Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1069: A Request

The towering stone gates of the Crest Spine Sect loomed over the mountain path like two ancient titans. Elaborate carvings of coiled dragons wrapped around the grand pillars while the ambient Qi in the air carried a distinct and heavy heat. Li Yu led his small group up the final flight of stone stairs and admired the grand architecture before them.Two guards wearing dark crimson armor stepped forward and crossed their long polearms to block the entrance. The guards possessed vertical slit pupils and patches of dark red scales along their forearms showing their proud dragon lineage.

"Halt and state your business," the guard on the left declared with a stern voice. "Only those born of the dragon race are allowed within the sect grounds. That is our tradition and we do not accept outside visitors."

Li Yu offered a polite smile and kept his hands relaxed at his sides. "I understand your rules but I was hoping I could see the sect leader. I know Sect Leader Korren and I have some business to discuss with him."

Li Mei looked at her cousin in surprise. She had no idea that Li Yu knew the leader of a powerful regional sect and the guards shared her open skepticism. Li Yu had not told her anything about what happened to him before they ran into each other in the gorge as the topic never came up during their discussions.

"One cannot just see the sect leader simply because he asks to," the right guard replied while narrowing his reptilian eyes. "The sect leader is a very busy man managing the new territories."

"Could you not just send a word to him?" Li Yu asked politely without losing his friendly demeanor. "Just tell him that Li Yu is at the gates. I promise he will know who I am and come to greet me."

The two guards hesitated and exchanged an uncertain glance. The internal conflict was obvious on their faces. If this young man truly knew the sect leader and they did not let him in, they would be in deep trouble for disrespecting an honored guest. However, if this was just some random, arrogant youth and they bothered the sect leader for no reason, they would also face harsh punishment for abandoning their post and wasting his valuable time.

Li Yu gave off no intimidating aura at all as he kept his Karma Severing cultivation deeply concealed. His two companions standing behind him did not hide their strength as normal. Faen and Borum radiated a steady and thick energy at the Domain King realm which was a very respectable level of power in this region. The guards felt the heavy pressure of the two companions and decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Wait right here," the left guard instructed while lowering his weapon. "I will inform the sect leader and let him decide what to do with you."

The guard turned around and rushed up the stone steps toward the main pavilions. The four travelers waited outside the grand gate while the remaining guard kept a watchful eye on them.

"When did you meet the leader of the Crest Spine Sect?" Li Mei asked while turning toward her cousin. "We have only been in this realm for a short time."

Li Yu leaned against the stone wall and casually explained the events that took place just a week prior. He told her about arriving in the Solaris Kingdom and uncovering the dark secrets of the royal family. He explained how the Matriarch was using the citizens as fuel and how he and Zhan Chen teamed up to take down the corrupt kingdom.

Li Mei listened to the story and learned about what happened with a growing sense of shock. He and Zhan Chen brought down a ruling kingdom and even defeated a Creation Lord in the process. Even though Zhan Chen was the one who delivered the final blows to the Matriarch, the impact the two cousins had on this realm was probably the most out of anyone that had come here for training. They had secured vast territories and an incredible amount of resources. She then realized where he most likely got that beautiful red gown from and felt a new sense of appreciation for the royal garment resting in her spatial ring.

Li Mei also felt a deep sense of respect regarding Zhan Chen. He was someone that Li Mei looked up to in terms of martial might and he was an heir to a great clan just like her but he was much stronger than her current level. He was a person she compared herself to directly as they shared roughly the same position and was a goal she was working towards.

He was older so she knew she had time to catch up to his realm. Her Origin Awakening realm was already an amazing feat for her age and rested just one step below his Sovereign cultivation. Hearing about his physical dominance over a Creation Lord only fueled her desire to refine her sword path further.

About ten minutes later the heavy doors beyond the gate swung open and Sect Leader Korren arrived with a hurried pace while several high ranking elders trailed closely behind him. The scarred dragon cultivator saw Li Yu and a bright smile broke across his rugged face.

"Li Yu, I apologize for making you wait outside like a common stranger," Korren said as he walked past the stunned guard and approached the group. He reached into his robes and pulled out a carved token depicting a coiled dragon while handing the item directly to Li Yu. "Please take this token so that this never happens again. You are always welcome here."

The remaining guard quickly bowed his head and stepped back as the sect leader formally welcomed the four travelers into the sect grounds. They walked past the grand gates and entered a wide courtyard paved with smooth stones.

"I must thank you again for uncovering the nastiness going on within the Solaris Kingdom," Korren said as they walked together. "And I must thank you for giving our sect twenty percent of the spoils of war. We have mostly taken some northern territories to join up with our own borders along with several profitable businesses. It was an amazing boon to our sect since twenty percent of a kingdom is no small matter for our future growth."

Li Yu remembered his recent revelations about how the sect used their power to protect the dragon kin in the surrounding villages. Knowing what he knew now about their righteous actions, he offered a respectful nod.

"You and your people deserve it," Li Yu replied with a sincere tone. "Just keep up what you were doing to protect the people under your protection."

Korren smiled proudly at the recognition and gestured toward the inner pavilions. "What brings you to our humble mountain today? I assume you are not here just to check on our expansion."

"I wanted to visit the area and check out the local food and drinks," Li Yu said while looking at the impressive buildings carved directly into the mountain rock. "And I also wanted to check out the techniques of your sect if that is possible."

Korren nodded eagerly when food and drinks were mentioned since hospitality was easy to provide. With a single order he could bring all different kinds of delicacies to be offered up. However when Li Yu mentioned viewing their techniques, the sect leader hesitated and his smile faltered.

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It was a very big and dangerous request in the cultivation world. While he deeply appreciated the territory they received, allowing an outsider to go through their martial techniques might give the young genius insight into their weaknesses and core foundation. It was much easier to defeat a technique if you knew it backwards and forwards.

Li Yu could see the obvious worry forming in the eyes of the sect leader and quickly explained further before a misunderstanding could take root.

"I am only looking for the cooking techniques of the dragon race," Li Yu clarified with a smile.

The simple statement stunned the elders, the sect leader, his own companions and Li Mei. The group stopped walking and stared at him in silence, everyone needed time to process it. He had come all this way and used his political favor just for cooking techniques?

Li Yu went on without noticing their bewildered expressions, he explained that there was a local cooking technique he witnessed in the village below that uses dragon flame. That specific fire imparted a great earthy flavor to the meat that his own natal flame could not replicate no matter how hard he tried to mimic the technique the cook had shown him.

To prove his point, Li Yu held out his right hand and summoned his natal flame. A beautiful orange fire danced across his palm and radiated a heat that made the surrounding elders step back in shock. The power and intensity of the flame were obvious to any seasoned cultivator.

They were stunned again by the display from Li Yu. He possessed an incredibly rare and valuable natal flame that experts would kill to have the chance to own and he used it just to cook his meals?

"I am looking for different cooking techniques and perhaps some basic dragon flame control techniques," Li Yu continued while dispersing the orange fire. "I want to see if I could use them to somehow alter my natal flame to have more draconic properties for roasting."

Sect Leader Korren and the surrounding elders did not know whether to laugh or cry at the absurd request. The young man who had killed the flaming crow from a clan that rivaled their own sect’s power wanted to browse their ancient library just so he could replicate the flavor of a cooked meal. It was a request so far outside the bounds of normal cultivation logic that it took them a long moment to process it.

However, Korren quickly snapped back from his ridiculous feelings and realized this was actually the best possible outcome. Li Yu was not asking for their combat arts or their movement skills.

"Yes, of course," Korren said while letting out a loud laugh that echoed across the courtyard. "If that is all that you want, we will gladly gather the culinary techniques and the basic flame control manuals from our library for you to go through. It will be our pleasure to share our culture with you."

"I appreciate it greatly," Li Yu smiled and clasped his hands together in thanks.

"While the disciples gather the records, I will have one of our esteemed elders show you around the grounds," Korren offered before turning to a tall man standing near the back of the group. "Elder Rhygar, please escort our honored guests and ensure they have everything they need."

Elder Rhygar stepped forward and offered a deep bow. He was in his dragon kin form and possessed thick emerald scales along his neck and a pair of swept back horns resting on his head. His aura was calm and his eyes held a deep wisdom gained from years of teaching.

"Please follow me," Elder Rhygar said as he gestured toward a stone pathway leading deeper into the mountain.

Li Yu and his group followed the elder away from the main gates while Sect Leader Korren went to organize the requested library records and back to his own work. Elder Rhygar proved to be a very knowledgeable guide as he showed them the various sights around the sprawling sect. They walked past grand waterfalls that flowed with warm mineral water and observed open air training grounds where young disciples practiced their forms.

As they moved through the active areas of the sect, many disciples stopped their training to stare at the group. It was incredibly rare to see non dragon kin walking freely through the inner pavilions. The sudden appearance of these cultivators sparked a wave of whispered gossip among the youths but seeing Elder Rhygar leading them made it clearly obvious that the visitors were very important figures.

They visited a grand forge where weapons were created using their dragon’s flame and walked through a sprawling herb garden filled with heat resistant plants. Li Yu asked numerous questions about the local spices and the dietary habits of the beasts raised on the mountain. He engaged with the environment with a bright curiosity that never seemed to fade.

Li Mei walked beside Faen and noted how Li Yu really did whatever he felt like doing in any given moment. He was not bound by the expectations of his peers or the heavy traditions of the cultivation world. He wanted to learn how to cook better meat so he walked directly into a restricted dragon sect to ask for their recipes. It was a beautifully simple way to navigate a complex universe but would be an impossible thing to do while managing a large Clan or Sect.

She watched him laugh at a joke Elder Rhygar made and thought how wonderful it would be to be just as carefree as him. To walk through life without constantly scanning for political traps or hidden daggers sounded like a dream.

However, as she continued walking, she noted internally how she could never actually do that. It was not just because she was bound by the heavy responsibilities of the heir position. She realized that she herself simply did not have that kind of relaxed personality and never did. Her mind was built for structure, strategy and discipline.

Even if someone stripped away her titles and her duties right now, she would not even know how to be carefree like that. She would still plan her days down to the very last thing and seek out ways to optimize her training. Accepting that fundamental difference between them brought her a strange sense of peace. Everyone had their own path to walk and the manner at which they walked it.

The extensive tour eventually brought them to a lush private courtyard decorated with blooming fire lotus flowers and carved stone benches. A large wooden table rested in the center of the garden and it was covered with a grand spread of exotic foods and steaming drinks prepared by the sect chefs. There were roasted spirit fowls, bowls of vibrant fruits, spiced skewers and jugs of rich wine waiting for them.

Li Yu saw the feast and his eyes lit up with pure excitement. He did not bother with formal pleasantries as he rushed to the table and dug right in. His companions laughed at his eager behavior and joined him at the table along with Li Mei and Elder Rhygar.

As Li Yu bit into a tender piece of roasted fowl, he nodded his head in deep satisfaction. "The chefs here truly understand how to balance the heat of the spices with the natural flavor of the meat. I cannot wait to read through the jade slips and see how they channel their Qi during the searing process."

Elder Rhygar poured a cup of warm wine for Li Mei and smiled. "Our culinary arts are passed down through generations just like our martial techniques. We believe that nourishing the body is the first step to strengthening the soul. It is rare to find an outsider who appreciates our craft with such dedication."

Li Mei accepted the cup and took a slow sip while listening to the exchange. The spiced wine carried a pleasant heat that spread through her chest and soothed her lingering fatigue. She looked around the beautiful courtyard and felt the gentle breeze rustle the leaves of the fire lotus flowers. The environment was tranquil and the company was unexpectedly pleasant. She usually felt out of place in such events but had always kept her face controlled but here, she didn’t feel like she needed to do that but was still having a good time..

Li Mei took a piece of sliced fruit from a silver platter and ate it quietly as she watched Faen and Borum engaging in a lively debate with Elder Rhygar about the best methods for hunting armored beasts in the wild. Since they were from this realm, the prey they hunted were common. Li Yu chimed in occasionally with a comment about which parts of the beast yielded the best cuts of meat.

It was a simple afternoon filled with mundane discussions and shared laughter. Li Mei leaned back against her stone bench and allowed herself to just exist in the moment without analyzing the political implications of her surroundings because she had no reason to.

For a brief span of time, she was not the official heir of the Li Clan burdened with the weight of expectations. She was just a woman enjoying a good meal with her family and her new acquaintances under the bright mountain sun.