"Stop! Stop fighting!"

After just two kicks, the Bone Dragon felt its entire body shatter. Though it wouldn’t truly die in this state, the pain was excruciating—like its soul itself was being pummeled!

But Yan Yi didn’t pause. After stomping it several more times, he planted his foot squarely on the Bone Dragon’s face, beaming warmly down at it.

"What was that you said earlier?"

"I said you’re truly a hero! So young, yet so powerful—I’m in awe!"

"That’s more like it."

Yan Yi nodded, then kicked the Bone Dragon deep into the ground. He grabbed it and pressed it against his left shoulder. Just like before, the Bone Dragon slowly vanished.

Yan Yi stretched, gradually dialing back his power to seventy percent. His control over strength lacked precision; if his minimum output stayed too high, daily life would become troublesome. This was the consequence of long-term suppression—once unleashed, it was hard to contain.

With a few leaps, he cleared the massive crater. The sight of Bone Forest hit him like a punch to the gut. It looked as if a fleet of bombers had carpeted the area, followed by laser strikes. One word summed it up: *devastation*. Utter, heart-wrenching devastation.

"No way I’m taking the blame for this! Hey, Little Bone—was the Spirit Eye destroyed?"

Yan Yi was already plotting how to silence anyone who knew he’d been here. But if the Spirit Eye was intact, maybe he’d be safe.

"Probably? And what’s with ‘Little Bone’?!"

"‘Bone Dragon’ is a mouthful."

"I have a name! Use it!"

"Even worse. Forget it—what do you mean, ‘probably’?"

"I’m not sure. No one’s ever destroyed a Spirit Eye before. I don’t know the specifics."

The Bone Dragon recalled how it had recklessly drained the Spirit Eye’s power after being summoned. It might have ruined it then. Guilt prickled its conscience, and it hastily followed Yan Yi’s lead to change the subject—even forgetting to protest the nickname.

"Tch. Running away is the priority!"

Yan Yi bounded back to where they’d started. Guided by Little Bone, he found the four trapped in the bone prison. Half-buried in the earth, they looked like casualties of his own rampage. Yan Yi winced.

"They’re all unconscious!"

The bone bars meant nothing to Yan Yi—he snapped them like twigs. But no amount of shaking roused the four.

"Hmph. My magic will keep them asleep for three days," a smug voice declared. A vein throbbed on Yan Yi’s temple. *Four people?* Two would’ve been manageable. Four? His arms weren’t long enough.

Resigned, he reached toward his left shoulder. A bone chain materialized. Without a word, he lashed the four together, slung them over his back, and let their heads knock against each other as he ran.

Little Bone had one word for this:

"Demon."

Yan Yi scoffed, mirroring the disdainful look Little Bone once gave him.

"I’ve seen demons in human skin before. This? This is nothing."

With that, he sprinted toward Moonlight Village.

...

Near Moonlight Forest, a group waited anxiously. The explosions had stopped long ago. Juben and the others grew restless—had the battle ended? What about Yan Yi?

The two clan heads were shaken. Had they been closer to that final blast, they’d have been reduced to ash. It stung their pride. They’d come expecting a mere Demon Ascension, not a force that made the battlefield utterly inaccessible.

"Is Master alright?" Juben finally asked. Even Interle and Luris—the ones who knew Yan Yi best—had no answer. They’d never imagined a fight on this scale. Even Interle had lost interest in provoking the clan heads; all eyes were fixed on Bone Forest.

Suddenly, the distant trees trembled. Tension spiked—*was it a Magical Beast?*—until a figure leaped into view.

He looked ragged: his shirt hung in tatters, his pants torn. Yet up close, his skin was nearly unmarked.

Yan Yi sensed people ahead but froze when he saw the two green-haired and blue-haired men standing like gatekeepers.

Xiamu was the first to react, spotting the four bodies strapped to Yan Yi’s back.

The others surged forward—except the two wary uncles. Relief washed over them when they confirmed the four were merely asleep.

"Yan Yi, what is this bone chain?" Interle asked, still struggling to picture the Bone Dragon from Luris’s description.

"Dropped loot."

Yan Yi’s reply was casual. He lowered his voice, ensuring only those besides the two uncles heard:

"Bone Forest is nearly destroyed. *Don’t you dare say I did it.*"

The four exchanged bitter smiles. Even if they blamed him, who’d dare confront him?

"Juben, who is he?"

"Sweetheart, who’s this?"

The fathers bristled. Their daughters trusted this stranger more than them? Forget Slot—even Aite, the doting father, was ready to explode.

Juben and Luris flared with anger, but Yan Yi cut in first.

"I’m the butler Miss Juben hired from Central Academy. My Unique Magic specializes in stealth—I rescued them covertly. Honestly, it was terrifying back there. I almost didn’t make it out alive."

Little Bone seethed but bit back its retort, fearing retaliation.

Slot actually chuckled coldly.

"See? Your daughter’s lying again. I told you she tricked my son."

"*Damn it, Slot!* I’ll kill you today!"

Yan Yi struggled to follow. *These must be their fathers... but what’s happening?* He realized he’d been dragged into their drama. He glanced at Juben and Luris—their faces dark as storm clouds. Xiamu sighed; Interle smirked.

Juben and Luris were seconds from attacking their own fathers.

"Let’s... leave first," Xiamu urged. Only she could defuse this.

Juben and Luris shot death glares at their fathers and stormed off.

...

In Moonlight Village, Interle released the villagers’ Spirits. Little Bone lifted its control, and they revived—stronger than before. After brief words with the village elder, the group departed.

Moments after they left, a figure soared across the sky, landing swiftly in Bone Forest. A middle-aged man radiated overwhelming pressure as he hovered, but the devastation below left him stunned.

"Could a Heaven Defying expert have appeared?!"

He was one of the Five Academies’ deans—the Western Dean. He’d arrived too late.

"This Five Academies Grand Competition... I’ll need serious talks with those four."

After surveying the ruins, he cast one last uneasy glance at the miles-wide crater and vanished.

...

Back in Aite City, Luris’s mother tended to the injured. Her healing prowess in the Realm of Magic was unmatched.

Slot left first—he didn’t belong here. He’d tried taking Juben and Xiamu with him, but they refused. He departed, frustrated.

Just as life seemed to return to normal, Juben sighed. Luris was avoiding him *again*.

*After all that progress in Bone Forest... must I defeat my own master now?*

He complained to Yan Yi, who gave him a strange look. *Classic tsundere relapse. Never-ending.*

Yan Yi marveled that only Juben’s decade-long persistence could survive such antics. "Tsundere ruins lives," he muttered inwardly.

Silently, Yan Yi handed Juben a small book—a manual he’d crafted with Little Bone over three days, adapting magic principles.

Juben paled.

"*Red Blue Sword Qi: From Beginner to... Self-Detonation?!*"

"*Master?!* That’s a huge leap! And what kind of dangerous technique is this?!"

Yan Yi looked at him like a failed project. *After all the gal games I’ve... ahem, all the strategies I’ve mastered, why is this disciple so hopeless?*

"Master this. Double your training. Then I’ll help you."

Juben didn’t hesitate. "Deal."

Yan Yi sighed. *Love really does lower IQ.* Watching this was giving him a stomachache.

"This afternoon, hide here. When you see her, block her path. She’ll try to flee—then ask her..."

Confused but trusting, Juben hid in the bushes. An hour later, Luris appeared down the corridor. Unseen by him, four figures watched from a distant corner.

Juben leaped out, startling Luris. Recognizing him, she turned to flee.

"Luris!"

Her face flushed crimson, remembering her actions in Bone Forest. She wanted to vanish.

"I—I have business! I need to find Interle!"

From the corner, Interle gasped. *Busted?!*

As Luris stepped away, Juben steeled himself and called out:

"Luris... do you like Master?"

Her foot froze mid-step. Interle and Xiamu’s eyes widened. Luris’s mother clamped a hand over Aite’s mouth as he sputtered: *(Mmph! Who’s that bastard?!)*

Luris took a slow breath. Discomfort twisted inside her. She turned, expression serious.

"Yes. So what? He’s incredibly strong. Far stronger than you."

Juben’s eyes flew open. Xiamu covered her mouth. Luris’s mother tightened her grip. Aite’s muffled wail turned mournful: *(I’ll kill him!)*

Only Interle sighed. She could tell at a glance that Luris was lying. She already knew the truth, after all—she’d pondered her own feelings for Yan Yi too.

In the end, she’d concluded: it wasn’t dislike, but impossibility. Yan Yi stood too high; they couldn’t even glimpse his shadow!

Luris feeling inferior to Juben’s strength was understandable. Let alone Yan Yi, perched atop the summit!

None of them had the right—not even the qualification—to stand beside him.

Interle sighed again, silently praying for the unintended bond she’d sparked.

Juben suddenly laughed. Luris felt a pang in her chest, but he spoke.

“So you were lying after all!”

“Huh?”

This time, even Luris and Aite froze. Had he finally woken up?

Before Luris could react, Juben continued.

“If you truly liked Master, you’d blush and deny it outright.”

Yan Yi had hinted at this. Juben hadn’t grasped it at first—but Luris’s expression confirmed he was right.

Luris’s face flushed crimson. Moisture crackled in the air. Truthfully, her powerful Unique Magic could threaten Juben easily.

But Juben ignored it. He simply smiled.

“Go out with me, Luris.”

Her cheeks burned deeper, nearly steaming.

“Ugh… (Damn brat, get lost!) Uh!”

*Crack——*

A strange sound echoed, but Luris didn’t hear it. She was cornered. She could deny it from shyness—but her heart refused.

“I…”

Luris opened her mouth slowly, eyes avoiding Juben’s. Her voice was barely a whisper.

“I’m… quite troublesome…”

Before the words faded, Juben pulled her into his arms. Her eyes widened—but before she could squirm, his soft voice reached her.

“Were these ten years easy? Idiot.”

Luris’s eyes slowly closed. She felt the warmth from Bone Forest days. Resting her head on his chest, she murmured,

“Fool…”

“Fool and idiot… aren’t we perfect together?” Juben whispered. A decade of effort—for her protection, for her approval. Finally, it was real.

In the distance, three onlookers blushed. Interle and Xiamu beamed; they’d watched this pair all along. Luris’s mother gazed at the scene, her own cheeks deepening, sighing, “Ah, youth!”

Far away, someone lying on a tree branch finally exhaled. The corner of their mouth curved up slightly…