With the assurance from Prince Ley and WenYan, also the regular updates received from Head Secretary Quin, the two had to wait in tension. Only able to draw comforts from the scent of the ChanQi's things.
Despite the tension clenching their hearts, Sen Hyunjae and Ven Jiwon never slacked on their own personal training. Hyunjae seeked help from his clan leader and Jiwon from his clan members.
They were guided and taught about the cultivation world and how to cultivate. Learning from scratch. They practiced more on what they are taught together. From their breathing techniques and slow cleansing of their meridians to their fighting strategies and gain of new elemental powers.
Their practise duels had some of their clan members doubting if they really liked eachother at all.
Hyunjae wasn't soft nor gentle with his attacks and strikes, making Jiwon feel the senior's raw power and strength. It made him excited and counter attack harder, loving the rush of adrenaline. He was mostly half bruised allover by the end of their duels, but he took great glee in tearing a harmstring- or two- in the Sen's body in each duel. This made their medical teams busy more often than before.
After two weeks of their constant duels, the injuries suffered became less and almost never happened after a while. They felt the significant increase of their combat power and strength, it gave them thrilling feeling.
It made them motivated and greedy for more taste of this power. Especially with their newly acquired elemental powers. They developed a tactic understanding of eachother's fighting style. They developed a sense of coordination when paired to duel against other cultivators. Changing and adjusting to win more duels whiles learning more.
On the other side of the Unirse, in a cultivation dimension, a full moon-month passed before ChanQi could successfully break-through from Grade SSS to mid Grade SSSS . His already powerful form was encased in a lucent giant white egg, peacefully 'sat' on the river of boiling lava, right in the centre of his sect's ancestral Holy grave-land.
His Holy Healer Peacock form and the Fire Phoenix form spinning together in a circular motion like the ancient Yin and Yang symbol, glowing brightly each passing breath.
The outer shell of the egg slowly brightened, the river of lava dwindling at the speed of the naked eyes. Soon, the reflection of the double moon entering into a blood eclipse could be seen on the smooth surfaces of the bed of empty high grade Spirit stones that was underneath the boiling lava.
The entire grave-land land and beyound was surrounded by cultivation beasts and monks. Each in their form of meditation, already absorbing the spiritual aura thick in the air. Soon the clouds begin to rumble, causing tremors in the earth, like an earthquake about to split the earth into pieces.
The rumbling of the heavens and earth was so mighty, all Grand Protectors who had come to support and guard the powerful Sen, created a joint shield called 'Heaven's Guard' surrounding the grave-land to protect the beasts and monks from the oncoming thunder of fire. They just hope the heavens doesn't fall. Again. A phenomenon quite common when very powerful beasts advances to a higher realm.
Fortunately the Empress of the Hexa Empire graced her Imperial presence, which made them breath a sigh of relief. *With her here the heaven's can easily be held with one hand.
[*a/n: more elaboration of her in Prince Celestial's Chapter]
The first fire thunder striked with a bigger terrifying rumble, accurately hitting the still sitted glowing giant egg.
Three seconds later, another two followed simultaneously. And it continued for the next ten minutes non-stop, before finally ending after ninty-six strikes. During which Her Imperial Majesty had dissappeared and right after, the earth became calm. The elders of the sect activated the formation of their clans healer's arc called 'Eye of Heaven' with swift hand techniques and silent chants from the sects Holy scriptures.
The once glowing white egg is now blackened and could disintegrate with a touch. The blood twin moons gradually cleared and shone brighter than the mid day sun. Then cold crystal droplets of rain began to fall.
The blackened shell disintegrated into vapour instantly with the first drop of rain, revealing the magical and oppressive pair of divine beasts circling around in the same position and happily bathing in the essence of the Heavens.
Every cultivator greedily absorbs the holy rains into their bodies. They also had wide bowls made of mid grade celestial stones with magic space around them to collect as much as the rain falls to preserve for later use. They can make a fortune out of each crystal droplet or keep it to save a life in future. Because of how rare it is for powerful divine Beasts to advance to higher realm (gene level), these rain droplets are very much valuable.
Soon, the glow of the twin moons slowly dimed and the rare holy rains stopped.
The two beasts finally merged as one and transforms into a silverish white haired young man sitted in a lotus position with his eyes shut. His left palm layed flat on his lap and the right raised infront of his well muscled chest with bright ancient magic symbols inscribed in it. His two sets of fire pheonix and white peacock wings gracefully flapping behind him as he quietly recites a chant.
When he opened his eyes, they glowed brightly like aura filled spirit stones of flame gold and smokey silverish white. His whole body was ghostly white with the unique Yin Yang symbol embedded in the center of his sword shaped eyebrows for a short while before slowly toning down back to his original complexion but with a slight glisten.
He takes a deep breath and released it, creating a light vapour swirl in the air. All cultivators could only admire for a short while before they all had to pack and leave.
After everyone except the elders and the Grand Protectors left, Sen ChanQi finally stood up, showing the full span of the ginormous set of wings behind him.
"It seems you will soon become taller than Imperial Protector Seo Ji-Hu-ssi" the Imperial Empress smiles gently at the young man who seems to have grown taller after his break-through.
"Long live Your Imperial Majesty. Greetings Empress Yun" he bows a curtsey.
"How does Imperial Protector Ming feel" she nods
"As good as new Your Imperial Majesty" he smiles "Thanks to Your Imperial Majesty's grace"
"That's great to know. And don't mention" she waves off "This Empress have to return back to the Imperial Palace soon. Congratulations on your advancement Imperial Protector Ming"
"It's an honour. Have a safe return Empress Yun" he curtsey a bow.
"Farewell" she nods and turns to leave greeting the sect elders on the way.
The Grand Protectors walking around her as she made her way out the holy grave-land.
The sect master of the 'Ming Holy War-Birds Military Sect', Ming FengQi finally came forward to check on his son. He nods in approval seeing and feeling the power surge in his young son. Pressing down the proud look he felt, he askes the younger Sen few more questions as they return back to the sect.
ChanQi was escorted to his courtyard on the tip of a tall mountain overlooking the whole sect by his father and the elders. Before they left him to rest and consolidate his new level, he made a clear statement.
"After I leave to Korie, my next trip back home will include my soulmates. Tell those who are dissatisfied to not appear in their presence, because I will not hold them back from killing a bird or two to prove their strength" he smiles "And I do believe no one would want a human definition of a fearless honeybadger and a powerful necromancer bunny on their knecks... they can't afford to keep it"
"As you wish son. Don't worry" Sect Master FengQi nods.
After getting the approval of his father, ChanQi enters his courtyard to consolidate his foundation and cores with peace of mind.
*~~~~~~~~~*
After two moon-months since their cultivation journey, Sen Hyunjae and Ok Jiwon were ready to advance from Grade SSS to Grade SSS+. Compared to the many days of gut wrenching pain experienced by other's when advancing such difficult level, it was much more shorter and smooth.
Hyunjae and Jiwon are seated on top each other in an oval sheild that encased them as they slowly advance together at the same time. The Min elders and the two clans of the couple stood guard a distance away, watching the two achieve such difficult task by themselves in a less than a day.
Hyunjae had introduced Jiwon to his parents just a day prior when they felt the onset of advancement, with Madame Min giving a satisfied smug smirk to her first child. Hyunjae could only 'grumble' under his breath, ears a turn pink.
Although Ok Jiwon had other safe places to upgrade his level with his clan as guardians, he didn't want to be separated from his first Sen. He already missed his second Sen very much and he knows Hyunjae does too.
It took a while for them to successfully advance to Grade SSS+ gene and mental level, and were so exhausted they passed out from the strain. Falling directly into the arms of the one they've been missing and wishing for without knowing it.
When they woke up hours later cuddled together, they instantly felt the familiar breath of the second boyfriend tightly holding them in his embrace from behind Hyunjae.
"Our Bird Qi is back" Jiwon smiles, his voice low and soft.
Hyunjae nods but remained quiet, clearly showing his dissatisfaction with the younger Sen.
"Hello my Crazy loves" ChanQi smiles placing a soft gentle kiss on their foreheads. Jiwon crawls over Hyunjae and settled nicely on the left side of the Hexan male, raising his head for a kiss.
ChanQi gladly gives in, not forgetting to pull Hyunjae up and closer to his right side. The kiss held his heart and thoughts.
He missed them dearly.
They soon brought an end to the heated make-out, Jiwon breathing heavily against the smiling lips of the enchanting Sen.
"I missed you" he whispers
"I missed you more my Pretty love" ChanQi says, placing a sweet peck on the lips once more.
"BigJae also missed you. Alot" Jiwon chuckles at the light snort from the senior as if to deny the 'allegation'.
"I missed him too. Alot more" ChanQi smiles turning to the Sen tucked in his right arm with his back to him(CQ). A petulant pout on his handsome face and his eyes tightly shut, refusing to turn.
"My love BigJae. I missed you alot" ChanQi kisses the back of the messy bed hair of the senior, receiving a small 'grunt' in response.
"I'm sorry to have kept you worried my love" ChanQi tightens his hold on the senior's wide waist, easily turning him.
"I wasn't worried!!" Hyunjae lowly huffs, hiding his face on the younger's thick pecs.
"True. Just very anxious" Jiwon says, giggling when Hyunjae gave him a 'fierce' unimpressed look. ChanQi takes advantage to kiss the soft red lips of his Sen. Although catching the senior off guard, he was not pushed away but drawn closer.
Hyunjae missed his little Sen soo much, he'd already decided to enter the 'Ming Holy War-Birds Military Sect' should ChanQi not appear soon. Fortunately he came back just on time.
The kiss they shared was aggressive and sweet, full of their hearts and thoughts. It soon ended with ChanQi placing soft kisses on the brows, eyes and nose of the senior now laying on his wide broad chest.
They felt content to lay in bed, snuggled into eachother and talked about their experiences of when they separated.
Hearing them talk about their cultivation journey and how hard they have been training during his absence made ChanQi feel his heart hit with pride and regret.
He is proud of their deligence and hardwork to successfully break-through into cultivation. But he regrets because not being around to help them and witness their amazing changes.
"You're back. That's all that matters" Hyunjae says.
"True. We can cultivate together and you can guide us from now" Jiwon nods with a smile.
"Yeah" Hyunjae agrees
"Gladly my darlings" ChanQi answered, pulling them closer.