Caul took a sip from his tea cup as his unpleasant expression slowly grew calmer. Worker looked on from the side, pondering on what Caul had told him. The situation was not good, not good at all...

"What's wrong? Why are you so worried? Shouldn't you be happy that bastard is probably going to stay locked in there forever?" Caul asked. He waved his hand and another cup of tea also appeared, hovering in front of the frowning Worker.

"That..." The blue-eyed figure sighed "... Is the problem. No matter how much I might hate the guy, he is an indispensable pawn in my plan as of now..."

Worker grabbed the cup and downed the liquid all in one gulp: "Mmm? Tea? Don't you have any alcohol?"

Caul felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart: he, who had originally been a Medicinal Cauldron, of course knew everything needed about all kind of herbs and thus could claim to be able to create the highest quality tea available. However, that tea, fruit of his efforts and one of his greatest achievements, had just been discarded for some alcohol…

"Seriously... During the time you had been His personal cauldron, you should have come to know about quite a few particular parts of his plan..." Worker spoke as he grabbed the gourd full of wine that White Dream had just given him.

"Mmm? ‘Him’? You mean..." Caul's expression flickered and then he scoffed "You are still following that guy's foolish demands? Just let it go. It's not like he can do anything as of now. After he went missing..."

"I have found... " Worker muttered, his expression serious "Who I was searching for... him."

*Crash*

Caul inhaled sharply and he immediately stood up, completely ignoring the shattered cup on the floor. He was trembling and in his eyes was disbelief as well as terror "You... what did you just say?"

A hint of shock flashed across the pair of blue eyes: "You still fear him after all these years... incredible. I guess he really was was powerful and as domineering as they say..."

The cauldron in human form shook his head, gritting his teeth "You cannot understand... He is beyond comprehension! Wether it is Mine, other people's... Even yours!"

"However... I do know one thing. Worker, please confirm a theory of mine..." Caul looked at the blue-eyed figure in the eyes "Please tell me. You are… a 'Blank', aren’t you?"

Beneath the magical blur, Worker's expression flickered. However, even though only his eyes could be seen, Caul took notice of that. Worker looked to the side, as if he was remembering events of a distant past.

"..." Caul looked at the blue eyes with amazement and then sighed in admiration and disbelief "From your expression, it seems I am right. All along you had been only... If you alone are actually this powerful, just what might did He hold?"

The blue eyes suddenly focused once again, as confusion appeared in the pair of pupils "What do you mean? Didn't you witness it first-hand? I mean.. You were his personal cauldron..."

The white-clad youth's eyes flashed with rage and then he gritted his teeth "Oh, I did witness it indeed... However, I cannot remember! That bastard wiped away my memories! Why else would I still be stuck at this stage otherwise!" the youth clenched his fists, the nails biting into the skin.

Worker smiled as his expression warmed up "Don't worry. We have all been abandoned. You, Me..." he looked out of the window "Them..."

"..."

"Thanks for your explanation, Caul... I'll be sure to repay you someday!" Worker turned and headed towards the hut's entrance, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, the white-clad youth's expression flickered "Will you really continue in your attempt? Even though I have no memories of what had happened back there..." He rubbed his hands on his shivering shoulders, as if he was cold.

"My body can still remember! You can't begin to imagine how high exactly was the amount of Immortal blood he gave me to drink... A crazy amount that gave even me, a lowly White Dream Cauldron, the chance to gain a consciousness... You are playing with fire: you might only get slightly burned..." Caul wandered off:

"…or Burnt! Burnt into charcoal."

Worker smiled beneath his concealment and nodded:

"I know exactly what I am playing with...aAnd that this is no fire. It is a freaking time-bomb. However, if I want to truly proceed with the plan, He needs to survive first!"

"Him, uh?" Caul pondered "What was he called again?"

Worker smirked:"Mh? That, he will have to decide for himself!" He stared knowingly towards the empty void outside:

"After all, from what you said, I can already guess what his trial of the Hidden Inner Devils Gate is going to be..."

"Really?" Caul looked surprised "What is it going to be like then?"

Worker grinned, and two rows of fine, white teeth could be seen for a split second on his blurry face:

"It is actually... Quite similar to mine. After all, don't we have the same circumstances that we have to carry on our backs?"

"However, at the same time it is different. As I cannot help anyways, it is up to him wether he will pass or not!"

A hint of understanding flashed by the White Dream Cauldron's eyes. He opened his mouth to seek his confirm, however Worker had already disappeared.

To where?

Only he knew that.

"Worker! If you do succeed, everything as we know it will change! However..." Caul sighed and then picked up the shattered teacup on the ground. He then went back in the room from before, his expression one of uncertainty.

"I still can't help but pray that what you are going to free will be a demon, and not the guy you intend..."

With that said, the man sighed. The door creaked as it closed. As soon as it did, the house seemed to shrink on itself as it suddenly sped off, disappearing into the void...

...

Golden Emperor Sect.

This was the new name of the former Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect as well as the name that had been in everyone's minds for the past two month or so.

The battle that had shaken the world those two months earlier had brought the Sect to a never-seen-before period of prosperity: countless Sects and Schools had come with fancy gifts to offer their respects to this new rising dragon.

Powerhouses at the Reverend stage! Geniuses never seen before in hundreds of years! A huge amount of resources!

Those facts alone would be enough to make those second-rate Sects cower and not dare to act against the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect. However, the current Golden Emperor Sect was a lot more than that!

The Sect had gone through a great change.

Low-grade Cultivation Techniques and Scriptures were available from the level of Vacant Disciple onwards.

The 'Twin Stars' had been disbanded. Now, what remained was the rank 'Successor' for those who were able to step into the Superior stage before they turned seventeen.

Successors would be taught from a School Protector himself, with the aid of the Four Guardians: these people were not officially part of the Sect, however they had good relationships with it due to them being friends of some of its core members.

These people were the dragon Blindlight, a strange beast that could only be seen if one met certain criteria; a dark-haired, middle-aged man whom nobody knew the name and people simply referred to him as 'Black Robes' and, finally, two white-robed, white and ginger-haired, red-eyed cultivators, Aster and Iris.

Currently, only three people had the rights of being Successors.

One was the fifteen years old, Superior stage cultivator, as well as an Aura Grandmaster, Fu Yin.

The second was the genius child that, at nine years of age, could step into the Superior stage! Also known as the Blue Robed Night Challenger, she was none other than Xiao Wu!

And finally, the last Successor was none other than the former Second Protector's Disciple, Sou Rou! Due to her breaking through to the Superior stage at the age of sixteen years, her path as a Twin Star had been blocked. However, now that the Twin Stars were no more, she had become a Successor!

At first, some had opposed such radical changes in the Sect. However, these people couldn't do anything, as that had been an order from the First Protector Lao Jianghu himself, together with the support of the Second Protector Mu Gu, Seventh Protector Bi Liang and Eight Protector Lu Fang.

The former Second Protector, Wu Rou had also showed no objection and had even given her approval before disappearing from the world of cultivation, heading back 'home'.

With all those gifts from other nearby powers, Sects and Schools hoping to establish a good relationship with the Golden Emperor Sect, the rising Sect had also acquired a nice amount of wealth!

However, what had been the greatest factor that allowed the Sect this huge rise in fame had been none other than the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect's Head, the "Golden Emperor".

Why 'Golden Emperor'? How could anybody forget the boy with golden eyes that had slaughtered thousands with but a wave of his hands? That had fought against the demon that had threatened to destroy all creation?

The presence that he had exuded at that time together with his power and the golden hue he had let out while using the Will of the Sovereign had given others the feeling of looking at a Golden Immortal. To them, he had become an Emperor clad in Gold, a Golden Emperor! Thus, the name of the Golden Emperor Sect and its leader, the Emperor!

This person, the Golden Emperor, had gone missing during the battle, however his power had led everyone to believe that it would have been better if they did not create enmity with the Golden Emperor Sect. Especially, they would have to be extremely careful not to anger the power of the Sect Head, the might of the Emperor Cheng Hao!

...

Lao Jianghu looked up and nodded satisfied when he looked at Xiao Wu: the girl had finally managed to begin to condense a rough, three-dimensional copy of her Black Dragon Sword.

That was the hard part: to switch from two to three-dimension, one had to change his point of view as well as his mindset. After understanding that, everything would become much smoother, as the only thing that would be needed would be a higher cultivation to control more Aura.

After Xiao Wu had become a Successor, she would have had to go to a Sect Protector to seek guidance. At that time, Lao Jianghu had stepped up himself and had offered her to become his apprentice.

After all, even though he did not have as much knowledge as Cheng Hao did, in the Aura Manipulation few people would be able to rival him, a beast whose true body was made entirely out of Aura itself.

He had great expectation after having seen her talent, however he had soon been shocked: the girl's talent in Aura Manipulation was something that made even him shiver.

Let alone the monstrous Fu Yin who had already been an Aura Grandmaster back when was still an Advanced stage cultivator, Xiao Wu alone would be enough to cause a huge ruckus if she were to step into a Plane of Existence of a higher quality.

Xiao Wu smiled, her forehead covered in sweat and her whole body trembling from the exhaustion. However, she was happy!

She had been working hard every day to increase her control over Aura and had slowly but surely improved each day, disassembling and reassembling her two Aura weapons and trying to build them back again with the least time possible while using the least Aura possible.

At first, the change had been minimal. Now, however... She had done it!

She had broken through to the Superior stage a whole week after the battle and her Aura reserve had increased, allowing her to make her attempt at three-dimensional Aura Manipulation. And now, finally, after two whole months, she had graduated: from an Aura Scholar, she had become an Aura Master! The proof?

The Black Dragon Aura Sword... Was now a three-dimensional Aura Projection!