564: Invitation, Prince Xuanxiao, what is the decision? (55k)

“Your Young Master wants to see me?”

Lin Yang looked at the Old Man Grey Robe who had suddenly appeared before him, said little, and went straight to the point: “I trouble Your Excellency to lead the way.”

He was not surprised that the Old Man Grey Robe had come to invite him; he knew this moment would arrive ever since the other party provided him with the intelligence last time.

The Old Man Grey Robe smiled and nodded: “Your Excellency is too kind.”

Having said that, he led Lin Yang directly toward the Star Divination Tower.

Before long, Lin Yang saw the Young Master mentioned by the Old Man Grey Robe inside the VIP room.

A young, noble man.

To be honest, Lin Yang had never met anyone as noble as this man.

It was an ineffable, distinguished temperament.

Even without wearing extravagant robes, a noble air emanated from his body.

This nobility was clearly something he had possessed and cultivated since childhood.

As for strength, he felt this man was not particularly strong, merely at the Boundary Realm.

“Your Excellency Lin Yang, this is my Young Master, Xuan Xiao.” The Old Man Grey Robe introduced him.

Lin Yang cupped his fist: “Greetings, Your Excellency Xuan Xiao.”

“Your Excellency Lin Yang, please take a seat.”

Xuan Xiao also cupped his fist, smiled slightly, and said directly:

“Your Excellency Lin Yang must be curious as to why I had Fu Bo give you the Bone Bloom intelligence, and why I invited you here?”

Lin Yang was slightly surprised by Xuan Xiao's directness, but this suited him perfectly, as he also disliked beating around the bush. He immediately nodded and said:

“Indeed, I am very curious. Before this, we never knew each other, so I wonder why Your Excellency decided to help me?”

“Your Excellency Lin Yang, if I am not mistaken, the mysterious powerhouse at the He Family earlier was you.” Xuan Xiao did not answer, but maintained his smile and said this.

Although it was phrased as a question, his tone was one of certainty.

This startled Lin Yang internally, and he grew wary: “I do not know what Your Excellency means by that.”

“Haha, Your Excellency Lin Yang, don't misunderstand. I have no other intentions, and I am certainly not trying to trick you into providing evidence.”

Xuan Xiao laughed heartily:

“I have no relation to the Kunyu Country, let alone this Yun Que City. Whether or not you killed someone in the city is irrelevant to me.”

“The reason I had Fu Bo give you the intelligence is because I value your strength, or rather—your potential.”

“Strength? Potential?”

Lin Yang's eyes narrowed slightly:

“My level of strength is hardly worth mentioning.”

He glanced at the Old Man Grey Robe, his meaning implied.

With a retainer like this guy, given Xuan Xiao's identity, he must have seen all kinds of Heaven's Chosen.

His own strength and potential should not amount to much.

In the Endless Spacetime, the one thing that is never lacking is Heaven's Chosen.

Xuan Xiao, however, smiled and shook his head:

“Your Excellency Lin Yang, you are mistaken. You are at the first level of the Boundary Realm, yet your concealment method is something even Fu Bo cannot see through.”

“The power you displayed outside the city just now was also extremely formidable.”

“To be honest, I have indeed seen all sorts of Heaven's Chosen, but you are more than capable of ranking among the best.”

“Therefore...”

Xuan Xiao stood up, looking seriously at Lin Yang:

“I would like to invite you to become my Guest Retainer.”

“Guest Retainer?” Lin Yang was startled.

He was no longer a newcomer to the Endless Spacetime.

Naturally, he knew what an Guest Retainer meant.

This was equivalent to a form of employment.

However, it was not an employer-employee relationship, but an equal cooperative relationship.

An Guest Retainer only needed to exert effort at critical moments and generally had no duties otherwise.

It was similar to having someone stand guard.

The inviting party, meanwhile, must continuously provide extremely generous conditions and benefits, regardless of whether the Guest Retainer has ever exerted effort.

This means that if there is never an opportunity requiring the Guest Retainer's effort after the invitation, the inviting party still needs to continuously supply the promised resources.

Therefore, inviting an Guest Retainer is a very serious matter.

Even some super large forces would not casually invite an Guest Retainer.

After all, the powerful forces look down on the weak, and the strong require the expenditure of immense resources and costs to possibly move them.

Moreover, after the invitation, there is a high chance they will simply spend resources maintaining them for free.

Hence, inviting an Guest Retainer in the Endless Spacetime is a matter that requires extremely careful consideration.

An Guest Retainer is also forbidden from accepting multiple invitations simultaneously; agreeing means being bound one-to-one with the inviter.

Therefore, sometimes when inviting an Guest Retainer, they may not necessarily agree.

This is a mutual selection process between two parties.

As for weaker forces?

They simply do not have the capital to invite an Guest Retainer!

Lin Yang hadn't expected Xuan Xiao to directly invite him to become an Guest Retainer.

This left him extremely surprised, even shocked.

No matter what, he was only at the first level of the Boundary Realm!

He was far from meeting the standard required to become an Guest Retainer.

Even the Returning Origin Realm might not necessarily qualify to be an Guest Retainer!

After all, while an Guest Retainer rarely encounters situations requiring action, once they do act, it is a matter of life and death.

Without considerable strength, one wouldn't dare take on the role of an Guest Retainer.

But now, Xuan Xiao was inviting him to be an Guest Retainer?

He couldn't understand.

After a long silence, Lin Yang spoke: “Your Excellency Xuan Xiao, you are not joking?”

Xuan Xiao smiled: “I am naturally serious.”

“This...” Lin Yang was stunned, and immediately wanted to refuse: “I am only in the Boundary Realm, and whether I can break through to Returning Origin Realm is still unknown. I truly feel unworthy of Your Excellency's invitation to be an Guest Retainer.”

The other party inviting him to be an Guest Retainer was too inexplicable.

But Xuan Xiao continued: “Your Excellency, please don't rush to refuse.”

Saying this, he glanced at the Old Man Grey Robe, Fu Bo, who immediately produced a special contract, clearly drafted in advance, and placed it before Lin Yang.

“Your Excellency can look at the conditions I am offering before deciding.”

Xuan Xiao smiled leisurely:

“As you know, the value and benefits of an Guest Retainer position are immense, and anyone wishing to invite an Guest Retainer must consider it carefully.”

“I am naturally no exception!”

“Although Your Excellency is currently only at the first level of the Boundary Realm, I believe you can comprehend Dao Rhythm and break through to Returning Origin Realm and even higher levels.”

“Therefore, my invitation now does not require Your Excellency to do anything; you may proceed as usual.”

“Until Your Excellency reaches the Returning Origin Realm or even the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, I will not require you to exert effort.”

“Furthermore, before Your Excellency breaks through, I will provide you with at least five hundred million mirror ruins coins every century.”

“At the same time, after Your Excellency breaks through to the Returning Origin Realm and the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, I can provide you with one free opportunity each time to study the Complete Dao Rhythm, assisting Your Excellency in mastering a more comprehensive Dao rhythm power.”

“As well as opportunities and discounts to purchase various resources far below the market price.”

“And Your Excellency only needs to assist me when I require it.”

“Of course, unless absolutely necessary, I will not easily ask Your Excellency to act. You should be clear on this point, so I won't elaborate.”

After Xuan Xiao finished speaking, he quietly looked at Lin Yang.

Lin Yang was somewhat astonished.

It wasn't the five hundred million mirror ruins coins every century that astonished him.

It was the opportunity to study the Complete Dao Rhythm?!

“Your Excellency Xuan Xiao, are you sure, an opportunity to study the Complete Dao Rhythm?” Lin Yang couldn't help but ask.

The so-called Complete Dao Rhythm is the collection of all Dao Methods possessed by a complete Dao.

This requires extracting and integrating it from a complete Dao, to allow juniors to better comprehend and study it.

And a complete Dao... that is something only the Transformation Dao Realm can master!

He was extremely shocked.

What was the origin of this Xuan Xiao?

How dare he speak such words!

One must know that although there is a complete Dao naturally present between Heaven and Earth and the universe, comprehending the natural complete Dao is extremely difficult.

Studying the Complete Dao Rhythm, conversely, makes it easier to gain insight.

Although Dao Rhythm does not possess the complete Dao Power of a truly complete Dao.

But this is a shortcut!

Within the Complete Dao Rhythm, there is a manifestation of all the Dao Methods contained in the complete Dao.

The difficulty of comprehension is greatly reduced.

As long as one can fully master all the Dao Methods of the corresponding Dao, one can begin attempting integration, Transforming the Body into the Dao!

This is an opportunity that many Ten Thousand Laws Realm experts would dream of!

Yet this Xuan Xiao actually claimed he could provide him with a free opportunity to study the Complete Dao Rhythm?

???

Is he sure this isn't a joke?

“Heh heh, Your Excellency Lin Yang, since I invited you to be an Guest Retainer, I am naturally being frank with you.”

Xuan Xiao saw Lin Yang's astonishment and immediately smiled:

“I am a direct descendant of the Xuan Tai Barren Sacred Profound Sovereign Lineage, one of the Seven Great Saint Xuan Rulers of the Saint Xuan Ancient Country.”

“Hmm? What?” Lin Yang's pupils instantly constricted. “The Saint Xuan Ancient Country? The Saint Xuan Ancient Country on Sheng Xuan Mountain?”

“Yes, that one.” Xuan Xiao nodded slightly.

“...” Lin Yang fell silent.

The Saint Xuan Ancient Country is the most powerful country in the Mirror Ruins Realm, bar none!

Yes, bar none!

Within the entire Mirror Ruins Realm, there are many countries, large and small, but there is only one that qualifies to be called an Ancient Country.

That is the Saint Xuan Ancient Country.

The Saint Xuan Ancient Country possesses the Transformation Dao Realm!

The Transformation Dao Realm is rare in the Endless Spacetime, but the Mirror Ruins Realm happens to be one of the High-Level Spacetimes where the Transformation Dao Realm exists.

The Saint Xuan Ancient Country holds a transcendent existence within the Mirror Ruins Realm.

Normally, they basically do not participate in any conflicts between other national powers.

Many powerhouses from various national forces are even originally from the Saint Xuan Ancient Country.

But even if they fight to the death, the Saint Xuan Ancient Country will not interfere.

Even some Collateral Branches can still dominate other countries, let alone the main lineage!

And he is a direct blood relative of the main Xuan Lineage!

In other words, this Xuan Xiao before him is the Imperial Family of the Saint Xuan Ancient Country!

Lin Yang was somewhat bewildered. The Imperial Family of the Saint Xuan Ancient Country inviting him to be an Guest Retainer?

Has this world gone mad?

Forget the Boundary Realm, even some Myriad Laws Emperors would break their heads trying to become an Guest Retainer of the Saint Xuan Ancient Country!

The benefits are unimaginably vast!

Resources are secondary; the main thing is that there are special materials and opportunities that are simply impossible to access outside!

Such as the opportunity to study the Complete Dao Rhythm!

For any Ten Thousand Laws Realm, this is something they would fight for with their lives!

But now, this good fortune has directly fallen upon him?

Lin Yang found it somewhat unbelievable.

He looked at Xuan Xiao, silent for a long time.

After a long silence, he said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency Xuan Xiao... oh no, it should be more appropriate to call you Your Highness now. With your status, even if you wanted a Ten Thousand Laws Realm Guest Retainer, it would be a matter of a single word. Why would you choose me?"

He asked directly.

This was not just outrageous, it was simply abstract!

If Xuan Xiao simply let out a word that he needed a Guest Retainer, let alone the Mirror Ruins Realm, even Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivators from other high-level space-times would flock to him!

In the entire Endless Spacetime, there were only a few forces that possessed the Transformation Dao Realm!

But, he chose him?

As for saying that he valued his potential, that was even more ridiculous.

Again, if he just let word out, all sorts of heaven's favored would come vying for the position!

Xuan Xiao, however, still smiled and said:

"Indeed, if I wished, Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivators would be happy to come to my door, but I don't need ordinary Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivators."

"Ordinary Ten Thousand Laws Realm? Are there still ordinary ones among those who can become Myriad Laws Emperor?" Lin Yang couldn't help but mutter.

"Haha, Your Excellency Lin Yang, every stage has its strengths and weaknesses, and the Ten Thousand Laws Realm is no exception."

Xuan Xiao smiled:

"A powerful Ten Thousand Laws Realm is infinitely close to the Transformation Dao Realm, while an ordinary Ten Thousand Laws Realm is far behind, and may even never have a chance to reach the Transformation Dao Realm in their lifetime."

"And the closer one is to the Transformation Dao Realm, the richer the Dao Method they master, and the stronger their power. A powerful Ten Thousand Laws Realm can instantly kill any ordinary Ten Thousand Laws Realm."

"Just like you instantly killed those Boundary Realm cultivators from Bone Bloom, and the gap will only be greater!"

"There are even some Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivators who possess unique methods that even Transformation Dao Realm Dao Rulers may not be able to easily deal with!"

Lin Yang couldn't help but exclaim, "Even a Dao Ruler can't deal with them?"

"Yes, of course, it's not that they can't deal with them at all; if they are determined to kill, they can still kill, but they will have to pay a considerable price."

Xuan Xiao nodded:

"However, those formidable Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivators have mostly been invited by members of other lineages to be Guest Retainers, and the remaining ones are also difficult for me to invite."

"Some confident and powerful Myriad Laws Emperor have their own way of doing things and don't care much about becoming a Guest Retainer. They only want to focus on cultivation to reach the Transformation Dao Realm as soon as possible and don't want to participate in the internal struggles of our Ancient Country."

"Besides that, there are some who simply look down on common main lineage royalty like me; they prefer to join one of the powerful Saint Xuan Ruler lineages."

Lin Yang was immediately astonished: "Look down on them??"

He suspected he had misheard.

"Yes, they just look down on them."

Xuan Xiao smiled:

"The Saint Xuan Ancient Country is too vast. The main lineage alone has seven branches, and internal struggles are naturally constant. There are even assessments, and Dao Rulers encourage competition among themselves, even survival of the fittest."

"Because there are too many royal family members, it's impossible to treat everyone equally and distribute all resources evenly. Apart from some basic provisions, the rest can only be obtained through one's own efforts."

"If one consistently falls behind in various competitions and assessments, the resources they receive will decrease, and other benefits will be reduced accordingly."

"Therefore, there are strong and weak among the seven lineages, and our lineage is considered relatively ordinary. Those ambitious Myriad Laws Emperor naturally look down on us."

"Especially since I am not even the most talented and promising prince of our Xuan Taihuang lineage."

"Therefore, in reality, it's not as exaggerated as Your Excellency Lin Yang thinks; it's not that I can invite anyone to be a Guest Retainer just by being willing."

"A Guest Retainer, in the end, is an equal partnership; it requires mutual selection."

Xuan Xiao calmly explained.

Lin Yang heard about the internal situation of the Ancient Country for the first time and felt greatly surprised.

From Xuan Xiao's words, it could be heard that there was not only competition within the Saint Xuan Ancient Country, but it was also unusually intense!

This slightly startled him.

He had previously thought that for a powerful Ancient Country like Saint Xuan, the royal family members would not need to worry about anything at all.

All cultivation resources would be amply supplied at all times.

He never expected there would still be internal struggles... "Even so, isn't it still a bit strange for His Highness Xuan Xiao to invite me?" Lin Yang rubbed his forehead.

Even if Xuan Xiao was relatively ordinary within the Ancient Country, it shouldn't be to the extent of inviting him.

Xuan Xiao smiled again:

"Powerful Emperors look down on me, and I also look down on those Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivators who just muddle along, so I'd rather gamble on the future."

"I am optimistic about your future, hence this invitation."

“...” Lin Yang fell silent again.

Optimistic about his future?

"Cough cough, Your Highness Xuan Xiao, do you think I can become that Invincible Emperor of the Ten Thousand Laws Realm?" Lin Yang's eyes were strange.

Isn't this a bit too optimistic about him?

Xuan Xiao shook his head slightly: "Invincible Emperor, that depends on destiny and luck; I wouldn't dare to think that."

"But, as long as you can become slightly stronger than an ordinary Ten Thousand Laws Realm, that's enough for me!"

At this point, he looked at Lin Yang and said frankly:

"To be honest with you, the cost of finding an existing Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivator to be a Guest Retainer is somewhat higher than cultivating a supremely talented future Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivator."

"To put it bluntly, even if I start providing you with resources now, supplying you until you reach the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, the cost during this period will be less than finding an existing Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivator to be a Guest Retainer!"

"Because, whether it's the Boundary Realm or even the Returning Origin Realm, most of the resources required in these realms are common resources and are not valuable. The precious resources after the Ten Thousand Laws Realm are what's expensive."

"Oh..." Lin Yang immediately understood.

This was a bit like gambling on luck.

However.

"What if you misjudged? What if the person you chose ultimately didn't become a powerful Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivator, or even couldn't become a Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivator at all?"

Lin Yang added:

"Then your initial investment would have been completely wasted."

The path of cultivation carries immense uncertainty, and Xuan Xiao's approach was truly high-risk.

"Haha, there's never anything absolute in this world!"

Xuan Xiao laughed heartily:

"To succeed, one must naturally be prepared to take the risk of failure; this is very normal."

"As for investment?"

"The cost before the Ten Thousand Laws Realm is something I can afford, and after the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, as long as I succeed once, I profit. I will gain a powerful Ten Thousand Laws Realm expert as a Guest Retainer!"

"As long as one succeeds, it will make up for all failures!"

“...” Lin Yang was somewhat speechless.

This was the foundation of the Ancient Country.

These words were somewhat overbearing.

The investment before the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, in Xuan Xiao's eyes, was not a cost at all!

This was somewhat outrageously rich.

A simple sentence, yet it represented the lifelong accumulated wealth of countless Returning Origin Realm cultivators... The disparity between people was too vast!

At this moment, Lin Yang also felt the terrifying power of the Ancient Country.

After all, it certainly wasn't just Xuan Xiao going out to search for exceptionally talented individuals to cultivate; other princes were definitely doing the same.

They might be cultivating many favored talents they deemed promising at the same time.

That would be a terrifying expenditure of wealth and resources.

But it was clear that for any lineage of the Saint Xuan Ancient Country, these were nothing.

Xuan Xiao himself said that his lineage was relatively ordinary, and he himself was not the prince with the highest status in their lineage.

If even he could be so extravagant, one could imagine how wealthy other princes with slightly higher status would be.

"Your Excellency Lin Yang, you can consider it. Although many princes like me will choose people to cultivate, we won't easily offer an invitation to be a Guest Retainer. At most, we will make an investment. There are also restrictions on our Guest Retainer quotas within the Ancient Country."

"So, you don't need to think that I'm casting a wide net; my invitation to you is sincere."

Xuan Xiao spoke seriously again:

"Before the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, I will try my best to provide you with ordinary resources. For some special resources, you will still have to pay for them yourself, but I can offer you some discounts and channels to purchase special resources."

"After the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, advanced resources will be allocated based on merit."

"With my current authority, I can only fully support one Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivator."

"Therefore, there is one thing I must state in advance: after becoming a Ten Thousand Laws Realm cultivator, you will need to contribute at least once to prove your value, so that I can apply for better resource allocation for you."

"If you are willing, you can sign an agreement. This is a Dao Pact; once agreed upon, neither party can go back on it, so you don't need to worry that I will not fulfill the agreement regarding resources."

Lin Yang's eyes flickered, and he slowly said, "I'll think about it."

"Alright, I look forward to becoming a comrade-in-arms with you." Xuan Xiao smiled slightly and said no more.

Inside the VIP room, silence fell.

Lin Yang read the contract from beginning to end, deep in thought.

After a few minutes, he looked up at Xuan Xiao:

"Your Highness Xuan Xiao, I've made up my mind."

"Oh?" Xuan Xiao raised an eyebrow, asking with a hint of anticipation, "May I ask, Your Excellency, what is your decision?"