Chapter 295 : Successfully Persuaded

Chapter 295: Successfully Persuaded

Seeing Yu Zhaohua return in defeat, the present Immortal Sect prodigies all knew their chances were slim, yet they still couldn't suppress their desires. One after another, they activated their escape lights and stepped forward to give it a try.

After all, they had come all this way—how could they not try? What if they succeeded?

But the greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment.

As expected, even the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf was rejected by the Five Qi Vine. Naturally, not a single Immortal Sect prodigy succeeded.

As time passed, before they knew it, only Chen Beiwu and Mo Qingshuang remained among those who hadn't yet attempted to contract the Five Qi Vine.

Mo Qingshuang coldly observed the other cultivators' failures, brows lightly furrowed, his gaze toward the Five Qi Vine carrying a hint of admiration.

A swordsman bends to none, only breaks.

The Five Qi Vine was his optimal choice—but not the only one.

If the Five Qi Vine remained resolute, unmoved by external temptations, then so be it. He could simply contract another Companion Beast.

“Hiss.”

The Earthfire Scorpion let out a nervous hiss.

If that troublemaker didn’t leave Yuqing Mountain, it would never know peace again.

“Leh.”

The Mystic Armored Beast also trembled in its scales, urging the Earthfire Scorpion to quickly think of a solution.

What exactly did the Five Qi Vine do to you two?

Seeing the two beasts wail miserably, Chen Beiwu grew curious and sent a voice transmission via divine sense.

Having witnessed Yu Zhaohua’s failure firsthand, he suppressed his impatience and refrained from rushing in. Instead, he used the time to think through a method to contract the Five Qi Vine.

There’s a saying: the one who understands you best is not yourself, but your enemy.

Chen Beiwu instinctively felt that he might be able to gain inspiration from the Earthfire Scorpion and the Mystic Armored Beast, which could help him win over the Five Qi Vine.

At his words, the two beasts exchanged glances. A spark flashed in their minds.

The reason all these Immortal Sect cultivators failed their contracts was simply because they hadn’t grasped the Five Qi Vine’s personality and dream—they had used the wrong method. And they, by contrast, knew the vine’s obsession very well.

Should we help this human cultivator?

The Earthfire Scorpion absentmindedly rubbed its pincers together, its gaze flitting between Chen Beiwu and Mo Qingshuang.

Why not help both? The Mystic Armored Beast replied via divine sense. As long as it gets that troublemaking Five Qi Vine to leave, the earlier scuffle counts for nothing. Besides, the guy held back—consider it not fighting, not knowing each other.

Having reached an agreement, the two beasts nodded and began answering Chen Beiwu’s questions via divine sense, pouring out their grievances.

Meanwhile, Mo Qingshuang stepped on his flying sword and positioned himself before the Five Qi Vine under the gazes of the others.

Why hasn’t he come yet?

The Five Qi Vine looked past Mo Qingshuang, its gaze falling on Chen Beiwu, who was engrossed in chatting with the Earthfire Scorpion and Mystic Armored Beast.

It had already prepared its rejection speech for Chen Beiwu—yet the latter remained so calm.

Noticing the vine’s gaze, Mo Qingshuang was struck by a realization.

No wonder the Five Qi Vine was so steadfast, even rejecting the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf. It already had someone in mind for its contract.

With that thought, Mo Qingshuang took a step forward. Behind him, the Qingming Sword unsheathed, instantly transforming into five streams of sword light—golden, green, blue, red, and yellow.

The sword lights intertwined, slowly sketching out in the void the image of the Yuxu Limitless Five Elements Inversion Sword Diagram.

“I have cultivated the Yuxu Limitless Five Elements Inversion Sword Canon for eighty years and grasped the Sword Intent of Five Elements Inversion,” Mo Qingshuang declared solemnly. “If you are willing to form a Companion Contract with me, I can aid in your bloodline transformation…”

At this, Mo Qingshuang flicked his sword finger, and the five-colored sword lights merged, forming a colossal Sword Vine reaching toward the heavens.

This Sword Vine bore the sharpness of the Metal Path, the vitality of the Wood Path, the nurturing of Dao Rhythm from the Water Path, the tempering of impurities from the Fire Path, and the firm foundation of the Earth Path—it exuded immense might.

“I will help you ascend into a Fifth-Tier Fortune-Origin Beast—Facing-Origin Vine.”

As his words fell, the Five Qi Vine furrowed its vines and shook its head.

Bloodline transformation was not its wish. Only farming was its true path.

Facing-Origin Vine? It had no interest in such things!

Receiving its answer, Mo Qingshuang gave the vine a long look, then departed on his sword.

He wasn’t one for dragging things out.

Since a contract with the Five Qi Vine was impossible, he would simply choose another Companion Beast.

Many other Immortal Sect prodigies shared the same idea. As a result, only Yu Zhaohua and a few stubborn ones remained in the Five-Elements Miasma Abyss.

“Step!”

“Step!”

“Step!”

At that moment, Chen Beiwu finally made his move.

He activated Azure Abyss Step through the Void and, with just three steps, arrived before the Five Qi Vine.

“Here.”

Seeing Chen Beiwu’s figure, the Five Qi Vine immediately shook its head.

Even Chen Beiwu is rejected? Yu Zhaohua raised her brows, clearly surprised.

She cultivated the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon, and naturally understood the difficulty of comprehending Immortal Arts.

Chen Beiwu’s mastery of the Yuanshi Pill Canon surpassed her own. Logically, he should have been immensely attractive to the Five Qi Vine. Yet he failed even faster than her.

“Wait, I haven’t even stated my offer yet.” Chen Beiwu took out the specially prepared Third-Tier Supreme Treasure Herb—Earth-Net Five-Elements Ginseng.

“Here.” (No offer is acceptable.)

The Five Qi Vine’s eyes flickered, pretending to be calm.

Earth-Net Five-Elements Ginseng? A rare Third-Tier Treasure Herb, not found in its Five Qi Grove—definitely a coveted specimen.

Damn it! It wanted it badly, but didn’t want to sign a contract!

What to do?

The vine tip twitched, quietly leaving a trace of its aura on Chen Beiwu.

It didn’t dare steal the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf—that thing was too valuable and might get it caught up in serious trouble. But Earth-Net Five-Elements Ginseng? That was a different matter.

As long as it was daring yet cautious, stealing one Third-Tier Treasure Herb wasn’t a big deal.

Is that all? Yu Zhaohua’s interest waned.

She had thought Chen Beiwu would use the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon to subdue the Five Qi Vine. Instead, he was resorting to old-fashioned bribery.

Rare as it was, the Earth-Net Five-Elements Ginseng didn’t compare to the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf.

This might work! Chen Beiwu was overjoyed inwardly.

Judging from the vine’s reaction, the Earthfire Scorpion and Mystic Armored Beast had spoken true.

Rather than bloodline evolution, this generation’s Five Qi Vine preferred farming—collecting rare and exotic herbs from the Immortal Alliance.

In his possession were Golden-Thunder Bamboo, Soul-Devouring Flower, Bodhi Vine, Soul-Nourishing Lotus, and Myriad-Phase Mysterious Grass—all top-tier herbs.

Especially the Myriad-Phase Mysterious Grass, a Fourth-Tier Mystic Herb that even many Golden Core True Persons of the Immortal Alliance dreamed of but could not obtain.

Unfortunately, Chen Beiwu couldn’t reveal it—or he risked exposing the secret of Nine-Breath Chaos.

“I know your desire isn’t for battle or bloodline evolution.”

Chen Beiwu’s storage ring glowed faintly. With a flip of his wrist, a copy of the Compendium of Rare and Precious Herbs of Blessed Lands flew into the air, projecting shimmering images of dazzling herbs.

“The Crimson-Pure Vermilion Fruit from Tianyan Immortal Sect, the Azure-Essence Ginseng from Bixiao Immortal Sect, the Snowjade Prime Ginseng from Yuxu Immortal Sect…”

With each name spoken, the Five Qi Vine gulped down nonexistent saliva.

“If you’re willing to form a Companion Contract with me, I promise to find you at least one rare Treasure Herb every year.

During this time, if you think any herb I find isn’t rare enough, you may veto it at will, and I’ll find a replacement.”

At this point, Chen Beiwu paused slightly and looked the Five Qi Vine straight in the eyes. “This is the utmost sincerity I can offer. What do you think?”

Hearing this, the Five Qi Vine’s heart stirred.

With its help, the grand promises Chen Beiwu painted were not empty—they had a high chance of becoming reality.

Yu Zhaohua: “???”

Seeing the vine fall silent, eyes flickering with hesitation, she was stunned.

Seriously? Just these few things are enough to move the Five Qi Vine?

“Here.”

Under Chen Beiwu’s gaze, the Five Qi Vine ultimately still shook its head.

Compared to the other Immortal Sect cultivators, Chen Beiwu indeed had more sincerity.

But its vow—The Five Qi Vine Will Never Be a Slave—wasn’t just empty talk!

Though Chen Beiwu was willing to pay for its dream, nothing was more precious than freedom.

Besides, it could achieve its dreams on Yuqing Mountain with its own strength—there was no need to rely on Chen Beiwu.

“Hiss.”

“Leh.”

Upon witnessing this scene, both the Earthfire Scorpion and the Mystic Armored Beast felt a sense of foreboding.

If even the Five Qi Vine’s greatest dream couldn’t move him, then wouldn’t this scourge remain in Yuqing Mountain, reigning supreme?

‘Since you're unwilling, I won't force you.’ Chen Beiwu sighed.

Hearing this, the Five Qi Vine tilted its vine tip and found no trace of anger in Chen Beiwu’s eyes—only a hint of regret—which couldn’t help but stir something in its heart.

It had seen too many cultivators from Immortal Sects who appeared noble on the surface yet were greedy and sinister in truth. Someone like Chen Beiwu, who could calmly face failure, was a rare breed.

"‘Nuh.’" (“You’re not bad.”)

The Five Qi Vine offered a subconscious word of comfort.

"‘Eeng.’"

The Seven-Tailed Violet Fox nudged Chen Beiwu’s cheek with her nose, then gently patted his face with two soft paws, as if offering consolation.

Only the Golden Egg and Iron Egg remained calm and expressionless.

It was just a Five Qi Vine, after all.

In their eyes, the one losing out wasn’t Chen Beiwu, but rather the vine itself, whose short-lived fortune led it to miss a fated opportunity.

At this moment, Chen Beiwu decided to change his approach and activate Plan B.

If Plan B didn’t work, he still had backup Plans C and D.

"Wait. How about we try a different approach?" Chen Beiwu said, eyes blazing.

The Five Qi Vine’s tendrils paused, and it turned to look at Chen Beiwu.

"What I promised earlier still holds, but there’s no need to form a Companion Contract. What do you think?" Chen Beiwu said confidently.

As long as the goal was achieved, the means didn’t matter.

Since the Five Qi Vine wanted freedom, Chen Beiwu would give it freedom.

After all, the reason he wanted to contract the Five Qi Vine was simply to increase his success rate in Core Formation, to forge the Yuanshi Golden Core.

If he could accomplish this, then giving up one Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast contract slot was a small price to pay.

"‘Nuh?’"

The Five Qi Vine was stunned. It never had any intention of handing its life over to someone else.

But if Chen Beiwu truly didn’t intend to form a Companion Contract, then this matter was open to discussion.

The only concern that remained was—why was Chen Beiwu so willing to lose out for the vine’s benefit? What was he really after?

Unless it figured that out, the Five Qi Vine couldn’t feel at ease.

Watching from the side, Yu Zhaohua was also quite surprised.

What nonsense!

Without a Companion Contract, how would Chen Beiwu borrow the beast’s power for cultivation and forge the Yuanshi Golden Core?

"It’s simple. I want to invite you out of seclusion to help me refine and forge the Five-Elements Radiant Light," Chen Beiwu stated bluntly.

"‘Nuh.’"

The Five Qi Vine instantly lost interest.

So in the end, it all still came back to wanting a contract.

"I have a method. Without forming a Companion Contract, you can still help me forge the Five-Elements Radiant Light."

Chen Beiwu’s tone turned extremely serious. "But let me be clear—inviting you out to help is entirely separate from forming a Companion Contract. So, the treasure herb reward I promised will also have a deadline."

"To put it simply, for however many years you help me forge the Five-Elements Radiant Light, I’ll give you the same number of rare herbs.

During that period, our relationship will be one of mutual benefit—a mercenary-like agreement, not a Companion Contract.

If you’re dissatisfied in any way, you can raise it at any time and end the agreement."

Upon hearing this, the Five Qi Vine widened its eyes, clearly tempted.

In the Yuqing Mountains, obtaining a Third-Tier Treasure Herb openly required perfect timing, favorable conditions, and a little luck.

If lucky, it might secure one or two herbs in a month.

But if unlucky, it might not get even one in three or four years.

And refining the Five-Elements Radiant Light was a long-term project, spanning over ten, even dozens of years.

So Chen Beiwu’s offer was extremely attractive to the Five Qi Vine.

With decent luck, it could rake in dozens of precious herbs at once.

"‘Nuh?’" (“Could you offer a little more?”)

The Five Qi Vine showed a guileless smile, trying to raise the stakes.

"If I give any more, I won’t be able to afford it."

Chen Beiwu shook his head and turned to leave.

For him, contracting the Seven-Tailed Violet Fox was also viable—just less reliable, for two reasons.

First, the Seven-Tailed Violet Fox’s cultivation was too low; her efficiency in forging the Five-Elements Radiant Light was lacking. She’d need to reach Third-Realm Beast General level before she could be of help, which would take too long.

Second, she had the backing of a Beast Sovereign as her maternal family. She might not be entirely trustworthy and could potentially expose the secret of the Nine-Breath Chaos.

In contrast, the Five Qi Vine was a branch of the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Tree, enlightened by a cultivation titan of the Immortal Sect into a naturally raised Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast.

Because of this, even though the Five Qi Vine and the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Tree originated from the same source, they were essentially different species, their karmic ties long severed.

Moreover, the Five Qi Vine clan lacked the group-minded Great Thief disposition, making the chance of leaking secrets nearly nil—earning more of Chen Beiwu’s trust.

Of course, this didn’t mean Chen Beiwu was giving up on the Seven-Tailed Violet Fox.

He simply needed more time to evaluate the risks of forming a contract—until he was certain that the fox cub’s nature was truly trustworthy.

‘Is he really giving up just like that?’

The Five Qi Vine stood in place, watching Chen Beiwu walk farther and farther away, torn with indecision.

Three steps!

Four steps!

Five steps!

As Chen Beiwu’s figure gradually faded into the distance, an empty, sinking feeling suddenly welled up in the vine’s heart, as if it were about to miss out on a heaven-sent opportunity.

"‘Nuh.’" (“Deal.”)

In a flash, the Five Qi Vine appeared before Chen Beiwu, wearing a sweet smile.

Swindle bird, swindle bird.

If Chen Beiwu truly succeeded in forging the Yuanshi Golden Core, as a witness and supporter, it would gain not only many benefits and partial fulfillment of its dreams—but might even, in the moment the core was formed, glimpse the supreme path to evolve into a Fortune-Origin Beast, skyrocketing its power.

With absolute freedom still intact, there was no reason not to cooperate. It’d be foolish not to.

‘Finally, it’s done!’

Chen Beiwu exhaled, a faint ripple stirring in his eyes.

With this final piece—the Five Qi Vine—now in place, he could finally begin attempting Core Formation and proving his Dao as a Golden Core True Person.

Compared to this goal, a single contract slot in Yuqing Mountain was hardly worth mentioning.

Once he succeeded in forging the Yuanshi Golden Core and gained the Immortal Sect’s high-level attention, reentering Yuqing Mountain to contract another Companion Beast would be a breeze.