The day after Feng Qi's departure.
Evening.
Dark clouds churned in the sky as a light rain fell steadily.
Xiao You's eyes were red and swollen from crying. She had passed out several times from the grief, only to wake up and break into tears all over again.
She curled up in the corner of the training room's sofa like an abandoned kitten, her heart filled with fear and confusion.
Feng Qi's departure, to her, was like the collapse of the pillar holding up her sky.
Xiao You had known that Feng Qi had been planning this for a while.
Even though he had been preparing her in advance, she had always avoided facing it. She couldn't bring herself to accept the harsh truth of his leaving.
"Wuwuwu... Boss…"
Overwhelmed by sorrow, Xiao You hadn't eaten all day.
No matter how much Zhang Daowen tried to comfort her, she was still trapped in her sadness, unable to pull herself out.
Unlike the crushing despair at the end of the previous sacrifice timeline, where Feng Qi's death brought hopelessness, this time Xiao You's grief came more from the feeling of being abandoned—directionless and lost, unable to see the future.
Every living being needs a purpose to keep going.
Some live for their people, others for wealth, some for the continuation of life itself. Whether out of self-interest or for a greater cause, there is always a goal.
Xiao You's goal had always been to stay by her boss's side.
She could easily accept starving during the divine ascension journey. She could accept traveling back over a hundred years into the past. But she could never accept being without her boss.
Without him, her world had collapsed.
She felt completely abandoned, like he didn't want her anymore.
Just as Xiao You was drowning in helplessness and despair, the Mist Lord appeared by her side.
"Uncle Mist."
Seeing the Mist Lord arrive, Zhang Daowen immediately called out.
"Mm."
The Mist Lord nodded, then reached out and gently picked up Xiao You, who was still huddled in the corner of the sofa. He carried her out of the Tiger Soul training room.
Zhang Daowen hesitated, puzzled, but quickly followed them.
A while later.
Star City Central Park.
Here stood the largest statue of Feng Qi in all of Star City.
The Mist Lord, still carrying Xiao You, pinched her cheek lightly.
"Xiao You, your boss is looking for you."
Hearing that, Xiao You suddenly stopped crying and opened her eyes.
But they were so swollen she could only manage a narrow slit, unable to open them any wider.
Seeing her starting to calm down, the Mist Lord smiled, then pointed toward Feng Qi's heroic statue and said gently:
"He's right there. He wants to speak with you. Try to connect with him."
"Boss? Where? Where is he?"
Xiao You immediately leaned forward in the Mist Lord's arms, turning her head to follow the direction he was pointing.
When she saw Feng Qi's statue, the joy in her eyes quickly turned into disappointment.
"Xiao You, trust me. He's really there. Try to connect with him from your heart."
"Really? Why did boss turn into a statue?"
Tears still in her voice, Xiao You looked up and asked.
The Mist Lord began explaining.
At the end of his explanation, he gently set Xiao You down.
She walked slowly to the statue of Feng Qi and placed her hand on it.
Even though part of her still didn't quite believe it, deep down she desperately wanted to see him again.
As she closed her eyes, Xiao You's consciousness was pulled by an invisible force, traveling toward an unknown destination.
Faith linkage was an incredibly complex process.
Only those with unwavering belief could be accepted by the faith wristband. Once accepted, they could use it as a transfer hub to enter Feng Qi's spiritual sea in the main timeline.
But Xiao You's connection process went exceptionally smoothly—far smoother than even Feng Qi's original process of believing in himself.
Because in this world, no one believed in Feng Qi more than Xiao You did.
To her, he could do anything. He was the one who held up her entire world.
And only Xiao You could say so easily that she'd give up everything for him.
Her belief wasn't fanatical. But it was firmer than anyone else's.
The connection process completed at a speed never seen before.
Xiao You's consciousness crossed the unknown, passed through misty time barriers, and finally arrived in the spiritual sea of the main timeline.
When her consciousness opened its eyes—
The sight before her left her stunned.
Stars filled the sky, close enough to touch. Star trails carried them in orbit around a dark golden source of light. Below her feet stretched a vast, endless golden sea, waves surging and crashing.
"Xiao You, crying again?"
A familiar voice echoed in her mind.
Golden tears immediately flowed from the eyes of her spiritual form. She whipped around.
And there he was—a golden figure sitting cross-legged in the air not far away.
Although he had shed his flesh and blood body, his facial features hadn't changed at all. Xiao You recognized him at once—it was her boss.
Without hesitation, Xiao You launched herself at Feng Qi.
But having never controlled an awareness form for flight, she flailed awkwardly, trying to move through various motions like running or swimming, struggling to get closer to Feng Qi.
Yet her consciousness form stayed right where it was, not moving an inch.
Seeing this, Feng Qi, now a golden consciousness body, burst into laughter.
Xiao You was still as silly as ever.
His golden form flickered, and in the next instant, he appeared right in front of Xiao You. He reached out and grabbed her arm.
Like a drowning person grabbing onto a lifeline, Xiao You threw herself into Feng Qi's arms.
"Boss, boss…"
She clung tightly to his chest, burying her head into him and rubbing against him nonstop. Tears made of spiritual energy welled up from her eyes as if she was terrified he might disappear again if she let go.
Feng Qi didn't say anything. He gently stroked her head.
After a long while, once Xiao You had calmed down, he looked down and smiled.
"Xiao You, we've established a faith connection now. If you miss me, you can come find me anytime."
"No. I'm not leaving. I'm staying with you forever."
"Be good."
"No, I won't be good anymore. I'm going to be a bad kid who doesn't listen."
Xiao You tucked her head deeper into his chest, refusing to budge.
Feng Qi wanted to scold her for being so stubborn, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could only keep comforting her.
But leaving Xiao You here obviously wasn't an option.
So he changed tactics.
"Xiao You, I want to ask you for a favor."
"What favor?" Xiao You looked up, curiosity shining in her eyes. The sadness on her face had completely vanished the moment she saw him.
"Keep making spatial wristbands and other energy-weaving tools for me. Consider it a mission I'm giving you."
"Can I make them here?" she tilted her head and asked.
"Of course not. This is a spiritual space. There's no elemental energy here. You have to be outside to make them… These tools are really important to me. Xiao You wouldn't say no to her boss, right?"
"But… will it make you happy if I do that?"
"Of course." Feng Qi nodded firmly.
"Then… can I make one item and come back to talk to you?"
"Absolutely."
With Feng Qi's persuasion, Xiao You finally agreed.
He silently thanked Zhang Daowen for his past advice. It had helped change Xiao You's mindset. Otherwise, no matter how he tried now, she never would've agreed.
Now that the faith connection was complete, Xiao You could deepen the connection through the hero statue, but even without it, she could now freely enter Feng Qi's spiritual sea in the main timeline.
While this kind of presence lacked the physical warmth of flesh and blood, at least it let Xiao You feel that he was always with her.
"Fine then… I'll do it, but only because you asked."
Feng Qi grinned and rubbed her head, then carried her up into the sky.
They flew to the front of the talent track. Feng Qi pointed at it.
"Xiao You, what kind of ability do you like?"
"What is this?"
"This is my talent track. Every star here represents a special ability. You can borrow them just by touching them…"
It took some effort, but Feng Qi finally explained how the talents worked.
Then he looked down at Xiao You, who was deep in thought.
"What kind of ability do you want? I'll find it for you."
She didn't answer right away. Her gaze swept over the swirling, multicolored stars. Then she suddenly looked up at Feng Qi with a serious expression.
"Boss, is there a talent that helps with digestion? I always eat too much. If you're not around anymore, no one will help me digest. I might end up exploding from eating too much."
Feng Qi: …
In that moment, he had only one thought.
Yup, that's Xiao You.
Among over one thousand talents—spanning longevity, strength, mental power, and other advanced systems—only Xiao You would chase after something so laughably low-tier that it probably sat at the very bottom of the entire talent track.
But maybe, in her eyes, this talent was better than a miracle.
"There isn't one, is there?" she asked.
"There is!"
"Yay! Now I can eat even more!"
Several hours later, Xiao You slowly opened her eyes.
It was still drizzling. The rain soaked her clothes. Her face was still streaked with tears, but the despair and sorrow in her heart had vanished completely.
"Huh? Why can't I open my eyes all the way?"
Her eyes were red and puffy, squinting into narrow slits. She spoke with mild confusion.
Old Mist: …
Zhang Daowen: …
"Did you see your boss?"
"I did! He turned golden and said I can visit him anytime!"
Xiao You proudly put her hands on her hips. Her face was glowing with happiness.
Mist Lord nodded, then looked at Xiao You and said,
"If you go see him again, pass on a message for me. While I'm here, I'll look after Star City for him."
Xiao You looked confused.
"Why don't you just go in and tell him yourself?"
Mist Lord smiled and shook his head.
"You and I are different. What we have is friendship. It has nothing to do with faith… That brat only beat me because he had time travel powers. Why should I worship him?"
Then he asked again,
"What else did he say to you?"
"Boss said he wants me to help humanity grow. That would make him happy. So I'm going to work hard. Oh—and he gave me an awesome talent ability!"
Mist Lord grew curious.
He'd only heard about talent abilities before, never actually seen one.
He was genuinely intrigued by what kind of ability Xiao You got. According to Feng Qi, there were even miracle-grade abilities among them.
Facing Mist Lord's question, Xiao You lifted her chin proudly.
"Boss said this talent helps me digest food way faster. It's amazing!"
As she said this, she put her hands on her hips again, beaming with pride, like she'd just acquired some legendary superpower.
Mist Lord, Zhang Daowen: …
…
The first year after Feng Qi's departure, the Star City Supreme Council passed a resolution to rename the calendar. From that point forward, it would be known as the Dawn Era.
It was both a tribute to Feng Qi and a symbol of hope for the future.
It was also a recognition of the countless who walked the sacrificial timelines alongside him.
Over the next few years, Star City underwent major changes.
First came the release of the documentary The Legend of Feng Qi. It was promoted citywide. For the first time, the people of Star City learned that behind everything stood a human leader who had worked in silence.
Under his leadership, the city had narrowly escaped destruction many times and thrived.
He was the force behind establishing the supply zones, defending against the Tiger Soul Nightshadow Clan, driving the energy reforms, founding the Dawn Academy, launching education reform, and so many other historic efforts.
In the years that followed, statues of Feng Qi were erected across the city, honoring him as a great human hero.
At the same time, a comprehensive legal framework between humanity and the Silver Moon Clan was established, strengthening cooperation.
To provide the Silver Moon Clan with more sources of income beyond what Star City offered, the Supreme Council approved their registration of combat corps in the western supply zone.
And just like that, the Silver Moon Clan's frontline battle groups took to the stage of history.
Whether the decision was right—time answered best.
With their involvement, the expansion of the west supply zone accelerated, and resource output increased significantly.
Star City, in return, gained substantial benefits, achieving a solid win-win alliance with the Silver Moon Clan.
Meanwhile, the expedition plan also brought unexpected surprises in those years.
The Blood Refined Warriors, while venturing into dangerous regions, discovered numerous unexplored domain fields. They returned with novel resources not yet recorded in any database, adding to the diversity of Star City's inventory.
And with the Silver Moon Clan's assistance, the city launched a sweeping urban redevelopment.
The Star City Supreme Council and the Silver Moon Clan's leader reached a new agreement.
Once their alliance stabilized, the Silver Moon Clan would help Star City build a fully structured cultivation city.
In the fifth year of the Dawn Era,
Per the agreement between Feng Qi and Mist Lord, the Supreme Council allocated massive resources to Mist Lord to help restore the glory of the Mist Tribe.
That same year, Mist Lord left, taking the resources with him.
He chose the same direction as in the previous timelines—east of Old Day City, toward the Eastern Sea—to revive his people and rebuild Mist City.
A few months after his departure, with support from the Silver Moon Clan, Star City launched the early phase of constructing a stable spatial teleportation channel.
Once Mist City was built, the teleportation device would become the only permanent link between the two cities.
Star City's growth continued following Feng Qi's blueprint.
The lessons drawn from the many sacrificial timelines propelled the city into a new era and new heights never seen before.