"I never expected you to advance as well."
The two stood on the mountaintop, letting the cold wind howl and clouds of snow swirl around them.
Moonlight spilled across the earth, illuminating the snow as brightly as daylight, yet making their surroundings seem all the more desolate and forlorn.
Neither knew how long they had faced each other in silence before Wu Lianyi finally spoke slowly, taking the initiative to break it.
"Yes, and I have you to thank for that," Jiang Yunfeng said.
"I never imagined that the illustrious Lord of Ten Thousand Miles, Jiang Yunfeng, a genius who prided himself on being without equal, would ever see this day. Didn't you tell me that if you advanced, you would comprehend the laws through your own strength and pursue the Heavenly Dao? Why did you take the Dao path I pioneered, the very path deemed a betrayal of all orthodox teachings?"
Wu Lianyi raised a hand to his face and slowly removed his mask, revealing the weathered face of a middle-aged man.
It was an utterly ordinary face. Had he been on a bustling street rather than here, he would have vanished into the crowd at once, impossible to pick out again.
Wu Lianyi's appearance was unremarkable, and he possessed none of the imposing presence expected of a master. Yet a strange light filled his eyes, and that light brought his whole image to life, lending him an extraordinary quality beyond words.
It was the bearing of a seeker of the Dao. He had come here to question Jiang Yunfeng precisely so they could debate whose understanding was superior, clarify their hearts, and perceive their true nature.
At those words, a flicker of emotion finally crossed Jiang Yunfeng's face.
"Perhaps because what you pursued was right."
"Perhaps?" Wu Lianyi