Outside the Dean’s Building, Yan Zhen took out the flying skiff. He sat in the pilot’s seat, embedded a Mystic Crystal into the array disk, and activated the valve.
A ring of Mystic runes lit up across the hull as it slowly lifted off the ground.
Yan Zhen rolled down the side window and said to the four women, “At most half a year from now, I’ll come pick you up and take you to the Holy Land. For the time being, cultivate diligently with Big Aunt and Little Aunt… Once you’re in the Holy Land, I’ll give you a little gift—Big Aunt gets one too~ I’m off!”
Yan Zhen pushed the control lever forward. The flying skiff rose slowly to the height of the building’s roof before exploding into astonishing speed and streaking away.
The four women waved frantically after him. The two beautiful elders from the Yu family watched the departing skiff intently until it vanished into the clouds. Only then did they withdraw their gazes, a hollow emptiness settling in their hearts.
“Sigh, Cousin’s gone again…”
“I’m kinda missing our days at Mystic Academy. Little Brother Yan Zhen was busy cultivating every day back then, but at least we could sneak a peek at him whenever we wanted~”
“We really can’t keep up with his pace. If not for our rebirths, we wouldn’t even be in the Inner Academy yet. If only I’d recalled my past life’s memories sooner.”
“Junior Brother Yan Zhen just said he’d pick us up in half a year. Quit moping around like that.”
“Hmph, and you’re thrilled about it?”
“I—”
“Sister Xue’er, Senior Sister Xinyan, stop fighting! It’s annoying as hell, and you’re not embarrassed in front of Big Aunt and Little Aunt?”
“…”
The two beautiful elders from the Yu family merely smiled without a word.
Mi Xue’er and Xiao Xinyan flushed red and obediently fell silent.
Suddenly, Yan Meng’er winced at a flash of light. She peered closer, her beautiful eyes lighting up.
“The ring on Little Aunt’s finger is so pretty! Did Cousin give it to her?”
Every woman’s gaze snapped to Little Aunt Yu Qing. They noticed the ring on her ring finger, and their hearts clenched.
Little Aunt Yu Qing blushed furiously. She casually covered the Sunny Rain Ring—which symbolized “After Rain Initial Clear”—with her other hand and said shyly, “Y-Yeah, he gave it to me. He refined it himself by hand, and each one’s unique. You girls should have yours too. Didn’t he mention it right before he left?”
Realization dawned on the four women. So the “little gift” was this… A ring on the ring finger—wasn’t that a proposal ring?
So exciting! But they had to wait half a year—no, in half a year, they’d get his proposal ring! Ahhh—
Excitement bubbled up the more they thought about it, sweeping away their earlier gloom and loss. A single thought filled their minds:
What kind of ring would he give them?
Even Big Aunt Yu Yan’s heart stirred with ripples. She gazed enviously at her little sister’s blissful expression, inwardly confirming that her decision had been the right one.
—If only Little Lu could be honest with her own feelings.
She let out a soft sigh, then resumed her smiling demeanor and said, “If you want to catch up to Little Yan Zhen’s pace, you have to cultivate hard… Let’s all give it our best. Come to Little Qing or me if you have any questions.”
…
At noon, Yan Zhen returned to the Jialan Holy Land. He landed at the mountain gate of Rain God Peak, then hiked up to the halfway point, only to find the cave mansion empty.
As curiosity nagged at him, a message arrived from the Yu Shizun.
【Yu Shishi: Come to my cave mansion】
Baffled, Yan Zhen headed to the Yu Shizun’s cave mansion. After passing through the gate, he reached the lakeside and spotted Cai Lian, Long Ying, Mentor Yu Xuan, and Aunt Shui Bailan all seated cross-legged atop the lake, cultivating.
—So they were all here!
Yan Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Shizun chose that moment to dart out from the tree hollow, landing beside Yan Zhen. She explained, “She Ji’s pregnancy is starting to show, so it’s not suitable for her to appear in public anymore. I suspended her deacon duties and had her cultivate in my cave mansion. To make caring for her easier, I brought the other children here too.”
Sudden understanding dawned on Yan Zhen. He thanked her sincerely. “Yu Shizun is so thoughtful. Thank you!”
“No need for thanks. I bear some responsibility for what happened before,” the Yu Shizun said flatly. “No one from other peaks will be allowed into the Misty Rain Pool anymore.”
“Is that alright?”
“No issue. Before, we were just giving them face. Since they threw it back in ours, no need to bother.”
“Uh, heh.”
Yan Zhen flashed a thumbs-up.
To his surprise, the Yu Shizun reached out, covered his thumb with her palm, and pressed his hand back down.
“There’s one more thing. Xue Wuqing sent over compensation. It’s your call whether to accept it or send it back.”
With that, the Yu Shizun produced a basin-sized round jade box from her storage ring. “Inside are two Tier 8 medicinal herbs.”
Tier 8? Yan Zhen was caught off guard.
On the Mystic Heaven Continent, heavenly treasures, pills, and artifacts were ranked from Tier 1 to Tier 9. Tier 7 marked a major divide; treasures above it grew scarce dramatically. Tier 8 items were especially rare, while Tier 9 ones were virtually nonexistent.
Tier 8 treasures held a unique appeal—they outshone Tier 7 without the sentient trouble of Tier 9. Most importantly, Mystic Venerables, Supremes, Half-Saints, and even Mystic Saints could all use them, driving demand sky-high.
Any Tier 8 heavenly treasure that surfaced drew Mystic Venerables or Supremes from Holy Lands to claim it.
Snow Supreme coughing up two Tier 8 herbs at once? Now that was bleeding some serious capital.
Yan Zhen accepted the jade box and opened it cautiously. A neon-like radiance nearly blinded him.
Peering through the haze of illusions, which left him dizzy, he mobilized his spiritual power and activated the Six Great Rune Patterns to ward it off.
Only after a moment did Yan Zhen clearly make out the two herbs embedded in the box: a strand of colorful root and a colorful fruit.
“This is… Mirage Tree root and fruit?!”
The ancient Mirage Tree was a Ninth-Order Holy Medicine, with only one specimen left in the world, hidden in a pocket realm deep within the Azure Sky Bihai Sea. Its roots and fruits counted as Tier 8 treasures capable of reforging foundations, boosting comprehension, shattering limits, and granting a complete rebirth. Their value defied estimation.
Yu Shizun nodded. “Exactly. Xue Wuqing emptied her coffers for this, all to earn Lady Chen Xi’s forgiveness.”
Yan Zhen fell silent, weighing whether to accept the compensation.
Snow Supreme actually knew his Beautiful Female Master.
Back when she was chief disciple of Snow Spirit Peak, she’d been awestruck by Technique Saint Chen Xi’s masterful Technique Refining Art. Introduced by Jialan Fairy, she’d studied under the Beautiful Female Master for a stretch. They never formalized a master-disciple bond, but the Beautiful Female Master had indeed taught her the art of technique refining.
Snow Supreme hadn’t forgotten that debt of gratitude. According to the original plot, she’d kept these Mirage Root and Mirage Fruit for her own breakthrough, only to gift them later as a congratulatory present to the Beautiful Female Master upon her emancipation and ascension to sainthood.
The Beautiful Female Master hadn’t taken them without reciprocation. She’d offered guidance and, after refining the Nine-Colored Mirage Spirit Pill, shared one with Snow Supreme.
That said, Snow Supreme’s goodwill extended only to the Beautiful Female Master. She showed Yan Zhen no warmth—quite the opposite, with a hint of jealousy.
Her dislike for the Yu Shizun stemmed from the Yu Shizun somehow acquiring the Beautiful Female Master’s personal token.
“Emmm…”
