When the sun rose high in the sky, Ye Guan slowly opened his eyes. He looked down to see Nalan Jia curled up in his arms like a soft, satisfied cat. Gazing at her beautiful face, an indescribable warmth pervaded his heart.

Sensing Ye Guan's gaze, Nalan Jia suddenly looked up and gave Ye Guan a playful glare.

Ye Guan laughed heartily and flipped over.

Several "days" later, Ye Guan and Nalan Jia left Ancient Desolate City, informing only Ye Xiao and Nalan Ming of their departure.

Ye Xiao and Nalan Ming stood at the entrance of a hall. They looked up at the sky, and they stayed silent for a long time.

After a while, Ye Xiao said, "I wonder when they're going to return."

Nalan Ming sighed.

"I heard you’ve dealt with quite a few of your clan members recently."

Nalan Ming nodded and said, "If it hadn't been for Little Jia, I wouldn't have known how many of us were engaged in illegal activities."

Ye Xiao smiled wryly at the remark and said, "Our Ye Clan has its fair share of delinquents as well, but Little Guan has never mentioned them to me."

"Although our Nalan Clan and your Ye Clan appear to be a prestigious clan to outsiders, we're actually walking on thin ice. It's impossible to know just how many eyes are on us, waiting for the opportunity to pull us down," Nalan Ming said.

"Indeed, we must be cautious. One wrong step can easily lead to our downfall," Ye Xiao replied.

"It really is exhausting to lead a clan."

"That's true; it's incredibly exhausting."

However, the two couldn't afford to neglect their duties. Without them, the Nalan Clan and the Ye Clan would definitely become chaotic.

They were uncertain about their clans’ futures.

Ye Guan and Nalan Jia held significant power, but the Ye Clan and the Nalan Clan could provide little support to them.

In the grand scale of the Guanxuan Universe, their clans were pretty weak despite their high status.

This massive gap between their status and strength was worrisome in their eyes.

To make matters worse, many of their clan members were becoming increasingly arrogant, especially outside the clan.

The elders were particularly concerned about the growing sense of superiority of their young members.

Fortunately, Nalan Jia's recent actions of dealing with several powerful elders were an effective warning to the Nalan Clan.

Ye Xiao chuckled and said, "A long and arduous path lies ahead of us."

Nalan Ming laughed and replied, "Let's not dwell on it. Come, let's have a drink."

They laughed and walked away together.

***

When Ye Guan and Nalan Jia arrived at the Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou, they found a massive crowd of people.

The students and instructors of the Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou had gathered to welcome them.

Seeing the crowd, Ye Guan and Nalan Jia exchanged a slightly exasperated smile.

Meanwhile, the academy's students erupted into cheers, waving and clamoring upon seeing the two.

Ye Guan and Nalan Jia landed and were immediately greeted by Academy Chief Song Fu.

Song Fu led everyone to bow respectfully toward the two.

Ye Guan said, "No need for formalities."

The crowd stared at Ye Guan and Nalan Jia with curiosity, especially the new students.

In the eyes of the new students, Ye Guan and Nalan Jia were legendary figures, especially Ye Guan. He was a household name in Nanzhou, and it was thanks to his victory over Qingzhou, which brought great honor to Nanzhou.

Just then, Ye Guan noticed a familiar face and was momentarily stunned.

"Brother Siao!" Ye Guan called out.

The familiar face was none other than Siao Ge.

Siao Ge smiled and replied, "Ye Guan, long time no see."

Noticing the badge on Siao Ge's chest, Ye Guan asked, "You've become a teacher?"

"After traveling around for a bit, I realized that I still prefer to stay here, so I came back to become a teacher."

Ye Guan laughed, "How does it feel to be a teacher?"

"Not bad. You should give it a try."

The two laughed at that. Siao Ge then asked, "Are you going to participate in the upcoming Upper Realm Martial Contest?"

Ye Guan was taken aback, "The Upper Realm Martial Contest?"

Siao Ge grinned, "Did you forget? The martial contest of the Upper Realm is held every three years, and it's going to happen again soon. You missed the last one, but since you're already here, how about you check it out?"

"So it's been six years..." Ye Guan murmured.

"It's been six years since we went to the Upper Realm for the contest. Feels like it was just yesterday," Siao Ge remarked.

Ye Guan smiled. "Indeed."

Siao Ge suggested, "Why don't you stay for a few more days here?"

Ye Guan turned to Nalan Jia.

Nalan Jia smiled and said, "Let's stay a bit longer."

"Alright."

"Since the two of you are here, this martial contest is definitely going to go down in history as the most exciting martial contest ever," Siao Ge said.

Ye Guan chuckled. He was starting to feel a bit excited as well, as the martial contest reminded him of his young dreams at the time.

These young cultivators were working hard in hopes of achieving a high rank in the martial contest, which would allow them to obtain fame and bring honor to their clan.

Ye Guan had also embarked on the journey to the Upper Realm with such dreams in his heart.

Ye Guan smiled while thinking about the past—being young had its charms as well.

Ye Guan chatted with Siao Ge and others for a long while before Ye Guan and Nalan Jia eventually headed for Mount Banqing.

Mount Banqing was the residence of their teacher, Fei Banqing.

Upon arriving at the peak of Mount Banqing, Ye Guan noticed something amiss and asked, "Little Jia, why isn't Teacher here?"

Nalan Jia calmly replied, "She isn't in Nanzhou."

Ye Guan looked at her, puzzled. "She's not in Nanzhou?"

"She went to the Xiaoguan Universe."

Ye Guan was surprised. He didn't expect that Fei Banqing would end up going there.

Nalan Jia looked around and smiled. "I really missed this place."

"Me, too," Ye Guan replied.

Nalan Jia suddenly turned to Ye Guan and said, "If you weren't the Young Master of the Guanxuan Academy, what do you think you'd be doing right now?"

"I'd be dead. Haha," replied Ye Guan. If he weren't the Young Master of the Guanxuan Academy, he wouldn’t survive the An Clan's wrath.

"True," Nalan Jia replied. Then, her expression became serious as she asked, "Little Guan, do you really think that we can truly establish a new order where everything is fair? Like when we faced the An Clan—if the Guanxuan Law existed back then, could it have prevented that incident?"

"I don't think so," Ye Guan replied, shaking his head. "Conflict and favoritism exist everywhere; no rules or laws can ensure absolute fairness."

Nalan Jia fell silent.

Ye Guan smiled and added, "However, the widespread implementation of the Guanxuan Law will definitely reduce the number of such incidents. It will also make the clans and families more cautious about their actions, which means that evil can no longer be as blatant anymore."

Nalan Jia nodded. The An Clan was daring enough to commit atrocities in front of hundreds of worlds; they were truly audacious.

Absolute fairness? It was impossible.

After all, selfish desires were a part of human nature.

Nalan Jia turned to Ye Guan and said, "No matter what you do, I'm going to support you."

Ye Guan held her hand and said, "I know it's exhausting, but I believe we should do something. Even if we can't make it fair for everyone, we can consider it our win as long as we can ensure fairness for the majority."

The two silently held each other's hands.

After a while, Ye Guan said, "Let me take you somewhere."

He led Nalan Jia to the trial tower of the academy.

Nalan Jia looked puzzled.

Ye Guan saw her confused face and explained, "When I was training here, I met a lady from the Ye Clan, Ye Yu. She gave me a badge at the time."

Ye Guan took out the badge and said, "I was so happy back then. I was so happy because it felt like I was finally acknowledged."

Ye Guan opened his palm, revealing a wisp of sword intent.

Nalan Jia smiled at the sight and asked, "You want to leave an opportunity here?"

"Yes."

Nalan Jia didn't reply and simply held Ye Guan's hand.

Ye Guan chuckled and said, "I wonder who'll stumble upon my sword intent here."

"Whoever it is, they'll surely be thrilled and excited upon recognizing your sword intent," Nalan Jia replied.

Ye Guan laughed boisterously at that.

After leaving the trial tower, they returned to Mount Banqing.

They sat on a large boulder in each other's arms, admiring the sunset that painted the sky with its beautiful hue.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

They chatted endlessly, as they truly felt like they had endless topics to talk about.

Late at night, Nalan Jia rested her head against Ye Guan's chest as the two lay under a sky full of stars.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, Nalan Jia whispered, "I'm really happy these days."

"Me, too."

Nalan Jia smiled sweetly at Ye Guan. Then, she hugged him tightly and soon fell asleep.

Ye Guan held her gently, gazing into the depths of the starry sky.

Humanity? Divinity?

I definitely prefer humanity, but emotions and family bonds are all going to fade under the ruthless passage of time. However, there are always exceptions, like Father, Mother, and Plain-Skirt Aunt. They're incredibly powerful, but they didn't abandon their families. I guess it all depends on the person.

After spending two days at the Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou, Ye Guan and Nalan Jia traveled to the Upper Realm with Song Fu, Siao Ge, and the other representatives of Nanzhou.

The students and instructors of the Upper Realm's Guanxuan Academy were already waiting for them.

Ye Guan was stunned upon seeing the Academy Chief of the Upper Realm's Guanxuan Academy, as it was none other than Zhao Su.

Ye Guan could still remember meeting her a couple of times before.

Zhao Su bowed respectfully toward Ye Guan, saying, "Greetings, Young Master."

A hodgepodge of emotions flashed in her eyes as she bowed. The two of them were unchanged, but their positions had changed drastically.