Chapter 64: A Promise for the Future

The next day.

Zora did not wake up until the bright sun streamed through the window.

She had never been obsessed with waking up early. She could rise before dawn to practice her sword, or sleep until the sun was high in the sky, entirely depending on her own whim. She followed the principle of "useful practice time," always cultivating when her state was at its best, which allowed her to reach insights the fastest.

Zora got out of bed and casually used a Cleansing Spell; a cultivator’s body naturally maintains a state of maximum cleanliness. Just as she stood up and walked toward the window, the door was pushed open.

With a soft creak, the room was revealed. The girl stood by the window, not wearing her blue overcoat, revealing her inner white robes and blue sash. Her hair was a bit messy; when she turned her head, a few stray strands clung to her face, making her features appear even more delicate.

Zora glanced at the food in his hand.

"Breakfast," Vane said after a pause, lowering his eyes.

He placed a bowl of egg noodles on the table, steaming hot. As he let go, spiritual energy adhered to the surface of the bowl, enveloping the noodles. The white mist was contained, and the dissipation of heat was halted, as if the food had entered a state of stasis.

Zora took a look. It was Spiritual Sealing, a very fine and intricate branch of spiritual energy application.

She sat before the bronze mirror. Vane lowered his eyes, combing her black hair from top to bottom, stroke by stroke. He had become very skilled at binding hair, moving without the slightest hesitation. Zora’s hair wove through his fingers, and in a blink, he had styled the hair on the sides of her head into twin buns, while combing the rest of her flowing hair smooth.

A blue hair ribbon slid from his fingertips.

"It is done."

Only then did Zora open her eyes. Without looking at the mirror, she sat directly at the table: "Egg noodles?"

"Yes," Vane explained. "The inn's breakfast time had passed, so I borrowed the kitchen and cooked a bowl."

Hadn't he cooked noodles when he worked in the kitchen before?

Zora looked at him gloomily: "........."

Vane: "Apologies. I am still learning."

Zora nodded and said, "I want meat. Spicy, or sweet."

Vane accepted the request.

The noodles he cooked last time were already considered full of color, aroma, and taste, but this time his culinary skills had improved significantly. The flavor was richer, leaning toward savory, and the noodles were neither too soft nor too hard, not at all greasy.

She ate bite by bite, while Vane took the opportunity to tidy her bed and clothes. He picked up her jade pendant and placed it with her outer coat. Only after Zora finished eating did he hand her the jade slip and other tokens from the demonic cultivator from the night before.

"These were the items on that demonic cultivator. There is a mole in Drunken Lu Bay. They likely intend to take advantage of the loosening seal on the Bright Mirror Sea to coordinate from within and without. They plan to slaughter the entire Drunken Lu Bay sect before other sects can react, completely breaking the seal, as well as freeing the monsters and demonic cultivators sealed by array masters in other locations."

In a few short sentences, he described a bloodbath. His tone was flat, as if he were remarking that today was a hot day.

Zora nodded calmly after listening.

Vane: "Should we inform the Sect Leader?"

"Of course," Zora said. "Back to the sect."

They bid farewell to the couple—primarily Vane did the bidding. He gave a proper farewell, glossing over the details of their departure, appearing every bit the righteous cultivator.

Ma Linggao hurriedly cupped his hands: "Then may the two benefactors have a safe journey."

Lin Xiuhe: "Have a safe journey."

An hour later, the two reached the entrance of the December Sect and went first to the Hall of Chasing Immortals to hand over the evidence. Sect Leader Ling Zhihuan was not someone one could see casually, but Zora’s master, Zhou Shijin, had that layer of friendship.

Ling Zhihuan browsed through the jade slip, her eyes stern and her brow furrowed. "I understand. I will send people to investigate. Thank you."

However, this was merely a clue from one demonic cultivator. Trying to find the mole and all the demonic cultivators outside was a task of immense difficulty; she could only do her best and warn Drunken Lu Bay. Furthermore, the Sect Leader of the December Sect could not overstep her bounds and interfere too freely in the internal affairs of another sect.

Having finished the report, Zora returned to the Falling Rock Forest to practice her sword. Vane stopped outside the forest for a moment before heading to the Golden Wave Hall.

Flashes of light flickered across the clearing in the Falling Rock Forest; the sword edge was cold and incredibly efficient. A paper crane suddenly descended from the sky. Zora sheathed her sword and reached out, letting it land in her palm.

The paper crane unfolded itself.

[I'm outside the Falling Rock Forest, come open the gate!]

"?"

Zora looked at it for a long time before recalling that this was Yiling Ke’s handwriting.

She opened the array of the Falling Rock Forest. Yiling Ke excitedly grabbed her hand: "Listen to me! Master Jin Zhi from the Zen Meditation Temple is here! Hurry up and go see!"

Jin Zhi?

"Who."

"The Senior Disciple of the Zen Meditation Temple, Jin Zhi," Yiling Ke said. "He has a treasure that can create its own illusion. Once you enter, it’s immersive, and anything is possible! You can even dream of being number one in the world."

Zora: "?"

"It’s, it’s..." Yiling Ke thought hard. "If you want to drink fine wine in the illusion, you can drink to your heart's content. It’s immersive and very interesting!"

Oh. A materialization of a beautiful dream.

Outside the Linxian Pavilion, the news of Master Jin Zhi’s arrival hadn't spread very far yet. Yiling Ke was well-informed, which was why she could arrive so early.

Qing Ding, beside Jin Zhi, smiled at Zora. Zora nodded.

Jin Zhi had a compassionate face and smiled warmly: "I came to discuss official business with Sect Leader Ling, but the Sect Leader is not here. We are waiting here."

The Sect Leader should be off to notify the leader of Drunken Lu Bay. Zora thought.

Speaking of which, Zora only vaguely remembered Yiling Ke’s sister, Yiqiu Rong, upon seeing Yiling Ke.

Did Drunken Lu Bay get completely wiped out in the original work? It wasn't explicitly stated, but it mentioned the protagonist Sword Sovereign’s final strike—earth-shattering, severing the entrance to the Bright Mirror Sea. The original didn't describe a mole in Drunken Lu Bay; the sect likely hadn't discovered it either, and was ambushed on all sides by the demonic mole. Usually, sword cultivators only appear when the seal is broken and the monsters and demons surge out.

After all, when array masters guard such seals, the arrays are dense and spiritual power is intertwined; they absolutely do not allow other cultivators to enter.

When the sword cultivators appear, it is the final note of the array shattering.

"System, was Drunken Lu Bay wiped out?"

The System woke up and flipped through the original work: [It wasn't clearly stated, but there are hints everywhere. That’s why the monsters and demons escaped from the seal, creating a crisis of significant proportions. Fortunately, the male lead resolved it, and it didn't cause too much damage to the mortal realm.]

"What about Yiling Ke?" She remembered her promise. "If she is about to die, I must go save her."

[Host, there is no sign of Yiling Ke in the original. You have to know that the background characters in this novel don't have names.]

The System paused.

[However, I can calculate her ending. It’s quite easy, combining the sect structures at the end of the original, the mentions of array master reputation distribution, and the context before and after the word 'array master' appears in the text...]

"Master, Master," Yiling Ke said cautiously yet with great excitement. "I heard you have a Golden Bell. We wanted to ask..."

Jin Zhi had a very good temper. He was clearly used to being borrowed. His lips curved slightly with a warm gentleness: "Of course. It is just a minor technique. However, it is an illusion after all and can only last for fifteen minutes. Once marked by spiritual sense, the Golden Bell cannot be used again within a year."

The Golden Bell didn't simply follow the user’s thoughts; if something exceeded the user’s knowledge, it would not manifest. For example, if the user had never tasted fine wine, the wine tasted in the illusion would have no flavor. Therefore, it was merely an illusion.

"Thank you, Master!" Yiling Ke didn't use it for free; she gave him her own array talismans. Jin Zhi accepted them with a smile without declining, which allowed Yiling Ke to breathe a sigh of relief, feeling more at ease.

"Hurry and think of a scene. Fifteen minutes of play time," Yiling Ke laughed.

What scene? She had no thoughts.

Zora nodded nonchalantly. She picked one at random, intending to think of the days after she successfully completed her mission and finished conquering Vane.

The System finished its calculation, and its mechanical voice rang out at the same time as the crisp ring of the Golden Bell.

The surrounding scene blurred into a mass, just beginning to form the scene of her completing the mission and practicing her sword.

[According to the calculation, there is a ninety percent probability that a passage in the late stage of the book refers to Yiling Ke. The content is as follows:

Turi Qi heard that the fallen Drunken Lu Bay was rebuilt. Although it was in ruins and no longer held its former glory, it could barely be called a sect.]

Zora’s train of thought was instantly derailed. When the surroundings cleared, it was the scene described by the System.

"..."

She was expressionless and had no particular thoughts, staying in place to continue listening to it.

[...Array masters are scarce. Even an array master from the December Sect who entered Drunken Lu Bay instantly became the most outstanding disciple and soon took charge.]

[She was without father, mother, or home—all alone. She had a bright and lively personality. Along with other new disciples gathered from various sects, she took over the responsibility of the previous Drunken Lu Bay, guarding the Bright Mirror Sea and never leaving. Tombstones stood at the entrance of the Bright Mirror Sea, accompanying her side.]

[Reading of content complete.]

[Now presenting the specific ending for [Yiling Ke] as calculated by the System based on various factors: After Yiling Ke’s family was slaughtered, she entered Drunken Lu Bay...]

Accompanied by the System's words, the surrounding scene changed into the pitch-black Bright Mirror Sea. Beneath the surging surface of the sea, a black vortex rotated constantly—that was the entrance to the seal.

The seashore was no longer fine sand and green trees, but burning embers, traces of a fierce battle, and countless tombstones standing randomly along the edge of the seal—tall and short, uneven.

The new Sect Leader of Drunken Lu Bay was leaning against a tombstone, joking with a disciple. She was surrounded by countless silent spirit altars. Perhaps she was leaning against the stone grave of her countless relatives; perhaps the name engraved on it was Yiqiu Rong.

"Eh, don't talk about that," the new Sect Leader laughed brightly, without a single cloud. Her face was young as she spoke to the disciple. "I admire Wanghua-jun more than enough; he prevented the spread of the monsters and demons."

"Actually," she found a comfortable position to lie down and looked at the starry sky. "Guarding this thing isn't much. No need to go out, comfortable—don't look at me like that. Did you secretly have someone bring you food from the outside? That won't do. Even I, your Sect Leader, haven't done that. It’s very dangerous. Don't do it again."

Once the disciple had walked away, she touched the tombstone beside her.

"Now, I am the array master with the highest talent," she murmured. "What a mess."

The sea surged, and the clear wind wound around the tombstones, brushing over the faces of various disciples. The sound of laughter didn't stop for a moment. There was also the new Sect Leader shouting in mock anger: "The moral standards are declining! My disciples are actually gathering here to play Pai Gow!"

Then, her triumphant laughter at having beaten the banker rang out amidst a chorus of cheers and laughter.

The days of guarding were too long, as if time had become an insignificant stream of water that flowed past if one wasn't careful. Drunken Lu Bay had sealed the entrance and no longer had the capacity to participate in any sect activities. Array masters guarding the seal required no disturbance from others. The seal had only been broken once; they needed to reinforce it and keep watch constantly.

No entry, no exit. Drunken Lu Bay was completely marginalized, becoming the silent gravekeepers and guardians, never mentioned in the text again. They didn't even know the news of the Sword Sovereign and Turi Qi becoming saviors with a single strike.

Too much time had passed. Even someone lively has low moments. Occasionally, the new Sect Leader would have a flat face: "No new people, no activities, no intrigue or power struggles a Sect Leader should have. Currently, the biggest orders issued are to reinforce the array, eat, sleep, and play Pai Gow... Don't call me Sect Leader anymore. Just call me the Little Guard Captain."

A disciple wept: "Don't be like that, Sect Leader! I'll never win nine rounds in a row against you again!"

The scenes flowed rapidly. The disciples' aptitude was inherently inferior to the previous array masters of Drunken Lu Bay, and being in a sealed state, no new disciples entered the sect. That Sect Leader finally exhausted her spiritual energy because of the fixed seal and dissipated into the air.

Zora stood to the side. As the fifteen minutes were about to pass, she blinked.

She had once said she would save her before she died. That was a promise.

The future Yiling Ke was dead, so the promise needed to be fulfilled.

Zora touched her chest. It was a lingering attachment like the one she felt for Liyu—an incomprehensible dullness.

She was a little confused.

Liyu’s life and death were a fixed fact, while Yiling Ke’s death was only a phantom future. There was plenty of time to fulfill the promise. Then why did her current feelings still hold that same sense of lingering attachment?

It was just an illusion.

She didn't understand.