Time waited for no one, and there was only one month left for the festival’s official opening. Excitement was in the air as the selected inner sect disciples, and their respective guides, were finalising their preparations. Jack too made his arrangements, storing the Essence Attractor Pills and the two foundation realm treasures inside his dimensional pocket, including a bunch of other materials.

Surprisingly, him and Dai Jun were the first to make it to the designated meeting spot, on the outskirts of the Sky Water Sect’s continental shelf. Beyond them stood a vast expanse of lands; the harbinger of an adventure.

“Ah, eager for the journey, aren’t you?”

Jack nodded. “I can’t wait! I have remained inside the sect’s border far too long. I really want to explore the outside lands and experience what this world has to offer.”

“Ah Jack, you will have the opportunity to enjoy them for much longer if you fail to loot that herb.”

Jack smiled wryly. “And you just had to ruin everything by reminding that...”

As the duo conversed, the others soon began arriving in pairs. The first to report were the Grand Elder and his disciple, followed by Elder Tian and Tian Jinse. Shui Tao arrived not long after, but betraying Jack’s prediction, he wasn’t accompanied by Elder Shui. Instead, he was escorted by a mysterious middle-aged woman. Her eyes were dull, and her face was devoid of any type of expression as if she was a living statue.

The Grand Elder’s face was beaming as he assessed the situation. “Finally, our big day has arrived! I can’t wait to descend inside the Crimson Abyss and smash those beasts to hell.”

Almost everyone expressed a wryly smile as they watched the Grand Elder punching his fists together and flexing his muscles.

“So much enthusiasm Grand Elder… too bad that our special disciple doesn’t seem to share it with us.”

These irritate words naturally came out of Shui Tao’s mouth. The appearance of a mysterious disciple had already annoyed him much. But it seems that now they also had to wait for this idiot.

The Grand Elder immediately fired a slap towards Shui Tao, almost sending him tumbling off the continent. “You little shit! If only your strength were as versatile as your mouth, you would be the undefeated genius of the entire Divine Vajra Continent! Do me a favour and keep that mouth of yours shut, she should be arriving any moment now.”

Tian Jinse’s eyes rounded wide when she learned that the mysterious person was a woman. She immediately glanced at the Grand Elder’s disciple, and after carefully observing her reaction, it was quite apparent that she too was oblivious of the mysterious person’s identity.

Tian Jinse pondered. From her perspective, besides her and the Grand Elder’s disciple, there shouldn’t be any other female cultivators that were strong enough to participate. She soon became sceptical, also joking in her heart if the Patriarch and the Grand Elder started smoking some weird herbs recently, clouding their judgements.

In the end, the group had no other choice but to wait for the arrival of the unknown person, kept in good company by the Grand Elder’s flamboyant mood.

***

Well-hidden inside the secret realm’s forbidden area, there was a large pond of freshwater. The melodic sounds of birds complemented the serenity as they hopped from branch to branch in perfect rhythms.

Colourful flower petals could be seen floating over the pond, occasionally defiling the near-perfect reflections of the nearby wooden houses.

There, a heaven-defying beauty was running in circles around another cultivator.

“Big Sis! How does it feel going out for an adventure for the first time ever? Aren’t you nervous?”

“Oh! Your sword isn’t properly affixed, let me…”

“Wow! This dress really suits your figure! So pretty...”

The other female cultivator remained silent as she began tying her hair in a ponytail. Her raising her arms clearly showcased her jade-like skin, which appeared whiter than snow. In contrast, her eyes were dark brown and impossible to read.

“Li’er, stop pestering me. You know that I hate meeting other people, and this dress cannot be any uglier.”

Chun Meili could only sigh at this person’s stubbornness, before noticing two shadows approaching from the horizon. “Oh, looks like your dad is on his way. There is also someone else with him, probably your escort.”

As soon as the two men touched ground, Chun Meili fell on her knees and bowed respectfully. On the other hand, the mysterious inner sect disciple kept standing impassively.

The Patriarch sighed as he turned his attention to the man wearing a Junior Elder robe. “I’ve already explained everything to you, Long Mu. This is Zheng Zexi, and she is my beloved daughter. I’ll be entrusting you with her care.”

It was then that an old woman wearing a long white dress appeared dropping from above. Her expression was ghostly as she stared at the Patriarch for a moment. She then nodded approvingly and began examining the physical appearance of Long Mu with utmost precision.

Her direct gaze seemed to annoy Long Mu. “What are you looking at, you old bag? Lusting over this beautiful body? Not a chance!”

The Patriarch appeared confused by this abnormal reaction. “Long Mu, chill down buddy. Is everything ok? You’ve been acting a bit strange lately. If something’s bothering you, just let me know. There is nothing I can’t solve within the boundaries of this Sect.”

Long Mu seemed to remember something as he coughed a couple of times, straightening his posture.

The women frowned as her aura began radiating killing intent. “Zheng Xinyi, I promised you back then that I would never interfere with your decisions. But if anything happens to Little Zexi because of your negligence, rest assured that the first person I would vent my wrath on would be none other than you.”

It was then that they heard the sound of a breaking talisman. The space distorted as Zheng Zexi teleported out of the realm, clearly unimpressed by the squabbles.

The Patriarch could only release a long sigh. He knew that his daughter was strong, but he still feared for her safety because of her eccentric personality.

“Long Mu, please take good care of my daughter. If you think that a situation is beyond your control, inform the Grand Elder immediately. You two are the only ones who know about Zheng Zexi’s real identity.”

They both nodded simultaneously, then crushed the talisman, disappearing a moment later and leaving the old woman and Chun Meili alone inside the secret realm.

On the outside, the group of bored inner sect disciples regained their attention when they noticed that ripples were forming and the dimensional space began twisting. Amidst the element’s distortions, two separate sounds of landing footsteps were heard.

The appearance of an unfamiliar face, wearing a brand new inner sect disciple robe in all of its glory, seethed the other disciples’ curiosities. Their eyes were fixated on her as she slowly walked away from them, without even bothering to make eye contact with anyone present.

Shui Tao’s patience was reaching its limit, and he was about to implode. However, he was interrupted by the arrival of the Patriarch and Long Mu a moment later.

Jack did indeed observe this new inner sect disciple for a while, but he didn’t care as much as the others. Thus, he didn’t dwell on the matter for too long.

What actually caught his attention was instead the appearance of the Junior Elder. He wasn’t sure why, but he could feel a sense of familiarity emerging from this person. However, he was convinced that he had never met this man before. This strange sensation confused him.

Long Mu could perceive that Jack was examining him. He remained unfazed and pretended that he didn’t notice Jack’s gaze, rubbing his nose a couple of times and afterwards he itched his ass.

The Patriarch finally broke the silence with a calm and serene voice. “Just a couple of words, everyone. I understand you may feel pressured to achieve the best possible results and I have no doubts that you’re going to give it your very best. But don’t forget that this is just a friendly festival. You are the future pillars of this sect, so your safety is more important than the final rankings. Be vigilant at all times and don’t get into unnecessary troubles.”

He then turned facing his own daughter in the distance. Even though he was a peak Spirit Realm cultivator and supposedly in full control of his emotions, he could barely hide the sadness inside his voice. “Good luck, everyone.”

His eyes turned wet. Today was the day that he had hoped that it would never become a reality. He knew that he had been in denial and maybe a bit overprotective of his daughter. Even though a part of him wasn’t willing, he couldn’t procrastinate on this matter any longer. Otherwise, his daughter’s growth would be impacted by her lack of experience.

It was then that rumbling sounds were heard as a large wooden ark appeared from below, remaining to hover in front of them. Jack was surprised as he glanced at Dai Jun for answers.

“Ah, a flying device; speed equivalent to peak foundation realm expert. Journey’s long so better if we travel as a group. It should allow us to arrive at the Palace in two or three weeks.”

Jack nodded as he climbed on board following after the others.

The Grand Elder was still cheerful as ever as he assumed his position at the very front, standing straight like a pillar with his hands embraced behind his back. This contrasted greatly with Zheng Zexi, who had taken place at the very back.

As the group saluted the Patriarch one last time, the ark started shivering, then slowly accelerated ahead. The journey had finally begun.

Jack was fascinated as he viewed the lands of the Sky Water Sect, including the forest below. The picturesque scenery produced a smile on his face as he reminisced about his old days.

These last two years were beyond incredible. If a fortuneteller had appeared to him back then when he was still living in the Navira Planes and predicted this type of future, he would have laughed at him for an entire day and night.

He began wondering about the events of the lake. Right now, it seemed more like a blessing sent by the Gods instead of a curse. If he had run with the fighting bulls that day, wouldn’t he have missed such an excellent opportunity?

He still had no information about the mysterious cultivator that was the catalyst of everything. His anger for that man hadn’t abated in the slightest even after all this time had passed. However, it was still too early for him to consider searching for him. Jack could assume that that man was very cunning and probably had an extraordinary background.

There was also the matter about the black-faced existence. Who exactly was that being? What were his intentions by sending him to this particular realm? Where exactly was that cave located? For these questions, he had no clues whatsoever.

As Jack was busy reminiscing about his past, the Patriarch remained all alone at the edge, watching the ark becoming smaller and smaller. When it vanished from his spiritual sense, he turned around and released a prolonged sigh, hoping for the best.