And now, even a mere teenager dared to speak to him like this.
’Have I really become such a cripple?’ he thought. ’Take that Mu Ren. He’s a first-grade Soul Refiner, but when I used to meet with him, he was always quite polite. Just now, though, he treated me like he was shooing away a stray dog.’
’I am the esteemed Vice Commander of the City Guard. I’m not someone to be trifled with.’
At this thought, the dejection on Lin Xiong’s face vanished, replaced by a hint of wild arrogance.
"Haha, I’ve always dedicated myself to Blue Moon City, treating everyone with courtesy. Now, while I still have some strength left, it’s time to get a little crazy and secure a future for my wife and son."
With this in mind, Lin Xiong turned and began to stride away.
"Heh, now that’s more like it. You’ve finally got the presence of a Vice Commander of the City Guard," a faint voice remarked once again.
"Whose brat are you?" Lin Xiong stopped, his cold, wolf-like eyes glaring at Ye Xuan. If it had been anyone else, he would have slapped them across the face by now, but he couldn’t bring himself to strike a boy of about ten. He narrowed his eyes and said menacingly, "Brat, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you want. I’ll let it slide because of your age. Get lost, and don’t bring disaster upon your family."
"Heh, so you do have some morals," Ye Xuan said with a faint, meaningful smile. "Your Martial Soul is a saber, isn’t it?"
Lin Xiong’s brow furrowed. He found this teenager strange. In a cold voice, he said, "Everyone in Blue Moon City knows that my, Lin Xiong’s, Martial Soul is a saber."
"Tsk, tsk," Ye Xuan said lightly. "A saber, one of the finest of all tool-type Martial Souls. If cultivated to its peak, while not making you invincible among those of the same rank, you’d still have few rivals. A pity it was struck by the soul wave of a Tiger Roar Beast. Your saber intent was damaged, and its form is fading. In less than half a month, it will collapse completely. What a shame, what a shame."
Lin Xiong’s body trembled slightly, a flash of shock appearing in his eyes. He said, horrified, "How did you know I was injured by a Tiger Roar Beast?"
A hint of a smile touched Ye Xuan’s eyes. "How I know isn’t important. What’s important is that your saber Martial Soul hasn’t reached its breaking point yet. It can still be repaired. But if you don’t treat it soon, it will truly be crippled."
"What? You’re saying it can still be repaired?"
Lin Xiong shot up as if electrocuted. In an instant, he was in front of Ye Xuan, grabbing his shoulders. "Are you telling the truth?" he demanded, shocked.
Although he had already prepared himself to abandon his Martial Soul, hearing from Ye Xuan that there was still a chance of repair made it impossible for Lin Xiong to remain calm. He was overcome with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
Ye Xuan glanced coolly at the hands gripping his shoulders.
Lin Xiong hastily let go. "Little brother, where did you hear that it could be repaired? Tell me, is it true? I’m begging you, you have to tell me."
"Of course it’s true. Not only do I know it can be repaired, I also know the method to do it. But..." Ye Xuan said coldly, "Why should I give it to you?"
"You... Then what do you want...?"
Lin Xiong had recovered slightly from his shock. He stared intently at Ye Xuan. This boy, who was only in his teens, claimed to have a cure that even a first-grade Soul Refiner couldn’t provide. Any normal person would assume he was telling a joke, and the same thought crossed Lin Xiong’s mind. But for some reason, when he looked into Ye Xuan’s calm eyes, he felt an inexplicable urge to believe him.
He composed himself and said with great seriousness, "Little brother, I don’t care who you are or what your motives are. As long as you can truly help me repair my Martial Soul, I, Lin Xiong, will do anything you ask."
"Is that so?" Ye Xuan’s gaze turned cold as he sent a voice transmission: "I have only one demand. Swear fealty to me as your master."
"What? Impossible! You’re messing with me!"
Lin Xiong’s pupils contracted and his face changed drastically. He roared, "Brat, do you have any idea what the price is for messing with me?"
An invisible aura emanated from his body, pressing down on Ye Xuan. This was the imposing pressure of an Earth Martial Artist.
Ye Xuan seemed not to feel it at all. He said coldly, "I don’t know what price that is. I only know that if you don’t accept my condition, you’ll be a cripple in half a month."
Lin Xiong shuddered. The imposing aura and sharp intensity from moments ago vanished instantly, like air from a punctured ball. He was struggling internally, and as if asking Ye Xuan, and also himself, he said with difficulty, "Why should I believe you? Or rather, how do I know you’re not lying to me?"
Ye Xuan looked at him calmly and said coldly, "Remember, I don’t need to prove anything to you. Because besides believing me, you have no other choice. That Mu Ren was right. Not even the president of Blue Moon City’s Soul Master Tower can save you. The only one who can is me. Therefore, your only choice is to believe me."
"Of course, you can choose not to believe me," Ye Xuan said lightly. "I just see you have decent talent and can’t bear to see you become a waste. As for whether you’re willing or not, only you can make that decision."
"Now, make your decision."
To be willing or not?
Lin Xiong was in utter turmoil.
For him, an esteemed First Layer Earth Martial Artist and the Vice Commander of the City Guard, to swear fealty to a mere teenager as his master—such a thing completely overturned his worldview. If word got out, his dignity would be trampled into the dust.
The commotion here had also alerted the people at the front desk. Although they couldn’t clearly hear what Ye Xuan and Lin Xiong were discussing, they were still whispering among themselves, their frequent glances filled with nothing but disdain and ridicule.
’Heh.’ Lin Xiong gave a miserable laugh in his heart. ’At this point, what dignity or status do I have left to talk about? Everyone is just eager to kick me while I’m down. Just as he said, do I even have the right to choose?’
"I... agree!" Lin Xiong gritted his teeth, seeming to use all his strength to force out the two words. Then, his eyes, like those of a vicious wolf, locked onto Ye Xuan. He said through clenched teeth, "As long as you can heal my Martial Soul, from this day forward, I, Lin Xiong, will serve you as my master. A man’s word is his bond. But if you dare to trick me, I’ll make you realize that I, Lin Xiong, am not so easily fooled."
After saying this, Lin Xiong felt his whole body relax. The constant pressure on his heart felt like it had gone from being under dark, stormy clouds to a clear, sunny sky. This change shocked him to the core.
A flicker of a smile finally appeared in Ye Xuan’s eyes. He nodded. "Good. Decisive enough. Soon you will realize just how fortunate today’s decision was."
Finding a pen and paper, Ye Xuan quickly wrote something down. "Here is a list of medicinal herbs. Go to the Alchemist Association and get ten portions of each. Grind them into a paste and apply one portion to your heart acupoint every morning and evening. This will temporarily slow the collapse of the saber Martial Soul in your heart acupoint, but it’s only temporary. The other materials listed below are essential for treating your Martial Soul. You have five days to collect them. Once you have them, come find me at Xingxuan Academy. By the way, my name is Ye Xuan."
"How do you know my Martial Soul is in my heart acupoint?" Lin Xiong was shaken. Besides Mu Ren, who had been treating him, very few people knew this.
Ye Xuan shot him a cold look, flicked the prescription forward with his finger, and said sarcastically, "If I couldn’t even see that much, what right would I have to treat your Martial Soul?"
Lin Xiong took the list. Sure enough, many herbs were written on it, and below them, a list of materials. These materials were all quite rare, but with his status and position, it was still possible for him to gather them all within five days.
’Seeing these rare materials that were typically only used by Soul Refiners,’ Lin Xiong felt a stir of excitement. ’Perhaps this boy really does have the ability to heal me.’
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Xiong asked hesitantly, "Ma... Master, how confident are you that you can heal my Martial Soul?"
He struggled to force out the word "Master," feeling immense shame and humiliation. But compared to his future, this shame was not unbearable.
Ye Xuan frowned. "Just call me Young Master Xuan. As for your little problem, as long as you do as I say, I am one hundred percent confident."
"What? One hundred percent!" Lin Xiong froze as if struck by lightning and cried out in disbelief.
Ye Xuan said coldly, "If I wasn’t one hundred percent confident, I wouldn’t have bothered to speak. Remember, never doubt my words. That is the first step to serving me as your master."
"Yes, Young Master Xuan!"
Lin Xiong carefully folded the prescription and placed it in his Storage Ring as if it were some priceless treasure.
Chen Sisi, who had witnessed the entire exchange from the side, was utterly astonished. Although she couldn’t hear exactly what Ye Xuan and Lin Xiong were saying, she could see that Ye Xuan seemed capable of healing Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul, had made some demands of him, and that Lin Xiong had apparently agreed.
’Could this mean that Ye Xuan really has the ability to heal Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul?’
This realization left Chen Sisi dumbfounded. As the Vice Commander of the City Guard, Lin Xiong had come to the Soul Master Tower more than once these past few days after his Martial Soul was injured. Chen Sisi knew very well that the Soul Master Tower had even held a conference of masters regarding his injury. The final verdict was: the root of the Martial Soul was damaged and could not be healed.
For Ye Xuan to now claim he could heal Lin Xiong’s Martial Soul, didn’t that mean he was more powerful than all the master Soul Refiners in the entire Soul Master Tower?!
"Hmph, who’s making such a racket outside my room?" Just as Chen Sisi was reeling from the shock, a dissatisfied grunt came from a nearby room. Mu Ren then walked out with a disdainful look on his face. "Oh, I was wondering who was being so unruly, making a scene and treating my Soul Master Tower like a marketplace. So, it’s Vice Commander Lin. It seems you didn’t take my words to heart when I told you to leave earlier, did you?"
Lin Xiong’s expression remained unchanged. He said lightly, "We’re leaving right now."
Mu Ren frowned, then a mocking sneer appeared on his face. "Vice Commander Lin, I used to think you were someone of substance, but now I see you’re nothing special. Hmph, to believe the words of a mere brat. If this person can really heal your Martial Soul, then I, Mu Ren, will bow down and call him my master. Scribe a bit of garbage on a piece of paper and call it a prescription... I’ve seen plenty of charlatans like him."