Sword Shatters Stars

Chapter 32 Just Because the Atmosphere Was Perfect

Lin Xiufeng finished reading all the contents torn from the diary and found Zhao Youyue holding a shirt and comparing sizes.

"I'll turn around, and you can try it on."

Do you think I believe you?

Zhao Youyue put down the clothes, which had already been divided into two piles.

One pile is so badly damaged that it can only be used as patchwork fabric; another pile has clothes that are wearable, but the people in the group can't wear them.

This is also a disadvantage of being tall.

"It's impossible to carry them all on our backs, so what should we do?"

Lin Xiufeng thought for a moment and said:

"Once we get out of the mountains, we'll find a place to bury the whole bag together."

Zhao Youyue had no objections. She packed the tools into bags in batches, combined them into sticks, hung them on both ends, placed them aside, and sat down next to Lin Xiufeng, leaning against a tree.

"What did you write in your diary?"

"See for yourself." Lin Xiufeng handed it over, too lazy to repeat himself.

Zhao Youyue glanced at it and frowned. "Aren't the key points highlighted?"

"...You've successfully rekindled my fear of being controlled by endless homework assignments!"

You're obviously a poor student!

"So-so, top ten in the grade, never needs tutoring, just plays after school, and easily gets into the top four universities by cramming at the last minute, aren't you envious?"

"Do you realize you're talking to a genius who always puts habits first?"

Zhao Youyue even added a cold "heh" laugh.

Lin Xiufeng immediately clasped his hands in front of him, feigning exaggerated surprise.

"My apologies! So you're the kind of student who goes to tutoring right after school, has no holidays all year round, does endless practice problems, considers playing a game a blessing, lives at your desk, has no entertainment for eighteen years, and whose parents' conversations are always full of motivational quotes and pep talks, all to strive for first place! I admire you!"

"May you continue to roll in your next life and the life after that; may I be among the top ten happiest people in every lifetime."

"If you're so capable, why don't you try getting into Tsinghua or Peking University yourself!" Zhao Youyue was furious.

"First of all, you have to ask me if I want to! I just want to get into Linhai University, so my parents can buy or rent a house near the school. I won't have to live on campus. I can come home from school every day and eat my mom's cooking. After dinner, we can watch movies, chat, and play games together..."

Lin Xiufeng was speaking when she suddenly fell silent.

The argument was a momentary escapade, but then I suddenly remembered—

He no longer has parents...

My dreams for the future have vanished like bubbles; they are now impossible to realize!

And all of this is because of that enemy!
That damned enemy of the Heavenly Warriors!
Sorrow turned into hatred, burning in Lin Xiufeng's eyes.

Zhao Youyue didn't see it; she had buried her face in her arms, lost in her sorrow...

The two of them remained silent for a long, long time...

Lin Xiufeng only learned this in recent days:

Happiness is when you can't think about sad things at all; unhappiness is when you're happy but suddenly get dragged into sadness.

Zhao Youyue suddenly stood up, drew her knife, and said resolutely:
"I've skinned the wolf! I can't go back to my old life. I must rely on myself and learn all the skills I need to learn!"

"You've figured it out."

Lin Xiufeng shook off his emotions, drew his sword, and charged at the wolf.

They recalled the five Heavenly Warriors' skinning process, awkwardly imitating it, gradually becoming proficient through practice.

It took several hours to skin the enormous wolf pelt.

Blood splattered all over their heads, faces, and bodies.

From initially enduring the blood and grime to eventually forgetting the stench.

From initially running away and gagging repeatedly as the abdomen was disemboweled, to later staring intently at the flesh and entrails, skillfully wielding the knife to separate flesh from bone.

They looked at the blood on each other's faces and laughed.

We laughed and laughed until tears streamed down our faces...

This is the reality they need to learn; they can't go back to the past.

The person before them was their companion, their support, their reliance, and... their companionship.

Zhao Youyue wiped away the 'tears of laughter' from the corners of her eyes, and while wiping them away, she looked at Lin Xiufeng and asked:

"Lin Xiufeng, we'll always be together, and walk this path together, right?"

"If you don't leave me, I won't abandon you."

Lin Xiufeng also wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

He looked at Zhao Youyue with a very serious gaze.

Zhao Youyue, however, took it even more seriously and solemnly swore:

"If you betray me—it's a fight to the death!"

Lin Xiufeng was also caught up in the atmosphere and responded seriously:
"If you betray me—it's a fight to the death!"

Zhao Youyue and Lin Xiufeng stared at each other for a moment, then Zhao Youyue suddenly felt a little embarrassed and changed the subject, asking him:
"Do the Hound Wolf have a Light Orb?"

“Yes!” Lin Xiufeng pointed to a bloodstain in the pool of blood, one that Zhao Youyue couldn’t see—

Red-glowing beads.

Lin Xiufeng held the small bead, about five millimeters in diameter, and brought it closer to examine it.

Compared to the Armadillo King's two-centimeter-diameter blue light bead, the difference is quite significant.

"Is it that small?"

Zhao Youyue couldn't see the light bead, but she could see the gap between Lin Xiufeng's fingers.

"This might be the difference between an ordinary mutated beast and a king-level beast."

"The hyena is much more powerful than the armadillo king."

Even a Rat King-level mutated beast is still a King-level beast at the end of the day.

"...I'm not interested in turning into a mouse."

Zhao Youyue felt terrible just thinking about it.

"Since it's glowing anyway, come on, stick your finger out here, hold it still—okay, I'll press it down hard and break it."

Lin Xiufeng pressed forward with his thumb, and Zhao Youyue met his movement.

The two men pressed their thumbs together and pressed hard against each other, grinding the mixture.

Finally, the small bead of light shattered, releasing a large burst of red celestial martial power!

Lin Xiufeng and Zhao Youyue's Heavenly Martial Power, which had originally reached their waists, suddenly surged to their crowns.

That familiar feeling reappeared.

The abundant Heavenly Martial Power within him was compressed and surged into every cell.

Immediately afterwards, I felt a complete emptiness all over my body.

The crimson power of Heavenly Martial continued to pour in, instantly filling their empty cells. The excess power flowed down to their feet, barely reaching the insteps.

Both of them broke through to the seventh level of the Heavenly Martial Soul.

"The power of the Heavenly Martial is far less than that of the Armadillo King's Azure Light Pearl."

Zhao Youyue was somewhat disappointed, but even more disappointed that they hadn't turned into wolves.

Lin Xiufeng moved his thumb away, and the red light bead disappeared.

"Preliminary speculation suggests that only the light orbs of king-level mutated beasts can transform. However, what could be causing this difference..."

Zhao Youyue also began to ponder, and suddenly a conjecture came to her mind:

"Could it be understood this way: the King-level mutated beast possesses the Heavenly Martial Heart, while the Hound Wolf possesses the Heavenly Martial Soul? And the transformation is the function of the Heavenly Martial Heart!"

“What a brilliant analogy! Let’s call the king-level light bead the Heavenly Heart Bead, and the ordinary ones the Heavenly Soul Bead.”

Zhao Youyue thought the name was good, so she remembered it.

Zhao Youyue highlighted and categorized the key points in the diary entry by the person with the triangular eyes.

Divided into several categories: personal experiences and insights, basic common sense that everyone knows, information related to the use of force, and unverified hearsay...

After finishing her work, Zhao Youyue asked Lin Xiufeng:
"Can you cook? For example, make bone broth."

“I can eat.”

Lin Xiufeng is very straightforward.

Zhao Youyue rolled her eyes and activated the miniature robot.

To save power, robots must not be allowed to extend their limbs to work.

Once the process steps were confirmed, the robot was immediately shut down.

The two of them worked together, took out a combination of tools to make a pot, and set up a fire by the water source to cook.

Zhao Youyue sliced ​​the wolf meat, cooked it, and tasted it; it was alright.

Although the meat was a bit coarse, it didn't have any unpleasant smell.

The two chatted while drinking soup and eating meat, reminiscing about the past, but neither wanted to talk about the Blue Sky Star anymore.

They were all determined to face the future of the Heavenly Martial Realm's alternate world seriously.

Looking at the red sky where there was neither night nor day, and at the surrounding thickets of trees, there was no sign of any beasts.

Listening to the babbling water beside me, and seeing the person accompanying me, they seem even more beautiful.

Zhao Youyue suddenly began to sing:
"Tears still bear the frost of yesteryear, but suddenly the candlelight warms my heart. The road ahead is long, let us support each other, for you are like the sun illuminating the night."

Lin Xiufeng was suddenly inspired and continued singing along with the melody:
Wipe away the past and bask in the new sun.

We stand together through thick and thin, our bond will only grow stronger.

Joy and sorrow together compose verses.
"Side by side, let's go to the starry sea..."

The two looked at each other and smiled, both full of confidence in their future working side by side.

A voice suddenly broke the silence of the forest.

"What a beautiful line, 'Trusting you is like the sun illuminating the night'! What a beautiful line, 'Side by side we journey together into the starry sea'! The deep affection between the two is truly enviable!"

Lin Xiufeng and Zhao Youyue felt a chill run down their spines as they saw an unfamiliar figure emerge from the woods beside the stream below.

(End of this chapter)