"What are you thanking me for?"
Reunited with an old acquaintance, Fu Qian didn't give him the cold shoulder. He surveyed their surroundings as he answered.
"For helping me understand what it means to cast myself aside. You did well.
"My earlier understanding wasn't wrong. This is a place only you can unlock."
Jade Soul Master was clearly suffering the same burning. His hair billowed away as ash, flames traced their marks across his clothes, and even the fair skin exposed to the air peeled away layer by layer.
Only the leaf in his hand remained lush and green. He seemed not to notice, his voice calm.
"What you're saying now isn't wrong, either."
Though his conclusion came from an entirely different perspective, Fu Qian still chose to focus on what they had in common and kept searching.
"Actually, you can end this state now. I know you're nearing your limit... What are you looking for?"
At last, Fu Qian's actions seemed to puzzle Jade Soul Master.
After a brief pause, the latter offered a well-meaning reminder, tinged with curiosity.
I'm not even sure whether I can find it—but there it is.
Thinking this to himself, Fu Qian reached down at last and picked up a tiny bell.
Eternal Clarity of Thought.
That whole exchange had been the kind where not a single moment could be wasted.
Every chance to act had been won at an incredible cost, and could scarcely be repeated.
He hadn't even tried stabbing anyone with his sword to draw blood, let alone retrieving the bell after using it.
Fortunately, the item that had repeatedly come through for him had finally been recovered.
Why could he still find it?
All he had to do was understand why that transformation had happened.
First, with Jade Soul