In the valley outside the city.
Shi Jingyi took a deep breath, stepped forward, and a translucent Energy Shield instantly spread around her body.
What surprised Guan Tong was that, unlike the previous shields, this one was actually in a state of "burning," with powerful energy circulating continuously on its own.
Guan Tong had known before that Shi Jingyi could burn Mind Power. But he hadn't expected her to be able to make the entire Energy Shield surrounding her body burn like this.
"This is an upgraded version of the Energy Shield. I've named it the 'Mind Battle Suit,'" Shi Jingyi said. "Be careful. I'm making my move."
*Whoosh!*
She burst forward in a single step. Guan Tong only saw a white blur flash by before a fist full of momentum was already upon him.
He immediately manipulated his shadow to form a shield in front of him for defense.
*Thud!*
A dull sound rang out. The shadow shield shattered instantly, and the terrifying impact force on the fist directly sent Guan Tong flying backward.
He adjusted his posture midair, instantly getting serious as the Shadow Battle Suit covered his entire body.
Shi Jingyi's "Mind Battle Suit" and his "Shadow Battle Suit" shared similarities—both greatly enhanced the user's physical abilities.
But the difference was that the Shadow Battle Suit carried some of the shadow's properties, like the ability to deform and extend.
Meanwhile, the Mind Battle Suit's characteristic was exactly what it displayed: *burning*.
*Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!*
Shi Jingyi charged in again. As she got close, Guan Tong could feel scorching heat radiating toward him, like a fireball hurtling straight at his face!
An ordinary Ascendant wouldn't even need to fight her; simply approaching within a certain range of Shi Jingyi would result in being burned or even killed by this Mind Battle Suit emitting terrifying energy.
Her attacks were broad and fierce, extremely sharp. Guan Tong was busy defending for a time, with almost no room to counterattack.
*So powerful…*
Guan Tong admired from the bottom of his heart. Shi Jingyi's speed of becoming stronger far exceeded his imagination.
If their Mind Power reserves were equal, he wouldn't stand a chance against her. Only by relying on the advantage of his "super mana pool" from reserve Mind Power could he have a fighting chance.
To beat her, he would have to keep his distance and fight a war of attrition.
Guan Tong had known this for a while. But this time, when he created a thick shadow line as a slingshot to fling himself far away, Shi Jingyi didn't pursue him with an explosive movement technique like the Repelling Pole Step.
Huh?
He was just curious when he saw Shi Jingyi clench both fists, and the burning Mind Battle Suit around her surged. Then, she grabbed her right wrist with her left hand, turned her right fist into a palm, and a vortex formed in her palm from Flowable Mind Power!
That is...!
*Boom!*
A sound like a sonic boom erupted. The vortex from Shi Jingyi's palm blasted out, striking Guan Tong from dozens of meters away!
Guan Tong felt an intense pain all over his body. If he hadn't quickly increased his Mind Power output in time, the Shadow Battle Suit's defense would have weakened, and his bones might have been shattered.
Even so, he was knocked out of the air, landing on the ground. He dismissed his shadow and gasped for breath heavily.
Shi Jingyi hopped over lightly, a bit nervously supporting his shoulder: "Xiao Tong, are you okay? Sorry, it's rare to have a well-matched opponent; I got a little carried away..."
Guan Tong shook his head: "I'm fine." Then he said with some helplessness, "Jingyi, you win. I didn't expect you to develop such a powerful long-range attack."
Shi Jingyi let her Mind Power flow through Guan Tong's body, found no major issues, and sighed in relief, smiling: "I developed this to make up for my shortcoming of only being able to fight close-quarters. The name is 'Sky-Rending Palm.' Pretty impressive, right?"
"Truly impressive. Mind Battle Suit, Sky-Rending Palm... Jingyi, I think your use of Mind Power has reached a new level."
Shi Jingyi hummed in agreement: "My training speed has increased quite a bit recently, as if there's some kind of guidance in the unseen. And lately, I've occasionally been dreaming of a giant tree."
A giant tree?
Guan Tong was startled by this and quickly asked: "Is it a giant tree in the universe? With countless stars hanging from it, like its fruit?"
Shi Jingyi was surprised: "That's right. Have you dreamed of it too, Xiao Tong?"
A dream... that wasn't a dream...
Guan Tong looked at Shi Jingyi, his heart filled with shock.
She dreamed of that tree. Could it be that, with her talent and hard work, she was close to having the chance to obtain Authority and become an Awakened One?
"Don't keep me in suspense." Shi Jingyi pinched Guan Tong's cheek. "What exactly is that tree?"
"It might be... it's hard to explain briefly. Let me tell you slowly."
The two sat by the tree, and Guan Tong briefly explained what happened in the Gambling Space.
He mentioned his gamble with the Life-Hunting Demon, the Gambling Space behind it, and the Mysterious Gambler who seemed able to foresee the future.
Shi Jingyi listened quietly and didn't speak for a long time after.
Clearly, her experience in the Gambling Space was completely different from Guan Tong's. Everything he went through was both thrilling and wondrous, making her feel both a lingering fear and a sense of amazement.
After a moment of thought, she asked curiously: "So, if I'm dreaming of that giant tree, does it mean there's a possibility I could pick the fruit and obtain that kind of Authority you mentioned?"
"I'm not sure either, but there must be a reason you can dream of it," Guan Tong said.
Shi Jingyi nodded: "No wonder I felt something different about you this time. It must be because you've become an 'Awakened One.'"
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and said with realization: "That's why you asked me before if I believed in fate—it was because of what that Mysterious Gambler said about the Cosmic Cycle, wasn't it?"
Guan Tong nodded: "Yeah. But after that talk with you, I stopped dwelling on it. Whether the future is predetermined or not, living in the present is what matters most."
"That's true." Shi Jingyi looked up at the sky. "But first, it was just the Fire Thief and the Doomsday Rules that confused people. Now there's a giant tree in the universe, Authority fruits, and cycles... Even though the unsolved mysteries are piling up, I feel like humanity is moving forward."
Guan Tong looked at her slender neck and nodded: "I think so too. The first step to solving a problem is asking the right question. So, the first step to figuring out a secret must be knowing that the secret exists."
"Xiao Tong, do you think, if those Authority fruits in the universe were created by different civilizations, could our human civilization create one in the future too?"
Guan Tong thought for a moment and said firmly: "I believe so. The potential of human civilization is immense. As long as we can unite and not be destroyed by internal strife, we will definitely reach a future where we can create an Authority."
"Internal strife..."
Shi Jingyi let out a soft sigh, feeling that this was the hardest problem for humanity to solve.
Even with the common external enemy "Fire Thief" present, humans still couldn't set aside their conflicts.
What happened two days ago was a perfect example.
"Do you want to talk about what happened in Suroma?"
Shi Jingyi had wanted to ask earlier, but she knew Guan Tong was in a bad mood then, so she held back.
Now it was different. Now, the two were a couple who had known each other for over two years, gone through all kinds of experiences, and gotten together. In this world, their relationship was closer than anyone else's. There was nothing they couldn't ask or say.
"...This is another story that can't be told in just a few words."
That said, Guan Tong still explained the reason for the wedding attack, his relationship with Adam, Adam's daughter, and the situations with Bruce, Han Qiu, and Yishan.
Shi Jingyi listened carefully, and when she looked at Guan Tong, there was pity in her eyes.
She gently pulled Guan Tong's head over, letting him rest on her shoulder, and said softly: "I didn't expect the truth to be like this. You've really been through a lot."
Hearing this, Guan Tong felt a pang in his heart. What he needed was exactly this kind of understanding and consideration from Shi Jingyi.
"I don't want humans to kill each other," he said. "But there's no choice. If scumbags like Bruce and Paul aren't eliminated, they'll only end up killing more people. To them, others aren't even people—just tools."
"You did the right thing," Shi Jingyi said. "Xiao Tong, you're the one making the world a better place. Don't doubt yourself."
"...Thank you, Jingyi."
"But you can't just tell me the truth and be a lone hero." Shi Jingyi gently stroked Guan Tong's hair. "You need to tell the world. Let people see the ugliness of those people."
"That's what I'm thinking too. I plan to post an explanation on Ascendant Home in the next couple of days, saying everything I can say. At least let those willing to believe me know the truth."
Guan Tong wouldn't be the type to think "everyone else is drunk while I alone am sober." He knew that for humanity to unite as a whole, these matters had to be made public.
That way, the smart people would naturally investigate and think about who was right.
People like Bruce could talk as nobly as they wanted, but as long as you looked at his actions, you could see through his hypocrisy.
As long as people recognized this, they wouldn't be deceived by words—how could someone truly working for the public good turn human Ascendants into those half-mechanical bodies?
Truth wasn't afraid of debate. The more it was debated, the clearer it became. What it feared was the silence of its defenders growing disheartened, which would only help the wicked further deceive the masses.
After the long conversation, the two leaned quietly against the tree, enjoying the moment of tranquility.
After a long while, Shi Jingyi spoke: "Xiao Tong, after you make the truth public, what are your plans?"
"...I said it in front of Adam's grave. I'll help him finish what's left. I'll keep following up on his daughter's matter."
Even if Adam's daughter's body was now occupied by Gaelid, as long as there was a glimmer of hope to take it back for her, Guan Tong wouldn't give up.
This was his promise to Ye Dang, and also his revenge against Bruce.
Shi Jingyi thought for a moment, then said: "Remember what we said before the spar? That the winner could make a condition."
"Yeah. What's your condition?"
Shi Jingyi turned Guan Tong's face toward her, looking him in the eyes: "From now on, if you're going to do something dangerous, you have to tell me. If you hide it from me again, I'll be really angry."
"...Alright. I promise you. Very seriously."