Chapter 105 - 104: Offer (2)
"However," Lord Zhao Shenming said, his voice dropping to a low whisper that carried immense weight. "I believe there’s a power capable of unraveling it. The restriction may be lifted by the Emperor of the Central Continent... an absolute, peerless expert standing at the legendary Void Refinement realm."
The Void Refinement realm. The very utterance of that legendary stage of cultivation carried a suffocating, almost mythical weight. In the world of cultivation, the path to true immortality was ruthless. Above the Nascent Soul realm was the Spirit Severing realm, where one cut away their mortal tethers. Above that was the Soul Transformation realm, where the soul mutated into a primordial spirit.
And above even that, was the Void Refinement realm. An expert at that level did not just manipulate ambient Qi; they could physically grasp, mold, and refine the very fabric of space and reality. A restriction placed by a Soul Transformation expert could absolutely be unraveled by the might of a Void Refinement Emperor.
Lord Zhao Shenming observed the subtle shift in Lin Yuan’s demeanor. The Lord took another slow, deliberate sip of his tea, allowing the monumental revelation to fully settle into the young immortal’s mind before he continued.
"The Central Continent is vast, Daoist Lin," Lord Zhao Shenming began. "Far vaster and far more complex than what you can imagine. It is a sprawling empire made up of exactly fifteen distinct provinces. And to maintain absolute control over this massive territory, the Emperor of the Central Continent hosts a grand, continent-wide martial event every one hundred years. It is known simply as the Lord Tournament."
Lin Yuan remained perfectly silent, his back straight against the chair, listening with absolute focus.
"The tournament is a structured demonstration of provincial superiority," Lord Zhao explained, lightly tracing the rim of his teacup with his index finger. "The fifteen provinces are strictly divided into two distinct echelons: the Upper Division and the Lower Division. The Upper Division consists of six supreme provinces. These are territories where the ambient spiritual density is so thick that their ruling Lords stand at the terrifying Soul Transformation realm, and the core patriarchs of their most prominent sects routinely sit at the Spirit Severing stage."
Lord Zhao paused, a flicker of genuine, solemn humility crossing his features. "Then, there is the Lower Division. Nine provinces, including our very own Zhao Province. We are the territories where the ruling Lords, such as myself, are at the Spirit Severing realm, and our most prominent sects and clans boast elders at the Nascent Soul stage."
Lord Zhao Shenming leaned forward, his starry eyes locking onto Lin Yuan’s. "The tournament format is an intricate game. In our Lower Division, the nine provinces compete directly against one another in a grand bracket. However, it is not an army-versus-army slaughter. The outcome of a province’s standing is determined strictly by two champions: The Lord of the Province, and their chosen Participating General."
"I will fight my designated battles against the other eight provincial Lords of the Lower Division," Lord Zhao continued. "Simultaneously, my Participating General will step into the arenas to engage in brutal, one-on-one combat against the Participating Generals chosen by the other eight provinces. Every single victory, whether achieved by the Lord or the General, yields a specific number of points. These points are accumulated and directly added to the total score of our province. The Upper Division operates on the exact same format, though, naturally, because their battles involve Soul Transformation entities, a victory in the Upper Division yields significantly more points on the overarching board."
"And at the conclusion of this bloodshed?" Lin Yuan asked smoothly, his voice devoid of any emotional inflection.
"At the end of the tournament, the Emperor’s scribes weigh all fifteen provinces against each other, tallying the accumulated points on the leaderboard," Lord Zhao answered, his eyes gleaming with a fierce ambition. "The province that secures the ultimate victory—the one that claims the absolute highest standing through the triumphs of both its Lord and its General—is granted the ultimate boon. The winning province is permitted to ask the Emperor of the Central Continent for absolutely anything. A single request, backed by the authority of a Void Refinement expert."
The pieces on the board violently snapped into place within Lin Yuan’s brilliant mind.
He didn’t need to ask why the Lord of the Zhao Province was sitting in his reception room on the night of his wedding.
"You want me to be your General," Lin Yuan stated, his tone flat, cutting straight to the core of the matter.
Lord Zhao Shenming did not flinch, nor did he offer any false denials. He smiled, a genuine expression of profound respect for the young man’s sharp intellect.
"I want you to be my Participating General," Lord Zhao corrected, his voice firm and absolute. "Normally, I would select a Nascent Soul expert from the most established sects of Sky Jade City. I have several loyal patriarchs who have been grooming their cultivation for decades specifically for this upcoming tournament. But then... Envoy Zhao Wuhen brought me reports of a you. A man who possessed a soul foundation powerful enough to face Zhao Wuhen, and who, as I witnessed with my own eyes today, traversed from the Early Stage to the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul realm in a matter of days."
Lord Zhao Shenming raised his teacup in a silent toast to Lin Yuan’s terrifying potential. "The other eight Lower Division provinces will field standard Nascent Soul experts as their Generals. But I do not want a standard expert. To secure victory, I need a monster. I need an anomaly capable of completely overwhelming his peers. I need you, Lin Yuan."
Lin Yuan’s deep purple eyes remained as calm and unreadable, but his mind was racing. To enter a continental tournament meant stepping out of the shadows and directly into the blinding light of the upper echelons. It meant exposing his himself to the scrutiny of Soul Transformation experts and the Void Refinement Emperor himself.
But the prize.
If a Void Refinement Emperor could shatter the Soul Transformation restriction binding Bai Qingyue’s dantian, he would not have to wait five years for the Barrier Realm to open. He would not have to gamble her future on the mere rumor of an artifact buried in cosmic turbulence. He could secure her healing right now, through sheer combat dominance.
Sensing the immense calculation occurring behind Lin Yuan’s gaze, Lord Zhao Shenming played his final, most perfectly calculated card.
"If you agree to represent the Zhao Province, and if we secure the ultimate victory, I swear upon my Dao Heart that I will completely forfeit my own political desires," Lord Zhao vowed, his voice ringing with absolute sincerity. "I will bring forth the issue of your wife as our official, singular request to the Emperor. I will have the Void Refinement emperor personally lift the restriction from Bai Qingyue."
Lord Zhao paused, letting the weight of his words settle into the air of the reception room.
"Furthermore, you need not worry about leaving her unprotected or traveling across the Central Continent," Lord Zhao added, offering a warm, reassuring smile. "By the grace of the Heavens, the Emperor has decreed that this century’s Lord Tournament will be hosted right here in our territory. The arenas are currently being constructed in Sky Jade City. You will not be going far. You can return to this very estate, to your bride, after every single match."
The offer was completely tailored to Lin Yuan’s desires and boundaries. It offered the ultimate cure for his wife without demanding that he abandon his sanctuary for months on end. It was a masterpiece of negotiation.
The fragrant steam rising from the teacups slowly dissipated into the cool air of the reception room. The cascading sound of the garden’s waterfall echoed faintly through the walls, a reminder of the beautiful peace resting just on the other side of the doors.
Lord Zhao Shenming set his teacup down for the final time. He looked across the table at the young Immortal.
"The tournament commences in exactly three months," Lord Zhao Shenming stated, his starry eyes unblinking. "What is your answer, Daoist Lin?"