Paragon of Sin

Bai Yuxi's delicate body violently trembled. She was aware that two Chosens were selected by the Primary Overseer, but she didn't mention it for fear that Wei Wuyin would contest Lin Ming's legitimacy as a Chosen in the True Element Sect. After all, each faction within the True Element Sect was allowed a single Chosen. 

Wei Wuyin should be half-crippled after using self-damaging methods to increase his strength, but if he obtained the Elementus Cache and all its grand resources, he could certainly recover. After all, even alchemical products like the Enlightening Soul Pulse Elixirs. This placed her heart on a pile of solid stress just thinking about it. Now that Lin Xianxei was aware of it, further accentuated by her damaged soul, Bai Yuxi felt herself on the verge of mental collapse.

Lin Xianxei's glaring stare demanding answers only added to the anxious atmosphere. Furthermore, for Bai Yuxi, she knew this was only the beginning of the tumbling boulder that was her cascading series of problems. Helpless, she could only bite her lips tensely as the event she least wanted to see occur.

From her gaze alone, Lin Xianxei was conveyed her demand for an immediate and clear explanation. There was no need for shouts, just that gaze and her posture was enough. While she had received the detailed report about the outcome of the Elementus Chosen Trial from the Primary Overseer, she was ignorant of the events that led to it or the existence of another Chosen, yet there were outsiders who weren't even a part of it aware. How could she not be enraged by this? 

Lin Ming glanced at the trembling Bai Yuxi and sighed in his heart. In hindsight, he felt that he should've just come clean and revealed everything. It would've been better than this awkward situation with another party present. 

Yet Exalted Yu was quite intrigued by Lin Xianxei's ignorance. She was traveling with one of the Chosen of the trial and was the Little Saintess of the True Element Sect, yet she was uninformed of the events within the trial? This was amusing. He couldn't help but look at Lin Ming, forming a knowing smile.

He said to Lin Xianxei, "You don't know? According to Venerable Spiritwalker, two Chosen had been declared simultaneously. Furthermore, one of them had even formed Element Heart Intent. Your sect is suffering quite a bit because of this." The amusement in his tone was unconcealed, as he stoked the fire.

"What?" Lin Xianxei's heart started to race, "Element Heart Intent?" She looked at Lin Ming, a wisp of hopeful glee within her alluring eyes, but when she saw his downcast gaze, she realized the truth. After all, she was the original Secondary Overseer, how could she not be aware of the loopholes or requirements?

It wasn't just her, even Exalted Yu discovered the truth from his reaction. The higher-ups of the world believed that Lin Ming, this grey-eyed, handsome youth was the possessor of Element Heart Intent. At the time, the other Chosen was damaged physically, mentally, and spiritually, it was highly unlikely for him to formulate a complex sequence of thoughts, let alone comprehend Heart of the World, World of the Element Intent.

This led to Lin Ming being the only logical choice. 

"..." Lin Xianxei was silent for a long period of time. Just from this and Exalted Yu's words, she understood that the situation was escalating. The importance of Element Heart Intent couldn't be stressed, and it was far, far, far more vital than a False Worldly Domain and premature Domain Seed manifestation. 

She had to take a deep breath to organize her thoughts, looking at Lin Ming for a moment, and her hardened gaze slowly softened with each passing moment. In the end, her emotions were released as a soft, defeated sigh.

"Our sect will handle any trouble that comes its way, Exalted Yu." She turned to face this envoy and clasped her hands respectfully, "The contents of the Elementus Cache was not claimed by Lin Ming, but Wei Wuyin instead. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to return to the True Element Sect." Clearly, from her tone, she wanted Exalted Yu off this ship.

"Mm," Exalted Yu hummed out a nuanced sound. He was quite impressed by Lin Xianxei's ability to regulate her emotions. She was befitting her glowing reputation, yet this situation couldn't be settled so easily. 

"Venerable Spiritwalker has an approximate estimation of resources and their total market value. The deal wasn't eighty percent of the resources, but eighty percent value of resources in the Elementus Cache. This was originally so it could be substituted for any other external treasures to balance it out, in case the set of materials Venerable Spiritwalker wanted led to a percentage greater or lesser, without breaking the terms of the agreement." Exalted Yu plainly explained, flipping his right hand as a beige-colored note was conjured in his palm. 

Bai Yuxi, Lin Ming, and Lin Xianxei's heart dropped after that. They all knew this situation wasn't so easily dismissed.

Lin Ming finally stepped forward, "I never agreed to any share distribution!" He had never spoken to or seen this Venerable Spiritwalker, yet they were demanding eighty percent of the total value that the Elementus Cache possessed? And it had to be substituted by other treasures?! 

Lin Xianxei was shocked. This wasn't an agreement? 

Exalted Yu seemed prepared, calmly explaining: "You're right. This was also one of the main reasons the total value was the target rather than the specific contents of the Elementus Cache. It was Bai Yuxi who swore the oath, so the burden lies with her. Of course, you could always go against the oath."

"..." Lin Ming felt his words caught in his throat. Both he and Lin Xianxei turned to Bai Yuxi whose palms were sweaty and trembling. She had made this agreement to ensure that Lin Ming would become the Chosen. It was their only choice, and she thought it would be fine after, but who could've known that Lin Ming wouldn't obtain the Elementus Cache? 

They couldn't even react when the beige note arrived before Bai Yuxi. She, with quivering hands, reached out and grabbed it. When she did, a number and two words were clearly seen. 

Her heart sank into its furthest depths.

Lin Xianxei took the note from Bai Yuxi, and then her expression drastically changed. "Impossible! There's no way this was the value of Elementus Cache!" She directly expressed her disbelief, completely not accepting this outrageous target. This was enough to buy a tenth of a domain! 

However, Exalted Yu was once again unsurprised and prepared, "The value of the Elementus Cache includes all its treasures, such as the entry and exit badge. And according to Venerable Spiritwalker and the others, this included eighty percent of the estimated value of the training grounds. Because whoever has it can freely open up a pathway via the badge and send any number of geniuses to experience it for half a century.

"As per the agreement with the Golden Life Pavilion, no?" Exalted Yu slowly formed a bright smile. Almost everyone was aware that the World Realm's Core detonated, destroying everything that related to the training grounds. But the agreement with the Golden Life Pavilion was extremely public, and if a Chosen was born from the trial, then everyone knew that the Chosen would be granted free access to train themselves and their forces.

Therefore, the Chosen actually partially owned the training grounds alongside the Golden Life Pavilion. At the time, the Golden Life Pavilion had agreed to maintain the Chosen Trial and uphold certain rules in exchange for purchasing and maintaining it. After all, a World Realm was extremely costly to maintain, especially something as complex, unique, and beneficial as the four Seasons, and the True Element Sect was a little financially deficient at the moment. 

While there was a limited number that could be brought in, this was included in the eighty percent share, because the badge itself could only be truly obtained in the Elementus Cache, so it was included. It was a play on words. A little despicable, but perfectly legal as some would say.

In a way, Bai Yuxi was scammed. 

Well, not really.

From Exalted Yu's point of view, all these conditions would be negligible if Lin Ming had obtained the Elementus Cache. The Four Extreme Continent would be freely his to explore and train in as the perfect grounds to refine his Elemental Intents, battle prowess via the Season of Devils, and spells and arts through the Season of Regression.

Lin Ming would also gain the assistance of three Starlord-level figures, a dozen or so Timelords, and thousands of Realmlords outright! While he might suffer a little loss in the short run, he could even use this opportunity to formulate stable relations with Venerable Spiritwalker, an Ascended!

Yet the truth was brutal.

The Four Extreme Continent was gone.

The World Realm's Core was destroyed.

The Elementus Cache was stolen from him.

There were no benefits to be had, he was left with nothing but a debt that he hadn't even agreed on, and all of it was on the shoulders of Bai Yuxi. Someone who helped him forge his Domain Seed and become Chosen!

"..." The subsequent silence made the atmosphere so thick that a searing knife couldn't cut it. This price wasn't something a budding Chosen could afford, but refusing it was the same as sacrificing Bai Yuxi. As for getting the True Element Sect to foot the bill, they weren't in the best of states right now, how could anyone agree to handle this?

But Bai Yuxi's status was extremely special! If something happened to her, the consequences wouldn't be simple.

Lin Xianxei felt a throbbing headache while holding the outrageous note. She hadn't even returned to the sect to deal with the legitimacy of Lin Ming's Chosen status, and this was now happening?

Exalted Yu didn't stop though, continuing by breaking the stiff silence, "Bai Yuxi, in exchange for freeing Lin Ming from his spiritual shackles, you agreed to a price. I'm here to remind you of that as well."

Price?

Lin Xianxei couldn't help but be even more astonished, turning to Bai Yuxi questioningly. Just when you think things couldn't get worse, more things keep happening. Of course, the True Element Sect did not fear Venerable Spiritwalker, so if they were shameless enough, they could just dismiss this. There were ways to protect one from the consequences of an oath or even outright break it, if one was willing to pay the price.

In fact, if Lin Ming had obtained the Elementus Cache, lost eighty percent, then the True Element Sect would merely negotiate the details with Venerable Spiritwalker, and take the portions they could from her. This would lead to Lin Ming having to share the training ground with other talents of the sect.

"..." Bai Yuxi was silent. And then, her eyes glossed over! She felt the world darken as her thoughts swirled about without order or linear function. With a sudden thud, she fell down on her side like a collapsing tower.

"Bai Yuxi!" Lin Xianxei called out in panic. She rushed forward to catch Bai Yuxi's head and sent a stream of gentle spiritual force into her body, inspecting her thoroughly. She felt her entire mind to be in chaos and her cultivation in disarray. She was close to cultivation deviation, short of outright losing control of her innate energies. If that happened…

Lin Xianxei violently paled. She hurriedly withdrew a vial that contained a radiant liquid of a cyan-color. It glinted with a sparkling light that was extremely animated, like the light itself was living. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Exalted Yu looked on with not a single ounce of surprise in his eyes, only curiously glancing at the vial. "Peak-tier, eighth-grade Spirit-Body-Mind Harmony Elixir?" After noting the contents, he was taken aback.

This was an extremely precious elixir used to stabilize wounds to the Spirit of Cultivation, and one's mind, body, and World Sea for a period. It could prevent cultivation deviation, even restore a cripple. However, it was extremely precious and could be considered as a pseudo ninth-grade alchemical product that only Mortal Sovereign Alchemists could concoct it without much issue.

Lin Xianxei didn't hesitate to slowly pour the ounce of liquid into Bai Yuxi's mouth, lifting her concealment veil and revealing her appearance to the world. 

"....!" Lin Ming's eyes widened.