Three-Day Promise

"Just fly up there?"

It sounded... not too difficult?

He had the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. Flying was his specialty.

The system added: [Reminder, Host: the closer you get to the Light Core, the more the concentration and temperature of Divine Light Power will increase exponentially. This will test your Soul Power, body, and spirit. Do not let your guard down.]

"Understood."

Qian Xunji nodded, took a deep breath, and calmed his mind. Golden light surged behind him as three pairs of Angel Wings unfurled.

"Then, let's begin!"

With a beat of his wings, Qian Xunji flew toward the massive sphere of light above the clouds.

The first stretch went very smoothly. The sea of clouds rapidly retreated beneath him, while the Light Core gradually grew larger in his field of vision.

The surrounding light was bright and warm, even making him feel comfortable. The Angel Soul Power within him also seemed to become much more active.

However, as the distance continued to close, changes began.

First came the temperature.

The once-warm light gradually became scorching.

It was as if he had gone from spring sunshine step by step into a desert at noon in midsummer.

The air began to distort, and waves of heat washed over him.

Qian Xunji immediately mobilized his Soul Power, forming a golden barrier around himself to resist the high temperature.

The Angel Martial Soul itself possessed a certain resistance to light and heat, so he could still manage at first.

But as he continued flying upward, the speed at which the temperature rose exceeded his imagination.

The world outside his barrier seemed to have become a furnace, brilliant with golden light yet containing terrifying heat.

His barrier began to ripple, and his Soul Power consumption increased sharply.

Sweat instantly soaked through his inner clothes, only to evaporate under the heat. His skin stung with pain.

Even more troublesome was the light.

That radiance was far too intense. Even though he tried his best to narrow his eyes and even attempted to cover them with Soul Power, he still felt waves of piercing pain and dizziness.

His vision was a vast expanse of white, making it nearly impossible to distinguish direction. He could only barely maintain his flight path through his sensing of the Light Core's energy source.

"This is only halfway there, isn't it..."

Qian Xunji gritted his teeth. With every meter he rose, the pressure and scorching heat multiplied.

The feathers at the edges of his prized Angel Wings had even begun to curl and yellow slightly, bringing a burning sting.

[Warning: Host's physical body is nearing its limit. Soul Power is being consumed too quickly, and the spirit is being continuously disrupted by intense light. Adaptation methods may be employed.]

"I know!"

Qian Xunji let out a low roar and pushed his Soul Power to the limit. His barrier flared brightly as he suddenly charged upward another great distance.

However, just as he felt that he had gotten somewhat closer to his target, an extreme flash of light powerful enough to blind him crashed down upon him.

"Argh!"

The barrier around Qian Xunji shattered, and terrifying heat instantly engulfed his entire body, as though it would ignite him completely from the inside out.

He could no longer maintain his flying posture. Disturbed by that scorching aura of light, he was slapped down from the sky and plummeted rapidly toward the sea of clouds below.

The howling wind rang in his ears, and the weightless sensation of his uncontrolled fall made his heart tighten.

Just before he was about to crash miserably into the clouds.

He barely gathered his Soul Power, adjusted his posture, and fiercely beat his wings. He skimmed dangerously close to the cloud surface for some distance before finally staggering to one knee atop the soft clouds, gasping for breath.

Raising his head to look at the Light Core still hanging high in the sky, Qian Xunji wiped the sweat from his face.

"That's intense..."

"Looks like the Heart of the God of Light won't be easy to obtain."

This first trial was far from as simple as merely flying up there.

After resting for some time, he felt his Soul Power and physical strength recover somewhat, while the stinging in his eyes also eased a little.

Qian Xunji stood up and looked skyward again, his gaze fixed on that enormous sun.

"If once doesn't work, then twice. If twice doesn't work, then ten times, a hundred times!"

"I refuse to believe that I, the Pope, can be stumped by some oversized light bulb."

Golden light shone once more. His second attempt began!

Three days later...

East District, Spirit City. Outside an elegant teahouse called Clear Heart Pavilion.

Ling Yuan stood beneath a willow tree outside the teahouse, her eyes sweeping over the passing pedestrians.

From time to time, she stood on tiptoe to look around, then lowered her head to inspect the simple portrait in her hand, muttering, "Could he really not be coming? Or did I get the location wrong?"

"That kid looked pretty sharp. He shouldn't have gotten lost, right?"

At a window-side private table on the teahouse's second floor, Bibi Dong sat upright. A cup of tea that had long gone cold sat before her, untouched.

Her gaze followed Ling Yuan's figure downstairs, her hands clasped together.

Will he come? Is he really Xiao Xi? What if we've mistaken him for someone else?

Countless questions circled through her mind.

Ever since learning from Ling Yuan three days ago that her younger brother might still be alive, she had not slept peacefully once. She had also repeatedly lost focus while cultivating.

Yet there had been no news of him in the past three days.

Their only hope was whether he would keep his appointment with Ling Yuan.

Just as Ling Yuan was about to turn into a statue from waiting, and Bibi Dong grew increasingly nervous.

An exceedingly suspicious figure appeared at the street corner.

That person wore an inconspicuous gray cloth outfit and a large bamboo hat pulled low, covering almost half his face.

Even more outrageously, his face seemed to be covered with a layer of black cloth?

As he walked, he looked around nervously, constantly checking ahead and behind. Every few steps, he would quickly duck behind a roadside pillar or stall, looking exactly like someone shouting, "I'm a wanted criminal, what am I afraid of?"

Ling Yuan's vigilance instantly shot to its peak!

The instincts of an elite Spirit Hall soul master made her eyes sharpen. What was this sneaky fellow trying to do?

Without drawing attention, she adjusted her position. Soul Power quietly circulated through her body as she prepared to strike and subdue this suspicious individual the moment he came any closer.

The suspicious person seemed to notice Ling Yuan standing at the teahouse entrance as well. His steps visibly paused, and he appeared even more hesitant.

But in the end, he still slowly shuffled over and stopped five meters away from Ling Yuan.

"Miss Ling Yuan?"

The moment he spoke, half of Ling Yuan's tension eased.

That voice... sounded somewhat familiar?

"It's me. And you are?"

"I... I'm Bibi Xi."

The man seemed to let out a breath of relief, yet he still did not remove his bamboo hat. Instead, he looked around even more nervously. "Miss Ling Yuan, is this place... safe?"

"Are there... patrols or people carrying portraits around?"

The corner of Ling Yuan's mouth twitched. Looking at the fellow before her, who seemed desperate to wrap himself up like a rice dumpling, she was both irritated and amused.

She stepped forward two paces and yanked off his bamboo hat.

"Hey!" Bibi Xi cried out in surprise. He instinctively tried to dodge, but Ling Yuan was faster.

Beneath the hat was indeed a face extremely similar to Bibi Dong's, though it carried more youthful heroism. At the moment, a black cloth covered that face, leaving only a pair of eyes filled with tension and wariness exposed.

"Bibi Xi, it really is you!"

"What kind of outfit is this? Playing a masked hero? Or are you afraid someone's chasing you for stealing sweet potatoes?"