As Bai Long and Leng Yue walked side by side toward the main hall, Bai Long was the first one to speak.
"So be honest," he asked quietly, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "What are you?"
Leng Yue didn't hesitate, nor did her expression so much as flicker. "An Ice Phoenix."
Bai Long nodded slowly. He had already suspected as much from the moment her silver frost crushed his flames. "I had my suspicions," he admitted, "but it's still surreal. I can't believe I'm standing beside an Ice Phoenix."
"And you?" she asked, turning her head slightly, her blue eyes unreadable. "What are you?"
"A Golden Dragon."
She narrowed her eyes faintly. "But your flames were silver."
"I also have silver blood."
That caused her steps to halt for half a second. Even her calm composure cracked at the edges. "There was only one man who ever possessed a golden body with silver blood, Bai Long."
"Nice to meet you," Bai Long said with a faint grin. "My real name is Bai Long."
She stared at him, stunned. "That's impossible. He died."
"I know. But for some reason, I was reborn. And judging by how you're speaking… you were too." His gaze softened with curiosity. "So who were you?"
Leng Yue took a slow breath. "I was the one who took over after your death. Leng Yue. Like you, I cultivated to the Transcendent Dao Realm but failed to advance further. Before attempting to advance, I spent over a billion years creating a technique beyond the divine rank: Perfect Reincarnation. It ensured I would reincarnate into the most perfect body, with the best constitution and spirit root in the galaxy: the Eternal Frost Root and the Voidfrost Constitution."
Bai Long stopped walking, surprise flashing across his face. "No way. I have the Eternal Ember Root and the Voidflame Constitution. My soul had already merged with the cosmos after I died… but if your technique touched the cosmos itself, maybe it affected me too."
"That is possible," she admitted, "but then you should have been reborn in a mortal body. The cosmos only creates one mythical creature each era."
"It could be our willpower. Think about it. Would you ever allow yourself—even subconsciously—to reincarnate as a mortal?"
"No," she admitted "My soul would rather erase itself."
"Exactly. I think the galaxy sensed that and—maybe just once—it bent the rules. It created two mythical creatures in a single era."
"That might just be true."
"We can talk more later," she said softly. "We've arrived."
Two large doors towered before them, carved with the sect's emblem. Before either could knock, a majestic yet weary voice drifted out.
"Come in."
The doors creaked as they stepped inside. Elders lined the hall, standing in two rows creating a path toward the man seated at the head of the room. The air itself felt heavier here, a pressure born from authority and cultivation.
The sect master studied both of them with eyes that had seen countless talents rise and fall.
"I have made a decision," he said. He looked along the line of elders, then back at the two disciples at the centre of the hall. "Just now, we discussed who would become my personal disciple. Four elders chose Li Yun, and four chose Leng Yue. Therefore, the one who will become my disciple is… both of you."
The elders immediately erupted.
"What?"
"How is this possible?"
"This has never happened—"
Their disbelief filled the hall, but Bai Long and Leng Yue merely stood still, neither surprised nor moved. It was as if they already expected this result.
The sect master raised his hand, silencing the room. "The reason is simple. I know neither of them will take over my position as sect master. Therefore, rather than choose one, I will nurture both using the best resources the sect can offer."
The elders exchanged shocked looks.
"Sect master… what do you mean?" one finally asked.
The old man chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? These two are using our sect as a stepping stone to prepare for the middle realm. Am I correct?"
"Yes, sect master," they replied in unison.
A few elders looked offended, others simply defeated.
"But sect master," another spoke, "why invest so many resources into disciples who will eventually leave us?"
"Because we would be fools not to," the sect master replied immediately. "We will use their strength while they remain here, and considering their speed, I believe they won't leave until they reach the True Immortal Realm. When do you think you will leave?" He looked at the two prodigies with a look that expressed that he knows he's right.
"At the very least the Tribulation Transcendence Realm," Bai Long answered, "but more likely the True Immortal Realm."
"The same for me," Leng Yue said.
The sect master stroked his beard. "See? Based on that, they'll be with us for a few thousand years."
Bai Long resisted the urge to correct him. They could likely do it in five hundred years. Maybe less. But saying that would only cause chaos.
"Since the main peak has only two residences," the sect master continued, "you will both have to share one house, as I live in the other."
Both of them froze. For the first time, they deliberately looked away from each other, faces slightly red.
The sect master watched them with amusement. 'Their child will be a frightening monster,' he thought privately.
Aloud, he said, "The missionary hall master, Elder Qian—you've met him before—will escort you to your new residence."
Bai Long and Leng Yue bowed. "Yes, sect master."
The elders were dismissed, and the hall gradually emptied. Bai Long and Leng Yue followed Elder Qian outside, the atmosphere oddly quiet between them.
The moment they stepped outside, Bai Long exhaled lightly. "I suppose living together wouldn't be so bad."
Leng Yue gave him a faint glance, her tone cool but no longer indifferent. "We can simply divide the space."
"Of course. It's only temporary anyway. After all, you won't be able to tolerate me for long."
Her lips twitched—almost a smile, the coldness of the previous tyrant empress nowhere to be seen. "I can tolerate you better than most."
Their footsteps fell in sync as they followed Elder Qian down the stone path, the sun glinting off the roofs of the sect buildings and the faint scent of pine drifting through the mountain air.
Without realizing it, their pace matched perfectly.
Two reborn mythical creatures.Two former rulers of the galaxy.
The beginning of their shared path had officially begun.