Hou ran through the caves, leaping into the air with each step. His wings pulling him forward through the air, galloping quickly.
Not just speed though, with his mental energy, he could now afford to be more precise. He spent more mental energy on moving accurately through the caves.
There were tight corner and trees he would need to dodge. Each obstacle, he moved past without any trouble. He leaped forwards then rolling onto the ground, under a cave wall.
Then while in the air, he used the wings fully and dodged a tree in his way. While it took him hours to reach the temple, now to get back to the door it only took him half an hour.
This was partially due to him knowing the routes and rushing but without his enhancements in mental energy he wouldn't have done this. Only now could he do it without worrying about running low.
He reached the final caved, bursting through a tunnel and jumping into the air with a flip. While in the air, he spread his wings wide.
He glided down, landing just beside the door. He brushed off some particles from his robe then grabbed the door handle.
He turned it and pulled the door towards him, opening it up. He stepped through, back into the room he was in with Mo Huai and Huan Die.
"I'm back!" Hou closed the door behind him, looking into the room.
Huan Die was right where she was before, at the head if the table. Now she was pouring a cup of tea, from a white porcelain teapot.
Then by the further side than where Hou was, beside Huan Die, sat Mo Huai. He was taking a sip when Hou barged in. He choked on his tea and put it down with a clink.
He slammed his palms on the table and stood up,
"Already!?"
He walked through the table, his body becoming a mist. Using miasma laws and transformation laws, this was a technique to be incorporeal, able to morph pass things.
Then he got past the table and the miasma reformed into his body, being fully corporeal once again. This would be seen as a wasteful technique when he could have walked around but as an Elder he did not worry about his laws.
Ok everyday circumstances, Mo Huai had functionally infinite laws, especially with his recent injection of laws from Sealed Solar Tomb.
Mo Huai walked to Hou and put his hand on Hou's shoulders,
"Don't worry, it's fine to fail. It's actually quite normal..."
Hou swiped away Mo Huai's hands and chuckled, he shook his head and explained,
"Actually, I did the inheritance and got quite a valuable insight and reward."
Hou carefully worded his answer, he did not lie. He did the inheritance, but he didn't deny he failed. Technically, he did fail the original inheritance that Mo Huai was thinking, but at the same time he succeeded in a greater one.
He took on Sovereign Sky Monarch's inheritance, the formation of the quasi-Nascent Soul just a benefit.
Mo Huai furrowed his brows,
"Really? Hmm, this is interesting...I won't lie to you Hou. I expected you to fail, that's why I said we'd go to Sect Master after this one. I must apologise profusely, I underestimated you,"
Mo Huai bowed, Hou shook it off,
"That's okay, we should still go to Sect Master, maybe then I can get the Spirit Stone Soul! I an do the next inheritance after,"
But internally Hou thought to himself,
'Not that 'I' would be getting the Spirit Stone Soul, Yue and the Celestial Ink would...'
Mo Huai nodded and chuckled to himself, exhaling a snort,
"I guess you're right, I'm proud of you. I was going to wait until Sect Master was here, but I'll tell you now. Think of it as a reward for passing, just sit down right here"
Mo Huai walked backwards and pulled out a chair, opposite him on the table. Hou approached and sat down, Mo Huai pushing it back in.
Then Mo Huai once again phased through the table rather than go around. His body dissolved into miasma and as he walked past it split under and above the table. The miasma above spread over the table.
When he got to the other side, the miasma crawled off the table and reformed into us body as he took a seat.
"This is one thing I wanted to tell Sect Master before you got the Celestial Law Amplifying Physique, but it's to do with you. You deserve to know..."
"What is it?" Hou leaned forward in his seat.
Just as Mo Huai was going to explain Huan Die coughed and held up a small teacup. She turned to Hou,
"Tea?" She raised her eyebrow as she asked.
Hou recalled the tea he had at the teahouse on the obsidian room. He recalled the deep complex and refreshing flavour. He felt his mouth be dry and nodded,
"Yes please, thank you"
Huan Die nodded and placed Hou's cup in front of him. She then took the teapot and carefully poured a small cup. The tea, a dark shade of purple,
"Something called Miasmatic Lavender, a beautiful blend full with tingling miasma laws. Try it,"
Hou nodded,
"Thank you, Master?"
Hou thanked Huan Die before turning back to Mo Huai, his master. As Mo Huai prepared to speak, Hou held the teacup in his hands.
The gentle heat spreading over his finger and the fragrant lavender assaulting his nose.
"I want to let you know that I've freed the Sealed Solar Tomb, and I want to develop it. I know you might know people there.... so I thought it best to let you know. I know you may want to re-join with your people, your friends, family and everyone you knew, you can...in time."
Mo Huai sensed Hou's feelings towards the Solar Tomb, and the people inside, he continued,
The chains are broken. Your people walk under true sunlight now, none of my miasma, no monsters. All because of you. Just be proud of that. More will be discussed with Sect Master and back at the now shortly unsealed Solar Tomb, for now just take it in."
Hou's jaw dropped, then he realised his expression and sorted it, pretending to have wanted a sip of tea. He took a sip of the hot lavender tisane, the miasma laws stinging.
However, Hou did not pay attention to the tea at all, instead he was thinking to himself,
'....freed? Just like that? My major goal, the first step in achieving it done already. I did nothing, and everything is falling into place, and he said develop it! Putting aside everyone's freedom and my loved ones, I can show him mana, perhaps I can help Master become the strongest Elder with aura soldiers! I can be reunited with Hamar, Arm, Armen, all the people I love and know...'