Once he decided not to leave, his heart settled, and life returned to its steady rhythm—tempering the body, hunting in the wild, and learning all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge from Wenren Li.
Chen Yixin was an unpolished jade destined for the path of the sword, while Wenren Li was the finest whetstone to hone him.
In daily life, Wenren Li cared for Chen Yixin with meticulous attention. Yet once they entered the forest, unless Chen Yixin faced a life-or-death crisis, Wenren Li would not lift a finger. Instead, he used ancient medicinal formulas—long lost to the outside world—to prepare herbal baths for him, greatly enhancing the effects of body tempering.
Ten years passed.
Chen Yixin’s appearance remained unchanged, but his bearing had undergone a complete transformation. Especially when he held his wooden sword—his battle intent surged skyward, sharp and awe-inspiring.
Only now had he truly stepped onto the path of a sword cultivator.
Returning from the forest, Chen Yixin held ten black crystals in his hand. He walked to Wenren Li’s side—who was seated quietly on a wooden chair by the flower fields—and personally placed the crystals into the cloth pouch at his waist. There were several such pouches in their house, all filled to the brim.
After placing them inside, Chen Yixin did not rise. Instead, he sat on the ground, resting his head on Wenren Li’s thigh, quietly keeping him company.
The scenery in this small valley was beautiful. Yet no matter how fine a view might be, ten years of seeing it daily should have made it dull. But Chen Yixin felt none of that.
The scenery before him never grew tiresome. Neither did the person beside him.
Perhaps… staying here forever wouldn’t be so bad.
Wenren Li slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon Chen Yixin’s hair. He raised a hand and gently stroked it.
“You’re back.”
“Not counting the travel time, I was half a quarter-hour faster than yesterday,” Chen Yixin replied before Wenren Li could comment. Without moving his body, he tilted his head slightly, gazing up at him.
“Mm.” Wenren Li nodded, saying no more.
Chen Yixin’s progress was evident every day—especially after last night’s breakthrough in body tempering.
“A-Hua…” Chen Yixin suddenly called out, his eyes softening completely.
He reached out, grasped Wenren Li’s hand, and guided it to his own cheek.
“Do you think I look good?”
His face was mostly covered by Wenren Li’s hand, leaving only those bright, lively eyes visible.
But did Wenren Li need to look?
This person—who had barged into his world in such an extraordinary way—was someone he could never forget.
“Good-looking,” Wenren Li answered.
Chen Yixin didn’t reply. A smile curled at his lips.
His hand slid away from Wenren Li’s, instead wrapping around his waist. He shifted slightly, adjusting his position, his lips brushing lightly against Wenren Li’s palm.
That strange, fleeting sensation caused Wenren Li’s gaze to waver.
He lifted his eyes toward the sky, a faint shadow darkening them—before it quickly faded. Then he continued absentmindedly stroking Chen Yixin’s hair.
Two months later, Chen Yixin had fully adapted to his strengthened body.
He carried back a black crystal the size of a fist and presented it before Wenren Li, his eyes darting expectantly—as though begging for praise without saying it aloud.
“A-Rong, come with me.”
Wenren Li did not take the crystal. Instead, he stepped toward the center of the flower field.
The smile on Chen Yixin’s face faded, but he still followed.
“The restriction sealing the Burning Heaven Nether Palace has fully opened. Even Soul Transformation cultivators can now enter. We must leave this place.”
“You’re certain it’s ‘we,’ not just me?” Chen Yixin stepped forward. He glanced briefly at the sky—now utterly changed—before fixing his gaze on Wenren Li.
“We,” Wenren Li replied.
He turned back, his eyes lowering to meet Chen Yixin’s. His hand rose to stroke his hair again, then slowly drifted down to his cheek.
Chen Yixin’s heart skipped.
He stepped forward and leaned into Wenren Li’s embrace, inhaling deeply before speaking with certainty:
“A-Hua, I like you.”
“And you?” Though confident in Wenren Li’s feelings, Chen Yixin still felt a flicker of nervousness.
“Once we leave the Burning Heaven Nether Palace, we will form a dao-bond and marry.”
Wenren Li returned the embrace.
From the moment Chen Yixin chose to stay… from the nights he climbed into his bed… from ten years spent side by side—he was just as certain.
The tension in Chen Yixin’s chest melted away.
He smiled brightly, rose onto his toes, and kissed Wenren Li’s cheek—then did it again, unable to stop himself.
“A-Hua…”
“Mm,” Wenren Li responded.
For thirty thousand years, his heart had barely stirred. Yet now, it beat in complete disarray at Chen Yixin’s closeness.
He leaned down slightly, unsure where to kiss.
Sensing his intent, Chen Yixin tilted his head and pressed his lips to Wenren Li’s.
They lingered for a moment before stepping apart.
Wenren Li, as always, grew shy. Even Chen Yixin felt a hint of embarrassment—but to him, they were both men. There was nothing to be coy about.
If you liked someone, you liked them.
If you wanted closeness, you took it.
He firmly grasped Wenren Li’s hand, then turned and knelt toward the sky, where faint cracks had begun to appear.
“No need to leave. We’ll bow to Heaven and Earth here. From this day forth, A-Hua is my dao companion.”
As his words fell, the cracks in the sky tore open completely.
Others were about to break into this strange realm.
Chen Yixin stood, slightly regretful—but then smiled again.
“Though the rites aren’t complete, A-Hua is already my betrothed dao companion.”
“Alright,” Wenren Li agreed.
He embraced Chen Yixin and, just before the sky fully shattered, vanished with him from the realm.
After they left, two Soul Transformation stage experts forced their way in. The once-stable realm collapsed violently, leaving them disheveled despite escaping unharmed.
Wenren Li brought Chen Yixin out—but did not immediately leave the palace.
The black crystals Chen Yixin had gathered were no ordinary objects—they were among the rare inheritance cores of the Burning Heaven Nether Palace.
“Go. I’ll wait for you here,” Wenren Li said, leading him to a suspended bridge at the estate’s center.
Chen Yixin held the inheritance crystal, glancing at Wenren Li.
He had long understood the vast gap between them. This inheritance could close that distance.
He had to go.
And Wenren Li wanted him to.
“Alright. Then A-Hua must wait for me.”
He hugged Wenren Li gently, then, before turning away, kissed his lips once more.
“Wait for me.”
Wenren Li nodded, watching him step onto the bridge.
Moments later, Wenren Li used the black crystals Chen Yixin had gathered to set up defensive formations.
Once Chen Yixin obtained the inheritance, phenomena would surely appear—drawing powerful figures from all sides.
His true body still slumbered in the Li Kui Demon Palace. With only his soul and spirit forms, he could not withstand more than three Soul Transformation cultivators.
Time in the strange realm had been frozen—ten years inside equaled mere moments outside.
But Chen Yixin’s inheritance trial took nearly another ten years.
The longer it took, the greater the reward.
For Wenren Li, those ten years were grueling. Of all the crystals, he kept only the first one Chen Yixin had given him—the rest were exhausted.
“Old fiend! My disciple isn’t some child in his twenties—yet you still dare lay hands on him!”
Wenren Li and Yun Yazi struck simultaneously, repelling a sneak attack. But Yun Yazi glared at Wenren Li with undisguised fury.
The scene of Chen Yixin kissing him before entering the bridge had nearly made Yun Yazi fall from the clouds.
A man who had lived tens of thousands of years—daring to seduce his innocent final disciple!
“A-Rong likes me,” Wenren Li replied simply.
Every time, that single sentence left Yun Yazi speechless.
With a snort, Yun Yazi regained his composure. “The real battle is coming. How confident are you?”
Wenren Li returned to sit before the bridge, closing his eyes to regulate his breath.
After a moment, he answered:
“I will protect A-Rong.”
Confidence or not—he would see it through.
A clear phoenix cry rang across the estate.
An ice-blue phoenix formed of spiritual energy circled above the central palace.
Wenren Li and Yun Yazi rose at once.
Hidden experts revealed themselves, attacking in full force—they intended to seize Chen Yixin and claim the inheritance.
“A-Hua!”
Chen Yixin rushed out from the bridge—but before reaching it, Yun Yazi pulled him aside.
“Don’t interfere.”
Wenren Li faced nine Soul Transformation cultivators alone.
Even the aftershocks of their battle could kill Chen Yixin hundreds of times over.
Though anxious, he could only watch.
“Cough—”
Blood slipped from Wenren Li’s lips.
He turned, glancing at Chen Yixin… then at Yun Yazi.
The small sapling mark on his brow flew out as he intoned:
“I purify all things.”
The sapling shattered.
His soul dissipated.
“No—!”
Chen Yixin tried to rush forward, but Yun Yazi restrained him.
Helpless, he watched as Wenren Li annihilated all nine enemies—
And perished with them.
Yun Yazi tapped his forehead, and darkness took him.
Present time:
In a small courtyard, Chen Yixin sat with eyes closed for nearly half an hour.
When he opened them, he had seen everything Wenren Li had shown him.
Shock. Grief. Fury.
They surged together.
He pulled Wenren Li into a tight embrace, unable to speak for a long time.
“I told Yun Yazi to tell you to wait for me,” Wenren Li said softly. “It seems… he didn’t.”
Though his soul and spirit had perished, his true body remained.
Given centuries—perhaps a millennium—he would awaken again.
But the injury had been severe. Even after a hundred years, though his body regained consciousness, his soul and spirit had yet to recover.
“A-Li…”
Chen Yixin’s voice turned hoarse.
“My master… he never told me.”
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