Chapter 215 - 214: Feng Yao (4)

Lin Yuan began to pace slowly around the boy, his black and white robes gliding silently over the mist.

"You claim you want no part in this tournament, yet you are offering to hand over a priceless piece of your own soul’s essence to a cultivator from a Lower Division province, simply for reaching the Top 3 in a preliminary round."

Lin Yuan stopped directly in front of Feng Yao, his deep purple eyes staring into the boy’s unreadable, milky-white pupils.

"What do you gain from this, Feng Yao?" Lin Yuan demanded, his voice dropping an octave as the profound pressure of his Thunder Rain Dao Intent quietly permeated the surrounding space. "Why would you use your own vital essence to elevate a stranger?"

His gaze sharpened.

"I cannot read your expression, and your eyes are strange and difficult to decipher. I have no idea what lies behind them or what you truly intend. Give me a reason to trust you, or I will assume this offer is merely a trap laid by the Upper Division."

Lin Yuan’s voice became cold.

"And if that is the case, I will sever this connection immediately."

Feng Yao did not flinch under the suffocating pressure of Lin Yuan’s aura. He merely looked up, a profound, weary sadness returning to his youthful face.

"I do not gain glory, Lin Yuan," Feng Yao whispered. "I gain chaos."

The boy turned his head, looking out over the vast, turbulent ocean of Lin Yuan’s mind.

"If I win this tournament, the Lord of the Feng Province solidifies his tyrannical rule, and my family remains his eternal hostages, kept alive only as a leash for his ultimate weapon," Feng Yao explained, his voice laced with bitter reality. "If I intentionally lose, or if I refuse to fight, he will execute them in a fit of rage."

Feng Yao turned back to Lin Yuan, his pupil-less eyes blazing with a quiet, desperate fire.

"I need you," the sixteen-year-old declared. "I believe this tournament is meant for the Fated One. I know it is. Ever since I arrived here, my eyes have been restless, constantly searching for something I could not understand. Yet the moment they settled upon you, that restlessness disappeared. It may sound too vague to mean anything, but I believe this tournament is a path for you to reach greater heights. And I see myself as one of the factors that can help you reach them. If you can enter the Top Three in the next preliminary round, I will take it as proof that you possess the conviction necessary to continue growing. If you can do that, I will gladly give you my Primordial Essence, provided you promise me that after this tournament, you will help my family."

Feng Yao took a step closer, looking up at the towering Lin Yuan, who studied the boy’s face for a long, silent moment.

The logic was vague. Desperately vague.

It was also incredibly risky, relying almost entirely on Lin Yuan’s ability to create unprecedented events within the tournament. Yet, in a strange way, it was exactly the kind of gamble a powerful pacifist who had been cornered into desperation might make.

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He did not intend to accept the offer immediately.

A promise could be made in an instant, but trust couldn’t.

There were still three days before the second preliminary round. That was enough time to investigate Feng Province from the shadows. Bai Chen was already within Sky Jade City and had access to channels that Lin Yuan himself could not easily reach without attracting attention. He would have Bai Chen conduct a thorough investigation into Feng Yao, his family, and the internal political structure of Feng Province.

If the investigation confirmed Feng Yao’s claims, particularly the existence of the political forces controlling his family and the truth behind his desperate circumstances, then Lin Yuan may accept the deal.

After all, if Feng Yao truly possessed a Primordial Spirit comparable to that of a Peak Void Refinement expert, his Primordial Essence was an opportunity that even Lin Yuan could not afford to dismiss casually.

But before accepting such an opportunity, he needed to know whether the boy was telling the truth.

"A promise?" Lin Yuan murmured, a faint, dangerous smile finally touching his lips. "You have an interesting perspective for a child."

His gaze remained fixed on Feng Yao.

"Your offer is interesting, Feng Yao. But my trust is not so easily bought."

Feng Yao nodded slowly, seemingly unbothered by Lin Yuan’s words. He then took a step backward as the golden-purple mist began swirling around his ankles, his spiritual projection gradually preparing to withdraw.

"I will await you in the Top Three," Feng Yao said, his voice beginning to echo and fade, taking on a distant, ethereal quality.

"Is that all?" Lin Yuan asked, his voice firm, refusing to let the boy have the final word.

Feng Yao paused.

The milky-white light within his eyes dimmed as his figure gradually became translucent.

"Yes," the boy whispered.

The heavy resonance had completely vanished, leaving behind nothing more than the tired voice of a sixteen-year-old boy carrying the weight of a god.

"That is all."

Wooooom!

The projection vanished.

The vast expanse of the Sea of Consciousness violently collapsed, retreating into the depths of Lin Yuan’s soul.

In the physical world, less than a second had passed.

Lin Yuan’s deep purple eyes snapped open.

The master suite of the provincial palace was exactly as he had left it. The air was warm, scented with frozen orchids and the lingering, savory aroma of the meal he had just ate.

The piece of tender, slow-braised duck was still held perfectly between his bamboo chopsticks, hovering halfway to his mouth.

Across the low table, Bai Qingyue had not stopped playing. Her slender fingers continued to pluck the silk strings of her zither with effortless, serene grace. The melody of rejuvenation washed over him, a beautiful, grounding contrast to the heavy conversation he had just concluded.

Lin Yuan slowly lowered his chopsticks, placing the meat back onto his plate.

He looked at his wife. She was the absolute tether of his Dao Heart, the reason he defied the Heavens.

Bai Qingyue looked up from her zither, her eyes catching the dim light of the celestial-pearls. She noticed the slight shift in his demeanor, the sudden, intense focus that had replaced his relaxed posture, but she did not stop playing.

Lin Yuan leaned forward across the low table. He reached out, his warm hand gently cupping the side of her face, his thumb brushing softly against her cheekbone.

He leaned in and pressed a firm, lingering kiss to her forehead.

Bai Qingyue smiled, a radiant, beautiful expression that crinkled the corners of her eyes. She did not ask him what had just transpired in the silence of his mind. She simply closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, and allowed her fingers to continue weaving the soothing melody.

Lin Yuan pulled back slightly, his thumb resting against her cheek.

He closed his eyes, letting the purifying music of the zither wash away the residual tension of the intrusion. The path forward was clear. The second round awaited, and with it, a possible key to the Peerless Stage.

Lin Yuan allowed the melody to carry him, his mind already calculating the bloody path required to claim his place in the Top 3.