A few minutes after he spoke with Elder Xuan through the communication jade slip, Yuan could see a cloud in the distance approaching his location.
A few more moments later, this cloud landed in front of Yuan with Elder Xuan standing on top of it.
"First and foremost, allow me to congratulate you on your breakthrough, Disciple Yuan. You don't see an 18-year-old Spirit Master every day if ever." Elder Xuan said with a warm smile on his face, looking like a grandfather watching his grandchildren grow up.
"Thank you, Elder Xuan," Yuan said.
"Come with me. I will take you to the Sect Master where you'll meet the other two disciples that will be participating in the Mystic Realm with you."
Yuan nodded and stepped onto the flying treasure before they soared to the sect master's headquarters.
They landed a few minutes later, and they walked into the building.
"It's really you! I knew it!" Xue Jiye shouted in a surprised voice the moment she saw Yuan's black jade mask, even pointing at him with a trembling finger.
Yuan turned to look at Xue Jiye, and he mumbled, "Oh, you're the girl who accidentally leaked herself during—"
"H-Hey! Why are you bringing that up?!" Xue Jiye quickly interrupted him in a panicked manner, and she continued with a flushed face, "And that was entirely your fault! If you hadn't looked at me with those eyes, none of that would've happened!"
"Oh, right. The two of you have already met." Elder Xuan remembered that Xue Jiye was the one watching over Yuan during the Tablet of Comprehension exam.
"Disciple Yuan, congratulations on reaching Spirit Master so quickly. Once again, you have exceeded my expectations." Long Yijun suddenly said to him, shocking Gao Dongya and Xue Jiye who only noticed his immense aura after the mention.
'Heavens! How long has it been since I last saw him when he was only at the fifth level of Spirit Warrior?!' Xue Jiye cried inwardly after seeing Yuan's overwhelming growth.
Meanwhile, Gao Dongya stood in the background with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Come over here, Disciple Yuan, so I can introduce you to these two who will be participating in the Mystic Realm with you." Long Yijun said.
Yuan nodded his head and went to stand beside Long Yijun, who patted his shoulders and said, "This is Disciple Yuan, a disciple who recently joined the Dragon Essence Temple. And before you question his qualifications, allow me to tell you some of his achievements."
Long Yijun cleared his throat before speaking in a manner that sounded like he was bragging about his own son in public, "Disciple Yuan has not only managed to take 100 steps during the third test at the silver pond but he'd also managed to achieve 100 percent comprehension at the final exam with the Tablet of Comprehension."
"What! 100 steps in the silver pond?!" Xue Jiye exclaimed.
However, Long Yijun wasn't finished, and he continued in an even prouder-sounding voice, "That's not all! Do you remember what happened recently at the Carp Leaping Over Dragon's Gate Tower?"
"Impossible… You don't mean he's…" Gao Dongya couldn't help but open his mouth after hearing this obvious hint.
"That's right! Disciple Yuan was the one who cleared all 100 floors, becoming the first person in the sect's history to achieve such a feat!"
Gao Dongya and Xue Jiye swallowed nervously upon hearing this, and they recall the rumors that had been spreading around the sect regarding the challenge on the 100th floor.
They slowly turned to look at Yuan and his clear eyes that glistened brightly behind his black mask.
"Now introduce yourselves." Long Yijun asked the two disciples.
Xue Jiye nodded and went first, "Even though we have already met before, allow me to introduce myself again. I am Xue Jiye, currently 20 years old, and I specialize in dagger techniques."
"Oh?" Yuan raised his eyebrows after learning that Xue Jiye also uses daggers, taking him by surprise.
After Xue Jiye's introduction, the handsome young man standing beside her said in a calm voice, "Gao Dongya, 25 years old, and I'm a swordmaster."
"Now that you know each other, I want you three to familiarize yourselves with each other before the Mystic Realm, as you are required to work in a team inside." Long Yijun said to them.
And then he continued, "Do any of you have any questions for me?"
Yuan quickly raised his hands and spoke, "When is the Mystic Realm?"
Long Yijun quickly replied, "The Mystic Realm will happen in four days, but we will leave the sect 2 days before that since the place is very far from our current location, so you all have two days to prepare yourselves."
"Of course, since the Mystic Realm doesn't allow you to bring any treasures with you inside, you shouldn't need any luggage, to begin with," he continued.
"I would tell you more about the Mystic Realm but there have been rumors about the Mystic Realm being somewhat different from the previous years— that something big has happened in the upper heavens, so I can only tell you what the previous Mystic Realms have been like."
Thus, Long Yijun proceeded to tell them about the experiences the previous disciples had experienced inside the Mystic Realm.
By the time Long Yijun was finished, many hours had passed with half of the day already done.
"Anyways, this is all I know about the Mystic Realm. It may or may not be helpful information." Long Yijun said to them, and he continued, "I will contact you again in two days when we leave or when I need you again."
Sometime later, Yuan and the other two disciples left the sect master's headquarters.
"Hey, how about we go eat something at the Dragon Pavilion? My treat." Xue Jiye suddenly said shortly after they left, her gaze directly on Yuan as she spoke, almost like there was a deeper meaning behind her words.
"I'll pass." Gao Dongya didn't hesitate to refuse before walking away.
