Before Qin Mo's bones had even grown cold, his Saint mentor directly proposed his terms of cooperation to the two brothers, Xu Yuan and Xu Changge.
The remnant soul, having lived for countless years, put on no airs of a Saint. He knew full well that in his current state, he was no match for this bizarre Origin Realm youth—not even for a single bout—and he knew his present status as a prisoner.
He straightforwardly offered the Chancellor's Manor terms that were nearly impossible to refuse:
Intelligence, cultivation techniques, secret arts, and the entrances to several hidden secret realms.
Beyond that, if necessary, he could guarantee the safety of the Chancellor's Manor's Third Young Master and guide his cultivation.
In return, the Chancellor's Manor would only need to use its influence afterward to find him a successor—or rather, a vessel to possess—for him to groom.
With those words spoken, both the Saint's remnant soul and Xu Yuan looked toward Xu Changge.
Dusk over the ruins held a certain desolate beauty.
Xu Changge sat atop a large boulder, his eyes lowered without expression as he weighed the other party's proposal.
He had not expected this so-called Saint to be so practical and pragmatic, yet it gave him some understanding of what his father had told him when he left the capital:
A Saint? Just a wild stray dog clinging to life.
After a long silence, his decision was made.
Xu Changge slowly rose to his feet. His cyan robes stirred without wind, and a three-foot green blade quietly appeared in his hand at some point.
The slender tip of the sword scattered a sky full of red light in the sunset's afterglow.
Seeing this, the Saint's remnant soul contracted his pupils slightly, realizing what this kid intended to do.
Yet it was too fast.
No—Xu Changge's movement wasn't fast; it simply could not be dodged.
Even with Xu Yuan's cultivation, he could clearly see this strike from Xu Changge.
It was an utterly mundane, ordinary sword thrust.
Yet upon seeing this strike, Ran Qingmo's fair hand gripping her black sword involuntarily tightened and trembled, her beautiful eyes turning solemn.
Lift hand, thrust, then hit.
Everything felt entirely natural, as if ordained.
A sword strike that could not be dodged.
The sword lowered, and the solemn aura from a moment ago vanished without a trace.
The struck Saint's remnant soul raised a hand to touch the glabella of his soul form. As if resigned to his fate, he grinned quite casually:
"Origin Realm brat, it's not like this old man was going to refuse your restriction. Isn't this making a bit too much of a fuss?"
The three-foot green blade vanished from Xu Changge's hand. His breath was visibly slightly perturbed, but he answered with a light chuckle:
"Sir was a noble Saint in life. I had to take it seriously."
The Saint's remnant soul shook his head and gave Xu Changge a deep look, transmitting his voice with pointed meaning:
"Heh, kid, this thing you're cultivating... one wrong step and you'll fall into eternal damnation. Do you know that?"
Hearing this, Xu Changge narrowed his long, slender eyes slightly and glanced at him, neither warm nor cold:
"My matters need not trouble you, sir."
The Saint's remnant soul tactfully held his tongue, shaking his head with a chuckle:
"Now that the restriction is placed, you're ready to have me follow this Innate Dao Body kid? Your family really is a pack of monsters."
Xu Changge did not deny it:
"Before that, however, my father will likely have many questions for you. Please come with me, sir."
Judging from Xu Changge's reaction just now, Xu Yuan figured the soul ring had been secured.
Yet at this moment, what occupied his mind even more was the sword strike Xu Changge had just delivered.
He had seen that strike before—back in his past life.
It was Xu Changge's ultimate skill when he acted as a boss, a truly heaven-defying ultimate ability.
No matter how far the player's character ran, as long as they remained inside the boss arena, once Xu Changge raised his sword and cleaved down, the damage would trigger directly.
An undodgeable sword strike.
There were only two ways to survive it:
First, stack enough HP to tank through it. In the boss fight, Xu Changge would only use this ridiculous skill once.
Second, use the invincibility frames of Sweeping Blade to evade it.
Xu Yuan was a hardcore gamer, so he had typically preferred using invincibility frames to dodge.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan suddenly froze, his heart skipping a beat in excitement.
Sweeping Blade, invincibility frames, the Saint's remnant soul...
Perhaps he could later ask that Saint's remnant soul to teach him a secret sword art that exploited invincibility frames.
After all, with a Saint's discernment, learning such a technique shouldn't be difficult.
Furthermore...
Perhaps he could even learn his elder brother's sword strike.
It was worth a shot.
With his mind made up, Xu Yuan glanced at the girl beside him, only to be slightly taken aback.
This big block of ice still held her earlier posture, staring blankly toward the spot where Xu Changge had thrust his sword.
Xu Yuan raised a hand and waved it in front of her.
Ran Qingmo returned to her senses and turned her gaze to him.
Xu Yuan asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Ran Qingmo bit her lip and clenched her fist.
"Your brother is very strong."
Xu Yuan glanced at the hand gripping her sword and offered a gentle, reassuring smile.
"Xu Changge is more than a decade older than you. Once you reach his age, who knows who'd be stronger?"
Ran Qingmo lowered her beautiful eyes and shook her head in silence, her despondence plain to see.
At this sight, Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
He suddenly realized what this big block of ice was thinking about.
The Sword Sect...
From the very beginning, as a disciple of the Imperial Preceptor, Ran Qingmo's purpose in capturing him had been to hold him as leverage against his father.
Although she and Xu Yuan got along exceptionally well now, Xu Changge was still an enemy in her eyes.
Ever since arriving at the Xu Manor residence, she had harbored a faint, lingering hostility toward his elder brother.
And considering how his elder brother dealt with enemies... Xu Yuan gave a slight shudder.
He began to understand where Ran Qingmo's despondence came from.
According to the storyline's timeline, the destruction of the Sword Sect would take place within the next two years.
Ran Qingmo had no time left to grow.
And with her current strength, if she went up against Xu Changge, there was zero question that she would be killed in an instant.
Pondering briefly, Xu Yuan sighed and looked up at Ying'er standing nearby.
"Ying'er, withdraw for now. I want to spend a moment alone with Mr. Ran."
Ying'er glanced at Ran Qingmo, nodded, and departed.
Once Ying'er had completely vanished from sight,
Xu Yuan looked toward the sunset glowing at the edge of the sky and said in a low voice, "Ran Qingmo, I have something to tell you."
"Mm. Go ahead," Ran Qingmo nodded.
After waiting two seconds,
Xu Yuan cleared his throat, glanced in the direction Xu Changge had left, and then stared at Ran Qingmo.
Ran Qingmo also glanced in the direction Xu Changge had departed, then tilted her head, meeting Xu Yuan's gaze with puzzled eyes.
Xu Yuan suddenly felt a headache coming on and sighed.
"A Sound-Muffling Array—do you know how to set one up?"
"Oh."
Ran Qingmo nodded. With a surge of Source Qi, a translucent film of ice formed around the two of them in an instant.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan let out a long breath.
"Ran Qingmo, you came to find me because you didn't want the Sword Sect's forty thousand disciples to lose their lives, right?"
"Mm." Ran Qingmo nodded.
"Can I ask you why?" Xu Yuan asked softly.
He remembered that in the easter-egg worldline, Ran Qingmo hadn't cared about the Sword Sect's fate at all, but had instead departed straight for overseas.
Ran Qingmo pondered for a moment, her voice earnest:
"Because Master said I will become the Sect Master of the Sword Sect in the future. Protecting the Sword Sect is my responsibility."
Chapter 85