On the first day, the outside world buzzed with chatter. Quite a few people pointed at him and whispered.
Fang Xuan knew all of this, but he paid it no mind.
He knew very well that what was coming would come sooner or later.
On the second day, the commotion continued, though there were fewer people. It seemed someone had intervened.
It looked like Dugu Yan had stepped in. By then, he had gone a full day and night without food or water.
Hunger began to consume him. Instinctively, he tried to use Soul Power to ease it.
But Ye Qinru's last words rang in his mind, and he forced himself to suppress the urge.
On the third day, a light rain began to fall.
It gave his cracked lips a little relief, but the hunger remained.
And that day, it seemed more people came than before.
They all watched him, but unlike the previous two days, they made no noise.
They simply watched in silence, neither approaching nor disturbing him.
On the fourth day, the rain stopped.
A figure appeared before him, but by then his mind was already hazy. He couldn't make out the other person's face, only heard them say a few words to him.
He didn't pay much attention to what they said. Maybe they were calling him an idiot, or maybe they were trying to persuade him to give up.
But none of that seemed important to him. He only knew that the seven days weren't up yet.
Someone was still waiting for him. It might have looked foolish, but he was just an ordinary person, and this was all he could do.
The fifth day was overcast.
There was neither wind nor rain, and the thick clouds hid the sun.
And that day, the tightly shut door opened.
But no one came out. A figure simply entered the room.
Fang Xuan didn't know who it was. He only knew that as the person passed by him, his nearly depleted mental strength recovered a little.
On the sixth day, the weather seemed fine, and his legs had long since gone numb.
He was also growing dazed and muddle-headed, but he remained kneeling there, like a statue.
And that day, Yu Tianheng returned.
He came to Fang Xuan's side and tried to persuade him to give up, telling him there might be another way.
But Fang Xuan refused. If he were going to give up, he would have done so long ago.
Only the final day remained. No matter what, he wouldn't give up.
The seventh day—the last day.
That day, many people came to Heaven Dou City.
More than on any of the days before. No one stepped forward to tell him to quit, and there were no mocking voices.
All they felt was respect. For seven days and six nights, Fang Xuan had knelt there without moving.
No one knew how he had endured it, and no one could understand why he was doing this.
In their eyes, she was just a woman. Was she really worth risking his life for?
Besides, it had only been an accident that seemed absurd on the surface. Most importantly, Fang Xuan had clearly gained every advantage, so why was he acting so meekly?
They didn't understand, but that didn't stop them from respecting him.
In the distance, Xue Qinghe watched in silence, his expression unusually complicated.
He was the person who had gone to see Fang Xuan on the fourth day.
He had already investigated everything about Fang Xuan.
But only three days earlier, when he saw the results, he had been stunned.
[Fang Xuan, age: 18, Martial Soul: Magic Seed, Innate Soul Power: 1]
That was right. Fang Xuan's Innate Soul Power was only one. He was among the very worst.
When Xue Qinghe first saw that, he thought Fang Xuan was nothing more than a despicable man who had used underhanded means to cling to someone powerful.
But when he read further, he was completely dumbfounded.
The person she had sent to investigate had uncovered everything about Fang Xuan's life, leaving almost nothing out.
That included his true Soul Power Level and every match he had fought at the Soto Great Soul Arena.
They had even investigated how he had taken on seven opponents alone and defeated the people from Shrek Academy.
Afterward, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had sent people to deal with him, but Fang Xuan had already left, so they failed.
"There's a secret behind him, and it's a huge one."
Xue Qinghe was certain of it, so on the fourth day, she went to see Fang Xuan.
She had urged him to submit to her, promising that if he did, she could help him marry Ye Lingling.
But he had remained silent, simply kneeling there. He made her feel like a fool talking to a cow.
At the time, she had been furious, but there was nothing she could do.
She had kept an eye on him over the past few days. At first, she had been drawn to the secrets he seemed to harbor, but now she was drawn to his actions and character.
She had the same question as everyone else: was this really worth it?
But Fang Xuan gave them no answer. He only knelt there in silence, then slapped everyone—and the entire era—with a resounding blow.
Inside the room, Ye Qinru's expression grew extremely complicated.
She truly hadn't expected Fang Xuan to go this far.
"Qinru, this is enough. Do you really have to drive that child Lingling to her death before you're satisfied?"
Tang Yuehua pleaded helplessly from the side. She was the one who had entered on the fifth day.
Tang Yuehua and Ye Qinru were friends, and she had received news of what was happening here right away.
But she knew there were some matters she couldn't get involved in.
Still, by the fifth day, she could no longer hold back. Ye Qinru had sent word that Ye Lingling had been refusing food for several days.
Ever since Fang Xuan had knelt outside the door, he hadn't eaten a thing. No matter how Ye Qinru tried to persuade him, it had been useless.
With no other choice, she could only ask for outside help.
That was why Tang Yuehua had hurried over when she heard the news. She had also seen Fang Xuan kneeling outside and helped him.
Her Martial Soul, the Ruyi Ring, could enhance mental abilities.
The only direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect still living in the world, her Martial Soul had also mutated from the Clear Sky Hammer.
Like Yu Xiaogang, her Martial Soul had a major flaw.
That flaw had left her Soul Power forever stuck at level nine, unable to advance any further.
But she hadn't gone astray like Yu Xiaogang. Instead, she had relied on the nature of her Martial Soul to establish Moonlight Pavilion, become its master, and remain in Heaven Dou City.
It was precisely because of her unique circumstances that Spirit Hall had spared her when it purged the sect. She had also never married.
Ye Lingling was someone she had watched grow up, and she adored her, treating her like her own daughter.
But her opinion of Fang Xuan was completely different from Ye Qinru's. She had tried to reason with Ye Qinru before, but every attempt had failed.
Until this final day arrived.
"No! There are still half a day left. Just half a day. He'll realize he can't do it and back down."
Ye Qinru muttered to herself. She didn't believe anyone like Fang Xuan could exist in this world.
She had been hurt and deceived, so deep down, she felt repelled by men.
She had thought that way for years, but now that belief was slowly being worn away.
She looked toward the tightly shut door before her. Fang Xuan was kneeling outside.
All she had to do was open that door, and everything would be over. It would also mean that the belief she had held onto for so many years was wrong.
Now, she neither wanted to lose nor to win.
She had fallen into a deeply contradictory and complicated state.
Tang Yuehua watched the scene and sighed helplessly.
As time passed, the sun sank from the eastern sky toward the west.
The evening light fell over Fang Xuan, his clothes already caked in mud.
He silently raised his head and looked at the tightly shut door.
Creak—