941 Playing Catch

"Xiuying, I'm going to leave earlier than expected. Sorry for all of the troubles that I had caused you and this sect." Yuan suddenly said to her.

"Huh? Why?"

"I have a feeling that something will happen soon, and I don't want you or this sect to get caught up in it, so I'm going to leave. Don't worry, we'll see each other again on the other side sooner or later." He smiled.

"Okay…" She nodded.

Wang Xiuying logged off Cultivation Online sometime later while Yuan traveled to the Stairway to Heaven.

"Xiao Hua." He suddenly called for her when he arrived.

"Yes?" She appeared beside him and proceeded to stare at him with a pondering gaze.

"Let's play catch."

"Huh?" Xiao Hua's eyes widened with surprise.

"I promised to play catch with you again, remember? Let's do it now. I still have a couple of days before I have to leave for my sister's birthday." Yuan smiled.

"Un!"

Xiao Hua's face immediately became filled with bliss, and she retrieved the red ball they used before.

"There's no need to hold back this time. And let's get some distance." Yuan said to her before flying a few hundred meters away.

Xiao Hua also flew into the air shortly after.

Once they were ready, Xiao Hua tossed the red ball at Yuan with all of her strength.

The red ball disappeared the instant it left her hands, and it appeared in front of Yuan faster than one could blink, almost as though the ball had teleported.

PA!

A loud noise resounded as Yuan caught the ball with his bare hands, and he was pushed back a few meters by the impact.

"I'm really glad you held back before. If you'd used your full strength when we first met, I would've definitely died a horrible death." Yuan smiled as he looked at the ball, his hands trembling from it.

"Let me go back a bit further!" He said to her before increasing their distance by a couple hundred more meters.

Whoosh!

Yuan tossed the ball back at Xiao Hua using 50 percent of his strength, as he was worried that he might accidentally hurt her.

The red ball flew faster than a bullet, and a single streak of red light appeared in the sky.

However, Xiao Hua casually caught the ball with a single hand, and she said afterward, "There's no need to hold back, Brother Yuan."

And she proceeded to throw the ball back at him.

'T-That was even stronger than her first throw! Is she subconsciously holding back?' Yuan wondered to himself after catching the ball that felt a lot heavier.

'And what kind of material is this ball made out of? To withstand such abuse…'

The two of them would spend the next few hours playing catch ball, and by the time they were done, the trees beneath them were all bent in an unnatural manner due to the pressure caused by their game.

"It's been a while since I've worked up so much sweat. Let's do this again tomorrow." Yuan said to her afterward.

"Okay." Xiao Hua eagerly nodded.

Yuan logged off shortly after to have dinner with the others.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiuying spoke to her grandfather about joining Yuan's faction during dinner.

"So I have decided to join Yu Tian's faction and move in with him at the Dragon Spiral Mountain. However, this means that I won't be able to work at the hospital any longer. What do you think, grandpa?"

"The Young Master created a faction? When?" Doctor Wang raised his eyebrows.

"A while ago. You've probably heard of it. It's called the Demon Sealing Faction."

"Huh? I have heard of it, but that's Player Yuan's faction, isn't it?"

"Hm? Oh, right. You didn't know. Well, Yu Tian is Player Yuan."

Doctor Wang's mouth dropped wide open after hearing this.

"R-Really? And how long have you known about this?"

"For a while. I promised to keep it a secret for him, so I didn't tell you. But I got his permission today to tell you."

"Unbelievable… To think that famous Player Yuan was the Young Master all along!"

"Make sure you keep it a secret, grandpa. It would be troublesome for him if the public learned of his identity." Wang Xiuying said.

"That's only obvious."

"Anyways, what do you say? Can I go?"

Doctor Wang nodded, "Yes, you can go. You're big enough to make your own decisions and move out. As for the hospital, don't worry about it. You were never an official employee, and you went there on your own accord. Though, the people there will miss you, especially the patients."

"When do you plan on moving?"

"Soon. I need to apply for his faction at the Cultivators' Association first. I'll do it tomorrow."

The following day, Wang Xiuying made her way to the Cultivators' Association. 

Although one can join a faction without visiting the Cultivators' Association, they would not be considered an 'official' member of the faction by the Cultivators' Association and would not be allowed to participate in official events. 

After arriving at the Cultivators' Association, Wang Xiuying patiently waited until she was at the front desk.

"I'd like to apply for a faction," she said to the woman working at the desk.

"Name of the faction?"

"Demon Sealing Faction!"

The woman raised her eyebrows after hearing this familiar name, and she looked at Wang Xiuying with a pitiful gaze.

"You know… I'm saying this for your own good, but you won't get accepted into that faction. Countless people have applied for the faction, but they have not approved of a single new member since its founding."

"If you ask me, these people are too arrogant. Just because they have that Player Yuan with them, they think they can exist with 10 members. What a joke! They're looking down on all of the factions out there!"

Wang Xiuying was speechless. She didn't expect so many people to apply for the faction, but considering Yuan's popularity, it wasn't surprising at all.