"I mean, what do you mean when you said, I passed the Ascendant Tribulation, I'm not even an Ascendant Stage," I questioned.
"You saw the Endless Stairs?" spoke Master Rain.
"How did you know that?" I asked, "Because I'm sure the Heavenly Gate allows no one to peer within it, besides the one doing its trial," I said.
"It is because, the moment your trial started, you sat in front of the gate, and didn't move. That's a sign of the Heavenly Staircase appearing. You do not challenge it with your body, but with your soul and mind, you are given the task to Ascend from your mortal Shell to the upper realm, you have done that, without even being ready for your body to ascend, you ascended with this," spoke Master Rain as he pointed at my head.
I frowned, "I don't feel any different."
"Nor should you, it is a spiritual Ascension, only when your body follows will you be able to detect the Saint Qi, now many people will come to congratulate you for your pseudo ascension, make sure to befriend as many as you can, you'll need their assistance in the days to come," Master Rain's words remained while he disappeared from the area.
Soon, as Master Rain had said, many, many elders have come to the small hill I was on.
They came from the upper floating island, and some even from the housing districts.
"Shen Bao, congratulations on your Pseudo Ascension," spoke a man wearing purple robes.
Looking at him, he was the same person who gave me many gifts after the Race of the Heavenly Academy.
Another person followed, and also congratulated me. Then others, and others. Many elders, some even Black Robes, and some presented themselves as the people who will be teaching me some of the subjects to come.
"You did well Shen Bao, you did well." Some elders said.
"We're proud of having such a great talent in our humble academy. We'll see to it that you'll climb the ranks of cultivation with as much ease as you can," another elder said.
"That's no way to raise a talent, he needs experience and trials, we'll need to give our all for Shen Bao," another added.
I kept nodding up and down at their suggestions out of respect, almost enough that I felt like I was a chicken.
"I'm greatly honored to have all of you come to congratulate me, but I am still not at the ascendant stage, I still have so much more to learn, and I'll be honored to learn from you all whatever I can," I said as I clasped my hands.
"Such a well-mannered kid," someone in the background spoke.
"Shen Bao had just gone through an Ascension Trial, we'll need to let him rest for now. Tomorrow, you should head to the upper Island and take a look at the curriculum," Elder Cho spoke.
To which many nodded, even some black robes.
"Thank you all," I said as excused myself to leave.
"Wait Shen Bao, let me escort you, I have a few things I want to talk to you about," Elder Cho said.
This man was strange, he was kind and at the same time opportunistic, he gave me gifts and at the same time ultimatums. He aided me in accessing the Heavenly Academy, but to his own agenda, he even caused problems for another elder who tried to kill me in the Advent Tower. This man has a strange agenda and I need to figure out if he is trustworthy or not.
"Yes, it would be my honor," I said as the two of us took several steps into the air heading toward the housing areas.
After several moments of silence, Elder Cho spoke, "Did you enjoy the stay in the heavenly academy?" he asked.
"To be honest, I haven't been in the heavenly academy for much, most of the time I spent here was inside the tower, and the rest I spent traveling to the Under Void," I said.
"I know, since then, many things happened, we had some issues with some students and elders who fell ill, but thankfully their illness was resolved almost at the same time and no one was the wiser, it also coincided strangely with your departure to the Under Void," Elder Cho said.
His words were quite obvious, he seem to know what was going on here.
"I guess, coincidence," I said.
"Yes, perhaps. Also, your departure and assistance to Master Rain proved to be pivotal to my own progress, I've made some good advancement in my career here thanks to you, so I should consider our dept resolved," he said.
He is talking about the assistance he gave me in herbs manuals and many metals back at the race. But what did he gain from my departure?
"You don't need to worry about what happened just know that you owe me nothing anymore," Elder Cho said then soon added, "Also, since you left something else happened which I think no one told you about."
"What happened?" I asked.
"The Entrance Ceremony, while you were away, new students have joined the academy, and of them, some you know, some you don't. And with what happened here today, you should be careful from now on, jealousy is a deadly poison, far deadlier than you can imagine," Elder Cho said.
With these words, we arrived at the housing area, and he nodded to me and took up to the skies.
"What does he mean by that," I asked no one in particular.
Looking behind me, I found myself back next to Liang Yu's house.
"Damn I still need to solve this," I sighed as I walked into the house.
Only to find Liang Yu alone there.
She had a pout and her eyes were frowned down.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing is wrong," she said "Everything is fine," she added then turned around.
'Shit…'
"C'mon what's wrong? Are you still angry about earlier? She is my sect master, and was literally dead…" I said.
"I don't care," she said.
I sighed.
I held my hand forward and a small portal opened up. I pulled a small vial from within the portal and walked toward Liang Yu.
"Here," I said as I handed her the small bottle.
She half turned her face, opened one eye to look at the bottle then said, snorting, "You think whatever is in there is gonna make me forgive you?" she said.
'It's not that I did anything to ask forgiveness for, but… women. Sigh,'
"Just take it," I said.
She snorted once again and grabbed the vial.
"Now excuse me I'll be leaving," I said as I turned to leave, I didn't feel like I should stay here any longer. She is in a super prissy mood and it would be best to give her some time alone.
Also, why the hell am I in the wrong here? God damn it.
"So you think that giving me whatever is this and leaving is enough for me to forgive you!" she said as she was opening the bottle.
"If that's all you think I'm worth then I better just…" she said as she was about to spill the contents of the vial on the ground.
Yet the powerful sweet smell of the content's insides immediately permeated the room causing her eyes to widen.
"You might wanna drink that fast," I said as I was about to close the door and leave.
She immediately locked the vial back and sprinted towards me stopping me.
"What in god's name is this! Are you mad?! I can't take this! This is too much I was just messing around with you earlier, are you crazy? Do you know the value of this thing!" she said all in one breath.
"Calm down woman, just drink it, I don't need it, you can have it," I said.
"Are you crazy, what do you mean drink it?!" she said, "This is too damn expensive! You can literally buy a whole planet with this amount!"
"Just drink it, and go down to cultivate. It should help you climb in cultivation fast and catch up to me," I said. "I'll be leaving," I said.
"Where are you going?" she asked as she pocketed the vial.
I opened my mouth, then closed it, I was about to lie to her but decided to tell her the truth.
"I'm going to meet Yu Yu, we have many things to talk about," I said.
Liang Yu's expression turned slightly somber, but she sighed and said, "She is right, I've no claim over you. You can do whatever you want," she said.
"It's not out of passion, she was the person who picked me up when I needed help the most, she provided for me a home, and a shelter, until I became the cultivator I am today, don't you think I owe this person a bit of my time?"
Liang Yu didn't reply as she meekly lowered her head.
I found her antics quite pitiful but in a cute way, I couldn't help but kiss her on the head.
"I'll just have a talk with her, I'll see you tomorrow," I said.
"Okay…" she said.
Smiling I turned and left the housing areas.