Two hours later.
Night had completely descended upon this abandoned mining area.
Only the cold moonlight poured through the fissures at the top of the mine, casting a few faint patches of light.
A figure silently appeared at the entrance of No. 2 Mine.
He wore old robes that had faded to white, his hair and beard were snowy, and his face was covered in deep ravines of wrinkles.
This was the antique shopkeeper from the refugee district, recognized as the strongest Pillar of the Carter Royal Capital, the High-tier Legendary assassin, Count Caleb.
His gaze immediately locked onto Lin Gui, who was sitting on a flat rock.
And at the side, Saintess Eve, who had her entire face covered.
Narrowing his eyes, he saw that his Soul Tracking had indeed ultimately locked onto that person.
Caleb was certain that the person was undoubtedly the Saintess.
However...
Doubt rose in Caleb's eyes; compared to a normal person, was this Saintess's soul a bit too small?
If a normal person's soul weight was 1, then the soul of the Saintess before him didn't even reach 0.01.
Was the suppression from the Hall of Heroic Spirits on the soul truly this powerful?
Setting aside his doubts, a smile appeared on Caleb's face—one that seemed kind but sent a chill to the bone.
He slowly approached and spoke in a hoarse voice. “Didn’t run?”
Lin Gui didn't stand up. He looked at Caleb with an almost lazy smile on his face.
“I can't run. With the soul mark on me, you’ll catch up no matter where I go. It’s just a waste of effort.”
Hearing this, Caleb let out a low, dry chuckle, as if he had heard something amusing.
With a casual flick of his hand, he tossed the Soul-Slaying Blade he had been holding onto the ground like it was trash, the weapon hitting the floor with a clang.
That terrifying divine artifact seemed like nothing more than an ordinary piece of iron in his hand.
“Soul mark?”
He shook his head, his tone as casual as if he were giving advice to a junior.
“As long as it’s not using heart’s blood or a core soul fragment as a permanent medium.”
“Once the distance is far enough, the sensory link will always weaken. There are always ways to temporarily block it or shake it off.”
“Tracking isn't as absolute as you think.”
Lin Gui's smile remained unchanged as he replied.
“Then... would you let me take the Saintess and move beyond your range of perception?”
The smile on Caleb's face deepened, carrying the composure of one who controlled everything.
“Hehe, smart.”
“Even though I was in the Royal Capital, this little girl's location was always within my grasp.”
“The moment you tried to leave a certain range, I would have acted immediately.”
“At my speed, rushing here from the Royal Capital... one minute is more than enough.”
He stopped walking, standing less than ten meters away from Lin Gui.
His dim, old eyes were now as sharp as an eagle's, staring directly at him.
“Boy, hand over the Saintess. You cannot protect her.”
Faced with these words that were essentially an ultimatum.
Lin Gui remained seated and even adjusted himself into a more comfortable position.
He smiled, his tone lacking even a hint of tension; instead, he sounded like he was trying to negotiate.
“Could... you let me try? Show some mercy later and don't deal a killing blow. Just leave me with my life, how about that?”
“Pfft—hahaha!”
Caleb was stunned for a moment before bursting into loud laughter, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.
But this laughter wasn't mocking; it was full of undisguised appreciation and... pleasure!
A Mid-tier High Rank mage, knowing full well that he was facing a High-tier Legendary assassin.
He hadn't collapsed and begged for mercy, nor had he waited in despair for death.
Instead, he had seriously tried to negotiate a chance to “try” and even asked him to “show mercy”?
Where was there any sign of cowardice in this?
He was clearly arrogant to his very core!
Caleb laughed loudly, but his eyes deeply etched Lin Gui's current composed and self-assured appearance into his heart.
Caesar had grandly brought several hundred people, laid out a barrier, and besieged the mine.
And the result?
Except for Viper, who left heavily injured, all the other core assassins were dead.
Those two hundred-plus rebel elites outside were piled up in the pit like dead pigs, unconscious.
And almost all of this was done by this seemingly harmless black-haired boy.
He had accomplished this with only two low-tier Transcendents!
Two low-tier Transcendents, one High-tier High Rank, and one Mid-tier High Rank.
Breaking through the encirclement of hundreds of rebels?
No, he had clearly annihilated several hundred rebels, along with over twenty Transcendents and four High-tier Transcendent assassins.
Such a feat! Even if the Hero were still alive, he wouldn't have been able to achieve it!
A genius? No, a monster.
A monster who was meticulous, bold, and had endless tricks up his sleeve.
A strong urge to bring this young man completely under his wing ignited like a wildfire in Caleb's heart.
He stopped laughing and looked at Lin Gui, his eyes burning with an unprecedented level of seriousness.
“Boy, join me.”
He directly extended an invitation.
“As long as you nod your head, I will cultivate you at any cost.”
“Resources, secret techniques, guidance... I promise you, within five years, I will make sure you step into the Legendary rank!”
“Within ten years, you will strike at the Epic rank!”
“I, Caleb, can guarantee my words in the name of the Master I serve!”
This offer was undeniably enticing.
A Legendary in five years, an Epic in ten years.
This was a threshold that many geniuses spent their entire lives unable to even touch.
Especially with the guarantee from a High-tier Legendary expert, the strongest Pillar of the Royal Capital, and the credibility of the master behind him, the weight of the offer was immense!
However, Lin Gui only gave a small smile.
He wasn't excited, nor did he immediately refuse; there was an unfathomable meaning within that smile.
Seeing this, Caleb didn't force him. Instead, his smile grew even wider.
He bent down to pick up the Soul-Slaying Blade from the ground and, with a casual thud.
He plunged the dagger into the ground between them, the blade trembling slightly.
“How about this,” Caleb clapped his hands as if he had come up with a brilliant idea.
“Although I don't know why you're so determined to protect this little girl—whether it's for those so-called clues to Avalon or some other reason—I'll give you a chance.”
He held up three fingers, his gaze locked onto Lin Gui.
“Three minutes.”
“If you can protect this girl from dying under my attacks for three minutes...”
“I'll let you both live, and today's matters will end here.”
He paused, his tone shifting to become indisputably sharp.
“But if... you can't,”
His gaze was like a knife.
“You must join us. What do you say?”
“...”
Lin Gui fell silent, lowering his head slightly as if weighing the options.
Caleb watched his silent form.
He thought the boy felt three minutes was too short and was about to say that this was already a massive concession.
However, in the next second, Lin Gui suddenly looked up.
The corners of his mouth curled into an almost arrogant and confident arc.
Those black eyes shone brilliantly under the moonlight.
“Then make sure you don't go back on your word.”
Caleb was momentarily stunned by this sudden, extremely confident reaction.
“????”
Why?
It wouldn't even take him a minute to slaughter a Mid-tier Legendary knight known for defense.
Why was he so confident?
Caleb stared fixedly at Lin Gui, watching the confidence rising in his eyes.
He chuckled.
This seemingly one-sided game of three minutes was turning out to be interesting.
He would see exactly what kind of trump card the other party had.
To think he could defend against the assassination of a High-tier Legendary while the Saintess was marked by his soul.
Rate on N.U.
