Against Heaven's Will

A silence descended onto the viewing platform. Everyone held their breath, switching their gaze between Miara and Wu. They knew their founder only accepted one answer when extending her blessing, and any other answer was met with death.

"Excuse me? You can't do that?" Miara repeated, her expression turning cold. "You were the one who asked me to teach you my ultimate Soul Art, and now you don't want to accept my blessing? I already lowered my requirements for you. That's the only condition needed to become my disciple and it's non-negotiable."

She extended her hand toward Wu, but was rejected once again. "I understand the significance of this gesture," Wu began carefully, "But as I mentioned earlier, my life isn't just my own. I share it with my husband and sisters. I cannot accept a blessing that will bind me for life without discussing it with them."

"And why would they go against such a great opportunity?" Miara questioned, her gaze softening. "I understand your worries, but you won't receive a better offer. I'm the only Constellation at the top of the ranking who actively searches for talent outside of her own Realms. Even if you have supreme potential, the best you will get is some subpar blessing. Those Constellations will milk you dry in their constant duels. That won't be the case if you join me since I will actually nurture you."

"This is indeed a good offer, Wu," Emi joined the conversation, trying to convince her. "Founder Miara's blessing is known as the Soul Gate that strengthens your Soul beyond anything you ever experienced. I'm sure Xuefeng would be happy for you."

"I'm aware of the benefits," Wu acknowledged. "But if I were to be completely honest, I don't think that's the path we plan to take. Xuefeng is not someone who will happily serve others in exchange for an increase in strength. If he needs more power, he will achieve it without relying on others."

"What other path is there for you? Opening Gates is the natural path for any Cultivator," Miara said suspiciously before chuckling. "Don't tell me he wants to become a Constellation instead?"

She said it as a joke, but Wu wasn't laughing, causing Miara to pause. "Wait, are you serious?"

Wu stood up gracefully and spoke on Xuefeng's behalf, "I know you want me to accept your blessing because you think serving you is the only thing I have to offer in return for teaching me. But what if that wasn't the case? What if I have something that even Constellations at your level would be interested in?"

"And what could that be?" Miara asked, her eyes narrowing. "Do you have access to the Abyssal Void?"

Wu shook her head.

"Have you tamed any Void Beasts?"

"No."

"Have you acquired a bloodline of the Divine?"

"No."

"Do you own any Realms that you can offer me?"

"No."

"Then you have nothing I currently need," Miara concluded, her patience wearing thin.

"That's wrong. You have yet to mention the most important thing Constellations need to raise in the ranking," Wu corrected with a smile. "It's friends."

"Friends...?" Miara repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Do you really think I don't have any friends? There are so many Constellations who want to befriend me that it's hard to get rid of them."

"You might have friends, but I'm sure none of them rank above you. They also aren't true friends that you can entrust your life to, and you know it. All of them would backstab you if offered a chance to take your place," Wu pointed out. "What if you had a friend who could assist you in climbing the ranking? Isn't that exactly what you need to compete against the high-ranked Constellations who all cooperate with each other to remain at the top?"

Miara frowned at her words and canceled the blessing in her hand. "Alright, I guess we are done here. You are clearly just wasting my time," she expressed while glaring at Emi. "I came here because you promised me a disciple that could help solve my problems. Even if her Husband became a Constellation, which is highly unlikely by the way, it would still take him thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and I don't have that much time left."

"A hundred years," Wu announced calmly. "My husband only needs a hundred years to become a Constellation."

Miara froze at her words, wrinkles forming on her forehead from excessive arching. "Do you seriously ask me to believe anyone can become a Constellation this fast? Even if he received a hundred Realms as a gift, it still takes close to fifty years to refine each Realm. It's impossible to achieve that feat in a hundred years."

"The hundred years actually includes the time for any problems that might come along the way. If everything goes smoothly, he can do it much quicker," Wu said boldly. "If we also count the help of a high-ranked Constellation such as yourself, he would only need a few years to achieve that goal."

Wu didn't wait for another round of disbelief and went straight to Emi. "If you don't believe me, ask your disciple. She met my husband and saw his greatness with her own eyes," Wu said, urging Emi to help. "Is that right, Emi? Should I tell Founder Miara about your first meeting?"

Emi paused for a second, her expression morphing into a forced smile. "There's no need to recount our meeting, but yes, I can confirm Wu's words. If there is anyone in the world who can achieve that feat, it's him. He's not even thirty years old and is already nearing the peak of the Ancient Celestial Rank. He also has two Legendary Artifacts on him and multiple Realms at his disposal. One of his wives is a Queen of the Supervising Realm, easily controlling at least two dozen Realms."

"Actually, it took him less than ten years since he started cultivating at sixteen," Wu corrected with a proud smile. "You said you are the only Constellation who looks for talent outside your Realms, so you should be good at recognizing potential. An individual with such quick progress is bound to become a powerhouse in the future. Helping them while they're still growing is the easiest way to secure a long-lasting friendship. Constellations should know that very well."

"All of that sounds great, but what guarantee do I have that you won't betray me?" Miara asked, deep in thought. "My Seven Soul Steps is a highly sought art that many would kill for. Once my enemies find out you aren't bound by my blessing, they'll catch you and force the information out of you. No matter how much I trust you, I cannot risk exposing the weaknesses of my trump card."

"By the time anyone knows I learned your Seven Soul Steps, my husband will become a Constellation, and I will be under his protection. From what I heard, Constellations cannot attack each other outside of the official duel, or they would be punished by the Divine Council. Unless they find someone below us in ranking, they won't be able to touch me," Wu explained confidently. "There is also a hundred-year grace period for any new Constellations. We will be able to challenge others while no one else can challenge us back."

Miara gazed between Emi and Wu, finally realizing what was going on. "You two planned all of this, right? You seem to have quite a sizable knowledge about Constellations."

"I was simply asking her questions. Emi didn't know about my plans," Wu defended and extended her final offer. "On behalf of my husband and all his wives, I propose a long-term partnership which consists of three main conditions. First, both parties cannot challenge each other and will support one another in climbing the Celestial Ranking. Second, both parties will exchange resources at their disposal without abusing this relationship for personal gain. Third, in case any of the parties fail to qualify for the Celestial Ranking in a hundred years, this contract will be voided."

As she spoke, Wu withdrew a black parchment with all conditions written down in golden letters and continued, "I believe you know what this is. Once you sign it, you will be required to teach me your Soul Art, while I will connect you with my Lisa, the Alchemist, who will make you a set amount of pills free of charge. I believe that's a fair exchange of resources as the beginning of our partnership."

Miara chuckled at the sight of a Dark Soul Contract, a pact that even a Constellation can't afford to break. "You never fail to surprise me. Alright then, I will trust you and form a partnership with you. I am fine with the terms as long as you place a time limit for the overall contract. Let's say a thousand years. We can always negotiate another contract after that."

"That's not a problem," Wu nodded and waved her hand, placing the clause into the contract. "If there is nothing else, let's sign it."

They both placed their hands on the parchment and extended their Souls, allowing the Dark Soul inside the contract to mark their Souls. Once the process was completed, any party who broke the terms would be hunted down by the Dark Soul Race, each of their members being at least a Tier 1 Nightmare. Even though they were weak individually, they always worked in groups, having millions of Dark Soul Soldiers at their disposal.

"Now that the contract is formed, let me tell you what exactly you signed up for," Miara smiled as she watched the parchment turn into dust..