Chapter 28
It was Mack. He murmured, “You did well.”
Linda couldn’t hold back her smile, nodding emphatically. “I’ll do even better from here on out.”
Because this wasn’t the High Sanctum of Archmagi. This was the First Unity Coven.
After the Storm Trial, Linda rested for a full seven days before she was back to normal.
55 Vouchers
But when they met up again and clocked her cultivation level, Laura and Craig went quiet. “Linda, how’d you drop back to Mana–Stoking Phase?”
Rafael jabbed a finger toward his eyes. “If I hadn’t watched you go through that tribulation myself, I’d swear it was all a dream.”
Linda rubbed her nose sheepishly.
She’d spotted the change the very next day after the trial, but Mack had clued her in ahead of time, so she wasn’t fazed.
“For this trial, you’ve got two options,” he’d explained. “First: shatter your original five Gilded Cores and start fresh. Rebuild your foundation, condense new ones, form your Astral Sovereign Form, and follow the standard cultivator’s path all over again.
“But it’ll be rough for you. You’ll run into the same bottlenecks, your cultivation grinding to a halt, and you’d have to push through them once more. Fail that, and you might be capped there forever.”
“And the second?” she’d asked.
“Keep building more cores. No turning back. Push past the usual limit on Gilded Cores, stack them up, then break through to Astral Sovereign Form. Use the Mind–Tempering Liturgy I taught you and forge a new path, one no ordinary cultivator’s ever walked.
“You up for it?”
After their talk, Linda mulled it over for three days, piecing together fragments from her previous life.
Coleman had to have known about her Poly–Affinity and how they made Astral Sovereign Form a long shot.
That was why, no matter how brilliantly she’d performed, the High Sanctum of Archmagi never gave her the time of day. A “genius” stuck short of Astral Sovereign Form? Not a genius at all. And definitely not worth the
resources.
Her father had sealed her Affinities to carve out a future for her, but he never saw it coming: once Coleman figured it out, he just got pissed. And vented it all on her.
So, after sorting through it all, Linda picked the second path.
Mack had double–checked. “You sure about this? It’s uncharted territory for both of us. My guidance might
12:45 Mon, Jan 19
Chapter 28
flop, and if it does, Gilded Phase could be your ceiling for good.”
¢༣
61
65 vouchers
“Gilded Phase it is, then. If I’m stuck there forever, so be it. Both paths could end up the same anyway, so I’ll take the second one.”
Worst came to worst, she could always fall back on the Path of the Runic Scrivener.
They shared a determined look and committed to this unexplored road together.
“I’ll be right there with you,” Mack had promised.
And that was how-
Rafael and the crew wound up staring at a Mana–Stoking Phase Linda.
She grinned. “Yep, back to square one with my cultivation.”
“This doesn’t add up. Not one bit.” Rafael paced around her, eyeing her suspiciously. “You haven’t been body- snatched, have you?”
Linda let out a light laugh. She lifted her hand, formed a seal, and let her Gilded Core aura flood out.
Rafael’s eyes widened. “Whoa… that’s Gilded Phase!”
Linda pulled it back in, masking her true level. “My Affinities are unique, so my cultivation method’s not the standard fare. No need to worry. Whether it’s Gilded Phase or Mana–Stoking Phase, it’s still me. I can handle myself just fine.”
Craig chimed in, “Mack fill you in on the Veil?”
Linda’s trip down the mountain this time was all about the Veil set to open in a month.
“He did,” she nodded. “I’m tagging along with you all.”
They’d raid the Veil for loot first, then head into the sect tournament with better odds of coming out on top.
Craig nodded. “Sounds good. It’ll be the three of us setting off.”
“Hey, what about me?” Rafael butted in from the sidelines.
Craig pushed his head aside. “You’re not at Condensation of the Primal Core yet. Sit this one out.”
Rafael waved his arms wildly. “But I’m this close!”
“We leave in half a month. If you can form your core by then, you’re welcome to join us.” Craig watched Rafael deflate right after he said it.
But it wasn’t that Rafael lacked talent, far from it.
He’d joined the sect at the same time as Linda, and while he couldn’t keep up with her, he’d still hit peak Foundation Phase in just a year. He was literally one step away from Condensation of the Primal Core.
Chapter 28
$1
356 vouchers
Linda was just on another level, freakishly fast.
Linda reflected that without the time acceleration from the Mystic Exchange, she wouldn’t have advanced so quickly either. With five Affinities, cultivation demanded five times the effort compared to others,
Even with her exceptional talent, it still boiled down to putting in the hours.
Let me tag along. I swear I’ll break through” Rafael kept badgering them, refusing to drop it.
Craig said, “What if your tribulation hits while we’re on the road? We’d have to babysit you through it. Just stay in the sect and behave.”
Craig literally dragged him off, and the two brothers headed out to spar. At least this year, there’d been no more talk of Rafael trying to skip out on the sect.
Once they were gone, Laura passed Linda a pouch of Luster Shards.
Peeking inside, she saw a full ten thousand.
Linda blinked in surprise. “Laura.”
Laura’s eyes curved into a warm smile. “A little congrats gift.”
Linda’s fingers tightened around the bag.
Laura ruffled her hair gently. “Keep at it, okay?”
After the four of them huddled to plan their travel essentials, Linda made her way back to the Frost–Crowned Highlands.
Mack wasn’t at the stone platform, so he must’ve been holed up in his Hermit’s Sanctum.
The doors to Ocean–Soul Tincture were sealed tight.
Linda ducked into her own Hermit’s Sanctum, then plunged headfirst into the Mystic Exchange. Her spot there was still that humble thatched hut, a cramped little shack that left no room once the bed was in.
Luster Shards stashed in her pocket, Linda pulled up the Citrine Metropolis menu. Upgrading to a fancier place with faster time flow meant shelling out Luster Shards.
The thatched hut had set her back fifteen thousand last time. This wood version? Thirty thousand.
Linda added up her talisman sales, Laura’s gift, and her latest Monthly Stipend. It came to just over thirty grand.
She didn’t hesitate, dumping it all in.
In a flash, the tiny thatch turned into a cozy wood hut. Testing the time flow, she found it tripled. One day out here meant three in there.
And this time, it didn’t kick her out after a single day. Her stay in the Mystic Exchange could stretch longer
Chapter 28
Linda was just on another level, freakishly fast
Linda reflected that without the time acceleration from the Mystic Exchange, she wouldn’t tuve advanced on quickly either. With five Affinities, cultivation demanded five times the effort compared to others,
Even with her exceptional talent, it still boiled down to putting in the hours.
“Let me tag along. I swear I’ll break through” Rafael kept badgering them, refusing to drop it.
Craig said, “What if your tribulation hits while we’re on the road? We’d have to babysit you through it. Just stay in the sect and behave.”
Craig literally dragged him off, and the two brothers headed out to spar. At least this year, there’d been no more talk of Rafael trying to skip out on the sect
Once they were gone, Laura passed Linda a pouch of Luster Shards.
Peeking inside, she saw a full ten thousand,
Linda blinked in surprise. “Laura.”
Laura’s eyes curved into a warm smile. “A little congrats gift.”
Linda’s fingers tightened around the bag.
Laura ruffled her hair gently. “Keep at it, okay?”
After the four of them huddled to plan their travel essentials, Linda made her way back to the Frost–Crowned Highlands.
Mack wasn’t at the stone platform, so he must’ve been holed up in his Hermit’s Sanctum.
The doors to Ocean–Soul Tincture were sealed tight.
Linda ducked into her own Hermit’s Sanctum, then plunged headfirst into the Mystic Exchange. Her spot there was still that humble thatched hut, a cramped little shack that left no room once the bed was in.
Luster Shards stashed in her pocket, Linda pulled up the Citrine Metropolis menu. Upgrading to a fancier place with faster time flow meant shelling out Luster Shards.
The thatched hut had set her back fifteen thousand last time. This wood version? Thirty thousand.
Linda added up her talisman sales, Laura’s gift, and her latest Monthly Stipend. It came to just over thirty grand.
She didn’t hesitate, dumping it all in.
In a flash, the tiny thatch turned into a cozy wood hut. Testing the time flow, she found it tripled. One day out here meant three in there.
And this time, it didn’t kick her out after a single day. Her stay in the Mystic Exchange could stretch longer
Chapter 28
now.
Linda traced her fingers over the shabby wood walls. “Wonder what the top–tier setup offers. How much faster the time gets, and what it’ll cost in Luster Shards.”
Even in her previous life, she’d never maxed it out. It only piqued her curiosity more about whoever was behind this Mystic Exchange.
But right now, for Linda, it meant grinding hard for more stones. Triple speed just wasn’t enough to cut it.
She settled into a cross–legged position and dove into meditation, pushing to level up her cultivation ASAP. As Mack had cautioned, things would drag more as she progressed.
Her Gilded Cores gobbled up a ton of the incoming mana, making it a slog to rebuild through Foundation
Phase.
But hey, it figured, not every body could juggle that many cores. Her wall might come at the eleventh one. Or perhaps in the next Foundation Phase push. Either way, that was future problems.
For three solid days, Linda worked the Mind–Tempering Liturgy, pulling in mana from a ten–mile radius.
The Liturgy’s quirks helped counter the slowdown. It evened things out.
After those three days, Water and Pyric Affinities: Second–Tier Neophyte. Terrene Triad: Holding steady at First–Tier Neophyte.
Linda checked her body inwardly, steadying her breath before pressing on. Half a month later in Mystic Exchange time, she got booted out.
Fifteen days inside, five out.
Linda crunched the numbers. “Makes sense. Still gotta chill outside for a full day before re–entry.”
Once the wait was up, she jumped back in without missing a beat.
And in those intervening days, word came down from the Apprentices‘ Quarters with some good news.
Rafael had formed his core.
田
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
