Chapter 088 - The Remnant Souls Offer

Chapter 088 - The Remnant Soul's Offer

Xu Yuan had always wanted to go out. He simply had never found a suitable excuse. Now that the Xu residence in Stillwater had been smashed into ruins, Ran Qingmo’s arrival had handed him the perfect opportunity.

His current cultivation speed was already extremely fast, but the time he had was far too short. Xu Changge had enjoyed the same resources as him, and even then it had taken him 12 years to cultivate to a third rank Grandmaster.

Even if Xu Yuan’s Innate Dao Physique allowed him to move faster than his brother, how much faster could he really be? It was not as if he had the cheat from Azure Point that let him farm monsters and level up. Ten years from now, even daylilies would have gone cold.

Xu Yuan needed to visit certain places and take certain things. He needed to enter certain secret realms. With those, his cultivation speed could rise even faster.

Having the Chancellor’s people follow him around would be very inconvenient, but traveling with no one at all would be far too dangerous. Originally, Xu Yuan’s plan had been to snatch the old grandpa from Qin Mo’s soul ring, but now that Ran Qingmo had come along, she solved that problem perfectly.

Besides, Xu Yuan really did want to go out and see the world. The current situation was the calm before the storm. All sides were maintaining a certain degree of restraint. Since he had come to this world, it would be a true shame not to walk through it at least once.

After hearing Xu Yuan’s request, Xu Changge’s answer was simple and clear. “No way.”

Xu Yuan frowned and stared at Xu Changge. “Why?”

Xu Changge’s voice was very soft. “The situation is unstable. It’s dangerous.”

Xu Yuan sighed when he heard that, then glanced at the wreckage inside the Xu estate.

“Where isn't it dangerous?” As he spoke, he grinned.“Going to the Imperial Capital wouldn’t be dangerous, sure. But can you bring me back there right now?”

Xu Changge stared at Xu Yuan for two seconds, his eyes carrying a strange trace of amusement. “Why you can’t return to the Imperial Capital, don’t you know that better than anyone?”

Xu Yuan thought back for a moment. “I was bewitched back then.”

A strange smile lingered in Xu Changge’s eyes. He spoke calmly, unhurried. “You may indeed have been bewitched at the time, but Changtian, do you know something? There are many methods in this world that can seize control of a person’s body, but there has never been a single method capable of completely controlling someone’s mind and soul. Even the bewitching spores of the Bewitching Soul Devil Body can only make someone fall in love, thereby influencing that person’s judgment. When you made that decision back then, wasn’t it because you yourself wanted to do it?”

Xu Yuan was struck silent by those words. In his memories, he really had been bewitched. But the decision had also truly been his own. Princess Mu Zhiyun was really beautiful. It was a classic case of the lower head overruling the upper one.

Knowing he could not argue his way out of this, Xu Yuan cut straight to the point. “Right. You’re right. So the question is, can I go to the Imperial Capital now?”

Xu Changge laughed in irritation and glanced at Ying’er beside him.

Xu Yuan noticed at once and immediately pointed toward the ruins of the Xu residence again.

“Xu Changge, I know you’re doing this for my own good, but the truth is, it’s the same no matter where I am. Anyone who can kill me can kill me anywhere. You saw these ruins too. A second rank powerhouse can come and go freely inside Stillwater. If Ran Qingmo hadn’t arrived, when that masked man attacked earlier, if he had made a move against me...”

“He had no chance to make a move,” Xu Changge interrupted softly.

“You were being held up by her.” Xu Yuan glanced at the bloodstained cloth bundle containing the head.

Xu Changge stared at this self-righteous little brother of his for several breaths. He did not explain, merely repeated in a soft voice, “He had no chance to make a move.”

Xu Yuan fell silent. His doubtful gaze swept over Xu Changge, then he reluctantly nodded. “Fine. Since you say so, let’s say he had no chance to make a move.”

The corner of Xu Changge’s eye twitched.

Xu Yuan did not continue provoking him. Instead, he lowered his voice and asked, “Then can you stay in Stillwater the whole time from now on? Or can you arrange for a second rank expert to watch over me? If an Origin Awakener powerhouse wants to kill me, isn’t it the same wherever I am?”

Xu Changge fell silent.

For a moment, both brothers went quiet.

And in that silence, a middle-aged man’s voice rang out, deep enough that it seemed to come with its own subwoofer.

“Second rank brat, if you are worried about your younger brother, this old man can protect him.” The Sage’s remnant soul, who had sensibly retreated back into the soul ring, slowly floated out again and spoke in a gentle voice. “If you can provide me with enough soul-nourishing heavenly treasures, this old man is confident he can take this boy and escape from an Origin Awakener expert.”

Xu Changge’s expression remained calm. He did not immediately show any reaction.

Xu Yuan glanced at the old grandpa. He looked like a handsome middle-aged scholar. Actually, he was not much different from his character portrait in Azure Point.

He thought for a moment, then chuckled softly and said, “Old man, we did just kill that disciple of yours, you know.”

The Sage’s remnant soul shook his head. As for Qin Mo’s miserable death, he answered with perfect indifference.

“Indeed, you killed him. But what this old man wants is merely an inheritor of my legacy. Who that inheritor is does not matter.”

The answer was cold-blooded, but Xu Yuan was not surprised in the slightest. That bone-deep ruthlessness and clear sense of purpose was one of the reasons he had dared to try asking for the soul ring in the first place.

Children talked about feelings. Adults talked about interests.

Besides, whether this Sage’s remnant soul could even still be called human was another question altogether. Expecting an ancient monster who had lived who knew how many years to pour his heart and soul into helping you out of pure affection... wasn’t that a little disrespectful to all the years he had survived?

This Sage’s remnant soul would absolutely not avenge Qin Mo.

After a brief pause, Xu Yuan smiled. “An inheritor of your legacy? So you want to take me as your disciple?”

The Sage’s remnant soul carefully looked Xu Yuan over. A trace of surprise then appeared in his eyes. “Innate Dao Physique?”

After saying that, the Sage’s soul body curled his lips into a faint smile. “If you are willing to switch to the cultivation art I created myself, then naturally, I would be willing.”

Xu Yuan laughed outright when he heard this. This Sage’s remnant soul was not the traditional portable old grandpa. He truly did treat his disciples well, but that kindness was more like an investment meant to help the other party grow.

He had stayed by Qin Mo’s side not because his soul body had left him with no other choice, but because it was part of a carefully planned cultivation project. After all, he could pop out and use his soul body to trade blows with a third rank Grandmaster. If he wanted to leave Qin Mo’s side, would that not have been laughably easy?

Qin Mo was merely one disciple among many in the long years of this old monster’s life. Now that the investment had failed, he could simply find the next one. Of course, since it was an investment, this Sage naturally wanted a return.

And the return this Sage’s remnant soul wanted was very simple, possession and rebirth. Once his disciple cultivated to Level 90, which was the first rank Transcendent Realm in this world, the Sage’s remnant soul would begin to make his move.

I helped you cultivate all the way to this point. Asking for your body in return isn’t too much, is it? Thinking to this point, Xu Yuan reined in his thoughts. “I don’t plan on switching cultivation arts for now.”

The Sage’s remnant soul sounded somewhat regretful when he heard this, but he was not too discouraged. He merely sent a voice transmission. “If you are unwilling to switch cultivation arts, then we can still make a deal.”