My Celestial Ascension

"Oh, Fang Ling, you've returned safely! For a moment, I thought you were done for. Thank goodness our Xiaoyan didn't notice you spying on them..." Grandma Fang let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing Fang Ling's safe return.

"Hehe~ Don't worry, there's no way Xiaoyan would notice my presence. Besides, your plan seems to be working flawlessly." Fang Ling chuckled, then explained everything she saw at the hot spring.

"So, our dear Xiaoyan is showing signs of falling in love, huh? It was a good idea to send her to the hot spring with them." Grandma Fang mumbled, a wide grin spreading across her face, clearly pleased that her plan was working.

"What did you say?! Our dear Xiaoyan has fallen in love with that young man?!" Grandpa Fang rushed over after overhearing their conversation, an eager grin lighting up his face.

"Shut up, you old fool! You're being too loud!" Grandma Fang shot him a sharp glare, causing him to tremble.

'What did I do to deserve this? Why is she always so cold to me?' Grandpa Fang cried inwardly.

"Well, sorry about that. I got a little excited... hehe~" Grandpa Fang quickly apologized, even though he hadn't done anything wrong.

An hour later, Yuan and his wives returned to the house with Fang Xiaoyan. They were all smiling, as if something wonderful had happened.

Noticing their cheerful expressions, Grandma Fang raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, I take it something good happened? Care to share with this old lady?"

"Well, we just chatted about the places we've visited in the outside world with Fang Xiaoyan. She seemed really interested in hearing about everything," Anna replied with a small smile.

"The outside world, huh? Xiaoyan has always been curious about it, ever since she was old enough to understand us. We used to tell her stories about it all the time." Grandma Fang smiled fondly.

"I see… No wonder she was so intrigued by our stories." Anna chuckled.

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Fang Ling then approached her daughter with a mischievous grin, and Xiaoyan's face turned bright red the moment she saw her.

"So, did anything happen in the hot spring besides just chatting?" Fang Ling asked playfully, raising an eyebrow in suspicion, clearly knowing more than she was letting on.

"N-No… nothing happened besides talking about the outside world..." Xiaoyan stammered, then quickly hurried to her room, her face flushed.

'Judging by her expression, something definitely happened in that hot spring. Things are progressing just as we planned. Now it's up to her—whether she embraces those feelings or pushes them aside.' Grandpa Fang pondered with a small smile, satisfied that everything was going in the right direction.

A while later, Grandpa Fang joined Yuan and his wives in the living room, where they were chatting happily. He took a seat beside Yuan.

"Young man," Grandpa Fang began, "when are you planning to visit Xian City? You should know that the gate to the Secret Realm will only stay open for a limited time. After that, it'll close for another thousand years, and you'll be trapped here until then."

Yuan's eyes widened in shock. "A thousand years?! That's way too long!"

Anna and the others were equally surprised, a hint of panic crossing their faces. After all, who would want to be stuck in a secret realm for a thousand years?

"Is there no other way out if the gate closes?" Rose asked, her voice laced with concern.

Seeing their worried expressions, Grandpa Fang chuckled. "Don't worry, young lady. The gate will remain open for at least a month, if I recall correctly. You have plenty of time to leave the Secret Realm."

"Is that so… I feel quite relieved hearing that." Rose sighed, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Grandpa Fang continued, "Well, even if the gate does close while you're still inside, there is one way to escape—and free us as well."

"And what would that be?" Yuan immediately raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

"It's actually very simple," Grandpa Fang smiled. "All you have to do is become the new Master of the Secret Realm. The previous master was our Lord, whom we swore to follow and serve."

"Become the new Lord of this Secret Realm? Is that even possible?" Lily tilted her head in confusion, clearly intrigued.

"Everything is possible in the world of cultivation, even resurrection—if you've reached a high enough realm of cultivation." Grandpa Fang laughed.

"What?! People can come back to life after dying?" Yuan's wives were stunned by this revelation, never having imagined such a thing was possible.

'Cultivation truly is amazing! It has so many benefits. I made the right choice to pursue it over magic or mana.' Mireya thought, her face lighting up with excitement.

"So, how can I become the Lord of this realm?" Yuan asked, his curiosity piqued at the prospect of becoming the lord of the Secret Realm, with absolute control over it. The idea was tempting, especially since it seemed to be their only way out once the gate closed.

Grandpa Fang chuckled at Yuan's excitement and said, "Well, there's a tall pagoda at the center of the realm. It's a red pagoda that can be seen from miles away—it used to be our Lord's living quarters."

"So that pagoda is a house, where the mysterious masked individual lived before disappearing from the Secret Realm," Yuan mumbled.

Grandpa Fang nodded. "Yes, that's where our Lord stayed when he was still here. However, many have tried to access the pagoda since he left, but no one has succeeded in opening its iron door."

"Ever since the Lord left the Secret Realm to explore the outside world, the Red Pagoda has remained sealed. Some believe there are hidden treasures inside, but those are just rumors."

"I'll ask Xiaoyan to show you around the Secret Realm. You should also visit Xian City today. The humans are organizing a festival this evening, and anyone can join." Grandpa Fang smiled.

"And when you visit Xian City, be mindful of Chen Ping—the Young Master of the Ping Family. He's at the Peak Spirit Master level. He may try to cause trouble, but avoid conflict if you can." Grandpa Fang advised, knowing that Yuan and his wives were still at the Spirit Master realm.

'With Xiaoyan accompanying them, they should be fine…' Grandpa Fang thought.

A moment later, Grandma Fang arrived with Fang Xiaoyan. Both of them became curious about the conversation.

"What were you all talking about? Let us in on it too." Grandma Fang grinned as she sat down beside Yuan.

Grandpa Fang quickly explained what he had been discussing with Yuan and his wives, cautious not to anger his wife.

A few moments later, Grandma Fang smiled and nodded in agreement. She turned to Fang Xiaoyan.

"Xiaoyan, that old fool is right. You should guide Yuan and his wives around Xian City." Then she leaned in and whispered, "And take advantage of this time to get closer to him. Maybe we'll have a grandchild before they leave the Secret Realm."

"Grandma! What are you saying? That's so embarrassing!" Fang Xiaoyan's face flushed red as she stole a glance at Yuan, who simply smiled at her.

Grandma Fang, with a mischievous smile, remarked, "You're not denying it, so I take it you do like him, don't you?"

"Um." Fang Xiaoyan nodded shyly, her face glowing with a deep blush.

'Finally! Finally, I can truly expect a grandchild from Xiaoyan. I feel so relieved knowing that she's attracted to Yuan…' A gentle smile appeared on Grandma Fang's face after hearing the confirmation.

Sometime later, Yuan and his wives changed into new outfits, preparing to visit Xian City, where the annual harvest festival was taking place that evening.

"Yuan, are you all ready?" Fang Xiaoyan asked from outside the guest room, already dressed and ready for the festival.

"We're ready. Let's go." Yuan opened the door, stepping out with his wives. Each of them wore beautiful dresses that Fang Ling had provided, ensuring they would blend in with the citizens of Xian City.

Their original clothes were far too flashy, with unique designs that would have drawn unwanted attention. Attracting too much notice would have been dangerous, as the citizens of Xian City harbored deep resentment toward outsiders.

Having been trapped inside the Secret Realm for tens of thousands of years, the people had grown bitter. Many of them still remembered past visitors from the outside world, and that resentment continued to fester.

Some of the ancient cultivators, powerful "old monsters," were still alive, though they were often deep in cultivation. It could take thousands of years for them to advance a single level.

"Once we leave the formation, it will take about two hours to reach the city by flying," Fang Xiaoyan explained. She then glanced at Yuan and his wives and asked, "By the way, can everyone here fly using a flying sword?"

"Don't worry, we can all fly using flying swords," Emma replied with a smile, retrieving her flying sword from her spatial ring.