Inside the lakeside cottage, Zhang Lexuan and Ling Luochen were already asleep.
Having both won their advancement matches and moved a step further, some of their worries had vanished, allowing them to sleep more peacefully.
Liya and Wang Qiuer, however, were still conflicted.
Before it happened, there were indeed countless worries. Perhaps once it truly arrived, there would be no need to think so much.
In the second-floor living room of the cottage, Jiang Ming stood alone beneath the light of a Soul Guiding Lamp. He looked out at Sea God Lake ahead and the Outer Court farther away, where all kinds of lights had already lit up. A trace of melancholy flickered through his eyes.
Indeed, when one's heart quieted and one stood still to look back on the past, that feeling of having lived through another lifetime became ever more intense.
Especially since he had moved too quickly over the past few years—so quickly that ordinary people could scarcely comprehend it. That made the feeling even stronger for him than for most.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ma Xiaotao walked to Jiang Ming's side. Seeing the wistful look on his face, she asked softly.
Jiang Ming's gaze tightened slightly as he said in a deep voice, "Xiaotao, do you remember when we first met?"
Ma Xiaotao froze for a moment, and a hint of reminiscence flashed through her eyes as well.
"I remember. Back then, I was going to find my teacher when I saw you outside his office. But our first meeting wasn't very pleasant. Hehe, we started fighting the moment we met."
At that, both Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Ming could not help but laugh.
They had both been very young then, only thirteen or fourteen, and would start fighting at the slightest disagreement. Looking back