Xie Zhaolin let out a long, shaky breath, the tension that had gripped her heart finally easing a little.
Feeling her body reformed again, along with her weak but tangible consciousness, a flood of indescribable emotions rose inside her.
Being alive… really felt good.
She slowly lifted her head, her gaze falling on the distance.
The final Gate of Light had completely opened, and there lay the true core inheritance of You Ji Shàngrén.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and walked straight into the gate, her figure vanishing into the chaotic glow.
The moment she crossed through, her vision cleared.
Instead of a grand hall or a treasury filled with treasures, what awaited her was an empty, minimalistic space of swirling chaos. The area wasn't large, surrounded by streams of faintly glowing chaotic mist. In the center hovered a simple jade platform, and atop it floated a single jade slip radiating a soft, gentle light.
That slip looked ancient, plain, and unimpressive. It barely gave off any spiritual energy at all, a far cry from the grand trials she'd just endured.
Her calm gaze swept across the space, finally resting on that jade slip. Without a trace of hesitation, she walked forward and picked it up.
It was cold to the touch and surprisingly light. This was it—the true core inheritance of You Ji Shàngrén, The Ten Thousand Puppets Codex!
Instead of eagerly pressing the slip to her forehead to read its contents like any other cultivator would, she weighed it lightly in her hand, as if testing its feel, then simply held it and did nothing else.
She didn't even glance at it again. Instead, she sat cross-legged before the jade platform, closed her eyes, and began circulating her technique to stabilize her breathing.
She actually ignored the supreme inheritance right in front of her!
"The inheritance lies before you. Place the jade slip on your forehead and let your divine sense touch it, and you shall receive all my knowledge."
That aged voice echoed again within the space, calm and emotionless as before.
But she acted as though she hadn't heard it, completely focused on her own recovery, guiding her spiritual power to heal her damaged Primordial Soul and frail body.
Time passed quietly in that still space.
She sat there motionless, forgetting the existence of the inheritance altogether.
The silence grew eerie.
It seemed the voice hadn't expected her to act so irrationally, falling into a long, awkward pause. Eventually, it spoke again, still trying to sound steady.
"This is the inheritance core. Spiritual energy here is thin, and lingering too long will harm you. It's best to accept the inheritance and leave quickly."
She still didn't respond, not even lifting her eyelids. Her attention remained solely on repairing her condition.
Time trickled by.
After what felt like a day—or maybe several—she finally opened her eyes. The light in them had settled, her aura more stable.
Yet even now, she didn't look at the jade slip.
"The inheritance ground cannot be stayed in for long," the aged voice spoke again. This time, a faint trace of anxiety crept into its otherwise calm tone.
My lingering will sustains this place, but its power's fading. If you still refuse to accept the inheritance, once my power disperses, you'll be trapped here forever with no way out.
If you accept it now, while I still have strength left, I can send you away safely."
The voice sounded like both a warning and a plea.
At last, Xie Zhaolin blinked, her expression shifting into sudden realization. She let out a soft "oh," then sighed with genuine regret.
"So that's it. Time's almost up… what a pity."
She held the jade slip, her face showing honest disappointment. "Actually, it's not that I don't want to accept your inheritance. It's just…" she paused, her tone sincere, "my cultivation's still shallow, only at the Foundation Establishment stage. The Ten Thousand Puppets Codex is far too profound for me right now. I'm afraid that if I take it hastily, my unstable foundation will keep me from grasping its essence and I'd only waste your life's work.
I thought it'd be better to keep the jade slip safe, wait until I reach the Golden Core stage and my foundation's solid, then comprehend it properly. That way, I wouldn't fail your expectations. But… I didn't realize there was a time limit here."
Her words sounded reasonable, her sincerity flawless—like she was truly thinking of the senior's legacy.
"It seems I can't wait until then after all. What a shame."
Her tone carried regret and helplessness, perfectly convincing.
The voice fell silent again, clearly wavering, as if struggling to decide. After a few breaths, it finally replied, softer and more indulgent.
"Your concern is valid. Very well, as you wish. I shall seal the jade slip for you. When you reach the Golden Core stage, the seal will automatically break. Now, place the jade slip on your forehead, and I'll cast the seal for you."
It sounded like the perfect compromise.
But the moment those words fell—
All traces of regret and sincerity vanished from her face, replaced by a cold, knowing smirk.
"Oh… a seal?" she murmured, her lips curving faintly.
Before the voice could react, her fingers flew, forming hand seals faster than lightning. A storm of complex talismans slammed into the jade slip in rapid succession.
"What are you doing?!" The old voice erupted in fury, its composure shattered by alarm and rage.
But its question was cut off.
As the seals sank into the jade slip, faint dark patterns appeared on its surface, taking the shape of glowing chains.
This was—
A master-servant contract!
"No! Impossible! How could you—" the voice screamed, laced with disbelief and fear.
But she didn't give it any chance to finish. Her divine sense surged through the contract link, stabbing deep into the jade slip's core.
"Get out here!" she roared, yanking her arm back hard.
"Ah—!"
A shrill, childlike scream tore from the jade slip.
A moment later, the translucent soul of a little girl, barely seven or eight years old, was dragged out by force.
The girl's remnant soul trembled, tears streaking down her terrified face as she struggled uselessly against the binding power of the contract.
The "old voice" was gone completely.
The space fell into absolute silence.
Xie Zhaolin stood tall, looking down coldly at the bound remnant soul. There wasn't a hint of pity in her eyes.
"You Ji Shàngrén?" she sneered. "Heh… you've been playing tricks for so long, isn't it about time you dropped the act?"