Aimless Ascension



Gale spent about six hours in deep meditation, taking control of his deadbeat body. Although most of the serious injuries in his channels healed after Saarya's intervention, he feared he won't be in fighting shape within a couple of weeks.

Then he has to work to get back the power that Maya had sealed. He had no clue how long that would take.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Gale woke up from his meditation, feeling the same vibration again. It was as if calling him who knew where.

Gale found Xiaolin on the same bed, waiting for him as she was done with her meditation a couple of hours ago.

"Master, you're awake," Xiaolin said. "How're you feeling?"

"Better," Gale said, patting her head. He turned his head around and found Vale resting, but no sign of his senior apprentice sister. "Where's Maya?"

"She left," Xiaolin answered. "She completed everything you asked of her and went into the mountain to check what is going on."

"Hmm," Gale hummed. "When did she leave?"

"About an hour ago. She said she will be back in a few hours."

Gale nodded. He could dreadfully feel the shift in nature in the mountains, even when he was inside the secret lair. The natural energy density increased tremendously as if they were situated right above a blasting spirit energy ley line. Then there was the pudgy feeling in the air, the unrest.

Gale rested on the thought, as he wouldn't have to worry about his senior apprentice sister. She had advanced one rank above his, and with her natural speed, she would be fine.

Gale lifted his head to look at Xiaolin. He let out a breath. "Linlin, there's something I have to tell you."

Xiaolin regarded him inquiringly.

"I probably shouldn't have left the inn without telling you," Gale said, embarrassment growing on his expression. "But something happened, I didn't know how I was supposed to face you." Or Wang Li.

Xiaolin's face turned red instantly. "I heard you mistook elder sister for me," she said. "She told me already."

Gale grunted, yet weirdly, he found no change in Xiaolin's expression. Instead, she was acting even shyer.

'If she heard all of it, then why she isn't mad at me?' Gale wondered.

"Master, I'm sorry," Xiaolin said, completely surprising him. "It's my fault. I completely forget what I promised to you after you gave me the wine."

Gale blinked at her. "Still, aren't you mad at me for this?"

"I'm," she said. "I'm mad at both of ourselves. Elder Sister was so rigid when she was telling me that. Gosh, what she had to put through. Thankfully, you didn't cross the line, or. . ."

Gale frowned.

"Master," Xiaolin nodded, the look on his face as well. "You didn't do anything to cross the line did you?"

Gale didn't say anything.

"Master?"

Gale sighed. "That depends on where you think the line is, I fear."

Xiaolin regarded him, frowning. "Did you kiss her?"

Gale nodded.

"On the lips?"

Gale nodded.

Xiaolin's face turned unsightly instantly. "How! I thought your Gold senses can recognise people from a Li away, how can you make such a blunder?!"

"I probably drank a little too much ambrosia. And as you know, my senses weren't as it was once were."

Xiaolin groaned in frustration. "How am I going to face her again?"

"We can't go back after what I did," Gale said after Saarya put the stuff straight to him. "I already apologised to her, but I don't think that's enough. All we can do is work towards helping the situation. It will take time, but I'm sure we'll get somewhere."

***

Han Shitian couldn't remain in his house anymore, discovering the oddness of the storm, and it wasn't him alone. Even Iskander joined him on the roof to peer into the storm.

"Are you still certain your people will complete the job without any issues?" Han Shitian asked the foreigner, turning his head to face the elegant man.

Iskander didn't answer for a certain time, peering into the stormy mountain. "I feel like there's something more else on the mountains," he said. "I think I'll have to go and check."

Iskander proceeded to leave right at that moment, flaring his Qi to command a movement skill.

"Wait, I'll come as well," Han Shitian said.

The foreigner turned his head and asked, "Are you sure?"

"I already played my part, I won't be able to sleep in peace if I didn't put this matter to an end," he said.

"Well, come on then."

The two of them charged their movement skill and shot for the mountain, their speed rising with each moment. At this rate, they would reach the mountain within half an hour.

However, things didn't turn out as they had hoped. They barely covered two-thirds of the distance when a great spatial shock detonated in the mountains. Obviously, they were too far away and higher ranked to be affected by that, but they did notice the shockwave.

"What was that?" Han Shitian asked.

But the foreigner's eyes were elsewhere, towards the golden light shooting towards the mountain range. A delightful expression crossed his lips instantly as he turned to face Han Shitian.

"Change of plan," he said. "We'll wait until more reinforcement comes."

"Why?" Han Shitian asked, clearly missing the golden light shooting for the mountain.

Iskander didn't bother to answer as they moved closer to the mountain.

***

Sun Min was staying as a guest in Shenhu Mountain Sect for about a week. Her duties were pretty simple as always, heal anyone in need, advise an aspiring practitioner, and check on the political matters of the sect.

The sect has been under the regime of her family for over millennia, although the relationship has been distant for most of the time. Sun Clan didn't rule with an iron hand as their Sovereign took a more free approach to rule over subsidiary sects and clans.

Well, those clans and sects were free like most other free organisations, but their only duty was to turn up when the Sun Clan called.

The political water had been growing restless in Tianhui for years now. With the uncompassionate king and hungry noble houses, it wasn't really a surprise. On normal occasions, these weren't supposed to affect the Legendary Sun clan or its subsidiary powers, however, somehow this Shenhu Mountain sect managed to throw themselves into the entanglement of others' schemes.

She was here to break that thought of involving themselves in such a fight, and while doing that she was also looking for any young candidates who were talented enough.

So far, she had her eyes on a couple. Though unpolished, she figured with the teachings of her clan, they would shine like diamonds in a year or two.

"Mistress, your longread received a call," a young servant girl called.

"Thank you," Sun Min said. "I'll go look into it."

There were plenty of people who had her contacts, and she received plenty of longread every week. Obviously, she didn't bother with most of them, as half of them were asking for her hand in marriage. The rest were from families, or others asking for her expertise.

Sun Min wasn't surprised to find the contact was from Sun Ziang, as the youth had been in contact with her constantly since he was deported. However, she was surprised reading the content he left for her.

Supposedly, some calamity was about to befall in Wayshire, as it was prophesied by the disciple of the Grand Oracle of the first temple.

He put the oracle apprentices to prophesy word by word below, which put in a rather discontentment. She was missing too much information to make head and tail out of the words.

Other than that, Sun Ziang described the storm that covered the mountain range.

"Hmm, there's supposed to be something left behind by an ancient civilization," she muttered as she read the prophecy once again. Without a second thought, she dialled the contact that connected her with her grandmother, Sovereign White Spring.

Sun Min delivered the prophecy word by word. Then she waited for any communication from her grandmother.

[Do as you see fit.]

Only one line appeared on the papers after a while. The words spoke volumes of trust the sovereign had in her.

Sun Min wasn't supposed to go and help Sun Ziang. However, after she got this from her grandmother, she figured she shouldn't wait here and leave everything to him.

Without thinking any more, Sun Min stored all her necessary items in her spatial storage device. She left a quick note for the sect master and handed it to the servant.

"Take this to the sect master," she told her.

Even as the servant left with the note fervently, Sun Min closed her eyes and released her power.

In the next moment, her entire figure was sucked in by the portal.

***

In an unknown dark mansion, a dark man sprinted back deeper into the facilities, clasping his one palm with another. His right palm was troubled with a splitting pain, shaking in the reminder of something he had been working on for twenty years.

Without the notice of his partners in crime, the man moved deeper into the house and entered a makeshift lift. It took him down into the underground facilities after he worked through some secret constructs.

After a while, he rested the palm that was shuddering in a splitting pain. The palm was sickly grotesque, missing a lot of muscle and fibres, compared with the other arm. It had several twisted spiral marks, which seemed to be the cause of all this.

"Finally," he said, making a fist with the sickly arm. "Finally, the time has come! My path to home."

A clamour of howls and screech broke after him as the man started to laugh maniacally.

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