The oath-taking ceremony was grand, though only two parties were in attendance. The Zi Che family had not invited anyone else, so the attendees were solely the Zi Che family and the Ling Xiao Sword Sect. Xu Lan watched the child she had raised find a lifelong companion, and now she would witness their happiness. Everything at the ceremony was meticulously arranged by Zi Che Shao Hao’s mother; although Zi Che Shao Hao wished to handle it himself, he couldn’t outdo his mother.
The disciples of the Ling Xiao Sword Sect had initially intended to show support for Lin Yan, but upon their arrival, they realized the Zi Che family treated Lin Yan with utmost respect. After the ceremony concluded, they were invited to stay longer to experience the atmosphere of the Central Continent. Following the oath-taking, Lin Yan and Zi Che Shao Hao entered seclusion for a full month. When Lin Yan reappeared, her cultivation had reached the Soul Transformation stage. The members of the Ling Xiao Sword Sect bid farewell to Lin Yan, preparing to travel to other parts of the Central Continent. Only Yang Cong remained with the Zi Che family.
"I will stay here for about a year and a half, then I will return to the sect to oversee it until my junior disciples catch up to my cultivation," Lin Yan told her departing elders. "No need to rush, the sect still has us. You don't need to be there to keep them in line. You and Shao Hao have just married; spend more time together," Xu Lan advised her. The other elders also gently persuaded her, noting that the Central Continent was more conducive to cultivation than the Southeastern Region, making it better for Lin Yan to remain. "It's alright, Master. I will accompany Yan Yan," Zi Che Shao Hao said. His cultivation was already nearing the Nascent Soul stage, and Lin Yan’s stay was also to allow him to overcome his heavenly tribulation. "Don't spoil her like this," others hesitated to say, but Xu Lan, as Lin Yan's master, felt she could. "It's not spoiling. We already discussed this, didn't we? I can't go back on my word." Since being with Lin Yan, Zi Che Shao Hao had become much more talkative, something he would never have been before. The Ling Xiao Sword Sect members had no grounds to object and could only accept their decision.
After seeing off the elders, Lin Yan took Yang Cong under her wing for guidance, also entrusting him to the Zi Che family's instructors for practice sessions with their disciples. Zi Che Shao Hao advanced to the Body Integration stage three months later, and Lin Yan accompanied him through his heavenly tribulation. Once his strength was fully stabilized, Zi Che Shao Hao accompanied Lin Yan and her master back to the Southeastern Region. Subsequently, the couple remained at the Ling Xiao Sword Sect, cultivating and overseeing the sect until it became the largest sect in the Southeastern Region.
Wan Si Rui saw the senior sister he had placed in a forgotten corner of his heart again. This time, he was a disciple competing below, while she was a powerful figure seated on the high platform above. At first glance, he didn't recognize Tan Tai Wang Shu until he overheard his fellow disciples.
"Is that the young mistress of the Zi Che family from the Southeastern Region?"
"Indeed. Who else could possess such talent, becoming a Soul Transformation cultivator at less than a hundred years old and sitting on that elevated platform?"
"I heard she holds a very high status in the Zi Che family, and many Zi Che disciples have followed her to the Southeastern Region!"
"Rumor has it she possesses a magical artifact that can enhance a cultivator's state of mind."
"I heard..."
Wan Si Rui was now a Nascent Soul cultivator, and these whispers were completely audible to him. News about Tan Tai Wang Shu infiltrated his mind from all directions. He looked up at the woman, searching her exceptionally beautiful face for any sign of familiarity. The last time he saw her was decades ago; he was then a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and she was a Golden Core cultivator. Back then, she was also on a platform, but she was the instructor, and he was a student in her class. Now she was on the platform again, but he was a competitor below, and she was a powerful observer. She was even more beautiful, not in the refinement of her features, but in her entire demeanor, a beauty so radiant it was difficult to look directly at, sacred and inviolable.
Wan Si Rui felt that the distance between him and Tan Tai Wang Shu had grown, becoming impossibly vast. When he left the Southeastern Region years ago, aside from finding the Ling Xiao Sword Sect too small and the Southeastern Region too remote, he harbored some unspoken desires. Upon reaching the Central Continent, he believed his strength would approach or even surpass Tan Tai Wang Shu’s, giving him a chance to touch her, no longer having to gaze at her from afar. But now, after circling back, he seemed to have gained the strength he desired, yet he was even further from her.
Lin Yan, from the high platform, also sensed someone's gaze. She lowered her eyes and saw Wan Si Rui staring at her blankly. As her strength increased, so did her control over the "Cosmic Seal." Now, when she looked at Wan Si Rui, she could not only see his cultivation but also the fortune surrounding him. Currently, the fortune around him did not resemble that of a typical male protagonist of a world. However, this was no longer of concern to Lin Yan. After a brief glance, Lin Yan, as if not recognizing him, shifted her gaze elsewhere.
Wan Si Rui saw that she had only looked at him once and knew she didn't remember him at all. Of course, she had never paid him any attention. She had so many junior disciples; how could she remember someone like him, who wasn't particularly likable?
"What, not interested?" Zi Che Shao Hao asked, turning his head. "It's not that. It's just that there's no one familiar, so I don't feel particularly enthusiastic," Lin Yan replied, not mentioning Wan Si Rui below, as he was now just a passerby. Over the years, she had learned of his experiences. Without the dramatic twists of the original novel, and with a powerful figure providing protection, Wan Si Rui had not achieved the same level of success as in the original.
"In a while, a junior from the family will take the stage. He also received some guidance from you for a few days. You can see if he has made any progress," Zi Che Shao Hao mused. The Zi Che family and the Ling Xiao Sword Sect now had very close interactions, especially since Lin Yan had placed the "Cosmic Seal" in the Ling Xiao Sword Sect, establishing a heart-refining formation. They all practiced within it, improving their state of mind. However, while the heart-refining formation was excellent in all aspects, the plot within it was excessively melodramatic. Every time they entered the formation, they felt compelled to focus solely on cultivation, preferring to cultivate the path of detachment. It was truly baffling how, despite the young master and his wife being so sweet and deeply devoted to each other, the scenarios they set up were so torturous and heart-wrenching, almost leading them to renounce the world and refuse to speak of love again.