The Secret Exit

"If you don't trust me, then there's nothing to discuss. I've always kept my word."

The moment he said it, he nearly gagged in disgust. He silently reminded himself: It's not that I'm too wicked. I've just spent too long among wicked people, soaking up their influence.

Mu Shentong seemed to have seen through the ways of the world. He showed no surprise. After a moment's silence, he sent another transmission. "Forget this talk of keeping your word. You're clearly no ordinary man. Swear a Heart Oath, too."

Xu Yi froze for a moment, then sent back, "I'm just a junior in the Condensed Liquid Realm. What use would a Heart Oath from me be? Ancestor Mu, you think too highly of me. Surely you don't think I have the talent to break through to the Soul Sensing Realm?"

He had already guessed that Mu Shentong would use this as leverage. There was little else that could threaten him.

Now he pretended to hesitate and made every excuse to refuse. It was all a smokescreen.

Sure enough, seeing him dodge the issue only convinced Mu Shentong that a Heart Oath would restrain the cunning little thief. His mind settled. "The fact that you could match Zhou Daogan and judge the difference in strength proves your abilities. At your level of cultivation, to say you don't aspire to the Soul Sensing Realm would be to deceive yourself. There's no point in saying more. If you're willing to swear a Heart Oath, I'll trust you. Otherwise, forget it."

Indeed, a Heart Oath had little hold over ordinary cultivators. After all, among the countless cultivators, fewer than one in ten thousand reached the Soul Sensing Realm.

How, then, could a Heart Oath have any binding power?

But for a supreme cultivator like Zhou