Lin Ran: "If you say one more word, I'll kill you."
Little Black: ......?
Lin Ran was about to charge forward.
"Get the hell back here! Someone's coming. Don't get them killed because of your recklessness."
Little Black's voice rang urgently in Lin Ran's mind, stopping him in his tracks.
A closer look confirmed it—someone had indeed arrived.
Deep down, Lin Ran knew Little Black was right. His body trembled faintly, his eyes filled with agony and helplessness, like a beast trapped in a cage, forced to watch its kin suffer beyond reach.
Luo Yao's small figure stood alone, radiating profound loneliness.
Was this the moment of her deepest despair?
A sharp eagle's cry pierced the silent air, echoing through the woods with an imperious authority."You've won. One of you may follow me and learn."
A woman's voice cut through—cold, detached, as if stripped of all human emotion.
She appeared without warning, a hawk circling above her head, its gaze razor-sharp, scrutinizing everything below.
"One?" Luo Yao lifted her head, her voice hoarse from prolonged combat.
"Correct. Just one. Today's trial dictates I take only one disciple per group. In other words, out of your six, only one will live."
The woman's expression remained icy, her eyes like abyssal voids, unreadable.
Luo Shuigou, still reeling from his brother's death, choked back sobs.
"But we're teammates... Wasn't this a three-on-three?" Tears streaked his face, his eyes pleading against the brutality of the rule.
The woman's eyes narrowed, a flicker of impatience flashing through them.
Without warning, she struck—too fast to evade. A glint of steel, and Luo Shuigou crumpled like a fallen leaf.
Blood gushed from his severed artery, splattering the ground in a macabre rhythm, each drop a tick of death's clock.
"You don't belong here. Emotion has no place in this world."
Her voice was a frigid gust from hell itself, chilling to the bone.
Luo Shuimao collapsed next, his eyes wide with terror and defiance.
Death found him mid-glare, his gaze locked onto Lin Ran's direction, as if silently screaming his anguish.
His lips trembled, a whisper escaping:
"Sun... Wu... Kong... why... didn't... you... save... me?"
The frail words hung in the air, crushing Lin Ran's heart like a sledgehammer.
The pain was visceral. Lin Ran had known Luo Yao's world was harsh—but never this merciless.
Here, life was disposable as ants, and emotion a fatal luxury.
What kind of world was this?
Why did it feel so alien?
Would that woman harm Luo Yao?
He could abandon the brothers—but not her.
Lin Ran was no saint, but he was human.
Logic screamed that intervening meant suicide, yet how could he stay idle?
He had to fight for Luo Yao's sliver of hope.
Little Black's lazy voice chimed in: "Don't be rash. If Luo Yao dies here, she wouldn't exist in the future. Basic logic, no?"
"But if you alter the past now, who knows if she'll even make it to tomorrow?"
Lin Ran froze.
"Luo Yao, remember—from today, I am your mentor. Incidentally, we're closely related. I'm your grandfather's sister. You may call me Grandaunt."
The woman studied Luo Yao, a trace of approval flickering in her eyes.
Luo Yao stared at Luo Shuimao's corpse—no tears, no outburst. Only a cold question:
"This place... forbids emotion?"
Her quiet voice carried a defiance that prickled the skin, a challenge hurled at the world's cruelty.
Luo Tangji nodded, her face unreadable.
"Emotion is weakness. Only by shedding it can you survive here."
Suddenly, Luo Yao moved.
A dagger flashed in her grip, resolve burning in her eyes. She lunged at Luo Tangji—so fast it startled even the seasoned warrior.
Like lightning, her blade arced through the air, a symbol of rage and rebellion.
Yet Luo Tangji merely sidestepped, amused.
"Impressive. Attacking your own grandaunt? Exactly the ruthlessness I seek. You might surpass even your aunt, Luo Wuyou. Remember—only one survives."
She released Luo Yao, almost... pleased.
This defiance was rare. Potential.
Luo Yao knew resistance was futile—for now.
Patience, too, was power.
She stilled, meeting Luo Tangji's gaze with icy calm.
As Luo Tangji vanished into the woods, her parting words lingered:
"These five corpses will feed my hawk. A fitting end."
The hawk screeched overhead, eager.
Alone, Luo Yao sank to her knees on blood-soaked earth.
Her eyes hollow, fixed on the stains left by fallen comrades.
A laugh escaped her—chilling, broken.
"No emotion... no family... Heh. How... perfect."
The sound was a dirge for a world that had shattered her.