"What's the difference between a cultivation school and sect, anyway? You guys are assisted in your cultivation, learn to fight, and other skills, too. Isn't it basically the same as a sect?" Aurora asked as she and Dawn ate a late dinner together.
"No, it's very different. You are being trained by the sect and will be part of it for the rest of your lives. Basically, the sect trains you to increase its own power. That's not the case for schools. I will graduate my school in a few years and will join society. So the school will train us to better our kingdom and usually aims to prepare us for a military career. You focus mostly on one-on-one combat, as far as I know, but we are educated in strategy and tactics, war history, group combat, and even how to be good leaders. There are also other paths, like medicinal alchemy, but the end goal is still for us to join the military. Which is what I intend to do when I graduate," Dawn explained.
"Military, huh? In that case, you have to be careful. There are rumors that there will be war soon and that it might be a big one. I don't know how grounded they are, though," Aurora said.
"Yeah, I've heard something like that before. But it's getting pretty late now. Maybe you should show me to the gates soon. But you must promise to visit us soon! You can't avoid us much longer now that I know you're here," Dawn said,
"I know. I'm swamped right now, preparing for the tournament, and we only get one weekend of free time every month. I'm pretty sure that's this weekend, though, so how about I visit you guys on Saturday?" Aurora suggested.
"In that case, I'll take this weekend off, too! We can go to our place after we finish working and you can stay the whole weekend. We'll have a sleepover, just like we used to when we were kids," Dawn said.
"Sounds perfect. I can afford to relax for one weekend. It'll be fun!" Aurora said, already excited. It had been so long since she'd seen her aunt and uncle, and she'd never even met her two younger cousins. The older one had been born shortly after the family moved to Rose city when Aurora's uncle had a well-paying job. The youngest one had been born a few months before the accident. Aurora saw pictures of them, but neither family ever had the chance to visit. Rose city was just so far away, and traveling was expensive due to the danger of the wilderness. Trains had to be protected by a group of powerful experts in case a monster managed to jump on the train, despite its speed.
Airplanes were far, far faster than trains, but that just made them even more expensive. And should there be a flying beast fast enough to attack it, the plane would need some very powerful defensive systems, adding to the costs.
Then there was also the time aspect. With a train, it would take almost a full day to go from Rose city to Northpeak and then another four hours to get to Angelview, the town Aurora grew up in. Flying would take about four hours, but then you still had to take the train to Angelview, as there was no airport there.
So traveling to visit was a luxury neither family could afford.
Aurora showed Dawn back to the brothel after they were finished eating. Dawn grabbed her bike and returned home, eager to tell her parents about the surprising encounter.
When Aurora went to elder Vara's home the next morning, she met a man she hadn't seen in a while. She had treated the house a bit like a second home for some time, never knocking before entering, since the women there had been so welcoming. Since Mura had been away from the sect for a while, it was surprising to run into him like that. What was more surprising, though, was the smile.
Aurora met the man the man on a few occasions, but the only time she'd seen him smile, was when he had taken her virginity. Seeing the normally cold man smiling at her was nerve wracking.
"Aurora, funny running into you here. Shouldn't you be at work?" Mura said.
"Elder Han, sorry for intruding. I am working at the brothel now, so my mornings are free. But its nice to meet you again. Did your trip treat you well?" Aurora asked, mostly to be polite.
"Yes, it was a good trip, all in all. There were some family matters I had to take care of for some relatives outside the sect, but its been wrapped up nicely, even though it took longer than expected. So, what brings you to my house this morning?" Mura asked.
"I'm here to train with elder Kiera. She's helping me with alchemy and swordsmanship. She's such a wonderful woman. I can hardly believe how kind she is," Aurora gushed. Every day, she wondered how she could have become so lucky. Vara was considered a genius in her own right, having broken through to the Core Building stage at the age of thirty-one. She was also very skilled in the sword and alchemy.
"I agree. But the sword, you say. I don't know much about alchemy, but I know a thing or two about using the sword. I'm free now, so if you want I can give you a lesson in elder Vara's stead," Mura suddenly offered.
"What? You would do that? I've seen you use your sword once, when you, eh, well, when you executed that girl who murdered one of our fellow disciples. Even though it was just one sword strike, it was very mystical, for a lack of a better word. It was like it just went through that girl's neck," Aurora said.
"You saw that? Executing people is one of the less glamorous responsibilities of my position, but it must be done. Murder among disciples can never be tolerated. But indeed, at my stage, even a casual swipe of the sword will be hard to comprehend for you. So, what do you say? Want to learn a bit?" Elder Mura asked.
"Yes, elder Han! Thank you so much!" Aurora bowed, absolutely ecstatic at this turn of events. Learning from Vara was good and all, but elder Mura was on a whole other level. He had transcended to a realm beyond Vara's and had a century to hone his skills.
"Let's go outside, then. Elder Vara is probably waiting for you," Mura said. The two walked to the courtyard, where Vara was waiting.
"Oh, Mura, what are you doing here? I'm sure Aurora could find her way here on her own," elder Vara said.
"I thought I'd help out a bit and give Aurora a few lessons," Mura said.
"You're going to teach her? That's unexpected, but by all means, please do," Vara said, stepping to the side.
"Aurora is a promising disciple, and since she's here, I might as well show her a few things. Let's get started, Aurora," Mura instructed.
"Yes!" Aurora responded, unsheathing her training sword and preparing herself for whatever Mura might think of.
"It's best if I get an understanding of your skills first. Show me all your techniques, then we'll take it from there," Mura said.
"Yes, elder Han!" Aurora said. She showed him the Severing Rose and Streamline Sword, and even showcased the Ten Limbed Warrior technique. Since the Ten Limbed Warrior technique used blades made from energy, it could be described as a hybrid technique, both hand-to-hand, and swordsmanship.
"Elder Vara has taught you well, but I still noticed a few things you could improve. Let me show you," elder Mura said. He spent the next few hours teaching Aurora, and before they knew it, it was time for Aurora's next class. But since it turned out it was a sword class, Mura told Aurora to stay with him, as it was quite refreshing to teach a student again. Thus, they ended up practicing until Aurora had to go to work.
Time continued to pass. Finally, the date for the disciple's tournament arrived. It was now the fifth month since Aurora arrived at the Blossoming Rose sect, and she'd went full cycle in the public sex department. She'd started her second turn at the modeling studio this week.
Aurora had visited her cousins the same week she'd reunited with Dawn. Everyone had been very happy to see her. However, Aurora's aunt and uncle had felt conflicted for Aurora about the sex work she had to do.
Aurora had decided to be upfront about it so she could be prepared for when she told her parents. Hiding it would be too difficult, as the ways of the Blossoming Rose sect were too famous, especially in Rose city. If Aurora worked in the brothel, it could only be because she was a prostitute. Dawn had already told her parents that they met because they both worked at the brothel then.
They still didn't know about Dawn's occasional prostituting, though. Still, Aurora could tell that they didn't like that their daughter worked topless. But since Dawn didn't let it bother her, and since she did it all for her family, her parents could only support her.
Aurora had spent the weekend with them, before returning to the sect.
A few weeks after that, about one week before the tournament started, Aurora broke through to the eighth level of the Energy Storage stage. But breaking through to the ninth and tenth levels would be much more difficult.
Aurora hoped she could do it before she turned nineteen, but perhaps twenty would be a more realistic goal. It was now May, and Aurora's birthday was in December, so she had seven months left. Breaking through to the eight level from the seventh had taken her three months. Having the two most difficult breakthroughs of her stage in seven months would be difficult, but not impossible. Still, she doubted she would be able to do it.
But for now, it was time to fight in the tournament!