Late at night.
The soft chirring of insects mingled with trembling breaths, leaving a romantic melody in the dormitory.
Beneath the moonlight, both of them had their eyes closed, savoring a moment of peace as they felt each other's heartbeat and breathing.
Honestly, given the way things looked right now, it wouldn't have felt all that strange for Lin Yan to call Wen Ruan "Mom."
All you could say was that the difference in their sizes was still a force to be reckoned with.
Before long, Lin Yan's breathing had settled. Then he suddenly spoke.
"Come with me."
"Hm? Where?"
"To Heaven Dou City."
"What?"
Their back-and-forth came naturally.
But when Lin Yan said he was about to leave for Heaven Dou City, Wen Ruan couldn't stay calm.
It was something she had never even considered.
Wen Ruan had been born into an ordinary family, and the farthest she had ever traveled was Suotuo City.
She was, in every way, a typical girl from an ordinary family.
She had no grand ambitions or excessive desires, and she wasn't greedy. Living a quiet, peaceful life was the best ending she could hope for.
But now Lin Yan had suddenly said he was going to Heaven Dou City?
That was the heart of the entire Heaven Dou Empire. The people who lived there were either rich or powerful. Even if she was willing to leave with Lin Yan, what about her parents?
"Little senior, I'm leaving the academy. Come with me."
Noticing that Wen Ruan had been silent for a long time, Lin Yan held her and gently added,
Wen Ruan furrowed her brows slightly.
"Why? Isn't it good here?"
"Because I want to become stronger! The teaching resources here are scarce. My talent deserves to be nurtured with better resources."
At those words, Wen Ruan's delicate body trembled.
She had thought of Lin Yan's extraordinary talent and strength.
He was level 15, carried the Treasure of the Blood River External Soul Bone, and had a thousand-year first Soul Ring for a weapon-type Martial Soul. In his very first battle, he had defeated a seven-hundred-year-old draconic Soul Beast.
Given time, he was sure to stand at the pinnacle of this continent.
A Titled Douluo, even a Super Douluo or Limit Douluo—perhaps they were only a matter of time for Lin Yan.
But she needed someone else to help her hunt for even her Second Soul Ring. Could she really be worthy of a genius like him?
An emotion called inferiority spread through the girl's heart until it filled her chest.
Wen Ruan lowered her eyes.
"So you came tonight to say goodbye?"
Lin Yan didn't answer. He couldn't bring himself to say the words, so he let his silence speak for him.
"You..."
"Couldn't we just live peacefully here? I don't want to become strong, and I don't need a lot of money or power. As long as I'm with you..."
"I don't want to leave..."
Wen Ruan clung to the last shred of hope and held the young man in her arms tighter.
She wasn't only resisting a life of wandering. She was also trying to claim a little sense of worth in Lin Yan's heart.
If Lin Yan agreed to stay, then the two of them could live a quiet life together. They could be like an ordinary couple, happy and safe for years to come.
Unfortunately, Lin Yan hadn't guessed what was on the girl's mind. He only wanted to become stronger, so once again, he let silence answer for him.
Anxiety and unease welled up in Wen Ruan's heart.
Her breathing, which had just steadied, grew heavier. She loved Lin Yan so much. From childhood to now, he was the first person who had ever truly cared for her.
Flender had never gone to the trouble of devising a path for developing her Martial Soul. Her parents had never carefully raised her with any effort. Only Lin Yan...
He had risked his life to help her hunt a dragon-type Soul Ring, something she had never imagined she could have. It had transformed her Soul Skill completely.
The thought of losing all that made Wen Ruan panic.
Her mind raced, but even in the end, she couldn't think of any way to make Lin Yan stay.
Was she supposed to stop a genius from growing stronger and ask him to spend his life in mediocrity with an ordinary Soul Master like her?
Her inferiority complex wouldn't let her do that.
At last, Wen Ruan spoke with a pleading, tearful voice.
"Will you come home with me tomorrow?"
This time, Lin Yan didn't stay silent. He slowly lifted his fair face from Wen Ruan's chest and met the girl's gaze.
"If you don't like the world outside, then once I've grown stronger, I'll come back for you."
"But I don't need you to become stronger."
"..."
"I'm the one who longs for strength..."
Lin Yan let out a soft sigh. Looking at the beautiful girl before him, tears streaming down both cheeks, he had a vague idea of what she was thinking.
He slowly raised his hand and gently wiped the tear tracks from Wen Ruan's face.
"Don't worry. I'm only going to a better academy. It's not like I'm dead."
"I'll come back every so often."
This time, it was Wen Ruan's turn to fall silent. She couldn't bring herself to ask Lin Yan to give up on becoming stronger.
Their talent and strength were worlds apart. Perhaps before long, Lin Yan would surpass her and become someone she could only look up to.
By then...
She didn't dare follow that thought any further.
The air stayed quiet for a long while. The moonlight remained, but the breeze grew colder.
There was nothing to be done. Farewell was always like this, full of sorrow and each person's heartfelt feelings.
A long time passed, until the tears on the girl's face had dried. At last, Lin Yan slowly spoke.
"Little senior."
"I'm an orphan. You're the first—and only—family I have in this world."
Beneath the moonlight, the young man's eyes were clear and bright. They rekindled a light in Wen Ruan's desolate inner world. That light slowly spread until color returned to her eyes.
His only family?
Before she could think any further, their lips met.
This time, Lin Yan's hands didn't wander over her body. Instead, he gently cupped her fair face.
The next day.
At the entrance to Shrek Academy.
Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others had heard that Lin Yan was leaving. Now they were saying their farewells, reluctant to part.
They all knew Lin Yan was no ordinary man. One day, he was sure to become a Titled Douluo. They truly wanted to keep him at the academy.
But in their repeated sparring matches over the past few days, they had seen the disappointment in his eyes.
It was the disappointment of someone who hadn't gotten what he wanted. And what was that? Of course, battle experience.
The two of them were ordinary Soul Masters from commoner families. They had made their way through life by avoiding the strong and bullying the weak. How could they know any refined combat techniques?
Zhao Wuji was a little better, at least. He had once lived through a great escape and had some battle experience.
But Flender had truly made his way across the continent by relying on his speed and Soul Skills. If he met an enemy he couldn't beat, he ran. If he couldn't run, he'd just flop over and die on the spot.
He had precious little combat experience.
After Lin Yan had shown his disappointment time and again—and finally stopped seeking them out altogether—they realized that their teaching abilities really weren't enough to cultivate him.
So, for the sake of Lin Yan's future, they didn't try to stop him.