All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 107: Reunion

In mid-air, a white-robed man flew on a blood-colored long sword, his form graceful. Occasionally he wobbled, as if about to fall from the sky.

In three days, Zhanyue had initially mastered the Sword Flight Technique, finally daring to fly high in the sky. However, his speed was still far behind the Pill Sage’s.

A flying bird passed by Zhanyue. He urged his flying sword to accelerate, quickly catching up to the gray little bird and grabbing it. The bird struggled wildly, but Zhanyue didn’t tease it, releasing his hand and letting it return to the sky. “I can now be considered to have the means of flying in the heavens.”

Generally, one needed to be in the Spirit God Realm to fly by their own power, but Zhanyue, only at the fifth stage of the Mortal Realm Soul Control Realm, had already mastered the art of flying and earth traversal, truly blessed by fortune. Riding the flying sword, Alchemy Capital, which would have taken several days to reach, was now within sight, even with Zhanyue practicing and stopping along the way.

Outside Alchemy Capital, in a desolate area, there was a small protruding hill, strewn with rocks and overgrown with weeds, but without any spirit herbs or fruits, so rarely visited by people. This was Zhanyue’s destination. He descended from the sky, landing on a huge rock, feeling somewhat excited.

“Sister agreed to meet me here. Has she not arrived yet?” Zhanyue wondered. Since their initial encounter, this would be their second meeting, both familiar and strange.

Soon after, a figure in white descended from the sky. The woman had a graceful figure, wore a bamboo hat, and a white veil covered her face. Her eyes showed some joy. It was the illumination Goddess, Xixuan.

Seeing this figure, Zhanyue’s heart finally settled. He could feel the mysterious connection between them. With her by his side, his safety was assured.

“Long time no see,” Xixuan said.

“Well then, let’s have a fight,” Xixuan said.

“Alright, let’s fight. No… wait, fight?” Zhanyue was stunned.

“Come at me with all you’ve got. Let your sister see what you’re capable of now,” the illumination Goddess extended a finger, a ball of light gathering at her fingertip, then transforming into a tiny light sword, only as big as a finger.

Seeing the Goddess in high spirits, Zhanyue didn’t want to refuse. It would be good to receive some guidance from his sister.

The Heaven Punishing Demon Sword appeared in his hand. Zhanyue didn’t dare hold back at all, using the Phantom Light Step to attack. He was quite adept at using the Phantom Form Sword Technique with the Heaven Punishing Demon Sword.

Zhanyue moved nimbly, his techniques changing constantly, afterimages surrounding the Goddess as he attacked. However, the Goddess remained unmoved, blocking all of Zhanyue’s sword strikes with just one finger.

“Is this all you’ve got?” the Goddess mocked.

Zhanyue frowned and pulled back. The demon sword in his hand flew out, then split into two, the first level of the “Twelve Profound Light Swords”. It was his first time using the Sword Flight Technique in combat, with the two flying swords attacking continuously from left and right.

“Interesting, but even if it were twelve swords instead of two, I could still handle them,” the illumination Goddess’s body flared with light, as if she had grown many hands. She now looked like a thousand-armed Guanyin, easily dealing with the two flying swords.

While controlling the swords, Zhanyue used earth traversal to appear behind the Goddess, then let out a shout – the Soul-Shaking Roar. However, this mental attack didn’t even cause a ripple in the Goddess.

The illumination Goddess knew Zhanyue was behind her but didn’t even bother to turn her head. Zhanyue gathered fire in his hand, a beam of flame breaking through the air – the Heaven-Burning Finger.

The Goddess merely shifted her form slightly, dodging the terrifying attack. The Heaven-Burning Finger hit a huge rock nearby, burning a hole through it.

“Not bad power, but poor aim,” the Goddess smiled. She had dodged this attack without even turning around.

“Ah,” Zhanyue sighed. The flames in his hand transformed into a sword as he attacked again. One person and two swords formed a triangular formation, surrounding the Goddess. While controlling the flying swords, Zhanyue’s phantom sword wasn’t idle either, managing to fight as three. An ordinary Profound Star Realm expert might be flustered, unable to defend against attacks from three directions, but before the Goddess, this was child’s play.

The Goddess flicked a finger at one approaching flying sword, and it dissipated into smoke. Then she pinched the other flying sword between two fingers and flung it away. The demon sword was thrown into a nearby rock, unable to break free for a moment.

Zhanyue’s sword thrust from behind only hit an afterimage. With his current strength, he couldn’t discern the illumination Goddess’s true location. The Phantom Light Step was perfectly displayed on the Goddess. The illumination Goddess grabbed Zhanyue’s wrist, and with a slight exertion, the sword in Zhanyue’s hand vanished.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch, Sister, please let go,” Zhanyue cried out in pain.

“Don’t you have a set of armor? Why don’t you use it?” the illumination Goddess smiled.

Zhanyue replied helplessly, “I’m no match for you anyway. What use would the Silver Moon Armor be? It would just waste energy.” Wearing armor or not made no difference against an opponent like the Goddess.

“You have many techniques, but none are perfected. After you finish Baizhi’s business, I’ll find time to give you some hellish training,” the Goddess smiled. Her smile filled Zhanyue with dread. She had been so strict during their remote communications; now face-to-face, the “hellish training” she mentioned would surely be painful.

“Sister, how long can you stay this time? You’re not leaving again, are you?” Zhanyue asked.

“What? Will you miss me? Don’t you have enough company? I’ve seen you surrounded by beauties wherever you go,” the illumination Goddess teased.

Zhanyue’s face reddened. “No, it’s just that this world is too dangerous. With you protecting me in the shadows, I feel more secure.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave for now. But I can’t guarantee how long I can stay by your side. After all, the world seems calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath. I still need to figure out many things,” the illumination Goddess said. At this moment, she was dressed like a white-robed knight-errant, exuding an extraordinary aura.

“After resolving Baizhi’s issue, where do you plan to go? Or do you intend to stay by her side, living happily ever after?” the Goddess asked.

“I…” Zhanyue thought for a moment, then said, “She has her path, and I have mine. Once she’s safe, I can explore with peace of mind. After that, I plan to return to the Eastern Kingdom and go to the Academy Town.” Zhanyue remembered he still had the token from Mi Hongchen, allowing him to enroll in the Empire’s top academy at any time.

“The Academy Town? That’s right, you haven’t entered the Profound Realm yet. You should be able to get good training there, after all, it’s a gathering place for geniuses,” the Goddess nodded.

“Moreover, I’ve always been concerned about one thing: who sent that assassin after me before? I don’t remember offending anyone. Until this is clarified, I won’t be at ease,” Zhanyue said. “If I don’t return to the Eastern Kingdom, I might never know the answer.”

“Indeed, that was your most dangerous moment. The sun is setting, you should head to Alchemy Capital now,” the Goddess reminded him, then vanished.

Zhanyue didn’t know where she was, but he could sense she was nearby.

Riding his flying sword, Zhanyue quickly arrived at the gates of Alchemy Capital. In a place crowded with people, it was best not to reveal his Sword Flight Technique. Putting away his sword, Zhanyue walked into the city. He saw a notice posted on the city wall, with people gathered around it.

“This notice says the Bai family is recruiting temporary pill-refining assistants? Anyone above third-grade alchemy master can apply.”

“Really? Does the Bai family lack people?” another person asked.

“The Bai family naturally doesn’t lack people, but I heard they received a very large order, and the alchemy masters in their clan aren’t enough. So they need some junior alchemy masters to help with miscellaneous tasks,” the person explained.

“I see. This is a good opportunity. Firstly, the Bai family pays well. Secondly, you can interact with many high-grade alchemy masters, even directly observe them refining pills. Just a few casual instructions from them would be immensely beneficial. I’ll go back and tell my nephew to try. He’s a third-grade alchemy master.”

“That’s right, your nephew is a third-grade alchemy master. Don’t miss such a good opportunity.”

Zhanyue looked at the notice, a mischievous smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Perhaps before Baizhi returned to the Bai family, he could go undercover and probe the situation? Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to winning every battle.