Seizing the BOSS Template at the Start-Chapter 303 - 174: It Could Only Be You

"If you don’t refuse, I’ll take it as a yes. Within five years or even sooner, I’ll definitely come and take you away," Baiyi said confidently.

"Alright, alright, go quickly. The Sword Saint doesn’t have that much time..."

Diane pushed Baiyi over, even giving him a kick, causing him to slam open the mansion’s gate with his body. Then she ran to the corner, covering her flushed face as she squatted down.

Her eyes were incredibly bright, as if they contained stars. After all, could the young lady of the Di Feng family really be fooled over seventy times?

Looking back, the mansion gate was already closed. She fanned her slightly heated face and touched her lips, covering her face again not knowing what she was thinking.

Meanwhile, Baiyi rubbed his backside. Ah, Diane really didn’t hold back.

Endurance of up to 123 almost failed to block that kick.

Feeling some delight in his eyes, he looked around, sensed a guiding force, and smiled as he headed toward the back yard of the mansion.

The layout here was similar to that of the Dongwu City Lord’s Mansion, primarily using natural elements.

More advanced than the Dongwu City Lord’s Mansion, the natural elements here were exceptionally rich. Occasionally, mischievous flame elements would flash a trace of scorching light, but would quickly be hammered by water elements into dispersing.

With a casual breath, Baiyi felt the abundance of elemental power.

Walking forward, he soon saw a Tree of Life, where the wood elements and life energy encircled an elderly man with white hair and beard.

This elder was not amiable; instead, he exuded a strong sense of aggression, as if he was facing not a person, but a restrained yet extremely sharp sword.

He approached unhurriedly, and it seemed the wood elements knew a guest had arrived. They quickly gathered toward a tree root, generating a chair-like branch.

Baiyi sat on it obediently and gently said, "Lord Sword Saint."

His words seemed to break some sort of silence, as the elemental power around the Sword Saint quickly dissipated. He slowly opened his murky eyes.

Zheng~

A crisp sword sound seemed to ring out in another dimension, and the world in Baiyi’s eyes suddenly darkened, swiftly returning to light.

[Your dark side malice has been severed and cannot erode your soul for 30 natural days.]

Baiyi: ....

"Your path... seems a bit different."

The Sword Saint spoke, his voice aged and somewhat stern, yet like normal conversation, giving the feeling of a school principal.

"Do not blindly pursue promotion speed. Those outside are advancing too fast, which is not good. Too fast implies an inability to reach the limit, and if mortals cannot reach their limits, they cannot enter the taboo, ultimately wasting their talent."

Baiyi smiled, "It’s alright, Lord Sword Saint, I know what I’m doing."

The Sword Saint stared at him for a while and nodded, "You can come to me when your evil thought is about to backfire. Try not to leave the Federation when you can’t control the evil thought."

"I understand." Baiyi’s space ring slightly flashed, and a transparent orb appeared, emanating the power of rules.

The Sword Saint’s eyes sharpened, and the Tear of Rules in his hand vanished, quietly floating before him.

The surrounding elemental power became increasingly active due to this drop of rules. They seemed curious or recognized this thing, continuously revolving around the crystal.

"Whose?"

"Dimensional Turbulence, Lady of the Night," Baiyi quickly replied.

The Sword Saint was silent for a moment, then threw the item back to Baiyi. His tone became somewhat mild but still stern, "Focus more on cultivation. These things aren’t of much use to me."

Baiyi paused in silence, calmly asking, "Is there no other way?"

"No," the Sword Saint replied concisely, "Is there anything else?"

Baiyi lowered his head, after a long pause, he asked, "What if it’s the Origin Stone?"

The Sword Saint still shook his head, "A hundred years ago, perhaps. Now, I’m in the twilight stage. According to folklore, I’m already dead. Leaving this estate is just the beginning of the final flare."

"So..."

The Sword Saint paused, then suddenly smiled and said, "While I’m still here, solidify your foundation as much as possible. Don’t worry, I’ve left a Sword Mark in the space rift. Those who are in contact with the Ancient Gods won’t dare act recklessly before the Sword Mark dissipates."

"You still have... thirty years."

Baiyi stood up after a moment’s silence, placing his right hand on his left chest in a slight bow before turning to leave.

His eyes were full of concern. The Sword Saint was in worse shape than he had imagined.

The lower status of warriors and assassins compared to mages and alchemists stems from this reason: warriors and assassins rely on their bodies, and once their vitality declines, their cultivation stagnates.

When vitality reaches the Sword Saint’s level, even a supreme treasure like the Origin Stone cannot save him.

For mages and alchemists in the same situation, the Tear of Rules could play a larger role.

Baiyi exited the Sword Saint’s mansion with a growing sense of urgency in his heart.

He had thought the Sword Saint was like Eric, in a period of declining vitality but still capable of acting normally.

As things were now... he not only couldn’t slow down his pace but had to quicken it. In this world, he never felt truly safe.

Looking around, Baiyi saw a girl squatting on the ground, covering her face. The negative emotions in his eyes dissipated as he approached with a smile.

"Counting ants?" he asked softly, crouching down.

"Uh?" Diane was startled. Her face still red, she asked somewhat awkwardly, "Why are you back so soon?"

"Nothing much to talk about." Baiyi replied rather helplessly, "The Sword Saint’s condition is worse than I expected."

Diane glanced around and whispered, "Everyone knows, so everyone is working hard. If it weren’t for your arrival, I’d still be cultivating."

Baiyi looked at her for a while, then offered a gentle hand.

Diane hesitated, her face becoming red again. After only three seconds of hesitation, she reached out and hugged Baiyi.

Baiyi closed his eyes, quietly savoring this never-before-experienced tranquility under the moonlight.

"Wait for me here."

The murmured words made Diane tighten her grip, the blush on her face disappearing with that sentence.

Her initial shyness turned into reluctance, asking softly, "Can you stay with me a while longer?"

"Mhm."

"You know, two years ago, when you suddenly disappeared, I was heartbroken for a long time. I thought you had died, but then I heard you had made so many inventions. Back then, I was indeed very furious."

"I initially wanted to give you a beating when I saw you again, but unfortunately, you escaped."

Diane and Baiyi flew to a rooftop, overlooking the capital city’s beautiful night scene, and said seriously, "So, you can’t leave without saying anything again. You need to stay in touch with me often, tell me where you are and what you’re doing?"

"Alright." Baiyi answered seriously, looking at Diane under the moonlight.

They shared a gaze, each seeing something they wanted in the other’s eyes. They leaned closer, kissing beneath the moonlight.

After a while, their lips parted.

Breathless, Diane leaned on Baiyi’s shoulder, her gaze on the scenery particularly bright, "Four years ago, we also climbed somewhere this high during the night, and it was just as beautiful. Only you seemed to always be busy back then."

Baiyi, looking at Diane’s profile, replied with a smile, "Indeed very beautiful."

Diane felt his gaze, and her earlier shyness surged once more, yet her eyes grew even brighter, "You mean me or the scenery?"

"Both are beautiful." Baiyi replied with a smile, "But you are a bit more beautiful, whether it be before or now."

Diane, pleased, said with a blush, "That’s right, if this lady claims second, no one dares to claim first!"

"Though a bit naive."

Baiyi’s slightly spoiling words left Diane momentarily stunned before she retorted, "Where am I naive? I just made eight hundred million! How is that naive?"

Baiyi scrutinized her seriously before concluding, "I don’t know, just gives that feeling of being silly!"

"Nonsense, you need to provide examples. This young lady has always been praised for her intelligence, and I’ve never lost money on an investment in the capital city."

"Emmm... Trusting a ten-year-old alchemist to have great inventions, for instance."

"Hmph, that was just this lady donating you some pocket money because you seemed pitiful, right? And that too..."

"What?"

"Also... could only have been you..."