"For now?"
Xu Yuan let out a breath of relief and murmured, "It seems you want to verify a few things through me."
It was a statement, not a question.
Teenage Tianyan stared at Xu Yuan for two seconds, then pursed her lips into a smile. "Naturally. If you want to ask what I wish to verify, I can't tell you. But if you're willing to beg me, it isn't out of the question."
She leaned right in front of Xu Yuan's eyes and blinked. "Well? Want to try begging me?"
"..."
Xu Yuan looked at the golden-eyed girl smiling brilliantly before him and shook his head. "Actually, compared to that, I'm more curious about you."
"..."
A second of silence.
Teenage Tianyan pointed to herself, a strange look in her eyes. "Me?"
Xu Yuan said nothing. He raised a flat palm to measure against her current height, then lowered it to measure where her little-girl height had been.
Tianyan froze for an instant, then burst into a giggling laugh. "That's just because of my cultivation technique~"
With that, her lovely eyes curved into two glittering crescents as she beamed at Xu Yuan. "Do you prefer the other me?"
"..."
Xu Yuan felt this woman was definitely missing a few screws.
Yet he was utterly powerless against her in a fight, which left him helpless.
Sighing, Xu Yuan shook his head, turned around, and walked off.
Teenage Tianyan trotted briskly after him, her translucent, porcelain bare feet stepping across the soft grass. Poking her head forward, she asked with a smile, "Hey, hey, did I get it right? That version of me is pretty cute, isn't she..."
"No, I think you're far cuter like this," Xu Yuan said, glancing at her.
Teenage Tianyan blinked. "Why?"
"Guess."
Xu Yuan didn't answer and kept walking forward.
The little-girl Tianyan had been even colder and more aloof than Ran Qingmo; it was practically impossible to tell what she was thinking.
So he genuinely preferred this teenage Tianyan.
Because she talked a lot.
Talking a lot meant he could learn things.
Still, the cultivation techniques of this world were even more intricate than he had imagined.
He used to think techniques were merely the circulation of Source Qi through meridians, but the appearance of the Heaven-Deducing Art completely shattered that rigid mindset.
To think a cultivation technique could autonomously manipulate age and personality!
Thinking this over, Xu Yuan cast another glance at the flat-chested girl chattering away beside him.
If this flat-chested teen was Phase Two of the boss, he wondered if there would be a Phase Three mature-beauty form.
Tianyan noticed his gaze, suddenly cut off her words, covered her chest, and took a step back. "I feel like you're thinking about something very impolite."
"It wasn't particularly polite, no."
Xu Yuan gave a crisp nod, countering, "You expect a playboy like me to be suave and gentlemanly? Isn't that somewhat disrespectful of my profession?"
Tianyan rolled her eyes at him.
The secret realm was enormous.
In Cangyuan, the Guanyin Mountain Range was merely four map zones across, yet in reality it stretched for a thousand li. Scaling by that ratio, the area of this secret realm was at least a million square kilometers. He truly had no idea how such a colossal space had been forged in the first place.
Heading west for five days, Ran Qingmo remained lost somewhere unknown. At first, teenage Tianyan chattered in his ear incessantly, but as Xu Yuan paid less attention to her, her chatter gradually dwindled.
After five days of travel, the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace where they had entered the secret realm had receded far beyond visual range, yet an endless, boundless prairie still stretched before Xu Yuan's eyes.
Under the midday sun, Xu Yuan crouched on the grass, using the famed sword Qingyu gifted by his uncle to methodically dress the carcass of a wolf demon—skinning, eviscerating, deboning, rinsing, and rubbing it with seasoning to marinate.
Once the preparations were complete, Xu Yuan took a roasting rack from his Sumeru ring, skewered the dressed wolf meat, lit a fire, used Source Qi as fuel, and happily began turning the whole roast wolf.
Just like in Cangyuan, this prairie was populated with rodent- and wolf-type demonic beasts.
None were particularly strong, and with his current Seventh-rank cultivation, handling them was more than easy enough, sparing him from the misery of living off military-issue Inedia Pills along the way.
As time passed, the aroma of the whole roast wolf quickly wafted through the air.
Slicing off a wolf leg with the razor-sharp Qingyu, he began devouring it with gusto.
Tianyan squatted nearby, watching Xu Yuan. After a while, she suddenly spoke up: "Hey."
"..."
Xu Yuan looked back.
Tianyan extended a fair, jade-like finger, pointing in the direction of the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace. "Where exactly are you going? Isn't the sect gate over there? A hundred meters more, and you'll hit the border of the secret realm."
Xu Yuan lowered the wolf leg, thought for a moment, and said, "Ahem. First of all, I—"
"Cut the crap. I know your name is Xu Changtian," teenage Tianyan interrupted, rolling her eyes.
"..."
Xu Yuan reflexively wanted to laugh, but froze an instant later.
This world shouldn't have that meme, right?
Squinting, he shifted to a low chuckle and asked, "Can't you foretell the future? Why don't you deduce it yourself?"
Tianyan replied without hesitation, "It's too troublesome."
Xu Yuan noncommittally stared into her eyes and smiled with narrowed eyes. "Little Sister Tianyan, troublesome or not, you'll have to rely on yourself. We're enemies right now. Do you expect an enemy to answer your doubts?"
As their eyes met, golden light swirled within Tianyan's pupils. She sighed. "Mhm, fair point. But I'm older than you. You should call me 'elder sister.'"
Xu Yuan looked at her still somewhat tender face and chuckled, "At least you look younger than me right now. If you turn into a big sister, I'll call you 'elder sister.' How about that?"
Tianyan let out a soft huff from her dainty nose. "No."
"You really can transform?" Xu Yuan said in surprise.
Literally able to go from loli to mature woman.
In this vast world, wonders truly never ceased.
Tianyan showed no sign of refusing to answer. After pondering for a moment, she suddenly showed her teeth in a smile and crawled over in front of Xu Yuan. "Are you very curious?"
"Yeah." Meeting her gaze at close quarters, Xu Yuan nodded.
Tianyan suggested with a beaming smile, like a demon whispering temptation, "I'll ask you a question, then you ask me one. Anything goes. How about that?"
Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, not refusing immediately either. "Not a bad proposal."
Golden light swirled in Tianyan's eyes once more. "Alright, I'll go first. Why are you walking outward?"
Having gleaned the information he wanted, Xu Yuan sighed and said, "What was your previous question?"
"Huh?" Tianyan murmured in confusion. "Isn't this only the first question?"
"Indeed it is," Xu Yuan agreed. "So what was your previous question?"
Tianyan's willow-leaf brows knitted slightly as she muttered, "'I'll ask you a question, then you ask me one... how about that?' That one?"
"Right, that one."
Xu Yuan nodded and answered, "I think it's a terrible idea."
With that, Xu Yuan went back to gnawing on his wolf leg.
"..."
Tianyan froze for several seconds, puffed out her cheeks, and said in displeasure, "Xu Changtian, aren't you curious at all why I came looking for you?"
Xu Yuan looked back, stood still, and nodded solemnly. "Of course I am."
"Then why won't you agree?"
Xu Yuan looked at her as if she were a fool. "Pleasant as our time together has been, I'm pretty sure we're enemies right now. Naturally, I want to ruin whatever my enemy wants to do. Asking a question like that—are you stupid?"
Tianyan stood rooted to the spot for several seconds, clenching her fists. "Xu Changtian, aren't you afraid of dying?"
Xu Yuan shrugged, spread his hands, and countered while staring at her, "If I said no, would you believe me?"
Tianyan considered it briefly, then shook her head. "No."
Xu Yuan laughed at that, a radiant grin spreading across his face. "I really am terrified of dying—scared out of my wits."
Tianyan rose to her feet with clenched fists, stood on tiptoe, and raised a hand high above her head to indicate a huge height. "My cultivation is this much higher than yours. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Xu Yuan glanced down at her arched, pale bare feet, then looked up, shaking his head with a chuckle. "I already told you, I am."
"Then why do I feel like you're completely fearless? Because of the remnant soul inside you?"
Xu Yuan thought for a moment. "No, it's mostly just my nature. Besides, didn't you say you wouldn't kill me for now? Look how much I trust you~"
"..."
Tianyan huffed and panted a few breaths, though unfortunately there was little rise and fall across her chest. Looking down at Xu Yuan, she said, "I'm thinking of changing my mind."
A gentle breeze stirred her dark strands of hair. Backlit by the sun, those golden eyes shone exceptionally bright.
Xu Yuan answered in all seriousness, "You won't."
Tianyan burst into a snicker at his words, her bright golden eyes turning eerie and deep. "Are you really so sure? Maybe—"
"Skip the 'maybes.'"
Xu Yuan slowly stood up and reached out to pat her head. "We've been around each other for so many days. I'm completely sure."
Tianyan dodged his hand without a trace of effort.
Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "So cold. I know why you came to find me."
Tianyan stared at him, smiling noncommittally. "And why is that?"
Xu Yuan uttered a calm sentence: "You can no longer see the future clearly, can you?"
This secret realm could truly be called a haven of birdsong and fragrant blossoms. The breeze at the turn of spring and summer, warm yet refreshing, carried a faint earthy scent that felt wonderfully pleasant.
Seen from afar across the boundless grassland, two figures strolled at a leisurely pace—one in white, one in a pale red palace gown—one in front, one behind. They looked less like seekers exploring a secret realm and more like a brother and sister out on a picnic.
Ever since Xu Yuan dropped that line, teenage Tianyan had been struck dumb, reverting to the withdrawn, closed-off demeanor of her little-girl self.
She followed, but spoke not a single word.
After walking for a long while, Xu Yuan suddenly stopped and waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Still there?"
Tianyan shot him a fierce glare.
Ferociously adorable.
Considering her cultivation, Xu Yuan felt he ought to be afraid. Suppressing his laughter for several seconds, he coughed lightly and pointed to the soul ring on his right index finger: "Don't look at me like that. You should know there's a Saint's remnant soul living in here, right?"
Tianyan's expression didn't change as she waited for what he would say next.
Xu Yuan said casually, "Back when we were in that ruined cottage outside, you heard our conversation, didn't you? Don't tell me that growing bigger made you lose your memories."
"..." Tianyan continued glaring at him without a word.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan pressed on: "This Saint's remnant soul knows of the Heaven-Deducing Art and the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. From the way he talked, you can probably guess he knows quite a bit about it."
"What are you trying to say?" Tianyan finally spoke up.
"Simple: he's the one who told me your goal."
"Childish." Tianyan sighed, pity flickering in her eyes.
Xu Yuan shook his head and said in a low voice, "Tianyan, blind confidence is what's truly childish. The Heaven-Deducing Art is powerful, but the world is vast—all the more so when dealing with the methods of a Saint who lived for tens of thousands of years."
"..." Tianyan fell silent this time.
Xu Yuan sighed and added quietly, "He used a special Saint technique earlier to tell me everything about your objective."
"..." Old Man Luo remained silent.
"..." Tianyan remained silent.
Seeing that the Saint offered no rebuttal, Xu Yuan knew he had guessed right.
The ideological imprint branded by Gui Qi at the cost of his own life prevented the Saint's remnant soul from taking any action detrimental to Xu Yuan's interests.
During their earlier conversation, revealing the heart demon knot had been both a warning to Xu Yuan and a warning to Tianyan.
Having been branded with that heart demon knot, if Xu Yuan were in danger, the Saint would have to risk his life.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan murmured, "Why don't you come out and say a few words, Old Man Luo?"
After a long silence, a deep voice echoed: "Brat Xu, why are you telling her all this?"
See? He was eavesdropping as expected.
Claimed he went to study the heart demon knot—what a duplicitous old man.
Xu Yuan smiled upon hearing that deep voice boom at the bottom of his heart.
With the intent-soul link established, he abruptly transmitted via intent-soul: "Old Man Luo, get me across the border!"
The Big Block of Ice's probe into Tianyan's strength at the bottom of the lake had been worthwhile; at the very least, it let Xu Yuan know that the Tianyan before him was neither a Saint nor in the First rank.
Otherwise, even if Tianyan held back, Ran Qingmo wouldn't have stood a chance of resisting.
Naturally, there was an even more important piece of supporting evidence.
The Saint's remnant soul was far too calm.
Due to the ideological imprint, if anything happened to Xu Yuan, the Saint had to die before him.
As soon as Xu Yuan spoke, Old Man Luo didn't even ask why. Colossal soul power surged forth instantly, and under its empowerment, Xu Yuan wheeled around and bolted.
This secret realm was called the Vault Palace, a classic two-tier map.
The surrounding prairie was accessible to players in the novice stage to grind levels by killing wolves and slaughtering rodents, while the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace wrapped in clouds at the very center was an end-game zone.
Of course, you could enter in the early game as well—if you weren't afraid of dying.
And the condition to enter was very simple: cross the border of the secret realm.
Beyond the borders of ordinary secret realms lay dead zones akin to spatial turbulence, where accidentally pressing the wrong key and falling in would instantly drain your health bar. But crossing the border of this secret realm would teleport you directly into that Cloud Summit Celestial Palace.
A random teleportation, at that.
A hundred meters could be crossed in an instant.
"Stop."
The girl's voice came from behind. A suffocating pressure instantly pressed in from all directions, freezing Xu Yuan's running, puppeted body in midair.
At that very instant, Old Man Luo unleashed a barrage of curses: "Brat Xu, meeting you is the worst damn luck of my eight lifetimes!"
Even as he cursed, the Saint's remnant soul took control of Xu Yuan's body and formed a hand seal: "Dispel!"
With that word uttered, the tidal pressure vanished instantly.
Witnessing this, Xu Yuan's pupils shrank violently.
This damn remnant soul... He knew the Heaven-Deducing Art too?!!
Yet before that thought could fully settle, the Saint's remnant soul had already steered his body straight across the border of the secret realm.
Chapter 103