Before a closed bookstore, Mei held up her lantern to one of the windows and squinted.

She could barely make out the hands of the clock, but it seemed to be almost 4 past midnight. To think it was this late... looking to her token, she saw that it was now at 四, 4. How auspicious.

A small shelf near the entrance sat, full of small fliers, which she might or might not have nabbed in for her own use in the past. Today, she continued the cycle by grabbing yet another, before heading home.

It was so peaceful at night. Looking to one of the larger trees in town, she suddenly had an urge to climb it and raid the bird nests for eggs. In the past, when she tried in broad daylight, the children that liked to feed the birds would get upset about it.

She stopped beside the road to pick up a rock that caught her eye.

As she reached home, she pried open the door quietly and tip-toed in, not wanting to disturb their sleep. It was largely aided by how loud her father was snoring tonight.

She reached towards the writing table in the dark, grasping for a pen. There was always at least one, which they would use to write letters on occasion, though most often to sign tax documents for the nobles that owned the land.

Today, however, the table was surprisingly devoid. To her surprise, she found a rather familiar box. The lunchbox the octopus chef lent her!

Mei was struck by anxiety for a moment.

Her first instinct was to open the box immediately, but she stopped herself. What if the contents had since rotten?

Grabbing it and heading out quietly, she sat outside on the ground, opening it...

Only to find a wok, bowls, cups, clothes, all sort of random household items... including a pen inside.

...seriously? They were using the lunchbox as a storage box of sorts? Well, granted, she would likely have done the same if it was gifted to her.

After briefly writing a letter explaining her absence, she emptied the contents of the box onto the table quietly. Several times she was a little loud, but miraculously, her parents didn't wake.

Grabbing the box, she teleported back to the sect.

Back at the sect, the sun was on the cusp of rising.

Mei headed back to her room, where she found a sulky Su Qing.

"Mei! You forgot me!"

"Sorry! I won't forget next time!"

Reaching into her bag, she took out several pretty rocks she spotted on the way home. Su Qing was still a little grumpy, but he accepted them readily.

As Su Qing went down to add them to the towering rock nest, she sighed, picking out a book to read. There were still a few hours before the start of the announcement anyway.

When the sun rose, breakfast time, Mei continued to read, having already had her fill at Xiuying's house.

Only when there was less than an hour left did she hurry to the hall.

Standing solemnly at the crowd of disciples, the sect master nodded solemnly.

Beside him, Li Jie and Qiao Shun stood, silent. Li Jie's face was void of expressions, but with how he was looking towards the ground, it was as if something weighed on him.

"Disciples, the time we've spent together will come to an end soon. In a week or so, I will be heading into secluded cultivation for a thousand years."

A thousand? Mei was stunned.

"It's quite the shame, but it's likely we will never meet again. By the time I come out, most of you would likely have already left the sect, to explore new horizons. Except for the few of you that decide to stay and become elders, naturally."

Hearing those words, Li Jie scowled.

"Li Jie, my ace disciple here will take over as the leader during my absence, and Qiao Shun will take over as your teacher. He is strict, but he means well."

Of course. Stingy formation guy would be the new teacher.

"There's not much time left, so we will be lending each of you 1000 Jade, to hasten your progression to the 8th stage of body cultivation. If you manage to reach Foundational before I go into seclusion, I will be able to offer you guidance personally."

Another loan... Mei supposed she couldn't complain.

"The debt will be added onto the sum for the supreme foundational pill. There are many affairs to attend to, so I will take my leave now. I wish you all luck in your path in cultivation."

With those words, he flew out of the hall. Qian Shun waved his hands, sending spirits flying all over, placing small pouches of jade into the hands of the disciples. Mei accepted her bag happily.

"A sum of 2,000 Jade will be added to the debt!" the spirit informed her cheerfully.

...that was just extortion.

She wasn't going to reject it though, considering how much work it would save her.

"Everyone. You are dismissed." Qian Shun said.

With those words, he followed Li Jie out. The disciples began to file out as well.

"Couldn't he just wait a few months before going to seclusion? I'm sure that would be nothing for him." Wang Wei pondered.

"Maybe something is coming up," Xiuying said.

"Like?"

"How would I know? Maybe he's about to breakthrough and can't delay it?"

A breakthrough taking a thousand years? Even for cultivation, wasn't that way too long?

Her friends started to discuss, but right now, Mei wasn't all that interested. She was going to borrow as many books as she could, before heading to the refining chambers to cultivate.

The only reason why she could cultivate so smoothly despite her damaged meridians, was because of the notebook he handed her near the beginning. She didn't doubt the elders were skilled, but she was sure the sect master would be the best at writing a manual for when she reached Foundational.

She couldn't help but worry. Even with that, what was she to do once she reached the peak of Foundational? Would it be unreasonable to ask him to write manuals for higher cultivation realms?

"Xiuying, I forgot to return this last time," Mei said, handing the lunchbox over. "I'm a bit busy, so I'll be going now!"