My Host Only Marries the Strong

Echo and Zhu Shiyu’s final stop in the Nanyang Continent was the Autumn Water Pavilion.

Since one of the Pavilion’s two masters had recently broken through to a new realm and the other had to stay behind to guard the sect, the elder sent to the Taiyan Sect hadn’t been authorized to make major decisions. They had simply brought the Blue Jade Beads back to Nanyang.

After careful consideration, Zhu Shiyu asked Echo to accompany her to the Autumn Water Pavilion to explain the demon cultivator threat in detail.

Echo naturally didn’t refuse; she held an important status there as Qiu Shuangshuang’s master.

When Qiu Shuangshuang’s parents waited at the docks to greet the envoys from the Insight Academy Palace, they saw a silver-haired woman in cyan robes leap down from the ship, carrying a basket.

“Hello!” Echo said enthusiastically, handing them the basket. “This is a gift I brought. Please, don’t be polite—accept it for the child.”

The two Pavilion Masters were stunned for a moment before accepting it with smiles.

Qiu Shuangshuang’s father laughed heartily. “Hahaha! I learned from Yutong’s letter that our daughter had taken you as her master. Shuangshuang has always admired your sword intent. To think fate would be so kind as to grant her wish!”

“Don’t worry.” Echo replied. “I’ve already adapted the sword manual into a spear technique. My tests showed no issues. When I return this time, I’ll pass the spear manual to her so she can study hard.”

Though the parents had never met Xi Lingren in person, they had witnessed her sword intent. At the time, they felt as though the very heavens and earth were expanding, filled with an unstoppable, forward-moving sharpness.

The Autumn Water Pavilion specialized in spear techniques, and Qiu Shuangshuang was exceptionally gifted—the next inheritor of the Water Dragon’s Hymn.

Initially, the two masters felt a lingering regret that their daughter was studying under a sword cultivator.

However, hearing that Echo had modified a sword manual into a spear technique filled them with shock and joy.

Their last trace of hesitation vanished, and they happily invited the guests inside.

“We’ve heard of the demon cultivators.” Qiu Shuangshuang’s father said, bowing to Zhu Shiyu as they walked.

“My wife was on the verge of a breakthrough and couldn’t attend the meetings in the Central Continent, but our Autumn Water Pavilion loathes evil. We will fight the demon cultivators to the end. If you need us, just say the word.”

“We must support one another,” Zhu Shiyu replied, “to ensure the demon cultivators find no opening.”

Behind them, Echo walked side-by-side with Qiu Shuangshuang’s mother. When asked about her disciple’s life at the Academy, Echo answered earnestly.

The mother felt comforted, glancing up at the sky as if she could see the Profound Turtle soaring through the clouds.

Echo glanced at her, pointed at the basket, and said seriously, “You should eat those while they’re hot.”

The mother blinked, lifting the silk cloth to reveal steaming, sweet rice cakes—white, tender, and soft. She smiled, realizing she had found the way to get close to Fellow Daoist Xi.

“Nanyang is known as the Fisher Continent. Our fish are world-renowned. Fellow Daoist Xi, you’ve traveled far. Today, please allow us to treat you and Fellow Daoist Zhu to our famous Nanyang Fish Banquet.”

Echo’s eyes lit up, and she gave a enthusiastic thumbs-up.

⁂

Insight Academy Palace: The Secret Realm.

Spiritual energy swirled and surged in the silence. An invisible, restless pressure began to build, waiting to be unleashed.

In a corner, Spirit Heart trembled inside a small bulge in some clothing, shrinking back in fear while frantically exhaling more spiritual energy.

The white mist grew thicker. The woman sitting in the Spirit-Gathering Array—Seraphine—slowly opened her eyes.

She raised her arm and formed a hand seal. Instantly, the gathered spiritual liquid and surging energy rushed violently into her body.

It flooded her spiritual vein, transforming into spiritual power that crashed against her consciousness sea and spiritual walls.

It was not a comfortable process. The restless spiritual power churned like a violent sea, clamoring to break free.

The agitation in the air intensified, only to be held down firmly by an invisible hand, waiting for the perfect moment.

As the spiritual liquid dried and the energy thinned, Spirit Heart—reminded of a previous terrifying moment—prepared to release more energy.

But a calm voice drifted through the silence: “No need. You’ve worked hard.”

A faint light flickered in Seraphine’s eyes. She looked down at the knee-high stack of letters piled before her.

The date on the topmost one was from three days ago. Seraphine hummed thoughtfully and raised an eyebrow.

She swept the letters into her storage ring, beckoned Spirit Heart out into a jade box, and began to adorn herself with gemstone-encrusted jewelry.

She changed her robes, donning a crimson dress.

Holding a golden hairpin between her lips, her pale hands deftly coiled her dark hair.

Even as the energy around her became nearly impossible to suppress, she calmly pulled out a box of rouge.

She glanced at the little orb across from her, which was huffing and puffing as it absorbed spiritual energy. She dipped a finger into the red pigment and pressed it to her lips.

The crimson spread across her snow-white fingertip, blending into a soft, alluring hue. Her lips were instantly stained a vibrant red, like rain-drenched cherries.

It’s a pity the person I’m waiting for hasn’t visited in three days…… Seraphine thought. It felt like an eternity since she and Echo had last spoken.

She lowered her gaze, hiding the shadows in her eyes. She leaned over and dabbed the remaining rouge onto the orb—left and right—before smiling.

“Will you accompany me this time as well?” she whispered.

The orb didn’t speak, but Seraphine seemed to know the answer.

She tucked a silvery orb into the golden silk pouch at her waist, stood up, and said calmly, “Let’s go.”

Outside, the Profound Turtle roared silently at the thunderclouds before descending to the earth.

The sky was heavy with black clouds that felt as though they were pressing down on everyone’s heads.

The moment Seraphine stepped out of the Secret Realm, a bolt of lightning—dark with the pressure of the Heavenly Dao—slashed through the air.

Seraphine tilted her head back, her dark hair whipped by the wind and her red robes fluttering.

The Academy’s barriers had been lowered. Students landed on nearby peaks to watch.

“Who is breaking through?”

“It’s the Palace Lord of the Mingyan Academy—Palace Lord Velka!”

“Looking at the direction of the lightning tribulation, it’s the Insight Secret Realm. This year’s assessment hasn’t even started yet. The only people allowed in the Secret Realm right now are those from Prospect Peak or—Palace Lord Velkaof the Mingyan Academy!

“Ah, Palace Lord Velka……”

Admiration washed over the faces of the crowd. Someone remarked, “Mingyan Academy holds monthly assessments to temper the heart through combat. They say Palace Lord Velka has never lost a single monthly trial. She has entered the Secret Realm every single time; it is only right that she is the one breaking through!”

The others nodded in solemn agreement.

Mingyan Academy was unlike other halls that favored gentle instruction. Beyond the duels in the martial arena, they utilized the “Flame Array” for training.

Only the top-ranked individual to emerge from the Flame Array was granted the right to cultivate within the Insight Secret Realm.

The disciples in the arena were all “children of heaven”—prodigies gathered from the two great competitions or personally recruited by the Academy’s masters.

None of them wanted to lose. Even when a match was meant to be a mere spar, their strikes carried a vicious, predatory edge.

The Flame Array was even more perilous. It was ever-changing, filled with an endless barrage of mechanical traps. A single lapse in focus could lead to severe injuries from the array’s impact.

If a student had to take time off to recover, they had to ensure their subsequent victory count remained in the top ten of the academy, or they would lose their qualification for the Flame Array entirely—let alone the chance to fight for the Secret Realm key.

Such a high-stakes environment was a brutal test of one’s mental fortitude.

After a period of such high-intensity combat and life-or-death struggles, the students of Mingyan Academy were practically radiating battle intent.

However, they suffered inwardly. Seraphine was terrifyingly strong.

With her peak-grade fire spiritual root, she was the darling of the Flame Array—or perhaps, she was simply the darling of fire itself!

Her cultivation methods were overbearing, and her love for battle was insatiable.

Like a blood-bathed phoenix, she had systematically beaten every single one of those proud prodigies into submission.

Unable to snatch the Secret Realm quota from Seraphine’s grasp, some frustrated cultivators chose a different path: they simply quit Mingyan Academy and transferred to other halls to wait for the annual grand assessment.

Since this new batch of students had entered the Insight Academy, a new consensus had gradually formed: the Secret Realm keys for Mingyan Academy and Prospect Peak were the most difficult to obtain.

The former was guarded by the undefeated Seraphine.

The latter had been largely avoided during the initial selection because Master Pine was a demon cultivator with a different path of Dao. Now that people wanted to seek the Way at Prospect Peak for the sake of the key, Master Pine refused to take them.

Master Pine already had the most suitable disciple.

Even when other masters tried to pressure master Pine to re-select a disciple—using the excuse that the Fire Rock Dragon was a student’s contracted spirit beast—Master Pine remained as unmovable as the ancient rock of his true form. He would not change his mind.

As a result, of the ten Secret Realm keys in the Academy, one was permanently tied to the Fire Rock Dragon, and the other was held by Seraphine, whom no one could best.

Such a combination of sheer strength and karmic fortune left everyone with no choice but to be impressed.

“Palace Lord Velka has broken through! This is wonderful! I never have to duel her again!”

A Golden Core cultivator who had survived in Mingyan Academy until now celebrated as if it were a national holiday.

He looked ready to weep tears of joy as he bowed with mock restraint to the Nascent Soul cultivators who hadn’t been sent to the Five Continents.

“It’s not that we didn’t want to spar with Palace Lord Velka; she is truly an excellent opponent. We really envy you, senior brothers and sisters—now you get to face such a ‘wonderful’ opponent every day!”

The Nascent Soul cultivators’ faces turned a sickly shade of green. They gritted their teeth and replied, “Thank you. We also wish you a swift breakthrough so we can all share in this ‘good fortune.’”

“Hahaha! Yes, definitely! We’ll try our best!” the Golden Core disciples cheered.

“……”

Xue Mengtao watched the “harmonious” interactions of the Mingyan Academy crowd and laughed.

She said to Siyi, “Master, the cultivators who went to the Five Continents are gradually returning to the Academy. Shuangshuang has been waiting at the docks these past few days for Senior Xi’s return.”

Siyi nodded, her eyes fixed on the gathering lightning clouds. She felt a twinge of regret. It’s a pity Fellow Daoist Xi isn’t here to see this right now.

Meanwhile, at the docks, Qiu Shuangshuang stood on the mountaintop, straining on tiptoe to watch the thunderclouds that blotted out the sun.

She kept sucking in sharp breaths of air. “This is terrifying……” She thought to herself: As expected of my Master’s wife! Even her lightning tribulation is more formidable than anyone else’s!

The world turned pitch black, save for the constant, roaring peals of thunder.

The sky had transformed into a ferocious beast, patrolling the earth, seeking to crush the “ants” who dared challenge its rule into dust.

BOOM!

The heavenly thunder fell like a collapsing firmament, shaking the very foundations of the earth.

A midst the lightning-wrapped chaos, a clear, sharp cry rang out. A golden-red fire phoenix leaped into the air, its wings enveloping a woman with eyes full of cold determination.

Her long whip whistled through the air, stirring up a thousand waves of fire to meet the lightning.

Seraphine did not retreat an inch; riding her phoenix, she collided head-on with the thunderclouds.

CRASH!!

A massive, world-shaking hum vibrated through the air. The lightning tribulation roared in fury before retreating momentarily, as if in spite.

Qiu Shuangshuang’s knees went weak, and she crouched on the ground, covering her ears as she gazed up at the woman wielding fire in the sky with a mixture of fear and awe.

“Master’s wife…… is so amazing! Why isn’t Master back yet? She needs to see her heroic bearing!” She praised loudly, her voice emboldened by the fact that the thunder drowned out everything else.

Just then, the Water Dragon’s Hymn standing behind her suddenly transformed into a dragon phantom and soared toward the horizon.

“Eh?” Qiu Shuangshuang looked back in surprise and saw a massive ship flying rapidly toward the docks.

On the deck, a woman stood against the wind, her clear eyes fixed intently on the distance.

“It’s Seraphine.” Echo said.

“Palace Lord Velka is breaking through?” Zhu Shiyu asked.

“Yes.” Echo nodded. “Please stop the ship; I’ll go ahead.”

“Alright.” Zhu Shiyu nodded, watching as Echo leaped into the air.

She landed on the head of the approaching Water Dragon’s Hymn, tapped it once, and sprinted along its long, serpentine body.

The dragon twisted its head to chase her, only to be stepped on the head again.

Water Dragon’s Hymn: “……?”

“Master!” Qiu Shuangshuang saw Echo and jumped up, waving her arms frantically. “Palace Lord Velka is breaking through right now!”

I see it. I’m in a hurry, Echo thought.

She tossed a storage bag toward Qiu Shuangshuang, shouting, “Something your mother asked me to bring you!”

Qiu Shuangshuang caught the bag, jumped up to grab the dragon’s claw, and climbed onto its back.

The Water Dragon’s Hymn carried them both, whistling through the mountain forest toward the center of the storm.

“Which bolt is this?” Echo asked the dragon.

“The eighth.” the dragon replied. “It will be over soon.”

“No.” Echo corrected. “Seraphine will achieve Great Perfection; there will be twelve bolts. She is very powerful.”

“Oh.” the dragon said. “My owner has also broken through. Want to duel?”

Echo kept her eyes fixed on Seraphine. “I sparred with them back at the Autumn Water Pavilion. Your owner is at the late stage of Soul Transformation; it’s a bit of a struggle for me to fight them right now.”

“You lost.” the dragon stated bluntly.

“I didn’t win.” Echo clarified. “I’ll fight you again in a while and beat you into submission.”

“I’ll be waiting.” the dragon said with satisfaction, dropping Echo off at the cliff nearest to the lightning.

Echo landed, peering through the pitch-black clouds at Seraphine.

A bolt of lightning had just dispersed, and Seraphine lowered her head to brush a trace of ash from her sleeve. As if sensing something, she looked up.

The mountaintop she stood upon had already been leveled flat by the lightning. A midst the scorched black earth, she was the only splash of color.

Echo lowered her gaze, and for a fleeting moment, the two locked eyes across the vast distance.

Crack.

The fiery red whip flickered and struck the ground, leaving behind several small flames.

Seraphine curled her lips into a smirk and looked back at the still-dark sky.

Come then. Let’s play a little longer.

BOOM!

Twelve bolts of lightning shook the heavens and the earth. Even the Profound Turtle—the foundation of the Academy—withdrew into its shell, trembling slightly.

The mountains and lakes on its back quivered in terror under the weight of the clouds.

Cultivators watching from outside the danger zone felt their souls tremble as they watched each lightning pillar become more terrifying than the last.

“I had long heard that Palace Lord Velka achieves Great Perfection every time she breaks through. Today, I finally see the power of a Great Perfection tribulation. Truly, heaven envies talent—how terrifying!” one cultivator murmured.

On another peak, Shi Yingyue sighed and turned to her companion. “I need to consider transferring to another hall. I was once a minor stage higher than her, but I was always suppressed in the Flame Array.”

“Now that she has reached the Nascent Soul stage at Great Perfection, it will be impossible to take a Secret Realm key from her.”

“Very well,” the Saint of the Red Lotus Sect advised. “To hesitate when a decision is needed only invites chaos. Do not be stubborn; there is no shame in letting go.”

Shi Yingyue nodded and turned to leave.

The twelve bolts of lightning lasted a full day and night. When the final bolt dispersed, golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling upon the blood-stained woman.

In her sea of consciousness, a tiny humanoid figure lay sleeping peacefully. Seraphine smiled, glanced at the distant mountain, and sat down cross-legged.

The Heavenly Dao descended in the form of spiritual dew to congratulate the successful cultivator.

Fresh flowers and lush grass sprouted from the scorched earth around her, guarding her like a queen.

Once she had absorbed the dew and stabilized her power, Seraphine opened her eyes.

A trace of wild arrogance flashed in her gaze as she stood up.

Under the blue sky, her red robes were tattered and torn by the lightning, her jewelry scattered.

The phoenix pattern on her dress was half-brilliant and half-scorched.

Her white inner garments carried the scent of smoke and fire, clinging to her straight, unyielding spine.

“Congratulations to the Palace Lord on reaching the Nascent Soul stage!” Siyi shouted excitedly.

She had seen all of Seraphine’s hard work; who could compare to this speed of breakthrough?

As Siyi celebrated, her peripheral vision caught a woman in cyan robes standing on another peak. Her smile deepened.

Well, except for that one.

Congratulations from across the mountain forests echoed through the air.

Seraphine smiled, raising her hands to return the gesture toward the crowd from the Insight Academy.

With a light tap of her toes, she drifted from the lush, flower-covered ground to the mountaintop where only one person stood—though she still pointedly avoided looking directly at Echo.

She pulled her long hair over her shoulder, smoothed her collar, and said in a calm, gentle voice, “You’re back.”

It was Seraphine’s voice.

Echo’s heart hammered like a war drum as she stared at her. She felt a desperate urge to sprout floating flower bubbles, but Seraphine had forbidden her from displaying “emoticons” in front of others.

With a trace of regret, Echo released a wave of spiritual energy instead, shaping it into shimmering silver-white blossoms that drifted around Seraphine.

Seraphine let out a small laugh at the sight of the flowers and asked softly, “How was your journey into the mortal world? What was the feeling?”

The feeling?

Echo gazed at Seraphine’s face.

A faint red mark lingered at the corner of her mouth—whether it was a bloodstain or a trace of rouge, Echo couldn’t tell, but she felt a sudden, strong urge to reach out and wipe it away.

Even though she had returned to her data orb every night to check on Seraphine, they truly hadn’t spoken in a very long time.

Seeing Seraphine’s vivid expressions, Echo’s heart stirred. She smiled and said, “I met many people.”

Seraphine nodded, then tilted her head toward her. “Mm.”

“I spoke with many people.” Echo continued.

“I saw many sights…… the sky is vast and the sun distant; the clouds clear and the mist bright.”

“The stars and moon are brilliant, and the Milky Way hangs in the sky. The mortal realm is ever-changing and full of prosperity.”

“Whether in this world or others, I have seen much, and I like seeing it.”

“The people too—humans are always wrapped in sorrow, joy, anger, and delight. It was just as I knew it to be, yet also…… a little different.”

Seraphine raised an eyebrow, about to ask what was different, when she saw Echo suddenly pull a bouquet from her storage ring.

It was a massive arrangement, vibrant and overflowing, as if Echo had gathered one of every flower in the world.

They were wrapped in fine silk and tied with a ribbon in a very “Echo-style” bow.

Echo presented the bouquet to Seraphine with a beam. “However, none of those things were truly important.”

Surrounded by the blossoms, Seraphine cupped a single pale pink flower and lowered her head to sniff it.

She let out a soft sound of confusion at Echo’s words but didn’t look up.

“Go on.” she prompted.

Echo watched Seraphine from inches away and smiled warmly. “What matters is...… I missed you very much.”

[Author’s Note]

Work Log:

First, let me state my stance……