I'm following Long Fei through a sea of clouds.

That's odd. He doesn't seem to be heading anywhere unfamiliar. He's heading back to the Celestial Palace.

"Master, why are we going back? We're supposed to be going to an ancient ruin so I can evolve, remember?"

"We need to give the Crown Prince his wine. Who knows what will happen when you evolve."

Fair point.

I weave around an immortal who zips by.

The Crown Prince is waiting outside his royal chamber. He stares up at us, grinning.

Like a falling petal, Long Fei descends gracefully, his long hair and silk robes billowing and settling as he lightly taps the floor.

I rush down, skid past him, and crash into a cherry blossom tree.

My mystical satchel is floating above me, unscathed.

Phew. He must have known beforehand that my landing was still a work in progress. He saved me from all the trouble. Either that or he values the wine in my bag.

The bag floats over to the Crown Prince. He opens it, and the fancy bottles of wine that we just received float out. His eyes light up. The wine floats ahead of him and into his royal chamber. We follow behind as the bottles gently settle on his desk.

I blow a cherry blossom petal off my hair, waiting for further instructions.

The Crown Prince conjures a jade flute and passes it to his friend.

"Long Fei, you would need this to enter the Ancient Ruin of Whales."

My master accepts the jade flute, running his hand gently over it, admiring the intricate carvings on it.

Great, that means they haven't forgotten. We're supposed to go here to get into the Ancient Ruin. I don't mind this detour.

The Crown Prince picks up a bottle of wine, grinning from ear to ear.

"This is for when you return. But none for you, Ling Yue."

I've been restraining myself from any wine consumption since my last rampage. I'm still paying for that blasted debt.

The two friends give each other a knowing nod.

As swift as the wind, Long Fei turns on his heels and flies out. I follow suit.

We weave through the celestial highway, avoiding flying immortals, continue through the sea of clouds, and land at the edge of the Celestial Realm. Surprisingly, there's nothing here but a waterfall flowing upwards.

Long Fei pulls the jade flute from his sleeve, rests the tip on his lips, and starts playing a solemn tune. The waterfall parts and an ethereal bright light bathes us.

My eyes widen. I rarely get to see something like this.

He continues to play the haunting tune as he glides through the entrance. I follow closely behind him.

We pass through a portal into another world: a bamboo forest, circled by a serene moat, and floating lotus scattered across the water.

The music fades, and with a final breath, he slides the jade flute back into his sleeve.

The entrance closes behind us, and the waterfall resumes flowing upwards.

Fireflies welcome us, softly illuminating the world. One perches on my nose.

In the middle of the bamboo forest lies an islet, where a glowing artifact hovers above a mantle. There's an elder immortal standing beside it. His frail form is hunched over a walking stick as his long silver beard trails to the floor.

The Elder's eyes glow as he gazes at us, stroking his long silver beard, and nodding thoughtfully. I take a step forward, but my master extends his hand in front of me and shakes his head. This is different.

I pause.

I get the feeling that I shouldn't move at all.

His feet tap each floating lotus as he leaps toward the islet. As he taps it, a waving pattern glows. Then he lands gracefully beside the Elder and bows respectfully.

He turns his gaze to me, giving me a nod.

They both wait for me on the other side, patiently.

I take a deep breath, recall the pattern, and hop on each floating lotus. Then I land, not so gracefully, beside the Elder and give a reverent bow.

He nods knowingly, stroking his beard.

"Do you wish to be the Guardian of Whales?"

I thought I was Long Fei's guardian, and also the Ocean Realm's. Now he wants me to be the Guardian of Whales too? That's a lot of work.

"I just want to evolve. I thought I had a lot to guard already."

"You must agree to protect all whales if you wish to proceed."

I was going to do that anyway. Nobody should mess with my kind.

"Then I agree."

"If you can snatch this walking stick from me, I will allow you to touch the artifact."

"Uh, Elder? I don't want to hurt you."

Long Fei flies back. Uh-oh, that's not a good sign.

The Elder strikes his palm at me, sending me flying to the other side.

His robe slides off his shoulders, settling by his waist, revealing his taut muscles, rippling like waves; definitely larger than mine. Was that walking stick all a ruse? You really can't judge a book by its cover. I have a feeling that I'll be pummeled to a pulp soon.

I crack my knuckles. Roll my shoulders. Crack my neck. Stretch my legs. I'd been itching for a fight anyway.

In a flash, he's already in front of me, with another strike.

I duck under his arm, but he elbows me to the floor, knocking the air out of me. I sweep at his legs and he jumps over it with ease, whacking me on the shoulder with his walking stick, sending me skidding.

How am I going to snatch his walking stick? His martial arts are a lot better than mine.

I flip back up, dust myself off, and shoot a water tendril at him. He deflects it with ease. I follow with an air tendril. He deflects that too. Then vanishes.

Uh-oh.

A subtle stir in the air behind me and I duck quickly as he appears there, striking with his weapon. I barely managed to dodge. Then he kicks me, sending me skidding across the lake like a skipped stone.

I sink to the bottom. He's incredibly too powerful.

To my surprise, he's sitting in front of me. His eyes sharpen, his arm curved for an uppercut. I instinctively cover my face and he sends me flying out of the water from the impact. I spin mid-air and land on my feet. Since I'm going to get beaten to a pulp, I might as well go out on him too.

He bursts from the water, walking stick raised. I catch it under my arm, pinning it to my side. He jerks it back, but I refuse to let go, even as pain shoots through me. I let out a mighty roar. An air blast surprises him, as he momentarily lets go, skidding backward.

Then he pauses, strokes his beard, and smiles.

"Well done. You may touch the artifact."