A mild spring breeze drifted by. Ancestor Sui Bian lay with eyes closed on a bamboo lounge chair, feigning a nap. Suddenly, sharp pain jolted his waist. He shot upright and blurted, smiling obsequiously before he even saw who stood there: “I wasn’t slacking off!”

It was only when he met Old Black Daoist’s playful grin that his smile froze. He gritted his teeth: “Old Black Daoist!” Old Black Daoist chuckled, withdrawing his hand as he said with feigned innocence: “You looked so comfortable I was afraid Ling Long would catch you loafing, so I woke you. See? I’m doing you a favor.”

“Bah, take my palm, Ancestor says!” Sui Bian swung for him, but Old Black Daoist slipped aside. The two chased and scuffled until they were rolling on the ground. Only after their robes were wrinkled and their faces smeared did Sui Bian stop, panting as he threatened: “Tease me again and next time I’ll tell Ling Long you secretly—mmph!”

“Old man Sui Bian, don’t think I don’t have dirt on you. If you drag me down, we both go under!” said Old Black Daoist. They stared at each other, then decided to call a truce. Sui Bian released his grip from the other’s neck, stood, and straightened his disheveled robes. Old Black Daoist also rose and finally asked about serious business: “How is Yu Zhao? Has she still not come out?”

Sui Bian snorted: “How could it be that fast? Avatars are extremely complex to cultivate, and her technique is incomplete to begin with. If she can grasp the essence of the avatar art within five years, that is already remarkable. To condense a complete, usable avatar will take at least seven or eight years, and longer would not be surprising.” Old Black Daoist agreed. Back then, several of their old group had learned the avatar method from Sui Bian, and not one of them had managed to get through the door. That Yu Zhao could learn it in under five years spoke only to extraordinary talent.

“Yu Zhao is clever and steady-minded. Your Five Elements Dao Sect really picked up a bargain,” Old Black Daoist said sourly. Sui Bian smiled, pleased: “Naturally. Just look whose junior she is.” Unwilling to indulge his boasting, Old Black Daoist changed the subject: “Will she succeed this time?” Sui Bian’s smile thinned: “Hard to say. When I refined my avatar that time, it was pure luck. Even though I passed on all my experience to her, there’s no guarantee.”

They had barely settled to sit when two graceful figures approached. Before either man could ask, Senior Ling Long spoke with a grave face: “The Great Thousand Alliance’s selection is being moved up.” Sui Bian sprang from his chair, startled: “So suddenly?” Ling Long said coolly: “They say something has happened in the Upper Thousand World. They urgently need fresh blood, so they decided to bring the selection forward.” Sui Bian asked: “Do we know how much earlier?” Ling Long shook her head: “No official notice yet, but word is it will be within two or three years at the latest.”

Sui Bian’s heart leapt to his throat. He glanced, torn, toward the tightly shut restricted chamber behind them. He had never wanted Yu Zhao to take part in the Alliance’s selection, but her temperament was cut from the same mold as his own: once she decided, not even nine bulls could pull her back. If she emerged only to find she had missed the selection, how would she feel?

As he struggled with himself, the door to the chamber quivered and creaked open. All eyes turned in unison as a small figure squeezed through the gap. It was a girl of six or seven, lovely as carved jade, features delicate as a painting, and most strikingly, she looked exactly like Yu Zhao—a miniature Yu Zhao.

Ling Long and Xiu Yu stared, speechless. Old Black Daoist’s eyes bulged. Sui Bian gaped.

The little girl marched over on short legs, solemn as an adult as she announced: “Ancestor, Seniors, I succeeded.” She tried hard for a grave tone, but her piping voice betrayed her entirely.

“Yu-yu-yu-yu-Yu… Zhao?” Sui Bian stammered in his excitement. Xiu Yu came to her senses first, swept Yu Zhao into her arms, and kneaded her cheek with both hands, unable to stop herself: “Ah, so cute! So soft! I want to kiss!” Yu Zhao had no time to refuse before Xiu Yu planted several fierce kisses on her. Yu Zhao looked on the verge of tears. The worst-case scenario had arrived.

“Pff, hahaha! Yu Zhao, what did you do? How did you bring out your childhood self?” Old Black Daoist laughed. Yu Zhao usually wore a calm expression that scarcely changed; it was rare to see her this distressed.

“Ancestor…” Yu Zhao reached a pleading hand toward Sui Bian. He had meant to step forward, but seeing the tiny Yu Zhao being cheerfully squeezed by Xiu Yu, his feet felt glued to the ground, and he could only wheeze with suppressed laughter. “Ancestor!” Yu Zhao snapped. “Aye—pfft—cough, cough!” Sui Bian answered and then choked on his own saliva.

Resigned, Yu Zhao stopped struggling. When Xiu Yu and Senior Ling Long had finally had their fill of pinching, Yu Zhao at last found her feet on the ground again. Sui Bian, laughter spent, began a serious inspection of her freshly minted avatar: “Hm, not bad. It even has Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation.” Old Black Daoist arched a brow: “If I recall, your first avatar had no Spiritual Power at all.” Sui Bian nodded: “Right. Yu Zhao, did you add your own ideas during refinement?”

Face full of woe, Yu Zhao nodded. Following Sui Bian’s experience, she had thought an avatar with no cultivation would waste too much time, so midway through refinement she injected her own Spiritual Power and locked it firmly in place. To her surprise, it actually worked. But when her soul attached to the avatar, the body began to change—it kept shrinking, and her features softened and blurred until she took on her childhood appearance and finally stabilized. When she regained awareness and saw her true body sitting with eyes closed in tranquil repose, then looked at her own tiny limbs, she felt the sky collapsing.

Amid the elders’ laughter, Yu Zhao recounted the process, then looked to Sui Bian with hope: “Ancestor, when can I return to my true body?” Sui Bian replied with maddening leisure: “Oh, that’s hard to say. Between my first avatar and my return, I recall at least seven or eight years.” Yu Zhao looked as if struck by lightning. Sui Bian added, consoling and not: “But since your avatar has Spiritual Power, it should be faster than mine. Two or three years if it is short.”