May steadfastly continued her studies during the following days of travel. Although her progress was surprisingly rapid, it still seemed that she might not finish learning it in time.

  To do so, she needed to create a Space of the Mind. Only then could she use the Kerforian Soul Technique. According to Hou Xi Pa, the Mind and Soul were closely connected despite belonging to different spheres.

  The Space of the Mind belonged strictly to the sphere of the Mind, but it was formed in the part of the soul responsible for self-awareness. It shifted part of the burden associated with Summoning the Spirit from the sphere of the Soul to the sphere of the Mind.

  “Potential side effects include depression, personality changes, irrational fear, and so on and so forth,” he said, waving his hand as he listed the side effects. “Of course, I take no responsibility for this because you are doing it at your own risk!” He said, pleased with himself for having recited the entire formula. “Ha! My colleagues at the Goose taught me well! Being a security guard for the Trading Company sometimes comes in handy.”

  Niu Pin looked at her sideways and whispered in her ear. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “I feel like we've had this conversation before...”

  May asked him again to explain the basics, but suddenly Hou Xi Pa remembered that he hadn't told her about the no-liability clause! May thought that he had probably done so because one of his colleagues at Blue Goose Company was concerned about his fate in the event of an accident.

  Not that it would matter to me...

  May wasn't particularly afraid of the side effects. If she were afraid to take risks, then she would never have done so and would still be living peacefully in Eastern Court. She could have started a family, lived to a respectable age, and never fought a single battle in her entire life. However, that wasn't the life she wanted. She wanted to make the most of the opportunity she had been given after being reborn in this world.

  That's why she continued her attempt to create the Space of the Mind. Despite the warnings, she had quite a lot of trust in Hou Xi Pa. He had a difficult personality, but May saw the hidden goodwill in him.

  Hours passed. May spent entire days learning only this one skill.

  “That's enough for today. Looks like we're sleeping in this village tonight...” he said as the horse-drawn carriages began to head towards the wooden houses.

  The horses finally needed a break, as did the mortal carriers.

  Before resting for the night, she decided to check her status.

  It didn't look too bad, but she was still far from powerful. However, May was at least certain that she was the strongest person in her age group in the sect.

  This month, I earned over a hundred thousand from penicillin, but I've already spent most of it... It's all because of my stupid project! Just buying the land was expensive.

  Still, it was impressive considering her age. It would be hard to find someone equally impressive.

  Theoretically, if I learned this Soul Technique... I suspect that Lesser Spirit Summoning would simply become Spirit Summoning. It would increase by a rank or two.

  She stepped out of the carriage, and Niu Pin offered her his hand to help her down. Of course, she didn't need help, but she allowed him to assist her anyway. It was a matter of courtesy and custom, which she had no intention of breaking, even if it was relatively meaningless.

  “This village is called Huáshā, and since it lies on the main route, most carriages traveling north stop here,” said Daren Wu, the leader of the company, showing her the village.

  Due to the mountainous terrain, there were only a few main trade routes, which had to bypass the largest mountain ranges, traveling mainly through valleys and rare flatter areas. The village was located in a kind of basin, surrounded on all sides by hills.

  Many children watched them from a distance and ran away upon seeing Company Leader Wu. This was not surprising, considering the huge burn scar on his face, which was not very pleasant to look at.

  “We'll stop there,” he said, pointing to a rather large building at the far end of the square. “Normally, only the bigwigs sleep there, but your master gave us a pretty big budget for the trip in exchange for taking you! The boys will sleep well!”

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  May nodded and followed him. Daren Wu seemed to like her quite a bit. She thought it was because children her age would normally avoid him because of his frightening appearance. She was confirmed in this belief when even the adult woman, the receptionist at the guesthouse, seemed to be disgusted by him.

  And that was it for the courteous hospitality. For the best place to sleep in this village, the service really left a lot to be desired.

  “The rooms are upstairs.” The receptionist said flatly and handed them the keys. She got a double room; Niu Pin wouldn't let her sleep alone. She didn't particularly like sharing a room with a grown man, but it didn't seem like she had much say in the matter. Even if she protested, no one would take her side.

  However, May did not go straight to bed, but decided to look around. The inn was spacious, made of solid wood, with huge beams supporting the entire structure, and a welcoming atmosphere inside with the pleasant smell of wood and warmth coming from the fireplace. She began to follow the pleasant smell that seemed to be coming from the dining area.

  “May?” She heard a familiar voice as she entered the dining room. She sighed quietly.

  It was the twins. She frowned, somewhat fed up with the fact that wherever she went, she always seemed to run into someone she knew.

  Of course, this in itself was not so strange. The twins came from the respected Chen clan, so it was not surprising that they had also been invited. There were not many other roads leading to the Northern Outer Court, so it was predictable that they would stay here.

  May sat down next to Peng and Zu and greeted them. Niu Pin sat a little further away so that he could keep an eye on her.

  “Are you here alone?” she asked, looking around and not seeing any guardians.

  The boy shrugged. “He's asleep. They sent some servant from the clan.”

  “Aren't you coming with your family?” she asked curiously.

  Zu Chen snorted with an irritated laugh. Well, the subject of family was certainly unpleasant for her. “It's not like they care about us. They most likely wouldn't take us anywhere at all, except it would look bad for their reputation.”

  “Well... The higher-ups in our clan, like our parents, would consider it a disgrace to travel by horse... So they probably flew on some beasts. And the rest of the family... Well, let's just say they preferred to send a servant with us."

  May frowned. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand their family situation. The twins were rare geniuses, yet their entire family seemed so antagonistic towards them. It didn't make any sense.

  There was a brief silence, broken only by the innkeeper placing steaming bowls of mushroom soup on the table. May shuddered slightly at the smell of the hated mushrooms. It looked appetizing and smelled nice, but she never liked the taste of mushrooms.

  “Forest Mushroom Soup, cooked for ten hours on the bones of a lesser red bear beast and seasoned with local herbs, is a traditional soup of this village,” boasted the waiter, clearly wanting to impress them, seeing their wealthy background. “Many people come here from all over the world especially to taste it. Enjoy your meal.”

  “Thank you...” May replied reluctantly, seeing large pieces of mushrooms floating all over the bowl. The sight alone made her feel sick.

  Losing her appetite and playing with her spoon, she continued the conversation. “Do you know anything more about this wedding? To be honest, I don't know these people at all, but since they invited me...”

  Zu Chen didn't seem to want to explain, but Peng replied, “Well, we're actually related to them a little.”

  “Oh, really?” She was surprised, not expecting them to actually be blood relatives.

  “Almost every significant clan in the sect is related to some extent, May.” Zu Chen suddenly commented, visibly uncomfortable with the situation. Today, she seemed to be particularly irritable.

  “Well, yes, but the head of the Haoyu family is our mother's cousin, so May's surprise was justified. Most of the guests will have much weaker ties to them,” Peng replied. “Unfortunately, that means most of our family will be there.”

  “Oh...” she replied, knowing that none of her siblings would be particularly happy about it. “I guess I was only invited because of Hua Tang.”

  “Of course you are,” Zu Chen replied without batting an eye. “Being the disciple of the sect's best alchemist is a distinguished title. It would be foolish not to invite you.”

  It seemed that, just as she had suspected, this wedding would not be a joyful occasion to celebrate the union of the young couple, but merely a political game. It made her feel nauseous, even more so than the mushroom soup. The only positive thing was that it gave her some time to rest away from the company and the opportunity to learn a new skill from Hou Xi Pa.

  “Is there something I should know?” she asked, having never been to such an event with high-ranking people before.

  “Not unless you do something stupid,” said Peng Chen. “Zu and I usually avoid crowds and sit somewhere on the sidelines. You can join us if you want.”

  “I'll think about it,” she replied. She talked to him a little longer, but soon said goodbye and headed for her room.

  She went inside and threw herself onto the bed. It was a massive canopy bed made of reddish wood, which smelled of roses and had lace-like panels filled with gilded reliefs. It was the perfect place to rest after a long journey.

  However, she quickly grew bored. Not particularly wanting to talk to Niu Pin, and having no other form of entertainment, she decided to practice the Soul Technique again on her own. Most people in this world would not consider this fun, but for May it was relaxing in its own way.

  However, the fact that this was not a common belief was confirmed by Niu Pin, who watched her from his bed, rolling his eyes. Even he couldn't believe how many hours a day May could spend doing the same boring exercise.

  Progress and change were motivating factors. Getting stronger was satisfying and motivated her even more to continue working on herself. That's why, even though it was physically and mentally demanding, she didn't mind. She would have time to rest when there was nothing left to achieve.

  “Oh...” Suddenly, after about an hour, she murmured.

  “Is everything okay?” Niu Pin asked, raising his head.

  “Yes... I think I finally did it. I created the Space of the Mind...!”

  It was a strange feeling. She could ‘enter’ her own head. Her feelings, her thoughts, and also... the very core of her identity, the most important part, which could only be described by what it was not. It was her essence and part of her soul.

  Space of the Mind was the embodiment of the portion of her soul that was closely connected to her mind. She had created its physical form, something she could access. She gulped. Wandering through this space, she felt as if she were not only staring into a mirror, but was the mirror itself.

  Of course, it was not a space in the literal sense of the word. It was an illusion of the mind, existing only in the consciousness of the person known as May Shang.

  So even though this space had no real, physical form, did it really exist? May felt that it was not a simple imagination, a figment of the mind, but that there was something mystical about it. An element that allowed her to understand herself from an outside perspective. This technique was not a simple visualization, but something like a metaphysical world.

  She suddenly stopped when she felt a strong pressing sensation on her body. The pain became unbearable, so she stopped her technique, and then she heard a sudden and loud shout from a familiar voice.

  “May! May!” It was Niu Pin shouting loudly. He seemed to be extremely panicked.

  “Don't shout, you'll wake everyone up! We're not alone here!” May reprimanded him in a loud voice, pushing his hand away and not caring that she was shouting herself at that moment. “What's going on?”

  “You weren't saying anything and you weren't moving! I could barely wake you up,” he replied, slightly offended. “I was about to call for help.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, surprised. “I just entered the Space of the Mind and was exploring what was going on there...”

  The man looked at her strangely.

  “I’ve been trying to wake you up for over two minutes.”

  May frowned. Personally, she thought it hadn't even been a few seconds. However, she felt that something was wrong. It wasn't that the passage of time was different, but that her perception had changed. She quickly snapped out of her lethargy and jumped out of bed.

  “May?”

  Damn it! If he hadn't been here... I don't know... It was a strange feeling, but for some reason I can't help but think that my ‘self’ could disintegrate there!

  She suddenly realized that she had become dissociated. It was as if she was no longer a human being, but an observer from outside, experiencing May's feelings and emotions. Being in that space, her identity seemed to blur and separate.

  “I think that's enough for today...”