"It’s only a couple more days before the showcase of the new talent to the nobility."

Inside of Umi Nagisa’s residence a woman wearing dark violet robes lounged around acting more as if it was her own private chambers than her visiting a fellow martial cultivator. Picking a grape off a vine she flicked it into her mouth casually as she turned to look at Umi Nagisa.

Yeo-Jung was one of the top beauties of Ei'en and a top talent for her age she was considered truly powerful. If not for Umi Nagisa she would be considered the youngest elder in the academy. To Umi she was like a sister. Those who saw Yeo-Jung would be struck by her otherworldly beauty. She had cherry lips that seemed to be pouting indefinitely.

Umi Nagisa walked over to the edge of the balcony that overlooked her courtyard. In the distance she could see the spires of the main academy building. Umi Nagisa never bothered asking Yeo-Jung what exactly her goal in pursuing cultivation was from her perspective; her attitude and work ethic always seemed to lack luster despite her talent.

"I know." Umi Nagisa said as she looked lazily over at her counterpart.

"Then what are you gonna do with her?" Yeo-Jung popped in another grape munching on it as she spoke "how will you handle it if they react negatively to her?"

"I will think of something." Umi Nagisa had a migraine since yesterday and wasn’t sure how long she would wait, but the solution had to be that the girl was too impulsive and despite her outward persona she was quite prone to being emotional.

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"You better, she is a fierce girl. I didn't even know she confronted Baron Soga's son until I got back and the word of mouth spread to me." Yeo-Jung said with a smirk “Baron Soga long ago ought to have leashed his boy anyways, good thing Crown Prince smacked him down a bit, maybe the embarrassment will snap the good Baron out of his fog of delusion about his son.”

"..." Yeo-Jung glazed at Umi Nagisa as she waited for her to respond.

"Umi Nagisa. What are you thinking?"

"I don't know. I have much to consider.”

"Well you know I will always have your back, but if you should risk too much I have to put my deity and my familia first. You understand that right, Umi?"

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you my dear friend."

Turning towards Yeo-Jung she let her eyes rest on her before holding out her hand. "Yeo'er I never did ask you after all these years what exactly is your goal in pursuing cultivation."

Yeo-Jung seemed taken aback by the sudden question, but quickly regrouped herself. "Well isn't it obvious? I wish to taste immortality. I wish to have my name remembered by my fellow cultivators for a very long time. Most importantly I want to see the heavens. What is it exactly we are all pursuing?"

Umi Nagisa wasn’t particularly surprised, but the second half of the answer did catch her off guard. What was the purpose of cultivating into immortality something so few achieved. The man closest to achieving that would be either the Emperor of Kuro or some old reclusive monster hiding in the fringes in society. Maybe she may have the opportunity to ask him one day.

“Umi. You seem to think that all of us want to achieve major things. That isn’t the case.”