Chapter 61

  Adam and Lyne were walking side by side down the quiet sect path, the moonlight glinting off the tiled roofs. The night breeze carried faint whispers of spiritual energy, soft enough to lull one into peace—until Lyne turned to him, mischief already dancing in her eyes.

  “Oh right, I have something for you.”

  She reached into her spatial ring and handed him a small velvet box and a folded letter.

  “This is from the Sect Leader. Something about ‘recording’. I didn’t ask too many questions—he said the letter from someone named Jalen would explain everything.”

  Adam raised a brow, curiosity piqued. Inside the box lay a sleek silver necklace. Its pendant had a small, glassy sphere in the center—almost like an eye.

  A faint hum of spiritual circuitry pulsed from it, a delicate weave of array formation and machine code.

  [This looks suspiciously like a camera…]

  He opened the letter.

  ---

  Letter Content:

  Jalen

  Long time no see, Adam. The Sect Leader asked me to create a recording device that he and a few others could monitor.

  So—using a hybrid of array formation and our old sci-fi tech—I made a micro camera capable of nigh realistic recordings. The thing can capture footage at five hundred million frames per second.

  Now, you’re probably wondering: ‘Wouldn’t that take up all the storage instantly?’

  Nope. This baby’s got one rontobyte of storage. That’s a gigabyte followed by twenty-two zeros. You could record continuously for over ten thousand years and still have room for cat videos.

  Revolutionary, right? A proper paradigm shift, if I do say so myself.

  Anyway, enough geek talk. I heard you got married—to a princess, no less! A fairytale ending in the making. Congrats! I bet you’re still as shocked as the day it happened.

  Oh, and I’ve started cultivating too! Turns out I’ve got some aptitude—currently in Qi Condensation Realm. Not bad, huh?

  Marn’s getting old though. He still refuses to cultivate for some reason… stubborn as ever.

  I also sent the same necklace to your wife. You two can record memories—or, well, whatever else you two get up to.

  Good luck… wifeing her up.

  —Jalen

  ---

  Adam folded the letter back up and sighed deeply.

  “‘Wifeing her up,’ huh… She’s already got me on a leash. I don’t even want to imagine what kind of future he’s talking about.”

  Lyne leaned in, her smile dangerous.

  “You know, I can hear you, husband.”

  Adam looked at the necklace again.

  “Yeah. Figures. Even the tech is conspiring with you.”

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  Adam sighed, holding up the necklace’s pendant and squinting into the small lens at its center.

  “I guess this thing’s recording forever now. Sect Leader—are you watching?”

  He tapped the lens twice and leaned in close, expression dead serious.

  “Are you trying to scare him with that face of yours?”

  “Just making sure he’s paying attention.”

  Lyne folded her arms, smirking.

  “Anyway, husband, I need you to accompany me tomorrow.”

  “Where?”

  “A secret realm, of course.”

  Adam froze mid-step.

  “…Nah.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Does that realm, by any chance, have enemies you’ll make me fight alone while you ‘observe’ from the sidelines?”

  “Yes. It’s a given.”

  Adam shook his head immediately.

  “Then no.”

  “Why?”

  Before Adam could answer, a familiar voice cut through the courtyard.

  “It’s because he has that ridiculous no-kill rule he clings to.”

  They both turned as Lan Xiaoyan strolled over, hands tucked behind his back, his usual relaxed grin on his face.

  “I greet the princess.”

  Lyne nodded “At ease. Now, what’s this about a ‘no-kill rule,’ husband?”

  Adam crossed his arms.

  “Exactly what it sounds like. I don’t kill—anything, anyone, ever.”

  Lyne blinked.

  “Even beasts?”

  “Even beasts.”

  “Even Jiangshi”

  “Even them.”

  Xiaoyan sighed with mock exasperation.

  “Princess, don’t bother trying to change him. He treats that rule like his life depends on it.”

  Adam gave him a sharp side-eye.

  [Does he know…?]

  Lyne tilted her head, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

  “That’s… a very weird obsession you’ve got there, hus.”

  “Better than a weird hobby of breaking bones, don’t you think?”

  Lyne smiled sweetly.

  “You want to test that theory?”

  Adam immediately raised his hands in surrender.

  “Nope. I’m good. Totally fine. Long live peace.”

  “Then you don’t have to lift a finger. I just wanted to spend some time with you.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes, giving her a skeptical look.

  “You’re telling me there won’t be any sudden ambushes or deadly traps this time?”

  “I’m telling the truth.”

  Her expression was disarmingly innocent. Adam sighed.

  “…Then, sure.”

  Lyne: “All’s good, then.”

  Adam turned to Xiaoyan, changing the subject.

  “You’ve advanced fast. Already the fifth minor realm—impressive.”

  “You’re one to talk. You’re already in the Core Formation realm. And a Star Core, no less.”

  “Circumstances, not talent.”

  “Heh. Sis and Aria are both trying to catch up to you.”

  Lyne tilted her head thoughtfully.

  “What about that girl, Mu Qing Li?”

  “She was distracted for a while. But once she heard Adam reached Core Formation, she became laser-focused. Almost obsessed.”

  Lyne’s lips curved into a mischievous grin.

  “Too focused, huh?”

  groaning “What are you thinking now?”

  “Nothing.”

  Adam sighed. He knew that look—nothing good ever followed it.

  “Anyway, it’s getting late. Let’s call it a night. We’ll talk more later.”

  He patted Xiaoyan’s shoulder lightly. At that brief contact, a faint pulse of mental energy passed between them.

  ---

  Telepathic Link Activated

  Lunaria said “I’ve already told him everything.”

  Xiaoyan added “It’s a remarkable ability, Adam. Truly unique.”

  “I know.”

  “Adam… I have a favor to ask. There might come a time when your ability is needed. When that happens, I’ll reach out.”

  “Then I’ll be there. You have my word.”

  “Much appreciated.”

  The telepathic link faded quietly.

  ---

  Xiaoyan bid them a “Good night.”

  “Night.”

  Xiaoyan walked off into the dim corridor, his aura fading into the distance.

  Lyne stretched her arms with a teasing smile.

  “Don’t forget, this is our date tomorrow.”

  “Yes, yes. I remember.”

  She smiled like a cat that had already set the trap.

  [This is going to be trouble, isn’t it…]

  The Night Before

  Adam lay on his bed, eyes tracing the ceiling above. The faint glow of moonlight spilled across the room, painting pale lines on the walls.

  Adam muttered to himself “I just hope nothing bad happens tomorrow.”

  His gaze drifted to his left arm—the blade that had replaced it shimmered faintly under the light.

  “Can’t wait to get back to a normal arm…”

  He raised it closer to his eyes. Something was… off.

  The blade looked wider than before—just barely, but unmistakably so.

  “Hmm?”

  Curiosity sparked. He focused, circulating Metal Qi through the blade.

  The metal hummed, vibrating at a frequency that resonated with his bones. Then, before his eyes, the arm expanded—the blade growing broader and longer until it dwarfed his entire body.

  “Whoa…!”

  He flexed his wrist experimentally. The weapon followed his will perfectly, flowing like liquid steel.

  With a thought, he shrank it back to its regular size, then tried again—this time altering only the width. The transformation obeyed, fluid and precise.

  Adam grinned.

  “So I can change its size now. Then maybe… next time… I’ll be able to change its form.”

  His eyes glimmered with excitement as he stared at the metallic sheen of his arm.

  “Something to look forward to.”

  Outside, the wind rustled the trees—gentle, almost reassuring.

  Tomorrow might bring chaos, but tonight, there was calm.

  The sun hung low in the sky as Adam and Lyne glided through the clouds, streaks of light following behind them. The vast ocean shimmered below like a sheet of polished glass.

  [“To think I’m going back to the same island where I first woke up…”]

  He glanced toward Lyne flying beside him.

  “So, why’d you pick this secret realm anyway?”

  “The entrance is inside an old ruin. They say it took multiple expeditions to map it out.”

  “Which means everything worth taking has already been taken.”

  Lyne smiled “You’re not wrong. But there’s still the temple of a Higher Being there.”

  “Higher beings… they’re always trouble.”

  “Don’t worry. This one’s supposed to be harmless. The temple’s filled with puzzles—some simple, some ridiculously complex. Every time a puzzle’s solved, it rewards you. It’s huge too, and resets every decade with new puzzles and treasures.”

  “So, a divine entity obsessed with Sudoku. Got it.”

  Lyne laughing “Something like that.”

  They continued to glide forward, the salty wind rushing past.

  “Still, we’re going at a snail’s pace. At this rate, we’ll get there tomorrow.”

  “Oh? Then let’s change that.”

  She reached into her storage ring and drew out a sleek, golden flying sword—its blade humming with light.

  “How about a race to the island?”

  “You’re on.”

  Adam stomped once on the air—his sky boots lit up with azure light.

  “Those are your flying artifacts?”

  “Low presence, high performance.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  The two locked eyes, wind whirling around them as tension rose.

  “Ready?”

  “Always.”

  A heartbeat of silence.

  Then—boom!

  Both shot forward like streaks of lightning, cutting across the endless ocean.

  The waves below rippled from the sheer force of their acceleration, twin trails of gold and blue light racing toward the far-off island on the horizon.