Xuefeng's eyebrows raised even though he already expected that.
"I assume Master changed your mind since I'm still alive," Xuefeng replied calmly.
"You still call me your Master even after knowing that?" Sect Master Liu asked curiously. "How can you trust someone who wanted to kill you?"
"Well, it's not like I have a choice. There are tens of experts trying to kill me right now. I can only cling to the strongest one in hope of scaring the rest away," Xuefeng explained with a shrug. "I also doubt Master would kill me in front of my wives. If they see that, your own family would immediately become a target as well."
"Hahaha!" Sect Master Liu burst out laughing. "Do you really think my wife and daughter can't beat your wives? You know my wife is a Celestial Dragon and my daughter is at the top as well, right?"
He seemed very proud of his family, but that was even better for Xuefeng. He smiled mysteriously as he muttered, "If Master thinks that Cultivation Stage is everything then maybe I should really reconsider my future."
Sect Master Liu's expression changed as he gazed at the group of four girls chatting. They were staring at them and his wife even waved at him.
"I see. So you are thinking that your wife's Elvish Bloodline is better than my wife's Dragon Bloodline?" Sect Master Liu asked with a grin.
"Not just the Bloodline. It just happens we know quite a few Forbidden Arts which doesn't require high cultivation to execute," Xuefeng described with a shrug. "Why else would I dare to come here knowing I can be in danger?"
"Haha, so that's where you get your confidence," Sect Master Liu laughed again, not at all intimidated. "I somehow really want to test your theory."
"I know you won't, Master. You care more about your family's wellbeing than winning an argument of whose wife is better. I'm the same. I know the truth and that's enough for me. I don't need to prove it to anyone," Xuefeng convinced.
"You are right. I won't. My wife asked me to give you a chance first to see if you are any good," Sect master Liu revealed. "But because of that, there is a certain issue that we need to resolve,"
"Let me guess. Master was asked by someone else to kill me and deliver an Elemental Bracelet to them. You didn't think too much of it and agreed, coming here with that purpose. Who would have thought that I would already be your student recruited by your daughter and your wife would take a liking to me, putting you in an awkward spot," Xuefeng recounted what they guessed. "Am I close?"
"More or less. If it was just you being my student, I wouldn't care less and simply kill you. It just happened that I didn't see my wife for a long time while preparing for a breakthrough so I can't reject the only thing she asked me to do," Sect Master Liu explained casually.
"Now tell me," he added with a pause. "What do I tell my own Master when he asks me if I brought him the Elemental Bracelet? If you can solve this problem then I can let you live."
Xuefeng nodded, already expected such an outcome. Even the strongest expert had to have a Master at some point. It was extremely hard to progress quickly without any kind of support. If he didn't have Ling, he would still be at the bottom of the food chain, training in his hometown.
'His Master is probably outside the Heaven Realm,' Ling pointed out. 'If he was here, wouldn't he come to fight us himself? Elemental Bracelet is too important to miss out on.'
'That's what I thought too. Him instructing Sect Master Liu on his stead means we have some time to prepare,' Xuefeng thought, already having a response ready.
"It's simple," Xuefeng replied as he extended his hand, spawning a small flame on his palm. "Master, how about you let me handle the problem for you?"
"Isn't that what I'm asking you to do?" Sect Master Liu asked back confused.
"No, Master doesn't understand. I will 'handle' him for you," Xuefeng repeated, emphasizing one word before smiling.
Swoosh!
The flame on his palm burst out upwards, enlarging by hundreds of times. Sect Master Liu couldn't help but jump back as flames flew back to Xuefeng, drowning him in the crimson sea. They danced around him as if he was its father, listening to every command he gave out.
"So that's the power of the Elemental Bracelet," Sect Master Liu muttered, observing with interest.
The flames compressed, coiling around Xuefeng as if a living armor and he spoke confidently, "Master, you underestimate my potential. The more time I have, the stronger I become. With Elemental Bracelet, my strength multiplies with each Elemental Stone collected. Give me a year and I will fight that Master of yours by myself. He wants to get the Elemental Bracelet? I will give him the chance."
"Hah, do you even realize how big of the gap there is between you and him?" Sect Master Liu said with a chuckle. "He has two Elemental Stones just as you and is probably looking for the third one right now. Even without the Elemental Bracelet, the stones alone gives him a great boost in strength. If not me, someone else will come to get you before you can get to the point of contesting him."
'Perfect! If we kill him, it will save us a lot of time to gather the stones!' Xuefeng exclaimed excitedly.
The flames disappeared, sucked into his body as Xuefeng questioned excitedly, "Does it matter? With Master's protection, I will get enough time to overgrow him. As he has the Elemental Stones, I will need to fight him at some point anyway. It's just a matter of when."
"What makes you think I would do that? Do you want me to go against my Master's order?" Sect Master Liu asked amused.
"Master, I don't think you want to listen to your master any more. If you admired your master, you wouldn't hesitate and killed me already, even if that might upset your wife. You know she would understand it and accepted it, yet you still chose to fulfill her wish which shows you value your wife's wishes more than your Master's order," Xuefeng guessed.
He didn't stop there and added, "I'm sure you are already tired of performing tasks for your master and I will be doing you a favor by killing him. Just give me a year. I will be strong enough to handle this problem."
Sect Master Liu grinned, staring at him deep in thought.
"Fine. One year. I will protect you from experts for one year and then bring you to fight my master. I won't care if you are ready or not," Sect Master Liu declared.
Xuefeng's eyes lit up.
'Great! I bought us one year!'
'…'
All he heard back was silence, making him confused.
'Is anyone there?'
Sect Master Liu spoke before he got any reply.
"Just to remind you, the fastest person to Cultivate from Spirit God Stage to the peak of Celestial Stage took around ten years. Naturally, he had a Nine-elemental Core as well. I am really curious as to how you are going to finish in just one year."
'Our husband is really ambitious, what can I say,' Ling commented.
'I like it. Xuefeng knows how to make it spicy, even outside of the bed,' Ming affirmed. 'I wanted to give him five years but didn't think he would be this confident. I'm proud.'
Five years… Five years… Five years…
Ming's words echoed in Xuefeng's mind.
Sect Master Liu seemed to enjoy Xuefeng's change of expression as he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, just saying, this is final. Don't ask for more time. You wanted one year and one year you will get. I wouldn't mind giving you at least five before, but now if you ask for more I will look down on you. Be a man of your word."
Everyone once had that one moment when they already knew they fucked up, right after they did something.
'Don't worry love, you can always be the first to finish the challenge in a year, right?' Ling cheered up. 'If there is anyone who can do it, it is definitely you!'
Too bad, it didn't make the task easier.
'Fuck…'