Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 294: A Smile to End Old Grudges

Half an hour later, when Li Wei, Li Yue, Zhao Guozhu, and Zhao Xuanxuan returned to the camp, the fighting there was nearly over. Without the special boss driving them, the mutant creatures had stopped coming in endless waves.

By that point, the camp had donated a cumulative total of 45 Four-Star Universal Gold Cards. Two had been used for recovery, but 10 still remained, waiting for Li Wei to decide their fate.

The maximum-difficulty Radiation Storm was genuinely dangerous — but the rewards were genuinely high.

This time, Li Wei didn't hesitate. He collected the ten remaining Universal Gold Cards and exchanged all of them for Black Iron Clearance Tokens. There were still so many freemen waiting to be upgraded.

Worth noting: thanks to Liang Yuzhi holding the field and the Universal Gold Cards replenishing stamina, not a single freeman had died in the nearly one-hour monster assault.

Everyone had come away with solid gains. Combat meant experience, which meant growth in Profession Destiny Grids and various forms of Contribution.

Once everyone had returned inside to rest, Liang Yuzhi was the first to come forward. She looked Li Wei over carefully, confirmed he was alright, then turned to Li Yue. A quiet, relieved smile. Li Yue returned it — and though there had been a time when each would have happily stabbed the other three hundred times, there was a genuine moment of mutual recognition between them now. Possible only because Li Wei was the thread connecting them.

"Second Aunt — that battle just now, I truly have to thank you for turning the tide."

Li Wei said it sincerely.

And it was the honest truth. If Liang Yuzhi hadn't become a First-Order Casting Witch, she never would have detected the Serpent Knight — also a caster — because it had been in no hurry to attack. It had simply driven mutant creatures against the walls while slowly reinforcing its illusions outside. After 108 hours, the illusions would have fully matured into a final-form boss capable of destroying the camp and slaughtering everyone in a single wave.Even now, Li Wei felt a chill thinking about it. Genuinely — he had no intention of attempting maximum difficulty again for the next two years.

This victory had relied entirely on the three of them working in perfect harmony, combined with the advantages built up beforehand. It couldn't be replicated in the second or third year. Bring in two more people like Old John or Annie — people who coasted when it mattered — and at the critical moment, it would have been fatal.

"Xiaowei, we're family — no need for thanks!" Liang Yuzhi smiled broadly.

"Second Aunt, there's something I'd like to ask you about." Li Yue hooked her arm through Liang Yuzhi's and grabbed Li Wei with her other hand, heading directly for the fifth floor.

Li Wei reached back and pulled Zhao Xuanxuan along too. He knew what this was about — and one more person wouldn't make a difference.

As for Zhao Guozhu — one look from Li Yue, and he nodded immediately, reading the room perfectly, and went to wait elsewhere. Inside, however, his mind was in turmoil.

Yes. The truth was now undeniable. The whole "kept man" story, the "charming general" persona — all a front. Everyone had been deceived. Night Owl, the Commerce Department, all the other factions.

Was Li Wei really just a pretty face?

He was clearly someone whose combined combat power could match a Five-Star Cross-Border player. And more importantly, his next move was now obvious.

Sigh.

A once-in-a-century Rookie King. Scar Glenn was truly finished this time.

On the fifth floor, in Li Wei's room, the moment the door closed, Liang Yuzhi released some kind of magical field — equivalent to a Five-Star Conspiracy Card.

"Congratulations, little sister. So — you got the Rare Scout Card?"

Liang Yuzhi asked eagerly. Li Yue had previously been a Scout, but her Five-Star Scout Card had been lost. By all logic, she should have chosen the Rare Scout Card.

"Not the Rare Scout Card. I chose the Rare Knight Card." Li Yue smiled slightly.

"What? The Rare Knight Card — so you're going down the Shadow Knight path?" Liang Yuzhi blinked. It wasn't a bad choice, but something felt incomplete.

"Yes. I'm now a First-Order Shadow Knight. At the Third Order, I'll obtain the Shadow Knight Card. As for why — there are several reasons, but the most important one is that I'd like to be able to team up with Li Wei for Cross-Border Missions in the future. Two Shadow Rangers can't form a party together."

As she said it, Li Yue gave Li Wei a cheerful look. It had been a last-minute decision, unrelated to anything else — she simply felt completely at ease working with him.

Liang Yuzhi didn't overthink it. She just said, "Then you'll have to wait. Li Wei is strong right now, but his foundations are thin across the board. Accelerating his advancement further would be a mistake. At 4+4+3+1, he's barely at the threshold for Cross-Border Missions. He needs time to consolidate — and he'll need to invest serious time in building his territory, grinding his Destiny Grid, titles, code names, weapons, and equipment. Easily five or six years, just like that."

"That's fine. There will be opportunities to team up eventually. In fact, neither of us needs to take Cross-Border Missions for the next five years either — we both have weaknesses to address, and we'll be busy too. But that's all for later. Right now, I want to give you a gift — consider it your share of the rewards for helping us."

"Oh? The sun must be rising in the west. How unusual." Liang Yuzhi blinked, genuinely wondering if Li Yue had lost her mind.

But when Li Yue produced the Heart of Illusion, Liang Yuzhi froze. She recognized it — or rather, the aura radiating from it was enough to make her heart race.

"This — this dropped from the special boss just now? Are you feeling alright? Are you still the little scorpion I know? You're giving me this — no, no, no, I'm afraid you're trying to poison me!"

Liang Yuzhi was so flustered she could barely string words together.

Li Yue gave a cold, contemptuous smile and said nothing.

A few seconds passed. Liang Yuzhi took a deep breath, looked at Li Yue with a complicated expression, then at Li Wei, and finally sighed. "You've changed."

"I haven't changed — and yet I have. After everything that happened, if I still refused to learn, the future would only bring the same outcome. So I'm choosing to treat Li Wei as someone I can trust, and to try treating you, you old hag, as half a trustworthy person. Think whatever you want. Even if you stab me in the back again someday, I won't be surprised. That's all. Oh — Zhao Xuanxuan has a Heart of Stone. Help her figure out what to do with it. That's your area."

Li Yue finished, pushed the door open, and walked out — still as prickly as ever.

But it was also her way of giving Liang Yuzhi a graceful exit. She genuinely had no desire for a tender, heartfelt moment with this old witch. The very thought made her stomach turn.

"Hmph."

Liang Yuzhi made a dismissive sound, her expression returning to normal. She pocketed the Heart of Illusion and said nothing more about it. Her long history of conflict with the scorpion was their business alone — no one else needed to know. But this time, it truly was a smile to end old grudges.

And all of it was because of Li Wei.

"The Heart of Stone, is it? Even a little waste like you gets her moment in the sun. Hand it over — let me take a look."

Zhao Xuanxuan obediently produced it. She had received no information prompts when holding it, and had no idea how to use it. It clearly needed to be assessed.

Liang Yuzhi took the Heart of Stone — roughly the size of a shot glass — and did something with it that Li Wei couldn't follow. Within moments, the Heart of Stone blazed with light, its dense magical energy nearly bursting out of control.

"Quickly, little waste — do you want to use the Heart of Stone to enhance your Destiny Title, or your Enchanted Iron Hammer? Those are your only two options."

"I choose the Destiny Title."

Zhao Xuanxuan wasn't foolish. The Destiny Title was far too important.

The words had barely left her mouth when Liang Yuzhi began roaring out a long, complex, arcane incantation — and then a boom, and the entire room was flooded with light. Li Wei, standing nearby, was nearly blinded.

When he opened his eyes again, Liang Yuzhi was sitting on the floor, forehead drenched in sweat, looking thoroughly disheveled. Zhao Xuanxuan's face was lit up with undisguised delight — clearly, the gains had been significant.

"Don't thank me. Don't speak. Get out."

Zhao Xuanxuan nodded obediently, her joy impossible to suppress, and left.

"Second Aunt — are you alright?"

Li Wei quickly helped her up.

"What could be wrong with me? I was performing for her benefit. Now she'll be even more devoted to you in the future." Liang Yuzhi's tone was completely casual, her expression instantly composed. Li Wei stared at her, speechless. Even here, she was playing games.

Then Liang Yuzhi continued: "This time, one of Li Yue and I can stay at the camp while the other goes with you. What do you think?"

Hm?

A change of heart?

Before, both Li Yue and Liang Yuzhi had hinted that their cooperation had reached its limit.

Before this battle, Li Wei would have been genuinely pleased. But now — it wasn't necessary.

"Second Aunt, you and Li Yue stay at the camp and rest easy. I'll handle the rest myself."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. I need to prove myself eventually. If I never bare my teeth, if people never know how hard my fist is, it'll always be a problem. So this fight — I have to go alone. Consider it a challenge I'm setting for myself."

"After this battle, I'll keep a low profile for the next two years. Whether or not I hold the top spot on the Pioneering Scoreboard doesn't matter. You were both right — the future of the territory, the framework that will define it for years to come, all of it has to be built now."

"Also — your situation and Li Yue's isn't exactly comfortable either. You only have five years before you're pulled into Cross-Border Missions again. Don't let history repeat itself."

Li Wei spoke plainly. Liang Yuzhi listened carefully, and finally nodded. "Fair enough. Li Yue and I can actually re-apply for a territory mission in the meantime — but it would have to be a Four-Star territory mission. Either way, don't worry about us. Now that I have the Heart of Illusion, reaching Second-Order Casting Witch within three years is no problem."

"And that little scorpion — does she still have the Heart of Poison?"

"Yes."

"Then she's set. Shadow Knight is a profession on par with Casting Witch — equally powerful. Mastery of archery, horsemanship, and swordsmanship, with the option to train in spearwork as well. Stealth, ambush, poison — and the ability to have a Hunting Pet. A formidable frontline combat class."