Second night till departure, Falling Hour, third hour.
There were only a few Cultivators around the Army Hall at this time.
Still, Sun managed to find some willing opponents to spar against. Additionally, Silver Extreme was not supervising the matches anymore.
One of the Third Foundation Cultivators remained to supervise, instead.
Sun arrived at the end of a match, he wasted no time greeting the Cultivators and offering to spar one of them.
The majority of the present Cultivators were part of Sun's group. They pitied Sun for being used as a mere chess piece in the competition between Silver Extreme and Warrior of Spring.
However, his skills surprised his opponent, who was a Second Foundation Cultivator.
The people were shocked, but Sun cleared up this astonishment as he explained his recent ascension to the Second Foundation.
Although he didn't display prodigious strength like Dawns, he was still considerably strong for his Foundation and age.
After a few matches against the other Cultivators, they saw Sun in a new light and respected him as a young talent.
An hour of sparring passed, and Sun left the Army Hall.
He returned to the Spirit Spring, satisfied with the new level of strength he obtained from ascending to the Second Foundation.
Passing through the gate, Sun is welcomed by Dawn, who is sitting in the centre of the Spirit Spring, in front of the White Tiger's statue.
She stared at his chest, as if analysing something within him.
"You have already decided on your primary Dao Art?"
"Yes, you can tell?"
"I can sense a firm aura around your Cores. I can tell you have already attained the Second Foundation."
Reading a cultivator's rank is difficult, there is usually no outward indicator that tells of their rank.
However, for Third Foundation Cultivators, who can immerse themselves in the world, they can sense even minute details.
A Dao Art medium can be sensed by any Cultivator, but the Dao Art can not be read easily.
Similarly, Cores can be sensed, and their intricacies are harder to read. Additionally, the Core's aura usually overshadows the presence of an assimilated Dao Art.
Dawn can look through the Core's aura and sense the presence of the assimilated Dao Art.
Intrigued, Sun questions Dawn's progress.
"Have you reached the Third Foundation yet? Although we've been focusing more on sparring and skill than cultivation, you were still making progress, no?"
"Yes, I recently attained it last night. I'm trying to push it further, but the difficulty has increased significantly..."
Sun has ascended to the Second Foundation, Dawn has also ascended.
She now stands as a genuine Third Foundation Cultivator.
These achievements are significant, but are mere steps in their cultivation journey.
As Sun congratulated Dawn, he thought about Selene and how her cultivation might be going.
She, too, would be seeking the same realm he and Dawn were chasing after.
'Immortal realm.'
With a sigh, he saw himself to bed.
As the night of their departure drew near, there was little time for Sun to cultivate. He would have to pursue the Third Foundation after the tides of beasts and Spirits.
...
The night before departure, Early Hour, fourth hour.
Sun's body was awfully strained. The pain of assimilating Dao Arts and sparring caught up to him.
The satisfaction of achieving the Second Foundation and the adrenaline of newfound power had already waned.
He remained still as he focused his Qi to surge throughout his body, nourishing his aching muscles.
After another half an hour of rest, Sun could finally move himself out of bed.
He changed into a new set of clothing. The fabric was thinner but still durable, breathable, and tighter around the body than his usual robes.
This clothing is supposed to go under the armour that he commissioned, which was supposed to be finished today.
The armour that Dawn commissioned was also due to finish today; her clothing was slightly baggier than Sun's, but served similarly as underclothing.
This was also one of the first times they didn't wear the familiar blue of Union Settlement's clothing. Sun opted for light brown, while Dawn wore black.
Soon enough, they made their way to the armoursmith's workshop in the Commerce District.
They passed by the familiar stores of food and wine, as well as the stores selling wares.
Sun deviates to a store selling hair ornaments, deciding to purchase one for a whole silver tablet. He hurriedly rejoined Dawn and made their way to he armoursmith.
Both their commissions were finished, and they quickly tested each piece to ensure they fit properly.
Bidding the smithy farewell, Sun suddenly remembers about his weapon commission that he was supposed to pick up the night before.
Sun was too caught up in his 'high' that he forgot about it.
He quickly visits the Head Smith and receives his Halberd.
Its blade had a silver lustre, and the total length was one hundred and eighty centimetres. There was a lotus symbol at the base of the Halberd's blade, and another lotus ornament at the end of the shaft.
It was lighter than the spare weapons of the Army Hall and in the Spirit Spring's cabin. The wood of the shaft was quite flexible, and the blade was sharp.
Paying his respects, he exited the workshop at met with Dawn.
They had already completed their preparations, so they decided to peruse the myriad stores.
It was the night before their departure, so they wished to spend some time with each other before their separation.
There were plenty of stores that offered delicacies and sweets, or hearty meals. Neither Dawn nor Sun drink alcohol, while the Commerce District was riddled with it; it took them a while to find a place that sold non-alcoholic beverages.
It was a quiet teahouse, sitting beside a gorgeous view of a verdant garden and open to the clear view of the Star Sea.
This place was simply called the Garden of Respite.
Dawn and Sun were served an amber coloured tea. Steam waned on the surface of the tea, the warmth of the ceramic was comforting on the hands.
One sip brought warmth to their throat and stomach.
This tea had a mystical, calming effect. Evidently, this teahouse's owner was a Cultivator.
They savoured this tea at a table with a lovely view, and this final moment together.
The starlight was beginning to dim subtly.
Sun took this chance to slide a small box across the table, presenting Dawn with a gift.
"I wasn't able to offer anything to Selene at that moment. I figured that I should at least do this now?"
Dawn was pleasantly surprised by Sun's memento, it was a dark, silver hairpin with a short red tassel attached to the end.
"I'm glad you remembered, I also did not forget to get you something."
Dawn had given Selene a keepsake, naturally, she prepared one for Sun.
The box she prepared had a bracelet of white jade within. The image of a lotus flower and its roots was embroidered on the jade's surface.
It was one of the ornaments of Dawn's own collection, similar to the hairpin Dawn gave to Selene.
They exchanged keepsakes and finished their tea.
The moment was quiet and unhurried, but their moments together felt fleeting.
With the end of this night nearing by the hour, they had no other choice but to return to the Spirit Spring.
...
Night of departure, Early Hour, third hour.
All the Cultivators of the two expedition groups were assembled in the Army Hall again.
Silver Extreme and Warrior of Spring stood before Immortal Union as the leaders of the two expedition groups.
There were few words exchanged between Immortal Union the the myriad Cultivators.
After wishing the two groups good health, he dismissed them, preparing to large clouds to transport the two expedition groups.
The control of the clouds was given to Silver Extreme and Warrior of Spring, the travel time was only eighteen hours long.
"Stay safe, Dawn."
"Don't lose yourself, Sun."
The two of them shared one final embrace before leaving for their respective groups.
Corpse Mountain Settlement was to the south-southeast of Union Settlement.
Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement was towards the east-southeast.
The two clouds would rise to the sky, carrying a dozen or so Cultivators each, and soar towards the horizon.
The tide of beasts and Spirits was nigh.
...
Sat alone on comfy bedding, the Early Hour's starlight filters through open windows, dimly illuminating this lone, pale girl who was reading a book.
There were a few books scattered across her bed and desk.
Peering out the window would reveal the relentless white waters of a massive river.
Waves of water crash on the solid stone foundation this Settlement is built upon; yet there are no signs of degradation on the foundation's surface.
"Sister! Please get ready to accompany me to the markets in an hour!"
The pale girl's eyes open slowly, if not tiredly.
Standing up and stretching languidly, she tidied the scattered books and returned the majority to their bookshelf.
She left one book alone on the desk, resting near an ornament on display.
It resembled a lotus and its stem, a peculiar-looking hairpin.
A keepsake from a dear friend.
...