Zedong City, Bell Clan Branch.
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Bell Zhang, Bell Yuhan, the other elder, and the branch elder continued down the pathway through the forest towards the central pagoda.
In no way was there any sense of modern in the temple. The walkways were stone and the houses were pure wooden. Most of the lighting was done by ancient Chinese lamps with symbols on them.
The people that went by mostly wore a bronze-colored robe with a bell for a symbol on their chest. The rest were in business suits for some reason.
Disciples manually swept away leaves and dirt with primitive sweepers, which is rare considering robots do all the cleaning.
They all seemed to be living peaceful, simple, primitive lives compared to the outside modern. The only modern sign was the consoles each had on their wrist, that were concealed beneath most robes and the business people.
As the trio went by, they all moved to the side respectfully and deeply bowed with mixes of awe and excitement. A pathway was formed as they peacefully went towards the ancient temple.
After some walking, they arrived at the bottom of the big hill. They began walking up the stone pathway leading up towards the giant temple at the top.
After more walking, they arrived at the top without even being out of breathe.
The giant pagoda towered in the skies, like it was touching the heavens. It's beautiful traditional architecture gave one a sense of ancient culture that still stands to this day!
Author: it was originally temple, but then I realized temples are a place of worship or a dwelling place of god(s), so I had to change it.
Upon entering, the traditional sense mostly vanished, and was replaced with modernism again. People were in business suits moving about doing business. There was no spatial manipulation at all.
The branch elder escorted them to the elevator, while the trio caught everyone's attention.
Nobody dared to make sound as they respectfully bowed in the their presence. Nobody was qualified to do so when he was around!
The branch elder stayed behind and did not dare enter the elevator with them.
A minute later, the elevator opened and they entered a corridor with traditional appearance. They walked down the corridor in silence, passing multiple doors.
The end was two large wooden doors that were deeply polished and kept clean.
"Yuhan, I need to talk with Elder Zhong for a few minutes." He glanced at her kindly and pointed to a door nearby.
Yuhan nodded indifferently and walked over to that door. The door vanished into thin air and she entered, before the door reappeared.
The door was manually opened by Zhang compared to normal doors, and they both entered with Elder Zhong following behind.
They entered a traditional Chinese room with a desk and chairs. Zhang sat in the boss chair while Elder Zhong stood up.
"Please sit Elder Zhong." He pointed to a chair with a casual expression.
"Please excuse me then Headmaster Zhang." He sat down but did not relax at all.
Sitting in a comfy chair in an empty recreational room, Yuhan kept her eyes closed and silently meditated.
'It's been 18 years since I've arrived'
Just like Qie Hong, she was in that mysterious room with the time artifact in that mysterious realm. After the bright light, she was sent across space and time, arriving at the body of Bell Yuhan.
It was somewhat surprising for her since the owner had her first name aside from the surname 'Bell'. Her original name is Shi Yuhan, and was a spiritual energy sword cultivator who used to be an elite clan member of a powerful sect in the inner realms.
It was then that she was introduced to the universe of science and technology that pushed the mortals to the peak of the 3rd dimension.
It was then she discovered the depressing truth that there is no spiritual energy, no Qi, and no heavens. It was also depressing that cold weapons are near extinct since she was a female swordsman. Her cultivation was also gone!
Despite this, she did not give up and continued to practice the sword. It was during this time that she discovered the link between the 108 Galaxies and the cultivation realm, giving her a faint hope of returning.
It was then she discovered her powerful soul and divine sense was gradually dissipating, so she refrained from using both if necessary.
Yuhan also hoped to enter the world of mechs, since most cold weapons nowadays are used in the military or mechs. She'd only have to wait another year until she's 19 before she could officially start mech training.
Back to today, she had recalled that soul ripple that echoed through her body. Yuhan couldn't help but think of there being another cultivator, so she released a ripple back with some hope despite the costs.
Yuhan waited as the minutes went by in the recreation room. Silence continued to pervade the recreational room and could make someone feel uncomfortable.
Her eyes suddenly opened with clarity as faint soul ripples echoed through her body. She quickly analyzed the ripple and deduced that it was from the same person.
Not only that, there was a hidden message within the soul ripple.
'A message! Let's see... cultivation realm, time artifact, location! Another cultivator arrived to this place as well!'
Brightness filled her eyes with faint anticipation. Despite living in the universe of 108 Galaxies for 18 years, she has always had a constant pressure from the mortal civilization.
Even if she is an open-minded person who didn't look down on other cultivators and mortals, she was born with a golden spoon. Her talents were peak black grade and had reached Void Angel.
Never once in her life did she think that the once powerless mortals would have such achievements that could threaten even cultivators. She even has doubts if she'd escape even if she did have her cultivation and heavenly sword.
As such, the fear of being discovered has always been at the back of her mind, which is why she has constantly constrained her soul. Since then, both have weakened to Golden Duke.
'I'll send another ripple! I need to get into contact!'