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Chu Yueli led her older sister through the icy halls until they reached the main guest room.
When they walked in, Sam was standing by a large wooden table, looking at a map of the world with Jean.
Jasmine was sitting on a chair nearby, eating a sweet bun.
Chu Yuechan looked at the man. He did not have the arrogant, greedy look that most powerful men had.
His eyes were calm, deep, and perfectly clear.
And the red-haired woman next to him, Jean, radiated a warmth so pure it made Chu Yuechan's frozen heart feel completely at peace.
"Senior Sam,"
Chu Yueli said softly, bowing her head.
"This is my older sister, Chu Yuechan."
Sam smiled and nodded.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Fairy Chu,"
Sam greeted her warmly.
"I am glad you made it back safely."
Chu Yuechan bowed deeply.
"Thank you for saving my sisters, Senior,"
She said, her voice full of genuine gratitude.
"My sister told me you are planning to leave soon to fix a tragedy."
"Yes, I have to clean up the karma I created. It is very important for my own cultivation."
Xia Qingyue, who had followed them into the room, stepped closer.
"What does karma have to do with your cultivation, Senior?"
She asked curiously.
"I am getting very close to a major breakthrough,"
Sam explained, his tone turning serious.
"My next level is called the Nascent Soul Stage. When I try to break through, the heavens will test me with a massive lightning tribulation. To survive it, my mind and my soul must be perfectly clean."
Sam tapped his finger on the map.
"If I leave bad karma behind—like letting innocent people die because I changed someone's destiny—the heavens will use that guilt against me. The lightning will burn me to ash. I have to solve the problems the original hero of this world was supposed to solve."
Jean wrapped her arm around Sam's waist.
"So, where are we going first?"
Jean asked gently.
Sam pointed to a large city drawn on the map.
"We are going to the Blue Wind Imperial City,"
Sam answered.
"We need to find the princess of this empire. Her name is Cang Yue."
Chu Yuechan frowned slightly. As a powerful cultivator, she usually stayed away from mortal politics.
"Why the princess?"
Chu Yuechan asked.
"The Blue Wind Empire is slowly rotting from the inside,"
Sam told them.
"The Emperor is terribly sick with a hidden poison. The princes are fighting a bloody war for the throne, and they are secretly working with greedy sects. If nothing changes, the empire will fall apart. The fate of millions of people depends entirely on Princess Cang Yue."
"Then we will go and save her,"
Xia Qingyue said firmly, her eyes full of determination.
"We will defeat her enemies and protect the royal family."
Sam looked at Qingyue and slowly shook his head.
"No,"
Sam said softly.
Xia Qingyue blinked in surprise.
"We are not going to save her?"
"A normal hero would just walk in, defeat the bad guys, and save the damsel in distress,"
Sam explained, his voice deep and full of wisdom.
"But what happens after the hero leaves? If she is weak, the next bad guy will just come and take her throne again."
Sam looked at the women in the room.
"I am not going to be her hero,"
Sam smiled gently.
"I am going to be her teacher. I will cure her father, but I will not fight her battles for her. I will give her a new cultivation path. I will make her so strong that she can crush her enemies with her own two hands."
Chu Yuechan's eyes widened.
A deep sense of respect filled her chest.
"You want to give her the power to rule,"
Chu Yuechan whispered.
"Exactly,"
Sam nodded.
"A true ruler cannot hide behind someone else's sword. She must be the sword. If she wants to save her empire, I will give her the strength to protect it herself."
Chu Yuechan looked at Sam, completely amazed.
He didn't just want to protect women; he wanted to empower them so they never had to live in fear again.
"Senior Sam,"
Chu Yuechan said, her voice completely steady.
"If you are going to Imperial City... please, let me come with you too."
Sam looked at Chu Yuechan.
He saw the bright fire returning to her usually cold eyes.
"Why do you want to leave your home, Fairy Chu?"
Sam asked gently.
"Because cultivation is my entire life,"
Chu Yuechan answered honestly, her voice full of passion.
"For hundreds of years, I only walked one cold, lonely path. But you have shown us a completely new world. If I stay here, I will only see the snow. If I follow you, I know I will become much stronger. I want to walk on your path and see the true universe."
Sam smiled.
He liked her honesty and her strong drive to improve.
"Then you can come with us,"
Sam nodded.
"We have plenty of room."
The group walked out into the bright, snowy courtyard to say their goodbyes.
Gong Yuxian and Chu Yueli stood with the rest of the sect, bowing deeply to Sam, Jean, and the girls.
"We will practice your path and guard the Frozen Cloud Asgard with our lives,"
The Sect Master promised loudly.
"Have a safe journey, Senior Sam."
Sam waved goodbye.
He told Little D and Little H who played around outside the sect to come back, and the massive, glowing silver spaceship slowly appeared in the sky and lowered into the courtyard.
When Chu Yuechan stepped onto the glowing blue ramp, she completely froze.
She looked at the smooth metal walls, the bright blue lights, and the giant glass windows.
"This... this is a flying ship?"
Chu Yuechan whispered.
She had never seen anything so magical and strange in her entire life. She was completely amazed.
"Of course it is amazing!"
Jasmine said loudly, crossing her small arms and sticking her chin up in the air.
Jasmine looked incredibly proud, acting as if she had built the spaceship herself.
"It is the fastest ship in any universe,"
Jasmine bragged to the older woman.
"Nothing can catch us."
Sam chuckled and gently patted Jasmine on her soft red hair.
"Thank you for the compliment,"
Sam smiled.
Jasmine's cheeks turned slightly red, but she didn't pull away or yell at him to stop.
Without even realizing it, she had started treating Sam exactly like her big brother.
Inside the command room, everyone sat down in the soft, comfortable chairs.
Jasmine watched Sam talk quietly with Jean.
He was kind, smart, and deeply respected his wife.
Jasmine thought about her late big brother.
She loved him very much, but deep down in her mind, she realized Sam was actually becoming a better big brother to her.
Her late brother had been incredibly strong, but he had made one grave, terrible mistake.
He had fallen madly in love with a cruel, evil woman.
That woman had completely ruined his life.
Sam had listened to that tragic story a few days ago.
He had shaken his head and taught Jasmine a very funny new word from his home world.
"You are much smarter than my old brother,"
Jasmine suddenly said out loud.
Sam turned around in the pilot's seat and raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you say that, Jasmine?"
Sam asked.
"Because you respect women, but you are not blind,"
Jasmine explained very seriously.
"My late brother gave absolutely everything to a wicked bitch who didn't love him back. He threw away his power and his life just to make her happy."
Jasmine scrunched up her small nose in deep disgust.
"He became what you called an 'ultimate simp',"
Jasmine stated firmly, crossing her arms.
"I hate simps!"
Sam burst into loud, happy laughter.
Even Jean had to cover her mouth to hide a bright smile.
Xia Qingyue Chu Yueli and Chu Yuechan looked slightly confused by the strange word, but they smiled at the little girl's fierce energy.
"You used the word perfectly, Jasmine,"
Sam chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye.
"And you are right. Giving your heart to someone who only uses you is a terrible tragedy. Love should always be equal and built on respect."
Jasmine nodded proudly.
Sitting in this strange metal ship, she felt incredibly safe.
"Hold on tight, everyone,"
Sam said, turning back to the glowing dashboard.
"Next stop... the Blue Wind Imperial City."
With a soft hum, the giant silver spaceship lifted high into the sky.
It shot forward like a bolt of lightning, leaving the snowy mountains of the Frozen Cloud Asgard far behind them.
Far away from the snowy mountains, in the busy capital of the Blue Wind Empire, the afternoon sun was hot and bright.
Princess Cang Yue sat alone at a small table inside a noisy tea house.
She wore a very simple blue dress.
Half of her beautiful face was hidden behind a thin white veil.
To the people around her, she just looked like a normal, traveling cultivator.
But behind the veil, her eyes were completely filled with exhaustion.
She let out a long, heavy sigh.
She was so incredibly tired.
For weeks, she had traveled in secret.
She was desperately trying to find young, talented fighters who did not belong to any of the greedy major sects.
She needed strong people to fight for the Royal Family.
She needed a miracle.
But she had found absolutely no one.
Every talented fighter she met was either too weak or already bought by her enemies.
Cang Yue looked down at her warm cup of tea.
Her chest ached with a deep, crushing sadness.
"Father..."
She whispered to herself.
Her father, the kind and loyal Emperor of the Blue Wind Empire, was dying.
A dark, hidden poison was slowly eating away his life.
The royal doctors said he might not live much longer.
The terrifying thought of losing him forever made her want to break down and cry right there in the tea house.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her table.
"Junior Sister,"
A smooth, overly confident voice called out.
Cang Yue quickly blinked away her tears and forced a polite smile.
She looked up and saw a young man in expensive, flashy robes sitting down across from her.
He was a noble from a powerful clan.
Cang Yue really did not like him at all.
His smile was totally fake.
When he looked at her, his eyes were full of greed and dirty thoughts.
He only wanted her attention because she was beautiful.
But her heart sank. This awful, arrogant young man was currently the strongest and best candidate she had found all month.
"You look very tired today,"
The young man smiled, leaning closer across the table.
"You work far too hard for a woman. Why don't you stop running around the city? Come back to my clan's estate. I have a large mansion. I can take very good care of you."
"Thank you for your kind offer, Senior,"
Cang Yue answered politely, though her voice was very stiff.
"But I still have important duties to finish. I cannot rest yet."
The young man waved his hand, completely ignoring her feelings.
He thought she was just playing hard to get.
"A woman shouldn't worry about heavy duties,"
He laughed arrogantly.
"That is what strong men are for. Just rely on me. If you stay by my side, I will solve all your problems."
Cang Yue felt disgusted, but she could not yell at him or chase him away.
She needed powerful allies too badly to make him angry.
"I will... think about it,"
Cang Yue lied softly.
The young man smiled proudly. He stood up, clearly thinking he had already won her over.
"Good. I will come find you tomorrow,"
He promised, before turning and walking away into the busy street.
When he was finally gone, Cang Yue's shoulders completely dropped.
She leaned her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands.
"Why is my life so messy?"
She lamented to herself, feeling totally hopeless.
"I am a princess, but I have to hide my face like a criminal. I have to smile nicely at men I absolutely hate, just to beg for a tiny bit of power. My father is dying, my brothers want to kill each other, and my home is falling apart."
A single tear rolled down her cheek beneath her veil.
"Is there truly no one in this world who can help me?"
As Cang Yue sat there, wiping away her single tear, she looked out the open window of the tea house.
The street outside was packed with merchants, travelers, and noisy carts.
Suddenly, a small group of people walked into view.
Cang Yue's eyes widened.
She saw a man walking alongside several incredibly beautiful women.
There was a woman with fiery red hair, two cold beauties in pure white dresses, and a little girl eating a sweet bun.
But something was very strange.
The street was heavily crowded, yet no one bumped into them.
No one stared at the beautiful women.
The normal people just moved out of the way naturally, completely blind to the group.
They walked right through the busy crowd like invisible ghosts.
*Some kind of high-level illusion technique?*
Cang Yue thought, absolutely amazed.
Even though he was surrounded by women with otherworldly beauty, the man in the center stood out the most.
He wore strange clothes, but his presence was heavy and peaceful.
He walked with the relaxed confidence of a king walking through his own garden.
As he walked past the tea house, the man suddenly stopped.
He turned his head and looked right through the open window.
His clear, deep eyes locked directly onto Cang Yue's eyes.
He saw right past her white veil. He saw right past her disguise.
In that single second, Cang Yue felt her breath catch in her throat.
Her profound senses were completely overwhelmed.
The energy coming from him was not sharp or violent, but it was endless.
It felt like standing at the edge of a bottomless ocean.
It was so vast that it made her own cultivation feel like a single drop of water.
"Heavens..."
Cang Yue thought, her heart pounding wildly against her ribs.
"How can this be? How could a mortal man have such impossible talent?!"
She had spent weeks looking for a genius.
But the man standing outside her window was not a genius.
He was a monster hiding in human skin.
Her sad, heavy heart suddenly sparked with a massive, burning hope.
If she could somehow recruit this man to her side... if he agreed to fight for the Royal Family... he wouldn't just be able to win the empire's tournament and make her father's greatest dream come true.
With power like that, he might even be strong enough to save her father's life!
Cang Yue did not hesitate for another second.
She quickly stood up from her small table, leaving a few coins behind.
She rushed out of the tea house doors and ran directly into the busy street.
She stopped right in front of the group, completely ignoring the fact that the normal crowd was walking around them.
"Excuse me!"
Cang Yue said urgently, bowing her head with deep, absolute respect.
"Please, Senior... wait!"
The women in the group stopped and looked at her.
Sam simply smiled.
He looked down at the desperate, tired girl standing in front of him.
"Hello, Princess Cang Yue. We have been looking for you."
Cang Yue completely froze.
Her head snapped up in pure shock.
"You... you know who I am?"
Cang Yue asked, her voice shaking.
"I know exactly who you are,"
Sam nodded calmly.
"I know about your disguise. I know about the horrible young masters who are bothering you. And most importantly... I know exactly what is killing your father."
Cang Yue's eyes immediately filled with fresh tears, but this time, they were tears of wild hope.
"Can you help me?"
Cang Yue begged, her voice breaking.
"Please. I have nothing left, but if you can save my father, I will give you anything you want."
"No, I don't want your treasures,"
Sam said gently, reaching out to help her stand up straight.
"I am here because your empire is falling apart, and you need a teacher to help you fix it. Come with us. We have a lot of work to do."