[Age 17 - You return to Yuque, finding Jingtian aged centuries in mere years. Only his wise, future-piercing eyes remain unchanged.]
[Jingtian warns of war - the Abundance followers plot to overthrow the Alliance. He must remain in the Decalogue's radiance.]
[That spring, Fu Xuan doesn't come.]
Junior Brother,
Luofu has entered wartime emergency. Beacon fires from Fanghu have reached us. Only Luofu can aid them now.
I still cannot see your future. Perhaps you're right - futures hold no meaning.
Someday, you'll forge your own path.
I miss you. In your absence, I sometimes divine our shared tomorrows. Have the courtyard peach blossoms bloomed? Don't neglect meals for sword practice. Rest well.
My skills remain lacking. I can only strive to secure the Xianzhou's survival.
Master says destiny has but one road. Perhaps he's right.
None desire failure. Yet... we cannot find victory's future.
Junior Brother... no, Anming.
When this ends, let's view Master's peach blossoms together.
Fu Xuan
"Xuan-jie..." Anming carefully returned the letter to its envelope, storing it in his drawer. Outside, peach blossoms bloomed gloriously - yet their beauty felt hollow without her.
Drawing Nightless, Anming left without looking back.
"General, I wish to go to Luofu."
He needed to see Fu Xuan. Only then could he rest easy. If something happened to her while he wasn't there...
Yaoguang observed Anming's resolute gaze, marveling that something could matter more than the sword to a swordsman. No - that thing was why Anming wielded the sword.
The war's initial phase saw Fanghu repelling Abundance forces. But prolonged conflict's outcome remained uncertain.
Only Luofu could reinforce Fanghu in time, thanks to its vulpine pilots and proximity. Anming's journey might prevent him from reaching Fanghu's battlefield.
"Stay safe."
Yaoguang consented. A blade unbloodied couldn't face Yuque's impending calamity.
Only true battlefields forge true warriors.
"My thanks, General. I won't disappoint you!"
Anming's jade pendant glowed moon-bright as he departed with Nightless, leaving only steadfast determination behind.
Before leaving, he visited the Decalogue's radiance to bid Jingtian farewell.
Through translucent light, master and disciple faced each other.
Though ignorant of divination, Anming sensed Jingtian's resolve within the sacred glow.
"Master."
Anming knelt outside the barrier, kowtowing thrice. To him, Jingtian was family - the guide who shaped his path.
"Are you... going to die?"
"Not quite."
Jingtian smiled warmly as ever. "Someone must stand forward."
"Destiny has but one road. This old man failed to sever its chains."
"Ming'er, I've nothing left to teach."
He touched Anming's forehead. Golden divination light flared. "Go. Leave no regrets."
Being blind to fate is also fate.
Someone must fulfill destiny. Someday, someone will sever it.
Jingtian gifted Anming a hexagram of hope. One day, this spark would become the key to shattering fate's chains -
To create the future Anming desired.
The Decalogue's light rose, separating master and disciple.
Above Yuque, the Cloudgazer Mirror turned slowly, heralding inevitable futures and irreversible destinies.
With the Decalogue's aid, how could Jingtian not foresee his own fate? In truth, he'd seen everything upon first meeting Fu Xuan.
Jingtian wouldn't flee destiny.
None choose failure - unless it's the only choice.
Anming boarded a starskiff for Luofu. "Please hurry. I'm in a rush." Only then did he notice the pilot - Enna.
"Fast service guaranteed!"
"That's good... wait, you're a pilot?"
"Nope."
"Then why—"
"But I'm fast!"
The starskiff shot from the dock like a berserk Voidranger. Deafening speed left Anming momentarily senseless.
It felt like touring the underworld. When his senses returned, Luofu's starskiff sea stretched before them.
"Fast enough? My skills rival Luofu's vulpine pilots!" Enna grinned, patting the rail-clutching, vomit-spewing Anming.
Regardless of methods, she'd halved the journey time.
"Th-thank you!"
The young Cloud Knight Captain spent five minutes retching before recovering, vowing never to board Enna's starskiff again.
Pure torture!
"Don't mention it! Farewell then."
Enna waved cheerfully, though her eyes betrayed lingering reluctance.
Regaining his bearings, Anming rushed to Fu Xuan's residence. How was she? Safe? Well?
Logically, Luofu posed little danger. Yet without seeing her, he couldn't rest easy.
An air of solemnity pervaded Luofu. Few pedestrians walked the streets, only orderly Cloud Knight patrols. Countless starskiffs departed overhead.
Anming grew uneasy. What was the war's status?
Why no updates from Fanghu? Communication failure... or intentional silence?
With Fanghu's distant battlefield and Luofu as sole reinforcement, this war's outcome could reshape the Xianzhou Alliance's future.
"Elder Sister!"
Anming knocked urgently, receiving no response. In desperation, he scaled the wall into the courtyard.