Ye Fan stood in the center of the martial arts arena, starlight flowing across the Jiuxiao Huanpei in his palm. Su Qingxue's zither music still reverberated in the air, mingling with Lin Zhaoyue's sword hums, Chǔ Hóngzhuāng's Gu insect calls, and Qín Wǎnshuāng's battle drums to weave a dense net through the morning mist. He could feel the light of the four small pavilions within his Inner World growing increasingly fierce. Those stars, transformed from human hearts, were now tracing the patterns of the Jiuxiao Huanpei, condensing into a golden protective barrier around him.
"Young master." Su Qingxue's fingertips were still stained with blood, yet she gently covered the back of his hand. "Let's return to your room first. You've just broken through; you need to stabilize your realm."
Ye Fan looked down at her, seeing her hair disheveled and her collar stained with dark red blood—left behind when she blocked the Wuji Sect assassin just moments earlier. His throat tightened, the loneliness of his downfall in his past life suddenly surging up, only to be melted away by the warmth in his palm. "All right," he replied, turning his hand to clasp her blood-stained fingers. "I'll tell you about the Longevity Fruit first."
Chapter 239