Chapter 687: Black Tuo Acknowledges a Master

Su Chen was not surprised at all by the Residual Spirit’s compromise. If they were to reach the most crucial step, the other party might still have a chance to play games with him. But this was only the beginning. No matter what this guy was plotting in his mind—whether he wanted to seize the initiative, launch a counterattack, or offer bait to snatch his body back—regardless of the circumstances, he had to demonstrate his value first.

“For the Residual Spirit, finding a way to make me a Chosen One is his most important trump card. But for me, I just want to see the class requirements,” Su Chen mused to himself. As long as he kept a tight grip on this point, he could afford to take his time and toy with him. Obliterating this guy would be simple, but squeezing out every bit of knowledge and value he possessed would require some effort.

“That would be for the best.”

Leaving behind this single sentence, Su Chen severed his communication with the Residual Spirit.

“Su Chen?”

The Residual Spirit called out tentatively a few times, but received no response.

“He manages his boundaries far too well,” he thought, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. He had assumed that this concession would prompt Su Chen to push even harder to extort secrets. He had even prepared countermeasures, completely unexpected that the other party would end their conversation so decisively. While this avoided a potential conflict, it made the Residual Spirit find him increasingly troublesome to deal with.

“This kid is too cunning. His mental maturity completely betrays his age. He won’t be easily fooled, so I can only take my time,” he thought. In reality, he didn’t care much about making this concession. Whatever Morning Star Artifact it was, it had no bearing on the grand scheme of things. Entering that Flame Space was merely the beginning. Only by gaining Su Chen’s trust as much as possible could he land a fatal blow at the perfect moment.

“It’s just…” he couldn’t help but think. “It’s truly inconceivable that this guy actually gained the approval of the three dragons. And then there’s this space.”

He looked up to see a colossal Red Gold figure standing before him; he was currently resting in its palm. Flames and thunder continuously erupted all around, while in the distance, a cluster of various bizarre entities gathered blurrily together. Whether it was a burly blood-gold silhouette or translucent orange misty light groups, he couldn’t see clearly.

“Just what kind of place is this?” he wondered.

Su Chen, naturally unaware of the Residual Spirit’s thoughts, had his eyes fixed on the constantly spinning gears around him. The tempering time for the Shadow Shattering Body had only just begun; he would have to stay here for a long time.

“Please stop here, Senior Brother Qin.”

At the entrance of the Qin family estate, Zhou Yunyang waved his hands repeatedly, gently pushing back against the burly Qin Lie. However, Qin Lie disregarded his protests, insisting on escorting him all the way to the gate.

“You’re too polite,” Zhou Yunyang said with a bitter smile, clasping his hands in farewell.

“Steward Zhou.”

On his way back, many people greeted him. Zhou Yunyang responded to each with a smile, feeling quite pleased with himself. His knack for pleasing everyone had practically reached perfection. He had maintained a solid relationship with Su Chen. Even after Venerable Qin Yun’s decline caused everyone to hastily cut ties with the Qin family, he had secretly paid a few visits, leaving Qin Lie with an excellent impression of him.

Who would have thought that Venerable Qin Yun would suddenly repent right before her death? She had actually humbled herself to such an extent, bowing subserviently to the Little Martial Uncle. And the Little Martial Uncle was magnanimous enough to let go of past grievances. Relying on their past ties, the Qin family’s future was still promising.

He also needed to visit the Little Martial Uncle more often. Thinking of Su Chen, Zhou Yunyang knew full well that his people-pleasing maneuvering couldn’t be hidden from others. But he had no intention of hiding it anyway. His goal was merely to stay on good terms, not to become the other party’s trusted confidant or subordinate. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but rather that it was impossible. Take Su Chen, for example. He had been in the Sect for so long, yet who had truly submitted to him? Ding Fan? They merely had some friendly ties. In terms of progress, was Ding Fan really that much better off than himself? Su Chen had only ever employed people from his home planet.

Simply maintaining this relationship was enough. A future Ancient King… unfortunately, he didn’t know if he would live to see that day.

Humming a little tune, Zhou Yunyang made his way back to the Artifact Hall. He had a shift in the afternoon and was accustomed to arriving early. However, just as he turned the corner, his expression flickered. Amidst the endless stream of Sect personnel in front of the Artifact Hall stood a young boy with a somewhat naive expression, glancing around.

Upon seeing Zhou Yunyang, the boy’s eyes lit up. He hurried over, bowed deeply, and called out respectfully, “Steward Zhou.”

Zhou Yunyang frowned. “Why is it you again? I’ve already told you, I don’t accept students.”

Hearing this, the boy’s face remained expressionless, but he spoke with firm resolve. “If you refuse to accept me, I will come to visit every day. I have paid my respects to Steward Zhou today. Goodbye.”

The boy was as decisive as his words, sidestepping to leave.

Zhou Yunyang’s eyes glinted briefly as he called out to stop him. “Wait.”

The boy halted and turned around, a look of joy on his face. “You agreed?”

Zhou Yunyang felt a slight headache coming on. He raised a hand and said, “Hold on a minute. Your name is…”

He seemed a bit hesitant, so the boy quickly supplied, “He Peiting.”

“He Peiting.” Zhou Yunyang nodded slowly. He was about to speak when his gaze drifted to the side; a middle-aged man was walking out of the Artifact Hall.

Seeing the boy, the man looked slightly taken aback before teasing, “Old Zhou, this kid has been showing up for days now. You might as well take him in.”

“Get out of here,” Zhou Yunyang scolded with a laugh. Once his colleague left, he led He Peiting into the Artifact Hall and headed to his office on the second floor. After closing the door, he had the boy sit down and brewed a cup of tea.

Looking somewhat flustered, the boy reached out with both hands to accept it.

Zhou Yunyang smiled and said, “No need to be nervous. Have a seat, have a seat.”

He pressed the boy down into the chair. “I’m quite curious. Why are you so adamant about taking me as your teacher? You have a Dual Profound Purple Talent, so your foundation isn’t bad at all. You can enter the Holy Hall, and you aren’t entangled with any of those major families.”