Zhao Yunfei could somehow sense Lin Huang's tension. Her slender brows drew together in a tight frown, and for a brief moment, the air around her felt oddly suffocating.

Yes—suffocating.

In just a few short days, she had made astonishing progress, stepping into the peak of the early Qi Refining stage as if the path had been waiting for her all along. The speed of her advancement was nothing short of terrifying.

Lin Huang felt proud.

But pride came hand in hand with pressure.

Watching her grow forced him to push himself harder, to train longer, to squeeze every spare breath into cultivation. Falling behind was no longer an abstract fear—it was a looming certainty that if he dared to slack even for a moment, this girl might overtake.

Yet even with all that weighing on him, Wang Chen's absence pressed on his heart the most.

Without that lazy, unfathomable master lounging around the courtyard, the Phoenix and Dragon Dojo felt… hollow. Quiet in a way that had nothing to do with peace.

Just as this thought crossed his mind—

Thud.

The sound of wood sliding against wood echoed softly.

The tightly shut gates of Wang Chen's courtyard slowly opened.

A young man stepped out, yawning lazily, his long dark hair slightly disheveled, eyes half-lidded as if he had merely woken from an afternoon nap rather than a deep, dangerous seclusion.

"Master…!"

Lin Huang's eyes lit up instantly. All the unease in his heart vanished like mist under the morning sun. He rushed forward without thinking, moving with the enthusiasm of a puppy spotting its owner after being left alone too long.

Wang Chen blinked in surprise as he noticed Lin Huang barreling toward him.

"What happened, Little Huang?" he asked, mildly startled.

Lin Huang stopped in front of him and shook his head, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

"Nothing, Master. I was just… worried after not seeing you for so long."

"Worried…?"

Wang Chen froze for a fraction of a second.

He hadn't expected that word.

For a moment, he simply stared at Lin Huang's face in silence. It was a strange sensation—unfamiliar, almost unsettling. As far back as he could remember, very few people had genuinely cared about his well-being. Not since his parents.

The realization lingered quietly in his chest.

After a brief pause, Wang Chen shook his head and smiled faintly, speaking in a relaxed tone meant to ease his disciple's mind.

"Nothing happened. I was just busy with my cultivation."

"Busy with cultivation…!"

This time, it was Lin Huang's turn to be stunned.

He clearly remembered his Master having broken through not long ago. And now he was already talking about cultivation again—as casually as if it were a daily chore.

Just how fast was his Master advancing?

The question echoed silently in Lin Huang's mind as he looked at Wang Chen with renewed awe.

Lin Huang couldn't stop himself from thinking.

The more he pondered it, the more absurd the situation felt.

If Wang Chen's cultivation was already so high that even Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation experts treated him with fear and reverence… yet he was still improving at such a terrifying pace—then just how unfathomable must his true realm be?

At this point, Lin Huang couldn't help but question it inwardly.

Just what sort of existence are you, Master?

In Lin Huang's eyes, Wang Chen was someone impossibly distant yet strangely close. His strength was immeasurable, his background unfathomable, yet he had once bent down and extended a hand to a broken, talentless boy rotting on the streets.

Not once had Wang Chen complained.

Not once had he shown regret.

That alone was enough to earn Lin Huang's loyalty for a lifetime.

Unbeknownst to him, Wang Chen was completely oblivious to these turbulent thoughts. All he noticed was the growing admiration shining in his disciple's eyes. He assumed Lin Huang had sensed the subtle change in his aura after cultivation.

That assumption pleased him.

Without realizing it, Wang Chen straightened slightly, unconsciously slipping deeper into the role of a supreme yet lazy expert. His voice dropped into a calm, authoritative tone as he spoke:

"Lin Huang, as the elder disciple, you must work harder. Your junior sister has already reached the Foundation Building Realm. You cannot fall too far behind."

Lin Huang's face flushed faintly.

"Yes, Master."

He nodded rapidly, like a chicken pecking rice, his heart igniting with resolve. In that instant, he silently swore to reach the Foundation Building Realm as soon as possible—no matter the difficulty.

Truthfully, he was already standing at the threshold.

One step forward, and he could break through at any moment.

But there was a single obstacle he could not overcome.

Elemental affinity.

Li Mei had chosen a fire-attributed treasure to build her foundation, fusing it with her natal treasure and naturally awakening her fire affinity.

Lin Huang didn't want that.

He didn't want to rely on elements at all.

In his mind, the image of Wang Chen still burned vividly—the lake rising, stretching hundreds of meters into the sky, transforming into a sword that split heaven and earth.

There had been no fire.

No lightning.

No elemental fluctuation.

Just pure sword intent.

Lin Huang's fists clenched unconsciously, his breathing growing steady.

That… is the path I want.

A path where the sword itself was law.

A path where there was nothing to borrow, nothing to rely on—only one's own will, sharpened until it could cut the world.

But how to take that step?

That question lingered heavily in Lin Huang's heart, unanswered, as he stood quietly before his Master—caught between certainty and doubt, standing on the edge of his own breakthrough.

Wang Chen's eyes flickered subtly.

How could he not sense what his disciple was thinking?

So he's still hesitating…

The realization made Wang Chen smile inwardly, a faint, helpless curve at the corner of his heart.

Lin Huang had already reached the threshold. The only thing holding him back was not talent, not courage—but uncertainty. And that, ironically, was the one thing Wang Chen could not directly solve for him.

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