They talked, went on dates, walked in the garden, played board and card games—which, surprisingly enough, they all found enjoyable—and also shared intimate moments together, simply being with one another.
They didn't cultivate or train, not even a little bit. During this period, they focused all their attention on spending time together and relaxing after their long separation.
The only thing that could be 'somewhat' considered training was that, each day, Mikael dedicated a good portion of his time to sitting in meditation with Sangrelia resting on his lap, where he used the Sword Nurturing Art to quietly help restore and nurture her.
During those silent meditation sessions, Mikael was surrounded by a heavy aura—a mix of melancholy, sadness, and even… guilt? It was clear that even the usually indifferent Mikael felt remorse toward his loyal sword, who had nearly sacrificed herself to help him, and consequently, he poured considerable effort into nurturing her each day during those weighty 'meditation' sessions.
As all this happened, Lian'er didn't suddenly disappear once the talk was over. In truth, she remained at the Cultivation Manor for most of the time, joining them in many of their 'activities.'
Naturally, she didn't do everything with them—for things like dates, she wasn't present, except when it was in a friendly group setting—but if it was something romantic, like Mikael and Kiara going on a date in the Sect, then obviously, she wasn't invited. As for intimate moments?
Nothing much needed to be said—it was obvious she wasn't invited.
In this fashion, four days quickly passed, and by the end of it, all four were far more relaxed, their mental state now fully calm and peaceful.
At that moment, they paused the activities they had been doing over the past few days, as the Hebdomary Core Disciples Meeting had arrived—and considering they were all in a 'relaxing mindset,' and none of them had attended in quite some time, the girls not particularly inclined to go without Mikael—as for Lian'er?
Her answer, when Lyra asked if she wanted to come, was: "Ooohh! I forgot that there was something like the Core Disciples Hebdomary Meeting! This is soooo silly of me… It's exactly the kind of thing I like, on top of that!" she finished with a small pout, before obviously accepting to go with them.
On that note, the group of five all left the Cultivation Manor, and after a quick flight, reached the location where the meeting was held each week—some Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters of the Wandering Sword Sect were already present.
Once these Seniors saw the group of five, they were at first surprised, clearly not expecting to see them here, but that surprise quickly gave way to enthusiastic greetings, the atmosphere remaining casual and filled with a warm, welcoming energy that Mikael and the girls returned in kind.
On that note, and within this welcoming atmosphere, they took their seats before engaging in conversation with the other Core Disciples—one thing of note was Lian'er's current… attitude.
The brown-haired beauty wasn't seated like everyone else—instead, she was moving around, hopping from one group to another with lively steps and vivid hand gestures, her voice rising and falling with dramatic flair as she exclaimed, "And then—he tripped on his own scabbard! I swear it happened, I was there!" her eyes sparkling with mischief as her audience chuckled, some shaking their heads in fond amusement.
She would lean forward at times, widen her eyes with mock surprise, or clap her hands together with an exaggerated "Ah!" before darting to the next circle of disciples like it was the most natural thing in the world.
At this moment, she truly embodied the essence of a social butterfly—the kind that walked into a room of ten strangers and left with ten friends, the kind everyone couldn't help but adore after a single shared moment.
Chuckle.
Mikael let out a soft chuckle at the sight, then sipped a taste of the tea that had been placed in the cup before him and every Core Disciple, a hint of grimace appearing on his lips at that moment.
'Even after all this time, I still can't get used to tea… it's really bitter. I don't know how they love these things? I mean, maybe it's more for show than actually liking it? Like everybody finds the taste bitter but forces themselves to drink it or something?'
He thought to himself with some amusement before inwardly shaking his head, 'It's probably just a question of habit… I'm just not really used to drinking this kind of thing, that's all.'
Following that, his gaze drifted toward Lian'er's figure, which was continuously hopping from one conversation to the next while drawing out giggles and laughter from every Core Disciple present.
Hmm?
Mikael's attention was suddenly caught by a bit of conversation happening nearby. "...in the Savagefang Mountain Range!"
Focusing on the source, he spotted two Senior Brothers tens of meters away, currently engaged in a conversation. He tilted his head slightly, sharpening his hearing as he quietly listened in.
"I've heard about it—it's about an expedition from the Flame Sovereign Sect that ended in disaster?"
'Are they talking about what I think they're talking about?' he silently wondered as he continued to listen.
The other Senior Brother nodded. "Yes, that's the one. A large group from the Flame Sovereign Sect composed of a 3rd layer Core Formation Elder, Young Master Qin, some Core Disciples, and a few Inner Disciples entered the Savagefang Mountain Range… and you don't know the worst of it?"
He took a short pause to build suspense.
A nearby Senior Sister, who had been quietly listening, rolled her eyes. "Go on, don't make us wait."
The Senior Brother, seeing that he had a pretty sister's attention, continued more enthusiastically, "They faced near-total annihilation! The only survivor was Young Master Qin—thanks to the life-saving treasures he carried on himself!"
"What!"
Exclamations of surprise echoed out as a large part of the Core Disciples nearby focused on the conversation. As for the others, once they heard the surprised reactions and realized something was happening, they quickly asked those around them what was going on and were promptly brought up to speed.
Senior Sister Su Qingya leaned forward, her voluptuous figure accentuated as she spoke with a teasing glint in her eye, "Brother Chen, are you sure of what you're saying? You aren't bringing us unverified rumors again just to be the center of attention, are you~?"
Instantly, the other Core Disciples lost most of their interest, as—just like Su Qingya had said—Brother Chen was 'notorious' for saying things that often turned out to be partially false…
Slam.
Brother Chen slammed his hand down as he loudly exclaimed, "This time, it's definitely true! What I'm saying isn't a rumor—I can guarantee it!"
"Yeah, sure it is."
"Uh-huh. And I'm the Sect Master."
It was clear that nobody believed Brother Chen, which made his face redden in a mix of shame and annoyance—because, for once, what he was saying was actually the truth!
'Maybe I shouldn't have told rumors and partially false things this often… because now they don't believe me even when I say the truth…' he thought dejectedly.
"Senior Brother Chen, could you continue with your story? I'm interested in hearing it."
"Huh?" He looked up to see Mikael, who was attentively watching him. "Junior Brother Mikael, do you believe in me?" he asked, his expression suddenly touched.
'Urgh… what's with that expression?' Mikael inwardly grunted, though outwardly he maintained a calm demeanor and gave a small nod.
"See! Junior Brother gets it!" Brother Chen joyfully exclaimed before, without giving him a chance to change his mind, immediately launching into a long and detailed explanation of what had happened in the Savagefang Mountain Range during the Flame Sovereign Sect's expedition.
Mikael attentively listened, a certain glint in his eyes.
Once Brother Chen had finished and saw that his Junior Brother was still listening, he felt extremely pleased—and then he remembered something that pushed him to curiously ask, "Junior Brother, if I remember right, you had some missions in the Savagefang Mountain Range, so did you see the group from the Flame Sovereign Sect?"
Mikael gave him a strange look before shaking his head. "How could I have? I didn't go anywhere near that deep into the Range. I'm not suicidal—I value my life more than some spiritual plants."
A few nearby Senior Sisters, who had clearly been eavesdropping, broke into laughter and immediately began teasing Chen.
"Brother Chen, you didn't think this through," one of them said with a teasing smile. "Our romantic Junior Brother just started cultivating—did you really expect him to be diving deep into the Savagefang Mountain Range like it's nothing?"
"Right?" another chimed in with a grin. "At least let him break through a few more realms before you send him off to die!"
"And what if…" murmured a third, lowering her voice as a conspiratorial glint danced in her eyes, "...he's actually the one who wiped out the entire Flame Sovereign group?"
Gasp.
A wave of exaggerated gasps echoed around them as the Senior Sisters turned toward Mikael, eyes wide open in 'shock.'
"Junior Brother—is it true?"
Mikael sighed in mock defeat and slowly extended his wrists forward. "Alright, Senior Sisters, you've got me. I surrender."
Suddenly, just as his arms were still extended, two dainty hands tightly grabbed them and pulled them into an embrace.
It was the blue-haired, possessive beauty that was Kiara, as she tightly held his arms against her with an expression of annoyance that screamed, "Mine!"
For a moment, there was silence—and then—
A wave of laughter erupted as all the other Core Disciples burst out laughing at the scene, especially the Senior Sisters, who teased, "Junior Sister is really adorable with her possessiveness."
"Right?"
"It's like she's afraid we'll steal her Taoist Couple?"
"Maybe…" another gave Mikael a slow and clearly exaggerated wink, "...she isn't wrong."
Hmph.
Kiara coldly huffed at the Senior Sisters. 'Thirsty bitches, stop looking at my darling~ he is mine, mine, mine, mine….' As she had these totally normal thoughts, she tightened her hold on his arms and then pressed them against her chest, her white peaks wrapping themselves around his arms in a comfortable, pillowy embrace.
It was on this lively note that the Hebdomary Core Disciples Meeting continued, quickly shifting to another subject, with Mikael outwardly participating but inwardly lost in thought—a part of his attention focused on Kiara's comfortable embrace, but an even larger part on the information he had learned from Senior Brother Chen.
'They were nearly all wiped out… hummm… this is better news than them getting the Thunder Vein Dew, as that would've left me with zero chance of obtaining it—but not by much, since with this Young Master Qin, who is the son of the Flame Sovereign Sect's Sect Master, surviving, it's nearly certain they'll soon come back with a stronger lineup and easily get this Heavenly Wonder.'
'Sadly, this Young Master Qin wasn't killed, which would've given me all the time I needed to come back once I'm stronger—but now I'm on a tight deadline. So… should I go right now? Before they've organized another expedition and snatch it just before them?'
He gazed past the voices and laughter, his thoughts already elsewhere…
Tap, tap, tap.
The rhythmic tapping of his finger on the wooden table resounded as he pondered the situation.
'No, it's not a good idea. Let's not even talk about the 6th layer Core Formation demonic beast guarding it—even if I 'only' had to reach the Heavenly Wonder, it would still be extremely arduous, as the Savagefang Mountain Range would now be in a "full state," since the demonic beast tide's "emptiness period" should have already passed.'
'And while this Thunder Vein Dew is undoubtedly something extremely precious and valuable, if the son of the Sect Master of the Flame Sovereign Sect's actions are to be believed but… I can live without it but I can't live if I'm dead!'
Sigh.
He let out a small sigh, inwardly deciding—once again, and this time for good—to abandon this Heavenly Wonder, as it was clear that obtaining it was impossible, and he knew he needed to resign himself to letting it go.
In truth, he had already made peace with this when he escaped the Savagefang Mountain Range. It's just that the news from Senior Brother Chen had partially rekindled his hope—but after thinking it through, he accepted reality and let it go.
On that note, he refocused himself on the conversations and liveliness happening all around him.
While Mikael allowed the matter to fade into the background, elsewhere, the ripples of that very event continued to spread—while the rest of the cultivation world speculated about the disastrous fate of the Flame Sovereign Sect's expeditionary force, deep within the heart of the Sect, a private report had been delivered—one that would never reach public ears, and that was the true source of these 'rumors'.
Author Note:
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My bad.
This is the first thing I want to says because this chapter was one of too much of slice of life one after the other I am pretty sure of, honestly I realized it which is why there was a 'time skip' at the start of the chapters as everything speeded up and I even did the same to the start of the meeting but afterward I once again slowed down so sorry about that.
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— End of Chapter —