Side Quest Unlocked

The Heavenly Demons retreated, and the remaining demon forces began to rout.

Huang Miao and the other cultivators moved in perfect coordination, fanning out to hunt down and slaughter the fleeing enemies.

Chu Xingchen swept his gaze over the lingering tribulation clouds. Sensing Wanban following closely at his side, he didn't hesitate and immediately darted to Bai Xuanling's side.

At this moment, the System's status tags showed no apparent issues.

Perhaps, for now, Bai Xuanling's ascension had not yet failed.

Bai Xuanling's expression remained largely unchanged. She knew very well that as long as she stood her ground, the sweeping slaughter around them would be repelled. Glancing sideways at Chu Xingchen, she spoke in a calm tone:

"What is with that look? Since when were you so indecisive?"

Chu Xingchen reached out and gripped Bai Xuanling's arm, sending his spiritual sense probing into her body. Doing his best to maintain a neutral expression, he replied:

"What look?"

Bai Xuanling made no move to stop him, allowing Chu Xingchen to inspect her condition. She merely smiled and said:

"You look just like Qing He when she has been bullied, a face full of grievance."

"I am not Qing He."

"That is exactly why I called you indecisive. Usually, you would have a much glibber comeback by now."

Chu Xingchen could feel the spiritual power within Bai Xuanling's body clashing violently, while her inherent Dao rhythm was slowly fading away.

In fact, it was dissipating at an alarming rate.

He could acutely sense her spiritual power draining away as well, emptying out at a terrifying speed.

Before he could even fully assess the situation or figure out a course of action, Bai Xuanling's Dao rhythm and spiritual power were already on the verge of complete depletion.

Wanban circled Chu Xingchen, continuously transmitting information to his mind: this final Heavenly Tribulation was a targeted, unavoidable ordeal. It was the most crucial step of ascension. It was not allowed to be blocked, nor could it be.

Chu Xingchen raised his hand, and Wanban transformed into a translucent white jade hairpin, which he casually slid into his hair.

Wanban's mind was quite pure, and besides, blaming an artifact spirit for everything would be far too harsh.

Truth be told, this situation had nothing to do with Wanban anyway.

Chu Xingchen looked up to meet Bai Xuanling's eyes. At this moment, the bloodshot veins in her eyes glinted with a faint, obscure light. A fierce intent bled through those crimson threads, betraying the turmoil within her heart.

Yet, despite that...

Her gaze was exceptionally gentle, as was the faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

At this point, there was only one method left that could be executed in time.

Chu Xingchen tightened his grip on Bai Xuanling's arm, forcing a smile as he said:

"Do you remember the method I told you about?"

Bai Xuanling smiled. Reaching out with her free hand, she gently patted Chu Xingchen's head. She rarely patted anyone's head; if one were to count, she had only ever done so to her younger sister, Xie Lingyu, and Qing He.

Now, Chu Xingchen was added to that short list.

This kid truly valued loyalty and affection. Naturally, he treasured this opportunity for a daylight ascension immensely.

Otherwise, he would have definitely found someone else to test the waters first. He might have even sold the method for an exorbitant price, forcing all Tribulation Transcendence cultivators to grovel at his feet.

It was her own failure; her inner demon had dragged her down.

She also understood that perhaps Chu Xingchen had not been joking earlier, he really did have a way.

It was just that...

Given the choice between death and social suicide...

Bai Xuanling smiled and spoke with genuine sincerity:

"With so many people watching, I would rather die right here than kneel and take you as my master."

Bai Xuanling's touch was very light. Rather than a pat, it felt more like she had just gently rested her hand on him.

Chu Xingchen pursed his lips. He wasn't entirely sure if what he was about to say would prompt Bai Xuanling to turn that gentle hand on his head into a skull-crushing claw.

However, her expression remained relatively placid for the moment.

Interrupting her gesture right now would somewhat ruin the atmosphere.

Feeling Bai Xuanling's aura plummeting drastically, Chu Xingchen finally spoke up:

"Countless people have done far worse for the sake of ascension. Forget kowtowing to a new master, they have even slaughtered their own. Actually ascending is all that matters. Let us start with baby steps: just whisper the word Master to me a couple of times. Try to be sincere and earnest in your heart."

Seeing the raw anxiety in Chu Xingchen's eyes, Bai Xuanling did not argue. Instead, she followed his instructions and softly murmured:

"Master..."

Chu Xingchen lowered his gaze, waiting quietly.

"Master..." Bai Xuanling's gaze drifted into the distance.

Noticing this, Chu Xingchen looked up and followed her line of sight.

Her eyes were tranquil, carrying a hint of reminiscence: "Master..."

Chu Xingchen's grip on her arm tightened.

Bai Xuanling was not calling him Master at all; she was calling out to her true master.

The truly vulnerable Bai Xuanling had been raised and guided by her master. Now that her heart was encased in thick armor, how could she easily allow someone else to usurp that sacred position within her?

Master had never been a mere title.

The disciples he had taken in had all been masterless. Though their understanding might have been vague at first, they were ultimately able to place Chu Xingchen in that rightful position.

But Bai Xuanling already had a master in her heart, and it was not him.

In truth, he had known this all along.

Bai Xuanling was someone who valued loyalty and affection above all else. She had a true lineage, and her master had sheltered her from childhood into adulthood.

How could she possibly displace her master's position in her heart just for the sake of ascending or preserving her own life?

If she were that kind of person, how could she have etched every scene of her past so deeply into her heart, allowing them to morph into an inner demon that tormented her for a millennia?

But at this very moment, his only reliance, and his most effective tool, was the System.

As long as he could successfully accept her as a disciple, given Bai Xuanling's cultivation base, the System would surely grant a reward capable of erasing her black status tags.

And that would be enough to see her safely through her ascension.

Bai Xuanling lowered her head, looking calmly at the silent Chu Xingchen:

"It didn't work, did it?"

Chu Xingchen immediately withdrew every single System reward he had from his inventory space.

The System had always been stingy with its rewards, and most of the items it gave were meant for his disciples anyway.

Very few things had actually remained in his own hands.

The Scroll of Mountains and Rivers, the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade, the blueprints for the Mountains and Seas Ark, and Wanban.

Aside from Wanban, who had already expressed its powerlessness, Chu Xingchen pressed everything else against Bai Xuanling's body.

The blueprints unrolled, trailing down in a long ribbon of paper.

The Scroll of Mountains and Rivers showed no reaction.

Having already been used, the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade was now nothing more than what Li Yingling had once described as a plate too dirty to even serve food on.

Lowering her eyes to look at him, Bai Xuanling spoke in a gentle tone:

"Good boy. I know you have tried your best. The whole world will know that I, Bai Xuanling, perished because I failed my ascension, rather than dying a miserable death in some forgotten, desolate corner."

"Then how am I supposed to explain this to Lingyu?"

"Lingyu has always been a good child. You will not need to explain; she will naturally understand."

"What about Qing He?"

"As long as she has food to eat, she will be fine. Give her a few years, and she will forget all about me."

"I seriously doubt that."

"I just hope she does."

Chu Xingchen remained silent. He stared at the System panel, his spiritual sense frantically sweeping over it as he roared in his heart:

I have done so much for you! Now that the dust has settled, you could say the matter is pretty much resolved, right?!

Isn't it time to give me the main quest reward?!

Even though it was not explicitly stated, you must have one, right?! Do you really think you can just boss me around for free?!

Stop playing dead!

The System panel remained dead silent.

Chu Xingchen's gaze sharpened. The next moment, his inner heaven and earth surged frantically as he poured every last drop of his spiritual power into Bai Xuanling's body without a second thought.

Startled, Bai Xuanling tightly grabbed Chu Xingchen's arm in return.

This was the reversal of a cultivator's Origin Essence; it was by no means an ordinary infusion of spiritual energy.

Bai Xuanling rebuked angrily, "What are you doing?"

Chu Xingchen's gaze remained calm. His current cultivation base and Origin Essence were entirely provided by the system and the cultivation feedback from his disciples.

In the future, he could easily recover it all through the same disciple feedback.

But right now, he needed to make the system understand that he was no mere puppet to be manipulated at will.

If he was left unsatisfied, he would cause a massive uproar.

Chu Xingchen understood one simple truth: the crying child gets the candy.

Bai Xuanling gripped Chu Xingchen's arm in response.

Chu Xingchen raised his gaze, looking straight at Bai Xuanling, and uttered only two words:

"Trust me."

Bai Xuanling was stunned by his words.

Chu Xingchen's cultivation base plummeted rapidly.

By the time it dropped to the Body Integration Realm, his complexion had turned deathly pale.

The next moment.

The system was no longer silent.

[Side Quest Activated]