Before he knew it, Cain found himself on a barren mountain with colorful rocks littering the earth.
"Master... is this Origin Peak? It's so... barren."
"It is, but these rocks are called rainbow stones, and are incredibly rare. Origin Peak holds one of the only deposits of rainbow stone in the seven provinces." Fang Yuan was unperturbed; he simply lightly smiled, his eyes shut as always.
Cain was still confused. "But Master... what is this stone used for? Also, why is no one here to greet us?"
Fang Yuan scratched his head, "Well, I'm pretty sure rainbow stone is used for high-level crafting. We trade the stone with the Weapon Master Sect, one of the 5 Great Sects. I know we get a lot of our budget from it. As for why no one's here... Uh, I haven't recruited anyone; you are my first disciple."
A little embarrassed, Fang Yuan grinned awkwardly.
"..."
Cain was silent.
His mind quickly registered what his master had said. "Not even a servant?"
"Not a single one."
The two became quiet. The silence was killing Fang Yuan, forcing him to speak up.
"Come, Disciple, I will bring you to our abode!"
'I hope it's not made from rainbow stone....' Cain rolled his eyes.
Thankfully, the house was not built with rainbow stone. It was a simple, well-constructed house made from brick and tile; it even seemed a little high quality.
"Master... are other Mountain Peaks like this? Why are we living like mortals?"
"Silly Disciple, what's important is cultivation! Who cares about grand palaces? Come, we will do the official Master and Apprentice ceremony, and then I will check your body and find you a suitable technique!"
'My body requires a suitable technique? I haven't read anything like that before. Is it a secret of the cultivation world?'
Cain was still a bit green, even if he began to take on more dominant traits of his other self.
In truth, how the body starts in cultivation didn't matter, as the path of internal harnessing changed the structure of the body. Only if the cultivator had a special physique did there need to be a suitable technique, which is exactly why Fang Yuan wished to scan Cain's body.
The ceremony was quick; Cain simply bowed to his Master and accepted the rites, becoming Fang Yuan's disciple and ascending to the status of an Inner Disciple, one infinitely close to the rank of Core Disciple due to his master being a Peak Elder.
With the formalities done, Fang Yuan wasted no time bringing Cain to his cultivation room and proceeded to funnel his Spiritual Qi into Cain's body, checking every nook and cranny.
During this process, the two talked.
"Master, why did you pick me? I know I defeated the Grand Elder's Disciple, but you haven't had any disciples before me... so why?"
Fang Yuan's mouth crept into an amiable smile.
"Well, I wish to have a talented apprentice, one that can keep up and understand my sword arts. It would be incredibly hard to pass them down to someone untalented. I don't know if you noticed, but you harmonized with the Sword Dao in your fight."
'Dao... it's that word again....'
Hearing of Dao so much and never knowing of it outside this territory, Cain's curiosity brimmed hearing this exotic word.
"Master, what is Dao?"
Fang Yuan's smile brimmed. "I can explain it but it will be hard. It's something you should find for yourself, but I can give a general explanation."
Fang Yuan took a moment of pause in transmitting his Spiritual Qi; he thought for a moment before speaking, his every word filled with life and energy. "The Dao is the Path. Encompassing Heaven, the Dao is a road that branches infinitely. There are things like the Sword Dao. But ultimately, the Dao is the path people walk to become close to Heaven and themselves.
"The Dao is simply a word for the road you will take, using that road to complete yourself. I follow the Sword Dao, and even if I follow the Sword Dao, I am still walking my own path within the Sword Dao. Everyone is different; everyone will take their own path. The Dao is found within everything. There are myriad beings and myriad ways to ascend; the Dao is only a guide we use for our path."
'So the Dao is this place's word for Paths of Power? But it seems much deeper than that....'
Cain asked, "So the Dao is like a big road, and things like the Sword Dao are smaller roads, and on that road, you make your own road as well?"
"That is one way to make of it. But the Dao is up to your interpretation; that is why it is the Dao."
"I think I understand...." Cain brought his hand to his chin. 'Not really....'
Cain lowered his head and began to think as Fang Yuan continued his spiritual scanning.
Time passed, and Fang Yuan raised his disciple a question.
It was an abrupt question.
"Why did you kill your opponent?"
Cain jolted up; his Master's voice was cold and emotionless.
He couldn't help but reply sheepishly, "Why do you ask, Master?"
"Hah, it is simply my preference. I believe life is something that shouldn't be taken easily or without reason. People die, yes, but in certain instances, we have the choice to kill or not to kill. I believe that in this moment, we should better ourselves, making it better even if in a minor way.
"Too many people have died since creation, and so many more die today; I just find it nicer if we stopped staining the earth and instead lived peacefully. But I'm not a fool, I know that it's impossible."
Cain's eyes shined. 'Of course, it is impossible; as long as humans exist, peace will never last long. Greed lives in the hearts of all beings, something will stain the earth even with humans not being here... hah, Master seems a little pitiful...'
He sighed to himself but eventually became hopeful at his master's words.
Suddenly, a spark of red erupted from within Cain; it quickly maneuvered around Fang Yuan's Spiritual Qi and receded deep into Cain's soul.
Cain didn't even react, it was his master who made him realize something was up.
"I knew it!"
"What? Master, what happened?"
Fang Yuan stood up and shook his head. "There is an evil being living inside you; I almost caught it, but it escaped deep into your soul. Alas, I doubt it will show itself again."
"Evil being? Master, can you be more accurate?"
Fang Yuan frowned, "I cannot... I only barely sensed it; it's no wonder you don't know of it either. It's like a parasite; I fear you just have to live with it." He then added, "Don't tell anyone about this; I'll start looking for ways to exercise it. For today, go relax and regulate your spiritual qi; we will hold your first lesson tomorrow."
Cain bowed, "Yes, Master!"
...
It was late at night; Cain's consciousness was about to drift asleep, but a quiet and chilling voice woke him up.
(That master of yours is interesting. He actually sensed and almost harmed me.)
Cain didn't dare speak out loud and instead used his thoughts to speak.
'You were that evil being master talked about? Why don't you call master, master? You're going to be learning from him the same as me.'
(Hehe, I have no master; I'm more so eavesdropping and stealing the knowledge. I will never accept anyone as my master; I won't allow such chains to touch me.)
Cain was tired and became annoyed, 'Why are you even talking to me?'
(Just to let you know your master is a bit special. You got lucky, I'd say, but I also want to remind you to not slack off and to repress your status, especially now. You forget we are one being; my aura is burned into our status as a gatherer. When you use it, it gives off my aura and nature; that's how they found out about me.)
'Got it, can I go to sleep now?'
There was no response.
'Hello? Hello?'
There was only silence.
Cain finally realized he was being messed with, but he didn't even have the energy to make a fuss and just fell asleep.
...
"For our first lesson, I'm going to explain sword arts and sword spirits. Both are equally important when walking the path of the Sword Dao."
Cain sat cross-legged on Origin Peak, listening to Fang Yuan's lesson. Unlike before, this master of his seemed much more dignified today.
"Firstly, some background. Sword arts, also known as Sword techniques, are how sword cultivators properly use sword spirits, using their sword energy to enhance their weapons or send out attacks.
"Sword spirits are one of the many spirits that are not restricted by heaven and can exist from the 1st Tier to the 8th; it's even speculated there can be a 9th Tier Sword Spirit, but no one has ever seen a 9th Tier spirit, to begin with.
"Unlike Mythical Beasts and Demons, Spirits only have power in one domain, the energy they encompass. For sword Spirits, this is sword energy. There are many other arts alongside Sword Arts; there are even some for Beasts and Demons. Examples would be Elemental Arts from Elemental Spirits or the famous Charm Arts of the Charming Seductress Sect, one of the 3 Great Evil Sects."
Cain raised his hand, "Master, are spirits superior to the other two classes of Mystical Beings?"
"Yes and no, my Disciple. Spirits are powerful because they focus on one energy, but this can also be a weakness. Similarly, Demons and Mythical Beasts have powers in multiple domains but might not be powerful in a singular domain like a spirit. Thankfully, Sword Spirits are one of the most versatile and powerful spirits we know of, making Sword Cultivators heavily respected."
Cain nodded in enlightenment. He already knew some of this but Fang Yuan gave straightforward and in-depth knowledge, as well as answered a few of Cain's questions.
"So what exactly are Sword Arts, masters?"
Fang Yuan grinned, "They are like Immortal Arts, allowing you to do things like this."
Raising his arm, a blue arch appeared, and with it, the clouds suddenly split, and the sky parted in an instant. It was all swift and deadly.
The rays from above shined down on Origin Mountain, causing the lights from the rainbow stone to dye the sky in a myriad of colors.
It was breathtaking.
Fang Yuan continued as his apprentice was caught in a daze.
"Sword Arts only require a sword spirit, but some also require swords or even specific requirements like a 6th Tier Sword Spirit or knowledge in other Arts. My own Sword Art is called Heaven's Sword.
"This will conclude today's lesson; our next one will be in a few days. Since you are now my disciple, I will be granting you the Rank of Head Peak Disciple; take this badge and this Library Badge. One will give you authority while the other will allow you to go to the 4th floor of the library, where many Techniques and Immortal Arts are."
Fang Yuan tossed Cain the two badges. He couldn't help but smile seeing his Disciple's eyes light up. 'I hope to be a good master to you...'
He then added one final word.
"I know you have no weapon; I'll be on the lookout for one. Our next lesson will be me imparting my Internal Harnessing Technique so you can harness your first sword spirit. Of course, if you find another technique I am more than happy to let you learn it. I won't force you to follow my path; learning a Harnessing Technique will set your future path in stone after all."
With the lesson finished, Cain bowed to his master who left to complete his duties to the sect.
'This is great! With my current identity, I only have to do a few things for the sect. I'm now considered a valuable resource, won't be sent anywhere I could die! I should first head to the Library Pavilion and increase my knowledge base as I wait for Zhao Long's news!'
Cain quickly got a flying leaf and used his spiritual Qi to quickly descend the mountain and head for the sect.