Autumn Greenwillow's pleasant smile vanished instantly. Her delicate brows drew together sharply. "What? That was the Zhang family's Young Master?" A shadow of concern passed over her features. "In that case… yes, this could indeed become… troublesome…"
"However!" Her expression quickly shifted from concern to defiance. "I did absolutely nothing wrong! So what if that Zhang Zhenshan comes looking for me? What's so impressive about his Frost Sect? Our Emerald Willow Sect certainly doesn't fear them!" She frowned only momentarily, pondered for a brief second, then waved a dismissive hand. "Besides, that Zhang Yang actually dared to intend harm against my junior sister! Thank the heavens she's unharmed, but even if you hadn't killed him, I wouldn't have let him escape punishment!"
"Speaking of which," she continued, her tone softening as she turned fully towards Bai Yunfei, "I really must thank you for saving my junior sister. Tracing her captors took me far longer than I expected. If you hadn't appeared when you did…" Her voice held genuine gratitude. "Who knows what state I might have found her in by the time I arrived?"
"Since you have your own considerations, I won't press the matter further," Bai Yunfei replied, shaking his head modestly. "As for thanks… please don't. While I did go there specifically intending to rescue someone, once I realized it was Zhang Yang who was coming… it became solely a matter of my own vengeance. I truly cannot accept your gratitude."
"N-no… that's not true." A timid voice, sweet as a bell yet trembling slightly, emerged from behind Autumn Greenwillow. Chu Rainlily seemed to finally muster her courage. She stepped partially out from her shield, dipped into a formal bow towards Bai Yunfei, her cheeks flushed. "If… if the Young Master hadn't appeared, that wicked man might have already come upstairs… Senior Sister arrived half an hour later. If not for you, I… I might…" Tears welled in her large, expressive eyes. "Rainlily… Rainlily thanks the Young Master for his saving grace…"
She was in the tender bloom of sixteen, petite at around five feet tall, clad in a gown of soft green. Long, silky hair cascaded down either side of her face, partially veiling features flushed with shyness. Her large eyes, filled with a mixture of gratitude and bashful fear, fixed upon Bai Yunfei, making her appear utterly endearing.
"Uh… Y-young Lady, please don't thank me," Bai Yunfei stammered, unnerved by her intense, vulnerable gaze. He waved his hands awkwardly. "I killed Zhang Yang purely for my own revenge. Saving you was merely… incidental… Er, I mean, it was my honor to incidentally save you… Um, what I'm trying to say is, you don't need to feel indebted…"
"Pfft…" A sudden, soft giggle escaped Chu Rainlily as she watched his flustered explanation and clumsy gesture. She instantly clapped a hand over her mouth, her face flaming crimson with embarrassment. With a small, embarrassed squeak, she retreated fully behind Autumn Greenwillow again, peeking out only with one eye.
Autumn Greenwillow couldn't suppress a light laugh of her own. "Giggle… Who would have thought? The Young Master is quite the simple soul himself."
"Uh…" Bai Yunfei coughed, his own cheeks warming. The truth was, when Chu Rainlily offered her heartfelt thanks, the fleeting, utterly unexpected thought of 'she might pledge herself to me' had flashed through his mind. He'd been startled by his own audacious, almost rogue-like notion. It was this surge of guilt that had made him tongue-tied.
He cleared his throat forcefully, trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere and regain his composure. "Miss Autumn, I have some questions I'd like to ask you. I hope you might enlighten me."
"Oh?" Autumn Greenwillow's eyes sparkled with renewed mischief. "What do you wish to ask? Go on… Is it perhaps my junior sister's age, or her marital status?" She teased, her smile widening.
"Senior Sister, you…!" Chu Rainlily tugged urgently on her sleeve from behind, her whisper filled with mortification.
"Uh… Cough," Bai Yunfei hastily corrected, ignoring the provocation. "I wished to inquire about the Artifact Refining Sect you mentioned. What kind of sect are they? And where is their sect located?"
"Hmm?" Autumn Greenwillow's playful expression faded into genuine surprise. "How is that? You do not belong to the Artifact Refining Sect? And… you don't even know this much about them?"
"I am not a disciple of any sect," Bai Yunfei explained. "I merely encountered a senior from the Fateweaver Sect, who imparted soul cultivation techniques to me. I did not formally join his sect."
"What? The Fateweaver Sect?!" Autumn Greenwillow's surprise instantly transformed into open astonishment, a soft gasp escaping her lips.
"Yes? Why?" Bai Yunfei was now the one confused. "Is the Fateweaver Sect… quite famous?"
"'Quite famous'?" Autumn Greenwillow echoed, staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. A look of utter disbelief crossed her features, followed by exasperation. "Young Master… 'Quite famous' is a staggering understatement! I truly doubt there exists a soul adept on the entire Heavenly Soul Continent besides yourself who is ignorant of the Fateweaver Sect!" Seeing his persistent bafflement, she sighed and launched into an explanation, her tone turning serious and slightly lecturing. "The Fateweaver Sect, though not formally listed among the Ten Great Sects Under Heaven, holds a status nearly equal to them. They revere Heaven and trust in Fate, emphasizing alignment with the Heavenly Mandate. The esoteric arts practiced within their sect are unique beyond compare. It is said they use their own souls to sense the will of Heaven, employing their 'Fated Souls' to trace the trajectory of destiny itself. They possess the ability to perceive the past… and divine the future."
Her voice held a note of awe. "Many sects across the continent consider it a supreme honor to receive guidance from the Fateweaver Sect. Whenever faced with great calamities, all hope for their intervention. And every sect the Fateweavers choose to aid ultimately turns peril into safety." Her expression sobered. "Yet, whether they offer assistance depends solely on the 'Fortune' they believe in. It cannot be coerced. Furthermore, the Fateweavers scarcely ever participate in worldly conflicts or power struggles. They remain reclusive for years on end, shrouded in profound mystery. Even the location of their sect headquarters is known to precious few." A gleam of understanding entered her eyes. "Every Fateweaver disciple who emerges into the world for their trials becomes an object of fervent pursuit and fawning attention from all major powers."
Bai Yunfei listened, momentarily stunned into silence. He hadn't remotely imagined the Fateweaver Sect held such an exalted and formidable position.
"Since you received instruction from a Fateweaver senior…" Autumn Greenwillow leaned forward slightly, her gaze suddenly intense and probing. "...did you learn that secret art of divining Heaven's secrets?"
"Uh… I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Miss," Bai Yunfei replied honestly. "The senior only passed on the most fundamental soul cultivation technique to me, along with this spatial ring and the soul artifacts. He did not impart any of those mysterious and profound divination arts you speak of."
"Oh… I see." Autumn Greenwillow couldn't hide her disappointment, but then she nodded, her expression clearing with understanding. "That makes sense. The Fateweaver Sect's secrets wouldn't be bestowed lightly. I imagine it was a senior traveling the world who encountered you, calculated a karmic connection ('Fated Encounter'), and simply granted you a fortuitous opportunity. Such occurrences… though rare… are not unheard of across the Heavenly Soul Continent."
"'Karmic connection,' you say…" Bai Yunfei thought back to the old Fateweaver's cryptic words, an internal sigh escaping him. More like I owe them a debt, he mused wryly.
"And the Artifact Refining Sect," Bai Yunfei redirected the conversation, his thoughts churning. "Is it one of those Ten Great Sects you mentioned? And what are these Ten Great Sects? Could you please enlighten me, Miss Autumn? And please, elaborate specifically on the Artifact Refining Sect."
"You genuinely seem to know nothing of these matters!" Autumn Greenwillow shook her head, a mix of amusement and disbelief on her face. She adopted a distinctly pedagogical tone, as if instructing a novice. "Very well. The Ten Great Sects Under Heaven are as follows: Heavensoul Sect, Artifact Refining Sect, Soulforging Sect, Beast Taming Sect, Wind and Thunder Sect, and the Five Elements Sects."
She held up a finger. "Now, 'Five Elements Sects' is not the name of a single sect, but a collective term for five distinct sects. As the name implies, these five sects correspond to the elements: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Upon reaching the soul adept realm, cultivators gain the ability to manipulate the elements of Heaven and Earth. The majority of soul adepts align with one of these five elements, hence these five sects boast immense numbers of disciples." She paused, clarifying. "Of course, many other sects exist. Truthfully, speaking purely of raw power, each of these five elemental sects, considered individually, falls slightly short of the other five Great Sects. Their strength might only be marginally greater than some prominent sects just below the top ten."
"However," she emphasized, her tone turning strategic, "the five elements interact – generating and overcoming each other. These five sects have been inseparably allied since their very foundation, always advancing and retreating as one. That is why they are collectively listed among the Ten Great Sects." A faint smile touched her lips. "Naturally, if you were to view them as a single, unified entity, it wouldn't be the 'Ten' Great Sects, but the 'Six Great Sects'!"
She moved on, her voice taking on a sharper edge. "The Wind and Thunder Sect. This sect primarily cultivates wind and lightning attributed arts. They have a longstanding feud with the Five Elements Sects. Once, they battled fiercely with the Water Sect and overpowered them. When the other four elemental sects rushed to aid their ally, the Wind and Thunder Sect suffered heavy losses. Ever since, deep enmity has festered. Disciples from both sides often clash violently the moment they encounter each other."
Her expression shifted to one of distaste mixed with caution. "The Beast Taming Sect is… a peculiar sect. They barely rely on their own combat strength. Instead, their primary method revolves around controlling soul beasts. Unlike other soul adepts, who can only form a single soul contract with a beast, they employ esoteric arts to directly dominate multiple beasts, driving them like puppets." Her voice lowered. "This makes them the sworn enemies of all soul beasts. Rumors persist that once, an eighth-level soul beast from the depths of a primeval beast forest led an army to storm their mountain gates, seeking to liberate the beasts they enslaved. But in the battle, the rescuing beasts were forced to fight against their own kin, already under the sect's thrall… And it's whispered the Beast Taming Sect even unleashed an eighth-level puppet soul beast of their own! The conflict ended in mutual devastation, though the exact outcome remains shrouded."
A palpable chill entered her voice. "The Soulforging Sect. Soulforging… but they forge not their own souls… they forge the souls of others! If the Beast Taming Sect is the enemy of all soul beasts, then the Soulforging Sect is the enemy of nearly all soul adepts! Its members are invariably great evils, practitioners of the darkest wickedness. Their cultivation arts are perverse beyond measure – devouring the soul power of others to strengthen themselves! Those among them who possess monstrous power can even refine others' souls, absorbing their fundamental soul essence!" Her words were sharp with condemnation. "While the world of soul adepts respects strength above all, the Soulforging Sect is universally acknowledged as an evil faction within our realm! A blight upon the land that everyone has the right and duty to eradicate!"
Her tone shifted again, becoming one of undeniable reverence mixed with a hint of political gravity. "The Heavensoul Sect. It shares its name with the Empire for one reason alone: the Heavensoul Sect is the sect controlled by the Imperial Family of the Heavensoul Empire! Forged with the resources of an entire nation, its status as the continent's strongest sect is beyond dispute. It teems with capable experts, and brilliant new talents emerge constantly. It is also the most desired sect for the majority of ordinary soul adepts." She paused. "The Sect Master is none other than His Majesty, Emperor Wu Hong. Moreover, over half of the provincial lords governing the Empire's fifty-six provinces hail from the Heavensoul Sect." Her conclusion was definitive. "In essence, the Heavensoul Sect is the Empire's guardian. It rarely involves itself directly in the struggles of the continent's other major powers, yet it perpetually maintains the balance of power among them. The Heavensoul Empire's two millennia of prosperity and stability? While wise governance by successive emperors plays a part, a significant portion of the credit… belongs to this sect."
"'Prosperity, stability, and wise governance'?" Bai Yunfei's lips thinned almost imperceptibly. Inside, he shook his head bitterly. That's just the wishful thinking of those living comfortable, happy lives. The darkness at the bottom… the agonizing struggles of those branded 'lowly'… How many truly know of it?
Seemingly invigorated by her lecture and perhaps amused by Bai Yunfei's attentive, almost studious demeanor, Autumn Greenwillow's enthusiasm grew. She covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes gleaming with the pleasure of sharing knowledge. "Now then," she declared, her voice regaining its pedagogical cadence, "Allow me to delve into the details of the sect you seem most interested in – the Artifact Refining Sect…"