Return to Thunder Temple Village
The Vice-Palace Master finished reading the letter and dropped to his knees. A mix of emotions including regrets and sorrows. "Master, I… I failed on many counts… How can he just forgive me like this?" He said, unable to hide the pain any longer.
"To move past both the good and the bad. One must take the first step. And remember that the first step is always and forever will be the most difficult. However, for that Leiji… I think he has had the idea of forgiveness in his heart and mind for a long time now. And the only thing holding him back is whether you are willing as well." The former Palace Master explained.
"I… see… so Master means to say…" The Vice-Palace Master asked.
"Go now and prove you are willing to take that step. Someone is waiting for you. And only with each other can you eliminate the heart demons that ail you both." The former Palace Master explained, with a light smile and stroking his beard.
"Thank you, Master. This Disciple will never forget your words and acknowledgements. Then in accordance with your wishes this Disciple will take his leave." The Vice-Palace Master said, with a respectful bow and then left.
"Hmmm… it remains to be seen if this was the right decision. Only time will tell. I should still be grateful to that boy for being so caring and family oriented. Even now as I know his battle is far from over I can only sit here and drink this tea. The younger generations are quite fortunate indeed. With such an excellent young man to serve as their role model. I fear they will soon surpass all reason. And grow to be excellent in their own right. How the world has changed just from the actions of that one young man. I'm glad I got to see the day when we stop fighting. Isn't that right brother Shangguan Ji?" The Former Palace Master of Purple Phoenix Palace said, setting a cup for the new guest.
"Indeed, there was a time when we never would have been able to talk about the day or simple idle chatter like this. It is good, this is much better than fighting tooth and nail only to suffer losses. That, Wang An Leiji… he is quite good. The Supreme Elder has a good son in that young man." Shangguan Ji said, sitting down at the table as the game was reset to play as they spoke.
"You speak as if you aren't here to talk about that very thing. Peace is a wonderful thing. But we can not rest on our laurels. So I assume you're here to talk about setting up a mass of sparring matches. Why not make it a tournament?" Purple Phoenix Palace's former master asked.
"Simple, we hold a tournament to determine the greatest among those at every cultivation level. And have the top 10 train with the others who were unable to advance. What does brother Purple Phoenix think of this?" Shangguan Ji asked, as the game started.
"It is indeed a good thing. I will support this idea at the gathering. So long as we can agree on holding the tournament every 2 years for those at and below the separation and reunion realm. And every 3 years for True Element Realm And through the Transcendent realm. Saints and Saint Kings every 4 years. Origin Returning every 6 years. Origin King's 8 years. And Dao Source Realms should be every 10 years." Purple Phoenix Palace's former master said, with a stern look on his face indicating that he wasn't going to back down. And hinting something else that Shangguan Ji picked up on.
"And Emperors must be willing and ready to accept any and all challenges from those of the same minor realm and below. For there will always be unexpected circumstances on the battlefield. So it is for the best to begin preparing ahead of time… and to not assign ranks to them to improve the experience of learning from each other. Best to keep the arrogance to a minimum. We should also allow this for the Dao Source realms as well. Since it would improve the situation of the emperors greatly." Shangguan Ji said, stroking his beard.
"Agreed! Let the young master not be disappointed by the disciples brought forth to the Void Temple." Purple Phoenix Palace's former master said, with a laugh.
Then the two continued talking to hash out more details. Playing their game as they spoke. And drinking tea with the gust of the wind
~~The Thunder Temple Village~~
A crackling bolt of lightning appeared in the designated area. This way it was easier for me to land. No one was allowed inside the area while I was away. This kept me from having to stop in the air.
"I really do like this change. I don't much like feeling like a god whenever I return here. It's uncomfortable. You did a good job with creating this Huo Lei." I said, giving her a thankful kiss.
"Husband shouldn't worry too much about this. It was just a simple thing I had built while Husband was cultivating." Huo Lei said, beating the air with her tails happily.
"No, Big Sister should be proud. You were able to give Husband a thing to make him feel more comfortable. And as you dear Husband, you shouldn't feel uncomfortable being likened to a god. You are already revered by the world over. You should embrace it. And from what I understand so far about the Open Heaven Method… you might as well be called a god. Right now you are the son of a god. Soon you'll rise to the same level. I wonder if Husband would feel even better if we made love inside his world. If so, Big sister and I could play around while Husband fights. We need to catch up anyway." Xiu Che said with a passionate smile, clearly having a hard time holding onto her excitement.
"Young Master has returned!" Someone announced, to everyone in the village.
"Welcome home… Oh and who is this young lady?" Huo Dai said, walking up and now quite interested to hear the answer.