“How cultured celestial cultivators must be,” Jared replied, voice mild. “Odd, though… I have heard rumors that many cultivators in Celestial Palace dabble in black magic, and they too claim to be celestials.”
Yuliana blinked, lips parting. Then forced a light laugh. “There are so many celestials, so a few rotten twigs are inevitable. The cultivators of Celestia, however, remain paragons of grace.”
A wry curve tugged at the corner of Jared’s mouth, there and gone like a ripple across still water, offering no agreement, only amusement.
“Tell me, Ms. Fiala, what tomes do your students study so devoutly? Classics? Histories? Hidden doctrines?” Jared asked the question lightly, yet his gaze drifted over arched colonnades and silent courtyards of the academy, noting how a faint, unseen current of spiritual energy shimmered in the air, so unlike the clamorous streets outside, as though some secret pulse slept beneath the flagstones.
“If you are that curious about the academy, follow me. A proper tour will speak louder than my words.”
With that, Yuliana swept out of Lunar Tower, silk slippers gliding, and Jared fell into step beside her. As the vast academy rose ahead, marble domes, silver-leaf eaves, Jared’s eyes widened in open fascination.
Yuliana caught the look, a spark of triumph flickering behind lashes, and led beneath the looming gate.
Celestial Guards stood rigid to either side. Each bowed without question as Yuliana passed, proof enough of the authority name carried in Celestia.
“To understand our academy, you must see the imperial library. Only there will you glimpse the soul of our learning…” Yuliana guided Jared Into the imperial library.
Jared had not expected an outsider to be welcomed so deeply. The gesture alone pricked his curiosity sharper than any blade.
“Ms. Fiala, we met scarcely an hour ago, yet you’re ushering me straight to your imperial library. Aren’t you afraid I might uncover secrets celestials would rather keep veiled?” Jared queried.
“Secrets?” Yuliana laughed, the sound soft and airy beneath the vaulted ceiling. “These are merely chronicles of our ancient glory, legacies left by the wise…”
“Within these pages, our students meditate on cosmic law, refine their manners, and grasp the very etiquette that separates civilization from barbarity. If you wish to read, by all means. It may help you rise above the crude brawling so common in lesser realms.”
Her gaze drifted across with casual disdain, a painter’s brush leaving an invisible smear. Jared only smiled, warm, unhurried, then strolled toward a shelf and drew down an ancient record.
The manuscript dripped with exultant praise of celestials, sneering at every other tribe beneath the sun. Jared continued to read.
So, these celestials began as nothing more than humans, until arrogance split them from their kin and legend fattened the gap…
Over time, the celestials only grew more inflated, for countless cultivators took pride in nothing more than bearing their name.
“Ms. Fiala, in your view. which carries greater weight, study or cultivation?” asked softly, returning the book.
“Both, of course,” answered without hesitation. “Cultivation shields the celestials’ honor, yet scholarship illuminates the mind. Without that inner light, strength alone would leave us no better than beasts…”
“You hail from level five, Mr. Chance. I imagine the warriors there chase might and forget refinement altogether, do they not?”
Yuliana let words pour out in a calm, lilting cadence, yet every syllable served a second purpose. Behind poised smile, gaze never left Jared’s face, hunting for the smallest flicker of uncertainty.
Jared felt the pressure coil around like invisible wire, Yuliana’s relentless curiosity pressing closer with every breath.
She really is advancing one careful step after another, but did truly expect me to stumble on the first stone laid?
Hmm… Not going to happen…
“You’re absolutely right, Ms. Fiala.” Jared shook his head. letting a thoughtful sigh thread through his voice. “Most cultivators on level five spend their days scrambling for the bare necessities of survival and have no time for lofty ideals…”
“I was fortunate enough to reach Celestia and witness a civilization thriving beyond imagination. If we hide inside ancient records, deaf to the pulse of change outside, how are we supposed to sharpen our edge and push our power any further?”
