--
The others left first, telling him that they're going to wait for him at the ship...his ship, the one that his father gifted to him a few years ago.
Knowing that they'd be comfortable there, Gerald was at ease. And so, as soon as he sensed that they'd returned there, he bolted.
Neither the cold nor the deep blanket of snow hindered his speed. He essentially turned into a streak of light, crossing great distances in the blink of an eye.
This shows just how much he had been holding back for the sake of not demoralizing his friends. Because if Gerald truly wanted to, he could've arrived at the core area of these inheritance grounds much, much earlier.
He could've even taken the rest with him. The only reason he didn't was because it's not proper.
See, Gerald truly didn't have anything he wanted here. He only ca here because his friends wanted to. Unlike him, they have to search for a path forward in their life evolution. And yes, this includes even that Holy Spirit dude. After all, items that could help people build a foundation towards the Cosmic Realm were incredibly rare and valuable. Even with that friend's background, such resources aren't easily accessible, especially given his unique circumstances; that's why he had to take on risks.
Gerald was obviously different. Although nothing is concrete just yet, it wouldn't be surprising if his father already had sothing prepared for him and his brothers already. He even hinted at it back then.
Sure, Gerald could've certainly carried them all the way to the core of this inheritance plane. It wouldn't be too hard for him to do so, and there are no rules that are stopping him from doing so.
The only reason he didn't and didn't even bring it up was because it would be disrespectful to the drive and pride of his friends.
Cultivation resources must be fought for with one's own strength, mainly, and their fortune. They're already fortunate to be qualified to enter this place. Unfortunately, they weren't strong enough to claim the prize, and that's on them.
Gerald couldn't possibly let them rely on him all the damn ti now, could he? That's not what he and they wanted in this friendship.
His friends also knew this. They're also aware that Gerald's holding back...a lot. How much exactly? They have no clue; Gerald wasn't a talkative or boastful person after all, but they knew that they're a shackle to him.
Gerald has been an aweso friend to them. He's generous, respectful, and resourceful. The only real downside to him is that he can be a little too straightforward with his words, so it often cos out in a an way. But they know that he's working on that too.
This is the reason why they encourage him and ask him not to hold back sotis just for the sake of preserving the 'status quo.' Gerald's a damn good guy, and they disliked the way he's purposefully weakening himself just so that he could continue traveling with them. Yet at the sa ti, it's also this virtue of his that urges them on to beco stronger.
Free to let loose, Gerald's presence beca dominating. It's unknown whether he's doing it on purpose or not, but the dynamic of this realm shifted because of him. And that was a big deal, especially since this was supposed to be the inheritance site of a fallen cosmic-level expert.
It took rely a minute for him to cross the remaining thousand-mile threshold, allowing him to reach the core area of the frigid world.
Upon arriving there, he saw a small, isolated domain.
Light congealed on his eyes, allowing his vision to penetrate the isolated space. In there, he saw that there was a small white orb floating several ters above the ground. It's that thing that's responsible for this harsh winter. Next to it was a small seed that released spiritual fluctuations. Gerald figured that this one must be the residual soul of the fallen Cosmic Level expert.
Just from a single glance, Gerald could tell that this residual soul was on the verge of fading. He estimated that, at most, it only has no more than two months before it completely fades.
Pursing his lips as he thought of several things, Gerald pushed on and infiltrated the small domain.
The barrier couldn't resist his intrusion. It's like a piece of paper to him. His intrusion was felt by the residual soul, causing it to wake up. It didn't move, though. Instead, it patiently waited for him next to the floating orb, which more or less contains the complete inheritance.
Gerald also didn't plan on wasting too much ti here, so he walked straight up the orb, not minding the intense cold it's trying to release, which, again, because of his Yin and Yang Polarizing Physique, felt like a warm spring breeze instead.
"Welco, candidate. Congratulations on reaching the core of the inheritance site." A gentle and fleeting voice echoed in his ears as soon as he was within sight of the floating white orb.
"Let's refrain from wasting unnecessary ti and energy with superfluous words and pleasantries," Gerald indifferently stated, yet his voice was gentle.
"I want that." Gerald pointed at the floating orb. "But I know you won't hand it to without sothing in exchange, so what's the catch?"
The residual soul's eyes twitched in mild irritation. She wasn't expecting a rude guy to enter this place.
If his friends were here, they'd probably slap their foreheads or sigh because of Gerald's way of talking. Truth to be told, Gerald wasn't actually trying to be an here. He even used his gentle tone to speak. However, his words were really grating to one's ears, and Gerald himself didn't think that he said sothing wrong, so it's a dilemma.
"Hmph! Rude child! Go away! I won't pass my inheritance to a disrespectful kid like you."
"Disrespectful?" Gerald tilted his head. His golden eyes bore down on the residual soul, and his face expressed genuine confusion. "Can you tell how I was being disrespectful just now?"
"Wha—!"
The residual soul was stumped by his question. She inwardly thought to herself if he's trying to make fun of her, but judging by his looks and his aura, it seems that he's genuinely confused and was asking for advice.
'Out of all the people that could beco my inheritor, why does it have to be a weirdo? '
"I can't be bothered to explain. Just leave. You won't gain anything here! Hmph!"
"Hmm. That would be difficult. My friends are expecting sothing from , after all," Gerald humd.
But it was clear that he sohow offended the residual soul, and it now doesn't plan on passing even a part of her inheritance to him, so he's at a crossroads here.
'Well, I guess I could do it this way,' Gerald mused to himself as an idea struck him.
Instead of leaving, Gerald took out a portable tent and installed it nearby, much to the dumbfounded gaze of the residual soul.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Uh, camping? Do I need to explain how it works for you to understand?"
"Hell no! I know what a tent is!" She snarled, "What I an is, why do that? Didn't I tell you to leave?"
"If you ant sothing else, then try not to use misleading questions, please. That can easily cause misunderstandings. It's not like you're incapable of expressing yourself." Gerald frowned at her, looking a little displeased, much to the irritation of the residual soul.
"Answer the damn question!"
"Cause I can." Gerald raised a brow at her, seemingly in a challenging manner. "There isn't a rule here preventing from camping out, and I don't feel like leaving just yet."
The residual soul gaped at him. Clearly not expecting him to respond that way.
Just what kind of shalessness is this? He hasn't t anybody this audacious even when she's still alive. More importantly, it was clear that this boy doesn't hold her in high regard even though she's the ruler of this place.
"No, nope! You will leave right at this instant!"
"Why?"
"Because I said so! Are you dumb? I'm the owner of this space! I make the rules here, and I don't want you here, so you will have to leave."
"The ruler of this place?" Gerald tilted his head again. "Hmm, are you really? If so, then shouldn't it be easy for you to evict instead of arguing with ?"
The lady was stunned into speechlessness as he effortlessly pointed out her stupidity.
Right! Why bother arguing with this child when she could just evict him with a snap of her finger and be done with him? Out of sight, out of mind. Once he's gone, the peace and serenity of this place returns, and her stress will be gone too!
However, as she's about to do just that, she's surprised to discover that she actually couldn't. It didn't matter how hard she tried; she couldn't evict him. The only way she could have a chance is if she spends so of her remaining spiritual power to forcibly evict him, but that would shorten her already waning existence even more.
So what was she supposed to do?
"Oh, it looks like you can't. Well, that's too bad. That ans you can't stop , then."
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