Xiao Lian stood before the ancient crystal, its golden-red light pulsing like a heartbeat. The weight of the memories she had just regained pressed down on her, shaking her to the core. The Crimson Feather Sect, the celestial faction that had erased it, the betrayer who had stood at her side—it all pointed to one truth.
She had been killed once before. And now, the past was calling her back.
The pagoda's core trembled, releasing a celestial hum. Then, from the very air itself, a voice emerged—powerful, ancient, and without warmth.
"You have proven yourself worthy, Xiao Lian. The inheritance is yours to claim."
A blinding light engulfed the room as an ethereal figure took shape before her. It was neither human nor beast, a shifting entity of energy wrapped in golden armor. It had no face, no true form, only presence—an overwhelming force that felt like the very will of the heavens itself.
"This is the reward of the Celestial Pagoda," the entity continued. "With it, you will surpass all mortal limits. You will rise beyond fate itself, untouchable, unstoppable."
Xiao Lian took a step forward, her fingers curling at her sides. This was what she had been searching for—strength. A way to reclaim what had been stolen from her, to ensure that she would never be powerless again.
But then the entity spoke once more.
"However, all power has a price."
The golden light flickered, and suddenly, Xiao Lian felt something press against her mind—cold, vast, and absolute.
"To wield this inheritance, you must sever the weakness of human emotion. Your love, your attachments, your grief—all will be sealed away. In return, you will become something greater than human. A force beyond the mortality itself."
The words echoed in the chamber, heavy like a decree from the heavens.
Xiao Lian's breath caught in her throat.
To gain true strength, she would have to abandon all feeling.
She clenched her fists, her mind warring with itself. She had seen what emotions had done to her past self. Love had made her trust the wrong person. Attachment had made her hesitate. And because of that, she had lost everything.
Was this the answer? To cast aside all weakness, to ensure she would never falter again?
She took another step forward.
But before she could answer.
"Stop."
A hand grabbed her wrist.
Ji Ren.
His grip was firm, his eyes dark with something unreadable.
"If power means losing yourself," he said, voice steady but filled with unshakable conviction, "I will stand against it."
Silence filled the chamber.
Xiao Lian stared at him, shocked not just by his words, but by the raw emotion in them.
Ji Ren had always been a warrior, someone who fought with his body first and his mind second. But this wasn't about battle. It wasn't about victory.
It was about her.
Ji Ren took a step closer, his voice unwavering. "You think you have to do this, but you don't. Power without emotion—without heart—isn't strength. It's emptiness."
Xiao Lian's heart pounded.
This wasn't what she had expected.
Ji Ren wasn't someone who spoke in grand philosophies. He had always been about instinct, about action. And yet, in this moment, he was standing against her.
Because he refused to let her become something she wasn't.
"You think you need to be stronger?" His voice softened, but there was a desperate edge to it now. "You already are. Not because of the power you gain, but because of who you are. And I—" He exhaled sharply, as if forcing the words out. "I won't let you throw that away."
Xiao Lian's fingers twitched at her sides.
She wanted to ignore him. To say that he was wrong, that emotions had only ever been a hindrance.
But then, deep inside her—SIS's voice whispered.
"Heart rate increasing. Neural response unstable. Emotional conflict detected."
For the first time, SIS wasn't giving her an order. It wasn't warning her of danger.
It was simply stating a truth.
Something in Xiao Lian's chest tightened.
She turned back to the celestial entity.
The being, still radiating with divine energy, spoke again.
"This is the path of ascension. You must choose."
Her hands curled into fists.
She had spent her whole life chasing power. She had fought, bled, and survived to stand here, to claim what should have always been hers.
And yet, Ji Ren's words echoed in her mind.
"Power without emotion isn't strength. It's emptiness."
For the first time since stepping into the pagoda, she hesitated.
Would she truly be stronger without her emotions?
Or would she simply be lost?
The silence stretched. The celestial figure waited.
Finally, Xiao Lian took a deep breath.
And she stepped back.
The golden energy flickered, shifting uncertainly, as if the entity itself had not expected her rejection.
"You refuse?" it asked, its voice unreadable.
Xiao Lian met its gaze, her voice steady. "If strength comes at the cost of who I am… then it's not strength at all."
The chamber trembled. The golden light pulsed, then slowly began to fade.
"So be it," the celestial voice intoned. "The inheritance remains, but your path remains your own. May you find the strength you seek… in your own way."
With those final words, the golden entity dissolved, its energy retreating back into the depths of the pagoda.
The silence that followed felt heavier than any battle they had fought.
Ji Ren released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He looked at Xiao Lian, searching her face.
She turned to him, expression unreadable. "You really would have fought me?"
Ji Ren didn't hesitate. "If it meant stopping you from losing yourself… Yes."
Something in her gaze flickered. Then, without another word, she turned and walked past him, her footsteps slow, deliberate.
Ji Ren followed.
And as they left the chamber behind, Xiao Lian realized something.
For the first time, power had not been something she had taken.
It was something she had chosen to refuse.