Cloud Sea Planet

Space travel was just that dull and boring. The starry sky beyond the cabin window seemed unchanged; no matter how magnificent it was, seeing too much of it became tiresome.

A month later, they finally arrived at Cloud Sea Planet.

As its name implied, Cloud Sea Planet was a massive world almost entirely covered by a sea of clouds. Looking down from above, one could see the thick clouds churning like raging waves, with not a trace of land visible beneath them.

A blue satellite dozens of times smaller than Cloud Sea Planet orbited it like a loyal guard. Connecting the satellite and Cloud Sea Planet was an enormous white hurricane, clearly visible even from tens of thousands of miles away.

The white hurricane followed the small satellite as it continuously roamed the planet's surface. Wherever it passed, the heavy clouds were swept up and turned into torrential rain. Yet just before the rain could pass through the clouds, it transformed back into mist and merged with the cloud layer above—

The spaceship passed through the clouds and, guided by the traction signal, landed steadily at the planet's spaceport.

The hatch slid open, and Li Yilin and Si Yao leaped out. Perhaps because of the cloud cover overhead, the air was extremely humid. A light drizzle fell, yet the sky did not seem gloomy at all; the clouds were simply thicker than usual.

In the spaceport waiting area, a slender young man was already waiting. He wore a black battle robe, and two snail-like antennae extended from his head.

This young man was Li Yilin's target for this trip—Gui Jiao.

"Gui Jiao!"

The moment he saw the man, Li Yilin spread his arms and strode forward. Just as they were about to embrace, he slapped Gui Jiao on the shoulder. The dull thud made Si Yao grimace behind him.

The corners of Gui Jiao's mouth lifted slightly. After taking Li Yilin's blow, he grabbed his hand and gave it a hard tug. Their shoulders collided in a friendly exchange, and they smiled at each other again.

"Yilin, this is our first meeting. You seem even stronger than you did in the Virtual Universe." Gui Jiao wore a stiff smile. He had a cold temperament and was poor with words. Very few people earned his recognition and were acknowledged as friends, and Li Yilin barely counted as half of one.

Li Yilin had traveled such a great distance just to visit him, and Gui Jiao was deeply touched.

"So are you." Li Yilin grinned. "Want another sparring match when we get the chance?"

"It would be my honor!"

After chatting for a while, the sense of unreality faded, and they became much more familiar with each other. Only then did Gui Jiao look at Si Yao, who had been standing behind Li Yilin the entire time.

"This is—your disciple?" He paused, then added, "Not bad."

With his strength, he could naturally see the power of a domain lingering around this little girl, whose cultivation was merely at the Planetary Level. Though faint, it was extremely stable. She had clearly not broken through recently.

She looked very young, yet she was already a rare genius.

"Hahaha, she isn't my disciple yet. For now, she's only my student." Li Yilin laughed heartily. Of course, in his heart, Si Yao was already his disciple.

It was just that he had recently been planning a trip back to Leimai Galaxy. He wanted to bring Si Yao there and hold a disciple-acceptance banquet, formally taking her as his disciple in the presence of his teacher and clan chief.

Only then would Si Yao officially be given a recognized status. It would be recognition of all her hard work.

Not his disciple?

Si Yao glanced at Li Yilin and bit her lip. The disappointment and hurt in her eyes were almost impossible to hide.

Teacher is far too strict!

She thought dejectedly.

Do I really have to comprehend a Law before he'll be satisfied?

Li Yilin's attention was focused on Gui Jiao, so he did not notice. But Gui Jiao still had Si Yao in the corner of his vision, and he naturally saw the disappointment in her eyes after his friend denied that she was his disciple.

A trace of curiosity flashed through him.

Logically speaking, with the talent this little girl had displayed, even a World Master would be satisfied. Why was this new friend of his not worried at all?

Was he not afraid that someone with a discerning eye would steal his disciple away?

Though filled with curiosity, he had no intention of asking. Instead, he directly changed the subject.

"Knowing you were coming, I've prepared a feast. I even got your favorite wine. I've been waiting for you so we can drink together." He spoke dryly, still as inarticulate as ever. Only Li Yilin understood his temperament and did not mind.

"You're still the thoughtful one, knowing I've been craving this stuff." Li Yilin nodded with a smile. He brushed his hand over his ring, and a wooden box appeared in his hand. He held it out and said with a smile, "This is my gift for you. It's only a small token, so don't turn your nose up at it."

There was a gift too?

Gui Jiao did not stand on ceremony. He took the wooden box and opened it.

Inside was a fruit emitting an icy aura. Its surface gleamed silver, yet strands of black light occasionally flickered across it. His gaze sharpened, and even his breathing grew lighter.

A Phantom Spirit Fruit?

The Phantom Spirit Fruit was a precious spiritual fruit capable of healing the injuries and restoring the energy of Domain Lord Level experts, but that was merely its common effect.

If the one consuming it cultivated the Light Law, the Phantom Spirit Fruit had another ability—repairing damage to the soul.

The universe gave birth to countless treasures, but every item capable of repairing the soul was exceedingly precious. Even if the highest cultivation level at which the Phantom Spirit Fruit could take effect was only Domain Lord Level, it was still incredibly valuable.

A single Phantom Spirit Fruit was worth at least two Hunyuan Units.

But that was only the official price. In reality, every appearance of a Phantom Spirit Fruit sparked a scramble. Its price rising to three Hunyuan Units was nothing unusual, and it could go even higher.

Such a simple meeting had brought such a pleasant surprise.

"This—" He looked up at Li Yilin. His lips moved, and his face was filled with conflict.

Reason told him that accepting it would be wholly inappropriate. The value of this gift had already surpassed the bond between ordinary friends.

But as a Domain Lord Level Fighter cultivating the Light Law, he simply could not refuse a Phantom Spirit Fruit.

"Thank you." In the end, he merely said those two words solemnly to Li Yilin before putting the Phantom Spirit Fruit into his World Ring.

I'll accept it for now and see if I can repay him somehow in the future.

He thought.

As the most important main planet of the Cloud Sea Family, Cloud Sea Planet was naturally extremely prosperous.

A city far larger than Qiu Dragon City on Qiu Dragon Planet sprawled across the boundless plains.

The drizzling rain from the sky was blocked by an invisible barrier just before it reached the city. It slid down along the curved shield and merged into the moat surrounding the city.

Thousands of peaks of varying sizes floated in the skies around the city. Their summits had been flattened with divine power, and cities had been built upon them.

These cities were actually private residences. Those who lived there were powerful experts or people of exceptional status on Cloud Sea Planet.

As a ninth-rank Domain Lord Level Fighter and the most talented member of the Cloud Sea Family in nearly a hundred thousand years, Gui Jiao was almost universally regarded as the next clan chief. Naturally, he had his own residence among these cities, and he even occupied an entire mountain peak by himself.

Li Yilin and Gui Jiao were both Domain Lord Level experts, so flying up to a city ten thousand meters in the air was effortless.

Li Yilin held Si Yao's hand, and after a few flashes, they arrived at the Floating City.

From the ground, the mountain peak had seemed like only a tiny lump. But once they actually reached it, its area was far larger than they had imagined.

The three of them landed on an open space near the edge, which seemed to be a platform specially used for landing and takeoff.

The moment they arrived, Si Yao impatiently pulled free of Li Yilin's hand. She leaned over the railing at the edge and stretched her neck to look down.

Her blue eyes were filled with curiosity, and she showed no fear at all despite standing atop a ten-thousand-meter cliff. She stared at the massive city below, the novel angle leaving a hint of excitement on her face.

The rain in the sky seemed as though it would never stop. The crisscrossing rivers on the ground divided the endless plains into blocks of all sizes.

"Teacher, why are these cities built in the sky?"

It's so high, and so cold!

Is it really comfortable to live here?

After watching for a while, the hurricane blowing up from below had made her face go stiff. Si Yao drew in her neck, rubbed her arms, shivered, and silently pulled her clothes tighter around herself.

The cold wind of Cloud Sea Planet seemed somewhat unusual.

The moment he came up, Li Yilin had keenly noticed the subtle difference. Seeing his student shivering from the cold, he did not hesitate before taking a pink cloak from his ring and draping it over her shoulders.

"Don't look for too long. The wind is too strong. Don't catch a chill."

"Thank you, Teacher." Si Yao held onto the cloak. The sudden warmth made her instinctively tuck her neck in and bury her face within it, taking a deep breath.

The familiar, reassuring scent lingering on it made her eyes curve into crescents.