turned. "Alright, you three," he said flatly. "Follow us. We’ll take you to your quarters. Tomorrow will be busy, and Senior Brother Luo wants us rested."
They made their way through the crowded streets. Wei Feng almost bumped into a cart, Xiao Fei turned his head around so much he almost dislocated his neck while trying to take everything in, and Yu Liang walked silently, already planning how to get to the nearest high end markets and pill shops.
After what felt like both a short and long walk, they reached a compound enclosed by a stone wall. It wasn’t large, but it was well kept. A sign by the gate read, Cloudwater Sect Jade City Lodge.
Inside, the compound was split in two. On one side stood a multi story building with a courtyard and garden. On the other, a row of plain, single story dormitories.
"Our rooms are here," Ling Tao said, pointing to the main lodge. "Inner and outer disciples stay in this building. There’s a kitchen, training space, and a proper courtyard. Your rooms," he added, pointing to the other side, "are in the handymen quarters."
None of the three responded to this. That was exactly what they had thought would happen. In the cult, it’s power that rules and determines hierarchy and privilege. It is always like this with handyman disciples who rank lowly in the sect. This was nothing new.
At their dormitory, they put down their small bags. A young boy, servant of the lodge, came by carrying a jug of water. Xiao Fei, curious as ever, spoke up.
"Hey, young master, what’s it like working here?"
The boy smiled politely. "It’s fine. We make sure the rooms are clean and that everyone is taken care of."
Wei Feng asked, seeing him answer, "Do you also provide services to the inner sect disciples who come here, just like senior brother Luo Chen did?"
"Oh, yes!" the boy said eagerly. "Senior Brother Luo Chen has the best suite on the top floor. He has a private balcony that overlooks the whole city, and a bath that uses spiritual spring water directly."
Xiao Fei and Wei Feng stared in disbelief. Spiritual spring water baths were far beyond anything they had known.
Yu Liang also spoke. "What about the outer sect disciples?"
"They stay on the second floor," the boy explained. "They each have their own private rooms. They can order what they like from the kitchens. There’s even a cook for special dishes, like Fire Tailed Sparrow from the south that’s on today’s menu. Of course, they have to pay for it."
Wei Feng’s face tightened. Xiao Fei fell quiet, his earlier excitement dimmed. The difference was clear, it once again confirmed that even among disciples, status meant everything.
"And us?" Wei Feng finally asked, his voice low.
The boy glanced at them, a brief look of pity crossing his face. "You’ll stay in the handyman quarters. We keep them clean and stocked with water. You’ll get one meal a day from the main kitchen, just the basics."
Yu Liang also felt envy like the others, but his conscience was clear. He knew his talent was poor. The sect had given him a chance, yet he hadn’t improved, so he remained a handyman disciple. Still, they hadn’t thrown him out, since the sect needed workers. Even so, there was a limit, those who showed progress could rise in rank, that was simply how the world worked. Others grumbled with jealousy, but Yu Liang understood his place. An orphan who had survived three years as a handyman disciple, he had matured early and learned to accept reality.
It’s just that he didn’t react outwardly. This was what it had always been, strength brought privilege, weakness didn’t.
He had no illusions about his place.
He looked at his hands, rough and worn. They had fetched water and swept floors, but they had also gathered spirit stones quietly over time. His path wasn’t through talent, it was through careful planning and the strange system he had been given.
"We should rest," Yu Liang said simply. "Tomorrow will be a busy day."
Wei Feng and Xiao Fei didn’t argue. They lay down on their thin mats, silent and disheartened.
Yu Liang remained awake, staring at the ceiling. To the others, the divide they saw today was a wall that could never be crossed. To him, it was only another barrier, one that could be worked around. He would use his position as a handyman not to complain, but to move unnoticed. The city was full of resources, and he would take them step by step.
He wasn’t aiming to prove anyone wrong. He only wanted to climb. And tomorrow, after the day’s labor, his first stop would be the city’s richest market, where his real work would begin.