Cultivating in Honkai!

Chapter 411: Foreboding

The entire morning felt nothing short of the hypothetical scenario of facing eighteen Aeons all at once. The air between the three of us was so awkward that I cannot salvage it. Whenever Himeko or Theresa wanted to say something, they chose to hold back. Only after leaving Himeko's residence did that awkward moment come to pass."I-I'm going to seclusion!"

Theresa did not give me another chance to talk with her as she turned into a fleeting crimson light. I could only sigh helplessly. It is ironic to see them two being less emotionally mature compared to Kiana. They are supposed to be her mentor figures. Theresa 'disciplined' Kiana and showed her how it was to take on responsibility. Himeko taught Kiana the ropes of being a valkyrie as well as how to cope losses in her future journey. Her final lesson, so as to speak.

Still, I find it funny that the Tuna has more emotional maturity compared to her aunt. It goes to show that she already went off a long way from her previous self. Though it is inseparable from all the troubles we are currently facing. The future projection from before is a testament of it.

Since the moment I stepped onto immortal cultivation, everything is irreversible. I am bound to face these tribulations sooner or later. I cannot do anything to avoid them. The best I could do is face them with full preparations.

Speaking of full preparations, I could not help but feel slightly ominous at my next meeting. The talks with Wendy went smoother than I thought. The meeting with Theresa and Himeko, however, could be barely considered smooth. The next in line to my priority list are none other than my students. Thinking about them made me feel guilty. I could not fulfill my responsibility as a teacher to them. I could count with my own fingers how many times our personal meetings are.

Instead of the typical master and student relationship, it felt like I taught them through Zoom classes. Their upbringing have something to do with it… with my wrongdoings.

Having made up my mind, I took out my phone and contacted the more reliable Queen Mei. The moment I sent over that message, she replied with "Received". It showed off her serious attitude compared to the rather volatile Mei.

Come to think of it, I haven't talked with her before…

*****

The twenty-one Void Refinement Realm experts, commonly dubbed as "Star Lords", are the pillars of the Federation, and in turn, the Wushi Dao Sect. Their strength was further emphasized by the overwhelming "gap" within the upper echelons of the sect. After the twenty-one Star Lords are two Nascent Soul , and then the two thousand Golden Core . A gap of one major realm existed between them and the two other high-grade spirit roots.

Needless to say, every single public appearance they made had been recorded. Now that the solar system is on the right track when it comes to immortal cultivation—with a self-sustaining supply of spiritual plants and ores—they rarely appear to the outside world. 

This move, something resulting from their seclusion, allowed them to reach the threshold to the middle-stage of Void Refinement Realm. The more talented and luckier ones have already broken through that stage… and Mei was one of them.

'How did she do it first..?'

Queen Mei felt slightly depressed the moment she heard of Mei's breakthrough. Their realms had been roughly at the same level. She did not expect for Mei's to turn into a sharp sword, piercing through the bottleneck that plagued them in one go.

The three-way stand between Mei, Queen Mei, and Griseo existed up until now. Shi Tian's two disciples went crazy during that one instance. Seeing how they were, Queen Mei stepped up and went against them. That resulted in the clash at the Moon. Only when Kiana arrived was she able to break it down. They hadn't talked properly since that day, hence the frustration in her heart.

No matter how hard Queen Mei tried, she wasn't able to enter a meditative state. She tried her best to calm down her heart, but to no avail. Just then, Shi Tian's message arrived on her phone. Her eyes widened upon seeing it.

'He's coming.'

In her eyes, Shi Tian is a of things. He could not be described in a few words. He is both and ; kind yet cruel. It was his kindness that gave her the validation she sought for, but it is also the one responsible for her current madness. Dealing with a is far more mentally exhausting than it was in theory, as seen from the moments where Mei acted volatilely.

'Why me too? Could it be…'

She recalled the rumors regarding Shi Tian's 'partners'... that they are destined to be his wives one way or another. Judging from the six that already became his official wives, Queen Mei thought it wasn't too far from the truth.

'Then this means… he would go and meet her.'

Her spirit of rivalry was lit up completely. Queen Mei's grievance with Mei goes way back. She could be considered another self born out of Mei. She wanted to steer her away from making mistakes, which was why she always held her back. What Queen Mei got in exchange was that resentful look.

Hence, she was tired of being the rational one—the right one. She wanted to give Mei a payback too!

""

*****

Undeniably, the moment when I faced the Aeons of this universe nerve-racking. Had they not hesitated, I would not have been able to "rewrite" the universe. It is something I am ready to face again for the second time.

Now, it seems like I would face something comparable to it today.

My kept sending off danger signals. The troubles at Himeko's residence could not compare to the 'chaos' I am about to step into. Still, I have no intention of backing down. I have studied Mei up to this point. If I could not resolve it now, it would only become worse later on. 

Having yanderes as my students is not as easy as it seems…