I'm Here Waiting for You to Come Back

The Holy Capital.

Outside the Martial Arts Guild.

Hundreds of people crowded the square.

Xu Lan held a megaphone, standing before a phone stand that was livestreaming. She shouted toward the guild's entrance:

"Heads may roll, blood may spill, but Chen Feng's disciple must not prevail!"

"A disciple from the Devouring Heaven Club has become the champion!"

"Is there no justice left? No law?"

"I will never coexist with the Devouring Heaven Club—this ends only when one of us falls!"

As Xu Lan continued her chants, a van pulled up in front of her.

Dozens of crates of bottled water were unloaded.

The protesters eagerly stepped forward to grab the water.

"Thanks, Sister Xu!"

Xu Lan had to set aside her megaphone to pay the delivery driver.

All the water had been paid for out of her own pocket.

She even ordered hundreds of boxed lunches every noon to feed the protesters.

Her goal was simple: keep as many demonstrators as possible.

Though the daily expenses were steep,

she knew the payoff would be enormous if the protest succeeded.

The reason was straightforward.

In the recent National Martial Apprentice Tournament,

Xiao Ruohan had placed eleventh.

If the first-place winner, Liu Weiwei, were disqualified,

the rankings would shift upward—

and her daughter would secure the tenth spot.

According to the tournament's prize structure,

the top ten received cash rewards.

And the prize for tenth place?

A cool million.

The thought alone fueled Xu Lan's determination.

The cost of water and meals no longer stung as much.

Inside the Martial Arts Guild,

the vice president stationed in the Holy Capital

peered out the window at the sea of protesters, rubbing his temples in frustration.

An aide reported:

"Xu Lan is relentless."

"Not long ago, she was detained for cursing those who entered Kunlun Mountain."

"Now, barely released, she's stirring trouble again."

"And she's not just leading the protests—she's bankrolling them."

"Every day, she personally covers the cost of lunches and water for the crowd."

The vice president asked,

"Did the Devouring Heaven Club harm someone close to her?"

"What grudge does she hold against Chen Feng?"

The aide coughed awkwardly.

"No casualties."

No casualties?

The vice president was stunned.

The aide continued, laying out all the details they'd uncovered.

The vice president fumed:

"So this is all about the tenth-place prize money?"

"I despise people like her—exploiting old wounds for personal gain!"

Pacing angrily,

he found himself at a loss for solutions.

The square was packed,

and with social media so pervasive,

the incident had already gone viral.

If not for Kunlun Mountain's imminent closure in two days,

the uproar might have grown even larger.

After all, countless victims of the Devouring Heaven Club existed across Great Xia.

If they all mobilized, the situation would spiral out of control.

Even so, Xu Lan's protest had garnered widespread online support.

Victims of the Devouring Heaven Club

voiced their solidarity in the digital sphere:

"How can a disciple of the Devouring Heaven Club deserve the championship?"

"That title was probably stolen using the Soul-Siphoning Technique!"

"This is an insult to all the victims who suffered under them."

"Why hasn't the Martial Arts Guild addressed this?"

The death toll from the Devouring Heaven Club's atrocities was vast,

and Xu Lan's protest continued to gain momentum.

With each wave of online support,

her confidence grew stronger.

East Sea City.

Su Yan sat in her uncle's home,

watching Xu Lan's protest with amusement, mocking Chen Feng.

"My dear master really picked quite the disciple."

Her uncle interjected:

"When Kunlun Mountain closes this time, Zhang Bowen will emerge."

"But he's heading to the Western Continent."

"Once he leaves Kunlun, his strength will recover by one year's worth each day."

"In two months at most, another storm will begin."

"You must prepare yourself."

Su Yan shuddered,

recalling the terror of twenty years ago—

that one-armed old man,

the nightmare of Great Xia,

was about to return.

Meanwhile, in Kunlun City,

Liu Weiwei had no time for Xu Lan's antics.

With Kunlun's closure just days away,

she clung to a sliver of hope—

that her master might emerge from the mountain's mist.

Her right leg had lost all sensation,

but she had long adapted to life in a wheelchair.

Now a full-fledged martial artist,

she could manage daily life independently.

Still, Jin Youxi had messaged her,

promising to return soon and wait for their master together—

with a surprise in store.

Seoul, South Korea.

The Jin Family Estate.

The entire Jin clan and their distinguished guests gathered

for the family succession announcement.

Grandpa Jin would name the heir today.

Close allies and partners attended,

though few held high hopes for the Jin family's future.

They were here out of respect for Grandpa Jin—

a revered martial arts grandmaster.

But his descendants?

Useless, every last one.

It was obvious to all:

once the old man passed, the Jin family would crumble.

As the assembly settled,

the Eldest Son and Second Son of the Jin Family

clenched their fists in anticipation,

exchanging venomous glares.

The moment arrived.

Grandpa Jin rose,

acknowledging friends and partners with a nod,

then gestured to Jin Youxi beside him:

"My youngest granddaughter, Jin Youxi."

"Recently returned from studying in Great Xia."

The crowd murmured in confusion.

Why introduce this good-for-nothing girl?

Most had heard of her—

the disgrace of the Jin family,

notoriously talentless since her bone assessment ceremony years ago.

Then Grandpa Jin declared:

"Youxi will be the next head of the Jin family."

The room erupted.

The Eldest Son and Second Son shot to their feet in protest.

"Father, how could you hand the family to this failure?"

The Second Son added:

"She's too young! Let me manage things in her stead!"

The Grandson stood next, indignation flaring:

"Grandfather, this isn't fair!"

"I'm the family's top genius—the heir should be me!"

Genius?

Grandpa Jin's face twisted in disgust.

His eldest grandson—

mediocre in skill but unmatched in arrogance.

At twenty-five, still stuck at the apprentice level.

And he dared call himself a genius?

The guests stifled laughter,

politely masking their contempt

out of deference to the grandmaster.