Nagae Iku was on the verge of tears. As an attendant of the Dragon Palace, her duty was to predict disasters—for instance, when an earthquake was about to strike, she would use specialized methods to inform humanity. Of course, since she resided in the clouds and maintained a close association with a certain flawed Celestial Maiden, she had inexplicably also become a gatekeeper to Heaven—Heaven of the Highest Purity, Tentei. Simply put, anyone or any yōkai wishing to ascend to Tentei had to get past her first.

Thus, when she saw Lin Luo and Patchouli arriving together, intending to proceed to Tentei, it was only natural that she stepped forward to stop them. However!

What Nagae Iku hadn't anticipated was that before she could even make a move, that man—who was both very cute and deeply infuriating—had somehow managed to incapacitate her before she could exert any strength at all.

Lin Luo was unaware that Nagae Iku had assigned him the adjective 'cute.' Had he known, he probably would have just tried to make her cuter. Watching her struggle incessantly beneath his arm—oh wait, beneath his armpit—flailing about, he couldn't help but persuade her, "Give it up. If I can't even subdue you, then all that time I spent playing Touhou Hisoutensoku was for nothing."

Nagae Iku stopped struggling, her face sour. "Since you defeated me, you naturally have the right to go to Tentei. It's none of my business what happens there, but why are you holding onto me?"

"Naturally, I need you to show me the way," Lin Luo stated matter-of-factly. "Tentei isn't exactly small, but it isn't vast either. If I want to find someone in the shortest possible time, I need someone familiar with the place to guide me. And you are clearly the most suitable candidate."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Your superior, my pet, Tenshi," Lin Luo replied with a smile, then patted her head amid Nagae Iku's stunned expression. "Now, be a good tour guide for me."

Watching this reasonably powerful Dragon Palace Attendant possess absolutely no power to resist Lin Luo, meekly leading the way, Patchouli couldn't help but shake her head, silently mourning for her. And simultaneously, mourning for herself.

"Sigh... I haven't even finished the draft yet..."

...

The Celestial Realm was a strange place. It existed above the clouds, and simultaneously above the Underworld, yet between the clouds and the Celestial Realm, one could not see or reach the Underworld. Entry to the Underworld was only possible through special portals; this was essentially a difference in spiritual boundaries.

The Celestial Realm operated similarly. If one flew upward aimlessly, at best they would burst out of Earth and head into space, but they would never reach Tentei. Even powerful yōkai, without finding the "path to Tentei," would still lose their way in the sky.

Of course, for Lin Luo and the protagonists of Gensokyo, this was not an issue. After a short while, the three of them arrived at Tentei... the Celestial Realm.

Strictly speaking, places like the Celestial Realm and the Underworld did not belong to Gensokyo, but to the entire world. It was just that historically, besides Celestials and the dead, only those from Gensokyo could move freely between these places. Thus, due to this habitual misconception, Tentei seemed to have vaguely become a part of Gensokyo.

Even Lin Luo, despite knowing he had left Gensokyo's sphere of influence, still felt a lingering illusion of being within it.

The environment of the Celestial Realm was far superior to the mortal world. Here, birds sang sweetly, the atmosphere was serene, enveloped in a faint mist accompanied by the rhythmic sound of trickling water, giving the feeling of an idyllic paradise.

Although Lin Luo was confident that his Sky City would not be inferior to this place in terms of visual splendor, and that this place could not compare in the sheer variety of wonders, Sky City suffered because too many marvels detracted from a sense of reality, and it lacked an ethereal, detached elegance.

Simply put: plenty of strangeness, insufficient celestial aura.

But this place, the moment Lin Luo stepped into it, gave him a feeling that his entire being could relax.

At this moment, Lin Luo finally understood why Lily hadn't chosen the Yao-Yao cultivation system but instead chose to practice seclusion in Tentei. The crucial factor wasn't the powerful Celestials here, but the environment itself.

Yukari Yakumo had previously pointed out Lily's flaw: she was too sharp and ostentatious. If Lily were the kind of powerhouse who followed the path of domineering strength, like Yuuka or Sakagami Tomoyo, it would be understandable. But in essence, Lily belonged to the lineage of mystery, and an outwardly overwhelming aura was detrimental to her temperament.

The lineage of mystery, as the name implied, required making it impossible for enemies to gauge one's depth, perceive one's presence, or detect one's abilities. If one used sheer momentum to overawe enemies from the start, it clearly didn't align with the mainstream of mystery; one might as well follow the path of dominance.

How strong a person truly is lies not just in the strength of their power, but more importantly, in the strength of their heart. If someone possesses earth-shattering power paired with a cowardly heart, no matter how strong they are, they remain weak and deserve universal contempt. Conversely, if a person who can't even lift a chicken possesses an unyielding heart, even if they are physically weak, in the eyes of true powerhouses, they remain strong and worthy of respect.

In many cases, those who outwardly display a dominant aura often have fragile interiors, while those who seem frail on the surface often prove more steadfast in crucial moments... Lin Luo had seen too many people like this.

Of course, this didn't mean Lily was intrinsically weak-hearted. If she were fragile, she wouldn't have sacrificed her own life to gain power to protect her companions in the Toaru Majutsu no Index world. If she were weak, she wouldn't have challenged the mighty Conqueror King in the Type-Moon world. If she were weak, she certainly wouldn't have become the Perfect King!

It was just that... too much rigidity leads to breakage; she lacked a degree of softness and a tranquil heart.

And this place was clearly the most suitable environment for her to cultivate her state of mind.

Following Nagae Iku for a while, Lin Luo soon found Hinanawi Tenshi in a peach blossom grove. As he predicted, Lily was also there. Lily had come to the Celestial Realm with Tenshi, so it was likely they would be staying together—this was why Lin Luo said he was looking for Tenshi.

However, within this peach blossom grove, besides the two girls, there were more than a dozen elderly men and women. Some were powerful Celestials who possessed physical bodies, and others were spiritual Celestials who had ascended after death. All these Celestials—including Lily and Tenshi—were engaged in one activity: fishing.

They were gathered around a pond no larger than ten square meters, sitting in a circle by the edge, holding fishing rods, eyes closed, simply fishing. Even when Lin Luo and the others approached, creating the sound of footsteps, they seemed completely oblivious, remaining motionless.

The silence was unnaturally profound.

"What is going on here?" Lin Luo couldn't help but ask Nagae Iku. Although he knew the life of Celestials was often dreamlike—spending days listening to music, fishing, playing chess... carefree and untroubled—seeing this scene still surprised him. The people around the pond looked less like they were fishing and more like they were desperately trying to turn into fossils... if one painted them gray, they would be indistinguishable from stones.

Patchouli was clearly somewhat surprised as well, her gaze shifting to Nagae Iku.

Nagae Iku shrugged. "I'm not a Celestial, how would I know what they're doing? Besides, Celestials love saying meaningless things and doing meaningless deeds. Trying to guess their intentions is just inviting annoyance."

"That makes sense," Lin Luo conceded. "But do you think she will willingly act like a fossil?" Lin Luo pointed toward Hinanawi Tenshi sitting by the pond. He didn't know Celestials very well and was too lazy to speculate. Lily was likely treating fishing as a form of cultivation, but... Tenshi, who was famously restless and always found mischief entertaining, remaining this quiet was more miraculous than a miracle itself.

"That..." Nagae Iku immediately knitted her brows. As the attendant serving the Hinanawi household, she knew the temperament of the sheltered young mistress intimately; Tenshi couldn't stay still for a moment. Her current stillness was exceedingly strange.

"She looks like she's asleep," Patchouli suddenly remarked.

"Asleep?" Lin Luo started.

"Of course. Nobody knows how to sleep while sitting up better than I do. Look at her hand posture and the angle of her head tilt—it's exactly my twelfth posture for sitting sleep. Without a doubt, she's asleep... that flawed Celestial has actually learned my sitting sleep; that's remarkable," Patchouli declared proudly.

"..." Lin Luo was speechless. This was hardly something to be proud of, was it?

But upon her observation, Lin Luo did notice that Tenshi was slightly different from the others. Upon closer inspection, sure enough, she was asleep... No wonder she was so quiet.

Lin Luo was curious what they were achieving with this synchronized fishing, and he had hesitated to disturb them for fear of disrupting Lily's training. But with Tenshi being such a special case, he didn't need to hesitate any longer. He reached out, grasping gently, and lifted Tenshi into his hand without disturbing anyone else.

Then, an isolating barrier activated. Lin Luo lightly patted her little cheek. "Yo, wake up, my pet."

"Mmm..." Tenshi sleepily opened her eyes, tilting her head, wearing a look of just waking up, and mumbled, "Today's peaches don't taste good... I want a lollipop... Ah~~ mmm."

The girl probably thought she was dreaming. A foolish smile appeared in her eyes, and then she opened her mouth, biting down hard on Lin Luo's finger, licking and sucking his finger.

Seeing her adorable, almost infantile demeanor, Lin Luo was almost overcome by cuteness.

Tenshi, indeed, was perfect to be kept as a pet!

P.S.: I'm not feeling well today; it took seven hours to write one chapter, sigh...