You're just bragging.

Lu Feng was clearly enraged by the monk’s taunt. A crimson aura flared around his body as he shot after the monk, yelling threats to wipe out the monk’s entire family.

Once he activated his skill, chasing down the monk became child's play. With a shimmer of afterimages, he covered several paces in an instant and appeared right behind the monk, seizing the collar of his green shirt and slamming him heavily to the ground.

Before the monk could utter a word, Lu Feng’s fists rained down like a storm.

“I was wrong! I was wrong!”

“Not the face! Please, not the face!”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t hit my face!”

The monk’s pleas for mercy only made Lu Feng's blows more ferocious.

They fought for a long time.

Or rather, Lu Feng straddled the monk and pummeled him mercilessly, every punch landing squarely on the monk’s face.

Panting, Lu Feng finally dragged himself off the monk, exhausted.

The monk’s face was a swollen, bruised mess, making him look like a bloated heavyweight. He lay on the ground speechless, aggrieved as a scolded bride, his earlier arrogance utterly gone.

When Lu Feng looked at him, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

“Ha! Tell me, is your surname Fan? Why do you insist on provoking people until they have no choice but to retaliate?”

Lu Feng laughed as he scolded the monk.

“You’re one to talk! You said you wouldn’t hit my face, but every punch landed right there!” the monk grumbled, nursing his wounded pride as he struggled up to sit.

Then, with both hands, he vigorously rubbed his face. Miraculously, the swelling and bruises vanished, and his face returned to normal in an instant.

Watching this seamless transformation, Lu Feng wasn’t even surprised. Only one thought crossed his mind—Damn, all that effort for nothing.

As if reading his mind, the monk quickly made a “time out” gesture and pleaded, “Wait! I’ll talk, I’ll talk.”

Seeing this, Lu Feng unconsciously clenched his fists, ready for another round.

“I waited five hundred years for you. Isn’t a little venting allowed? I only wanted to tease you, but I didn't expect you’d take it seriously,” the monk said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

“What? Five hundred years?” Lu Feng was bewildered.

Five hundred years...

He was only nineteen—where would five hundred years come from?

A past life? Or the life before that? Or another life even further back?

“Five hundred years ago, we made a promise. I would wait for you here until you returned.”

“What are you saying? We made a promise five hundred years ago?”

“Are you joking? I’m only nineteen, man.”

Lu Feng found this dream utterly absurd.

“I know you wouldn’t remember. You crossed the boundaries of time, boundaries you yourself created. You even stepped into a place called the ‘Dreamweave’ Realm.”

“I asked you then, was it worth it? You told me it was—what are five hundred years? Waiting five centuries for a return is enough to content a lifetime!”

When the monk finished, he looked at Lu Feng with a complex gaze—admiration, regret, heartache, sorrow, and longing tangled together in his eyes.

“Yes, a mere five hundred years. In the blink of an eye, they passed. But don’t you know? The Dreamweave Realm doesn’t just drift through time—it takes everything from you.”

The monk gazed into the vast emptiness, his thoughts drifting, and two crystalline tears slid from his eyes.

Lu Feng felt dizzy from the monk’s words, wanting to speak but not knowing where to begin.

“Do you know what you are? You are the master of time. Five hundred years ago, we journeyed through countless realms, leaving behind endless traces in time.” As he spoke, a hint of nostalgia curled the monk’s lips.

“Wait. Are you sure I’m the one you were waiting for?” Lu Feng couldn't help but interrupt.

“If you weren’t, how could you enter this world? This Land of Meditation—now, only you and I can enter.”

Master of time? Dreamweave Realm?

These terms were all new to Lu Feng.

He frowned deeply; as far as he was concerned, the monk was probably just spinning tall tales.

“So… I still think you’re full of it,” Lu Feng admitted.

The monk stared at him, momentarily at a loss.

After a pause, the monk asked, “Then how do you explain your use of ‘Stasis’ and ‘Red Unfurl’?”

Lu Feng was silent. Still, he now realized—the space he created was called Stasis, and the reddish glow was Red Unfurl.

“So, why did I leave, and why did I return?” Though he didn’t believe any of this, Lu Feng pressed on.

“Because of a person.”

“A person?”

“Her name was Dreamshade, the woman you loved most. You were lovers for a thousand years, both hailing from the distant Expanse, roaming countless starry seas, and you created many universes for her. Back then, you were blissfully happy.”

The monk paused. Lu Feng said nothing, waiting quietly for him to continue.

“Until one day, you encountered a wanderer named Radiant Night. He became your disciple, and you enlightened him, teaching him everything you knew. But he was arrogant and unwilling to remain beneath another.

“Later, he forged his own world within a realm and even tried to kill you, seeking to rule all of the Expanse. Don’t you see? The starry sky you’re in now is but a drop in the ocean compared to the Expanse.

“He led a million-strong guard to hunt you both down. To gain the power to fight you, he devoured his own army, absorbing the power of countless beings. In that battle, you were gravely wounded, your soul on the brink; even as the master of time, you couldn’t withstand the force of all living things—the source of existence itself.

“To save you, Dreamshade fought Radiant Night herself. He had fallen for her as well, and Dreamshade was determined to die. Only by dragging Radiant Night with her into oblivion could she preserve your life.

“Afterward, Dreamshade gathered all the power of the Expanse, binding herself and Radiant Night within a seal and refining them both... That battle shattered the Expanse, leaving only a handful of worlds behind. This is one of them.

“With your soul damaged and Dreamshade gone, you chose to enter the Dreamweave Realm. You told me to wait for you here. When I asked when you’d return, you said, ‘When the heavens are crimson and snow is falling, I’ll return to the one I long for.’

“If I’m right, you’ve come back to await Dreamshade’s reincarnation.”

Exaggerated myths and melodramatic plots—Lu Feng couldn’t help but ridicule it all in his heart.

“But why don’t you act?” he asked.

“I have no spiritual power.”

“What about Dreamshade?”

“I don’t know. When your spiritual power is restored, you should be able to find her.” The monk was getting tired; it had been five centuries since he’d spoken so much.

“Why?”

“After she was refined into a pearl, she must have fallen into some space, but with only a fraction of your power left, you can’t find her.”

Great. A quest to find someone right from the start.

“How do I recover?” Lu Feng asked. The monk gave him a look of disbelief, as if he were a fool.

Sensing the monk’s scorn, Lu Feng added awkwardly, “Alright, I don’t know how.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you cultivate. Just come here every day.”

Wasn’t that a waste of time? But then again, it’s not like he had much else to do.

“Oh, right—my illness…” He nearly forgot the most pressing problem.

“You mean your brain cancer? That little girl hit you so hard your body healed itself. What are a few cancer cells compared to that?” The monk wore a knowing look.

“It’s… gone?” Only now did Lu Feng’s expression truly change.

How was that possible?

How could it heal itself?

Cancer—the medical conundrum that had stumped experts for years.

He focused inward, probing his body with his mind. Nothing seemed amiss, and his headache was gone.

Suddenly, Lu Feng remembered Lin Doudou was still waiting for him outside.

“Oh, and about our relationship…” A strange thought occurred to Lu Feng, filling him with unease.

“Mm, mm. Five hundred years ago, I was your master,” the monk cleared his throat, answering with utmost seriousness.

“No, I was your master.” With that, Lu Feng turned and walked away.

“Uh… How did you know?” The monk was embarrassed—he hadn’t managed to fool Lu Feng.

“I could tell.” Lu Feng waved over his shoulder as he left.

“Don’t forget to come here every day.”

“Got it, Flower Monk.”

Flower Monk… The monk looked down at his clothes, stunned.