Chapter Ninety-Four: Bottleneck

In the days that followed, the people of the Hidden Moon Sect finally discovered what was truly different about their master, Silver Jade.

Each night, their master would become astonishingly gentle, treating even her subordinates with uncommon care. Yet with the first light of dawn, she would return to her old, indifferent self. What mattered most was that they began to suspect that she herself had no memory of what happened during the night. Though she always dismissed their concerns with contempt, after it happened enough times, suspicion naturally took root.

At last, through the cooperation of Moon-Leaving and Hidden Softness, everyone reached the same conclusion: their master suffered from intermittent amnesia.

Of course, none of them would ever tell Silver Jade. They were not eager to die.

The subordinates merely thought that their master did not realize what had changed in her, unaware that Silver Jade, from their reactions alone, had already begun to suspect herself. These unusual behaviors confused her as well. But the events of the night were truly unknown to her; there was not even a fragment of memory.

Could it be that she had split personalities?

Silver Jade was thoroughly frightened by that thought. It was not impossible, after all, but it was far too terrifying.

Just thinking that another self might be living within her body made her feel a chill of dread, and she had absolutely no idea what kind of person that other self might be. Even after hearing others describe it, Silver Jade still could not be certain.

These past days, she had become increasingly drowsy, wanting to sleep at the slightest opportunity, like someone worn out by overwork. Yet in truth, she had hardly been busy at all. Silver Jade feared that in her present physical state, when the three-month pact arrived, something unforeseen might happen.

If, in the middle of battle, she suddenly lost all strength and fell from the sky...

What a magnificently awful scene that would be.

Silver Jade made jokes at her own expense in her heart. Though her expression seemed relaxed, the pressure in her mind only grew heavier. Watching time slip away bit by bit, she could only hope that Chu Suyi and the others would come out of seclusion soon.

With seven days left, an unexpected person finally emerged from seclusion.

Silver Jade had originally assumed that the first to emerge would certainly be Li Su. She had never been sure just how formidable Li Su truly was, but she believed his strength was anything but ordinary.

It was Gu Xinyu who came out first, becoming the one who had entered seclusion the latest yet emerged comparatively early. As soon as he came out, he headed straight for the Hidden Moon Sect, because he could sense Silver Jade’s aura within it. There were some questions he needed to discuss with her and solve together.

Welcoming Gu Xinyu back from seclusion, Silver Jade also clearly sensed his level of strength: the peak of the Void Realm.

Those words had already become somewhat sensitive to her ears. After all, she had been tormented by them for days, unable to break through, remaining stuck there completely.

As for the fact that Silver Jade was not in seclusion at the moment, Gu Xinyu thought nothing of it. He did not know exactly when she had come out. If he had known it had been seven days ago, he would have been very puzzled.

"Silver Jade, you really were the first to come out of seclusion. Congratulations, reaching the peak of the Void Realm!" Gu Xinyu said with a smile, clearly in a good mood.

"You too." Silver Jade sounded faintly helpless. "Did you encounter anything strange during your seclusion?"

Hearing this, Gu Xinyu scratched his head in embarrassment. "You know, there really was one problem. It troubled me for days."

"Oh? Tell me about it. I'm more than happy to help you solve the mystery." Though she smiled, Silver Jade had the feeling that she had already expected this. She had always trusted her intuition.

Seated now, Gu Xinyu held a teacup in his hand and spoke slowly. "I don't know whether you ran into the same thing, but after I reached the Void Realm, a strange message suddenly appeared in my mind: the Void Realm is not the end. You still have to keep striving. Once that thought took root, I began wanting to break through the Void Realm and see the world beyond it."

"But after I put in every effort and successfully reached the peak of the Void Realm, when I wanted to break through in one go, I still failed every time. The spiritual energy I gathered would always disperse at the very last moment. Even when I used the fastest possible speed to gather it again, I still could not break through. Gradually, I seemed to understand that I was simply unable to advance any further in my current state."

After saying this, Gu Xinyu lifted his head to look at Silver Jade, only to find her already sunk into silence. That was not quite right.

Seeing the troubled, puzzled, frustrated, and thoughtful expressions on her face, Gu Xinyu seemed to understand.

Silver Jade had encountered the same problem.

Not wanting to interrupt her thoughts, Gu Xinyu sat to one side and drank tea in silence. There was truly nothing they could do about this situation. Both of them had encountered it, which meant Silver Jade might have already come out of seclusion long ago. Or perhaps, after the day she emerged fifteen days earlier, she had never entered seclusion again.

Their shared bottleneck suddenly made Gu Xinyu very curious about Chu Suyi's strength after he came out of seclusion. And of course, there was also that unfathomable Li Su.

The two of them sat in their places the entire afternoon, not moving an inch. Their thoughts gradually drew them into a meditative stillness.

Deep in the night, they opened their eyes. When they saw one another's faces, they exchanged friendly smiles. Gu Xinyu noticed that something seemed different in Silver Jade's smile.

Yes, a little different. How should he put it?

Ordinarily, even when Silver Jade smiled at a friend, there was always something somewhat formal about it. If the other person were truly a close friend, then her smile would carry a trace more sincerity. But tonight, her smile was very gentle, with the faintest hint of softness in it.

Of course, Gu Xinyu did not think the words gentle and soft were suited to Silver Jade at all. If she could be described that way, then there would truly be no shortage of formidable women in this world.

"Are you going back to the Azure Wing Pavilion, or staying here for the night?" Silver Jade asked, glancing at the already blackened sky. It was, at least, a matter of courtesy.

Gu Xinyu shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I still need to return to the Azure Wing Pavilion. I only came to see you first because, the moment I came out of seclusion, I sensed your aura and also had questions in my heart."

"Very well. If anything comes up, I'll have someone summon you." Nodding, Silver Jade called for a servant to escort Gu Xinyu out.

The next day, Chu Suyi and Li Su emerged from seclusion at the same time. The moment they did, Silver Jade and Gu Xinyu both sensed their auras immediately.

In the inn, four people sat together in a private room: three men and one woman. Clearly, this lone woman, Silver Jade, was the core of the group, and thus everyone's gaze fell upon her.

Silver Jade felt a little awkward inwardly. Was this really necessary? The way all of you are staring at me is making the pressure in my heart rise higher and higher.

"Ahem, has everyone reached the peak of the Void Realm?" After clearing her throat twice, Silver Jade looked at the three of them one by one before speaking slowly.

"Mm."

"Yes."

"Then I wonder if you all encountered a bottleneck as well?" She first exchanged a glance with Gu Xinyu, then looked at Li Su and Chu Suyi and asked.

There was deep meaning in Silver Jade's question. Chu Suyi and Li Su were naturally no fools, and quickly caught on.

"You did too?"

After receiving nods from Silver Jade and Gu Xinyu, the four of them understood. They had all encountered the same strange bottleneck. Just when they had been told that the Void Realm was not the end, they still could not break through.

"We've all encountered this situation. I think Ji Muyu and Yin Su will probably encounter it too. That means that for now, our side has the advantage in strength. It's just that Lie is a variable, and one to be wary of. No one knows exactly how strong he is. Also, Mu Ye Aishuo should be returning tomorrow. Everyone should take this time to adjust properly and prepare for the battle six days from now."

Silver Jade delivered her final conclusion. Though it was only her speculation, it was also the most likely one. Facing the impending duel, everyone seemed faintly excited.

"There is one more thing. When the battle comes, I hope it will be me alone against Ji Muyu, because the original challenge was always only an agreement between him and me. Your involvement was only because he is our common enemy. When the time comes, Yin Su and the others will be your responsibility. If something unexpected happens, of course you may join in. I simply do not want you all to be involved from the very beginning."

Silver Jade only brought this up at this point, which naturally surprised the three men. Why had she not told them from the start that it was actually a personal duel between her and Ji Muyu?

Although it would surely become a chaotic melee in the end, the fact that she only said this now left them feeling somewhat uneasy. Their expressions did not escape Silver Jade's notice. She smiled.

"There is no need for that. You should trust my strength. I know you're worried about my safety, but don't forget, you will be near me. Even if something unexpected happens, you can still intervene in time."

That explanation was enough to make the three men more or less accept it. They all understood Silver Jade's temperament, so they said no more. They simply hoped that the unforeseen would not come to pass.

In the secret chamber of the Nightfall Tower, Yin Su knelt behind Ji Muyu, lowering her head as she spoke. "I have emerged from seclusion. My strength has been fixed at the peak of the Void Realm."

The answer carried little surprise. Ji Muyu waved her away, signaling that she could leave.

Ever since he had gone into seclusion while Silver Jade and the others were not in Jade City, he had discovered that his strength had also stopped at the peak of the Void Realm. And just the day before, he had clearly sensed the strength of Gu Xinyu and Silver Jade, which led him to a bold conjecture: those who possessed this kind of power would all have their strength fixed at the peak of the Void Realm.

Now, Yin Su's situation confirmed his suspicion. It seemed everyone would stand on the same level. The final victory would depend on each person's other abilities.

Looking out the window, Ji Muyu only felt a headache coming on whenever he thought of Wan Youxue's current condition. He had accidentally discovered that Wan Youxue would turn into a red-haired, red-eyed figure in the middle of the night. That was a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life. The first time he saw it, he had been terrified beyond measure. Yet by day, Wan Youxue would return to normal once again.

What a bizarre phenomenon. It only made Ji Muyu's desire to obtain the Weeping Lotus even stronger. He was thinking about how he might make Silver Jade agree to let the Frost Spirit Valley reappear and activate the Frost Spirit Array.

On the fifth day before the deadline, Mu Ye Aishuo returned without incident. They had truly returned after completing their training. Everyone welcomed their return, while quietly awaiting the arrival of that day.