Chapter 125: Pegasus Once More

Passing by a mountain col, a brown-haired boy caught sight of him and waved from a distance.

"Hi, Senior Yin Shiqi, how are you!"

Beside him, Marin of the Eagle constellation gave a cold snort.

"Seiya, focus on your training. Stop looking around!"

"Yes, Master Marin!"

Seiya hurriedly withdrew his gaze and refocused his attention on the massive boulder before him. Recognizing the pair, Yin Shiqi slowly walked over.

"Haste makes waste; you are too impatient, Marin!"

Although Marin was also a Silver Saint and had attained that rank even before him, Yin Shiqi’s current strength surpassed hers, making the title of "senior" feel somewhat inappropriate. Furthermore, as they shared no deep friendship, he saw no need to force a closeness; using their names directly was better and saved both parties from unnecessary awkwardness.

Marin shook her head. Though her silver mask obscured her expression, Yin Shiqi could guess that this Eagle Saint was likely feeling deeply disappointed.

"Seiya has been in the Sanctuary for three years now, yet he still hasn't fully mastered the Sixth Sense, and igniting his Cosmo seems like a distant, unreachable dream," she sighed heavily.

Hearing this, Seiya lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Master Marin. It is my incompetence that has failed your teachings!"

Upon arriving at the Sanctuary, he had been favored by a Silver Saint and taken on as a disciple, receiving the finest instruction available. Yet, after three full years, he had not even mastered the Sixth Sense, let alone ignited his Cosmo. He lagged behind even those apprentice saints who practiced on their own, becoming a laughingstock throughout the training camp.

"Don't be so dejected, Seiya!" Yin Shiqi patted the boy's shoulder to comfort him. "In the East, we have a saying: 'Great vessels take time to form.'"

"It means that some people require a long period of tempering before they can achieve greatness."

"Of course, you are still young; it is truly unnecessary to succumb to such pessimism this early."

"You must realize that eighteen is the prime age for igniting one's Cosmo. You still have plenty of time!"

Without the guidance of a master or extraordinary natural talent, many apprentice saints do not ignite their Cosmo until they are nearly eighteen. While it was not unreasonable for someone like Seiya—who had personal instruction from a Saint from the very beginning—to be held to higher standards, there was no need for excessive self-reproach if those expectations were not immediately met.

Hearing this, a spark of hope reignited in Seiya's heart. He struggled to suppress his excitement and confirmed, "Senior Yin Shiqi, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course!" Yin Shiqi nodded.

"That may be, but Seiya has shown very little progress after three years of my teaching. It is hard not to worry!" Marin said with a touch of pessimism, casting a bucket of cold water on the spark of hope Seiya had just managed to kindle.

"What is there to worry about?" Yin Shiqi smiled slightly. He gathered his Cosmo at his fingertips and rapidly tapped a series of strikes onto the boulder in front of Seiya. In an instant, stone chips flew away, and a youthful face emerged from the rock surface. He had used his sword energy to carve Seiya’s likeness into the stone.

"That's amazing!" Seiya covered his mouth in surprise.

Pointing at the carving, Yin Shiqi said slowly, "Back then, it also took me three full years to successfully ignite my Cosmo."

"Yet, it only took me about two years to go from a reserve fighter who had just ignited his Cosmo to my current level."

"Some things cannot be rushed. Let nature take its course."

"If this little guy is truly destined to become a Saint, he will certainly ignite his Cosmo!"

As he spoke, Yin Shiqi cast a deep look at the brown-haired boy. If the destiny of the Pegasus constellation did not deviate, Seiya would surely become the person from the stories in his memory. Igniting his Cosmo was merely a matter of time.

"I hope he truly is a 'great vessel' as you say!" Looking down at Seiya with a sigh, Marin turned to ask, "By the way, where are you headed?"

"During the last expedition to North America, my Crater Cloth was severely damaged. I am planning to head to the Jamir Plateau to ask Master Mu of Aries for help with the repairs," Yin Shiqi said with a smile, gesturing to the ring on his left hand.

"I see!" Marin nodded slightly, then added, "I heard the last expedition to North America was extremely perilous. Is that true?"

She had not participated in that expedition and only knew vague rumors from others; she lacked the specific details.

"The reality was likely even worse than you imagine!" Yin Shiqi sighed, his expression somber. "There were nearly a thousand Evil God fighters who possessed the Sixth Sense, including many who had reached the pinnacle of Silver Saint power."

"Especially toward the end, three avatars of the Evil Gods appeared, possessing strength comparable to First-Class Gods."

"I was fortunate enough to face one directly. Before such a god, a single thought was enough to pin me to the ground, unable to move."

"Even Lord Aldebaran was not his match. In the end, he exhausted every ounce of his power to barely destroy the God’s Passage."

"That we managed to return alive is nothing short of a miracle!"

Every time he recalled it, Yin Shiqi was filled with deep emotion. Although he had not witnessed the final process of Aldebaran destroying the passage, given the state Aldebaran was in, it was impossible to accomplish such a daunting task. Beyond that limit-breaking Seventh Sense—the Alaya-Vijnana—that could perform miracles, he could think of no other power that could have helped Aldebaran destroy the passage.

Upon hearing this, Marin fell silent. Such battles were simply too dangerous. Even in the records of the Sanctuary, such situations only occurred during the Holy Wars when facing the twin gods under Hades. She truly did not know what to say.

Sensing his master’s sorrow, Seiya stood quietly to the side without a word.

Feeling the atmosphere had become somewhat heavy, Yin Shiqi hurriedly changed the subject. "By the way, I took down two Mariner fighters near the coast earlier. You should step up your defenses; make sure you aren't ambushed by enemies from the sea!"

All the world's oceans fell under the jurisdiction of the Poseidon’s realm, and with the Sanctuary located right by the Aegean Sea, it was quite simple for Mariners to launch a surprise attack.

Marin nodded, her expression serious. "Patrolling Saints have already reported finding traces of Mariners near the coast, and the Pope has increased patrols and alert levels because of it."

"Our safety should be fine. It is you who must be careful on your way to the Jamir Plateau. The world has not been peaceful in recent years."

"Thank you for the reminder; I will be careful!"

Yin Shiqi smiled in return, patted the boy’s shoulder once more, and encouraged him, "Train hard, remain calm and patient, and you will surely reap the rewards."

"Until next time!"

"Goodbye, Senior!"

Under the watchful eyes of Seiya and Marin, Yin Shiqi's back disappeared into the mountain col.