Finally, as the last of the runic components vanished, all semblance of structure disappeared. The components had merged into a smooth red pill. The pill pulsed, and ambient energy slowly began to trickle into the pill as it formed its pill seal. A minute passed, and the seal still wasn’t complete. But Cha Ming was patient. He grew anxious, however, after a few hours passed.
“I was afraid this might happen,” Sun Wukong said, appearing beside him.
Cha Ming sighed. “Tell me what’s the matter. Break it to me gently.”
“There’s good news and bad news,” Sun Wukong said. “The good news is that the pill was a success!”
“And the bad news?” Cha Ming asked.
“The bad news is that the pill needs time. Lots of it. The pill would normally take a day to form, but you couldn’t use more rainbow-fish scales without promoting its grade. As a result, the pill is stuck forming its seal.”
“How long will it take?” Cha Ming asked, dreading the answer.
“Ten thousand years? Twenty?” Sun Wukong said, shrugging. “It’s tough to say. We can use the Clear Sky World to cut it down, but remember that both you and Huxian only have 2,500 years remaining in the mortal realm. Less, if you consider that he’ll have trouble suppressing a breakthrough.”
Cha Ming sighed. Though he’d almost grown numb to failure, the result was still disappointing. “The time acceleration in the Clear Sky World isn’t quick enough, but it can at least help a little, right?”
“It can’t hurt,” Sun Wukong said.
Cha Ming nodded and stored the pill away inside it. He would need to try something else, but for now, the best use of his time was making talismans, pills, and preparing formation flags. Anything that could increase their chances in the Sea God Trials.
Chapter 23: Heaven Ascension
The next few months were a blur. Cha Ming crafted talismans and pills while Huxian took care of some last-minute business before finally returning to the courtyard. When the demons arrived, Cha Ming was busy giving some last-minute lessons to his ten disciples.
“Be careful when I’m gone,” Cha Ming said. “Though the Sea God Trials have historically only taken three months at most, it doesn’t hurt to be careful, especially since Zhou Li’s spent the past half dozen years stirring up trouble we don’t even know about.”
Ling Dong nodded. “Don’t worry, Master. We might be weak, but we have a decent amount of influence in the city.”
“Ling Dong is on great terms with most of the City Guard, while I’ve been teaching many budding formation masters in the city,” Zi Long said. “Yue Bing has also been accumulating quite a few favors.”
Yue Bing blushed. “It seems the city’s warmed up to the concept of blood doctors, especially given how good they are at treating Haijing nobles. I’ve obtained quite a few students of my own as well. We shouldn’t have any problems staying safe if anything happens in your absence.”
Jin Huang hadn’t said much. He simply twitched his fingers impatiently.
“I take it you’ll be studying?” Cha Ming asked. The younger man nodded. “All right. I just hope I’m being paranoid. With any luck, nothing bad will happen. If there are any emergencies, don’t hesitate to seek help from the Alabaster Group or Quicksilver’s Alabaster Group. You can ask Feng Ming and Wang Jun as well, but I think they have their own problems to take care of.” He then looked to Huxian. “Are you ready?”
Born ready, Huxian said, giving him a toothy grin. His four friends were hiding in his tail space, which had been augmented courtesy of the spatial fragment.
Cha Ming noticed the small fox now wore purple goggles above his eyes. I wonder what he needs them for? he thought.
Cha Ming and Huxian made their way over to the royal palace after a few more goodbyes. The guards were extremely respectful when they welcomed the duo, likely due to the soft blue marks on their foreheads. They traveled through the golden hallways before arriving inside the throne room. To their surprise, it was literally bursting with people.
Huxian jumped on Cha Ming’s shoulder as they looked around for the princess. After a few moments of looking, Shuren’s slender fingers grabbed his arm from behind and pulled him off to the side, where she and her brothers and sisters were waiting. Each one was accompanied by an older man or woman who had reached the peak of qi condensation. The only exceptions to this were herself and the third prince. Zhou Li smiled slightly as they joined the crowd.
There are so many important guests here today, Cha Ming sent to Gong Shuren. Grand Elder Dai and several elders from Haijing Academy are here as well. So are most of the high-ranking nobles in the city.
Today is a grand event that happens only once every thousand years, Gong Shuren replied. Everyone in this room will be affected by the power shuffle. She looked toward a group of women. Especially the Empress and father’s concubines. They’ll be at the mercy of the new emperor or empress.
Would anyone dare do anything to them with the old emperor still around? Cha Ming sent.
Shuren looked at him strangely. The old emperor won’t be around. Didn’t anyone tell you? Seeing his confusion, she continued. To open the Sea God Trials, those possessing the Sea God Artifacts must abdicate their positions. There are only two ways to abdicate: death or transcending.
Cha Ming’s eyes widened. What you mean is that the Emperor…
Not only the Emperor. His prime minister and grand marshal must also transcend, Gong Shuren explained. Unlike the tribulation you witnessed a few years ago, however, there is no risk of failure. Space will not be damaged, as the Heaven Ascension Platform will guard the stability of the plane. Once they transcend, they will directly ascend to the Sea God Plane, and their artifacts will return
