Farewell

Kyoto Martial Arts University.

The elite cultivation chamber in the freshman dormitory.

Su Yu sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his expression calm.

The earth-shaking turmoil caused by the destruction of the Abyss seemed to have nothing to do with him.

He had no idea what kind of shock Lu Xinghe had caused in the Great Chu Star Domain after returning to the stars.

At this moment, all of his attention was focused on the system panel before him.

[Balance: 322 Meteors!]

Meteor.

This was the brand-new currency unit introduced after the system’s update.

One Meteor was equivalent to ten quadrillion Dragon Coins.

Looking at that number, a bright gleam flashed through Su Yu’s eyes.

It was an astronomical fortune—enough to buy the entire Blue Star countless times over.

During the final few hours of his sweep through the Abyssal Plane, he had nearly emptied the Demon race’s accumulated wealth from countless eras.

Tens of thousands of demon cores.

Countless precious resources.

The system’s recycling price for demon cores was far lower than the premium prices they would fetch at auction.

But there was no other choice.

There were simply too many resources.

If he had put them up for auction, even if the entire human race’s assets had been squeezed dry, no one could have come up with that much money.

Forcing such a massive amount of wealth into the market would only cause the entire human economic system to collapse instantly.

So Su Yu had chosen to recycle everything in one go.

All of it had been converted into his system balance.

What surprised him most was the enormous magnetic-element ore vein stretching across the depths of the Abyss.

That single ore vein alone had exchanged for a full 80 Meteors!

Pure profit.

Utterly outrageous profit.

With so much money in hand, Su Yu’s state of mind had changed in a subtle way.

Previously, the human military had promised a reward of one hundred trillion Dragon Coins for killing a Demon Emperor.

The total had only amounted to a few hundred trillion.

In the past, that would have been an astronomical sum.

But now, looking at the Meteor balance in his account—with ten quadrillion as the basic unit—Su Yu honestly found those few hundred trillion somewhat insignificant.

Still, humanity had given him plenty of other things!

Just an hour earlier, Qin Fuhai and Chu Zhan, the two Martial Emperors who guarded the nation, had personally come to visit.

Not only had they brought the cash promised by the military, they had practically emptied the treasury reserves of the Great Xia Nation as well.

Rare high-grade spirit herbs, extraterrestrial meteorite iron, ancient treasures…

They had piled up into a small mountain.

Su Yu was simply too powerful. He had single-handedly flattened the Abyss and saved the entire human race.

Moreover, he had attracted the attention of a black-hole-level powerhouse from the central regions of the stars and possessed limitless potential for the future.

The upper echelons of the Great Xia Nation had reached a unanimous decision: they would win over this living legend at any cost.

Su Yu had not refused their goodwill.

He had thrown all those resources into the system.

In return, he had gained more than thirty Meteors.

His total balance had consequently risen to 322 Meteors.

At the same time, the internet outside had completely crashed.

After urgent deliberation, the military of the Great Xia Nation had decided to stop keeping the truth hidden.

They released the classified footage of Su Yu killing the Demon God, as well as Lu Xinghe’s appearance and the intervention of the star-faring human race. After making some edits, they posted it directly across the entire internet.

The Abyss had been destroyed. Humanity no longer needed to guard the defensive line.

But humanity needed a new goal—a new faith.

The stars were that goal.

And Su Yu was that faith!

The moment the news came out, the entire world erupted.

The beliefs of the billions of people on Blue Star were utterly shattered, then painfully pieced back together.

“A Demon God? Ten trillion in combat power?!”

“The central regions of the stars? The Great Chu Star Domain? A black-hole-level powerhouse?!”

“We’re merely an abandoned branch of a wasteland civilization?!”

Countless people trembled in fear before their screens.

The pinnacle of martial arts they had once taken pride in was, before the vast starry sky, no more than a speck of dust.

But moments later, all that fear was replaced by another emotion: fanaticism.

Because in the video…

That eighteen-year-old boy in casual clothes had erased most of the Demon God’s body with a single spear strike!

“Su Yu!”

“An eighteen-year-old freshman!”

“He actually managed to break through the defenses of a starry-sky Demon God on his own!”

Kyoto Martial Arts University, the vice president’s office.

Nie Changkong and Principal Feng Wuji sat facing each other.

The tea before them had long since gone cold, but neither of them was in the mood to take a sip.

Feng Wuji rubbed his aching temples, his voice distant and bewildered.

“Old Nie.”

“We’ve spent our whole lives for nothing.”

Nie Changkong gave a bitter laugh and leaned back in his chair.

“Who can say otherwise?”

“We haven’t even become Emperors yet.”

“And he’s already killed a Demon God with a single spear strike. He’ll soon be heading into the stars to wage war.”

The two of them stared at the “freshman file” belonging to Su Yu on the desk.

Their feelings were indescribably complicated.

Shock, awe, pride—and a profound sense of helplessness.

How were they supposed to teach him now?

Should they simply issue Su Yu a diploma?

No. They ought to erect a golden statue of him in the central square of Kyoto Martial Arts University!

Tiangong Pavilion, Extreme Flame Forging Chamber.

Zong Yan stood bare-chested, gripping the Mountain-Shaking Hammer in his hands. The hammer weighed tens of thousands of tons.

Before him lay a piece of freshly refined mythic-grade metal.

Yet Zong Yan still had not brought the hammer down.

He watched the video looping on the screen beside him.

He watched as Lu Xinghe casually extinguished a stellar-level Great Demon God with a single finger.

Clang!

The Mountain-Shaking Hammer slipped from his hands and crashed to the ground, leaving behind a massive crater.

Zong Yan slumped onto the floor, clutching at his hair.

“A mythic-grade mecha…”

“Even if I manage to build one, could it withstand a single finger from a starry-sky powerhouse?”

His eyes were filled with confusion.

But a moment later, Zong Yan suddenly raised his head. An extraordinarily bright light burst from his cloudy old eyes.

“No!”

“The path of forging is endless!”

“If Blue Star’s materials aren’t good enough, then I’ll use materials from the stars!”

“Even if it costs me my life, this old man will design a star-faring mecha capable of earning the attention of the great powers of the stars!”

Magic City, the Lin family estate.

Lin Zhengtian stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.

He held a glass of red wine, but his wrist was trembling violently against his will.

The wine spilled onto the expensive carpet, yet he remained completely unaware of it.

“Su Yu…”

Lin Zhengtian turned around and looked toward Lin Xiaoxiao’s room on the second floor.

Complex emotions flickered in his eyes.

Night fell.

The campus of Kyoto Martial Arts University regained a measure of tranquility.

Su Yu left the dormitory and headed straight toward his private elite training arena.

After taking care of everything that needed to be handled, he was preparing to leave.

He had obtained nearly all the resources Blue Star had to offer. If he stayed here, the rate at which his strength improved would be limited.

The stars were where he truly belonged.

He pushed open the heavy alloy doors of the training arena.

A slender yet agile figure was wielding a silver spear in the center of the grounds.

Lin Xiaoxiao.

She wore a black, close-fitting combat suit that perfectly outlined her graceful curves.

Sweat slid down her fair neck and soaked into the collar.

She was practicing with complete focus.

Every thrust of her spear carried an uncompromising resolve.

At the sound of the opening door, Lin Xiaoxiao’s movements abruptly stopped.

She turned around and saw Su Yu standing at the entrance.

In that instant, her gaze became incredibly complicated.

There was awe, admiration, deeply hidden affection, and a hint of unmistakable awkwardness.

She had already watched the videos online.

She knew that the boy her own age standing before her was no longer the classmate who had once needed her help—and her black card.

He was a Martial God standing high above all others.

An unparalleled prodigy whom even the mighty beings of the starry sky had to treat as an equal.

“You... you came.”

Lin Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip, her voice slightly hoarse.

Su Yu’s expression remained unchanged as he walked slowly into the arena.

“Your spear technique has improved.”

“But your point of exertion is still wrong. You haven’t fully transferred the strength from your waist to the spearhead.”

As he always did, he calmly pointed out the flaws in her movements.

Hearing that familiar tone, Lin Xiaoxiao’s tense nerves relaxed slightly.

He was still the same Su Yu.

The Su Yu who had once guided her through spear training late into the night, hand in hand.

“I’ll try again!”

Lin Xiaoxiao drew a deep breath and assumed her stance once more.

Su Yu stood to the side, watching her practice again and again.

Only after an hour had passed, when Lin Xiaoxiao had exhausted her strength and was panting heavily, did she finally stop.

She took a towel and wiped away her sweat, preparing to ask whether her movements had been correct.

But Su Yu suddenly spoke.

“I’m leaving.”

Four utterly ordinary words.

Yet to Lin Xiaoxiao, they struck like a bolt from the blue.

Her hand froze in midair.

The towel slipped to the ground.

“Leaving?”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s voice rose sharply, carrying a trace of panic she herself failed to notice.

“Where?”

Su Yu turned his head. His deep gaze passed through the dome of the training arena and looked toward the vast, boundless night sky.

“The starry sky.”

“There are no resources left on this planet that I need.”

“My path lies up there.”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s heart sank to the bottom.

She knew this day would come sooner or later.

A true dragon could never remain forever in a shallow stream.

But she had never expected that day to arrive so soon.

So soon that she had not even had time to prepare herself.

Her eyes instantly reddened.

A powerful wave of bitterness surged into her nose.

But Lin Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall.

She was the Lin family's heiress, and she possessed an exceptionally strong sense of pride.

She did not want to appear like a weak burden at a time like this.

Su Yu looked at her stubborn expression but said nothing more.

Since he had promised to teach her spearplay, he would be unable to guide her personally after leaving. It would be better to leave behind a higher-level spear intent and let her comprehend it on her own.

He slowly raised his right hand.

His consciousness sank into the system.

“System, consume one Star.”

“Deduce spear intent.”

[Ding!]

[One Star deducted.]

[One hundred trillion years of deduction time acquired.]

In an instant, Su Yu’s consciousness once again entered that realm of absolute nothingness.

One hundred trillion years.

He swung his spear again and again.

He shattered, reconstructed, and elevated the spear intent of the Qi Resonance realm over and over.

Qi Resonance meant resonating with the laws of heaven and earth.

The realm that followed was to make the laws of heaven and earth submit completely.

To form an absolute domain.

The Domain realm!

The endless years passed.

When Su Yu opened his eyes again, only an instant had passed in reality.

Yet the aura surrounding him had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

He did not use even the slightest trace of qi and blood.

He merely raised his right hand and brought his index and middle fingers together.

The space around him rippled like water, completely becoming a realm under his absolute control.

Su Yu walked to the wall of the training arena, which had been constructed from nation-guarding-grade alloy.

His fingertip brushed lightly across its surface.

Shhk.

There was no harsh sound of friction.

A deep spear mark appeared soundlessly on the supposedly indestructible alloy wall.

No violent energy leaked from the mark.

Yet it radiated an supreme Daoist aura that seemed eternal, as though it could suppress the ages throughout all time.

“This is Domain Spear Intent.”

Su Yu turned and looked at Lin Xiaoxiao.

“It has transcended the realm of physics. It can be permanently imprinted upon this space, and not even the passage of time can erase it.”

“After I leave, I won’t be able to teach you personally anymore.”

“If you want to practice spearplay, you can comprehend this spear intent here.”

Lin Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the spear mark on the wall, a mark that seemed to contain the entire universe.

She could feel the despairingly powerful force within it.

It was a realm she might never be able to reach, even after exhausting her entire life.

But—

Lin Xiaoxiao abruptly turned around.

There was no retreat in her reddened eyes. Only an astonishingly fervent stubbornness burned within them.

She strode up to Su Yu.

Raising her head, she looked straight into his deep eyes.

Both her hands were clenched tightly into fists.

Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms.

“Do you think leaving behind a spear intent is enough to fob me off?”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s voice trembled slightly.

But her tone carried an undeniable pride and stubbornness.

“Su Yu.”

“You’d better wait for me!”

She gritted her teeth and spoke each word clearly.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

“So what if it’s the starry sky?”

“One day, I’ll catch up to you!”

“I’ll stand proudly at your side—not merely gaze up at your back!”

Looking at the stubborn, kindhearted girl before him, with her faint air of spoiled heiress temperament, the slightest hint of a smile flashed through Su Yu’s eyes.

He nodded.

“Good.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

With that, Su Yu turned around.

He pushed open the door and strode into the deep night.

Goodbyes did not require many words.

His journey lay in the vast and boundless sea of stars.

Lin Xiaoxiao remained where she was.

She watched the door slowly close.

At last, her tears broke free and streamed down her face.

After wiping them away, however, her eyes became more resolute than ever.

She turned around.

Then she once again tightened her grip on the silver spear in her hands.

Facing the everlasting Domain Spear Intent carved into the wall,

she thrust out fiercely.