Gu Wuchen opened his eyes, a hint of joy flashing in them.
He could clearly feel how terrifying the power of this sword was. Not to mention Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill, even Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill, as long as it contained evil attributes, could be directly shattered and purified.
He did not immediately leave the seclusion, but continued to sit cross-legged, consolidating the techniques he had just mastered.
Five more days passed.
Gu Wuchen finally mastered the [ Slay Impurity with One Sword ] technique.
He slowly stood up and stretched his stiff body.
As I pushed open the door, blinding sunlight streamed in.
" Little Wuchen!"
Snow Empress was the first to rush up, looking him up and down. "You're finally out! You scared us to death!"
"It's alright now," Gu Wuchen smiled. "I'm sorry to have worried you."
Bo Saixi him a glass of water. "You've been in seclusion for half a month. If you don't come out soon, we'll all be breaking in."
Ice Empress looked at him and nodded. "Your Sword Intent has grown stronger again."
Gu Wuchen took a sip of water; he was just really thirsty.
After so long, it's finally done.
"Excuse me, is Young Master Gu here?"
A sound came from outside.
Gu Wuchen thought the voice sounded so familiar.
A familiar sound, yet one I hadn't heard in a long time.
"I'll go open the door."
Ice Empress opened the wooden door, and standing outside was a woman in a moon-white dress, with a gentle and graceful demeanor; it was none other than Tang Yuehua of the Moonlight Pavilion.
She stood there alone without any attendants, and the moment she saw Gu Wuchen, her eyes lit up with anticipation.
" Young Master Gu." Tang Yuehua bowed slightly, her voice soft but carrying a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.
"Miss Tang, please come in." Gu Wuchen stepped aside and led her to the stone table in the courtyard to sit down.
Tea was served. The courtyard was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Gu Wuchen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke calmly:
"Miss Tang must have her own ideas."
Tang Yuehua gripped the teacup tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white.
She took a deep breath, raised her head to look at Gu Wuchen, her eyes filled with unwavering determination:
" Young Master Gu, I've thought it through. I want to try to break through. You told me to think about it carefully before, and I thought about it for a long time. I don't want to be stuck at level nine Soul Power for the rest of my life, and I don't want to be just a woman who teaches others etiquette forever."
Her voice was slightly choked, but every word was clear.
For so many years, she has lived in the shadow of her family. Why did her Martial Soul mutate?
Gu Wuchen initially said he could help her break through her limits, and she hesitated for a long time before finally making up her mind.
Gu Wuchen nodded, not surprised. "I've said before, as long as you've figured it out, I can help you anytime. Your talent isn't bad."
Bo Saixi and Snow Empress exchanged a glance, both somewhat curious.
They had heard of Tang Yuehua's reputation, but they didn't know that she had been stuck at level nine Soul Power.
Tang Yuehua's face showed a bitter expression. "Over the years, I've tried countless methods, but none of them worked. I had already given up, until I met Young Master Gu."
"Yes, as someone with innate level nine Soul Power, you only awakened the Noble Ring, unable to break through it in your entire life. Watching your brothers break through to the Titled Douluo, you remained a frail woman."
Gu Wuchen's words drifted out, each one piercing to the heart.
Tang Yuehua felt as if her heart was being torn apart; she too longed to break through and possess immense power.
Others may not be able to do it, but I can.
"However, the price I pay is also considerable, and I may need your cooperation."
Tang Yuehua said, "Please, Young Master Gu, speak."
"I want you to betray the Clear Sky Sect."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yuehua's delicate body trembled violently, and she almost dropped the teacup in her hand.
"Defected from the Clear Sky Sect?"
She stared blankly at Gu Wuchen, as if she were seeing him for the first time. Her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Gu Wuchen looked at her, his tone completely calm:
"My help to you isn't for nothing. The Clear Sky Sect has kept you in Heaven Dou City for so many years, just using you as a contact point, a tool. They've never thought about helping you break through, and no one has ever cared whether you're doing well or not."
"Your Tang Xiao, as the sect leader of the Clear Sky Sect, has countless resources, yet he has never cared about you. If you were completely useless, the Clear Sky Sect would have forgotten about you long ago."
Tang Yuehua lowered her head, her eyes slowly reddening.
Every word Gu Wuchen spoke was like a knife, stabbing into the softest part of her heart.
For so many years, she has guarded Moonlight Pavilion and this so-called liaison point of the Clear Sky Sect with all her heart and soul.
Aside from occasionally sending someone to deliver a message, the Clear Sky Sect never inquired about her life. She was stuck at the ninth level of Soul Power for decades, enduring the scorn of others, and not a single person from the Clear Sky Sect ever stood up to help her.
She thought this was her fate, until Gu Wuchen appeared and told her that she could break through.
Gu Wuchen continued:
"Let me be frank with you, the Gu Clan will take over the Clear Sky Sect sooner or later. As the Clear Sky Sect's only contact point in Heaven Dou City, I need your help. Think carefully about whether you want to stay in the Clear Sky Sect."
"You'd rather be a useless level-nine Soul Power user for the rest of your life than come with me, gain the power you're meant to have, and live longer. Otherwise, while others are still beautiful, you'll already be a haggard old woman."
A long silence fell over the courtyard.
Tang Yuehua gripped the teacup tightly, her knuckles turning white.
She was completely unaware that the tea had gone cold.
On one side is the sect that gave her birth and raised her, and on the other side is the power she has longed for her entire life.
She remembered when she was a child, her Tang Hao left the sect full of ambition, saying that he would become the strongest Soul Master on the continent.
She secretly wished that she could be as powerful as her brother, but on the day her Martial Soul Awakening, despite having innate level nine Soul Power, she awakened a Noble Ring that had no combat ability.
From that day on, her life was filled with nothing but darkness.
The people of the Clear Sky Sect always looked at her with pity and sorrow.
No one ever asked her if she wanted this kind of life.
"I..." Tang Yuehua raised her head, her voice hoarse, "I need time to think."
"Okay." Gu Wuchen nodded. "I'll give you three days. I need your answer in three days."
He paused, then added:
"Don't worry, as long as you're willing to help me, I'll not only help you break through to the Soul Master, but I'll also help you cultivate to the Titled Douluo. I can give you more; what the Clear Sky Sect can't give you, I can give you too."
"For example, as the Gu Clan's representative of the upper echelons of the Heaven Dou Empire, you know the Gu Clan's status."
Tang Yuehua didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.
She stood up and bowed slightly to Gu Wuchen: "Then I'll head back now. I'll give Young Master Gu an answer in three days."
Gu Wuchen nodded and said nothing more.
Tang Yuehua turned and left, her steps heavy.
Watching her departing figure, Snow Empress couldn't help but ask, "Will she agree?"
"Yes, we will." Gu Wuchen picked up his teacup and took a sip of the now-cold tea. "No one wants to live in the shadows forever."