Gu Han's consciousness drifted among tens of thousands of Lines of Karma. It felt as though an eternity had passed, yet also as if it had been only an instant.
When he opened his eyes again, the familiar ceiling of Spirit Hall came into view.
He was lying on his bed, his whole body aching as though it had been crushed beneath a millstone. His head hurt worst of all, with a stabbing pain like needles pricking him. It seemed to be a side effect of severely overusing his mental power.
"The River of Time... those Lines of Karma..." he murmured, recalling that River of Time.
He tried asking the system in his mind, "System, where did I go before?"
[ DING! The host's question exceeds the current authorization level. The relevant information has been obscured. Please work hard to improve your strength and unlock further authorization.]
The system's response was cold and mechanical, as though it didn't want to answer him. Just then, its mechanical voice rang in Gu Han's mind again:
[Would the host like to use mental power to strengthen...]
"Use it." Gu Han seemed to know what the system was about to say. He hurriedly agreed before it could finish.
[Use successful! Congratulations, the host's mental power has now reached the Spirit Origin Realm!]
As the system's notification sounded, Gu Han clearly felt his mental power had grown much stronger. He could even sense the slightest changes in the surrounding environment.
"Xiao Han, you're finally awake!" Qian Renxue's voice rang beside him, full of delight.
She had been keeping watch by his bedside. The moment she saw him wake, she leaned over, worry written all over her stunning face.
"You've been unconscious for a whole day and night. How do you feel? Does anything still hurt?"
Seeing how anxious she was warmed Gu Han's heart. He shook his head, his voice still a little hoarse. "I'm all right now, Sister Xue. Sorry for worrying you. What's your third Soul Ring's Soul Skill?"
At the mention of her Soul Ring, Qian Renxue's face lit up with delight.
"It worked! Xiao Han, you're amazing. You helped me get a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring for my third one. The Soul Skill is called [Holy Feather Protection]."
Eager to show him, she summoned her three Soul Rings. Two yellow and one black rose slowly beneath her feet, and sure enough, a faint golden line traced the edge of the black ring.
She activated her third Soul Skill. A pair of illusory wings, seemingly gathered from light, appeared behind her and enveloped her.
"This Soul Skill isn't just a powerful defensive ability that can withstand a strong attack from a Soul Ancestor. The person it protects also receives a slight boost to their light attribute and a healing effect."
Qian Renxue explained excitedly, her tone making it clear how pleased she was with the Soul Skill.
Gu Han was happy for her, too.
Qian Daoliu came to see him afterward as well. With a complicated look in his eyes, he told Gu Han to rest and recover properly. His regard for Gu Han had changed greatly from before.
After several days of rest, Gu Han had mostly recovered.
Today, after Qian Renxue returned from Pope Hall, the smile had vanished from her face. She sat on a swing in the garden, looking glum.
"Sister Xue, what's wrong?" Gu Han walked over to her.
At his voice, Qian Renxue looked up, her eyes full of reluctance and helplessness.
"Xiao Han... Bibi Dong has ordered me to return to the Heaven Dou Empire as soon as possible."
Gu Han's heart jolted. Qian Renxue's current mission was to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, disguised as the crown prince, Xue Qinghe.
"The person impersonating me over there is almost at her limit."
"I only came back this time because I heard she'd taken on an interesting little junior brother and wanted to see you. I didn't expect I'd have to leave so soon."
Seeing how dejected she looked, Gu Han thought of the past two months, when she had cared for and accompanied him like a real older sister. A fierce sense of reluctance welled up in his heart.
He didn't want Qian Renxue to return to that cold palace and keep living behind a mask.
"I'm going to see my teacher!" Gu Han sprang to his feet. "There might be another way. You don't have to be the one to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire."
He went straight to Pope Hall and asked to see Bibi Dong.
Inside the hall, Bibi Dong sat high upon the papal throne as always. She listened as Gu Han passionately laid out his case.
He spoke in a clear, logical manner, even citing recent information about Spirit Hall's expanding influence in an attempt to prove that Spirit Hall could plot against the Heaven Dou Empire without Qian Renxue going undercover.
Bibi Dong merely listened indifferently, not a ripple stirring in her eyes.
"Are you finished?"
Only after Gu Han fell silent did she speak, her voice icy. "Do you know that infiltrating the Heaven Dou Empire is a strategy Spirit Hall has been preparing for years?"
"How dare you, a child, spout such nonsense? She has a major responsibility to fulfill. That is her value."
"But, Teacher..."
"Enough!" Bibi Dong cut him off sharply. A powerful pressure crashed down on Gu Han, making his breath catch.
"Gu Han, as Spirit Hall's Saint, you should put the greater good first instead of wallowing in your personal feelings."
"For challenging me and questioning my decision, I sentence you to twenty lashes as a warning to others!"
Before Gu Han could argue again, an irresistible force bound him in place.
The next instant, vicious lash marks fell across his back, bringing a searing pain. He clenched his teeth and didn't make a sound. His body hadn't fully recovered from the Star Dou Great Forest in the first place, and now the beating knocked him unconscious again.
By the time he woke the next day, it was already afternoon. He lay facedown on the bed, a cool sensation on his back. Clearly, someone had already applied medicine.
"Xiao Han..." Qian Renxue sat beside the bed, her eyes swollen and red. She had obviously been crying.
Looking at the crisscrossing lash marks on Gu Han's back, she choked out, "Why are you so foolish? Why did you have to challenge that woman, Bibi Dong?"
Gu Han managed a faint smile. "I just didn't want you to go undercover again. If you did, you wouldn't be able to be yourself."
Qian Renxue's tears fell again. She gently took Gu Han's hand and said softly:
"I have to go now. Work hard on your cultivation in Spirit Hall. Wait for your big sister to come back—or you can come visit me in the Heaven Dou Empire."
Gu Han nodded firmly and clasped her hand in return. So many words caught in his throat, but in the end, he could only say, "Goodbye, Sister Xue."
As he watched Qian Renxue climb into the carriage, then glance back with a smile that struggled to hold back her tears, Gu Han felt as though a piece of his heart had gone missing.
He stayed in Spirit Hall for a few more days, until his injuries had mostly healed and the lash marks on his back had faded considerably.
He went to Bibi Dong and calmly requested, "Teacher, I'd like to leave Spirit Hall for a while and travel, to consolidate my cultivation."
Bibi Dong gave him a long look, seeming to see through his intentions, but she didn't call him out. She merely said, "Granted."
After receiving permission, Gu Han didn't linger. He packed a few things and left Spirit City.
Before setting out, he had specifically requested not to have anyone else protect him. Only then could he get the most out of his experience.
His goal was clear. "Xiao Wu, it's been a long time. I wonder how you're doing now..."
His figure flashed as he sped off in one direction.
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