85: Who can come to the table and share the meat?

The Mage watched as the three factions sat down to negotiate, watching them divide the spoils with laughter and banter, feeling only stifled resentment in his heart.

It was like this again.

He was a strategy simulation game streamer, specializing in strategy simulation games day in and day out. These games were, without exception, single-player games where the player controlled the entire situation.

The Mage actually didn't like online games.

'As long as it's an online game, there will definitely be guilds that band together, studios that set up shop, power-levelers who work twenty-four hours straight, and those professional players who are like tigers and wolves. Dungeon resources, event rewards, and even the entire gameplay are all controlled by them…'

The Mage felt extremely depressed, looking indignantly at the three clubs. Finally, he let out a long sigh and turned to leave.

But just then, his body stiffened. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't take even a single step backward; he was completely unable to Move.

'A bug?'

The Mage was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that this was definitely not a bug.

There were no bugs in the Xuanhuan World, only mechanisms. This was everyone's consensus.

Everything that defied common sense was a mechanism of the Xuanhuan World.

Cold sweat streamed down the Mage's forehead. The faint sound of Bai Chan (White Cicada) flapping its wings reached his ears. Suddenly, a flash of Buddhist light appeared before him, vaguely showing a guiding direction, guiding him towards the Golden Core Tomb.

The Mage moved his body with difficulty, trying to Move backward, to the right, to the left, or even upward, but he couldn't Move at all.

Only by stepping in the direction of Jie Liuhang and the others, towards the location of the Golden Core Tomb in the mine, could he regain control of his body.

'What's going on? What happened?'

The Mage's mind was buzzing; he had no understanding of this sudden anomaly.

He quickly recalled all the posts he had seen on the forum, and not a single one mentioned a similar incident.

'Buddhist light…'

Suddenly, the Mage thought of the key, his hair stood on end, his fingers trembled, and his heart pounded non-stop.

It was that monk!

'He made a Move, he's controlling me—no, he shouldn't be able to completely control me, only guide me, guide me to seize the Secret Treasure.'

The Mage looked forward. Sure enough, among the three factions, two Cultivators were specifically marked by the Buddhist light. A faint fiery aura emanated from them, indicating they clearly practiced fire-attribute Cultivation Technique.

If there were no accidents, these two should be the key figures who possessed the Golden Core Legacy and served as the keys to the Secret Treasure.

'But how is this possible?'

The Mage was already drenched in sweat, he opened his mouth to speak, but no matter how his throat moved, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound, nor could he transmit a message.

Even though he had estimated the power of a Golden Core level figure as high as possible.

Even though he already knew that the monk was a terrifying figure similar to a Golden Core.

But when he truly encountered the other party's methods, the Mage was still at a loss, the shock in his heart was simply unfathomable to outsiders.

'He didn't truly make a Move, didn't unleash any Move, didn't kill anyone, couldn't even be seen, and there were no unusual phenomena.'

'But I was still controlled by him!'

'Unbeknownst to me, I have already become his chess piece, to scout ahead for him, to scheme for that Golden Core Legacy.'

The Mage felt a chill down his spine. At this moment, he finally understood how terrifying the gap between Cultivators truly was.

This gap was not just a gap in combat power, it wasn't just that others could instantly kill you with a casual AOE Move while you were powerless.

While that kind of powerlessness was terrifying, there was another kind of terror—

Unpredictable and capricious.

You simply couldn't know what methods the high-level Cultivators possessed, you couldn't even be sure if you had fallen into their schemes along the way, you couldn't know if you were already within their sight, and the only reason you could continue to survive was because you still had some value, able to obtain some Opportunity for them.

The Mage's mind kept replaying various posts from the forum:

[Cultivation Techniques, skills, etc. from the same source are called XX Dao Lineage in the Xuanhuan World]

[Only Cultivators of the same Dao Lineage can successfully open the Treasure Trove left by their Seniors]

[This is a benefit left by Seniors for their descendants. Others who intrude will face nine deaths and one life, and may even cause the Legacy to self-destruct]

[Therefore, the most important thing for the Golden Core Tomb event is intelligence, to find the descendants of the same Dao Lineage as that Golden Core, and rely on them to find the true Legacy]

'So that's how it is.'

'The eighth-grade Cultivation Technique, Mountain Forest Qi (Circulation), that I obtained at the start, is probably exactly a Legacy of the same Dao Lineage, which is why I was regarded as a descendant of that Golden Core.'

'That's why, in the Efeng Mountain Range, that monk spared my life, wanting me to find and open the Legacy.'

'Now, seeing me retreat, he forcefully intervened, compelling me to comply.'

'As for the two Cultivators marked by the Buddhist light, he also wants me to pay close attention to them in the Secret Treasure…'

After clarifying everything, the Mage's fear intensified.

It turned out he had been someone else's chess piece all along.

Suddenly, he thought of something, and looked towards Green Grass, Red Rain, and Liu Zhuan's teams, his eyes flickering, his heart filled with astonishment and shock:

'If I was targeted because of the Dao Lineage Legacy and became someone else's chess piece.'

'Then what about them?'

...On the other side.

The three factions sat around, seemingly polite.

Shao Kaitian, Zong Zishui, and Jie Liuhang were going back and forth, discussing the distribution.

"Alright, alright, it's settled then."

Shao Kaitian waved his hand indifferently: "It's just like playing dungeons in games before. Everyone teams up and goes in together, then rolls dice to distribute after coming out. Is that okay? Is that acceptable?"

Jie Liuhang shook his head and smiled: "How can it be by dice? Kaitian, you have to know that only our Green Grass and Liu Zhuan have the keys; your Red Rain doesn't."

Zong Zishui also nodded: "That's right, our two families definitely need more. Your Red Rain should just wait behind."

Shao Kaitian was displeased and said casually:

"What are you thinking? We have the most people and are the strongest. If you push me too hard, I'll just lead my team to wipe you out! At worst, no one gets anything, and we're all back on the same starting line."

The three argued incessantly, like superiors sitting on a high platform, dividing meat.

When they finally managed to discuss a plan, Shao Kaitian cheerfully asked:

"By the way, what Cultivation Technique do those two cultivate? What's the name of their Dao Lineage? What's the name of the Golden Core? Besides the Golden Core, are there any Nascent Soul in their Dao Lineage?"

Jie Liuhang only felt a headache, waved his hand, and replied helplessly:

"The one on our side cultivates a seventh-grade wood-attribute Cultivation Technique. It's not particularly powerful, but it just happens to be part of that Dao Lineage's Legacy, barely enough to come treasure hunting."

Zong Zishui also nodded:

"Our person also only has a seventh-grade Cultivation Technique, but it's fire-attribute. As for the Dao Lineage's name, we do have information: it's called Void Gazer. It's said to originate from a powerful immortal Sect that once had a Nascent Soul overseeing it. But with the passage of time, this immortal Sect has long disappeared, and its Dao Lineage scattered. Now, there are no established Sects left, and the Legacy has either fallen into the hands of other Sects or given rise to individual Loose Cultivators."

After a brief chat, everyone finally prepared and headed deeper into the mine.

Whether it was Jie Liuhang, Zong Zishui, or even Shao Kaitian, smiles were on their faces.

With this wave of obtaining the Golden Core Legacy, their three families were about to soar!