On Jade Wave Island, Chen Ming stood in the courtyard and drew a deep breath of flower-scented air. His injuries had completely healed, and his cultivation had fully stabilized at early Core Formation.
After a month of recuperation and regulating his breathing, he even felt that his magical power was a little purer than it had been during his tribulation-perhaps the tempering of the Purple-Gold Divine Thunder had given him a sturdier foundation than ordinary Core Formation cultivators.
Wan Yao'er had not left the Chaotic Star Sea during that month. Her remark about "going away until things blow over" seemed to have been something she said in passing. She returned to Jade Wave Island the very next day and went on with her life as though nothing had happened.
When Chen Ming asked about that night, she merely said, "The plan changed," and offered no further explanation.
Chen Ming did not press her. Everyone had secrets they did not want to share, and he respected her choice.
Still, spending that month together had brought them considerably closer.
Although Wan Yao'er remained cool and aloof, with a touch of slyness, she occasionally revealed genuine affection-for instance, she remembered which spirit fruits Chen Ming liked, sat quietly beside him and watched while he refined pills, and joined him by the sea late at night to drink and chat about their experiences in the cultivation world and amusing incidents from their lives.
Chen Ming had to admit that his time with Wan Yao'er was among his few moments of ease in this cultivation world, where danger lurked on every side.
But no feast under heaven could last forever.
"You're leaving?"
Wan Yao'er leaned against the courtyard doorway with her arms folded, watching Chen Ming, who had already packed his belongings. Her tone betrayed