Chapter 34: Farewell

Li An soared through the sky, pulled by Frost Snow’s grip.

Hand in hand, they danced through the sea of clouds. White cranes glided past, and Frost Snow waved cheerfully. Li An barely noticed her smile—he was too busy marveling at the expanse below.

“Faster! Go faster!” he shouted, exhilarated.

Frost Snow obliged, her Origin Energy flaring. The clouds parted as they accelerated, wind howling in their ears. Li An pointed upward. “Higher!”

They rocketed toward the stars. At peak altitude, Li An grinned. “Let go!”

Frost Snow released him.

Freefall.

Li An plummeted, eyes closed, savoring the rush. Wind and cloud shredded around him, the roar of descent harmonizing with his soaring spirit. Frost Snow spiraled alongside, laughing at his unrestrained joy.

Epiphany

Mid-plummet, clarity struck.

Divine Requiem’s First Movement—Windsong.

Not through forced meditation, but in the ecstasy of flight.

Landing, Li An demanded: “Attack me. Full speed.”

Frost Snow obliged. Ice spears materialized, streaking toward him.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Eyes shut, Li An swayed—a willow in a storm. Not a single shard grazed him.

“You… dodged them all?” Frost Snow gaped.

“Effortless,” Li An smirked. “Let’s prepare. We leave for Vermilion Bird Domain tomorrow.”

Homecoming

Their courtyard, shaded by ancient trees, brimmed with summer’s breath—sunlight dappling grass, petals adrift in warm breezes. Frost Snow’s presence added new poetry to the scene.

Li An drained his Star Terminal’s funds—three million military merits evaporated into cultivation resources. Tri-realm advancement devoured wealth; a month’s supplies barely nudged his progress toward mid-Fourth Realm.

Need more funds. Always more.

Ancestral Shadows

Midnight. Li An knelt before the family shrine—four urns, four faded photographs. Incense smoke curled around his kowtows.

“Grandfather. Grandmother. Mother. Father.” Three bows, nine knocks—the full mourning rite. “Your Li An journeys afar. My name will thunder across realms. Even in the afterlife, you’ll hear it.”

Frost Snow watched from the doorway, heart aching at his fleeting vulnerability.

Cultivation Gambit

The basement hummed with energy. Li An’s tri-realm cores glowed—mental, elemental, physical—each at 2% Fourth Realm progression. A fragmented rune hovered near his talent sigil: the nascent character for Wind.

Most cultivators focused on single-realm mastery. Zhang Sanfeng’s warnings echoed: Breadth without depth is folly.

Yet Li An persisted. His secret trump card demanded tri-realm equilibrium.

Sacrifice short-term gains for ultimate supremacy.

League champion’s rewards—three Infinite-Grade Evolution Serums—could wait. Frost Snow’s timely gift had bought him breathing room.

Dawn Departure

As vermilion hues painted the horizon, Li An shouldered his pack. Frost Snow floated beside him, icy dress rippling like dawn-lit waves.

“Regrets?” she asked.

Li An glanced at the shrinking city below. “Only that I can’t carry this courtyard with me.”

The airship’s engines thrummed. Somewhere ahead lay the Vermilion Bird Domain—and battles that would either forge legends or graves.