11- Good Bye

The next morning, as sunlight streamed through the window, I slowly opened my eyes. To my surprise, Yun'er was sitting beside me, her gaze fixed gently on my face.

Still half-asleep, I mumbled, "Se—No, Yun'er... how did you get inside?"

Yun Sha grinned mischievously. "I came in through the door."

I blinked. "Huh? But I locked it last night."

"Hehe, I have an extra key," she said, proudly tapping her pouch.

I sighed. "Oh… for a second, I thought you climbed in through the window."

She narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I'm a monkey?"

I waved my hands quickly. "N-no! I didn't mean that! But… why are you here? Did something happen?"

"No," she said simply, her smile softening. "I just wanted to see you."

I felt a warmth in my chest. "Oh… then wait, I need to get changed."

I reached for the new clothes I'd bought yesterday and began to undress—then froze.

Yun'er was still sitting there.

"Ah! Yun'er, can you wait outside? I need to change."

She pouted. "Nope. Why are you embarrassed?"

"Ahh… yeah, a little…" I muttered.

Yun'er started teasing me, laughing at my flustered expression. Before I could protest again, she walked over and helped me change.

"T-thank you…" I said quietly.

"It's fine," she replied with a soft smile.

After we packed up, we checked out of the inn and resumed our journey toward the Flower Valley Sect.

"Sen—I mean, Yun'er, how far is your sect from here?"

"We're almost there," she said, looking ahead.

After traveling nearly 30 miles, a magnificent valley came into view, covered in a sea of vibrant flowers.

"Wow…" I said in awe. "Yun'er, your sect is beautiful."

Yun Sha nodded proudly. "Yes. Our sect only accepts female disciples."

"When did you join?" I asked.

"Two years ago."

As we approached the sect gate, a few disciples spotted us from afar.

"Hey, look—it's Senior Yun!"

"Yes! And who's that with her?"

We landed in front of the sect's formation boundary.

"We're here," I said, gazing at the elegant scenery.

"Yeah," Yun'er replied. "It's been a great journey."

She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she suddenly turned back and rushed into my arms, embracing me tightly.

I held her close and whispered, "Don't worry, Yun'er. I'll come for you… once I become powerful enough."

"Okay," she murmured, her voice trembling. "And don't forget our promise."

I gently patted her head. "I won't. Now go."

She nodded and stepped through the barrier, disappearing into the sect.

"Ding!

Host, you have successfully completed your sub-mission. Rewards granted."

You received:

2000 XP

1x Yellow-Grade Item

"Bye," I said softly, then soared into the sky, heading off to find my second sword.

I asked the system, "How much XP do I have now?"

Ding!

Current XP: 4220

"Nice. That's a good amount."

"System, show me my Yellow-Grade item."

A glowing orb materialized in my palm.

Ding!

Item Information:

Name: Sealing Orb

Grade: High-Tier Yellow

Use Limit: 5 uses

Description: Temporarily suppresses cultivators below Nascent Soul level to the user's cultivation level. Automatically destroyed after 5 uses.

I grinned, clutching the orb. "This will be useful... especially if I meet any trouble on the way."

With a renewed sense of purpose, I flew onward—my journey far from over.