The long course of decades changed a lot of the Sect's operations. From only having basic provisions and sparse 'missions', there is now a complete system for everything.
Missions can be deployed by either the Sect or third-party entities. The latter had to be verified first by the Sect before going through its mission board.
The rise of previously obscure Veins occurred. The Divination Vein, in particular, no longer had to gamble their life savings in one occurrence. They turned into human-shaped Search Engines. Paying a certain compensation to them ensures a good earning or avoids a pitfall. Everyone with a shred of rationality paid slightly more for greater profits.
With money coming to the Diviners themselves, it was inevitable for some to develop eccentric personalities…
Becoming a homebody.
Alchemists interact with almost anyone. Their network is at the highest inside the Sect. Artifact Forgers often seek guidance from Formation Masters. The more rare occupations such as Spiritual Chefs and Spiritual Tailors are held in higher regard due to their scarcity. Social interactions are a must for immortal cultivators… except for Diviners.
Part of it is Divination's nature. It shows whom they can become true friends with. They opt to have sparse but real friends rather than interact with others. The 'discrimination' and hardships they suffered in the earlier years are ingrained onto their minds.
Most importantly, their Peak Master is a Homebody herself.
"Ah..?"
Inside her residence, Wendy jumped out of fright. She immediately entered the divination state. A certain will jumped out of the occurrence 'shards' and spelled words out.
'Meeting. September 15 2075. 1:00 PM.'
"It's him..?"
A mix of anticipation and grievance came out of her mouth.
"Can I bring Anna too?"
'Yes.'
"Okay…"
The words soon dissipated.
"It paid off. Early warning systems, automated Nine-Nine Starry Sky Changes Diagram…"
Only Wendy knows how much effort she put in honing her Divination Arts. Her comprehension of the 'Present' reached the maximum 'Third Level' long ago, not to mention the dozens of artifacts and formations she commissioned from others.
Greed got a hold of her. That 'one-time' peeking of Shi Tian's past turned worse. She is the second most-versed when it comes to digging information inside the Sea of Quanta—with Seele and Veliona topping her.
It wasn't wrong to say that she dug out everything she could dig out, the "public" events. The more private times of Shi Tian were already obliterated. That was how the Sea of Quanta works. The weight of an information depends on its influence on the real world.
Shi Tian's bath time has less impact than fighting the ELF Kevin in the Antarctic. It is inevitable it would be erased… much to Wendy's dismay.
She herself did not notice these changes and eagerly went to the Ice Vein's designated floating island. Everyone who saw her leave had to double-take on what they saw.
"That's our Peak Master, no?"
"I think we might be seeing things. The Peak Master doesn't even attend the Sect's General Meetings."
"Maybe we saw it wrong…"
A thick white fog surrounded the Ice Vein's floating island. Its land surface area is comparable to that of Russia's. The exquisite space folding techniques of the Nascent Soul Realm easily created more than a dozen such floating islands.
A few puffs of oxygen resulted in thicker white fog. The concentration of ice-type spiritual qi is the best throughout all of Earth's.
Wendy's flight speed skipped through most of the floating island's landmass. It took two seconds to arrive on the highest point of the 'mountain' on this island.
A simple, one-storey ice 'palace' stood tall amidst the clouds. Being in its proximity is enough to freeze anyone below the Golden Core Realm to death. It is the number one forbidden area in the desolate Ice Vein.
Wendy's finger touched a 'doorbell'. The engraved symbols lit up with white light. The white light turned dark blue, a voice following forth.
"Who is it?"
"I-it's me."
Rustling sounds came from the doorbell's speaker. The palace's three-meter front door opened, revealing a woman in an oversized shirt. Her gray hair fell freely to her waist. Her droopy eyes regained their focus once she saw Wendy. The latter's light green dress contrasted the freezing surroundings.
"Oh. Wendy. What's going on?"
With a helpless look, Wendy pointed to the glass slate on her hand.
"Check your phone."
"Ah..? I am too lazy for it. What is it?"
The woman's voice carried a chilling tone. Only Wendy knew she was truly lazy.
"Ti—He wants to meet us."
The woman snapped out of her sleepy state.
"Sixty years… Alright. Wait for me."
Wendy was brought inside as she waited for the woman, Anna Schariac. The two have the best bonds. They underwent the training camp together. They are also together when Shi Tian's remnant will awakened them as 'partners'. The 'free benefits' they received did not put them at ease; it placed an untold burden on them. A responsibility to return the same value of these 'gifts'.
Due to it, the two developed peculiar personalities. Wendy remained inside her residence most of the time, honing her prowess over Divination. Anna, on the other hand, remained in her 'cultivation' state (i.e., sleeping) and practicing other techniques. Prior to it, she was the highest-ranked commander of the Federation's Military Force. She retired and took on the Peak Master role.
These two are the official Homebody duo of the Wushi Dao Sect.
Their efforts in cultivation weren't wasted. They caught up with others and are on the verge of breaking through the Divine Transformation Realm.
It took a while for Anna to get dressed. She appeared before Wendy, this time, wearing the familiar combat outfit during her valkyrie days. Her transformation into a cold war general never failed to surprise Wendy.
"I should have taken a role, too…"
"The military is extremely strict. I used to wake up at 5:00 AM sharp and do morning exercises. Being exemplary is a necessity."
Anna glanced at her like-minded friend. She knew Wendy wouldn't be able to handle strict discipline. It did not help that Saint Freya back then was looser compared to other Schicksal branches.
"I…"
Wendy looked at her speechlessly. She could not refute. Wendy is inherently a Homebody. Anna is forced to be one.
Their idle talks continued while traveling. It was beyond their expectations to meet someone on their way to the sect's main mountain peak.
"Oh! It's you two."
Anna's brows frowned. She could not recognize the 'woman' in front of them. Wendy, on the other hand, wore a shocked expression.
A quick divination revealed who she was.
"Principal…"
*****
A/N: There'll be a bit more chapters to tie up Tian's partners. Then, it'll be Amphoreus arc. The plan for it is to overlay Amphoreus itself with "stories".
PS: I merged the two fics in the same patreon tiers as before. Meaning, one tier has two fics accessible to them. The prices are unchanged, so there's that.