A lonesome green dot appeared in the creamy blue sky, accelerating through it, and suddenly grew as it drew closer.
The green dot transformed into a giant eagle with a wingspan of more than ten meters.
Two cultivators were sitting on its back, enjoying the breeze passing through their bodies, soothing their souls.
The shrill sound of wind tearing could be heard whenever the Eagle flapped its wings.
The people sitting on it were none other than Ruel and Sia.
Having been discharged already, Ruel was being dragged back to the sect by his sister.
Looking at the ground below his feet, Ruel was lost in thought.
'Unlike me, she really is a prodigious monster.'
'Having tamed a storm eagle at this age is a great feat in itself.'
With a sigh coming out of his mouth, Ruel let this matter down.
The ride was flowing quite smoothly as they were inside the domain of human lands now.
A temporary peace that could be broken at a moment's notice.
Ruel had grown up in war, both literally and figuratively.
He loved the peace, yet wasn't accustomed to it.
He couldn't handle the burden he had brought back on his shoulders from the future.
Yet there was no way forward other than this, he couldn't rely on someone else.
He was the only person he could rely on.
What could someone else think when he tells them this?
No one would believe the words of a child,
Is humanity on the brink of extinction?
The most venerated Saints dying?
Demon kings descending on the world?
Bunch of bullshit.
And even if they accepted his words, how much could one person with no knowledge of the future do?
Instead of this, Ruel would do it himself, what was this burden compared to the life he had led?
It was just a meager feeling, a feeling which could be suppressed and killed as he advanced.
The first step to Ruel in all this was Spiritual Roots.
With the awakening of the Spiritual root, an aperture also forms around it, covering it in a sphere.
It protects it from the outside world, only letting spiritual energy inside and outside.
It worked just like a semi-permeable membrane.
The roots worked like a tree, nurturing the spiritual energy in the aperture and forming it.
It didn't literally form spiritual energy, instead, it absorbed it from outside the body and regulated it according to the cultivator's body.
Sia was bringing Ruel back to the sect for only one reason.
Determining his spiritual root.
A person could only awaken their spiritual roots in sects as it required root stone, a rare mineral found only in some special places.
Every sect in the cultivation world had strict rules implemented on their disciples in the case of spiritual roots.
Just as a person becomes or is at the peak of the Qi cultivation, they should be brought back to the sect.
There was a rational reason for this strictness as the mineral required a large amount of spiritual energy.
And with the scarcity of the root stones and the scarcity of those special places, every one of them was a treasure to guard.
Only when a person awakened their spiritual root, could they be called a full-fledged cultivator.
They were the basis of every cultivator, all spiritual energy from the heaven and earth could be absorbed by it.
With a sudden jolt, Ruel woke up from his thoughts.
They had finally arrived at the sect.
Storm Eagle's speed became lesser, the nearer it came to the ground.
Landing on the ground, Ruel and Sia jumped outside of its body.
Petting and caressing the Storm Eagle's head, Sia said in a lovely tone, "Thanks for the ride, Haruki, here, have this."
Throwing a big piece of jerky in the air, Haruki caught it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.
Looking at it one last time, She made a hand seal, as if reacting to it, some blue particles came near the Eagle's body, covering it.
And just as they came in contact, the 4-meter-long eagle disappeared in thin air.
Ruel's eyes widened, somewhat astonished with the she technique had just performed.
Looking toward Ruel, Sia said with a smug smile, "Oh, it is your first time seeing this."
What Sia had done was an advanced technique tamers learned.
It could store their summons in another dimension that supported their growth.
It was one of the toughest techniques to learn for any tamer.
Not replying to the provocation Ruel, entered the sect through the big gates.
The sect had huge gates, with many disciples patrolling the surrounding area, some were going out for hunting, some for missions.
Overall, every sect in the world was busy like this all day long.
'Starry Sky Sword Sect'
Those were the words written on top of a name board placed above the gates.
There were mainly 13 major sects in the world with only some small ones.
Every major sect was led by a Saint, in this case, the starry sky sword sect's sect leader was none other than the most powerful Saint of humanity.
Sword saint.
That title defined it all, he was unparalleled in the dao of sword.
The first barrier and spearhead to humanity's survival, the most powerful person to exist on these plains with only his sword by his side.
He had been alive for more than a couple of thousand years.
His mere presence was thwarting the plans of calamities in the world.
The sect under this man's leadership wasn't just all talk.
The Sect had a highly competitive and challenging environment, but it offered unparalleled opportunities for growth and advancement.
By mastering the sect's techniques and skills, and by accessing its vast repository of knowledge, disciples could advance through the starting realms with just time, effort, and a bit of talent.
Entering through the gates, Ruel let Sia guide him to the place where he will awaken his spiritual roots.
Even though Ruel had his past life's knowledge, it would have been too inconspicuous for him, a disciple just at the peak of the Qi cultivation realm, to know it.
Some steps away stood a grand altar, made of polished jade and surrounded by flickering candles. At the altar's base was a circular array of runes, etched in glowing silver, which seemed to pulse with a faint energy.
Rusty weapons were buried around that altar, with some steles holding their pieces of clothes.
It was a tribute to the people who lost their lives at the forefront of the battlefield.
It was the highest honor a person could be given after their death, other than giving their family support.
Beyond the altar, rows of stone benches formed a semicircle around a raised platform, where the announcements were addressed to the disciples during important times.
It currently stood empty, with no one to be seen near it.
To his left, there were training grounds that stretched for many kilometers, with his right side having chambers for the disciples.
Despite the austere surroundings, the sect seemed lacking, but this wasn't even the real start of it.
The real grounds were deep inside this territory.
What Ruel had entered was just one of the entry gates.
Here, they taught mortals about cultivation and other important knowledge they would need in their life as a cultivator.
Passing through many people, Ruel looked towards the altar.
Sitting on his knees, he performed a bow to the fallen souls.
Hardening his resolve more and more.
Standing up after some time, he moved from there towards Sia.
Prompting her to go to the place where his spiritual roots would be determined.
Just like that, Ruel moved for more than twenty minutes while discussing things with Sia until they finally stopped at the inconspicuous building.