"Who's your older sister?"
Ao Tong deliberately put on a stern face and gave a soft snort.
"Weren't you just saying you'd suppress me? Weren't you saying you'd be Ranked Among Immortals?"
"What happened? Now you know to call me 'older sister'?"
Ye Xuan kept a straight face and spoke with righteous conviction:
"Older sister, you've got it wrong. As the saying goes, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier. I only said that to motivate myself to cultivate harder and catch up to you as soon as possible."
"Besides, you're so young. Calling you 'senior' would make you sound old. 'Older sister' is just right. It sounds much more affectionate!"
Ao Tong was at a loss for words in the face of his smooth talk.
She looked at Ye Xuan's clear yet deep eyes and could sense the terrifying potential within him.
A Chaos physique. The source of Double Pupils.
And an air of authority that seemed innate in an emperor.
Perhaps...
He really could do it?
At the thought, a trace of inexplicable anticipation suddenly rose in Ao Tong's heart.
Throughout these endless years, she had been too lonely.
It was lonely at the top.
If there really were someone who could catch up to her, or even surpass her...
That didn't seem like such a bad thing.
Ao Tong's lips curved slightly, revealing a smile that could captivate all living beings.
"Fine."
"Since you're so determined, I won't say I didn't give you a chance."
She raised a slender, jade-like finger and gently tapped the air.
"I'll give you a hundred years."
"During those hundred years, you can challenge me whenever you like."
"If, after a hundred years, you can suppress me and overcome the techniques and Dao I wield..."
Ao Tong looked at Ye Xuan, her eyes shimmering.
"I'll let the disrespectful things you said to me today slide."
"Perhaps even..."
She didn't finish, only leaving him with a meaningful look.
But then her tone shifted, and a hint of chill crept into her voice.
"But if, after a hundred years, you can't do it..."
"Heh, heh."
Ao Tong gave a cold laugh. Two Abysses took shape in her Double Pupils.
"You should know what the consequences will be."
"Then I'll suppress you and make you my attendant for ten thousand years. You'll serve me tea and water every day until you die of old age!"
The Hundred Year Agreement!
For ordinary mortals, a hundred years was a lifetime.
But for cultivators of their caliber, especially those who had reached the Venerable Realm or higher, a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
To surpass this undefeated ancient legend within a hundred years?
It was a challenge of near-impossible difficulty.
But Ye Xuan wasn't the least bit afraid.
On the contrary, the fighting spirit in his eyes burned brighter than ever.
He was the Human Emperor!
He had the Double Piercing Gate and the resources of two worlds at his back.
If he couldn't even handle a Twin Pupils Woman, what was the point of cultivating the Dao or becoming an emperor?
Ye Xuan stepped forward and looked Ao Tong straight in her beautiful eyes. His voice rang out, firm and brimming with absolute confidence.
"Fine!"
"Then it's a deal!"
"I'll catch up to you, older sister, in less than a hundred years!"
"Then..."
A sly smile tugged at Ye Xuan's lips, but he quickly hid it and spoke with a perfectly serious expression:
"Then, older sister, don't forget your promise today."
Looking at the spirited young man, Ao Tong felt the battle-hardened blood that had lain dormant in her heart for so long begin to stir.
"Heh. You certainly talk big."
"Then I'll wait a hundred years."
The two gazed at each other.
In that moment, it wasn't merely a clash of pupil power, but a promise spanning the ages.
Chaos Qi swirled through the Stone Pavilion.
With the Hundred Year Agreement made, the tense atmosphere dissipated completely, replaced by a subtle sense of ease.
Ye Xuan looked at the "older sister" he had just gained, his smile so bright it was almost dazzling.
He had always been a pragmatist. Now that they were closer, he certainly wasn't going to pass up a chance to get something out of it.
"Older sister Ao Tong."
Ye Xuan edged closer, entirely at ease, and said:
"Since our bet is settled, your little brother here is still weak. If I can't beat you a hundred years from now, won't I lose face?"
"I heard there's an unparalleled divine ability called the Sky-Mending Technique hidden in the Ancient Sacred Academy."
"Since you live here, you must know this divine ability well, right?"
Looking at the youngster who was already taking advantage of her familiarity, a trace of amused exasperation flashed through Ao Tong's Double Pupils.
She knew exactly what Ye Xuan was scheming.
The Sky-Mending Technique was the foundation of the Sky-Mending Pavilion, as well as the Butian Sect's ultimate secret art in the Upper Realm.
Even in ancient times, the divine ability had been renowned far and wide, coveted by countless Heaven's Prides.
"You certainly know what to ask for."
Ao Tong gave a soft snort, but didn't refuse.
Though she was only staying in this Small World to recover from her injuries and comprehend the Dao, even the successive founders of the Sky-Mending Pavilion had to address her as their junior.
She was both the guardian of this place and the true keeper of its legacy.
Besides, she had faith in Ye Xuan.
This boy possessed Chaos Heavy Pupils and had even declared that he would suppress her within a hundred years. He truly was worthy of inheriting this art.
"The Sky-Mending Technique, as its name suggests, mends the flaws in the heavens."
Ao Tong's expression turned solemn.
She raised a slender, jade-like finger. Crystalline specks of light gathered at its tip—fragments of time.
"Heaven and earth are flawed, so they must be mended."
"The core of this divine ability isn't 'healing,' but 'taking back a move.'"
"It can reverse time within a limited area. No matter how badly you're injured—even if your body is shattered and your Primordial Spirit is on the verge of destruction—as long as you still have a breath left, you can use this technique to return yourself to the state you were in before you were hurt."
"In other words, you'll return to your peak."
Ye Xuan's eyes lit up at once.
How was this a healing technique?
It was a straight-up "save file reload" from a game!
As long as you weren't killed in one blow, you could recover to full strength whenever you wanted.
In a life-or-death battle, this was practically a shamelessly overpowered skill.
Your opponent could fight tooth and nail to weaken you, and you'd just wave your hand and be back to full strength. How were they supposed to win?
"Please teach me, older sister!"
Ye Xuan bowed, his expression solemn.
"Watch closely."
Ao Tong didn't waste any words.
The speck of light at her fingertip burst apart, transforming into countless intricate, profound runes. Like schools of little fish, they darted straight into Ye Xuan's brow.
Boom!
A massive torrent of information erupted in Ye Xuan's Consciousness Sea.
It covered the use of the laws of time, the manipulation of threads of cause and effect, and the reconstitution of the source of life.
Every rune contained the truths of heaven and earth, profound and difficult to grasp.
An ordinary genius would likely need months just to comprehend the first rune.
Ye Xuan didn't dare slack off. He immediately sat cross-legged, hands raised and palms facing upward.
"Hum—"
His eyes were closed, but his Double Pupils were open.
Chaos Qi surged wildly through his body, and his Chaos Heavy Pupils seemed to transform into eyes of the Great Dao.
The inscrutable time runes were rapidly broken down and unraveled in his vision.
Sitting in the Stone Pavilion with her chin resting on one hand, Ao Tong quietly watched Ye Xuan enter a state of enlightenment.
"The Sky-Mending Technique involves the domain of time. It's one of the hardest arts to master."
"The Saintess of the Butian Sect back then had decent talent. Even she needed a full three years just to barely get started."
"Though this kid has Chaos Heavy Pupils, he's still young and lacks experience."
"He'll need at least ten days or half a month, surely?"
Ao Tong silently estimated how long it would take.
She could use the time to get some beauty sleep, or perhaps deduce her own techniques.
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