Chapter 132: Internship Concluded

Sena did not want to drag this out any longer. He closed his eyes and said, "I have tried, but my talent could not fully trigger the change."

The Saintess of a Hundred Flowers asked anxiously, "Can a non-complete talent not turn the situation around?"

"It is difficult." Sena shook his head. He opened his eyes to look at the Saintess, and seeing her face pale and on the verge of tears again, he could not help but say, "It is not entirely without opportunity. Twenty years. If you persist in nurturing the child for another twenty years, there may be a turning point."

Twenty years sounds long, but the lifespan of a Profound-level being reaches ten thousand years. If twenty years of perseverance could lead to liberation, it really was not much at all.

"What kind of turning point?" The Saintess fantasized, "Will Saint Jiankong marry me?!"

Sena’s face twisted. He gritted his teeth and replied in a stiff tone, "No. In twenty years, the Divine Court will select Saints and Saintesses from the four major districts to go to the headquarters."

The Saintess frowned. "But for the Divine Court headquarters, only the Chief of the four districts is considered a true Saint or Saintess; the others are merely candidates."

"It is precisely because they only have eyes for the Chiefs that you have an opportunity. The position of Chief Saintess at the Temple is currently vacant." Sena lowered his gaze, his tone gradually softening like a lover’s whisper. "It is hard to make someone ascend to a position, but is it not easy to ensure someone cannot?"

The Saintess fell into deep thought, her eyes brightening. "You have a way to get me selected?"

Sena nodded. "As long as you do not meet with any accidents before then, your gestational origin will be your advantage."

The Saintess nodded repeatedly. "I will listen to you. I will definitely not act rashly this time. However..." She bit her lip, "What about Sang Hongye? Will she want to compete for the spot when the time comes?"

Sena lowered his eyes and said indifferently, "She is still too young. Even in twenty years, she won't be fifty. The Saints and Saintesses specially recruited by the Divine Court headquarters are usually adults; minors are extremely rare, and there has never been anyone under fifty. She needs to focus on the next recruitment cycle. With you supporting her from the Divine Court headquarters by then, I believe her chances of obtaining the opportunity will be high."

The corners of the Saintess's mouth lifted into a beautiful smile, her tone gentle. "Of course, I will take good care of her when the time comes."

***

Perhaps believing she had received her answer, the Saintess could not even manage to see things through to the end. With only two days left, she actually refused to see Sang Sang, who had come to visit her, sending word that she was taking a day off to pack and would come to send her off tomorrow.

It had only been a month, and most of that time was spent studying, so what was there to pack?

Sang Sang performed her role well, but after returning to her room, her smile was chilling. Sena nagged incessantly behind her.

"I know you don't like Bai Xing, but don't be as foolish as her. Since you’ve started acting, act until the end. A pure child is always more endearing than one with deep schemes. Twenty years—I believe you will have secured your footing by then. We won't need to endure any longer."

"I know."

Sang Sang was also aware of the so-called twenty-year agreement. She also knew that this was not a turning point predicted by Sena’s talent, but information provided by Bishop Anthony. Sang Sang suspected that Sena was deliberately provoking the Saintess to stir up trouble, keeping the Chief Saintess position vacant to create opportunities for her in the future.

The Saintess of a Hundred Flowers might be incapable of doing good, but she was highly skilled at ruining others' plans.

However, whether the Saintess could last for twenty years was another matter.

Sang Sang stroked the painting token at her waist, thinking that as a seated Saintess, the woman should have considerable assets. Even if the child were born early, she could use the excuse of the lactation period to last those twenty years. Besides, she could create gestational mediums to alleviate external pressure.

When she left the next day, the promotional filming crew appeared once again. The Saintess, who had previously been bedridden, appeared in public. Not only was her profound energy abundant, but she was full of vigor. She even discarded the disguise covering her protruding abdomen, wearing loose, comfortable maternity clothes. Her image was full of maternal gentleness. When she looked at Sang Sang, her eyes were filled with love, and she would occasionally stroke her belly, smiling as she told the interviewers:

"To ensure my child does not lose at the starting line, I will continue to nurture him until the innate energy dissipates, or until he is no longer willing to stay in my womb—even if it takes ten, twenty, or fifty years. There is, of course, some selfishness on my part. After all, profound energy can be recovered; even if my cultivation level drops, as long as the origin remains, it is easy to cultivate back. If the child can reach the Star-level upon birth, all the hardship and exhaustion will have been worth it. If he reaches the Void-level, I will have created a record and left my name in the Divine Canon, which would be even more worthwhile."

The Saintess was very sincere, her tone filled with expectations for the child. Sang Sang naturally showered her with blessings, her eyes filled with a faint envy. When she hugged the Saintess, she looked full of attachment, which made those watching the live broadcast feel heartbroken.

After the interview ended, Sang Sang returned to the Red Leaf Interstellar City with the Saintess's gifts. It happened to be dismissal time, and her friends chased after her to ask about her internship impressions and what she had gained. Bai Ci was more direct: "Sang Sang, your live broadcast gave me goosebumps all over. Look, my hair hasn't even settled down yet."

"I told you it was toxic and you still insisted on watching, whose fault is that?!" Tom slapped him toward Bai Ci.

Sang Sang remained calm, as if the "poison" they spoke of was not herself. Instead, she ordered food from Tom. After eating snacks and candies at the Palace of a Hundred Flowers for a month, her mouth felt sour, and she wanted something with a stronger flavor.

The Heavenly Emperor was away, and Green Bud and Ye Xiu had gone to Green Light Academy, returning only during major holidays. The little Dragon Lord, Chi Xiling, had returned to his clan’s territory with no set return date. Duo Duo had already been sent to the Galaxy Civilization. Without the suppression of the white cat, Ling Xiao had been wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, so he had been thrown onto a cultivation planet to fight beasts for territory.

Heavenly Dao Star was much quieter. It was originally only inhabited by the Heavenly Dao group, but now only Tom and Hu Yang remained. They had passed the entrance exams for the Divine Academy and had connected their dorms to Heavenly Dao Star via a spatial gate, keeping watch over Bai Ci, who was not attending a physical academy and was taking classes on the Star Network.

Sang Sang went to see Elder Qing and Elder Qi. These two teachers, who had such a profound impact on her, had finally undergone purification. Perhaps they were truly old; even with large amounts of medicinal agents used to adjust their soul vitality, they could not reach fifteen times the threshold. Without reaching fifteen times, they could not reshape their genes. The physical data after purification only had the effect of two or three times that of a high-civilization human. Although their lifespans were extended, their physical techniques were essentially capped at the Void-level. Combined with insufficient soul vitality, wanting to reach the Profound-level really required hoping for a miracle.

The two old men were not disappointed by this; instead, they comforted Sang Sang. They were not pursuing absolute power. Counting by planetary years, they still had thousands of years to live. That was plenty of time for them to travel the stars and see those colorful and diverse civilizations and races.

Sang Sang had her brain filled with "chicken soup for the soul" by her teachers. Returning to her studio in the castle, she pulled the "Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning" painting token from her waist and tossed it aside. "Xiao Jin, from now on, regarding matters related to the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers, only give me the data on her health status."

"I understand." Xiao Jin tilted his head. Seeing that Sang Sang did not look happy, he asked in confusion, "You don't seem happy, but according to the data, you succeeded, didn't you?"