Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Persuasion
Lin Xiao quickly closed his eyes and began focusing on refining the heart of the secret realm.
Threads of spiritual energy slowly unraveled from within him, each one extending toward the heart of the secret realm. At first, the heart showed no reaction, but as time passed and the number of energy threads increased, the heart began to glow faintly.
Before long, a soft glow spread from the heart, following the threads back to Lin Xiao.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed when Lin Xiao suddenly heard a notification in his mind.
[Ding—Congratulations, Host, for successfully refining the Heart of the Green Wilderness Secret Realm. The exploration mission has been completed. Rewards have been deposited into your inventory. Please check.]
Instead of checking the rewards immediately, Lin Xiao hurriedly swam back toward the surface—his brother Yigao was still waiting for him up there!
Back in the Lingxin Valley, it was already late at night.
Sun Yigao sat in the medicinal herb field, meditating. Since Lin Xiao had gone underwater, he hadn't moved from his spot. He used water manipulation and cleansing techniques to quietly take care of any basic needs, waiting patiently.
Venerable Pantu had long since retreated back into his straw hut to rest.
The full moon shone brightly, casting its light over the peaceful lake, bathing the valley in a tranquil, serene glow.
Suddenly, the sound of splashing water broke the silence, snapping Sun Yigao out of his meditation.
Opening his eyes, he saw Lin Xiao surfacing and preparing to come ashore.
"Brother Xiao!"
Sun Yigao quickly ran over, instinctively reaching out to pull Lin Xiao out of the water. But before he could, Lin Xiao shot out of the lake, lightly tapping his toes on the water's surface a few times before landing on the shore.
Sun Yigao smiled and retracted his hand. Despite having only recently become a cultivator, he still wasn't quite used to using techniques like these. It seemed he'd need to get more familiar with them beyond just water manipulation and cleansing.
Lin Xiao, feeling pleased with himself, raised an eyebrow playfully and whispered, "This secret realm now belongs entirely to our sect!"
Sun Yigao was surprised but then delighted. He had known that Lin Xiao must have had a purpose and a plan when he dived into the lake earlier.
At the same time, Venerable Pantu, having heard the commotion in the lake, emerged from his hut. Seeing Lin Xiao standing safely on the shore, he found it hard to believe.
After all, for decades, anyone he had thrown into the lake had never resurfaced—dead or alive.
"How did you manage to escape from the lake?" Venerable Pantu asked, voicing his confusion.
Lin Xiao turned to him with a grin and said, "Senior, I can release you now. Would you like to leave?"
Lin Xiao didn't directly answer Venerable Pantu's question, but his words successfully diverted the old soul's attention. Venerable Pantu fell into deep thought. Leaving was something he had yearned for over decades. But now that the opportunity was before him, he hesitated.
As just a fragment of his soul trapped in the secret realm, his power was limited to that of a Qi Refining level cultivator, and his physical body was nowhere to be found.
If the one who had trapped him learned of his escape, they could easily recapture him and seal him away again until his soul completely dissipated.
Seeing the hesitation, Lin Xiao's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Senior, are you worried that you'll have nowhere to go after leaving here?"
Venerable Pantu shook his head. "I'm just a fragment of my soul. Even if I leave, I can't gather all my fragments from other secret realms, and I have no idea where my physical body is. What good would it do me to leave?"
Lin Xiao's eyes brightened. "That's perfect! You can leave with me, join our sect, and I'll help you find your other soul fragments and your physical body. How about that?"
Venerable Pantu clearly didn't believe him. "You? Do you even understand that I'm a Nascent Soul cultivator? The one who reduced me to this state is also a Nascent Soul cultivator—and a wicked one at that. Killing a mere Qi Refining cultivator like you would be effortless."
Lin Xiao immediately reassured him, "Senior, right now, your soul is trapped here with no freedom and no knowledge of the outside world. If you come with me, you'll have a chance to regain your former glory. But if you miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come? Join our sect, and while you're with us, we'll take care of you. Think about it—after decades, do you really believe that Nascent Soul cultivator is still watching your every move? No offense, but I think you're overestimating your own importance..."
Seeing Venerable Pantu's expression darken, Lin Xiao quickly shifted his tone. "How about we set a time limit? Ten years. In ten years, I'll help you find your other soul fragments and your body. Then everyone will be happy, right?"
Lin Xiao knew this was a rare opportunity to bring a Nascent Soul-level soul into their sect. Even if this soul fragment only had the strength of a Qi Refining cultivator, the knowledge and experience it possessed were invaluable. Not bringing him into the sect would be a huge loss.
So Lin Xiao did his best to persuade him.
Venerable Pantu stroked his beard and said slowly, "And if you don't find them within ten years?"
He was already leaning toward agreeing. After all, leaving the secret realm offered more possibilities than staying trapped. However, he suspected that Lin Xiao might be exaggerating to recruit him into the sect. Still, if this young cultivator cared so much about his sect, it must be a decent place.
Lin Xiao scratched his nose and replied, "If I can't find them, you're free to leave. Or I could even put you back in this secret realm."
Venerable Pantu: ...Thank you so much for that.
Sun Yigao, struggling to hold back laughter, coughed a few times to cover it up.
Luckily, Venerable Pantu had seen plenty of ups and downs in his life. After a moment, he regained his composure and said, "Enough. Just break the seal for me."
Lin Xiao nodded, "Alright, let's get started—"
Just as he was about to use the heart of the secret realm to break Venerable Pantu's seal, he suddenly froze in place.
Seeing him stop, Venerable Pantu asked, "What's the holdup, kid?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
iqnauza12
iqnauza12 You can read advance chapters of this novel and other novels in my patreon
patreon.com/NO_NAME1412
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone