Three Years Later (Two Chapters Combined)

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

Chu Clan Martial Arts Arena.

In the center of the arena, Chu Yan withdrew his staff and stood tall. A thin layer of sweat coated his forehead, yet his breathing remained rhythmic and steady.

Three years had gone by, and he had grown significantly. His stature was now among the best of his peers, and the lines of his shoulders and back had developed the upright, sturdy silhouette a young man should possess.

His features had also gradually matured; his brows were like swords, his eyes bright as stars, his nose bridge high and straight, and his jawline clean and sharp. Standing there, he possessed a calm temperament that seemed incongruous with his age.

Chu Yan retracted the Yan Divine Weapon into his body and flexed his wrists.

His progress over these three years had been even faster than he had initially anticipated. His soul power had firmly settled at level 29, just a step away from the peak of the Great Spirit Master realm—he had reached the level of that "Master" from twenty thousand years ago.

Two purple soul rings hovered around him, rotating slowly. The age of his first soul ring had surpassed one thousand years over these three years, while the second had been formed autonomously by the energy within the Yan Divine Weapon, reaching nearly three thousand years.

The token Leng Yaozhu had given him had also played a significant role over these three years.

He had practiced in the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform three times. Each time, the energy impact from the platform helped the Yan Divine Weapon absorb external energy to convert into soul ring age. Combined with the weapon's own ability to condense energy, the dual approach allowed his soul rings to grow nearly twice as fast as they would have through his own accumulation.

His spiritual power had not lagged behind either. From the 78 points he had at the time of his awakening, it had climbed steadily, reaching 229 points when tested half a year ago.

Although there was still a considerable distance to the Spirit Sea Realm, he was considered to be at a mid-level standard within the Spirit Connection Realm.

The number of swords he could control with the Yan Divine Weapon had also increased from the initial five to eighteen.

He could now execute the Phantom Sword Style with nine swords simultaneously. While the precision of the remaining nine was still lacking, they were more than enough for interference and feints.

The Sky Piercing Form was his second soul skill and the core application of the Yan Divine Weapon's second form.

Only after truly mastering it did he realize that this soul skill was designed for extreme, single-point penetration.

When the nine small swords retracted their phantoms simultaneously, they would compress and entwine into a palm-sized, dark-gold conical spike. Its tip was coated with a layer of extremely thin spatial patterns. When activated, tiny spatial cracks would emerge around the spike, flickering in and out of existence and leaving behind a pitch-black trail.

He had tested this soul skill in private several times. Even against a Spirit King-level defensive soul skill, if pushed to the limit, it could forcibly tear an opening. If he were to encounter an ordinary four-ring Spirit Ancestor, he could completely suppress them head-on or even secure a victory.

However, this skill consumed a massive amount of energy; a single full-power activation would drain nearly thirty percent of his spiritual power, making it impossible to use consecutively.

Chu Yan put away the Yan Divine Weapon, picked up a towel from the stone table to wipe his sweat, and looked toward the entrance of the courtyard.

In these three years, Leng Yaozhu had visited East Sea City four times, though she could never stay for long.

Sometimes she would stop by to check on his cultivation progress during breaks from her official duties at the Spirit Pagoda, and other times she would come specifically to deliver resources and provide personal guidance to correct issues in his training.

Her requirements for Chu Yan were clear: build a solid foundation, do not rush to break through, and take every step steadily.

Chu Yan had implemented this thoroughly. Over the past three years, every level of soul power he gained had been fully accumulated and polished; he had never used any shortcuts for quick success.

Just then, a light and familiar sound of footsteps drifted from the courtyard gate.

"Brother Yan! Are you done practicing?"

Xu Xiaoyan poked half her body through the gate. Three years had passed, and she, too, had grown quite a bit. The chubby, baby-faced look she had at six had faded, her chin line becoming soft and delicate, yet the lively spirit in her eyes remained undiminished.

Her light blue twin tails were still tied high, though her hair was much thicker than it had been three years ago. Standing in the morning light, she looked as fresh and clean as a young willow tree.

"Just finished." Chu Yan hung the towel back on the rack and walked toward her.

Xu Xiaoyan hopped in with a grin, clutching a kraft paper envelope. She waved it in front of him and said triumphantly, "Look what this is!"

"An admission letter?" Chu Yan recognized the seal on the envelope at a glance; it was the emblem of East Sea Academy.

"You guessed it!" Xu Xiaoyan shoved the envelope into his hands, circled around to sit at the stone table, and propped her chin on her hands to watch him open it. "I saw your aunt earlier, and she asked me to bring it to you. Mine arrived too; we've both been assigned to Class One of the Intermediate Department!"

Chu Yan tore open the envelope and scanned the notice inside; the content was just as Xu Xiaoyan had described.

Class One, Intermediate Department. Enrollment in two months.

The graduation exam for Tianheng Primary Academy had ended half a month ago. Both he and Xu Xiaoyan had passed with top-tier grades, earning them a recommendation for direct admission to the Intermediate Department of East Sea Academy.

"We're in the same class again." Xu Xiaoyan sat on the stone stool, swinging her legs gently, her tone filled with undisguised joy.

Chu Yan folded the notice and tucked it into his storage bracelet before walking over to sit at the stone table.

At that moment, Xu Xiaoyan glanced toward the courtyard gate and asked, "Where's Na'er? Is she still in class?"

"Yeah, she gets out an hour later than us today," Chu Yan said.

Xu Xiaoyan nodded and drew out her tone, "Oh... then I'll wait for her a while before going home."

Three years ago, after Chu Yan brought Na'er back, Chu Yuntian and Qin Mengyao had arranged for her life and education. When she reached the age of six, the age for awakening a Martial Soul, Na'er had also undergone the test.

The result was the same as in the original story: she had not awakened any Martial Soul.

Chu Yuntian and his wife then arranged for her to attend a regular primary school in East Sea City, where there was no soul power cultivation, and she studied academic courses just like any other child.

At first, Chu Yan had been worried that Na'er might feel discouraged by this, but after observing her for a few days, he found that Na'er didn't seem to have any particular emotional fluctuation regarding the fact that she had "no Martial Soul." She ate and drank as usual, and every night she would look up at the stars in the courtyard for a while.

Eventually, Chu Yan slowly let go of that worry.

Just then, Xu Xiaoyan leaned over the stone table, looking at Chu Yan from the side, and suddenly asked, "Brother Yan, do you think Class One of the Intermediate Department will be very difficult?"

"Difficult or not, we'll find out when we get there."

"That's true... anyway, as long as you're with me, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Chu Yan didn't respond, simply picking up the teapot on the table to pour himself a cup of cold tea.

A moment later, a series of light, quick footsteps came from outside the courtyard, followed by a small figure in a white short-sleeved school uniform appearing at the gate.

Three years had passed, and Na'er had grown quite a bit. Her silver-white short hair had reached her shoulders, loosely tied into a small braid at the back of her head with a light blue ribbon, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead.

Her features were even more delicate than they had been three years ago, and her skin was so fair it was almost translucent. Her purple eyes shimmered with a crystalline luster under the sunlight. Just standing there, she possessed a cold, detached air that seemed out of place with her surroundings, yet whenever she smiled, her eyes would curve into crescents, instantly melting that chill away.

"Brother, Sister Xiaoyan!" Na'er trotted into the courtyard, her pronunciation of "Brother" particularly clear.

Xu Xiaoyan jumped off a stone bench to greet her, taking her hand and looking her up and down with a grin. "Na'er, you got out of school so early today! I thought I'd have to wait until sunset!"

"The teacher let me leave early after the last study hall," Na'er said, her eyes curving. She then turned to look at Chu Yan by the stone table and called out, "Brother."

Chu Yan nodded at her, his tone softening a fraction more than when he spoke to others. "The kitchen is stewing some soup. I'll have the butler bring you a bowl in a moment."

"Okay." Na'er replied, then was pulled by Xu Xiaoyan to sit on the stone bench. The two young girls began to chatter away, mostly about what the teacher had lectured on that day or who in class had made a fool of themselves.

Chu Yan sat to the side, sipping tea and occasionally offering a response, though for the most part, he simply listened quietly.

That evening.

Chu Yan sat at his desk, a volume of Soul Guidance Array Notes spread out before him, a cup of now-cold tea at his elbow. He read a few pages, then casually sketched a rough diagram of an energy circuit on a piece of paper. He paused, his gaze falling on the silver-gray bracer at the edge of the desk.

It was the Portable Soul Guidance Array Recorder his mother had given him three years ago. Over these three years, he had used it intermittently to record some simple energy circuit structures. While they weren't particularly profound, they were more than enough for introductory practice.

Just as he was about to refocus his attention on his notes, he heard very light footsteps coming from the direction of the courtyard gate, which then stopped outside his door.

"Brother."

Chu Yan set down his pen, stood up, and walked over to open the door.

Na'er stood at the threshold, wearing a white nightgown, her silver-white hair draped over her shoulders, clutching a small pillow to her chest.

"What's wrong?" Chu Yan looked down at her and asked in a softened voice.

Na'er pursed her lips before whispering, "I can't sleep. Can I... sit with you for a while?"

Chu Yan stepped aside, tilted his head toward the room, and said gently, "Come in."

Na'er walked into the room clutching her pillow, her bare feet padding against the floor. She sat on the edge of the bed, legs pressed together, hugging the small pillow. She sat quietly for a moment, her large purple eyes lost in thought.

Chu Yan gathered his notes and diagrams to one side of the desk and pulled up another chair to sit opposite her.

"Weren't you having a good time playing today? Why can't you sleep?" he asked casually.

Na'er lowered her head, her fingers tracing the edge of the pillow. After a while, she spoke in a muffled voice. "I had a dream."

"What kind of dream?"

"...I can't quite remember." She was silent for a moment before adding, "It's just that after I woke up, I felt a bit empty inside, as if something was missing."

Na'er kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously picking at the corner of the pillow. After a pause, she continued, "Brother, if one day I were to leave, would you miss me?"

Chu Yan was silent for two or three breaths, then reached out to gently ruffle her silver-white hair. "Why would you think that?"

Over these three years, he had occasionally considered this scenario. In the original story, Na'er left Aolai City just before Tang Wulin was set to graduate from the primary academy. He had wondered if one day Na'er's memories would awaken and she would leave.

He just hadn't expected it to come so soon.

Three years—neither long nor short—but enough for a six-year-old girl to grow into a nine-year-old, and enough for her to build a sense of reliance and attachment to this place and these people.

Now that this day was suddenly arriving, why did he feel such reluctance?

Feeling Chu Yan's touch, Na'er rubbed against his hand and muttered, "I'm just saying 'if,' that's all."

Chu Yan looked at her, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. He withdrew his hand and said with a serious tone, "If that day ever truly comes, I will miss you. And if you really were to disappear, as long as I am strong enough, I will eliminate anyone who tries to stop us from seeing each other."

Na'er froze at his words.

She looked up at him, something trembling faintly in her purple eyes.

A few breaths later, she curved her eyes into a smile. There was a glimmer of moisture in the corners of her eyes, but she blinked it away forcefully. Her voice carried a slight nasal tone as she giggled, "Brother, that's a bit too overbearing, isn't it..."

She lowered her head to rub her eyes, her voice softening as she added, "But... I like it."

Chu Yan smiled at this, then stood up and walked over to take her small hand. He naturally changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. Come, I want to show you something."

Na'er was pulled up from the bedside and followed him to the desk, the lingering nasal tone still evident in her voice.

Chu Yan opened a drawer under the desk, which was neatly filled with many tiny components.

Metal plates, energy conduction wires, several miniature soul guidance cores, a set of precision gear structures... dozens of items of various sizes, categorized into small compartments.

And in the very center of the drawer, a purple metal bracelet lay quietly on a velvet cushion.

The main body of the bracelet was mostly formed, about two fingers wide and a pale purple throughout. The surface was polished smooth and delicate, with several extremely fine energy circuit patterns extending from the edges, though it had not yet been fully sealed.

"This is..." Na'er looked at the bracelet and blinked.

"This is a second-level soul tool I made for you." Chu Yan took the parts out one by one and laid them on the desk. "Its function is to nourish the body and regulate blood flow; it's good for you. It's not a very high level, but use it for now."

Indeed, over these past three years, he had been studying under an elder soul master in the family and had reached the level of a second-level soul master.

He pulled a chair to the desk for Na'er to sit, then sat in the chair beside her, taking a pair of slender tweezers and a miniature soul guidance core from the drawer to begin assembling the final part.

"When I'm more capable in the future, I'll make you an even better one."

His movements were steady; there was almost no tremor as the tweezers picked up the components. Years of study and practice had made him quite proficient in the production process of such basic soul tools.

The soul guidance core was embedded into the slot, the energy circuits aligned, and the edge was sealed with a touch of a micro-welding tool. A faint blue light flashed at the interface before quickly fading.

Na'er sat beside him, watching him work in silence.

Her gaze shifted from his fingers to the tiny components scattered across the table, then back to his profile, something welling up in her eyes until they shimmered with a thin veil of moisture.

She didn't make a sound, only pressed her lips together tightly, holding back the mist so the tears wouldn't fall.

Chu Yan kept his head down, busy with his work, seemingly unaware of her expression.

About a quarter of an hour later, he tightened the final screw, wiped the surface of the bracelet clean with a soft cloth, and then set down his tools to hold the bracelet out to her.

"It's done. Put it on and see."