Although nothing could be seen, Yae-hime sensed something racing toward her at high speed. And it carried with it an aura of extreme danger. This aura was one she knew all too well.

Without question, it was the predecessor of that mutated energy within Allie— a spatial storm! Though called a storm, in truth it was an invisible fluctuation of energy that usually appeared within unstable fractured spaces.

Clearly, Yae-hime was now within such a fractured boundary between spaces. That was why she had encountered this terrifying phenomenon.

‘This doesn’t make sense. I shouldn’t be this unlucky!’ Yae-hime racked her brain but could not understand why she had run into such a near-impossible danger.

At this moment, thinking too much was useless. In this strange space where time itself seemed to stand still, all she could do was sit and wait for death. She had no idea how much time had passed.

Yae-hime only felt something flow straight through her body. Then, part of it remained inside her, raging wildly! This was nothing like the weakened, mutated remnants of a spatial storm that had lingered in Allie’s body. The destructive power was worlds apart.

In just an instant, Yae-hime felt as though she had died hundreds of times over. That agony was more than ten times worse than being cut apart by a thousand blades. It was as if both her body and soul were being sliced into pieces, tossed into a boiling hotpot, and then chewed apart bit by bit.

The torment made her wish for death on the spot. Had it been anyone else, they might have gone mad within seconds. Yet Yae-hime was someone who had truly died once before. Her mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary people.

By gritting her teeth and enduring a while longer, she finally felt the situation begin to improve. If this world had a system, it would surely be ringing nonstop right now, announcing the insane surge of her Spatial Attribute.

It felt like only a few seconds had passed, and yet it also felt like several years. The pain in Yae-hime’s body had vanished, replaced instead with the illusion that space itself was hers to command.

She tried moving her hand. To her surprise, it actually worked. Before this, no matter how hard she had tried, not even a single finger could budge.

‘Blessing in disguise? I doubt it’s that simple…’

Even though she had gained considerable benefits, Yae-hime did not feel the slightest bit happy. She couldn’t shake the sense that something about this was off.

Logically, as the artifact spirit of the City of Chaos, Little Blue might make mistakes, but never anything this absurd. For such a minuscule probability event to land squarely on her, it felt wrong no matter how she thought about it.

And in the end, she had even come out of it with benefits. Even with her Luck stat at 666, she still found the coincidence far too outrageous.

‘There’s a different aura lingering in this space!’

All of a sudden, Yae-hime’s eyes sharpened as she looked upward. Above her was nothing but endless darkness, where nothing could be seen. At this moment, she was no longer relying on her eyes to perceive.

As Yae-hime’s perception of space improved, the way she *saw* this pitch-black realm had completely changed.

Threads. She could see countless threads. And among them, a faint trace of lingering energy. It was not left behind by the spatial storm, but by someone, or perhaps some being.

‘It was this thing that interfered with my teleportation!’ The instant she discovered that trace of energy, Yae-hime immediately came to a realization. Her predicament had indeed been deliberately orchestrated by someone! ‘Just who, and why would they do this?’

***

At the same time. Within what seemed like an infinitely vast white space, a soft laugh suddenly echoed.

At the center of the space— no, rather, no matter where she stood, it would be the center— sat a girl dressed in a flowing white gown. Her skin was as pale as snow, her long legs crossed elegantly as she reclined upon a throne of nothingness, exuding an aura of nobility.

But it was not a matter of temperament. She herself was the highest and most exalted existence, standing above all living beings.

“So, I’ve been discovered.” Her words carried an oppressive weight, yet at the same time carried a playful lilt, oddly making her feel approachable. Her face must have been indescribably beautiful, but regretfully, some mysterious power veiled it, preventing anyone from seeing it clearly.

“You must hurry and grow stronger, my…” Her voice gradually softened, then cut off completely. No one knew what she had intended to say.

Elsewhere, Yae-hime withdrew her gaze and slowly raised her right hand. When it came to that mysterious existence, she had given up on pursuing answers. She had no choice but to give up. The other party’s strength was far too unfathomable. No matter how she searched, she would never uncover anything meaningful.

‘That trace of energy… it must have been intentionally left behind by them. I can’t tell if I should feel relieved or uneasy.’

Letting out a quiet sigh in her heart, Yae-hime chose to stop thinking about it. No matter how she turned it over in her mind, she would never figure it out. It was far more practical to focus on escaping this space.

Just then, a sharp crack echoed through the void. Unlike the earlier silent shattering, this time it came with sound.

Yae-hime’s scalp prickled, and a chill swept through her heart. She could sense a terrifying force rushing toward her at incredible speed. Though it was weaker than a spatial storm, it still carried immense threat!

In an instant, Yae-hime focused all her power on defense. The next moment, that dreadful force crashed into her with the violence of Type-59 Star Destroyers1 breaking the sound barrier!

At the same time, a section of space near Baiding Island suddenly split apart, forming a dreadful fissure. The next instant, a black shadow shot out from within, plunging into the sea like a deep-water bomb and blasting up a towering pillar of water.

Though the commotion here was immense, it did not affect the plaza nearby. After all, Baiding Island was vast.

At this moment, only fifteen minutes remained before seven o’clock. The atmosphere at the plaza was very different from before. It had grown restless. Within the crowd, whispers rose and fell.

“It’s almost seven and she still hasn’t come. What kind of diva does she think she is?” an S-rank transcendent said with displeasure.

Although the agreed time had not yet arrived, with everyone else already gathered, the absence of the other key figure inevitably stirred irritation.

“Perhaps she’s too scared to show up,” someone chuckled softly.

“In such an important duel, if she doesn’t appear, Cathay will lose all face.”

“Exactly.”

“Hah, no wonder she wouldn’t dare come. Intermediate versus Primary, that’s an overwhelming difference.”

“The outcome will be decided within thirty moves,” declared a Grandmaster from Korea.

“Someone’s merely late, and yet you gossip like this. Honestly…” Grandmaster Ota shook his head.

Hearing that, the other powerhouses flushed slightly and fell obediently silent.

Checking the time, there were thirteen minutes left.

“Looks like she’s not coming.” A spectator standing at the highest point of the plaza swept his military-grade binoculars across the surroundings. The sea lay calm and still. Not a ripple, not even the shadow of a fish, let alone a boat.

“To lose without a fight, how laughable.”

“And here I was, actually looking forward to this.”

“What a waste of my time!”

“What a spineless coward!”

The murmurs within the crowd grew louder and more irritating by the minute. Naturally, Mylene and Pixie knew that Yae-hime was not someone who would back down at the last moment.

“Big Sis must’ve run into some trouble,” Mylene whispered under her breath.

“Mhm, most likely.” Pixie nodded, worry spreading across her face.

**Tap, tap, tap!**

At that moment, Lucky rose from his redwood chair and strode toward the center of the square. His expression was calm, his demeanor relaxed. To him, it made no difference whether Yae-hime came or not.

‘If you don’t come, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’

Dressed in a bright yellow kung fu uniform, Lucky clasped his hands behind his back and stood tall, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Time trickled by, and soon it was 6:58 PM. By now, both the audience at the square and those watching the livestream had grown thoroughly impatient.

“Damn it, she really isn’t coming!”

“This is nothing but a murder of my time!”

“So this is Cathay’s so-called Grandmaster?”

“To think she would retreat at the last moment, what a disappointment!”

“Hah, gutless scum.”

“From now on, all martial artists of Cathay should be treated like sick cats.”

“F̲u̲c̲k̲, is she coming or not?!”

“S̲h̲i̲t̲!”

The words filling the square grew fouler and fouler. Mylene and Pixie wanted to cover their ears. No, more than that, they wanted to beat this rabble into silence. The appointed time hadn’t even arrived yet! But more than silencing the crowd, they worried for Yae-hime’s safety.

Time continued to slip away. At last, only two minutes remained. Then finally, only five seconds. Lucky glanced at the time, his expression turning solemn. “It seems she has lost her nerve. To have wasted everyone’s precious time, I sincerely apologize.”

Just as his words fell, the clock struck exactly seven.

“Who’s the dog that said I lost my nerve?” Right as people were about to erupt in collective frustration, a clear, beautiful voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned toward the sound, but saw no one. Confusion rippled through the crowd. How could there be a voice, yet no figure?

“There!”

Someone with keen hearing and eyesight finally caught the source a second later. She was in midair!

“Big Sis!”

“Princess!”

No… someone else had noticed even earlier. Mylene and Pixie had already turned their gazes skyward the very moment the voice was heard, and saw Yae-hime hovering in the air.

A few moments later, the rest of the crowd followed their gaze, and then the entire square fell deathly silent. Apart from Mylene and Pixie, everyone was so shocked they were struck speechless.

Because Princess was walking through the sky! The astonishment of ordinary people was nothing compared to that of the Grandmasters.

“Walking upon the void… that’s the Martial Saint Realm!” Grandmaster Ota cried out involuntarily.

“This… how is this possible?!”

“It must be a trick, right?”

“This is impossible!” Lucky’s calm composure shattered, his face twisting as he spoke.

An eighteen-year-old girl little brat, and she was a Martial Saint? How could he possibly believe that? It had to be an act! She had purposely arrived late, just to buy time for this trick.

Her intent was obvious— to shake his confidence!

“A petty illusion. Don’t think you can fool me!” Lucky roared.

His voice thundered like spring lightning, jolting the crowd out of their stupor. When the transcendents present thought carefully, they too found it absurd.

High above, Yae-hime ignored them all and continued her steady walk through the air. She was clad in a simple, elegant ancient gown, her silken ribbons fluttering in the wind. She looked like a fairy descending from the Ninth Heaven, breathtaking beyond words.

The moon slipped out from behind the dark clouds, scattering silver light that draped her in a luminous cloak, adding an air of divinity to her beauty.

As that ethereal figure slowly descended, the square grew unnaturally silent. Every pair of eyes locked onto her, as though bewitched. Their souls trembled under the weight of the sight.