1.3 - Yun’s circumstances

They truly went out of their way to bring me here.'

Una thought bitterly. Although she had known that the elders covered the sins of her 'senior brother', she didn't know that one of them would even help him relocate her to some random island in the Southern sea.

After all, only a Void Breaking tier expert could cross that unimaginable distance and bring her here in such a short timespan. As for that man, he hadn't owned such cultivation the last time she saw him.

Yun watched as her expression shifted between realization, bitterness, wrath, and despondency. He didn't know how someone could experience a variety of emotions in such a short time.

Finally, Una regained her calm. Her presence faded away until one couldn't ascertain if she was here at all without their sight telling them otherwise. Although the severe atmosphere was resolved, Yun's instincts told him that the girl was even more dangerous in this state. Like a dagger hidden in the dark. You really wouldn't understand how you died if you were to cross her.

"Continue." Una prompted him, her voice emotionless. Yun startled and nodded in acquiescence before resuming. Long story short, She was now on the Burning Sand Isle, an island that took its name from the desert at its core.

16 kingdoms surrounded this desert in a ring fashion. The Sonet kingdom was located on the west side of the Isle. Among the surrounding kingdoms, it wasn't particularly strong, middling at most in terms of powerhouses. They were currently in a nameless forest, situated at the end of the Nocturne Plains. A northern region of the Sonet Kingdom. It was next to the massive mountain range separating the Sonet kingdom from the Darkhan kingdom.

The four strongest powers in this region were the Blackbird Clan, the Nocturne Sect, the Searing Light Temple, and the Red Lion Army belonging to the kingdom. The latter was in charge of safeguarding the border against a potential invasion. In terms of ranking, the Nocturne Sect was at the top, followed by the Searing Light Temple and the Red Lion Army. The Blackbird Clan was the weakest amongst them.

Una digested the information. She closed her eyes for a moment then reopened them.

"Give me your sword for an instant." The sudden request almost made Yun's head spin but he gave her his sword regardless. Una saw his confusion but didn't explain.

She gestured with her finger and the sword flew out of Yun's hand and came to a stop, floating before her.

Her hands blurred as she cast various esoteric seals and then spat out a glowing scarlet mist. She observed the rolling mist in front of her with a thoughtful expression.

'Indeed, this is not spiritual force but a new kind of power birthed by my new state.'

Una had noticed that when casting her spells, the fuel used was this new force. She decided to call it Soul Blood Force. It was between the material and the immaterial. She felt that it had infinite potential. This was because only a hundredth was used to cast the Moon Goddess's Eyes. Previously to cast this powerful spell, she would use half of her spiritual force, even as a 9th step Soul tier.

She shook those thoughts away and focused on the matter at hand. Her hand seals changed and the scarlet mist coalesced into tens of miniature formations. She pushed lightly and they flew into the sword.

A keen sword cry sounded in the surroundings. It was akin to a newborn cry, full of life and promises. The sword had completely transformed. The blade now sported various spiritual patterns. Additionally, the guard had disappeared, and the blade transitioned smoothly into the handle. All in all, the sword was incredibly gorgeous.

"Keep it," Una pointed and the sword shifted into a treasured light. It crossed a small distance and disappeared inside Yun's chest.

"He!?" A weird noise escaped Yun. A wave of shock had disturbed the peace in his mind. He could sense the sword inside his body. Not only that, but the sword automatically refined his essence qi and gave back pure sword qi. After a moment his entire Source became composed entirely with a sharp sword qi.

"No need to be so surprised. I merely refined your sword anew allowing it to evolve into a supreme spiritual treasure from a medium mortal treasure. Now, with enough nourishment from your cultivation base, it will continue to grow more and more powerful. As a bonus, it can even assist you in condensing pure sword qi." Una explained unhurriedly.

Yun's jaw almost hit the ground while listening to her explanation. It took a while before he regained his calm. Even then, he still had palpitations. One should know that a spiritual treasure was a rarity in the Sonet Kingdom and was also decently valued on the entire island. Not to mention a supreme spiritual treasure that was enough to cause rivers of blood.

"Gratitude senior, I will do my utmost to help Senior." He thanked her profusely, after all, her 'minor' gift was truly extraordinary. Which meant that his debt had grown.

"As long as you understand." Una nodded, gratified, she liked quick people. As stated before, she wasn't in charity. It was an investment.

"Bring me to your clan, I need somewhere to reside," Una said.

Yun nodded and Una waved her hand carrying him as they rocketed skyward. Soon they became a scarlet trail blasting through the clouds.

On the way, Yun told her about himself and his clan. In reality, he wasn't a true descendant of the Blackbird Clan. He was an orphan that had been sold as a slave miner. He grew up in the harsh environment of the spiritual mine. Just when he believed he would spend his entire life as a slave, the Blackbird Patriarch, Jenech came and brought him away.

Since then, he became an adopted son of Jenech and his status rose to the highest echelon of the Nocturne Plains. At first, it caused disagreements in the clan but it was later revealed that Yun had an excellent cultivation root. The elders of the clan did some tests and concluded that he would have no trouble reaching the legendary Divine Avatar Tier.

With his talent exposed to the light, although a few haters still grumbled, Yun became unassailable in the clan and famous in the Nocturne Plains as The Second Young Master of the Blackbird Clan. His fame even eclipsed that of his elder brother, the true son of Jenech.

On the surface, everyone seemed to recognize his status but under the veneer of civility and false respect, many attempts had been made on Yun's life. Una just saved him from the most recent one. Una had exclaimed about his proficiency with the sword when she spied on the ambush earlier. Now, she understood that this skill came from stepping upon dozens of corpses.

Yun was seeking a particular flower when he went out this time. It had a spiritual nature and could grant a hundred years of lifespan once refined. His adoptive father's lifespan was coming to an end and he wanted to save him. The ill-intended members of the clan grasped this opportunity and laid an inescapable trap for him.

"I see." Una could draw a mental picture of the situation inside the Blackbird Clan. It seemed that turmoil awaited. Seemingly thinking about something, Una asked, "Did you give up on the spiritual flower?"

"I would want nothing more than to go and retrieve it but the men that were supposed to aid me betrayed me. The flower is protected by a Beast at the 7th step of the Spirit tier. I wouldn't be able to take care of it alone."

A sound judgment, he was only a 9th step Essence tier kid.

"I will cultivate in seclusion and go for it once I am out." Una looked at him, light flowing in her eyes. He didn't once ask her to help. It seemed that he was a determined, independent young man. If he kept the same attitude, he would have great achievements. After all, one could only depend on oneself to advance toward the Great Dao.