Xiao Hei has left, but she will continue to play the role and help Diefang and the other three to break free from their dependence on Haotian.

Next, Haotian began to teach the little girl.

I know she has just lost a loved one.

Xiaoxi's talent isn't particularly outstanding, but she has an exceptional talent for swordsmanship.

Haotian knew that the Sword Domain was in chaos, and the Human King Palace's control would be temporary; these fleas would eventually break free.

She observed that Xiaoxi had a very solid foundation in swordsmanship, without any particular sword style or school of thought; her solid foundation was the only thing that mattered...

The Sword God knew that his swordsmanship was not the best, and wanted to keep Haotian to teach the child.

After Xiaoxi demonstrated what she had learned, Haotian beckoned her over.

Slightly crouched down, looking at her...

Xiaoxi's face flushed slightly.

"You cannot follow my path of the sword. I hope you can forge your own path."

After saying this, he passed on several sword techniques and sword manuals suitable for Xiaoxi.

As for whether she can figure out what truly belongs to her, that depends on her own talent.

Spring has passed and autumn has come; a year has already gone by.

So much happened this year.

Xiao Qi wreaked havoc in the Demon Realm, but was rescued by a mysterious person in a desperate situation, and has been missing ever since.

One powerful figure after another began to defy the rule of the Human King's Palace. In the end, the Human King's Palace announced that it would withdraw from the world and would not enter the world again unless the human race was in danger.

All personnel in the Human King's Palace ceased to concern themselves with matters concerning the Human King.

It seemed to everyone that after a period of madness, the Human King Palace could no longer control the domain lords and finally retreated in a sorry state near the Human King City.

More and more demons began to run rampant and act tyrannically.

The entire human race began to descend into chaos.

The demons declared war on the humans, and certain groups of elves also declared war on the humans.

They began attacking the human race's formidable pass, but the numerous battles, large and small, that followed within a year were merely tests.

As the Human King's Palace turns a blind eye, more and more voices oppose the Human King, and behind these voices, it seems, a mysterious force is pushing things along.

Some traitors from other races deliberately exposed their weaknesses in an attempt to test the bottom line of the Human King's Palace. However, the Human King's Palace did not react at all, so the traitors became more and more rampant.

Over the course of a year, Diefang and the others had all become quiet and reserved.

Diefang no longer cooks; she eats fasting pills when she's hungry. Only Wenxin, on rare occasions when they successfully conquer the tower, will take everyone to a restaurant for a meal.

In one year, the 12th floor has already passed 11 floors, leaving only the first floor.

During the time I was venturing into buildings, I met many people and experienced many risks.

Because it was revealed that the four of them might be disciples of the Human King, assassination attempts were frequently launched to test whether the Human King was still alive.

At first, it was Xiao Hei and Da Fangying who shielded the four of them, and only then did the world realize that they had powerful protectors by their side. Although the number of assassination attempts decreased, people would still try to kill these renowned geniuses from time to time.

The people of foreign races were the most fanatical.

Despite facing death and danger multiple times, they did not give up. The golden book within their consciousness recorded one perilous moment after another.

Diefang and Wenxin have reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, and their cultivation has reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

Both of them felt that when they passed through the first floor of the Sword Domain, it would be the time when they reached the Divine Transformation stage.

When Linglong of the Elf Clan arrived, she did not see Xiao Hei and Haotian. Three days later, she could only return to the Elf Clan helplessly.

Xinyu also stayed by Diefang and Wenxin's side, cultivating quietly, occasionally knocking away a few self-righteous fools, and her cultivation level reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

With the help of Da Fangying, Xiao Fangying was frequently taken by Xiao Hei to the Monster Forest for training, and her cultivation level broke through rapidly, reaching the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

In just one year, all four of them made rapid progress.

When Diefang and her companions were venturing into the Sword Tower, they saw that familiar white figure in the crowd several times. Each time they tried to catch up, only a single white hair remained.

Every time they saw him, tears streamed down their faces. They knew that their master hadn't abandoned them, and they also realized that they were indeed somewhat dependent on him. As long as... as long as they walked their own path...

The four were already renowned geniuses throughout the human race. Cheng Yao even asked her disciple Chenxi to invite Diefang and the others, and even asked Chenxi to go to Diefang and the others to try to get information about the Human King from them.

Every time Chenxi was having a lively conversation with them, the atmosphere would instantly turn cold when the topic of the Human King came up. Diefang and the others would fall silent, and in the end, Cheng Yao had no choice but to give up.

During this time, Chenxi challenged Diefang and the others multiple times, but was defeated and returned to the Spirit Realm. She also said that they were welcome to come to the Spirit Realm for training at any time.

Haotian, who had been quietly watching over Diefang and the others, longed to give them a warm embrace and wipe away their tears with his own hands.

However, I cannot. This dependence will ultimately harm them. I am destined not to accompany them for a lifetime. This is a way of getting used to her disappearance in advance.

In the course of a year, Chu Xinqiao also completed his transformation into a mortal.

The red rope did not disappear. Chu Xinqiao's memories were unsealed again, and his cultivation broke through to the ultimate True Immortal realm, arriving at this mysterious and wondrous state.

Even though she has reached this new realm, she still stares blankly at the red rope from time to time, just like she did during her time as a mortal.

The red string symbolizes the destiny she shared with that person.

Because Hanqin was only a half-baked idiot, Chu Xinqiao liked to bully her all the time, since she had taken advantage of him when he was in his mortal form.

But more often than not, she would sit with Hanqin and quietly observe the world.

Chu Xinqiao still remembered what Haotian said when he left: do not look for her, because if possible, this would be the best ending Haotian could think of.

But... she didn't think this was the best outcome.

That year, Diefang and the others had grown up quite a bit. They were no longer little girls; each one was a beautiful young woman, brimming with youthful energy. But...

Xiao Hei only dared to go to Haotian when Diefang and the others were asleep.

Even after talking with Haotian, she tried to remove Haotian's lingering fragrance from her body.

Once, even though they hadn't gone, Diefang and the others smelled a long-lost yet familiar fragrance, and they were all excited, thinking that their master had arrived.

In the end, it was a disappointment.

They were all very sensible and didn't ask anything, but the disappointment in their eyes was so strong that even Xiao Hei could sense the sadness.

On the contrary, with Haotian like this, Xiaoxi has already emerged from the shadows. She regards Haotian as her closest person and has gradually become more lively in front of him. Only occasionally, when she thinks of her grandfather, does a trace of sadness flash in her eyes.

She used enthusiasm and liveliness as if to disguise her sad heart.

It'll be soon, very soon.

Traitors are gathering, alien races are preparing, and the scum are gearing up to wreak havoc on the world.

That will be the moment when Haotian and Diefang and the others embrace once again.