The Right to Choose

At that moment, Qian Qizhou's vision suddenly went black, and the sounds around him gradually faded away.

The next second, his body went limp and pitched forward against his will. He lost consciousness completely and collapsed.

"Xiao Zhou!" Guang Ling cried out. Quick to react, he caught the limp Qian Qizhou before he could hit the ground.

He hurriedly checked Qian Qizhou's condition. It turned out he had only fainted temporarily from the turmoil in his mind, with no danger to his life. Only then did Guang Ling breathe a little easier.

Snow Empress also walked over slowly and gently touched Qian Qizhou's brow, steadying the chaotic fluctuations of his Soul Power.

Meanwhile, on a plane beyond the perception of both Guang Ling and Snow Empress—

Qian Qizhou's consciousness seemed to sink into an endless expanse of grayish-purple mist.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the Plane of Euthymia, a place both familiar and strange to him.

Eternal stillness and emptiness surrounded him. Only the purple figure standing in the distance with her back to him existed in this void.

Qian Qizhou slowly came to his senses and realized where he was.

He gazed at that solitary figure and fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Ei..."

At the sound of Qian Qizhou's voice, Ei slowly turned around.

Her beautiful face remained expressionless, and her purple eyes were as deep as a pool, reflecting not the slightest ripple.

She did not ask what had happened outside, nor did she comment on Qian Qizhou's mental state.

She simply watched him quietly for a moment. Then, a flash of light appeared in her hand, and a purple-glowing katana materialized.

Dreamer's Heart.

"Draw your blade," Ei said, her voice calm. "We'll talk about the rest later."

At that moment, words were pale and powerless. Only battle could release the surging emotions and give his disordered mind an anchor once more.

Qian Qizhou fell silent for a moment, then understood Ei's intention.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the tangled thoughts churning inside him. With a thought, Engulfing Lightning appeared in his hand.

The instant he tightened his grip on the hilt, Ei's figure blurred abruptly. The next moment, she appeared in front of him, her Dreamer's Heart sweeping in a shining arc as she slashed at him without any flourish!

Qian Qizhou's pupils contracted, and he raised his blade to block on instinct!

"Clang!"

The blades clashed with a clear ring. A tremendous force traveled through the sword, numbing Qian Qizhou's arm.

He gritted his teeth, shifted his footing to deflect the force, then countered with a slash at Ei.

The two engaged in a fierce, silent duel, relying on nothing but the purest martial skill.

Ei's martial prowess was overwhelming. She forced Qian Qizhou to focus every bit of his attention on predicting, reacting, and responding, leaving no room for stray thoughts.

Gradually, the emptiness and confusion in Qian Qizhou's eyes faded, replaced by complete concentration.

His breathing and movements gradually fell into sync. His blade followed his thoughts, and he seemed to become one with Engulfing Lightning in his hand.

Qian Qizhou concentrated fully, pouring every stray thought into the blade he held. Every block and every counterattack carried the full weight of his mind and will.

Even so, he could only struggle to resist Ei's attacks. He had no chance to take the initiative and strike back.

Finally, after an exchange that seemed ordinary, the cold tip of a blade came to rest lightly against Qian Qizhou's throat.

Qian Qizhou froze. A profound sense of helplessness swept through him.

The light of Engulfing Lightning in his hand dimmed slightly.

He had lost—and utterly. His martial skill still lay an insurmountable gulf behind Ei's.

Ei slowly lowered her blade and looked down at Qian Qizhou, who was a little worse for wear. "Do you understand now?" she asked calmly.

Qian Qizhou stared at her blankly, bewilderment in his eyes.

He did not understand what Ei meant. Did she mean he now understood the flaws in his technique? Or the gap between them?

Seeing the confusion in Qian Qizhou's eyes, Ei continued, "Without sufficient strength, you have no right to choose."

She paused slightly, her gaze seeming to pass through Qian Qizhou and see the turmoil in his heart, stirred by the upheaval outside.

"Without power, you can neither control your own fate nor protect anyone else."

If she had possessed power back then, those tragedies and partings would never have happened.

Hozai Palace would not have died protecting Inazuma. Chiyo would not have... and Makoto would not have left her...

As for Qian Qizhou's world, it was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

"Fate" had already woven a script for everyone. Unless they could break free of it, they could only become characters in its play and accept the ending it had ordained.

Ei's words struck Qian Qizhou's heart like a heavy hammer.

He understood what Ei meant.

She was not commenting on who had won their duel. She was using the most direct way to bring him to his senses.

No matter how things unfolded, if he lacked sufficient strength, everything he did would be a futile struggle.

Without power, even knowing the truth became a burden, let alone changing anything or protecting the people and things he cared about.

It was just like Bibi Dong. If she had possessed power back then, the tragedies that followed would never have happened.

But she had no power, and no right to choose her own path.

As for him, he had left in a fit of anger back then because he was not strong enough.

Because he was not strong enough, he could only flee when faced with the Clear Sky Sect elders, and even had to burn through his very essence to narrowly escape death.

The right to choose had always been equal to one's strength.

Fate ruled all beneath heaven; not a hair's breadth was left to human will.

He slowly lifted his head. The confusion and vulnerability in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a light that had begun to shine once more.

He tightened his grip on the Naginata and spoke evenly. "I understand."

Greater power.

Not for revenge, nor for power and profit, nor even for so-called justice.

Simply to earn the right to choose.

To control his own fate, and to gain the ability to protect those he wished to protect when the darker storms that might come in the future arrived.

Ei looked at the light that had returned to his eyes and seemed to give an almost imperceptible nod. She said nothing more.

She had taught him what she could. The rest of the road was his to walk alone.

"Ei, thank you."

After speaking, Qian Qizhou closed his eyes and began to withdraw his consciousness from this space.

In the real world, Qian Qizhou's eyelashes fluttered slightly, then he slowly opened his eyes.

The aura around him, which had been somewhat chaotic from the turmoil in his mind, had completely settled.

That brief moment in the Plane of Euthymia had not only calmed the turbulence in his mind, but also allowed his state of mind to break through.

"Xiao Zhou, you're awake?" Guang Ling noticed the change at once and hurriedly asked with concern, "How do you feel? Is anything bothering you?"

Snow Empress withdrew the finger she had pressed to his brow. "How are you?"

Looking at them, Qian Qizhou shook his head. "I'm fine now."