"Fair?!" Bishō clenched her delicate hands tightly, biting her lip, her heart trembling with cold anger. She simply could not understand—was it truly so wrong to chase after her own happiness? Why was her teacher, Senkaiji, reacting this way?
The teacher she remembered had once cared for her, cherished her deeply. But now, he seemed cruel and heartless. She only wanted to leave the Spirit Temple and be with Haruto Akiyama. And yet she was told she must first have her cultivation abolished, her memories sealed, and her spirit bone forcibly removed!
This wasn't granting her happiness—it was condemning her to death!
For a spirit master, without cultivation… was she even still a spirit master? And as for sealing memories, she did not even understand what that truly entailed. But removing a spirit bone—she knew exactly what that meant. A spirit master integrates a spirit bone by fusing it into the corresponding part of their body. To remove it, there were only two ways: either amputating the fused body part… or death.
Even though she had fused only a left leg bone and one external spirit bone, removal would not kill her— But it would leave her crippled.
In that moment, Senkaiji's once-familiar face became terrifying to behold. Her heart surged with both grief and anger.
All I want is to be with Haruto Akiyama. It doesn't mean I've forgotten the Spirit Temple. Even if I were with him, I would still treat the Spirit Temple as my home! Teacher, why must you be so cruel to me?!
Senkaiji's sudden shift in attitude made her recall the kindness of Grandfather Sendōryū, as well as the other venerable Elders who had always protected her.
Senkaiji, if you won't let me be with Haruto Akiyama, and treat me this way—then I'll go to Grandfather Sendōryū and the honored Elders! They will surely uphold justice for me!
Furious and aggrieved, Bishō resolved to go straight to the Spirit Temple's Grand Hall. She would never willingly give up her cultivation. She would never allow her memories to be sealed. And she absolutely would not surrender her spirit bones.
"Fair? You're just deliberately making things impossible for me!" Bishō's amber eyes blazed with anger as she shouted at Senkaiji. "You wait! I'll go find Grandfather Sendōryū and the other Elders—they will uphold justice for me!"
With that, she spun around and bolted from the Pope's Hall.
Senkaiji's lips curled into a cold smile as he watched her storm away. Go running to old Sendōryū and the other consecrated Elders to complain? Perfect. That saves me the trouble of explaining it all later, and of convincing them myself.
He rose from his seat, his face cold and expressionless, and followed at an unhurried pace.
Very soon, Bishō had burst into the Spirit Temple's Grand Hall. The moment she stepped inside, she cried out in a trembling, aggrieved voice:
"Grandfather Sen, Grandfather Kin'e, Grandfather Seiran—you must uphold justice for me!"
Her desperate cry quickly drew the attention of the Elders who presided over the Temple.
"Bishō, what's wrong?"
A tall, broad-shouldered man in golden robes, his golden hair shining though his features bore a trace of weariness—Sendōryū—stepped forward. His face softened with kindness as he smiled at her.
"Grandfather Sen, Teacher… Teacher wants to abolish my cultivation and take away the spirit bones from my body!"
Her amber eyes welled with tears as her voice broke, her delicate frame shaking with grievance.
Behind her, Senkaiji entered slowly, his expression cold.
"Jiji!" Sendōryū's eyes widened with fury as he glared at Senkaiji. "Explain yourself! Why would you seek to destroy Bishō's cultivation and strip her of her spirit bones?!"
"Is this just because you quarreled with her yesterday?""You're a grown man—do you still act like a child, lashing out in petty anger?"
"Father," Senkaiji replied coolly, utterly unshaken by the rebuke. "This is no act of anger. Abolishing her cultivation, removing her spirit bones—this is a decision I reached after long consideration."
"And beyond that, I intend to seal her memories as well.""As for why… ask her, and you'll understand."
Sendōryū blinked in surprise. He had never before seen his son respond to him in such a cold, unyielding manner. His brows furrowed. Could there truly be something more to this?
He turned his gaze back to Bishō, waiting for her explanation. The other Elders did the same, all eyes falling upon her.
"I only want to be with Haruto Akiyama—what's wrong with that?!" Bishō burst out, her voice trembling but defiant. "Yes, I am your disciple, a member of the Spirit Temple, but I am also a free person. Shouldn't I have the right to choose who I want to be with? Who are you to deny me the pursuit of happiness?!"
"You even promised me once—that I could be with him. And now you turn around, demanding to abolish my cultivation and take away my spirit bones?!"
"This is nothing but bullying—pure shamelessness!"
With Sendōryū and the Elders at her side, Bishō felt emboldened, as though she had finally found protectors to rely on. Her anger spilled out without restraint, every thought in her heart laid bare.
"Grandfather Sen, all of you—you must stand up for me!"
But her words left the Elders stunned. The hall fell into silence.
Wait. Did she say… Haruto Akiyama?
Sendōryū frowned deeply. "So this 'Akiyama'—who exactly is he?"
From Bishō's explanation, it seemed everything stemmed from this—her feelings for this man, her desire to be with him, and Senkaiji's disapproval.
Sendōryū was, at heart, a fair-minded man. If it was merely that this Haruto Akiyama was not considered good enough, perhaps his son's opposition was rooted in paternal protectiveness. After all, Senkaiji had raised Bishō like a daughter. Of course he would wish for her to be matched with the most outstanding of men.
And yet… recalling his own unfulfilled love, Sendōryū sighed inwardly. If Bishō truly cared for this Haruto Akiyama, perhaps he should not stand in her way. As long as the man belonged to the Spirit Temple, what harm could it do?
Senkaiji's cold laugh broke the silence.
"This Haruto Akiyama—his so-called full name was once Haruto Akiyama of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. But his spirit awakened as a pitiful mutated form of their clan's bloodline—a spirit so degraded it was called the Luo Sanpao."
"His innate spirit power was not even level one—barely half a rank. His so-called spirit abilities amounted to nothing more than… farting."
"Yes, exactly as it sounds."
"Not only that—he even plagiarized our Spirit Temple's research on spirit ring absorption, and passed off common sense from our texts as if they were his own theories. He boasts about so-called 'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Spirits' and absurd ideas of 'spirit ring absorption limits.'"
"A shameless fraud."
The Elders' faces grew darker with every word. Shock, disbelief, even faint disgust filled their expressions.
Could it be true—that the girl they had cherished as the Temple's shining jewel, their beloved Bishō—
Had fallen in love with such a man? A talentless, deceitful, disgraceful waste?
(End of Chapter)