"Hello, everyone. It's been a while." Yuan greeted Long Yijun and the other sect elders.
"It's only been a few months. This amount of time is nothing in the cultivation world." Elder Xuan said with a smile on his face.
"Madam Feng… Seniors… Welcome to the Dragon Essence Temple." Long Yijun then greeted Feng Yuxiang and the others.
"I heard you're going to challenge the Stairway to Heaven soon, is that right? You grow up so quickly." Elder Shan approached him until she was standing directly behind him.
She then wrapped her arms around him and embraced him in a playful manner.
"I swear it wasn't long ago that you were a Spirit Warrior. Your talents are screwing with my sense of time," she sighed.
Although the others would normally call out her shamelessness, the sect elders remained silent this time.
Once she had enough, Elder Shan released Yuan and asked him, "Are you going to challenge the Stairway to Heaven right after leaving this place?"
"I still have one place to visit after this, but once that is done, I will challenge the stairway," he said.
"How long do you plan on staying here?" Elder Xuan asked him.
"I probably won't stay too long since I only have to pick up someone before I am ready to leave."
"Who are you picking up?" Long Yijun raised his brows.
"Min Li," he calmly said.
"Eh? Min Li from the Min Family? Why are you picking her up?" Long Yijun continued to ask.
"I am going to bring her with me to the Stairway to Heaven," he responded.
"What?! She's also going to challenge the Stairway to Heaven?!" The people there were surprised to learn this information.
"But she's only a Spirit Warrior! There's no way she'll succeed!"
Yuan waved his hand and said, "That's not it. I will be helping her climb the stairway, so she doesn't actually have to climb it herself."
Everyone there stared at him with wide eyes.
Long Yijun then spoke with a frown on his face, "Yuan… You are aware that by helping her, it will make your climb much more difficult, right?"
"Yes, I am well aware of it."
"And you're still willing to help her? You're really too kind, Yuan…" Elder Xuan said with a warm smile on his face.
"Hm? But wait a moment… Min Li from the Min Family had to return to her family's headquarters for some reason, so she's not in the sect at this moment." Elder Bai suddenly said.
"What? When did this happen?" Long Yijun asked, as he was not aware of this information.
"Last week. I saw it in the reports, but I didn't think it was worth mentioning to you, so I didn't say anything. After all, people from the Legacy Families are always going back and forth, so this isn't anything unusual."
"Min Li is not at the sect? Do you know when she will return?" Yuan then asked.
"Unfortunately, she didn't leave behind any additional notes, so we don't know when she'll return."
"Hmm… How far away is the Min Family? I think it would be quicker if I go there instead."
"The Min Family isn't that far away. In fact, you can get to that place in just a few hours if you use teleport formations." Elder Xuan said.
"Sounds good. I will visit her after I say goodbye to a few disciples." Yuan nodded.
"By disciples, do you mean my disciple, Fei Yuyan?" Elder Shan asked.
"Yes. I hope she's not busy."
"She's usually training at this time, but I'm sure that she wouldn't mind your presence for a bit. I will take you to her right now if you want."
"Sure."
After talking with the others for a bit longer, Yuan followed Elder Shan to the Blossom Peak, where Fei Yuyan was training with the other disciples.
"Yuyan! You have a visitor!"
"A visitor?" Fei Yuyan turned around after hearing Elder Shan's voice.
"Eh…? Y-Yuan…? Is that really you?" Fei Yuyan doubted her eyes for a moment when she saw him.
"Yes, it's me. I have come to visit you… and to say goodbye." Yuan said as he approached her.
"Goodbye?" Fei Yuyan frowned slightly.
"I will be challenging the Stairway to Heaven soon. If I succeed, I will no longer be in the Lower Heavens," he said.
"Oh, right… You did say that before you left the sect. Well… Good luck. Though I'm sure you'll succeed with ease."
Although she wanted to say more to him, she wasn't sure what else to say to him, as his sudden appearance had baffled her speechless.
"Disciple Fei, do you remember what we talked about before I left?" Yuan suddenly asked her.
"What we talked about?" Fei Yuyan began pondering.
"Are you going to ask me if I want to follow you to the upper heavens?" Fei Yuyan said after a long moment of silence.
"That's right. If you want to go to the upper heavens, I can help you. Have you thought about it after I left?" Yuan nodded.
"Of course, I have thought about it." Fei Yuyan nodded.
"Then can you tell me your decision?"
Fei Yuyan looked at Yuan straight in the eyes for a few seconds before speaking, "Unlike Disciple Min, I do not have any big ambitions. I am satisfied with what I have right now, and even if I receive your help to reach the upper heavens, I won't truly feel like I belong there."
She paused for a moment to take a deep breath before continuing, "Therefore, I will have to decline your offer."
"I understand." Yuan nodded.
"Wait…" Fei Yuyan suddenly began blushing, and she spoke a moment later, "It's not that I don't want to follow you. In fact, I want to follow you to the upper heavens and spend more time with you, but I don't want to be a burden."
"Burden? You are not—"
"Don't." Fei Yuyan suddenly interrupted.
"Don't tell me that I am not a burden. It will only make me feel worse. Please..."
"..."
Seeing the painful smile on Fei Yuyan's face, Yuan decided to not continue his sentence and merely nodded in silence.