The Irreversible Loss of Control

Yun Jingheng sat in his room, resting his chin on his hand and looking out the window.

He came to his senses after a moment.

He gazed at his pale palms, a thought stirring within him.

A moon rose from the palm of his hand.

My true Martial Soul... looks like this?

He stared at the moon for a long time.

It is not a physical entity, yet it is more real than any physical entity.

It is entirely silver-white, with a very faint halo around the edge, like the rough edge of ink spreading on rice paper.

It hovered three inches above his palm, neither rising nor falling, neither swaying nor shaking, as quiet as a pearl embedded in amber.

He turned his palm over, and the moon followed, hanging steadily beneath his palm.

He turned his palm back over.

The moon followed.

"She's quite well-behaved," he muttered softly.

He suddenly narrowed his eyes, as if he had sensed something.

Then he clenched his outstretched palm tightly.

The hilt "grew" out of his hand and then transformed into the complete Moonlight Sword.

Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow, and another thought crossed his mind.

Shining silver light, Crescent Moon passive effect.

No, it seems it can no longer be called passive; it should be called form.

Because the New Moon turns into Crescent Moon, there are no more restrictions.

It's not as simple as "no restrictions".

He didn't even need to think "I want to change from New Moon to Crescent Moon," he only needed a vague thought, one that even he couldn't grasp, and then the phase of the moon would change.

There was no sluggishness, no depletion, and no feeling of emptiness as if something was being drawn out of the body.

It's as smooth as water flowing over a gentle slope.

Yun Jingheng gripped the Moonlight Sword, looking down as the sword's radiance changed from cold and sharp to gentle and weighty.

He thought about it for a moment, and then another idea popped into his head.

The Crescent Moon turned into Full Moon.

The moon pattern on the sword blade transformed into a complete circle, and a silvery-white light spread across the entire surface, like a mirror washed by moonlight.

The sword trembled slightly, emitting a deep hum, and flashed with a dazzling light.

Full Moon.

He had another idea.

The Full Moon Dark Moon.

The silvery-white light on the sword began to contract inward, not extinguished, but collapsed, like a star compressing itself into a point of infinite density at the end of its life.

The light was locked deep within the sword, not a single ray leaking out, and the entire Moonlight Sword changed from silver-white to a deep blue.

Yun Jingheng carefully examined himself and found no discomfort.

Does this mean I won't lose control anymore?

He wanted to try the Calamity Moon and the Blood Moon.

He thought for a moment, then, without hesitating for long, his mind sank down, as if he were putting his hand into a deep pool of water.

Calamity Moon.

The color of the sword had changed; it was a deep purple, almost black, like the horizon of the last evening of late autumn.

The moon pattern on the sword had become a broken circle, missing a third of it, as if something had bitten off a piece of it.

It's not out of control.

There is no foreign body sensation.

There was no sense of dread, like "something inside me is fighting for control."

His consciousness was like a glass of water that had been still for a long time, without a single ripple on its surface.

Yun Jingheng smiled, his heart pounding with excitement, and activated the Blood Moon.

The sword turned red, but he didn't lose control.

Yun Jingheng gripped the sword, staring at the crimson moonlight on its blade, a slow grin spreading across his face.

With a hint of pride and a touch of relief.

"It's done," he said.

He held the sword up to his eyes, turning it over and over to examine it, like a child receiving a new toy, or like a craftsman inspecting a work he had polished for twelve years.

The crimson moonlight on the sword swayed slightly as he turned it, like a lamp being moved by the wind.

"I will never hurt the people around me again..."

"Mom... you mean my Moon Palace is destroyed?!"

Ya Li ruffled his slightly messy hair.

"When your Grandma Long brought you back, that girl Xiao Yan was carrying your Moon Palace the whole time. We've checked it all; it was destroyed by a close-range impact when your Blood Moon erupted."

Yun Jingheng closed his eyes in despair, feeling the malice of the world.

Like a person whose spine had been removed, he slid down the wall and sat on the ground without any regard for his image, holding his head in his hands and letting out a long, heart-wrenching wail.

"My Moon Palace! I barely even used it a few times! How could you leave before me?! www--!"

Looking at him like this, Ya Li's initial unease vanished, replaced by a helpless feeling that made her both laugh and cry.

She crouched down, gently patted Yun Jingheng's shoulder, and softly comforted him, "Alright, alright, stop crying. Although the Moon Palace is destroyed, Mom and Grandma Long have discussed it and will give you something else."

"Others?"

Yun Jingheng lifted his head from his arms, his beautiful eyes instantly flashing with a light that seemed to say "make money," his previous dejection vanishing completely. "What? Can it compare to my Moon Palace? Mine is a one-of-a-kind item!"

"Your Grandma Long said," Ya Li said, suppressing a laugh and holding up a finger, " that the Sea God Pavilion will specially customize a new set of level nine soul-guided armor for you, with plenty of materials, and it will be personally crafted by Feng Wuyu."

Yun Jingheng blinked, his brain racing.

Level 9 Soul Guidance Armor... This seems like a good deal?

You could even say it was a huge profit?

But he maintained that "I'm reluctant" and "I'm hurt" expression, and sighed, "Well, since Grandma Long has said so, I'll just have to accept it reluctantly. After all, out with the old, in with the new."

Ya Li shook her head helplessly and poked his forehead. "You're such a greedy little thing, always looking for a bargain. Alright, since you're not seriously injured, get some rest and don't go running around."

"Your dad will want to discuss your One-Word Armor with you when he gets back later."

"Good."

"By the way, Aunt Cai, she...?"

Ya Li smiled gently, "Don't worry, your Aunt Cai is fine now. After some rest, she'll be back to being the formidable Silver Moon Douluo."

Is this legendary figure truly real or fake?

"It's good that she's alright," he breathed a sigh of relief, but then couldn't help but mutter to himself, "After all, if anything happened to Aunt Cai, who else in Shrek Outer Court would be able to find a way to catch me skipping class like she does?"

Ya Li was amused by his appearance and poked his forehead again, saying in a slightly annoyed tone, "You silly child, you're probably making up stories about your Aunt Cai again. Get some rest and don't overthink things. I'm going to go check on your Aunt Cai again."

After saying that, Ya Li turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

The room fell silent again.

Yun Jingheng walked to the table and picked up the oil paper package left by Yuanen Yehui.

Upon opening it, there were several pieces of crystal-clear osmanthus cake inside, with a sweet and fragrant aroma.

He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The soft, sweet taste melted on his tongue, and the last trace of gloom in his heart caused by the destruction of the "Moon Palace" completely dissipated.

He chewed on the osmanthus cake while looking out the window again.

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, night had fallen, and a pale, cool crescent moon quietly climbed onto the treetops.

Yun Jingheng looked at the moon and subconsciously raised his hand. In his palm, the silvery moon's reflection reappeared, echoing the crescent moon in the sky.

One-Word Armor...

With this Battle Armor, plus the six lunar phases he has already fully mastered, his strength will experience a qualitative leap.

"Ha Luosa..." he murmured the name to himself, his eyes growing deep and distant. "When I become Titled Douluo, then... heh heh! Don't let me catch you!"

Just then, a series of steady and powerful footsteps came from outside the door.

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, each step seemingly following a specific rhythm, carrying a reassuring sense of weight.

Yun Jingheng swallowed the last bite of osmanthus cake, a bright smile spreading across his lips, and turned to face the door.

"Dad."

The door was pushed open, Yun Ming's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

Looking at his son, who was full of energy and still had a few crumbs of osmanthus on the corner of his mouth, a very faint smile finally appeared on his face, which had been tense all day.

"It seems the recovery is going well."