Cultivation time slipped by like a clear river, swift yet full, and another year flickered past like a lantern’s flame in wind.

Even though Lixue and I poured ourselves into training, we didn’t shut the window on the world; we kept an ear to the street, like leaves listening to rain.

We’re here because that fight in Cerol City carved our weakness into bone, like a chisel on stone. So while we trained, I still asked about Wilsar and his lot, now and then, like tossing a line into dark water.

What we heard: Wilsar and Molor vanished after escaping Aunt Saintvoice and the others—gone over a year, like steam thinning into sky. The Dark Demon, though, is no more, and that’s a bright crack in the clouds; the world’s steadied a bit, like a lake after storms.

It’s not our place to fret over it. Their moves were driven by an Origin Realm existence from the Inner World, a depth we can’t touch, like trench-black sea.

When it comes to Origin Realm beings… only Xinuo and FrostyLily Dream might solve it, I guess. But no word about the Worldgate being resolved, and Xinuo’s group hasn’t returned in ages, like migratory birds that missed their season. This isn’t simple.

The world may look calm, a placid bay under blue sky, but the Worldgate unsettled keeps a stone on the heart. If even Xinuo can’t close it in short time, the tide reads ill.

“Emperor, what are you spacing out about?”

A sigh first, then motion: Lixue sat beside me and nudged my shoulder, curiosity rippling like a breeze through bamboo.

“Mm… just chewing on things.”

I spilled the jumble in my head, and she smiled, soft as spring sun. “That level of trouble isn’t ours to weigh. Better to think on what we do after training.”

Plans… The word tasted like warm tea cooling. “True. Today marks the end. Let’s see what Heartvoice has in mind first.”

Our time in the Dragon Realm wasn’t long—roughly two years, two cycles of seasons rolling like a drumbeat.

“Right on cue, Heartvoice said she’d talk with us at eleven.”

“Eleven? We’ve still got five or six minutes!”

I glanced at the wall clock—ten fifty-five, the hand like a blade edging toward noon. Still on time.

“Did Heartvoice say where?”

“In the courtyard pavilion.”

“Then let’s go.”

I grabbed Lixue’s hand and we headed out, legs light like stepping stones across water. Being late leaves a sour taste, like burnt tea.

…

In the courtyard.

“Little Emperor, you’re precise—eleven on the dot.”

Heartvoice sat in the pavilion, enjoying pastries and red tea, steam curling like mist over pine. She waved us over, casual as a cloud’s shadow. Celia Maya was there too, and—

“Dear brother! Training’s finally done—we can be together again!”

“Mm, we didn’t see brother at all for over a month near the end.”

Before I could greet them, Lingxiao and Lingsaki charged in like two swallows, hugging me tight. Still that clinging warmth, like ivy on old brick. Littlesky and Qianji Sister apparently dropped by earlier, but we were in seclusion; they went to visit Serenemoon and Hill. I’m not sure if they’re still in the Dragon Realm.

“Don’t pounce the second you see me. You’re not little kids.”

I pinched their soft, pretty cheeks, half-annoyed, half-amused. Their figures had grown—spring buds turning to bloom—the softness against my arm… too comfortable. What am I even thinking?

“Can’t help it. When we see dear brother, we have to hug!”

“Same.”

“Fine, fine. But why are you here with Celia Maya? Did you finish training too, like us?”

Different callings, different methods, yet these sisters keep pace with us like twin moons crossing the same sky. It’s oddly wondrous.

“That’s right. Lingxiao and Lingsaki finished today, same as you.”

Heartvoice answered, the timing seamless like matched steps. Maybe they planned it; the alignment felt too neat, like beads on a string.

Celia Maya smiled, voice warm as late autumn sun. “I’ve taught you all I can. Truly worthy of the Mizumi Clan—your talent surpassed our expectations, blooming faster than we thought. Less than two years, and you’re through.”

“Celia’s right,” Heartvoice added, thoughtful as a still pond. “Little Emperor and Lixue, your raw level may not have leapt sky-high, but your old gaps and faults are smoothed, like cracks filled in jade. Compared to Sir Xino’s group, I’m limited, so what I teach is mostly foundational.”

“My side’s broader,” Celia Maya continued, tone like a steady bell. “Lingxiao, Lingsaki, you had no formal mentor, so I gave you more. But as the saying goes, a master opens the door, the path is yours to walk. Where you go next is up to you.”

It’s just the end of training, not a farewell, yet the mood felt wistful, like dusk light lingering on eaves.

“We get it. Heartvoice, any plans after this?”

Lixue asked what weighed on us most. Ending training left a hollow, like a boat at slack tide not knowing which current to catch.

“That’s up to you,” Heartvoice said, easy as wind. “You can stroll the Dragon Realm, or go back to traveling…”

She paused, a spark in her eye. “Actually, I know a place for you. Perfect to test your results.”

“What place?”

Relief washed in like cool rain. I prefer a clear path to wandering blind. Maybe that’s not very independent of me. After so long outside, the world wasn’t what I imagined; the old longing fades, like a dream thinning at dawn.

Dreams burn bright until they’re grasped; then the fire softens. I remember leaving the Central Continent the first time—thrilled like a hawk cutting the sky. Now, used to the road, the desire to keep running has dimmed.

“A month ago, the Endless Sea stirred up no small commotion,” Heartvoice said. “An ancient undersea palace rose to the surface, drawing crowds like gulls to a storm-tossed shoal. It’s dangerous inside. No one’s managed to go deep.”

“No one can go deep? Why?”

An ancient palace means treasure chests and rare cultivation manuals, gold and scripture shining like sun through water. Even danger won’t stop that hunger, like waves hammering a cliff… will it?