Chapter 331: Chapter 331: Power and Recognition.

High above a beautiful mountain peak, within a secluded training ground…

Beneath a clear blue sky and drifting clouds, Yan Moxuan stood alone, his brows tightly furrowed as he stared at the scene before him.

“An illusion?”

He still remembered clearly that he had died… by the hand of that man called Li Feng.

He had been so weak and helpless against that monster.

“If only I had my full cultivation…”

Yan Moxuan gritted his teeth in frustration.

If it weren’t for him having to limit his cultivation to the Qi Refinement Realm, then the result would have been different.

At the very least, he wouldn’t have died like a helpless dog.

Just then, he noticed someone approaching.

Turning to look, he froze as he saw… his younger self.

“…”

Yan Moxuan stared in silence at the young boy, who looked sharp and serious, and yet… full of brightness compared to him.

Countless thoughts ran through his mind as he watched his younger self begin to practice diligently with a wooden sword.

“…Tch.”

A quiet scoff slipped from his lips, but there was no true mockery in it… only something heavier and regret.

The younger Yan Moxuan moved with vigor, his steps light yet deliberate.

Each strike of the wooden sword cut cleanly through the air, carrying a sense of discipline that hadn’t yet been worn down by time.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Sweat dripped from his brow, yet his eyes remained unwavering… focused, determined and filled with a conviction that burned far brighter than the present Yan Moxuan remembered.

Watching this, Yan Moxuan’s expression grew colder.

“…So this is what I used to be.”

His voice was low.

But beneath it lingered a faint tremor… something he refused to acknowledge.

The younger version of him suddenly stopped, as if sensing something.

He turned his head slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

For a brief moment… their eyes met.

Yan Moxuan’s breath hitched.

“…!”

But the younger him wasn’t looking at him.

He was looking at someone behind him.

And Yan Moxuan instinctively knew who it was.

For a moment, he didn’t want to turn.

Yet something buried deep within his heart… something that had long since hardened into stone suddenly cracked.

Slowly… almost unwillingly… he turned his head.

And there she stood.

Beneath drifting leaves and gentle morning light filtering through the clear blue sky, she stood quietly at the edge of the training ground.

An extraordinarily beautiful woman… her presence almost ethereal against the majestic mountain peak.

Long, silky silver-white hair cascaded down her back like moonlight, elegantly gathered into a graceful bun, adorned with an ornate silver hairpiece.

A delicate blue tassel swayed softly with the breeze as a few loose strands framed her refined face, accentuating her fair, porcelain-like skin that seemed to glow under the sunlight.

Her features were delicate, yet captivating.

But what always captured his attention…

…were her eyes.

Sharp, almond-shaped, and a striking luminous blue like the distant sky itself.

They carried a depth that felt untouchable, as though she stood far above mortal affairs.

…Like a true immortal.

A small, alluring mole rested beneath her left eye, adding a subtle charm to her otherwise distant expression.

The morning breeze lifted the edges of her robe and stirred strands of her silver hair, making her appear like a celestial being who had descended upon this mortal world.

Yan Moxuan’s lips parted slightly.

“…Master…”

He murmured in a daze, meeting the woman who was both his master… and once, his obsession, after all these years.

But then his younger self broke into a smile, stepping forward and bowing.

“Master! Is there anything you need?”

Despite trying to act serious, Yan Moxuan could tell that his younger self was quietly excited inside.

After all… his master rarely bothered with training anyone.

He had only managed to become her disciple due to special circumstances, and even then, he still believed that one day he would prove his worth… that he was qualified to stand by her side.

And yet…

As Yan Moxuan slowly recalled what was about to happen next, a trace of pity surfaced in his eyes.

His gaze trembled.

“…Fool…”

The word slipped out beneath his breath… quiet, almost inaudible.

But there was no real scorn in it.

Only… a bitter understanding.

He watched as his younger self stood there, eyes bright, posture straight, completely unaware of what lay ahead.

His master stood calmly at the edge of the training ground, her silver hair swaying gently in the breeze, her expression as distant and composed as ever.

She looked at the younger Yan Moxuan.

“…You’re improving.”

Her voice was soft, almost ethereal yet it remained cold and detached despite the words.

The younger Yan Moxuan straightened instantly, pride flickering in his eyes.

After all, this was the first time his master had acknowledged him.

“Thank you, Master! I will work even harder!”

But at his enthusiasm, she simply raised her hand slightly.

And the younger Yan Moxuan tensed immediately, sensing something was wrong.

“…Yes, Master?”

Then, slowly, she spoke.

“Come forward.”

Her voice was gentle, as if beckoning someone.

Only then did the younger Yan Moxuan notice that there was someone standing behind her.

A moment later, a small figure timidly stepped out.

A little girl.

But almost instantly, he noticed something strange about her eyes.

Despite the beautiful blend of deep purple in her pupils, they were unfocused… hazy… as if covered in a thin veil.

’Blind?’

The little girl stood hesitantly beside his master, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves, clearly nervous about meeting a stranger.

The younger Yan Moxuan frowned slightly, puzzled.

“…Master?”

He turned toward her and… froze.

She was smiling.

That smile.

The one he had always longed to see.

It was now directed… at that little girl.

He didn’t understand.

Why was she smiling?

Why… at her?

Why not him?

His master’s gaze remained fixed on the little girl as she spoke softly,

“…This child’s name is Liu Yanyue. From today onward, she will stay here.”

A brief pause.

“…She will also be your junior sister.”

The younger Yan Moxuan froze at those words.

“…This master… why her?”

He couldn’t understand.

Why would such a weak, blind little girl become her disciple so easily?

And why…

Did she seem able to make his master smile like that?

His master didn’t answer him immediately.

She simply continued patting the little girl’s hair, her voice calm and distant as she spoke.

“…Because Liu Yanyue is special—”

“Enough!!”

Suddenly—

Yan Moxuan struck, as a furious punch slammed into his younger self.

CRACK!

Like glass, the entire scene began to fracture.

Cracks spread rapidly across the world before it shattered into countless fragments, each piece falling away into an endless void of darkness.

Yan Moxuan stood amidst the collapsing illusion, his body trembling, his expression twisted with rage.

“Show yourself!”

His voice echoed into the void.

He knew that this was an illusion of the past.

…Something or someone deliberately showing it to him.

And as expected,

A figure, formed entirely of darkness, slowly stepped forward from the shadows.

[…]

Seeing this, Yan Moxuan’s lips curled into a cold sneer.

“You bastard… you dare pry into my memories?”

His eyes sharpened, killing intent rising like a storm.

“…You’re courting death.”

The figure didn’t reply as it just looked at him in silence for a long moment before it spoke.

[…Strange… Why do you… reject… it?]

Yan Moxuan frowned when he heard its words, and before he could reply, it continued, slowly circling around him.

[You have… his… “Divine Blood”… So why… don’t you use it?]

Yan Moxuan froze and stared at the figure.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“Divine Blood” was something bestowed upon all the Emissaries… something only a select few within the sect knew about.

And now… something like this actually knew about it.

Yan Moxuan couldn’t help but stay on high alert.

But then… he realized something.

He was already dead.

There was no need to—

[…You… are not dead… yet.]

“…!?”

Yan Moxuan was shocked as the thing read his thoughts.

But suddenly, he couldn’t move anymore.

The figure had “held” him in place.

[Let… make… a deal…]

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[Don’t forget to check out the mysterious master’s portrait in the popularity pool~]

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