Yin & Yang Pleasures of Cultivation

It was in an extensively spacious, beautiful courtyard area. This area was notably quiet, having a soothing peace to permeate through the site. 

There was only a single road in this courtyard area. And only one person was walking on the road. 

This person wore an overly long blue robe that covered her whole appearance. The only thing one would be able to spot from this person is six fox tails protruding out of their waist.

This person calmly walked until they reached the end of the road. 

The end of the road led them to a gorgeous large courtyard house. Surrounding the courtyard house were beautiful ice streams and a foot of grayish mixed snow.

To get here, this house was far isolated from the previous courtyard houses back on the road. 

Though there was a lack of human interaction one can have here, everything had a tranquil melody that can relax anyone's mind.

The person who was calmly walking through here was none other than Nomiya. She arrived at the courtyard house and stopped right in front of the door.

And right when Nomiya arrived at the door, she didn't even need to knock on it. 

The door gently opened up, revealing a surprising sight. 

The person who appeared in front of Nomiya was an extremely beautiful….boy?

For most males, the most common way to describe a good-looking one would be as handsome, noble-looking, heroic, or even cute. 

But for this boy, he could only be described as beautiful.

His face held distinct captivating features that accentuated his charm, pushing him past mere handsomeness and even the beauty of some women. 

His lips were a surprisingly red coat. His eyes were a bright, beautiful crystal blue color. His skin was shinier than women who kept their appearance up.

Gorgeous long black hair flowed out from his head and neatly ran down to his waist like a black ink waterfall. The boy wore an elegant blue uniform robe that had the distinct design of the God Beast Nine Tails artistically painted on there.

And this uniform robe seemed a bit big for the boy. But if one looked closely, you can spot some well-defined curves the boy had on him. The boy also exuded a calming aura despite his powerful cultivation realm.

He was a grand genius achieving the seventh level of the Heavenly Transformation realm! However, his Heavenly aura was as calming as water, pulling even more people into his allure. 

If not for his adam apple, one could confuse this beautiful boy as a gorgeous girl.

The beautiful boy had a small tranquil smile when facing Nomiya. He respectfully bowed his head and spoke. 

"Teacher Grand Sage. I am humbled by your appearance."

"Kasai. No need to get too formal. I won't be here for long. I came to give you a task of utmost importance, one that you must not fail." Nomiya's voice was calm but had a hint of sternness that couldn't be disobeyed. 

Kasai looked back up to Nomyia, and a serious expression crossed his gaze. "What must I do, Teacher Grand Sage?" 

"Soon, the Sect Master will call for you to go to the Mercenary Exchange Event. And I want you to take these two items."

Nomiya pulled out a fox badge symbol and a crystal blue talisman. She handed it over to Kasai, and he felt both items had an odd texture about them. 

The fox badge symbol was surprisingly soft and fluffy to feel.

And as for the crystal blue talisman, it was freezingly cold to touch! Kasai almost felt like he had a small ice cube in his hand. 

Curiously gazing at the two items, Kasai asked, "Teacher….this is?"

"The Fox badge will only glow if you encounter someone directly related to my specific variant of bloodline. And the talisman will automatically send you to my room no matter where you are. Like I said, this is a mission you must fail. You must find Masami Kitsui and bring her back to me."

Kasai's eyes briefly lit up. Of course, he had no idea that Masami was gone at all. 

But instead of questioning anything, Kasai simply nodded. "It shall be done, Teacher Grand Sage."

….

At the Silver Bloody Hammer group, a standard meeting was taking place. It was on the top floor of their building, inside Silver Leader Ninu's room. 

She was currently in a meeting with the new Heavenly General.

Heavenly General Viola, who is a second-level Heavenly King. A slight downgrade from the previous Heavenly Generals, but it was the best they had at the moment.

Ninu was sitting behind her desk, her face showing a weary complex of emotions. 

And Heavenly General Viola couldn't help but worry seeing this expression again. She tried speaking to her leader, hoping to raise her spirits just a bit.

"Leader….you reported that Master was alive a while ago. Shouldn't you be feeling happier these days? I believe he and the mistresses will come back to us."

Ninu merely trailed her eyes at Heavenly General Viola. She sighed and told her, "I should be, huh? Haah….well, nevermind that for now." 

Every time Heavenly General Viola sees these strange, odd emotions radiated from Ninu, she always gets surprised that this was her previous cold Vice Leader.

The once cold Vice Leader who would kill at a moment notice and people fear looking her in the eyes. Even Heavenly General Viol feared looking her in the eyes. But ever since that boy appears, Ninu was now an entirely different person.

And it was honestly a bit confusing for Heavenly General Viola. 

She experienced firsthand how powerful Darcel and his girls were. But they never showed any interest in their whole Mercenary group. Nor did they really take anything substantial before their disappearance. 

Furthermore, she still couldn't understand what Darcel did to Ninu. 

No matter how many times Heavenly General Viola scans Ninu with her Spirit Sense, she just appeared normal to her.

She couldn't identify any kind of odd energy inside her affecting her brain or her body. And yet, even after Darcel had been gone for so long, Ninu still remained genuinely loyal to him.

"So tell me. Do we have anybody yet that we can send to the Mercenary Exchange Event?" Ninu's slight melancholy voice brought Heavenly General Viola out of her thoughts.

She shook her hand and answered, telling her, "While a lot of our cultivation is seeing a significant boost ever since 'that day.' I don't believe we will see any Heavenly Kings for quite some time. The only method I could feasibly suggest is…."

'Chi!' 

Suddenly, on Ninu's desk, a blue ring sparked. 

Ninu raised her eyebrows and injected her Spirit Sense inside the ring. "....Oh? These two, huh?" Who Ninu sensed contacting her were two from the Nobe's Fang group.

It was the Leader of the whole group, Nobe's Fang Elwin, and his granddaughter. Her once bitter enemy now so casually contacts her. A thought that didn't affect Ninu at all.

"Viola, it's Leader Elwin and his granddaughter. Quickly bring them to me." 

Heavenly General Viola was briefly surprised. Though Ninu had a casual attitude about it, she still couldn't get over the strangeness of having them as allies.

A thought that was shared with many others between them and the Nobe's Fang group. 

But with Ninu's more charismatic leadership, she had been able to suppress any troublesome situation that may have ruined their alliance.

It still didn't make it any less weird to Heavenly General Viola that they were working with once bitter enemies. 

But she didn't object to Ninu and quickly got over her initial surprise.

"Right away, Leader." Heavenly General Viola swiftly got up and left the room. 

All by herself, Ninu's expression shifted back to a slight weariness. Her Darkness Soul link now regularly pulsates but at a slightly more potent level.

It clearly told her that Darcel is still alive and no longer unknown. But after all this time and Darcel still hasn't shown up, Ninu began to wonder if she'll ever see her Master again.

It was a confusing mesh of thoughts. 

She knows her position is just a mere Darkness Servant. But, at the same time, the new feelings Darcel provided to her gave birth to genuine confusing emotions. 

Emotions that were other than pleasure or blissfulness. 

Lost in thought for a couple of minutes, Ninu didn't move until a knock was heard at her door. She quickly straightened back up and spoke in an even tone of voice. 

"Come in."

Her door opened, and coming into her room was one strong-looking middle-aged man. He had an even, stern expression, showcasing the lifetime experiences he had in this Province.

Of course, this was the Leader of the Nobe's Fang group, Leader Elwin! 

Next to Leader Elwin was a woman who had a more plain appearance but still held some cute qualities.

A small smile graced the woman's lips, and her back stood tall even amongst Heavenly Kings. This woman would cause a bit of shock in Darcel's group. 

For as she was actually Fruna!

And another surprising facet about Fruna was that Ninu sense was she was at the ninth rank of the Innate Core realm. The peak of the realm! 

Moreover, Ninu sensed that Fruna was close to reaching half-step Heavenly King.

Ninu as well sense Leader Elwin had also grown a bit in cultivation since she last saw him. 

Heavenly General Viola was the last to enter the room. She closed the door behind and went over to stand behind Ninu.

Both Leader Elwin and Fruna nonchalantly sat on the couch facing Ninu, and Leader Elwin spoke first. "Silver Leader Ninu. I hope you've been well. I apologize for the sudden appearance, but I have something vital to discuss with you."

Ninu curiously quirked her eyebrow. "If it's something from you, then I already know it's something immensely changing." 

Leader Elwin's expression turned calmer, engaging with Ninu.

Even he couldn't resist her soothing tone and beautiful looks. "For the first part, it's nothing too major. I wanted to ask if you would want to send our forces together for the Mercenary Exchange Event."

"Hoh? So you brought this up first, huh? Are you not worried about the still lasting hostility between us?" Ninu genuinely asked. 

She wasn't opposed but knew of the difficulties still permeating between their groups.

"You see, Silver Leader, I already planned for this. Ever since that day' Fruna's cultivation talent finally returned to her. She's quickly growing every day. And very nearly, she'll breakthrough to the Heavenly King realm and go even further. With her diplomatic attitude, she will be able to oversee and mediate a group between us."

Leader Elwin calmly explained. And Fruna finally spoke up after all this time, confidently telling Ninu, 

"I, too, really liked Darcel and Aniela Silver Leader. They're the reason our group can flourish with yours now. Plus, they also helped me out the first time I met them. So you have my word."

Ninu didn't respond for a split second. In her soul's core, her Darkness Soul link pulsated towards Fruna. It gave her the feeling that Fruna was someone trustworthy.

Moreover, Ninu could sense it herself that Fruna's progress is exponential. Almost like she is a true genius. 

"I'll….contact you if I find suitable candidates. Just give me a bit of time."

Both Elder Lewin and Fruna nodded. And right next, Leader Lewin's expression turned a bit more serious. "Now what I want to truly discuss. Silver Leader, have you ever heard of 'the day of Provinces Converging.'"

Leader Elwin didn't care about Heavenly General Viola's presence here. Because, as he expected, her face just warped with confusion at his last statement.

But on Ninu's face, her expression puzzled for a brief moment. And in the very next second, her whole face lit up.  "That day....I haven't heard since years ago. And I thought we would never see it again. Unless....ah. That's right, 'that day' did change, well, everything."