Alex had hoped-truly hoped that he would lose this fight.
He didn''t want to be the Dao partner of Hou Mei... or Li Qingxue.
Either path was a trap.
His n had been simple-force Li Qingxue into the spotlight as a Core Disciple, stir enough pressure and tension that Hou Mei would have no choice but to step back on her own.
Clean. Controlled. Effective.
But Li Qingxue...
She had no intention of helping him.
Not even a little.
If anything, she seemed determined to do the exact opposite-crushing his n without hesitation, leaving him trapped in the very situation he was trying to escape.
“Jun Jiu,” Li Qingxue said coldly, "keep your delusions to yourself. You are not worthy to be my Dao partner. Give up.”
Before Alex could respond, Hou Mei stepped forward, her tone soft but pressing, almost eager. “Jun Jiu, you heard Miss Li Qingxue. Why not stop struggling? Come with me instead. Be my Dao partner."
Her voice dropped slightly, more intimate now.
"We can even start now. I promise... I''ll make you happy. Forever."
Alex would never let that happen.
Not under any circumstances.
The entire n had been built on a fragile illusion—that he and Li Qingxue shared some kind of connection. Just enough to create pressure. Just enough to make Hou Mei hesitate... and step back.
It was never meant to be real.
But right now, Li Qingxue was tearing that illusion apart without hesitation, rejecting him so coldly that there was nothing left to stand on.
So he had no choice.
If she refused to y along... then he would make it real himself.
Or at least-
Make it look real.
No matter the cost.
He drew a slow breath, then lifted his gaze toward her.
"Miss Li Qingxue," he said, "no matter how many times you reject me... I am still a man who made a vow the moment I first saw you."
"I swore to the heavens that I would love only you for the rest of my life... and be someone worthy of standing beside you."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.
Even now, under her cold stare, he continued.
"Even if you reject me today... I will not stop loving you."
Then he turned slightly and bowed toward Hou Mei, his expression calm, but firm.
"Miss Hou, I''m truly sorry. But I am not the right person for you. My heart already belongs to someone... and I will never betray it."
"Jun Jiu!" Li Qingxue''s voice rang out, sharp and furious. "I told you already-I will never ept you as my Dao partner! Get rid of that ridiculous thought!"
Alex-Jun Jiu-met her gaze head-on, right there in front of everyone.
"Li Qingxue!" he shouted back, his voice no longer restrained. "You may not have me in your heart—but it is impossible for me to not have you in mine!"
The crowd fell silent.
"This is my life," he continued, every word heavy with resolve. "And I''ve already chosen. You are the only one who will ever be in my heart. Even when I grow old... even if I never be your Dao partner... I will die with you still in my heart."
Li Qingxue stood there, unmoved on the surface—but her presence alone seemed to freeze the air.
She was known to all-beautiful beyondpare, yet colder than winter itself. Countless people had fallen for her, only to be met with that same unfeeling gaze. That was why they called her the Pure Snow Sword Maiden.
And now, that icy gaze sharpened.
"I don''t like people like you liking me," she said, her voice low, dangerous. "Take it back... or I will kill you."
The threat hung in the air like a drawn de.
Alex stood still, his emotions twisting into something tangled and unreadable.
This had never been about love.
Not really.
He had only wanted an escape.
Only wanted to push Li Qingxue forward as a shield—to create enough distance between himself and Hou Mei so he could walk away.
But now...
Everything had spiraled far beyond his control.
"Can you just ept it and say yes?" Alex shouted, his voice raw, almost breaking.
But inside-
He had already sworn the opposite.
He would never chase Li Qingxue. Never disturb that cold, distant woman. Not now. Not ever.
This wasn''t love.
It was a performance.
A carefully constructed illusion-one meant to show just how far he was willing to go, how deep his "feelings" ran, how impossible it would be to shake him off.
Because only something that intense...
Could force Hou Mei to step back.
Hou Mei stepped in quickly, her tone soft but urgent, as if trying to pull him back from the edge. "Jun Jiu. Please, just forget Miss Li Qingxue. She''s far beyond your reach. Her standards are too high for you. Choose me instead... it''s more realistic."
Alex didn''t even look at her.
He took a step forward, his eyes locking onto Li Qingxue as if the entire world had narrowed down to just her.
"If you can not let me love you. Then kill me,” he said quietly.
The shift in his voice made it worse.
Because it wasn''t loud anymore.
It was certain.
"Because if I can''t love you... then this life has no more meaning for me."
A wave of shock rippled through the surrounding disciples. Murmurs died in their
throats. No one spoke. No one moved.
All eyes turned to Li Qingxue.
Waiting.
Watching.
Inside, Alex was screaming.
Please..... just forget me. I''m not going to chase you. I don''t want any of this.
But none of that showed on his face.
He had to make it real.
The deeper, the stronger, the more desperate his "love" looked... the faster Hou Mei
would let go.
Li Qingxue''s expression darkened, her cold beauty hardening into something
dangerous.
"You really want to die," she said tly.
In the next instant, her sword was already in her hand.
A sh of steel.
A streak of white.
She moved like a gust of winter wind-fast, precise, and merciless.
And then-
She stabbed.
The de drove straight into Alex''s chest.
Gasps exploded across the arena.
No one had expected her to actually do it.
Blood surged out immediately, dark and thick, staining his clothes as the sword
pierced through him—so deep that the tip pushed out from his back.
And yet...
Alex didn''t move.
Didn''t flinch.
Didn''t even look down.
His eyes never left hers.
Li Qingxue had controlled the strike with terrifying precision. The de missed his
vital points by the smallest margin-enough to hurt, enough to threaten... but not enough to kill.
Not yet.
"Take back your words," she said, her voice colder than the de in his chest. "Or next time, I won''t stop."
Alex stared at her, his face pale but steady.
"You can kill me," he said, each word slow, deliberate, unshaken. "But you''ll never
be able to kill my love for you... even after I die.”
Their gazes locked.
Cold against cold.
Neither of them yielding.
Then-
“Jun Jiu!” Hou Mei''s voice broke through as she rushed forward, panic finally tearing
through herposure. "You can''t die!"
But Alex had already moved.
With thest of his strength, his fingers flicked.
Thin, nearly invisible needles shot out from his sleeve-fast, silent.
They struck Hou Mei before she could react.
Her body froze mid-step.
Her eyes widened.
Then the strength drained out of herpletely as she copsed, falling into a
deep, unnatural sleep.
The crowd gasped again, stunned by the sudden turn.
Alex slowly raised his hand toward Li Qingxue, his palm open, as if inviting
something inevitable.
"Come," he said softly, almost gently.
"Finish it."
Blood dripped steadily from his chest, soaking into the ground beneath him.
"I''m willing to die by your sword."
His voice didn''t waver.
“Because living... without being able to love you..."
"...is the worst kind of life."
He looked straight into her eyes.
"So now... you can take my life."
Alex was gambling.
Gaia had already analyzed everything-the smallest shifts in Li Qingxue''s breathing,
the angle of her shoulders, the tension in her grip. From every micro-movement and fragment of bodynguage, the conclusion had been clear: she had never intended
to truly kill him. The strike had been meant to scare him. To force him to retreat.
But human emotion was never that simple.
Push too far... and even someone like Li Qingxue might snap.
And if she snapped-
He would die.
So he chose to gamble.
Li Qingxue studied him in silence, her cold eyes sharp, searching, as if trying to peel
him apartyer byyer.
"Do you know," she said atst, her voice low and cutting, "that men are all the
same? Betrayers. Unfaithful. Weak."
Alex met her gaze without hesitation.
"Maybe many men are like that," he said calmly. "But I''m not."
"My love for you will be eternal. It will never end."
Inside, his mind moved rapidly.
Gaia fed him possibilities-countless answers, countless oues. Words, tones,
expressions. Each one calcted. Each one measured against her reactions.
He chose the one with the highest emotional impact.
“There''s no such thing as eternal love," Li Qingxue replied, her expression unmoved.
"There is," Alex said.
He took a step closer, ignoring the pain tearing through his chest.
"There is eternal love. Like mine for you."
"If you die... I die with you. I''d follow you into the afterlife—and I would still love you
there. Because what I feel... what we have... is unbreakable. Not even death can
end it."
For a brief moment, even he hesitated.
Was that too much?
Did I push too far?
Li Qingxue''s eyes narrowed slightly.
"You would never do that," she said.
"If you never give me the chance," Alex replied, "then you''ll never know."
Her gaze hardened again.
"You''re too weak," she said bluntly. "Too weak to be my partner."
Alex didn''t flinch.
"If you give me time," he said, "I''ll surpass you."
He had already stood at that height once before.
This wasn''t arrogance.
It was certainty.
Li Qingxue held his gaze, measuring him again, as if recalcting everything she
thought she knew.
"Fine," she said atst.
A ripple passed through the crowd.
"If you can surpass me in ten years... I''ll give you a chance."
"Five," Alex said immediately.
The wordnded without hesitation.
"I only need five years. And I''ll surpass your cultivation."
Li Qingxue stared at him.
"You think you can surpass me in five years?" she said, a faint edge entering her
voice. "I won''t stay the same. I''ll grow stronger too."
"If I can''t surpass you in five years," Alex said, "then I''ll choose death over a life
where I can''t love you."
The surrounding disciples fellpletely silent.
They stared at him as if he had lost his mind.
Or as if they were witnessing something they couldn''t understand.
Li Qingxue''s expression shifted-just slightly.
"Your future is long," she said, quieter now. She knew his talent. His potential in cultivation... in alchemy... in everything He had a path ahead
of him that few could ever reach.
But Alex shook his head.
"Even if my future is long..." he said slowly, choosing each word with precision—
following the path Gaia hadid before him—
"If you''re not in it... then I won''t walk that future at all."
And this time-
There was no calction in his eyes.
Only resolve.
A voice suddenly broke through the tension from the outer disciples.
"What a man!” someone shouted. “Miss Li Qingxue, you should give him a chance!"
"Yeah!" another added quickly. "He''ll be loyal to you. You won''t find someone like
him again!"
More voices rose-louder, bolder, feeding off each other. Especially those who supported Hou Mei. Ironically, they were the ones shouting the
hardest now, desperate to stop Jun Jiu from ever bing her Dao partner.
"Miss Li Qingxue, please ept Jun Jiu!"
"ept him!"
"ept!"
"ept!"
The chant spread like wildfire.
"ACCEPT! ACCEPT! ACCEPT!"
Hundreds of voices merged into one thunderous demand, echoing across the arena,
shaking the air itself. The crowd surged with emotion, united in a single cry.
And then-
Li Qingxue raised her hand.
Silence fell instantly.
Not gradually.
Not reluctantly.
It was as if the entire world had been cut off mid-breath.
"Fine," she said.
One word.
Cold. Clear. Absolute.
"I will ept the five-year promise."
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
She withdrew her sword from Alex''s chest in one smooth motion. Blood followed the
de as it slid free, but she didn''t look back.
Without another word, she turned-
And flew into the sky, her figure disappearing into the distance like a streak of white
frost.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then-
The arena exploded.
"YESSS!"
"Jun Jiu, you did it!"
"You''re epted!"
"Jun Jiu!"
"Jun Jiu!"
"JUN JIU!"
"JUN JIU! JUN JIU!"
Alex stood there, blood soaking his robes, barely able to remain upright.
A disciple yelled to Alex, eyes zing with admiration.
"You see that? You shook her! Even Li Qingxue epted you!"
Anotherughed loudly.
"You''re a legend now! The man who forced the Pure Snow Maiden to agree!"
Alex''s lips parted slightly.
"...Forced?"
"Of course!" someone shouted. "That kind of devotion-who could refuse?!"
More voices piled in.
"You''re the most loyal man in the sect!"
"A man among men!"
"A real cultivator!"
Each word hit harder than thest.
Because none of them were true.
Alex''s hand trembled faintly.
"I..." he started—
Then stopped.
Because there was nothing he could say.
If he denied it—
Everything would copse.
If he epted it-
He would be trapped.
A slow, hollow realization crept in.
“.....I can''t get out anymore,” he whispered.
No one heard him.
They were still cheering.
Still worshipping.
Still turning him into something he was never meant to be.
And for the first time-
Alex felt something worse than fear.
He felt stuck.
The cheers crashed like waves, overwhelming, deafening. People shouted his name
over and over, their voices filled with excitement, disbelief, and awe.
But what none of them saw-
Was Li Qingxue, far above and far away, her cold expression finally breaking.
A faint blush touched her cheeks.
And for the briefest moment-
She smiled.
Back in the arena, the referee stepped forward, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"The winner of the top-ranked outer disciple match... is Jun Jiu!”
Another wave of cheers erupted.
"Jun Jiu!"
"Jun Jiu!"
But not everyone celebrated.
A group of disciples-especially Hou Mei''s supporters-pushed forward, anger
burning in their eyes.
"This isn''t fair!" one of them shouted. "The winner should be Hou Mei!"
"Exactly!" another snapped. "Jun Jiu already surrendered! He didn''t even dare to
enter the bed match with Hou Mei. That means he lost!"
"No," someone else shot back immediately. "The winner is Jun Jiu! Hou Mei is
already down!"
Voices shed.
Arguments ignited.
Tension snapped.
"How dare you talk like that?" one disciple barked, shoving another. "You think I''m
afraid of
you?"
"You''re just Hou Mei''spdogs!" the other fired back, his voice rising into a snarl.
“We stand with a real man! You think we''re afraid of you?!"
The insult hit harder than any fist.
For a heartbeat, everything held.
Then-
Someone swung.
The first punch cracked across a jaw with a sickening snap.
Blood sprayed.
Another fist followed-then another-then a knee drove into someone''s ribs hard
enough to fold him in half. A body mmed into the stone floor. Someone screamed. Someoneughed.
And then it broke.
Completely.
The argument didn''t just turn into a fight—it exploded.
Disciples lunged at each other from
every direction. Robes tore. Bones collided. Elbows smashed into faces. A kick sent one man crashing
into a row of others, knocking them down like copsing pirs. Someone grabbed a fistful of hair and mmed a head into the ground again and again until the screams turned wet and choked.
More joined.
More fell.
The sound became unbearable—shouting, roaring, the dull thud of flesh against
flesh, the crack of impact, the chaos of bodies surging and colliding without control.
Techniques red.
Energy burst loose.
One disciple was thrown through the
air, crashing into a stone pir hard
enough to fracture it. Another was dragged down by three others, disappearing beneath a pile of fists
and boots.
No sides.
No rules.
No restraint.
It wasn''t a match anymore.
It was a riot.
What had begun as cheers for a victory-
Had twisted into something savage.
Something violent.
Somethingpletely out of control.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!