Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

"You...you're despicable!"

Ye Huairou's cheeks flushed red instantly, and she turned to look at Yang Xian behind her.

Were those two his contracted beasts?

I've never seen him have anything like this before!

Could it have been collected in a secret realm?

"How could I, a genius from Canglan University, be inferior to you two contracted beasts?"

Ye Huairou gritted her teeth, her competitive spirit once again taking over.

She gave a sharp cry and drew her longbow again.

This time, the girl's gaze became incredibly focused, and energy surged within her, causing an arrow to coalesce once more.

A hunting competition began inexplicably.

Although Feng and Ling possess the power of spatial manipulation that allows them to appear and disappear unpredictably, they have not yet fully developed it.

Another point is that they have only just entered the third realm.

His control over power is not yet proficient, and his total demonic power is limited.

Ye Huairou, on the other hand, is a genuine genius in the late stage of the third realm, with rich combat experience.

After several rounds, Feng and Ling quickly fell into a disadvantageous position and could only watch helplessly as Ye Huairou shot and killed several monsters in succession.

Even the last two mid-stage second-realm demonic beasts were locked onto by arrows.

Ye Huairou hummed softly.

"Checkmate!"

At this crucial moment...

"roar--!"

A bone-chilling cold suddenly enveloped the entire venue.

A lifelike ice crystal dragon appeared out of thin air and, with overwhelming force, smashed the last two demonic beasts into countless ice shards.

Ye Huairou remained frozen in place, still holding the bow.

The score, which had just been neck and neck, was instantly overtaken by the man she had always considered a "burden".

She slowly turned her head and looked at Yang Xian, who had suddenly made his move.

"you!"

"What about me?"

Yang Xian withdrew his hand, shrugged innocently at her, and said matter-of-factly, "I can't really hold you back, can I?"

"Daddy is so handsome!"

Feng immediately cheered and ran to Yang Xian's side, nuzzling him affectionately with his big head.

"Hmph!" Ye Huairou glared at Yang Xian fiercely, but had no way to refute him, her chest heaving with anger.

[Discontented: Damn it! I almost won! I'll definitely win next time! +100 points!]

Seeing that she couldn't win the argument with Yang Xian, Ye Huairou immediately turned her attention to Zhou Xiyan, her face full of grievance.

"Xiyan! My best friend! Why didn't you help me just now?!"

Zhou Xiyan: ? ? ?

How did I get dragged into this?

Besides, how can I help?

Their specialty is defense...

Teacher Zhong is right. It's time for Huairou to change its competitive nature.

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely help you next time."

Zhou Xiyan reached out and gently tidied Ye Huairou's long purple hair, which had been ruffled by the wind:

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Besides, Yang Xi'an has two contracted beasts, so it's not a big deal if you lose once..."

Ye Huairou was stunned when she heard this.

She stared blankly at Zhou Xiyan, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Waaah~ Xiyan!

You've changed so much in just a few days!

Why are you siding with this man instead of the other way around...?

What kind of bewitching potion did this guy surnamed Yang give you?!

------

Night falls.

Inside the tent, Zhou Xiyan quietly opened her eyes.

She turned to the side, gazing at her best friend's sleeping profile, and whispered a tentative question.

"Huairou, are you asleep?"

Ye Huairou, standing to the side, showed no reaction, seemingly having fallen into a deep sleep.

Zhou Xiyan was relieved. She quietly got up, carefully lifted the tent flap, and went outside.

Less than half a minute after she left.

Ye Huairou, who had been "sound asleep," slowly opened her eyes and glanced at the curtain.

"happy Yan, oh happy Yan..."

"Why are you out so late instead of sleeping?"

"I remember... Yang Xi'an is on night watch tonight, isn't he?"

A thought uncontrollably popped into her mind.

You and that Yang Xi'an are definitely hiding something from me!

Ye Huairou sat up abruptly and tiptoed out.

She crept silently into the shadows of the forest, and soon spotted the two figures under a large tree not far away.

The cool moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows.

Her best friend, Zhou Xiyan, was lying quietly in Yang Xian's arms.

The man, with his head bowed, gently combed her long blue hair with his fingers.

That scene was harmonious and serene.

Ye Huairou instinctively covered her mouth to prevent herself from letting out a gasp.

Her eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.

No wonder!

No wonder I felt like Xiyan was always siding with Yang Xi'an today!

No wonder I always felt that the two of them were exchanging glances and the atmosphere was off!

They...they actually...

In an instant, Ye Huairou felt a mix of emotions.

There was a strange, bittersweet feeling.

But more than anything, it's a blessing...

The path of martial arts training is long and tedious, and finding a partner to spend one's life with is an incredibly wonderful thing.

She should be happy for Xiyan.

But why do I feel so empty inside?

It feels like from today onwards, I've become a person.

Utter loneliness.

……

under the moonlight.

Zhou Xiyan rested her head on Yang Xian's lap, looking up at his well-defined profile.

"We don't have many days left in the secret realm."

"Do you think things will stay this way after we leave the secret realm?"

Zhou Xiyan knew that Yang Xian had more than just her as a woman on Blue Star.

Especially the second young lady of the Jiang family, Jiang Mengyun.

Zhou Xiyan was well aware of the Jiang family's status in Nanhai City.

Trying to take a share of the pie from the other party is tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth.

She just couldn't understand how a rich young lady like that could fall for Yang Xian, an unknown poor boy.

This kind of plot, which could only appear in storybooks, actually happened in real life.

"It definitely will."

Yang Xian's answer was resolute.

Although... the process might be a bit of a headache.

How am I supposed to explain Zhou Xiyan's existence to Jiang Mengyun and the others...?

------

Ye Huairou had already returned to her tent.

But she lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

My mind is filled with what I just saw.

"The master of martial arts..."

"Didn't we agree to dedicate ourselves to martial arts alone and climb to the pinnacle of martial arts together?"

"happy Yan, that traitor!"

This feeling... how should I put it?

It's like your best friend suddenly announcing that she's getting married, while you're still single.

While I was happy for her, I also felt like the whole world had abandoned me.

For some reason, the image of that "uncle" suddenly appeared in Ye Huairou's mind.

She remembered that man in the cave, who, despite being annoying, still took good care of her when she was seriously injured.

If... if the uncle were here too, that would be great.

Before we knew it, more than an hour had passed.

The tent flap was gently lifted, and Zhou Xiyan walked in.

She paused slightly when she saw Ye Huairou lying on the bed with her eyes open.

"Huairou, so you weren't asleep."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep it from you."

"Why should I apologize? You didn't do anything wrong." Ye Huairou sat up from the bed and patted the empty space next to her.

After her sadness subsided, her gossip-loving nature suddenly reignited.

"Tell me quickly, how exactly did you and that Yang Xi'an get together!"

"Do you plan to adopt a child in the future...?"