Minyu and Lin Zian walk side by side through the streets of the capital, the noise of the city flowing around them like a living current. With them walk two women.
On Minyu's left is his partner, Guang Lian. On Lin Zian's right walks He Muyi, her steps steady, her gaze sharp, carrying the calm confidence of someone who has faced death and chosen to keep moving forward.
Their paths to one another were not planned.
After Minyu and Lin Zian emerged from the wizard fortress in the Arad Desert, they travelled together for a time. In a small town along the way, Minyu first met Guang Lian. They were strangers passing through the same street, yet their eyes met and lingered for a moment longer than chance could explain. Conversation followed. Then shared danger. Then shared nights under unfamiliar skies. Before either realised it, history had already been written.
Not long after, they encountered He Muyi.
She was locked in battle with members of her own sect, blades flashing, blood staining the dust. Lin Zian intervened without hesitation, and Minyu followed. When the fighting ended, most of her sect lay injured, unable to continue. He Muyi chose to leave with them instead. What began as a necessity turned into trust, and trust into something deeper, forged through battles where survival depended on one another.
Now, walking together through the capital, He Muyi speaks first.
"Was Lady Veena the one who passed the tribulation?"
Only Minyu and Lin Zian had gone to witness it. They had returned mere seconds later, faster than anyone else, before the news could spread.
Lin Zian reaches for He Muyi's hand, their fingers interweaving naturally.
"Yes," he says. "It was Lord Veena."
Guang Lian's eyes brighten slightly, though uncertainty lingers beneath.
"Minyu, Lin Zian," she asks softly, "what do you think the chances are of Lord Veena taking me as her disciple?"
He Muyi turns toward her in surprise.
"Guang Lian, aren't you gifted in Light-attributed spells?" she asks, a trace of disbelief in her voice. "Why would you want Lord Veena as your master?"
Her tone sharpens, almost indignant.
"She cultivates the way of death."
Lin Zian glances at Guang Lian, thoughtful.
"And you?" he asks. "Aren't you planning to walk our path?"
Guang Lian hesitates, then looks toward Minyu, her expression apologetic but firm.
"Sorry," she says quietly. "But I think the Wizard Way suits me better."
She lifts her gaze, eyes clear.
"And with the Goddess of Day now revealed, no one can truly accomplish anything by cultivating the way of Light anymore."
He Muyi scoffs lightly.
"So you think you'll accomplish something by cultivating the way of death, with Lord Veena standing there?" she counters.
They all fall silent for a moment.
They understand the implication.
If a God has already taken dominion over an element, others walking that same path can no longer reach the summit through it. This truth had only become clear a few hours ago—when three of them, all cultivators of Light, simultaneously sensed a shift.
In their perception of the Law of Light, a vast image had appeared, blotting out the path beyond. Along with it came a message, carved directly into their understanding:
The controller of the Light element has appeared.
That single truth settles heavily in their minds.
No one can become a God through the Law of Light anymore. And if the Goddess of Day truly controls Light, then Lord Veena will one day stand as the controller of the Law of Death. Yet even knowing this, all four of them are filled with confidence—confidence that they can still reach the summit.
Guang Lian breaks the silence.
"No," she says calmly. "I cannot. And I don't wish to."
The three turn to look at her, surprise clear in their eyes. She continues, her voice steady.
"Lord Kaelan created his own Law from multiple Laws." A quiet certainty underlies her words. "I want to create my own Law as well."
Her declaration leaves the others deep in thought. None of them speaks as they walk onward, each considering what path they themselves will choose.
Lost in contemplation, they arrive at their inn.
The innkeeper looks up from the counter and smiles brightly. "You've returned."
They nod in greeting, then notice servants busily decorating the lobby and the adjoining dining hall with lanterns and banners.
He Muyi asks, "Is there a celebration tonight?"
The innkeeper's smile widens. "Yes. News arrived from the council—Lord Veena has advanced and become a Great Wizard. The council has declared a city-wide celebration for tonight."
Lin Zian pauses. "Great Wizard?"
"Yes," the innkeeper confirms cheerfully. "A Great Wizard."
They thank her and head upstairs, promising to come down later to join the celebration.
Minyu and Guang Lian return to their room, while Lin Zian and He Muyi enter theirs.
A few minutes later, there is a knock.
Minyu and Guang Lian step inside Lin Zian's room.
Minyu asks softly, "Is He Muyi ready?"
He Muyi sits cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, immersed in meditation.
Lin Zian replies, "She is."
A week earlier, when they had re-entered human territory after leaving the battlefield, He Muyi had made her decision.
She would stop cultivating Qi.
She would instead follow the new cultivation path created by Lin Zian and Minyu.
She had seen the bleak future awaiting Qi refiners. Once a disciple of the Mirror Lake Gate, she had lost her master, killed by Kong Wuya himself. That loss made her reluctant to embrace the Wizard Way, and Lin Zian and Minyu's new path also ended at the Divine Mind realm, just like the Qi Refining path.
Yet she chose to gamble anyway.
Part of that choice came from her closeness to Lin Zian and Minyu. Another part came from harsh realism. No matter how much she disliked Kong Wuya, she could not deny one truth—he was an unprecedented genius, unlike anyone the world had ever seen.
And she could see it clearly now.
The Wizard Way would dominate the world.
In the future, no cultivation path would be able to flourish without Kong Wuya's permission. Whether she liked him or not no longer mattered. What mattered was surviving—and rising—in the world he was reshaping.
He Muyi opens her eyes.
"I'm ready," she says quietly.
Lin Zian nods. "Alright. Before we begin, let me explain it one more time."
He speaks slowly, carefully, as if afraid that a single missing word might cause failure.
"To enter the psychic way, you must awaken *Spirit Light*."
"Spirit Light is an advanced form of spirit power."
"To awaken it, you must concentrate your spirit into a single point and visualise the sun."
He Muyi nods again. "I understand."
Lin Zian continues, "You were once a Core Formation realm Qi refiner. Your spirit strength is already sufficient. For you, awakening Spirit Light should be easier than for most."
She closes her eyes.
Time passes.
Hours go by.
Nothing happens.
He Muyi opens her eyes, frustration flickering across her face. They try again. And again. Each attempt ends the same way—no Spirit Light, no response, no change.
Night falls.
Outside, the city erupts into celebration. Laughter, music, fireworks, and drunken shouts roll through the streets, the news of Lord Veena becoming a Great Wizard spreading joy and awe everywhere.
Finally, Minyu exhales. "Let's stop for tonight."
Lin Zian nods. "Forcing it won't help."
He Muyi agrees reluctantly. She needs rest.
They leave the inn and walk through the glowing streets, lantern light reflecting in puddles, the festive atmosphere slowly easing the weight in their hearts. For a while, they allow themselves to forget cultivation, failure, and the pressure of the future.
They enter a restaurant and choose a private room.
Food arrives. Warm dishes, fragrant and comforting.
Halfway through dinner, the conversation drifts back to the problem they cannot escape.
"Why didn't it work?" Minyu asks quietly.
Lin Zian frowns. "By all logic, it should have."
He Muyi lowers her gaze. "I followed everything exactly."
Before anyone can respond, a calm, unfamiliar voice speaks.
"She cannot cultivate the psychic way."
The three freeze.
Their instincts flare as they sense a presence that was not there a moment ago.
Another person stands inside the room.
Lin Zian and Minyu rise instantly and bow.
"Lord Kong."
Kaelan nods once in acknowledgement. He reaches out casually, takes a piece of fried potato from the table, and eats it without ceremony.