Early morning on Guyun Island.
Guyun Island was one of the few first-rate forces beyond the seas. Under the sect's jurisdiction lay over a dozen large and small islands, rich in spiritual energy and overflowing with rare treasures. The disciples worked diligently, training hard, their futures bright and promising.
Although Guyun Island's strength couldn't compare to the Taiyi Sect, what it lacked was merely a Transcendence Realm expert.
A few years ago, after Guyun Island had recovered its long-lost sect-defining secret manual—the Huan Sheng Po Yue Gong—the Island Master Gu Feng had devoted himself to aggressively cultivating his disciples' strength. He harbored the hope that one day, several of his most talented disciples would reach the Transcendence Realm and stand as equals to the Taiyi Sect.
It was an ambitious goal, and it would take time, but Gu Feng believed that with the aid of the Huan Sheng Po Yue Gong, those select disciples stood a real chance of making his expectations a reality.
The sea breeze blew gently, fresh and natural.
Guyun Island's elite disciple Zhong Miaoke stirred awake after a night of meditative cultivation. She hopped lightly off her bed, freshened up briefly, and stepped out the door.
She walked to the simple hut next door and knocked gently, calling out in a sweet voice: "Junior Brother! Junior Brother, wake up!"
The door opened, revealing a young face.
Gazing into those deep, weathered eyes, Zhong Miaoke felt herself momentarily lost in thought.
She couldn't understand it. Her Junior Brother was clearly not yet twenty, yet he seemed as though he had been through more than most people. Neither his demeanor nor his way of handling things fit someone his age. Even the occasional words he let slip were thought-provoking.
"Good morning, Senior Sister." The young man greeted her with a smile.
Zhong Miaoke gave a slight nod, her full chest rising and falling gently in a way that stirred the imagination. She chuckled lightly: "I thought you were still sleeping. Get ready quickly—the Elder is coming to check on the peacocks today. We need to help those little guys get cleaned up, or the Elder will punish us if he sees them dirty."
"Got it." Yang Kai nodded and went back inside to prepare.
This was a remote corner of Guyun Island. Zhong Miaoke's job was to look after several magnificent peacocks.
These peacocks weren't rare exotic beasts—just ordinary peacocks, belonging to a Guyun Island Elder named Han Zhao.
Han Zhao had a cultivation base of the seventh level of the Shenyou Realm. His strength was neither particularly high nor low, but he was well known on Guyun Island as a devoted romantic.
The peacocks had been raised by his late wife. After her passing, Han Zhao had treated them like precious treasures, even specifically arranging for people to care for them.
Together with Zhong Miaoke, Yang Kai arrived at where the peacocks were kept. He fetched clean water and helped groom the proud, haughty birds, washing the stains from their feathers.
Looking at this oddly familiar island, this place that stirred vague recognition, Yang Kai couldn't help but laugh to himself.
He hadn't expected that a collapsing Void Passage would deposit him here.
Half a year ago, Zhong Miaoke had fished him out of the waters near Guyun Island.
The collapsing Void force had nearly sliced his body into countless pieces. Had it not been for the Bone Shield's protection, he would already be dead.
After being rescued by Zhong Miaoke, it had taken a full half month of convalescence before his injuries gradually improved.
Yang Kai hadn't been in any rush to return to Zhongdu. Things there had already settled, and whether he went back or not made little difference. He had simply stayed here with a clear conscience.
Zhong Miaoke had even pulled some strings, pleading with Elder Han Zhao to have the seemingly useless Yang Kai admitted into Guyun Island as a nominal disciple, assigned to help her tend the peacocks.
What a coincidence! Yang Kai mused to himself. He had actually visited Guyun Island once before.
"Senior Sister, you're an elite disciple of the sect. You should be able to train in a much better place. Why have you stayed here all this time tending peacocks? Isn't that a bit of a waste of your talents?" Yang Kai asked casually as he worked at an unhurried pace.
"Mm." Zhong Miaoke nodded gently. She wasn't particularly beautiful—there were even a few light freckles on her face—but she had delicate features and was quite pleasant to look at, with a wonderful figure to boot. Working alongside her was never dull, and this bargain of a Senior Sister had a particularly kind heart. If she hadn't been that way, she never would have pulled Yang Kai from the sea, let alone used her connections to get him admitted to Guyun Island.
To her, his cover story was that of a fisherman who had fallen into the sea by chance.
"Although the Island Master and several Elders want me to train on Shenfeng Island, where the spiritual energy is much more abundant than here, I'd rather not go."
"Why not? People naturally seek higher ground, just as water flows downhill. Don't tell me you can't bear to part with these peacocks?" Yang Kai teased.
"That's not it." Zhong Miaoke shook her head slowly, a flicker of memory entering her beautiful eyes. After a long pause, she spoke: "I stayed because I hope that one day I can repay a kindness."
"Repay a kindness?" Yang Kai asked, surprised.
"Did I ever tell you? Back when I first joined the sect, Senior Sister was not valued at all. My status was very low, and plenty of people bullied me."