Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Yu Zhong hovered above, eyes sharp with disbelief.

"Are you telling me… this was all to live, huh?"

His words were jagged, laced with something deeper than anger—disappointment.

Below, Ace stood motionless.

He hadn't known.

He truly hadn't known that if a soul bond died, so too would its master, once they shared thoughts.

Once they understood each other.

Had he known, he would never have bound himself to Qiong Qi. No matter how divine.

No matter how powerful.

The beast had never once acted like a proper partner. Even in battle, it had attacked him before anyone else.

It spoke of devouring him with every summoning. It didn't even pretend to be loyal.

Ace said nothing.

Not a word.

And that silence infuriated Yu Zhong.

"I'm not a foe of yours, Xiao Zhi!" he shouted, fists clenched at his sides, soul force flashing for a split second like a burst of thunderclouds. "I came this time not to kill you, but to warn you of your mistake!"

His voice lowered, eyes piercing straight through him.

"What you do with that choice… could doom us all."

Then, without another word, Yu Zhong turned.

He grasped Giyo by the collar like a misbehaving child and soared into the sky, the wind screaming in his wake.

A long silence lingered in his absence.

Then—

"Heehee~" Ruby giggled from the corner, one hand over her mouth like a gossiping maiden. "Brother, is this… bromance?"

Ace turned toward her, exasperated. But Ruby wasn't done.

"I mean—he came all this way… no death threats, no sneak attacks, there's no hidden schemes. Just 'Don't die, Xiao Zhi!' and off he goes with his hostage-boyfriend." She tilted her head, eyes twinkling. "He's clearly worried about you."

Ace gave her a flat look. "Ruby."

"Yes, Master?"

"…Stop reading romance scrolls."

Ruby winked. "No promises."

Ruby strolled over to Ace, hands clasped behind her back, her usual cheeky grin playing on her lips.

"Brother," she said softly, eyes gleaming. "Can you feel it?"

Ace turned his gaze to her, puzzled at first—until his senses sharpened.

Then he did.

His brows rose, just slightly.

The air around Ruby shimmered subtly. Like sunlight refracting off still water.

Her aura pulsed with newfound depth, silent yet undeniable.

She had broken through.

She'd ascended to Legend rank.

Before he could even speak, the room exploded.

"She did it?!"

"Another monster in the house!"

"Ruby! My girl!!"

Elders leapt from their seats, excitement ringing louder than the frost-winds outside.

Grand Elder Akha reached her first, sweeping Ruby into a tight hug before she could escape.

Ruby blinked, stunned. "Oh, um. Okay… sure."

Akha laughed heartily. "Don't act cool now, you little storm! You've earned this!"

The other elders, like overly enthusiastic uncles and aunties, gathered in a half-circle, clearly waiting their turn like kids at a festival.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "This… feels like being mobbed after a sect tournament."

"It is a celebration!" shouted Elder Khani from the back. "Do you know how rare a breakthrough is in this generation?! And without a soul bond?!"

The joy in the air spread like wildfire.

Even Lily, who moments ago had been talking about impending annihilation, was clapping and beaming.

Ace watched it unfold with a faint smile.

The tension from before, Yu Zhong's dire warning, the shadow of Sarah's threat, hadn't vanished.

But for this one moment, in this one hall, it had been forgotten.

Replaced by pride. Relief. Hope.

And the smallest flicker of something far rarer in times of war.

Happiness.

As the celebration calmed into scattered chatter and handshakes, Elder Mati cleared her throat.

"Let's not forget," she said, her voice regaining its usual edge, "we're still in the middle of a war council."

The elders quieted. Even Akha reluctantly stepped away from Ruby, who exhaled as if escaping a surprise ambush.

Ace gave Ruby a small nod. "Congratulations. But let's finish this."

Ruby smiled and walked over to stand behind his chair, her presence now radiating quiet authority.

Lily clapped twice to draw attention again. "Right! Now that our little sister is a walking calamity, we can move to the good news."

"You already said Sarah can wipe us out in one thought," muttered Elder Shane.

Lily pointed at him. "Yes! And here's the twist, she didn't."

That earned some blinks around the room.

"She didn't erase us. Didn't vaporize the sect. Didn't even threaten Master Ace properly."

"She did threaten me," Ace said dryly.

"Okay, but she didn't follow through," Lily said with a grin. "Which means…" She let the silence hang, baiting them like a bard finishing a tale.

"…we're still in the game," Elder Aqua muttered. "Is that the good news?"

"No, dummy," Ruby chimed in. "The good news is: she's not acting like someone in a hurry."

Ace's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "She wants Qiong Qi… but she didn't demand him immediately. She said she'll return."

Lily nodded, fingers tapping on the table. "And she didn't leave a curse, a mark, a clone, or an overpowered construct behind. That means… she's giving us time."

"To do what?" Elder Mati asked.

"To prepare." Lily looked serious now. "I don't know if she's testing us, or waiting for something. But she didn't kill us when she could. She gave a warning. That means there's a thread we can pull."

Ace leaned forward, his voice low. "Or a trap we're walking into."

"But we're cultivators, aren't we?" Ruby added. "If the heavens wanted us dead, we'd be dead. But they gave us time. So let's use it."

Akha nodded, her eyes glinting. "Then let's stop panicking like mortals and act like the Sky High Sect again."

Ace turned to Lily. "What about defenses?"

"Already working on layered barriers," she said. "Elder Mati is handling the alchemical formations while grand elder Akha is fixing the sect defensive formation."

Ace blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Don't worry about it, Master," Lily said, smirking. "Just trust me, they'll buy us at least three seconds in a divine-level battle."

"Three whole seconds," Ruby whispered, awed. "That's… two more than I expected."

The room chuckled.

And for a moment, the weight of doom hanging over them eased again.

But beneath the jokes, everyone could feel it.

The real war hadn't started yet.

Sarah was coming.

And whether she brought mercy or annihilation—

Sky High Sect would be ready.