The Ending Is Determined Not by a Few Lines in the History Books, but by One's Own Choices and Strength

The room was brightly lit.

Listening to the seemingly casual yet subtly pointed question from the blonde girl beside him, Lu Jing's hand paused almost imperceptibly as he reached for a skewer of meat.

He slowly raised his eyes. His calm gaze, far beyond his years, met Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes, which held both expectation and probing. Rather than answer directly, he asked with almost cruel composure, "Do you think you can't accomplish it?"

The faint smile on Qian Renxue's face stiffened slightly. Clearly, she had not expected Lu Jing to answer like that.

"If, before carrying it out, you've already planted the seed of 'possible failure' deep in your heart, if you harbor even the slightest hesitation or uncertainty..."

Lu Jing's voice was not loud, yet it was like an ice-tempered needle, precisely piercing the relaxed atmosphere she had deliberately created. "Then I advise you to give up now and not do it at all."

The room fell silent in an instant. Only the scent of grilled meat continued to linger, seeming somewhat abrupt and out of place.

Qian Renxue's willow eyebrows drew together as she looked at the youth before her, who clearly had the body of a child but eyes as deep as a still pool.

The certainty in his words did not stem from foreknowledge of the future. It was more like a sharp insight into the human heart. In an instant, she understood that he had seen through her test and rebuffed it in a manner almost like a reprimand.

"I..."

Qian Renxue parted her red lips slightly. Her voice carried a trace of imperceptible difficulty as she softly asked, "Did I... fail?"

In the end, she still asked the question that had haunted her heart and kept her awake at night. She needed confirmation—confirmation of whether this youth who claimed to come from the future truly knew about that secret operation concerning both Spirit Hall and her personal fate.

Looking at the tension and stubbornness hidden in her eyes, Lu Jing suddenly smiled faintly. The smile was slight, carrying the understanding of one who had weathered many trials, yet it also possessed a strange soothing power.

"Whether it failed or succeeded."

He set down the skewer of meat, which he had barely touched, and said in a calm yet highly persuasive tone, "Those are things that have not yet happened, a painting that has yet to unfold. They exist among countless 'possibilities,' not as a fixed 'inevitability.'"

Lu Jing's gaze became focused and earnest, as though he wanted to see through the girl before him and into the depths of her soul. "History is not writing carved into stone, impossible to change. What determines the final ending is not a few lines in the history books, but the choices, persistence, and... absolute strength of those within it at every crossroads. As long as you handle things steadily from here on, consider every step thoroughly, possess a will firm enough and power great enough... then—"

He paused slightly, stressing his next words. "Even an ending that originally seemed destined for failure may not be impossible for you to change into success with your own hands."

He understood the deeper purpose behind Qian Renxue's "late-night snack visit."

Other than wanting to know her own ending, more importantly, she wanted to use the top-secret Heaven Dou Mission as a touchstone to test whether his identity as a "visitor from Ten Thousand Years Later" was real.

Because she was utterly certain that, for such a major historical event, whether it succeeded or failed, as long as Spirit Hall ultimately failed to unify the continent, then in order to highlight the greatness and success of that "Shrek Ancestor," Tang San, this secret matter of Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden infiltrating Heaven Dou with the intent to subvert it would absolutely be written about at length, becoming a weighty chapter impossible to avoid in the history books.

If Lu Jing knew nothing about it, or gave an ambiguous answer, then his lie about "coming from the future" would be exposed at once.

At that point, although Wang Dong'er and he still would not suffer any harm, the trust between them would drop significantly. So, just in case, he had to employ a little verbal finesse—letting Qian Renxue continue her infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire while also affirming the authenticity of their identities.

There was really no other way. Compared to the current Spirit Hall, the best choice for Qian Renxue would be to do nothing at all and remain in Spirit Hall to cultivate. But the problem was, would that alter future history?

If it would not, then naturally it did not matter. But if it would, then he had to give it serious consideration. After all, the most important reason Wang Dong'er and he had come here was because they were being hunted by Beibei and Tang Ya.

Qian Renxue stared steadily at Lu Jing, the light in her Milky Way-like eyes flickering uncertainly.

Lu Jing's answer about "the future being changeable" and "success depending on one's own efforts" was like an invisible barrier. It cleverly avoided directly revealing the cruel fact that "she failed," while also explaining in an impeccable manner why he would not clearly tell her the outcome—because the outcome was not fixed. This perfectly matched the thought process of someone from the future who knew the course of history yet understood its malleability. It was more convincing than directly saying either "you failed" or "you succeeded."

She had not received the clear answer she wanted, but she had gained a deeper and more shocking insight—the future was in her own hands.

After a moment of silence, the complicated light in Qian Renxue's eyes gradually settled, turning into a calmness tinged with scrutiny.

She nodded gently, and her voice regained its usual cool elegance. "I understand."

She did not press further. Lu Jing's answer was already forceful enough, and enough for her to confirm certain things—at the very least, his credibility as someone "from the future" had risen greatly in her eyes. As for the answer of the future... she would write it with her own hands.

"Get some rest early." Qian Renxue stood up, her movements smooth and elegant, as though the conversation filled with hidden barbs had never happened. Her golden skirt rippled softly like water as she turned and walked toward the door, leaving behind only a noble yet somewhat lonely silhouette.

The room door closed softly, cutting off their view of one another.

Lu Jing did not move. His gaze fell on the box of grilled meat on the table, which had barely been touched. The fragrance remained, but he no longer had any desire to taste it. He walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. The night was deep, and the courtyard of the Worship Hall appeared especially quiet and solemn beneath the moonlight.

Looking in the direction Qian Renxue had left, he shook his head helplessly. A complicated sigh silently rose in his heart:

"Twenty years of infiltration, every step carefully planned, every effort exhausted... only to have it all destroyed in the end, defeated by a mere Tang San... How ironic..." This unspoken murmur was an accurate summary of that hidden history buried beneath the dust of ten thousand years, as well as a sigh for Qian Renxue's fate.

He knew the process, yet could not speak of it directly. He could only hope she truly understood his hint about "change." But how immense was the inertia of history? Could that Asura Demon Sword that pierced Spirit Hall's heart... truly be changed?

Just as these thoughts heavy with the weight of history had yet to fade, a faint knock came from the door once more.