Lin Mu smiled slightly, relieved.
"I'm glad I brought it out. Better it be used here than collecting dust in my ring."
The abbot bowed deeply once again.
"I have no words. You've not only saved us, you've granted us a path forward. We will build the next foundation of our monastery around this shard. And in return… I swear to aid you in whatever path you walk. If the Golden Dominator Sutra is what you seek, I will see that you receive all the knowledge and techniques our lineage preserved. I will even reach out to any of our lost kin, should we find them."
Lin Mu bowed back in appreciation.
"That means a great deal, Senior Abbot. Thank you."
They both stood in reverent silence as the Gravity Star Shard hovered between them, softly rotating like a miniature cosmos.
It was a small thing, a speck in the grand tapestry of cultivation treasures—but in this moment, it was hope incarnate.
