Chen Fan watched as the approaching princess hurried toward him, yet despite her urgency, she still managed to maintain an air of grace and elegance in her steps. He was slightly surprised—he had not expected her to wait for him. When she finally stopped before him, Celestia lowered her head slightly in a polite bow.
"I apologize for the misunderstanding," she said, her voice laced with sincerity. "If there is anything I can do to make up for it, I will do my best to grant your request."
A small smile formed on Chen Fan's lips as he regarded her. "Anything?" he echoed the same word he had uttered the day before.
Celestia, however, did not waver. She met his gaze directly, her expression unwavering. "Yes, anything."
For a brief moment, Chen Fan was stunned by the seriousness in her eyes. He searched for any sign of hesitation, any flicker of unease, yet he found none. Was it guilt that drove her? Or was it trust—trust that he would not take advantage of her words?
He chuckled softly, amused by the thought. "Well, it's not really your fault," he finally said. "If you had figured out my intentions from the beginning, it would have only made things more troublesome for me." After all, his goal had always been to gather information. If she had seen through him from the start, it would have only made her more cautious around him.
"But—"
"Then how about putting in a good word for me with His Majesty?" Chen Fan swiftly interrupted her before she could finish. Somehow, he had a feeling he knew exactly what she was about to say. "I've made a request to the Knight Commander. Perhaps you could increase the likelihood of it being approved?"
Celestia studied him for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I will try my best."
"Thank you, Princess," Chen Fan said with a grateful nod. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Oh, by the way, do you know where Wang Yue is?" His curiosity about her situation had been gnawing at him.
"Miss Yue is in her room right now," Celestia informed him. From the urgency in his expression, she could tell that he had something pressing on his mind.
"In that case, I'll take my leave, Princess. See you later." Chen Fan inclined his head slightly in farewell before turning on his heel and heading toward Wang Yue's quarters.
Celestia watched him depart, releasing a soft sigh. She still had questions she wanted to ask him—questions about his origins, his remarkable ability to adapt, and his uncanny skill in devising strategies so soon after arriving in this world. His power intrigued her as well. Just what kind of life had he led before coming here?
For now, however, she decided to hold back. There would be time in the future.
---
Wang Yue sat in her room, completely immersed in the book before her. The man who had given it to her observed her reaction with interest, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Can you read the words?" he asked.
She nodded, confirming that she could. A delighted smile crossed his face as he handed the book to her. "Good. If there's anything you want to know, just ask," he added.
Eagerly, Wang Yue flipped through the pages, attempting to scan its contents—only to find that the next page was completely blank. Confusion flickered in her eyes. However, when she returned to the first page and finished reading it in its entirety, the next page gradually revealed itself. It became clear that the book's predecessor had intended for her to read it page by page, without skipping ahead.
Without realizing it, she had already spent hours engrossed in the text, yet only three pages had unveiled themselves. Her gaze shifted to the book's thickness—it contained hundreds of pages. A sense of wonder filled her mind. Just how long will it take to finish this?
The sections she had managed to read so far contained valuable information about elementalists, the nature of their power, and the requirements to activate it. As she absorbed the knowledge, she couldn't suppress the urge to try the method described in the book.
Tock. Tock. Tock.
A knock echoed from outside her room.
"It's me," Chen Fan's voice rang out.
"You can come in," Wang Yue replied, her focus still locked onto the technique she was trying to execute.
As Chen Fan stepped inside, he found her sitting on the floor, deeply engrossed in the mysterious book. His gaze shifted to the open pages, only to find them completely blank. A frown crossed his face as he activated his Magical Eye, attempting to unveil any hidden anomalies—but no matter how he looked at it, all he saw was an ordinary, empty book.
"It was created by someone at the Ascension Stage—it's only natural that you wouldn't be able to see it with your current level," Ao Xue's voice echoed in his mind.
Chen Fan's gaze returned to Wang Yue, who seemed entirely absorbed in whatever she was doing. He chose not to disturb her, deciding to observe instead. A faint ripple spread through the air around him, making his senses sharpen. With his Magical Eyes, he instantly detected the disturbance—mana was gathering around Wang Yue.
Then, in the palm of her hand, a small flame flickered into existence.
Chen Fan's eyes widened slightly.
"That…?" Ao Xue, who had been watching alongside him, mirrored his astonishment.
Ordinarily, cultivators needed to absorb mana into their bodies, refine it, and consolidate it before they could use it. Yet, Wang Yue had completely bypassed this process. There was no trace of mana within her body. That meant she was directly manipulating the mana in the atmosphere without internalizing it first.
"Impossible," Ao Xue murmured in disbelief. "That's something only gods can achieve. For a mortal to do this…" His voice trailed off, filled with intrigue. It was the first time he had ever witnessed such a phenomenon. If she could control the surrounding qi and mana perfectly, then the usual rules of cultivation battles wouldn't apply to her at all.
Chen Fan's expression turned serious as he walked toward Wang Yue. The moment she opened her eyes, he couldn't hold back his curiosity.
"How did you do that?" he asked, his voice sharper than before.
"Hm?" Wang Yue blinked, tilting her head as if the question confused her. "I just… touched the mana in the air and imagined what I wanted it to do?"
Her innocent response made Chen Fan's shock deepen.
Seeing his rare expression of disbelief, Wang Yue couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. For once, she thought, I have an advantage over him. A slight smugness crept into her voice as she teased, "What? You can't do it?"
"No, I can't," Chen Fan admitted, his tone serious. "It's incredible."
Even with his Rule Maker ability, the best he could do was either erase qi entirely, manipulate its flow, or cause it to explode. He had never been able to change its properties the way Wang Yue had just done. Worse still, his ability came with a major drawback—it immobilized him while in use.
"Oh… really?" Wang Yue felt heat rise to her cheeks at his unexpected praise. She fidgeted slightly before letting out a small, self-satisfied chuckle. "Hehe… Well, yeah! Of course, it's amazing!"
Chen Fan's expression remained intrigued. "How much can you control?"
"I don't know. Should we test it?" Wang Yue asked, her eyes glimmering with excitement. She had never been able to perform something so magical before—it would be a lie to say she wasn't eager to push her limits.
"Alright," Chen Fan agreed. "Let's go to the training ground."
Without wasting time, they left the room.
As they passed through the courtyard, they spotted the Three Heroes engaged in their usual training. The moment Kazuki noticed Chen Fan, he gave a slight wave. However, both Aiko and Sakura visibly stiffened, their expressions unreadable as they cast uneasy glances in his direction. Chen Fan simply nodded in acknowledgment, not paying them much attention, and continued toward the training area.
Upon reaching the center of the arena, the surrounding knights turned to watch them with curiosity. Sensing the eyes on her, Wang Yue didn't hesitate. Raising her hand, she concentrated, and a massive fireball materialized in her palm. With a flick of her wrist, she launched it high into the sky before exhaling, slightly out of breath.
"It's already comparable to what someone at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm could achieve," Ao Xue observed, his voice filled with intrigue. "But her body is still that of a human… She's tiring out just from manipulating this much mana at once."
Undeterred, Wang Yue summoned another fireball, this time slightly larger than the previous one.
Chen Fan's eyes narrowed. "Is it increasing every time she uses it?" he murmured, watching closely. "That growth rate is… unnatural."
The more Wang Yue used her newfound power, the more her control seemed to evolve. And if it truly scaled infinitely with time, then what exactly were the limits of her abilities?
A sudden thought crossed Chen Fan's mind, his curiosity deepening. Without hesitation, he activated Rule Maker, expanding its influence around them.
Wang Yue, still eager to experiment, attempted to conjure another spell—but the moment she tried, she froze. Her eyes widened in shock. No matter how many times she reached out for it, the mana around her was completely undetectable. It was as if it had vanished entirely from existence.
Panic flickered in her expression as she struggled to grasp at the energy, but there was nothing—no response, no sensation of the elements bending to her will. Then, before she could process the unnatural stillness around her, an excruciating pain erupted within her body.
It was sudden. Overwhelming.
A searing agony coursed through her veins, as if her very existence was being unraveled. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Beads of sweat formed rapidly on her forehead, her entire body trembling under the relentless assault of pain.
Chen Fan's eyes widened in alarm. The moment he noticed her distress, he immediately deactivated Rule Maker. His initial intent had been to test whether she could pull qi from outside the isolated space and use it—but the results were far beyond what he had anticipated. Instead of merely losing access to mana, it seemed she needed direct contact with it to function properly.
However, even after he lifted the effect of Rule Maker, Wang Yue remained collapsed on the floor, drenched in sweat, her breathing ragged. Panic surged through him as he rushed to her side, his hands glowing with healing energy. Yet the moment he attempted to channel his qi into her body, an invisible force rejected it outright.
His heart pounded. Why isn't it working?
Wang Yue, meanwhile, gradually began to calm down, though exhaustion weighed heavily on her limbs. Her body was slick with sweat, and her breaths came in shallow gasps.
"I'm sorry," Chen Fan said, his voice laced with guilt. His usual composure had cracked, replaced by clear concern. "I didn't know it would affect you like this."
Then, just as he was about to examine her condition further, his Magical Eyes flared to life—and what he saw made his pupils contract in shock.
"This is—!" His breath caught in his throat.
Ao Xue, who had been watching intently, gasped in realization. "Her body… it's slowly turning into qi?" His voice carried an edge of disbelief.
A faint glow flickered over Wang Yue's form, and the two of them could now see it clearly—delicate wisps of qi and mana curling from her skin, not concentrated in just one area, but spreading across almost her entire body. It was as if she was losing her physical form—or perhaps, transitioning into something else entirely.
Wang Yue struggled to keep her eyes open. So heavy… The pain had drained every ounce of her strength, making it nearly impossible to move. A distant, muffled voice—Chen Fan's—reached her ears. Even in her weakened state, she could detect the rare trace of worry in his tone.
But before she could form a response, her consciousness slipped away, dragging her into darkness.