NOVPUBIt had been several days since Zi Xuan was unsealed from that blue crystal coffin. Ely brought a miracle upon her, and her strange illness was healed. She could return to cultivate, but she was still undergoing the rehabilitation phase to get used to her body.
It was still winter, and the snow was thick even in Ely’s immortal residence. A pastel pink-haired girl dressed in an all-white priestess outfit was sweeping the courtyard slowly, pushing the snow away from the path.
Zi Xuan exercised her body with some light activities.
"Huff..." Zi Xuan was slightly exhausted. She hadn’t recovered yet, but she was healthy nonetheless. Fatigue easily won her over, but that was still reasonable because she was still recovering after being sealed for thousands of years.
"I feel worn out..." Zi Xuan went to sit by the shrine. She stared at the six-winged Goddess statue and muttered. "Ely is a miracle... She even managed to cure my strange disease that even top-tier physicians and renowned healers in the upper realm couldn’t do."
An event where she first opened her eyes with her original body several days ago was so memorable. It was unforgettable, and she owed Ely so much.
Amidst the darkness and loneliness, she felt a warmth come to bring her somewhere. She got pulled out by gentle hands. When she regained consciousness, she felt her body was heavy and weak, but she no longer felt any pain.
Ely’s tender smile was the first thing that came into her view and imprinted in her memory. She woke up with no more illness. She was healed, and it was the happiest gift she could hope for.
Regardless, Ely and the mysterious Goddess were still a big mystery in her mind. Ely could heal her because of the Goddess’ blessings, but their actual origin remained unknown.
Though wondering, Zi Xuan wasn’t too bothered by it as she knew Ely and the mysterious Goddess couldn’t be bad people. Nevertheless, she would return to her cultivation path soon and advance toward the pinnacle.
"Hmm-mm~ Hm?" Ely came out of her humble abode but was surprised to find Zi Xuan sitting alone, holding a broom near the shrine. She immediately walked over. "Xuan-chan, why did you always get up so early and sweep the snow alone? This is the second time I have reminded you. You haven’t fully recovered yet and shouldn’t move too much."
Ely’s pleasant voice brought Zi Xuan back from her train of thought. She looked to the side and waved her hand as if nothing was wrong. "I am an Immortal Saintess. You usually do this every morning, and I also need to exercise my body a little. Not a big deal."
"Is it because you want to help me? Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, but you still need someone to accompany you. Let’s do it together next time. U-uh, it’s pretty cold. Would you like to enjoy hot morning tea with me?" Ely held out her hand in invitation.
Zi Xuan looked at Ely’s purplish-blue mesmerizing eyes with some complicated feelings. Somehow, she felt like a junior in front of a kind-hearted senior sister.
She was much older and more experienced than Ely in all kinds of aspects. Her cultivation base was also far above Ely. In terms of seniority, she was supposed to be the respected one, regardless of the mortal world’s suppression. However, she somehow became Ely’s junior priestess, but she didn’t hate it.
Without her realizing it, she had already grasped Ely’s hand. She stood up and followed Ely obediently.
The path of immortality was lonely and always filled with arduous journeys, but it wouldn’t be so bad if she had someone she could trust and rely on.
Whatever the truth might have happened to her clan, even if the Moon Palace would no longer recognize her, and if the world were to end tomorrow... somehow, she felt she could get through it all just fine.
"Hmm?" Ely looked back, and Zi Xuan looked at her with a tender smile.
She was still wondering how she completed the Zi Xuan recruitment quest. The day after she unsealed Zi Xuan, she was joking around, asking Zi Xuan to become a priestess, but Zi Xuan only responded passively.
Even so, the quest was declared complete several hours after that conversation. Zi Xuan became her junior priestess despite not admitting it.
’I need to make a new priestess outfit. Zi Xuan’s white outfit belonged to the Divine World’s Moon Palace. She needs to change her dress code as she is our people now. Master, I converted the Immortal Saintess to our side! Praise me~’ Ely looked at her Goddess Master statue, brimming with satisfaction.
---
Moments later, Gabriella and her juniors woke up from their sleep. They joined the morning tea party with their master. Yuuki, Sylvia, Evelyn, and Kirara also participated soon after that.
In that pleasant atmosphere, Ely suddenly told everyone about her plan. "I need to do the closed-door cultivation again, starting today. It will last from morning to dusk."
"Again? Is something happening any time soon?" Zi Xuan was the first to ask. Considering the previous incident, she could feel a foreboding, but it didn’t bode well for her.
"Yes." Ely replied with a tactical nod.
The ’something’ in question was she wanted to raise her stats before her sacred ritual ceremony next month. She didn’t want to deal with any Evil God for now. However, she didn’t bother to explain it.
"Is it a Demon God again? Why are there more Evil Gods than good ones or neutral ones? This world is so unbalanced." Evelyn wondered.
"Most likely is because they were banished to the mortal world after their downfall. It’s not easy to grant them a true death." Gabriella sighed.
"Let me check the latest intel. The world is still peaceful since the blood-red region tragedy." Rafaela took out a stone tablet to contact her intel regarding the recent world news.
"Phew... Heaven is irresponsible." Jophiel looked up to the sky.
She didn’t care if the world would be enveloped in chaos. Regardless, her master wished to eradicate those Heavenly Demon seeds. Everything was solely because of her master’s sake and wish.
"Is that like the previous schedule? From morning to dusk every day?" Yuuki asked as if she wanted to ensure something.
"Yes. It’s family time in the morning. I will cultivate until dusk before family dinner. Zi Xuan is also eager to recover some of her power. You no longer need to cultivate in the guest room because your new abode has been built. Let’s do closed-door cultivation using the same schedule~" Ely put her hands together, then pointed to a simple abode near Yuuki’s portable house.
"Alright, thank you." Zi Xuan appreciated it.
It was a place specially built for her. Even though it was just a simple abode containing one bedroom, other facilities were already provided in this immortal residence. Everything was perfect because everyone was so friendly to her.
She would stay with Ely and everyone until an unspecified time. They would also go to the upper world sooner or later. So, she would stick with them for a long time. Thus, a private room was essential.
Her new life had just begun, but Heaven was reluctant to give Ely peace for long. However, she would participate in the Guardian of Dream’s mission to see what sort of Evil God would cause trouble this time.
"Alright! Then, I will pay a visit to the Demon Realm to monitor the ancient demon’s invasion. The demons of the Demon Realm are still resisting without giving any sign of surrender." Sylvia put her hands together with a beaming expression.
"Keep them cornered and force them to participate in the peace treaty. We shall grant them destruction if they want great wars and chaos to continue. Disobedience shall be destroyed. Warn them with force, but still give a way out." Yuuki reminded her friend sternly.
"Okay, okay, I know. The humans will lose their natural enemies if the Demon Race is nearly wiped out in this invasion. The ancient demon also wants those demons to switch sides. It’s not an indiscriminate slaughter." Sylvia raised her hands and took a step back.
"Okay, but please be careful all the time. If possible, please return for dinner." Ely nodded in understanding. She left the matters regarding the Demon Realm to Sylvia and the ancient demons.
"Mkay~" Sylvia agreed cheerfully.
---
Several days had passed since Ely started her closed-door cultivation again. Her disciples were either preparing or honing their skills and mastery in their spare time.
Bai Yuchen was also undergoing particular practices to hone his skills and overcome his flaws. Yet, he overdid it as if he didn’t care about any drawbacks.
The news then reached the core disciples.
"Let’s give him a few pointers and insights..." Gabriella heaved a subtle sigh.
"Good." Rafaela and Michael agreed.
They then went to meet Bai Yuchen, their new recruit.
---
On a frozen pond at the mountainfoot, a topless man practised martial arts with a holy spear.
His every movement was careful. With a little wrong move and too much pressure, the thin ice would crumble, and he would fall into the cold, icy water.
Bai Yuchen still remembered his fatal mistake that night. Even though that incident was the one that brought him to Sacred Mountain, he knew that he was quickly consumed by arrogance and was too reckless on the battlefield. He had to fix that as soon as possible before the Guardian of Dream encountered another powerful foe, as predicted by Saintess Miko.
*Swoosh*
Bai Yuchen swung his spear, standing on one leg while maintaining balance. He closed his eyes, then returned to serenity like a meditating Buddha.
"I hope our arrival won’t disturb your practice session, Junior Bai." Gabriella clapped her hands once for attention.
"Huh?" Bai Yuchen opened his eyes and looked back. He found the first senior sister and two core disciples visited him.
Thus, he hurriedly jumped out of the thin ice to greet his seniors. "Ahem, no. You’re not bothering me at all. Anyway, what made you come here, seniors? Shall we go for another exploration mission?"
"No. We will not undertake any exploration missions or challenging quests for the time being. We need to hone our skills and proficiency in this peaceful time." Gabriella shook her head.
"We hear you train almost non-stop to challenge and push your limits. Even if you try to exceed your limits, it’s not a healthy workout for you to do it every day. It would be naive and impulsive if you didn’t care about any drawback and backlash just because we have many healers." Michael sighed. He was also like that years ago, but it was the past.
"Yeah... but I feel lacking in many things. There’s still a lot of sky above the sky. I must catch up, or I’ll be far behind." Bai Yuchen looked at his hands with a mocking smile. He held a God-tier holy spear but was still like an ordinary mob on that blood-red battlefield.
"You still need to know your balance. Your spiritual energy flows are erratic now. Get them stabilized as soon as possible. You are still a 4th Rank cultivator. Even if that spear can boost your battle power, you can never unleash its true power."
"Everyone doesn’t start out being the strong. They start from the basic foundation first. Haven’t you ever wondered why no one is jealous of you here? We are your seniors, but none of us wields such a high-grade weapon."
"Are you interested in learning how we hone our strengths to achieve our true power and potential?"
Gabriella, Rafaela, and Michael threw a few enlightenment at the lost Bai Yuchen.
"Huh? Please enlighten this junior." Bai Yuchen immediately clasped his fist, begging for guidance.
On second thought, his seniors only wield A-Rank weapons and artifacts. He never saw them use Super-tier ones, not even once. It was strange, and he thought they were preserving their treasured weapons, but he felt that it all had a reason now.
"Fill your bowl to the brim, and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife, and it will blunt. Beware what you are doing, and ensure it will bring no harm."
"One can fully master Super-tier item when they reach 7th Rank, Mythical-tier item at 9th Rank, and God-tier item at 10th Rank or above. For starters, we shall receive a sword, and we need to refine it and establish a bond with it before it can progress alongside us."
"Go to the shrine warehouse. You can ask for the technique manual and the sword. After you master the sacred treasured sword technique, a disciple will get two things. The first is a new treasured weapon and a magic item that suits you the best."
"You need to refine them and hone your true potential. Don’t rely too much on your powerful holy spear because it will make you blunt and progress slowly."
"If you dare, don’t use your God-tier holy spear unless it’s absolutely necessary. Saintess Miko appreciates your talent and character, not your weapon. So, don’t let it overshadow you."
Gabriella, Rafaela, and Michael took turns in their lecture.
"This junior understands. Thank you for your enlightenment, seniors!" Bai Yuchen appreciated the enlightenment. He also felt that he had relied too much on his holy spear. His true power and potential were overshadowed by it.
Influential people’s strength mainly came from the person, not the weapon they used!
"That’s good if you understand. You just joined, and some major events are happening after your entry. It would be best to go to Sakura-chan to ask for some manuals. You might also want to exchange your points for some useful items in the warehouse." Gabriella crossed her arms and nodded in satisfaction.
"Oh, right! I almost forgot. Then this junior shall bid his farewell." Bai Yuchen’s eyes brightened. He excused himself, then rushed to the mountaintop as if he couldn’t wait to meet Sakura-chan.
