Alchemy, Talismans, Artifact Forging, Formations, and Divination. These were the big ‘five’ of cultivation side arts. The majority of the solar system’s cultivators, numbering in the trillions, learned one out of five.
The economy of spiritual herbs had long matured under the proper management of the Federation and the Sect. Their situation was so good they are currently in a state of excess. Hence, all five professions prospered.
Griseo wasn’t an exemption. She decided to pick up the art of Formations. Her unique ability to manifest her ‘ink’ to reality was nothing short of heaven-defying. She managed to find a way to mix it up with immortal cultivation, creating formations out of ink. She also specialized on it, obtaining its exclusive natal treasure, the‘Thirty-Six Heavenly Phase Change Flags’.
Her eyes became more susceptible to sudden changes within a formation.
‘It’s slightly damaged.’
Griseo went off to visit Fu Hua’s cave heaven, only to hear from Senti she wasn’t there. The second place she went to was her ‘secret’ residence, a Bubble World within the Sea of Quanta. It was a complete coincidence Griseo discovered it. Nobody would have expected for the dignified and eternally serious Fu Hua to have a ‘secret base’.
In Griseo’s eyes, however, it wasn’t anything unusual. She knew Fu Hua well, especially after transforming into her once. Over the years, not once had she found closure… a resolution.
Aside from Griseo, she was the only other survivor left of the Previous Era. Everyone else had long faced their ends.
Griseo traversed the stars under the veil of nothingness. Her true body turned into a streak of light, surpassing the normal speed of light dozens of times. Her status directly altered the laws of the world, allowing a Star Lord like her to act on her whims.
Before long, she arrived on a satellite planet. It is a part of the Federation’s artificial planets, housing four billion humans. It was amongst the dozens of other artificial planets.
Before long, Griseo arrived in front of a small stone shrine. A burnt-out lantern was present inside the shrine. Her fingertips touched its rough, paper-like surface, memories surfacing in Griseo’s mind.
Fuxi and Nuwa, two Previous Era researchers under Mobius, knew their time was numbered. They could not live as long as Fu Hua. Hence they built an autonomous artificial intelligence named the Book of Fuxi. However, because of its battery issue, it could not stay active all the time. Her time with Fu Hua was numbered, even more so after the death of the twins. Eventually, the Book of Fuxi ran out of battery, leaving Fu Hua alone in the Current Era.
Their disappearance spelled the beginning of her downfall, one she was so helpless against.
Griseo gently lifted the burnt-out paper lantern and saw a palm-sized silver cube inside. In the end, she did not take it. She placed the lantern back to its rightful place, instead focusing on the engraved characters on top of the stone shrine—Jingwei.
This represented the tomb of the Immortal Jingwei—of Fu Hua’s self. In Fu Hua’s eyes, she is dead.
Just as Griseo was about to enter the Bubble World through it, a brief flicker of light caught her eyes.
Flutter-!
Tap-!
The sound of boots stepping on stone resounded, followed by the robe’s hems fluttering on the wind. Under the cover of moonlight, Griseo saw Shi Tian’s pale face.
“Teacher…”
“You can’t meet her right now.”
His calm tone did not erase the concern in her mind.
“I heard you are injured.” She added, “Senti told me.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Shi Tian swiftly reassured her. Everything he said was the truth. The eighth-grade Dao Pill had long dissipated. Without that burden, he could utilize All Creation’s power. That was enough to deal with most troubles. He also has three Venerated Daos in his pocket. Though he could not use his full strength, that was more than enough.
Barring the abnormality of Leylah’s heart demon, it is difficult for Shi Tian to find an enemy within the solar system.
Seeing the serious look in his eyes, Griseo thought of something.
“Is Sister Hua in trouble?”
“Yes, but it is solvable.”
“Then let me meet her.”
Her soft tone could not hide her determination. Shi Tian met her gaze once more, sighing deeply.
“She is waiting for me. I don’t know if it is Hua or her heart demon that wanted to meet me. Still, I can’t ignore their invitation. I saw no danger if I went alone.”
“...I understand. I won’t tell others you are here. But…” She paused, stepping closer to Shi Tian, before saying, “I will wait for the teacher.”
“Alright.”
Meeting her expectant look, Shi Tian gestured for a hug. She took it as a sign, running off to hug him. The close distance between them brought a sense of security that she could not find elsewhere. Shi Tian, on the other hand, felt the atmosphere turning strange the more Griseo sniffed him. He knew she was no longer unstable, but this clingy trait of hers remained up to now.
‘A pseudo-yandere… it’s better than a full-blown one.’
Seele was like that, and so was Mei and Griseo. Wendy, who seemed like one, turned out to be an introverted stalker and voyeur. As the center of them all, Shi Tian resolved to help them out, more so they had long been bound by the so-called ‘marriage strings’. He did not play dumb, but he did not force that ‘fate’ upon them either. Shi Tian willingly heard them out, getting to know them better.
He was not the one to be dictated by fate, nor would he use them just to gain a ‘harem’. Only his enjoyment would matter by then, something he could never accept. That was why he always gave it his all when it came to his ‘links’.
Half-heartedness is nothing but utmost disrespect towards the other party.
Griseo seemingly had enough, separating from his embrace. Her gaze turned a bit more sticky, though it did not return to that ‘obsessive’ gaze. In her eyes, Shi Tian is her ‘teacher’, someone who aims to fully understand her heart.
Shi Tian handed a thin jade brick to her. It was the size of a hand, similar to a large phone. The green jade’s center glowed with dim light, showing the silhouette of a light orb.
“This is my life stele. I am leaving it to you.”
“I understand.”
Knowing he left this to reassure her, Griseo felt even warmer. Without any hesitation, Shi Tian touched the two characters above the stone shrine. His fingertips met their smooth and cold touch.
Before long, he was ‘sucked’ in a vortex. He could have resisted the change but he chose not to, for it was merely an entrance to an anchored Bubble World. The stone shrine was the equivalent of the Martian Supercomputer.
‘A Bubble World…’