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Snowflakes drifted gently from the sky. As the woman in white gauze vanished, the air slowly warmed. Yet no one noticed the quiet relief of survival.
Compared to the Faithweavers standing at humanity’s peak, this youth with a face as calm as still water stunned them far more. Even Hua Zhaoxue and Nie Wangqing—those who’d vaguely guessed the veiled woman’s identity—had no room for distraction.
Tian You ignored their stunned gazes and walked toward the man who had taken human form from a dragon.
“You… who exactly are you…?” The handsome man, finally regaining his senses, was deeply shaken. He’d spent countless years within this isolated space, yet in his era, he’d never heard of a male Qi Cultivator with such power—let alone a youth so young!
“Merely someone who’s forgotten the past.” A faintly bitter smile touched Tian You’s lips.
“Then why help me? I attacked you all directly back then.”
Tian You didn’t answer. His gaze drifted slowly toward the woman seated upon the blossom tree. Whether the man had charged furiously at Li Rui’s group or clashed violently with the veiled woman—not a single petal of the tree had been harmed. Tian You looked away. For the first time, complexity flickered across his usually placid face.
“I love her. She loves me. That is all.” Following Tian You’s gaze, the man beheld the woman on the tree: serene expression, gentle smile, arms still held in an embrace—though the longsword she cradled was now absent.
Seeing her peaceful face, profound longing flooded the man’s eyes. Through that hazy gaze, he detached his left arm. With a flash of bronze light, it transformed into an ancient bronze longsword.
“Within this ruin, only she and I remained.” Holding the sword, he watched the fading space, a relieved smile on his lips. “I’ve guarded Hesi’s remains for countless years. I bear no grudge. Perhaps this is fate.”
He extended the bronze sword to Tian You. “Forged from my body. Though my soul cannot dwell within it, it is still dragon-born. Its power far surpasses mortal weapons.”
“Thank you.” Tian You accepted the sword but did not inspect the blade.
“Heh… I suspect you need no such thing… yet still, I ask a favor.”
The man spoke no specifics. His eyes held the same serene peace as the woman in the tree. A quiet pang struck Tian You’s heart. He gave a slight nod.
“Thank you.”
As Tian You nodded, the man dissolved into a stream of bronze light, returning to the woman’s embrace. Now a sword, its blade shimmered with brilliant radiance, faint dragon roars echoing like a final, tender farewell.
Tian You gripped the sword in one hand, gathered soft silver light in the other. His violet eyes lingered once on the great blossom tree—then he swung his arm.
Silver radiance flooded the ruin. In that last moment, the image of a woman cradling a sword with a gentle smile was etched deep into every soul—
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When awareness returned, the ruin was gone. They stood again atop the mountain peak. Yet the awe of the ruin paled beside the sword-wielding youth before them.
Tian You gazed into the bottomless cliff below and sighed softly—whether for the two within the ruin, or for himself, none could tell.
After steadying his slightly turbulent heart, he turned to Li Rui, whose eyes shone with admiration, and offered the bronze sword.
“I broke your blade. This is compensation.”
“!!”
Li Rui’s face lit with ecstatic joy—then, recalling Tian You’s overwhelming sword aura, he forcibly tore his gaze away. “This sword… suits you far better than me…”
Not only Li Rui, but Li Yilin and Zheng Biao now regarded Tian You with quiet reverence.
“It is not for me.” Tian You pressed the sword firmly into Li Rui’s hands. “If I wielded it, it would shatter soon.”
He’d felt it earlier—when holding Li Rui’s iron sword: a resistance from some undefined concept within. The blade vanished after two swings. Partly the material… but mostly that inexplicable aversion in his heart.
Li Rui, however, believed Tian You’s cultivation had transcended external tools. And as he knew, even rare males who cultivated Qi Energy could only become Battle Orators.
…Perhaps Tian You already possessed his own Soulbound Artifact…
Blinded by sudden joy, he never wondered: if Tian You could wield a Soulbound Artifact, why use a discarded mortal sword at all?
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“Tian You…” Hua Zhaoxue, silent until now, softly called his name. She stepped forward, halted a meter away, her gentle eyes shimmering with worry and shy apprehension.
Her heart was the most conflicted of all.
On one hand—the one who brought her to the brink of death might be her deepest idol.
On the other—that transcendent figure who stood guard before them, shielding them with quiet grace… had utterly captivated her.
Amidst this turmoil, Tian You—the youth who stepped forward with gentlemanly calm—began gently claiming her heart.
But… could she truly walk beside him?
Seeing her timid expression, Tian You needed no ethereal reminder this time. He simply reached out and took her small hand, as he always had.
“Rest assured. I am unharmed.”
“…Mm…”
Feeling his familiar warmth, no distance, no change—her heart slowly sank into quiet devotion.
Noting Hua Zhaoxue’s calm, Tian You turned to Li Yilin, whose eyes held a trace of envy.
“Miss Yilin… the matter of Man City is settled. Please arrange our departure.”
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