From a short distance away, a girl of exquisite grace and nobility caught sight of the scene that had just unfolded. She was none other than Lin Ziyan.
Her violet hair cascaded delicately across her shoulders, gleaming beneath the soft evening light. A fitted white dress hugged her elegant frame, its flawless tailoring enhancing every curve with understated allure. Around her slender neck shimmered a fine collar, accentuating her delicate clavicle and dignified bearing. An embroidered violet flower near her heart added a touch of refined charm to her poised, ethereal presence.
She watched as Ye Wei walked away—his back straight but laced with solitude. Though she hadn't heard the exchange between him and Qiao Yiner, Lin Ziyan could sense the bitterness in the air, and a twinge of guilt stirred in her chest. The chill on Ye Wei's face wasn't anger—it was restraint, like dormant fire sealed beneath a mountain.
To possess only a red-level Sea of Consciousness, to have endured three years of cultivation and remain at the level of a mere one-star apprentice—it wasn't difficult for Lin Ziyan to imagine the cruel ridicule he must have suffered. Yet now, despite his quiet strength and undeniable soul potential, Ye Wei still met the world with cold detachment.
He had become like a hedgehog—bristling not out of hostility, but from the instinct to shield a battered heart.
As he moved down the path, Lin Ziyan suddenly felt a sharp sadness. What kind of quiet torment had Ye Wei lived through all these years?
"Ye Wei! Why didn't you wait for me?" Her voice, light and bright as a spring breeze, cut through the silence. A soft smile broke across her face as she quickened her steps, the long hem of her dress fluttering like moonlight over water.
The impact was immediate. Compared to the girls who had just mocked Ye Wei, even the proud Qiao Yiner seemed to fade into insignificance. In contrast to Lin Ziyan's natural grace and background, they now looked like ordinary pebbles beside a radiant gem.
Qiao Yiner's breath caught in her throat. Lin Ziyan—speaking to Ye Wei? It had to be some mistake.
But no—Lin Ziyan was heading directly for him.
So it wasn't her he came to see... it was Lin Ziyan all along.
But how? How could someone like Ye Wei be connected to someone like her?
When Ye Wei turned at her voice, he muttered softly, "Zi Yan-jie…" There was an unmistakable warmth in the way he addressed her, quiet but reverent.
"I'm headed to the Divine Pattern Alliance," Lin Ziyan said with a gentle smile. "We're going the same way, right? Let's walk together."
Her eyes flicked briefly toward Qiao Yiner and her circle of girls. Her tone turned cool, almost dismissive. "Who are they? Don't bother with people like that. There are too many ignorant voices in this college to waste time listening."
Her words struck like thunderclaps.
The color drained from Qiao Yiner's face. In Lin Ziyan's eyes, they were the ones not worth mentioning. The pride she'd worn like armor shattered instantly. No matter how far she cultivated—even if she became a warrior—she would never reach Lin Ziyan's level.
Even more unsettling was the realization that Lin Ziyan was standing beside Ye Wei, not out of charity, but with unmistakable camaraderie. She took his arm naturally, and they walked off together beneath the descending sun.
"That's Lin Ziyan! Why is she walking so close to Ye Wei?" a nearby girl asked, stunned.
"They look... close. Did I hear Ye Wei call her Zi Yan-jie?" another whispered, eyes wide.
"If he's just a red-level Sea of Consciousness, how could he be close to someone like Lin Ziyan?" someone else muttered in disbelief.
But as their figures faded into the horizon, all anyone could do was watch.
Qiao Yiner bit her lip until it bled. Lin Ziyan's earlier words echoed cruelly in her mind: "The dragon does not dwell with the snake." That bitter line—once used against Ye Wei—now turned and pierced her own heart.
She had believed Ye Wei's silence was just weakness, a hollow defense. Now she realized—he simply no longer cared to argue.
Lin Ziyan, walking gracefully beside Ye Wei, spared Qiao Yiner a glance and scoffed to herself. With Ye Wei's profound soul perception, he was almost guaranteed to become a Divine Pattern Master. Qiao Yiner's arrogance seemed laughable in comparison.
By the time they disappeared down the garden path, the roles had entirely reversed. Ye Wei, the boy once mocked, now walked with the college's most admired girl—leaving behind those who had scorned him.
As they left the more crowded paths, Lin Ziyan gently released Ye Wei's arm, her face blooming with a soft, bashful blush. Even someone as composed as she wasn't immune to the moment's tension.
"Thank you… Sister Zi Yan," Ye Wei said sincerely, glancing sideways at her radiant profile.
He was under no illusion—Lin Ziyan didn't hold his arm because she liked him romantically. She was defending him. And that gesture, quiet and powerful, had meant more than words could say.
She smiled warmly. "There's no need to thank me. You're my brother now, remember?"
As she spoke, her thoughts drifted to the memory of Ye Wei helping her perfect the Triple Tidal Palm. Her heart stirred slightly without her consent.
The two continued walking quietly—awkwardness hanging in the air like the golden light of the setting sun—until Lin Ziyan suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, that's right!" she exclaimed, reaching into her robes and pulling out a white jade bottle. "Here, take this. It's Yanyang Quenching Body Dan—you'll need it."
Ye Wei's eyes widened in disbelief.
Yanyang Quenching Body Dan? Among body-tempering elixirs, this was considered top-tier—rare, costly, and powerful. In the Ye family, only Ye Zhong, the most promising genius, had ever received it.
He quickly shook his head. "Miss Zi Yan… this is too valuable. I can't accept it."
Lin Ziyan's expression grew serious. "You earned it. You helped me perfect my martial technique. You helped me advance. Compared to that, what's a few pills?"
Ye Wei looked at her in stunned silence. Gratitude welled in his chest, but so did something deeper—a quiet vow, unspoken yet absolute.
He would grow stronger.
For her.
For himself.
For everyone who ever called him a snake.