A few minutes later, Xuan was taken to what looked like a private office. Judging by the way Elder Shuang acted around it, it was safe to assu this was her ho.
"This is where Yuxin stayed all this ti?" Xuan asked, looking around. "Why isn't she with the other disciples of the sect?"
"Well… y'know. Her circumstances are… sowhat special," Elder Shuang replied. "She won't be a permanent disciple here, and so I took her in under the na of my direct student."
'Ah,' Xuan thought. 'No wonder she's living in her house…'
Elder Shuang walked up to the doors leading into the room and gently pushed them open.
"Yuxin, sir Xuan is here to see y-"
And at that mont, from the dimly-lit shadows ca flying an arrow. It breezed past Elder Shuang's head, freezing her in place, and soared straight towards its target: Xuan's chest.
Too bad a trick like this was never going to work on soone as experienced as Zero.
"… Hmph. Futile."
With a single brush of his fingers, generating a light yet powerful Qi stroke, Xuan knocked the arrow aside, changing its trajectory and causing it to hit the wall instead.
Then, from the shadows erged the huntress girl, no longer as dirty as she once was. She wore the sect clothes of Glacial Heights Pavilion, and her beauty paired with that harsh coldness of her attitude made her fit right in with the other disciples here.
"Tch. I see you're in the Flowing Qi stage too now, huh?" She muttered, as if she'd expected otherwise.
"Indeed," Xuan replied. "And I see you are as hostile—and impatient—as ever. You should've waited until we entered the room, and I turned to look in a different direction. It wouldn't have helped much either way, but it would at least have increased your subzero chances of succeeding."
With a grunt, Yuxin put her bow away and folded her arms. "So? I passed your challenge, didn't I? Above and beyond."
Xuan nodded. "Quite so. As such, I've decided to give you a reward."
"Huh? What am I, your pet kitten?" Yuxin snorted coldly, but there was no mistaking the gleam of curiosity in her eyes. Xuan smiled at this girl who didn't know how obvious her true feelings were, and turned around.
"Follow . I'll show you once we get back to Cloud Catcher City."
Saying that, he prepared to leave, but Elder Shuang—having just recovered from shock—hurriedly stopped him.
"W-Wait! What about Ancestral Founder? You said-"
"Ah, don't worry about that," Xuan said, opening up his System. "With the introduction of this new tool, she will be able to contact anyti when her breakthrough is over."
And so will his other wives, of course, once they got the hang of how to use the System and the Social tab—it shouldn't take them long.
"Er, that's…"
It would seem Elder Shuang was still hesitant. In a way, the introduction of this new tool to the natives of this world was quite convenient. It would still take so ti for people to adapt to it, but very soon, it would beco the norm. When offered benefits, few tended to question it.
"Relax, I'll speak to Xinyue myself," Xuan said, readjusting his clothes. "You won't be blad. Right now, however, she needs to focus on her breakthrough. Don't bother her about any more for the ti being."
"A-Ah… yes, I understand."
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Yuxin interrupted, hands on her waist. "Are we going or not?"
"Yes, yes," Xuan sighed. "Follow —and say goodbye to your caretaker for the past few days."
Yuxin paused for a mont, then reluctantly turned to Elder Shuang and made a martial arts greeting gesture, fist against palm.
"Thank you for taking care of Yuxin these past few days."
What followed was a period of awkward silence.
"… Is that all? No bow or anything?" Xuan blinked in surprise.
"Why would I bow?" Yuxin cocked an eyebrow as if the very idea was absurd. "I've never seen you do it, despite the other person being older or stronger than you."
"Ahaha…" Elder Shuang gave an awkward laugh, while Xuan could only chuckle and shake his head before wandering off.
Yuxin, smirking, followed behind eagerly. As much as she didn't want to admit it, this man reminded her of her old master. She had been a woman, but the two shared very similar personalities—and that, was sothing Yuxin treasured dearly.
She still hated Xuan, of course. He could be a real jerk sotis. But just as the wise n used to say—
—'Takes one to know one, isn't that right?'
*****
- Cloud Catcher City, Open Sky Alchemist Guild -
After returning to his room back at the alchemist guild together with Yuxin, Xuan sat down on his bed and opened his Space Ring. The realization of just how much junk was inside dawned upon him, and he made a ntal note to go to a marketplace or auction or sothing to sell off everything he didn't need. But for now, he simply retrieved the Black Mamba sword he'd once used, and tossed it to Yuxin.
"Take this. I know you're mainly a bow user, but it's better than your current sword. You'll need it in a bit, if we end up getting into a close-range encounter."
"Oh?" Yuxin caught the sword and waved it around. "Mm, not bad. It's quite light. I like it. But where are we going, exactly?"
"Inside… here."
Saying that, Xuan pulled out the Sealed World Pearl and held it in between his thumb and index finger. It was no bigger than the size of a marble, yet held an entire small world of its own within.
"… You're joking, right? We're going inside that… ball?"
"Rember—this is not the world we're used to."
"Ugh…" Yuxin sighed and folded her arms. "So? What's so interesting in there, exactly?"
"Don't underestimate it," Xuan said. "This is a Divine-Grade artifact, the Sealed World Pearl. If we're lucky, we might be able to co across so incredible treasures hidden within… or quite great cultivation spots. If you want to beat in a fight—which you are still far from—both of those things will be essential for you."
"Yeah, but… nothing good cos without risk," she replied with a smirk. "Isn't that right?"
'This girl… she's getting a bit too smart.'
Xuan's true intent had been to take her into the Sealed World Pearl as a at shield for any traps or dangers that may spring, but if she was this cautious, then perhaps that plan was a fail. To his surprise, however, Yuxin shrugged the next mont, and leaned back in her seat with her hands crossed behind her head.
"Well, whatever. Try . This will be good practice for the Flaming Sands Field, won't it?"
"Hm… yes, I suppose so," Xuan said, rubbing his chin in contemplation before standing up and dusting off his clothes. Then, after pouring so Qi into the Sealed World Pearl, a portal suddenly opened before the two—the gate leading into the small world.
Xuan turned slightly to face Yuxin. "After you."
With a wild grin on her face, she stood up as well. "What, too scared?"
With a bold laugh, she stepped on through the portal, and after a brief mont of consideration, Xuan followed after her.
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