Hmph, well, after such a long period of subtle influence, Lin Luo felt it would take some getting used to calling her by her real name. But since she had offered it, he supposed he should use it. Even the Beggar's Sect Leader, Qiao Daxia, changed his name to Xiao Daxia in the latter half.

What he wanted to say here was that Yaoyao had absolutely no professional moral fiber!

As everyone knows, a story told must have a beginning and an end. If you only tell the start and leave it hanging, what difference is there between you and a eunuch? Eunuchs are despicable!

Although Yaoyao was a woman, she was also a eunuch in this regard. She only recounted how that arrogant girl willingly jumped into the deep pit and then stopped, not even offering the customary "For the rest of the story, please wait for the next installment," before sealing her lips. It was completely bogus, Lin Luo thought. In this aspect, she truly needed to learn a thing or two from him. Take him, for instance: whether he was recounting little Eastern tales or tales of Black and White Ji, he always brought them to a proper conclusion—no eunuch endings, no unfinished business, guaranteed completion, and integrity off the charts.

He was genuinely curious about that girl's fate. Was she defeated and imprisoned by N number of [CENSORED FOR LITERARY PURPOSES], or did she manage to toss them all aside for a session of wooden horse, candle, whip, and spanking? Alright, the above was just idle rambling.

Lin Luo had once penned several books online under the pseudonym "Let That Girl Go, Let Me Handle Her," including I Will Definitely Become the Ghost Father King!, Ghost Father is My Dream, and The Ghost Father's Road to Growth. These three formed the "Ghost Father Trilogy," which had an influence in the industry comparable to the "Dead, Burning, and Sea" of the AGC circles. His extensive experience with ghost fathers—no, writing experience—had endowed him with considerable logical deduction skills... especially concerning melodramatic plots.

Since Yaoyao was sitting here unharmed, telling her own little story, that battle must have been fraught with peril but ultimately without serious injury. Typically, the scenario involved a peerless master appearing at the moment of life-or-death crisis, single-handedly defeating a group of [CENSORED FOR LITERARY PURPOSES] and rescuing her. Realizing she hadn't yet reached the pinnacle of "Lonely as Snow," Yaoyao resolved to mend her ways, discarded her original name, and adopted the alias Gui Qu Lai Xi...

Of course, this was just Lin Luo's speculation. Whether it was true or not, he couldn't say. And whether any romantic plot developed between her and that peerless master... probably not? If something had happened, why would she be idly staying in the Bright Realm instead of soaring through the skies with the master?

Lin Luo’s heart was filled with curiosity, and this curiosity naturally spilled out through the windows of his soul—his eyes—and settled upon Yaoyao’s face.

Yaoyao ignored his anticipation and casually extinguished his curiosity. "You don't need to know that much about my affairs. Focus on your own matters first. The next Host will appear in seven days. If you don't get a little stronger within these seven days, you'll have only yourself to blame when trouble finds you."

"What trouble?" Lin Luo instinctively paused. Did a Host want to cleave him? That made no sense; he had once sacrificed himself, even losing his own life!

"I can't tell you. Just hurry up and set off," Yaoyao said, suddenly tossing something over. "You can keep this for now."

Lin Luo caught it and found it to be a pocket watch. Opening the cover, he saw only hands but no numbers, which made him slightly puzzled. "What is this?"

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you, given your current realm. Just know what it does," Yaoyao stated calmly. "The timelines between worlds are not the same. A day spent here might be a year in another world. People with insufficient realm depth cannot judge the flow of time between two worlds. But with this pocket watch, you can set the coordinate of one world as its main world. When you travel to another, you will clearly know the temporal flow between the two."

"I see." Lin Luo instantly understood. Distinguishing the flow of timelines was indeed something he couldn't manage right now. The chaotic timelines between worlds sometimes made him feel utterly helpless, but with this object, he could accurately grasp time!

"Naturally, this pocket watch has more uses than just that. Distinguishing timeline flow is merely its most basic function. The reason I’m giving it to you is so you can use its other ability."

"What ability?"

"You will know when you get there. When you understand what you are supposed to do in that world, you will grasp its other capability and the method to use it. That’s all I have to say. No need to say goodbye." As her voice faded, Yaoyao had already vanished from her seat.

The words spoken by this mature beauty were profoundly cryptic, leaving Lin Luo utterly confused as he examined the pocket watch, turning it over and over. All he felt was bewilderment.

Despite the confusion, his next steps were unavoidable.

Why did Walkers possess an unparalleled advantage when attempting to reach the Heavenly Tier? It was precisely because they could traverse back and forth between myriad worlds, giving them a cognitive understanding far exceeding that of "ordinary people," allowing them to grasp the meaning of the Heavenly Tier faster.

Take Lin Luo, for example. When he analyzed the rules of a world, he was effectively deepening his understanding of that world. Although it was far from enough to comprehend the Heavenly Tier's essence, he was slowly laying the foundation. Furthermore, the Host was, to some extent, the "center" of that world. Connecting the two, the speed of progress was predictable.

However, the limitation of entering each world only once was a major drawback. Even now, he hadn't figured out how to enter a world a second time. Compared to other Walkers, while he had the advantage of a Host, that unique single entry severely restricted him, a constraint other Walkers didn't face. Similarly, while he and his Hosts appeared mighty with their collective strength, this also made them conspicuous targets, easier to attack. If even one fell, the result was almost total annihilation.

Thus, every aspect carried pros and cons. It was hard to discern the truth by looking only at the surface.

Of course, because Lin Luo had died once, his original contract chain was completely severed, essentially resetting his progress. By signing a new contract with Lei, he could re-enter the world of the Weapon Race.

Although Lin Luo had reclaimed his status as the World King, some abilities remained locked, such as Healing and Teleportation. Additionally, he could sense that his rule-creation ability seemed more advanced than before, yet its power hadn't increased much. This likely held some secret, perhaps related to the Heavenly Tier essence.

Therefore, to quickly comprehend the Heavenly Tier essence, this trip to the Weapon Race world was indispensable. As for Lei? She was also delighted by the prospect of returning to her homeland to see her friends. The two had already discussed this the previous night, and hearing Yaoyao confirm it, they hesitated no longer. After lunch, they proceeded directly to the central courtyard to activate the Starlight Avenue.

Originally, before leaving, Lin Luo had considered summoning Nakamura Yuri and the others to be trained by Yaoyao. After all, she already had a few Heroic Spirits under her command; a few more wouldn't matter. But after careful thought, he felt it was better for them to remain in his own Hall of Heroic Spirits. Yuri and the others were his direct Heroic Spirits, directly influenced by his strength; the stronger he became, the stronger they became.

Training under Yaoyao might indeed enhance their power significantly, but the connection to him would surely weaken. This could lead to rapid advancement in the short term but would be detrimental in the long run. Moreover, with Lei, a high-level Earth Tier expert, currently at his side, he didn't need them for combat. It was better to look toward the future.

The Starlight Avenue traveled between worlds for one minute. When it stabilized, Lin Luo found that he and Lei were standing in a huāyuán (garden), and judging by the surroundings, it was an aerial garden.

"These huā smell like Shiya's scent. This is the Ediru Garden!" Lei moved around the garden casually, exclaiming excitedly.

How should he put it? A natural-born airhead, even with heaven-defying power, remains an airhead. Just looking at the countless floating castles surrounding them, it was obvious this was the Ediru Garden. She still needed to identify it by scent! Did those plants and trees really carry a woman's scent? How could she smell it?

Lin Luo was puzzled and felt an urge to sniff around himself. However, before this thought could materialize, a large tent in the flowerbed suddenly opened, and a girl carrying a watering can, dressed in [CENSORED FOR LITERARY PURPOSES], stepped out.

Clang!

The girl’s attention had been entirely focused on the surrounding flora, but when she saw the figure standing not far ahead, her expression instantly froze. She didn't even realize she had dropped the watering can.

"Lei?" Her eyes were filled with excitement and disbelief.

"Shiya," Lei called out softly, a smile gracing her lips.

"Lei, it really is you! You finally came to see me!" The girl was none other than Shiya, the current Queen of the Ediru Garden. Upon confirming that the person before her was indeed the one she had longed for, she immediately rushed forward.

"Lei, I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Me too, Shiya. We meet again." The two girls embraced tightly, tears of excitement and joy flowing freely.

Lin Luo did not mar the touching reunion. He pulled out the pocket watch from his inner pocket and found that two new numbers had appeared on it: four and one, the two hands pointing toward each other.

"Four to one?" Lin Luo was slightly surprised, then understood. "So, four days here equate to one day in the Bright Realm. Seven days would be nearly a month, so there's no need to rush too much."

: I had insomnia again last night, thinking about the plot for a long time, and haven't slept yet. I'm going to sleep now. There should only be two chapters today, and the second chapter might be quite late. My apologies.