"So that was it... I'd actually overlooked it back then..."
Muttering echoed through the dim corridor.
This wasn't the fellow who had been sitting by the window, gazing at the sky. This was deep inside the Celestial Cult's western church.
The speaker was a young worshipper, with a pointed chin and bright, intent eyes.
He wore the classic dark robe, but there were only a few delicate gold-thread patterns on his shoulder cape.
At a glance, he had the same distinctive beauty, but his outfit was clearly more modest.
By simple logic, this seemed to mean that compared with Amira and the others, the young man before him had not been practicing for long.
As for the evidence supporting this deduction—the fellow sitting ramrod straight at the end of the corridor was obviously keeping watch over the door beside him.
This sort of relatively basic duty was usually entrusted to newcomers.
Of course, the words he was saying now carried the air of an opportunity finally arriving, as if inspiration had just struck and he had glimpsed the secrets of heaven.
But enlightenment clearly wasn't that simple. Before long, pain crossed his face and his expression went blank.
"Wait, something doesn't seem right... Did I get it wrong? No, impossible... I must be right..."
His thoughts veered back and forth, a perfect display of a novice's confusion.
Fu Qian discreetly hid off to one side, not disturbing him.
"That's right... the revelation had already appeared. I actually failed to realize it at the time!"
The other man seemed to be doing his best to make the most of this moment of grace. In less than half a minute, his eyes suddenly shone like stars, and he clenched his fist as he stood.
"I have to go back. Right away..."
His