31: Chapter 31: The outcome is not determined by a few brief entries in history books, but by one's own choices and strength.

The room was brightly lit.

Listening to the seemingly casual yet sharp question from the blonde girl beside him, Lu Jing's hand, reaching for a meat skewer, paused imperceptibly.

He slowly raised his eyes, his calm gaze—far beyond his actual age—meeting Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes, which held a hint of expectation and testing. Instead of answering directly, he asked back with a near-cold composure, "Do you think you cannot complete it?"

The faint smile on Qian Renxue's face froze slightly; clearly, she had not expected Lu Jing to answer this way.

"If you have already planted the seed of 'possible failure' deep within your heart before execution, if you harbor even a shred of hesitation or uncertainty..."

Lu Jing's voice was low, yet it was like a needle quenched in ice, precisely piercing the relaxed atmosphere she had deliberately cultivated. "Then I advise you to give up now; don't do it at all."

The room fell silent instantly; only the aroma of the grilled meat lingered, though it now seemed somewhat abrupt and out of place.

Qian Renxue's willow-leaf brows furrowed as she looked at the young boy before her, who possessed the stature of a child but eyes as deep as a pool.

The certainty in his words did not stem from foresight of the future, but rather from a sharpness that pierced through the human heart. She realized instantly that her probing had been seen through, and she had been shut down in a manner bordering on a reprimand.

"I..."

Qian Renxue parted her vermilion lips slightly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible difficulty as she asked softly, "Did I... fail?"

She had finally asked the question that had been hovering in her heart, keeping her awake at night. She needed to verify if this boy, who claimed to be from the future, truly knew about the secret operation that concerned the fate of Spirit Hall and herself.

Looking at the deeply hidden tension and stubbornness in her eyes, Lu Jing suddenly smiled faintly. The smile was light, carrying a sense of understanding born from having weathered the vicissitudes of time, yet it also held a strange, soothing power.

"Whether it is failure or success."

He put down the meat skewer he had barely touched, his tone calm yet filled with powerful persuasion. "Those are things that have not yet happened, a scroll that has yet to be unfurled. They exist among countless 'possibilities,' not as 'certainties' set in stone."

Lu Jing's gaze became focused and earnest, as if trying to pierce through the girl before him and see into the depths of her soul. "History is not unchangeable text carved into stone. What determines the final outcome is not a few strokes in the history books, but the people within it—their choices at every crossroads, their persistence, and... their absolute strength. As long as you act securely enough from now on, think every step through thoroughly, maintain a firm will, and possess sufficient power... then,"

He paused slightly, emphasizing his tone, "Even if it seems like a destined failure, it may not be impossible for you to change it—with your own hands—into a success."

He was very clear about the underlying intention behind Qian Renxue's "late-night visit."

Beyond wanting to know her own ending, more importantly, she wanted to use the top-secret "Heaven Dou Mission" as a touchstone to test the authenticity of his identity as a "visitor from ten thousand years in the future"!

Because she was absolutely certain that for such a major historical event, whether it succeeded or failed, as long as Spirit Hall ultimately failed to unify the continent, then in order to highlight the greatness and success of that "Shrek ancestor" Tang San, this secret history regarding the Spirit Hall Saintess infiltrating Heaven Dou and attempting to overthrow it would definitely be written about extensively, becoming an unavoidable, heavy stroke in the history books.

If Lu Jing were ignorant of this, or answered vaguely, his lie about "coming from the future" would be instantly exposed.

By then, although he and Wang Donger would not necessarily be harmed, their level of trust would drop significantly. Therefore, just in case, he had to employ the art of language to ensure that while Qian Renxue continued her infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire, she would also affirm the authenticity of their identities.

In truth, there was no other way. Although, compared to the current Spirit Hall, it would be the best choice for Qian Renxue to do nothing and just stay in Spirit Hall to cultivate, the problem was: would doing so change the history of the future?

If it wouldn't, then it wouldn't matter, but if it would, he had to consider it carefully. After all, the most important reason he and Wang Donger had come here was because of the pursuit by Bei Bei and Tang Ya.

Qian Renxue stared fixedly at Lu Jing, the light in her beautiful eyes, which resembled a galaxy, flickering uncertainly.

Lu Jing's response regarding "the future is changeable" and "human effort can change things" acted like an invisible barrier. It cleverly avoided directly spoiling the cruel fact that "she failed," while also explaining in an unassailable way "why he wouldn't clearly state the ending"—because the ending was not fixed. This perfectly matched the logical thinking of someone from the future who knew the path of history but also understood its variability; it was far more authentic and credible than simply saying "you failed" or "you succeeded."

She had not received the clear answer she wanted, but she had gained a more profound and shocking insight—the future was in her own hands.

After a moment of silence, the complex light in Qian Renxue's eyes gradually settled, transforming into a calmness tinged with scrutiny.

She nodded gently, her voice returning to its usual coldness and elegance. "I understand."

She did not pursue it further. Lu Jing's answer was powerful enough, and enough to let her confirm some things—at least, his credibility as someone "from the future" had greatly increased in her heart. As for the answer of the future... she would write it with her own hands.

"Get some rest early." Qian Renxue stood up, her movements fluid and elegant, as if the conversation filled with hidden barbs had never occurred. Her golden skirt rippled like water as she turned and walked toward the door, leaving behind only a noble yet slightly lonely silhouette.

The door was gently closed, cutting off his view.

Lu Jing did not move; his gaze fell upon the box of barely touched grilled meat on the table. The aroma remained, yet he no longer had any desire to taste it. He walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. The night was deep, and the courtyard of the Elder Hall appeared exceptionally quiet and solemn under the moonlight.

Watching the direction in which Qian Renxue had departed, he shook his head helplessly, a complex sigh echoing silently in his heart:

"Twenty years of infiltration, every step calculated, racking her brains... yet ultimately ruined in an instant, defeated at the hands of a mere Tang San... it really is quite ironic..." This unspoken whisper was a precise summary of that secret history annihilated in the dust of ten thousand years, and also a sigh for Qian Renxue's fate.

He knew the process but could not speak it plainly; he could only hope that she could truly understand his hint regarding "change." Yet, how immense was the inertia of history? That "Asura Demon Sword" that pierced the heart of Spirit Hall... could it really be changed?

Just as this thought, heavy with the weight of history, had not yet dissipated, a light knocking sound came from the door once again.