Heril had been training in the Yang laws since she joined the sect, but unfortunately, she hadn’t shown any signs of progress, and her achievements were extremely limited. However, after receiving that knowledge, she felt she had a complete understanding of the mysteries of these laws.
Now, when she remembered her master’s teachings... they seemed ridiculous; it was as if he had been making up random things with his shallow knowledge.
At that moment, Heril felt a door opening in her mind, allowing her to see a completely new world. The light emanating from this new world illuminated her path, bringing hope for the future and strengthening her determination and courage.
It took her a while to regain clarity. Even though the unknown man in front of her seemed quite young, Heril, despite her slow nature, realized that he was a hidden master, even though he was in a weakened state. She didn’t understand what was happening or why he was in such a pitiful situation, but she held back her curiosity, assuming he would ignore her anyway.
She stayed with him under the sun for a while until she finally pushed him back home.
In the following days, he continued sleeping as before. Heril realized he might not be in a vegetative state, but she couldn’t find another explanation. So, she resumed her duty of taking care of him. However... she stopped talking as much after that discovery, feeling too embarrassed to share her days with him again.
The knowledge she gained brought her great benefits, allowing her to improve rapidly. Her cultivation became smooth, with significant breakthroughs, almost like a fish returning to water.
In just a few months, Heril had surpassed even the most talented of her age. Her master praised her many times, believing her advances were a small miracle, a result of his teachings.
As for the boys, she reflected on that advice. She finally realized that those young men were only looking at her curves, thinking of her as an object. They didn’t deserve her tears. With this realization, her state of mind improved naturally, which also positively impacted her cultivation.
On a calm day, she was watching a beautiful, gentle river with the unknown man by her side. Normally, Heril would be chattering nonstop, but since her previous awakening, she had developed a certain fear of him.
"Why aren’t you talking anymore?" Bruno’s voice suddenly sounded, making her jump in surprise.
"Se-Senior," she stammered, still startled but managing to control herself better than last time.
"Are you awake now?" She asked, wondering if he was alternating between states of consciousness.
"It was peaceful without your chatter... but at the same time, a bit boring," Bruno said calmly.
"I... I was afraid of bothering you," Heril replied, embarrassed, lowering her head.
Bruno spoke seriously: "Your problems don’t bother me. It may seem small, but everyone has their own struggles. What are you embarrassed about now? I already know everything about you—you even told me when you started growing hair down there..."
Heril’s eyes widened, and her face turned completely red. Bruno snorted and added:
"Oh, and stop calling me ’Senior’. I’m not that old. The most important thing is that my energetic spirit has never lost its youth. I’m eternally in the prime of my youth! Just call me ’Mister’... no, wait, ’Sir’ is good."
Heril wanted to laugh, but she didn’t dare. However, her lips curled into a slight smile. "Yes, Sir," she responded, realizing she was becoming strangely obedient in front of him, even though he couldn’t move.
For some reason, she felt a natural affinity with him. His words seemed to deserve obedience, even though he didn’t exert an imperious aura. It left her quite puzzled.
The brief conversation made her relax, and gradually, she got used to his mannerisms, returning to her normal way of speaking while taking care of his daily needs. She didn’t mind the lack of response, assuming he had fallen into a deep sleep again. The days passed in this pattern, without major changes between them.
Until one day, Heril brought home her only friend from the sect, the Yggdrasil race girl, who had been by her side when they found him.
This girl was a tall teenager with great feminine charm. She had short, greenish hair and was wearing a simple red dress. She was a year older than Heril and was also considered beautiful by everyone.
"Sir, this is my older sister, Lean," Heril introduced.
"Sir," Lean bowed respectfully, but the "cripple" in the wheelchair didn’t respond, remaining deeply asleep.
Lean seemed uncertain and looked at Heril, who pulled her away and whispered, "Let’s prepare something delicious."
The two then busied themselves in the kitchen.
Before, Heril didn’t stand out, and most of her peers didn’t even talk to her. On the contrary, the other girls treated her badly behind her back, and the boys, after her issues became known, avoided her.
Lean, however, had always treated her like a sister, helping her in various moments. Lean had even visited the unknown man out of curiosity at first, but since he never reacted, she eventually stopped going.
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Lean had always been talented, and her cultivation was much more solid than average. However, Heril had improved drastically in the last few months, almost catching up to her friend. This sparked curiosity in the sect, and many began trying to get close to Heril.
Heril’s improvement surprised Lean, and since the two were very close, the monumental transformation became even more evident.
Because of this, Lean started asking questions. At first, Heril was cautious and tried to dodge the topic.
However, upon noticing Lean’s situation—she had hit a bottleneck in her cultivation for over two years and was stuck—Heril decided to share her secrets. They were close, and Lean had always been very kind to her. Now, it was Heril’s turn to help.
Of course, Lean was skeptical when she heard Heril’s revelation. She had been present during the herb-gathering expedition and had even helped carry the unknown man back. So, the idea of a cripple suddenly turning into a hidden master was hard to accept.
However, the strong bond they shared made Lean decide to believe in Heril. She knew her friend wouldn’t deceive her, and besides, their master always praised Heril, calling her progress a miracle and claiming that she had learned everything from him.
Heril came up with a plan for Lean to ask the unknown man for help, focusing on preparing a good meal. The last time he had woken up, he had scolded her for her lack of cooking skills.
On the other hand, Lean was known for her mastery of Fire laws and her almost magical skills as a cook. Ever since she was young, she loved to cook, and if she wasn’t so focused on her cultivation, she could spend the whole day devoted to the kitchen.
Frustrated with her own master, who had tried to guide her many times without success, Lean had no choice but to seek help from the unknown man. Her hope was now pinned on him.
Lean began visiting Heril every day to cook. She put all her effort into creating her best dishes, hoping to earn the admiration of the hidden master.
But, in a moment of reflection, she wondered: what kind of insanity was this? Why was she trying so hard?
There was no logic or answer. As soon as she arrived at that house and saw the sleeping figure, she felt she had to try at all costs. There was no doubt that he would help her.
Time passed, and despite her efforts, he remained indifferent.
As the days went by, Lean began to waver, questioning whether he really had the ability she believed in. Maybe he would never wake up again, since even Heril wasn’t sure of his condition.
Despite that, Lean continued caring for the unknown man, seeing it as a test of determination and perseverance—not much different from cultivation. The risk of failure was present in both situations, but even so, she had to keep going.
***
Years went by. Soon, the two teenagers turned twenty and became women.
Having grown used to always being by his side, even Lean began sharing her problems with the unknown man.
One day, while Heril was cultivating alone in an isolated room, Lean was taking care of the man by herself. Just like any other day, she worked hard to prepare a table full of good meals for him.
"Your food’s been terrible lately."
A weak voice echoed beside her, making her jump. Luckily, Heril had already warned her about the possibility of him waking up; otherwise, she would’ve run away.
"Se-senior, no, Sir…" Lean stammered, seeing his eyes still closed.
She thought she might have been hearing things and watched with bated breath. Then, finally, he opened his eyes.
Before, Lean had no doubts that he would move; but after years, her hope had faded.
She slowly grew accustomed to the situation and began thinking it didn’t matter anymore whether he woke up or not. This was a test for herself, a time for inner reflection.
Now, locking eyes with him made her feel as insignificant as an ant, yet at the same time, she inexplicably felt like she’d been waiting her whole life for this moment.
There was no avoiding looking at him, even in his current state and ordinary appearance. This exchange of glances created such a strong sense of connection that she was frozen in place.
Lean calmed down after several seconds, then respectfully bowed: "It’s a pleasure to hear your voice, sir."
He closed his eyes again, and Lean didn’t know what to do. She opened her mouth several times, but nothing came out, worried he might’ve fallen asleep again.
"You want advice from me, don’t you?" He broke the silence while still sitting, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Y-yes," she nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at grains.
"I already gave it." He responded dryly.
Lean froze, carefully recalling her experiences. Unfortunately, this was the first time he had ever reacted to her.
"I’m afraid I’m too dumb to understand," she said, lowering her head.
"Aren’t you persevering right now? That’s the main point of cultivation and life: wealth after enough accumulation. Can’t you see that your mindset has changed from what it was at the start?" Alm stated flatly.
She thought carefully and agreed. In the beginning, she had come there seeking help, driven by a desperate urgency to succeed.
His lack of response made her really question the whole process. Over time, that urgency and need for success gradually faded. The process became part of her life.
Her mental state had calmed down a bit. Though she still hadn’t broken through her cultivation bottleneck, she no longer cared as much, and felt she had enough determination and confidence to eventually succeed.
"On the path to the peak, there are thousands of routes, but all depend on a strong will to never give up. Talent is just a slightly easier starting point, but the road is long. Those talented who start ahead almost never learn to move steadily. In the end, hard work and discipline are the greatest weapons."
"But… I’m still too dumb and can’t find any clues about how to reach the next level," she replied.
Alm spoke dryly: "Then go fry some more vegetables."
She stood there, stunned into silence, not knowing what that had to do with cultivation.
"What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when frying vegetables?" He opened his eyes and asked.
"Fire and temperature," she responded immediately.
"Correct. As a cultivator, what can you use to control the fire in a way that ensures the temperature is precise down to the smallest details? Have you ever thought about that?" He questioned.
She stood there, dumbfounded.
"Use your mastery of fire to cook. Why do you enjoy cooking so much? It’s because you feel close to the flame, but you never thought about incorporating cultivation into cooking?"
She began to ponder it, and it was as if a door opened in her mind.
"Go feel the fire and understand its transformation, and you’ll see where your bottleneck is. Trust yourself and what you feel. All the answers are within you," he said again.
"Feel the fire…" His few words really struck a chord with her emotions.
Lean rushed to the kitchen, and soon the sound of frying could be heard throughout the house. Later, she brought the food and served it to him, slowly placing it in his mouth.
Afterward, she sat across from him and meditated in silence. After a few hours, she opened her eyes and saw him staring right at her.
"Well?" He asked.
"I… my fire laws don’t seem to fit me properly. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, the more Yang laws will never be as effective on me," Lean replied slowly.
"If you’re using your limited Yang, that’s obvious," Alm replied dryly. "Use that as your foundation."
He stretched out his hand, and a rune floated in front of her, disappearing into her forehead and flooding her mind with information.
"Yin Flames?!" She exclaimed, "How can that even exist?"
"All five natural elements have Yin and Yang. At the most basic levels, they’re more stable and fixed. At higher levels, they can easily mutate their basic properties. Yin lightning or Yang water laws can exist, but they’re obviously unstable and rarely seen in nature. They’re not necessarily stronger; however, Yin flames have a unique ability," he explained slowly. "Learn this and change your internal laws."
"Y-yes!" Lean responded in a state of shock.