The Dao Realm rippled with motion.
Messengers streaked through clouds, seals flared, and whispers swept the sects as Tianxu's decree ignited the skies: ten prodigies would journey to the Upper Realm for one year of exchange.
Among them—Renji, who had recently hosted Dao Lord Yuan and the Su Clan entourage in Tianxu Pavilion.
He stood on the balcony of his ancestral spire, wind coiling around him like liquid gold. For all his composure, his heart thudded with a rare excitement.
A year in the Upper Realm…He could feel it—the weight of opportunity, the taste of freedom.But what stirred him most was not ambition.
It was her.
Su Liana.
Her name echoed like a forbidden mantra. The moon-eyed swordswoman who had met his palm strike without flinching.Her silver blade, her calm defiance, the quiet fire behind her gaze—it haunted him since that duel.
"She looked at me as if the heavens themselves were beneath her," he murmured. "That woman… she didn't just fight; she ruled."
A faint smile curved his lips. "Next time, she'll see me as her equal."
Before leaving for the rift, Renji sought out Su Chen.He found him meditating in a pavilion overlooking the icy peaks—bandaged, bitter, yet unbroken.
Renji bowed slightly, a courteous gesture meant to disarm. "Brother Su."
Su Chen's eyes cracked open, sharp with irritation. "Don't call me that."
Renji offered a small lacquered box. "A token of goodwill. A draught brewed from celestial flame lotus—it hastens healing. I thought it might ease your recovery."
Su Chen didn't move to take it. "You think a trinket mends humiliation?"
Renji's smile never faltered. "It mends respect. The fight was… unavoidable. I had no ill intent."
Su Chen snorted. "No ill intent? You threw me across mountains."
"That was an act—to gauge your spirit," Renji replied softly.
The silence that followed was glacial. Then Su Chen's eyes narrowed, realization dawning."So that's what this is. You're not apologizing—you're courting death."
Renji chuckled, unbothered by the threat.
Su Chen rose, his aura flaring faintly despite his wounds. Then, remembering Renji's behavior whenever Su Liana was near, he let a sly smile creep in."Tell me, Renji… are you interested in my sister?"
Renji's eyebrow twitched—small, but enough. Su Chen caught it instantly.
"You have no hope," Su Chen went on, enjoying himself now. "My sister isn't some ornament to chase. And even if she were—she already has someone she values."
Renji's tone cooled. "Who?"
Su Chen smirked. "A mortal. Karma."
The name struck like a slap. Renji's amusement thinned into disbelief, then anger—but he kept the smile. "A mortal? You jest."
"I don't," Su Chen said flatly. "For some reason, both she and her master place great weight on him. Perhaps he amuses them. Or perhaps he reminds them of mercy. Either way—you don't stand above him in her eyes."
Renji's aura flickered, golden wind stirring. "You're overthinking, Brother Su. I'm not interested in Lady Su. But it's… irritating, hearing a mortal stands above me."
Su Chen leaned closer, voice like poison. "Oh? Then why do you look jealous? She protected him—defended him. Sounds like rivalry to me."
The silence cracked under Renji's restrained fury. Then he smiled, thin and elegant as a blade."Haa… too bad. He's not my rival. Well, I'll take my leave."
Su Chen smirked, sensing victory. "By all means. But tread lightly—the gods might favor him more than you think."
Renji turned, the lotus box still untaken on the table.Behind him, Su Chen called lazily, "Careful, Renji. Women see through those who butter up brothers too soon."
Renji didn't answer—but the frost in his eyes said enough.
As he left the pavilion, the air itself seemed to hum with his irritation.
A mortal… favored by her master and herself? Impossible.
He replayed every word, every glance of Su Liana's. No warmth, no disdain—only distance. Yet she defended him… why?
Does she… care for him?
His fists clenched until sparks of qi danced across his knuckles. If he's a threat, I'll snuff him before he even realizes it.
But Renji was no reckless brute; he was Tianxu's heir—strategic, deliberate.Know the man. Know his weakness. Then decide.
And so, while others prepared for the journey above, Renji ignored the cheers of his peers and the bustle of his clan.
He descended toward the mortal hinge once more.
To Earth.
The Confrontation
The world he entered was quiet—snow dusting the cliffs near Kailas, air sharp as crystal.Following the faint pulse of qi, he found him quickly: a young man standing at the edge, phone in hand, voice soft with laughter.
When the call ended, Karma lingered, gazing at the horizon.
Renji's steps were soundless. His presence—calm but sharp as unsheathed steel—pressed faintly against the air.
Karma turned.
Renji stood a few paces away—no armor, no entourage. Only a youth draped in white and gold, eyes glowing like tempered suns. His aura was contained, but the cliff seemed smaller for it.
"So you're the mortal they call the bridge," Renji said quietly. "The one Elder Yuan favors."
Karma blinked. "I… suppose so."
Renji advanced, each stride deliberate, the wind folding around him. His gaze swept Karma once—up, down—then locked on his eyes.
"Choose your next sentence carefully, mortal," he said, voice low and even. "One wrong word—and I'll break the peace myself."
Karma's pulse quickened. "What… what do you want?"
Renji's tone was mild, but the question was a dagger."What is your relationship with Lady Su?"
Karma froze.
My relationship?He couldn't tell the truth—not about being from Earth, not about being kidnapped.So he did what he always did best—survive through half-truths.
"It's… complicated," he said slowly. "I owe her. She saved my life once, and her master gave me purpose when I had none. That's all."
Renji's gaze didn't waver. "You speak like a servant making excuses."
Karma forced a crooked smile. "Maybe. But if I had any choice, I'd have run long ago."
That much, at least, was true.
Renji studied him—plain clothes, tense hands, a flicker of honesty beneath fear."You fear her," he said finally.
Karma exhaled. "She's not someone a mortal can understand."
"Nor someone a mortal should covet," Renji added softly.
Karma's brows drew together. Thinking the question romantic, he stiffened."You've got it wrong. I'm not interested in Lady Su like that. I'm just… trying to stay alive in a world where people can move mountains."
Renji's eyes narrowed slightly, reading every heartbeat, every twitch of breath. His qi brushed Karma's like a probe—no lust, no deceit, only fear and exhaustion.
At last, Renji stepped back, aura dimming. "If you're lying, I'll know. And if you ever harbor thoughts beyond your station…"
Two fingers lifted, glowing faintly gold. "You'll vanish before she even learns your name."
Karma said nothing. There was nothing to say.
Renji turned, cloak flicking in the wind. "Consider this mercy," he said quietly. "I rarely warn twice."
He vanished into light, leaving the cliff silent once more.
Karma exhaled, every muscle trembling."Huu… that was terrifying."
He sank to the snow, staring at the horizon where Renji had stood. The wind bit at his cheeks.Above him, the rift pulsed faintly—an eye half-open, watching both worlds hold their breath.