Lauren was speechless. That’s not what you said st time.

  Last time, he’d told her to reach the tenth level of Foundation Establishment within three years—or else.

  “I don’t think I’m being too fast,” she argued. “Dante and the others are working hard too.”

  “Dante is the fastest among them,” Drake said. “But he’s only just reached te Core Formation. You’re already preparing for Nascent Soul—you’re miles ahead.”

  Lauren crossed her arms. She could be even faster.

  “Sunspire’s once-a-decade auction will be held in a few days,” Drake said. “Go with Tarot, have some fun, and see how many spirit stones your two pills can fetch.”

  Lauren blinked. “Senior Brother’s back?”

  “No. I told him to go straight to Sunspire.”

  For the past two years, Tarot had been constantly on the move—barely returning home before Drake sent him off again. Nobody knew what kind of errands he was running. She hadn’t seen him in ages.

  “Yes, Master.”

  A trip to Sunspire didn’t sound so bad.

  She agreed, and Drake tossed her a storage bag.

  Lauren caught it, confused. “Master, I still haven’t spent all the spirit stones you gave me st time.”

  “Going to an auction isn’t just about experience,” Drake said calmly. “Buy whatever you like.”

  Lauren stared at him, speechless.

  “I don’t know what you like,” he continued. “So I just give you spirit stones and let you decide. If it’s not enough, ask Tarot to buy what you need.”

  Lauren felt a wave of exasperated affection. For a moment, she really did feel like the pampered daughter of a rich family.

  “Thank you, Master.”

  “Before heading to Wannian City, stop by Moonlit Sect with Dante.”

  “What?” Lauren’s expression froze. “Go to Moonlit Sect… why?”

  Was she being asked to attend Indiana and Timothy’s wedding?

  “Master, you might not know this, but the bride and I have… a bit of a grudge. If I go, I might ruin the ceremony.”

  “I know,” Drake said evenly. “That’s precisely why you should go. There’s more to see in this world than just cultivation.”

  Lauren frowned. She really didn’t want to go, but if her master said there was a deeper reason behind it, she had to endure.

  “Alright then.”

  “No messing around,” Drake warned.

  “…”

  Lauren could only offer a strained smile.

  Then Drake took out a sealed letter and handed it to her. “Deliver this to Herbert. In person.”

  Lauren noticed the lightning sigil sealing the envelope and raised a brow.

  Really, Master? Are you afraid I’ll peek?

  As if she’d dare. Her sense of self-preservation was far stronger than her curiosity.

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Go see Gerald,” Drake said. “He’ll arrange your trip to Moonlit Sect.”

  Though she was technically only leaving the mountain for a wedding and an auction, Lauren still treated it as an opportunity to gain experience. Preparation was everything.

  Having lived two short lives already, she no longer cared much for material wealth. She understood one simple truth—staying alive mattered more than anything.

  Still, practical concerns remained. In her early days, when she’d run out of spirit stones, she’d borrowed from Tarot rather than ask Drake directly. But fr, she couldn’t resist.

  “Master,” she said cautiously, “could you… maybe give me a few more of those detonators?”

  Drake’s expression froze. He stared at her in silence for several long seconds.

  “I told you to attend a wedding,” he said ftly. “Why do you need detonators? Pnning to blow up Moonlit Sect?”

  Lauren’s heart skipped a beat. “N-No! Of course not. I just… feel safer with a few more of them, that’s all.”

  Drake pressed his lips together, eyes filled with that familiar mix of patience and disbelief.

  There were times he truly wondered if his disciple had been sent by Heaven to test his self-control.

  Seeing that she wouldn’t leave unless he handed it over, he finally produced the detonator.

  Lauren took it, her expression faintly disappointed. So that was all?

  “Thank you, Master.”

  “Use it carefully. Harming the innocent goes against the natural order.”

  Lauren nodded again and again, then withdrew.

  After leaving Starfell Hall, Edmund said quietly to her, “Your master is close to ascension. Do you know what he fears the most?”

  “Vioting the natural order?”

  “Exactly.” Edmund’s voice was calm, but the weight of his words was heavy. “The lightning he wields is not the same as talismans or artifacts. Every life taken by that lightning leaves a mark on him. Each kill is recorded as karma, and that karma will affect his ascension.”

  Lauren tightened her grip on the detonator, deeply shaken. “Then… if I only use it for self-defense, that’s acceptable, right?”

  “Yes,” Edmund replied. “As long as the one you kill has karmic ties to you.”

  “Karmic ties?”

  “For example, that seventh-tier demon beast you encountered in the desert. It attacked you first and intended to kill you. You struck it down with lightning—that carries no burden. But Indiana never tried to kill you. You struck her with lightning anyway. That karma doesn’t fall on you—it falls on your master. Do you understand now?”

  She did.

  Lauren descended the mountain and went straight to see the sect leader, Gerald.

  “Sect Leader..”

  “You’re finally here!” Gerald ughed, waving her over. “Perfect timing. You and Dante will depart today—just in time for the wedding banquet.”

  So soon?

  Lauren smiled faintly. “I haven’t prepared a gift yet.”

  “I already took care of it,” Gerald said breezily. “You’ll just need to show up.”

  “How could that be?” Lauren tilted her head. “The bride is my sister.”

  “What?” Gerald froze. “You mean… Indiana is your sister?”

  Lauren’s smile deepened, slow and unsettling. “Yes. She’s my father’s daughter with a prostitute. My grandfather thought it was disgraceful, so she was never entered into the family genealogy.”

  In her previous life, she had insisted on framing it as the family officially acknowledging Indiana’s status—yet still somehow felt insulted by it.

  This time, she would make sure everyone knew exactly what Indiana was.

  Gerald swallowed hard.

  That smile was icy enough to send a chill down his spine. Was she pnning to blow things up?

  “Y-you… let me think about this,” he said hurriedly. “Just wait a moment. Just a moment.”

  “Gerald,” Lauren said calmly, “didn’t you say this was urgent?”

  “No rush. No rush at all,” Gerald replied, already backing away. “Just… wait here.”

  He needed to consult Uncle-Master Drake about this immediately.

  Something was very, very wrong.

  After Gerald left, Dante walked in.

  “Ms. Lauren’s here? Oh—where’s my Master?”

  “He was out,” Lauren said, pouring herself some tea. “Told me to wait here.”

  “Oh.” Dante scratched his head awkwardly.

  Lauren suddenly remembered something. “By the way, the spirit stones from the rankings have been with me. This bag’s yours—take it.”

  She handed him a storage pouch filled with the bonus rewards she’d accumuted over the past two or three years.

  Dante accepted it with a grin. “Thank you very much.”

  Lauren didn’t mention that he and the others had pushed her to the top of the rankings. Instead, she changed the subject. “What did you do with the mermaid scales?”

  “I sold mine,” Dante said. “But I heard Nash had his made into clothes.”

  Lauren paused, imagining how those iridescent blue-green scales would look as clothing—shimmering like sunlight on water.

  “Can you recommend a good craftsman?” she asked.

  “Of course. I’ve got a senior sister who’s an expert at that sort of thing. If you trust her, give me the scales and I’ll ask her to handle it.”

  Lauren took out a pouch of scales and slipped in a generous handful of spirit stones. “For the bor cost.”

  Dante peeked inside, then froze. The amount was… substantial.

  Though junior master was still young, she was already far more worldly than most cultivators twice her age.

  You got what you paid for—and with this much, his senior sister would put her whole heart into the project.

  “By the way, Ms. Lauren,” Dante said suddenly, “do you remember that thick armor we took from the desert?”

  Lauren nodded.

  “Well, that thing’s a nightmare to work with. I asked around, but no one’s been able to do anything with it. Probably because it’s from some overseas beast—most refiners have never even seen a hide like that.”

  He spread out a massive piece of rough, knobbly skin. The surface was uneven and ugly, like a toad’s back.

  Lauren studied it, grimacing. “You decide. I don’t want it.”

  “Huh? You don’t want it?”

  “I’ve already got a piece of ruined hide myself—and I don’t know what to do with that either.”

  She’d told him before that after they parted ways, she’d used one of her master’s treasures to kill the seventh-tier beast. Its flesh had been obliterated by light, but she’d managed to retrieve the hide. It was still sitting in her storage bag, waiting for a purpose.

  “Alright then,” Dante said. “We’ll keep both for now. Maybe we’ll find a good weapon refiner someday.”

  While they were talking, Gerald returned.

  He’d already expined to Drake that if Lauren caused trouble at Moonlit Sect, he’d make sure not to get caught up in it. That way, no one could accuse him of treason ter.

  He entered carrying several carefully wrapped boxes—gifts prepared long ago—and handed them to Dante.

  “Take these,” Gerald said. “And make sure Lauren gets there safely.”

  Dante nodded. “Got it.”

  Lauren adjusted her sleeve, where Edmund was quietly coiled. “Let’s go, then.”