The First Cultivator - Changing Existence

"Before anything else, I would like to thank all of you on behalf of the Mainland gathering committee for your presence here today. With the participation of four regions, we can continue to serve as a bridge between past and present for years to come. We had some notable rankings this year, especially from the Scholar Region." The man on the stand said.

"While the ranking for the second part of the Mainland gathering is being made, you all are free to do whatever you want. Thank you." He said before stepping down.

The Mainland gathering committee was an organization shrouded in mystery. It had existed for thousands of years, but nobody truly knew where it was or what it looked like on the inside. According to what Skymender had learned, it was created even longer ago than it was believed to be.

However, there truly was almost no information on it. Even the people who announced the competition were only ever seen once. A single appearance after a lifetime of training.

The Mainland gathering was most likely created to bring the continent together, as well as bring the past and present together.

Skymender sat atop the mountain, speaking not only to the other scholars and Mora, who had come back to the top since the competition was over, but also those from the other three regions. Everyone, regardless of whether they had been his ally or foe, were impressed by his skills, especially after taking into account the fact that he was a scholar.

And he was not just any scholar, but a scholar who had single handedly placed his team at fourth place.

They all talked for a few hours, before the man ascended the stand once again.

He gave out the final rankings. Naturally, Skymender's team was in first place. More notably, Skymender himself ended up tied for first place with the Spear Master on his team.

As a scholar, Skymender had performed the absolute best a scholar could be expected to perform and more. However, without the Spear Master in the final battle, there would have been no hope of winning.

As he finished giving out the final rankings, the man on the stand bowed deeply.

"Thank all of you very much. It has been the honor of a lifetime to officiate this Mainland gathering. I now declare the 357th Mainland gathering over."

With that, the man left the mountain top.

Everyone said their goodbyes and left the mountain top.

Skymender also said goodbye to the other two scholars. Their horses would not be able to move nearly as fast as Skymender's, and he would leave them in the dust before long.

Mora hopped on the same horse as Skymender and they shot off into the distance.

It wasn't long before they reached the Scholar Region capital.

Skymender went to his house, while Mora returned to the palace.

As he entered, Skymender saw a figure standing in the corner.

Skymender did not over react, but simply looked at the figure.

"The Emperor had attempted to send a messenger to inform you of the next moves to make during the Mainland gathering, but that messenger was intercepted and killed by an unknown person. Most likely, the one behind this is the ruler of the Scholar Region." The figure said.

Skymender remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Who are you?"

Skymender knew all of the people working under the Emperor. There had not been too many that had come with them to the Mainland, and he should have recognized any person delivering such a message to him.

"I am an agent of the Emperor. Now that we have reached the Mainland, things will start to change a bit. The forces of the Continent of Wu are lacking, but with the Emperor's agents getting involved, there will be a chance of victory. I have come here today to give you a letter and inform you of the failed messenger attempt. Good day, Imperial Scholar Skymender." The figure said.

Its figure blurred, leaving through a window. Skymender tried to sense him through vibrations, but was completely unable to, shocking him. Somehow, this figure was able to escape even his vision. He would have never imagined there was such a skilled person among the Emperor's people. It seemed that much about the Emperor was still unknown.

Since he hadn't been told everything, it was easy to assume that he wasn't completely trusted. Otherwise, there would be no reason for these agents to be hidden from him until now.

Skymender didn't know how many agents there were or if they were all as skilled as this one, but it was clear that he could no longer underestimate anyone.

Luckily, he had never once stopped his study of poisons and his experiments.

He had made many advancements and had created many poisons.

There was only one thing that he considered a problem. His age. Although he was technically far younger than the Emperor, it was impossible to tell. After the Emperor had drinken that potion, and Skymender had been affected by the Deprivation poison, he now looked like the Emperor's elder.

He had already entered the range of an old man.

He needed to do something about this. Luckily, he had spent more than a decade studying such a thing, and was perhaps the greatest expert on extending longevity in the world.

All he needed was that flower. If he was able to find another one of those, he would be able to create another potion and salvage the situation. He thought about asking the Emperor or the Ruler of the Scholar Region, but even if they could find another flower, they would never give it to him or tell him where it was. It was far, far too valuable to be used on anyone but oneself.

There were also likely to be no books about such a mythical plant. Therefore, Skymender would have to take things into his own hands. After studying the flower for so many years, he understood its properties better than any other in the world.

With this information, and a map of the Mainland, he was able to narrow down where a flower could possibly grow to an area a hundred miles by a hundred miles.