Wu Ling steadied his surging emotions. Just as he was about to continue toward his house, two familiar traces of Spirit Power appeared in his senses.
A moment later, Ghost and Bibi Dong landed in front of him.
"Ling'er, what was that Spirit Power just now?"
Before Wu Ling could answer Bibi Dong's question, five more figures arrived close behind them.
"Greetings, Your Holiness," the five said at once.
"Mm. The elders are here too."
Among the five elders, the only one Wu Ling currently knew was Yue Guan, the Chrysanthemum Sage. He knew of the other four as well, but he had never met them in person.
Once everyone arrived at the scene, the four Titled Sages Wu Ling did not know shifted their gazes to the only unfamiliar face present, Wu Ling, who still had only Spirit Adept cultivation.
Seeing that, Bibi Dong naturally pushed Wu Ling forward and introduced him to the others. "Elders, you should have heard of him. This is my disciple, Wu Ling. Because he has been focused on cultivation, he has always kept a low profile. This should be his first meeting with you all.
"Wu Ling, greet the elders."
Wu Ling obediently bowed. "Wu Ling greets the elders."
The elders' attitudes toward Wu Ling varied, but none of them showed it too openly. The necessary formality still had to be observed, so they each nodded, though some did so rather perfunctorily.
Then Yue Guan, one of Bibi Dong's two closest aides, was the first to ask, "Your Holiness, may I ask why the Grand Elder suddenly released his Spirit Power just now?"
Everyone's gaze turned back to Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong shook her head slightly. "I am not clear on that either. When I arrived, Wu Ling was the only one here. I was about to ask him."
And so, every gaze moved from Bibi Dong back to Wu Ling.
"Ling'er, do not be nervous. Just tell us what happened."
Wu Ling began describing the event. "Teacher, when I left the Pope's Palace and walked here, an old man blocked my path... Then he used Spirit Power to blast me away. When I looked again, the old man was already gone. After that, Teacher and the rest of you arrived and began asking me about it."
After Wu Ling finished, none of the Titled Sages present spoke.
They could tell Wu Ling was not lying. More importantly, they all knew who that old man was.
That was precisely why they were shocked.
Lucius Cross, the Grand Elder and a peerless Titled Sage, had actually been forced to use Spirit Power against a Spirit Adept.
Although the Grand Elder had not used his full strength and had only defended, this child had still pushed the defensive Grand Elder into releasing Spirit Power. That alone was already extraordinary.
In an instant, the eyes of the four Titled Sages Wu Ling had not met before changed.
"Ahahaha, truly, heroes emerge young." A tall, slender man over 2 m in height spoke to Wu Ling first. "I see you use a long sword. I use a spear, but I can still give you a few pointers. Right, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Snake Spear Sage She Long. You may call me Elder She from now on."
"This old man is Ghost Leopard Sage. I see you are an agility-attack Spirit Master. I am also agility-attack type. If you do not mind, I can teach you a few moves as well." The second speaker wore a mask and looked oddly like a certain game assassin prince.
The remaining two Titled Sages were Porcupinefish Sage and Demon Bear Sage. They said that while their paths did not match Wu Ling's exactly, they had abundant combat experience. If Wu Ling ever wished to learn from other styles, he could come to them.
When they had nodded to Wu Ling earlier, it had only been because he was Bibi Dong's disciple. Now, this obvious goodwill was directed at Wu Ling himself.
They understood exactly how much weight Lucius Cross, a peerless Titled Sage, carried. Since Wu Ling had already shown such talent, they did not mind building a relationship with him in advance.
After they confirmed why the Grand Elder had released Spirit Power, the group exchanged a few polite words and then dispersed.
Bibi Dong brought Wu Ling back to the Pope's Palace. Ghost and Yue Guan followed behind her. The four of them returned to the hall once more.
"Ling'er, did you hide anything just now?"
"Teacher, not a single word I said was false."
"Then do you know who that old man was?"
"Teacher, I heard Elder Chrysanthemum call him Grand Elder. The only person who can be called Grand Elder should be that one, the elder with the Seraphim Martial Soul."
"Mm. Then do you know why he came to find you?"
"It seems that when I told Teacher and Grandpa Ghost that story, the Grand Elder overheard it. He came to see whether what I said was credible."
"I see..."
Bibi Dong knew Lucius Cross was the Angel God's representative in the mortal world, so she could understand why he had acted.
"All right. Go back and rest first. There should not be any more trouble this time. Elder Ghost and Elder Chrysanthemum, stay behind. I have something to discuss with you."
"Yes. This disciple will withdraw."
This time, under the Spirit Power senses of Bibi Dong, Ghost, and Yue Guan, they kept watching until Wu Ling returned to his residence. Only then did they withdraw their senses.
"Since Elder Chrysanthemum is here as well, let us begin setting the plan..."
Three days passed after Wu Ling returned.
Originally, he had wanted to go home the next day. However, after Azure and Ember disappeared, the exhaustion, pain, and weakness equivalent to using Swallow Reversal three times at once surged through every part of his body like a flood.
Because of that, Wu Ling had no strength to go anywhere the next day. He could only spend the entire day refining Spirit Power. In truth, that single day of refining was equivalent to three days for an ordinary person.
Seeing Ghost already waiting in the courtyard, Wu Ling cupped his hands and bowed. "I always have to trouble Grandpa Ghost. I truly feel embarrassed."
Ghost waved it off. "It is nothing. At my level, ordinary cultivation has very little effect. Taking you around lets me get out for a walk. Who knows? Perhaps one day I will have a sudden breakthrough and level up."
Wu Ling knew Ghost was telling the truth. Once someone reached the Titled Sage realm, unless they encountered a major opportunity, they might not rise even half a level in a year or two. Some would never advance again because of talent limits.
But the speaker had no special intent, while the listener did.
"Cultivation and level advancement, huh?" Wu Ling's thoughts gradually became active.
"Let us go. We should return quickly so you can see your family."
"Yes, Grandpa Ghost."
As Ghost brought him closer to Notting City, Wu Ling suddenly asked, "Grandpa Ghost, are Master Su Yuntao and Grandpa Matthew still in Notting City?"
"Su Yuntao and Matthew? I saw their names when I read your file. Because they discovered and recommended you, they were credited for the achievement and transferred to a higher-level city."
"I see. Then I will not visit them this time. Let us go straight back to my village."
Hearing Wu Ling's decision, Ghost increased his speed again and adjusted his direction slightly.
When Ghost brought Wu Ling above Crescent Moon Village, Wu Ling finally realized that the village's terrain truly did resemble a curved crescent moon.
Ghost set Wu Ling down and vanished. Wu Ling understood Ghost's habits by now, so he did not mind. He simply ran as fast as he could toward that familiar home.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?"
"It is me, Uncle Kiritsugu."
After a burst of hurried footsteps, the door opened.
Wu Ling looked at Uncle Kiritsugu, who looked even older than he had two and a half years ago, and smiled as he said the words of greeting he had been waiting to say.
"I'm back."