Dual Cultivator Reborn [System In The Cultivation World] Chapter 1056: Sudden side quest and Elaine's decision
Previously on Dual Cultivator Reborn [System In The Cultivation World]...
"Becoming your partner..." Elaine was dumbfounded hearing Yohan's words and seeing his nonchalant attitude despite saying something so unexpected.
A peculiar smile appeared on Elaine's face.
"You are indeed something else, cracking jokes in such a situation. Stop messing around, Young Master!" Elaine tried to maintain her composure, wondering if Yohan might be teasing her with his words. After all, kids can sometimes be naive. She simply looked at Yohan with the same conviction that he might be jesting, but alas, her facial expressions changed drastically upon seeing Yohan's shrug.
"You are serious..." she whispered. Yohan simply frowned and nodded his head in response. He had that calm look on his face that he always carried around, completely unbothered by Elaine's shock.
"Indeed I am serious. Back then, you gave me a tempting offer to join your organization and promised me a seat to oversee the order of this world..." Yohan looked directly into Elaine's eyes as he fell silent for a moment, locking his gaze with hers. Elaine inwardly gulped seeing that different look in his eyes; for some unknown reason, her heart started thumping at a frightening pace. It had been ages since she felt this nervous.
"What are you saying..." Elaine muttered while breaking eye contact with Yohan, feeling embarrassed. Nevertheless, Yohan was unhinged.
"With my help, you can suppress your current limits and reach the next major realm," Yohan finally said it. He knew this woman was at the peak of the Heavenly Soul Realm, unable to overcome her limits to reach the next level. That was the only reason Yohan could feel the void in her heart. Earlier, when she was lecturing him about the true nature of a cultivator, he could feel a different light in her eyes; for a brief moment, Yohan saw a different Elaine, an entirely different version of her current self.
At the same time, Elaine was shocked when she heard that, and her facial expressions immediately turned serious.
"If I am not wrong, then you've been stuck in this realm for centuries. That's the reason you lost your spark and became unbothered about everything. But with my help, you can reach the next major realm; you can break your bottleneck by choosing a completely different path..." Yohan added with conviction. Seeing that conviction in Yohan's words, she came to a halt. Yohan also stopped, properly facing her. The two of them were up in the sky, facing each other.
"How did you learn..." Elaine gave a look to him, wondering how he learned something that she hadn't told him yet. Only a few individuals in this world were aware of her situation. It was indeed surprising for her that Yohan was able to tell that she had been stuck in this realm for centuries, losing interest in everything.
Yohan took a long sigh hearing her; it was a simple guess, but nevertheless, it was proven right.
"Just a hunch..." Yohan responded with a smile. Seeing that carefree look on his handsome face, Elaine frowned, and her facial expression turned sore.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of my current situation. It's not easy to overcome the wall that I am currently facing; reaching the next major realm is a far-fetched dream for me," Elaine whispered with a saddened look on her face. Then, she began explaining. According to Elaine, it had been nearly two centuries since she reached the peak of the Heavenly Soul Realm. In that era, people used to call her a genius, but despite her frightening growth, she hit her bottleneck. And despite putting everything on the line, she couldn't reach the next major realm. In the end, she lost all hope of going forward, making peace with her current self. Once a revered cultivator, she was soon forgotten by everyone, disappearing from the history of this very kingdom.
Elaine had a bittersweet smile on her face. "It's not an easy feat to reach the next rumored realm. Only one in a million could achieve the feat of going forward, ascending into the upper realm—the very beginning of godhood," Elaine exclaimed, looking in Yohan's direction. She could somewhat understand why Yohan seemed so confident and said something unnecessary that he shouldn't have said in the first place.
She knew he was extremely talented—a genius born once in centuries who attained the Heavenly Soul Realm in a mere twenty years. But alas, it was not enough. There have been so many geniuses born, and once they reached the peak of this world, they hit the very wall they couldn't overcome, losing themselves and falling into despair, becoming history. Some strong-willed cultivators, similar to Elaine and Evelyn, made peace with themselves, while others lost their sanity and became a force that threatened the order of this world.
"I think you have mistaken something. I am not giving you some false hope; I am promising you a new future—a future where you can walk side by side along with my other partners," Yohan's confident voice echoed into the surroundings. Elaine turned silent, hearing him and seeing that certain look in his eyes.
"It's a matter of time before I reach the next major realm and suppress my current limits. When that happens, you will lose all reasoning to stick around with me. That's why I am giving you an offer that will change the course of your stagnant life," Yohan exclaimed, taking Elaine by surprise with his words. Elaine felt goosebumps all over her body hearing Yohan's bold declaration, and for some reason, her heart was taking Yohan's side, believing every single thing that left Yohan's mouth.
Yohan extended his hand in Elaine's direction, awaiting her response, his gaze remaining locked with hers. He was not doing this out of the goodwill of his heart; he was simply opening the door to a new future that she had closed long ago. In return, he needed someone like Elaine, who could stand by his side along with his other partners. Moving forward, Yohan needed powerful allies, and for some unknown reason, his heart wanted Elaine to be his partner.
At the same time, Elaine was completely blank, wondering how things had turned out like this. At first, she was simply asked to keep an eye on him from the shadows, but later on, she broke that very rule and got involved with him, getting intrigued by his personality. Moreover, he was way younger than her, having lived only a small fraction of the long life that she had lived up until now. She knew what it meant to give her hand to him.
'I should have waited longer before asking her; indeed, it's too sudden...' Seeing that hesitant look in her eyes, Yohan wanted to move his hand away, but before he could do that, Elaine grabbed his hand, and the next moment, she pulled him closer to her, leaning her lips against his lips.
Ding!
[ Side Quest Triggered! ]
The Path to the Next Realm
Objective: Assist Elaine in breaking through her current bottlenecks and ascending to the next major cultivation realm.
Difficulty: High
Target: Elaine De Noir
Current State: Peak Heavenly Soul Realm cultivator facing a core barrier; stuck in her current realm for centuries.
Time Limit: None
Failure Penalty: None
Reward: 1x Mythic-grade Void Core [For evolving soul subspace]
