The next day.
Yang Cheng and Tang Xingyu ignored all the rumors spreading outside. After dinner, they went out together again, strolling along the streets outside the Dao Academy.
"Chengcheng, I want that one."
Tang Xingyu pointed ahead.
Yang Cheng turned his head and saw it was candied hawthorn skewers.
He bought two sticks, one for each of them.
"Tangtang, back then, when you chose me over Sixth Brother, was it just because you were craving these candied haws?"
Yang Cheng teased.
Tang Xingyu looked like a kitten as she licked the glossy red sugar coating, her eyes squinting in delight. "Of course not. Even without the candied haws, I would still choose you, Chengcheng."
"Why?"
Yang Cheng genuinely wanted to know.
He had never understood why, in his previous life, Tang Xingyu had saved him twice even though they had no real connection.
"Because the aura around you makes me feel comfortable."
Tang Xingyu smiled playfully.
"The aura around me?"
Yang Cheng was stunned.
"It's something I can't explain," Tang Xingyu said softly. "It just feels familiar and safe, like I've known it for a long time."
Yang Cheng's heart trembled. Could that be the reason she had saved him in their past life?
"Chengcheng."
Tang Xingyu's voice suddenly softened, tinged with confusion. "It was better when we were kids. No worries, no fears. Just following you around and eating candied haws was enough.
But now that I've grown up and learned more about the world, I've started to feel scared of the future.
This world is full of heavenly prodigies and powerful beings—gods, demons, spirits, and monsters everywhere. But I'm just a child abandoned by the Tang family.
Chengcheng, I've seen that vast sea of stars. When I look at it, it's endless darkness, and I can't help but wonder—how many hidden storms and dangers are out there? If we step into that world, will we just be crushed to dust?"
Her voice was soft, like a kitten's purr, brushing gently against his heart. Yang Cheng felt something inside him melt, as if a feather had brushed across his soul.
"Tangtang."
Yang Cheng's voice grew gentle.
"Hm?"
Tang Xingyu tilted her head toward him, her watery eyes hazy like misty rain.
"You're not alone. You have your teacher—and you have me."
Yang Cheng said slowly, "Even if the road ahead is dark, as long as I'm here, no matter if it's gods or demons—whoever dares block your path, I'll clear them all away for you."
The mist in Tang Xingyu's eyes faded, revealing a clear, bright light within. "I suddenly feel like... I'm not lonely anymore."
Yang Cheng smiled, full of quiet affection.
He was starting to understand more clearly what he needed to do in this life.
With the system in his possession, he didn't have to struggle for opportunities like everyone else. Nothing could really hinder his steps.
Resources, talents, breathing arts—all the things that others chased after desperately were within his easy reach.
Even if he were to lose the system now, with his current foundation, he was already destined to reach sainthood or even become a Martial Ancestor.
Because of that, he could afford to focus on things others could not.
For example...
Tang Xingyu looked up at the starry sky, her voice soft but full of longing. "The road ahead is long and distant. Where others can go, so can I. Chengcheng, the martial path is dark and full of unknowns. I'm scared of it, but I'm also curious about the secrets hidden within.
With you behind me, I'm not as afraid anymore. I really want to try—try to see just how far I can go in the future."
Yang Cheng gazed at her as though he were looking at the most beautiful sight in the world.
"Tangtang, in our past life, without me, you still became a divine powerhouse five hundred years later."
"In this life, I want to see—if I stand behind you and guard your path, how brilliant will your light shine when you're free to run as far as you wish?"
Yang Cheng walked to the edge of the Dao Academy, stopping before a cliff that overlooked the world below. Countless lanterns lit up the Wudong River, reflecting like stars on its surface.
That river, to him, was like Tang Xingyu's martial path—long, winding, and uncertain.
And those lights, like the umbrella he held above her, shielding her from the storm.
At the riverbank, on a painted pleasure boat, Ouyang Yi sat alone in a small pavilion.
"Young master, we've gathered every bit of information available on that boy named Yang Cheng."
A middle-aged man stood beside him.
He wasn't an ordinary servant—he was one of the Ouyang family's most trusted aides.
After arriving in the Wasteland Realm, in just one month, Ouyang Yi had already built a small but formidable network of influence.
Yet in front of Ouyang Yi, his subordinate remained extremely respectful.
"Yang Cheng, twelve years old, born in Fengtian City of Great Zhou…"
At first, Ouyang Yi didn't pay much attention. But after reading a little further, his expression turned serious.
"Crown Prince of Great Zhou, slew Su Lingchen one year ago—rumored to possess peak Martial Emperor strength."
Ouyang Yi abruptly stood up, his eyes darkening.
He had clearly underestimated this Yang Cheng.
He hadn't expected the boy to be so powerful at such a young age.
Of course, he didn't fully believe Yang Cheng truly possessed peak Martial Emperor strength, but even if the reports were exaggerated, it couldn't be off by much.
At the very least, Yang Cheng's strength was likely on par with a Martial Emperor.
That alone was shocking—after all, he was only twelve.
Ouyang Yi himself was already eighteen and had reached the seventh level of the Martial Emperor Realm, which was considered extraordinary in the Horn Constellation Realm.
But a twelve-year-old Martial Emperor? That level of talent was beyond rare—even in the entire Horn Constellation Realm, such a prodigy would be one in a million.
Just then, a figure stepped in from outside.
It was a middle-aged woman.
"Aunt, what brings you here?"
Ouyang Yi immediately stood and greeted her with respect.
This woman was his aunt, Ouyang Qin, one of the esteemed Alchemy Masters of the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy.
"I heard you've been digging into information about Yang Cheng?"
Her tone was cold, her face calm but stern.
Ouyang Yi smiled lightly. "Such a small matter even reached your ears?"
Ouyang Qin's expression turned colder. "You think this is a small matter?"
"This…"
Ouyang Yi hesitated slightly. "His identity is indeed unusual—he's the Crown Prince of Great Zhou in this Wasteland Realm. But to us, that shouldn't mean much, right? As more realms open and powers flood into this place, the Great Zhou Empire is bound to collapse sooner or later."
"It's normal for Great Zhou to fall eventually," Ouyang Qin said evenly, "but that doesn't mean you can afford to underestimate Yang Cheng."
She continued, "I came here in such a hurry because I was worried you'd make a dangerous mistake."
Ouyang Yi's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Aunt? Don't tell me this Yang Cheng has some hidden background we don't know about?"
"He's the same Yang Cheng everyone in the academy's been talking about lately—the so-called Alchemy Master Yang."
"What?"
Ouyang Yi's voice dropped, disbelief flooding his face. "Impossible! How could a twelve-year-old boy be a Dao Academy Alchemy Master?"
The words hit him like thunder. His mind went blank.
Even with all his pride, he would never dare look down on a Dao Academy Alchemy Master.
And thinking back to the recent banquet—how they had all mocked and dismissed Yang Cheng, assuming his silence came from insecurity—he now realized how utterly foolish they had been.
It hadn't been inferiority.
It had been disdain.
He had never even considered them worth speaking to.
A deep humiliation rose in Ouyang Yi's chest, twisting like a blade.
"The facts are exactly as I said," Ouyang Qin continued. "The higher-ups have already issued a gag order. This matter must not be spread beyond the academy. Strictly speaking, I shouldn't even be telling you this."
She paused. "But since you're my nephew, I had to warn you before you do something reckless."
Ouyang Yi clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
"I know what's in your heart."
Ouyang Qin's tone softened slightly. "I've met that girl, Tang Xingyu. She's indeed exceptional in every aspect—worthy of entering the Ouyang family if she wished. But right now, you must not act rashly."
"Of course, there's no need to feel inferior. As long as the competition stays fair, our Ouyang clan has nothing to fear from him."