Chapter 44 - 1-5 Archwizard K’s Journey In The Cultivation World

Case 13: Flashy entrance.

''Hah...! Hah...! Ugh...!''

'Too intense!'

Bai Qing screamed in her heart. She didn't know Kierra would be this harsh on personal training!

After just a mere hour, Bai Qing was on her knees, too exhausted to stand properly. It didn't help that she even trained with Yu Chen before this.

''Hm...''

Meanwhile, Kierra herself was pondering. Based on the descriptions Bai Qing provided, the opponents in this tournament were largely on the same level as Bai Qing, with some ahead of her by one or two steps.

The tournament was right around the corner. There was virtually no time to train Bai Qing as a wizard to that level, so the solution was obviously to combine both mana and qi utilization.

''Well, sit up, disciple,'' Kierra said. ''I will give you a five-minute rest. In the meantime, watch.''

Bai Qing did as Kierra said. She looked at the archwizard, who was tapping her lower lip with the back of her thumb—Kierra's habit when she was thinking.

'''' ... ''''

Time seemed to have slowed down as Bai Qing was drawn to Kierra's lips because of that particular gesture. Bai Qing learned from her beautician friend that it was quite hard to put such a thick layer of lipstick on someone and still make them look naturally beautiful. The more Bai Qing stared, the more she thought—

Cut the crap! Her friend must have been a scam beautician!

(╯｀□′)╯~╧╧

Just look at this divine beauty!

The thick red layer of lipstick matched Kierra's eyes perfectly, and all of them created a beautiful disharmony with her snow-white skin. Not to mention her absolutely exquisite facial features... Even the Jade Beauty would feel insecure in front of this woman!

''What is your root type?''

''Ah?''

Kierra's question snapped Bai Qing back to reality.

''Root type.''

''It's lightning, Ki- Master.''

''And your magic element was water, hm,'' Kierra said. ''A decent combination, I suppose.''

''Um... by any chance, you want me to combine them?''

''Why not? I can do it.''

Kierra spread out her palm. In a smooth motion, tiny zaps of lightning appeared on the left, and a simple orb of water appeared on the right. The former was made using qi, while the latter was mana-made.

Following that, Kierra mashed the two together, creating a lightning current. It looked significantly more formidable than usual.

''The main problem to solve is, again, efficiency. Stand up, disciple. I will personally guide you through it.''

As Bai Qing slowly rose to her feet, Kierra walked over to the side of her disciple.

''First, conjure lightning with qi.''

''Yes... is this enough—ah?''

Kierra suddenly grabbed Bai Qing's wrist. The cold touch from her slender hand startled the martial sister.

''Focus.'' Kierra said. ''I will guide mana through your wrist. Stabilize your lightning.''

''Y-Yes.''

With a rather nervous heart, Bai Qing continued to receive Kierra's guidance until late into the night.

Somewhere far from the Yunluo mountain range.

''Put the box over there!''

''Yes, manager!''

''Who is in charge of the cleaning?! Don't you see dust piling up all over the place??''

''Sorry, manager! It was me!''

''Get the hell to work!''

''Yes!!''

The arena was filled with workers renovating the place to prepare for the next Sprout Tournament. This tournament was held by the Immortal League, an alliance of immortal sects in the Central Divine Realm, with the purpose of creating friendly competitions between their sect's young talents.

As years passed, however, this event had become more than just that. It was now the place for major sects to assert their dominance by showcasing their best talents. Furthermore, all of the top sects were confirmed to participate in this event, so the competition was fierce.

Every year, General Manager Sang of the Immortal League was always stressed during this time. His job was to present the event most spectacularly, mainly to impress the big shots from the top sects who would inevitably come to watch.

Last year, he got scolded by one such bigshot because the tea was slightly cold!

(╬￣皿￣)＝○

You bitch! You said you were a master of hell flame or whatever, and you couldn't even heat a teacup?!

Ridiculous.

''Alas.''

General Manager Sang sighed and looked up at the starry sky. He just hoped this year would be peaceful.

Two days quickly passed, and it was time for the competition to start officially. Well, at least the reception of it. A lot of the major sects wanted to be the main character of the show, so they would purposely come late to steal all the attention. Once a lot of people started doing it, they looked like a bunch of idiots who forgot the time rather than the main characters, but no one dared to say anything, so they just kept doing it regardless.

Over the years, general manager Sang had come to like smaller sects more. They were more honest, down-to-earth, and overall friendlier than most. He especially adored the White Lotus Sect. Obedient disciples, peaceful masters. If he could practice their cultivation method, he would have switched sects a long time ago!

While checking in people, he wished for the White Lotus Sect to do well this year.

'I wonder when they would come. Normally, they come the earliest, but now...'

''Woah!''

''Is that the real deal??''

''Why are they this early this year?''

Suddenly, general manager Sang heard murmurs coming from the people in the reception room. When he looked in the direction that the people were staring at, he saw a bunch of bald heads. It was the monks of the Shaolin Temple - One of the top sects.

''Excuse me, could this humble disciple ask for a place for us to stay?''

A polite monk asked.

General manager Sang was a bit surprised. ''Oh, of course. Of course.''

After checking the monks in, he was once again spooked. This time, it was the Emei Sect.

''Can I have a check-in?''

A cold beauty asked. She was the master of a competitor, as well as the abbess at the same time.

''Of course, of course...''

What the hell was wrong with these people this time...? Did they finally snap out of the main character syndrome?

''Hm?''

Continuing the streak, Wudang Sect came right after. Then, Kunlun Sect, the Tang clan, and even Mount Hua were there!

All of the top six clans came early!

'What a day.'

General manager Sang sighed.

By night, almost everyone was present, but he noticed the White Lotus Sect was nowhere to be seen. Usually, Yu Chen the Phantom Sword should have been here with her disciples, but...

Night turned day, and today was the first day of the tournament.

The arena was filled with people chatting loudly, some making bets on who would win, some predicting who would lose first, and some just relaxing in their seats. On top of the regular audience seats was a private observation room reserved for sect leaders or elders who came to watch.

Tension filled the observation room.

The smaller sects' people were reluctant to speak, fearing that they might ruin the mood of the bigshots sitting at the front. They just looked out the window down the arena blankly, waiting for it to start.

In the arena, General Manager Sang was restless. He didn't see the White Lotus Sect anywhere!

Did they forget the date...?

He paced around and paced around until one of the organizers came to tell him to start the show. He sighed.

'How unfortunate.'

''Ahem!''

So he infused qi into his speech, amplifying his cough to make sure everyone heard him. The whole arena quieted down.

''Welcome to the Sprout Tournament, fellow cultivators! Today, I bring you—''

————————!!!

General Manager Sang's sentence was cut by a sudden roar that seemed to shake heaven and earth. It sent chills to the people, although they didn't see anything yet.

''What is...''

''Holy...!!''

A shadow covered the arena. When everyone looked up, a fearsome dragon was flapping its huge wings, looking down at them menacingly.

Case 14: Skipping the tournament.

White Lotus Sect, the night before the Sprout Tournament started.

Kierra, Yu Chen, and Bai Qing were on the highest floor of the Crimson Tower V2.0. To help Bai Qing achieve mastery in combining qi and mana, both the archwizard and the martial master of Qinling Peak were present. The latter was pacing around the room, however.

''...Can we actually make it...?'' Yu Chen asked nervously.

There were only a few hours left until the fighting bit started, and it would typically take a full day on a Cloud Boat to reach there from the White Lotus Sect.

''Calm down,'' Kierra said. ''If you gave me the right distance, we can easily make it.''

''Your dragon...''

Yu Chen shook her head lightly. At this point, there was only the option of believing in Kierra.

So she kept pacing around some more anyway. Eventually, though, Bai Qing finished the final stage of her training, which was to harmonize the two energies inside her body. Getting up from a lotus position, she moved around a bit before speaking up energetically.

''Masters, I'm ready!''

The three nodded at each other.

''Follow me.''

Yu Chen and Bai Qing followed Kierra to the large window, where a relaxed Tian Yun could be seen sitting on the frame.

snap—!

''Kamikaze.''

Following Kierra's call, a massive gust of wind blew in the sky, pushing away thick patches of cloud. Soon, a majestic dragon with green scales descended from the space. This was Kamikaze - The King Dragon of Storm.

''He specializes in controlling wind. And he can move at extremely high speed.''

Kierra proudly explained as Kamikaze flew in front of them. The sheer size of this mighty beast was enough to make even Yu Chen or Tian Yun flinch. They weren't sure if they could defeat it alone.

[Do you need a ride, master?]

A deep male voice sounded from Kamikaze's mouth.

''Indeed.'' Kierra replied.

[Then please climb up!]

''Thanks.''

So the crew flew onto Kamikaze's back, and after Yu Chen pointed the direction they needed to go, the dragon immediately took off.

''Woah...''

Kamikaze shot himself forward faster than any bullet by utilizing his wind magic. Not only that, he also created a translucent shield surrounding his whole body so the people riding him wouldn't be blown off.

They were moving so fast that the scenery passing by couldn't even be perceived properly anymore!

''Slow down a bit, Kamikaze. We have two more hours.'' Kierra said. ''Let this girl rest well.''

[Understood.]

So Kamikaze adjusted his flying speed down, keeping the distance in mind. Thanks to that, the rest of the ride was actually very relaxing. By the time the sun poked itself up, they could now see the arena clearly.

As Kamikaze floated over the arena, Kierra stood up and stretched out in an elegant manner, prompting the others to rise to their feet as well.

''Thanks for the ride, Kamikaze.''

Kierra flew over and stroked the dragon's head. Her hand barely covered a fraction of one of his scales, but the warmth was certainly delivered. You wouldn't find anyone who treated summoned creatures as well as Kierra!

[It's an honor, master.]

With that, Kamikaze flew up into space and reverse-summoned himself, leaving the crew floating above the arena. By this point, they had caught everybody's attention, spectacularly, no less.

''Bai Qing, go to them.'' Yu Chen put her hands on her disciple's shoulders. ''Show them what you are capable of.''

''Yes, master!''

Bai Qing confidently flew to the contestants' area, and the remaining three also began to move to the observation room. The attendant was shocked to see Tian Yun again after decades, but he let them in regardless.

Once inside, Kierra walked side to side with Tian Yun; her demeanor was relaxed, her face was calm, and her steps were confident. Then, she suddenly noticed a familiar face.

''Kang Jiang, was it?''

''Ah, yes, lord Kierra.''

Kang Jiang hurriedly stood up and bowed his head. Kierra simply nodded and continued her way.

╭(°A°)╮ ╭(°A°)╮ ╭(°A°)╮

She made a sect leader bow that easily?!

At that moment, even though people could only sense a low cultivation base from the archwizard, they all thought—

'This woman must be a master!'

Among the leaders of the top sects, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple was particularly curious. There were numerous hidden masters with inhumanely strong cultivation bases in the past, and all of them behaved exactly like this!

He wanted to talk to Kierra right away, but General Manager Sang's voice sounded again.

''Ahem!''

Kierra threw her hat into the space bag and sat down on her chair, sandwiched by Yu Chen and Tian Yun.

''There was a small issue, but now, let us begin the long-awaited tournament! The first match is between Bai Qing of the White Lotus Sect and Liao Cai of the Flying Sword Sect!''

''Hm? She fights the first match?'' Kierra spoke up.

''That is why I was worried...'' Yu Chen sighed.

''Well? I didn't receive that information.'' Kierra shrugged. ''I certainly wasn't going to arrive late for extra attention purposely. That is reserved for delusional teenagers only.''

Suddenly, Kierra felt the room getting a bit colder. Tian Yun and Yu Chen beside her seemed to be panicking as well.

Meanwhile, the 'bigshots' all felt like needles were poking at their hearts. Why were they still getting smack-talked in the face even though they came on time this year...

Nevertheless, they all turned their attention to the arena, where the match had already begun.

Bai Qing's opponent was from a relatively small sect and was generally on the same level of strength as her, not counting magic. Bai Qing decided only to use a small amount of mana this time, fearing that she would run out of it later.

Against the opponent's flying swords, Bai Qing deployed a multitude of lightning nets to hinder their flying paths before comfortably going in to compete sword to sword. Bai Qing's lightning sword collided with the opponent's regular sword.

The result was obvious. Outside of the flying swords, which were easily disabled, the disciple from the Flying Sword Sect had nothing else. Bai Qing quickly claimed her victory.

''Round one of bracket A, winner, Bai Qing!''

The audience clapped. When General Manager Sang announced the next match, Kierra was already bored. Kierra didn't need to sleep at all, but she still found it beneficial to sleep once in a while just to reset her mind.

So naturally, Kierra said. ''I will close my eyes for a moment. Wake me up when something interesting happens.''

'''' Eh? ''''

Before Tian Yun and Yu Chen could even react, Kierra had already leaned back into her chair, eyes closed. Watching the archwizard's steady breaths, the two looked at each other blankly.

Just like that, the tournament continues for a while. Nothing particularly special happened until Tian Yun suddenly felt something on her shoulder.

''!!''

( ;ↀ.ↀ)

Kierra was now leaning on her shoulder!

Tian Yun wanted to do something, but she couldn't wake Kierra up or let her without support. So Tian Yun, with all the respect she had for Kierra, went full in. She wrapped her arm around the archwizard's waist and adjusted her position a bit. Now, they were effectively having a side hug.

'Phew...'

Tian Yun was impressed at her quick wit. With this, Kierra should had a comfortable nap...

''Ah?''

When she turned her head to the side, the usually calm Yu Chen was somehow biting her lower lip with a light pout, glancing at the two of them.

'What...?'

Case 15: Go, Bai Qing, Go!

A blue lily.

That was what the girl held in front of Kierra, together with a promise of eternity.

''Do you like it?''

Her affectionate voice sounded.

''Yes!''

Kierra replied happily and took the flower. The girl was the total opposite of a blue lily, which meant serenity, but Kierra innocently thought it suited her.

Just like that, the two held hands and walked along the lily valley.

Holding the flower in her hand, Kierra spoke up. ''When this war is over... will you stay together with me?''

''Of course.'' The girl responded. ''We will build our country together.''

''Mhm.''

Kierra held the girl's hand tighter, and the two continued their way, dreaming of a brighter future.

''—ierra!''

''Kierra!''

Kierra was awoken by someone shaking her shoulders. Opening her eyes, she found herself leaning against Tian Yun's shoulder.

'White lotus... no. What am I doing...'

It was clear that mental fatigue had caught up to her. She spent three whole months without sleep for the research of the star-transcending ritual, and now she even dreamt of that old fate and mistaking a person for a flower.

''It's time for Bai Qing to fight again, Kierra.'' Tian Yun continued.

Kierra slowly adjusted her sitting position, getting out of Tian Yun's arm. ''Excuse me.''

''No problem.'' Tian Yun flashed a smile.

After giving Tian Yun a nod, Kierra turned to the other side. ''Yu Chen, you seem relieved. I assume the results were good?''

''Y-Yes? Ah, yes, it was good.''

''...?''

Ignoring the abnormal Yu Chen, Kierra directed her gaze toward the arena again. There was a giant board showing the results of the matches, in which the archwizard was able to decipher that Bai Qing had indeed advanced to the quarterfinals.

''This is incredible.'' Tian Yun said with a smile. ''Everyone besides our Bai Qing are in the top sects. We had never been this successful before.''

''I see.'' Kierra replied.

Soon, it was time for the matches to resume again.

''We have quite a special matchup this time, fellow cultivators!'' General Manager Sang's voice sounded. ''Facing against the best disciple from Emei Sect—Feng Ling—is the rising star of this competition, Bai Qing!''

''What did he mean by 'special'?'' Kierra asked.

''Ah... the Emei Sect's cultivation methods have a reputation of being the best among those suited for women. And because our sect's are also...'' Tian Yun explained as she nervously glanced at the abbess of the Emei Sect.

Kierra followed her gaze and stumbled upon a cold beauty in the distance. Said beauty turned to them, and their eyes met.

'''' ... ''''

For a brief moment, tension hung in the air.

Soon, the match started, prompting everyone to look at the arena instead.

Both Bai Qing and Feng Ling drew their swords. In quick and precise motions, the latter shot herself toward Bai Qing, and a purple hue fell onto her blade.

Darkness collided with lightning.

In this matchup, Feng Ling clearly had more to show. Her swordplay was elegant, yet deadly at the same time, gnawing at the opponent's mind. Bai Qing's lightning sword was inferior, so she opted for the hit-and-run tactic instead of confrontation. She carefully dodged every attack coming at her, occasionally poking Feng Ling a bit before retreating. This made Feng Ling infuriated.

Suddenly, the disciple of Emei Sect raised her sword high, and intense qi began to gather around the blade rapidly. With a decisive slam, the purple air blade was sent toward Bai Qing. Unlike standard air blades, however, this one changed from vertical to horizontal at the last moment!

''Kuh...!''

Bai Qing had no choice but to block the attack. She wanted to save her mana until the final match, but it seemed there was no other way.

So Bai Qing confidently jumped at her opponent. While flying in the air, Bai Qing secretly chanted a water spell on top of her lightning attack. Feng Ling felt there was something wrong, but she chose to counterattack right away.

With a loud noise, two swords collided again. It was then that it happened—

''?!''

From Bai Qing's free hand, a water spear shot out, cleanly penetrating Feng Ling's qi armor and punching her guts like a cannon. The proud disciple of the Emei Sect was blown back considerably.

As the audience and Feng Ling herself were caught by total surprise, Bai Qing seized the chance and delivered another clean hit toward her opponent, pushing her out of the arena and thus ending the match.

''T-The winner, Bai Qing!''

Bai Qing felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment. She looked up at her masters, and they nodded approvingly at her.

( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the observation room. The people had somewhat sensed something wrong with Bai Qing's performance since earlier, but now, it was clear.

''W-What was that?!'' Someone in the observation room exclaimed.

''Dual roots?!''

''No way, that is not possible!''

Hearing the people arguing, Tian Yun and Yu Chen couldn't help but feel proud of Bai Qing. She had actually defeated the disciple from the Emei Sect!

While the two were smiling foolishly—Tian Yun externally, Yu Chen internally—a shadow fell on their face. Turning around, they saw the cold abbess of Emei Sect. She looked at them emotionlessly, but faint hints of fury could be seen in her eyes.

''You. What was that?'' She asked the three.

Before Yu Chen and Tian Yun could cook up an appropriate answer, Kierra had already spoken up. ''Go back to your seat.''

Veins popped up on the abbess's forehead. ''I am asking you.''

''And who are you again?'' Kierra snapped back.

The abbess was furious. This woman didn't even look at her once!

So the abbess released her enormous qi, tensing up everyone, and right when she was about to press further, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

''Please calm down, abbess.''

It was the abbot of the Shaolin Temple.

Silence fell. Everyone held their breath; even the people outside felt there was something wrong. Eventually, the abbess of Emei Sect retreated her qi.

''Excuse me.''

With what, she left the room. Once again, silence fell. The previous tension was still lingering inside the room, but Kierra hardly cared about it.

So, just like that, the tournament resumed as usual. After sitting through three more fights, Kierra was finally able to watch Bai Qing's semifinal match. The opponent, this time, was clearly on guard against Bai Qing's water magic, but because he wasn't able to feel the mana moving, combined with the fact that he paid less attention to Bai Qing's attacks, one water strike to the back was able to take him out.

''We're in the final...!'' Tian Yun exclaimed.

Her heart raced wildly. Finally, her and her predecessors' dream was going to come true! White Lotus Sect would rise to the top!

The other semifinal match was between a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect and a disciple of the Wudang Sect, with the former emerging victorious. Once again, General Manager Sang's voice sounded, this time, more excited than ever.

''Fellow cultivators! The final match to determine the winner of this tournament is between Yuan Ning of the Mount Hua Sect Sect and Bai Qing of the White Lotus Sect!''

Stepping into the arena, Bai Qing took a deep breath.

She only had one shot, so she couldn't miss this chance.

Case 16: The pride of White Lotus.

In terms of raw cultivation strength, Yuan Ning of Mount Hua Sect was significantly better than Bai Qing. He was in the middle of the Core Formation stage—a whole stage above Bai Qing.

The eldest martial sister of Qinling Peak was beyond nervous. If this were a year ago, she would have been eliminated a long time ago, but now, she stood proudly on stage, competing for the champion title. The pressure was unimaginable.

''Sister, please take care of me.''

Yuan Ning bowed lightly. Bai Qing also bowed back.

''Likewise, brother.''

The two drew their swords. After a brief silence, it was Yuan Ning who moved first.

''Hap—!''

He bravely jumped toward Bai Qing despite knowing she had a way to attack stealthily, and Bai Qing herself soon realized why.

'The Plum Blossom sword...!'

Although she had observed him fighting with it before this, seeing the elegant pinkish aura swirling around his sword was simply incredible. Not losing to her opponent, Bai Qing quickly activated her lightning sword. The moment a plum blossom petal touched the tip of Bai Qing's sword, the battle began.

The two threw everything they had into this round. Yuan Ning repeatedly used the Plum Blossom sword techniques, dyeing one half of the arena pink, while Bai Qing occupied the other half with a mix of lightning sparks and water torrents.

Every second, dozens of strikes were exchanged. Bai Qing, fully immersed, had her limbs move with pure instinct while constantly chanting water spells in her mind to catch up with her opponent. Suddenly, an unusually wet sensation hit her upper lip.

Her nose was bleeding.

But her opponent was still going strong. The situation didn't look good, but Bai Qing was determined to push through.

She gritted her teeth and forced her mind to concentrate even more, causing her muscles to tear from the excessive movements and her brain to be fried from using too much magic.

In the observation room, Kierra was frowning lightly.

'That idiot. She completely forgot the efficiency.'

She certainly taught her better than this. But... well, it had only been a few days. Kierra guessed that it was hard to shape her habit that easily. Still, Bai Qing had a chance. If she could just use her brain properly and utilize her advantage...

''Oh?''

To Kierra's surprise, she saw Bai Qing's mana slowly seeping into the other side of the arena, like a bunch of snakes, and then they connected to each other, forming a dense ball of mana. It was a result of Bai Qing's utmost effort to create a counterplay.

The ball slowly turned into water from the inside out, gradually forming a huge spear the size of a human, and the tip of it aimed straight at Yuan Ning's back.

''That trick won't work against me!''

However, noticing the decrease in Bai Qing's water attacks at the front, Yuan Ning swiftly retreated and turned around to disable the spell preemptively, but then—

''Kuh...?!''

The spear suddenly burst into millions of needles, and some dozens were able to get through Yuan Ning's qi armor.

''ARGHHH—!!''

Suddenly assaulted by a painful lightning zap, Yuan Ning let out a scream. Meanwhile, Bai Qing herself was already preparing the spell to end this match. She squeezed out every ounce of qi and mana in her body and condensed them into a spear, this time, a proper one.

She jerked her hand, holding the zapping spear back before launching it at Yuan Ning. The spear squarely hit the disciple from Mount Hua, sending them far outside the arena, into the wall, unconscious.

''Hah...! hah...! ugh...!''

Bai Qing wanted to collapse. She wanted to rest right away, but just a bit more.

'Just a bit more...'

''The winner, Bai Qing—!!''

As soon as General Manager Sang's voice sounded, Bai Qing smiled softly before her vision turned blurry. Right before she fell onto the ground, her body was caught by someone.

''Good job, my disciple. You are the pride of White Lotus.''

'This voice and this smell... master Kierra.'

Feeling a hand stroking her head, Bai Qing lost consciousness.

As Kierra teleported back to the observation room with Bai Qing in her arms, she could feel the tension filling the space.

So she did what she always did best—ignoring it. She calmly put Bai Qing on her chair before casting an ordinary healing spell on her. This would not help Bai Qing recover her qi or mana, but it should help with the torn muscles and the bleeding.

While Yu Chen and Tian Yun were proudly petting Bai Qing, someone approached Kierra.

''Can we speak briefly, Miss Kierra?''

It was the abbot of the Shaolin Temple.

''Sure.'' Kierra replied.

''My name is Xuanji; nice to meet you.''

''Kierra Scarlett Aspenova.''

''...I am very much interested in the way this disciple performed.'' The abbot began. ''May I ask, are you the one who taught her the water techniques?''

''Indeed.'' Kierra nodded. ''And before any of you ask, it is not cultivation.''

Numerous 'What?!' popped up.

''Can you clarify that...?'' Xuanji continued.

Kierra pondered for a bit before replying. ''Well? Keep imagining it. It's more fun that way.''

Silence fell. Kierra leisurely pulled an additional chair over to her with telekinesis and sat down.

''...Miss Kierra, would you like to visit our temple sometime soon?'' Xuanji asked.

''Is the library available?'' Kierra asked back.

''Not all of it, but yes.''

''Sure. I'll go when I have time.''

With his initial goal of making Kierra aware of him achieved, Abbot Xuanji happily retreated. Seeing that, the others were about to jump in when Kierra suddenly stood up.

''There's nothing to do here anymore. Let us go back.''

'''' Yes. ''''

Yu Chen lifted Bai Qing up, and they promptly left the room. Only a suffocating silence remained.

Once outside, Tian Yun immediately raised her fists into the air, celebrating the victory that they just had. Seeing this, Kierra couldn't help but curl her lips up. The sight was akin to a white lotus flower dancing, simply delightful.

''Then, shall we rent a Cloud Boat to get back, or would you like to travel by dragon?'' Yu Chen asked.

''No, either of them takes too long,'' Kierra replied.

''Then...?''

''We will teleport back.''

Long-distance space travel was among the most intricate magic spells a wizard could do. It usually took dozens of high-level wizards just to activate the spell. And although Cosmos—Kierra's prime space magic aid—was currently unavailable, Kierra still had confidence.

So the archwizard readied herself. Right when she was about to do a short incarnation—

''Please wait!''

A voice interrupted her. Turning around, it was the sect leader of the Lightning Tiger Sect.

''Lord Kierra, I have a favor to ask.'' Kang Jiang bowed his head.

''Speak.''

''Could you please grace my daughter with your presence? She has been asking me ever since...''

''That can be done later.''

''P-Please! I fear she would destroy the whole sect if you didn't pay a visit...''

''...''

Suddenly, Yu Chen grabbed Kierra's sleeve.

''I think we should go there briefly. Just in time, I want to check up on that young master.''

''Fine.'' Kierra sighed lightly. ''You, come closer.''

So, the destination of the teleportation changed to Lightning Tiger Sect.

Case 17: Kang Shuren.

In the backyard of a certain building, a woman was sitting on the edge of the pond, dipping her feet into the cold water.

The woman's face was exceptionally emotionless. No one was able to tell if she was happy, sad, or somewhere in between, not even her family. She blankly looked at the sky with a pair of brilliant golden eyes, which she inherited from her father. But unlike him, she had straight, mellow green hair instead of fluffy white hair.

As she watched the clouds floating by, she couldn't help but remember the scene that day. Ominous black clouds filled the sky, and suddenly, a spear thrust itself down to earth, defeating the mighty tiger that she had always admired.

She vividly recalled the procreator of the said spear.

''Hah...''

Overwhelming. This was the only thing she could use to describe that person.

Calm and composed, yet graceful movements, together with such an extraordinary display of power. Kierra's image on that fateful day had imprinted into the woman's mind. She longed for the same power that Kierra had and wanted to stand where Kierra was...

''...''

Alas.

It seemed her father was not nearly good enough for Kierra to care. If he couldn't invite her to the Lightning Tiger Sect during this tournament, her chance of getting to know Kierra early would be ruined. She tried to get into the White Lotus Sect directly a few times, but she got rejected regardless.

''Tch.''

(╬≖_≖)

Stupid brother. Doing useless stuff...

Nevertheless, it would take at least a day or so for her father to get back here. In the meanwhile, she wanted to keep training.

As she got up and carefully wiped her feet, she heard faintly a commotion going on in the distance. So she quickly got into her shoes and headed in the direction where she heard it.

'The town?'

She noticed a crowd forming at the central plaza. Curious, she jumped on a tall building to get a proper view, and then—

''!!''

The woman immediately widened her eyes. Her brother and his partner were kneeling pitifully before a few people in the heart of the sect, no less. Even her father was present but could not do anything.

Now, she didn't care about any of that. Instead, that person was there!

'Kierra Scarlett Aspenova!'

She couldn't miss this chance.

Ignoring anything else, she immediately shot herself at where Kierra was, successfully turning their attention to her.

''...?''

Kierra, who had been watching this young master of the sect apologize to Yu Chen and Tian Yun, was puzzled at the woman's sparkling eyes.

''Shuren! You're here!''

Kang Jiang hurriedly went over and stroked his daughter's head affectionately.

''Father.''

The woman simply nodded.

Kang Jiang then turned to Kierra. ''Lord Kierra, this is my daughter that I talked about before. Her name is Kang Shuren, and she has always wanted to meet you.''

''Hm. Speak your business.'' Kierra responded.

Kang Shuren pondered. ''...Could we talk privately, please?''

''Sure. Lead the way.''

Yu Chen said she intended to wait until Bai Qing woke up so she could hear the young master's apology directly for the first time, so Kierra had some free time.

With Kierra following her, Kang Shuren couldn't help but feel excited. Her chance had arrived, and she needed to seize it!

''Hmph!''

''...?''

'What is wrong with this kid...'

Not knowing Kierra's first impression of herself, Kang Shuren happily guided the archwizard into the backyard earlier. Once inside, she took out a chair for Kierra and herself. The two sat down facing each other.

''Lord Kierra, from that day, I have always admired your might.'' Kang Shuren said. ''So please, take me in as your disciple.''

Looking at the woman bowing her head, Kierra replied. ''I thought I said your sect would be trained later?''

Kierra had no intention of leaving out potential wizards, and this sect was hers anyway, so she announced that she would be searching for disciples here sometime in the future.

Kang Shuren lifted her head to look at Kierra with her pleading eyes. ''I really want to become stronger. Please.''

From childhood, Kang Shuren was always absorbed in cultivation. She found the idea of improving herself further and further until she became an immortal fascinating. So, she ignored almost everything else and devoted herself to the practice. After more than a hundred years, she was able to build a decent cultivation base, but as of right now, she was encountering a bottleneck.

She told all of that to Kierra while carefully watching her reaction.

Kierra, most of the time, had an emotionless face, plus this kind of story wasn't new to her, so the response was lukewarm at best. After thinking a bit, she spoke.

''This will entirely depend on your talent in magic. As you know, I don't teach cultivation.''

''I want to try magic.''

''Good. We will see how you do.''

''Thank you.''

Kierra looked away for a moment. She saw magnificent mountains, spectacular greenery, and good scenery overall. ''Prepare yourself. I will check your talent in a minute.'' Kierra spoke. She wanted to appreciate this sight some more.

''Of course.'' Kang Shuren replied excitedly, not that her face showed any of it.

'Mission success...!''

Internally, Kang Shuren was overjoyed. In actuality, she wasn't that interested in becoming the strongest there was. Sure, she would prefer having some strength rather than not, and she also found cultivation to be mildly fun, but it couldn't be called her life goal. She didn't believe she had one until she met Kierra.

The moment she saw the archwizard, her whole mind was shifted. Aside from strength, she desperately wanted to become domineering like Kierra!

Being able to crush anybody with raw power, dominate their souls and bodies with mere gestures, on top of that, possess an inhumanely beautiful exterior.... how cool is that...!

Kang Shuren was determined. One day, she would—

''Shuren, was it?''

''Y-Yes?''

''Tell me, what do you cultivate for?''

''Ah?''

Kierra, who had suddenly remembered the question Yu Chen asked her disciples the other day, was curious to hear about this woman's goal. She herself didn't have one specifically. Yu Chen said it was important in cultivation, so it might be wise to come up with one for herself.

Meanwhile, Kang Shuren:

!!! ∑(° Д °ノ)ノ

Although she didn't show, she was sweating buckets. Did Kierra see through her dirty intentions...?! Is this a test, or a threat...?

With such questions brewing in her head, Kang Shuren nervously answered. ''...For myself.''

''Elaborate.''

''I... wanted to find a purpose for my life, something I'm passionate about... and although cultivation didn't help me find it, I think I do know now. Thanks to magic.''

'Thanks to you, Kierra.'

''I see.''

Kierra was satisfied with this answer. Right when she was about to stand up and begin checking Kang Shuren, someone barged into the yard.

''Bad news!'' The man shouted. ''A powerful demon was detected nearby just a moment ago!''

''What...?!'' Kang Shuren stood up in shock.

'Demon?'

Kierra had gone to war with those things back in her world. So there was something similar even here...

Case 18: Confronting the unexpectedly friendly(?) demon.

''Tian Yun.''

''Yes?''

''Explain briefly what a demon is.''

While flying with the subjugation squad from Lightning Tiger, Kierra asked Tian Yun.

''Um... usually, it is a cultivator corrupted by a certain source, or sometimes their own negative emotions.''

''I see.''

Tian Yun turned forward again, but her eyes stayed on Kierra.

'What a wonder...'

The white lotus had heard about Kierra from Yu Chen a while ago, but even Yu Chen didn't know much about the archwizard's past. Really, she couldn't imagine where Kierra must have come from. Another reality?

Silly idea.

Tian Yun shook her head and concentrated on flying again.

Meanwhile, Kierra was deep in her thoughts. If what Tian Yun said was true, then the concept of demons here differed entirely from that in her world. Demons back there typically referred to mostly mindless creatures born from pure dark mana or it mixed with other entities. They were unconditionally hostile to anything other than their own kin and universal enemies of the world.

This was indeed curious for Kierra. Did the demons here also use dark mana or dark qi? Was that even a thing?

Well, she would find out soon enough.

As the squad entered the Yunluo mountain range, a wave of uncomfortable energy hit them. The air felt like it was contaminated, but the squad kept flying ahead. Demons were extremely dangerous creatures in the Central Divine Realm—not only did the cultivator who got turned into a demon have to have a solid cultivation base to withstand the process, but after transforming, they were typically multiple times stronger than the original.

Eventually, they reached a large cave located at the foot of a mountain. The air had gotten so bad that many were frowning. Kierra was different, though. For one, she had gotten used to this kind of thing after the Great War with demons back in her world, and more than that, she was curious since this was the first time she encountered this energy.

After Kang Jiang spoke to the guards outside, they headed in. Looking at the back of Kang Shuren, who participated in this instead of her brother because he was forced to stay with Yu Chen and Bai Qing at the sect, Kierra felt this was an excellent opportunity.

Watching someone fight and use their energy was usually the go-to way of gauging their talent in magic, aside from intelligence.

''?!''

Suddenly, there was an eerie squeak coming from inside. The squad immediately stopped.

''Brother, can you scan the area ahead of us?'' Kang Jiang asked one of the elders.

''Of course.''

A little while later, the elder burst out in a cold sweat.

''There are so many spawns of the demon!'' He shouted. ''Hundreds, no, thousands of them!''

Everyone was startled.

''We might be dealing with a disaster-level demon here.'' Kang Jiang frowned. ''I hope the aid request won't be turned down...''

''Let me take care of them,'' Kierra said as she walked past the group. ''Close your eyes and ears.''

As the squad had known of Kierra's might, they obediently did as she said, albeit still skeptical. Even if Kierra was stronger than Kang Jiang, a demon of this caliber—

BOOM—!!!

In the blink of an eye, Kierra constructed a simple explosive spell and shot it ahead. As it flew forward, its form gradually changed from an ordinary ball of fire to a fierce dragon, rapidly devouring its prey on the way. For a brief moment, the cave was lit up before it went silent again.

''That should take care of the little ones,'' Kierra said.

'''' ... ''''

She could have collapsed this whole cave and buried everything in one go, but she was curious, so there was no other way!

So, with Kierra leading the way, they continued moving forward.

Wait, Kierra was leading the way...?

(・∀・)?

Kang Jiang, the official leader of the squad, wanted to protest, but in a surge of sagaciousness, he concluded that he didn't want to be beaten again.

On the way, the squad encountered numerous burnt corpses of what seemed to be giant bats scattered all over the ground. Judging from their size and other bodily features, some of the more well-informed elders expressed their concerns over this particular demon.

''No ordinary demon would be able to create this many monsters of this size...''

Hearing that, everybody got nervous, including Kierra, but for a different reason.

'I hope that guy isn't dead yet...'

Well, she could still feel the ominous energy coming, so probably no. And right after a turn, they saw something.

Sitting inside a dome-like barrier was an almost rotten corpse with white hair and greyish skin. It looked like it should be dead, but the distinct red eyes inside the deep sockets of the 'corpse' were still moving all right.

Said eyes immediately fixed on Kierra as she calmly entered the large chamber containing the barrier. The archwizard looked around, and there was nothing other than an old table with a pot of plants on it. The plant appeared dead, with its leaves all withered.

Ignoring the corpse, Kierra went straight to the table. She could feel the red eyes following her, but that didn't bother her in the slightest. Rather, she noticed the ominous energy was the most dense around this withered plant.

''Hm.''

As she was about to lift it using telekinesis—

''Kierra!''

Together with Tian Yun's urgent shout, Kierra found the corpse now standing blankly beside her. It stared at her intently, not moving an inch.

''What?'' She asked.

''...''

Not hearing an answer, Kierra let out a sigh and raised her arm to the side. With a simple gesture, a slim mana sword manifested in her hand. It had an ocean blue color, slightly see-through, and left behind vivid traces of mana when swinging as well.

Aside from being beautiful, though, this sword could even split a mountain squarely if Kierra used the correct technique.

When Tian Yun and the others surrounded the thing with their weapons out, Kierra raised her hand and pointed her finger at its head.

''Boom.''

⌈Wind Bullet—4★⌋A gentle whisper from Kierra resulted in a strong and concentrated gust of wind shooting at the corpse's head. In normal cases, it should have exploded its head altogether or at least sent it to the wall, but this time was different.

With its hand covering the head, the corpse was still standing strong even after blocking Kierra's spell whole.

'Interesting.'

While the squad was freaking out over how strong the demon was, Kierra was intrigued by its attitude. It seemed this thing was here just to protect the plant and nothing else.

''Shuren.'' Kierra called. ''Can you fight this thing alone?''

''I'm afraid not.''

Kang Shuren's face was utterly unchanging, as usual, but Kierra could sense the nervousness behind it.

So Kierra replied. ''Just do it. This will serve as a test as well, so do your best.''

''...Ah?''

Deep inside, Kang Shuren was scared to death. She could feel ominous death energy escaping this strange demon! Couldn't they just leave it alone if it wasn't attacking them like this for whatever reason...?

''Um...''

''I will assist.'' Kierra pushed Kang Shuren forward. ''You won't die. And you all stay out.''

Kang Shuren had no other option besides fighting. With all her courage, she pulled out her sword and took a battle stance. Seeing Kierra also pointing her sword at the demon, Kang Shuren was suddenly motivated.

This was an opportunity to fight together with the legendary Kierra!

She was determined to prove her worth and fight a cool battle with the archwizard, but only when the fight began did she realize one crucial problem—Kierra's swordplay was utter garbage.

Case 19: Terrible swordswoman Kierra.

From the beginning of the time, there was a saying—

'Nobody is perfect.'

At this moment, Kang Shuren thought it was especially true. Why? Because Kierra's sword skills were too atrocious...!

When the two went in, the demon seemed to have decided to retaliate. It pulled out a dark sword out of nowhere and began to wreak havoc. Its strikes were heavy, its speed was exceptional, and its resilience was unmatched. On top of that, it had an annoying screeching scream that greatly distracted Kang Shuren. She was only at the peak of the Golden Core Stage; who in their right mind would make her fight this thing?!

Strangely, whenever Kang Shuren was about to be sliced up by that scary sword, Kierra always blocked the demon squarely. The sight of her effortlessly matching the demon was cool. It made Kang Shuren's heart beat faster. But when Kierra tried to attack...

Just then, Kierra held her sword up and slammed it down clumsily, which the demon easily dodged.

''?!''

BOOM—!!

Even the demon seemed baffled at Kierra's terrible swordplay, but the sheer power behind each strike of hers was no laughing matter, as the recent one nearly destroyed the wall.

Kang Shuren thought for sure Kierra was playing around, and she showed no sign of getting serious, which meant it was up to her to actually defeat this formidable opponent!

''Hup—!!''

So Kang Shuren jumped in and clashed swords with her opponent again. Looking at Kang Shuren, Kierra quietly evaluated the woman.

Her energy control was decent enough, and it seemed her blood vessels and heart were quite suitable for mana regulation. It should be possible to make her a wizard, at least, but whether she was a proper wizard would depend on her calculation skills.

''Ugh...!''

Immersed in her own thoughts, Kierra did not notice Kang Shuren losing in a strength battle with the demon.

'Oh, she's about to die.'

So the archwizard blinked forward and stabbed the demon's sword away. Although she was a wizard, her body was still relatively strong compared to ordinary people due to the natural result of dense mana flowing through her body, so it was possible to match the demon's strength.

Just like that, the two continued to battle their opponent for a while more until Kierra thought it was enough.

When everyone, who had been nervously watching since earlier, saw Kierra put away her sword, they simultaneously sighed in relief. They had been itching to shout 'What terrible swordplay!' during the fight, but no one wanted to be beaten up, so they kept their mouth shut.

Nevertheless, Kierra pinned the demon to the wall with telekinesis and began a special summoning ritual. Under the people's curious gazes, she reached into her space bag and pulled out a deer skull. Then, robust mana from the archwizard flowed into the skull, making it float into the air.

''Heed my call, Ovi.''

Following Kierra's call, the brilliant blue mana enveloping the skull burst out before its color rapidly changed to an ominous black. Two burning red lights flashed in the skulls' eye sockets.

''What...?!''

''I'm getting goosebumps....!!''

''L-Lord Kierra, what is this?!''

Ignoring the people's reaction, Kierra calmly waited for her subordinate to arrive.

It only took ten seconds for the lights in the skull's sockets to stabilize. Then, the black mana that filled the room gathered under the floating head, forming a slightly transparent, pitch-black 'body.'

It didn't have arms or legs, just, a body. Soon, it kneeled before Kierra.

[I have come to serve you, master]

A deep voice, so deep that it seemed to come from the abyss itself, escaped the creature.

The archwizard nodded contently. ''Long time no see, Ovi.''

Ovi - Lich of The End. Formed by the collage of resentment from all over the world since the beginning of time, it was one of Kierra's most prominent summons. Technically, it was not a 'summon,' but when Kierra defeated the lich and put it under her wing, it practically became one.

Befitting a high lich, Ovi had a magnificent army composed of millions of undead, from simple skeletons, zombies, or ghouls to city-destroying bone dragons. This time, Kierra was curious to see if this supposedly 'demon' in front of her could be included in that army.

[Please give your order]

''Try to tame that guy.''

When Kierra pointed to the demon, who had been struggling helplessly since earlier, Ovi quickly stood up and floated over to it.

''...!!''

Red eyes met red eyes.

Staring straight into Ovi's intense pupils, even the demon could not help but feel fear. As its pupils began to tremble, a piece of Ovi's body reached out and grabbed its head. The demon struggled and struggled it did, but there was an invisible force holding its body in place, so to the average viewer, the scene looked as though it had completely surrendered to the lich.

KIAAAK—!!

The demon let out a helpless screech as Ovi's black mana seeped into its body.

''L-Lord Kierra, what is...''

Kang Shuren tugged Kierra's sleeve and asked timidly. The others naturally turned to their conversation as well.

''My subordinate,'' Kierra replied. ''It won't hurt you.''

''I... see?''

Regardless of Kierra's confirmation, everyone was still scared. If it could easily take care of such a strong demon, then what would they become...

(;・∀・)(;・∀・)(;・∀・)

Eventually, Ovi dropped the demon to the ground before turning to Kierra. The lich then shook its head.

[I'm afraid this lamb cannot be tamed]

''Any reason?''

[Its whole being has been tainted—no salvation]

''I see. Good work.''

As Kierra was about to grab the plant pot, the demon suddenly jumped up again. Although Ovi's touch had just significantly damaged its mind, it still desperately crawled to the old table. Seeing this, Kierra couldn't help but be curious.

''Ovi, do you have access to this one's memory?''

[Yes, master]

''Play it out and cut the boring parts.''

Kierra leaned back in her chair comfortably as Ovi stuck its body on the wall to act as a screen. With everybody looking intently at it, the memory began.

The first part was about the person before turning into a demon. She was a rather successful cultivator in a small sect. One day, when she was walking around, she picked up a small fox demon, and from then on, her life changed forever.

With the cute fox demon by her side, she had more and more motivation to cultivate, and for a while, it seemed as though everything was going well until they encountered a corrupted entity roaming around this area. They bravely fought back in the hope that they could somehow contain this anomaly, but ultimately, the fox and the woman all got greatly injured, even the corrupted entity was still alive.

This is where the final part began. The female cultivator poured everything into sealing the entity, containing it in a flower pot. As for the fox demon, she used a relic to put it right under this area in a magic capsule for it to heal gradually. From that point onward, the female cultivator would keep guarding this area on her own since she needed to be present to maintain the seal properly. She also tried to reach out to bigger sects for help, but they never arrived.

Gradually, ominous energy began to escape the pot plant. The seal couldn't contain it, and now, even the female cultivator has turned out like this.

Even while watching this flashback, Kierra could hear some people sniffing on the sides. The people here, they were indeed overly prideful and pretentious, but they had at least lots of sympathy, Kierra thought. Though...

''...''

Did she just bully a good person...?

Case 20: Resurrection

Staring at the female cultivator struggling on the ground, Kierra could not help but feel a bit guilty. She was careless.

Kierra frowned and pulled her witch hat down to conceal her face.

She didn't consider herself as the advent of justice or the cop of morals, but she definitely wasn't an evil person by any means. Nevertheless, she failed to consider the strangeness of this universe and casually made a judgment based on little information. If she hadn't thought of recruiting this 'demon,' she would have blown off everything in one swoop, and that would have been a sure disaster.

Kierra wanted to save this cultivator, both to make up for this woman and to fulfill her basic duty as a fellow human. She wasn't confident in practices related to this field, but she had to try. Only now did she regret not paying attention when the King of the Underworld discussed this topic with her.

Regardless, she would first need to eliminate the corrupted entity before anything else.

''Ovi.'' Kierra stood up. ''Can you take care of that?''

Following the archwizard's line of sight, the lich stared at the old table briefly.

[Please leave it to me]

''Good.''

As Ovi stretched out its body to envelop the table whole, Kierra approached the female cultivator.

''Don't move.''

Ignored.

''I said do not move.''

Ignored.

Alas, it seemed this person had lost almost all of her reasons. Kierra pinned her on the ground with telekinesis before pouring out her mana. It soon split into thousands of strands and stabbed into the cultivator's body. This provided Kierra with an accurate diagnosis of her body, which turned out to be rather grim. As the condition of the exterior might have suggested, the body was completely dead.

How it could have even been fighting earlier was a mystery, and if Kierra wanted a proper resurrection, she would have to use another vessel to shove this person's soul in.

She reached into her space bag and pulled out various trinkets. These were gifts from the church back in her old world, which she intended to use for a purification ritual. Now, for the vessel...

''Oh.''

Now that she thought about it, didn't she have a phoenix egg that she got from its mother a long time ago? The space bag could freeze the time of the items inside it, so inside the egg should still be something that was in the state of a 'blank' body.

Good.

While searching for the egg, Kierra used telekinesis to arrange the trinkets in their correct locations and drew the magic circle simultaneously. When she finally found the egg and took it out, the ritual was also ready.

'Good thing I didn't scramble this one.'

Considering the massive size of the phoenix egg, Kierra thought it would be a fantastic breakfast.

'...I'm getting distracted again.'

Kierra quietly began to chant.

''To the King of Underworld, I call.''The archwizard's gentle voice rang through the cave. A brilliant aura of cyan magic burst out from her, making her clothes, hat, and hair flutter. It soon enveloped the trinkets, floating them in the air. Each leisurely swam through the air in its own orbit around the caster.

''Your claws shall not reach us, nor your temptation.''Gradually, the trinkets turned into bright spots of light as they accelerated, and the whole cyan aura spun even faster. After just a few seconds, it shrunk into a single dense ball, slowly descending into the female cultivator's body.

''Hereby, I vow—to defy death.''Slowly, a dimly lit ball of light emerged out of the cultivator's back. It was the size of a head and was tightly sealed by cyan chains wrapping around the surface. When Kierra brought the phoenix egg forward, the ball was immediately absorbed into it. With a simple snap, Kierra canceled the magic and marveled at her own work.

'At least my brain works decently.'

Meanwhile, Tian Yun and the people of the Lightning Tiger Sect were staring blankly at the unbelievable scene. The female cultivator was now wholly motionless. And the ball that just went into...

''W-Wait, Kierra, what did you do...?''

Tian Yun stepped forward.

''Exactly as you are imagining,'' Kierra replied.

(;° ロ°) (;° ロ°) (;° ロ°)

This woman... could interfere in the matter of life and death!

Without her knowledge, Kierra's status rose even more in these people's eyes. Now, they were convinced that the archwizard was an immortal—not an ordinary one, even.

Ignoring that, Kierra began to recall. If Kierra remembered it right, the soul should return to normal once the phoenix egg was hatched. So she threw it into her 'My Room' pocket dimension, where time still flowed normally instead of her space bag.

She then sat back down on the wooden chair and spread out her mana, carefully, very carefully reading the area around her. Only then did she find something unusual with the composition of the earth below this room. She had to admit that this relic of the female cultivator was highly effective, able to fool a casual scan of Kierra earlier. But at the same time, the structure of it was at its limit.

'So she was scared of damaging the capsule, hence the reluctance in engaging a fight.'

Just in time, Ovi came back to its liege with good news.

[This servant has successfully absorbed the source, master]

''Good job, Ovi. You can rest now.''

[It is my honor]

The lich reversed-summoned itself, leaving only the deer skull behind. Kierra put it back into her space bag and announced to the people. ''The anomaly is gone. Feel free to leave, Lightning Tiger sect.''

There was a certain attitude in the archwizard's voice, one that screamed, 'No objection is accepted.' The confused cultivator couldn't do anything other than obey.

''Um... what about my test result, Master Kierra?''

Kang Shuren raised her question.

''You pass. I will take you to White Lotus later.''

''Yes...!''

Kang Shuren gladly left with her sect's people.

With that, only Kierra and Tian Yun were left in the cave. The former looked below briefly before speaking up.

''...Tian Yun.''

''Oh, yes?''

''Do you want to go to a hot spring?''

''A hot... what...?''

In truth, Kierra could peer into the capsule, and for whatever reason, it was a hot spring. The archwizard had been washing herself with water magic for the longest time, so a hot and slow bath right now was too alluring for her. Shooing the others away was also because of this, and as for Tian Yun... Kierra somehow felt like it was fine, probably.

''There is a hot spring below us.''

''What a rare thing...! Of course, I will gladly join you, Kierra!''

Deep in Kierra's mind, a bad thought suddenly crept in.

''...''

No, she couldn't be seeing that woman in Tian Yun. Same flowers, different types. It was time to move on...

Kierra straightened herself up and set a barrier around the room to prevent anyone from going in or peeking in. Then, she used earth magic to remove the patch of rock underneath her feet, revealing a bunker-like structure that stuck out.

Inside there was a hot spring... no, there was the fox, yes. There was the fox demon as well.

Case 21: Hot spring and clothes.

Opening the capsule was trivial for Kierra. With her might, not even heaven's gates could stop her, whatever those were.

Immediately after the structure crumbled down, a wave of hot and damp heat hit her and Tian Yun. Once that was mostly dissipated, she could see the hot spring in its full glory. It had the shape of a donut, with the middle part being a rock stand of sorts, and on it lay a small white fox. It seemed to be sleeping, curled up into a ball.

''Kierra, what about the fox...?''

The archwizard, enchanted by the hot spring, didn't think much before answering.

''It'll be my pet.''

''...Okay?''

Then, the two began to undress. Even though they stood on either corner of the room, Tian Yun couldn't help but be embarrassed. She had never let anyone see her naked body before, but it would be disrespectful to Kierra if she folded now...

''...''

'Am I overthinking...?'

They were both women anyway, and Kierra didn't seem to mind it. It was just her being overly conscious. Besides, Kierra had prepared towels for both of them, so the important parts should be safe.

After correcting her mindset, Tian Yun happily stripped and got into the towel before turning around. There, she was squarely stunned. Her eyes automatically landed on Kierra's perfect curves, ones that couldn't be hidden by a mere towel, and on her exposed legs and upper chest. The archwizard also tied her hair up, which gave her an overall softer impression.

It was... seductive.

While Tian Yun was staring blankly like that, Kierra had already dipped herself into the steamy water. The black-haired beauty's face instantly melted.

''Get in.''

Kierra said as she closed her eyes in relaxation. The water was sufficiently hot, and the depth of the hot spring was just right. Kierra could stay here all night.

''A-Alright.''

Tian Yun finally snapped out. She also entered the warm water and melted like the other person. While that feeling somewhat distracted her, Tian Yun still had Kierra in her mind. She didn't know what was happening, and her heart was beating too fast to her liking.

''...''

''...''

Tian Yun looked over to Kierra again. The archwizard still had her eyes closed. At this moment, a thought suddenly popped up in her mind.

'What if she were to remove those thick lipstick...'

She was curious to see Kierra without such heavy makeup, especially on her lips.

So she spoke up. ''...Kierra.''

Kierra still hadn't opened her eyes. ''Speak.''

''Do you want to try a more... natural makeup?''

Strangely, Kierra flinched. She frowned for just a brief moment, then appeared to be deep in thought. Eventually, she opened her mouth.

''...Maybe later.''

''O-Oh, I see.''

Silence fell. Tian Yun felt like she just made a mistake, but seeing that Kierra didn't say more, she was a little relieved.

So, the two spent the next hour or so immersing themselves in the hot spring.

When Kierra finally thought it was enough, she promptly stood up, spooking Tian Yun again with her towel-sticking-to-body scene. Tian Yun felt like her heart was about to explode.

In any case, they quickly got into their clothes again, grabbed the fox, and left the place.

Flying in the air, Kierra couldn't help but appreciate these kinds of relaxations. She felt her mind was clearer now, not that it was not previously.

Once back at the Lightning Tiger Sect, the two were immediately greeted by a conscious Bai Qing and a rather restless Yu Chen.

''You two... are you alright?'' Yu Chen asked. She was quite worried since she couldn't peer through Kierra's barrier even with her [Divine Sight]

''We are.'' Tian Yun replied.

''That is a relief... hm?''

Some minor details couldn't escape Yu Chen's eyes. Both of these two's cheeks were a bit rosy, and the overall atmosphere around them seemed somewhat... hot. Just then, Bai Qing spoke up.

''What did you two do back there, master, sect leader?'' She asked innocently.

While Tian Yun was somehow nervous about saying it, Kierra responded instead. ''We went into a hot spring.''

''Oh... how nice.''

Bai Qing was genuinely jealous.

Meanwhile, Yu Chen:

!!! ∑(° Д °ノ)ノ

'H-How could they do that without me...!'

She also wanted to see Kierra without cloth—ahem. She also wanted to relax in a hot spring!

This fact boggled her mind. So much so that she kept thinking about it during the trip back to White Lotus, even when the whole sect was celebrating Bai Qing's victory.

That night, after thinking about it over and over for hours, Yu Chen decided to make a move.

At this point, she had to admit. She was attracted to this strange woman after only spending a few days together.

Yu Chen laughed at herself.

'How silly... is this what they call love at first sight?'

She didn't know if she even had a chance, let alone success, in bonding with Kierra, but nothing would be done if she just stayed still. At worst, she just wanted to sleep with Kierra to satisfy her lust and be done with it—a one-night stand. Yu Chen never thought she would think about this term again after learning it, but here she was.

Next morning, the martial master of Qinling Peak went to the Crimson Tower and met Kierra.

Yu Chen: ''Want to go shopping for clothes?''

Kierra: ''OK.''

(?∀?)

''...Huh?''

''Are we not going?''

Yu Chen had prepared an essay worth of reasons to convince Kierra, but who would have thought she had accepted it right away?

She was confused.

Nevertheless, the two moved to the town and went into the biggest clothing shop around. In line with her awareness of makeup and style, Kierra had indeed been interested in the clothes of this world. She thought they looked quite beautiful.

''Hm...''

Kierra looked around the store. These clothes, just like her robe, were designed to be worn oversized, so she should be more concerned with the design.

''I think black clothes suit you the best.'' Yu Chen said.

''I agree.'' Kierra replied.

Just like that, the two began to choose clothes for a long time. In this period, Yu Chen was especially troubled. Every time Kierra asked for her opinion after trying on a different outfit, she couldn't answer it well enough.

'Everything suits her...!'

Saying 'you look pretty' all the time made her sound as though she was being insincere. Yu Chen didn't think shopping could be this hard!

In any case, there was something Yu Chen noticed while watching Kierra.

''Kierra... is that hat special to you?''

Kierra, who was eyeing another outfit, froze. She gently touched her hat for a few seconds before opening her mouth.

''...Maybe.'' She replied, leaving Yu Chen puzzled.

In the end, Kierra chose a black minimalist outfit that suited her the most. From afar, it seemed similar to her robe, but close up, it was indeed something the people here would wear. The overall feel of it was good as well.

''We made a good purchase.'' Yu Chen smiled at Kierra.

When she was about to leave, Kierra naturally stopped her.

''Huh?''

''We haven't chosen your clothes.'' The archwizard said firmly. ''Purple suits you better than white.''

''Oh...''

So Kierra spent another hour or so choosing Yu Chen's clothes meticulously.

''Hm...''

Looking at the back of Kierra, who was seriously considering between a light purple dress and a lighter purple dress, Yu Chen's lips curled up.

At this moment, she was definitely happy. If there was just one thing she could complain about...

'Isn't this taking too long...?'

Case 22: Little fox, big lich.

Unexpectedly, Kierra was a menace when choosing clothes for other people in the sense that she was too meticulous. In the end, it took them the whole morning to finish picking a few outfits for each other. Exhausted, Yu Chen proposed they eat lunch at a famous restaurant in town.

Kierra didn't need to eat as she could absorb enough energy from mana to sustain her body forever, but she was curious about the cuisine of this world. There was just one problem. Looking at the blood-red tofu dish in front of her, the archwizard was unsure of whether this was a dish made for human or vampire consumption.

''It is quite good; try it.'' Yu Chen encouraged Kierra.

''...''

(ꐦ𝅒_𝅒)

Never before had Kierra been this intimidated by mere tofu. What a disgrace!

So she bravely grabbed the fork and resolutely stabbed a piece of tofu before tossing it into her mouth. It quickly melted inside, and then came the flavors. The first five seconds were filled with sweet and spicy; the next five? Burning pain.

''Ugh...!''

Kierra's face contorted as she tried to fight the intense heat of the dish. She held her throat lightly, little tears escaping her moist eyes. Regret hit Kierra like a truck. She shouldn't have overestimated herself!

Meanwhile, Yu Chen was strangely mesmerized by this sight. Seeing Kierra in her vulnerable moment was seriously something else. Her instinct was telling her to protect this woman at all costs, even if she was miles weaker than Kierra. In the end, it took a full ten seconds before she snapped out.

''Here, have some water...''

''N-No need...''

Kierra had already been using heal on herself once she judged this would be too painful. It was close to normal now.

''I'm sorry, Kierra.'' Yu Chen said softly before turning to the server nearby. ''Excuse me, could I order something more mild?''

The server quickly took the new order and went back to the kitchen.

''Phew...''

Kierra sighed. So there was indeed something she couldn't handle...

After finishing the meal, they came back to the Crimson Tower, where Kierra's disciples could be seen training rigorously. The mood of this little sect had been through the roof ever since they received the news about Bai Qing's victory. Coupled with the fact that this little champion was trained by Kierra, everyone got even more excited over wizardry.

Kierra nodded in approval. These people, as she had expected, were well disciplined. If only her old disciples were this good...

'...Oh, well. What else... I should probably check on Cosmos soon. But for now,'

Kierra called Tian Yun and Yu Chen over to a corner for a little chat.

''I will hatch the egg and wake the fox demon now.'' She said. ''Do you two want to join?''

She wanted to bring them in case those two inside her pocket dimension were hostile due to her not being a native, and now that the hot spring had come off, she was not too eager to gain two more pets anymore.

Needless to say, Yu Chen and Tian Yun immediately agreed to her request, especially after hearing about this 'pocket dimension' of Kierra. They were curious.

So Kierra opened a simple rift for them to enter. Upon stepping through it, the two couldn't help but widen their eyes.

Even though they felt the architecture was rather foreign to them, the two-story interior with a black-and-white minimalist design looked amazing. The materials of the build itself and the finishes were all polished, the furniture had simple yet delicate designs, and it just seemed so... clean.

The highlight of this house, though, was definitely the large window taking up almost all of the right side wall. Through it, one could peer through to see a galaxy with billions of bright stars swirling around.

It had a bedroom, a kitchen, a living room, a shower, and even a mini garden!

Yu Chen and Tian Yun suddenly felt extremely poor, even though their residences weren't bad. It was as though a huge dose of vitamin B was injected into their bodies and souls, overflowing.

Vitamin Broke!

When the two were busy thinking about how to make more money, Kierra had already sat down on the sofa. She called the two poor women over, and the three of them all focused on the football-sized phoenix egg and the little fox demon on the table.

Naturally, Kierra reached out to the fox demon first. Its size was similar to a cat's, and it had pure white fur, looking very small and cute. If this were Kierra before becoming a wizard, she would have done anything to keep it, but now she preferred giant beasts.

Nevertheless, Kierra used healing magic to treat the fox's internal wounds—the only thing left after Ovi sucked the corruption out of it. After only a moment, the little fur ball promptly opened its eyes.

Sitting on Kierra's palm, the creature looked around in confusion. It turned to Yu Chen on the left, turned to Tian Yun on the right, and then turned to Kierra. Exactly three blinks afterward, it sprung itself back onto the table and bared its little fangs.

''Who are you all?!''

A little girl's voice, befitting the small statue of it, sounded.

Staring at this 'thing' with a pair of dead eyes, Kierra felt like it was definitely a headache. So she naturally tossed the explanation to the other two and went for a quick drink. It took a full five minutes for the story to get through because this little fox would just interject at virtually every moment.

When Kierra came back, the fox had gotten considerably softer, expressing its relief over the survival of its owner, who was in the egg. Though, it was still quite arrogant.

''Hmph!'' The little fox crossed its arms. ''Be honored, mortals! For you have successfully saved this precious body!''

It then went on to babble about it being the mythical fox spirit, how it was the best of its kind, how powerful it was... until Kierra got irritated.

''Shut.''

The archwizard used telekinesis to pinch the fox's little mouth together, preventing it from spewing garbage again. At times like this, intimidation tactics were always the best!

So Kierra pulled out the deer skull from her space bag again, startling Yu Chen, who hadn't seen it before. As Ovi began to manifest in front of the little fox's eyes, fear filled its whole body. It went from a proud little fox to a scaredy one in mere seconds.

Kierra nodded and got right to the questioning.

''Name.''

''Shen.''

''Race.''

''Nine-tailed fox.''

''Specialty.''

''...Transformation.''

''Good. From now on, you are my pet.''

''Ah?''

Kierra changed her mind when she heard about its specialty. In practice, the archwizard could alter the light around her and technically transform in others' eyes, but at the end of the day, it was just a mere illusion. This fox claimed to be a nine-tailed one, yet she could only see one, which meant it was currently not in its true form. Kierra hadn't noticed it at all. It was even more subtle than dragons' polymorphism...

It was a valuable opportunity to learn another skillset for Kierra, but Shen was naturally reluctant.

''But... I want to follow my master...''

The little fox said as it stroked the phoenix egg. The previous sassiness was gone, leaving behind just an emotional fox.

''Your master shall also be my pet,'' Kierra replied calmly.

''H-Huh?''

''That phoenix egg was mine in the first place.'' Kierra continues. ''Your master should be grateful I gave her that body.''

Shen thought it was... reasonable. This way, she could still follow her master, while her master could pay back the grace with her body!

That sounded quite wrong for some reason, but Shen didn't care much.

''If my master wants to, then...'' She looked up at Kierra.

Just like that, Kierra suddenly gained two pets.

Case 23: A new height of power.

Waking up Shen's master, who was trapped in the body of an unborn phoenix, was somewhat complicated.

In practice, Kierra just needed to wait for the egg to hatch, but this egg was gifted to Kierra right after it was laid, much to her reluctance, and Phoenix eggs could take literally forever to crack—for regular phoenix eggs, that was.

If one thought about it, why would a phoenix lay eggs in the first place? Weren't they supposed to be a truly immortal species who could resurrect infinitely?

Turns out, not quite.

These large firebirds had a secret. A secret so big it would directly threaten their survival if revealed—their eggs were essentially spare bodies. This was the method phoenixes used to 'resurrect' back in Kierra's world. Once their body died, no matter the cause, their soul would automatically be transferred into one of these eggs, thus reviving them.

Kierra once got challenged by one of these birds, particularly their very princess, so she promptly beat the crap out of her, then proceeded to track her way to her nest. Kierra was then bribed with this egg in exchange for her silence, subsequently beginning her strange relationship with the phoenix princess. A relationship that got complicated quite quickly...

''...''

Nevertheless, the egg in front of her should be ready to hatch right now. Normally, only a phoenix's soul could enter an egg, but with Kierra's imitation of the King of the Underworld's magic, shoving a human soul in was possible. It should be totally fine, probably.

Kierra stood up and grabbed the egg, much to the others' surprise. They followed her to the middle of the room, where the archwizard took out a large blanket and spread it out on the ground. When she put the egg on top of it, Tian Yun couldn't suppress her curiosity.

''Kierra, is this needed for the hatching?'' She asked.

Kierra turned around with a serious face. ''No. But if I don't do this, the liquid inside the egg will dirty my house.''

''O-Oh...''

So they watched as Kierra pulled out a banana-looking... stick thingy and raised it above her head. Before Shen could even fathom the archwizard's intention to strike the egg with that thing, Kierra had already pulled her hand down, bringing the banana thing with it.

CRACK—!!

One strike was all it took. The eggshell was cleanly separated, falling to either side lightly and revealing a decently sized bird inside.

The little thing had orange-red feathers that slowly shifted toward white the further they went to the tail. From the outside alone, it was definitely a phoenix alright, just...

''...I see what you meant.'' Yu Chen said, pinching her nose.

There was a weird, sticky liquid clinging to the bird's body, and it smelled quite bad as well. Right away, Kierra lifted the bird with telekinesis and threw everything left on the ground into her trash bin.

After washing it with water magic for a while, she dried it using wind magic, then left it on a blanket.

''...What now?''

The fox asked as it stared blankly at its supposed master, who showed no sign of opening her eyes.

''Just wait.''

Kierra responded simply before she went to the kitchen for a snack. When she casually came out with four cups of vanilla ice cream, the other three were puzzled.

''Eat.''

Upon digging into this foreign dessert, they were blown back immediately.

(;° ロ°) (;° ロ°) (;° ロ°)

W-What was this cold yet so delicious thing...?!

So Kierra quietly sat there, eating her ice cream, while watching two humans and one fox throw their dignity away to devour the cups of ordinary dessert. Once that was done, the baby 'phoenix' finally moved a bit.

Under the eyes of four people, it slowly got up, seemingly confused about the situation.

''You,'' Kierra spoke up. ''If you understand what I am saying, nod.''

The bird blinked a few times, then nodded.

''Try to talk.''

The phoenixes Kierra met could speak while in their bird forms, so in this case, this thing should be able to—

''Chirp.''

...Maybe not.

Once again, leaving the explanation for other people, Kierra went out to the balcony to watch some stars.

There was no wind out here, but one could barely notice any of that when standing before a whole galaxy in the distance. Now, this galaxy was just a mere illusion, a mimic of the real galaxy Kierra's home planet was in, but it seemed convincing enough to deceive most people.

''...Cosmos.''

Following the archwizard's call, a sun-like sphere appeared beside her. This time, it was a bit bigger and a bit brighter.

''What is your progress right now?'' Kierra asked.

[It is near completion, my friend]

''I see. Do you feel any difference in the quality of the knowledge?''

[Definitely]

''How so?''

[I feel this universe has a higher ceiling than ours if these are indeed entry-level techniques as they are made out to be]

''Hm...''

This meant that there was definitely someone stronger than Kierra in this world. Someone who could match the strongest in the world and even defeat her...

''I like it.''

Kierra smiled. She loved the idea of having to compete for the top spot again.

''Well, if you are almost done with the Lightning Tiger library, then we should move to another one soon.''

[I appreciate your help]

''No problem.''

It was time to visit the Shaolin Temple.

After staying outside for a while, Yu Chen came up behind Kierra.

''She caught up, it seems.''

''I see. Let us go inside.''

When the two came back into the house, they saw the little phoenix already flapping its wings around, inspecting its new body. Seeing Kierra and her dominant aura, the phoenix quickly hid behind Shen.

''What is her name?'' Kierra asked.

''Lan. Her name is Lan.'' Shen replied. ''She is... a bit shy, as you can see.''

Kierra nodded.

Now that she had confirmed the two's survival, it was time to move on. Kierra turned around and told Tian Yun to arrange for someone to take her new pets on a tour of the sect, and she informed them of the necessary information.

''Of course.''

The white lotus responded.

With that, the little party inside Kierra's private dimension had come to an end.

Kierra spent time cultivating that afternoon on the top of a mountain.

'...This is harder than I thought.'

Kierra thought she was ready to cultivate her level further, but it appeared as though her qi had not completely assimilated into her flesh just yet. Kierra suspected her overly dominant mana flow had something to do with it.

Normally, these kinds of problems could be solved by consuming a rare elixir or something similar...

'Wait, what are the artifacts in this world like again?'

Kierra had totally forgotten to inspect them. She was too focused on cultivation. Now, she had read about a few in the library of White Lotus, but those were quite obviously superficial pieces of information. She hadn't had her hand on a real one just yet.

So Kierra quickly got up and began to descend the mountain.

It was time for some treasure hunting.

Case 24: A trip to Emei.

''Artifacts? We don't have them.''

''...''

Confronting Tian Yun about the matter, Kierra was immediately faced with the reality of the situation.

'This dirt-poor sect...'

''It is quite embarrassing, but our sect is relatively young, you see.'' Tian Yun scratched her cheek. ''It has only been four thousand years or so.''

''...''

So eight times older than Kierra was considered 'young' here...?

Either way, it seemed Kierra had to see another sect for this matter. So she quickly said thanks to Tian Yun and turned away, leaving the clueless sect leader of White Lotus behind.

Kierra willed her magic and teleported to the Lightning Tiger Sect instead. Upon arriving at the front gate, she was greeted by the busy sight of the town. The archwizard then caught a guard nearby.

''Where is the sect leader?''

Seeing Kierra's signature witch hat, together with the domineering aura radiating from her, the guard replied nervously, ''H-He is currently in the main hall, I believe.''

''I see.''

Kierra shot herself up in the air and flew right into Kang Jiang's office, just like she did the night she conquered this sect. This time, however, there was not only the sect leader there.

Feng Ling, a disciple of the Emei Sect and the abbess herself, sat opposite Kang Jiang and Kang Shuren.

''...''

''...''

For a brief moment, there was an uncomfortable silence inside the room. The two from Emei stared at Kierra blankly, as did the father-daughter pair of Lightning Tiger. Finally, it was Kierra who broke the silence.

''Kang Jiang.''

''O-Oh, yes, Lord Kierra.'' Kang Jiang hurriedly stood up. ''What might you need from us?''

''Do you have artifacts?''

''Artifacts...? We do have one, but what do you need it for...''

''Researching purposes.''

Kierra wasn't lying. She was genuinely curious about them. But Kierra failed to realize that artifacts in this world were much rarer than in her old world, thus leading to this situation in which Kang Jiang was hesitant to hand over the sect's only artifact.

''Um... the thing is, Lord Kierra...''

''...?''

When Kang Jiang was about to give up and hand over the artifact, the abbess suddenly turned to Kierra.

''If you want to borrow an artifact, we can provide one.'' The abbess said.

Kierra was naturally puzzled. ''Why suddenly?''

''...''

In truth, Emei's abbess had been reflecting on herself these past few moments after the tournament. She recognized her action against Kierra that day was rash, and if she didn't try to mend her relationship with the archwizard now, the whole Emei sect would lose out on a completely new source of power.

She planned to come directly to White Lotus to do it, but who would have thought Kierra would be here, where the Emei sect's force was sent to aid the demon situation...

Nevertheless, the abbess had only one job to do.

So, she also stood up and walked up to Kierra. The abbess herself had always prided herself on being a beauty, but before Kierra, she felt like a mere country girl. Scary.

The abbess bowed lightly. ''I might have gone too far the last time. Allow me to apologize.''

''No problem. I am used to it.'' Kierra replied simply. ''Rather, you said you could provide me with an artifact, correct?''

''Of course. Follow me to Emei. It is not far from here.''

''Fine.''

The abbess secretly smiled in her heart. Now that she thought about it, a mere tournament was nothing to be concerned over. She still had lots to learn.

''Feng Ling, we are going back.'' The abbess turned to her disciple.

''A-Already, master?'' Feng Ling widened her eyes. ''There is still the demon talk...''

''The demon has been taken care of, and that is all that matters.''

''Understood...''

When the abbess, Feng Ling, and Kierra were about to leave, Kang Shuren hurriedly spoke up.

''Master Kierra. Could I move to White Lotus right away?'' She asked politely. ''I want to train myself as soon as possible.''

''You have my permission,'' Kierra replied. ''Talk to Tian Yun; she will guide you through the process.''

''Thank you very much.''

Leaving behind the girl who had her back bent and an awkwardly standing Kang Jiang, the three took off to the sky.

''Now that I think about it, what was your name again?'' Kierra questioned.

''It is Mie Xieren. How about yours?''

''Kierra Scarlett Aspenova.''

''I see.''

Soon, they entered the territory of the Emei sect. As they slowly moved over the town, Kierra marveled. This place was as big, beautiful, and bustling as many big cities back in her world.

'So this is one of the supposed top sects.'

After a bit, they arrived on top of a mountain, among many others, where a large building could be seen.

''This is our treasure warehouse.''

Although there were initial concerns over letting a stranger like Kierra enter this area, the Emei Sect eventually decided to gamble it for the archwizard's mysterious power—a chance to learn it, to be precise.

Passing through the numerous guards outside, the three entered the building.

The interior of the warehouse was similar to that of museums back in Kierra's world, which also meant this sect had enough artifacts to display them as though they were art pieces or historical pieces. There, Kierra saw swords, bows, pendants, teapots, chairs, and even a brush, among other things. It was certainly diverse, and Kierra couldn't exactly tell the differences between them. She wasn't skilled enough in qi just yet.

Nevertheless, she could already feel some sort of unique energy embedded in each and every item. Based on that alone, they seemed similar to the artifacts she knew.

Just then, they had reached the middle of the room, and Mie Xieren turned back to Kierra.

''Kierra, please sit there. I will personally bring you the items available for you.'' She said.

''I appreciate it.''

Kierra was satisfied with the abbess's current attitude. If everyone were as helpful and considerate as this woman, Kierra wouldn't have had to fight numerous wars in the past. But if so, she would not become her, as everybody knew today.

It was certainly a weird moment for the archwizard.

After waiting at the table for a while, Mie Xieren and her disciple finally came back, each carrying a wooden tray.

''Do look at them freely. You can choose one to borrow.''

''Alright.''

Kierra pondered. There were three items in each tray, for a total of six. She didn't know what they could do just yet, so she decided to ask.

''What does this do?''

''This is the Heavenly Poison Dagger. It could generate poison inside the blade and shoot it out.''

So it was quite useless. Kierra could create poison at any time.

''Hm. How about this one?''

''The largest-sized storage pendant. It has the volume of a tall building.''

Her storage space was larger than that.

''This?''

''A magical calculator. It could compute large numbers in just seconds.''

Kierra was confident she could beat this thing. No use.

''So what is this golden peach slice?''

This was clearly an anomaly. Kierra had been eyeing this from the beginning.

''This... is a part of the Peach of Truth. Whoever eats it will only tell the truth for a day.''

''Do you want to eat it?''

''Yes...?''

(・∀・)?

When Mie Xieren looked up at Kierra, she saw the archwizard was grinning ever so faintly, and her vivid red eyes seemed as though they were shining.

''...You want me to eat it?'' Mie Xieren confirmed it once more.

''Yes.'' Kierra instantly replied. ''I know what you want. I can give it to you... if only you eat this.''

Mie Xieren gulped. It was the first time in a while she felt this nervous facing someone. She couldn't read Kierra at all!

Was this a trap? Would she be scammed by this weird woman?

But the offer was too attractive. If Emei could obtain that mysterious power...

Slowly, Mie Xieren's hand reached out to the piece of golden peach.