“I exhausted all my strength and finally reached his side before his flame of life flickered out. By his bedside, he said to me in a nearly joking tone, ‘Anji, you’re still so young... I truly envy you elves!’”
“Yes... Why... To us elves, a century is but an insignificant ripple in the long river of our lives. But for humans, it is the entirety of their existence, the full length of a lifetime. Even those who attained the Saint Rank long ago cannot escape the baptism and erosion of time.”
“His departure was like a sharp blade, once again severing the tranquility in my heart. From then on, it was as if the curtain had slowly risen on a tragedy. Those figures I once laughed and fought alongside left me one by one. Before their increasingly aged faces, only I remained exactly as I was when we first met...”
“After personally seeing off the last of my old friends, I fled the human world without looking back. Upon returning to my homeland, I began to ponder: what exactly is the value of life?”
“It was also at that time that the World Tree chose me, making me the only individual to fuse and coexist with it.”
“This power granted me a near-eternal life, but it also gave me the opportunity to re-examine everything from the past through a transcendent perspective.”
“As time passed, the laughter and tears, the love and hatred of the past gradually turned into a wisp of light smoke in the sea of my heart, gently scattered by the winds of time and buried in the deepest recesses of my memory.”
“Your arrival is like a clever arrangement of fate, allowing me to pick up those long-buried memories once more... Yet now, I can no longer even recall their faces... I can only see their blurred shadows in you.”
“Perhaps... this is the destiny of the long-lived races. Though thousands of years have passed, I still cannot erase this sorrow...”
As Angela spoke slowly, her voice gradually grew choked with emotion, as if every word carried an infinite weight of sentiment.
Starlight and Po Kong listened in silence, a wave of indescribable shock and emotion surging within their hearts.
They were surprised to see a crystalline tear silently slide down Angela’s flawless, beautiful face, shimmering in the air like a morning dewdrop—gentle yet filled with sorrow.
For a moment, an unspeakable silence filled the air, lasting until Angela slowly pulled herself away from that deep reminiscence. Only then did her eyes regain their clarity and resolve.
“Forgive me. You had to see me lose my composure,” she said softly. Her tone carried a hint of apology, but more than that, it was one of sincerity.
“But it is precisely because of the pain I have experienced that I realize more profoundly how important and precious the future of Moen and the others is... I hope you can understand.”
“So, Senior, you are looking for a personal promise from us... is that right?” Starlight spoke cautiously.
To be honest, with his short experience of little more than ten years, it was difficult for him to imagine what a sorrow spanning thousands of years looked like, or how heavy it truly was.
However, he could sense the grief and helplessness left behind for those friends when that predecessor—who was also a Radiant Elemental Body—had vanished into the whirlpool of fate.
He also suddenly realized that the answer Angela sought was not a simple verbal commitment, but one they would write with the rest of their lives.
Angela gazed at Starlight, a complex light swirling in the depths of her eyes. She nodded slightly and spoke in a soft yet powerful voice.
“You are correct, but my expectations for you go far beyond that. Through the calculations of the World Tree, I see in you both the shadows of my former comrades and an unprecedented set of variables. What I desire is for you to surpass those who came before and tread a path that no one has ever walked.”
“Such an opportunity is like the brightest morning star. Though it may seem out of reach, it is by no means untouchable. When you truly take that critical step, the shackles of time will no longer be able to imprison your sincere emotions and deep bonds.”
“Based on my long observation of humans, even those who reach the Saint Rank only live for two or three hundred years. But the reality is that the earlier one enters the Saint Rank realm, the more effectively the body can resist the erosion of time. This is an eternal truth.”
“If you can achieve this goal before age twenty, then surpassing your predecessors will no longer be a hollow fantasy. At the very least, regarding the problem of lifespan, you will no longer have to worry.”
After saying this, Angela quietly watched the two young men, her eyes filled with expectation, seemingly waiting to see what kind of answer she would receive.
Starlight blinked instinctively. Among the people he knew, his teacher, his father, and even Uncle Eventador had all successfully reached that realm in their twenties.
As for himself, though he had not yet touched the threshold of the Saint Rank, if he could complete the goals Noah had set for him in the coming years, taking that step within four years was not impossible.
What truly troubled him was how to escape the seemingly predestined fate of the Radiant Elemental Body and carve out a path of his own.
As he was lost in thought, Po Kong suddenly straightened his back, his eyes burning with a fierce fighting spirit. “Three years? That sounds pretty generous! Aren't there already geniuses in history books who achieved the Saint Rank before twenty? If others can do it, why can't we? Right, Little Star!”
His voice was crisp and loud, echoing across the empty altar.
Hearing this, a smile couldn't help but rise at the corners of Starlight’s mouth.
He looked at Po Kong, whose emerald eyes, full of fighting spirit, seemed to speak of endless possibilities.
Indeed, they possessed the asset of youth and infinite potential. More importantly, they carried the courage to explore and an boundless yearning for the unknown world.
“You’re right, Po Kong,” Starlight’s voice was equally firm and powerful.
“We will not only chase the footsteps of our predecessors but also surpass them to create our own glory. No matter how difficult the road ahead, I will fight by your side until we stand together at the peak of the world!”
Their gazes met in the air. In that instant, they seemed to travel through time and space to see their future selves standing at the top of the world, looking down upon the land that belonged to them.
The expectation for the future burned in their hearts like a wildfire, dispelling all traces of confusion.
“Therefore, Senior! We promise you here that we will give our all and move toward this goal with unwavering resolve. No matter how rugged the road or how daunting the challenges, we will press forward until we can truly stand side by side with Xia Duo and the others, crossing the river of time together.”
Po Kong’s resonant voice rang out on the altar, as if announcing their unshakable determination.
Angela gazed at the two high-spirited young men, a moving smile gradually blooming on her lips.
This smile contained both reminiscences of the past and expectations for the future.
In a daze, she felt as if she had traveled through the long river of thousands of years to see that familiar scene once again.
“Very well. I am glad to see you have such determination and courage,” Angela’s voice was soft yet firm.
“Remember, no matter how difficult the path ahead, as long as you maintain your faith and support each other, nothing is impossible. I look forward to the arrival of that day.”
After hearing Angela’s story, both were filled with emotion, but they had also been greatly encouraged by her.
If they couldn't even meet this requirement, how could they talk about catching up to the long-lived races?
“Alright, I have said enough today. The road ahead is for you to...”
Angela’s words suddenly cut off, and her expression abruptly turned solemn. Under the confused gazes of Starlight and Po Kong, she suddenly looked up into the void, her gaze seemingly piercing through the entire space of the World Tree.
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