Chapter 175: But My Love Surpasses All My Insecurities!

Whoosh!!!!

In the instant that hand rested on Jia Ji's shoulder, he felt a familiar wind brush past.

This is Beidou's dojo; whoever appears here now must be from Beidou.

From the motion, the force, the aura—and especially that strange yet familiar feeling he gave Jia Ji—it could only be him, his elder brother…

"You've come… Toki."

"Yes, it's been a long time, Jia Ji…"

The man with black hair falling to his shoulders, who had just smiled warmly, slowly furrowed his brow, shifting his gaze to a specific spot: "What happened to your right arm…?!"

The second son of Beidou.

He came out after hearing rumors about the heir of Gūjiu Fist.

But the scene now before him—unanticipated, unbearable—made him begin to rage.

Silver radiance flared from beneath his feet; pure martial energy blasted outward, scattering a ring of gray dust and fallen leaves, an invisible shockwave rippling through the hidden grove to carve out a spot untouched by debris.

The sounds of the forest vanished instantly, sinking into absolute silence.

Heen felt a cold, piercing will sweep over his body, making him involuntarily shiver.

Not just him—within a hundred meters centered on Toki, birds plummeted from sky and branches with thuds, while smaller creatures—snakes, ants, insects—collapsed outright, paralyzed.

The originally gray-yellow sky underwent a violent, unmistakable transformation; the clouds appeared to be peeled away layer by layer by some force.

Finally, it became a near-perfect circular void, like concentric rings, and the light of the Big Dipper, stirred by Toki's turbulent emotions, poured down through the opening, bathing the two Beidou inheritors in its glow.

"Who did this?"

Toki's voice held no rise or fall, yet everyone could feel him struggling to suppress himself.

He did not know what had happened to Jia Ji—after three years apart, he had become this, utterly unlike the vibrant, healthy, confident Jia Ji he once knew.

Yet he knew he had failed as an elder brother—he let his younger brother fight alone in a world full of dangers, failed to appear when his brother needed him, and though he could not have come, he could not forgive himself… That was Toki.

"Don't worry about it."

Jia Ji reached out his left hand, gripped Toki's wrist, and erased the surge of his aura; then he turned his head and smiled at him, calm and reassuring.

"It's just a trivial price I paid so I wouldn't fall behind you… And as for the one who took my arm—needless to say, I've already obliterated him."

"But…"

Toki seemed ready to say more, but Jia Ji cut him off.

"Let's go. I'll tell you everything later."

Jia Ji smiled at Heen, who still looked curious, and winked: "First become NanDou. After that, I'll find you."

"Oh… Okay."

Heen nodded automatically, watching the two youths—far stronger than he, who had thought himself "strong"—walk away, and a sudden premonition surged within him: the world, it seemed, would change because of them.

————————————

Raoh and Longquan were not here.

Yulia had already left with two NanDou guards, so the dojo now held only Toki, Ken Shi Lang, and Jia Ji.

"Big Brother Jia Ji… what happened to you…?"

When Ken Shi Lang saw him return, his face lit up with joy—but upon closer inspection, his eyes filled with confusion, disbelief, and worry, just like Toki's.

What he received in return was Jia Ji's counter-question.

"What do you think I trained in Beidou Divine Fist for? Why do I fight with this art?"

The meaning of cultivation.

Of course, it was to become the rightful heir of Beidou Divine Fist and uphold peace in the world… But the words died on Ken Shi Lang's lips—he suddenly didn't know the answer, couldn't find the right words.

Was it important to become the heir of this deathly fist, passed down once every two thousand years?

Of course it was. It had been his goal since birth, the meaning of his short life, the value of his existence, occupying most of his memories.

Raoh had crossed oceans before age ten, bringing Toki and Ken Shi Lang to Longquan's dojo to train under him, and Jia Ji had made the same decision at that time—to compete for that title.

That was the beginning of all four brothers' journey.

Afterward, Longquan had sighed, again and again: "This is a fist art that brings a tragic fate. The heir will never have a good end…"

Yet all of them remained obsessed, pouring their emotions, blood, and souls into it.

Raoh, Toki, Ken Shi Lang—craved power because they possessed extraordinary talent, yet carried a fate so crushing that anyone else would despair.

"Heaven sent all three of them in the same age."

As their cultivation deepened, they grew ever more aware that some ultimate, terrifying calamity was drawing near, about to strike—and so they dared not slacken.

Then, when Jia Ji, the one who had slipped among the geniuses, laid bare the truth, the fog over the future was torn away.

So they had to fight with all their might.

But what of Jia Ji?

He was not born from "that place," bore no such burden, yet possessed the ability to cross "other worlds," wielded even greater strength than them, and always solved everything with a smile.

So Ken Shi Lang admired him.

Now, seeing his third brother's battered form, Ken Shi Lang suddenly realized.

Jia Ji was not spared either.

He had fought harder, more desperately, than any of them, to gain this power.

——"Inferiority after encountering a genius"

This emotion had once filled Jia Ji's heart—briefly, but it had been there. Even with the "Myriad Mirror" in his possession, he often felt he was cheating.

But after his battle with Hu Yu Lu Di, all the 【impurities】 within Jia Ji were burned away.

The title of Beidou matters.

He would fight desperately to claim it—but…

Even without inheriting the Beidou title, there were things he cherished.

"I'm just a greedy mortal who wants everyone I love, everyone who loves me, to smile in their own world."

His voice was not clear or melodious—it was rougher, more weathered, more hoarse than before—but soaked in certainty and sincerity.

"My entire life of cultivation has been for this."

Because of the people, things, and things I love, my heart has surpassed all feelings of inferiority.

"Excellent."

A deep, masculine voice—powerful as steel striking stone—came from outside the door, filled with approval and affirmation.

The next second, Raoh walked in.

The four Beidou brothers were gathered here.

(End of Chapter)