"I still don't understand one thing."
"How did he break through the moment he completed his petition for orders?"
Ye Qingxian smiled brightly as she answered me.
"Perhaps—"
"Where I may go, all living beings may go."
"That is Rebirth."
"Of course, that is only one interpretation."
"The further one progresses in cultivation, the more varied the interpretations of the Dao become, much like the ways of advancing to the Peerless Realm."
"However, I believe his interpretation is the truly correct one."
"One who lives for all beings should be lifted high by all beings."
At that moment, Ye Qingxian thought of many things, including Heavenly Sword Venerable.
Perhaps.
Long, long ago, she too had been someone who made such lofty vows.
Or perhaps.
Even now, she still was.
I tugged at Ye Qingxian's sleeve and asked worriedly, "Senior Sister, there are more and more powerful people now. Can you still beat them?"
Ye Qingxian froze for a moment.
She... was being questioned about her combat strength for the first time by her innocent Junior Sister?
I blinked my big eyes, my gaze utterly guileless.
If she was the Female Protagonist...
She, she probably wasn't that pathetic, right?
Ye Qingxian did not want her Junior Sister to look down on her, yet she was unwilling to exaggerate. So she answered very modestly, "I can barely put up a fight. In a normal state, I'm no match for her. In an abnormal state, though... we'll see how long she can hold out..."
Me: "..."
Ye Qingxian coughed, then explained, "After all, you know this too. A realm manifests through combat strength, but there is more than one path to improving combat strength. Take your rules, for example. There are other methods as well. Things that can touch upon the origin are