Two large wooden doors were tightly closed. They were made out of dark marble wood, reflecting a noble luster. Delicate carvings decorated their sturdy planks, illustrations of ancient beasts.
Behind them was an exquisite chamber. The walls were of snow white color, with a touch of cream. The furniture was made of the most precious jade, their light-green surface finely filled with golden threads.
Facing East, there was a marble archway leading to a beautiful courtyard. It had a clear pond filled with colorful carps, each one with unique scale patterns. The calming wind blew off small leaves from the nearby willow tree.
Lively spirit flowers bloomed in the sun, thriving in the rich spirit energy environment.
Although the architecture was plain and classic, the intrinsic value of such a living quarter was incalculable even for the wealthiest sects of the realm!
However, the whole place was one of many possessions belonging to the slender figure sitting upon the stone bed.
Sunshine bathed her delicate skin, highlighting breathtaking beauty.
Lustrous locks of dark brown hair fell upon her shoulders, swaying naturally in the wind.
Her facial features were as delicate as fairies from ancient tales.
Even as she cultivated with her eyes closely shut, her grace was unmatched under the Heavens.
The young woman had been in this state of deep meditation for some time now. Yet, she remained unstained by bodily filth.
Once a being achieved a certain level in their cultivation, the body would be cleansed and could live on the spirit energy in the air. Forever pure!
The girl had an uneasy expression as she tried her best to maintain that current state.
This invisible fight went on for a long time, until she could not hold on anymore: she had been discovered!
Immediately, the space above her head seemed to slash open, flashing the entire room with blinding golden beams.
"Eleanor! Did you think you could hide yourself from me after that huge commotion you caused in the Mirror Realm!? You're lucky to be alive! You know that, right?"
Eleanor lowered her head in shame. The next moment, she tried to defend herself and was shut down before she could say a word.
"Do you think Tribulation is a joke!? A walk in the park? I don't even want to divine how many years of lifespan you burnt away in this foolish attempt! Why can't you hear your father just once?"
Without any power to resist, Eleanor could only brace herself and take on her father's heated lecture.
A couple of months ago, she had secretly sneaked out of home after "borrowing" one of her dad's Dimension Keys to the Mirror Realm.
It was a mysterious dimension that existed side by side with the real world. Although there were no differences in its universal laws, it was the best place to transcend a Tribulation!
Some unique properties from that world reduced the suppression of the Heavenly Mandate upon the cultivator, allowing for better attempts at breaking through higher cultivation realms.
Everything was going as planned until they were not. Back then, she was traversing the last phase of the Tribulation when the Heavens suddenly shattered its way into the Mirror Realm!
Unprepared for such developments, she was struck head on with a Purple Miasma Lightning! Such unique attacks were very dangerous! If the person was not prepared, they could lose their lives to unique circumstances.
Using her remaining energy, Eleanor chose to shatter the void and forcefully escape the scene.
Escaping her predicament, she was still in a dire state. The enigmatic purple energy was causing havoc in her body!
She had to take action fast or only death awaited.
Without hesitation, Eleanor activated her cultivation art's secret technique: Reverting To One's Origin!
Basically, this skill allowed its user to revert to their previous mortal body, the one before they began cultivating. By doing so, all that foundation would be used to preserve themselves against life threatening attacks.
In such a vulnerable state, Eleanor could only hope no one would take advantage of her.
Thanks to Fate, the one who found her was an easygoing mortal.
She noticed the man had some knowledge of medicine when he took her pulse and used silver needles to attest her poisoned state. However, there were no high hopes.
What could a mere mortal do against the Purple Miasma Lightning?
Everything changed when the young man took out a plain looking vial from his bag. Even the medicine's scent was unremarkable.
Yet the moment it entered her circulation, it could actually surround and suppress the lightning's vicious energy!
Talk about casting pearls before swine! This man did not know how powerful the medicine in his hands was!
And how lucky was she to stumble upon such a lucky encounter! She was really her father's daughter after all! Hahaha!
However, seeing how the man gently attended her in such a weakened state, Eleanor felt some remorse in mentally mocking the mortal.
After some consideration, she decided to make it up for him.
When he left the shut to hunt in the forest, she had already recovered some of her cultivation. Deciding it was not safe to remain too close to the crash landing spot, it was time to leave for a more secluded place.
Before teleporting away, she took out a bronze medallion from her spacial ring and left it on the hay bed.
With such a token, if one day he stumbled upon any branch of her sect, the man would receive treatment similar to hers, being considered a most honored guest.
"Our Fates part here, mortal friend." She whispered before disappearing in the void.
Back to the present moment, the worried father has finished his sermon after a long while.
"You're coming back home now! I already prepared some heaven defying treasures to make up for your damaged foundation. And please… forgive your father. How could I go against your mother's wishes?" The paternal voice finally said in a smoothing tone.
"But father, I don't want to marry! I'm just so you…"
Before she could voice her complaints, the golden light sucked Eleanor into the void. She was going back home.