Half a year had passed since Li Xiaohan had made their relationship public. She visited Xing Jue as often as her busy schedule allowed, though these visits were usually brief.
Xing Jue understood. Everyone focused on Li Xiaohan's extraordinary talent and power - they saw the victories, the effortless displays of dominance - but no one saw the work, the discipline, the sheer bloody-minded effort she poured into honing that power to such a terrifying edge.
Despite the limited time they had together, their feelings for one another had only deepened with time. Their awkward first encounters had given way to comfortable companionship…and the occasional stolen kiss.
He'd been quite pleased with himself when he'd managed to plant one on her cheek - Li Xiaohan had pretended to be annoyed, warning him not to try it again, but her heart wasn't really in it. He knew, deep down, that she'd allowed it. Li Xiaohan was many things, but a pushover wasn't one of them. If she didn't want him to kiss her, he wouldn't get within ten feet of her.
As for Xing Jue's life within the Inner Palace, Li Xiaohan's declaration had had the intended effect. No one dared to challenge him openly. Not the disciples, not even the Second Elder. His friends, no longer in danger of being targeted, thrived.
But true peace of mind eluded him.
This life…this easy, consequence-free existence…it was all built on a foundation of her strength, not his.
And that was unacceptable.
He trained relentlessly, pushing himself to his limits and then pushing some more. His goal - to reach the Martial Venerable realm – consumed him. Only then would he be strong enough to challenge for the top spot on the Elite Rankings. Only then would he be deemed worthy of entering the Main Palace.
And only then, he vowed, would he finally step out of Li Xiaohan's shadow and become a true powerhouse in his own right.
But progress was slow. He was stuck, frustratingly, at the peak of High-Level Martial Lord. Martial Venerable seemed as distant as the stars.
"It shouldn't be this hard," Xing Jue muttered to himself.
He was sitting on the roof of his residence in the Inner Palace, staring out at the sprawling complex of buildings in the distance. Li Xiaohan's palace, a magnificent structure that seemed to glow from within, dominated the landscape.
"Xiaohan…why does it feel like I'm chasing after a shooting star?"
"Because you are."
A voice, smooth as silk, cut through Xing Jue's self-pity.
Xing Jue leaped to his feet, his hand instinctively reaching for the sword he wasn't wearing.
Standing behind him, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips, was a young man, no older than twenty, dressed in the distinctive golden robes of a Main Palace disciple.
"Relax. I'm not going to kill you," the young man said, his voice calm, almost bored.
Xing Jue, though outwardly calm, was puzzled. He wasn't surprised by the visit, exactly - ever since Li Xiaohan had staked her claim on him, he'd known it was only a matter of time before someone from the Main Palace showed up – but … why so late?
"You're here to talk, then? I take it this is about Xiaohan?"
"Perceptive," the young man said, his eyes sweeping over Xing Jue with a hint of appraisal. "Not bad. You might be even more interesting than she led me to believe."
"Get to the point. What do you want from me?"
"It's very simple, really," the man said, his voice still deceptively calm. "Stay away from Li Xiaohan."
"Not going to happen," Xing Jue shot back, his initial curiosity giving way to annoyance. This again?!
He turned to leave, but his body wouldn't budge. It was as if his feet had suddenly been encased in concrete. He tried to summon his Qi, but it was useless. It was like…like something was holding him in place, something powerful and invisible.
"A Martial God," Xing Jue whispered, his blood turning to ice water.
It was the only explanation that made sense. He was trapped by an invisible force - a spatial lock, a power wielded only by those who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts - the mythical Martial God realm.
"You're a clever one, aren't you?", the young man purred, his smile widening as he stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Let's have a little chat, shall we?"
Xing Jue stared at the man, a strange sense of unease settling in his gut. He seemed to be toying with him, but something about his eyes... there wasn't any malice in them, not really.
"You want to kill me. Go ahead. Do it," Xing Jue challenged. Not that it would stop him if he really did want to kill him, of course, but instinct told him death wasn't on the menu today.
The young man's eyebrows shot up in amusement.
"Oh, I can assure you, I most definitely can kill you," he said softly, holding up a hand.
A small, black pill materialized between his thumb and forefinger.
"This," he said, rolling the pill between his fingers, "is a poison pill. A particularly nasty one, if I do say so myself. Crafted from the venom of ten thousand poisonous insects. One tiny nibble and, well, let's just say the pain is rather…exquisite."
"Last chance," the young man said, his tone softening slightly. "Promise to stay away from Li Xiaohan, and I'll not only let you live, I'll even sweeten the deal with an Earth-Ranked cultivation technique."
Xing Jue snorted derisively. "Just get it over with. If you're going to kill me, kill me."
Inwardly, though, he was starting to sweat. This guy wasn't bluffing!
"Very well," the man said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "But you'll regret your stubbornness. Even in death, you won't escape me."
He clamped his left hand over Xing Jue's mouth, pinning his jaw open, and with his other hand, he tossed the black pill between Xing Jue's lips.
The pill hit his tongue and exploded. Searing agony, unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, tore through him, every cell in his body screaming in protest. His Qi, as if rebelling against this unexpected intrusion, flared out of control. He screamed until his throat was raw.
"Go on, scream," the young man said, his voice cold, devoid of pity. "I've sealed this space. No one can hear you."
Xing Jue, biting back another scream, glared at him through the pain. He'd be damned if he gave the bastard the satisfaction!
The man laughed. Even through the haze of pain, Xing Jue could tell he was enjoying this. Sweat poured off him in sheets, a testament to his suffering.
Xing Jue's vision blurred; the edges of his world shrinking to a pinpoint of pain. Was this it? Was he going to die like this, helpless, poisoned, and alone, on a rooftop? He was so close to losing consciousness…
A voice, seemingly from a great distance, cut through the darkness.
"You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that."
He forced his eyes open a crack. That voice...wasn't the young man. He was looking at an old man, his face weathered with age, dressed in the gray robes of an elder. He was smiling down at Xing Jue. Not a cruel smile, but a kind one – almost...fatherly.
"Who..who…?" Xing Jue stammered. A wave of dizziness swept over him; his voice sounded thin and reedy.
"Ah, you must be wondering about all this, eh?" the old man chuckled. "Curious about my identity, hmm? Let's just say I m very familiar with a certain young lady who's quite fond of you. Ring any bells?"
It suddenly dawned on Xing Jue who he was looking at.
"Second Elder…" he choked out, struggling to his knees.
The realization hit him like a physical blow. This was Li Xiaohan's master, the Second Elder of the Inner Palace!
"There, there. Up you get. No need for formalities. Not today." The Second Elder waved him to his feet with a gentle smile.
"That… that was..." He gestured weakly in the direction of…well, there was no sign of the young man, was there? Had he imagined all of it? "Was that you?"
"Indeed," the Second Elder nodded. "All a little test, you see."
"A test?!" Xing Jue gaped at him. "With poison?! That wasn't a test, it was torture! I thought I was going to die!"
"And yet, here you are," the Second Elder pointed out, his eyes twinkling.
"Now see here, you whippersnapper… take a look inside yourself. How's that Qi of yours feeling now?"
Xing Jue did as he was told. And that's when he realized something miraculous had happened.
He wasn't just a High-Level Martial Lord anymore.
He was a peak High-Level Martial Lord, just a hair's breadth away from the next realm!
"How…how is this possible?"
The Second Elder smiled. "You were already at the peak of Mid-Level Martial Lord, just needed a little…push. Now then, about my apprentice… You've got a long way to go if you want to keep up with her, you know."
Xing Jue's joy evaporated.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
The Second Elder's face turned serious. "You have a good heart, Xing Jue. But kindness, these days, that isn't enough. The world is a dangerous place, especially for a young man who's chosen to love Li Xiaohan. There are things…things you need to know about her, about me…about our world. The real world."