On the night before the duel, the usual tension that might have filled the air was replaced by an unexpected calm, as Li Hao's team gathered together not to strategize further, but simply to sit in quiet understanding, because everything that needed to be said had already been spoken, and everything that needed to be prepared had already been done.
Xu Mei sat beside Li Hao, her gaze lowered slightly as if lost in thought, before finally speaking in a soft voice. "You've changed a lot."
Li Hao glanced at her briefly but did not respond immediately.
"You're not the same person from the awakening hall," she continued.
A faint smile appeared on Li Hao's face. "That person had no path."
"And now?" she asked.
"I'm making my own."
Her expression softened, a trace of emotion passing through her eyes before she spoke again.
"You'll win," she said quietly.
Not as encouragement.
But as belief.
Nearby, Wang Lei and Su Ling exchanged a brief glance, their own unspoken understanding evident, while Lin Xue remained silent, her eyes fixed on Li Hao, as if trying to see beyond the calm surface he maintained.
The night passed without disturbance.
And when dawn approached—
They were ready.