Truth be told, Ye Xuan felt the sting of defeat!
Limitless!
Having reached it, he’d thought he could hold his own even among seasoned Limitless masters!
Yet he hadn’t expected to lose so effortlessly to Sister Nian!
At that moment, Mu Niannian spoke again. “I divide the world’s cultivators into three types: those within the circle, those who break the circle, and those who draw the circle.”
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “Am I within the circle now?”
Mu Niannian nodded. “Yes, because you haven’t yet created your own realm! Once you do, you’ll be a circle-breaker!”
Ye Xuan hesitated, then asked, “Are there lots of circles? Like, after jumping out of one and breaking it, there’s still a bigger one waiting?”
Mu Niannian blinked. “What do you think?”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened. “So it’s just an endless loop?”
She chuckled lightly. “You’ve got it! Everything in this world is a cycle—spring, summer, autumn, winter; birth, ageing, sickness, death; flowers blooming and wilting…”
She patted his shoulder gently. “Congrats on grasping the true essence of the martial path early! But your realm’s still too low—even understanding this won’t do you much good yet!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Mu Niannian suddenly said, “Let Ye Ling come with me!”
Ye Xuan blinked, then asked, “Why?”
She smiled. “I’ll tell you later! I’ve already spoken to her about it!”
Ye Xuan hesitated, then said, “Sister Nian, are you hiding something from me?”
She nodded.
He pressed, “What are you hiding?”
She grinned. “Can’t tell you!”
Ye Xuan was speechless.
Mu Niannian chuckled softly. “I’ve been to the Other World. With your current strength, few there could kill you! But you’re not invincible either! Of course, once you’re there, your path is yours to walk!”
Ye Xuan asked, “And you, Sister Nian?”
She smiled. “I’m taking them somewhere else!”
Before he could ask more, she added, “Let me show you someone!”
With that, she turned and waved her sleeve.
Boom!
The space shattered, revealing a woman within the fractured void!
Clad in a snow-white dress, she wielded a long spear!
An Lanxiu!
At that moment, An Lanxiu was locked in fierce combat with a woman in dark armour!
Mu Niannian reached out with her right hand, and the spacetime blurred. An Lanxiu stepped out!
In that void, the armoured woman glared at Mu Niannian, flipping her a rude gesture, eyes dripping with disdain.
Mu Niannian raised her hand and slapped the air.
Smack!
The armoured woman was sent flying!
Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched. Bloody hell, that woman’s got guts to provoke Sister Nian!
In that unknown spacetime, the armoured woman was dazed by the slap.
No way to fight back?
Mu Niannian ignored her, waved her hand, and sealed the void shut.
Ye Xuan glanced at her. Bloody hell, Sister Nian’s a beast! Gotta cling to this thigh!
Mu Niannian turned to An Lanxiu. “How’s it feel?”
An Lanxiu nodded. “Limitless!”
Limitless!
Ye Xuan’s expression froze. “You’ve reached Limitless too?”
An Lanxiu glanced at him and nodded.
Ye Xuan: “…”
She smiled. “Wenxiu’s probably close too!”
Ye Xuan turned to Mu Niannian, dead serious. “Sister Nian, how about I just follow you from now on?”
He reckoned sticking with her was a golden ticket!
Mu Niannian laughed heartily. “You can’t follow me.”
Ye Xuan frowned. “Why not?”
She grinned. “No reason!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
She added, “Fancy a spar, you two?”
Ye Xuan and An Lanxiu both shook their heads.
Both were Limitless—without a fight to the death, there’d be no clear winner! And a deathmatch between them? Out of the question!
Pointless!
Mu Niannian smiled. “Fair enough! Chat away then!”
With that, she vanished!
Ye Xuan turned to An Lanxiu, grinning. “Let’s walk!”
She nodded.
They strolled into the starry depths.
Ye Xuan suddenly asked, “That place just now—what was it?”
An Lanxiu shook her head. “No idea. Sister Nian took us there. It’s all about fighting!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Was that the legendary Other World?
He wasn’t sure!
An Lanxiu said softly, “Following Sister Nian, we’ve learned a ton!”
Ye Xuan chuckled. “I can tell!”
He’d once left An Lanxiu and the others in his dust, but now she’d hit Limitless!
Her progress was unreal!
An Lanxiu suddenly asked, “Where are you off to next?”
Ye Xuan grinned. “The Other World!”
She nodded slightly, then stopped. “Let’s part here!”
Ye Xuan stepped forward, grabbed her hands, and she looked at him without pulling away.
He smiled softly. “You’re still as gorgeous as ever!”
An Lanxiu said nothing.
Ye Xuan pulled her into a gentle embrace. She didn’t resist. After a moment, she rested her head on his shoulder.
They stood there, holding each other!
They were friends, lovers, confidants.
An Lanxiu had been his first benefactor, the first woman he’d ever fallen for!
After a long while, she whispered, “Wait for me to find you!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Alright!”
An hour later, he left!
An Lanxiu and Ye Ling would follow Mu Niannian—he was at ease with that. It’d do them both good!
After Ye Xuan departed, Mu Niannian appeared beside An Lanxiu. She gazed at the horizon, smiling. “He’s gone?”
An Lanxiu nodded.
Mu Niannian grinned. “Then it’s time we got moving too!”
An Lanxiu turned to her. “Where to?”
Mu Niannian smiled faintly. “Somewhere far more dangerous!”
An Lanxiu hesitated, then asked, “Sister Nian, just how strong are you?”
Mu Niannian chuckled. “Under the Three Swords, I’m not quite invincible, but no one can kill me!”
An Lanxiu grew curious. “Under the Three Swords—any rivals?”
Mu Niannian nodded. “Three that I know of!”
An Lanxiu pressed, “Who?”
Mu Niannian smiled faintly. “One’s Tu Girl—her swordsmanship rivals mine! Another’s a War Goddess—her martial prowess is divine, at least as strong as me, if not stronger! The last’s a little monster—not human! From what I know, only the Three Swords’ blades can pierce her flesh!”
An Lanxiu hesitated, then asked, “How far are you from the Three Swords?”
Mu Niannian blinked. “I’m not answering that!”
An Lanxiu: “…”
Mu Niannian laughed heartily. “Come on! Time to show off—er, I mean, train!”
An Lanxiu: “…”
—
After reaching a stretch of starry void, a woman appeared before Ye Xuan.
Yan Ban Shan!
She looked at him. “Limitless?”
He nodded.
She gave a slight nod. “Good!”
She glanced into the distance below. “That woman earlier—very strong!”
Clearly, she meant Mu Niannian!
Ye Xuan grinned. “My Sister Nian!”
Yan Ban Shan glanced at him. “I’m leaving!”
Ye Xuan asked, “To the Other World?”
She nodded. “Master’s summoned me!”
A Dao Ling!
Ye Xuan thought it over, then said, “Let’s go together!”
She nodded. “Alright!”
With that, they vanished to the edge of the sky.
—
After Ye Xuan and A Dao Ling left, King Zhongshan and Yin Sha Ye began their own seclusion.
Truth be told, neither was confident they’d reach Limitless, but neither would give up!
Unlike those in the Little Tower, their training would take a very, very long time…
—
In the vast starfield, Ye Xuan and Yan Ban Shan tore through spacetime.
Destination: the Other World!
Five hours later, a massive stone gate loomed before them.
Ye Xuan eyed it, exasperated. Bloody hell, always a stone gate—can’t it be an iron one for once?
Yan Ban Shan said, “We’re here!”
He nodded. They approached the gate. No one stopped them. Yan Ban Shan waved her sleeve, the gate opened, and a flood of white light engulfed them.
Moments later, Ye Xuan opened his eyes to blue skies and white clouds.
A brand-new world!
But then he turned—and Yan Ban Shan was gone!
Where’d she go?
Ye Xuan frowned, scanning the area. His divine sense swept out millions of miles!
No trace of her!
After a pause, he decided not to bother with her. He glanced into the distance, a smirk tugging at his lips!
Limitless!
The highest realm in this Other World was Limitless—and now, he was no longer the underdog!
He’d already made up his mind!
If he couldn’t strut his stuff for more than three days, he’d quit trying!
He’d settle for being a proper second-gen, coasting off Qing’er.
Soft rice can taste pretty sweet sometimes!
As Ye Xuan prepared to leave, a dozen figures appeared before him. A middle-aged man at their head sized him up, then grinned. “Another one’s arrived!”
Ye Xuan blinked. “You lot aren’t here to rob me, are you?”
The man paused, then laughed. “Spot on—we’re here to rob you!”
Ye Xuan brushed dust off his clothes, grinning. “Little Tower, time to show off! How should I play this? One move to wipe them out, or play it coy—pretend I’m losing, then reveal my strength and scare them senseless? Ugh, such a dilemma… Invincibility’s so lonely!”
Little Tower paused, then muttered, “Bloody hell…”
