Over the course of nearly two years, Horo accomplished more than just completing missions and cultivating. He truly became an integral part of the palace.
Everyone had come to know Horo's true personality, and he had even significantly changed the women's perspective on men. His presence alone generated a sense of reverence within many of them, and his abilities and personality further reinforced this feeling. Moreover, as a primordial human, he naturally stirred their genetic desire to reproduce with him, regardless of their thoughts on him.
While many women flirted with him, Horo had to request his master's intervention with Keela, as she relentlessly pursued him. She was utterly smitten with him.
Horo maintained cordial relationships with everyone, and the relationships he had built over time were purely platonic.
However, others had a different opinion when it came to Elavora. This was because they spent a significant amount of time together, whether it was sparring, imparting knowledge and enlightenment, or simply hanging out.
Horo also dedicated considerable time to sparring with the other top ten core disciples and the personal disciples, excluding Lina. In fact, he spent more time sparring with all of them than he did with Elavora.
This was done to assess everyone's prowess and determine who would be the actual representatives of Gaia in the tournament.
The kingdoms mythical qualifier tournament would feature ten participants from each power within the kingdom.
Only the top ten from the qualifiers tournament would advance to represent Gaia in the actual tournament.
Every other kingdom and power representing Gaia would also receive ten slots.
There are nine powers representing Gaia: the three Nations; Azure Moon Kingdom, the Kingdom Regalia, and the empire Aureum; the Barbarians of the West Plains; and the three superpowers from Gaia's Halo: the Guild's Association, Merchant Union, and The Creed.
The fanatic worshipers in the Center of Gaia, The Monastery, and the Outcast, The Black Forest of Witches, were among the participants in the official Mythical tournament of the grotto.
The Black Forest was still considered part of Gaia by everyone, except for the monastery, of course.
The Mageía Academy, which was also considered part of Gaia, was the overseers and hosts of the tournament, so their quota for slots was not considered part of Gaia's.
Every participating world power in the official Mythical tournament of the grotto had a different quota depending on their structure of power.
Rightly so, Gaia had the highest quota. This was because their ancestors were the ones who discovered the grotto, so there was no debate when deciding their quota after the war. Additionally, Gaia was the continent of humans, and humans are the most divided among any race. They possessed the most superpowers on their continent, so their quota was ninety.
The Jigan continent, the continent of the most united race, the giants, had a quota of fifty.
Dantia, the continent of the Elves and Fairies, had a quota of seventy-five.
The Golden Sea, home of the hybrid race, the Mermaids, had a quota of twenty-five.
Lastly, the Mageía Academy had ten slots.
This made for two hundred fifty participants in the official tournament, where only one hundred would enter the grotto.
....
Horo had to learn all of these things, but not only him.
He and all of the top disciples had to take private lessons of the history of the grotto, the tournament, and other major historic and secret events.
Horo was intrigued. After learning many of the secrets of this world, he immediately knew that it had to be an anomaly within this reality. This world was on par with a high tier one within the world of cultivation, and it seemed even more unique, honestly.
What surprised him even more was that the beast of four directions existed in this world, something it shared in common with the world of cultivation.
....
Horo and his fellow disciples had learned many things from each other and he was now considered as strong as Keela, the fifth rank. However, they were unaware of his true battle prowess.
Outside of sparring sessions, they exchanged advice and Horo assisted them in improving their hand-to-hand combat skills. They all recognized he was unmatched by the rest of them in pure hand-to-hand technique.
Many of them attempted to enlighten him about the pure cloud technique, and he even felt he had the potential to officially practice it. However, he was still uncertain about what is pure enough about him that he could utilize it for the technique.
Before they knew it, the day of departure arrived. Their entourage of approximately eight hundred fifty people departed from the palace.
The attendees included the most prominent figures in the palace, such as elders and their disciples, high elders, those with special privileges, and, of course, the representatives of the palace.
Despite the departure of the most powerful figures, they didn't have to worry. Elder May would remain behind with her clones, while sending one of the more powerful ones with the group attending.
....
In the Empyrean Sun Sect, the same preparations were underway.
All those with the privilege and power to attend the tournament were making their preparations for departure.
In Himora's abode, also known as her cage, Felix had just entered.
"Oh my dear, you've been yearning for freedom, and now that the time has come, why is your face filled with sorrow?" he asked.
She responded, "Well, that's because I thought you wouldn't take me since I haven't conjured an Empyrean Sun yet."
Felix chuckled softly before explaining, "That was the initial plan, but I realized that if you witnessed the application of our technique in battle, you might gain enlightenment."
"If you weren't so fixated on the sword, you would pour your heart into our technique. I'm certain an Empyrean Sun born from you could melt any blade in existence. Father can sense the unusual heat within you, concealed beneath your so-called stainless aura."
She face-palmed for about three breaths before replying, "I've told you, my physique isn't a divine one. It possesses only one aspect, but with that alone, I shall leave this world the same that I came in—stainless. I truly see no need to produce an Empyrean Sun."
What Felix didn't know was that she wasn't truly a sword fanatic. Her physique not only bestowed upon her a stainless body but also a stainless mind, enabling her to comprehend things effortlessly in her own unique way.
She explicitly cultivated her sword skills in order to hide the fact that she had already birthed an Empyrean Sun, a one of a kind Empyrean Sun.
She didn't lie to him; her physique did have only one aspect, and usually, divine bodies had at least three aspects or two ultimate tier aspects. Another thing he didn't know was that she was the twin of a born singularity, and her twin bestowed upon her other paths that made her physique one of convergence. It could evolve differently due to her path of cultivation.
Her body cultivation method gifted her with another aspect, the [Diamond Body], while her spiritual cultivation technique gifted her another aspect the [Heat Source].
These aspects placed her Physique in the upper echelones of divine physiques.