Elder Mariel opened a portal directly in Cain's room early the following day, so they could leave without the usual hours and hours of parting speeches, meals, parties, and such that Sects liked to throw for Divine guests.
The portal took them directly to her own suites in the Seaside Sect, an airy bungalow that was built on stilts over top of the crystal clear ocean. Despite being a dozen meters deep under her abode, the sea floor could be clearly seen, including the swimming fish in every color of the rainbow.
"So pretty. Are they edible?" Luna asked the moment that she noticed the fish.
"Unfortunately, no. The Dragon Carp is beautiful, but they are inedible. That is their greatest defense against being hunted to extinction since their scales are precious crafting materials." Mariel laughed.
"Can we swim in the water?"
"Of course. Everyone in the Sect loves to swim in the ocean." The Divine Elder agreed.
"Sweet. Dad, teach me how to swim right quick. I want to swim with the fish."
All of the Disciples burst into laughter while Elder Mariel facepalmed at the overzealous girl.
"You're that excited about swimming with the fish, but you can't even swim? What was your grand plan once you got into the water?" She asked.
"I'm still working on that. They're pretty quick, so I will need to learn good swimming, or I won't be able to catch them. But since I can't eat them, maybe I don't need to. I could just swim around and watch them. Is the water warm?"
Elder Mariel looked at Cain with a smile. "She really is related to you, isn't she? Just making it up as she goes along and somehow still alive."
"I will have you know that survival is my forte," Cain replied with a level of dignity that didn't help calm the Disciples' laughter.
"Well, we should go say hello before the Sect Master starts to think that we are deliberately snubbing him. Come along, everyone, we will take the walkways this time, and then we can teach Luna to swim by the shore after we have met everyone." Mariel directed before leading the way out of the bungalow.
Two more Divine Realm Cultivators and a few hundred Disciples were waiting on the slopes of the shore for them to arrive, gathered into a carefully orchestrated clash of robe colors that looked like one of the Dragon Carp they had seen in the water.
"Welcome home Divine Elder Mariel. It is good to see that you found a home for all of the aspiring cultivators. Might I know who these esteemed guests you have brought with you might be?" The Sect Master asked.
"This is Sect Master Cain and the Disciples of the Forbidden Treasures Sect. They are a rather unique bunch in that every Disciple follows a completely different path. Cain, this is Sect Master Mooney of the Seaside Sect." Mariel introduced them.
"A Lycan with a Divine Bloodline? What a rare treat. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sect Master Mooney." Cain greeted his host, who cocked his head in a very Canine way before responding.
"You could tell at a glance what I was? Interesting. You smell like a human, but you don't feel like one. Are you perhaps transformed?" Mooney asked.
"Indeed I am. Traveling in my natural state would be a massive inconvenience for both myself and everyone else, so I prefer this form. The World Dragons aren't exactly a petite species."
The Disciples all looked shocked, but the Sect Master managed to keep a straight face.
"My apologies for not coming to your ascension. I had a number of issues to deal with here at the Sect."
Cain laughed and waved off his concern.
"The skies were almost as full of Cultivators as they were of Tribulation Clouds anyhow. I am quite certain that I was too distracted to have even noticed everyone who did attend. It was a surprise epiphany, and we didn't have much time to prepare, so my memories of the event are somewhat scattered."
"I'm sure it had nothing to do with the size of the storm." Mariel chuckled.
"It wasn't that bad. We could still see the edges from the mountain temple."
Mariel looked to the Disciples, who all looked eager to get into the ocean, and then to the assembled Disciples of the Seaside Sect, who looked eager for a sparring match.
"Should we get the welcoming party started? If Sect Master Cain would be so kind, there is plenty of space for an arena in the shallow waters."
"Oh, that's an excellent idea. I think knee-high water would make the matches much more fun to watch. Especially for the lightning users." Cain agreed, then cast [Seraphim Arena] in an open spot near the beach.
"Is that the Arena that you were trying to explain to me last night? It is incredible. Who would like to assist our Disciples in learning a new way of thinking?" The Sect Master asked.
"If I go first, will someone just teach me to swim already?" Luna pouted.
"Win or lose. I will teach you to swim, cutie." One of the men replied with a leer on his face.
"That's the Sect Master's daughter," Mariel informed him in a flat tone, then smiled as the man's eyes went wide, and he vanished using a rapid movement skill.
"I am the water skills instructor here at the Seaside Sect. I can teach you to swim in only a few minutes if you like." An Elder standing off to one side replied once the first man had left.
"Thank you. I really want to play with the fish."
Luna didn't know that the fish were an Immortal Realm monster or that they could move significantly faster than she could run on land, so she didn't understand the amused looks she was getting but assumed that they also enjoyed the sport.
Luna jogged through the doors of the Arena and hopped over the wall, landing in the water which was up to her mid-thighs, then frowned and summoned a Water Elemental into [Merger] with her.
That solved her movement issue, the Elemental could move freely through the water, as well as walk on it, but it also reminded her that she didn't actually need to learn to swim. She could cheat and use the Water Elemental's abilities to move through the water and not drown.
The Elder assumed that she was just using the [Water Walking] skill to stand on the water's surface, so the sudden change didn't surprise anyone, and her opponent joined her in the arena, splashing through the water.
He was big enough that the water wasn't a huge hindrance to him, and he was a Water Skills Cultivator, so the arena was actually an advantage to him over the traditional sand or gravel ones.
The Seraphim Referee appeared in the air and gave the arena a strange look.
"Are we concerned with cleanliness today? Whatever. Contestants, are you prepared to battle?"
"I am ready." Luna agreed.
"Yes, Master Seraphim." The Seaside Sect Disciple replied politely.
"Excellent. In three, two, one, Begin."
The Disciple summoned a giant whirlwind of water in front of himself, guarding against Luna's swords and keeping her away from him while Luna tried to decide what to do about him since she had no idea how these people fought.
"Carnage, please punch him in the head." She decided, speaking as she summoned the demon behind her opponent.
The Demon blew the waterspout away with a flap of his wings and then slammed the Disciple into the sands with one giant fist.
It wasn't enough to eliminate the man, but it did drive him deep into the soft sand and leave him spluttering as he used his water skills to pull himself up and avoid the running kick coming at his head from Luna.
"What do you call that style?" Sect Master Mooney asked.
"I think we call it [You're delaying my attempts to go swimming]. Fair and equitable are not words usually associated with Luna's combat techniques." Cain replied happily.
The Seaside Sect Disciple was on the run now, to the raucous cheers of his fellow Disciples, who were split between telling him to stand and fight or run away, so a Wrath Demon didn't eat him.
Finally, they got him cornered, and a proper fight broke out between Luna and the Disciple, matching his water techniques against Luna's Dark Elven Blade Forms, which threw dark energy at the water blades, breaking their cohesion and turning them into harmless spurts of water.
[Just wait there and let me test out the skills that I've been learning.] Luna ordered Carnage while she fought the overwhelmed Cultivator.
Carnage stood back and watched the fight for a while, hoping the man would forget that he was standing there and come into range since Luna had only told him to stay and not to stop fighting.
It was a bit hard for a ten-meter-tall Spirit Rank Demon to be ignored, though, and the fight quickly worked its way across the arena while Carnage waited with an annoyed expression on his face. He was summoned for the fight, but he only got to hit the guy once before being called off. That wasn't like Luna, and it wasn't nearly enough for Carnage.
The fight ended with Luna nearly chopping the man's head off and sending him to the recovery room. He came out a few seconds later, holding his neck and looking terrified.
"Oh yeah. The Seraphim won't let anyone die. There's no need to hold back. I feel like we forgot to mention that again."
Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel