Shaying patiently answered the junior sisters' questions, soothing their excited emotions. About half an hour later, she bid farewell to the junior sisters and turned toward the flying boat.
"Senior Sister Shaying, are you leaving?" A junior sister's eyes were slightly red as she held Shaying's sleeve.
Shaying smiled gently and said softly, "I have other matters. I'll come see you another time."
Several junior sisters were reluctant to part, escorting Shaying all the way to the flying boat. Shaying boarded the flying boat, sat down beside Yuyi, and let out a breath. She turned to instruct the valley disciple piloting the flying boat, "Let's go."
The flying boat slowly rose into the air, spiritual light flickering as it broke through the clouds, leaving behind a faint spiritual energy trail.
Shaying stood on the flying boat deck, looking back at the gradually receding fellow disciples. Several female cultivators from Tianyin Pavilion were still waving, their eyes slightly red, their voices choking as they called out something. Shaying sighed softly, turned, and entered the flying boat cabin. The cabin was simply furnished, with soft spiritual light, exuding a secluded atmosphere.
The flying boat moved steadily forward, and the cabin fell quiet. Outside the window, clouds and mist swirled, spiritual energy was abundant, and occasionally distant peaks could be seen faintly emerging. Shaying turned to look at Yuyi and said with a hint of apology, "I made you feel irritated in such a scene."
Yuyi opened his eyes and smiled slightly, "It's nothing, just felt it was too noisy." His voice was calm, as if the earlier farewell scene had no effect on him whatsoever.
Shaying gently opened the flying boat's side window a crack, and fresh spiritual energy poured into the cabin, carrying a trace of cloud mist's moisture. She gazed at Yuyi and said earnestly, "Yuyi, you don't fit in with your environment. Actually, why are you so cruel to yourself? I've never slacked off in cultivation either, but I socialize when it's time to socialize, and play when it's time to play."
Yuyi's lips moved slightly, seeming to want to say something, but then closed them without speaking. His gaze cast toward the window, where the sea of clouds surged, as if pondering something.
Shaying continued persuading, "Don't treat yourself this way anymore. In this cultivation world, we don't know how long we'll live—perhaps forever. What joy is there in living like this?"
Yuyi unexpectedly stopped cultivating, slowly stood up, and pushed open the boat window. Outside, the sea of clouds surged, mountains and rivers rushing past, and something in his heart was inexplicably touched.
Shaying was definitely one of the people who could touch Yuyi. Whenever Youyue Valley members addressed Shaying as "Valley Master's wife," a barely perceptible smile would always appear at the corners of Shaying's mouth. Yuyi understood Shaying's feelings for him, but he felt confused about his own psychology. In the past, seeing beautiful female cultivators would make his heart stir, but now except for technique advancement and Youyue Valley's development, he had no interest in anything else.
He felt warm gratitude toward Shaying, mixed with thankfulness, but Yuyi knew that was absolutely not love. He suspected whether he was incapable of developing romantic feelings for anyone.
Yuyi suddenly turned his head, his expression very serious, "Shaying, I understand your feelings. But right now I cannot. In the future, one day I will definitely leave Youyue Valley. If I can safely reach that time, and your feelings remain unchanged, please let me take care of you then!"
Shaying felt a wave of dizziness, not expecting Yuyi to be so direct. She turned her head to avoid Yuyi's gaze and said softly, "What are you talking about? Can you say it more clearly?"
Yuyi turned his head, his gaze falling outside the boat window, his tone calm as he explained, "If I hadn't entered the cultivation world, I could have become a wealthy merchant among mortals. Since I've entered the cultivation world, I will walk this path to the end. I'm unwilling to be looked down upon by anyone. I don't expect fame across the Nine Provinces, but I won't allow myself to have any fear. Calculating by one month's time, the difference in time you and I spend on techniques can create a cultivation gap of one-quarter realm. That means in four months, I'll be one major realm higher than you. This seems like it doesn't have much impact, but what about four years? What about forty years from now?"
Shaying felt somewhat disappointed in her heart, but gathered her spirit to retort, "With your cultivation base, even Duan Changjian once said that if not for the gap in Dharma Treasures, his odds of winning or losing against you would only be fifty-fifty. How many people in the cultivation world can defeat you?"
Yuyi slowly shook his head, "There are countless experts who are unknown. In Tianyin Pavilion alone, there are seven people who can fight me to a draw, and another unknown person who can fight me evenly. Many sects in the cultivation world, many reclusive experts—as time passes, other experts are also progressing. I don't know when it started, but I've found it very difficult to develop interest in other things around me."
Shaying was immediately speechless, knowing that further persuasion would be useless. Her tone was somewhat desolate, "Yuyi, you've already been buried by loneliness. It seems I'm not enough to pull you back from it."
Yuyi heard the bitterness in Shaying's words and sighed, "Shaying, this isn't your problem—it's something even I can't help." Having said this, he lightly sat down, closing his eyes to sink into cultivation.
Shaying silently watched Yuyi's movements, her heart filled with unspeakable bitterness. She thought to herself: 'Yuyi, you might think I don't like you being this quiet. But actually, I don't care at all. I just don't want you to be so cruel to yourself. I will wait for you. When you leave, I will also no longer pay attention to everything around me, accompanying you.'
Shaying took out a Protective Talisman from her waist Storage Ring. This was an extremely rare life-saving Dharma Treasure, worth a thousand Spirit Stones, valuable but unavailable in the market. Yuyi had obtained it through private transaction via the Lingbao Pavilion manager and insisted on giving it to Shaying. This Protective Talisman was powerful in function—even if one unfortunately fell, it could avoid any cost of falling.
Shaying stroked the Protective Talisman, thinking of Yuyi's character. Yuyi didn't win people's hearts; within the Nitian Alliance, his relationships with other sects were poor. After the Nitian Alliance disbanded, who knew how many sects would unite to deal with Youyue Valley. Inside Youyue Valley, Yuyi rarely communicated with subordinates. Everyone only had respect and fear toward Yuyi, no admiration. Yuyi didn't shy away from using Youyue Valley's resources for his own cultivation improvement.
But Yuyi also had virtues. He was extremely caring toward members in the valley who had achievements, very generous in giving Dharma Treasures, spirit tools, techniques, and materials. The Dharma Treasures of elite members in the valley were not inferior to those of major sects. Youyue Valley members were loyal to Youyue Valley, and the combat group was quite famous.
The flying boat continued forward. Shaying turned her head to gaze out the window, passing by Youming Forest. Outside the forest, many cultivators were gathered, from various sects, large and small task groups bustling with activity. Cultivators moved in groups, some talking and laughing, some sparring and exchanging. Shaying sighed.
Since entering the cultivation world, Shaying had never experienced the life of most people doing tasks and cultivating in groups. She smiled wryly, silently blaming herself: 'What efficiency is there in cultivating like this? You earn few Spirit Stones, waste Dharma Treasures, and eat and drink until you're broke. Unless you strike great luck and obtain a supreme treasure. When you can clearly solve enemies alone, why form a team to lower efficiency?'
Shaying reached a conclusion: Even if she started over, she couldn't experience this kind of life.
She turned back to look at the seated Yuyi, murmuring, "I think, from the moment we entered the cultivation world, we had already decided we couldn't walk the same path as most people."
Shaying's inner voice: 'Actually, what you said is also the truth—the gap is indeed produced this way.' She thought of Xuanzhenzi, who had struggled in the cultivation world for over a hundred years, been famous for decades, experienced countless hardships, yet so simply fell under Yuyi's sword. Shaying softly sighed for Xuanzhenzi, closing her eyes to sink into a selfless cultivation state.
On the streets of Zhongzhou City, the reborn Xuanzhenzi was filled with numbness, gazing at the bustling crowd on the street. Grief, sadness, and suffering had already passed; these emotions couldn't be gathered again in a short time. On the street, people came and went, with mortal merchants hawking their wares, cultivators traveling on magical tools—a scene of prosperity.
Flashing through his mind were decades of hardships struggling in the cultivation world. Xuanzhenzi let out a long sigh, turning toward the Artifact Refining Hall. He selected a Refined Iron Spirit Sword and drifted away.
Xuanzhenzi's inner monologue: 'The world is too large, and everyone's circle is too small. My eyes are limited to my own circle, never looking carefully outside. I always thought that with my cultivation base, only a small number of people in the cultivation world could pose a life threat to me. It turns out that outside the circle I see, there are many experts I can't imagine existing. I will come find you again. You wait, you brilliant youth who uses the Pure Yang Sect sword art.'
Xuanzhenzi drifted past the sect expert ranking board in the city. On the ranking board, Chunyang Sect's top ten expert Xuanzhenzi's name had already been replaced. Creating a name requires countless sacrifices, but destroying it often takes only a blink of an eye.
Xuanzhenzi's inner voice: 'We constantly use countless sacrifices trying to resist the moments that might destroy us, working hard for this. But even if it's hard work, I am Xuanzhenzi, and I will absolutely not allow myself to sink like this!'