Two hours later, the heavy sandalwood door of the guest wing creaked open. Qin Yu stepped out, his steps light and his face no longer pale. The Tier 2 healing pills of the Inner Sect had done their work, mending his ribs and knitting the cracks in his arm with efficient speed.
Thud. Thud.
The City Lord approached them, his expression a mix of sorrow and hope. Behind him followed his son, Yan Bo. The white haired boy was dressed in simple but sturdy traveling clothes, a small bag slung over his shoulder.
The City Lord placed a heavy hand on the boy's head. "Yan Bo, remember what I told you. The road to immortality is treacherous. Even if you don't pass the trials, your home will always welcome you."
Tears welled in Yan Bo's eyes, but he wiped them away with a fierce swipe of his sleeve. "Father, I will definitely pass! I'll train until my bones ache. I will make you and Autumn Harvest City proud!"
Hanyuan watched the scene with a faint, nostalgic smile. It felt like an eternity since he had stood at the gates of Spirit Springs City, promising his own father that he would surpass him.
"Alright, enough of the soggy goodbyes," Qin Yu waved with a mischievous smile, trying to lighten the heavy mood. "Little Bo, choose your chariot. Do you want to ride on my elegant White Crane, or would you prefer to sit atop the back of that Spear Lunatic's scary eagle?"
Yan Bo looked at Qin Yu's Crane, then shifted his gaze to Lingxiao. The Silver Winged Eagle let out a sharp, metallic screech and flared its wings, the blue grey feathers gleaming like tempered blades.
"Mister Hanyuan and his eagle are way cooler!" Yan Bo declared without a second's hesitation.
Qin Yu's playful smile vanished instantly. He let out a dry cough and looked away in profound embarrassment, muttering something about "unrefined children having no taste for elegance."
Hanyuan laughed and hoisted Yan Bo onto Lingxiao's back. "Hold onto the base of the feathers, not the tips. Let's go."
They mounted their beasts and took to the sky. As they soared vertically, the city below shrank into a tiny grid of stone and wood.
"Woaahhh!" Yan Bo's eyes sparkled like diamonds. He gripped Lingxiao's neck, his face pressed against the wind. The sheer height and the feeling of the clouds passing through his fingers left him breathless.
"You'll get a flying beast of your own if you manage to enter the Inner Sect," Hanyuan said, glancing back at the boy.
Yan Bo's excitement dimmed slightly, replaced by a grounded realism. "I know my talent, Mister. My teachers said I'm average. I'll probably be an old man with a grey beard before I even dream of reaching the Mortal Core Realm."
Hanyuan chuckled, the wind whipping his long black hair. "Don't listen to them. My talent was also not that great in the beginning. In fact, many called me mediocre."
Yan Bo looked up, stunned. "Really? But you're a god!"
"Not a god. Just someone who took the shortcuts that hurt," Hanyuan replied, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the horizon. "Once you enter the Sect, focus on earning Merit Points. You can buy Star Breaker Pills. They are agonizing to consume, and the pain is like being unmade, but they can improve your innate talent. If you have the will to suffer, the stars in your soul will change."
Yan Bo's jaw dropped. The idea that destiny could be bought with pain and points was a revelation. For the next ten hours of flight, the boy was full of questions, asking about the trials, the layout of the Cloud-Jade Isle, and what the food tasted like in the high peaks.
Finally, the jagged, cloud piercing silhouette of the Mystic Sky Sect appeared. Yan Bo's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw the central mountain and the five colossal flying islands suspended around it like celestial satellites.
"That... that's it?" he whispered.
"That's just the Outer Sect," Hanyuan laughed as they began their descent.
They dived through the cloud layer, heading for the main landing plaza. As they neared the ground, Hanyuan saw that the plaza was teeming with life. Thousands of youths, many looking just like Hanyuan had a year prior,nervous, hopeful, and clutching family weapons,were gathered for the new cycle of the Outer Disciple Trials.
The arrival of the two beasts caused a massive commotion.
"Wow! Look at that! An eagle and a crane!"
"Look at the people standing on top... their auras are terrifying! I can barely breathe just being near them!"
"Wait, look at their robes! Those aren't Outer Disciple whites... they're the purple and silver of the Inner Sect!"
The thousands of recruitment candidates fell into a stunned silence as Lingxiao and the Crane landed heavily in the center of the plaza, their wings kicking up a gale of dust that forced the nearest youths to shield their eyes.
Hanyuan stepped off the eagle's back, his Amethyst Jade glinting at his waist. He looked at the sea of wide eyed new sprouts and felt the incredible weight of his own journey.
Hanyuan watched as Yan Bo hopped off Lingxiao's back, his small feet hitting the stone plaza of the Cloud-Jade Isle. The boy looked overwhelmed by the sheer number of competitors and the oppressive spiritual pressure of the Sect, but his eyes remained bright with determination.
"Good luck, Yan Bo," Hanyuan said, his voice carrying a calm weight that caused nearby trial takers to shiver. "Remember what I said, the road is paved with pain. Don't let it stop you."
"I won't, Mister Hanyuan! I'll see you in the high peaks!" the boy shouted, waving frantically as Hanyuan and Qin Yu took to the skies once more.
The flight back to the Inner Sect was swift. They landed before the soaring crystal dome of the Inner Sect Mission Hall. Inside, the atmosphere was far more subdued than the frantic Outer Sect, populated by seasoned disciples who moved with silent purpose.
They approached the obsidian counter and presented the silver sealed mission tally. The Deacon, a middle aged man with sharp eyes and a permanent scowl, inspected the jade and the heavy storage ring Qin Yu presented.
"Mission: Defense of Autumn Harvest City. Success confirmed. Target: Silver Moon Ape. Beheaded," the Deacon muttered, his eyebrows lifting slightly as he saw the state of the ape's corpse in the ring's projection. "Clean work for fresh Inner Disciples."
He tapped his staff on a recording array. "The payout is 15 Mid grade spirit stones each for the completion of a High Rank task. For the surrender of a 2nd Layer Mortal Core corpse,highly valuable for its hide and heart blood,you receive an additional 20 Mid grade stones to split. That is 25 Mid grade stones each. Well earned."
As they stepped out of the hall, the weight of the new silk pouches felt like a solid anchor.
"Twenty five stones!" Qin Yu cheered, his face lighting up. "With what I had left, I can finally replace this chipped sword of mine. I'm heading to the armory. Hanyuan, you should come! You have enough now to buy a high tier Spirit spear, or maybe even a set of enchanted armor."
Hanyuan looked at the Cold Cloud Spear strapped to his back. The blue metal was scarred, and the cloud runes were faint after the battle with the Ape, but he felt a strange resonance with the weapon. It had been his companion through the most dangerous year of his life.
He shook his head with a faint smile. "I'll use this one a little longer. It hasn't failed me yet."
Qin Yu shrugged, not one to argue with a 'Spear Madman.' "Suit yourself. But remember, next week is the first of the month. An Inner Sect Elder will be giving a public lecture on Ascension Island. Even if you don't need a new spear, the insights from an Elder are priceless. Don't be late!"
With a final wave, Qin Yu mounted his crane and vanished toward the armory peaks.
Hanyuan didn't linger. He flew Lingxiao back to his estate in the Crest-Cloud District. Before entering the pagoda, he unslung the sack of beast corpses he had collected from the battlefield and threw a large portion into Lingxiao's feeding area. The eagle let out a satisfied trill, its blue grey feathers rustling as it began its meal.
Hanyuan sat beneath the gnarled plum tree in his garden, the scent of frozen lilies filling the air. He closed his eyes, his mind running through his finances.
I have 32 Mid grade spirit stones now, Hanyuan calculated. Next week, I'll receive my monthly allowance of 20 stones. That makes 52 Mid grade stones total,equivalent to 5,200 low grade stones.
It was a staggering sum of wealth, but Hanyuan's ambition was equally vast.
The Silver Frost Spear Art served me well, but it's a Low Spirit grade technique. Against that Silver Moon Ape, I could feel its limitations. I need something more profound. A Top Spirit Grade manual.
He knew better than to aim for Earth grade yet, those required a depth of Qi that even 5th Layer Mortal Core experts struggled to maintain.