In the forging room, which had fallen silent, Gu Yuan remained seated on the ground, still dazed by the earlier events. It took him some time before he finally managed to pull himself together. When he did, he only let out a long sigh, put away the spirit-grade saber he had just forged, tidied up the forge, and returned home.
The excitement he had felt earlier about forging a Spirit-Grade saber, or finally being able to call himself a Spirit-Grade Forging Master, had long since faded.
Sitting on the roof of his house, Gu Yuan stared at the night sky.
The stars were different from those on Earth. There were fewer of them here, but each one shone with far greater brilliance.
No matter how much Gu Yuan thought about it, he hadn’t expected the twins to suddenly appear in front of him like that.
...No. Was that really the case?
Had the possibility of them suddenly appearing in front of him really never crossed his mind?
That wasn’t the case.
When push came to shove, he had already considered the possibility of such a meeting somewhere in the back of his mind. Yet, he had never tried to run away or made any other preparations.
Because deep down, he had already accepted their offer.
If they truly wanted him to become their Dao companion, then he would become one.
Yes, he had already made that decision deep down.
Even so, he had never truly come to terms with it.
His heart would tell him one thing, while his mind told him another. The two never aligned, whenever one accepted, the other rejected.
But it was time to accept it.
As evil as the Black Desolation Sect was said to be, during the four years he had spent here, he had lived quite comfortably. Now, the possibility of leaving the sect simply to run away from the twins seemed too far-fetched.
The decision had already been made. What he needed to do now was figure out how to better deal with those twins instead of continuing to dwell on whether he should run away or stay.
Gu Yuan finally firmed his resolve.
Dao companions were, at their core, a form of marriage between cultivators. That much was clear. But would becoming their Dao companion mean living together with them? He couldn’t imagine it.
And if they were going to become his Dao companions, did that mean he needed to become emotionally invested in this relationship?
That was another matter entirely.
Regardless, Gu Yuan had no intention of getting hurt, whether physically or emotionally.
Rather, if becoming their Dao companion was unavoidable, then he needed to change the balance between them.
Being on the receiving end, always holding the lower position, was something he didn’t like.
Husband and wife should have equal standing.
No... it would be even better if he had the upper hand.
Finally done sorting through his thoughts, Gu Yuan turned his attention to the black ring he had received from the twins. When he checked it properly, he couldn’t help but doubt his own eyes when he discovered its rank.
A Mid-Grade Heaven-Rank concealment treasure.
Despite being Heaven-Rank, its restrictions were surprisingly few, so refining it and making the treasure recognize him as its owner would probably be not that difficult.
Were Heaven-Rank items really this easy to obtain?
Gu Yuan couldn’t help but wonder. Just last month, he had obtained a Heaven-Rank saber technique for only 159 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and now he had received a Heaven-Rank treasure for free.
How ridiculous!
Gu Yuan held complicated feelings toward the twins, but he would never reject a gift. Thus, he immediately began refining the treasure.
Even with its few restrictions, however, it still took him an entire month before the treasure fully recognized him as its owner.
After that, Gu Yuan finally returned to his previous routine.
His life once again settled into a familiar cycle of cultivating, practicing his saber technique, and working at the forge. The only new addition was that he now paid close attention to the ongoing war, keeping himself informed of the twins’ achievements and contributions whenever new reports reached the outer sect.
Not every piece of news was about victory, however. There were setbacks as well.
Other sects had begun interfering in the conflict, and what had once seemed to be moving toward an overwhelming victory for the Black Desolation Sect had become much harder to predict.
Yet Gu Yuan still couldn’t imagine the twins losing.
Why? Even though stronger cultivators were clearly participating in the war, he simply couldn’t imagine it happening. The twins simply possessed that kind of presence, one that made him instinctively believe they would emerge victorious.
Regardless, now that he had finally come to terms with the idea of becoming their Dao companion, Gu Yuan began wondering what he should do within the Black Desolation Sect.
Should he advance to the inner sect? Or should he seek a place under one of the Peak Masters?
Gu Yuan couldn’t make a decision, and time continued to pass.
...
Half a year later, Gu Yuan had turned seventeen. The twins still had not returned.
During that time, his cultivation had quietly advanced to the Second Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Has something good happened? Is it that the matter troubling you these past six months finally been resolved? You seem different." Deacon Zhao asked, noticing the change in his expression.
"Oh, it’s nothing really. I just feel that breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm is finally within reach," Gu Yuan replied, waving his hand lightly.
More than discovering that he was currently in better mood, Gu Yuan was more surprised that Deacon Zhao had been perceptive enough to notice the subtle changes in his mood over the past six months.
"Then take this. And don’t come back to the forge until you break through."
Deacon Zhao suddenly handed him a vial containing a Foundation Establishment Pill, catching Gu Yuan by surprise.
It wasn’t an expensive pill by any means, but it was certainly not cheap either. Yet Deacon Zhao had simply given it to him. Gu Yuan silently noted the goodwill behind the gesture and accepted the vial with both hands.
"Thank you, Deacon Zhao. I will not forget this favor."
Gu Yuan was already at the Foundation Establishment Realm, so he naturally had no use for the pill. Actually, even if he had still been at the peak of Qi Refinement, he would have preferred to break through through his own efforts.
Nevertheless, Deacon Zhao had always treated him well, and it was this thoughtful gesture that mattered most.
After that, Gu Yuan went to the Mission Hall, intending to cash out the rewards for the missions he had completed at the forge before returning home and entering seclusion for his supposed breakthrough.
But he had barely greeted the disciple at the counter when the disciple looked through the records and said, "Your name came up for a Sect Defense Mission."
So, it had finally come down to this? Gu Yuan thought, his expression remaining unchanged.