Eighty-fourth Illustration: A Loss in the East, a Gain in the West

The two of them were like mice that had fallen into a granary—feasting to their hearts’ content and unable to carry away all they’d consumed. By the time Cain came to retrieve them, the energy in the secret realm, once dense as water, had thinned to the faintest mist.

Cain raised his brows. “To have digested the amount of energy His Majesty would absorb in a single seclusion—you two are certainly something. Full recovery will take at least a month.”

Sansan lowered her head in ‘shame,’ while the Heavenly Emperor grinned foolishly. “It was a rare opportunity.”

“The moment you set the container, you were discovered. His Majesty gave permission to let you do as you pleased, otherwise you’d never have brought it out so easily.” Sena approached, reporting the proceeds from their last venture. The sum was so astonishing that Sansan decided to order restorative soul elixirs for the logistics team, as well as a set of the finest growth-type battle armor for the Heavenly Emperor. The petty cash for the followers of the Heavenly Dao would now be distributed daily instead of monthly.

“Your Highness, there’s another matter.”

Still silently counting zeros in her account and plotting how to spend her fortune, Sansan failed to notice Sena’s troubled expression.

Sena said, “The Temporal Microcosm has been seized.”

Sansan looked up, her expression grave, the color of her eyes deepening. “What did you say?”

Sena’s face was equally solemn. “Someone, without majoring in time and space, has occupied the Temporal Microcosm.”

“Who?!” The Heavenly Emperor’s demeanor turned dangerous. His face demanded to know the culprit, intending to let them taste the devouring power of time and space—a newly developed skill he was eager to test.

“Candidate Bronwyn. She chose to further her studies in the Temporal Microcosm, and set out the very night the re-selection ended. She refused to negotiate with us, claiming it was her right to choose any world for her studies, and no one could interfere.” Sena uttered a name none of them expected.

“Who is Bronwyn?” Sansan was puzzled, having guessed it might be Baishu—whose aptitude for comprehension was high and who also minored in time and space, though only just entered the first realm. Still, Baishu was one of the few at the Academy who could merge with time and space.

“She’s Lord Anthony’s kin. The seed quota she possesses originally should have been yours. She pays you a great deal of attention,” Sena replied, her mouth twitching. If Bronwyn were present, she’d probably cough up blood; from her words, she’d considered Sang Hongye her fated rival, yet her rival didn’t even recognize her name.

The Heavenly Emperor snorted. “So she stole Sansan’s quota. How long has she been gone? If we leave now, can we catch up?”

Sena shook her head. “We received word yesterday that she’s already entered the microcosm. Lord Anthony said to let her be. The Temporal Microcosm won’t disappear; there’ll be another chance to enter, but not until you become a formal Saintess after the final selection in nine years. So you can no longer hope to comprehend the essence of time and space before condensing your star core.”

Sansan frowned. “There’s only one Temporal Microcosm?”

Sena replied, “Time and space are rare laws. The temple has only one; the others are all at the Divine Court’s headquarters. Right now, you’re not qualified to enter.”

“Then there’s nothing to be done. Let Golden pick one for me at random.” Sansan looked up at Cain. “Uncle Cain, I’ll have to trouble you again. May I borrow Grandfather Anthony’s private secret realm a while longer? Of course, we’ll handle the energy ourselves.” As she spoke, Sansan’s cheeks flushed with shyness.

The Heavenly Emperor nodded, pained. “We’ll handle it ourselves.”

Cain couldn’t help but laugh. “Forget it, you two keep that energy. If Your Highness wants to break through, come to my cave—over a year’s worth of unused accumulated energy should be more than enough for your experiments.”

Sansan hadn’t yet thanked him when the Heavenly Emperor, acting chummy, tiptoed up to pat Cain on the shoulder. “Uncle, you’re the best!”

“Ahem.” Sena cleared his throat. “Thank you, Lord Cain, for your generous support. Your Highness, as soon as Golden confirmed the Temporal Microcosm was unrecoverable, he began selecting a new world for you. In the end, he chose the Danxia Painted Realm recommended by Teacher Boya. Its creative law and unique world of pure painting should satisfy you, but there is an issue.”

“What issue?” Sansan asked.

Sena’s expression was serious. “The Danxia Painted Realm is special—it isn’t on the list of worlds for advanced study. Only because Teacher Boya holds the token of the Lord of Danxia can you make an exception. There is no recorded data on its internal conditions. What you learn there will depend entirely on yourself; unlike other worlds, you can’t seek out the origin core and take shortcuts in comprehending the source.”

“Cultivation has always depended on oneself.” Sansan smiled. “Besides, Golden must have chosen the teacher’s recommendation because it suits me well.”

“The Lord of Danxia’s creative power can birth not only the inanimate but also the living, including people. With it, your ‘Early Lotus’ could truly cause pregnancy,” Sena added. “However, you do have another choice.”

Imagining the prank of ‘Early Lotus’ coming true—a world filled with swollen bellies—Sansan shuddered. “Hmm?”

Sena explained, “An apprentice Saintess is entitled to a month of study alongside a formal Saintess. The Hundred Flowers Saintess has volunteered to mentor you. I am confident she would not, and dare not, harm you during your apprenticeship. If you wish to understand the law of gestation, this is an excellent opportunity.”

Sansan considered her account balance and replied, “No, with you here, the Hundred Flowers Saintess won’t flee, but if the Danxia Painted Realm disappears, what then? Besides, creation is more powerful than gestation. I’ll deal with it after returning from the microcosm.”

“Very well, I’ll tell the Hundred Flowers Saintess to wait.” Sena nodded. “Your studies in the microcosm should not exceed five years, as you must still establish your own faith district and pass the final selection during your apprenticeship.”

Sometimes, what is lost is not always a misfortune, nor is what is gained necessarily a blessing.

Bronwyn had misjudged the importance of the Temporal Microcosm to Sansan. She had sacrificed her own opportunity for advancement, believing it would strike a blow to Sansan, not realizing that with the Heavenly Emperor serving as a conduit for the essence of time and space, Sansan would lose nothing compared to training at the very core of the time and space world. The Temporal Microcosm was merely icing on the cake—its loss would not cripple her.

As for the Danxia Painted Realm, with its creative law, even the name sounded intriguing.

The Heavenly Emperor’s eyes darted mischievously. “Sansan, breakthroughs are a matter of minutes for you. I’ll go find Golden and leave you to it.”

“Wait.” Sansan called after him, suspicion written all over her face. “Golden said the mainframe’s assignments have increased. What do you want him for?”

The Heavenly Emperor looked up at the sky. “It’s been years—I just want to spend some time with him.”

“I haven’t seen you in years either. Stay here and keep me company.” Sensing ulterior motives, Sansan grabbed him by the collar and flew after Cain, her tone icy.

The Heavenly Emperor deflated. “Sansan, truly, I just wanted Golden to help me cheat—get the exam papers in advance and pass the general knowledge test.”

“I’d have to be out of my mind to believe that.” Sansan rolled her eyes. “I’m warning you, behave yourself in the temple. If anything comes up, wait until we’re outside to handle it. Don’t think you’re the real Heavenly Emperor just because of your name. Laws and essence are not the same. Even at the Void level, if you encounter an opponent at the Profound level, a serious fight would flatten you instantly.”

“You’ve always had a head full of energy,” the Heavenly Emperor muttered, sensing the chill emanating from Sansan. He obediently relaxed, letting Sansan treat him like a kite. “How did you know I was planning to cause trouble for the Hundred Flowers Saintess?”

P.S. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow morning at eight. Please, please subscribe~~ (To be continued.)