Translator: CinderTL
Outside the city,
Dusk had gradually fallen.
Lin Fan gazed at the tranquil darkness surrounding him, a shiver running down his spine. He couldn't shake the feeling that something lurked in the shadows.
"Don't be afraid," the old man in the sword transmitted telepathically. "Nothing can escape my perception."
Lin Fan calmed slightly, but couldn't resist asking, "Senior, why did you bring me here?"
The old man in the sword fell silent, as if contemplating whether to reveal the truth.
After a long pause, his voice returned, "This secret realm conceals a treasure."
"What kind of treasure?" Lin Fan glanced at Huan Xi'er beside him.
"If my memory serves me correctly, it should be... a heavenly earth treasure!"
"Hiss..."
Lin Fan's expression turned to shock, and he immediately pressed, "Are you sure? And what do you mean by 'if my memory serves me correctly'? Have you been here before?"
"I have... but it was so long ago, I've almost forgotten."
"You've actually been here before...?"
Lin Fan was inwardly surprised, even a little astonished. He knew nothing of this senior's origins, and the man had never mentioned them before.
"Heh, is it so strange that this old man has been here? This secret realm has existed for over thirty thousand years, cycling every fifty years. It's been opened countless times."
"That's true..." Lin Fan calculated mentally. This senior's age must be less than thirty thousand years.
"After all these years, I wonder if that heavenly earth treasure has been taken."
Lin Fan nodded, his excitement tempered by restraint. He maintained a calm demeanor, accepting that what was meant to be his would be, and what wasn't, wouldn't. There was no need to dwell on it.
As they continued forward, the trees gradually thinned, replaced by crumbling walls and ruins. In the fading light, Lin Fan spotted a massive, dilapidated palace in the distance. The bluestone walls had collapsed in many places, and countless rubble lay scattered across the ground, some half-buried in mud, only their jagged edges visible.
"It's so huge..." Huan Xi'er exclaimed, his eyes wide with awe.
"Indeed," Lin Fan agreed.
"It's right there. Go ahead," the old man in the sword said, his voice as calm as ever.
"Mm."
Lin Fan paused briefly, a glint of sharp intelligence flashing in his eyes. He then turned to Huan Xi'er and said, "Wait for me outside."
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
The first voice was Huan Xi'er's, refusing to be left behind. He wanted to see inside too.
The second voice was the old man's, sounding slightly anxious.
Lin Fan lowered his gaze, obscuring the expression in his eyes. His voice remained even as he asked, "Why not?"
"I want to see! I've never seen such a grand palace before!" Huan Xi'er clapped his hands excitedly.
Their conversation was conducted through telepathy, so Huan Xi'er remained unaware of the third presence.
The old man in the sword knew Lin Fan wasn't addressing Huan Xi'er but him. He carefully replied telepathically, "Heavenly earth treasures aren't easily obtained. Your cultivation level is too low. You'll need to borrow his power."
Lin Fan suddenly grinned, shaking his head slowly. "Senior, there's no need to deceive me. I suspect that 'treasure' you speak of is Brother Huan himself, isn't it?"
The air fell silent.
"Ah..." After a long pause, the old man in the sword sighed softly. "Why make things difficult? This could have been a win-win situation. Why couldn't you just pretend you didn't know? What harm would it have done you?"
Lin Fan chuckled, though his smile carried a hint of awkwardness. "Heh... where's the 'win-win' in this?"
"Do you even know what I intend to do?"
"Senior, why don't you tell me?" Lin Fan replied, genuinely curious.
"Your friend was born mentally deficient due to a missing soul fragment. I can restore it, curing his deficiency and making him no different from ordinary people."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Lin Fan's cultivation level was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, making the concept of divine souls seem distant. Yet he understood their fundamental importance.
The old man in the sword continued, "Humans possess three souls and seven spirits. The three souls are the Life Soul, governing vitality; the Spirit Soul, governing wisdom; and the Awareness Soul, governing perception. The seven spirits are the Heavenly Surge Spirit, the Spirit Wisdom Soul, the Qi Spirit, the Strength Spirit, the Central Pivot Spirit, the Essence Spirit, and the Heroic Spirit. The Soul Refining Realm cultivates these three souls and seven spirits."
"His soul is clouded, lacking the Spirit Wisdom Soul. He should have been born mentally deficient. It was only thanks to a great cultivator cleansing his spiritual altar that he developed any intelligence at all."
Lin Fan understood now. This was the true cause of Huan Xi'er's mental deficiency. But he couldn't fathom how the senior planned to restore it.
"What do you mean, Senior?"
"I will replace his Spirit Wisdom Soul. Once his seven souls are complete, his soul will naturally cleanse itself. Gradually, he will regain his intelligence, becoming no different from ordinary people—perhaps even more intelligent."
Lin Fan was shocked. The thought blurted out, "Soul-seizing?"
The old man in the sword shook his head and chuckled. "Heh heh heh, I don't know where you heard such a term. Soul-seizing defies the natural order. If I truly possessed such power, wouldn't it be far easier to seize your soul instead?"
Lin Fan realized the logic, yet he remained hesitant. This undertaking clearly wasn't as simple as the senior made it sound. There must be hidden complexities he wasn't aware of.
"If that's the case, why didn't Brother Huan's adoptive parents find a soul to complete his?"
"Hmph..."
The old man scoffed, a hint of arrogance in his tone. "Just because I can accomplish this doesn't mean everyone can."
"Because... this old man is a sage realm cultivator!"
Lin Fan's mind went blank, as if struck by lightning. The shock was overwhelming.
This senior... was actually a sage realm cultivator!
After a long moment, Lin Fan finally recovered, his throat slightly dry as he asked, "This junior still has one question. May I ask for your guidance?"
"Speak."
"If this succeeds, what impact will it have on Brother Huan?"
The old man in the sword fell silent for a moment before slowly replying, "...He will become inseparable from me. From then on, I will be him, and he will be me. His thoughts and consciousness will remain dominant, but some of my cultivation experience and insights will become his."
"He might vaguely sense a familiarity with certain places or find some mystical arts surprisingly easy to grasp. His habits might also subtly change, but none of these alterations will be significant."
The old man's voice grew increasingly somber. "Our fusion will bring more benefits than drawbacks."
Lin Fan's fingers twitched, his eyes gleaming with restrained intensity.
"So, for Brother Huan, this would be entirely beneficial with no downsides?"
"No," the old man said, not concealing the drawbacks. Every advantage comes with a price; if it were all benefits, Lin Fan wouldn't believe it.
"He will inevitably be influenced by me, making it extremely difficult for him to break through the Soul Refining Realm. He might even be unable to do so for the rest of his life, because he will be affected by my 'Dao'."
Lin Fan didn't understand and didn't ask further, simply shaking his head.
"This is a grave matter. I cannot make such a decision for Brother Huan. Perhaps after we leave, I can take you to Shangyin Mountain to consult with his family elders."
The old man chuckled bitterly. "Heh, I'm afraid there won't be time for that. This method requires this place, and I don't have much time left..."
Lin Fan glanced at the dilapidated hall but still shook his head firmly.
"I'm sorry, Senior. I..."
"I'm willing to try!" Huan Xi'er interrupted, turning to look at Lin Fan and the longsword in his hand.
Two tufts of hair, once comically sticking up, now swayed in the wind with a newfound dignity.
Lin Fan's eyes widened. Had Huan Xi'er overheard their telepathic conversation?
(End of the Chapter)
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