295: Chapter 293 Ling Xi's Choice

On the edge of Guixu, the spacetime flying boat cast a slender shadow under the reflection of the gray sea of light.

Shen Nian sat in front of the control panel for three full days, repeatedly studying the detection data recorded by Uncle Zhang.

The patterns of those fluctuations became clearer and clearer, and the emotions emitted by that huge phantom became more and more realistic, as if a sleeping person was murmuring in a dream.

But he knew that now was not the time for in-depth exploration.

There were only three people on the flying boat, supplies were limited, and they were completely unfamiliar with this sea of light; rushing in blindly was too dangerous.

He needed a bigger plan, more manpower, and more adequate preparation.

He had to go back.

Early on the fourth morning, Shen Nian walked to the control panel, raised his hand to touch the silver-white crystal core, and said, "Uncle Zhang, prepare for the return voyage."

Uncle Zhang stood up from his seat and respectfully replied, "Yes, Senior."

He turned around to adjust the course with clean and neat movements.

Having worked in the Investigation Department for seven hundred years, he had long been accustomed to leaving on a whim and returning whenever needed.

Being cautious in exploring the unknown and obeying established orders was a creed carved into his bones.

Yue Li walked over from the porthole without asking too many questions.

She knew that Shen Nian's decision to return must have his own considerations.

She just stood beside Shen Nian, looking together with him at the increasingly distant gray sea of light outside the porthole, and at the huge phantom still standing deep within.

Until the sea of light completely disappeared from view, Yue Li withdrew her gaze: "How do you plan to prepare?"

Shen Nian was silent for a moment: "After returning, Disciple wants to discuss this matter with Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi."

The Guardian Academy needs to form an official exploration team, and the things over at Guixu are worth investing more manpower and time into."

Yue Li nodded and said nothing more.

The flying boat sailed in the sea of stars for over half a year.

When the outline of Yongning City appeared outside the porthole again, Shen Nian saw those familiar city walls and palaces gleaming with gold in the morning light, and the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

He was back; he had done what he promised Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi.

On the Star Port, Director Su Yun was already waiting.

Seeing Shen Nian walk out of the cabin hatch, she looked him up and down, and after confirming that he was missing no arms or legs, she breathed a sigh of relief: "You're back."

"Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi is waiting for you in the Council Hall; she said she has something important to tell you."

Director Su Yun paused, a trace of imperceptible complexity flashing in her eyes, "Prepare yourself mentally."

Shen Nian's heart stirred slightly.

He didn't ask much, just nodded and walked toward the Council Hall.

The doors of the Council Hall were wide open, and the afternoon sunlight slanted in through the windows, casting shadows upon the blue stone floor.

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi stood inside the hall, her back to the door, looking at the huge star map on the wall.

Her figure was still upright, but today she was not wearing her plain white robe, instead changing into an ordinary cyan cloth shirt, and her hair was casually tied behind her head.

Shen Nian walked behind her and stopped: "Senior, Disciple has returned."

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi turned around and looked at him.

Her eye sockets were slightly reddish, but not with sadness, rather with an indescribable calmness.

It was like the calmness before finally speaking out a decision made over a very long time.

"Shen Nian, you're back."

"Just in time, I have something to tell you."

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi's voice was very soft, yet it clearly entered Shen Nian's ears.

Shen Nian stepped forward: "Please speak, Senior."

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi was silent for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts.

Then she spoke: "I have decided to step down as the Guardian Patriarch."

Shen Nian's hand suddenly paused.

The Council Hall fell silent, so quiet that only the sound of the wind outside the window and the faint sound of sword practice from the distant Guardian Academy remained.

Shen Nian looked into Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi's eyes, confirming that he hadn't misheard.

He saw that those eyes were filled with calmness, without hesitation or reluctance, only a sense of relief after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.

"Senior, you..." His voice was a bit hoarse.

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi raised her hand to interrupt him: "You don't need to persuade me."

"I made this decision a long time ago; it's not a sudden impulse."

She turned around and looked at the star map, "One hundred years."

"From the establishment of the New Universe to now, a full hundred years."

"I watched this land go from nothing to the Myriad Realms being of one heart today, and watched the Guardian Academy develop from a few hundred Disciples to spreading across all realms."

"I have done everything I could, and now it's time for someone else to take over."

Shen Nian was silent, not knowing how to respond.

It wasn't that he had never thought about Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi abdicating, but when this moment truly arrived, he still felt it somewhat unreal.

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi was the last Guardian of the Old Universe, and the most resilient Guardian after Bai Yunzhou.

After Shen Zhao dissipated, it was she who shouldered the burden of the entire sea of stars.

She was the last living name on the Monument of Heroes, the witness of that era.

"Senior, what do you plan to do after stepping down?" Shen Nian finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi's lips curved up slightly: "I plan to write a book."

"To write down all the past events of the Old Universe, the origin of the Guardian Academy, and the stories of those people who are no longer here."

"Let future generations see them and remember them."

Tears swirled in Shen Nian's eyes, but he didn't let them fall: "Then the seal of the Guardian Patriarch..."

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi took out a crystal-clear jade seal from her bosom, with the four large characters "Guardian Patriarch" engraved on the front and the totem of the New Universe on the back.

The jade seal glowed with a warm luster in the afternoon sunlight, resembling a warm piece of jade held in countless hands.

She did not hand the seal to Shen Nian, but held it in her hand, looking at it: "I originally planned to hand the seal directly to you."

"But you don't need it."

"You have already surpassed the title of Guardian Patriarch."

"Your Master didn't take the seal back then either, but what he did exceeded any Guardian Patriarch."

Shen Nian's hand paused slightly.

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi put the seal back into her bosom: "I will hand it to the right person."

"There is a young Disciple in the Guardian Academy named Lu Qing."

"She practices diligently, has a pure Dao Heart, and is very familiar with the situation of all realms."

"She is even younger than you were when you entered the Guardian Academy back then, but I think she can do it."

Shen Nian thought of the young Disciple named Lu Qing.

She was indeed outstanding, with superior Spiritual Root, extremely high Comprehension Ability, and more importantly, she possessed a rare ordinary mind—never eager for quick success or instant benefit, nor slackening off.

"Disciple thinks Lu Qing is suitable," Shen Nian said.

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi nodded, her gaze passing over Shen Nian to look at the sky outside the hall: "Then it's settled."

"At the beginning of next month, I will formally hand over duties in front of the Monument of Heroes."

"You must come then."

Shen Nian knelt down and kowtowed deeply: "Disciple will definitely come."

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi didn't say anything more, only waving her hand: "Go."

"You just returned from Guixu, take a good rest first."

"Director Su Yun is keeping an eye on the affairs of all realms, so you don't need to worry."

Shen Nian stood up and walked out of the Council Hall.

The sunlight fell on him, warm and bright.

He stood on the steps outside the hall and took a deep breath; the air carried the fresh fragrance of vegetation and the moisture of the soil.

The sea of stars was still operating, and the Guardian Academy still spent every day and night amidst morning bells and evening drums.

He only knew that a lamp on this land was about to be extinguished—a lamp that had shone for a hundred years.

But the lamp would go out, yet the light would not disappear.

He turned around and took one last look at the Council Hall.

Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi was still standing in the hall, her back to the door, still looking at the star map.

Early the next morning, Shen Nian came to the front of the Monument of Heroes.

The colorless light at the top of the monument was still bright in the morning light, and those names on the monument body remained clear—Patriarch Bai Yunzhou, Ling Shuang, Zhou Zhiting, Song Xinghe, Guardian Lin Jingyun, Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao, Shen Yuan, Shen Zhao—as well as countless unfamiliar names and countless sacrificed heroic martyrs.

They were all on this monument, on this land, and in the hearts of every living person.

Shen Nian knelt before the monument, laying the qinglian sword across his knees, and kowtowed deeply: "Patriarch, Uncle, Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi is about to step down."

"She handed the seal to a young Disciple."

"Her name is Lu Qing."

"She is very good."

"Seniors, rest assured, the sea of stars will always be guarded by someone."

"Disciple is here, and Disciple will always be here."

The wind blew across the Monument of Heroes, swaying the spiritual flowers before it, their petals gently swaying in the morning light like countless voices whispering.

Shen Nian stood up, took one last look at the monument, and turned to walk in the direction of the Guardian Academy.

There were still classes to teach today, and Disciples to instruct.

An hour later, he stood in the Martial Arts Arena of the Guardian Academy, facing more than a hundred young Disciples.

Their gazes fell upon him; some held pens ready to record, some gripped the long swords in their hands tightly, and some looked at him with anticipation in their eyes.

"Today's class will not teach sword techniques or Formations," Shen Nian's voice clearly spread across the entire venue, "Disciple wants to tell you a story."

"A story about Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi, about how she single-handedly shouldered the entire Guardian Academy at the beginning of the establishment of the New Universe."

The Disciples quieted down, all their gazes focused on Shen Nian.

Shen Nian began to narrate.

He told how Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi took over the seal of the Guardian Patriarch after Shen Zhao dissipated, how she rebuilt the Guardian Academy in the ruins, and how she developed the Guardian Academy from a few hundred people to spreading across all realms over a hundred years.

He told how she patrolled the city walls of Yongning City alone every late night, and how she stood at the very front during every critical moment.

He told a lot, until the setting sun went down and the spiritual lamps lit up in the twilight.

The Disciples listened quietly, and no one left midway.

Some reddened their eye sockets, some clenched their fists, and some recorded rapidly in their notebooks.

Shen Nian finished speaking.

He stood in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, looking at those young faces: "Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi is about to step down."

"But everything she has done will not disappear because she steps down."

"The seeds she planted have grown into towering trees."

"You are the fruits borne on those trees."

The Disciples knelt down uniformly and kowtowed deeply.

Shen Nian stood in the twilight, watching those kneeling figures, an indescribable calmness welling up in his heart.

He knew that Guardian Ancestor Ling Xi's choice was right.

Handing the seal to the younger generation and leaving hope to the later generations.

This was the Guardian's most difficult and greatest decision.

Back then, Shen Zhao was like this, Shen Yuan was like this, and Bai Yunzhou was also like this.

Generation after generation, it had never changed.