Amid the mountains, Luo Ya and Milia strolled along the shore of a crystal-clear lake. In Milia's hand was a vivid black rose.
The rose had an exquisite shape, and its petals felt thick and velvety in her hand. It seemed to possess a strange, luxurious air of mystery.
Of course, the flower itself wasn't important. What mattered most was the meaning the Black Rose symbolized on the Valen Plane: unique, domineering love!
Clearly, by giving her a black rose condensed from Dark Divine Power, Luo Ya had shown her how he felt.
"Luo Ya, you came this time, but you haven't met my parents yet, have you?" Sometimes, even simple companionship could bring a person a sense of enjoyment. Without a doubt, Luo Ya had just been savoring it.
But at Milia's words, his heart suddenly tightened.
"I came to see you as soon as I arrived. I haven't had a chance to meet your father and mother yet." Though Luo Ya felt a little nervous, he was confident in himself.
Surely, her parents couldn't possibly turn down a son-in-law who was a god-level powerhouse and a genius.
"Then come with me. My parents have been awfully curious about you." Milia glanced back with a sly smile, and Luo Ya immediately followed.
"Milia's parents?" Luo Ya had heard a little about their reputations.
They were both reclusive Saint Realm cultivators. Saint Realm powerhouses like them had little fame on the continent—or had been famous long ago. Yet their strength far surpassed that of the celebrated Saint Realm experts of today.
They passed through a dense stand of trees and came to a wide meadow. Flowers grew freely across it, and stone benches and tables were scattered here and there.
At the center of the meadow lay a round lake.
"Father, Mother." Milia called toward the lake. The two figures seated by the shore immediately turned to look.
"Milia, the person beside you must be Luo Ya," a clear, lilting voice rang out.
One of the two figures was a beautiful woman in a purple robe, her golden hair coiled up. Her delicate features bore at least an eighty-percent resemblance to Milia's, and she was just as captivating. She was Milia's mother.
Beside her stood a refined, middle-aged man in a moon-white robe, with long blue-green hair. He was clearly Milia's father.
"Father." Milia hurried over to the refined middle-aged man and warmly took his hand. Then she pointed to Luo Ya and introduced him herself. "Father, this is Luo Ya, the person I told you about."
"Greetings, Uncle. I'm Luo Ya Kageno."
Even though Luo Ya was a god-level powerhouse, he felt a little nervous in front of the refined middle-aged man.
"Not bad." The man smiled warmly at Luo Ya. "Milia has told me about you. You have remarkable talent."
The golden-haired beauty smiled amiably at Luo Ya as well. "You reached the peak of the Saint Realm before the age of sixty. You and Milia are both peerless geniuses—far more talented than we were."
"Oh, I nearly forgot to introduce myself. I'm Milia's mother, Gailina." The golden-haired beauty's exact age was unknown, but she had a more dignified, mature air. From her looks alone, an outsider would probably take her for Milia's older sister.
"Pleased to meet you, Madam," Luo Ya said at once.
The refined middle-aged man looked at Luo Ya and continued, "My name is Karen. You've probably heard of me."
Karen, master of Wind Forbidden Island, had reached the peak of the Saint Realm five hundred years ago. He was among the strongest people on the Western Continent beneath the god-level powerhouses.
Like Karen and Nilo before him, many had already reached the threshold of godhood. They were only one step away, but that last step was incredibly difficult.
Back then, Nilo had been about as strong as Karen. But three years ago, Nilo had finally crossed that threshold and become a Lowgod.
"Uncle, I've heard of your reputation for a long time," Luo Ya replied with exceptional humility.
Karen merely smiled. "If you don't mind, come with me for a private chat."
"Father, Luo Ya has already become a god." Seeing that her father meant to "put Luo Ya in his place," Milia immediately reminded him through Soul Transmission.
Since Luo Ya had come to meet his future father- and mother-in-law, he naturally wouldn't release the pressure of a god-level powerhouse of his own accord.
And if a god-level powerhouse didn't reveal his strength, even Saint Realm experts would have a hard time detecting it directly—even someone like Karen, who was considered one of the strongest beneath godhood.
"You little rascal, why didn't you say so sooner?" Karen's face twitched awkwardly.
"Father, don't you remember? I told you before." At Milia's reply, Karen suddenly remembered.
Indeed, she seemed to have told them something along those lines—that the day Luo Ya came to Wind Forbidden Island would be the day he became a god.
But Karen had simply forgotten it as soon as he heard it.
"So Luo Ya was the one who became a god earlier." Only now did Karen finally put two and two together.
"I always thought of myself as a cultivation genius. Compared to Luo Ya, what kind of genius am I?" There were levels even among geniuses.
How could a true genius be held back by something as trivial as the hurdle to godhood?
"Ahem, there's no need. We can talk right here." Luo Ya was slightly taken aback when Karen suddenly changed his mind, but he didn't take it to heart.
"What did you want to tell me, Uncle?" Luo Ya hadn't noticed anything amiss and remained deferential.
"When are you planning to marry Milia?" The refined middle-aged man's expression instantly grew even warmer, and he became so enthusiastic that Luo Ya could barely handle it.
"Dear?" The golden-haired beauty beside him furrowed her brows.
She did have a good impression of Luo Ya, but bringing it up so eagerly made it seem as though their daughter was worth very little.
"The one who became a god earlier was Luo Ya," Karen's voice sounded in Gailina's mind. Gailina's heart jolted, and she looked at Luo Ya again in surprise.
After only a moment's hesitation, Gailina's face softened into the same warm smile. "Luo Ya, you came this time intending to marry Milia, didn't you? You have our blessing."
"Milia... You really do have a good eye. Why didn't you bring Luo Ya home sooner?"
Though his future in-laws were being a little overenthusiastic, Luo Ya felt relieved.
It seemed there would be no resistance from them. Next... Luo Ya immediately looked at Milia.
"Father! Mother!" Seeing how shamelessly eager her parents were, Milia blushed.
Under Luo Ya's questioning gaze, Milia looked rather bashful, but soon spoke up. "Wait for me for three years. I'll become a god within three years!"
Now that Luo Ya had become a god, she couldn't allow herself to fall too far behind.
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