Published: March 12, 2025
Xu Wanying sat quietly in his room. He had not consumed the Divine-Level Potion. He had just finished adjusting his breathing, and now he was in his best condition, yet he chose not to drink the potion. He held the small bottle containing the potion and kept turning it over in his hands.
Although he was fiddling with the bottle, Xu Wanying's thoughts were far away, reminiscing about the first time he met Zhao Hai. Back then, they were enemies; he was an assassin, a killer with no future.
But now? Now he was a ninth-level expert, the steward of the budah family. When he walked across the continent, just mentioning his name would earn him respect, even from those ancient families with thousands of years of history. Soon he would become a divine-level expert, the second divine-level being on the entire continent after the young master, the pinnacle of existence.
All of this was given to him by the young master. He understood too well the current situation on the continent; it was indeed very dangerous. Although the demon clan had not yet attacked, when they decided to strike, even the young master might find it hard to stop them.
Xu Wanying had regretted more than once that his strength was too low to help Zhao Hai. But once he became a divine-level expert, he would be able to assist Zhao Hai.
Xu Wanying never thought about betraying Zhao Hai, not only because of the blood oath, but because, in reality, the blood oath held little significance for a ninth-level expert. However, he had never considered betraying Zhao Hai because everything he had came from Zhao Hai. He could never turn against him.
Coming back to his senses, Xu Wanying's eyes were filled with determination. He had decided that even if he became a divine-level expert, even if a thousand of his clones became divine-level experts, he would always stay by Zhao Hai's side, always standing for him.
Thinking of this made Xu Wanying feel a sudden lightness in his heart, a feeling of unprecedented relief, as if his bones had become two taels lighter.
He looked at the potion bottle, smiled slightly, removed the cork, and tilted his head back to drink it. A surge of power rushed into his belly with the potion, crashing through his body. This power was so overwhelming that Xu Wanying felt as though his body might shatter under its force. But he was not afraid; he trusted Zhao Hai. He believed Zhao Hai would not harm him, so he kept his spiritual platform clear, allowing the energy to rampage within his body. He didn't attempt to control the power because he understood that, with his current strength, he could not manage it at all. He could only wait.
Now, Xu Wanying felt as if he had entered a peculiar state. It was as if he had detached from his physical body, standing far away and quietly watching himself below. It felt like his soul had separated from his body, and this state was incredibly wonderful. He felt like a bystander observing everything.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Wanying suddenly felt the energy within his body had completely calmed down and was operating along a unique path through his meridians.
Xu Wanying knew he had succeeded. He felt his power was so immense, far beyond what it had been before. But suddenly, a spark of realization hit him: his clones had not become divine-level experts.
With a sigh, Xu Wanying stood up and sensed the strength in his body. He summoned a clone, and sure enough, the clone was still at ninth-level, not yet at tenth-level. Xu Wanying furrowed his brow, slowly stood up, and walked outside.
At that moment, Zhao Hai was sitting in the space, observing the situation outside the city. In fact, Xu Wanying hadn't been in his room for long; it had only been about two hours.
Upon hearing the sound of Xu Wanying’s door, Zhao Hai quickly turned his head. Xu Wanying had already reached the living room, and he bowed to Zhao Hai, saying, "Young Master."
Seeing a hint of dejection on Xu Wanying's face, Zhao Hai's heart sank. "What's wrong, Wanying? Did you not succeed?"