I mean, in fairness, I am helping her a lot by simply being her Master. Over the years I've stacked quite a few breakthrough bonuses, so maybe even just giving her a word of encouragement might be enough to form an Eternal Core!
... okay, maybe not that one, but at least Heaven Core, no?
The two of us stayed inside the chariot as everybody else left, with her shuffling in place and appearing quite nervous.
"M-Master," she almost stuttered.
"Yes?"
"I, I'm already familiar with the breakthrough and, with Brother Tao's help, have made all preparations," eh? Then what the heck are you asking me to guide you for? "But... Brother Tao said that, even with all of that, I might just barely form a Heaven Core."
"..."
"Is, is there no way? I mean, a way for me to form the same one as he did?" oh. The look in her eyes was... desperate. I mean, she did stay surprisingly quiet about us meeting remnants of the cult. Even if that meeting was a bit... uh, unfriendly, let's call it, she's always proclaimed loudly her dream was to resurrect the cult.
And that desperation was leaking.
I really, really, really wished I could say that there was. But, throughout all my rewards, even the ones where the reward was an explicit breakthrough, the system remained consistent in them all: even if it would aid in the breakthrough, it would never lead to a tier of breakthrough greater than what the particular kid was capable of achieving on their own. The only time it differed was when the reward was upgrading Long Tao's core, but as he already naturally achieved Eternal Core, it just gave him a second one.
As such... I had nothing.
"If there was a way, I would have given the heaven to obtain it, Lan'er," she winced at my words and quickly lowered her gaze.
She was older than the rest, but she was still yet to turn twenty. And she was measuring herself against a literal reincarnated monster.
"Look at me," I reached over and gently grabbed her hand as she looked up. "You are amazing, Lan'er, Eternal Core or not. The core itself, after all, is hardly the determiner of anything. Look at your Master: through pure, dumb luck, I got it, but I'm fairly certain you'll be ten times--no, thousand times--as strong as I was once you break through. Heavens put limits on those they envy as means of challenging them. Were you lot allowed to run rampart free, there'd be nothing left for anyone else."
"Pfft."
"So, keep the chin up and hold steady your pride," I added. "You have more than earned it. And make those jealous heavens rue the day they did not make you an Empress on the day you were born."
"..." her lips stretched out into a smile as her eyes turned wet. A moment later, she sprung forward and hugged me, her arms tightening around me.
I hugged her back gently, realizing I'd been kind of neglecting them, to be honest. I've started falling into the trap a lot of 'parents'--including my own--fall into when they start waiting for the kids to come to them with the troubles. But, in whatever little experience I have, that has rarely been the case.
Whether it's the distrust of the adults, or not wanting to worry them, or a million other things, the kids hide things and keep them deep. I sure did, and my biggest worry at the time was whether Sheila liked me back or not, and not whether I'll become strong enough to eventually reconstruct an entity that the entire world waged a war on.
"... I'm sorry," she mumbled as she pulled away awkwardly, trying to hide wiping her tears. "I don't know what came over me."
"Whatever it was, you can always come talk with me, Lan'er. It doesn't have to wait until the anxieties of a breakthrough compel you."
"... I, I just didn't want to bother you, Master." she said. "You already do so much for us, these things are... insignificant."
"Don't ever say that," I said. "There's nothing more important to me in this entire world than your guys' happiness. I don't care how strong you become, I don't care what kind of grand achievements you end up cementing under your names, all of that is insignificant. But--that you're happy? Satisfied? That you've lived your lives enjoying them as much as you could? Trust me, Lan'er--time and life wait for no one. They are relentless, and they are unchanging. I know that you want to revive the Cult, but, in the meantime, don't forget to simply live.
"And if you're unsure about something, or if you feel a thought weighing on you... come to me. No matter the time, no matter the place."
"Even if we're fighting for our lives?" she smiled.
"Even then," I smiled back. "You are amazing. Smart, beautiful, talented, strong, and apparently extremely good at irritating girls younger than you."
"Pfft."
"The world is yours, Lan'er. All you have to do is take it."
"Thank you, Master," she smiled yet again, though this time around her smile was... light. As though the anchors weighing on the corners of her lips were gone. "Though, if you keep spoiling us like this, we might have to start calling you Father instead."
"Hmm. That is fine, so long as none of you make me a grandfather for another hundred years. I am far, far too young to have grandchildren!"
"Master!! That's terrible!!" her cheeks flushed red as she shot up and lightly tapped my shoulder, heading over to the exit. "Can you... watch over me?"
"Until my death, Lan'er," I said, standing up and following her out.
In the meantime, the kids had already set up a wide protective circle, with Long Tao having prepared a set of concealment arrays and Qi-gathering ones and Lao Shun preparing a few handfuls of pills to aid her and the arrays.
She reached the edge of the circle and glanced back at me one last time, walking forth as I nodded.
I followed her to the edge and sat down, taking the role of her primary Dharma Protector.
She sat down cross-legged as the kids' hubbub turned to total and complete silence. We waited for about five minutes as she seemed to be steadying her heart before Qi began to churn around us and her body began to glow.
Was the quality of a core truly such a massive decider? I actually wasn't sure. The best I could infer was between the Heaven Core and Eternal Core--it wasn't so much that the latter was better, but more so that it was unrestrained.
But... we'll see, I suppose.
At a ten minute mark, I felt Qi arise like a flood from the ground and lift her up, winds whipping her jet-black hair violently yet as though in slow motion. A mirage appeared behind her, spherical and brilliantly azure, indicating the formation of a Heaven Core.
That wasn't all, however--at the same time, a secondary phenomenon appeared above the core: a set of seven chains wrapped around a closed eye.
[--first requirement for unlocking 'Dreadline' (???) Bloodline has been reached][...][Your Disciple Wan Lan has reached the minimum requirements for unlocking her dormant Bloodline. In order to fully obtain it, all seven chains must be severed. With the breakthrough into the Revolving Core Realm, and the formation of the Heaven Core, the first chain has weakened enough. However, it is not a guarantee that she will be able to undo it on her own][...][A secondary way is discovered: Host can use Reanimating Talisman to temporarily breathe life into the Heart of the Seal, the Emperor's Remnant Will. The Remnant Will shall, in turn, assist the Disciple in undoing the first chain][Note: There is a small chance the Remnant Will shall attempt to test the host's Disciple; in a scenario in which it deems the Disciple unworthy, it is possible that it will attempt to kill her. Host should be ready to step in at any time][...][Does Host wish to use the Talisman?]