Paragon of Sin

In Sky Zephyr City, two figures played a board game with continuous moving pieces. It was the young woman and an old man from beyond, their looks and auras were rather ordinary.

"Why do you think he'll come?" The young woman asked as she shifted a piece with her delicate fingers, her brows furrowed as she contemplated her next move. When the piece landed, the old man shook his head.

"I just do," the old man answered as he showed no mercy, shifting his piece and ending the game, "Checkmate." 

"..." The young woman gawked in silence, inspecting the board for a solid minute before sighing to herself. Her eyes flitted with a bitter light as she glanced at the old man. She said with dissatisfaction and a pout, "If he comes, he's an idiot." 

"Why?" The old man asked, calmly reorganizing the pieces to restart the game. He wanted to hear her thoughts. Since meeting Wei Wuyin, experiencing what it meant to be young, cunning, intelligent, and perceptive, he hoped to see some of these traits in the young woman.

"Isn't it obvious? This Holy Son of Grandgale didn't set this meeting up to conduct any form of discussion about the future of this land. There isn't much to discuss. With the birth of Holy Children throughout the continent, the end of the Season of Devils, the Holy Children lost the majority of their power and influence.

"This is a discussion on how to deal with him, the strongest obstacle, so he would definitely not come. If he did, wouldn't he just fall into the hands of the others?" The young woman explained with a faint smile of confidence. 

But the old man looked at her and sighed, "If it was only that simple; If only he was that simple." His sigh contained a wisp of disappointment, causing the young woman to pout. 

"What do you mean? Am I wrong?" She questioned aggressively. This was the most direct explanation as to why he shouldn't arrive. This was a trial, but the other two Holy Children weren't here for it. They sought to gain the greatest benefit out of their circumstance. 

The old man finished resetting the board, "You're not." 

"...What?" Confused, she demanded clarity with her eyes. The old man was contradicting himself, no? If she wasn't wrong, then if he came, he was an idiot, no? 

The old man calmly said, "Your move." But after noticing the glare in the young woman's eyes, unwilling to proceed with their somewhat competitive game, he gave off another sigh, looking into the distance. "You've explained why not, can you explain why he should? What would he do if he did?"

"..." This question stumped her. If it was foolish to come, why consider the alternative? She didn't understand. If putting your hand over a fire burns your hand, then why consider why you should put your hand on a fire?! There should be only reasons why you shouldn't! 

"Thinking about things from all angles, considering the worldly circumstances, those things are important. Let's put it in simpler terms, what if he sought an alternative? To negotiate with the other two before this Holy Son of Grandgale? Offer them benefits? Couldn't he gain an advantage?" The old man asked.

"Wouldn't work," the young woman said swiftly and confidently. "There's no way the Holy Son of Grandgale would give him the chance, unless he's the idiot. Furthermore, this is definitely not going to happen. That 'girl' is incredibly stubborn, and she's already decided who to support." The girl she mentioned caused the young woman to twist her lips into a frown. 

The old man smiled, "Ignorance is cause for caution, not dissuasion." Those words caused the young woman's heart to pound, feeling as if it contained a profound essence she'd never understood before. But she couldn't quite grasp it.

"I guess we should just wait and see what he does," the old man decided that explaining it would be too troublesome. She might even consider it illogical with her fixated thinking of Wei Wuyin's current position.

"No! Explain!" The young woman was irritated at the cryptic words and profound wisdom. She felt somewhat insulted, feeling a little lacking in intelligence. What was so great about this Holy Son of Tri-Elementus? Sure, he had heaven-defying talent! Sure, he had outrageously good-looks! Sure, his spiritual strength is unfathomable! But…

What was she trying to say again? 

Whatever! She wanted an explanation!

The old man shook his head, "Think simple, and consider. You'll find the answer." He truly didn't want to explain, trying to urge her to think of alternatives. She kept thinking of Wei Wuyin entering a passive position, forced to wait for his eventual fate. Most might be forced into that position if this was the world of mortals, but they were cultivators. The act of cultivation was an act of defiance against fate, against the normalities of reality. 

The young woman clenched her slender fingers, finding the old man irritating. "Fine! Let's see if he comes or not! See if he's an idiot or not! See if you're right or I am!" With a huff, she moved a piece. But in her anger, that hasty action would inevitably lead to her loss. 

"Don't have to wait for long," the old man said.

-----

He Yanglei stood at the front of his Voidship, overlooking the masses. Those gawking humans and sharp-eared creatures. Those eyes of his contained an apathetic and dismissive gleam. It was as if everything he saw was beneath him, those below were ants, no, less than ants in his eyes. 

"Pathetic," he spat. 

A skinny old man with sharp eyes that seemed to demand compensation for existing in his view from everyone, including the world, was standing beside him. The old man was entirely unbothered by He Yanglei's attitude.

"You should dispose of that token," the old man suggested. 

He Yanglei turned, realizing the skinny old man had revealed himself. "Why?" He asked, his expression remained indifferent. He withdrew the Token of Elementus, also known as the Badge of Divinity, and inspected it with a faint smile. 

"You should know why," the skinny old man plainly said. The badge was a key item in the trial, and they weren't here for the trial. If they hindered the trial or completed it somehow, it would cause all sorts of issues to occur. 

"The True Element Sect, hm? They want to choose their Chosen in such an archaic trial. I heard the trial was established in the hometown of the Nine-Divine Elementus King, I wonder if its true." He Yanglei amusingly said.

"Whether its true or not, if you hinder the trial, the True Element Sect will demand an explanation. What you gained from this trial will be far, far less than what you lose." The skinny old man warned after hearing the faint trace of disrespect in He Yanglei's tone. The Nine-Divine Elementus King wasn't a figure he could speak about so casually. He thought for a moment and solemnly added, "You might not even keep your life."

After saying that, he vanished. 

He Yanglei froze for a moment. He clenched his fist around the token, feeling a wisp of frustration in his heart. But after a while, he relaxed. "I have a Seed of Law, so my future isn't any less promising than this whatever King." After saying those words, he scoffed as they met an Envoy of the Sky Zephyr Temple. 

-----

On the other Voidship, an ordinary looking girl with hair was short and wavy, styled in a curly bob cut, with side-swept bangs partially covering her forehead, was at the front of the ship, observing the Sky Zephyr Temple that hovered in the sky. Her eyes were calm, cold even, yet there was a faint trace of remembrance in her eyes. Those eyes became softer.

A voice resounded behind her, its origins unclear, but its tone was feminine with a tinge of haughtiness. "You shouldn't have any other ideas, Tang Xingyun." Those words prompted that soft eyes to resume its cold, distant feeling. 

The young woman by the name of Tang Xingyun remained silent, not responding. But the voice was unwilling to do the same, reminding: "Be mindful of your status. He's not and will never be worthy of you." 

Tang Xingyun's eyes became colder, but she remained silent. Only time will decide if he's worthy or not, no one else.