He Began to Ponder: How High Must One's Realm Be to Live in Peace, and How Great Must One's Strength Be to Protect Oneself?

After disembarking from the Flying Ship, the two walked side by side.

After thinking it over, she seemed to feel that what she had said earlier was somewhat inappropriate.

"It doesn't matter if you can't answer what I asked just now." She suddenly spoke, her voice a little gentler than before. When Qin Wangchuan looked over, she continued, "It is still too early for you and me to discuss the Great Dao."

"If it were me, and someone asked what Dao I sought—"

"I could only shake my head as well."

"So there is no need to rush."

Qin Wangchuan chuckled upon hearing that. "How gentle."

At first glance, she had seemed like a silly, aloof beauty. Who would have thought she was actually quite gentle?

Of course he was not in a hurry.

The Great Dao required a lifetime to seek. How could he possibly rush it for a moment?

Gentle? Me?

Li Qingluan's breath caught. Having never heard such an appraisal before, she forgot to move for a moment.

A strange ripple rose in her heart. She instinctively wanted to refute him, only to realize that the corners of her lips had unknowingly curved upward.

Unexpectedly... she did not dislike it.

Yet her soft, limp attitude made the expressions of the Li Clan members behind her turn strange once more.

That aloof beauty who said "get lost" at every turn and struck whenever a word displeased her was actually acting like this now...

Two words:

Unfamiliar!

The two strolled slowly across the scorched earth of the Han Clan ruins, their boots crushing shattered rubble with faint crunches.

Li Qingluan suddenly grabbed Qin Wangchuan's sleeve. "Careful."

She thrust out a palm, knocking down a crumbling wall beside them.

Her gaze swept across the charred beams and cracked foundations, while her fingertips brushed over the various marks on the remaining walls.

"Not a blade of grass grows here. This does not look like an ordinary vendetta; a powerful expert wiped out this household." She frowned and withdrew her hand, her sleeve stained with specks of black ash. Then she asked, "Why did you come here?"

The breeze swept ashes past his fingertips. Qin Wangchuan suddenly crouched down and picked up half a charred plaque—the character "Han" remained only halfway, yet one could still see the old vigor of brushwork that had once danced like dragons and snakes.

"The home of an old friend."

"Thirty-seven people. The eldest had not yet reached seventy, while the youngest had only just turned one." He murmured softly, his fingers brushing across the plaque. "Every Beginning of Spring, they would hold a feast beneath that old plum tree in the courtyard..."

Several deep sword marks on it seemed to recount their final resistance.

"Though they came from humble origins, their household was harmonious, happy, and complete."

"That was how it should have been." Qin Wangchuan suddenly raised his hand and found that his palm was stained with years-old black ash.

The simulation was not merely words. He could sense part of the emotions within it.

When the Han Clan was exterminated, Qin Wangchuan had only one thought in his heart:

"How high must one's realm be to live in peace, and how great must one's strength be to protect oneself?"

"A Great Emperor can transcend..." Li Qingluan's heart stirred, and she instinctively caught his wrist.

A pristine white handkerchief slipped halfway from her sleeve, only to stop—

She suddenly realized that such an action was far too intimate.

Fortunately, the youth did not resist.

After wiping his hand clean, she inexplicably let out a breath of relief, only to freeze the instant she raised her eyes.

Under the sunlight, Qin Wangchuan's profile was drawn taut.

He lowered his eyes and stared at the charred plaque. His lashes cast heavy shadows over his face, while a dark flame seemed to burn in his eyes—that seriousness did not belong on the face of a nine-year-old boy, a seriousness so intense it was nearly stubborn.

"Not enough." He cut her off decisively, his knuckles tightening slightly.

Li Qingluan was momentarily stunned as she looked at him like this.

She suddenly realized that the person standing before her now was different from everyone else.

Those who had never felt the despair of an ant being crushed beneath a finger would naturally not understand.

A Great Emperor was enough in this world, but he was not Han Han, nor was he in the Xuanming Realm.

In the ten Immortal Courts, a Great Emperor truly was not enough.

Li Qingluan's crimson lips parted slightly. "Then a Heavenly Emperor..."

"Still not enough."

Those three words struck the ground with force, startling several ravens from the ruins.

A crack sounded from the plaque in his hand as a fine fissure split across it, fragments rustling down onto the scorched earth.

Previously, Qin Wangchuan had been well protected at home. His bold claim that he would surely become an Immortal Emperor had merely been confidence in his own talent.

But now, things were different.

He had gained a deeper understanding.

"There is nothing left here. Let's go."

His tone was as calm as if he were discussing dinner, and the suffocating pressure from before vanished without a trace.

Qin Wangchuan casually brushed off the dust. As he turned, he straightened a toppled wild blade of grass—this time, he made no grand declaration. He wanted to see more and feel more.

"You..."

Li Qingluan stood rooted in place, opening her mouth.

Yet Qin Wangchuan had already walked five paces away. He plucked a blade of grass with casual ease and gently rolled it between his fingertips.

Sunlight fell upon his hair, making his entire person seem so clear that one could almost see the vigor unique to youth flowing through his veins.

At times profound, at times childish.

Which one was the real him?

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the handkerchief. Then she suddenly crossed three steps in two and caught the youth's fingers, stained with grass juice.

"Don't move."

"They're dirty."

Both her voice and movements were gentle. Qin Wangchuan did not think much of it, merely assuming that she liked cleanliness.

She's like an older sister.

But in the eyes of the accompanying people...

The Qin Clan members looked up, only to meet the meaningful gazes of the Li Clan disciples.

Their eyes met in midair, and both sides wore faint curves of mutual understanding at the corners of their mouths.

"Oh, right. Since he was an old friend, why did he not seek you out when his household was exterminated?"

"If I had to put it bluntly, we were actually enemies."

"It is true that we appreciated one another, but as long as we were enemies, there could be no mercy. If you cannot bring yourself to do it, I can help you."

"No need. I will handle it."

As azure spiritual radiance flowed across the hull, the Flying Ship slowly rose into the air and set sail once more.

Their destination this time: the Lower Thousand Provinces.

Lower Thousand Provinces · Canglan Sea Realm.

The morning mist had yet to disperse from the stone-paved streets of Qingshi Town.

Yin Qiyue left the Yin Clan and hurried through the morning market with light steps, anxious to return to her sect.

The Great Power who had descended upon the Holy Land earlier had specifically mentioned the Daughter of the Yin Clan, making her wonder whether it was related to her family.

That was why she had taken advantage of her free time to return and ask about it.

But she had gained nothing.

The Holy Land was several days' journey from home, so she needed to set out early.

As she turned a street corner, she suddenly stopped.

Within the morning mist, a boy stood alone beneath the Old Scholar Tree, gazing at its leaves.

Though he was still young, his height and bearing made him look no different from a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old youth.

He wore a black-and-gold brocade robe, with a green jade pendant hanging at his waist, its warm luster flowing beneath the morning light.

What drew the eye most was his pair of eyes—though his childishness had not yet faded, they held a calmness far beyond his years.

How could such a noble young master appear alone in a small town?

Yin Qiyue hesitated for a moment, then straightened her dress and stepped forward. In what she believed was a kind tone, she asked, "This young master, are you lost?"

Hearing her voice, the boy lifted his head. His gaze paused briefly on the Qinglan Holy Land token at her waist. "I am merely taking a walk."

His voice was clear as a jade chime, yet it carried a composure that did not match his appearance.

"I see." Yin Qiyue smiled softly, but the fingers hidden in her sleeve unconsciously twisted the sash of her dress.

How strange. He is clearly an ordinary person without the slightest aura, yet looking at him gives me a stabbing sensation.

At fourteen, she had already stepped into the First Realm and officially become a cultivator.

Moreover, her talent was so heaven-defying that she was called a once-in-a-century genius.

The last time she had felt this way was when she saw those Immortals from the Upper Realm.

But how could a child younger than herself stand shoulder to shoulder with Immortals?

Yin Qiyue shook her head as she thought this, then continued:

"Though Qingshi Town is small, Tangren Zhang's craftsmanship at the eastern end is excellent. If you do not mind, you may try his osmanthus sugar."

"I know every street and alley around here. If you are looking for someone or asking directions, I can help as well."

It was not that she was so attentive to everyone. The person before her was simply too unusual.

For no reason at all, she wanted to speak with him a little longer.

"Looking for someone?"

"There is indeed someone I wish to ask about." The boy raised his eyes, and the morning light flashed through them.

In that instant, Yin Qiyue seemed to see a pool of autumn water reflecting cold stars, so chilly and clear that it startled her.

"The Daughter of the Yin Clan, Yin Qiyue."

Qin Wangchuan calmly spoke Yin Qiyue's name and origins. His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it made her heart suddenly leap.

"Where is your childhood sweetheart?"