The news that their beautiful and charming sect elder was a massive Dragon spread all around the Star Immortal Sect and beyond its walls. Even if the higher-ups wanted to hide it, it was impossible when Yasenia stayed in her Dragon form. The creature that dwarfed many of the mountains around it was not too hard to spot from several thousand kilometers away.
Yasenia didn't mind and stayed put in that place and gave the classes she promised the sect in that form.
For the disciples, this experience was peculiar, to say the least. When a gargantuan dragon that could hide the sky above you with one wing spoke to you about cultivation, the only choice was to pay attention as if your life depended on it. Even when they understood that Yasenia was not someone heavy-handed, who dared to act stupid when a giant scaly mountain with eyes like the sun glanced at you from beyond the clouds?
"...And that's why Heart Demons are, and will always be, a challenge that you need to overcome if you want to advance. Putting them off for later is what the Heart Demons want. The longer they live within you, the stronger they will become." Yasenia raised her claw and pointed at Feixue with perfect control.
Even when Feixue was in a contract and was 100% sure that Yasenia wouldn't hurt her, she almost burst into tears when Yasenia's gargantuan claw poked her chest. 'Why has the seductive and powerful senior transformed into an outrageously powerful and beautiful giant dragon? I feel like a little ant that will pop like a bubble if she sneezes!'
"Luan Xuefei, your classmate here, barely managed to enter the Sect because she was plagued by Heart Demons. Do not look down on her because of that. Many of you wouldn't even last a single month under the harassment Luan Xuefei was under for more than a year."
Yasenia kept to herself that Feixue actually gave up at some point. Had their coincidental encounter not happened, the girl would've embarked on her journey to the reincarnation cycle a long time ago.
"What she did back then was to put aside cultivation for a while and focus on regaining her mental condition. She did excellently during the time that she retreated to make peace with her traumas."
Feixue felt a bit embarrassed to be used as an example. Still, she was proud that Yasenia found what she achieved back then admirable. Nowadays, while she couldn't say that she was Heart Demon-free, they were extremely weak and only waiting for the resolution of her grudges.
Yasenia then gave them tasks to do and sent them away. Everyone bowed towards their Dragon Elder and used their swords or any other flying items to fly away. Either way, with Yasenia there, no beast dared to fly nearby, meaning it was extremely safe.
Star Forge appeared right after the class with a faint smile. "Yasenia, good news."
"Hm?" The dragoness turned her head curiously. "What's wrong?"
"Two things." Star Forge commented with a smile. "First of all, we've located a Secret Realm that will open soon. This Secret Realm is full of powerful treasures and inheritances. Moreover, it is perfect for you."
Interest shone in Yasenia's eyes. "Tell me. What's the deal with it?"
Star Forge planted her butt down on Yasenia's snout and smirked. "First of all, the name of this Secret Realm is [Seven Broken Stars Secret Realm]. It was created by one of our ancestors, named Broken Star Immortal. That person liked to create realm-restricting test spaces. So, when we all enter that secret realm, our strength will be relatively on par. Or, at least, that's the intention."
Yasenia instantly understood where Star Forge was going. This Secret Realm was probably one of her level, so she would be one of the strongest beings there due to her ability to challenge cultivators above her own realm.
"That's great to hear. When is the Secret Realm opening? Who will participate?"
Star Forge nodded. "I was getting there, impatient lizard."
Yasenia flicked Star Forge into the air and opened her maw. "[Celestial Dragon Breath]."
The entire sect suddenly saw a giant pillar of energy shoot to the sky, blasting the clouds open. However, no one went to investigate since this was not the first time that had happened. Moreover, the entire sect was familiar with their Dragon Elder's attacks by now.
Star Forge coughed a few times, her skin full of burns here and there. "You—cough! Did you need to be so heavy-handed? Cough, cough."
Yasenia snorted playfully. "Think well the next time you decide to call me a lizard."
Of course, she was not angry. Star Forge would sometimes tease her like that, and Yasenia didn't mind that much. Still, it was a chance to attack her friend without repercussions, and she would not miss it!
"What are you two doing now?"
The elegant and soothing voice of the golden-haired beauty reached both of them. Yasenia looked over and lowered her head, booping the person with her snout. "Welcome, Qingzhe~."
Qingzhe, who was suddenly slammed by a giant wall of scales, almost flew away from the strength behind the impact. 'Receiving the affection of a giant dragon is adorably terrifying.'
After sighing endlessly at the mass of contradictions her dragon friend was, Qingzhe asked once more. "So. What are you two doing?"
"Playing around." Answered Yasenia with a chuckle. Then, she looked at Star Forge. "You said that there were two things you wanted to tell me. You've spoken about the Secret Realm. What's the other thing?"
"Hehe." Star Forge smirked. "The other thing is that this Secret Realm is on another Continent. The one currently ranked 102nd!"
"Oh?" Yasenia was surprised. "Why is the legacy of your sect's ancestors in that continent?"
Qingzhe spoke up. "I know about that. The reason is simple. Those continents were part of the sect's properties in the past. Controlling more than one continent is not impossible as long as you don't touch the reverse scale of someone more powerful than you. The thing is, it is difficult to take into account all relations. You can destroy a sect that didn't even have a mid-level Transcendence Realm, and the next day, a Law-Creator comes and knocks on your door, asking for explanations. So, unless it is Demonic versus Righteous, you won't ever hear about conflicts leading to sect destruction."
"Ho~?" Yasenia muttered. "So. Will there be people from higher-ranked continents coming to this secret realm?"
Star Forge smiled. "You can bet on it. After all, those people are quite arrogant…" She paused and looked at Yasenia with a tentative expression. "Yasenia, I am warning you because I know your temper. Please ignore those people. Also, it would be great if you could become a smaller dragon instead of your humanoid form."
Qingzhe realized where Star Forge was going and nodded hastily. "That's right. That's right."
Yasenia almost rolled her eyes. "Do you think that I've reached my current realm by being a sheltered woman who had never traveled the world?"
"Oh." Both women blinked twice, realizing that Yasenia had been herself for a while already.
Yasenia clicked her tongue playfully. "I would've kept quiet had I known I would gain two old mothers instead of friends after revealing my age."
Star Forge and Qingzhe smiled awkwardly. However, could you blame them? They were already several thousand years old, while Yasenia was barely over 100 years old! Their elder instincts were shouting for them to take care of the dragon!
"Regardless." Yasenia returned to the conversation's main meat. "I want to know the details about it."
Star Forge quickly nodded and began explaining at length. "Sure."
Yasenia listened for a while, nodding and humming from time to time. Eventually, she summarized in her head. 'The limit on cultivation will be the first level of the Transcendence Realm. This cuts off most of the mortal cultivators. Only those with a lot of courage or background will participate. Now, high-level cultivators will have an advantage in the sense that their Intent Domains will be more advanced than normal. So, being at the same level doesn't automatically make me invincible.
Yasenia had been in the sect for quite a few years already. The first four years of cultivation in the sect. Then, she spent around three years during the war efforts. After the war, three more years went by with Yasenia slowly cultivating and refining her strength.
In total, 10 years had passed since she arrived at the Blue Pearl World. "Five more years before the Secret Realm opens. I guess I can develop the Celestial Intent Domain and perhaps upgrade my Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain. For that, I need to go on a bit of a journey."
Yasenia flew towards the Sect Master's peak and landed nearby. Her presence was too overwhelming to pass unperceived, so she just waited for him to appear.
Soon, the handsome man wearing white robes and with long dark hair appeared in front of her. His face was calm, but there were hints of superiority in his gaze. This was normal, though. His strength and position were higher than Yasenia's, after all. Unbothered, Yasenia spoke neither humbly nor overbearingly. "Sect Master, I need to go out and explore for a while to increase my strength for the Secret Realm. None of my disciples will achieve Sixth Realm Cultivation before the five years pass, so I was thinking of focusing on myself instead to reap as many benefits as possible."
The man hummed and pondered for a while. After around ten seconds, he asked. "Where are you planning to go? I am honestly unsure where you can find a place for you to practice better than our sect grounds."
His words were honest. The sect had many formations and naturally grown locations that augmented the energy's quality. Moreover, there were spots focused on cultivation as well. Overall, in their continent, Yasenia would have a hard time finding a place comparable to the worst cultivation rooms in the Star Immortal Sect.
Yasenia understood this. However, even if she used all her available treasures and techniques to try and break through, reaching Level 2 of the Transcendence Realm was basically impossible. What she needed was not a place with a lot of energy, but a place where observing the nature of the cosmos was possible. For that, she needed to leave the Sect.
Yasenia explained it briefly. "The Secret Realm doesn't care about the cultivation realm. Therefore, I am planning on exploring the continent for an opportunity that might help me develop my Intent Domain further. My strength is certainly high at the moment, but I am unsure of being strong enough to fight off all the threats."
The Sect Master agreed, but he was confused. "You can go then. However, what threats are you speaking about? Didn't you say that you weren't from our world?"
Yasenia explained some basic truths about herself after she heard about the prophecy. She also told them that while she would remain as a guest elder, they should not expect her to push their sect back to its previous heights miraculously.
Yasenia smiled faintly. "Sect Master. You might've forgotten one very important detail about me. Please, try and remember my human form."
His confusion only lasted for a second before his lips twitched. "Right. You can't appear in your dragon form since it is too large. So you will need to appear in your humanoid form… You will attract trouble even if you don't want to." Nodding his head, the man smiled and agreed. "Go then. We will depart three months prior to the Secret Realm opening. Here is a jade that will glow when there are 6 months left until it opens."
Yasenia saw the small jade and used her energy to envelop it and store it in her ring. "Thank you, Sect Master."
Without any extra delays, she opened her wings and flapped them at the same time as she jumped.