A few moments later, Song Ling'er sat down in a room with Long Yijun sitting behind his work desk.
"So where is Disciple Yuan?" Song Ling'er asked.
"He's currently inside the Dragon Temple," he said casually.
One would expect Long Yijun to keep the Dragon Temple a secret since there are clearly plenty of valuable treasures inside. However, the Dragon Temple has been widespread knowledge for ages now.
"The Dragon Temple? Since when?" Song Ling'er said.
"A couple of minutes ago," he said.
"..."
Song Ling'er was speechless. If only she'd come to this place a day early— even a few hours early, she might've been able to speak with Yuan.
"Now that you know about his whereabouts, you may leave this place."
"Hmph. Then I will stay here until he comes out." Song Ling'er said, surprising him.
"What? You're going to stay here until he returns? It might be weeks before he comes out! As the Sect Master of one of the top ten sects in the Lower Heaven, don't you have better things to do than chase someone who has already rejected you?" Long Yijun said to her.
Song Ling'er looked at his desk that was filled with papers and sneered, "Unlike you, I finish all of my work before I decide to do anything. The Mystic Realm just ended, so I have plenty of time to spare."
"And speaking of the Mystic Realm, your sect only obtained its place because of Disciple Yuan. I cannot wait to see the look on your face after the next one."
Long Yijun smiled and said, "No need to push your anger on me just because you were rejected by a junior."
"Y-You little!" Song Ling'er was immediately aggravated by his comeback.
"Hmph. I did not come here to argue with you. I am here to take Disciple Yuan with me."
Long Yijun shook his head and said, "What makes you think he'll join your sect? He even refused to go to the Spirit Heaven with Senior Nie, you know?"
"I know. I was there when it happened," she said, and she continued, "If he'd gone with Senior Nie to the Spirit Heaven, I would have given up. But the fact that he decided to stay in the Lower Heaven means I still have a chance."
"Keep dreaming." Long Yijun laughed.
And then he continued, "Anyways, if you're not going to leave, you can go ahead and wait for as long as you'd like. In the end, it's Disciple Yuan's decision whether he wants to follow you or not. I would love to have him as a core disciple in the Dragon Essence Temple, but I know he won't stay with us for long. Perhaps after the Dragon Temple, he will leave the sect. This place is too small for someone like him."
"Then I shall wait for him outside the Dragon Temple," she said.
"Do whatever you want." Long Yijun shrugged.
Normally, Long Yijun wouldn't act so carefree before the Sect Master of another sect, but he has known Song Ling'er for a very long time now, and while they were not friends, they were not enemies either.
Long Yijun also knew that Song Ling'er was not the type of person to harm others without a reason, nor was she someone who'd scheme against others, so he wasn't too worried about letting her roam the sect without any supervision.
Furthermore, it was clear to him that she was only here for Disciple Yuan.
After leaving the building, Song Ling'er went straight to the Dragon Fissure.
She noticed a portable house by the Dragon Fissure and subconsciously decided to stay there just in case she wanted to use it, unaware that it was already occupied.
Sometime later, Song Ling'er sat by the Dragon Fissure and retrieved her zither, eventually playing it to pass time.
"Isn't that one of the judges during the zither competition? What is she doing here?" Feng Yuxiang quickly recognized Song Ling'er based on her aura.
"She's obviously here for Brother Yuan," Xiao Hua said.
"What? She's a really persistent one. The Young Master has already refused her offer plenty of times, yet she just doesn't give up."
"Who is she?" Lan Yingying couldn't help but ask.
"She's the Sect Master of the Heavenly Melody Academy, and she was the judge in a competition the Young Master participated in. She even had a little battle with the Young Master and lost to him, and she has been chasing after him since then." Feng Yuxiang explained the situation.
"I see…" Lan Yinying nodded.
Meanwhile, in the Medicine Valley that was in the Northern Continent, Wang Xiuying bowed to her master and said, "Thank you for everything, Master. I have learned a lot from this place."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. I have also learned a lot from you. You are definitely one of the most talented disciples we've ever had. If you continue to study medicine, I'm sure you'll become someone great in the future." Her master said.
"Good luck in the Spirit Heavens."
Wang Xiuying nodded before turning around and walking to Senior Nie, who was there with the other two participants going to the Spirit Heaven with her, and one of them was also a player like her.
"Are you ready to leave this place?" Senior Nie asked her.
"Yes, I am."
"Good. Then we will be going to the Spirit Heaven now." Senior Nie departed the Medicine Valley with Wang Xiuying and the other two, taking them back to the place outside the Mystic Realm.
Once he was prepared, Senior Nie retrieved a crystal and crushed it with his hands.
The next moment, a massive formation appeared beneath them before enveloping them in a warm light.
"This feels like…"
Wang Xiuying found the formation similar to the one in the Mystic Pagoda that took her and Yuan to the Ancient Dragon City.
Whoosh!
The four of them began levitating off the ground before shooting straight up into the sky, where a portal had suddenly opened up.
And before they were aware, Wang Xiuying and the others left the Lower Heaven, becoming the first players to ascend.