Jingliu stood dumbly in place, tilting her head back as she stared blankly at the demonic red planet, which grew larger and larger in the sky.
In her nightmare, that living planet wailed and sang, sweeping toward everyone with burning mountains and land.
On the long street, people screamed, struggling and writhing in the despair of doomsday, as golden vines endlessly grew from every one of their mouths and nostrils before death claimed them.
In the end, she was one of the very few survivors.
In her moment of despair, someone appeared before her, and as that person glanced at her and spoke something, her nightmare suddenly ended.
It was then that Jingliu finally remembered—the face of the young man just now was exactly the same as the person in her dream!
Jingliu did not understand why this was, but what mattered was that she saw it with her own eyes—the fall of the red planet.
In the sky, that demonic red planet was effortlessly split in half by the young man, wailing as it fell in agony, while everything around her remained as beautiful and prosperous as ever.
No death, no hell, no loneliness—it was as if now was a dream.
"A-Amazing..." Jingliu muttered softly as she looked up.
Even though she could not see the young man's figure, she knew he was there, cutting down the red planet at her request.
*Rumble—!*
A moment later, as Rahu finally fell dead, its split body crashed into the barrier covering the Xianzhou Cangcheng, causing the entire ship to tremble.
Fortunately, the ship had anti-vibration technology, so the buildings did not suffer serious damage, though many people lost their footing and fell.
A few seconds later, everything finally calmed down again—the weather was clear and sunny, without a single cloud in the sky, while the red planet had vanished as if nothing had happened.
Inside the Seat of Arbiter-General, however, everything was in an uproar.
"We're saved! We're saved!"
"Thank god..."
"Thank you, mysterious youngster!"
"Strong! Too strong! He cut down a planet with a single strike, absolutely unbeatable!"
"I've never been so excited in my life, I'm about to cry..."
"My goodness, I thought we were definitely going to die today, but I didn't expect a hero to come and save us."
Everyone who witnessed Lucian's feat, whether they were officials, soldiers, or ordinary staff, was overwhelmed with joy.
It could be said that they had just witnessed a miracle.
In a situation where death had been certain, everyone actually survived, and not a single person was harmed.
If this was not a miracle, then what was?
Seeing the young man's feat and how he appeared valiantly right before their doom, they couldn't help but feel that he had to be someone sent by the Reignbow Arbiter THEMSELF to be their new Arbiter-General!
In the end, after a brief discussion, the temporary leaders all agreed on the spot to choose the young man as the new Arbiter-General.
As for whether the Xianzhou Alliance would recognize the young man, that was a matter for later.
For now, because they were in dire need of a new Arbiter-General to lead, and now that someone who fit to be their new Arbiter-General had finally appeared, they must seize this chance as soon as possible before another great disaster ensued.
"What are you all standing around for?! Go look for the hero!"
Glancing at the captains of the Cloud Knights nearby, the Chief Counselor shouted with urgency, and from his tone, every captain understood one thing—they must find the hero, no matter what!
Given that Xianzhou Cangcheng now lacked a leader, the appearance of a powerful hero who had rescued billions of people single-handedly was, without question, a sign of hope they desperately needed right now.
In the end, with a rush, each captain of the Cloud Knights began leading a small squad of knights to the bow of Xianzhou Cangcheng to welcome the hero.
"Go find a handsome young man with black hair! He's even more handsome than I am, so you should find him easily!"
"When you see him, immediately line up to welcome him! You lot have no idea who just saved your lives!"
"Move!"
Unfortunately for them, at this moment, Lucian had already returned to Jingliu.
===
"I cut down that red planet for you, just as I promised."
On a quiet, empty alley, Lucian looked at Jingliu with a smile, speaking casually as if what he had just done were nothing significant.
"Mm, I saw it... Thank you..." Jingliu nodded softly and gave a sweet smile.
Seeing her smile, Lucian could not help but admit that her white hair and red eyes, when paired with that smile, truly were the marks of a top beauty. Even now, the eleven-year-old her was already stunning—no wonder she would one day become a femme fatale.
"What are you guys talking about?"
A girl around ten years old walked over and asked with a puzzled expression.
Several other boys and girls, about nine or ten years old, also came over and stared at Lucian with blank curiosity.
"I know! He's a child kidnapper!"
A chubby boy with a runny nose pointed at Lucian, accusing him.
"Is there even a kidnapper who looks this good? I don't buy it."
A plump ten-year-old girl argued, defending Lucian.
Jingliu, instead of answering the question, found her friends noisy and annoying right now.
"He's not a kidnapper! He's the hero who saved Cangcheng and saved us!"
Jingliu spoke seriously with a cold face, but of course, none of the children could accept her words since they did not see Lucian do anything.
Nevertheless, since she was older and like a big sister to them, none of them dared to argue and just looked at each other in silence.
Meanwhile, seeing Jingliu defending him so fervently, Lucian chuckled quietly, finding her act adorable.
Sure enough, even though he hadn't expected the script to actually restart, it was definitely the right move because now Jingliu could be approached easily, unlike the previous her who already hated Abundance with every fiber of her being.
Needless to say, the previous beginning was garbage, truly a cliché mess.
However, now that the Xianzhou Cangcheng had escaped destruction, unlike in the original story, Lucian couldn't help but wonder what would happen next.
'Forget it. Just take it one step at a time, like always. As long as I keep an eye on Jingliu and finish the script, that's enough.'
As Lucian was deep in thought, he suddenly felt someone tugging at his sleeve, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He looked down and saw Jingliu at his feet, pulling his sleeve, while her friends had already walked away, apparently shooed away by her.
However, because of their height difference, she had to look up at him, which made her look even more adorable.
"What's your name? Where do you live? Can you give me your jade abacus contact?" Jingliu asked in rapid succession.
"Uhh…" Lucian thought for a moment before answering. "My name is Lucian. I'm a wandering swordsman. As for where I live... the sky is my blanket and the earth my bed, I go wherever I please."
"Heehee, you make it sound good, but really, you're just homeless?"
Jingliu spoke with a smile, but then her clear eyes suddenly filled with hope and shyness as she thought of something.
In the next moment, with a child's directness and warmth, she spoke again, but this time shyly.
"Well... do you want to come to my house?" Jingliu's little hand unconsciously twisted her own sleeve, then gazed at the distant, lantern-lit residence. "My house is really big! I can get you the best room to stay in!"
As she spoke, she looked a bit nervous, but her eyes were bright and determined, full of an invitation that could not be refused.
"But you have to teach me your swordsmanship! I want to become as strong as you!"
Jingliu's eyes shone with a longing for ultimate strength, and even more, a complete trust and admiration for the mysterious young man in front of her.
At this moment, what filled her mind was the desire to prevent another disaster like the one in her nightmare from happening again, so she longed for the kind of power that could protect everything.
Lucian lowered his gaze, slightly stunned as he saw the gratitude and pure invitation in Jingliu's eyes.
He was silent for a while, looking as if lost in thought.
A gentle breeze lifted the black hair on his forehead, and if one looked closely, they might spot a faint trace of gold flickering deep within his hair.
Jingliu waited patiently, her gaze fixed on him, filled with hope and yearning.
A while later, the corners of his lips seemed to lift ever so slightly, an almost imperceptible smile.
"Your house, huh..." Lucian muttered softly, gazing at the distant, lantern-lit residence—the house Jingliu had spoken of.
An Emanator of Abundance, stepping into the home of the future Sword Champion of the Xianzhou Luofu?
Even though this thread of fate seemed harder to grasp than the living planet he had just cut down, that was exactly his goal. He only needed to act mysterious and let Jingliu invite him herself—otherwise, he would definitely be mistaken for harboring bad intentions and ulterior motives.
"Alright."
In the end, Lucian nodded slightly, accepting Jingliu's invitation, his expression calm and without a ripple.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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