Then, across the vast cosmic hall, glowing words shimred into being, floating in midair like divine proclamations.
Calibrating performance...
Mission status: Failed.
Remark: Defeat teaches a lot. May the spirit of Cultivator be with you!!!
Exiting...
Yu Xuan and Lingluo both stared at the letters until they faded, their shoulders slumping at the sa ti.
The siblings exchanged a glance. Then, perfectly in sync, they let out a long sigh.
There was nothing more to do.
A column of light erupted beneath their feet, swallowing them whole. Their surroundings collapsed inward, stars folding, colors bleeding, the hall itself vanished.
In the blink of an eye, they were out.
They stood once more outside its looming structure, in the sprawling plaza at its base. Life carried on as if nothing had happened: disciples stread in and out through the massive gates, so pale and shaken, others walked with quiet pride, smug satisfaction radiating off their bodies.
Laughter, groans, and hushed whispers mixed into a constant background hum.
The world felt... ordinary again.
Yu Xuan blinked, slightly dazed by the contrast. Inside the tower, it was chaotic. Out here, a pair of disciples were arguing about whose robe had more dust on it.
Almost insulting comparison, but the peak sure lives up to it’s na.
Together, they stepped forward toward the disciple on duty at the registration table.
The man barely looked up.
They handed their dallions to him. He checked the engraved nas, noted the return ti, then gave the tokens back to them as if this were just another routine errand. Which, to him, it was.
No recognition, no astonishnt. Just another pair of challengers.
Of course, that didn’t an they escaped notice.
The mont Lingluo erged, a stir rippled through the plaza. Heads turned. Whispers broke out in corners. As the now confird personal disciple of the Peak Master, her presence alone was enough to draw attention. So voices carried awe, others envy, but all acknowledged her status.
Yu Xuan, however, attracted a different kind of attention.
Sidelong glances followed him, assessing, asuring. So eyes were curious, others admiring, a few even sharp with suspicion. He caught bits of murmurs drifting through the crowd.
"Who’s that beside her?"
"...too beautiful, I can be his Sugar Senior Sister."
"Handso, but... ordinary robes?"
"Don’t be fooled. Appearances are always deceiving."
Yu Xuan sighed inwardly.
’So this is what I’m famous for now... looks and speculation.’
Lingluo, noticing his furrowed brows, smirked.
"Oh? Don’t tell you don’t enjoy the attention."
"I’d rather hope they forget my face entirely," Yu Xuan muttered, adjusting his torn sleeve.
"That won’t happen," she said lightly.
"Not when you’re my brother."
He wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be reassuring or a threat.
Either way, he let it drop. There was no point lingering here.
Without another word, the siblings turned and began walking away from the Tower.
For now, all they needed was so rest.
And maybe, Yu Xuan thought grimly, to prepare himself for a "thousand-fold" training plan of Lingluo’s Master.
***
Yu Xuan and Lingluo were just approaching their cottages when sothing unusual caught their eyes.
Soone was standing outside Lingluo’s quarters.
The afternoon sun slanted low, painting the surroundings in soft gold. The figure waiting there seed carved into that light, long black hair stirred by the wind, her silhouette elegant yet aloof.
Ming Tiani.
Lingluo blinked, "Why is she—"
But before she could finish Yu Xuan covered her mouth, and then vanished. His figure blurred, lting into the breeze, and in the next heartbeat he was behind Tiani as if he had always been there.
"Hello there, miss ?"
The voice was Lingluo’s voice, he talked in.
Yu Xuan had deliberately shifted his tone, adjusting his Qi until it was almost identical to Lingluo’s natural tone. He even tilted his head at the sa angle Lingluo often used when teasing him.
Ming Tiani stiffened. "Lingluo? Since when—"
She turned around.
And her breath faltered.
It wasn’t Lingluo. It was him.
Yu Xuan stood far too close. His gaze locked with hers, and for a single, instant her calm mysterious mask cracked.
He lifted a hand in casual greeting, a little wave, as though none of this were unusual.
Ming Tiani’s lips parted, but the words she ant to say tangled in her throat. What ca out instead was a soft, "...Hello,"
So quiet it might as well have been a mosquito’s buzz.
Realizing it, her eyes widened. She cleared her throat, forcing her composure back into place.
"W-Why are you here?" she asked, voice more level now, though her ears betrayed her with a faint pink flush.
"Isn’t it obvious?" Yu Xuan grinned, leaning just slightly closer.
"To et you, of course." He said, adjusting her hair behind her ear.
Her heart betrayed her for a beat, she felt it. That little skip. Her ears flushed visibly.
She opened her mouth to retort — when the courtyard cracked with motion.
Bam!
Lingluo arrived in a horizontal blur, her leg extended. The kick landed square on Yu Xuan’s ribs, sending him flying like a straw doll. He skidded across the courtyard, rolled twice, and finally ca to rest flat on his back with a heavy thud.
Groaning, he clutched his side.
"Sister! That was not necessary!"
Lingluo landed gracefully, arms folding across her chest as she glared at him with elder-sibling authority.
"That was exactly called for."
Yu Xuan winced dramatically, rolling onto his side.
"I was welcoming her in my way!"
"By mimicking my voice and making a move on her?" Lingluo snapped.
Ming Tiani’s composure slipped again for just a second, her cheeks heating further as she coughed and then pretending to study the ground at her feet.
Yu Xuan saw it, of course. Even through his groaning, he smirked knowingly.
"You see, Sister? She didn’t mind."
Lingluo’s glare intensified. "Another word and I’ll make sure you mind."
He shut his mouth.
The air between them was thick with unspoken tension.
Ming Tiani, caught between the sibling’s antics, straightened her back and forced her usual calm to return, though the tips of her ears betrayed her every ti Yu Xuan’s gaze lingered.
"...I ca here to see you," Ming Tiani said at last, her words directed at Lingluo while very deliberately ignoring Yu Xuan’s presence.
Lingluo’s lips curved in a smug little smile, clearly pleased, and she stepped forward to greet her.
Yu Xuan exhaled loudly and dusted himself off as he stood.
"You sure have a mysterious aura around you, Tiani. Don’t you think it’s ti you shared so of those stories with us?"
"I’m tired. Let’s go inside," Lingluo said before Tiani could answer, already turning toward her cottage.
The three of them went in together, taking seats around a small table. Three chairs, three pairs of eyes — it almost felt a tri-table conference.
Ming Tiani turned her gaze toward Yu Xuan at last.
"Why are you here, Xuan?"
Yu Xuan leaned back, looking entirely too relaxed.
"Don’t be upset. I was planning to visit you after a month here anyway. But I didn’t expect you to co first."
"I promised Lingluo I’d visit her," Tiani replied simply.
Yu Xuan clutched his chest as if hurt.
"Ouch. And here I thought we had sothing. No promises for ?"
A faint color touched Tiani’s cheeks, though her expression remained calm.
"...W-We can always make promises. How about we make one now?"
Yu Xuan’s grin widened.
"Let’s cross fin—" He stopped abruptly, catching the death glare from his sister across the table. His throat cleared.
"I an, yes... let’s make so secret promises among ourselves."
Lingluo’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but Tiani only smiled faintly. Sohow, the thought of exchanging secret promises with him again seed... exciting.
"Yes. Let’s do so," she agreed softly.
The atmosphere around the table shifted, a mix of tension and unspoken aning. Lingluo, clearly unwilling to let the mont linger, broke in.
"So," she said briskly, "why don’t you tell us about your journey to your peak first? I’ll share mine afterward."
"It... it’s quite a long story," Ming Tiani replied.
"We don’t mind," Yu Xuan said.
"Yes, fill us in," Lingluo added.
Tiani took a deep breath and began.
"It started when I arrived at the Celestial Heaven Peak. There, I was greeted directly by my master."
"Wait, what? Your master directly greeted you?!" Yu Xuan exclaid, eyes wide in surprise.
"Why are you so surprised?" Lingluo asked, tilting her head.
"I was also taken to et my master when I first arrived here."
Yu Xuan went silent. His mind replayed the events when he was selecting a master.
’The commotion... the way things unfolded... it almost feels like soone deliberately set this up just to annoy .’ he had an unusual thought.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more behind Tiani’s and Lingluo’s smooth reception than t the eye.
It would be quite nice, if these things happen to him too. Though he doubted they would.
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