The falling meteorites seem to be shattered forever.

Xintingting ran playfully through the meadow, as if the whole world were her personal garden. But suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a strange movement near the edge of the forest by the river.

There appeared small, humanoid creatures, only about fifty-five to sixty-five centimeters tall. Their skin was a deep green. Some of the males had tufts of leaves growing from their heads, while the females had large blossoms blooming atop their heads, like natural crowns.

"What are those?"

Xintingting murmured, eyes wide with wonder, unsure whether these beings were rare forest animals or some magical race hidden within a secret dimension.

They didn't seem to notice her at all. Instead, they were focused on walking in short circular patterns perhaps performing some ritual or communicating through a method of their own.

Curious, Xintingting slowly crept closer. But just before she could speak or reach out, a silvery glimmer caught her eye. She turned immediately and pushed through the tall, layered shrubs.

What she saw made her freeze.

Her round eyes widened. Her lips parted unconsciously.

"Wow~"

It was… a castle.

But not an ordinary building this castle was so beautiful it defied imagination.

It was constructed from pure diamonds, rare gemstones, and a myriad of colorful jewels, all carefully layered and arranged.

Some parts were like crystal panels reflecting sunlight; others gleamed like stars at night. When soft sunlight streamed through the leaves, it danced off the gemstones in radiant sparkles so dazzling she couldn't tell whether it was real or a mirage.

It was like something straight out of an ancient fairy tale.

A quiet silver river flowed below. The water was so clear that light-colored stones on the riverbed were plainly visible. Above it stretched a marble bridge, not merely a path but a masterpiece of time, intricately decorated with violet, blue, pink, and white jewels, forming elegant patterns almost as if crafted by divine hands.

Everything was too beautiful, too ethereal to be described in ordinary words.

'It's so beautiful… I'll take a closer look. No one would mind, right?'

With heart pounding, Xintingting stepped onto the bridge.

The closer she came to the castle, the more it felt like she was stepping into a divine realm.

Beyond the bridge bloomed a rainbow of wildflowers, so vivid it was like a natural carpet laid by invisible hands. Soft green grass blanketed the ground beneath her feet. Two pale blue ponds glimmered not far away, filled with floating rootless flowers in soft pink and yellow, glowing gently at all times.

Unable to resist, she dashed in for a closer look. She found trees overflowing with blossoms of all colors sweet pinks, golden yellows, shimmering silver, vivid blues, even rainbow hues, and some trees bore all three colors on the same trunk blue, pink, and purple intertwined.

Entranced, she moved in to examine them.

Then her eyes drifted to the right side of the castle and discovered a fruit orchard stretching far and wide.

The trees bore fruit year-round. Not a single leaf wilted.

There were ordinary fruits she recognized and exotic ones she'd never seen before unique in color, shape, and scent, which lingered sweetly in the air.

Farther off, mountains rose up, blanketed in blossoms crimson roses, wildflowers, orchids, and countless unnamed blooms that painted the landscape in a riot of color.

She turned toward the castle and said,

"There are lanterns too!"

Orange-yellow lanterns hung from finely carved diamond posts. Some posts glowed softly, as if acknowledging the arrival of a visitor.

She continued to the back of the castle and discovered a large vegetable garden filled with every kind of plant common vegetables, rare herbs, even strange green eggplants she'd never seen before.

But despite the enchantment, a question still echoed in her mind:

Who is the owner of this magnificent place?

Xintingting walked back to the castle gates and knocked gently, hesitating.

Suddenly, a soft white light shone through the cracks in the door.

It opened slowly and silently.

She expected someone to answer, but found only emptiness.

Inside, the castle was like a palace of gods. It had fourteen floors, countless rooms, and dual staircases made of enchanted crystal scales that shimmered like rainbows.

She opened one nearby door and found… a hidden stairwell leading to a secret basement but she chose not to explore it yet.

A sudden thought struck her:

She wanted Bai Wangyan to see this wonder with his own eyes.

So she turned back to fetch him.

But just as she took one step off the gem-encrusted bridge, before she could fully leave the area

Everything vanished in the blink of an eye.

As if a magical veil had been torn away by an unknown force.

At that moment, a strange beam of light shot toward her palm as if it had consciousness and had chosen her.

Xintingting's eyes flew wide open. She quickly raised her hand to look, startled.

And there, sitting perfectly in the center of her palm, was a tiny, glimmering replica of the castle shrunken down as though the real thing had been transformed into a magical collectible that no one could ever take from her.

She didn't understand why she had been granted such a treasure so easily…

Or perhaps… the truth was, this castle had belonged to her all along.

Beneath the clear skies of the Crystal Orb Realm, pink blossoms bloomed endlessly, like a celestial carpet laid by the gods. Soft green grass swayed in the breeze. The sweet fragrance of flowers drifted through the air, like a silent lullaby without a singer.

In the heart of this dreamlike scene, a gentle river flowed, its surface so clear that it mirrored the sky and flowers in perfect reverse.

Bai Wangyan stood there.

A young man in a spotless white robe, with features so refined he seemed painted rather than born. His eyes were calm and deep, like a lake untouched by wind.

In his open palm lay several glowing, multicolored stones.

Soon, his inner power absorbed them, releasing a faint, deep blue light.

He turned slightly and breathed in softly.

He stood there, silent.

No words.

No thoughts.

No movement.

Then

The scent of an enemy surged up from beside the river!

No one could tell from where.

No footsteps.

No signs.

No warnings.

Only silence… and the oppressive pressure that followed.

From the shadows of trees, from the blades of grass, from the flowers

Suddenly, something moved in a way that defied reason.

And then… something shot through the air toward Bai Wangyan!

"Whoosh !"

It was a fan green and white, patterned with luminous purple vines that glowed with inner power. The runes along its surface glowed like living veins.

It aimed straight for his chest, intending to tear him in two.

Yet the white-robed young man…

did not move.

As the deadly weapon neared within a breath's distance,

he simply raised his palm

gently.

"Thwack!"

A solid impact.

The fan was halted by a single hand.

The angle of impact seemed weightless like brushing aside a falling twig.

Yet the recoil was strong enough to send the fan flying back toward its owner in an instant!

The fan sliced through the air and embedded itself in the ground near the feet of a man who had just stepped out from the shadows.

Han Xifeng the wielder of the glowing fan.

He stood firmly, his sharp eyes gleaming like a judge of the sacred realm. His handsome face was tight with tension and fury.

"I saw you appear in this realm without explanation," he said, his voice low but clear.

"I don't care who you are. If you entered this world without passing the Gate of Permission, then you are an intruder…"

"And I will be the one to pass judgment upon you."

Bai Wangyan stood still. He didn't respond to the threat.

His icy eyes stared past the man… as if he were no more than dust in the wind.

"…I'm standing right here.

If you think you're strong enough,

then come and try to bring me down."

That was all it took.

Han Xifeng stepped forward, fury in every motion.

His fan floated into his hand at once, and in a blink

The battle began.