A memory played out with perfect clarity. Few months ago, Yoriichi had just exited the Library Pavilion after a grueling, multi-day dive into the Xuan-Class scrolls. His mind had been an absolute void, deeply consumed by the theoretical routing of Yin-heavy Dou Qi.
As he had descended the marble steps, the ambient air pressure had suddenly spiked with an erratic, fiercely aggressive intent.
A girl had deliberately blocked his path. She wore a tight-fitting crimson uniform that perfectly matched the thick, spiked, blood-red whip coiled in her hand. Her aura was a chaotic storm of Peak Dou Shi energy, completely unrefined but terrifyingly dense.
"So you're the so-called Demon Swordsman," Hu Jia had sneered, her eyes gleaming with a manic, almost unhinged excitement.
To emphasize her arrival, she casually snapped her wrist. CRACK! The blood-red whip shattered a solid marble tile just inches from Yoriichi's bare feet, sending stone shrapnel flying.
"I've beaten every so called talents in the western sector into the mud today," Hu Jia boasted loudly, planting her hands on her hips. "Draw your sword, Xiao Ning! Let's see if your blood is actually as cold as the rumors say!"
Yoriichi had simply stopped on the steps. His Transparent World vision washed over her, completely dissecting her combat posture in few seconds. He saw a wildly talented but fundamentally impatient fighter. Her center of gravity was shifted entirely to her toes—a hyper-offensive stance that completely sacrificed defensive stability.
Defeating her would require less then a dozen strikes likely. It would take just few minutes. However, it would inevitably draw a crowd, necessitate a visit to the Healing Pavilion, and potentially incur the wrath of her grandfather, the Deputy Headmaster, completely disrupting his meticulously planned library schedule.
His logical conclusion was absolute: fighting her yielded negative tactical value and a sheer waste of caloric energy.
"Excuse me," Yoriichi had said mildly.
Without a single fluctuation of Dou Qi, Yoriichi utilized the fundamental footwork of the Shadowless Sun Tread. He didn't retreat; he simply flowed forward like a stream encountering a rock. As Hu Jia tensed her arm to unleash a preemptive strike, Yoriichi stepped flawlessly into her blind spot, his shoulder brushing past hers like a phantom.
By the time Hu Jia snapped her whip forward, it tore through empty air. Yoriichi was already ten paces down the path, his gait unbroken, his mind already returning to the complex scroll.
"Hey!" Hu Jia yelled, spinning around in sheer bewilderment. "Are you deaf? I challenged you!"
Yoriichi didn't look back. He didn't even break his stride.
Hu Jia had stood there, her heavy whip dangling uselessly by her side. The manic battle-lust in her eyes fizzled out entirely, instantly replaced by a profound, irritating boredom. A predator could not hunt prey that simply refused to acknowledge it was being hunted. It was like trying to punch a cloud.
"Tch. What an incredibly boring block of wood," Hu Jia had scoffed loudly, violently kicking a pebble before turning and storming off in the opposite direction in search of a more entertaining victim.
"Her aura was too violent," Yoriichi finished, bringing his mind back to the quiet evening walk with his sister. "I had to intentionally divert my path and ignore her challenge to avoid a pointless confrontation while my focus was required elsewhere."
Xiao Yu nodded, understanding his observation perfectly.
"They did not participate in the preliminary rounds today," Xiao Yu explained, shaking her head. "Bai Shan, Hu Jia, and a few other apex seniors from our generation... they actually withdrew from the tournament entirely this year."
Yoriichi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Withdrew? Given their arrogance and talent, that seems highly illogical."
"It is actually pure calculation," Xiao Yu continued, pulling her cloak slightly tighter against the evening chill. "The competition this year is unprecedented. The current Top 5 spots are almost exclusively dominated by returning veteran students—monsters who have already stabilized at the Da Dou Shi realm after surviving the Black-Corner Region. For 9-Star Dou Shis like Bai Shan, breaching the Top 5 right now is nearly impossible."
Yoriichi processed this information logically. It was a tactical retreat.
"They are hoarding their strength," Yoriichi deduced. "Rather than risking severe injury or public humiliation against Da Dou Shis this year, they are choosing to bide their time. They will solidify their own breakthroughs and guarantee a Top 5 push next year to secure any high class techniques."
Xiao Yu sighed softly, a trace of regret in her voice. "Yes. They are just hoping to survive the week. Everyone is looking toward next year."
"Next year is too late for us," Yoriichi stated, his voice a calm, unwavering rumble.
Xiao Yu stopped walking. She looked at his pale, bandaged face, the setting sun casting long shadows across his stoic features. A flicker of genuine confusion crossed her pink-red eyes. She didn't understand why he was in such an extreme, desperate rush. They were only freshmen; waiting a year to solidify their foundations was the standard, logical path. Why risk everything right now?
However, looking into his deep, unwavering crimson eyes, she didn't voice her doubts. She knew her brother better than anyone. He never acted without a profound, calculated reason. If there was a hidden threat or a ticking clock he was preparing for, she trusted that he would surely tell her when the time was right.
"Alright," Xiao Yu said softly, stepping closer to his side, pushing her confusion aside. "We will secure the Top 5. Both of us."
They resumed their walk, the silence returning, heavier but filled with a shared, unbreakable resolve.
Eventually, the familiar wooden gates of their private courtyard came into view. The area was quiet, bathed in the tranquil purple hues of twilight.
As Yoriichi reached out to unlatch the gate, Xiao Yu suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"Alright," Xiao Yu declared, her hands on her hips, adopting an exaggerated, bossy tone that masked her deep concern for his physical state. "You go inside and sit on the bed. Do not move. Do not try to analyze any scrolls. Do not even breathe too heavily."
Yoriichi blinked, his hand hovering over the latch. "I am perfectly capable of—"
"No, you are not!" Xiao Yu interrupted, pointing a stern finger at his bandaged chest. "You looked like you were going to collapse after you choked out that brute today! Your meridians are still starved. You need absolute rest."
She pushed the gate open and gently but firmly nudged him by the shoulder toward his room.
"I am going to cook dinner tonight," Xiao Yu announced proudly, a slight, mischievous twinkle in her slitted eyes.
Yoriichi paused, his stoic expression cracking to reveal a sliver of genuine, profound hesitation.
"You?" Yoriichi asked mildly. "Cooking?"
In the memories, Xiao Yu had never successfully cooked a meal that didn't end in a small, localized kitchen fire or a dish that tasted like salted leather. Her talents lay entirely in cultivation and wielding a whip, not a spatula.
"Hey!" Xiao Yu huffed indignantly, reading the blatant doubt in his crimson eyes. "I'll have you know I learned a few things from the pavilion chefs while you were locked in the library for months! It won't be a disaster!"
She turned and marched toward the small, open-air fire hut situated near the balcony.
"Just go rest!" she called over her shoulder. "I'll bring it to you when it's done. And if I hear you moving around, I'm going to freeze your mattress!"
Yoriichi let out a very faint, deeply weary sigh. He knew arguing with her when she was in this protective, mother-hen mode was absolutely pointless.
He walked into his room, the cool wooden floorboards soothing against his bare feet. He slowly sat down on the edge of his bed, the adrenaline of the day finally bleeding out of his muscles, leaving behind a heavy, leaden exhaustion.
As he listened to the sudden, chaotic clattering of pots and pans echoing from the outdoor kitchen, followed by a quiet, frustrated curse from his sister, Yoriichi closed his eyes.
He didn't cultivate. He didn't analyze combat data. For the first time in a very long while, the supreme swordsman simply allowed himself to rest, trusting the safety of the courtyard and the chaotic, albeit warm, domesticity of his only family.