Preparations Before Taking to the Sky

After the matter at the Spirit Pagoda was settled, Tang Chenfeng and the others spent an entire afternoon before returning to Tianhun Town.

This vacation had begun once again, but unlike before, perhaps when it ended, they would be heading somewhere else.

As soon as the three returned home, they saw Ye Jiulong, who had been waiting inside.

"You're back. Why are you so late today? Eh, Chenfeng, why has your hair color changed?" Ye Jiulong greeted them while noticing Tang Chenfeng's difference.

"Well, it's a long story." Tang Chenfeng briefly recounted what had happened that day.

"Ho! You actually entered the Spirit Platform. That must have been quite an experience. Back then, your grandma and I had to pay quite a price just to enter the Spirit Platform once." As he spoke, Ye Jiulong began reminiscing about the past.

"Alright, hold on, Jiulong. There's something I think we should discuss. Chenfeng, Hongling, wait a while. I'll make dinner after I finish talking to your grandpa." Ling Wei took Ye Jiulong by the hand and led him into the room.

"Brother, what should we do now?" Ye Hongling asked.

Tang Chenfeng replied, "How about we go back to our room and meditate for a while?"

During vacations, the siblings only did three things at home: help their family with chores, cultivate on their own, or receive cultivation guidance from their grandparents. They had relatively little time to play.

Meanwhile, in another bedroom, the other two had already begun talking.

"Ling Wei, what is it? Is there something else?" Ye Jiulong asked.

Ling Wei said, "There is something else. I think we should consider Zhao Gaobo's proposal. We've been away from Cloud City for so long. Shouldn't we go back and take a look?"

Ye Jiulong was visibly stunned.

"You mean Chenfeng and Hongling have finally both broken through Level 20?"

Cloud City was a holy land for Soul Masters. It was nearly impossible for ordinary people to enter, but Soul Masters were different. Federation law stipulated that any ordinary Soul Master who broke through Level 20 before the age of eighteen and became a Soul Grandmaster would qualify to travel to Cloud City for an assessment. As long as they passed, they would gain the right to live and continue studying in Cloud City, and they could bring their family with them.

"But Ling Wei, you know why we returned to the surface in the first place. We never really wanted to return to that place of sorrow." Ye Jiulong's gaze dimmed. Whenever he thought of that place, he remembered the things he regretted beyond all measure.

At that moment, Ling Wei walked over and gently embraced him. "But you know that much of the past is already behind us. We should face the present and the future. Zhao Gaobo told me that as long as we want to, he can arrange for us to live in Cloud City at any time. Besides, those two children, Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling, will definitely go there. Even if only for their sake, shouldn't we go too?"

The siblings had never been there. They had only heard that Cloud City was a place every Soul Master yearned for. But Ye Jiulong and Ling Wei knew that it was not merely a holy land for Soul Masters. It also had many dark sides. If they went with the children, they could at least ensure that some unnecessary troubles never arose.

Hearing this, Ye Jiulong said nothing. He merely returned Ling Wei's embrace gently. At that moment, they had probably both made their decision.

After some time, a familiar sound came from the kitchen again. Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling immediately ended their meditation and headed over.

Inside the small kitchen stood an enormous table covered in all kinds of dishes. There was so much food that, in an outsider's eyes, an ordinary person probably could not finish it in three days. Yet for this family, that amount was necessary every day.

Ever since Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling's Martial Soul Awakening, food had become the family's biggest problem. The two children were like black holes. Once food entered their mouths, it would never emerge again. But there was nothing they could do about it. Both their Martial Souls consumed enormous amounts of energy, and the family truly did not have much money. They could not afford rare ingredients that replenished energy, so they could only make up for quality with quantity.

Even so, for them, eating together as a happy family was perhaps the most joyful time of all.

By the time the food on the table had nearly been devoured by the siblings, Ye Jiulong said from the side, "Eat slowly. There's no need to rush. During this vacation, you can rest properly for a month first."

Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling were both startled. They knew that whenever their grandpa spoke up, things usually did not end well for them.

Ye Jiulong seemed to notice their unease and said awkwardly, "Don't panic. I really am just letting you rest for a month. Rest during this first month, then continue training in the following one."

Ye Hongling asked timidly, "Grandpa Ye, you're not trying to trick us, are you? The last time you said that, you increased our training by five times."

Ye Jiulong said helplessly, "This time really is different. You already know, don't you? You've both reached Level 20 and can go to that place now. To be honest, your grandma and I are very relieved. This day came much faster than we imagined. We've also decided that if you can set foot in Cloud City, we'll go with you."

"Cloud City's assessment is two months from now, after this vacation ends. I'm not asking you to definitely get in. Just do your best. But if you succeed, we'll move into the sky and live there together."

"Grandpa Ye, don't worry. It's just an assessment. We'll definitely pass," Tang Chenfeng said confidently.

"Yes, Grandpa and Grandma. Brother and I will definitely work hard. Then we can all live in Cloud City together," Ye Hongling said happily from the side.

Thus, amid a lively and peaceful atmosphere, the family finished dinner.

Who knew how much time passed? It was already midnight.

The siblings returned to their bedroom. It was different from before. In the past, they had shared one bed, but now that they had grown up, the room's large bed had been replaced with two smaller ones. They had long since begun sleeping separately.

Soul Masters usually did not sleep. At night, meditation was the best way for them to pass the time. At that moment, Ye Hongling was sitting cross-legged on her bed, already deep in meditation. Normally, Tang Chenfeng would have meditated as well, but tonight was different.

Tang Chenfeng watched from his bed for a while. After confirming that Ye Hongling had completely entered meditation and that Grandpa Ye and Grandma Ling had indeed entered deep meditation as well, he quietly slipped out of the room. With a few leaps, he reached the rooftop.

Why had Tang Chenfeng gone to the roof? To meet someone he knew better than anyone else.

Tang Chenfeng sat cross-legged on the roof. At the same time, two black Soul Rings rose beneath him. Upon closer inspection, they were not purely black. Specks of starlight and various other colors shimmered across them, intertwining beneath the dark night sky. It was as though the two Soul Rings reflected the entire universe.

Along with the Soul Rings appeared a tiny figure. She was truly small, looking like a two- or three-year-old child. But upon closer inspection, she was clearly a miniature version of Bai Xing.

Tang Chenfeng looked at the miniature Bai Xing in surprise. "Sister Bai Xing, have you become a Spirit Soul in this form?"

Bai Xing's slightly illusory body floated beside Tang Chenfeng, truly looking just like a Spirit Soul.

"Of course I'm not a Spirit Soul. How should I put it? Right now, I'm borrowing your Spiritual Power to project my shadow. And since you've completely absorbed the Starlight Stone, I no longer need to wait until you're asleep or cultivating to talk to you. I can chat with you anytime, anywhere. Under special circumstances, I can even protect you and teach you how to use your own power."

As she spoke, Bai Xing seemed to be weaving something in her hands. Before long, she had formed a seven-colored sphere of light.

Tang Chenfeng naturally noticed such a brilliant thing.

"Sister Bai Xing, what exactly is that thing in your hands? I've seen you making it from the very beginning."

Bai Xing explained, "You can think of it as a message, though it's being sent to myself. The me you see now is only an imprint of Divine Sense. Every time you advance by a major stage, I'll send a message to my true body. I think she would be quite happy to see your growth as well."

As she spoke, the sphere in Bai Xing's hands was complete. She held the ball of light up with both hands. It immediately shot into the sky, transformed into a colorful meteor, and vanished beyond the horizon.

"I see. The universe really is vast," Tang Chenfeng sighed.

"By the way, Sister Bai Xing, I have another question for you. What is it?"

Tang Chenfeng said, "I want to know whether I have a father."

Bai Xing's body stiffened noticeably upon hearing that, but she quickly recovered.

"No. You truly are my child, but unlike ordinary people, you do not have a father in the true sense. You are the purest part of me. In other words, you only have one mother, me. At most, there was merely some reference involved."

"Reference... what does that mean?" Tang Chenfeng asked in confusion.

Bai Xing's tone was slightly awkward. "You'd better not know about that for now."

Somewhere in the universe, a beautiful figure stood amid the endless stars. She merely stood there, yet seemed so natural and harmonious, as though she had already merged with the entire universe.

"It's here," she said softly.

At the same time, a seven-colored sphere of light flew into her hand. Wasn't this the sphere Bai Xing had created earlier to transmit information?

She held the sphere in her palm and quietly felt the thoughts and vivid memories within it.

The more she felt, the deeper she sank into it. Much of the information contained things she had once forgotten, even abandoned. Yet as she watched them now, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction arose in her heart.

"Yo, what are you looking at? Let me have a look too." Just as she was immersed in it, a casual voice came from behind her and shattered the surrounding atmosphere.

Turning around, she saw a shadow with only a humanoid outline. Yet within that figure seemed to exist an endless starry sky, making it appear even more dazzling than the world around it.

If this guy weren't around, it would truly be perfect! Very few things in this world could stir her emotions, but this irritating fellow was indeed one of those rare exceptions.

This fellow was the Mysterious Person, the traveler who had once claimed to love meddling in other people's affairs. The most infuriating part was that she had no way to deal with him.

"No!" The moment she spoke, a flash of white light appeared before her, and the sphere in her hand vanished.

"Let me see. Oh, not bad. You've made quite a few friends and learned a lot too. As expected of the me from this universe. What a wonderful child."

"Hey! Give it back right now!" Veins that should not have appeared bulged on her forehead, and her tone immediately turned irritated.

"I'm only looking for a moment. Is there any need to get so worked up?" the Mysterious Person said teasingly.

"No! Give it back now!" she shouted again, having completely lost her previous dignified and elegant bearing.

"Alright, alright, alright." The Mysterious Person tossed the sphere back.

She caught the sphere with one hand.

She snapped at the Mysterious Person, "Didn't you claim to be someone who travels through different universes? Then go travel! Stop staying by my side every day. You're annoying!"

The Mysterious Person said helplessly, "Thirty years before I met you, I'd already explored this entire universe. But every place was frozen. Aside from meeting one somewhat interesting person, there was nowhere worth seeing. It was utterly boring. Watching this child grow beside you is much more interesting."

Hearing this, she was stunned instead. "You had already come here before I noticed you? And without me sensing anything at all, you had already traveled through this entire universe?"

"Yes. That isn't difficult for me," the Mysterious Person said casually.

There was no rebuttal this time. Instead, she asked, "Then have you seen him?"

The Mysterious Person's face no longer held its earlier amusement. "If you mean the person you're thinking of, I happened to glimpse him once. But he didn't notice me. And are you really not going to do anything about him?"

"I can no longer find him. Besides, this was a choice made by both that child and me. For the future of this universe, I can only keep going like this."

The Mysterious Person looked at her, and pity suddenly filled his eyes.

"I have nothing else to say. Then I wish your plan every success."

As he spoke, his figure vanished into the stars once more.