The moment the chain cracked, something inside Yang Lujia changed.
The Blank Manuscript remained sealed, but a small portion of the pressure surrounding it escaped through the opening created by the broken chain. It immediately spread throughout his body.
Yang Lujia withdrew his awareness from the Ink Manuscript.
When he opened his eyes, the Trial Ground remained frozen.
The explosions had stopped in the middle of spreading. Flames remained suspended above the broken buildings, while the pieces of vellum slate that had fallen from the platform continued floating in the air.
Lin Diyu remained beneath the broken pillar.
The boy had not moved.
Yang Lujia stepped forward.
The moment his foot touched the damaged ground, a slight tremor passed through the Trial Ground.
It was not strong enough to break anything. However, Yang Lujia felt the change clearly. The air around him became heavier, while the strength released from the cracked chain continued entering every part of his body.
His muscles, bones, and blood absorbed it without resistance.
Yang Lujia looked at his hands.
They appeared the same.
He still could not determine how strong he had become or how much of the power inside the Blank Manuscript had been released.
However, he no longer felt as helpless as before.
The System had revised the Disciple Acceptance Authority according to his condition. It had also created the Emergency Preservation function, allowing him to protect Lin Diyu without forcing the boy to acknowledge him as a master.
The master-disciple bond had not been completed.
Lin Diyu remained only a disciple candidate.
That was enough for now.
Yang Lujia continued walking.
The frozen flames, the suspended debris, and the people surrounding him remained completely still. He passed through the ruined platform and stepped onto the broken Trial Ground below.
No one reacted.
Even the Chronicle Lord remained motionless.
Yang Lujia looked toward the elders who had been attempting to save the participants.
Most of them were stronger than he could currently understand. However, the attack had caught them completely unprepared. Even the Grand Scripts protecting the Trial Ground had failed to locate the source of the explosions.
In this world, knowledge, intelligence, and preparation could give someone an advantage. However, when the difference in strength became too great, those advantages often stopped mattering.
Yang Lujia had already understood that before entering the Verdant Archive.
The world simply continued reminding him.
The people with enough strength decided which actions were justified. They decided who deserved punishment, who deserved protection, and which explanation would later be recorded as the truth.
The weak could disagree.
However, if they did not survive, their disagreement would eventually disappear with them.
Yang Lujia stopped several steps away from Lin Diyu.
The pillar remained above the boy's head.
Its edge had already begun entering the space that his body occupied, but the stillness prevented it from completing the fall.
Lin Diyu's face was covered in soot and blood. Tears had formed two pale lines beneath his eyes, although his expression appeared unusually calm.
He was not calm because he believed someone would save him. The boy had simply accepted that he would die.
The moment Yang Lujia entered his line of sight, the stillness surrounding Lin Diyu weakened slightly.
His eyes moved.
The rest of the Trial Ground remained frozen.
Yang Lujia noticed the change. 'The Emergency Preservation must have allowed him to remain conscious.'
Lin Diyu stared at him.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Then the boy's lips moved. "Mother…"
His voice was weak.
Yang Lujia crouched in front of him.
Lin Diyu did not appear to notice the pillar above them. His eyes remained fixed upon the fire consuming the distant buildings of the sect.
"Mother…" he repeated. "I think this is the end."
Yang Lujia said nothing.
"I only wanted to help you before I died," Lin Diyu continued. "I thought that if I became strong enough, perhaps I could return one day."
His fingers tightened against the broken ground.
"But I could not even pass the examination."
The translucent vellum appeared before Yang Lujia.
[The Disciple Candidate has relinquished his will to survive.]
[The effectiveness of Emergency Preservation is decreasing.]
[Immediate intervention is required.]
Another identical notification appeared.
[Immediate intervention is required.]
Yang Lujia read the message before returning his attention to the boy.
"Kid."
Lin Diyu did not respond.
"Stand up."
The boy's eyes moved toward him.
"I cannot."
"You have not tried."
"There is no reason to."
Yang Lujia looked at the rubble surrounding them.
"You said you still wanted to help your mother."
Lin Diyu lowered his gaze.
"That is no longer possible."
"Why?"
"I am going to die."
"You have not died yet."
The boy looked toward the pillar above them.
Yang Lujia followed his gaze.
The broken structure remained suspended only a short distance from Lin Diyu's head.
"I heard what you said," Yang Lujia continued. "You regret leaving something unfinished."
Lin Diyu remained silent.
"That means you still possess a reason to survive."
"I cannot do anything."
"You cannot do anything in your current condition," Yang Lujia corrected. "That does not mean you will remain in this condition forever."
The boy looked at him again.
Yang Lujia could see that his words had not convinced him.
He understood why.
Lin Diyu did not need to hear that everything would improve eventually. A person could not simply tell a child trapped beneath a collapsing pillar that tomorrow would be better and expect him to believe it.
The boy had already experienced enough to understand that hope alone did not change anything.
Yang Lujia needed to give him something more believable.
"This does not need to become the end of your story," he said. "However, that will depend upon whether you still intend to continue it."
Lin Diyu's fingers moved slightly.
"You still have something you want to accomplish. You still have someone you want to help. If you die here, all of that will remain unfinished."
The System reacted.
[The Host is attempting to restore the Disciple Candidate's will to survive.]
[Emergency Preservation has stabilized slightly.]
Yang Lujia ignored the notification.
"You do not need to know how you will accomplish it yet," he continued. "You only need to decide whether you are willing to stand again when the opportunity appears."
Lin Diyu lowered his head.
Yang Lujia waited.
The boy did not answer.
'This child is not weak.'
Someone who surrendered immediately would not have remained alive long enough to reach the Dragon Brush Sect.
Lin Diyu had already struggled.
He simply reached the point where he believed there was nothing left he could do.
There was a difference between cowardice and accepting a result after every available choice had disappeared. Yang Lujia understood that distinction.
Empty encouragement would not be enough.
He sighed and stood. "Kid, this is not the end of the world."
Lin Diyu looked up. "Why?"
"Because I am here."
The boy stared at him.
Yang Lujia placed both hands behind his back. "Although this situation appears somewhat troublesome, stopping it should not be difficult for an expert like me."
For the first time, Lin Diyu's expression changed. "Then why has it not stopped?"
Yang Lujia blinked.
The boy looked toward the burning buildings. "The explosions are still happening. People are still dying."
His voice remained weak, but the earlier resignation had slightly disappeared. "If you were truly strong, why did you allow all of this to happen?"