Not That Useless, Not That Close

Xu Xian did not press for more. He had long suspected that the auspicious beast before him was far from simple.

But that didn't matter. The beast's life was in his hands; even if it were the Monkey King who had wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, it wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble here.

Returning to the courtyard, Xu Xian sat at the stone table, casually adjusting his sleeves. Getting straight to the point, he asked, "Tell me, how do you plan to help me?"

With the ribbon covering his eyes, Lu Yuan gazed up at the stars and spoke slowly, "I heard your conversation with that old man."

"And?"

Lu Yuan spoke plainly. "If it is as you said, that girl with the bad eyes has a strand of Yin Qi sealed within her acupoints. For it to remain for nearly thirty years without fading, her constitution is naturally special. With a bit of nurturing, it wouldn't be difficult to turn it into an Extremely Yin Saint Body."

Xu Xian remained silent, listening intently.

Lu Yuan’s tone shifted. "But if that’s all it is, it’s far from enough."

Xu Xian swallowed hard and looked up, his expression solemn. "Don't beat around the bush. Just speak plainly."

Lu Yuan lowered his head, his gaze seemingly meeting Xu Xian's through the air, yet he raised a hand to point at the bright moon. "In the past, within Cangming, there was once a tribe that lived upon the Xuan Moon. Have you heard of them?"

Xu Xian instinctively looked up.

As he gazed at the bright moon and its hazy, floating light, his interest grew. He shook his head. "I haven't."

Lu Yuan stood up, leaped down, and paced over to sit in front of Xu Xian. He answered his own question, "They were called the Taiyin tribe. At their peak, the entire tribe consisted of exactly eight members."

"Hmm?"

Eight members?

And they were called a tribe?

Xu Xian thought to himself that in the vast world, there truly were all sorts of wonders.

Lu Yuan seemed to see through the youth's thoughts and sneered.

"Don't look down on them for having only eight members. Every single one of them was a supreme powerhouse capable of reaching the heavens and earth. Any one of them could have swept across an entire realm."

He paused slightly to emphasize, "Listen carefully. I said a 'realm,' not just a province or a territory."

Xu Xian had heard many myths and legends and read plenty of historical documents. In the world he came from, he had even heard that the entire universe was split open by a man with an axe.

How strange could this be?

He said calmly, "And then? What does this have to do with saving someone?"

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and said slowly, "The Taiyin tribe possessed a supreme treasure called the [Half-Bowl of Time]. Legend says this item originated from the Plane of Time. Inside a small bowl, there were three colors of water: one of time, one of years, and one of reincarnation. The Taiyin tribe was born from this bowl."

"Since it involves time, it naturally involves reincarnation and generates Yin Qi. However, the Taiyin tribe not only did not fear the Yin Qi from reincarnation, but they could also use it for themselves and command it at will."

"Do you know why?"

Xu Xian shook his head.

Lu Yuan emphasized each word, "Because every member of that tribe was born with a Taiyin Immortal Body. It is for this reason that later generations called them the Taiyin tribe."

Xu Xian had a rough guess in his heart, but on the surface, he pretended not to know. He asked, "So, what does this have to do with saving her?"

Lu Yuan couldn't tell if Xu Xian was truly confused or just playing dumb.

He couldn't hide the disdain in his eyes. He had already explained this much, and the boy was still asking?

Too lazy to argue, he stated plainly, "To save that girl, an Extremely Yin Saint Body is not enough. That is only a temporary measure. The Yin Qi would remain, but it wouldn't be a compromise; it would be waiting. One day, with the help of the Extremely Yin Saint Body, it would truly develop sapience and a consciousness. Its first act would be possession—taking over her body. However, if she has a Taiyin Immortal Body, that’s a different story. A Taiyin Immortal Body can not only force it into submission but eventually refine it."

"Not only will she live, but if she can truly drive that strand of Yin Qi—provided her luck isn't too bad—it's not impossible for her to become a titan of her own in the future."

With just a few sentences, he had painted a massive picture and dropped it right in front of Xu Xian.

Xu Xian admitted it.

He was truly tempted.

Extremely Yin Saint Body versus Taiyin Immortal Body. A difference of two words, but the gap was as vast as the moon compared to a firefly.

It went without saying.

However...

Xu Xian forced himself to stay calm and analyzed the situation seriously. "Advancing from a cold body to a saint body, and then to an immortal body... those are two heavenly chasms. Surely it's not that simple?"

Lu Yuan rested a hand on the table and tilted his head back, full of confidence. "For you, it would be extremely difficult—or rather, impossible. But with me, it's a different story."

"Oh... you're certain?"

"It's as easy as grasping something in my palm."

"That confident?"

"Of course."

Xu Xian questioned him again, "Don't mess around. Seriously, how certain are you?"

Lu Yuan shrugged, using a phrase he had recently learned. "Either it succeeds, or it fails."

Xu Xian was speechless and rolled his eyes.

Lu Yuan added with some concern, "If we follow my method, it can be done. My only fear is that the girl won't be able to endure it."

"What do you mean?"

"Upgrading a constitution is not that simple. When I say it's a complete transformation, I'm not just speaking figuratively. Bones shattered and reshaped, essence blood burned to nothing, skin rotting and regrowing... you understand..."

Xu Xian lowered his eyes and fell into a brief silence.

He did understand.

Because he had experienced it.

When he ascended the Divine Sword Pool and broke through the chrysalis to obtain the acquired sword embryo.

That process was truly painful.

Even now, just thinking about it made his legs tremble.

It was true that he had endured it.

But he wasn't sure if Yao Xiaoxiao could withstand such pain.

Just thinking about letting a little girl go through that kind of agony made his heart ache.

But whether it was transforming into an Extremely Yin Saint Body or a Taiyin Immortal Body...

The pain of a complete transformation was destined to be unavoidable.

If she wanted to live...

There was no other choice. This pain was something Yao Xiaoxiao would have to bear herself.

Seeing Xu Xian silent and only tapping his fingers on the table, Lu Yuan asked, "What, don't you believe me?"

Xu Xian looked up and shook his head gently.

Lu Yuan curled his lips. "Then you think I'm bragging?"

Xu Xian said sincerely, "No, I just have one thing I don't understand."

Lu Yuan didn't speak.

"Why are you helping me?"

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and said ambiguously, "Because the karma of the Wendao Sect is too great."

"Hmm?"

Lu Yuan explained nonchalantly, "Since I'm destined to be unable to escape the settlement of this karma, I can only face it. Having an extra fighter in the future is naturally a good thing. Though that girl has bad eyes and doesn't seem very bright, she clearly likes you a lot. I imagine that if you asked her to die for you in the future, she wouldn't even blink."

Xu Xian was utterly speechless, yet he couldn't find any fault in the logic.

Through the ribbon, Lu Yuan said with conviction, "Trust me, my eyes are very sharp."

Xu Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Fine, let's just say you're right."

Lu Yuan’s lips curled up.

Xu Xian leaned in closer, his eyes flickering as he took the chance to ask further, "Tell me the truth... are you something from outside Fanzhou?"

Lu Yuan also leaned in and answered with a question of his own, "What about you? Are you someone from Fanzhou?"

Xu Xian's eyes dimmed and brightened in turn. He pursed his lips, and after a brief silence, he probed again, "You aren't from that Taiyin tribe, are you? Did that bowl fall to the mortal realm and you grew out of it?"

Lu Yuan waved a hand and said arrogantly, "I'm not that useless."

Xu Xian's brows furrowed, half-believing and half-doubting.

Lu Yuan also glanced up at the sky and tested, "Then what about you? Did you fall from the heavens?"

Xu Xian curled his lip and said nonchalantly, "Not that close."

Lu Yuan’s Adam's apple bobbed as he listened, half-believing and half-doubting.

That night.

In a small courtyard filled with a pool of starlight, a man and a beast constantly stole glances at each other out of the corners of their eyes...

Their thoughts ran deep.

Xu Xian: '...This beast has quite the background.'

Lu Yuan: '...This person's origins are not shallow.'