“Is everyone here?” The sect master asked as he looked at the twenty disciples in front of him.

“Everyone is here and accounted for.” Elder Nishikawa replied. Next to her were Yuki, Nana, and Silvia. The three girls were getting many strange looks, not just because they were here but because Nana and Silvia were hugging Yuki’s arms.

The sect master ignored the three girls and nodded his head. “Good! Everyone here, except for a select few, is going to be taking part in the dragon festival. As you all know, the Roaring Thunder Sect is planning something. We will all need to be prepared. No matter what happens, the sect will have your back. I will not abandon my disciples. As your sect master, if something happens, you can rely on me. Luckily, this time, we have two disciples who are going to be our trump cards.”

As the sect master said this, he looked at Yuki and Nana. “Disciple Yuki and Disciple Nana are both in the astral realm and are of the correct age for the dragon festival. As you all know, the bone age of any disciple for this tournament is twenty two years old. While some of you are also in the astral star realm, there is a difference between you and them. They can fight those at the peak of the astral star realm. This means that they will be looked down on by those who are above the first the astral star. 

“Does anyone have any questions?” The sect master looked out over the disciples, who all had eyes filled with fighting spirit. He smiled and nodded his head. “Good! Everyone is to get on the flying boat. We will head towards the Dragon Festival Grounds!”  

The sect master was excited about this year’s dragon festival, but at the same time, he was also a bit worried. He could only hope that Yuki and Nana could pull off a miracle. He could not let his disciple join since she was in closed door training. She was on the verge of a breakthrough, so they were one fighter short, but now they had a substitute disciple who could take the spot. The sect master’s gaze fell on Silvia. He had asked Elder Nishikawa to ask Silvia if she could assist. Luckily, Silvia agreed without question.

The group got onto the boat and got ready to take off. Yuki, Nana, and Silvia all found a corner to sit. Elder Nishikawa had to talk with the sect master, so she could not sit with her disciples.

Yuki leaned back against the side of the boat and looked up at the sky. While she could fly through the sky herself now, Yuki still found it amazing that there was a boat flying through the air without actual propulsion. It only used spiritual qi to move. As the wind blew past her cheeks, Yuki’s eyelids started to droop, and soon, she was fast asleep.

Nana and Silvia looked at Yuki and smiled before leaning their heads against her shoulder. The trip this time was to take a month. It was a long journey. Since they couldn’t cultivate, they could only rest and relax. Everyone else on the flying bot was busy cultivating, hoping to make a breakthrough before the month was up. 

Inside the cabin of the flying boat, the sect master sat sipping tea while Elder Nishikawa sat there staring at him. “So why did you call me in here?”

“I want to know if you are going to lose control if you see the sect master of the Roaring Thunder Sect. While we are sure they will do something, we can not be the first to strike. So I am asking you to please hold it in until they do.” The sect master did not want to give a reason for the other sects to attack them. While the Heavenly Cloud Sect was a top sect, it did not mean that the other sects would stand by if Elder Nishikawa suddenly attacked another sect. The Dragon Festival did not have sects just from the West Wind Kingdom.

“I will hold it in. But, if any of those old bastards dare to try to lay a hand on my disciples, I will not stand by and do nothing. Just letting those three go is already dangerous. Especially Yuki. She is not only a dual demonic qi and spiritual cultivator, but she is also the inheritor of the asura. She is someone who would be chased down and killed if she did not give up her methods. Until she is strong enough, she can not be allowed to be discovered.” Elder Nishikawa did not want Yuki to live alone on the run. She did not wish for the girl to be discovered by those old bastards.

“Don’t worry. From what I know, only a handful of such people are able to see Yuki’s real identity, and as long as she does not release her demonic qi, she will be able not be discovered for that either. As for those who could tell if Yuki was from a mystic race or not, well, only another mystic race and a few old men from the pill clans and sects. This does not include myself, you, and my disciple. My disciple is a special case. And those old men should not show up.” The sect master spoke calmly. He hoped his words would ease Elder Nishikawa’s worries.