New Responsibility

Yun Heng coughed lightly, doing her best to keep her expression calm.

She pulled Yun Che aside, lowered her voice, and leaned in close to whisper in his ear,

“About that... whether we get those things isn't really up to me.”

After all, what cards she drew depended entirely on the System. Even if she wanted houses, she couldn't make them appear out of thin air.

“All I can say is that I'll do my best.”

The more Yun Heng spoke, the guiltier she felt.

“I'll have to ask you all to endure it for now.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Che seemed deeply moved. He took a step back and bowed solemnly to Yun Heng.

“Please do not say such things, Young Lord!”

“To be able to follow you, Young Lord, is something we have never felt wronged by. Your word is our command, and no matter what happens in the future, we will follow you forever.”

Hearing Yun Che's words, the crowd behind him chimed in one after another.

“Yes, Young Lord!”

“You have never owed us anything!”

“It was you who gave us a second life, Young Lord! We swear to follow you to the death!”

Hundreds of people declared their loyalty in unison, their voices echoing through the entire shattered realm.

Yun Heng stood frozen on the spot, momentarily dazed.

Did they really trust her this much?

She had arrived in this world for no apparent reason, and from the moment she opened her eyes, she had maintained her guard against everything around her. She knew that in this world, the strong devoured the weak, and without strength, one could only be at the mercy of others.

She didn't dare to easily trust anyone, much less entrust her secrets into another's hands.

Even though the System belonged to her, she had never fully trusted it either.

The System harbored too many secrets.

It would not take the initiative to tell her where those Character Cards came from, nor would it explain what kind of past existed between the Tianheng Jade and this shattered realm.

Because of this, Yun Heng had always maintained a degree of vigilance toward the System.

When she first drew Character Cards, she had even assumed these people were merely mindless puppets with no thoughts of their own.

Yet as she spent time with them, she realized that was not the case.

They could feel pleasant surprise, express worry, and feel joy over the changes taking place in the shattered realm.

And now, they were even telling her that she had given them a second life.

A second life...

What did that mean? Could it be that these people were not created out of thin air by the System?

Were they people who truly existed in this world—or perhaps, had existed in the past?

The doubts in Yun Heng's mind multiplied, but she did not press for answers right now.

Because she could tell that the respect and trust on the faces of the people before her were not fake.

And it was at this very moment that a sense of responsibility she had never felt before suddenly swelled in her heart.

In the past, as she followed the System's guidance out of Xuanxiao Sect and all the way to Tianque City, she hadn't really possessed a clear goal.

She had simply wanted to continually grow stronger.

In a world where the strong devoured the weak, strength was everything. She had no sect to protect her, nor a real family to rely on, so she could only depend on herself.

She could not stop moving forward.

But now, it seemed she had gained another reason to keep growing stronger.

Not only for herself, but also for these people in the shattered realm.

Yun Heng raised her head and looked at the earnest, resolute faces before her.

They viewed her as their Young Lord, regarded the shattered realm as their clan, and placed all their hopes upon her shoulders.

If that was the case, she could not fail this trust.

The confusion on Yun Heng's face gradually faded, replaced by an expression that turned resolute step by step.

She looked at everyone and said earnestly,

“I will definitely make this shattered realm grow even stronger.”

“And I will never betray the trust you have placed in me.”

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, aside from daily practicing the Tianheng Guiyuan Art and the Profound Bone Body-Forging Art to solidify her late-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, Yun Heng spent most of her remaining time practicing the Tianheng Sword Art.

After half a month of repeated comprehension, she finally gained initial mastery over the third style of the Tianheng Sword Art—Frost Sky Annihilation.

This style was different from the previous two.

A Line of Frost focused on speed, emphasizing the concentration of sword momentum into a single point to take the enemy's life as swiftly as possible.

Frost River Severing Mountains was far more domineering; its sword momentum poured down like a frozen river, capable of cleaving through an opponent's defense and offensive stance simultaneously in a frontal crush.

Meanwhile, the third style, Frost Sky Annihilation, focused more on controlling sword intent and spiritual energy.

With a single strike, the frigid sword intent could lock down the surrounding space. Wherever the sword momentum reached, the circulation of spiritual energy would be suppressed.

If cultivated to great perfection, a single slash would bring silence to all directions, freezing everything in the path of the sword intent.

Although Yun Heng had only achieved initial mastery and was still far from reaching that level, this move had nevertheless become the strongest sword style she currently possessed.

Today was the day the Qingming Secret Realm would open.

Yun Heng ended her cultivation early, organized her belongings, hung her Qingming Command at her waist, and then left Wanbao Tower to head outside Tianque City.

By the time she arrived outside the city, the entrance to the Qingming Secret Realm was already packed with a sea of people.

Everywhere she looked, cultivators filled the area.

The five major sects each occupied a section of the field, their sect banners fluttering in the wind. The twenty disciples from each sect who had obtained Qingming Commands stood neatly behind their respective sect elders.

Besides the five major sects, there were also members of the Eastern Region Imperial Family, major prominent families, and rogue cultivators who had obtained Qingming Commands.

Each time the Qingming Secret Realm opened, the number of cultivators allowed to enter was strictly limited.

Each of the five major sects held twenty Qingming Commands, taking up one hundred spots just among themselves.

The remaining hundred or so were scattered among the Eastern Region Imperial Family, the prominent families, and rogue cultivators.

In the entire Eastern Region, only around two hundred people could enter the Qingming Secret Realm.

Yet the number of cultivators gathered outside Tianque City at this moment easily exceeded a thousand.

Some were sect elders or clan ancestors who had come personally out of concern for the safety of their juniors.

Even more had come simply to watch the spectacle. Although many cultivators lacked a Qingming Command and could not enter the secret realm, they were unwilling to miss such a grand occasion.

It was currently exactly the Hour of the Dragon, leaving half an hour before the secret realm opened at the Hour of the Snake.

Yun Heng did not squeeze into the crowded areas.

She found a relatively spacious spot near the entrance of the secret realm and waited quietly.

Quite a few people around were sizing her up. After her three matches at the Martial Inquiry Arena, plenty of people in Tianque City now recognized Yun Heng.

In particular, after she defeated Yan Yi half a month ago and surged to fifth place on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard, her fame had spread across all of Tianque City in no time.

Yun Heng paid those glances no mind. Just as she was waiting quietly, a figure suddenly arrived by her side.