Chapter 237: Master Sophina

As opulent as the mountain estate was, the manor itself was not. Sturdy yet simple wooden walls, a floor made of tanned planks, and red columns to break the monotony. There weren’t many servants here, either. Jack spotted two playing checkers on a side garden, along with one reading a book while telekinetically controlling a broom.

Shol greeted them all—a greeting they smilingly returned. They were all immortals—ranging from level 140 to 230.

“The mansion is inhabited by master’s students,” Shol explained. “Not all of them, of course; just the ones worthy and willing.”

“Are you worthy and willing?”

“Worthy, yes. Willing, not so much. I prefer privacy. I live in a small cottage in the outskirts of the estate.”

“So, amongst your master’s students, you are the hermit genius type.”

Shol smiled. “Not a hermit; just genius.”

“Are you really?”

“What did you think? That anyone is invited to participate in the Integrations of other constellations? I’m the top disciple here.”

“For real? Wow.”

Master Shol had always been a towering figure in Jack’s mind. When he finally became an immortal, he thought they would be on similar footing—but they remained leagues apart.

The mansion may have been empty, but it possessed a different kind of beauty—a view. As it was built at the top of the mountain, there was nothing to block it. Every window gazed at a different spectacle—be it the hanging gardens of the estate, the lush valley under the mountain, or the distant mountain ridge, where large birds flocked the sky.

Behind everything, the nebula’s purple and orange gasses swam across the sky, glittering with the light of a million tiny stars.

“We’re here,” Shol said as they arrived before a double wooden door. “Prepare yourself. And make sure you’re presentable.”

Jack looked over his clothes. He still wore the loose purple robes that Old Man Spirit had gifted him. Below that, he was barefoot—most shoes would disintegrate under the immense strain of his movements.

“Um,” he said, pointing down, “is that a problem?”

Shol glanced over, frowning. “Obviously. If you want to be eccentric, you have to earn it first. Come.”

He led Jack through a corridor and into a storage room, where he quickly dug out a pair of form-fitting leather shoes from a closet full of them. Jack tried them on; they were two sizes too large.

“It’s okay, just wear them,” Shol urged him, practically pushing him back into the corridor. “We can’t leave the master waiting.”

Jack frowned. “Why do I have to dress up, but Brock can come in with just his red shorts?”

“Because I am handsome,” Brock said, lifting his chin.

Jack frowned. “I didn’t teach you that word.”

“Brock knows.”

“Enough talking, let’s go.” Shol urged them back through the corridor and before the door, where they waited. As they did, Jack snuck a side-glance at Shol, seeing him nervous for the first time. Not due to fear—it was more like the anxiety of introducing one’s spouse to your parents.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of waiting, a calm voice resounded in their minds. “Come in.”

Shol sprang forward, quickly yet calmly pushing the double door open. Beyond it was a room that resembled a mountain cottage. A fireplace occupied one corner of the room, while two of the walls were made of glass, revealing an exquisite view. There was no sky on this planet—not really. Purple and orange gasses danced in the distant space, wrapping around each other and dying the world in their colors. It was like the entire planet had been built inside a colossal kaleidoscope.

And yet, there were people, animals, plants that lived a completely normal life. For most of them, this fantastic space was all they’d ever known. They had no concept of a sky, just like Nauja’s tribe, but where the latter had stone ceilings, these ones had the canvas of the cosmos.

Jack only admired the beauty for a moment before turning towards Shol’s master. A heavy wooden desk sat at the back of the room, empty besides two orderly stacks of paper. A large, soft chair was behind it.

Shol’s master was not by her desk.

Instead, she sat on an orange pillow in another corner of the room. Besides her pillow and herself, it was empty—but it was located right in the corner between the two glass walls, where the view was at its most magnificent. Cultivating there while gazing outside must have felt dreamy.

“Master,” Shol said, bowing deeply.

“Master,” Jack repeated, bowing too. He wasn’t sure if that was the proper thing to call her, but he had no better ideas. As for Brock, he simply bowed—he knew how to say “handsome,” but “master” was something he had yet to learn. Jack was just glad he hadn’t called her “very big girl bro.”

“Shol,” the master said, smiling gently. Shol had revealed her name to Jack in the starship—it was Sophina. “I hope you’ve been well. Is this young cultivator your only disciple? The one for whose sake you disobeyed my direct orders?”

Jack felt nervous. Back in the Integration Tournament, Shol’s master had received an order from her faction’s Grand Elder to stay away from Jack Rust. She had communicated that order to Shol, who promptly stashed it where the sun didn’t shine.

Admittedly, this wasn’t the first thing Jack expected to hear.

“He is, master,” Shol replied calmly. He then smiled widely. “Impressive, isn’t he?”

His master turned her gaze at Jack—and its olive intensity was such that he felt his soul pierced and his body unraveled. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “He is. As expected from the top disciple of my top disciple.”

Shol’s master looked like an old yoga instructor. Orange robes covered her body, along with a blue cape over her shoulders. She was bronze-skinned and tanned, with laughter wrinkles on her face and olive green eyes that seemed to hold the world behind them. Her hair was white and straight, reaching just under her shoulders, while her body was slim and energetic. Even as she sat there cross-legged, releasing none of her Dao whatsoever, her presence resembled a mountain that anchored this entire planet to reality.

Human (Earth-44), Level ??? (C-Grade)

Faction: Exploding Sun (B-Grade)

“My name is Jack Rust, and this is Brock, my spiritual companion,” Jack said, bowing again. “It is an honor to meet you, master.”

She nodded slightly. “I have heard great things about you, Jack. That you show great promise; that you follow the path of one of our faction’s founders; and that your character is as striking as your fists.”

“I wouldn’t dare accept that praise, but I am flattered.”

“Don’t be. Becoming an immortal within four months of Integration is a remarkable achievement, even in the entire galaxy—especially with a foundation as robust as yours.”

“Hehe. I told you,” Shol piped in. “Integrations can create monsters. Well, here’s one.”

“That, they can.”

Master Sophina’s gaze still lingered on Jack, who felt almost naked before her eyes. It was like being stared at by a god—similar to when the planetary overseer had invaded his mind, or to that vision of Enas in the black hole, which he’d seen after getting the Life Drop.

Can she detect the Life Drop? he wondered, before realizing that she probably couldn’t. The Ancient voice had said so.

“I hope you will allow me to cut directly to the main issue, Jack, as I am busy these days,” Master Sophina began, her voice growing a hint more serious. “Shol tells me that you seek asylum for your faction. Is that still true?”

“It is, master,” Jack replied, still unsure on how to address her. “Not just my faction; my entire planet.”

She raised a brow. Shol quickly jumped in to add, “Jack misspoke. Anything we can offer will please him greatly.”

“I do not believe I did,” Jack retorted calmly. With his head still lowered, he said, “I have been recently informed that my planet is in the midst of war. My faction and their allies, which include many other factions and countries, are risking their lives to fight against oppression. Even if it was possible to rescue my faction and a few other people, we would not be willing, as abandoning the war would mean the doom of anyone left behind. They would have to pay for our retreat. We are not willing to do that. We will fight, and live or die as one—like a fist.”

Neither of the other two people replied. Jack, despite meaning everything he said, felt himself sweating.

“I mean absolutely no disrespect,” he added. “I have the utmost gratitude for even your consideration of my circumstances. I am simply explaining the situation as accurately as I can.”

When they still didn’t reply, Jack kept his head low. His words were already risky. The least he could do was remain bowed.

“You can raise your head,” Master Sophina said in the same amused tone as before. “I do not fancy talking to your hair.”

Jack obliged, feeling awkward. He found Master Sophina stare at him with a calculated gaze, while Shol’s face was made of stone.

“You understand that planet poaching is a completely different issue than simply recruiting your faction,” she said. “It would rub the Animal Kingdom in all the wrong ways.”

“I understand that your two factions are enemies,” Jack replied calmly. “My current strength might be inconsequential to the Exploding Sun, but my potential is not. I am perfectly willing to join your faction in body and soul, as long as you can help save my planet.”

“Your potential is not?” Master Sophina replied—now, her voice and expression were unreadable. “Those are grand words, Jack Rust. What makes you think you are worthy of us provoking the Animal Kingdom?”

“A constellation has tens of thousands of inhabitable planets, but only hundreds of C-Grades. If I have high chances of becoming one in the future, is a single planet not a worthy trade?”

“It is not about a planet. It’s about the relationship between two factions.”

“I still believe myself worthy of your investment. I will strive to reach the C-Grade as quickly as possible, and do everything in my power to make myself useful to the Exploding Sun.”

“Reach the C-Grade as fast as possible? Do you really have the face to stand before a true C-Grade and claim to be able to reach this realm? Do you even understand how difficult this is?”

Despite her cutting words, she was not angry—or, if she was, Jack couldn’t see it. She was discussing as calmly as she would about the weather. Maybe it was a test. Therefore, Jack decided that pushing was the best course of action.

“It is true that I do not understand everything. However, I know that some D-Grades become C-Grades. Maybe it is one in a hundred. Maybe one in a thousand. And, potential-wise, I am confident in being in the top one-thousandth of D-Grades. In fact, I am confident in being at the very top.”

At this, Master Sophina seemed genuinely surprised. “According to what Shol has told me, you are not an idiot
 What makes you say such bold words? Just winning this year’s Garden Assault is not enough. Do you know how many Garden Assault winners get stuck at the D-Grade, forever unable to progress? Even if that wasn’t the case, strength isn’t the only factor. There is also a great deal of luck involved in reaching the C-Grade, and that is something we cannot predict.”

Under her criticism, Jack felt his confidence slipping away. However, he had already chosen to ride the tiger—he couldn’t get off. All he could do now was persist.

It wasn’t like he was out of cards to play. The fact that he’d conquered Trial Planet was still a secret; if he revealed it, he felt pretty certain they would let him in and give him anything he wanted. However, he remained a bit hesitant. He would tell her if he had to, but he first wanted to see if they would accept his offer without it.

After all, he didn’t feel that he was lacking in potential. They should accept him regardless of his Trial Planet conquest. If not, he would be selling himself a bit short.

“It is as you say, master,” he finally replied. “I am not very familiar with the galaxy, with the Grades, or how cultivation works at the higher stages, but I know with confidence that my potential is great. I reached the D-Grade within four months, with a perfect foundation, a King Class, and four Dao Roots. I was the winner of Trial Planet’s Garden Assault. Just before coming here, I defeated two late D-Grades simultaneously. If even those are not enough
then all I can do is promise to work as hard as I possibly can. I am in dire need of help, and all I have to offer is my allegiance.”