Slaying a World Derivation Foe, Battling a Prodigy

As Lin Yi ascended, the Veil of Delusion operated at full power, perfectly concealing his life force, energy fluctuations, and even the slight disturbances in the air currents caused by his flight.

After flying upwards for about half a standard distance, a clear energy reaction jumped out at the edge of his perception.

"Entering the Realm of Derivation."

Lin Yi paused, focused his senses for a moment, and then made a judgment.

"That's a good target for practice."

After a moment's thought, Lin Yi decided to take action.

Although his Source Energy is currently comparable to that of someone newly entering the World Derivation level, theoretically he could easily handle ordinary World Derivation level tree spirits, but the specific situation still needs to be verified in actual combat.

With this thought in mind, Lin Yi's mind stirred slightly, and the spacetime law runes within his body suddenly lit up.

The next moment, his figure vanished into thin air, and then appeared directly in front of the tree spirit, which had just been radiating a jade-like luster, less than three meters away.

A look of astonishment and horror had just appeared in the tree spirit's emerald eyes.

However.

Time stood still.

Centered on Lin Yi, an invisible ripple of spacetime spread out, completely solidifying the tree spirit.

The energy flowing across the tree spirit's body froze instantly, and even the alarm and retaliatory thoughts that should have erupted in its consciousness were forcibly paused.

Without pausing, Lin Yi raised his right fist, and the power of spacetime gathered wildly on the tip of his fist.

He then unleashed a punch, silent and still, yet seemingly draining the light from the surrounding area.

The fist landed precisely on the tree spirit's chest.

puff.

A faint, almost inaudible thud.

The tree spirit's stiff body shuddered violently, and the radiance on its surface shattered instantly.

Immediately afterwards, the chaotic spacetime power surged forward, penetrating his torso and directly invading his body, finding the Internal World that relied on the core law, and forcefully thrusting inside.

The next instant, the tree spirit's Internal World began to silently disintegrate.

The light in the tree spirit's emerald eyes completely went out, its body rapidly lost its vitality, disintegrated into the most primitive wood fibers and dissipated source energy, leaving only a crystal core radiating a rich Life Law fluctuation, and a few pieces of remains containing pure energy, which drifted downwards.

The battle is over.

From the moment it appeared by teleportation to the moment the tree spirit collapsed, the entire process took no more than two seconds.

Concise, efficient, and deadly.

Lin Yi hovered in the air, a satisfied smile on his face.

It's not that he doesn't know other techniques; he's equally proficient in exquisite methods such as Spacetime Corridor, Spacetime Layering, and Sequence of Reversal. However, these are mostly useless in battles between opponents of the same level.

Because battles between strong individuals often pursue simplicity and efficiency, striving to achieve the greatest results with the least expenditure. Their core pursuit is always faster control and stronger bursts of power.

For practitioners of time and space, being faster means being able to freeze their opponents more efficiently in terms of time and space.

If the other person is slow, you will naturally be fast.

Being even stronger means dealing the highest burst damage the instant you freeze your opponent, ideally crippling them in one fell swoop.

In a battle between the strong, if one can crush the opponent, there are no fancy tricks. If someone does resort to fancy tactics, it means that there must be a weakness in some aspect, and a sophisticated method is needed to prevent the opponent from exploiting that weakness.

Lin Yi raised his hand and grabbed the Sacred Source Fruit that it was occupying.

"The first one."

He murmured something, feeling the powerful and pure energy fluctuations emanating from the World Derivation level Sacred Source Fruit in his hand. Without wasting time searching for a safe spot, he found a depression, set up a simple spacetime concealment barrier, and sat down cross-legged.

The fruit melts in your mouth, and a surge of life energy flows into your body.

Lin Yi's body trembled slightly.

This effect is more than ten times stronger than any Star Domain level Sacred Source Fruit he had taken before.

Within his body, the newly opened second star domain was expanding outward at an astonishing speed, like an inflated balloon.

Within the star field, the originally sparse star vortex condensation points are now frantically gathering and illuminating like bamboo shoots after a rain!

One, two, five, ten

The newly formed star vortex exhales and inhales pure source energy, forming a more complex and stable energy cycle system.

Lin Yi could clearly feel that his total source energy, recovery speed, and output limit were all rapidly increasing.

After an unknown amount of time, the raging torrent of energy within his body gradually subsided and was completely absorbed.

Lin Yi introspected on himself.

In the vast starry sky of the Second Star Region, a total of twenty-seven newly formed star vortices emitted a stable light.

"It directly helped me condense twenty-seven star vortexes. Truly worthy of being Sacred Source Fruit of the World Derivation level."

Lin Yi silently praised it in his heart, then stood up and carefully collected all the remaining core crystal and larger pieces of debris from the tree spirit.

"Materials of the World Derivation level, even at the initial stage, are far more valuable than those of the Star Domain level. They can be used for forging weapons, refining potions, or assisting in the cultivation of specific laws. After leaving, according to the official purchase price of the Spirit Race, they can be exchanged for a considerable amount of battle merits."

Lin Yi silently calculated in his heart that on the path of cultivation, one can never have too many resources.

After digesting the spoils and cleaning up the battlefield, Lin Yi assessed his own condition.

Based on his experience of instantly killing the newly arrived Tree Spirit in the Realm of Evolution, he gained a clearer understanding of his current combat strength.

"Under normal circumstances, it can instantly kill ordinary early-stage cultivators. Thanks to the unique nature of the spacetime laws and the stealthy, surprise attack advantage of the Veil of Delusion, it also has a chance to quickly defeat mid-stage cultivators. If it uses all its methods and carefully maneuvers, it might be able to contend with late-stage cultivators. However, due to the significant difference in source energy, the hope of victory is very small. Overall, it's barely equivalent to someone who has just entered the late-stage of the Evolutionary Realm."

This assessment put Lin Yi at ease.

In this area, as long as one is not unlucky enough to run into a tree spirit at the peak of the Derivation Realm or even stronger, or to be besieged, one should be safe.

"Ten days have passed since we entered the ancient tree space. Most of the Star Vortex realm prodigies should have already left. Those remaining are mainly Star Domain Realm cultivators, and a very few Star Vortex realm prodigies like Edith," Lin Yi pondered. "Edith's goal is to gather the Sacred Source Fruit here to achieve the Star Extreme Realm's pinnacle. And I..."

Lin Yi gazed at the area above, his eyes sharp. "My goal is also the Extreme Realm! The accumulation required to reach the Star Domain Extreme Realm far exceeds that of the Star Vortex Extreme Realm. This is the best hunting ground for me to accumulate power quickly!"

"Don't rush to continue upwards. At this level, tree spirits in the early and middle stages of the World Derivation level are relatively easy to deal with. Let's push our Source Energy Realm to its current limit first."

Having formulated a short-term plan, Lin Yi once again disappeared into the shadows, beginning his monotonous yet efficient hunting cycle.

Conceal, search, lock on, teleport, Time Stop, Annihilation Fist, collect fruits and materials, digest them on the spot or take a short break to recover.

Time passed with each precise kill and the steady increase in cultivation.

In two days, Lin Yi successfully hunted down five more tree spirits at the initial stage of the Derivation Realm, condensed his fourth star domain, and successfully entered the mid-stage of the Star Domain level.

On the third day, he decided to move up a little.

Because the density of Tree Spirits at the World Derivation level is significantly lower than that at the Star Domain level, he can only obtain two to three Sacred Source Fruit on average per day. He has already scavenged the surrounding area. For the rest, he can either explore further afield or go up to target the stronger Tree Spirits.

Lin Yi chose to move upwards!

They rose to the areas where those early-stage to mid-stage Transcendent Realms were active.

Just as he was traversing a "sky plain" composed of giant, luminous leaves, an unusually dense and concentrated energy source, like a lighthouse in the night, suddenly drew all his attention in his soul perception.

That wasn't the fluctuation of a single Sacred Source Fruit, but rather a cluster of fruits!

Lin Yi's heart raced slightly as he cautiously focused his Soul Power over it.

Soon, he "saw" it.

On the Sacred Source Fruit, more than twenty bluish-gold fruits hung densely!

The fluctuations emitted by each fruit are at the World Derivation level.

"More than twenty Sacred Source Fruit of the World Derivation level Realm!" Even with Lin Yi's firm will, he felt a strong shock at this moment.

At his previous rate of acquisition, this was equivalent to his total harvest over the past ten days!

But then, his senses also detected the guardian's presence.

A tall tree spirit, its entire body a deep brown, stood silently.

Its energy fluctuations were obscure and heavy, far stronger than any of the previous hunted creatures.

"Mid-stage of the Evolution Realm. He might even have one foot in the late stage." Lin Yi quickly assessed, his brows furrowing slightly.

This opponent is not easy to deal with.

However, just as he was pondering tactics, a subtle presence intruded into the edge of his senses.

This aura came from the other side of the Sacred Source Fruit bush, at a similar distance from him, and also possessed a very strong concealment technique. If Lin Yi's spacetime perception had not been exceptionally sensitive to subtle energy ripples, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

The owner of the scent had clearly also noticed the fruit bushes, and seemed to have noticed him as well.

Lin Yi's heart sank.

"Judging from the fluctuations of the laws, the other Star Domain level prodigies are using Illusory Law. It's just unknown which of the two Star Domain level Illusory Law prodigies it is."

Trouble is brewing.

At this altitude, Sacred Source Fruit of the World Derivation level are extremely rare, making them the focus of contention among all the Star Domain Realm prodigies who remain there.

Encountering two or three lone plants each day is already considered lucky; this cluster of over twenty must be of immeasurable value.

"I can't let that happen." Lin Yi made up his mind instantly.

The air seemed to freeze, with only the cluster of Sacred Source Fruit emitting an alluring glow. The two hunters, hidden in the shadows, held their breath, calculating their moves and coveting their shared prey.

Beneath the brief calm, a murderous intent lurked.

Almost as soon as Lin Yi made up his mind and locked his gaze on the other side, a Soul Transmission entered his consciousness.

The voice transmitted was neutral in tone, yet it carried the ethereal rhythm unique to the Spirit Race, as well as a sense of tranquility that had been deliberately honed.

"Lin Yi."

The other party directly identified him.

Lin Yi's eyes flickered slightly.

This is not surprising. As the most watched prodigy of this year's Pan-Spirit Alliance and the only master of the laws of spacetime, it is normal for him to be recognized.

"We both know the value of this Sacred Source Fruit grove. If it were just a single fruit, I would certainly give it up as a sign of respect. But this is a whole grove. It's extremely important to me," the voice continued, clear and unwavering, "However, I don't wish to make an enemy of you over this."

"Therefore, I propose that we temporarily join forces to first kill this tree spirit that is close to the late stage of the Evolution Realm. Then, we can decide the ownership of this entire grove through a duel. The winner takes everything, and the loser retreats without further conflict. What do you say?"

Lin Yi pondered for a moment.

The other party's proposal was direct and in line with the current situation.

That tree spirit, nearing the late stage of the Evolution Realm, is a tough opponent; dealing with it alone would be quite risky and exhausting.

If the two scheme against each other before or during the fight against the Tree Spirit, the Tree Spirit may reap the benefits, or even both of them may be injured, ultimately resulting in neither of them benefiting.

First, join forces to overcome the biggest obstacle, then compete for the spoils based on merit. This is the most "fair" solution that best serves the interests of both parties. Under the law of the jungle, fairness exists between the strong.

"Okay," Lin Yi replied succinctly, "Until we deal with the Tree Spirit, we won't attack each other."

"Deal." The other party replied just as decisively, "We'll both appear in five seconds."

Lin Yi chuckled inwardly upon hearing this.

In a normal coordinated attack, it's clear that a simultaneous surprise attack is the most effective.

But the other party clearly didn't trust him, fearing that if they attacked and he wasn't there to keep up, he would become the one drawing the tree spirits' fire alone.

"OK."

Lin Yi replied once and then fell silent.

Five seconds passed in the blink of an eye.

When the time came, Lin Yi stopped hiding and his figure suddenly appeared from the shadows, his aura soaring into the sky like Sharp Blade being unleashed.

Almost simultaneously, on the other side of the Sacred Source Fruit grove, a slightly blurry, slender figure also appeared.

She was a female prodigy of the Spirit Race.

She wore a form-fitting light purple battle suit that accentuated her slender yet powerful figure. Her long silver hair was simply tied back, revealing a cool and refined face with an elegance and a hint of sharpness unique to the Spirit Race.

It had clearly used some kind of sophisticated concealment technique beforehand, and now that it had reappeared, its figure still had a somewhat illusory and uncertain quality, as if it might blend into the surrounding light and shadow at any moment.

"It's her." Lin Yi recognized her immediately.

The Spirit Race, Yaxi.

One of the two Illusory Law controllers who entered this time.

It comes from a family of the Spirit Race with a high-ranking deity in charge. Although it is not one of the few Venerable Lord Rank families, it still has a profound foundation.

Their eyes met briefly in the air, and they nodded to each other as a greeting before focusing their attention entirely on the startled tree spirit.

"Roar!"

A deep, angry roar came from below.

The tree spirit, resembling an ancient wooden sculpture, sensed the presence of the two uninvited guests. Its massive body slowly straightened, and the blurred, distorted features on its rough trunk were filled with rage. Dozens of dark green vines that had been hanging down rose up like giant pythons, their tips gleaming with a sharp, cold light. The surging power of the world flowed across its body, causing subtle distortions in the surrounding space.

The oppressive aura, approaching the late stage of the Transformation Realm, crashed down on the two of them like a tangible mountain.

"Do it!"

Lin Yi gave a low shout and moved first.

He didn't use teleportation to get close directly. Facing an opponent of this level, it would be too risky to rashly enter the core of their attack range. In addition, he was also worried about being tricked by Yaxi.

Therefore, he clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and the power of spacetime converged wildly.

Buzz!

Centered on the tree spirit, the spatial structure in several directions—up, down, left, and right—suddenly changed, with invisible Spacetime Fold pressing down on the tree spirit layer upon layer.

This is his tactic for dealing with powerful enemies: "Spacetime Layering".

This technique is not a simple spatial compression, but rather it endows these spatial folds with different time flow rates and gravity directions, forming a chaotic yet powerful tearing and binding force.

The tree spirit's waving vines suddenly froze, as if it had sunk into an invisible swamp, and the world power flowing around its body also showed signs of disorder.

It roared angrily, trying to break free of its restraints with even greater force.

At the same time, Yaxi also made her move.

She didn't approach either, but hovered in place, her hands forming a strange hand seal, and a pale purple Illusory Law emanated from her body like mist.

An invisible spiritual fluctuation, mixed with Illusory Law, silently enveloped the tree spirit.

Countless chaotic fragments of illusion were instantly implanted into the tree spirit's not-so-complex consciousness.

Attacks miss, enemies appear in impossible locations, personal power goes out of control, and even a false sense of the Sacred Source Fruit Tree being stolen.

While a single illusion might not have a significant impact, when hundreds or thousands appear simultaneously, making it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake, they severely disrupt the tree spirit's combat judgment and instinctive reactions.

Its movements as it waved its vines showed undue hesitation and errors, and its resistance to Lin Yi's temporal and spatial constraints also exhibited uncoordinated pauses.

"A good opportunity!" A glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

Yaxi's illusory interference was even more effective than he had anticipated, greatly reducing the tree spirit's reaction speed and defensive coordination.

The source energy within his body surged wildly, and the power of spacetime rapidly condensed at the tip of his fist. Then, his figure flashed continuously, leaving behind several afterimages, and he unleashed hundreds of punches from different angles in an instant.

Each punch struck key areas of the tree spirit, such as its trunk, joints, and vine roots. The force of the punch did not explode immediately after entering its body, but remained deeply embedded within it.

The tree spirit, in pain, went berserk, whipping dozens of vines wildly. Dark green world power condensed into sharp blades of light that slashed towards Lin Yi, while thick wooden armor appeared on its body.

Lin Yi moved with ghostly speed, and with the aid of the power of spacetime, he could always dodge or deflect attacks at the last second, while constantly moving around and applying continuous pressure.

Yaxi wasn't idle either. She kept changing positions, maintaining the illusory interference, and occasionally shooting out pale purple illusory blades.

These blades, though seemingly illusory, can ignore some physical defenses and directly attack the tree spirit's soul core. Although the damage per strike is not high, the cumulative effect makes the tree spirit extremely irritable, and its soul fluctuations become increasingly unstable.

The two didn't work together perfectly, but they had a clear goal and each did their own job.

Lin Yi was responsible for direct attacks, containment, and creating openings; Yaxi was responsible for continuous mental interference and weakening, and seizing opportunities to strike.

The tree spirit possessed immense world power approaching the late stage of the Evolution Realm, but due to the dual limitations of spacetime constraints and illusory interference, it was unable to fully unleash its potential, like a ferocious beast trapped in a spider web.

Although its strength was astonishing, and each struggle caused the "spider web" to vibrate violently, it was unable to break free. Instead, under the continuous attacks of the two, its injuries continued to accumulate.

The battle lasted for about five minutes.

The tree spirit's wooden armor was cracked in many places, its torso was covered with traces of time and space erosion and pale purple illusory mottles, and seven or eight of its dozens of vines were broken or severely damaged by Lin Yi. Its soul fluctuations were obviously weakened and its aura began to decline.

"That's enough, give it the final blow!" Lin Yi transmitted his voice.

Yaxi understood, and with a clasp of her hands, the power of the Illusory Law suddenly contracted and condensed.

Illusion Annihilation!

She gave a soft shout, and at the same time extended her slender finger, lightly touching the tree spirit's brow.

A condensed, pale purple beam of light, ignoring spatial distance, instantly entered the tree spirit's brow.

The tree spirit's massive body stiffened abruptly.

Now!

A fierce glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. Since Yaxi hadn't resorted to any underhanded tactics so far, he didn't need to hold back any longer.

He held back, his right hand forming a sword shape, and slashed across the core of the tree spirit's chest.

"Severing Flow!"

A thin gray thread flashed by.

The next moment, a perfectly smooth cut appeared in the center of the tree spirit's trunk.

The spacetime around the cut seemed to be completely severed. The surging world power circulation within the tree spirit, the connection between its soul and body, and even the Internal World structure built upon the core laws, all suffered fatal fractures under this "crack".

The tree spirit's stiff movements froze completely, its dark green eyes dimmed rapidly, and its massive body split open. There was no blood at the break, only streams of light disintegrating into the purest wood-elemental energy and fragments of laws.

A tree spirit nearing the late stage of the Evolution Realm has fallen!

The battle is over.

Lin Yi and Yaxi Time Stop, slightly out of breath.

Even working together to deal with such a tree spirit was quite taxing for them.

Lin Yi had consumed nearly 40% of his source energy, frequently used the power of spacetime, and his soul was also somewhat fatigued.

Yaxi's face paled slightly. Maintaining the high intensity of illusory interference and the final blow had clearly placed a tremendous strain on her mental state.

Neither of them immediately went to collect the Sacred Source Fruit. Instead, they gazed at each other from afar, separated by the dissipating energy dust and the flowing light of the collapsing tree spirit.

The brief period of cooperation vanished quickly with the death of the tree spirit, and the air was once again filled with a sense of competition and confrontation.

"As agreed," Yaxi spoke first, her voice regaining its previous calmness, but with a hint of barely perceptible tension, "The winner takes all."

Lin Yi nodded. "It all depends on your abilities."

Without any unnecessary words, the two moved almost simultaneously.

Yaxi knew the strangeness and speed of Lin Yi's spacetime laws, especially his unpredictable teleportation and terrifying time stagnation. She absolutely could not let him gain the upper hand.

She let out a sharp cry, unleashing the full power of the Illusory Law.

Centered on her, a pale purple Phantom Light rapidly spread, and within the halo, the scenery changed abruptly.

Countless figures of Yaxi appeared out of thin air, rushing towards Lin Yi from all directions in various postures. Each one was full of life and moved with fierce speed, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake.

At the same time, Main Body real Yaxi completely merged into this illusory realm, her aura disappearing without a trace.

This is not a simple phantom clone, but a "real illusion" created by combining the Illusory Law with mental interference. Each illusion carries a certain degree of mental attack and can interfere with the opponent's perception and judgment to a certain extent.

Lin Yi was instantly surrounded by countless "Yaxi"s, his vision and mental perception filled with enemies.

He didn't attack the illusions; that would only waste his energy and get him caught in their rhythm. If it were an ordinary Star Domain level, he would probably immediately find himself in a state of chaos and passive defense.

However, Lin Yi's soul essence is extremely high, and his perception of space and time is exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in energy and laws.

"The Veil of Delusion, open!"

With a thought, Lin Yi reversed his ability to conceal his perception, not to hide himself, but to enhance his ability to distinguish between the "real" and "illusory" aspects of his surroundings.

In his eyes, the energy cores and law fluctuations of the countless illusory figures rushing towards him seemed to be erratic, like reflections in water. Only a certain point deep within this domain had the most stable connection with the entire illusory realm.

"Found you."

A slight smile appeared on Lin Yi's lips.

Spacetime Turbulence, activated!

An invisible force of spacetime instantly cut into that illusory realm, briefly accelerating and decelerating the flow of time at the core of the realm and in the extremely small area around it hundreds of times!

Buzz!

The Phantom Light in that area appeared noticeably stagnant and distorted.

Yaxi, True Body was hiding within, let out a muffled groan, her figure forced to reveal itself, a hint of horror flashing in her eyes.

She hadn't expected Lin Yi to pinpoint her True Body so quickly, nor had she anticipated that his time control would be so precise and cunning, directly affecting the core node connecting her to the domain.

This brief appearance was enough for Lin Yi.

Space jump!

Lin Yi's figure vanished from his original spot and appeared less than a meter away from Yaxi's True Body in the next instant.

Yaxi's pupils contracted sharply, and the Illusory Law instinctively created layers upon layers of illusory barriers in front of her, while she retreated rapidly.

But Lin Yi's fist was already raised.

This time, what was gathered on the fist was no longer a spacetime shockwave, but a highly compressed spacetime power with tearing and annihilation properties, just like the previous strike that killed the newly entered Tree Spirit of the Evolution Realm, but it was more condensed and faster!

"Break."

Just one simple word.

A fist is thrown.

Pfft!

The layers of illusory barriers burst one after another, like soap bubbles in the sunlight, offering almost no real obstruction.

The fist, formed from the power of spacetime, landed squarely on Yaxi's arms, which she hastily crossed to block in front of her chest.

"Ugh!"

Yaxi felt as if she had been struck by a heavy blow; her delicate body trembled violently, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling excruciating pain as if her bones were about to crack in both arms.

"Boom!"

A dull thud was heard.

Yaxi crashed heavily onto a relatively flat platform on the surface of the aerial root, only a dozen meters away from the clump of trees with more than twenty World Derivation level Sacred Source Fruit hanging from it.

The bluish-gold fruit was within reach, its alluring energy fluctuations almost palpable.

However, Yaxi ignored this.

After landing, she knelt on one knee to steady herself, her face as pale as paper, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, and her arms, which were crossed in front of her, trembled slightly uncontrollably, clearly indicating that her internal organs and arms had suffered considerable shock and damage.

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping past the nearby Sacred Source Fruit grove, and fixed on Lin Yi, who was suspended in mid-air with a steady breath. Her emerald eyes were filled with undisguised shock.

That's too fast!

From the moment she activated "Myriad Starry Manifestations" to create an illusion, to the moment her True Body was precisely located, her defenses were broken, and she was struck down with a punch, the entire process took no more than three seconds, so fast that her mind could barely keep up.

Her prized Illusory Law, powerful enough to trap and kill ordinary early-stage experts in the Nascent Soul realm, appeared so pale and powerless before her opponent.

Lin Yi, having landed a successful blow, did not pursue, nor did he even glance at the Sacred Source Fruit bushes beside Yaxi. He simply hovered calmly in place, as if his thunderous strike had been merely a casual gesture.

He looked at Yaxi on the platform below and said slowly, "Thank you for your consideration."

Yaxi bit her lower lip, took a few deep breaths, and suppressed the churning blood and the excruciating pain in her arm.

They lost, and lost decisively.

She felt bitter, but she also knew that Lin Yi had actually shown mercy.

If Lin Yi had followed up with a subsequent attack, she would likely have been seriously injured and forced to activate the mark to teleport out of the secret realm.

That would result in a truly enormous loss.

"I lost."

Yaxi slowly stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her voice was a little hoarse. "Thank you for your mercy, Lord Lin Yi. The Sacred Source Fruit thicket is yours. I'll leave now."

She was quite decisive; after saying that, she turned around and prepared to leave.

Staying here will only humiliate me and may lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

However, just as Yaxi turned around and took her first step, she seemed to suddenly remember something and stopped in her tracks.

She turned her back to Lin Yi and remained silent for a moment, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.