She bacame the goal post for him to strive towards, though a lot of other indignities along the way made up for the majority of his motivation. And you can't forget Ghost-Sensei pushing and pulling him to get where he's at.
Without fighting and simply letting it go would not honor all the hardships and labor he went through. So it has to be done.
I just wonder if #1 waifu will show up. (And I mean Yan Sect Leader)