"But the most suitable candidate for Saintess turned out to be that male Candidacy Saintess..."

"Eh?" Jingyue was stunned for a long time, unable to process what she had just heard.

"A male... a male Candidacy Saintess?" Jingyue repeated.

’I can’t believe it. I have so many junior sisters... Are none of them better than a male Candidacy Saintess?’

’If I hadn’t become a Saintess yet, would I also be considered inferior to this man?’

"Master, could you have made a mistake?" Jingyue still couldn’t believe it.

Yue Xi said, "I’ve been calculating all day, and the answer is always the same. His fortune is just too good, isn’t it?"

"But... but how can a man become a Saintess? The will of the Forbidden Land won’t allow it, right?" Jingyue said immediately.

Pure Goodness said, "My subjective will is going to resist, but he’s astonishingly powerful. You could see that last time when he controlled the Array.

If he insists on becoming the Saintess, he might actually succeed."

After speaking, Pure Goodness flopped onto the water’s surface, looking as if she had lost all will to live.

"Help me think of a way out. I want to die. I don’t want to live in this world anymore. Even if I don’t die now, the moment that man becomes the Saintess, my subjective will is going to choose annihilation." Pure Goodness sounded depressed.

’Even the Array isn’t on my side anymore. What’s the point of living?’

Jingyue asked, "Is there no way to find out who he is?"

"No. Other than that one time we communicated with him, we haven’t gotten any other information about him," Pure Goodness said.

"That last time?" Jingyue knew about that incident, too. It was the person who helped them destroy the Ten Thousand Leaves Immortal Spirit.

Speaking of that person, a terrifying thought suddenly popped into Jingyue’s head.

Before the thought could even fully form, Jingyue waved it away.

’I can’t think about it. I really can’t. The idea is too terrifying... so terrifying I can’t bring myself to believe it.’

Finally, Jingyue asked, "I remember someone said we could have him return the Candidacy Saintess qualification, right? Can’t we just find him and negotiate?"

Yue Xi sighed in frustration. "The problem is, we can’t find him. I’ve already gone to the Celestial Secret Lineage, but they couldn’t divine a single thing. And they have the gall to claim, ’When the Compass emerges, the Celestial Secret is revealed.’"

Jingyue said helplessly, "Master, if you send Martial Uncle over with his sword, I’m sure the Celestial Secret will make itself visible."

A visit from a sword-wielding Jian Shisan would carry enough weight to make the Celestial Secret Lineage give it their all.

’I’d also heard that Jian Shisan had gone for his Crossing the Tribulation and came out a Tier Eight grandmaster—the absurdly intimidating kind.’

But at the mention of Jian Shisan, a trace of melancholy flickered in Yue Xi’s eyes, gone in an instant.

’He’s always been single-mindedly devoted to the Path,’ she thought.

’Perhaps at their level of Cultivation, everyone is single-mindedly devoted to the Path.’

’Someone as pure as Jiu Xi... that’s probably only possible when one’s Cultivation is still low.’

Then, Yue Xi said, "Let’s put this matter aside for now. What did you come here for?"

At this, Jingyue’s expression turned serious. "I’ve come into contact with the secrets of the Forbidden Land. I have a rough idea of how the one in the Forbidden Land died, what her relationship with the Lord of the Immortal Spirit Mansion was, and even who her family members were."

Hearing Jingyue’s words, Yue Xi was taken aback, and Pure Goodness was stunned as well.

Jingyue then looked at Pure Goodness and said, "I can show you. The information I received said that if you see it, you might remember."

Pure Goodness sat on the surface of the lake, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, she spoke. "So I have amnesia... I’ve forgotten so many things."

Indeed, she hadn’t known from the start that she had amnesia.

It was as if something had been deliberately preventing her from realizing it.

Only after Jingyue brought it up was she able to notice.

Then, Pure Goodness shook her head. "My subjective will is telling me... I don’t want to look. I don’t want to recover my memories.

There’s no hope left anyway. When you can no longer wait for the one you’re waiting for, the wait itself loses all meaning."

After that, Pure Goodness turned into water and dissolved into the lake.

Even though she had forgotten so much, she still remembered that she was waiting for that person to return, and that he had said he would.

Unfortunately, in the end, he never came back. He was never coming back.

******

「Dusk」

After Su Qi finished washing the dishes, she pulled Jiang Zuo out the door.

Jiang Zuo asked in surprise, "Where are we going?"

"To find an open space so I can teach you Magic," Su Qi said, holding the Magic Book.

Jiang Zuo was exasperated. ’Do I really need to learn something like Magic?’

’Then again, that’s not quite right,’ he thought. ’I only seem to know how to use the Water Element and Fire Element, which can’t really be considered Magic.’

Magic was the ability to release special effects like attacks, Defense, and healing by arranging Elements in specific sequences.

Jiang Zuo, however, didn’t use any sequences. His Fire Element had no variations, so it couldn’t be called Magic.

In the eyes of others, Jiang Zuo knew the Fireball Technique, but the essence of his Fireball was still just a manifestation of gathered Elements.

It still wasn’t Magic.

With the sheer amount of Fire Element he possessed, he could unleash much more powerful attack Magic.

It definitely wasn’t as simple as just starting fires.

But even unleashing Magic wouldn’t be difficult for Jiang Zuo. He just disdained using it.

’How could this stuff be as useful as my own Magic?’

However, since Su Qi wanted to teach him, he couldn’t refuse to learn.

Thinking back, it had always been Jiang Zuo teaching Su Qi for a very long time.

It was extremely rare for Su Qi to be the one teaching him.

Except for that one time she taught him how to cook.

Unfortunately, that lesson had been a failure.

That was why Su Qi handled all the cooking at home. When Su Qi wasn’t around, Jiang Zuo naturally had to figure things out for himself.

In any case, the possibility of him cooking himself was nonexistent.

Unless, one day, he started feeling good about his abilities again and mistakenly thought he had finally learned how. That’s when he would probably step into the kitchen.

’When that day comes,’ Jiang Zuo thought, ’I’ll definitely have to drag Su Qi over to be the first one to taste it.’

’Let her witness her husband’s greatness.’

"Are you thinking of something wicked? You have a pretty devious smile on your face," Su Qi said, looking back at Jiang Zuo.

Jiang Zuo asked curiously, "I smiled? I don’t think I did."

’I definitely wasn’t smiling just now.’

Su Qi held Jiang Zuo’s hand and walked backward, looking at him. "You did. I saw it, anyway."

Jiang Zuo: "..."

’Sometimes, Su Qi’s Talent is just extraordinary,’ he thought. ’Especially when it comes to me. Some of her Skills are just completely illogical.’

After that, Su Qi once again brought Jiang Zuo to the area where Jingyue Villa was located.

"Alright, there are a lot of Holy Land Disciples here, so it’s relatively safe," Su Qi said.

Jiang Zuo looked around. "Why don’t I see any Holy Land Disciples?"

Su Qi said matter-of-factly, "They spend most of their time on their Cultivation, of course. They can’t be like me, spending every day with you. For your sake, I’ve even stopped my Cultivation.

Aren’t I the best?"

"Yes." ’But even without practicing,’ Jiang Zuo thought, ’your Cultivation is still higher than all of theirs. You’re basically just bullying them.’

"Hmph. Can’t you say more than one word?" After that, Su Qi didn’t press the issue, instead taking out the Magic Book. "I’ve looked through this the past two days. I think I can be a good teacher for you."

"Mm, but will learning for just one night be useful?" Jiang Zuo asked.

’Under normal circumstances, even with something like Magic, you can’t just learn it in a single night, can you?’

Su Qi said with complete confidence, "Then that’s the student’s problem. It has nothing to do with the teacher."

Jiang Zuo: "..."