The crowd continued to look at Kenja's back, stunned by his unbelievable suggestion.

Elder Kazane broke the silence, "Martial Niece Hirai, there is no need to be rash. I am not so irresponsible as to allow my own juniors to injure themselves over their ignorance."

She was about to continue when she heard Kenja's voice speak up once more.

"Elder, disciple wishes to prove herself. Please overlook my foolhardiness and allow me to show you my capabilities."

Elder Kazane was stunned once more. She frowned, tilted her head and closed her eyes in contemplation as if trying to calculate the risks involved with her acquiescence.

Comparing Foundation Establishment and Qi Flourishing is like comparing a man with an ant. A single step would crush the Qi Flourishing cultivator, and she wants to try her hand at the next level? That's like the ant asking God to use his pinky because it couldn't find a mortal's shoe.

"A single finger for a single breath.....hmmmm," she mumbled, still calculating whether the suggestion was feasible or outlandish. She eventually opened her eyes and nodded.

"One finger for one whole breath is, indeed, more than enough to showcase your talent. Though I fear that if you do it any longer, you will be spending your first few months here recuperating in seclusion."

Souji began coughing incessantly once more. Seeing Elder Kazane yield to the crazy request, he nearly choked on his last bite of spirit fruit.

Kenja could feel the invisible force that held his body and face release him. He could move again.

'Dug the grave deep enough? You think I can't talk myself out of this now?'

Kenja was angry, and he was intent on not letting Snail have his way. Kenja turned around to look at them, ready to undo Snail's noose from his neck, when he was surprised to see that Hanabi had approached him with watery eyes.

"Big sister, I am sorry. I took all the essence, and now you have to endanger yourself just to pass this test."

She was on the verge of spilling tears for causing her new big sister to endure such misfortune only minutes after bonding with each other.

The incredible sight caused Souji's coughing to worsen. The rambunctious and wild princess had become this stranger's tamed kitten. He had garnered some appreciation for Kenja since the carpet ride an hour ago, but the influence he had on the princess was quite staggering.

Kenja's heart stung with guilt when he found out the reason for Hanabi's apologetic disposition. Unable to endure the rising water level in his sister's beautiful eyes, he corrected her.

"What are you saying, little sister? If you hadn't absorbed all the essence from the middle orb, I wouldn't have stumbled onto this greater fortune. We've been sisters for less than an incense stick, and I have already incurred a great debt to you!"

Everyone stared at Kenja, touched by his words. Hanabi's lips curled into a gentle smile as each of her eyes released a single tear that flowed down her face. Elder Kazane and Souji were astounded by Kenja's brave display towards the great danger he was about to face.

'This is a true big sister, putting her little sister's worries to rest!' they thought.

Snail silently applauded Kenja's ability to twist facts in such a way that he could reverse people's perspective.

"Brother Kenja, perhaps Snail-sensei could be your little sister as well," joked Snail.

Kenja's smile turned into a frown after he nodded to Hanabi and turned back to face his doom.

Seeing Kenja's eagerness take over, Snail chimed in once more, "After giving your little sister such moving words, you must be excited for this."

Kenja's eyes darted angrily to the right side of his face, upset that he couldn't lash out at Snail.

'Shut up, you damn snail! Not only are you trying to bury me, but you even gave the princess a shovel to help you dig.'

Sensing the animosity, Snail spoke out indignantly, "What's wrong with you? You're the one who doesn't want to risk his life to obtain a higher cultivation level! Now that I have found you an alternative, you are angry with me?"

Kenja's eyes widened furiously when he heard this.

'How is this an alternative to risking my life?! Is it simply an alternative because you've taken the risk out and are ensuring my death?'

Kenja's every footstep was heavier than the last. He was four steps away while he wracked his mind for a solution out of this tight spot. He had nearly died several times in the past day and cultivated to a level that would normally take half a decade or longer; he was incredibly fatigued as his heart, mind and body were thoroughly exhausted. Even in perfect condition, this would be a very dangerous undertaking, but what ant would challenge God with one of his legs missing?

Snail could feel Kenja's panic and desperation, so he comforted him.

"Disciple needs to learn to relax. Snail-sensei won't steer you wrong. I will absorb most of the essence and let a small amount through for your benefit. Metal cane, over there, will absorb what you cannot while guiding the essence through your meridians and to your dantians. You won't have to do anything."

Kenja's body and mind finally relaxed a little as he stood in front of the giant orb. He raised a finger two cun away from the surface, and he placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword. In contrast to the previous orb, he felt a much more powerful sense of danger coming from this one, but he still couldn't feel or see any energy. He steeled his nerves and closed his eyes to reminisce about his twin sisters and Baba when Snail interrupted his thoughts once more.

"Actually, there is one thing you will need to do."

He opened his eyes to see Snail standing under his right hand, out of the others' line-of-sight.

'Did he crawl there?'

"You will need to stay conscious. If you fall unconscious, things might get inconvenient, and they could find out you're not a woman. While dressing as a woman might be something most can overlook, I am not sure how Souji or the royal family will react to you hoodwinking their princess," Snail postulated.

Kenja's eyes furrowed into a hateful glare. He both pitied and praised Sakura for being stuck with him for so long while still retaining her sanity.

'In the case that I survive this ordeal, if I am rendered unconscious, I will be finished off because of your suggestion to dress-up as a woman?'

Kenja's headache had leveled up to a full-blown migraine; this snail was a cursed item. Kenja began to hesitate and wonder if it was too late to withdraw when he felt a force from behind push him another step towards the orb.

'GODDAMN SNAIL!!!'

His finger touched the orb, and time seemed to stop. Essence immediately engulfed his insides as he felt it pumping through his meridians and filling all three of his dantians. Both his hands felt numb from the heat as his meridians were overloaded with a rushing torrent of the Core Crystallization essence. The amount of pain he endured was several times worse than the previous orb. Kenja was sure that if he placed his full palm, he would have died on the spot.

'This is not a tiny amount!' Kenja felt wronged.

His meridians were being burned by the amount and quality of the essence while his dantians were filled to the point that his vision blurred and his body nearly passed out. He wanted to pull his finger back, but it seemed that the mind's command to remove his hand was taking forever to reach the appendage.

He couldn't control his body, and it took every fiber of his being to keep his eyes open and awake. He could feel his cultivation advancing without his control, with no sign of slowing down. As he was reaching the brink of his sanity, he felt his body break through a barrier. He had reached high-level Qi Flourishing, but it didn't stop there. His dantians were continually nourished by the essence as his meridians were being charred from spiritual overexertion.

As soon as he thought his life was over, the essence stopped flowing into his body, and he withdrew his hand. He regained control of his senses and assisted Sakura in circulating the essence through his body to his dantians so that he could relax. He was nearly done when he heard a voice speak out once more from next to his face.

"Elder Kazane, I think this orb is empty as well. Do you have any other orbs? Maybe a bigger one?"

Snail had already found his way back to Kenja's ear and impersonated him once more.

Kenja nearly spurted blood, and the crowd behind him was rendered speechless once again. Without saying a word, Elder Kazane approached the orb and placed her palm on it. Her eyes widened as she stared at Kenja's face with a perplexed expression. Kenja quickly adopted his usual demeanor before Elder Kazane and the others could get a good look at him.

"It...is empty," Elder Kazane didn't say anything else as she rattled her head for a plausible explanation.

Souji asked in astonishment, "How is it empty? You held your hand on the orb for half a breath and immediately had a breakthrough, didn't you?"

'I was only touching it for half a breath?!'

Kenja was shocked; he didn't realize that entire 'tea time of pain' was less than half a breath. He had to quickly come up with an adequate explanation.

"I felt a sliver of the essence left in the orb and achieved my breakthrough from it. Disciple did not wish to continue touching the orb and lie to Elder," he lied, ironically.

Their faces flashed with understanding.

Elder Kazane put her smile back on and faced Kenja in an imposing manner.

"No matter. You have displayed a high level of integrity and adaptability. To have encountered two Orbs of Eventuality without suffering a defeat is a show of good fortune, regardless of whether they were empty or not. I welcome Martial Niece Hirai as an inner sect disciple."

She paused once more and adjusted herself to face both Princess Hanabi and Kenja.

"Martial Niece Ryu, Martial Niece Hirai, I am pleased with your capabilities and believe you are worthy of my instruction. If you so choose, I welcome you as my own disciples."

Souji smiled at his senior sister's offer of tutelage. For an elder of a sect to accept someone so young and inexperienced as their student, it normally did not occur. Hanabi may have been talented, but her status as a princess and Souji's pupil probably held a lot of sway over Elder Kazane's decision. The real question Souji couldn't answer was why she welcomed Kenja as well.

"There is no need for the full acknowledgement. We can use the partial acknowledgement and wait for when you wish to do the full acknowledgement," she said as she waved her hand to show that it was an insignificant matter.

When a disciple acknowledged a master, a partial acknowledgement was done to establish the mentor-student relationship, but it was easily voided by the student if they no longer wished to follow that master. The full acknowledgement permanently established the relationship, and it couldn't be severed for life unless both parties mutually wished to break the relationship. The partial acknowledgement was closer to a marital bond; whereas, full acknowledgement was a familial bond which should never be broken.

Princess Hanabi was happy to have received the elder's invitation and turned to discuss what to do with Kenja, only to see him on the ground, kowtowing with his forehead on the floor. She was taken aback by the suddenness, but she copied him and kowtowed to Elder Kazane as well.

Kenja spoke out first, "Disciple wishes to formally study under elder." His modulated voice became a little nasal as his eyes filled with water. He had dreamed of joining a sect for years, but never in his wildest dreams did he think a master would formally acknowledge him as their student. If he only partially acknowledged such a kind master, he would throw his name away.

"Good idea, disciple. If she becomes your master, we can spend more time with her, and she might double cultivate with you. You really are starting to understand the path to achieving Immortality!" Snail gushed.

Kenja had already tuned Snail out; his resistance towards Snail's shamelessness continued to rise.

Hanabi copied Kenja's example, and they waited for Elder Kazane's response. Surprised by their decisiveness, Elder Kazane beamed at them and nodded her head.

"Master acknowledges Disciple Hirai and Disciple Ryu as her own. You may stand."

They stood up and relished their new status as Elder Kazane's disciples. Now that an opportune moment presented itself, Souji whispered a question to Elder Kazane telepathically.

"Why did you offer Hirai-sama the opportunity to study under you?"

Elder Kazane looked at him and whispered back.

"She has both talent and good fortune, but more than that, how can I split these two apart? They must have grown up together for years, and to separate them would be too cruel of me."

Souji began coughing again, unable and unwilling to respond.

Elder Kazane was about to speak when another woman ran into the chamber. She stopped in front of Elder Kazane and bowed.

"Disciple offers greetings to master."

She had beautiful short blue hair and an icy look on her face that seemed to put everything and everyone else beneath her. Her cultivation level had reached the low-level Core Crystallization stage, and her aura was nearly as divine as Elder Kazane's. She was holding a piece of paper in her right hand.

"A Nascent Soul master AND a Core Crystallization senior sister?! I think you won't need to worry about raising your cultivation for some time. Snail-sensei is sure he still has an emperor's bed in here, but we might need to wash some new sheets for it," Snail excitedly congratulated Kenja.

Kenja raised his left fingers to his temples and rubbed them as he tried to ignore Snail and focus on the paper his senior sister carried. It was his letter to Baba.