"Cough, it seems elder Zen had a long flight." The sect master coughed, trying to dispel the awkward air in the stand.
"Ah, yes, I had to use my energy to fly here from chiseled mountains," I responded with a smile.
That reminds me, I don't remember there being a courtyard there before. Was it newly built? My memories really are jumbled. I don't think it appeared when I ascended before, right? But everything would rest. I might check it later; I can't have anything ruining this life for me.
Even though I ascended, I did still keep tabs on the mortal realm, and some of the news brought back is not pleasing.
"... I'm sorry, did Elder Zen say he flew from Chisled Mountain?" The elder I corrected before asked with opened eyes, holding his beard.
I fear he might pull out his beard with how hard he is holding it.
"Yes, the longest four hours of my life, the flying sword actually got missing during the fa... I mean when it ran out of power and fell." That was close; I almost told them about the fall.
"Wait, you flew here in four hours!" Elder Sun was the one that spoke this time. Oh, and that elder I corrected is Elder Meng; he is apparently the best swordsman of our sect.
"Yes, I know it took so long; luckily I left early," I replied as I looked for a seat.
Right, there are no seats here, since sitting down would obstruct your view of the arena. Really, who built this place? i think i should recommend a colosseum inspector for the city; he lives in the heaven realm, a very nice guy.
... I think he is part of those that attacked me... You know what? screw him. i can inspect this place myself. First, i need a pointer.
"It seems our elder Zen is progressing quickly in his cultivation, hahaha." The sect master laughed heartily as he stroked his beard even more. the other elders looked at me strangely, of course , stroking their beards.
I don't get it. is it strange to fly that long? maybe they felt I was too slow.
This is getting annoying; just know that any elder we see from now on, and I call them elder, is stroking their beards.
"Elder Zen should really lecture me one of these days; i would love to know how he progresses in his cultivation so effortlessly." A captivating voice rang out, as we all looked to the entrance and saw another elder walk in.
Except for this elder, what convenient timing.
That was Elder Lian Li, the only female elder in our sect and also the oldest elder of our sect. some people her age would already be in secluded cultivation trying to live for as long as possible, since they were almost thousands of years old.
She was also my teacher and mother figure.
"Sure." I smiled.
I really love her; she always answered my questions with Ernest, her dog, which she carries around. it also served as her protector. Trust me, this cute bundle of fluff that only reached my knee is a killing bundle of fluff. She was actually supposed to be the sect Master, but she liked lecturing more and loved to be surrounded by the "young'uns." It gave her joy seeing young practitioners becoming powerful.
"My, you really have grown," She said as she came in front of me, reaching out her hand, to which i bent down so that she could easily rub my head, which i loved.
*Arf!*
Ernest, who was beside her, also barked, wagging his tail as he jumped on me.
"It seems Ernest is really excited to see you," She said with a laugh.
"He looks fluffier than I remember. I also did not know mom would come out of seclusion today," I said, rubbing behind Ernest's ear.
"Well, I came to see the young'uns that would join our sect today," She replied looking below.
"Greetings, Elder Lian Li." The elders all bowed as they greeted her with smiles on their faces.
"Greetings, senior sister," The sect master followed.
"Oh, junior brother Menny!"
"..."
Right, the sect master's name is Meng Qi, but for some reason mom loves calling him Menny in public. He is not related to elder Meng by the way; they have the same surnames, so don't get confused.
...
"Haha, it seems senior sister is still as lively as ever!" The sect master said with a laugh, brushing off the joke.
"My old bones can still do some work, though coming here took longer than I thought. Ernest was really exhausted; I guess he is also getting old," Mom said as she went around giving the elders candy from her storage ring.
Poor Ernest, I stroked the dog even more gently.
"Thank you, Elder," they said, accepting the candy.
"I thought elder sister said she won't attend this year?" The sect master looked at her worriedly, also receiving a handful of sweets, which he started eating.
"Awwn, is Menny worried about little old me? Don't worry, Zen's longevity rune is still active; i could live for a hundred more years!" Mom flexed her muscles, proving her point, to which the elders all laughed with candy in their mouths.
Yes, that was why she was still active even at this age. i know death would still come for her, but i just want her to see the new students she is lecturing grow at least. If I remember right, some news about her came when I was in the heaven realm.
Hmmm, I want candy too.
I looked at Mom, and after feeling my gaze, she looked at me and smiled.
"I guess Zen still thinks he is little." She gave me a pocket-sized amount of sweets, which I, of course, started eating right away.
The sweet and sourness blended well in my mouth, and the fruity flavor was my favorite: peaches.
Right, Mom is an alchemist and also loved sweets, but we all know how bitter and sometimes bland pills can taste, so mom was able to create pill formulas that tasted like candy but still had the same effect.
Her candies were really popular amongst the other practitioners and is always fought for by other sects. They had, of course, tried poaching her to their sect countless times, which she refused. The reason why the sect master was also worried was not because of her health, but because there have been some attacks against her life in recent years, now that she is getting older.
"So has the test started yet?" Mom asked, looking around.
Right, no chairs.
I waved my hands and created a woven rocking chair made of wood behind her with my combination of wood waves and water waves.
"Thank you, little Zen," she said as she sat down.
I made one for myself and sat down next to her as Ernest jumped on my lap, getting comfortable.
The view, too, was hard to see, which I forgot. focusing my energy, i created several light screens that reflected the light around the arena, aligning them perfectly to make a kind of periscope so that Mom could see the arena easily without straining her head.
"It's starting soon," The sect master said, looking at me with a strained smile, to which i smiled back.
Only Mom gets this treatment.
Now let the battle... cough, let the test begin.