Aria had a strange dream. The dreamworld was much more beautiful than what she had ever seen in the real world. The buildings were built simply, but it was exquisitely designed like works of art. It was clean, beautiful, awe inspiring and majestic at the same time. What she was looking at was a lone palace on the peak of a snowy mountain. The air below was fresh, while the sky above was bright. It was not grim and smoky like the screams of industrialization in the real world.
The very world itself seemed to thrum with life as mythical birds flew over the skies. Aria was not in her own body but watched the world through the eyes of someone else. She had no control and was only a spectator. She experienced the sensation of being able to fly through the skies alongside these mythical birds.
The person she was inhabiting was like the very definition of beauty. Her whole body was flawlessly perfect without a single blemish. Like a goddess or monarch, her looks and power reigned supreme. She could summon the winds and rains with a call and flatten mountains and dry up rivers with a wave of her hand.
Aria didn't think it was possible for humans to attain such strength but tried to engrave everything she saw into her memory as she might not remember such a dream when she wakes up.
The scenery changes and she was no longer the powerful goddess, but a sickly little girl suffering from a rare illness that leaves her bedridden. Time flashes forward a few years and she became a sickly young girl. Her parents were poor, but they never once thought about giving up on her. She was well loved. However, one day, her whole village was massacred by pillaging bandits and she lost everything.
Maybe due to the likelihood that she would die even if she was left on her own, the bandits did not bother her and spared her. She became the sole survivor of the village.
While waiting to die, a pair of travelling miracle doctors, father and son found her. The son was even younger than her, but his medical skills was beyond her understanding. Her knowledge of the world was limited within her village.
While there were divine practitioners in that world, there were also a lot of ordinary folks. No one was born strong and not everyone was born into a cultivation family.
The father could easily cure her illness, but the task was left to the son as part of his test. The father and son felt sympathetic for her loss when they learned of her story and took her in as a maid after she was cured. Although she was taken in as a maid, her status wasn't below anyone else and the son's father treated her like he would his own daughter.
When she was freed from the illness, her talent in cultivation blossomed and the father and son duo realized they had picked up a rare treasure. She possessed a unique body constitution that allowed her to cultivate at an unprecedented speed and broke all records to become the youngest Divine King in a very short amount of time.
The scene changed once again, where she was still a loyal maid despite now possessing the strength to stand at the top of the world. She had never forgotten the kindness and new lease on life the father and son had given her.
Despite being several years older, she had fallen in love with the young medical genius. But because they grew close as brothers and sisters, she kept her feelings bottled up inside. She was afraid of destroying the relationship they shared.
When the young medical genius grew of age and became more conscious of matters between man and woman, he started to indulge himself in the brothels.
Aria felt the sadness in the person's body she was occupying. Why did the boy look for smelly fishes in distant waters when there was a white swan in nearby pond?
However, it wasn't her place to judge since she didn't understand anything. She was just an observer.
The girl did not ask for much. She was content as long as she had a place in his heart.
The scene changed once more as time seemed to move forward a several years.
The proud goddess was back on the snowy mountain palace, but the place felt desolate. Feelings of regret and sadness swelled in her heart as she stood by the side where the father and son laid in a pool of blood.
The father and son weren't just doctors but royalty. The father was a powerful Divine King and had vast territories under his rule. The palace was built on the peak of the snowy mountain because it had good vantage point to overlook his territory. They had many subordinates and servants, but at this moment, not a single soul was seen.
She was gone on a trip to procure some extremely rare divine herbs for the Divine Medicine King and when she came home, everything was gone. She had lost everything important to her once more.
The loss overwhelmed her. Even if she was strong enough to go and take revenge, it would not bring the dead to life. With her loved ones gone, she lost her will to live and ended her life.
If there was a next life…she would not hold anything back and try to live without regrets...
Aria woke up with her eyes moist. She felt confused and lost. She didn't know why but she felt sad.
The dream became a distant blur and harder to recall after she was awake. It was also like a jumbled puzzle that was hard to follow but she at least understood the tragedy of the girl's life. She did want to become like that.
To live without regrets…
With that thought she wanted to bury herself into Leon's arms tightly and not let go, but her arms grabbed at nothing and realized she was alone in bed. Leon was already gone, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky outside.
...
Crawford campus, training field. The students gathered early again. The awakened students have recovered from their fatigue, but the ordinary students were not. They felt sore all over their body and their legs felt like jelly. Their bodies weren't well trained and would take up to 2 weeks to recover from aching muscles naturally. Unfortunately, the instructor wouldn't give them that much time. If continuously pushed beyond their limit, they may have a chance at natural awakening.
"Looks like I'm the last one to the party." Leon walked over to the group with a smile.
Fatty Ben, Rachel and Lynne were all present.
"Hmm? What's wrong with you, Lynne?" Leon immediately noticed something was wrong with Lynne. She had tried to hide it, but it did not escape Leon's sharp eyes.
Her face was pale, and she was feeling lethargic and fragile like a stalk of grass that sways at the slightest blow of the wind.
"I-I'm fine." Lynne said weakly and panicked, while taking a step back. With Leon's medical expertise, he could easily discover something was wrong with her. However, she did not want her problem to be known by her rival in front of her. Her step back lacked strength and made her fall backwards.
Leon swiftly took a step forward and grabbed her wrist and pull her back up before she could hit the ground. He felt her pulse and his expression turn grave. Her hand felt very cold. In fact, it was bone chilling cold. Even without fully checking her condition, he could guess why she had become like this. She had overdosed on the awakening pills, but since Leon was unfamiliar with the aftereffects of awakening pill overdose. He could not come up with a cure on the spot.
It was a miracle that she was alive until now. If Lynne didn't breakthrough to the 3rd step, she would have died without a doubt. She was left unconscious overnight after all. The body strengthening benefits brought be breakthroughs allowed her to last until now. But it came with a strange mutation. She was originally burning up when she took the pills, but all she could feel now is icy cold. Her water seed had gone out of control and became frozen. The cold energy leaked to the rest of her body.
"Your body is in such critical condition and you say you are fine?" Leon tone was harsh and stern. She was nominally his fiancée. How would he answer to her grandpa if something happens to her?
Being rebuked by Leon, tears welled up in her eyes.
Seeing her expression, he softens up and sighed. "You are too impatient and reckless for success."
"Mmm." Lynne lowered her head.
"Is it that serious? How do you know? Can you treat her?" Rachel bombarded him with questions, but she was genuinely concern. She did not know about Leon's medical expertise, but she chooses not to doubt his words. Leon wouldn't talk nonsense when he is serious. However, the more she learns, the less she understood him.
Lynne was touched by her concern and thought there was no point in being rivals. Someone as excellent as Leon was bound to have more than one woman by his side.
"Yes and no. I can treat the symptoms but not the root." Leon answered after some thought. It was not a problem to expel the cold energy in her body, but the core problem was her frozen water seed. If it was not treated then cold energy would continue to spread in her body.
But it was too close to Lynne's soul core and anything that involved the soul core had to be treated with utmost care. If he was careless and cause irreparable damage to her soul, it'll be too late for regrets.
"Please help her."
Leon nodded. It goes without saying. He was about to begin treatment, but his hands paused briefly by a loud voice.
"ATTENTION! Line up neatly for your roll call!" Instructor Eugene arrived on the field and roared in a volume that everyone could hear.
Leon ignored it and resume his treatment plan on Lynne's body.