Silence hung in the afternoon air like a thick fog that enveloped the entire battlefield. Three hundred Drakemoor soldiers still stood in formation, but their weapons were no longer held with conviction. Something had changed in the atmosphere, something that couldn't be explained but was very real.
Li Yuan stood in the middle of the square with his eyes closed, his breath slow and steady. In his Zhenjing, he felt the Understanding of Emotion vibrate with an intensity that had reached a critical point.
Almost there, he felt with perfect clarity. This understanding is on the verge of touching its true meaning.
There was no explosion of energy. No flash of cosmic light. No earth-shaking tremor.
Only a moment so subtle, so gentle, like a thread being passed through a needle—so precise, so accurate, so natural that it was almost imperceptible.
And then... it happened.
The Understanding of Emotion touched its true meaning and entered the Ganjing Realm (感境 - Feeling).
The transformation spread out from Li Yuan in a one-kilometer radius, not with a blast or violence, but with the gentleness of water seeping into every crevice, every corner, every soul within its reach.
First, the soldiers in the front line felt something strange.
A young soldier who had been hiding his fear behind a mask of bravery suddenly felt his entire body tremble. Not from cold or exhaustion, but because the fear he had been suppressing now rose to the surface with an unstoppable force.
I'm afraid to die, he realized with a painful clarity. I don't want to die here, far from home, far from my family.
Tears flowed uncontrollably down his cheeks.
Next to him, a veteran with a scar on his face felt something different. The guilt he had buried for years for killing a young boy in a battle five years ago now emerged with an intensity that almost made him fall.
What have I done? he stammered, his hand holding the sword beginning to shake violently. How many families have I destroyed?
General Ravencrest felt the most complex wave of emotions. Decades of leading wars, hundreds of decisions that resulted in the deaths of thousands—all that burden now came to the surface with a crushing clarity.
What was all this for? he asked himself, the sword in his hand feeling so heavy it almost fell. For glory? For power? Or just because I was too afraid to say 'no'?
The Understanding of Emotion in the Ganjing Realm worked in a passive yet absolute way. Li Yuan couldn't activate it or turn it off—this effect appeared naturally, like light radiating from the sun without being controlled.
In the houses around the square, the same influence spread.
Anna, who was hugging Lila tightly behind the door, suddenly felt a love for her daughter so deep that she cried. Not tears of fear, but tears of pure happiness from realizing how precious the small life in her arms was.
"Mama loves Lila so much," she whispered, kissing the top of her daughter's head. "Mama will never let anything happen to Lila."
Margaret Aldrich, who saw her husband grievously wounded outside, felt the love they had built over decades of marriage rise to the surface with a force that almost made her faint.
Thomas, she thought as tears streamed down her face. My life would be meaningless without you.
On the battlefield, the wounded men of Millbrook also felt the same effect.
David Miller, who was lying with his intestines out, felt a deep affection for his mother, Sarah. All the small arguments, all the moments when he felt annoyed with his mother for being too protective, now seemed so insignificant.
Mom always loved me, he realized with a faint smile despite the pain hitting his body. Even when I hated her, she always loved me.
Thomas Aldrich, who was sitting with both arms shattered, felt an immense pride for the village he had served as an elder. Every person in Millbrook, every family he had helped, every small problem he had solved—all of it now felt so valuable.
This is my life, he thought with a strange peace. My life has meaning because I gave it to the people I love.
Even the surrounding nature began to resonate with the newborn Understanding of Emotion.
The wind that had been blowing erratically now became gentle, like a warm breeze that brought comfort. The birds that had flown in a panic now began to perch on the trees, chirping in a soothing tone.
The dimming twilight light seemed warmer, coloring the entire scene with golden hues that made everything look like a peaceful painting.
Li Yuan felt the transformation happening within him with perfect clarity. The Understanding of Emotion in the Ganjing Realm was not like his other understandings. It was passive, always active, and couldn't be turned off or controlled.
Everyone within this radius will feel their own emotions with a honesty that cannot be hidden, he realized. They will no longer be able to deceive themselves.
And it turned out to be incredibly powerful.
One by one, the Drakemoor soldiers began to lower their weapons. Not because they were surrendering or were afraid of Li Yuan, but because they could no longer deceive themselves about what they were doing.
An archer with tears on his cheeks placed his bow on the ground. "I can't," he whispered. "I can't kill anymore."
A knight dismounted his horse and knelt, his head bowed with profound shame. "I'm sorry," he said to the empty air. "I'm sorry for everything I've done."
But Li Yuan realized something worrisome. The effect of the Understanding of Emotion in the Ganjing Realm was too strong, too widespread. In a one-kilometer radius, every person would be forced to face their emotional truth without protection.
This could destroy them, he realized with alarm. Some people are not ready to face a truth like this.
Quickly, he activated his Understanding of Wrapping, trying to reduce the intensity of the spreading effect. Like a cloth placed over a light that is too bright, he began to wrap the newborn Understanding of Emotion.
The effect that had spread in a one-kilometer radius slowly shrank to a hundred meters. It was still very strong, still very real, but no longer threatened to destroy the soul of every person it touched.
General Ravencrest, who was within that one-hundred-meter radius, looked at Li Yuan with tear-filled eyes.
"Who are you?" he asked in a trembling voice. "What have you done to us?"
Li Yuan opened his eyes, and the gray eyes now had a different depth. No longer the terrifying depth of an abyss, but the depth of a calm sea—deep, but not threatening.
"I haven't done anything," he replied in a gentle voice. "I have only helped you see what was already in your hearts."
Around the square, the atmosphere had completely changed. There was no longer the tension of war, no longer the threat of death. There was only pure emotional honesty—pain, regret, love, fear, and hope—all mixed in a strange but peaceful harmony.
This is the true power of the Ganjing Realm, Li Yuan understood with perfect clarity. Not to control others' emotions, but to make them honest with their own emotions.
And in that honesty... true change can begin.
Thomas Aldrich looked at Li Yuan with a weak but proud smile.
"Welcome back, Yuan," he whispered. "Welcome back home."
And for the first time since the battle began, Li Yuan smiled—a sincere, warm smile, filled with a deep understanding of what it means to be human.