[ Cultivation: Qi Condensation (1st stage) ]

[ Physique: Black Jade Lily Empress (Second Awakening) ]

[ Further analysis unavailable. ]

Despite the underwhelming report, her eyes reflecting on the sword’s edge glimmered with joy and genuine happiness. She was just glad that, now, her name was listed as Zhu Xuelian.

[ Realm Master: Zhu Xuelian ]

“Sister Xuelian… what did they do to you…? Your cultivation… did they destroy your c—“

“It’s not like that, Sister Mu,” Zhu Xuelian said, raising her head to meet the expectant gazes of those that gathered around her, and there were so many.

Mu Jingyu, the generational genius from the Frozen Peak Palace, but also her fellow disciples Yuan Qiuyue and Xiang Liling who accompanied her.

From the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion, Lei Yangming and Ren Jinhai stood to the side.

From her own Galaxy Sword sect, Tian Li, Ren Weisheng, and Sun Yongzheng were also there.

Most importantly, her closest friends Wu Yulan and Yun Fei stood off to the side. These two kept watch over Zhu Xuelian for the entirety of the six months that she had been unconscious. Even now, their eyes were filled with anger and even a hint of guilt at their inability to reverse Zhu Xuelian’s fate.

“This is just the price I had to pay,” Zhu Xuelian said, offering a light chuckle.

“The price you had to pay…?” Mu Jingyu whispered under her breath.

Everyone here understood the meaning of Zhu Xuelian’s words, though none could entirely comprehend the reasons.

Once again, Zhu Xuelian chuckled. “Don’t worry about me,” she said, her smile just as gentle and bright as it has always been. “This is actually my third time being a Qi Condensation cultivator. I hope you will take care of me, seniors.”

The words shocked everyone, except for Wu Yulan and Yun Fei who, if anything, seemed amused.

Who was Zhu Xuelian? Six months ago, she towered over them as the most dazzling cultivator they had ever come across. She was an existence with a sword aura so sharp that it even made the elders nervous. No one who saw Zhu Xuelian could ever forget her beauty, deadly swordsmanship, and the incredibly proud principles she lived by — even as those very same principles created a continent-wide war that still raged on.

This mere Qi Condensation period cultivator changed all their lives in the span of one day.

The last time they saw her, before the fires of war swallowed the continent whole, just like those black crystals of pure sword force encased Zhu Xuelian’s body in the waning light of her broken cultivation, she had become a Nascent Soul Ascension cultivator.

All of this was gone in the blink of an eye, and yet, Zhu Xuelian was smiling. She was happy.

“This is the third time you are barely stronger than an ordinary mortal…?” Ren Jinhai whispered. When he spoke the words, everyone’s ears rang again. With the exception of Wu Yulan, they were all in the final stages of Core Formation — three entire realms ahead of Zhu Xuelian — while Wu Yulan was in the Nascent Soul Ascension realm.

They had dedicated their entire lives to cultivating for more strength and power — they used thousands, if not millions, of spirit stones worth of medicine to advance them in this goal — so the thought of losing their cultivation was enough to make them want to scream.

And this happened to Zhu Xuelian twice now? And she wasn’t at all upset?

“How can you remain so calm?” Lei Yangming asked. He did not know Zhu Xuelian well; he only saw her twice. In fact, most people here only saw Zhu Xuelian once or twice, but that was enough for them. “Aren’t you upset even a little bit?”

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However, there was an invisible bond between all of them that transcended such things as how many times they met. They were the foremost cultivators in their generation, and in the future, many years from now, they will each be prominent figures in their sects, deciding the direction of their shared continent. In a sense, they were leaders, responsible for the common fates of all; that is to say, they were comrades beyond bonds of merely blood or familiarity.

More than anything, they all admired Zhu Xuelian as an existence that represented all of them, as a whole, and with such excellence in this capacity.

Or, at least, she used to. Before she was a Qi Condensation period cultivator.

Slowly, Zhu Xuelian rose to her feet with a sigh and looked out the window, to the vast garden outside. Her Starsword Peak rarely received visitors, so its appearance was tailored to suit her tastes, along with Wu Yulan’s and Yun Fei’s — the only two other residents. Still, it was an incredible vista of colorful trees, water lily ponds and advanced arrays layered over medicinal herb gardens.

“Because I have yearned to be free,” Zhu Xuelian spoke softly. “For most of my life, I knew who my intended was, and I deluded myself into believing that it was like a fairytale come true.”

As she began to speak, everyone became silent and still.

“Until the end, I did not see his true intentions,” she mentioned, and then chuckled heartily. “When he broke my cultivation and left me to die, I wanted to die. To be honest, I think I wanted to die more because I woke from my dream, than because I was betrayed like that. Everything lost its luster.”

“Zhu Xuelian…” Mu Jingyu whispered.

“Someone who was already dead gave up her cultivation to make things even and settle the debt,” Zhu Xuelian said, and there was something in her tone that reminded everyone of the intense sharpness of her sword, which caused everyone to subconsciously straighten.

“For me, this is the equivalent to being reborn. I no longer have to live in the shadow of another. Why would I be upset?” Her gaze swept those gathered. “And it only cost me my cultivation and martial arts.”

This is what attracted them to Zhu Xuelian like moths to the flame. The way she spoke and carried herself was reminiscent of something that current sword cultivators lacked but felt so intrinsic to them. Her mannerisms and way of thinking were exactly like that of a sword, reducing every complex subject and matter into simple and straightforward solutions — like the expression to cut to the chase.

Cultivation and martial arts in exchange for freedom. When she said it like that, it really didn’t sound like such a bad deal. Yet, their bodies remembered the pain and suffering that cultivating to the Core Formation once inflicted on them, even as their minds were enlightened to Zhu Xuelian’s philosophy.

Lei Yangming was the first to burst into a laugh.

“Sister Zhu, you make it sound so simple. And yet, somehow, I find myself completely swayed by your words,” Lei Yangming said through his laughter, while the others nodded in agreement. “For you, maybe this is just “the third time”, and will be as simple as turning over the palm of your hand. No, I am certain that this is exactly the case because it is you.”

“Brother Lei…” Zhu Xuelian chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

At long last, there was a knock on the door, and the timid voice of a disciple rang out.

“This junior brings a summons to Zhu Xuelian: Your presence is requested at the sect hall. Please make your way there.”

Slowly, Zhu Xuelian reached for the door, to make good on the summons, but Mu Jingyu’s hand landed on her wrist.

“Please… Sister Zhu… don’t go,” she whispered.

Everyone felt the same way, they just didn’t say it. Their expressions said what words could not voice.

“You can still run away. Just take off into the forbidden lands beyond this peak. You could get lost in there. No one would find you. If you make it to the north, perhaps my M—“

“Don’t say anymore, Sister Mu,” Zhu Xuelian interrupted the sword maiden of the Frozen Peak Palace.

“But… why…? Why would you…?” Slowly, her hand slipped off of Zhu Xuelian’s wrist, and her expression was one of helplessness. “You are just going to die…”

Her beautiful, dazzling smile was colder than ice. Her eyes seemed affectionate as she regarded the prospect of death that awaited her. Most of those, outside this room, remember Zhu Xuelian’s pretty smile, but not the ice; most remember her gentle gaze, but not the principle that abandons that gentleness.

“Everyone dies,” Zhu Xuelian said. “I just want to look my master and my elders in the eye, and hear them tell me that I deserve to die. That way, I won’t have regrets.”

Wu Yulan frowned, then sighed, then chuckled. Yun Fei also seemed amused.

“How can you all be so relaxed…?” Mu Jingyu whispered. “I really don’t understand it.”

Mu Jingyu looked at the others, but they all seemed as lost as she was.

Zhu Xuelian opened the door and then looked over her shoulder.

“I am just relieved,” she spoke. “That I had the fortune to meet people like you. That not everyone in the world is selfish and evil. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

When the door closed after the three of them left, the remaining disciples of various sects couldn’t do more than stare at the floor, deeply disturbed by Zhu Xuelian’s parting words.

She thanked them, even though none of them had the courage to stand up for her. Unlike Wu Yulan and Yun Fei, who even chuckled at the prospect of dying with Zhu Xuelian.

Mu Jingyu suddenly burst out into a chuckle, as tears fell from her cheeks. Even as she cried, she couldn’t stop laughing. No one was sure if she was laughing first, or crying first.

“That’s why they looked so happy,” Mu Jingyu murmured quietly, furiously trying to wipe away her tears. “They were glad they could die together…!”

This realization, and the fact that Zhu Xuelian thanked cowards like them, made them feel even more ashamed and helpless.

The devils in their hearts — the reason why they could never strive for the same heights as those three — feasted on their weakness.