The conversation didn't particularly help her organize her thoughts. She learned less than she would have liked, and in addition, it only raised more questions in her mind.

  May tried to ask about her relationship with the elf, but she remained silent as the grave and refused to answer.

  Her mother also refused to say how she knew Ze Yun.

  No matter how hard she pressed, she kept hearing the same answer.

  I'm not the only one with secrets. I still feel that my mother is hiding something very important from me. It's a piece of the puzzle that I need to understand the whole situation.

  Finally, their conversation was interrupted by Lily, who had finally found them. May didn't expect to learn anything else from her mother anyway, so she decided to spend the rest of her time with her mother and sister.

  Finally, the time came. He entered the room in all his glory, the High Elder of the sect, Ze Yun. Everyone became serious at the sight of him.

  “It's time.” he said briefly and left the room.

  May had no choice but to go. Her family, who were present, accompanied her. The three of them went out into the square.

  I wonder how long the journey to the Inner Court will take... The journey here alone took a long time, and the capital of the Inner Court is extremely far away, not to mention the mountain ranges that will make the journey difficult...

  May incorrectly assumed that they would travel by horse. Although this was theoretically possible, it would take weeks. This was not only because of the distance, but also because of the need to bypass mountains and dangerous territories.

  May couldn't believe what she saw in the main square. It was a huge bird with wings spanning several meters. Its feathers were a light golden color that could be seen from a distance. Its feathers reflected the light, making it look a bit like a bird disco ball.

  “Amazing...” Lily blurted out, who was also seeing something like this for the first time in her life.

  “It's a Golden Swan... I'm also seeing this beast for the first time in my life. It's extremely rare.” explained her mother, who was also unable to hide her amazement.

  “You are quite knowledgeable about beasts, Mage Horteria.” Ze Yun said. “Impressive knowledge, most people mistakenly believe it to be a Gilded Stone Elder Dove.”

  “The difference is in the eyes, I can see intelligence, that sparkle cannot be mistaken.” she replied. “I've heard rumors about the Golden Swan from where I come from.”

  “Oh, really? And what were those rumors?”

  “Forgive me, I was just talking to myself. The rumors are nothing important. Just old women's gossip.”

  “Old women, despite appearances, often speak truths that would be foolish to ignore.” he said, apparently teasing her mother.

  Horteria just sighed, she had no desire to talk about it, but she had no choice.

  “The rumor said that this beast is born out of human greed,” she said slowly, weighing her words. "Apparently, for this creature to be born, molten gold must be poured into the mouth of a living swan. Then, using magic, it must be kept alive until it lays a golden egg. In the city where I was born, the lord of the city was beheaded, accused of cruelty.But it was probably just a rumor used as an excuse to kill him.“

  ”It's not a rumor. That's how the Golden Swan is born." he replied with a slight smile.

  May felt shivers run through her entire body.

  Had he really just admitted to pouring liquid gold into swans' digestive systems and keeping it alive in agony?

  However, she wasn't sure if he was serious or just teasing her mother. Judging by his expression, it could have been either.

  “Enough talk. Take your things and get on his back.” he said imperiously.

  With no choice, it was time to say goodbye. She had no idea when or if she would ever return to this place. She felt a slight regret that she had not met her father before leaving, after all, he was her first teacher.

  Unfortunately, she didn't have much time for goodbyes. She hugged her sister and said a quick goodbye to her mother. Ze Yun was clearly getting impatient, so she had to hurry to move her things onto the huge bird.

  Shortly thereafter, she climbed onto its back. There was quite a lot of space there, and it could easily fit a few more people.

  Finally, Ze Yun also got on, and the Golden Swan began to prepare for flight. May felt his every step. The bird was huge and terrifying, especially now that it was standing up. When it spread its wings, a shadow spread across the entire square. Many people watched the scene from the windows of the academy.

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  She was now the center of attention, but she didn't care. She felt fear not only of the flight, but also of the future. She didn't know what awaited her, but she was aware that she would be completely alone in the Inner Court. She wouldn't know a single person there.

  Here at the academy, she at least knew Zhifang. Although she didn't like him that much, at least he was a familiar face in her new surroundings. And now she didn't know what to expect.

  Finally, however, the Golden Swan took flight. She closed her eyes for a moment out of fear, and felt the wind on her whole face. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that she was already dozens of meters above the ground, and her sister and mother had become mere ants on the ground.

  Finally, the beast began to move away so far that she could no longer see her family. She felt miserable about it. That was the end of the story. She would not see them again for many years. Subconsciously, she knew that would be the case.

  The wind was blowing intensely at this altitude. The bird nimbly avoided the mountains and occasionally changed its angle of flight, forcing May to hold on tight.

  Initially, her fascination and interest in the views from above quickly faded. After a few hours, it was completely dark, and there was no point in looking down since she couldn't see anything anyway.

  In a world without electricity, darkness reigned. Not to mention that most of the Eastern Outer Court was covered with uninhabited forests anyway.

  She was tired, but she didn't even try to sleep. The wind was blowing too hard and she was cold despite the thick clothes she had put on earlier. She was deep in thought, reflecting on her current life.

  Suddenly, Ze Yun spoke, snapping her out of her reverie.

  “We'll take a break tomorrow afternoon,” he said informatively. “We'll spend the night in the town of Bó lǎng near the border. Then you'll be able to get some sleep.”

  The wind had died down a little, but the night was still cold. May thought that the man must have realized that she would not be able to sleep on this bird, so he decided to take a break.

  “Thank you, Elder,” she said.

  Flying in silence was quite awkward for her, but she didn't know if trying to make conversation was even appropriate. The silence may have been awkward, but at least it was safe.

  Unexpectedly, however, Elder also seemed eager to talk, as he replied. May was surprised, as he seemed to be rather introverted, not fond of talking to people, especially children.

  “I found your records at the academy. Your talent was so great that False Spiritual Qi River was unable to measure it correctly.” he said, looking at her.

  She looked into his eyes and noticed that they glowed slightly in the dark. Cat eyes. It was probably some technique of his that allowed him to see better in the dark. At least, that's what she thought.

  “That's right,” She replied. “My talent was supposed to be measured before the Inner Court tournament.”

  “We won't wait that long. You'll do it shortly after we arrive. I'll take care of it.”

  Since I am his potential student, he probably wants to know where he stands. That's why he needs to find out exactly what level my talent is at.

  May wasn't entirely satisfied with that. She wanted to increase her talent even more before the assessment, because later on, a change in talent would be suspicious.

  “Is that necessary?” she asked, hoping to buy some time. However, she couldn't think of a single good reason to postpone the process, why she wouldn't want to have her talent assessed.

  “The sooner the better. Talent can't be changed anyway,” he said coldly. “It's also beneficial for you to know what you can expect in the future.”

  “Talent can't be changed at all?”

  “No. It's impossible. Haven't you learned anything at this academy?” He snorted, turning away again.

  May admitted to herself that the lives of ordinary people were hard. Everyone had to deal with the talent they were born with, while she could improve hers without any problems.

  Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice in her head, one she hadn't heard in a while. It was Minnie, the avatar of her system.

  “That man is wrong. Changing talent is impossible just for them. Even without the system, it is possible.”

  Oh, so in other places in the world, you can change your talent?

  “It's expensive, rare, and intended for specific groups of people, but yes,” Minnie said with superiority. “After all, this whole Ze Yun is just... a tadpole in a small puddle.”

  May thought the analogy was rather unfair to him. He was one of the strongest people in the entire sect. Even if Minnie was right, it was still better to stick with him. Because if he was a tadpole, what was she? A bacteria?

  The mere thought of how insignificant she was in this world depressed her slightly. At the same time, she was also a little excited thinking about what she could achieve. On Earth, even if you devoted your entire life to researching one specific field, how much could you achieve? Regardless of whether you made a fortune through your work or won a Nobel Prize, you would still die in the end.

  However, over here, there was immortality. After gaining the necessary power, she could theoretically live for thousands of years. On Earth, no matter how hard you worked, it was not possible.

  She decided to check her status. She didn't have much to do anyway. For a long time, playing with the system had been her main way of killing time.

  Her progress wasn't bad.

  Hmm, it'll be my birthday soon. I dream of finally having an adult body. Being so short and having this voice is driving me crazy.