Jia Yi took the lead once more, asking a guard for directions as he walked to the courtyard.
Several members stood guard all around, making Jia Yi guess this was a repeated mission to give a few points to less talented older family members.
The path was made of blue-stone, a highly luxurious material in the mortal world, but rather cheap or even inferior in the cultivation world.
But feeling the slight spiritual power and the warmth of the steps, he guessed they were a spiritual stone, having various smaller effects, such as warming the body, improving health and a slight increase in longevity.
All these effects basically only worked on qi-refining cultivators, and Jia Yi only felt the steps were warm, his body didn't warm up at all.
There were various shields on the way, designed beautifully from wood and hung on trees, blending into the landscape.
At the start of the path, he saw the D-grade courtyards.
The map he previously looked at also had an explanation – the first and second steps were purely for qi refining, third and fourth for foundation building and qi refining, five and six for foundation building and origin light, and finally, the ancestors of the family, as well as the clan meeting hall, were on the seventh step.
D and C grade of the third step were occupied by qi refining cultivators, while B was for early-stage foundation building and A for mid-stage foundation building.
This design was followed throughout the whole mountain, at least up to the sixth step.
The D and C areas were likely for the lower ranked members of that stage who had to fulfil certain task, while the A and B were based on cultivation.
Following the path, he finally arrived at the courtyard A-17, where his aunt lived.
From outside, every courtyard basically looked the same, only having some decorations around.
For example, his aunt's yard entrance had a few lotuses and gourds hanging around.
Walking in front, he bowed to the entrance, saying loudly "Jia Yi, Xianghe and Xianghu are here to visit Aunt Miaoxue!"
His cousins behind him also bowed.
They didn't need to wait for long before the door opened, an elegant middle-aged woman welcoming them "Little Yi, He'er, Hu'er, you're all here!"
"Third aunt!" they also called. This was the third sibling of the five from the same lineage, Jia Miaosi.
Although the cultivation world was rather open minded and didn't have many of the restrictions and rules of the mortal world, after all, a woman would understand another woman better, so Miaosi was the one that helped Miaoxue in the sect, basically tending to her and doing various other tasks.
She was like the steward of her elder sister's yard!
And, among all the siblings, her talent was the best, if one didn't include her eldest sister. If there was a chance, she was more likely to advance to foundation building than anyone else. Unfortunately, even if she did, she would remain at that stage, as her root still hadn't reached the blessed stage.
She welcomed them inside.
Jia Yi and the others followed without hesitation.
The moment they passed the entrance, the whole courtyard changed. The wooden door was gone, and the path was the only ground. Left and right were large ponds with lotus growing and carp swimming around.
Even the stone changed to a calmer blue, but Jia Yi felt a stronger water spiritual power inside, helping him recover a bit.
The building in front also changed from a singular two story building to several smaller closed pavilions and halls.
Miaosi led them to the second pavilion on the left.
It was closed and the space inside was larger than what appeared outside – there was a couch to the left and right, with a table in the middle.
Miaosi didn't told them to sit on the couch to the left. Jia Yi and the others rejected, Jia Yi even approaching the small tea table Miaosi was about to walk towards, carrying the fresh tray.
Smiling brightly, Miaosi walked to the couch on the left, sitting and looking at Jia Yi.
Jia Yi only knew the basic tea ceremony, and it was obviously a finished tea, so he simplified it and poured four cups of tea, giving everyone a cup.
Xianghu and Xianghe stood up, wanting to do it, but he rejected, just telling them to drink without worrying.
After a moment, everyone was served and Jia Yi sat in the centre of the couch, looking expectantly at Miaosi.
Miaosi seemed to have expected it and replied "Eldest sister is currently refining an elixir. It won't take long, I've already put a talisman on her door, so she will come after finishing up.
Now first you guys tell me how the journey to the sect was!"
Xianghe instantly jumped to explain "Aunt, you don't know, but the journey was really exciting! From the family to the sect, it was rather barren, but I saw various shades of green-coloured clouds around!
They were pretty and I told Jia Yi that I wanted to make one cloud like this too! He told me that such a goal was definitely worth pursuing!"
Xianghu took over at this point "Yes! That's also my wish!
After we arrived at the sect, we didn't get to see much, but it was extremely beautiful! We were then taken to the family mountain… aunty, I suspect no one told us about the mountain just to surprise us! Wow, it's so majestic!"
The two continued talking, about the teleportation, the mountain path, until Jia Yi intercepted and asked whether every courtyard was like theirs, able to transform into an individual.
"Actually, the courtyards of qi-refining cultivators like we are just those we are assigned to, but starting from the foundation building stage, all family members get a fixed courtyard of a certain size.
From then on, whenever you move up or down, your courtyard will be taken by a clan elder of the third stage, from the Courtyard Hall in the family.
It manages various operations of the courtyard, and this service is free of charge.
Different steps have different concentrations of spiritual power. For example, the A-grade courtyard in the third step is slightly higher than the C-grade in the fourth step, but definitely lower than the B-grade of that step.
You are assigned to different steps based on your position, power, and such.
As for the numbers, that doesn't matter. It's just a matter of who enters when.
For example, there are a total of four hundred foundation building cultivators in the family, two hundred reside in the third step, hundred in the fourth step, and fifty respectively in the fifth and sixth step.
There are a total of eighty courtyards in the A-grade of the third step, Miaosi just got the A-17 courtyard because the previous uncle advanced to the B-grade courtyard of the fourth step.
Generally, you won't leave your own step once you rose, except for when you retire."