CHAPTER 438: CHAPTER 438: MADE A FOOL OF MYSELF

"I’ve only learned about ancient reincarnations from literature; I’ve never heard of or seen it in reality. You are the first one I’ve encountered..."

"About that, Lord Qing Emperor, you’ve misunderstood. Actually, it’s not that complicated. It all started when the Ruoyun Lv Family and I entered the Sunlight Sword Pavilion."

Three thousand years ago, the Demon Clan invaded. The Sunlight Sword Pavilion, a holy land with strong forces at the time, was outnumbered and ultimately perished at the hands of the Demon Clan’s army.

Despite their defeat, the Sunlight Sword Pavilion’s experts managed to kill all the invading demons. I believe the one responsible was Liu Changfeng, whom the Giant Demon mentioned more than once.

Afterward, both sides perished. However, both Liu Changfeng and the Giant Demon had reached a state of undying souls. So, Liu Changfeng sealed the Giant Demon’s soul and transformed himself into a Sword Fetus to suppress it.

That suppression lasted for three thousand years.

Later, when we entered the Sunlight Sword Pavilion, the Lv Family, tempted by its heritage, released the Giant Demon’s soul. The Sword Fetus that Liu Changfeng had become then entered my body.

I’m not entirely clear on the process; Ruoyun should know more. So, the one who annihilated the Giant Demon just now probably wasn’t me, but a remnant of Liu Changfeng’s spirit."

"Uh..." Qing Emperor looked slightly astonished, but then his expression shifted to one of realization. "So that’s how it is. I hadn’t considered that."

"It’s the continuation of a battle that has lasted for three thousand years."

"Indeed! What about you? How are you now? Is Liu Changfeng still inside you?"

"He should be gone. I think Liu Changfeng must have perished along with the Giant Demon." As his words fell, the dark clouds in the sky suddenly dissipated. Golden sunlight broke through, flooding the earth with light and instantly brightening the world.

"How is Eld Di?" Wang Lan suddenly asked.

"Eld Di had aged, and he used up all the life force accumulated over a lifetime in that battle. He had battled for Jade Country his entire life and had now sacrificed himself in fulfillment of his duty—a true, unparalleled national hero!"

The ten thousand Demon Soldiers and dozens of Biochemical Demon Generals were reduced to dust, and the ancient Giant Demon was also eradicated. The crisis seemed to be safely over.

But... no one could bring themselves to smile.

They had won the battle, and splendidly at that! However, the losses to the Star Martial Academy were significant. Almost reduced to ruins in this battle, the academy faced its greatest number of casualties since the end of the war of resistance.

Originally, three hundred students and fifteen teachers were stationed at the academy. But after this battle, which should have seen them safe in the rearguard, fewer than fifty students remained. Only five teachers survived.

Nobody had expected that what was supposed to be a routine spy capture operation would suddenly escalate into the final, decisive battle. Wang Lan took responsibility for treating all the wounded Star Martial Warriors, but ordinary people affected by the conflict could only be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Wang Lan’s Star Martial Skills only worked miracles on Star Martial Warriors; they were useless on ordinary people. As for Eld Di, his most serious injury wasn’t physical harm but the depletion of his vital energy.

The sight of Eld Di undergoing a phoenix-like rebirth, returning to his peak in an instant, made Wang Lan’s scalp tingle. Not even transforming into a phoenix was as shocking as his resurrection.

And that moment became his swan song. Never again would they witness Eld Di’s phoenix rebirth.

「In the hospital」

Many visitors came and went. Numbers One through Seven all paid their respects, and even Ming Emperor, Xuan Emperor, and Emperor Bai came to see Eld Di.

Eld Di looked spirited and optimistic. However, everyone knew this battle was likely his final, brilliant display. He had spent his entire life fighting for Jade Country, an unparalleled national hero, the epitome of selfless dedication.

The school was destroyed, and rebuilding it would take time. Wang Lan didn’t know how the school’s courses would be arranged. After the great battle, he was given a special seven-day leave. He didn’t have to prepare post-battle reports, participate in reconstruction efforts, or, unlike other students and colleagues, patrol Modu City to calm the public. All he had to do was rest at home.

The purple window curtains gently billowed as soft sunlight streamed into the bedroom. Wang Lan reached out to the bedside, only to touch empty air. He snapped his eyes open. The bed still held a lingering fragrance and warmth, but Jiang Xinyu was nowhere to be seen.

Wang Lan quickly rolled out of bed, threw on his pajamas, and pulled open the bedroom door. He heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen, its door tightly shut.

In that instant, a sense of foreboding washed over him. Wang Lan quietly eased the door open. There was Jiang Xinyu, dressed in her nightgown, bustling around the kitchen with an expression of gentle, wifely diligence.

Instantly, Wang Lan teleported to Jiang Xinyu’s side, turned off the stove, and deftly slammed the lid on the pot, all in one smooth motion.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Xinyu asked, holding a spatula and looking at Wang Lan with a bewildered expression.

"After all these years, don’t you know your own limitations? Like my aunt, you’re a walking kitchen disaster. I thought you’d given up on cooking years ago? What possessed you to try again today?"

"Things are different now..." Jiang Xinyu said, holding the spatula with a smile. "From now on, I have to take care of you."

"Give me a break! I should be the one taking care of you. Come on, I’m starving. Let’s go out to eat, shall we?"

Jiang Xinyu’s sweet smile gradually sent a chill down Wang Lan’s spine. "I *must* cook this meal today, and you *must* eat it," she said, her voice firm.

THUMP.

Wang Lan instantly became vigilant, his heart pounding as he met Jiang Xinyu’s serious gaze. What’s going on? Everything was fine last night, so why the sudden change this morning?

"Xinyu... I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?"

"Are you sure? Think again. This breakfast, made with love, will be ready in ten seconds. If you remember what you did, I *might* just let you off the hook."

Did I really do something to offend her? Could it be... I let my scumbag nature slip? No, that can’t be it. If Jiang Xinyu knew about that, it wouldn’t just be a simple case of her ’dark cuisine’... Xinyu has always been petty and vengeful; her retaliation would last from dawn till dusk...

"Can you give me a hint?" Wang Lan asked, his face a mask of misery.

"Yesterday! When I was trying to pull you away..." Jiang Xinyu said sternly, enunciating each word.

Instantly, a powerful survival instinct kicked in, and the scene replayed in his mind. Jiang Xinyu’s hand-chop had come down, and he’d barely managed to block it with a hastily conjured ice shield. But his reaction at the time... it had been a bit too intense.

Not only did I curse, but I also yelled at her? While I made up for the cursing last night, yelling at her isn’t something that can be so easily dismissed. I’ve never yelled at her, not since we were kids. Girls tend to remember their ’firsts’ quite vividly.

Like the first birthday gift, the first time holding hands, the first scolding, the first beating... and the first time I yelled at her!

Wang Lan’s expression shifted dramatically. Then, in just a few seconds, he decisively picked up the pot in front of him.

"Well, here goes nothing!" he announced, then turned and walked toward the dining room.

"Eh? What are you doing?" Jiang Xinyu was baffled by Wang Lan’s reaction. Does he remember or not? And what’s this ’here goes nothing’ supposed to mean?

"If you make a mistake, you admit it. If you’re due for a beating, you stand firm and take it. Whether this pot contains Isatis root instant noodles or five-nut mooncakes stewed with bullfrog skin, I accept my fate! My mukbang show starts now! Here goes nothing!"

"Wait, why don’t you just admit your mistake and say some sweet things? Maybe I’ll let you off..."

"No way. Knowing you, if I don’t pay a real price this time, you’ll hold it over me for a lifetime. I’m not falling into that trap. I’d rather just accept the punishment."

Saying that, he walked into the living room, set down the heavy pot with an air of heroic resignation, and lifted the lid...

"Boiled eggs?"

"Yeah, boiled eggs. So what? Did you think I couldn’t even make boiled eggs right?" Jiang Xinyu, her prank complete, flashed a triumphant smile. She extended a slender finger and tapped Wang Lan’s forehead.

"As of last night, you are mine. You yelled at me yesterday. That was the first and last time. If you dare do it again, I have plenty of ways to deal with you."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh—" Wang Lan nodded repeatedly. "Wait a second? I’m yours?"

"Is there a problem?"

"You’re brilliant, my dear! I wholeheartedly agree!"

Ignoring the world outside, Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu spent five blissful days together. After five days, Jiang Xinyu returned to the academy. She only had a five-day holiday, while Wang Lan’s was two days longer.

This battle had indeed been devastating for Wang Lan, but the gains were substantial. During these five days, he finally had the chance to upgrade his skills. Naturally, the first was his innate talent, Life Light.

Although Wang Lan already possessed the ability to resurrect through his avatar, allowing him to regenerate even if blown to smithereens, who would want to die if they could avoid it? Furthermore, after resurrection, his body would be much weaker than after using the Star Sky God Arrow, so this was a skill to be used only as a last resort.

He had two hundred thousand skill points, a hefty sum. Almost all of Wang Lan’s skills had reached the Platinum level, so this time he planned to use the points to cap his existing skills. From the current trend, it seemed the demand for skill points was even greater than for experience points.

Upgrading to the Star Sea realm still required thirty million experience points. However, with the Immortal Cloud Mysterious Green Record, reaching the Star Sea realm should only take one or two years. But to cap so many skills, he would probably need several million skill points.

Can I earn several million skill points in one or two years? Wang Lan felt the chances were slim. Fortunately, many skills peaked at the Platinum level. To maximize his strength, Wang Lan no longer planned to spend skill points on skills with no further upgrade potential.

Wang Lan glanced over these skills, a strong sense of attachment welling up in his heart.

Star Cloud Sword Dance, the Star Martial Skill that had accompanied his rise from the very beginning, had already reached its limit at Platinum. The same was true for his Flame Sword, which had evolved into the Extreme Heat Light Beam.

The Extreme Heat Light Beam had also reached its limit. Although it was currently Platinum IV, investing more points could potentially increase its temperature to one hundred thousand degrees or even higher.

Damage at one hundred thousand degrees should allow me to instantly eliminate any expert below the Five Emperors at this stage, right? With such a temperature, a mere graze would cripple, and a direct hit would be fatal. But having witnessed the power of the Five Emperors and even stronger combatants, Wang Lan could no longer be satisfied with merely dominating those below the Star Soul realm.

Continuing to upgrade Extreme Heat Light Beam would greatly enhance my current combat abilities. But... what about the future?

Wang Lan sighed and shook his head.

Next, he looked at Thor, Star Sky God Arrow, and Dance of the Dark Butterfly. All of these had also reached their limits. The Platinum level was the final stage of refinement for these skills. After much hesitation, Wang Lan finally turned his attention to his other Star Martial Skills.