Ling Wei watched his sister quietly for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"...It's probably for the best."
Ling Yue looked at him.
"...What do you mean?"
He folded his arms.
"...We shouldn't forget..."
"...We were essentially being held hostage."
His voice remained calm.
"...Senior never deliberately harmed us."
"...But..."
"...We were never truly safe either."
Ling Yue's smile faded slightly.
She couldn't argue with that.
Ling Wei continued,
"...The entire situation was dangerous."
"...Very dangerous."
He looked toward the distant mountains.
"...But..."
"...I can't deny the benefits we received."
His gaze lowered thoughtfully.
"...In a way..."
"...It was a fortunate twist of fate."
"...Something neither of us could have imagined."
Ling Yue slowly nodded.
"...Yeah..."
Then she suddenly remembered something.
She raised her sleeve.
"...But..."
"...The mark is still there."
Ling Wei instinctively looked toward the back of his own arm.
The faint poison mark remained exactly where it had always been.
He observed it quietly for several moments.
Then shrugged.
"...Yeah."
"...But I don't think it's a problem."
Ling Yue tilted her head.
"...Really?"
He nodded.
"...If Senior has already left..."
"...I don't see any reason for him to summon us anymore."
"...There's probably no harm in leaving it."
After a brief pause, he smiled wryly.
"...Although..."
"...Maybe we should've asked."
"...He might've removed it."
Ling Yue sighed.
"...Yeah..."
A helpless smile appeared on her face.
"...We forgot."
Just then—
another voice sounded beside them.
"...Yeah."
The siblings turned simultaneously.
"...Hm?"
Chi Bai stood nearby with his arms folded.
An amused grin spread across his face.
"...If you two are finally done with your secret conversation..."
"...Can we get going?"
He jerked a thumb toward the others.
"...Everyone's already waiting."
Ling Yue laughed awkwardly.
"...Sorry."
Chi Bai shook his head dramatically.
"...Honestly."
"...Ever since we boarded that spirit ship..."
"...You two have been whispering about mysterious things every chance you get."
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"...You're not secretly plotting something without us..."
"...Are you?"
Ling Wei smiled faintly.
"...Nothing like that."
"...Just talking."
"...Boring."
Chi Bai waved a hand dismissively.
"...Come on."
"...Whatever the next assessment is..."
"...I don't want to miss it because you two kept chatting."
Ling Yue chuckled.
"...Alright."
"...Let's go."
The siblings exchanged one last glance.
Neither spoke of the lizard again.
Then—
they caught up with the rest of the newly accepted disciples, walking together toward the next stage of their journey within the Cloud Sword Sect.
---
High above the Cloud Sword Sect—
beyond the drifting sea of clouds—
an invisible white-scaled lizard glided soundlessly through the sky.
No disciple noticed him.
No formation reacted.
His golden eyes remained calm as countless thoughts passed through his mind.
*Ling Yue's illusion...*
*...was noticeably weaker.*
He silently analyzed everything he had observed.
*The temporal acceleration that should have existed within the illusion...*
*Never fully manifested.*
*A direct consequence of my presence.*
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
*I've both experienced...*
*And constructed similar mental environments.*
*Understanding its structure...*
*And interrupting its operation...*
*Only required time.*
The conclusion naturally followed.
*Interesting.*
His thoughts shifted once more.
*Using her subconscious as the foundation of the dream space...*
*Has gradually strengthened both her consciousness and mental resilience.*
*Otherwise...*
*She would not have escaped the illusion so quickly.*
The memories of her training resurfaced.
Month after month spent within the dream realm.
Every lesson.
Every battle.
Every cycle of entering and leaving dreams.
*Repeated exposure...*
*Appears to temper the consciousness itself.*
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
*Then...*
*Training within a dream space...*
*Does not merely improve one's experience.*
*It also strengthens both the conscious and subconscious mind.*
*Interesting.*
This was not something he had originally intended.
It was an unforeseen benefit.
One worth remembering.
He continued flying for several more moments.
Then—
he suddenly stopped.
His body remained suspended in the open sky.
The clouds drifted quietly around him.
His golden eyes slowly turned toward a distant direction.
They lingered there.
Without blinking.
*...This is enough.*
His concealment gradually weakened.
Not completely.
Only enough for the faintest trace of his aura to escape.
It spread silently across the surrounding sky.
Weak.
Yet unmistakably real.
He waited.
One breath.
Then another.
The aura remained for only a brief moment.
Then—
it vanished.
At that exact instant—
**BOOM!**
The tiny white-scaled lizard exploded forward.
The surrounding clouds burst apart.
A deafening shockwave rolled across the heavens.
His body became a streak of white light.
In less than a heartbeat—
he had already crossed several mountains.
Then several more.
His speed continued increasing.
Faster.
Faster still.
Within moments—
he had disappeared beyond the horizon.
Only the slowly dispersing clouds remained behind.
As though nothing had ever been there.
---
Far above the sea of clouds—
the space where Lizarius had hovered only moments earlier suddenly distorted.
Ripples spread silently through the air.
A figure stepped out.
A woman.
Long black hair flowed behind her like ink.
She wore pristine white robes embroidered with drifting cloud patterns.
A slender sword rested at her waist.
Her beautiful face carried neither anger nor surprise.
Only quiet indifference.
Her sharp eyes remained fixed upon the distant horizon.
The direction in which the white-scaled lizard had vanished.
She remained silent for a long moment.
Then—
she spoke calmly.
"...To think..."
"...A demon beast would dare infiltrate the Cloud Sword Sect."
Her gaze never wavered.
"...And after being discovered..."
"...It still attempts to flee."
No spiritual fluctuations escaped her body.
Yet—
the surrounding clouds quietly parted on their own.
"...Interesting."
The next instant—
her figure disappeared.
As though she had never existed.
---
Deep within the Cloud Sword Sect—
beneath countless layers of formations—
lay an ancient hall untouched by sunlight.
The chamber was vast.
Dark.
Only several spirit lamps illuminated the surroundings with pale golden flames.
Ancient swords stood upright throughout the hall.
Their blades radiated faint traces of sword intent accumulated over countless years.
At the very center—
a long-haired man floated cross-legged several meters above the ground.
His brown hair draped loosely over his shoulders.
His robes remained perfectly still despite hovering in midair.
His eyes stayed closed.
His breathing was steady.
He appeared no different from an ordinary cultivator in meditation.
Yet—
the surrounding spiritual qi instinctively revolved around him.
As though acknowledging its master.
Several breaths passed.
Then—
without opening his eyes—
a faint smile appeared.
*...It seems...*
*Zuo Qia has already gone to deal with the intruder.*
His expression remained unchanged.
*A mere demon beast...*
*No matter how unusual...*
*Cannot escape her.*
The hall returned to silence.
Nothing disturbed his cultivation.
Outside—
the countless sword formations protecting the sect continued operating as they had for centuries.
Unaware...
That the "mere demon beast" they believed to be fleeing...
Had already begun leading one of the Cloud Sword Sect's strongest experts far away from the sect itself.