"Let's maximize our gains from your remaining time with a few more questions," Ken said with an amiable smile that harbored no good intentions.
"Why did you follow the supreme elders' arrangements if you weren't compelled by the collar anymore?"
"Their strands of consciousness would let them know I've gone rogue, and they'd hunt me down if I ruined their plans and managed to ascend. I tried to scheme under the radar. Besides, I couldn't open the coffin by myself."
"And when did the collar stop affecting you?" Ken wanted to be sure his hypothesis was correct.
"After Elder Galen, the owner of the collar, ascended," Edmund confirmed Ken's theory. He was losing hope and tried to think profusely of a solution to his death.
"What prizes do you think I will find useful in the realm, and can you get them for me?" Ken asked his new slave greedily. Now that he had control of the man that knew the whole area, he wanted to maximize his benefits.
"I can't think of anything additional that will be of any use to you."
Unfortunately, Edmund stated that Ken had no good rewards to claim.
'Hmm, is he speaking the truth? Was my question too vague because it's about an opinion?' Ken pondered as he tried to think of a way to deal with the problematic elder.
"How about that, Elder Edmund. If you supply me with rewards that satiate my appetite for treasures, I will allow you to take control of another cultivator's body. I will agree to any choice you make, as long as the person is at the fourth stage."
Ken came to the conclusion that offering incentives would be more motivating than threats of death for a man with no hope. After all, a dead pig is not afraid of being scalded by boiling water. (1)
The elder's eyes lightened up when he heard Ken's suggestion. He could live! He wanted to live! He was once known as a genius of the Infinite Wisdom Sect, and he was reduced to a mere slave, twice! That's not how he wanted to die.
"I might have remembered something that I forgot before, but will you truly let me take over another body?"
"Of course, why would I lie? I only care about my own gains, I don't mind if others have their own lucky encounters when it costs me nothing. The only limitations are fourth-stage cultivators, and you can't pick my friends' bodies."
"All right, great, great! I promise to keep serving under you forever!"
The elder cried out, although Ken didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth.
"Sure. So, what did you… remember?"
"There really isn't much left for you to take. However, there are Immortal Qi Stones!" The elder exclaimed in excitement, and it was easy to see the greed in his eyes.
"Immortal Qi Stones? What are those?" Ken could deduce that they were probably the improved version of Qi Stones, but he preferred getting a clear answer.
"Those are Qi Stones that contain Immortal Qi inside them. They are extremely beneficial to cultivators, and they'd aid your cultivation greatly," The elder explained, trying to entice Ken.
"And what are the risks?"
"There are... The… The Qi is extremely powerful and hard to control, thus can be very harmful to cultivators if they can't control it," Edmund confessed unwillingly as he tried to hold back.
"And what else? Do all rich kids use it to train instead of the normal Qi Stones?" Ken asked after thinking about how to phrase his question in a way that would force Edmund to reveal the information.
"They don't."
"Why not? You better just tell me everything, or else this game will last longer than your life."
With a distorted expression after hearing Ken's remark, Edmund gave up on trying to hide information and spilled it out. He hoped to fool Ken into using them and dying, but now that he knew it was not going to happen, he had to preserve his life.
"They're too rare and dangerous. Normally only elders of the ninth stage research them in order to improve their chances to ascend, and it's very rare that someone under the ninth stage even uses them. Even if someone does, it's too dangerous before the seventh stage."
"See? Now you spared time for both of us, and your time is very expensive given the fact you only have a few minutes left to live. So, how do I get those Immortal Qi Stones?"
Ken spoke unhurriedly, putting the elder on the edge. The old man didn't have much time, and he just wished to get it over with before his body literally withers.
"I must be inside the coffin to act as the medium of the secret realm. That damned man connected them together. How about I summon someone in the fourth stage first, and you can throw him into the coffin after I help you?" The elder asked nervously as he looked at the coffin.
"Sure. Also don't forget the volumes of Mysteries of Luck I haven't acquired yet."
Ken was confident the old man couldn't do much against him now as his slave. Besides, he'd have to use the coffin to completely separate his soul from his body again. Luckily, he was only inside his body for a couple of minutes and his soul could still occupy a different body.
Edmund climbed into the coffin, and after a minute, Ken heard the familiar voice speak again.
"Congratulations, for finding this secret place, you win Immortal Qi Stones!"
"Congratulations, for finding this secret place, you win the volumes of Mysteries of Luck!"
Ken smiled inwardly when he understood the man's intentions. Edmund simply found an excuse to gift him as par with the secret realm's rules. Two pedestals rose from the ground, and Ken found a storage ring on them.
"Why does it cost 2 million BP?"
"I need to attach a fitting price. It doesn't matter anyway; the secret realm will be closed soon. Anyhow, I'm summoning here a promising youth, Young Master, please knock him out and throw him into the coffin."
-----------
A/N: A dead pig is not afraid of being scalded by boiling water – a human with no hope doesn't care about anything (hence also fears nothing).
The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on (f)reew𝒆(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦