The Test

Amidst the crackling rustle of flames, the figure enveloped in black fire struggled desperately. Boundless Source Qi surged and scattered from his body, whipping up gusts of howling wind. Yet, it was entirely in vain. The black flames clung to him like maggots on rotting bone, steadily devouring his life force. No one moved to save him. A flicker of regret passed through Yi Kui's eyes, yet a smile lingered at the corners of her lips. Bai Muxi cast her gaze downward, unable to bear the sight, but remained silent. As the one who had struck the blow, Qin Yuan merely waited, kneeling quietly on one knee with his head bowed. The three high-ranking leaders of the subterranean city silently watched Li Xing burn in the black fire. In the end, Li Xing collapsed amid the flames. With great effort, he glanced toward Bai Muxi, as if wanting to raise a hand, but had no strength left to do so. Silence fell over everything once more. All that remained was the flickering firelight, drifting gently within the silent, cavernous stone hall. "......" After staring at the charred, humanoid remains for a few moments, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and clicked his tongue softly. To tell the truth, what had just unfolded caught him somewhat off guard. "You seem a little surprised?" Li Qingyan's gentle voice drifted into his ear. Hearing her, Xu Yuan turned and met her calm, aloof, and stunning eyes. After a beat of eye contact, Li Qingyan asked, "Isn't this the outcome you wanted to see?" Xu Yuan let out a low sigh. "What I said earlier certainly carried a hint of implication, but mostly I was just stirring the pot to test the three of them." "A test?" Li Qingyan murmured, her crimson eyes flashing as she caught on quickly. "Compliance training?" Xu Yuan nodded in admission. "You could say that." The test he had devised for the three Grandmasters remaining in the subterranean city was indeed a form of compliance training. As for Bai Muxi, having his prior omniscient perspective, he knew her deep affection for the people of the subterranean city. He could use that as leverage to keep her in check and guarantee her loyalty. However, Xu Yuan knew nothing about the other three. Sweet words were cheap, but who could truly say what lay in their hearts? Using Li Xing's feelings for Bai Muxi to provoke and mock him had merely been the catalyst. Li Xing was both the test paper he had written and the examinee taking it. Even though the man refused to submit to him out of his feelings for Bai Muxi and was only willing to act as a subordinate of a subordinate, Xu Yuan did not actually care. Human nature was varied and fickle. Even his father, who could blot out the sky with a single hand, could never guarantee that every single person beneath him would be loyal and grateful. Yet that never hindered his father from deploying them—those who were useful would still be used. What was more, the subordinate of a subordinate was still his subordinate. Nominally, you might not take orders, but in practice, you still had to obey. Xu Yuan had wanted to see what choice Li Xing would make after being so thoroughly provoked once he left. Would he choose to rationally surrender power, fly into an emotional rage and defy orders, or carry out covert schemes behind their backs? If Li Xing chose the former, it would prove he could still be of use. If he chose either of the latter two, the compliance training test would fall upon Qin Yuan and Yi Kui. Would they collude with Li Xing to rebel, or would they follow his instructions and find a way to force Li Xing to give up power? The way they handled the conflicts arising during that process would become the evaluation material for the two of them. Yet now, before the examiner had even walked out the door, someone had already turned in their paper. With that thought, Xu Yuan looked at the cold, stern man kneeling with bowed head, a thoughtful glint passing through his eyes. Growing up together, cultivating together, and together overthrowing the rule of that so-called "High Priest"—after so many years of shared purpose, he had killed him without a second thought... This Qin Yuan... was quite interesting. After a long while, Xu Yuan let out a breath and gestured to Li Qingyan and Bai Muxi. "The matter is settled. Let us go." With that, Xu Yuan began walking toward the exit of the stone hall. Seeing this, Bai Muxi immediately rose and followed behind them, their three sets of footsteps echoing throughout the grand stone hall. Watching the figures of the two from the upper realm depart, Yi Kui slowly lowered her eyes and let out a soft sigh of relief. Yet in the very next instant, the footsteps within the stone hall came to an abrupt halt. She looked up, only to see the brocade-robed young noble from the upper realm paused beside Qin Yuan. Xu Yuan stood beside him, looking down at him with a commanding gaze. Qin Yuan did not move in the slightest, silently keeping his head bowed in a kneeling posture. Everything was utterly quiet. In the silence, Xu Yuan raised his hand once more and patted Qin Yuan on the shoulder. *Thud! Thud!* Without a single word, two heavy iron-bound wooden crates landed on the floor. The two women followed Xu Yuan out of the stone hall, vanishing into the darkness of the subterranean city. *Tap.* With the princess carrying Xu Yuan in her arms, the three of them returned to the cliffside outside the passageway. Landing on his feet, Xu Yuan brushed off the nonexistent dust from his robes and asked casually, "What do you think?" "......" Bai Muxi sensibly kept her mouth shut, saying nothing. Walking into the passageway, Li Qingyan asked deliberately, "Is the young master asking Qingyan?" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes at her. "If not you, am I asking the Chief Arbiter?" "Chief Arbiter?" Li Qingyan narrowed her eyes and asked with a smile, "Not calling her Muxi anymore?" "Tsk." Xu Yuan clicked his tongue and caught up at an unhurried pace. Glancing at her profile, he muttered under his breath, "You're not even the jealous type, so why put on an act like you are?" Li Qingyan turned her head, her phoenix eyes crinkling in a smile. "How do you know this princess isn't jealous?" "......" After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan wore a peculiar expression. Hooking an arm around her slender waist, he chuckled and said, "Princess Wuyuan, having spent her life on the battlefield, becoming jealous... if word got out, people would probably laugh their heads off." Saying so, Xu Yuan leaned a bit closer to her translucent earlobe, his warm breath fanning out as he spoke softly, "Besides, even if you were truly jealous, the target wouldn't be Bai Muxi." "......" Listening to their unreserved banter, Bai Muxi walked behind them with her eyes lowered, remaining silent throughout, as if the conversation had nothing to do with her. After meeting his gaze at close range for a breath, Li Qingyan chuckled and pushed Xu Yuan away. Rubbing her slightly flushed earlobe, she looked into the darkness at the end of the passage and said leisurely, "Changtian, you seem to think quite highly of that man?" "He's alright." Xu Yuan glanced down at the Sumeru ring on his finger. "Just an investment tossed out on a whim. He looks to have some potential, that's all." "He is indeed decent." Li Qingyan nodded slightly. "If he were under my command, he would barely suffice as a general. But as a supreme commander... that remains to be seen." Xu Yuan smiled faintly and said in a low voice, "Well said. Hopefully, he can deliver on his promise to me." To be a general, one merely needed competence in getting things done. The decisiveness and situational judgment Qin Yuan had displayed, along with his ruthless methods, had already demonstrated his capabilities. Yet to be a commander, beyond all of that, required the mastery to command the overall situation. If one possessed only the former, no matter how capable they were or how much they were nurtured, they would likely only ever become a trusted messenger—a clever, high-ranking enforcer with a measure of authority. However, if one possessed both, it would be an entirely different story. It would mean Qin Yuan could be cultivated in the direction of someone like Hua Hong or Lou Ji. Watching the smile on Xu Yuan's lips, Li Qingyan suddenly remarked with deep meaning, "Changtian, in truth, aside from that Qin Yuan, there is another promising talent in this subterranean city." With that, Li Qingyan turned her gaze toward Bai Muxi, who was following quietly and placidly behind them. A trace of hesitation surfaced on Bai Muxi's delicate, gentle face. Folding her wide purple-gauze sleeves in a salute, her voice rang clear: "Princess, might I ask—" Before her words could finish, a flash of red streaked past. *Bang!* A dull impact echoed within the passage as broken stone sprayed in all directions. Red sleeves fluttered. With one jade-like hand grasping Bai Muxi's fair neck, Li Qingyan pinned her against the inner wall of the tunnel. Her phoenix eyes curved as she chuckled softly: "Hiding one's edge is a very clever choice. But if you hide your edge for the sake of things that do not belong to you, it merely looks utterly foolish. "Wouldn't you agree, Muxi?"