Shirley, or rather Tian Yue, blinked once. Her breath caught in her throat, her body stiffening under the sudden embrace. Yet the warmth that surrounded her, the scent she rembered, and the quiet strength in the arms that held her dissolved the final remnants of her composure.
Her heart beat faster, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red.
She had imagined this mont often, in silence and solitude. She had wondered what it might feel like to be held by him. Now that he was so close, so near to her, she found herself unable to speak. The sensation of warmth, of longing, and of comfort all rushed in at once, clouding her thoughts.
But then, reality struck her with a jolt, and her eyes widened.
"Igaris, what are you doing? We are cousins," she murmured, her voice barely rising above a breath.
Igaris looked at her with warmth in his eyes, a calm smile resting on his lips.
"I know," he said softly. "But I also know your heart. I am accepting you, Shirley. And the truth is, we are not blood-related. Your mother was adopted into my mother’s family."
She blinked in surprise. "Really? I never knew this. Why was it kept from ?"
"It was a secret," Igaris answered, brushing her hair back with gentle fingers. "So that your mother would not be ostracized. My mother told everything. I only waited for the right ti to tell you. I hope this truth does not bring you any sorrow."
In truth, even he didn’t know of this secret. It was revealed in the future.
On the other hand, a breath of relief escaped her lips. "Why would I be hurt? I feel... joy. So much joy. All this ti, I felt guilty for loving you. I thought I was wrong. But now, I am free of that guilt. Thank you, Igaris. Thank you for accepting . I truly love you. I have always loved you. I could not bear a life without you."
"I know," he replied quietly.
His arms tightened around her, holding her gently yet firmly, as if afraid to ever let her go again.
In that mont, beneath the golden glow of twilight and before the gathered crowd, the world seed to pause. Even the wind that danced across the sect’s peaks grew still, as if nature itself bore witness to a long-awaited reunion.
"Oh heavens!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd like a wave across a quiet lake.
The disciples who had gathered outside the Scripture Hall stood frozen, mouths parted, eyes wide with disbelief. So were struck silent. Others exchanged hurried whispers filled with shock and curiosity.
"Did he just embrace her?"
"That was no ordinary embrace. Did you see the way she blushed?"
"Is this really Senior Sister Tian? She let a man touch her? No, more than that... she held him back."
Many could not believe what their eyes had witnessed. Tian Yue, the cold flower of Serenity’s Peak, the disciple who had rejected countless admirers with a single glance, had just been held in another’s arms without resistance.
So boys clutched their chests, as if stabbed by invisible swords. One of them cried out with dramatic despair, "My goddess... betrayed... right before my eyes...!"
"Shut up, you fool. He is a Dao Child. And what about you? Are you even qualified to lick their shoes?"
"Haha... Well said, brother. What a moron."
Even so of the inner court girls looked at Shirley with envy now turned to resentnt.
"Who is that guy?"
"Is he really the Dao Child?"
"How can soone so handso, so powerful exist!"
"Sigh, I think I have fallen as well."
Step, step, Step!
As the crowd murmured and emotions boiled, the sudden heavy sound of footsteps echoed from the southern path.
Buzz!
The earth beneath seed to pulse with each stride.
Then he appeared.
Clad in a sharp crimson robe, lined with dark gold thread, a tall young man stepped forth. His long hair was tied behind his back, and a long black spear rested across his shoulder.
His face was handso, his eyes deep and proud. But now a silent storm flickered in them, filled with fury.
"Isn’t that Wei Zixuan!" soone whispered. "A Core Disciple from the Azure Spear Peak!"
"The Spear Prodigy of the Azure Spear Peak... he has long pursued Tian Yue!"
"Looks like there would be sothing interesting to watch."
Wei Zixuan’s arrival shifted the air around them. Several disciples stepped back instinctively, for his presence was not to be taken lightly.
His Martial rank was peak Martial Master.
The ranks were:
1. Martial Apprentice (Beginner Stage)
2. Martial Disciple (Foundation Stage)
3. Martial Adept (Refinent Stage)
4. Martial Master (Core Stage)
5. Martial Grandmaster (Spirit Stage)
6. Martial King (Soul Stage)
7. Martial Emperor (Law Stage)
There’s more. But only handful people know these ranks.
Among Core Disciples, Wei Zixuan was already considered a strong contender for the next Grand Tournant.
He ca to a halt just a few paces from the couple.
His eyes fell on Igaris, but they did not linger. Instead, they turned to Shirley, or rather Tian Yue, with wounded disbelief.
"Yue’er," he spoke, voice low but sharp. "Is this what your silence ant? You’ve been avoiding for weeks... and now I find you in the arms of another?"
Shirley looked at him calmly, a faint sigh escaping her lips. Her arms remained around Igaris.
"I never returned your feelings, Zixuan. You only assud they existed."
"You never rejected either," he replied, his tone hardening.
"Because I did not owe you anything. My heart was never yours to begin with."
Wei Zixuan’s jaw tightened, and his hand clenched the shaft of his spear. For a mont, silence returned. The crowd could feel the tension growing like a storm ready to break.
Then, his gaze shifted, finally locking with Igaris.
"You are the one everyone is talking about," he said coldly. "The Dao Child. You hold yourself too high. But let us see if that pride stands when tested."
Igaris did not move. He looked into Wei Zixuan’s eyes, unblinking and calm.
"You are barking at the wrong tree here," he said quietly. "This is not sothing you can settle with force."
"And if I choose to try?" Wei Zixuan asked, voice rising.
Shirley stepped forward, sword half-drawn.
"You will find yourself humiliated before the entire sect," she declared.
A murmur passed through the crowd.
Wei Zixuan’s nostrils flared, his voice sharp with disdain. "Hmph. I understand now. You have chosen this man simply because he bears the title of Dao Child, while I do not. Very well. Let us see who truly stands at the peak when the Selection Tournant arrives next month. Then, before all the eyes of the entire sect, I shall reveal that this so-called Dao Child is nothing but a hollow na."
With those words, he turned on his heel and departed with powerful strides, each step radiating his pride and fury. His final declaration hung in the air like a challenge carved into stone.
Igaris, however, remained nonchalant as if his challenge ant nothing. He was just insignificant of character on his path.
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