I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

Yan Ziming was slightly taken aback by the question. He opened his still slightly trembling palm, looked at it, smiled calmly, and said:

"No one would dare to hold back even slightly when faced with the words 'absolute defense,' right?"

"Hahaha! It seems my defeat is understandable, after all, my opponent was Yan Ziming who went all out, hahaha!"

Li Hao burst into hearty laughter, and in this endless wilderness, only his laughter could be heard.

He laughed for a while before letting out a long sigh, filled with deep emotion, and said, "Going back to what we were talking about earlier, you think I have no pride whatsoever as an 'Absolute Defense,' right?"

"That's right, in my opinion, you made the words 'I admit defeat' seem far too trivial."

Yan Ziming nodded in agreement.

Back when she lost to Mu Mu, she cried her heart out; it was a heart-wrenching pain that stayed with her for a long time.

But she didn't hate it; she wanted to remember this feeling to give her the motivation to move forward.

Therefore, in her view, this is a person's pride; no matter what, she cannot easily let the words "I admit defeat" come out of her mouth.

Even if you've already lost, it's still the same.

However, Li Haoyi could not understand, or rather, his views were completely different.

"Sigh... Absolute defense."

Li Hao sighed again; this was the umpteenth time he had sighed today.

"That's just the name the world has given me, but I know that the title of 'absolute defense' is not suitable for me."

"..." Yan Ziming remained silent, quietly observing.

“I was once basking in the glory that this title brought. Just think about it, I was the only one in the whole world to be given this title. What an honor that was!”

Yan Ziming nodded slightly.

Indeed, there are countless titles for the strong in the world, but only he has ever received the title of 'absolute defense'.

—Absolute defense.

This signifies his unparalleled status in this field, unmatched by anyone in the world; this title can only have one owner.

“But—” Li Haoyi’s smile turned into a bitter one, “I understood that a long time ago…”

"The so-called absolute defense is actually only relative. Under this premise, absolute defense... can no longer be called absolute defense."

"So I stopped being attached to this title."

"Let the words 'absolute defense' fade from my memory..."

What was clearly just Li Haoyi's personal sentiment resonated deeply with Yan Ziming.

Is that really how he sees it?

It can only be said that his philosophy of life was completely different from Yan Zimo's. They were the same in the early stages, but their paths diverged at some point later on.

Perhaps... the weight of the words 'absolute defense' is really too heavy for him.

If Yan Ziming were to bear a title like 'the strongest spear', she would also feel it would be a huge burden.

She will bear the honor that comes with this 'crown', and from then on, she will be bound by this title, dragged into an endless battle to defend her glory, and take it as her driving force.

In the end, everything burned out, and it came to an end.

Did she really get what she wanted most back then?

Has the original intention been altered by this crown?

However, this is also an honor and a high recognition of oneself. When one chooses to give up this title, it is equivalent to giving up oneself, making it difficult to take another step forward.

So, which one is Li Haoyi?

He finally shed the shackles of what was called 'glory' but was actually a 'burden', and from then on, his career soared.

Or did they abandon this glory, become disheartened with themselves, lose confidence, and fade into obscurity?

It all depends on how he views the crown of "absolute defense".

Hearing this conversation from Li Hao made Yan Ziming feel that she learned far more than she had learned from the battle itself.

Those were ideas that could influence the trajectory of her life.

[Being able to take things on and let them go, perhaps I should also learn to let go of certain things?]

No, one must have pride; my ability to get this far proves that...

All I need to do is stay true to my original aspirations and keep moving forward without stopping.

After a long while, Yan Ziming also sighed; this was the first time she had done so today.

"Thank you."

"Hey, hey... I don't remember doing anything that deserves your gratitude."

Li Hao's bitter smile turned into helplessness. What was going on? Had he just acted as Yan Ziming's therapist for a while?

"No, no, no, what you said today has truly enlightened me. Perhaps I should call you senior?"

Yan Ziming said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Li Haoyi... Senior."

"No, let's not. It feels weird."

Li Haoyi got goosebumps all over his body, and the emotions he had buried deep in his heart began to sprout again.

Realizing that things were not going well, Li Hao's mind raced, and he remembered some things, saying:

"The marshal used to tell me that the future world belongs to us, but as time goes by, I realize that this world actually belongs to you."

"So... don't let me down!"

Patting Yan Ziming on the shoulder, Li Hao looked forlornly in the direction of Beian City, remaining silent for a long time.

Yan Ziming suddenly called out, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"explain."

"Since you're not fixated on the term 'absolute defense,' what do you think would be a more suitable term for you?"

She wanted to know what Li Haoyi had picked up after abandoning absolute defense.

"..." Li Hao pursed his lips for a long time before speaking, "I am a soldier."

"As soldiers, we should stand on the battlefield to defend our motherland and provide the strongest shield for our comrades."

"Then, the appropriate way to address me would be..."

"A strong shield protecting the nation."

"This is the weight that I... a soldier named Li Haoyi, should bear!"

28. The Secret That Cannot Be Told~

Yan Ziming went home around 6 p.m.

Having settled the score with Li Haoyi, she had achieved her goal for the trip: to release the pressure in her heart and to gain some spiritual inspiration.

During her months in the Beian Military Administrative Region, she did not waste any time; she made progress every day.

However, he was never able to grasp the secret to breaking through to the Void Spirit Realm.

She felt a sense of urgency.

Although the Battle of the Mountains and Seas has at least secured a few more years of peace, and the Sequence-class units will obediently lie low for a while, plans can never keep up with changes, and there's no guarantee they won't break the balance and start fighting again.

Yan Ziming must make thorough preparations.

Breaking through to the Void Realm would be the best guarantee for her and those around her.

"I am back."

"sister!"

Upon entering the house, Ye Qianxue rushed over from the living room and pounced on Yan Ziming.

"Qianxue, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry about what happened before..."

"Uh?"

Yan Ziming looked at Ye Qianxue in his arms with surprise, wondering why the change was so fast and so sudden.

That's too fast...

What exactly did Xian'er do to turn her jealous sister into a sweet and delicious wine in less than an hour?

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have kept it from you."

In fact, Yan Ziming had never intended to keep it a secret, but everything was too coincidental. First, Ye Qianxue took Xiao Ze out in the morning, and then Mu Mu also went out, leaving only her and Liu Mengxian at home.

In this kind of environment, if a conflict were to accidentally escalate and one gets caught red-handed, it would be extremely embarrassing. That's why Yan Ziming wanted to cover it up.

"Hmm...it's all Qianxue's fault. She shouldn't have made that thing so obvious..."

"ha......?"

Yan Ziming wanted to ask her what it was, but at that moment, footsteps came from outside the door.