She didn't respond.
A shift in the rooftop's far corner caught her eye.
A figure stood there... masked... silent.
One of the elite member that had followed Fengya.
He had not fought. He had not interfered.
And now, with no word spoken, he faded from view... dissolving into the shadows as if he had never existed.
Qingran turned away.
[Toxin cleared, core integrity: 93%... Rift signature stabilized... Trait active: Ability Taker – Level 2... Status: Evolutionary Phase Ongoing...]
She lowered her arms slowly. Her power no longer surged wildly.
It was focused now, fused with her will. No longer something borrowed but something earned.
The sky above was beginning to clear.
The clouds, once twisted by Rift energy, slowly unraveled.
Qingran walked forward across the cracked stone, her steps silent.
This battle was over... but her war was not.
Qingran stood still for a moment longer, the heat from her body still shimmering faintly in the air.
