Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation Chapter 602: A Hug (3)

The night air greeted them immediately, cool and invigorating after the warmth of the fireplace. The Sky Caravan had changed completely during the hours they had spent inside.

Hours earlier, its streets had been crowded, full of life and movement. Now, only a few cultivators walked along the avenues, their solitary figures beneath the light of the lanterns.

The floating lanterns remained suspended in the sky, spreading soft light over the streets, but many of them had already gone out, and those that remained glowed with less intensity. The night breeze was cool, carrying the scents of the night, flowers, earth, and the distant smell of street food that was no longer being prepared.

Kyrian walked beside Gao Ziyue, their steps synchronized in a natural rhythm. Neither of them said anything, but there was no need. The silence between them was comfortable, filled by each other’s presence.

Until, after a few minutes, Gao Ziyue stopped.

Kyrian took two more steps before realizing it, his feet stopping in the middle of the street. He turned, his eyes meeting hers.

"What is it?"

Gao Ziyue remained still, her eyes slightly widened. She seemed to be concentrating on something, but not on the surrounding environment. Something inside herself, something she was only beginning to understand.

She took a deep breath, once, then again. Her expression slowly became more serious, surprise giving way to a deeper understanding.

Kyrian waited, patient.

Finally, she spoke, her voice a little lower than usual.

"I think... it’s time for us to say goodbye."

The words were simple, but they carried a weight that neither of them could ignore. They hung in the air like a dark cloud, announcing the end of something they had both deeply enjoyed.

Kyrian felt his chest tighten for some reason, a sensation he could not completely name. He knew that moment would come, that the night could not last forever. Even so, he seemed not to be entirely prepared to hear those words.

"Alright..." His voice came out lower than he intended, and he noticed there was a hesitation in it that normally did not exist.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke, the silence between them filled with everything that had remained unsaid.

Then Kyrian asked, his voice firmer now:

"Will we see each other in the Azhura’k Domain?"

Gao Ziyue slowly shook her head, her eyes turning away for a moment.

"No. I probably won’t sleep for the next few days."

Kyrian slightly furrowed his brow, confused.

"Why?"

Gao Ziyue raised her eyes, and there was something different in them, a mixture of surprise, hope, and a joy she could barely contain.

"The barrier in my cultivation... It has loosened."

Kyrian became completely attentive, his body leaning slightly forward.

"Suddenly?"

"Yes." Gao Ziyue placed one hand over her chest, as if she could feel the change through her touch.

"After so many years, for the first time I can feel it changing. It’s as if something that was trapped has finally begun to move, as if an ancient chain were finally coming undone."

Her voice trembled slightly, filled with an emotion she made no attempt to hide.

"It’s as if something that was trapped has finally begun to move."

Kyrian understood immediately. The Heart Demon, the barrier that kept her trapped at the peak of the Spiritual Awakening Realm, the guilt that prevented her from advancing. The chain that imprisoned her had loosened.

"Then..." His voice was careful, as if he were touching something fragile.

"I think I can break through."

She smiled, a small, almost disbelieving smile, as if she herself still could not completely believe it.

"Even with the Heart Demon... I feel like I have a great chance now. The guilt is still there, the suffering of Azhura’k still weighs on me. But something has changed, something has shifted. Maybe... maybe I can finally face it."

Kyrian smiled, and this time his happiness was genuine, shining in his violet eyes.

"That’s great."

Gao Ziyue stared at him, her eyes tracing his face as if memorizing every detail.

"You really think so?"

"Yes." He nodded without hesitation.

"You’ll succeed."

There was no doubt in his voice, no hesitation, no attempt to soften the truth. It was a pure, absolute statement, as if it were an indisputable fact.

"Good luck."

Gao Ziyue felt her heart warm, a sensation spreading throughout her body.

Perhaps that was exactly what she liked most about him. Kyrian did not say things to comfort her, to ease her pain, or to make her feel better. When he believed in something, he simply said it, with the honesty of someone who did not know how to lie.

"Thank you." She took a deep breath, feeling the night air fill her lungs.

"I’ll need it."

The two remained there for a few seconds, the silence between them filled with everything they had shared that night.

Then Gao Ziyue asked, her voice softer.

"How long are you going to stay in the Sky Caravan?"

Kyrian looked at the streets, his eyes sweeping over the floating lanterns, the silent buildings, and the artificial sky that glowed with an eternal twilight.

"I’ll probably stay until the end of the Festival. I still have a few competitions to participate in, and I want to make the most of the time I have here."

Gao Ziyue nodded, her eyes fixed on his face.

"And afterward?"

Kyrian thought, his mind going over everything he had accomplished since arriving at the Caravan. The competitions, his cultivation progress, the technique he had created, the Endless Needles Technique, and the lessons with Sun Luguo had opened an entirely new world to him.

All of that had given him far more than he had expected when he arrived, and he felt that it was time to move on.

"Afterward, I’ll follow my own path." He looked at her, his violet eyes meeting hers.

"I’ve already accomplished quite a lot here."

"Where to?"

"Central Region."

She fell silent, processing the information. The Central Region was vast, larger than all the other four regions combined, a place of infinite possibilities and dangers.

Then she replied, her voice lower.

"The Caravan will head toward the Eastern Region. It’s the next stop on our route, and we’ll stay there for a few years."

The silence that came afterward was different, carrying a distance that went beyond the physical.

Now there was a clear separation between their paths. Kyrian needed to head toward the Center, while the Caravan would go East. For several years, their paths would be different, and the distance between them would be immense.