68: Chapter 067: Regretting Too Late 68: Chapter 067: Regretting Too Late Night had already deepened, and various sounds inside and outside the yard had also faded to silence.

In the distance, there came scattered bursts of whooshing Sword Qi.

Someone was still practicing swordsmanship.

At this moment, many had already rested, but the desolate sound of the sword humming remained so solitary and monotonous, like an enduring stream slowly passing in loneliness, until the end of life.

The sound of this swordsmanship was so familiar, yet so bleak and desolate.

It was a type of swordsmanship imbued with the Sword Intent of autumn, one that Zhou Yan had comprehended, expressing the desolation and solitude of autumn to its extreme.

In terms of talent detection, his actions had startled countless Cultivators in Carefree Main City, including himself.

Zhou Lingyi stood in a corner of the yard, silently watching Zhou Yan practicing his swordsmanship by the Clear Spring, feeling a surge in her heart.

It was as if her soul was drawn out by such a sound, the night giving her inexplicable courage.

Her heart burned with passion, and finally, a burst of Sword Qi emanated from beneath her feet.

“Whoosh—”

The sound was gentle, but her figure had already streaked toward Zhou Yan’s location like a flash of light.

The long night was tranquil.

A gust of Qingfeng wind arose, lifting the broken dust stirred by the various Sword Qi into the air, forming a haze of dust particles.

Wearing her white Ling Yi robe, she landed gracefully by the Clear Spring, but Zhou Yan was no longer there.

He was gone.

Zhou Lingyi bit her lip and muttered, “Zhou Yan, are you…

are you avoiding me?

I…

I just want to offer some compensation for what you once gave.”

But beneath her words, silence enveloped the surroundings.

In the midst of the night, the haze had dissipated, the Qingfeng had dispersed, yet it felt as though thousands of Demon Beasts in the sky were glaring at her intently, a feeling of dread and oppression.

Silence pervaded the area in an indescribable way; the wind stopped, and the sound of sword humming disappeared.

Zhou Lingyi’s mood suddenly turned indescribably desolate, feeling no more strength in her body as if the boundless Sword Qi was leaking away from her.

Now, she didn’t want to stand here any longer.

She just wanted to return to her room, drink a lot of alcohol, then sleep soundly.

Perhaps by tomorrow, there would be nothing to think about anymore, nothing would exist anymore and the past would pass just like that…

Perhaps that was for the best.

She turned her head, looking at the glow of the Fluorescent Stone in her room, feeling an inexplicable sense of warmth in her heart, as if it were her home.

“But is that really my home?

This place is just a yard belonging to the Great Zhou Family, his yard after all.”

Zhou Lingyi sighed dispiritedly.

She had mustered great courage to come here, wanting to devote herself—perhaps that was the only thing of value she had left for him.

But he had directly rejected her with his actions, the implication was clear: “She is not worthy.”

Zhou Lingyi sighed again, turned her head, and took a deep look at the Clear Spring.

The water still flowed quietly, but Zhou Yan was nowhere to be seen.

She turned around and walked quietly toward her room, her legs incredibly heavy.

Just as she arrived at the doorway of her room, she heard someone inside speak in a very casual, lazy tone, “The night is long, and I have no interest in sleep.

Why don’t we have a drink together?”

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Lingyi’s entire body grew hot with excitement.

She almost instantly burst out with Sword Qi, leaping into her room—a room where, under the glow of the Fluorescent Stone, Zhou Yan was drinking from a jug of alcohol, exuding an air of casual elegance and nonchalance.

He leaned against a recliner, his legs propped up on her reading table, one leg casually swinging back and forth.

“Zhou Yan…

I also want to drink, may I have some?” she asked.

“This alcohol will ruin your Cultivation.

Are you sure you want to drink?” Zhou Yan asked without looking at Zhou Lingyi, more talking to himself.

“It doesn’t matter.

Let’s talk about the future, later.

Today, I just want to indulge…

just to get drunk,” Zhou Lingyi said with a bitter smile, looking at Zhou Yan so close, yet feeling even more fervent inside.

“Zhou Lingyi, you have changed, but the past is the past.

Tonight, I’ll treat you to a drink and ensure your Cultivation remains intact.”

As he spoke, Zhou Yan casually reached for a jug of alcohol and tossed it over.

Zhou Lingyi did not reply but grabbed the jug and gulped down the alcohol.

The moment she drank, she began to cough violently, the intense burning sensation turning her pretty face as red as if it were dyed with blood, as if both her body and soul were being fiercely scorched by flames.

But while she coughed, she continued to drink without stopping.

Zhou Yan casually unleashed a wave of Soul Power, suppressing the destructive impact of the alcohol on her swordsmanship pathways, mitigating the side effects of the alcohol gradually.

Zhou Lingyi seemed to have sensed something, but her expression was extremely complex as she looked at Zhou Yan, her lips moved slightly, but in the end, the words remained unspoken.

She wanted to admit her mistake, she wanted to offer her body, but…

at this moment, she strongly felt that there was no chance left.

To speak would only make things more awkward between the two of them.

In the past, Zhou Yan’s love for her had reached a madly devoted level, just as she herself now felt for Zhou Yan, but back then, she had not given him a chance.

Now?

He could join her for a drink, which, actually, was already enough…

She pondered many things and drank a lot of wine until her eyes were blurred with tears and she fell into a deep sleep.

She slept peacefully, without any defenses, free from worries, until the morning sunlight spread across her bed.

She sat up, her head still a bit dizzy and aching, but her spirits were suddenly very good, as if the whole world had become much clearer.

By her side lingered the faint smell of alcohol emanating from Zhou Yan, but by this time, Zhou Yan was already gone.

The courtyard was empty.

In the distance, Zhou Yan was sitting facing the Clear Spring, like a statue, and by his side, Zhou Yi of the Third Level of Sword Intent, was guarding him meticulously.

That woman, in all respects, was more than enough to leave her far behind.

…

Five days had passed, and preparations for the Sword Origin Pool were ready.

A large amount of resources had also been transported into the space of Zhou Yan’s Golden Sword Seal.

It was a special space where the family’s resources were distributed, available for his use at will.

In these five days, Zhou Yan had gained a deeper understanding of the second stance of the Xingyi Dragon Form Swordsmanship, progressing roughly two-fifths of the way, which represented a huge leap forward.

What satisfied Zhou Yan even more was that the Triple Realm of Sword Energy had also been relentlessly impacted by a vast amount of Soul Power.

His progression had been extremely rapid; in just five days, the constant cleansing by the energy of the Soul Giant Sword caused Zhou Yan to feel his Realm loosen again.

The stronger his Realm before entering the Sword Origin Pool, the greater the benefits he would receive.

Zhou Yan did not know what kind of place the Sword Origin Pool was, but it allowed every Cultivator at the Sword Beginning Realm to enter after stabilizing their Realm, and after spending some time there, they could directly comprehend Sword Intent and reach the Sword Intent Realm.

This incredible ability indicated how formidable the Sword Origin Pool was.

The Great Zhou Family, which maintained a high rank among the 108 main cities, owed part of its status to the Sword Origin Pool.

During these five days, Zhou Yan had also been continuously studying the books in the Book Collection Pavilion.

With a very strong Spirit, he could remember almost anything he read just once.

This way, with his powerful sensing power, he recorded the contents of these books in his mind first, then slowly reminisced, essentially turning the entire Book Collection Pavilion into his own knowledge.

Simultaneously, pondering the corresponding swordsmanship, after deepening his understanding of the Xingyi Dragon Form Swordsmanship, becoming familiar with the Superior Water Swordsmanship, and fully integrating the Superior Water Heart Method, had become his unwavering routine.

His time slipped by in such a process.

Thus, the five days passed by.

In these five days, Zhou Yan felt his gains were tremendous.

…

“Young Master, the Family Head says if you need anything, you can go to the Treasure Pavilion in the city to purchase it, because once you enter the Sword Origin Pool, you may not be able to come out for a short time.

This time you and Miss Zhou Ying will be the first to enter the Sword Origin Pool.

There are many family members, Young Master.

Do you want to prepare something for them?” Zhou Yan, having just finished his moment of Enlightenment, stood up, and Zhou Yi spoke with respectful tone.

She was dressed in a light purple gauzy Ling Yi, looking extremely enchanting, but now, Zhou Yan’s thoughts were not on fervor, so after a brief glance at her full and lofty chest, he nodded, “Going out for a walk sounds good.

Constant hard cultivation can indeed become dull.

Lead the way, let’s go together.”

“Of course, Young Master.”

Zhou Yi was delighted, immediately responding with surprise and joy.

From her words, Zhou Yan seemed to understand that this young girl was extremely interested in shopping.

…

Carefree Main City was vast, and after leaving, Zhou Yan truly realized what ‘large’ meant.

With his current speed and ability, he took nearly half an hour flying by Sword Flight to leave the Zhou Family’s territory, and another hour to reach the main city’s Treasure Pavilion.

On this visit, Zhou Yan was treated like a distinguished guest because of the Golden Sword Seal at his waist, and was directly invited into a pavilion within the Treasure Pavilion.

The Treasure Pavilion was temporarily closed to showcase a large batch of important resources, as they were maintaining the Sword Array.

Meanwhile, guests waited in the pavilion’s elegant rooms to be entertained with fine delicacies and drinks.

After reaching the Sword Qi Realm, Cultivators no longer needed to eat grains for sustenance, as they could absorb the energy of Heaven and Earth and refine it into Sword Qi.

However, delicacies such as the flesh and blood of Demon Beasts and spiritual fruits and medicines remained pursuits of Cultivators.

Shutting the doors of the pavilion temporarily just because new resources appeared, allowing countless Cultivators to enjoy fine foods and drinks for free, was a show of strength only a powerful force like the Treasure Pavilion could afford.

Zhou Yan and Zhou Ying, after shopping along the way, were also invited to this pavilion.

Previously, the quite decent Token of the Treasure Pavilion in the city of Canglan was mediocre here in comparison, nowhere near as influential as his own Golden Sword Seal.