An Lanxiu looked at the excited Ye Xuan before her, remaining silent.
Ye Xuan hurriedly said, “Little An, I just discovered a new cultivation method called Transformation…”
He proceeded to explain his earlier findings to An Lanxiu.
An Lanxiu frowned slightly. “Can it really work?”
Ye Xuan nodded eagerly. “It absolutely can! You should definitely try it!”
An Lanxiu hesitated, then nodded and began to experiment. Moments later, a glint of excitement flashed in her eyes. “It really works!”
Ye Xuan grinned. “I’m going to apply it to my sword techniques!”
An Lanxiu nodded. “That’s feasible!”
Ye Xuan said, “I need to go into seclusion for a while!”
With that, he turned and slipped away.
Left behind, An Lanxiu furrowed her brow slightly. Had she forgotten something?
…
Ye Xuan found a quiet mountaintop and sat cross-legged, the Qingxuan Sword floating before him.
As Little Pagoda was about to speak, Ye Xuan cut in, “Shut up, this has nothing to do with you!”
Little Pagoda: “…”
In the days that followed, Ye Xuan began studying Transformation.
The Transformation Realm!
He didn’t cultivate step-by-step, as he didn’t focus on realms or follow conventional paths!
As long as he had money and resources, he could cultivate any realm he wanted!
Moreover, he felt his version of Transformation might differ from others’!
As for how it differed, he wasn’t sure, since he wasn’t familiar with the standard Transformation Realm either!
Cultivation knows no time.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye—though, in the outside world, it was merely a day.
Ye Xuan first experimented with his “Sword-Drawn Life-or-Death” technique, as its stacking nature made it ideal for fission!
Countless sword energies stacked, with the core sword energy undergoing fission!
Ye Xuan tried again and again, searching for the perfect fission point.
After years of relentless attempts, he finally found and mastered that perfect fission point.
In a certain starry sky, Ye Xuan stood with a sword—not the Qingxuan Sword, but an ordinary one.
Ye Xuan closed his eyes.
Calm breath!
Focused mind!
Moments later, he abruptly drew his sword and slashed.
As the sword fell, countless afterimages overlapped!
In that instant, he stacked thirty thousand sword strikes!
The moment the thirty thousand swords converged, the sword energy underwent fission!
Boom!
In an instant, the starfield within millions of miles was annihilated!
One sword obliterated an entire starfield!
And this was with an ordinary sword, not the Qingxuan Sword!
With the Qingxuan Sword, the power would be doubled!
However, after unleashing this strike, Ye Xuan felt utterly drained, as if he’d been sapped of all strength, limp as if he’d just done *that* deed!
Soft!
Legs soft!
Everything soft!
That was Ye Xuan’s sensation at that moment!
At that moment, An Lanxiu appeared before him. She walked over and supported him. Ye Xuan, already weak, collapsed fully into her arms.
A perfect embrace!
An Lanxiu’s body stiffened.
Ye Xuan, pale and frail, said weakly, “I couldn’t control it. I’ve got no strength left!”
An Lanxiu hesitated, then asked, “Can you stand?”
Ye Xuan shook his head slightly. “Let me lie here for a bit, just a bit!”
An Lanxiu hesitated for a long moment but ultimately didn’t refuse.
Ye Xuan lay in her arms as she sat in the void, surrounded by the annihilated starry sky, a scene of utter silence.
Ye Xuan suddenly asked, “Little An, did you succeed?”
An Lanxiu nodded. “I did!”
Ye Xuan froze, then said, “So fast?”
An Lanxiu nodded. “I achieved it a year ago!”
Ye Xuan’s expression stiffened!
A year ago!
He shook his head with a wry smile. Little An’s talent was truly monstrous!
An Lanxiu suddenly asked, “How did you come up with that method?”
Ye Xuan grinned. “Battle!”
Battle!
In truth, the idea stemmed from his fights with the Spirit Demon Oracle and the Spirit Demon Clan powerhouses.
He genuinely believed that battle was the best way to improve!
Constantly pushing and elevating himself!
An Lanxiu said softly, “You’re moving very fast!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
In truth, he felt he was moving a bit too fast himself.
Should he slow down?
He’d had that thought before, but what happened?
Once he reached a certain level, he wanted to see what lay higher. Learning was endless. If he just wanted to show off, he could return to Qing City and bask in endless glory!
But what meaning would that have?
Life needed some challenge to be interesting!
At that moment, An Lanxiu asked, “Is your goal to surpass the Three Swords?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Yes!”
An Lanxiu nodded slightly. “I’ll accompany you!”
Ye Xuan looked at An Lanxiu, at her breathtakingly beautiful face, and suddenly felt a daze!
Oh no!
It’s that heart-fluttering feeling!
In truth, he’d felt it long ago!
An Lanxiu looked down at him. “Why are you staring at me?”
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. “Little An, do you remember our first meeting?”
An Lanxiu nodded.
Ye Xuan reached out and took her hand. An Lanxiu’s hand trembled, instinctively trying to pull away, but Ye Xuan held it tightly.
Helpless, An Lanxiu gave up resisting.
Ye Xuan said softly, “Thinking back to that time, it feels like yesterday. Back then, you were the youngest State Scholar of Jiang Kingdom, the most prodigious genius, so dazzling no one dared look directly at you…”
An Lanxiu lowered her head slightly, silent.
Ye Xuan smiled. “Remember Ye Lang?”
An Lanxiu nodded. “The one who reincarnated and seized a body!”
Ye Xuan laughed. “In truth, I’m quite grateful to him. If not for him, you might not have come to Qing City. If you hadn’t come, I might not have met you. And if I hadn’t met you, even surpassing the Three Swords—what meaning would life have?”
He looked into An Lanxiu’s eyes. “To me, a thousand sword paths pale before a single smile from you!”
Little Pagoda: “…”
An Lanxiu looked down at Ye Xuan, silent.
Ye Xuan gazed at her. “Little An, I like you. Do you like me?”
Simple and direct!
Hearing his words, An Lanxiu’s body trembled slightly. She hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to be so straightforward.
For a moment, her heart was in chaos, unsure how to respond.
Ye Xuan suddenly laughed. “No answer? Then that means you like me!”
An Lanxiu opened her mouth to speak, but Ye Xuan stood and kissed her lips.
When you like a woman, don’t hem and haw!
Go for it!
Just go for it!
Hesitation leads to defeat!
Love doesn’t come to you—you chase it. If you don’t chase, how can you win the beauty’s heart?
Chasing a woman boils down to four truths: be bold, be attentive, be thick-skinned, and have money.
Ye Xuan hadn’t chased many women, but he knew one thing: when you meet someone you like, don’t miss the chance. Many times, miss the moment, and you miss a lifetime. Look back, and the one you love is already someone else’s wife.
If you don’t confess, she’ll belong to someone else!
Life is short—why leave regrets?
As for face, if you’re too scared to confess, what’s the point of having face?
With thick skin and boldness, even a ghost would take maternity leave!
An Lanxiu was stunned by Ye Xuan’s kiss.
When had Ye Xuan become so bold?
But why wasn’t she angry?
Why not angry?
An Lanxiu felt her heart race faster. She wanted to push Ye Xuan away, but her strength seemed to vanish, leaving her powerless!
After a long time, Ye Xuan released her. Looking at An Lanxiu, inches away, he smiled. “Back in Qing City, I already had this idea!”
An Lanxiu looked at him. “What do you like about me?”
Ye Xuan replied, “Everything about you.”
An Lanxiu pressed, “Be specific!”
Ye Xuan shook his head. “I can’t pinpoint it…”
An Lanxiu lowered her head, lost in thought. Ye Xuan added, “I only know that when I first saw you, I was stunned by you. Everyone loves beauty—I’m no exception. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you for being too beautiful!”
Little Pagoda: “…”
An Lanxiu looked at Ye Xuan, silent.
Ye Xuan continued, “Later, as we spent time together, you were a lofty prodigy, while I was just an unknown outcast of the Ye family. Yet you never looked down on me. On the contrary, when the Ye family oppressed me, you helped me, and later gave me a token to enter Cangmu Academy…”
He shook his head slightly. “I don’t know if these are why I fell for you. I just know I like you. Seeing you makes me happy, makes my heart race… Love? I don’t know. I just know I want to be with you, forever and ever. It’s that simple!”
An Lanxiu was silent for a long time. Suddenly, she gently took Ye Xuan’s hand and said softly, “I don’t regret meeting you—I’m glad I did!”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily and swept An Lanxiu into his arms!
An Lanxiu looked at Ye Xuan, so close, her gaze a bit dazed. Scenes from their first meeting flashed through her mind.
Love?
She didn’t understand it.
Because she’d never loved before—this was her first time!
She only knew she liked being with Ye Xuan, for no other reason—just that simple!
When she was with her master, An Wushen, her master had told her: if you love, then love. Don’t miss out in life.
Ye Xuan had just opened his heart to her, and she was happy. She wasn’t good at expressing herself—if it were up to her, she might wait ten thousand years to speak up.
Thankfully, Ye Xuan had spoken!
She liked the honest Ye Xuan from before, but she also liked this bold, thick-skinned Ye Xuan now.
What is love?
Loving his strengths, loving his flaws, sharing his wealth, and enduring his hardships.
The path of martial arts is endless, a journey of infinite solitude.
If you abandon everything, what’s the point of reaching the peak of martial arts?
With that thought, An Lanxiu gently embraced Ye Xuan.
…
In the distant Milky Way, a woman walked slowly along the shore, her long hair fluttering in the sea breeze.
The plain-skirted woman!
Suddenly, she stopped and looked at the sea. She said softly, “Brother…”
Her voice fell, and she flicked her sleeve.
Countless sword energies instantly covered the sea, forming an image of Ye Xuan.
Looking at the portrait of Ye Xuan on the water, the plain-skirted woman’s lips curved into a smile.
The path of the sword is endless.
But she had already reached the peak!
In terms of strength, no one in the world could kill her, and there was no one she couldn’t kill!
Immortality?
She had comprehended life and death countless years ago. If she wished, even a wisp of her clone could live forever.
Her true body had long transcended life and death!
The end of the universe?
Even she didn’t know where it lay.
But if she wished, she could collapse this infinite universe right now, leaving it without an end.
In strength, she was invincible!
In lifespan, she was immortal!
But without Ye Xuan, it all meant nothing.
The plain-skirted woman turned her head, casting a cold glance in a certain direction. “As long as my brother exists, the universe exists!”
Somewhere, after a moment of silence, a voice roared, “Damn it, threatening me every day—I can’t take it anymore! Argh!”
…
