82 The Spread of Their Wings (VIII)

The world had crossed through many generations already and, every time too many geniuses were born at the same time, it was an era full of chaos and conflicts.

However, he was not against it. It was thanks to such times that heroes rose and surpassed the others, creating everlasting legends as they moved upward.

Honestly, having the chance to see the ascension of new legends was like a blessing for people like him who had long depleted their potential.

"Next participant, climb on stage." He felt a bit of pity toward the Heavens' Will Association, but this trouble was theirs and they should clean their butts on their own.

Right after his words echoed, Yueshi grabbed his spear once more. With a twist of his wrist, he twirled it with mastery before pointing it at Yang Chengfei on the audience.

Yueshi's eyes held derision and his lips were parted in a smile of disdain as he spoke. "You are next… unless a genius like you is too afraid to come on stage?"

He was clearly trying to provoke the other side. If Chengfei cared about his honor he would not dare to flee, even more so after such words were spoken.

However, no one could be sure of what he would do. After all, the inner disciple examination was extremely close and, if he got seriously injured, he would not be able to participate.

Chengfei also knew of that, so he hesitated.

Chances were that even if he avoided Yueshi today, the other side would still try to find him to vent his anger later on.

Moreover, if he fled without fighting, the association leader would surely make him pay the price.

"If I go on stage, will our debt be settled then?" Resigning himself to it, Chengfei asked in a calm tone.

People were surprised by his words, and so was Yueshi. However, he did not answer.

Would the debts between the two of them be settled after this battle? He was not sure.

He, for one, could still remember vividly the remembers of their last conflict. He would never forget how weak and humiliated he had felt, and how much he hated the fact he could not protect his friends.

The only way for him to know the answer was fighting, and winning – if his heart was satisfied by then, then that was it.

Seeing him not answer, Chengfei sighed before jumping on stage.

His eyes grew resolute as he gripped his whip firmly – since things had already come to this, he would try and fight. Although he had a bad personality, he also had pride in himself as a genius.

That said, he also made a mental note - he'd make sure to vent his anger while whipping and lashing at Xiongli.

"You can start anytime." Seeing the two young men already set to go, the judge spoke no more.

He was here to prevent anyone from dying, and with Yueshi using his spear he was seriously thinking things could become ugly.

"Heart and spear as one…" When he heard Yueshi's words, he became even more assured of that. "One point of extremity subjugates the heavens and earth!"

At that instant, it was as if the entire world was suppressed by his aura, while the qi in the world changed in spear qi without him even desiring.

Chengfei could feel his heart constrict in his chest as his throat became parched. And, smiling in derision, he understood one thing—

This single spear strike was going to put an end to everything!

— - -

Today had been a rare day in the outer court, as many disciples had crowed together to see one of the three regents of the outer court fight.

However, to their surprise, instead of watching the Heavens Will absolute victory, they saw scenes they would never be able to forget.

While they made their way back toward their own homes or the other training grounds, the disciples murmured and chatted amongst themselves.

The subject was none other than the battles they had just witnessed.

"To think those new guys are already this strong! Are they monsters or what?" Someone said, his eyes still wide open from all the shock he received today.

"Well, what can we do? This is what true geniuses are like, not something we can compare with." Another sighed with a deponent look.

"Hm. And to think everyone thought they would be suppressed without even being able to struggle. Really…" The first shook his head from side to side. "I guess everyone will know their names by tomorrow… theirs and their association's name."

And he was right.

The events taking place on this day were nothing but a conflict between two associations in the outer court of the Star Sea Sect.

Taking into consideration how huge, vast, and boundless the world was… this was just a little event not worth any consideration.

However, all stories must start from somewhere.

--- - -

While almost two thousand people were talking about them, Yueshi and the others were reunited in a cycle once more.

They were drinking in a merry mood after their great victory against the Heavens' Will, and commemorating the great number of points they had reaped out of it.

"Boss, why did you not hold back against Xiongli? If you had feigned weakness we could have reaped even more points in the final battle!"

They had bet their points at the very start, however, they bet everything again before each match.

Unfortunately, thanks to Yueshi display of power against Gao Xiongli, the odds had been in his favor in the last battle, decreasing their possible earnings.

"Stop being greedy! We already got so much out of it." Yueshi rolled his eyes at Baiyun, making a playful, disgusted expression.

The others burst into laughter seeing the two.

Other than Xuehua and Xiao Yao, which were drinking tea, everyone was drinking alcohol, uplifting their moods to yet another level.

Those that had not joined the battle were also around, turning the reunion into a mess as they all talked, shouted, and made bad jokes.

Some time passed and suddenly, Yueshi noted Xuehua had left at an unknown time.

Curious, he sneaked out while laughing at Baiyun who was dancing together with a few more men – not forgetting to commit this scene to memory to tease him later.

In no time, he had found his sister. She was on one of the mansion's balconies catching a breath of fresh air.

Xuehua wore a gentle and carefree expression, as if free of any worries and problems. She seemed so at peace that he could not bring himself to disturb her, merely leaning on the door frame and watching her with soft eyes.

He had already noticed long ago, but seeing her like this made him think about it once more – Xuehua was indeed the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Her appearance was just slightly above average, but there was something about her that made his heart willing to look at her for all eternity.

She had a gentle, soothing temperament, as well as a certain grace and pureness to her whole being… it was as if the mere act of having perverted thoughts about her was a sin.

Holy, bewitching, mesmerizing… he could find quite a few words to describe her.

After some time had gone by, she seemed to feel something, slowly turning around. A sliver of surprise flashed past her eyes, but a smile soon blossomed on her charming face.

Since she had noticed his presence, Yueshi approached and stood by her side.

Leaning on the balcony, he looked at the sky, filled to the brim with beautiful and bright stars. The moon was hanging just above their heads, its soft glow illuminating the entire region and painting a beautiful scene.

Yueshi also felt carefree at that moment.

"Are you happy?" Without any reason at all, he suddenly asked her.

"Hm." Xuehua made a small sound in agreement and nodded gently.

"At peace?" He asked once more, watching her with tender eyes.

"More than ever." She smiled a bit at his out-of-the-ordinary questions.

Then, silence dawned as none of them spoke.

Xuehua tilted her head slightly, clearly confused – not only at his random questions but, also, about his abrupt silence.

Then, just as she was going to open her mouth and ask, she saw him looking at the night sky once more, his countenance filled with peace and gentleness.

'That is good… I am happy you are…' It was a small whisper that would have, usually, not reached her ears.

She was sure he was not speaking it to her too, and his words made a sweet feeling sprout in her heart.

It was a bit unfair, still. She should be the one taking care of him and worrying about his well-being, not the other way around.

Then, she remembered something she had forgotten until now.

With all the preparations to fight today, the last few days had been really busy, and they had little time to be together like this – despite always dining and lunching together.

Closing the distance of three steps between them, she opened her arms wide before hugging him from behind.

She could feel his lungs breathing, his heart beating, and could feel the warmth of his body through the white robes.

She snuggled slightly and, for a moment, enjoyed the peace his existence brought her.

It was only a while later that she remembered what had propelled her to do such a thing. Still, without letting go, and with her face buried on his robe, she spoke calmly and at ease.

"We did not have time before, so I did not have the chance to say so…" Hearing her soft voice and feeling her tender arms hugging him, Yueshi wanted to turn toward her and hug her back. However, he resisted it. "While you were gone I really, really missed you."

It was a rare moment where Xuehua showed weakness. Yueshi had not known her for long, but he knew she was strong, that she was calm and that she could deal and withstand almost everything.

So it was a first for him to see her look, sound, and act like this. He was a bit shocked at first, however, he soon accepted it. In the end, Xuehua was just a young maiden and she couldn't and wouldn't be able to always stay strong.

This also made him note there were still many things for him to learn about her.

That brought a mixture of happiness and bitterness he could not properly explain or grasp. Still, for now, he decided to not think about that.

Right now there was only a single thing he had to be concerned about and do, or better, say…

…The truth.

"Hm, I also missed you." His voice sounded like a soft tune, echoing for but a moment before being drowned by the whistling of the night breeze.

However, it was enough for her to hear.

With her forehead touching his back, he could feel her head moving as she nodded.

Smiling, he then opened her hands with care before turning toward her.

Xuehua's eyes were shimmering with soft light, and with her hair bathed in the moonlight, she looked even more beautiful than at any other time.

She smiled, and he smiled even wider than before.

This time, there was no lust boiling in his heart, instead, there was just a single desire: to protect her small, charming smile that was able to bring peace to his mind.

Then, it was his time to open his arms wide and welcome her into an embrace. It was an innocent expression of affection, with the only intention of showcasing his care.

Just like that, with Yueshi resting his chin atop Xuehua's head, they entered a world of their own, forgetting about anything else.

At that moment, it was as if only the two of them existed in the world, and they found peace and comfort in that…

————————— END OF BOOK I —————————