Though they hadn't coordinated beforehand, Poxiong and Yinyang had been remarkably in sync as they bantered with Haotian Tower. Then they'd tried to provoke and tempt it into choosing Ling Tian or Little Swallow as its master. At the very least, they could build a good relationship with it, which would give them an advantage in the trials ahead.
Listening to the three Artifact Spirits talk, Chi Xue and the others grew tense. They were worried that Haotian Tower would be swayed by Poxiong and the others. Even if the duties assigned by the Lord of the Universe meant it couldn't easily choose Ling Tian or Little Swallow as its master, it could still go easy on them. That would make winning Haotian Tower even harder.
After a long silence, Haotian Tower finally spoke, its tone full of amusement. "I have my duties, so I can't show favoritism. Heh, since you've made Ling Tian and that Heaven-Devouring Wolf sound so powerful, I'll give them a little special attention during the trial. Let's see if they're really as impressive as you say."
That "special attention" certainly wouldn't be a kindness. Hearing Haotian Tower's playful words, Poxiong and Yinyang were taken aback. The latter thought they'd managed to make things worse, but Poxiong wasn't too concerned. He chuckled to himself. "Haotian Tower's already interested in Ling Tian and Little Swallow. As long as they perform well, there's hardly any doubt it'll choose one of them as its master."
Poxiong truly lived up to his reputation as an old and wily Artifact Spirit. He knew how minds worked.
Ling Tian and Little Swallow hadn't realized any of this, of course. But they had complete confidence in their own strength, so when they heard Haotian Tower would give them special "attention," they didn't think