62: Ripples on the lake of the heart

Lin Ye stood alone under the cold moonlight, letting the biting night wind blow across his thin clothes.

For a long, long time.

He slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the cold jade bottle in his hand, which still retained a trace of a young girl's body temperature.

He knew very well that if this bottle of Medicinal Pill were placed in the Sect's market, it would be enough to exchange for thousands of contribution points!

And she, just like that, with an understated demeanor, delivered this immense favor into his hands.

Lin Ye's heart was a mix of emotions.

He slowly walked back to his desolate Immortal Cave and closed the stone door tightly.

He did not immediately begin to Cultivate, but simply sat quietly on the cold stone bed, repeatedly caressing the warm jade bottle in his hand.

In his mind, Su Qingyue's cold figure, her indifferent words, and those eyes that seemed to see through everything, brighter than stars, were replaying like a brand.

"In the face of absolute strength, any schemes and tricks are nothing more than… ridiculous, futile efforts."

These words seemed to be a warning, a reprimand.

But Lin Ye, from beneath those cold words, heard a hint of something completely opposite, a deeply hidden… kindness.

She was reminding him.

Reminding him not to be immersed in the "success" he achieved in the Outer Sect by relying on wit and schemes.

She was telling him that the Inner Sect was a place where only strength mattered!

Lin Ye's heart stirred slightly.

He recalled the cold gaze outside the Minor Competition arena, a fleeting glance that carried a hint of imperceptible curiosity.

And today, this seemingly "chance encounter" was actually a deliberate act of providing timely help.

This favored daughter of the Heavens, who in everyone's eyes was like a Nine Heavens fairy, cold, arrogant, and aloof from worldly affairs, seemed… not as unfeeling as she appeared on the surface.

"Cold on the outside… warm on the inside?"

Lin Ye silently chewed on this phrase in his heart, a warm curve forming unconsciously at the corner of his mouth, one he hadn't even noticed himself.

This was his first truly formal conversation with her.

There were no prying eyes, no tense atmosphere.

Only the cold moonlight and those few seemingly indifferent but deeply meaningful admonitions.

Lin Ye's heart had already grown cold and hard due to the cruel rules of the Inner Sect.

But at this moment, Su Qingyue's actions were like a pebble dropped into the center of a lake, quietly rippling out circle after circle of "warmth."

These ripples were light and faint, yet enough to melt a corner of the solid ice.

He didn't know why Su Qingyue would do this.

Was it because she also disapproved of Han Meng's domineering nature? Or was it because, as the Sect Master's daughter, she didn't want to see a "potential" Disciple stifled in his infancy?

Perhaps, it was both.

But what did it matter?

What was important was that he was no longer alone, fighting a solitary battle in this cold and cruel Inner Sect.

He didn't want to betray this unexpected "regard."

And even more, he didn't want to forever be in a position like today, accepting her "charity" in a manner almost like "begging"!

He wanted to become strong! Stronger than anyone else!

Strong enough that one day, he could stand before her with dignity, as an equal!

Strong enough that one day, he could calmly say to her—

"The kindness you showed me that day, I… will repay it twofold!"

An unprecedented, intensely strong desire for power suddenly surged from the deepest part of his heart!

This desire was no longer just for survival, for self-preservation.

It was also for… dignity, a promise.

He didn't know what kind of flower this seed would blossom into in the future.

But he knew that from today onwards, he needed to water and protect it with endless sweat and effort!

"Su Qingyue…"

Lin Ye silently recited the name in the darkness.

Without the slightest hesitation, he carefully placed the extremely precious high-grade bone tempering pill aside.

This time, he didn't look at the mission stone wall again, nor did he think about Han Meng's threat.

All his focus was completely immersed in the ultimate craving for power!