Seeing Through the Heart's Realm, Heavenly Phoenix's Limit

"It has been a long time," Leng Yaozhu said softly, her tone heavy with nostalgia.

For decades, the three of them had lived in Shrek City, yet they had deliberately avoided one another, never once crossing paths.

She had imagined this reunion countless times in her heart, assuming her emotions would ripple once more. But now, as their eyes met, she felt none of the palpitations she had experienced in her youth.

No tension, no bitterness, no excitement, nor any particular feeling at all. It was just like meeting two ordinary friends; her heart was as still as stagnant water.

When it came down to it, the glory of their generation had finally faded; this was no longer their era.

If there was any lingering resentment in her heart, it was perhaps only a stubborn grudge over losing to Ya Li back in their youth.

A faint smile curled the corners of Leng Yaozhu's lips. Such trivial matters of romance were far too beneath someone of their stature.

Revisiting it now, she held six victories over Ya Li.

Ya Li remained shackled by love, her heart and eyes filled only with Yun Ming, her state of mind showing no progress since those years; whereas she had long since seen through worldly romance, living for herself with intellectual clarity—this was the first victory.

Ya Li had betrayed the Federation by joining Shrek Academy and still lacked the face to step foot in Ming Capital; whereas she moved freely, coming and going through Ming Capital as she pleased—this was the second victory.

Ya Li's status in Shrek Academy appeared exalted, but that honor was largely dependent on Yun Ming. In the eyes of a pure Shrek native like Long Yeyue, she remained an outsider who had never truly integrated; whereas she held the Phoenix Family in one hand and the position of Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda in the other, her power and status earned entirely through her own strength without reliance on others—this was the third victory.

Ya Li had overdrawn her vitality in her early years to save others, leaving behind irreversible physical damage that made reaching the Limit Douluo realm impossible; whereas her own bottleneck had loosened, and she could ascend to the peak at any moment—this was the fourth victory.

Due to the depletion of her origin, Ya Li had completely lost the capacity to be a mother; whereas she was in perfect health, and if she wished for a complete life, she could have children whenever she pleased—this was the fifth victory.

The new generation of Shrek Academy was withering, with no one capable of carrying the banner; whereas her own niece, Leng Qingning, was already a demigod, and those around her, like Na'er and An Lan, were all individuals of exceptional talent. Under her leadership, the Phoenix Family was flourishing—this was the sixth victory.

At this thought, Leng Yaozhu felt completely unburdened, the knot that had pressed upon her heart for decades dissipating with a roar.

Level 99 Limit Douluo, achieved!

In an instant, an astonishing aura erupted from her body, sweeping outward like a tidal wave. The air groaned under the pressure, and space itself began to distort.

Everyone present was a top-tier powerhouse of the era. Though their thoughts differed, their reactions were swift. Almost the moment the aura leaked, they simultaneously channeled their soul power, firmly containing the pressure of her breakthrough so that not a single passerby on the street was disturbed.

Watching Leng Yaozhu break through to the Limit Douluo realm before her eyes, a flash of complexity crossed Ya Li's gaze.

She quickly composed herself and said sincerely, "Congratulations, Yaozhu. The Federation has gained another Limit Douluo."

"It is decades later than I expected, but... I have broken through nonetheless." Leng Yaozhu let out a long breath, the tension between her brows vanishing, replaced by a sense of relief.

Of their generation, those with the talent to reach the limit had done so long ago—people like Yun Ming, Zang Xin, and Cao Dezhi. Those without the talent, like Cai Yue'er, Zhuo Shi, and Feng Wuyu, had seen no hope at all.

Only she, despite having the talent and having been capable of breaking through decades ago, had been trapped by her own obsessions, stuck at level 98 until now.

Within the Spirit Pagoda, even Qiangu Qingfeng, who had never been highly regarded by Qiangu Dieting, had long since successfully broken through to the Limit Douluo realm.

The Battle Heaven Douluo, the Spirit Transmission Douluo, and the Purgatory Douluo had created the myth of the Qiangu Family possessing three Limit Douluos.

Heaven knows how much pressure the Qiangu Family had put on her over these years.

Fortunately, after waiting for the clouds to part, she had finally seen the sun, and the sea and sky were now vast and open.

Leng Yaozhu's thoughts turned to Qiangu Dongfeng's grandson, Qiangu Zhangting, who had broken through to Soul Emperor at fourteen and was expected to reach Title Douluo by twenty.

Over the years, Qiangu Dongfeng had spared no effort in building momentum for Qiangu Zhangting, effectively treating him as the sole candidate for the next Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda.

If it were before, when the Phoenix Family had no one to take her place, she might have endured it, but now...

Her peripheral vision swept lightly over An Lan and Na'er behind her, a spark of ambition igniting in her eyes—the Spirit Pagoda might not be beyond the reach of her Phoenix Family to control!

Ya Li looked at this familiar yet strange Leng Yaozhu. She was now confident and disdainful, like a phoenix reborn from the flames, dazzling and eye-catching.

In a daze, Ya Li seemed to see the young Leng Yaozhu again—the proud girl like a phoenix she had been back then.

She could see clearly that Leng Yaozhu had truly let go of the past and found complete peace.

For a moment, the words she had intended to say regarding Na'er became difficult to utter.

Ya Li sighed softly in her heart and slowly turned her gaze to the youth beside her, her eyes softening with an indescribable emotion.

She said softly, "Is this that child?"

Leng Yaozhu nodded slightly without saying more.

Ya Li continued, "I remember, his name is An Lan."

An Lan knew that his mother and this His/Her Holiness Holy Spirit had a history, so he straightened up, his voice clear and polite: "Greetings, His/Her Holiness Holy Spirit. This junior is An Lan."

Leng Yaozhu did not stop their conversation. The generation of Leng Qingning, including An Lan's mother, Shi Lan, only knew that Ya Li had once intended to take her as a disciple but was politely refused, with no one delving into the reasons.

But as someone who had come from the same era as Ya Li, she saw much more.

Shi Lan and Ya Li were very similar: both were of commoner origin, possessed outstanding talent, and were geniuses cultivated by the Federation. Even Shi Lan's martial soul, the Photon Sprite, shared many similarities with Ya Li's Prayer Angel.

Ya Li's insistence on taking Shi Lan as a disciple back then was only partly due to her appreciation of talent; more so, she saw another version of herself in Shi Lan—the trajectory her own life might have taken had she never met Yun Ming.

If Yun Ming had never appeared, how similar would Ya Li's path have been to Shi Lan's?

Thus, Ya Li's interest in Shi Lan was more of an obsession, a stubborn fixation on another possibility for her own fate.

Leng Yaozhu shook her head inwardly. Truly, the bystander sees more than the participant.

Ya Li had been cultivated by the Federation, only to be snatched away by Yun Ming, after which she had followed him into Shrek Academy and severed ties with the Federation.

The Federation had been burned once; how could they allow Shi Lan to become her disciple and repeat the same mistake?

In her view, Ya Li's obsession was utterly inexplicable.

There is no second possibility in life. Once one has chosen Shrek Academy and Yun Ming, one has no further connection to the Federation.

So many years had passed, and both sides had tacitly agreed not to mention it. Who was she putting on this display for now? Her own conscience?

It was simply ridiculous.