At those words, Xun Er's delicate body trembled. After a long while, she waved a hand at Ling Ying and said, "I understand, Elder Ling. I need some quiet time. You may leave first."
A bitter smile appeared on Ling Ying's face. He then nodded and vanished into a corner of the room.
After watching Ling Ying disappear, Xun Er turned back toward the window. If anyone had leaned close, they would have heard a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Brother Xiao Yao, I wonder whether Xun Er can still spend another year of Inner Academy life with you. I truly want to always... always stay by your side and live a plain, peaceful life with you..."
A month passed like a white steed racing through a crack, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Amid the vast mountain range, a black-robed young man stood quietly in midair. His posture was straight as a pine, his feet seeming to rest upon invisible steps, steady and firm.
With both hands behind his back, he tilted his head slightly upward. His expression was calm, his gaze deep as he looked into the distance, as though pondering something—or perhaps surveying the boundless land below. His black robe fluttered gently in the breeze, adding to his mysterious air of a reclusive master.
Xiao Yao extended his index finger and lightly tapped the space before him, waving it through the air as he inscribed one invisible seal after another. With each movement of his fingertip, the multicolored energy between heaven and earth howled toward him, all of it pouring into his fingertip.
Xiao Yao's expression was focused and solemn. Using his powerful Soul Force, he guided the energy, gathering it, compressing it, refining it...
Gradually, intricate and mysterious formation patterns took shape at