Nie Xiwang's eyes widened at both the fact he seemingly could use sound transmissions and at the same time that he had so easily seen through her breakthrough.
Her gray eyes with a sprinkle of gold in them turned to him for a moment of surprise but instantly turned away in a similar fashion as a hand touching a scalding hot surface.
His smile widened seeing that, as he recalled the 'gift' he left her when she secretly watched him leaving the capital before.
However, what did impress him was that in the time he had not seen her, she rose to the peak of the Mortal Transcendence Realm, reaching the very peak of Nine Mortal Realms.
Their prior encounters and conversations have opened the eyes of the Blade Empress, both to the inherent flaws in her view of the world around, and in her perception of herself.