Dine With Fellow Sect Members

As they settled down, a waiter approached to take their order. Rose overheard the young boy in front of her introducing himself, "My name's Leo." Taking a closer look, Rose realized that he was an outer sect disciple, not very old, and although he wasn't particularly good-looking, his neat black hair was pleasing to look at. But it was his eyes that caught Rose's attention, they appeared lifeless, devoid of their luster and didn't seem to fit the face of a young boy.

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Rose kindly said, "Leo, you don't have to use honorifics to talk to us. You can just call us by our names." But before she could stop herself, she continued, "So, who are you, Leo? And what brings you this far from the sect? It seems you have only recently begun your cultivation journey, and this place isn't exactly meant for someone like you."

Leo introduced himself to them, but as he spoke, he felt Rose gaze sizing him up with a look of incomprehension. After he finished, Rose asked him about his origins and business in town. Leo turned to her and saw Jack pinching her, apologizing on her behalf, "Sorry Leo, she didn't mean to be rude. She's just a very curious and straightforward person."

Leo felt irritated by their behavior and decided to dodge the question by making a sarcastic remark. "Oh, I understand. By the way, are you two a couple or what?" he asked, watching as both of them blushed hard. The air around the table became awkward, and Leo realized he may have gone too far. He quickly corrected himself, faking a sincere and apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm also a curious and straightforward person, and I couldn't help myself."

After Leo asked if they were in a relationship, Jack felt embarrassed and blushed. He gave Rose a sidelong glance and found himself meeting her gaze. He saw that she too was blushing, which made him feel a little happy. He immediately broke his gaze with Rose and heard Leo apologizing with a very sincere expression.

Feeling the need to fix the awkward atmosphere at the table, Jack cleared his throat and explained what Rose meant by her question. "Leo, Rose was just worried about you because of the recent events that took place in this town a couple of days ago. That's why she asked you why you are here."

Rose nodded in agreement and added, "Yes, I was just concerned about your safety. I didn't mean to come across as rude. I'm sorry."

Leo watched the interaction between the pair in front of him and thought to himself, "Yes, there isn't really anything between you guys(!)" As Jack talked about the events that took place in the Mystic Forest, Leo suddenly remembered the blond guy who had completed the trials before him. He wondered, 'Is he the one who completed the trials that the old man talked about? He certainly fits the description blond hair and an inner sect disciple.'

Curious, Leo decided to inquire further and said, "You guys don't need to apologize. I appreciate your concern. What events are you referring to?"

Rose noticed that Leo was unaware of recent events and decided to fill him in. She explained that in the Mystic Forest, a divine-grade wood Qi elemental core had appeared, sparking a fierce battle between two legendary beasts. News of the event quickly reached the sect headquarters, prompting Peak Master Derek and an expert from the Divine Phoenix Sect to come together and face off against the beasts.

After a prolonged fight, which lasted until yesterday, the two beasts retreated to their nest, badly wounded

After listening to Rose's explanation, Jack realized that she had forgotten to mention the space cracks, so he took over and explained, "While the experts were fighting, space cracks formed in the Mystic Forest. It is believed that a mystical realm may have been broken or disturbed, causing the cracks. However, the space cracks disappeared soon after. Despite people's attempts to explore them, they returned empty-handed."

Jack refrained from mentioning his own expedition to the mystical domain and his gains from it, as he didn't want to be perceived as someone who has wealth and then hunted by greedy people.

As Leo listened to their explanation, he couldn't help but wonder if the fireball that had caused him to jump inside the space crack was from one of the experts who had come to join the fight. He felt like an ant in an elephant's world and decided to focus on Jack, who was talking about the space cracks and mystical realms. Leo felt that Jack was hiding something, so he asked him, "Jack, do you have any idea what the space cracks were?"

Leo closely examined Jack's face as he answered with a trembling voice, "No, I don't know anything about the space cracks." Despite Jack's response, Leo came to the conclusion that it was he who had completed the trials and caused the domain to collapse. Leo felt a tinge of anger after realizing that Jack was the cause of his troubles, but he decided to ignore it and console himself by saying, 'Anyway, the space crack ultimately saved my life. Perhaps it's better to say that it gave me more time.'

Leo emerged from his thoughts upon seeing that the meal had arrived and started eating his first meal in this world. He then heard Jack trying to change the topic and asked him, "Leo, you must be very hungry to order a double portion." Leo reflexively answered, "Yes, I am a little hungry."

Rose felt that something was amiss, and Jack was acting awkwardly, but she decided to ignore it and focus her attention on her meal. However, she soon realized that Leo was avoiding mentioning why he was there and what he was doing by consistently changing the subject. So Rose asked again, "So Leo, why were you here in this mystic town?"

As Leo was eating his meal, Rose asked him again about his reason for being in the mystical town. Choosing to respond with half-truths and lies, he explained, "I arrived here this morning on a sect mission to collect spiritual plants. After finishing the task, I decided to have a meal before returning to the sect." However, Rose remained skeptical and expressed her concern, "But isn't it dangerous to come here on a mission with your cultivation realm? You could lose your life." Leo felt uneasy with Rose's questioning, and it ruined his aldreay none exist appetite. Annoyed, he replied "I wanted to explore the world outside of the sect."

Upon hearing Leo's response, Rose sensed that he was getting angry, so she decided to drop the subject and not pry any further. Instead, she asked if Leo wanted to return to the sect with them, feeling concerned that the journey might be dangerous for him. "After we finish our meal, we'll be heading back to the sect with Peak Master Derek. Would you like to come with us?"

Leo thought, 'Returning to the sect with a peak master would be really safe and fast,' and replied, "Really, that would be great. But are you sure my coming with you guys won't cause any trouble for you?"

They both said it was fine. After they finished their meal, they left the restaurant. Leo tried to pay for his meal, but it was rejected by Rose, so he let it go and headed to where the peak master Derek was.