Chapter Eighty: Advanced Foundation Seed

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"Ye Bai, do you have any plans for your return this time?"

"Me?" Ye Bai glanced at Cao Xiaosen, gripped the Jinghong Blade in his hand, and said, "I want to ask the instructor about attribute fusion. The water and wood dual attributes are showing some signs of progress, and I also want to find out what’s going on with this blade."

Ye Bai drew the Jinghong Blade from its sheath. It was the first time Cao Xiaosen saw the characters "Jinghong" engraved on the blade; he remembered that they hadn’t been there before.

"What’s this?" Cao Xiaosen asked.

Ye Bai shook his head. "It appeared after I broke through and woke up." He didn’t mention that since the blade awakened, Jinghong seemed to possess its own consciousness. The recent fusion of water and wood attributes had been achieved thanks to the blade’s assistance.

Ahead of Ye Bai and Cao Xiaosen walked two women, one dressed in grey and the other in red, each leaving a gentle, virginal fragrance in the air, tinged with a hint of herbal aroma.

"Sister Bai, why are you here?" Yao Ling held Bai Wan’er’s delicate hand, raising her head slightly to gaze at Bai Wan’er’s captivating face.

Bai Wan’er was a few years older than Yao Ling, with a fuller figure and taller stature. Her long black hair constantly emanated a pleasant scent.

Bai Wan’er sighed and looked at Xiao Ou standing before her. "It’s for the seed. Your brother Xiao has entered the radiation zone for me three times now. He’s sacrificed so much for my sake."

She gazed at the solitary figure walking ahead and suddenly felt how lonely he seemed, as if he’d grown accustomed to solitude, to walking alone, to shielding her from wind and rain.

Yao Ling knew Xiao Ou fairly well; he was considered one of the most representative talents among the youth of the Xiao family. He had broken through to the entry level at fifteen, reached foundation level at eighteen, but what truly drew attention was his awakening of the ancient family sword at twenty, causing it to split and birth another blade—the one he now held, called Futu.

It was said that upon obtaining Futu, Xiao Ou uttered, "The body walks through hell, the heart is as Futu," and from then on, he transformed—becoming a hellish Shura to his enemies, a savior Buddha to his kin.

"Sister Bai, don’t think like that. Brother Xiao does it because he loves you. No matter what happens, you’ll always be by his side, won’t you!" As Yao Ling spoke, she quietly glanced at Cao Xiaosen behind her, feeling a subtle sense of anticipation.

Xiao Ou, walking at the very front, had no leisure for such idle chatter. Information flooded his smart-brain, and after scanning several pieces, his expression darkened and he deleted the rest.

Life rarely goes as one wishes, eight or nine times out of ten. Whether prince or pauper, everyone has troubles; every family has its own struggles. The more prominent the family, like Xiao Ou’s, the greater the burdens.

Just now, the family urged him to return quickly. He was already twenty-one. Ever since Futu was split from the ancient sword, Xiao Ou had proven his strength to the family, securing a year for himself and Bai Wan’er.

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During his two years at Purple Star Academy, he had fallen far behind those in the family. After all, the academy’s resources felt meager to him; teaching was carried out by seniors, and those who truly understood attribute power had long since gone elsewhere, leaving little time to impart their insights. That place was Xiao Ou’s true goal.

Rumor had it that the organization comprised only the most gifted among the younger generation, with entry level as the minimum requirement; almost everyone had awakened at least two attribute powers. Their understanding of attributes far exceeded that of outsiders, and their weapons were unimaginable, but they also faced the most dangerous monsters.

Unless a King-class appeared, no one could easily kill a random group from within; when all members were present, they could even contend with Lord-class monsters.

This time, the family summoned him back, and he might not be able to leave for two or three years. Before departing, he wanted to do one last thing for Wan’er. The Ancient Sword Secret Realm opened every five years, and all descendants who had awakened the ancient sword and obtained its derivative blade had to return before the realm opened.

Among the messages, one was from his father, personally ordering him to return within a week. With more than a year left until the secret realm opened, Xiao Ou suspected that upon returning, his father’s branch would subject him to intensive training. If he waited until the half-year mark, his current state might not survive the first wave of trials, let alone enhance Futu with the clan sword. The law of the jungle was even more pronounced in his family.

Bai Wan’er was the girl he met during the entrance exam. It was love at first sight, perhaps. At that time, Bai Wan’er had just entered beginner level, while he was already at advanced entry level. Yet Bai Wan’er was like a snow lotus upon a mountain peak—pure, cold, wary of all. Many times, Xiao Ou thought she wouldn’t make it through dangers and would be eliminated, but each time, she survived like stubborn wild grass in the middle of the road, enduring hardship yet refusing to die.

Thus, Xiao Ou, a destined prodigy, gave up his spot at Heavenly Wood Academy to join Purple Star Academy, to be in her class, to become her teammate. To protect her, he traveled to the main city by the Angry Sea and brought back Wind—a decisive battle, a promise spanning four years.

When he returned to the family, he would leave Wind by Bai Wan’er’s side to protect her. In two years, when Bai Wan’er graduated from Purple Star Academy, he would ask his father for her hand in marriage.

Suddenly, Xiao Ou’s smart-brain emitted a unique sound—a setting reserved for messages from Wind and Bai Wan’er.

He checked Wind’s message, and for the first time, a faint smile appeared on his otherwise impassive face. He replied, "The day is nearly done; let’s return and leave all else for tomorrow."

He glanced at the sinking sun and said, "Day three."

"Yes, day three. Only four days remain," he murmured to himself, knowing he had only four days left to spend with Bai Wan’er.

He hadn’t told Bai Wan’er about his impending return to the family; he didn’t know how to begin, afraid she might shed tears or that he might regret it, undoing two years of effort.

Xiao Ou turned and walked toward Bai Wan’er. "It’s settled. Let’s head to the shelter and wait for Wind to return, then discuss the battle plan."

"Alright." Bai Wan’er let go of Yao Ling’s hand, walked lightly to Xiao Ou’s side, and took his arm.

Never doubt a woman’s intuition. Though Xiao Ou hadn’t mentioned his departure, Bai Wan’er sensed his increasing urgency. He didn’t want to waste a moment; for her, he’d chased from Zone C to Zone B. Since entering the radiation zone, he’d spoken less and grown more irritable, but she hadn’t asked what was wrong, fearing he’d say the one thing she least wanted to hear.

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The shelter was actually the cave left behind after Xiao Ou slew a mutant. For days, Xiao Ou, Wind, and Bai Wan’er had scoured the edges of Zone B for clues about the seed, nearly overturning the whole area, but today, Wind had finally found it.

Crack, crack, crack.

The flames popped in the firewood pile—one large, one small. Xiao Ou and Bai Wan’er sat by the bigger fire; Yao Ling sat beside Bai Wan’er, Ye Bai and Cao Xiaosen by the smaller fire. Ye Bai occasionally glanced at the dark figure far from the fire.

It was their first time warming themselves by a fire since entering the radiation zone. Previously, they feared that even the slightest scent would alert nocturnal mutants, so they dared not light a fire or make any noise. But tonight, with Xiao Ou present, they could relax; with him there, no reckless mutant would dare approach.

Ye Bai watched as Xiao Ou projected the stored information from his smart-brain in a holographic display before himself and Bai Wan’er. Xiao Ou glanced at the data, exchanged a few words with Bai Wan’er, who then spoke to Yao Ling. Soon after, Yao Ling ran over to Ye Bai and Cao Xiaosen.

"Ye Bai, Xiaosen," Yao Ling said, settling beside Cao Xiaosen, "Brother Xiao wants you two to help defend against low-level mutant attacks. When the time comes, we’ll assign group points to the three of us."

With that, Yao Ling pulled Cao Xiaosen toward Xiao Ou, and Ye Bai followed. Xiao Ou must have called them over to explain his plan and assign roles for combat and defense—contingencies for retreat if they failed.

Yet Ye Bai was overthinking; Xiao Ou never considered failure. This time, he was "giving" them points for Yao Ling’s sake, confident in his strength. As long as they didn’t go too deep into Zone B and provoke century-old monsters, nothing in this area—human or mutant—could stop him.

Yao Ling sat closely beside Bai Wan’er, pulling Cao Xiaosen with her. Cao Xiaosen, unaccustomed to contact with girls, blushed and grew restless. Fortunately, the firelight painted everyone’s faces red, or else his embarrassment would have been obvious.

Ye Bai was even more awkward. There were only two places to sit: Bai Wan’er, Yao Ling, and Cao Xiaosen together, but Ye Bai felt it inappropriate to sit next to Bai Wan’er. Xiao Ou sat alone, exuding a cold aura as if forbidding anyone within three meters. Ye Bai looked left and right, then simply crouched near Cao Xiaosen.

Bai Wan’er noticed and smiled softly, standing up to sit beside Xiao Ou.

Yao Ling and Cao Xiaosen shifted, allowing Ye Bai to squeeze in beside them.

Xiao Ou’s fingers manipulated the holographic map, enlarging, marking, shrinking various locations, inputting data continuously. Soon, six figures appeared on the map. Before long, only Xiao Ou, Wind, and Bai Wan’er remained; Ye Bai and the others disappeared, the projection displaying a large "defeat."

During this, no one spoke, waiting for Xiao Ou to adjust his inputs. Finally, when no one vanished in the simulation, Xiao Ou began to explain his plan.