434: Chapter 434 The Secret of the Ruins

"A way to leave?" Li Xuanxiao's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Speak."

Ye Tian didn't answer immediately; he was still digesting the messy fragments of information in his mind.

This information wasn't a coherent narrative, but rather scattered records and annotations, mixed with a large number of incomprehensible symbols and broken thoughts.

He needed time to sort through them.

"These Remnant Ruins are neither a natural Secret Realm nor the Immortal Cave of some great powerhouse," Ye Tian said slowly, weighing his words. "It's a... 'Selection Ground,' or rather, a 'Place of Certification'."

"Selection? Certification?" Li Xuanxiao frowned.

"Yes. 'Order-Giver' is a title, and also a qualification."

Ye Tian pointed around the main hall and at the star map on the vaulted ceiling. "The existence that left these Remnant Ruins behind seems to be looking for someone capable of inheriting a certain 'mission' or 'authority'."

"The layers of trials here..."

"...the labyrinth, the Five Elements, the Heart-Questioning, the choices—they are all for screening."

"Screening for what?"

"The bone slip doesn't say explicitly. But it mentions several keywords: 'Chaos Affinity,' 'Five Elements Balance,' 'Resilient Heart-Nature,' and 'Discerning Choice'."

Ye Tian looked at Li Xuanxiao. "The fact that we've made it here might mean that, in some aspects at least, we've met the preliminary requirements."

There was no joy on Li Xuanxiao's face; instead, he became even more wary. "And then? What happens after certification? What is the method to leave?"

"The bone slip records that whoever passes the final 'Choice' trial and obtains the 'Object of Certification' will trigger the transport mechanism at the core of the Remnant Ruins and be sent to a preset 'exit'."

Ye Tian paused. "But there are two problems."

"Speak."

"First, the bone slip says the 'Object of Certification' is unique. In other words, only one of us can obtain the full certification and trigger the transport."

The air in the hall froze instantly.

Li Xuanxiao's hand silently pressed onto his sword hilt, his gaze icy. "You didn't mention this before."

"I only just saw it myself," Ye Tian said calmly. "Furthermore, the records on the bone slip are incomplete, and much of the information is vague."

"It doesn't specify exactly which one the 'Object of Certification' is—whether it's that bead, this bone slip itself, or something else. Nor does it say what happens to those who don't receive certification."

"What happens?" Li Xuanxiao pressed, his tone dangerous.

"Possibly... stay here forever. Or be... erased by the power of the Remnant Ruins," Ye Tian stated his speculation.

This wasn't directly recorded on the bone slip but was an inference drawn from those fragmented pieces of information.

In a place designed to select a successor, losers usually didn't meet a good end.

Li Xuanxiao fell silent.

He stared at Ye Tian, trying to find any trace of a lie on the other man's face.

But Ye Tian's expression was composed, showing only exhaustion and solemnity.

"You're lying to me," Li Xuanxiao said suddenly. "You want to monopolize the chance to leave, so you made up this story."

"The Object of Certification is unique? Then what was that 'choose one of three' just now?"

"If it's unique, why put out three items? Why not just put out one?"

This was a sharp question.

Ye Tian was also thinking.

He organized the information fragments in his mind and said slowly, "'Choose one of three' might itself be part of the trial."

"A trial of how to choose when faced with multiple temptations, and... whether one can bear the consequences after choosing."

"There's a broken fragment of a thought in the bone slip that says something like, 'The greedy are trapped by desire, the suspicious lose their Opportunity, and the reckless fall into the abyss'."

"Our choices, our current confrontation—they might all be under some kind of judgment."

"Absurd." Li Xuanxiao sneered, but his hand on his sword didn't loosen. "According to you, haven't we become rats in a cage, at the mercy of others?"

"By entering a Secret Realm, one is already no longer in control of their own destiny," Ye Tian said with a bitter smile. "The question now is whether we believe the information in this bone slip, and what we do next."

"It's simple." Li Xuanxiao's gaze swept over the bead he had put away, then looked at the bone slip in Ye Tian's hand. "According to our previous agreement, the bead belongs to me, and the bone slip belongs to you."

"Now you say the Object of Certification is unique, so let's see which one is the real 'key.' Or..."

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. "Give me that bone slip in your hand to look at. Since we're sharing information, I can't just take your word for it."

Ye Tian had long expected him to say this.

He handed the bone slip over. "You can look. But the information was just directly poured into my mind; the bone slip itself has no content left now."

"Furthermore, the information within is complex and chaotic, carrying a strong mental impact. You'd better be prepared."

Li Xuanxiao took the bone slip and hurriedly injected true essence, but the bone slip didn't react at all.

He probed it with his spiritual sense, but it was empty, just like an ordinary piece of bone.

At this moment, Li Xuanxiao's face darkened.

"Are you playing me?"

"I have no reason to," Ye Tian shook his head. "The information transfer is one-time; once I read it, it becomes void. Otherwise, why would I bother swearing an oath to share the information with you?"

Li Xuanxiao stared at Ye Tian, as if trying to pierce him with his gaze.

Ye Tian met his gaze calmly.

After a few breaths, Li Xuanxiao threw the bone slip back to Ye Tian.

He believed him, or rather, he had no choice but to believe him.

Since Ye Tian dared to let him check the bone slip, it was likely true.

"Even if what you say is true and the Object of Certification is unique," Li Xuanxiao said slowly, "it could still be this bead."

He clenched his fist, feeling the two-colored bead inside his storage ring. "It's a Fusion of two treasures and has the strongest energy."

"It could also be this bone slip, since it recorded the information. Perhaps both are part of the certification, and neither can be missing."

"It's possible," Ye Tian nodded. "So, our current situation is very delicate."

"Either we cooperate to find the real 'key' and the way out together, or... we fight to the death right now, where the winner takes all and the loser is buried here."

"You would choose cooperation?" Li Xuanxiao asked mockingly.

"If there were a better choice, I wouldn't," Ye Tian said honestly. "But we know too little about this place right now. Blindly fighting amongst ourselves might mean neither of us can get out."

"The bone slip mentioned that the Remnant Ruins have self-maintenance and cleaning mechanisms. Staying for too long might trigger unpredictable dangers."

This was half-truth, half-speculation.

The information on the bone slip was incomplete, but it mentioned fragments like 'the flow of time, the Ruin Realm closes itself.' Combined with the common knowledge that Secret Realms usually have time limits, Ye Tian believed this wasn't alarmist talk.

Li Xuanxiao fell silent again.

He walked to the edge of the hall, looking up at the star map on the ceiling, his fingers unconsciously tapping on his sword hilt.

He was weighing his options.

Ye Tian didn't rush him either, seizing the time to adjust his breathing while continuing to sort through the information in his mind.

Those fragments were still swirling; he needed to find more useful clues.

The chaos bead's longing remained intense, but it no longer seemed to be aimed solely at that bead. Instead, it vaguely pointed toward a certain direction in the hall...

Was it that star map?

"You said just now that the bone slip mentioned 'Chaos Affinity' as one of the conditions."

Li Xuanxiao suddenly turned around, his gaze shooting toward Ye Tian like lightning. "You were so obsessed with that chaos vortex, and your true essence is so strange... Do you already know something?"

"Or rather, do you have something related to 'Chaos Affinity' on you?"

He finally asked.

Ye Tian's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. "If I had known earlier, would I still be trapped here?"

"My true essence is special because of a chance encounter; it has nothing to do with these Remnant Ruins."

"As for my obsession with the chaos vortex, it was pure intuition and the bias of my Cultivation Technique's attributes. You're a swordsman—don't you also strive for a Clear Sword Heart and trust your intuition?"

This explanation was half-true and half-false, but it was barely plausible.

Li Xuanxiao gave Ye Tian a deep look and didn't press further, but the suspicion in his eyes deepened.

"Cooperation is fine," Li Xuanxiao finally spoke, stating his conditions. "But until we find a clear way to leave or determine the ownership of the 'Object of Certification,' we will have a temporary ceasefire."

"Information must be shared completely, with nothing hidden. If it's finally confirmed that only one person can leave... then, we'll each rely on our own abilities."

This was postponing the final battle.

But until then, both sides needed each other's strength to explore and deal with unknown risks.

"No problem," Ye Tian agreed. "But we need to establish another temporary contract: before the final result is clear, neither side can attack the other, including backstabbing."

"Fine," Li Xuanxiao agreed.

The two swore an oath again, this time constrained until "finding a clear way to leave or determining the unique ownership of the Object of Certification."

Once the oath was made, the invisible tension eased slightly, but the mutual wariness and calculation didn't decrease in the slightest.