I guess it's finally time to get rid of this junk. She thought, holding the necklace in her hand, which swayed in the wind. She has just finished her outdoor training session.

  It was essentially a spy tool disguised as a necklace that collected Qi energy. May decided it was time to get rid of it.

  “Are you sure?” Minnie asked her. “What if that woman who gave it to you finds out?

  ”I can always claim I lost it. Besides, it was a gift, so it’s none of her business what I do with my own property. Minnie, don’t argue with me, just sell it!

  “Alright, alright,” Minnie said irritably.

  May smiled slightly. It had been a long time since she had received such a large boost of money. In addition, her training at the Inner Court was beginning to consume more and more money.

  She bought pills in bulk and removed fatigue from her body. She wanted to catch up with the twins as soon as possible and reach the 6th stage of Qi Refinement. Unfortunately, only her wallet suffered, as her progress seemed to stall for a moment. She decided to check her progress after spending more than a month at the estate.

  It didn't look bad, but she had been stuck at the top of the fifth stage for quite some time. All her stats were increasing, but she felt that her progress was too slow.

  Even with all these expenses, my progress is still so slow... If I hadn't bought all these cultivation aids from the system, I would be months behind.

  However, she shook her head. There was no reason to be in too much of a hurry.

  It was not cultivation that she should be concerned about at the moment, but the fact that exactly one month had passed since May's arrival at the Yun Clan's estate. Today, she had to make a decision about whether to become Ze Yun's disciple or to opt for self-reliance.

  This decision, however, had been made long ago. Now it was just a mere formality.

  Suddenly, she saw her current trainer, La Xia, approaching her from a distance, holding a practice spear. He was not proficient in using this weapon, so May usually trained on her own.

  “Hello, May,” he said as he approached her. “Today is a big day, isn't it?”

  The man assumed that May would accept offer of becoming Ze Yun disciple. May hadn't told anyone what she was going to do.

  “Yes...” she replied briefly, not wanting to discuss the details. “Today I have to make a decision.”

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  La Xia didn't ask any more questions. They moved on to training. Although he didn't know much about spears, he was still an expert, so even though he couldn't help her much, he still knew when she was making mistakes. He made sure she didn't reinforce them.

  The training had begun. She struck the air with her spear, imitating the movements she remembered from her time at the Eastern Court. The purpose of this training was not to teach her new moves or techniques, but to reinforce what she already knew. It also helped her build strength and agility.

  She was panting heavily, having trained for over two hours without a break. The movements may have seemed simple, but she used her full strength to perform them. During training, there was no time to rest or relax, because if she wanted to make rapid progress, she had to devote herself and give one hundred percent.

  For others, training in such a grueling manner would be an easy way to get injured or burn out too quickly, but May had a pay-to-win system that allowed her to remove her fatigue without any problems. That's why she could give more of herself than anyone else.

  “The angle is too wide! Reduce the distance!”

  La Xia watched her and occasionally commented on her movements or gave her tips on footwork.

  He couldn't help but admire how much effort she was putting in. He had taught many people in his lifetime, but he had never met anyone who was so dedicated to simple training.

  Most children her age quickly got bored with repetitive movements, but May didn't seem disappointed and remained constantly energetic despite the passing hours.

  “That's enough for today,” he said, getting up from the grass where he had been sitting watching the training.

  May nodded. “I did much better today than last time. I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of the spear.”

  “When you train long enough, every weapon eventually becomes an extension of your own body,” he replied. “You're on the right track.”

  May thanked him for his help with her training and went back to the estate to freshen up. She went to her room and changed into a new outfit. All her clothes were orange, which showed she was part of the sect. To be honest, she was hoping for a slight variation in her outfit, but she couldn't complain.

  Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

  “Cultivator May, may I come in?” She heard a voice behind the door. It was one of the estate's maids.

  “Come in,” she replied, sitting on a chair.

  A maid named Yu entered the room. She was a new employee at the estate and was quite young, so May quickly became friends with her. Currently, she was responsible for most of the chores related to May.

  Although Shui Gai was originally assigned to her, she was the oldest maid and had much more important duties as she supervised all the employees of the estate. Therefore, as soon as the opportunity arose, the new maid was assigned to her.

  “What is it?” May asked, combing her long hair with a comb.

  The maid bowed politely and replied, “I bring news. In two hours, cultivator May is to report to the northern garden, in the wooden gazebo in the middle of the pond.”

  May nodded and gestured with her hands for her to leave her room. The maid bowed and left, closing the door behind her. May sighed quietly, knowing that the time had finally come to decide her future.

  She had to hurry. She didn't know exactly what to expect. Was it supposed to be formal or casual?

  Before she knew it, the time had come. She left her room and went to the location she had been given.

  She could feel the eyes of the estate's employees on her. It seemed to be common knowledge that she was to be a disciple of the Elder Sect. She laughed to herself.

  Finally, she arrived at her destination. She looked into the distance, and even though she was early, Ze Yun was already waiting for her. She felt a little nervous; she hadn't seen him in a long time. He wasn't a frequent visitor to the estate.

  “High Elder,” she said, bowing solemnly.

  Seeing this, he just nodded. He leaned his arms on the railing and watched the colorful fish, resembling carp, swimming energetically in the pond.

  They stood there in silence for a moment. Only after a long pause did he speak.

  “How is your stay at the Inner Court and the estate? Has it met your expectations?” he asked, continuing to watch the fish.

  “It has exceeded my expectations. I have certainly never lived in a place like this estate, and the Inner Court is gorgeous,” she said, even though she had not yet explored the Inner Court herself.

  "That's good. You know, when the Late Leader ordered me to find you, I didn't understand what could be so special about a child from the Outer Court. But now I understand, you are talented, but also hard-working. La Xia spoke very highly of you, and the estate staff say you have a good heart. These are important qualities for a cultivator," he said.

  “Junior thanks you for your kind words,” she replied, bowing again.

  “So, have you decided?” he asked, finally turning to face her.

  May swallowed and looked away. Saying what she was thinking was harder than she had expected.

  “Just say what you want to say. There's no reason for you to be afraid of what you've decided yourself.”

  “After thinking it over...” she said uncertainly. “I've decided, Elder, that I would like to pursue the path of independence. I know you would be an amazing master, but I don't think the army is for me.”

  Saying this, she felt as if she were rejecting someone's courtship. It was quite awkward for her.

  However, from the beginning, the military path did not suit her. The lack of freedom was not even the biggest problem. She wanted to pursue science and revolutionize the world. The military would limit her.

  Although having a Golden Core master would solve many of her problems, she still decided it wasn't worth it. With her system and earthly knowledge, she was sure she could achieve a lot even without anyone's help.

  “I understand. According to the agreement, you may stay at our clan's estate as a guest until the Cloud Academy tournament. After the tournament, you will have to manage on your own,” he said and walked past her.

  They did not talk any longer, and the man left the place. He did not seem particularly concerned about it.

  He probably didn't care anyway.

  May shrugged and returned to the estate.