novelraw Chapter 152: Filling Gaps in Realm Cultivation
Chapter 152: Filling Gaps in Realm Cultivation
"Ah, that girl, who is she? Why does she act like she's Jiang Si's girlfriend? What right does she have to stand so close to Jiang Si?"
"She's just a good friend."
"Don't be so nonchalant about it! Jiang Si is going to be snatched away, snatched away!"
"What do you mean 'snatched away'? Don't make it sound so unpleasant." An Shiyu sat in the car, responding to Mùjǐn with some helplessness. "They are good friends. It's normal for them to be close."
"Damn it! Don't you like Jiang Si? If I were you, I'd definitely run over right now and scream at that vixen to get lost! Jiang Si confessed to you, and you accepted! Right now, you are Jiang Si's girlfriend! Jiang Si is yours! Back in that isolated space, you should have found a way to kiss him! That would have sealed the deal and secured the win!"
"Stop talking nonsense. It would cause trouble for Jiang Si."
An Shiyu, propping her chin with one hand, looked at the scenery outside the window. "Things are already good enough as they are."
"You... you clearly have such a big advantage right now, yet you don't press the attack. Be careful, or you'll lose all your advantage in the end, leading to a total, devastating loss."
Mùjǐn said indignantly, "I've seen plenty of this! Those girls who are always reserved, who like to wait passively for boys to pursue them, who are unwilling to take the initiative even when they meet someone they like... they end up being lured away by someone else with just a few casual words, and then they're filled with regret!"
"Senior Mùjǐn, you've never been in a relationship, yet you know so much about it.""Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"
"No."
Mùjǐn was a bit huffy, but after being in contact for so long, she pretty much understood. The other party truly meant no harm.
An Shiyu was most skilled at saying hurtful things in a completely harmless way!
However, considering that An Shiyu was willing to share the Miracle Seed, practically handing over ownership of the Magical Girl form to her, ensuring her survival so she wouldn't disappear along with the Heart Image Remnant...
Mùjǐn had no choice but to swallow her anger.
"Anyway, don't you regret it later!"
"Why would I regret it?"
"All those girls I saw in the past who refused to take the initiative ended up regretting it in the end! Think about it, really think about it! The waters of love run deep! Don't always think about having boys chase you. Most of those who chase you won't be to your liking. When you meet someone you like, you have to take the initiative and strike! For a girl, especially a pretty girl like you, chasing a boy should be a piece of cake..."
"I don't want anyone to chase me, you know." An Shiyu yawned and glanced to the side.
Senior Peony beside her was already asleep. She had basically been crying while holding her all day. Senior Susan next to her just kept staring at her phone in a daze.
Everyone at the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau was truly very kind.
An Shiyu also felt immensely guilty about leaving without saying a word to Senior Peony, causing her to blame herself for a long time.
But back then, she hadn't expected things to turn out that way. She only thought she was going to the vicinity of the Heart Image Remnant with Miss Winter and the others and would return soon.
"That Winter, and that white Magical Girl beside her... if you had let them enter the Heart Image Remnant back then, maybe we would have found out their secrets, and their relationship with Jiang Si. Then we could have taken targeted measures..."
"Don't do things like that." An Shiyu immediately warned Mùjǐn. "That's not good."
"I know, I'm just saying. I'm a righteous Magical Girl..."
Originally, the Heart Image Remnant was going to pull everyone in. But at that time, An Shiyu tried her best to protect Jiang Si and Bai Mei, not wanting the two of them to be dragged into it. Therefore, Winter didn't pull Jiang Si and Bai Mei into the remnant at the time.
Now, even Winter herself was quite curious about what relationship those two had with Jiang Si.
If she had pulled them into the Heart Image Remnant back then, she would have known...
Damn it, it's so frustrating! Even if An Shiyu isn't in a hurry, Mùjǐn herself is about to die from anxiety!
A Full Bloom Magical Girl who has never been in a relationship, although she had some complaints about the date in the isolated space, it was, after all, her first time having such intimate contact with a boy. She cared about it immensely in her heart.
If An Shiyu succeeded, that would be fine. In the future, occupying An Shiyu's body, there would be plenty of opportunities to continue contacting Jiang Si.
But if Jiang Si got snatched away by another girl, wouldn't she have no chance at all?
An Shiyu wouldn't like anyone else either, so wouldn't that mean Mùjǐn's chance at love was completely doomed?
She just couldn't understand why An Shiyu wasn't the least bit anxious.
I don't see you sitting calmly on a fishing platform either.
"Hey, Little Shi."
"Little Yu or Little An are both better than Little Shi, right, Senior?"
"I still think Little Shi sounds better." Mùjǐn sighed. "Are you really planning to do nothing?"
"What does Senior Mùjǐn think I should do?"
"Fight, snatch, battle! Love is war! That's what your beloved Jiang Si said with his own mouth!" Mùjǐn said seriously. "If you can't fight, let me do it. I'm a Full Bloom! Go all out to pursue the person you like, the things you like, leave no regrets!"
"But, Senior Mùjǐn, what if after striving for it, regrets are still left behind?"
"Huh?"
An Shiyu gently breathed on the car window, then wiped it clean with her fingertip, making the glass clearer. "I just want to stay by his side, Senior. Everything that needed to be expressed, I've already expressed. Going any further would only cause him trouble. I don't want to be seen as a nuisance by him."
"Here we go again..."
"Fighting, snatching, arguing with the girls around Jiang Si." An Shiyu shook her head. "I have neither the right nor the desire to do such things. The girls around Jiang Si are all very good. Perhaps Jiang Si really likes one of them."
"That's exactly why you need to fight for him!"
"Well, Senior, put yourself in his shoes. Hypothetically—I'm just saying hypothetically—I know there aren't any, but suppose there were other boys who liked me. If one of those boys, because he liked me, went to cause trouble for Jiang Si, what would you think?"
Mùjǐn chuckled. "Of course, that would be awesome! When I watch TV dramas, I love seeing two boys fight over a girl. The reverse should be the same, right?"
"...I would only find it super annoying." An Shiyu leaned against the window, feeling somewhat helpless towards Senior Mùjǐn. "I'd only worry about whether it would make Jiang Si angry, whether he'd think I'm a troublesome girl, whether he'd think I did it on purpose, leading Jiang Si to hate me. So I would absolutely never accept something like that."
"The reverse is the same. Jiang Si wouldn't like me more because I fought for him. On the contrary, he would only find me annoying, troublesome, and never want to have contact with me again. Live my own life well, try my best to be a qualified Magical Girl at the Disaster Control Bureau, then appear before Jiang Si when he needs me, be able to see him anytime, stay by his side... that's enough."
Mùjǐn finally gave up. "Fine. It seems I can't convince you. Hmph, it seems you don't like Jiang Si that much after all. If you truly liked him, you would go all out regardless of the consequences..."
"That's not it, Senior Mùjǐn. Going all out to fight and snatch actually means you can accept the possibility of failure." An Shiyu refuted softly. "Because even if you fail, it won't be worse than before, so you can take the risk to pursue success."
"But I cannot accept that."
"I have already lost so, so much, Senior Mùjǐn. I cannot bear even the slightest risk. So for me, from the very beginning, the option that might lead to failure and cause Jiang Si to dislike and distance himself from me simply does not exist."
An Shiyu said earnestly, "For me, Jiang Si is that important."
"...I understand. It was wrong of me to doubt your sincerity. Sorry."
Mùjǐn, of course, knew about An Shiyu's past.
In a teetering world, the girl was left with only that one pillar. Once it fell, it seemed the entire world would collapse.
This was not An Shiyu's weakness. On the contrary, in such a fragile world, with just a single lifeline stretched out to her, the girl desperately grabbed onto it and turned this lifeline, which wasn't specifically extended for her, into a pillar supporting her entire world.
Mùjǐn thought it was truly remarkable...
"Beihai is here."
The driver in front reminded them before stopping the car. Everyone got out.
An Shiyu said a few words to the two seniors, then flew up, standing high in the sky, overlooking the entire city of Beihai.
Rows upon rows of towering buildings, neatly planned roads, streets, parks, squares, shopping malls...
When everything was in view, An Shiyu asked softly, "How is it, Senior Mùjǐn? Compared to the Beihai in your memory, how does the current Beihai look?"
Reoccupying An Shiyu's body, Mùjǐn gazed deeply at her hometown, feeling some regret, some melancholy, some nostalgia.
But more than anything, she felt a heart-full, contented happiness.
To resolve the crisis in South China, she left her hometown. Decades passed, and finally, she saw her hometown again.
She had originally thought she would never return.
Perhaps she was just a lucky Full Bloom Magical Girl.
So, as if wanting to embrace Beihai, Mùjǐn spread open her arms and whispered softly:
"More beautiful. Beihai."
......
A realm needed to be added between Full Bloom and Blooming.
Jiang Si had been thinking about this recently.
The gap between the Blooming level and Full Bloom was a bit too large, clearly a case of realm breakdown.
As everyone knows, realm breakdown is a common occurrence in web novels.
For example, the classic Dou Zun Nine Revolutions. Between Nine-Star Dou Zun and Dou Sheng, there's only a one-star difference, yet it requires a Nine-Star Dou Zun to first reach their peak, then undergo nine revolutions to become a Half-Saint. Then from Initial Half-Saint to Advanced Half-Saint to Peak Advanced Half-Saint, which is Saint, and then break through once more to reach the One-Star Dou Saint realm. Thanks to their ancestor, the Flame Emperor Xiao Yan, having heaven, earth, and human opportunities aligned, he managed to break through from Nine Revolutions Dou Zun to Half-Saint and then to Dou Saint in one step.
Another example is splitting the Title Douluo into Ordinary Title Douluo, Level 95 Super Douluo, Level 98 Peak Douluo, Level 98.5 Demigod Douluo, and Level 99 Quasi-God Limit Douluo. There's also Ancestor Qin Yu stuffing five realms between Black Hole and Origin Point;
Ancestor Luo Feng stuffing eleven realms between Immortal and Universe Master;
and stuffing eight realms between True Monarch Fifth Rank and Nascent Soul Dao Master, etc....
Even my great "Concealing the Heavens" couldn't avoid it. During the plot's development, it was discovered that having only four realms was too rough, forcing them to refine it in the middle, adding more realms to fill the power gaps...
So, realm breakdown isn't a big problem. It's perfectly normal for the Disaster Control Bureau's designed realms to break down.
It's just that initially, he knew nothing about Full Bloom and never imagined the gap would be this big.
Otherwise, he would have added realms between Blooming and Full Bloom earlier.
In "Concealing the Heavens," between Great Saint and Great Emperor, there is a transitional stage called Quasi-Emperor Nine Heavens.
Originally, it was just a Half-Step Great Emperor realm, but later it was expanded to Quasi-Emperor Nine Heavens.
Each Heaven requires overcoming a heavenly tribulation, re-cultivating and perfecting all previous secret realms, laying a solid foundation for achieving Great Emperor.
Jiang Si also planned to emulate this, creating a Half-Step Full Bloom Nine Heavens between Blooming and Full Bloom.
But the current problem is: does Blooming count as Half-Step Full Bloom?
Peak Blooming Great Perfection—his own post-transformation realm was indeed at this stage. But after seeing Winter also step into Peak Blooming, Jiang Si discovered a problem.
His own Peak Blooming Great Perfection still seemed to far exceed ordinary Peak Blooming.
Even if Winter stepped into Peak Blooming Great Perfection, it still seemed very difficult for her to approach his post-transformation realm.
So, he still needed to add a Quasi-Full Bloom, which is the Half-Step Full Bloom realm. Quasi-Bloom Nine Heavens?
That sounds a bit awkward, mainly lacking in prestige. "Quasi-Emperor Nine Heavens" sounds extraordinary, while "Quasi-Bloom Nine Heavens" sounds a bit... roadside.
Quasi-Full Nine Heavens? That doesn't quite hit the mark either. Indeed, realm names are a big deal. The prestige of my great "Concealing the Heavens" isn't so easy to replicate.
It's a pity Bai Mei isn't here. Otherwise, with her years of experience here, she might have been of great help.
Later, I'll go to the Illusory Moon Cavern Dwelling and ask the other disciples if they have any good ideas.
Just after entering Beihai, Yumo rushed over, hugged him, and started crying.
It seemed the Dao Heart cultivation course he previously gave Yumo ultimately wasn't completed very well.
However, since the Magical Girl's Path of Extreme Emotions can also work, there's no need to force Yumo onto the Path of Emotionlessness.
The little girl hugged him and cried for a while until she cried herself tired, and then actually fell asleep just like that.
Bingtang said she hadn't slept for several days in a row, constantly controlling puppets with Qinghua everywhere looking for Jiang Si.
Upon hearing Jiang Si had returned, she rushed back from the South China area at the first possible moment.
You could say she was utterly exhausted.
Originally, Jiang Si wanted to wake her up. A cultivator, how could they be so negligent?
But following Bingtang's suggestion, he ended up carrying Yumo on his back for a while.
After Bingtang reported to him about the recent movements of the true-transmission disciples and the current situation, she took Yumo back to the Azure Cloud Sect.
Jiang Si originally wanted to return to the Azure Cloud Sect to train for a bit too.
But Bingtang strongly insisted he go back to see Keke first, even telling him to buy some gifts to bring back.
Although Jiang Si didn't think it was necessary, Bingtang gave him the money anyway.
He went to a nearby shopping mall, planning to buy some of the same cakes he previously bought for Four Leaf and Six Leaf.
Jiang Si remembered Keke liked sweet treats, but he wasn't entirely sure. After their parents passed away, the two of them rarely ate such expensive and impractical things. He only remembered that when they were little, on her birthday, she ate cake very happily.
While shopping for gifts, on his phone, Bingtang kept sending him messages.
The Mirror Kingdom artifact containing the Full Bloom data had already been taken back by Bingtang, prepared to find someone to decipher the Mirror Kingdom's technology and script.
He heard there were personnel related to the Mirror Kingdom within the Azure Cloud Sect, but Bingtang hadn't told him exactly who it was.
Cake, a small portion of cold noodles, cheap candy, and milk tea.
After buying them, there was quite a bit of money left from what Bingtang gave him.
Just as he walked out of the mall carrying the things, he saw a message from Bingtang on his phone.
"Yueji does indeed know the Mirror Kingdom script. She has already deciphered the front part about the Full Bloom power characteristics research report..."
Seeing this, Jiang Si immediately prepared to change his itinerary.
First, return to the Azure Cloud Sect's Illusory Moon Cavern Dwelling to clarify the Full Bloom matter. It wouldn't be too late to go back and find Keke afterwards.
"Brother?"
Just as he reached the entrance, a trembling, incredulous call stopped him.
Jiang Si glanced sideways. Keke was dragging a suitcase, wearing somewhat plain white clothes and a white skirt. Her face looked haggard and pale. Her once beautiful big eyes were now surrounded by dark circles and were slightly red and swollen.
After calling out to him, the suitcase in her hand fell to the ground.
"Brother!"
......
Ever since Shion left that day, Keke slept at home for a full day and night.
She didn't know if she was asleep or unconscious. In her dream, her parents and her older brother were living together, throwing her into a cold, dark place. No matter how much she shouted, they paid her no attention.
She was the only one left.
In this family, in this world, she was the only one left.
It wasn't until the next day that Keke woke from the dream. When she woke up, her pillow was almost soaked through.
All from her tears.
Yiyi called her a few times. Keke didn't answer.
She finally understood why, back when Yiyi's sister passed away, she didn't tell her first.
Because there simply wasn't the mood for it.
She didn't want to hear others' sympathy and comfort, didn't want to accept anything from the outside world.
So tired.
She told Yiyi she wasn't feeling well and needed to rest for a couple of days.
Even if Yiyi came, it would be meaningless. It would only make her remember her lost sister.
Some things cannot be shared. Sharing only makes people more painful.
She cleaned the house, tidied up, and also dressed herself up nicely.
Keke rarely dressed herself up. Thinking carefully about the reason, it was probably because when she was little, before her relationship with her brother deteriorated, Jiang Si always told her that appearance wasn't important, not to waste too much time on it.
She took out her mother's lipstick and applied it, then drew eyeliner. She didn't know if it looked good or not.
It just made her look much more spirited, not so lifeless.
She packed her parents' belongings, putting them in her suitcase. She packed some clothes. She originally wanted to pack Jiang Si's things.
But what Jiang Si left at home were only those extremely heavy dumbbells. After trying a few times, she finally gave up.
She said goodbye to the neighbors, giving them some snacks as thanks for their care during this time.
They didn't actually interact much, but Keke wanted to do things as perfectly as possible.
Then she sent a timed message to her teacher and also prepared a few timed messages for Yiyi.
The two trees at the front door had completely withered and died. They were very much in the way.
So in the middle of the night, she transformed into a Magical Girl, pulled out the two dead trees, and threw them far away.
After finishing, she sat in front of the door, between where the two trees were, burying her head in her knees.
In the deep night, she cried for a little while.
There were no lush mulberry trees, no annoyingly loud cicada chirps, not even a trace of the summer's sweltering heat remained.
The huge house felt like a tomb, lifeless, so big it made one's heart panic.
Keke actually didn't recall anything specific. She simply wanted to cry.
After crying enough, she wiped her tears, got up, went back inside, and continued with other things.
Resign, drop out of school, then take out all the remaining money at home. Jiang Si had left her quite a bit.
Ever since their parents left, the family's finances had always been controlled by Jiang Si. He never spent money recklessly, but Jiang Si would also tell her where the money was. Keke also knew all the bank account numbers and passwords.
Keke discovered that she was still that same crybaby from before.
Because her brother was still there, because her brother was always expressionlessly by her side, Keke could always hold back her tears.
As long as that person was still beside her, it made her involuntarily want to be strong, want to hide her weakness.
When their parents passed away, although she was sad, because of her brother's attitude, she quickly became angry.
So, she always thought she was strong, able to quickly pull herself together no matter what blow she encountered.
Even with such a cold-hearted brother, she could live strongly. She thought she was remarkable...
But now, she finally knew that, in reality, she was still just that little girl who only knew how to hide behind her older brother.
No matter how cold-hearted, her older brother would still stand in front, helping her solve many, many troubles.
Those relatives who, in the past, would help as soon as her brother said a word, now, when she said her brother wasn't here and hoped they could help, only gave her perfunctory responses.
Instead, they started talking to her about the property issue.
After all, this house of theirs was very expensive.
Remembering the relatives' attitudes when her brother was around, Keke couldn't help but keep crying.
Those relatives who, in the past, would help as soon as her brother said a word, now, when she said her brother wasn't here and hoped they could help, only brushed her off.
A cowardly, weak crybaby who couldn't do anything.
But even so, Keke still tidied up everything at home. After making herself look somewhat presentable.
Carrying her luggage, she planned to go to the station to buy a ticket to the small city of Anyang.
She wanted to go find her brother. Until she found her brother, she didn't want to come back.
Keke actually didn't dare to think too much about the past with her older brother.
Because once she remembered, she would always be gripped by regret, almost unable to breathe.
After causing her parents' death, she shamelessly blamed her brother for his coldness, enjoyed his protection, and in the end, until the very end, never apologized to him.
Because she felt embarrassed and couldn't open her mouth, because she always felt there was still time, still opportunity.
So, she always thought it was okay to delay a little longer.
Until now, there was no more opportunity.
The regret that made her wish she could die whenever she thought about it became so unbearable she didn't dare to think anymore. She could only move forward like a walking corpse.
Telling herself, after handling everything, go find her older brother.
For the rest of her life, just go find her older brother.
If she couldn't find him, then die...
The regret that made her wish she could just die whenever she thought about it made her not dare to think anymore. She could only be like a walking corpse.
In a daze, she left home and went to a nearby shopping mall, wanting to buy some daily necessities before leaving.
Then, she saw Jiang Si.
"Brother?"
She called out tentatively, at a loss.
Then panic arose. Because the hope that instantly surged up made her immediately realize the pain and despair after that hope was shattered.
It would make her taut string snap. It would make her already teetering resolve collapse.
Don't hold onto hope. Don't hold onto hope. Don't...
Yet when the familiar face turned towards her, the suitcase she was tightly holding fell to the ground.
At the mall entrance, customers came and went. Quite a few people looked over because of her shout.
Advertisement sounds came from inside the mall, along with the smells of various sweets.
"Brother!"
Her voice immediately became uncontrollably distorted, carrying a sob.
Tears began to flow uncontrollably again, starting to well up. Her eyes, soaked in tears for too long, ached with a sour, stinging pain. After instinctively taking two steps forward, she immediately broke into a small run.
She ran to Jiang Si's side and grabbed his wrist.
Holding his wrist tightly, her pretense of strength completely collapsed. She just cried and asked:
"Where... where did you go, Brother? Don't leave me alone. Don't leave me all by myself..."
Jiang Si looked at his little sister, who seemed like she had gotten lost as a child, and felt this girl really hadn't grown up much despite getting older.
Her crying wasn't much different from when she was little.
"A date."
After all, he had said he was going on a date with Shion. There was no need to change the story.
Keke held his hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. Tears kept falling on his hand, feeling somewhat warm.
Passersby nearby watched curiously, but no one came to disturb them.
A refreshing breeze dried some of the tears. The sun from the mall exit shone down.
Keke sniffled, her teary eyes holding his hand, her tone still choked with sobs:
"Brother, let's go home. I want to go home..."
Jiang Si stuffed the snacks he bought into Keke's hands and nodded:
"I still have things to do. Take a taxi back by yourself first."