Star Martial Soaring Cloud

The air froze instantly.

Wang Xiao's hand froze in mid-air, motionless.

His eyes widened slightly, his face filled with disbelief.

Yun Qingyao, who was hiding behind the bushes, turned ashen-faced instantly.

She abruptly stood up, about to rush out—she never imagined that Li Xin would do such a shameless thing! Disgraceful! She had utterly disgraced the Fairy Palace of Rainbow Robes!

But as soon as she stood up, an invisible surge of energy struck her acupoints.

Yun Qingyao froze, instantly unable to move or speak. Only her eyes could move, filled with anger and resentment.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Zixi was also immobilized by Ling Cheng's energy.

"We all agreed to just watch the show. If you leave now, it'll be so awkward for everyone!" Ling Cheng said in a low voice, waving his hands anxiously. "Besides, if you ruin such a wonderful scene, where will we find the show? Master, don't you agree?"

"Amitabha..." Yuan Kong was about to speak.

"Hey, Master! You've drooled on me!" Ling Cheng suddenly shouted in a low voice.

Yuan Kong quickly raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth, and said awkwardly, "Amitabha, this humble monk is just... thirsty."

Fortunately, Yuan Kong's divine sense barrier shielded him, and Wang Xiao did not notice anything unusual.

Yan Zixi was frozen in place, but her eyes were still moving, her gaze clearly saying: You two bastards, let me go!

Yun Qingyao's gaze grew increasingly cold. If looks could kill, Ling Cheng would probably have died eight hundred times over.

"Miss Yan, I'm sorry." Ling Cheng scratched his head and explained in a low voice, "This kind of scene is not suitable for girls. If you don't want to see it, you can just close your eyes."

Yan Zixi's cheeks turned red with anger, but she couldn't move and could only glare fiercely at Ling Cheng.

In the grove, Wang Xiao finally came to his senses.

He abruptly released his grip, took a step back, and his expression instantly turned cold as if he had been burned.

Caught off guard, Li Xin lost her balance and fell directly to the ground.

Her clothes were still open, revealing her cleavage, but Wang Xiao didn't even glance at her, saying coldly, "Please have some self-respect, young lady."

"Hey!" Ling Cheng slapped his thigh anxiously from behind the bushes. "Brother Lu Yang, how can you be so heartless! There's no reason to retreat at a time like this! Advance!"

Yuan Kong couldn't help but speak up and advise, "Amitabha, Benefactor Ling, your thoughts are too dangerous."

"What do you know! This is called a hero saving a damsel in distress!" Ling Cheng retorted confidently.

"But Benefactor Lu clearly doesn't want to 'save' her..." Yuan Kong said, glancing at the disheveled Li Xin in the arena, and sighed softly, "However, this female benefactor is indeed pitiful."

In the grove, Li Xin sat on the ground, her clothes disheveled, tears welling up in her eyes.

She didn't get up or straighten her clothes; she just looked up at Wang Xiao with teary eyes.

"Young Master Lu, do you despise me?" Her voice trembled violently, and tears finally streamed down her face. "I can do anything, I can learn anything... I only beg Young Master Lu, can you take me away from this demonic island... I..."

She couldn't continue; her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and she was choked with sobs.

"I'm really scared." Her voice trailed off, filled with despair. "I don't want to die here... but I have nothing. I have no talent, no connections, this is the only way I can think of... If I become your person, will I not be forgotten? Will I have a chance to live?"

As she spoke, she completely broke down and burst into tears.

That desperate, heart-wrenching cry seemed to be pouring out all the fear, grievances, and resentment accumulated over the past few days.

What kind of scene was that?

A woman sat on the ground, disheveled and wailing. Her carefully applied makeup was ruined by tears, and her face was covered in powder, making her look utterly wretched.

Her shoulders trembled violently, her fingers gripped her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white, as if she wanted to crush the fabric.

Even Ling Cheng and Yuan Kong, who were watching the show with amusement, were stunned, and the playful expressions on their faces gradually faded.

Ling Cheng's hand was still suspended in mid-air, his mouth slightly open, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Yun Qingyao's eyes reddened without her realizing it.

Looking at her junior sister who was crying uncontrollably on the ground, she felt a surge of indescribable bitterness and guilt.

She had always thought she knew Li Xin, but only now did she realize that she knew nothing at all.

She didn't know that Li Xin was carrying so much fear and anxiety; she didn't know that Li Xin had reached such a desperate point that she would choose to use this method to gain a glimmer of hope.

Shouldn't I give her more care and help on a regular basis?

Otherwise, why would she have come to this?

Why belittle yourself like that?

Was Li Xin wrong?

She did nothing wrong.

She just wanted to live.

In terms of cultivation level, she and Lin Yueyao were the lowest among the remaining people; in terms of relationships, apart from Yun Qingyao, she could hardly find anyone she could confide in.

When the camp was ravaged, Lin Yueyao had the help of Su Qinhe and Yan Zixi, but she had nothing and only survived until now thanks to a bit of luck.

Will luck continue to favor her?

She didn't want to die, so she felt she should do something, grasp at this only "lifeline" she could hold onto.

She gave up everything she had left—her body and her innocence—just to gain some attention and a little hope to live.

Is it crazy? Maybe.

But in this desperate situation on the Demon Island, going mad is the only normal thing to do.

Geniuses can choose to forge ahead, because they have a choice.

But Li Xin had no choice.

But she also wanted to live.

Looking at the girl in front of him who was breaking down in tears, Wang Xiao was speechless for a moment.

He wondered if they, as people, also bore any responsibility for this girl's situation.

Their hopes for breaking through the barrier and their plans for the future, in Li Xin's view, were perhaps all swords hanging over her head.

The hope they discussed was nothing but endless darkness to her.

She had only just achieved a minor breakthrough; the Divine Realm of the Dragon Gate was still so far away for her.

Did someone do something wrong?

Maybe not.

That's how the world is sometimes—no one is wrong, yet everyone is wrong.

Should I reject her?

She had already stepped into the gates of hell; for her, refusal meant death.

She gave it her all, going all in.

Will she believe the promise?

If we believed it, how could we have met like this?

At this moment, she only believed in exchange, so she wanted to use her most precious possession to exchange for a chance to live.

Wang Xiao remained silent for a long time, until Li Xin's crying gradually subsided, leaving only intermittent sobs.

Then, he slowly squatted down to look Li Xin in the eye.

He didn't reach out to help her up, nor did he straighten her clothes. He just quietly looked at her, at her eyes, red with tears and filled with despair.

"Miss Li," his voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear, "which do you think came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Li Xin was stunned.

The people hiding behind the bushes were also stunned.

Is it really inappropriate to ask this question at this time?

Chicken and eggs?

Who goes first and who goes last?

What's the point of asking this question now that it's been debated for thousands of years without a conclusion?

Ling Cheng opened his mouth, then silently gestured towards the empty space: "Is he crazy?"

Yuan Kong slowly shook his head, his face also showing a blank expression.

Yan Zixi blinked, and Yun Qingyao's brows furrowed even more.

Everyone was baffled, wondering what Wang Xiao was up to.

Amidst everyone's hesitation, Wang Xiao provided the answer himself.

"I believe the chicken came first, then the egg."

Everyone on the field instantly understood what Wang Xiao meant.

Love requires affection; for him, the intimacy of love and passion has a necessary prerequisite—this is his answer.

He refused, but in doing so, he pulled her back from the brink of despair in a gentle yet firm manner, and protected her last shred of dignity.

Wang Xiao stood up and said solemnly, "Therefore, if Miss Li is willing to trust me, I will do my best to get everyone out of the Demon Island."

After saying that, he turned around and left without looking back.

Li Xin sat on the ground, staring blankly at his departing figure, but her eyes gradually revealed a faint glimmer of light from her despair.

She didn't know what she was thinking; all she knew was that her heart, which had been hanging in suspense for so long and was on the verge of breaking, had finally settled down and felt a sense of peace.

Behind the bushes, all was deathly silent.

After a long while, Ling Cheng finally let out a long sigh of relief and said in a tone of sudden realization, "No wonder girls always love to call boys bastards and jerks—it turns out the reason is this: they chose to have the egg first!"