"Of course, because this ability of mine was granted by you. Without you, there would be no child; therefore, this is the child of us both," Shen Qi stated earnestly.

Lin Luo was rendered speechless, feeling that Shen Qi's words were deliberately confusing the issue.

It was akin to Nuwa creating humans, bringing forth a man and a woman. Although the lives of this pair were bestowed by Nuwa, she had no direct part in the birth of their child. Thus, while that couple could be considered Nuwa's children, their offspring clearly could not be called Nuwa’s child... Was this line of reasoning becoming convoluted?

Of course, if that couple believed that without Nuwa they would not exist, and because Nuwa gave them life they were able to have children, then that child could also be considered Nuwa's child... Under this light, it made emotional sense.

However, this was purely an emotional justification. Shen Qi's current train of thought sprang from emotion. Perhaps, to her, the unborn child was no longer just an infant, but the anchor for her spirit. Whether facing the inherently lonely path of a witch or enduring millennia of waiting, she needed an anchor, a hope to keep moving forward, which was why she held this conviction so stubbornly.

Lin Luo understood this and chose not to press the matter further. If Shen Qi believed it so, he might as well be contentedly obtuse for once. Besides, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Speaking of which, when is that child expected to be born?" Lin Luo recalled this question, which wasn't crucial but held interest, and asked.

Shen Qi shook her head. "I can't be certain of that either. After all, I've only just begun learning your ability and haven't mastered it completely. Creating a life isn't something that happens overnight, but I will strive for it. And I've already thought of a name for the child."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Alice."

"Um... Hmm?"

"Alice." Shen Qi repeated, seeing Lin Luo's somewhat odd expression, and asked with a hint of confusion, "Is there a problem?"

Lin Luo seemed to get a headache, patting his forehead. "No problem, exactly, but... how did you come up with that name?"

"Because this name makes me feel something beautiful, like a fairy tale, doesn't it?" Shen Qi countered, her expression entirely natural.

Lin Luo nodded internally. Indeed, the name Alice wasn't rare, but it had gained widespread popularity precisely because of a certain fairy tale, gradually becoming one of the most favored and common girl's names in the Western world. Countless cultural works featured numerous girls named Alice—if not a hundred, then eighty... It wasn't strange for Shen Qi to think this way, as everyone held their own fairy tale in their hearts.

At this point, Lin Luo understood why, in the future, when he first met Shen Qi, she would utter the words asking him to be Alice's father. And perhaps Alice's unique nature stemmed from this as well.

After all, for the sensitive, emotion often reigns supreme.

However, it was too early to finalize things regarding Alice now. One thing was certain: no matter what, he would gain a daughter with whom he shared no blood relation.

Was this a good thing, or a good thing, or a good thing?

"What do you think of the name?" Shen Qi asked when Lin Luo didn't respond immediately.

Lin Luo was currently pondering how he would interact with the mother-daughter pair, Shen Qi and Alice, upon returning to the future. Hearing her question, he spoke without thinking, "Alice? That's a nice name, but I think Megatron might be more fitting."

"Megatron?" Shen Qi frowned. "It would be so embarrassing for a girl to have such a ridiculous name... But, since you suggested it, I will consider it. If I have a girl in the future, she'll be named Alice. If it's a boy... I might reluctantly call him Megatron."

"..." Lin Luo finally registered what he had said, but it was far too late to retract it.

Lin Luo and Shen Qi's clandestine affair was progressing smoothly. While Youxiang and Xiaozhi occasionally sensed something amiss in their subtle glances, they never suspected they had crossed into intimacy. The other smooth progression involved Xiaozhi... Building upon a foundation that far surpassed genius aptitude, in just one week, she finally achieved the Realm of Rules.

In a mere few months, she had grown from an unknown minor demon to a High-Grade Spirit-Rank Great Demon. While Lin Luo's careful guidance played a part, her innate talent was undeniable, enough to astound anyone.

Because the state of existence differed between demons and humans, the form of Rule Force was also different. Xiaozhi did not gain a specific, external ability like Lin Luo or the other Walkers he knew. Instead, upon activating her Source, she directly integrated her Rule Force into her Realm.

In other words, Xiaozhi was now a genuine Realm Manipulator.

Of course, the mysteries of the Realm were infinite. With Xiaozhi's current power, she couldn't possibly manipulate the Realm fully; at most, she grasped only the superficial aspects. Yet, even so, she could now, to some extent, subvert established reality, possessing the qualification to challenge Lord-Rank demons.

But it was only a qualification. If she were to truly fight a Lord-Rank demon, her probability of defeat would exceed ninety-nine percent... After all, nearly every Lord was an existence at the peak of the Spirit Rank or higher.

Lin Luo was both surprised and delighted by Xiaozhi's rapid progress. Even he hadn't expected her to advance so quickly in such a short time, so he praised her profusely while stroking her head.

Xiaozhi thoroughly enjoyed the head-patting, instantly breaking into a silly grin.

Where there is good fortune, there must also be bad. While Lin Luo and Xiaozhi were doing well, Shen Qi and Youxiang encountered trouble. Shen Qi's problem lay in the inability to utilize Creation; although she could use the Rule now, applying it to create life presented a massive hurdle.

Theoretically, without reaching the Celestial Rank, the Rule of Creation could not conjure life. But Shen Qi was different; her creation of life wasn't manufacturing from nothing, but using Creation to counter the world's rejection of her, allowing her to regain the capacity for gestation to achieve her goal. The core difficulty, however, was this transformation process. For this reason, she had confined herself to her room, deep in solitary contemplation, but the situation was not optimistic.

Naturally, Lin Luo wasn't overly worried about Shen Qi's predicament. Her knowledge base was vast, and as a witch, having lived alone in the wilderness for decades without fail, she could spend years perfecting a single potion, demonstrating immense patience. A few days now would hardly constitute a psychological burden.

The one truly occupying Lin Luo's concern was Youxiang.

Youxiang knew that in terms of innate talent and comprehension, she was far inferior to Xiaozhi. Thus, after their joint training sessions concluded, she would quietly practice alone. Nearly every day, after Xiaozhi fell asleep, she would slip away to a more distant spot and cultivate until dawn before returning. The effort she expended was at least double Xiaozhi's... Xiaozhi remained unaware of all this, but Lin Luo observed it.

Yet, despite Youxiang's relentless hard work, her gains were pitifully small. Over this past month, let alone reaching the Rule Rank, her sense of the Rules was actually fading. From easily entering the domain of the Rules to explore, it had become quite difficult for her just to enter now.

Putting in more effort than anyone, focusing more seriously than anyone, yet instead of improvement, she was regressing... No one could accept such a reality.

Therefore, upon learning of Xiaozhi's successful advancement to the Rule Rank, although Youxiang was genuinely happy for her friend, Lin Luo could still perceive her anxiety and panic in her eyes.

Late that night, Lin Luo quietly rose from bed and stealthily checked the resting quarters of the two girls. As expected, only Xiaozhi was there; Youxiang was absent.

Leaving the room, Lin Luo followed Youxiang’s faint aura. Soon, he found her in a small grove of trees... Beneath a large tree, Youxiang sat crouched, arms wrapped around her knees, head buried in her lap, utterly motionless, exuding a palpable sense of loneliness and dejection.

Lin Luo approached silently, only speaking when he reached her side. "Are you admiring the moon alone? The air is quite nice tonight, by the way."

Hearing his voice, Youxiang jerked her head up, revealing a pair of red eyes. Seeing that it was Lin Luo, she exclaimed in surprise, "Master! Why... why are you here?"

Youxiang didn't suffer from bloodshot eyes; her eyes were clearly red from crying. But Lin Luo knew her pride was strong, and she wouldn't easily show weakness in front of others. He didn't point it out, nor did he say he came because he was worried about her. Instead, he sat down, looked up at the starry sky, and said easily, "Just out for a night stroll. Didn't expect to find you here too."

"Oh... It's just a night stroll," Youxiang chuckled weakly, feeling a slight relief in her heart. She quickly used her sleeve to wipe her eyes while Lin Luo's gaze was fixed on the sky.

In the quiet night sky, the crescent moon looked remarkably clear and beautiful. Lin Luo seemed captivated by the view, his gaze never shifting, sitting silently and appreciating the scenery.

Although Youxiang was generally quite open, that was under normal circumstances. Now, burdened by worry she didn't wish to share, she felt heavy-hearted and slightly uneasy.

"Xiaozhi really is a genius," Lin Luo suddenly remarked as Youxiang began to feel restless.

Hearing this, Youxiang froze, taking a moment before slowly nodding.

"I've always believed that every era has a protagonist, one favored by time and fortune. If I'm correct, Xiaozhi is undoubtedly the protagonist of this era, and protagonists naturally possess some unique advantages. When you look at it that way, Xiaozhi's rapid progress isn't surprising."

"..." Youxiang remained silent, listening to Lin Luo's words, which only deepened her gloom. If Xiaozhi was the protagonist, what was she? A supporting character? Even if being a supporting character was acceptable, still...

Lin Luo did not look at her, continuing, "With Xiaozhi's aptitude, she will undoubtedly reach incredible heights in the future, perhaps even surpassing me, her Master..."

Yes, Xiaozhi's future was limitless; no one could doubt that she was capable of standing at her own zenith. But what about herself? She was stuck in place, perhaps even regressing. Was that truly acceptable?

Thinking of this, Youxiang clenched her fists tightly. She could almost visualize a day in the future where Xiaozhi stood atop the world looking down upon the land, while she stood on the ground gazing up at that endless peak. Fighting alongside Xiaozhi would be demons as powerful as she was, while she could only watch from afar... That outcome... No, absolutely not!

Fearing such a future, Youxiang couldn't help but feel a chill. If she couldn't keep advancing, she would lose everything. Therefore, she must move forward, but...

"However, with the world being so vast, is there truly only one protagonist?" At this moment, Lin Luo suddenly turned his head to look at her and asked.

"Eh?!" Youxiang snapped back from her reverie, her face full of confusion.

Lin Luo smiled faintly, then reached out his hand. A plume of black flame instantly appeared in his palm. The next second, Lin Luo flung the black flame forward. With a whoosh, the space ahead instantly incinerated.

Youxiang stared, mouth agape. Although she had witnessed the power of Lin Luo's Black Flame before, she never imagined it could burn space itself.

Lin Luo stated, "This Black Flame is my strongest offensive capability. It can instantly annihilate life, and it can even burn away space, time, and the very existence of things. Do you think it is powerful?"

Youxiang instinctively nodded.

"Then, do you know how I obtained this Black Flame?"

Looking at Lin Luo's serious expression, Youxiang suddenly suspected his intent for being out wasn't just a simple night stroll, but at this moment, she didn't ponder it too deeply, only shaking her head, "No."

"Do you wish to know?" Lin Luo inquired.

Youxiang froze for a moment, then nodded firmly after a beat. "I do."

Lin Luo nodded once, then said gravely, "I have never told anyone this, not even those closest to me. But I will tell you now: the thing that allowed me to attain this power... was Death!"

"Death?" Youxiang gasped.

"Yes. While death in the spiritual world isn't final in the real sense, the trauma inflicted upon the soul is immense. Furthermore, each death in that realm is far more agonizing than dying in reality. The price for this power was my 1,732 deaths within the spiritual world."

"This..." Youxiang was utterly shocked, unable to speak another word.

"The reason I tell you this is to show you that I am no genius. Geniuses do not struggle this hard. The attainment of this power relied solely on my endless effort and perseverance that never wavered. Even if my initial efforts and persistence brought no reward, in the end, I succeeded."

"Now, I want to ask you... You, who are also not a genius like me, are you planning to give up?"

Lin Luo gazed intensely at Youxiang as he spoke.