May chatted with Zhifang for a while longer, but after a moment they both went their separate ways.

  Walking around the academy grounds, she was impressed by how many people had survived. She had previously thought that she and Zhifang were the only survivors, when in fact the death toll was surprisingly low.

  The decision to escape from the academy turned out to be a good one, as her body would certainly have been taken over by the Glendola Parasite by now.

  She continued on, observing familiar faces. Although she wasn't particularly interested in their fate, she still felt a slight relief that they were alive. Even though she hardly knew anyone in the entire academy, the fact that the parasite incident wasn't as bad as it could have been was still comforting.

  “May?” She heard a voice that seemed very familiar to her, yet at the same time seemed so distant. She felt a strange pinch in her heart. She had the impression that she should have recognized that voice.

  She turned and looked at the person who was calling her. It wasn't a student their age, it was a girl with long, slightly curly, pitch-black hair. It was someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

  “Lily.” she replied, with some uncertainty in her voice. She appeared somewhat like her sister, whom she hadn't seen in so long. She wasn't entirely sure, but it was the only logical explanation.

  The last time she had seen her was years ago, when, after her defeat in the Cloud Academy tournament in the Inner Court, she had returned home for a few months. May was only three years old at the time.

  A normal child would not even remember her sister, whom she last saw at the age of three, but May, already possessing the perfect memory of an adult, remembered what her sister looked like back then.

  But now she is almost 16, or 17. She has changed a lot.

  After her unsuccessful attempt to get into Inner Court, she returned to the academy in Eastern Court. However, the academy for older students was located on a completely different part of the mountain than the one they were currently on.

  In the higher stages of training, meetings with family were also rare. Everyone focused on cultivation.

  As soon as Lily heard her name from May's lips, she laughed joyfully and ran towards her at tremendous speed. She threw herself at her with open arms and hugged her very tightly. She was now much taller than May, who only reached her shoulders.

  She didn't stop hugging her for many seconds. May, although she barely knew her, returned the hug. She smelled of a pleasant fruitscent, and her hug was extremely warm. Although she didn't know her very well, she was still her sister in this world.

  “It's good to see you. You don't even know how worried I was about you,” she said, hugging her even tighter. “As soon as I heard about the takeover of this academy... I wanted to fly to your aid, but I was stopped...”

  May didn't respond. To be honest, she didn't expect her sister to want to come to her rescue.

  “I'm strong,” she replied, unsure of what she wanted to say. “I managed to escape from the academy... I just got back.”

  Lily broke her embrace and looked May straight in the eyes. After a moment, she smiled.

  “Ha! You're really something... I knew you'd survive... And what's more, it looks like you're catching up with me in cultivation!”

  Despite the seven, almost eight-year age difference between the two sisters, May was basically already at the same level as Lily. This showed how powerful the system was, but also how lucky she was.

  “I had a few... Fruitful Encounters,” she said, referring to the pill prepared by Scar.

  Lily however, shook her head at May's words.

  “You can't explain everything with luck and talent. Your power is also the result of your hard work.” Lily said, looking closely at her sister.

  May finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering her from the very beginning.

  “But... Lily, can you tell me how you got here...?” she asked curiously.

  Lily fell silent.

  “Well, actually, it's due to a few things,” she said. “You see, the parasites also attacked our academy, but on a much smaller scale. However, we finally managed to get everything under control.”

  “They were looking for new, talented victims,” May replied.

  “Yes. Our academy suffered, albeit on a smaller scale. We managed to control the situation ourselves. But many teachers died in the process, which is why our academy is also temporarily closed,” Lily explained. “That's why most people are going home, including me.”

  “But that doesn't explain what you're doing here. Did you come for me?”

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  “Well, yes and no.” She laughed awkwardly. “Our mother.”

  “Mother?”

  “Yes, she's here.”

  May was surprised by these words. Although her mother was a mage, she usually dealt with herbs rather than fighting, so this was quite surprising.

  “Why are you so surprised?” Lily asked. “Our mother may no longer be active, but she is not weak. As soon as she heard about the invasion, she set off for the academy. Unfortunately, due to the goblin invasion, she couldn't get here earlier.”

  “I'm not surprised, but... If anything, I would expect my father to rush to our rescue... After all, you know... He deals with fighting on a daily basis.”

  “Yes, but that's exactly why he couldn't come. He is the leader of the city guards, he couldn't abandon his duties, especially during the goblin invasion.”

  “And where... is she?” May asked, still unsure what to think about it.

  On the one hand, she felt slightly better that so many people wanted to rush to her rescue, but on the other hand, she felt that she didn't know everything about her family, who seemed to have their own secrets.

  “She is taking care of some affairs... Apparently, she is talking to some big shot from the Inner Court,” she said briefly.

  May immediately thought that this “big shot” was the man who might become her master in the future.

  She looked at Lily again. She no longer resembled the child she had seen years ago. Although by earthly standards she was still a little girl, in this world she was already considered a woman. There was probably some truth in this, as Lily herself looked much older than her age. It was probably a matter of excruciating training, stress, and superhuman accomplishments.

  “Let's talk in some better place,” Lily finally said. “Let's go get something to eat. The military from the sect are handing out provisions in the main square.”

  May agreed with her, and they left the building side by side. It had been a while since she last ate, so she didn't mind a small meal.

  They both left the building and headed toward the main building.

  On the way, they chatted for a while about trivial matters. However, May struggled to avoid the topic of where she ran away to and how she escaped. She didn't want to say anything about it.

  However, they failed to reach the main square because they unexpectedly ran into familiar faces again.

  “Mom,” May said in a quiet voice.

  It was her mother. She hadn't changed at all. She was currently talking to the High Elder. Hearing her voice, her mother turned toward her.

  “May...” she said seriously. “I'm glad you're safe.”

  May was surprised to hear her tone, as she was usually warm and extremely affectionate. May thought that, like Lily, her mother would throw herself into her arms. However, she stood expressionless.

  However, May figured out the reason. She was currently facing the High Elder. Such a display of affection in front of someone of such high rank would be inappropriate.

  But it's strange... Why is she talking so freely with someone of such high rank? I don't know everything about her.

  May bowed again before the High Elder. Lily looked at her strangely.

  “Lily, bow,” her mother said to her sister. Although she was still surprised, she did as she was told.

  “This is High Elder Ze Yun, a powerful cultivator at the Golden Core stage and the nephew of the current sect leader.” her mother said, introducing him.

  Although she knew most of these things, it was only now that she learned that he was related to the sect leader in this way.

  “I spoke with your mother...” Ze Yun said, addressing May. “I didn't expect you to be her daughter... But as I guess, that explains a lot.”

  Her mother looked at her accusingly. May shivered.

  What did he tell her?!

  “But it's a generally good thing. It will make a lot of things easier. I've informed your mother about the situation,” he said, turning his back on them. “That's all for now. See you at the agreed place.”

  Soon after, he left, leaving the three of them alone. May could finally breathe easy once he was gone.

  “What was he talking about?” asked Lily, who was now completely confused by the whole situation.

  “Your sister... As usual, she's gotten herself into trouble again.”

  May wanted to deny the accusations, but she didn't know what to say. So she gave up and looked down at the ground.

  “The last few months have been strange.” May finally said.

  “I don't doubt it.” her mother replied.

  “Can someone finally explain to me what the hell is going on?!” Lily shouted with slight irritation, stamping her feet hard on the ground.

  Her mother grabbed her by the arm, trying to calm her down. Lily had always had a problem with her temper. The complete opposite of the always composed May.

  “I think the three of us need to talk. We all have a lot to discuss. But let's do it somewhere more pleasant.”

  “May and I were just on our way to the main square before we ran into you. The soldiers are handing out food there, so we can...”

  “No. I wouldn't even feed military food to a dog. Follow me, I know a better place and I'll get much better food.” Their mother said, walking ahead of them. The two sisters looked at each other and, shrugging their shoulders, followed their mother.

  ───── ??☆?? ─────

  They were now sitting on top of the tallest building in the academy. It was the library tower. Access to the roof was strictly forbidden, but their mother easily broke down the door and they climbed to the very top.

  Although the tower may not have been tall by earthly standards, barely above the trees, the views from it were still impressive, especially the mountain peaks that could be admired from it.

  Additionally, on the way, their mother stopped near a building. May and Lily waited outside, but when their mother came out, she was carrying some packages with unknown contents.

  Only when she opened them on the roof did she discover that inside was something resembling Italian calzone in terms of shape. Inside, however, the ingredients were completely different. Inside were only green vegetables, with the addition of sliced fish from mountain springs. It was surprisingly tasty.

  “The soldiers who came here cook delicacies for themselves, and they cooked some kind of junk food for the students,” their mother explained.

  “Amazing! I've never eaten anything so good!” Lily exclaimed.

  By the standards of this world, it tastes pretty good. But on Earth, a restaurant that sold something like this would go bankrupt immediately.

  “I'm glad you like it,” their mother said with a smile. “I think we should discuss current affairs. Maybe each of us should tell our story up to now? May, would you like to start?”