"Okay, I won't say anything, I won't say anything. Don't cry."
Zoe Zhao saw Lynn Chen start crying.
She was startled, quickly grabbed some tissues, and helped Lynn Chen wipe her tears.
"I won't talk about him, I won't talk about him. Don't cry, don't cry."
Zoe Zhao hugged Lynn Chen, gently patting her back.
"Why are you crying? What's wrong?"
Jenny Sun also came over to comfort her, feeling incredibly heartbroken seeing Lynn Chen like this.
"I don't know either. I just feel really sad."
"Just really sad, and... really hungry."
Lynn Chen choked up as she spoke.
She kept feeling like she'd just had a long, long dream—one where something important disappeared.
But she couldn't find it.
There was no trace at all.
She couldn't remember it either.
All of this happened after that shooting star crashed toward her.
It all happened in a flash.
Lynn Chen didn't even have time to react.
She couldn't make sense of any of it.
"Hungry?"
"Yeah, yeah, here, food—just bought some braised chicken. Eat a bit, fill your stomach first."
"There's also soup—bone broth. I made it specially at noon."
Jenny Sun quickly took out the food.
Lynn Chen wiped her tears, ate, and kept sinking into a mood she couldn't describe.
She kept trying to recall the face that appeared on the shooting star at the end.
That face.
It looked like a child.
It seemed to be smiling at her.
A gentle, joyful smile.
But somehow...
She just couldn't remember that smiling face.
She couldn't remember—the face on that shooting star, gone in a flash.
Jenny Sun and Zoe Zhao were worried something was wrong with Lynn Chen, so they stayed with her in the hospital the whole day.
Lynn Chen didn't let them call her family, and she didn't let them tell Evan Lin either.
She didn't want to cause unnecessary worry.
The next day arrived.
The morning sun rose.
Lynn Chen was discharged, returning to her normal life.
Life went on, unchanged, as if nothing had ever happened.
Seahaven Island.
Top-floor conference room, Emperor International Hotel, Seahaven Island.
Several clan patriarchs gathered together.
The atmosphere was heavy.
"The heavy treasure hasn't stirred for so many years, and now, who would've thought it'd have such terrifying spiritual intelligence? Whatever's inside must be something beyond our imagination."
"But it's already gone, probably back to the Mysterious Ruin. Trying to chase it now is probably impossible."
The Qin Patriarch looked exhausted.
After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
It was the truth.
An undeniable truth.
Quite a few people turned their gaze toward the youth standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Master Lin from Seacrest.
He'd already proven his true strength, earning the wholehearted respect of every ancient martial clan present.
Not to mention, Master Lin from Seacrest—the one who fought the Qin Patriarch head-on—also has the background of Shenyue.
Right now, both Qin Qifan and Jiang He were feeling especially complicated.
They'd thought Lin Yi might be impressive, sure.
But...
No matter how strong, there should still be a limit.
At most, he should just be at the Profound level.
But no one ever expected this guy would defeat even the Qin Patriarch, who's at the Astral stage.
This kid is Astral stage!
And that's not all—
He'd even casually helped the Luo Patriarch break through to the Astral stage!
Such skills left both Qin Qifan and Jiang He utterly speechless.
The Qin Patriarch had once hoped Qin Qifan could ask Lin Yi, since both of them were from Shenyue, to help him out and guide him into the Astral stage.
Jiang Daoguang had the same idea and repeatedly hoped Jiang He could also ask Master Lin from Seacrest to give him some pointers.
But when Qin Qifan and Jiang He went to ask Lin Yi,
Lin Yi refused them both outright.
Clean and decisive.
This left the Qin Patriarch and Jiang Daoguang feeling more than a little disappointed.
"When that heavy treasure left, it destroyed Old Ma the Patriarch with just its aura. Even though he was badly wounded, he was still an Astral stage powerhouse, but in front of that treasure, he couldn't resist at all. That thing is truly terrifying."
Scholar Liu Xiang coughed and finally spoke, his voice complicated.
He'd gotten along well with Old Ma the Patriarch; otherwise, he wouldn't have always helped him go against the Luo Patriarch.
Now, the tables have turned.
With Master Lin from Seacrest backing them, the ancient martial Luo Clan has become the strongest among all the clans.
Not to mention, now the Luo Patriarch is even stronger than the other Astral stage patriarchs.
The rise of the Luo Clan is unstoppable.
"There's nothing we can do. Our clans' ancestors were much stronger than us, but even they couldn't break open the heavy treasure. Maybe it's just not meant for our ancient martial clans."
The Luo Patriarch said simply, "This time, all of us gathered here for the heavy treasure."
"Now that the treasure is gone, it's time for us to leave."
He paused here, then looked around and spoke calmly: "Before we go, I want to say one more thing."
"There will always be friction between clans. Even if there are cracks between us, I hope that when facing outsiders, we can stand united."
"Also, though I'm now the Luo Patriarch, I'll say this in front of everyone: from now on, the Luo Clan follows Master Lin from Seacrest. If anyone's unhappy about it, come to me."
As he spoke, the Luo Patriarch's expression carried a chill.
Evan Lin's arrival had upset the balance among the clans.
Naturally, some might have special thoughts about it.
"Luo Patriarch, you're worrying too much. Not just Master Lin from Seacrest—even you are now the top figure among the ancient martial clans. With your strength, even if we have ideas, we'd have to think twice."
The Qin Patriarch shook his head, his tone cold, his face a little pale as he spoke.
That punch from Evan Lin had hurt him badly.
If he hadn't reached the Astral stage...
And if Evan Lin hadn't held back a little...
He'd probably be a corpse by now, cold and dead.
"That's best."
The discussion continued over there.
Meanwhile, Evan Lin stood there, his mind replaying the feelings that surged up when the heavy treasure appeared and disappeared.
Complicated.
Painful.
And a kind of sadness he couldn't describe.
Yet he'd clearly never seen it before.
He had absolutely no impression of it.
"What... are you, really?"
"A heavy treasure from the Mysterious Ruin, belonging to an Immortal Sovereign?"