Gilda began to think that Severin would be repulsed by her if he found out that she was carrying someone else's child. He might still be averse to her even if she decided to abort the child.Gilda was so overwhelmed with fear that her mind was starting to buzz."No… this can't happen! There has to be another reason why my period is late. I'm not pregnant, right? It has to be a coincidence!" Gilda shook her head repeatedly and paced anxiously in her room. She did not dare to dwell too much on that and was desperately hoping that she was overthinking.She eventually sat down, closed her eyes, and used her mental power to check the situation in her womb. Her face paled with fright as soon as she found out the truth. Her worst fear had come true—she had gotten pregnant due to that fateful night."Why is the world doing this to me?" Gilda cried out in resentment. She did not even have the slightest idea as to who the child's father was!"I need to terminate the pregnancy," Gilda decide
Wuhlricht smiled and handed the twelve oriental zodiac tokens to twelve level eight and level nine saints."Take good care of these tokens. Each of you will be leading a team of one hundred individuals. You'll be scattered in different places once you enter the realm, so commit the names and faces of your team members to memory. Help your fellow sect members as much as possible, and locate the miniature black tower as quickly as possible. This mission will depend very highly on Elder Severin," Wuhlricht instructed after handing over the tokens.The disciples nodded in acknowledgment and turned their attention to Severin.Severin was one of the leaders who were given a token, and standing with him were the other eleven. All twelve of them were venturing into the Paradise Secret Realm for the first time, and only a first-tier sect could achieve their sort of numbers.Larry and a few others were part of Severin's group."The Soul Compass is with you," Wuhlricht said to Severin, "so y
Severin smiled and extended his hand toward Heidi. "You flatter me, Miss Heidi. Your team's overall strength is much greater than mine, and we're of the same attainment level too. It would be more accurate to say that we will have to look out for each other during this expedition."Heidi chuckled upon hearing that. "You're being too modest! I firmly believe that your combat ability far exceeds mine despite our similar attainment levels. I also have faith that you, as an alchemist, will make a breakthrough to level one royal saint."Severin did not anticipate her to be such a smooth talker. She grinned and replied, "Don't worry. We're all from the same sect, so it's only natural for us to look out for one another in there. Let's all have each other's back and remain vigilant."Heidi then produced a flying sword. She enlarged it and hopped on with her team before ascending into the air. Meanwhile, Severin took out his flying sword and got on with 1,200 of his team members."This will
Heidi was a very attentive woman. She knew that everyone—be it higher-level or lower-level disciples—regarded Severin highly within the sect. His presence was more beneficial to many of the disciples.Heidi smiled before continuing, "Even though this is my first time entering the Paradise Secret Realm, I've tried to get insights from my seniors who have ventured in there before. Aside from an abundance of fourth-grade spiritual herbs, there are equally as many fifth-grade herbs. Sixth-grade ones can be found there as well, but they're almost always very rare."Severin was taken aback when he heard that. "There's sixth-grade herbs too?!""Yes," Heidi said with a nod. "But the realm is teeming with spiritual beasts. It's important to be cautious and act in accordance with one's attainment level. Disciples with lower-level attainment are advised not to venture too deep into the forest."Heidi continued to explain different aspects of the Paradise Secret Realm, much to the amazement of
Wuhlricht nodded and said, "Those in the late and peak stages of level nine saint will probably only need one pill, while those in the early and middle stages will likely require two."Felipe chimed in with enthusiasm. "We might be a first-tier sect, but the gap between our sect and the upper-class first-tier sects is still rather big. This is especially so in terms of the number of royal saints, as other sects far outnumber us. Now that Elder Severin is a fourth-grade high-rank alchemist, we will soon see the addition of many royal saints in our ranks. This way, that gap I mentioned will narrow considerably even though we're still some way off from catching up to them."Wuhlricht commented admiringly, "Severin is full of surprises. I'm still in awe of his alchemical talent." Following a pause, he continued, "But it's important for us not to divulge the fact that our sect now boasts a fourth-grade high-rank alchemist, especially while Severin is away. If other sects are aware of his
Gilda nodded with a saddened look. "Yes, and I want to terminate it secretly. Even though Severin might be able to accept that I'm no longer a virgin, I'm pretty sure he won't accept that I'm pregnant with someone else's child, much less give birth to it."She had a pleading look in her eyes as she continued, "But I can't go through with terminating the pregnancy myself. This fetus inside of me is a living being, after all. Please do it for me, Dad. We'll just act as though it never happened."Rather than expressing his disappointment, Wuhlricht chuckled heartily, surprising Gilda. "Haha! I didn't think I'd become a grandfather so soon!"Gilda was left speechless by her father's reaction and asked coldly, "What do you mean by that, Dad? Do you want me to go through with the pregnancy?"Wuhlricht smiled and said, "I'm glad you couldn't bring yourself to do an abortion. Don't you worry about it. Severin won't mind at all. He might even be happy to hear that you're pregnant!"Gilda w
Wuhlricht smiled and replied, "Why would I ever lie to you about something like this? Everything I said is the truth. Severin is the father of your child. He was the man who saved you."Following a pause, he continued explaining, "You can't expect him to tell you the truth under those circumstances. He's simply been waiting for the right time to reveal everything to you, hoping that you'll understand. But now that things have come to this, I would have to be the one to tell you."Wuhlricht's explanation caused Gilda's emotions to shift from the verge of tears to a mixture of relief and amusement. "I see. I never would have thought that he was the child's father. Guess I no longer have anything to worry about then."All of a sudden, Gilda frowned again and asked worriedly, "But what if he only confessed to me and treated me well because of guilt and responsibility? I can't tell for sure if he genuinely cares about me."Wuhlricht burst into laughter and reassured her. "Haha, you don'
As dusk settled in, Severin called Heidi over and handed more than twenty fourth-grade high-rank pills to her. He instructed her to share those pills with those disciples who were closest to making a breakthrough to level one royal saint. They were to consume their respective pill only after entering the Paradise Secret Realm.Those who received the pills were elated to have been chosen.Severin then gathered the twenty individuals in his team who showed the most promise in becoming a level one royal saint and gave each of them a pill."I have nothing but admiration for you, Severin. It amazes me that you're already a fourth-grade high-rank alchemist!" Sheila remarked after Severin sat back down.Severin smiled and said, "Make sure to safeguard those pills I provided to you earlier. If your attainment is stable after entering the Paradise Secret Realm and the right opportunity arises, you can use those pills to make a breakthrough. Your current attainment level is good, but not goo