I carried Ren in my arms, the little turtle snuggly being carried around. Flee sat comfortably on my shoulder as well, sniffing the air as she flicked her ears, occasionally talking with Ren. Nyan had thankfully not cared enough to tag along, happy to lick the spirit pill I'd given him for his help.I walked towards the little grove where I met Su Lin, carrying both of my spirits. I had to get two pouches this time, for the number of pills I’d gathered. I almost expected Su Lin to be unable to sell all of them, especially the fire pill.I wasn’t worried too much about it. There wasn’t particularly a rush for selling the pills. The goal of my own lab was appealing, but I had managed to make myself comfortable in the sect. With the library here, there was even a very good reason to stay in the sect even after I managed to get my own lab. That or being able to visit the library even if I wasn’t a disciple anymore.I was surprised that almost next to no one had come to check after me ever

I felt my heartbeat rise for a moment, and I forced it to settle down. I’d think over Liuxiang later, I needed to deal with Yan Yun first. My gaze traveled back to the prodigious girl, who’d pulled herself to her feet. Her Qi had flared, as I could see warmth wafting off her body as steam rose from her, evaporating the water.Yan Yun’s gaze remained fixed onto Ren, the little turtle staring back at her as if to dare her to try and flare her aura again.I widened my eyes in surprise as Yan Yun bowed her head in respect.“My apologies, great spirit,” Yan Yun spoke, as Ren chirped once more, before burrowing in my arms.I had always known that Ren was strong, yet strong enough to make Yan Yun bow in respect? Perhaps I’d underestimated my little turtle.“It seems you are quite the fortunate one Yuan,” Yan Yun spoke, her voice a notch more calm now. There was still a hidden anger buried within, but the edge was lost. The water had calmed her down visibly.I stared at her silently, before n

Yan Yun walked silently, following behind the other three as they made their way out of the sect. Her Qi was suppressed to appear to be at the peak of the third realm, and she’d changed the form of her robes to fit that of an outer disciple. The clothes oddly pleased her in their simplistic nature and fitting. She felt as if she was someone else, just another outer disciple out with her Sect brothers and sisters to the city. Even if it was just a lie, the thought soothed her.“Leiyu prefers the resplendent robes of the inner sect.”Leiyu sent the thought to Yan Yun, as her spirit imagined himself in a regal gown with enough jewelry on it to shy some lords.“Don’t you hate to take on a human form? Say the clumsy limbs are annoying?” she asked him, watching as the city began to appear in the distance. Idle conversations had been occurring among the three walking ahead of her, and even though she walked alongside them, she still felt like an outsider intruding.“It isn’t too displeasing,

A dark, endless expanse surrounded me as I opened my eyes. A dreading cold touched my spine, as the sensation of something wrong shook my spirit. The air felt thin, making my chest tighten. This place was wrong, extremely wrong, and I felt unsettled just standing here.“Chirp!” Ren explained, although the sound came out like a heavy rumble. I looked down beneath me, noticing the massive turtle underneath with a beautiful green and brown shell covered in circles of gold.The realisation that my plan had worked finally settled on me, but I let the happiness quickly go away. I had work to do.“Flee, can you hear me?”“Flee… can. Flee dislikes this space. She- she’ll stay inside,” Flee muttered, as her Qi fell quiet. That was a first. Yet, for once, I didn’t disagree. There was something hostile about this place.Ren rumbled once more, as I slid off his back to float in the endless dark. I would’ve lost my sense of position if he hadn’t been around to orient me.I patted Ren’s shell as I

Poison Qi swirled, coursing through the veins of the boy as Liuxiang purified the deformed and clogged pathways. The state the boy’s pathways were in had left Liuxiang with little hope at any chances of recovery.He’d heard of elders in the sect capable of restoring cultivation in certain scenarios, but even they wouldn’t be able to save this boy, merely heal him to leave a peaceful life at best and die younger than most.“What’s taking him so long? Ya reckon he’s lost?” Su Lin asked as Liuxiang wiped his hair to the side. The rat-like boy had grown used to his presence by now, and, against all odds, had not responded with confusion or disgust when he’d become aware of his peculiarities.“This one doubts it. Senior is still moving through and this one can sense disturbances in the core,” Liuxiang replied.“He’s there, but something's wrong,” Yan Yun muttered, and Liuxiang glanced at the Yan girl. The Yan clan weren’t nobles, yet the influence of the clan was undeniable. He’d already h