Ye Guyi's way of remembering Ji Juechen was so direct that it caught everyone off guard.
The next morning, an uninvited guest arrived at the forest clearing on the back mountain where Ji Juechen usually practiced his swordsmanship. Golden morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling upon Ye Guyi's white fitted combat attire as though draping her in a layer of holy radiance. She held a longsword wreathed in faint golden flames, its tip aimed directly at Ji Juechen, who had just finished his forms.
"Ji Juechen." Her voice was cold and clear, carrying an unquestionable fighting spirit. "Cross swords with me."
It was not a question. It was a notice.
Jing Ziyan had been lazily leaning nearby, smoking and watching the show. At once, she perked up and darted behind a large boulder, revealing only half her head and the curling purple smoke rising from her cigarette, looking entirely ready to enjoy the spectacle.
Ji Juechen held his Iron Sword and looked at the holy angel before him, brimming with fighting spirit. His face remained expressionless. "Why?"
"I need to confirm it." Ye Guyi's azure eyes fixed upon him, as though they could pierce through to the essence of his soul. "What exactly is that power of yours that severs 'trouble'? Is it another form of evil, or... an 'order' I have yet to understand?" The conceptual erasure from yesterday had profoundly shaken her established beliefs. In that instant, the opposition between sacredness and evil had become blurred.
[Analysis: Target Ye Guyi has issued a challenge. Motivation: ideological exploration and power verification.] [Threat level: Low (no killing intent). Win probability assessment: 89.7% (target lacks resistance to "conceptual severance").]
``` [Recommendation: Accept. This battle can further guide the target, demonstrate the Sword Pavilion's philosophy, and weaken