Chapter 38: The Name of Sorrow
After the attack, the aura of a Saint-rank lingered on Fallen Whale Island, but there were no traces of a Saint-rank battle.
The lack of witnesses didn’t mean no one had seen anything. It simply meant that all the Storm Realm Spirit Masters present were either dead or unconscious, the secret forever locked within their shattered minds.
Judging from the corpses, they had been completely annihilated within the two minutes the Saint-rank had manifested…
No one knew the truth, no one knew what they had faced, what they had seen.
The Sea Concubine Palace continued to conceal the Sorrowful Saintess’s true strength, the rumors becoming even more exaggerated.
After this incident, the Ice Shield Palace, guarding the Sea Region’s front lines, and the Winter Floating Sky, the Sea Region’s dominant power, both sent investigators, reaching the same conclusion:
[Gong Lianyue, the Sorrowful Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace, annihilated 26 Storm Realm Spirit Masters in two minutes and defeated a Dead Sea Stage Eight-Headed Mist Crow with the Fear talent. Confirmed to possess a Saint-rank spirit beast, suspected to be the Variant Water Emperor!!!]
With this announcement, the name of the Sorrowful Saintess resounded throughout the entire Sea Region overnight.
Gong Lianyue’s “Variant Water Emperor” was already famous, but it had only been a suspicion. Now, the official report confirmed at least one Saint-rank spirit beast.
If anyone actually believed an Illumination Stage Water Element could defeat a Dead Sea Stage Eight-Headed Mist Crow, they would be the laughingstock of the year.
Illumination → Dawn and Dusk → Dead Sea → Samsara → Nether Traverse
Low-rank → Mid-rank → High-rank
This was like an untrained, low-star character in a mobile game defeating a fully maxed-out, top-tier whale. Unless there was a bug in the game, the developers would be crucified.
And it wasn’t just untrained. In everyone’s eyes, the Water Element was a completely blank slate!!!
Sea Concubine Palace, Sea Moon Peak
“What the hell? Confirmed Saint-rank spirit beast!?”
At the misty peak of the mountain, the blue-haired girl blinked in confusion, looking at the report in her hand.
That was just the Saint-rank aura simulated by the Cloud Dream Flower. How could it be officially confirmed as a Saint-rank? This wasn’t rigorous at all!
And the only person present at the time had been Senior Instructor Youying. This meant the Sea Concubine Palace, upon receiving the news, had immediately sold her out to flaunt their power…
Gong Lianyue was glad she hadn’t revealed her participation in the Soul Prison Trial. Otherwise, the Sea Concubine Palace would probably celebrate for ten days and nights, spreading the news throughout the Sea Region and attracting assassins.
“Eh, Teacher, why do you look so glum?”
Gong Lianyue asked, noticing the blue-haired beauty with two large buns, looking dejected.
It was one thing for her to be anxious and cautious, but Shui Qinghou usually couldn’t wait to sing her praises to the heavens.
She had even secretly founded a Sorrowful Saintess cult, which was later shut down by the Palace Master, all members sentenced to a month of toilet cleaning duty.
Logically, with her fame spreading throughout the Sea Region, Shui Qinghou should be overjoyed.
“Shui Yan and Youying are my trusted aides. They’ll be sent to the Ice Shield Palace for training in a few days,” Shui Qinghou said softly.
As expected of you!!!
As expected of your people!!!
Gong Lianyue was speechless. Fortunately, she had resolved the situation quickly, preventing further casualties. Otherwise, those two senior instructors would have been in serious trouble.
If it weren’t for the overwhelming fame of the Sorrowful Saintess overshadowing everything, this scandal would have disgraced the Sea Concubine Palace.
Composing herself, Shui Qinghou continued,
“We’re compensating all participating members with 30 contribution points, and we’re buying any enemy spirit cores at double the price. Besides the Sorrowful Saintess, the top ten members will receive special rewards.”
“What about me?” Gong Lianyue asked expectantly.
“The higher-ups have decided. You can make any request within reason.”
“A request…?”
Gong Lianyue pondered. What she needed most urgently was combat power.
Being mistaken for a Saint-rank Spirit Master would surely bring endless trouble. She needed not only to increase her cultivation level but also to acquire a new, powerful spirit beast.
“How about 5000 contribution points?” she asked tentatively.
Although they were buying other members’ cores at double the price, the total probably wouldn’t exceed her own gains. Another 5000 points was a significant amount for the Sea Concubine Palace.
The 3000 she had already gained, plus the additional 5000, would be enough to buy a high-rank spirit beast, much better than the mid-rank one she had initially planned for.
Shui Qinghou paused, then leaned closer and whispered in Gong Lianyue’s ear,
“Ask for that high-rank Iron Jade Ice Scorpion~~”
“What?” Gong Lianyue’s jaw dropped.
Wasn’t that the final reward for the Saintess selection? How could she ask for it in advance?
It was the spirit beast intended for the true Sorrowful Saintess. What if she lost the selection?
“This is the highest reward offered by the Sea Concubine Palace higher-ups. You can’t freely unleash your Saint-rank power yet, so a top-tier, high-rank Iron Jade Ice Scorpion would be a significant boost for you.”
“When you returned for treatment a few days ago, the physician noticed ruptured blood vessels throughout your body, clearly caused by surging spirit energy. So this is both a reward and a restriction. The higher-ups hope you will refrain from using your Saint-rank power for the time being.”
“Ah…?” Gong Lianyue was bewildered. Ruptured blood vessels? The little fox had only simulated a Saint-rank aura. It couldn’t have been that serious, right?
But she didn’t bother explaining. It was the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion! They were giving it to her just like that?!
The Iron Jade Ice Scorpion, a powerful offensive spirit beast with both defensive capabilities and the additional attributes of ice and poison.
A hybrid of biological and elemental, it was among the top tier of high-rank spirit beasts, no weaker than Hong Tao’s Hellfire Dragon.
“O-Okay…”
Gong Lianyue stammered in agreement. This also meant she was officially acknowledging that she possessed a Saint-rank spirit beast.
But she couldn’t resist. The Iron Jade Ice Scorpion was too tempting!
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