It was a normal day at the Sacred Jewel Sect. Shoots were popping up at the foot of the divine mountain, where a wooden cabin was hidden among the trees. Lean was training there alone, and her peace of mind was boosting her cultivation.
After absorbing all the fire laws stored in the World of Flames, she didn’t tell anyone anything. She just isolated herself in that spot, waiting for the two to return. Few people visited the World of Flames since most cultivators were mediocre. So it would take a while for her absence to be noticed, and even then, it would take time for them to connect it to her disappearance.
Every morning, Lean looked at the stone passage, waiting for Heril. There was no doubt she would return because of the unknown man—nothing would happen while he was around.
Today, Lean also glanced at the ravine, as she did every day, more out of habit than optimism. However, this time, she really saw a figure walking along the winding path... it was a familiar woman, but at the same time, Lean couldn’t quite recognize her.
At first, she thought she was just imagining things and rubbed her eyes. But the figure kept getting closer.
"You finally came back!" Lean calmed down and ran to meet Heril, who was carrying the man on her back.
"Big sister!" Heril got emotional after so long and quickly hugged her. Knowing that someone was still waiting for them after that grueling journey comforted her. Others had probably already forgotten about them.
"You’ve grown up," Lean remarked, taking a good look at Heril.
Heril looked like a completely different person—someone sturdy like a mountain who had faced the hardships of nature, capable of handling any problem without hesitation.
It was at that moment that Lean noticed a shadow a few meters behind Heril. The figure was completely imperceptible to the senses; even looking directly at it, it seemed to blend into the surroundings.
The moment Lean realized it was there, their eyes met, and her heart raced. A strange feeling began to bubble up inside her without explanation.
And it wasn’t just her. The old man, who had kept his presence sealed before, fell into a state of mental confusion upon seeing her. And that allowed Lean to notice him.
Heril sensed something was off and was deeply puzzled. Alm and Bruno, on the other hand, opened their eyes, sighing as they confirmed the identity of that old man.
’So he really was Leafar,’ Bruno murmured mentally. ’The couple reunited, and it was just like us with Ruri; we recognized her with just a glance. Now, it was like love at first sight for both of them.’
"Let’s head back soon, I’m hungry. Now we have an old employee, and you just have to cook for us," the unknown man spoke dryly, snapping Lean out of her stupor.
She nodded quickly, not taking her eyes off the figure behind her. Suddenly, Lean seemed radiant, after all, Alm had given her the chance to show off her cooking skills to that person.
The Sacred Jewel Sect was as peaceful as ever. Its disciples continued training hard. It had been ten years since Heril had left, and few disciples remembered her and her suicide attempt to climb the mountain.
The Elders presumed she had died up there. After all, not even they could climb the mountain, let alone a mere disciple. That day, many disciples were practicing in the training field in front of the entrance. When they saw two people approaching, they were shocked.
"Wait, is that sister Heril!?" A sudden shout echoed. Everyone turned toward the voice. It was an Alv woman, the same one who defended Heril when she left; back then, she was a newly recruited child in the sect.
"You’re right!" Her peers began to shout.
They couldn’t believe it and widened their eyes to get a better look. They also noticed the unknown man on Heril’s back, impossible to ignore.
The disciples murmured among themselves in disbelief. Until one of them made a mocking expression and said, "Was it really a miracle? Did she really make it up there?"
The words spread, making everyone ponder that. But as soon as that disciple spoke, Heril shot him a piercing look.
Their eyes met, and the young man felt like he was falling into an abyss. Her will was enough to make someone weaker tremble in despair.
The disciple turned pale and fell seated on the ground. Everyone watched the scene and then looked at Heril. The answer to his question became clear to all. Although Heril’s cultivation hadn’t increased, everyone finally felt an immense pressure emanating from her.
Heril and Lean quickly returned to Heril’s cabin. To get there, they had to cross the heart of the sect; there was no avoiding being seen. The old man, on the other hand, was invisible to the eyes of weaker cultivators if he wanted to be.
Lean immediately started cooking, determined to prepare the best dish possible. Her motivation was at an unprecedented level, and the reason was the new guest, of course. She, who had never felt anything for anyone of the opposite sex, was now overwhelmed by an intense feeling.
They ate happily while those two exchanged glances. Lean was obviously a bit shy, while the old man was awkward and confused, trying to understand what he felt.
They barely had time to finish the meal when a visitor arrived. It was a common Elder, bringing a message. The Sect Leader and the Elders wanted to see Heril.
"Push me over there," the unknown man ordered, without opening his eyes.
Heril waved and started moving the wheelchair out of the cabin. But before leaving, she looked back at Lean and the old man, who would be left there alone.
Bruno said, "Employee, tidy up the place. I don’t want to see a single speck of dust when I get back. Ask Lean for help, and learn to cook decently, too."
The two froze as Heril exited the cabin with the man.
***
The Elders, High Elders, and even the Sect Leader gathered in the conference hall. All the influential figures were present. Such meetings were super rare, happening only when something really important was going down. Today, the reason they were there was a disciple — making the situation even stranger.
The Sect Leader sat in the main seat, flanked by the elders on either side, as he watched Heril come in, pushing a wooden wheelchair. When they spotted the occupant of the wheelchair, an unexpected guest, their expressions hardened.
"Ridiculous." One of the Elders declared seriously, "We called a mere disciple like you to discuss official matters. How dare you bring a stranger here? Get him out immediately."
Heril paused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "With all due respect, I brought him here for a reason."
Not long ago, Heril saw those men as unreachable beings. Now she knew this unknown man was on a level far beyond them. Even that old guy in the cave she had met could wipe out the entire sect with a single thought; and even he was subordinate to the guy in the wheelchair. So these elders were pretty insignificant in comparison.
"Seems you’ve forgotten all respect and turned into a wild one. You need to be disciplined again." The Elder shouted.
Heril just smirked sarcastically, her cold gaze locked on him. "Oh, really? Why don’t you try disciplining me yourself?"
She stared him down without blinking. The Elder immediately swallowed hard, unable to react. Everyone in the room was confused, including him. The Elder was in the True Saint Realm, while Heril was just a True Warrior, the second level of cultivation. So why did he feel such intense pressure?
"Have you really reached the top?" The Sect Leader asked, looking at her seriously.
Heril turned to him and calmly replied, "Yeah, I climbed the stone passage and reached the cave at the top."
Everyone’s mouths dropped open in shock. Their skepticism was understandable — it had been millennia since anyone had reached the top. Nowadays, only a few, even across the whole planet, would have a chance to reach the cave; it was likely no one could anymore. But now, a regular disciple had done it. How could anyone believe that?
"Impossible, simply impossible…" The High Elders began to murmur among themselves.
"She spent so long up there and came back alive. According to the records, the divine mountain has its own rules. It doesn’t allow someone to stay in one place for too long; the pressure builds up as if the person were constantly climbing." The Sect Leader declared seriously.
"It’s also impossible for her to have escaped from the divine mountain to return now. The disciples saw her coming back from there. Everyone who enters activates the laws, and it gets recorded; I’ve already checked, and there’s been only one entry in the last hundred years."
With the shocking confirmation from the Sect Leader, the Elders were left dumbfounded. If she hadn’t stood still or escaped, it meant she had been climbing the whole time and faced the challenge — something that seemed impossible.
They presumed she must have at least reached the summit before coming back down, which would already be a miracle. But she must have discovered some secret to pull off such a feat. If a weak disciple managed to do it... what if they could learn and replicate the method? They could finally reach the true summit.
"How did you do it?" The inevitable question was thrown at Heril.
She answered without hesitation, "I just climbed step by step until I reached the top."
"Lies! How dare you deceive us?" A High Elder roared, but Heril remained unfazed. In fact, her eyes showed nothing but disdain, and everyone felt it, narrowing their eyes in anger.
"It’s impossible for her to have climbed by her own strength, but it seems she doesn’t intend to speak the truth. Sect Leader, this is of utmost importance for the entire sect…" One of the older High Elders declared seriously.
"We should detain her and thoroughly examine her memories. We’ll find out her method. This could save our sect."
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Around him, the other Elders nodded in agreement. Doing this without using Qi would be very crude, directly attacking the soul and harming the person in question. Someone who had their memories read this way would die shortly after; but they didn’t care.
The Sect Leader sighed heavily before responding, "Heril is just a junior in our sect, but she accomplished something none of us could, even after trying our whole lives. She passed the test and discovered something on her own, something the wise from the past must have discovered too. We can’t cheat the test; no sect has dared to do that, even those that produced cultivators who reached the top. There might be unimaginable consequences. Now, even though her cultivation is still superficial, she deserves our full support. We have no reason to take such absurd measures."
"Don’t talk nonsense! Why would we risk everything for an unknown? If all of us knew how to climb the sacred mountain, the benefits for the sect would be incalculable." Another High Elder yelled angrily.
Another calmly added, "Leader, think about it. Everyone who reached the top in other sects was already Divine Inquisitors before they climbed. When they returned, they became invincible, which is why they kept the secret to themselves; no one could force them to say anything. Perhaps the fact that a weak young woman succeeded is unique in history. This is a divine opportunity for our sect to regain prestige."
The Elders around nodded in agreement. It was clear they wanted the secret and didn’t care about someone as insignificant as Heril. There were no records of anyone so young reaching the top. This fed their ambitions to become glorious figures; this was their golden opportunity.
But the Sect Leader remained steadfast, shaking his head.
"Then we have no choice," another High Elder declared coldly. "By the sect’s rules, all the main Elders can call for a vote and act according to the consensus. You won’t condemn our sect for a foolishness. For the sake of the sect, we’ll make the right decision."
The Sect Leader stayed silent, trying to find a way to convince them. He even cast a glance at Heril, hoping she’d realize her situation and decide to reveal what she knew. But she seemed indifferent.
"Hmmm, seems you’re not as foolish. This was your sect’s salvation." A voice cut through his silent thoughts.