Layer by layer, the seals placed on the stone door were unravelled, and the enticing aura leaking from it became more and more irresistible. Some couldn't hold back and ran towards the door, but without exception they were removed from the area. If they couldn't stay firm at this level, then entering the Spirit Nest would be akin to suicide, so their backgrounds were of no use in changing this outcome.
Once the seals were all removed, the door sunk into the ground, and a rainbow portal was revealed. At the center of the portal, the faint image of a forest could be seen.
"I hope you all meet your own opportunities in the Spirit Nest that will help you grow as the next generation of the Storm Sky Manor. You may now enter."
After gaining the elder's permission, disciples rushed into the portal. Upon stepping through the portal, one would be randomly transported throughout the Spirit Nest, but due to the efforts of previous explorers, maps had been created that could be used to traverse the space. They could also limit how far they were teleported from each other by holding hands, but it was embarrassing, so few did it. Kate hadn't been embarrassed by the idea of holding hands with Shui, but she wanted to explore on her own first, so the group decided to meet at the elemental lakes early on the second day.
After making it through the portal, Shui found himself in a forest clearing. Although the forest didn't look special to the common person, anyone would feel refreshed the moment they entered it.
'Natural energy, how nostalgic. Still, it's much sparser.'
From Shui's experiences, the natural energy that was in this space was incomparable in the amount that was in the Primordial Library, but it was still a luxury for the core disciples.
"Next I guess I should—"
Right as Shui planned on making his move, he sensed newborn spirits approaching. And it wasn't just one or two of these tiny balls of light, but tens of them. At first Shui was bewildered by their appearance, but then he realised that there were several reasons why they might be attracted to him.
Whether it was the divinity in his aura or his Sage God Eyes, Shui had many traits that could attract the attention of spirits due to their innate curiosity and love of nature. The spirits that he had met after entering Storm Court hadn't reacted strangely, but that could be explained by the fact that they were being controlled. Shui wasn't sure what the main factor was for his popularity with the spirits, but he would be too conspicuous if he let them follow him, so he dispersed his aura and suppressed his presence to the limit. These low-rank spirits immediately lost track of his location, allowing him to leave safely.
Besides being with Kate, the only reason Shui had for staying in Storm Court was to explore this spirit sanctuary. Therefore, Shui didn't plan on showing off his talents anymore unless it would help him gain tangible benefits. Otherwise he might end up with responsibilities and expectations forced upon him.
The Spirit Nest was a space detached from the manor, so it was possible to see a light blue sun in the sky during the day and a yellow moon at night. On the first of three nights inside the Spirit Nest, several figures could be seen circling around a red flower that was at the center of the lake that seemed to switch between real and illusory intermittently. These figures were not of evolved beasts or humans, but of a certain type of fae.
Fae, unlike spirits, had bodies of flesh and blood and could reproduce. Though they had an inherently peaceful disposition, any fae that ate raw meat would be overcome by predatory urges and may even resort to cannibalism. Once a fae became like this, there would be no hope for it, and even its descendants would be born with the same disposition, often eating their way into the world. This type of fae was called a gremlin.
The gremlins weren't the only ones watching the sunfield pyraflower that was at the center of the lake. This mutated flora would be greatly beneficial to anyone below Sky Realm, even more so if they had a fire elemental affinity. The temptation of obtaining a herb like this made core disciples resolved to fight against the vicious gremlins, who were as cruel as spirits were cute. Both groups peacefully occupied the area until the flower started glowing in the moonlight.
A direct disciple having a cultivation in the Earth Realm was the first to take action. While standing on a flying sword artifact, he flew towards the sunfield pyraflower. Once he declared his intent of taking the flower, seven men and women at the peak of the Soul Realm revealed themselves and fired a multitude of spells at him. It was to the extent that the Earth Realm direct disciple couldn't be seen, but none of his attackers were naïve enough to think this would be enough to stop him. After all, the difference between the Soul Realm and the Earth Realm wasn't something that could be overcome with just a small advantage in numbers.
While the rest of the group used their spells to occupy him, three of them rushed towards the lake. However, two were struck in the back by bolts of lightning while the last was blown away from the sunfield pyraflower by a harsh wind. They weren't supposed to hurt fellow disciples, but the elders would overlook anything below permanent injuries.
Seeing how the Earth Realm direct disciple could stop the three of them and remain unharmed, the four that remained looked at each other and silently agreed to handle him first. Though they knew they couldn't defeat him on their own, they weren't afraid to attack him together.
'Tch, they're serious.'
In a straightforward match, the Earth Realm direct disciple didn't think there was any way for him to lose, but they were all talented youth with strong backgrounds, so he wouldn't be surprised if some of them had one or two trump cards that could make him feel fear. Still, he puffed out his chest and snorted.
"Hmph, you think I'm afraid of you? Come!"
With his barrier active, the Earth Realm direct disciple stretched out his palm and sent forth a ball of lightning bigger than he was. This lightning orb shot at the Soul Realm group with such sudden speed that the one directly in its path could only stand his ground and defend while the others evaded. After a massive explosion that started a fire in the forest, the one who remained was shown lying unconscious on his back, a small distance away from where the spell made impact.
'He, changed its course.'
Before being relieved or grateful, the ones who realised that he spared the life of this poor youth were terrified. This fear was so great that one of them, forgetting that they weren't allowed to kill each other, looked at a fellow disciple and whispered, "Prepare to use it. I'll use mine as well."