The next day marked the Heavenly Wind Kingdom's Martial Dao Grand Tournament. Geniuses from every sect had gathered, making this one of the most talent-rich editions in nearly a century.

  Unfortunately for them, a monster had appeared this time. Even those who had reached the third layer of Spirit Vein stood no chance. The gulf between the third layer and the seventh layer of Spirit Vein was simply too vast.

  Su Chen did not even need to move his body. With a single strike, he sent his opponent flying in defeat. He then entered the Spirit Pool for cultivation and advanced once more, breaking through to the eighth layer of Spirit Vein. His path in this life proceeded without the slightest hindrance.

  Su Chen spent another year cultivating at the Heavenly Wind Martial Mansion, finally reaching the ninth layer of Spirit Vein before graduating. He became the youngest graduate in the history of the Heavenly Wind Martial Mansion.

  After leaving the mansion, Su Chen did not return directly to the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas' residence. Instead, he set out first for the Heavenly Wave Sect. His stated reason was to verify and refine his martial techniques.

  Thus, accompanied by his maidservant, guards, and steward, Su Chen proceeded grandly toward the Heavenly Wave Sect.

  …

  Half a month later, inside the Heavenly Wave Sect.

  "May I ask what business brings the young marquis to our Heavenly Wave Sect?"

  The sect master of the Heavenly Wave Sect regarded the youthful figure before him with extreme caution. This visitor's status far outranked that of the entire sect.

  Su Chen spoke calmly. "I wish to cultivate here at the Heavenly Wave Sect for half a year. This is my token of sincerity. I hope Sect Master Yang will grant permission."

  He presented a jade box.

  The sect master opened it just a crack. His expression changed dramatically. He snapped it shut at once and broke into a wide smile. "If it is the young marquis who requests it, then of course it can be arranged."

  He hesitated, however, a trace of reluctance appearing on his face.

  Su Chen gave a soft laugh. "Rest assured, Senior Yang. I have no intention of coveting your sect's core techniques, nor will I enter any restricted areas."

  At those words, the sect master's smile returned in full force, and he readily agreed. Once inside the Heavenly Wave Sect, Su Chen's claim of "verifying martial techniques" was nothing more than an excuse. What he truly wanted was to see an old acquaintance.

  A month later, his guards finally relaxed their vigilance. At Su Chen's request, they allowed him to wander freely within the sect grounds. And so he found the place where his old acquaintance now resided.

  Deep within Bamboo Peak.

  Seeing Li Qingyue again, Su Chen found her greatly aged. He still remembered her from his first life—the proud, unyielding demeanor she wore when she came to break off the engagement.

  Now, before him stood only a solitary old woman who spent her days in the company of bamboo groves. Nearly two hundred years had passed. Even many of the events from his previous life had begun to blur in Su Chen's memory.

  "Young marquis… do you know this old woman?"

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  Li Qingyue looked puzzled. The gaze the youth directed at her carried a faint sense of familiarity, as though he were looking upon someone long absent.

  Su Chen nodded. "Though we have never met, Senior Li, I have often heard tales of your deeds."

  Li Qingyue gave a self-deprecating smile. "What deeds could this old woman possibly have? They are likely nothing more than old stories twisted and embellished by others for amusement."

  Su Chen fell silent for a moment.

  She was right. The tale of her breaking off the engagement had long ago been spun into popular storybooks that sold briskly. Unfortunately, the protagonist had never risen to fame as those tales predicted, nor had he ever forced Li Qingyue to regret her choice.

  He was not the protagonist, and she was not the heroine.

  Su Chen feigned curiosity. "Senior Li, may I ask why you went to break off the engagement back then?"

  A flicker of surprise crossed Li Qingyue's eyes. She had not expected this high-born young marquis to show such interest in old gossip.

  She sighed softly.

  In her younger years, she would never have spoken of it. But now she was old. After the great battle years ago, her remaining lifespan could be counted in years rather than decades. Memories once hazy had grown painfully clear in recent times, coiling tightly around her heart. Perhaps it would not be so bad to have one more listener.

  Li Qingyue smiled faintly. "Since the young marquis is so interested in my story, allow this old woman to recount those dusty old events for you."

  Su Chen poured two cups of tea and placed one before each of them. He sat in silence, listening attentively.

  "All the tragedy that followed began because I was far too naive in my youth. The boy to whom I was once betrothed was merely the son of a minor clan's patriarch. Like you, young marquis, his name carried the character 'Chen,' though he was nowhere near as exceptional as you are."

  Su Chen's cheek twitched. He quickly lifted his cup and took a sip to steady himself.

  After the casual compliment, Li Qingyue continued. "At that time, my master had taken a special interest in me and believed I had the potential to reach far greater heights in cultivation. I was young, proud, and convinced that the world was filled with countless heroes. How could Li Qingyue possibly settle down in a small clan, marrying and raising children? Though I was born a woman, I harbored the ambition to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with every genius under heaven."

  A reminiscent smile touched her face as she recalled her younger self. She had never regretted entering the Heavenly Wave Sect, nor had she ever regretted breaking the engagement.

  Su Chen remained silent. In his first life, he truly had not been worthy of her. Their families had only been old acquaintances; he and Li Qingyue had shared a pleasant enough relationship, but nothing more—no one-sided devotion on either side. It was only later, after the broken engagement, that he had let the familiar script cloud his judgment.

  Su Chen asked quietly, "Was that the only reason Senior Li went to annul the engagement back then?"

  Li Qingyue paused at the question. After a long moment, she answered in a hoarse voice, "Yes… and no. Had he truly been my husband, I would have accepted it. But I could not accept him as my fiancé. From childhood, my parents, my clan—everyone—told me I was destined to marry into his family and become his wife. Yet I was born hating the idea that my fate should be decided by others."

  Su Chen was taken aback. He had never imagined this was the true reason behind her decision.

  Noticing his surprise, Li Qingyue gave a small laugh. "The young marquis finds it unexpected, doesn't he? The storybooks all claim I abandoned my fiancé for the sake of ambition—and in truth, I did exactly that. If that is how you see it, young marquis, you would not be wrong."

  Su Chen nodded seriously. In his first life, that had been exactly what he believed. He continued, "Senior Li has remained unmarried your entire life. Have you ever regretted breaking off the engagement?"

  This time, it was Li Qingyue's turn to freeze. For an instant, it seemed she saw another figure seated across from her—a blurred silhouette from memory—asking her the very same question.

  A long silence passed before she returned to the present. The face before her was unfamiliar, not the one from her recollections.

  "Regret… perhaps. There have been moments when I wondered whether, had I not broken the engagement, my life might have taken a different path. The road of cultivation is lonely beyond measure. I have met many geniuses along the way, yet none ever stirred the same feeling I once had.

  "Had I not ended it, would he still have been hunted down and killed by his enemies? Would his entire clan have been exterminated…?"

  Throughout her life, she had pursued ambitions greater than most men, carving her way out of obscurity until she became an elder of the Heavenly Wave Sect.

  Did she regret it?

  Perhaps only now, in old age, with no more dreams to chase and with loved ones departing one after another, did she begin to miss those distant days. But the Li Qingyue of back then had never regretted a single choice she made.