"Anyway... do you have any... cultivation techniques?" Shen Xuan asked, his tone casual, yet his eyes held a specific intent.
Xiao Ding, whose senses were honed by centuries of merchant dealings, caught the subtle drift. "What level of technique does the Young Master require?"
"What level do you cultivate?" Shen Xuan countered, his gaze sweeping over the old man.
Xiao Ding stroked his beard, a touch of pride in his posture. "This old man cultivates a High-Level Heaven Grade technique, passed down through the Lingchuan Hall. It has allowed me to reach the peak of the High-Level Chaos Lord Realm. I am but a single step from perfection."
He glanced at Gui Ran, prompting the silent bodyguard to speak.
Gui Ran lowered his head slightly. "Young Master, I cultivate a Low-Level Heaven Grade technique. I only broke through to the early stage of the Chaos Lord Realm a few months ago, and that was largely due to alchemical assistance."
As they spoke, they arrived at the inn. Xiao Yang was pacing in the rest area, his brow furrowed with worry. The moment he saw them, relief washed over his face.
"Grandpa... Young Master... you have returned?"
Shen Xuan didn't answer. He simply shook his head and walked past them, disappearing into his room like a wisp of smoke.
Half an hour later.
The air in the inn's hallway changed. It grew crisp, charged with a strange, silent electricity.
Shen Xuan stepped out from his room.
He did not look like a man who had merely bathed; he looked like a deity who had condensed a physical form from the moonlight itself. His long, silver hair was damp, trailing over his shoulders like strands of spun starlight. The pristine white robes he had purchased hugged his tall, lithe figure, the fabric seemingly too crude to touch skin that glowed with celestial ivory.
His eyes—void gray flecked with silver—held a chilling, fathomless depth that could silence entire worlds. Yet, when his lips curved into the faintest, jade-like smile, it was a temptation that could make gods forsake their vows.
He was a contradiction: beautiful yet terrifying, approachable yet infinitely distant. A masterpiece of frost and desire.
"Whoa... who is that?"
The chatter in the dining hall died instantly. Cultivators mid-drink froze, cups hovering near their lips. Men and women alike stared, mesmerized by a charm that transcended gender and species.
"Is he... real?"
Even Xiao Yang, Xiao Ding, and Gui Ran, who had spent the day with him, were stunned into silence. To the Chaos Lords, the change was not just physical. Shen Xuan's aura had shifted. The dust of the tomb was gone, replaced by a radiant, terrifying purity.
Xiao Ding shivered. He felt a primal instinct screaming in his hindbrain—the urge to bow. He quickly stood up, masking his awe with hospitality.
"Young Master, please sit. I have prepared the finest delicacies. This is Dragon Meat from a Divine Transformation Realm beast—a specialty of Heiyun City, famous across the entire Eastern Region."
Shen Xuan paused. His gaze fell on Xiao Ding. For a fraction of a nanosecond, his eyes flashed purple-gold. A wave of destructive intent, sharp enough to sever the lifeline of a planet, washed over the old man.
It was gone before Xiao Ding could even register it, leaving only a cold sweat on his back.
Why did I just feel like I was about to die?
Shen Xuan sat down. He ignored the shimmering, aromatic dragon meat. Instead, he reached for the simple, spirit-vegetable dishes, serving himself with slow, deliberate grace.
Xiao Ding, recovering his wits, moved to serve the meat. "Young Master? Do you not eat meat?"
Shen Xuan blocked Xiao Ding's hand with a single finger.
"I consume only the essence of the earth," Shen Xuan said, his voice soft but carrying the weight of law. "Flesh is a mosaic of dead Wills. Every bite you take is a scream you invite into your body. You are not cultivating; you are becoming a graveyard for beasts."
The table fell silent. Xiao Yang and Gui Ran stared at him, their chopsticks hovering over their bowls.
"But... Young Master," Xiao Yang ventured, confused. "Flesh contains Qi and Blood energy. Once consumed, our spiritual fire purifies it. It strengthens the body."
Shen Xuan took a bite of spirit-bamboo. "A delusion of the weak. Flesh pollutes the Dao foundation. Only the life-force of plants carries the pure Law of Vitality. Why do you think the ancient trees outlive the beasts? Consume life to gain life. Consume death to gain death."
The logic was alien to them, contradicting every cultivation manual they had ever read. Yet, coming from his lips, it sounded like absolute truth.
They ate in silence, the taste of the dragon meat suddenly turning ash-like in their mouths.
Later that night.
The twin moons hung high in the sky, casting a pale glow over Shen Xuan's private courtyard. He sat on a stone bench in the middle of a lotus pond, scrolling through several jade slips Gui Ran had provided.
"Old man," Shen Xuan said without looking up. "Is this it? Two Low-Level Heaven Grade techniques?"
Gui Ran stood by the pond's edge, head bowed in shame. "Yes, Young Master. Before I was injured, I was a rogue cultivator with only an Earth Grade technique. The Ji Clan provided me with these Heaven Grade arts in exchange for my service."
He gestured to the scrolls. "The Star Gazing Technique uses starlight to guide Chaotic Qi, boosting cultivation speed by thirty percent at night. The fighting art, Star Fist, condenses starlight into explosive power."
Shen Xuan sighed. "Trash."
Gui Ran flinched.
"Come here," Shen Xuan commanded. "I will give you a Holy Grade cultivation technique. With it, you will not only heal your shattered foundation but also re-forge your path in the Chaos Lord Realm."
Gui Ran's heart skipped a beat. A Holy Grade technique? In the Lingchuan Hall, only the Sect Master cultivated such a treasure.
"But... Young Master," Gui Ran hesitated, his loyalty warring with logic. "If I switch techniques now, my cultivation will drop. I may need years to recover. I will be unable to protect you."
Shen Xuan stared at him. Then, a smile broke across his face—a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Do not worry. This technique shares the same Star-essence as your current trash. It requires the understanding of Laws, which will boost your combat power instantly, even if your realm dips temporarily. In exchange... I require all your Earth Grade and Mortal Grade techniques. Is that a problem?"
Gui Ran swallowed hard. "No... no problem, Master!"
Shen Xuan beckoned. Gui Ran approached, kneeling before the stone bench.
Shen Xuan placed two fingers on the center of Gui Ran's forehead.
Hum.
A stream of golden light flowed from Shen Xuan's fingertips into Gui Ran's Spirit Sea. It was information—vast, complex, and profound.
But hidden within that stream was something else. A tiny, golden dragon seal. It swam into Gui Ran's consciousness, found the dark, pulsating slave mark left by the Ji Clan, and devoured it in a single bite. Then, the dragon curled up around Gui Ran's soul, waiting.
Gui Ran gasped, his eyes flying open as the transfer ended. He felt lighter, cleaner, yet heavier at the same time.
"Don't worry," Shen Xuan said, reading the fear in the man's eyes. "The seal I placed will not harm you. It will help you comprehend the technique. I placed it for two reasons. First, to destroy the Ji Clan's mark. Second... for my own safety."
Shen Xuan stood up, walking to the edge of the pond. His reflection in the water was distorted by ripples.
"Be careful not to expose this technique. In this impoverished world, a Holy Grade art is enough to start a war that burns continents."
He turned back to Gui Ran, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"If loyalty means nothing to you, then neither do people. They are only tools. And those who live among tools eventually become one. If you cannot be loyal to yourself, then loyalty is nothing."
He leaned in closer.
"Do you understand what I mean, Gui Ran?"
Gui Ran met those eyes. He saw a playful glint within them, like a cat watching a mouse. But beneath the playfulness lay a terrifying abyss.
A chill ran deep into Gui Ran's marrow. He understood with crystal clarity. The dragon in his soul was not just a guardian; it was an executioner. If he ever harbored a single thought of betrayal, he would be annihilated before the thought could even fully form.
"Yes, Young Master," Gui Ran whispered, bowing until his head touched the stone. "This subordinate understands."
Shen Xuan smiled, looking back at the moon.
"Good. Now go. Cultivate. I expect results by morning."