Chapter233 – Left with Briar

“Yes. They’ve been managing the business these past few years and sending back annual profits. This is this year’s share.”

Lauren returned the ring. “Senior Brother, you keep it. Starfell Summit has grown a lot recently. Everyone needs resources.”

Tarot nodded. “Alright.”

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “You’ve worked hard all these years.”

Tarot felt oddly embarrassed by her politeness. He muttered something about fulfilling their master’s wishes rather than helping her.

With sufficient resources, Grandpa would soon reach Nascent Soul.

Lauren had intended to prepare the necessary items for his breakthrough herself, but Tarot had already taken care of everything.

Her senior brother really was meticulous. Once Grandpa advanced, his lifespan would double. Under his leadership, the Evercrest family would flourish for generations.

After visiting home, Lauren entered the ice cave her master had prepared years ago.

The so-called “ice cave” was actually a massive cavern in the back mountains of the Thunder Sect, its walls lined with countless ice crystals. A powerful array sealed it completely, preventing even a trace of spiritual energy from leaking out.

She remained there for five full years.

Five years of silent absorption. When the last ice crystal dissolved into pure spiritual energy and poured into her dantian, the breakthrough finally came. Mahayana.

......

Gerald had been keeping an eye on the direction of her seclusion the entire time. The moment strange fluctuations erupted from the valley, he reacted immediately.

“Quick! Go absorb the spiritual rain!” he barked at his disciples.

He didn’t hesitate to join them. The spiritual rain of a Mahayana breakthrough was rare—something that happened only once every several years. When he was young, he had absorbed the spiritual rain of Mr. Drake. It had allowed him to advance two minor realms in one stroke. He remembered that blessing vividly.

As Lauren’s breakthrough concluded, a vast rain of condensed spiritual energy poured down over the Thunder Sect.

Gerald absorbed it greedily. And then—

He felt it. The barrier that had imprisoned him for years loosened.

His eyes widened. “I’m about to break through too…”

After so many stagnant years, the bottleneck had finally cracked. He was ecstatic.

Without even going to congratulate Lauren, he tossed a few hurried instructions to his disciples and rushed straight to the secluded cave he had prepared long ago. “After all these damn years,” he muttered, “it’s finally moving.”

.....

Tarot stood before Lauren, beaming. “Junior Sister, after all these years, the Thunder Sect finally has a Mahayana cultivator again.”

She smiled faintly. She wouldn’t be staying long enough to truly “be in charge,” but she didn’t say that aloud.

“Senior Brother,” she asked instead, “what about you? You’re ready for Spirit Transformation, aren’t you?”

Tarot nodded. “I could break through. But the sect…” He sighed. “It’s not like it used to be. There are over two hundred people now, inside and out. You haven’t accepted any new disciples in recent years. The inner disciples have no chance of becoming personal disciples. Some of them are resentful.”

The generational gap was severe. Their master had only taken two disciples. That legacy left little room to maneuver.

“Taking more disciples would only mislead them,” Lauren said calmly.

“With my Dark Spirit Root, it wouldn’t be fair to them anyway,” Tarot replied.

She shrugged lightly. “Let them think what they want. From now on, it’ll be Wallace’s headache.”

Tarot laughed helplessly. “You really are something.”

“Is Wallace here?”

“He’s outside. He’s been waiting.”

“I’ll go see him.”

Tarot stepped outside and saw Wallace standing quietly by the door. He patted the young man’s shoulder. “You need to understand your master better. Don’t blame her for not paying enough attention to you.”

Wallace remained silent.

“Back then, the entire Cultivation world was suppressed. No one could ascend. She was just a young girl, and she was pushed to the front. The battle to break that deadlock isn’t over—it’s only just begun. She has no choice but to keep moving forward.”

Wallace lowered his head slightly. “I understand.”

Tarot nodded. “Good. Go in.”

.....

More than fifty years had passed. The naïve boy from back then had long since grown into a man.

But like Lauren, Wallace had matured early. Even now, he still looked young—almost too young for the weight he carried. His bearing, however, was entirely different. Calm. Restrained. His eyes held the same quiet, unfathomable depth as his master’s.

“Greetings, Master.”

Lauren smiled faintly. “Wallace, sit.”

“Yes, Master.” He sat across from her, posture straight, movements steady.

“In terms of cultivation,” she began, “there isn’t much I can personally teach you. The techniques left behind by your grandmaster are more refined than anything I could add.”

She pushed a jade slip toward him. “But if you want to broaden your skills, I have a talisman inheritance for you.”

Wallace’s expression sharpened slightly as he accepted it with both hands.

In the cultivation world, the bond between master and direct disciple was no different from that of parent and child. A master would never be stingy with their true successor.

The inheritance Lauren had once given to her own master had been revised and perfected before being passed down to Cornelius. But what she handed Wallace now— This was the original.

“Thank you, Master.”

“Remember,” she said, her tone turning serious, “even if you master this inheritance, you are not to pass it on casually. The portions meant to circulate were already given to Ashenreach by our ancestor. When you take disciples of your own in the future, be cautious.”

Wallace immediately bowed his head. “I understand.”

.....

A few days after Lauren emerged from seclusion, Tarot entered seclusion herself. The affairs of the entire peak were handed over to Lauren.

She managed over two hundred inner disciples while personally instructing them in talisman arts. Wallace’s aptitude was excellent. It took him only two months to draw his first talisman successfully.

When Lauren saw the faint spiritual light gather along the lines of ink, she couldn’t help but think of Edmund.

Back then, when she had drawn her first talisman, Edmund had circled the table over and over, tiny paws clasped behind his back, counting and recounting it like it was some priceless treasure.

The memory made her smile unconsciously.

.....

Three years later, Tarot came out of seclusion and resumed her responsibilities. Lauren left the Thunder Sect with Briar.

“Little Fairy, where are we going?” Briar asked.

It had called her “Little Fairy” for years now that somehow stuck.

“To the Far South.”

“Huh? The Far South again?” Briar’s face fell.

“Yes. Last time we went, we found that cave full of dense spiritual energy, remember? The cold down there is unbearable for most cultivators. Hardly anyone dares to venture that far. No people, no beasts—almost no life at all. That’s exactly why the spiritual energy remains so concentrated.”

She looked toward the distant horizon.

“The Far South is vast. There’s no way there’s only one ice cave like that. We’ll try our luck.”

Briar wasn’t thrilled. The cold there was brutal.

During Lauren’s decades of seclusion, it hadn’t even dared to come out. But if they wanted to return to the Upper Realm sooner, it had no choice but to endure.

“You’ve been cultivating for decades straight,” Briar grumbled. “At least give me something to do.”

Lauren raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to do? You could focus on taking care of the spirit plants.”

“That doesn’t take much time.”

“Then go into hibernation,” she said. “You’re basically a plant. Aren’t you supposed to handle loneliness?”