Returning to Heaven's Gate

With no time to unsheathe her sword, Ming Yue whipped out both blade and scabbard, pushing it into the Primal Frost Deer's jaws. The beast clamped down on the scabbard but even with its strength, it could not bend this wooden piece no matter how hard it clenched its jaws. It's skull of a head was a things of fear and certainly surprised her but Ming Yue was not going to buckle so easily.

"Coming back for revenge?"

Ming Yue looked at the beast, holding off the jagged fangs which began to salivate.

Both Hei Yue and Xiao Yin sprung into action, attacking in unison as Xiao Yin's claw glowed and shot a crescent wave of Star Energy as Hei Yue clawed and mangled one of the legs. The white and ethereal wave of energy cleaved into its shoulder, digging deep into the flesh.

With one hand grasping her scabbard, the other began to encase itself in wind, forming her Zephyr Claws. Each claw spun rapidly as she thrust her hand into the Primal Frost Deer's neck. Thin and taut skin that covered its flesh were pulverized as she pushed the claws in. She ripped her hand away, leaving a bloody injury within its neck which began to spill out with turquoise blood.

Pain broke the deer's concentration, forcing it to loosen its jaws and let go of Ming Yue's weapon. The Primal Frost Deer leaped back and faced its prey. Its beady blue eyes stared at Ming Yue before the beast cast his attention upon her two beastly companions.

Standing on its hind legs, the deer stood heads above them all. Its thin and muscular frame was adorned with tiny ice crystals as short white fur covered the rest of its body. While the legs were hooves, the arms of the beast were claws, long and resembling that of bone.

The beast ran forward, heading straight for Ming Yue before turning to attack Hei Yue. It swung slow, aiming to throw the little black fox away. However, suddenly all thought seemed to freeze for a moment as it had seemingly forgotten what it was going to do.

"Oh, it worked."

Ming Yue was surprised at herself as she had sent out a burst of Mental Force into the Primal Frost Deer's mind. A momentary disruption of the mind that was enough for Ming Yue to attack without restrain and she disappeared and reappeared in front of the deer. As the beast recovered, she struck, slicing off one of its arms cleanly before punching the deer back. Dazed from all of it, the deer stepped back, stumbling on its hind legs before landing on its back.

She hopped onto the beast's body and raised her sword high before stabbing into its chest and killing the Primal Frost Deer.

The beast struggled, not knowing what had just happened but in the end, it had died from its injuried, bleeding from several parts of the body. Just like the Crescent Cloud Wolf, She butchered it and took any materials that she could exchange in Heaven's Gate.

"I can't believe it worked."

Ming Yue let out a sigh of relief as she began to analyze the fight. Most importantly, her use of Mental Force. Considering that it was a Rank 4 beast, it drained her of a third of that energy and managed to stop it in its tracks for not even a second. That paused was enough to decide the battle and it cemented her thoughts on how powerful Mental Techniques were.

At the same time, it also showed her strength. It was certainly much easier to deal with a rank 4 beast as she barely had any injuries. However, her hands were slightly numb from cutting off the Primal Frost Deer's arm. Not to mention, that arm had already been injured by Xiao Yin's attack. It still took some effort to deal with a rank 4 but she felt much more confident.

"Hm, I wonder how high I would rank among the others of Heaven's Gate. I wonder if I could go against the Elite Disciples, maybe even the Inheritors. I should hurry back. Hopefully, I won't be late."

Weeks later, she arrived at Heaven's Gate, showing her disciple badge and entering the Institution.

While the city was bustling, the Institution was oddly quiet, there were few people still travelling to and from the many spires. As stalls and such were being set up for the Heavenly Gate Tournament, it seems that none of that energy was found here. It was tense as everyone she walked past seemed anxious.

She first visited the Spirit Elder, who was found quietly reading a book. This time, there was no illusion so she saw him sitting among a mess of papers and documents.

"Elder Shen, I've returned."

The elder looked at her, his aged face took on a smile and a rather excited expression.

"Good, I trust that my colleagues did not make it difficult for you."

"No, Grand Researcher Ou took care of me and I've gained a lot since going there. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

She bowed with gratefulness in her heart.

"Grand Researcher Ou...heh. In any case, tell me about your time there."

Hearing the title of his friends, Elder Shen showed a wistful expression before he turned his attention to Ming Yue, who told him of everything from the Stellar Star Foundation to her time in the Grave of Dragons and Heroes. Upon finishing, he had a look of surprise before rubbing his chin.

"It seems that you have experienced some incredibly rare things. A Dragon Emperor you say... I suppose that the research department for Dragon Energy is having a great time."

He smiled before standing up from his chair.

"Since you've formed and learned the basics of Mental Force. We can work on fine-tuning all of it and perhaps help you design some techniques. But this can be done after the tournament. It's only a day or so before it begins so you should finish your preparations."

Ming Yue nodded leaving Elder Shen to his thoughts as she walked to the Medicinal Hall, where the Medical Elder, Elder Hua was. This elder who was not much older than Elder Shen did not have her heavy makeup or expensive jewelry on but she was surrounded by several disciples. Elder Hua was concentrated on this one pill cauldron that stood at the center of the workshop, tending to it as she instructed the disciples to grab certain ingredients from her medicine cabinets.

Ming Yue stood back and watched, not wanting to interrupt their work.

They were all concentrated as Elder Hua added things such as strange roots, flower petals, and more. She did it with precision, controlling the fire as the caldron steamed and bubbled. There were over a hundred things added before all of them relaxed.

"In one week, this bubbly mixture will become a batch of Godly War Body Pills and that will signify your graduation. This is proof that you have the ability and will rank among the most skilled of pill-makers. As for your reward to coming this far, you will get one of those Godly War Body Pills."

These disciples looked excited and began to talk among each other as the elder dismissed them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mign Yue standing there and watching.

"Oh Ming Yue, when did you come back? Come, come, tell me what you've experienced these past few months!"

Suddenly, her tired eyes turned excited and energetic as she took Ming Yue to sit with her.

"It seemed that I was going to interrupt something important so I just stood back and watched."

"Ah, yes. Those disciples of mine have proved themselves after passing my final test. Thus as a ceremony and celebration, we go and create the Godly War Body Pill. It's was Rank 6 pill used as a last resort, eating one will multiply your bodies strength by the dozens and leaves little backlash. The only issue is the many ingredients needed to create it but nevermind that, tell me everything!"

For the second time, Ming Yue recounted the details of her time travelling, putting more emphasis on her experiences at the Black Peak Mountains where the Merciless Storm Peak was.