Chapter Twenty-Five: Our Rising Aspirations Amidst the Bustle

Qingyun Sect, Moon-Illusion Cavern.

Jiang Si sat beneath the water curtain, eyes closed, listening quietly to Bingtang’s report.

"Thank you for your hard work," he said, opening his eyes. "Give Clover a month of paid leave."

Bingtang picked up a towel from the side and handed it to him. "I was planning on doing just that."

Once Jiang Si had wiped his face clean, she handed him the fresh clothes prepared nearby. She gathered his old, sweat-soaked training clothes into a bag and set them aside. While she would have loved to take them home to wash for him, Jiang Si was known to dislike others doing his laundry.

As he stood up, he asked casually, "Did those magic crystals I gave you last time sell?"

Even after three years, Bingtang still paused whenever the topic of magic crystals came up. She quickly recovered and replied, "Oh, the Seeds of Lament. They sold. That B-rank disaster beast’s... magic crystal, it’s getting harder to sell. There have been fewer buyers lately."

"Is that so?"

"Also, B-rank disaster beasts have been rare recently. If we flood the market, we’ll be discovered by the Disaster Countermeasure Bureau."

Jiang Si finished dressing and sat back down on his sect leader’s meditation cushion. It was the only cushion in the entire Qingyun Sect, as no one else liked to use it. To be fair, it wasn't very large; one had to curl their legs to sit on it properly. Most people found it uncomfortable, but Jiang Si enjoyed it.

Bingtang chattered on. "More and more magic crystals from the Qingyun Sect have hit the market over these three years, and prices are starting to drop. Low-level crystals don't fetch high prices anymore. If this continues, the Qingyun Sect might face a budget imbalance..."

"Then contact the Witch Society and have them produce more B-rank disaster beasts."

His tone was as casual as if the Qingyun Sect and the Witch Society were long-term business partners. Bingtang felt a sense of helplessness. The Qingyun Sect’s expenses couldn't rely solely on her; no matter how wealthy she was, supporting such an organization alone was unsustainable.

One of the Qingyun Sect’s major revenue streams was the sale of Seeds of Lament. This had been Jiang Si’s suggestion, as he believed that Seeds of Lament were like magic crystals—rare commodities that would surely find buyers at high prices. That was how it was written in novels, after all.

Bingtang had been skeptical but used her family connections to investigate, and to her surprise, Jiang Si was right. In some circles, Seeds of Lament were highly sought after. Some were used as decorations; while not as impressive as Miracle Seeds, their eerie aura and unique texture gave them significant aesthetic value even after their magic had faded. Many wealthy individuals treated them as status symbols, driving up the price. Furthermore, universities and research institutions needing to study the properties of disaster beasts created a steady demand that the Disaster Countermeasure Bureau couldn't meet on its own.

The bulk of the Qingyun Sect’s income in recent years had come from these trades, even leading to the creation of a dedicated department. Bingtang had only provided the start-up capital; the funds maintaining the sect were largely the result of hunting efforts by Jiang Si and his disciples. While the other magical girls received salaries, Jiang Si did not. Yet, the entire sect was built for him, and if he wanted, all liquid assets could be his personal property. However, Jiang Si never interfered with the sect’s operations and rarely asked for money. He would even take on part-time jobs rather than touch a single cent of the sect’s funds—a trait that made him truly admirable.

She remembered when he had once asked her if there was any work available at her home. At the time, she was too naive to understand his thinking, wondering why a sect leader would want to work a job. She later found it strange that he sought work elsewhere, thinking it unnecessary for the sake of the sect. Only after observing him for a long time did she fully understand: it wasn't just for the sect; it was for cultivation and training. He specifically sought out manual labor, which proved just as effective as any gym equipment. Having realized his intention, Bingtang stopped trying to offer him money or easy jobs. Jiang Si surely knew she understood him, which was why he never had to explain—after three years, they shared a silent, mutual understanding.

She had to ensure nothing interfered with his training. When disciples occasionally asked why their leader was so hard to see, Bingtang would earnestly tell them that the Sect Leader was busy cultivating and would not let his high status lead to complacency or the corruption of the sect. The disciples were always filled with admiration. Even though the base salary at the Qingyun Sect was extremely high, the leader’s example kept extravagance at bay, and most took pride in living frugally.

Despite this, the saturation of the market for Seeds of Lament and the growing number of disciples meant the sect’s finances were becoming strained, forcing Bingtang to consider new revenue streams. She handed a proposal to Jiang Si.

"This is the latest plan I’ve discussed with some of the disciples. It uses a shell company to facilitate magical girl idol activities. While we must keep our real identities hidden, we have many popular magical girls in the sect. Conducting idol activities in our magical girl forms is feasible from the perspective of the Disaster Countermeasure Bureau..."

Magical girls had to keep up with the times. In fact, the Disaster Countermeasure Bureau had been pushing for the idolization of magical girls; the previous concert had been a massive hit. Bingtang had seen their success and conceived this plan.

Jiang Si glanced at the proposal titled *The Legend of the North Sea Idols* and set it on the table. "Do as you see fit."

"We intend to create a magical girl band called 'Magic Collection Card.' I wonder if Ziyuan would be interested..."

"No."

Setting aside the fact that Jiang Si couldn't play instruments or sing, he knew that girl bands rarely had happy endings. Bingtang herself had mentioned that a popular band’s lead singer and keyboardist were at each other's throats, and the bassist only found out the band had disbanded three days later via the internet, even while she was still trying to debunk the rumors... Magical girls had volatile tempers, which made the prospect seem like a recipe for disaster. But since it was Bingtang’s plan, he wouldn't dampen her spirits.

Bingtang felt a hint of regret but didn't press the matter, as Jiang Si had clearly entered a state of meditation. Soft incense smoke curled, and the melodious, ancient sound of a bell echoed, imbuing the cavern with an ethereal, immortal quality. Bingtang looked around and spotted a small recorder behind Jiang Si. He must have recorded the bell sound somewhere... it had a certain charm to it. After spending so much time with him, Bingtang had gradually come to understand what this "ethereal quality" felt like. She couldn't quite define it, but it was a sensation, and she felt it now.

Jiang Si took out his Miracle Seed, which had turned deep purple, almost black. It was dense with magic, carrying the ominous aura of the Witch Society, yet showed no signs of spiraling out of control. All the magic was perfectly contained within the seed, unable to spill over or affect it. Miracle Seeds were born from a magical girl’s heart—they were the manifestation of that heart. Joy, sorrow, pleasure, and pain were all reflected within them. The polluted magic of a Seed of Lament was a collection of negative emotions, a poison to any magical girl. Once a Miracle Seed was tainted, a magical girl’s power would wane, and she might even lose the ability to transform.

No other magical girl would ever dream of absorbing such poison. Only Jiang Si, the first to attempt absorbing the polluted magic of disaster beasts, remained unchanged. No matter how much he absorbed, his seed showed no cracks and underwent no morphological changes. Aside from the color, the polluted magic had no effect on his seed. It was Jiang Si who confirmed that the magic within the Seeds of Lament was essentially no different from that of a magical girl, which led the Qingyun Sect to seek methods of purification. This resulted in their highly systematic training, which kept their magical girls far above the standard of the Disaster Countermeasure Bureau. After all, until the point of "Full Bloom," accumulating magic was the most efficient way to grow stronger.

"Give me your Miracle Seed."

Hearing this, Bingtang immediately took the blue seed hanging from her bracelet and handed it over. Jiang Si closed his eyes, immersing his consciousness into the power of the Miracle Seed. His single-attribute magic training had reached a bottleneck, and the solution was to fuse magic to further increase the body’s compatibility. Though he had failed last time, it had left him with experience: the conflict between different attributes pushed the body to its absolute limits.

Bingtang’s magic was cold, and his was blazing fire—the most conflicting of attributes. Finding the right ratio was a matter of constant trial. A fifty-fifty split caused the magic to tear at his skin. He lowered his own output to forty percent, but the conflict remained terrifying. Even with his precise control, the leaking magic tore open wounds on his forehead. He had to seek Bingtang’s permission to use her magic, which made adjustments difficult. Only when he dropped his own magic to twenty-five percent did he dare to draw on hers again. He adjusted the ratio and the circulation of magic, attempting to absorb it within his body until he found a critical point.

When his magic reached seventeen percent and Bingtang’s reached thirty-five, the mutually repulsive forces finally found a point of fusion. He stretched his magic into a complex three-dimensional web, with the cold blue magic flowing like fine threads through the center. The two powers maintained a delicate balance; though they trembled, on the verge of collapse, they held their form. With the precision of a scalpel, he expanded the web across his entire body...

"Bang!"

A sharp explosion rang out as the magic dissipated. It felt like a bucket of cold water dousing Jiang Si. Bingtang, who had been tense throughout, finally relaxed, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. This level of delicate control, even as an assistant, was incredibly exhausting. Only Jiang Si could handle two types of magic with such ease.

"As expected, it’s hard to control a seed that has an owner," Jiang Si said, handing the seed back to her. "But I’ve found the optimal ratio for these two conflicting types: thirty-five to seventeen. I don't know if it’s universal, but test it with a few other disciples. If it works, we might be able to mass-produce 'Full Bloom' states."

Bingtang caught her breath, pulled some medical cotton from her bag, and carefully dabbed the wounds on his forehead before bandaging them. "Why did you suddenly decide to experiment with this?"

"I thought of it while sparring with the 'Cripple' today," Jiang Si said, standing up to stretch. The strain on his muscles from the magic conflict left him sore. "When his magic penetrated my body, I sensed a strange balance. I guessed it was related to the ratio, so I wanted to test it."

He walked over to a sandbag, took a deep breath, and struck it with a sudden, violent punch. The sandbag exploded, and the force was so great it overturned the treadmill behind it! Jiang Si looked at his fist, a rare smile appearing on his face. "Excellent. Although I failed, the improvement to my physical body is significant. It’s a pity I can't make the magic stay within my flesh; otherwise, I could have broken through to the 'New Sprout' stage. My raw power is already very close to it. My current level is indeed a 'Half-Step Limit Bud Grand Perfection,' much as I expected."

Bingtang was stunned by her leader’s raw physical strength. While Jiang Si had never stopped tempering his body, she had always thought that reaching the "Bud" stage was the human limit. Yet, this punch showed her the possibility of Jiang Si stepping into the "New Sprout" stage through sheer physical power alone. *Could he really be transcending humanity?* The thought that Jiang Si might one day be able to defeat her without even needing to transform filled her with a sense of intense crisis. To be defeated by a flesh-and-blood human while she was in her magical girl form... it was simply unacceptable! More importantly, if he didn't need to transform, she wouldn't be able to see him as Ziyuan!

"Is... is it still much weaker than when you transform?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes. While the destructive power can hurt a New Sprout, I lack the magic for defense, and I can't fly, so my mobility is at a disadvantage," Jiang Si analyzed calmly. "I could land a surprise hit, but a fatal blow is unlikely. If the opponent reacts and isn't a fool, they’ll put distance between us. Once they’re in the air, I’m helpless. There’s little advantage in a real fight; transforming is still faster."

"Yes, yes, exactly!" Bingtang nodded like a bobbing bird. *Right, why wouldn't one transform when they have a Miracle Seed? To not let others see Ziyuan’s beautiful, cute face would be a waste of heaven’s creation—it would be a crime!*

Jiang Si, unaware of his friend’s thoughts after three years together, tidied his clothes. It was getting late, and he needed to head home.

"Be careful on your way, Jiang Si. The Dujuan definitely won't give up," Bingtang warned as they left the sect. "They might come looking for you."

"Isn't that perfect?" Jiang Si looked at her with a strange expression. "What are you worried about?"

"I... I'm not worried about anything," Bingtang stammered. "It's not that I'm worried about the Dujuan hurting you; I'm mainly worried about the Disaster Countermeasure Bureau discovering your identity..."

"Understood. I'll be careful."

Watching Jiang Si walk away, she hesitated, then waved her hand and whispered, "You must transform!"

As he vanished from sight, she secretly followed him. The Witch Society would certainly move soon; they might run into them tonight. *Dreadful Witch Society, if you don't force him to transform, I will never forgive you...*