Though the maids weren't able to leave their mistress and watch the battle, Cassandra had kept her spiritual sense on Shui until the completion of the battle and sent two of her maids to retrieve the twins. She hadn't given them any order that included attacking Shui, but she knew that they would regardless so she waited for the result. Based on what she heard of his strength and what she saw for herself, she knew that he would win, but she hadn't expected him to have such an overwhelming advantage. Cassandra would have been able to win in a similar fashion, but that was only because she had already charmed the twins so it wouldn't really be a fight. Therefore, she had to admit that at the very least, he surpassed her in soul cultivation.
'I have to say, Kate certainly didn't exaggerate. Even in the core section few could serve as his opponent. However, if he dares to make a move on what's mine then...'
As he exited the cave and returned to the inner section, Shui didn't think Cassandra would decide to be an ally rather than an enemy, but he had no desire to persuade or defeat her at this point. If she was truly a friend of Kate's, then any misunderstanding between them could be easily cleared up. Otherwise, she would merely be a stone to step on.
While news of him meeting Cassandra spread through the manor, Shui focused on comprehending the Heretical Ascension cultivation method and figuring out the manifestation of fire through the Four Elements Technique. He was waiting on Serina to make her break through before going out into the city, so he left his house occasionally to talk with Fatty. Ryan and his other housemates told him about the commotion that was being caused by Cassandra's invitation, so he made sure to hide his presence while he was outside. Being invited by elders was one thing, but he had no intention of getting grabbed by disciples battering him with stupid questions.
Four days later, Shui left his house to visit Serina. The day before, Sasha had found him and Fatty and told them that Serina would be making an attempt at breaking through that night. She had rented one of the manor's cultivation chambers, but regardless of the result he figured she would return home so he and Fatty agreed to meet up there. When Shui was near Serina's residence, he saw that there was a little celebration outside the house and that Fatty was part of it along with the main attraction.
"Shui!"
"Boss!"
Serina and Fatty both cheered at his arrival while Sasha gave a polite greeting. Shui could sense Julie nearby but he had already heard that she wasn't good with this type of situations. The first thing Shui did after arriving was examine Serina's cultivation. As expected since they were celebrating, she had broken through to the Soul Realm and there didn't seem to be any hidden complications either.
"I see you've made it to the Soul Realm. Congratulation," Shui said with a nod of approval.
"Thanks. I still need time to consolidate my cultivation, but I wanted to tell you two first."
"Ain't she considerate, Boss?"
"That's right. By the way, what are you going to do about your cultivation method?"
Though she had managed to reach the Soul Realm, Serina's current cultivation method was a very generic one that was little different from a breathing technique. It would still be able to guide her further down the road of cultivation, but Shui judged that it would be better to switch now.
"Since I've broken through I should have enough contribution points to receive one from the library. What do you think?"
Once Serina explained her plan, everyone else groaned. Though that seemed like the obvious choice, it definitely wasn't the best one.
"What do you think, Sasha?" Shui asked.
Sasha was surprised that he called her, but she quickly regained her composure. Although she was fond of Shui's looks, she wasn't prepared to fight off the jealousy of his emerging fans.
"Although she's right about being able to afford a cultivation method, it'll just be one of the basic ones. It should be better than the common methods you can find among mortal families, but I wouldn't say it's the best option. I would suggest trying to do missions to gain more contribution points or get a cultivation method somewhere else. I would let you use mine, but since I got it from the manor I can't share it."
Sasha's elemental affinities were fire and wind and her cultivation method enhanced the support ability for her wind element so it could work for Serina, but the laws of the manor restricted sharing of methods and techniques bought with contribution points even among fellow disciples.
After hearing Sasha's explanation, Serina realized that she would have to reconsider her plans.
"Then should I start taking missions?"
Considering what she knew it wasn't a bad idea, but Shui shook his head.
"It's a good idea since you need more experience, but you should start taking missions after you get a new cultivation method."
"But how?"
Even the simplest plant gathering task hid some degree of potential danger so it wasn't wrong for her to be more prepared beforehand. However, that still left the problem of how she would find a cultivation method.
"You can leave it to me. I'm planning on going into the city in a few days so I'll find something for you."
Shui actually planned on consulting the Primordial Library for a cultivation method, but this explanation was more reasonable.
"Really? But wouldn't it be expensive?"
Naturally the manor wouldn't be more stingy than merchants to its own disciples, so if contribution points were exchanged for spirit gems, buying a cultivation method from the manor would likely be cheaper than from a store. However, those bought from a store would have less restrictions on their exposure so it could be said that the benefits balanced out.
"You can just think of it as a gift. I told your brother that I would look after you after all."
Serina still seemed hesitant to accept this favour, but she found it difficult to refuse when he mentioned her brother. As Shui patted the head of the pouting Serina, Fatty and Sasha were impressed by Shui's fat and loose wallet. Sasha didn't have a strong backing, but even Fatty would find it hard to gift a decent cultivation method unless he relied on his clan.
'This is a true young master.'
Suddenly, there was a banging on the door. Shui was the first to check who was behind it, so he told the others that he would handle it and went to the door. Waiting there was an anxious Lisa.
"Lisa, is something wrong?"
Lisa had some fixed feelings when she faced Shui, but once she recalled why she was here she shook off her hesitation and showed a serious expression.
"There's trouble. Someone incited the people who are jealous of you for meeting Cassandra. They'll be coming to attack you soon."
Shui couldn't help but sigh when he thought about the amount of trouble he got just for meeting her.
'To think popularity could be so troublesome.'
"Thanks for telling me."
"It's nothing. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you before our next date, if you still want to..."
Shui wondered why Lisa suddenly seemed insecure, but this didn't really seem like the right time to prod.
"Of course, I'm looking forward to it. By the way, you said there was someone that incited them , do you know who that is?"
With a much brighter expression for some reason, Lisa responded "Yes, it was Rodney."