Chapter 297: Her Happiness
"You will damage your hands, Brother Ji’an," Wangchen murmured, his voice a low, smooth, incredibly grounding melody. He didn’t let go of her wrist, his thumb resting lightly against the frantic, racing pulse of her Frost-Silk Pulse Guard. "A chef’s hands are their greatest asset. Do not ruin them over the theatrics of the Sect Leader."
Ji’an blinked, startled out of her plotting by the cool, solid contact of his hand.
"Sorry," she mumbled, letting her hand drop to her side, though the lingering coolness of his touch sent a pleasant, calming shiver through her system. "I’m just... overthinking. There are too many variables. The board is too crowded."
"The board is always crowded," Wangchen replied, turning slightly to ensure his body remained a barrier against the rest of the hall. He offered a faint, reassuring smile. "But the rules of the game remain the same. Have you reviewed the compiled intelligence regarding the Shattered Realm topography?"
It was a masterstroke of distraction.
Ji’an’s eyes immediately lit up, the anxious fog clearing as her brain latched onto a tangible problem.
"Yes!" Ji’an whispered fiercely, leaning closer to him, entirely comfortable in his proximity. "The library archives indicated that the Shattered Realm possesses four distinct biomes. The Scorched Canyons, the Glacial Tundra, the Whispering Woods, and the Sunken Ruins. The Sovereign Tokens are randomly distributed, but the highest concentration is usually near the center."
"Correct," Wangchen nodded, seamlessly encouraging her shift in focus. "And the environmental hazards are significant. The Glacial Tundra, for instance, drains ambient Yang energy."
"Which is why I packed twenty jars of fermented fire-pepper paste," Ji’an grinned, her swagger returning in full force. "If anyone tries to mess with me, I am going to make them eat a bowl of spicy noodles that will melt their teeth. Speaking of which, how does your Flawless Ice react to the Tundra? Will it amplify your core, or will the ambient drain affect your stamina?"
"The cold answers to me, Ji’an," Wangchen stated with simple, devastating arrogance, perfectly matching her energy. "The Tundra will merely serve as an extension of my will."
"Show-off," Ji’an snorted, affectionately bumping her shoulder against his arm.
The dark, suffocating tension that had gripped her completely dissolved.
As long as she was talking tactics with her glacier, the rest of the room, the feral beasts, the toxic princes, and the mysterious clones faded into irrelevant background noise.
Wangchen looked at the vibrant, returning spark in her eyes, a deep, victorious warmth blooming in his chest.
He would play the tactician.
He would discuss topographical maps for hours if it kept her smiling.
But their quiet, isolated strategy session was abruptly cut short.
.
.
.
On the elevated dais, Sect Leader Bai Yunfei raised his hand.
He didn’t shout.
He didn’t use a magical amplification talisman.
But the simple, elegant gesture released a wave of pure, serene spiritual energy that washed over the entire Grand Hall, instantly silencing the thousands of murmuring voices.
The atmosphere shifted from a bustling, tense reception to that of a rigid formality.
"Honored guests, esteemed Sovereigns, and the bright future of our Celestial Sword Sect," Bai Yunfei began, his melodic voice echoing perfectly off the starlight-glass walls.
"For two years, the strongest among you have walked the mortal realm. You have bled in the trenches of the northern borders. You have navigated the treacherous currents of the southern seas. You have delved into the abyss, and you have survived. Today, you return not as the youths who left, but as the vanguard of the new era."
A profound, heavy silence blanketed the hall.
Even Ji’an found herself mesmerized by the undeniable charisma radiating from the Sect Leader.
"In three days’ time, the Official Sect Martial Ranking shall commence," Bai Yunfei declared, his dark eyes sweeping over the crowd, landing briefly, meaningfully, on the clusters of apex prodigies.
"The trials of the Shattered Realm will test not only your martial prowess, but your cunning, your endurance, and your resolve. The top sixty-four disciples shall advance to the Grand Arena, where the hierarchy of the next decade shall be forged in the fires of honorable combat."
A murmur of intense, bloodthirsty anticipation rippled through the younger generation.
Hands drifted toward sword hilts.
Eyes narrowed in a competitive assessment.
But the Sect Leader was not finished.
He turned slightly, extending his hand toward the ethereal, breathtakingly beautiful girl standing a few paces behind him.
Princess Bai Liyue stepped forward, her silver chains chiming softly.
She kept her eyes demurely lowered, playing the role of the perfect, untouchable maiden with terrifying, Oscar-worthy precision.
"The Celestial Sword Sect does not merely forge warriors; we forge the future," Bai Yunfei continued, his voice taking on a slightly warmer, yet infinitely heavier tone.
"For eighteen years, my daughter, Liyue, has been sequestered within the Hidden Cloud Pavilion, her cultivation nurtured in secret to stabilize the profound blessings of the Heavens. Today, she steps into the light. Her path is no longer solitary."
Every male protagonist in the room leaned forward.
The air grew thick with a sudden, suffocating surge of Yang energy.
"The Dao is a journey best walked with a companion whose strength matches one’s own," the Sect Leader announced, delivering the bombshell that would fracture the plot beyond repair.
"Therefore, I decree that the conclusion of the Official Sect Martial Ranking shall serve a dual purpose. The disciple who proves themselves the absolute pinnacle of their generation, the champion who seizes the number one rank upon the Obsidian Board, shall be granted a boon of unparalleled magnitude."
Bai Yunfei smiled, a benevolent expression that masked a terrifying and calculated political maneuver.
"The Champion shall be granted the exclusive, honored opportunity to enter a formal courtship with my daughter, and stand as the primary candidate for a lifelong Dao Engagement."
The Grand Hall of Ascending Heavens exploded.
It wasn’t a cheer.
It was a chaotic, deafening roar of absolute, unmitigated frenzy.
The prize was no longer just mere glory.
