On a remote island, Chen Xuan coughed up another mouthful of blood. The injuries he had only just begun to recover from had worsened dramatically.

"Lu Xuewei!"

That was the name of the white-robed woman who had injured him. She came from an ancient and powerful sect.

The humiliating scenes in the Great Wind Dynasty replayed in his mind. When Lu Xuewei attacked him inside the imperial palace, not a single person from the dynasty tried to stop her. Worse, when he tried to flee, a Void Refining realm expert from the dynasty had even blocked his path.

"And the Great Wind Dynasty itself! I, Chen Xuan, swear that if I do not take revenge, I am not human!"

His furious roar echoed across the empty sea.

Gurgle…

Chen Xuan's voice cut off abruptly. A large group of sea beasts had been disturbed by the noise.

Chen Xuan: "..."

After relentless effort, Dongfang Yunxing finally broke through to the Spirit Soul realm.

Chen Xuan's cultivation was also at the Spirit Soul realm. Dongfang Yunxing decided it was time to confront him again.

When he arrived at the imperial city of the Great Wind Dynasty, however, he received shocking news.

"What? Chen Xuan has been wanted by the Great Wind Dynasty?"

Dongfang Yunxing was stunned. Chen Xuan had dared to show disrespect toward a Sacred Maiden of a higher sect, enraging her. In the end, he had still managed to escape. Even the experts of the Great Wind Dynasty had failed to stop him.

Inside the Heaven's Mandate Pearl, Su Chen understood that this was the butterfly effect of a series of events. Chen Xuan should have risen smoothly in the Great Wind Dynasty thanks to his system and great destiny, but Dongfang Yunxing had repeatedly thwarted him, forcing him to flee in defeat.

"Master… was that Sacred Maiden the woman from before?" Dongfang Yunxing asked. He still remembered the woman he had shared a fleeting moment with.

Su Chen's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Why? Are you reluctant to part with that little girl? Can't stop thinking about her?"

"No," Dongfang Yunxing replied seriously. "This disciple follows Master's teachings. I… only wish to return this storage ring to her."

He touched the ring he had kept with him.

Su Chen: "..."

Was returning it really that proper? Bah. How could someone as upright and kind as him have taught such a disciple?

Upon learning that Chen Xuan had already left the Great Wind Dynasty, Dongfang Yunxing decided to leave as well and explore the wider world.

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From Su Chen, he had learned that this world was vast. The Great Wind Dynasty was merely a tiny corner of it. Beyond its borders lay lofty Sacred Land sects and ancient Emperor clans.

As Dongfang Yunxing departed the Great Wind Dynasty, he encountered an unexpected event.

Under the moonlight, on a distant mountain peak, countless beams of silvery light poured down, bathing a white-robed woman in a sacred, untouchable glow.

"Disciple, your little wife has come looking for you," Su Chen teased. "Here's your chance to return the storage ring."

Dongfang Yunxing's face flushed slightly, but he still walked forward.

Neither spoke. They simply sat together on the edge of the cliff.

"My name is Lu Xuewei."

"Dongfang Yunxing."

"Dongfang Yunxing, remember this: you are my first man, and you will be my last."

Lu Xuewei looked at him. Her pale blue eyes held both coldness and complex emotions.

"Miss Lu, here is your storage ring."

Dongfang Yunxing took out the ring he had kept for so long and offered it to her.

Lu Xuewei paused, then smiled brightly, her expression playful.

"That storage ring is a gift for you. From now on, you are my man."

Dongfang Yunxing suddenly felt his consciousness growing fuzzy.

In a haze, he heard her voice.

"If you ever leave the Great Wind Dynasty, come find me at the Drifting Snow Sacred Land."

Lu Xuewei departed.

When Dongfang Yunxing woke up, he found two storage rings beside him. One was the one he had tried to return. The other was new.

Dongfang Yunxing: "..."

"Master! Master!"

Su Chen floated out lightly, looking at Dongfang Yunxing with a half-smile.

"Disciple's innocence… has been ruined," Dongfang Yunxing said, looking like he wanted to cry but had no tears.

Su Chen rolled his eyes. "Your master needs to get back to sleep. I couldn't sleep a wink last night because of all the noise."

He slipped back into the Heaven's Mandate Pearl.

Dongfang Yunxing: "..."

He continued on his journey with the Heaven's Mandate Pearl and the two storage rings.

"Drifting Snow Sacred Land…"

Dongfang Yunxing gazed toward the direction of the rising sun. Sooner or later, he would go there.

After leaving the Great Wind Dynasty, Dongfang Yunxing continued hunting beasts and raising his strength. In the blink of an eye, years passed.

He began his third Nirvana. His talent transformed once again, reaching a level that was quite respectable even among spirit physiques.

The Heaven's Mandate Pearl and the Undying Nirvana Art gave Dongfang Yunxing limitless potential.

For the sake of avenging his deceased family, he had never stopped searching for news of Chen Xuan.

Finally—

"The Southern Domain Young Prodigies Competition of the Vast Continent?"

This grand event was of great importance to all living beings in the Southern Domain. Prodigies would gather, and powerhouses would converge. Dongfang Yunxing had even heard that young kings from Sacred Lands would be participating.

"What kind of spectacle will it be when all the prodigies of the Southern Domain assemble in one place?"

"Master, how do you think I compare to those young kings right now?"

"Master…"

Dongfang Yunxing's heart surged with excitement. In the three years since leaving the Great Wind Dynasty, he had traveled through many places, witnessed countless geniuses, and truly understood how vast the world was.

There was no response from the Heaven's Mandate Pearl.

Su Chen felt utterly helpless.

It was the middle of the night—couldn't he get any sleep?

He had no interest in some Southern Domain Prodigies Competition.

However, Chen Xuan might appear at this event. Su Chen therefore agreed to let Dongfang Yunxing go and broaden his horizons.

The Heaven's Mandate Pearl had gone a long time without replenishing its energy.

...

Chen Xuan, heavily wounded and surrounded by sea beasts, had nearly lost his life. But he survived.

At the brink of death, he was rescued by a young woman from the Ghost Clan.

Chen Xuan felt he had finally met true love.

The Ghost Clan girl sensed a familiar aura on him—the token he had accidentally obtained from the Ghost Clan ruins. Its aura saved his life.

"The Southern Domain Prodigies Competition?"

Chen Xuan recalled his current mission. He needed to slaughter the prodigies of the Southern Domain. Killing the human geniuses there would raise his favorability with the Ghost Clan girl.

Killing intent flashed in his eyes. He also knew that the woman who had forced him to flee the Great Wind Dynasty came from the Drifting Snow Sacred Land.

Such a grudge could not go unavenged!