Feng Miaojun thought her facial expression must be very rigid because Yun Ya immediately offered her a sweetener: “Yes, I wanted to ask you, would you be willing to join Wei Kingdom’s Imperial Register?”

“Imperial Register?”

The Imperial Register differed from the Household Register. The state created ledgers and registered residents within its borders by household units—this was the household register, mainly for commoners. The Imperial Register, however, only recruited cultivators and magical beasts who served the country. Nowadays, these two categories were becoming increasingly rare, so managing the population in the Imperial Register wasn’t difficult.

If she joined Wei Kingdom’s Imperial Register, wouldn’t Feng Miaojun’s birth parents be furious in their graves? Even if the Queen of An Xia was tolerant, she only wanted her daughter to live an ordinary life, not to defect to an enemy country.

Of course, this didn’t concern her—she was a free spirit.

“You spent three years in Jin Capital without joining their Imperial Register, correct?”

“Yes,” Feng Miaojun said softly. “Mo Tizhun didn’t consider me a disciple.”

“That’s easily remedied. You don’t need to sever ties with your former country; you can directly join the Wei register,” Yun Ya said lightly. “Do you know that after joining the Imperial Register, you can share in the Elemental Power?”

“Elemental Power!” Feng Miaojun could no longer hide her amazement and envy.

Under Yun Ya’s guidance, her cultivation had advanced rapidly in just over a month, but “Elemental Power” remained a treasure she dared not even dream of.

This was a national resource specially allocated by the State Preceptor. After An Xia’s destruction, she didn’t belong to any country and never expected to receive Elemental Power from any nation—this substance was thousands of times more precious than gold, thousands of times more valuable, and it was the ultimate means for a country to bind cultivators to its service.

Yet now Yun Ya was saying he could share Elemental Power with her?

He seemed to know what Feng Miaojun was thinking and nodded with a smile.

Even knowing this was another tactic to win her loyalty, she couldn’t help but feel elated! Compared to Mo Tizhun, Yun Ya’s benefits were truly worlds apart.

What should she do? She was becoming increasingly fond of working for Boss Yun!

Ahem, of course, most importantly, she couldn’t refuse him to his face. If she dared to say no to such terms that would make any cultivator drool, not only would it displease Yun Ya, but it would also make him suspicious of her motives.

Feng Miaojun wasn’t afraid of heaven or earth, but she feared Yun Ya’s suspicion.

So she maintained her delighted expression: “Can I join now?”

“How could it be so simple?” He couldn’t help but laugh. “You must return with me to the Wei Kingdom. After I register your name in the Luminous Treasure Mirror, you’ll officially join the register and can enjoy the enhancement of Elemental Power.”

Feng Miaojun took a deep breath, trying her best to remain calm. For a cultivator, joining the Imperial Register was equivalent to pledging allegiance. While enjoying the benefits provided by the state, one also had to bear corresponding responsibilities. One’s background would be thoroughly investigated, and afterward, one would have to complete tasks assigned by the sovereign. During wartime, one would even have to respond to the nation’s call to the frontlines…

That’s why cultivation sects like the Juemingzong existed, preferring to give up Elemental Power in exchange for freedom.

But that wasn’t the mainstream choice.

Joining Wei Kingdom’s Imperial Register would make it easier for Yun Ya to control her, which was exactly what Feng Miaojun wanted to avoid. Fortunately, the journey back to Wei Kingdom from here was still long, giving her time to consider carefully. For now, she would just agree.

So she nodded repeatedly in gratitude, fully expressing her joy and appreciation. Yun Ya’s lips curved upward, his mood inexplicably lightening.

Since following him, this young girl had served him very dutifully, even someone as picky as him couldn’t find much fault. However, he knew in his heart that whether she flattered him or obediently followed orders, it was all superficial. Inside, she remained a little wild cat with claws and teeth, never truly opening her heart to him.

She possessed a special kind of endurance and independence that made him want to grind down her claws and teeth, to tame her into a docile house cat.

Yun Ya always felt that between him and Feng Miaojun, there seemed to exist another layer of connection, not just because of their shared spiritual power. This made him unconsciously pay attention to her behavior, rather than treating her like air as he had done with previous serving girls.

Keeping such a little pet beside him was a good way to relieve depression and stress.

Feng Miaojun keenly sensed his good mood and quietly asked: “Master, I’ve heard that Elemental Power was originally exclusive to deities?”

She had read countless historical texts—official histories, miscellaneous records, private notes—and encountered conflicting historical facts and theories. For such specialized questions, she had to seek verification from the knowledgeable State Preceptor.

“Correct.” Three feet away was a calm ice lake. Yun Ya picked up a small stone and skipped it across the lake surface, producing three crisp ding-ding-ding sounds. “What we call ‘Elemental Power’ was originally called ‘Will Power,’ gathered from the devout faith of the people. Only deities could enjoy it—even immortals of ancient times dared not touch it, or they would suffer damage to their cultivation.”

“Later, after the world underwent a dramatic change, the deities disappeared, and ‘Will Power’ became ‘Elemental Power,'” Feng Miaojun frowned. “The books I’ve read offer different explanations for this.”

“The reason for the deities’ disappearance remains inconclusive to this day. What you’ve seen are all conjectures.”

Feng Miaojun turned to look at him: “Which explanation does Master favor?”

“What about you?”

“Me?” She was surprised that Yun Ya would ask for her opinion. Her cultivation was hardly profound.

“Your cultivation may be average, but you spent three years buried in the Yanhai Tower—an opportunity even ordinary cultivators couldn’t afford,” Yun Ya glanced at her. “Collecting pearls from the sea of books, you should string them into a treasure necklace.”

What use was reading all the books in the world if one didn’t know how to digest, absorb, and make the knowledge one’s own?

Feng Miaojun indeed answered seriously: “I’m inclined to believe they didn’t disappear, but merely left.”

“Oh? Why?”

“If earth-shattering deities had truly died, they should have died in an earth-shattering manner,” Feng Miaojun smiled. “If that were the case, wouldn’t the world have been turned upside down long ago? How could we have the clear and bright universe we see today?”

Yun Ya shook his head: “The world has a self-correcting power, like humans. Even after suffering severe damage, it can slowly repair itself—as long as the wound isn’t fatal. Besides, during that dramatic change, many deities did perish.”

Feng Miaojun said softly: “I’ve read in books that the power of deities was beyond human imagination. Some could control time, others managed mountains and rivers, yet they almost simultaneously disappeared a thousand years ago. If they had died, apart from those who perished in the world’s dramatic change, they wouldn’t have vanished so uniformly. Therefore, I still believe they left for certain reasons.”

Yun Ya listened attentively: “Certain reasons?”

She shrugged: “Perhaps because the world’s spiritual energy was gradually diminishing?” In her understanding, spiritual energy was to cultivators what water was to fish. Fish couldn’t breathe without water, and a world with weakened spiritual energy couldn’t sustain deities. “I’ve found almost no materials about that dramatic change as if history was deliberately erased.”