In the next instant, Shen Zuo found himself suspended in the air, chains of black energy binding his hands and feet. He couldn't even resist.
Ling Li's cold, smooth voice echoed around them:
"You think this is funny?"
Ling Li approached slowly, his steps calm, his expression impossible to read, then he added in a steady tone, looking at the suspended Shen Zuo:
"Are you telling me all this training went to waste? You put your life at risk just to leave a scratch on your opponent? Even if the strongest person in the world is Bai Ren, that doesn't mean you despair to the point where your only goal becomes scratching him."
Bai Ren laughed and said:
"You want him to kill me? Shen Zuo at full strength could barely even match me."
Ling Li looked at him with contempt and said:
"What's the point of that when you're in this state? Be quiet, let's not say anything unnecessary. Zhou Ji's writing right now, this isn't the time for your embarrassment. Hahaha."
Then Ling Li turned his gaze back to Shen Zuo, his expression staying calm, but the pressure radiating off him made Shen Zuo realize this wasn't a joke this time.
"Tell me, Shen Zuo... what were you thinking when you let those thorns pierce you?"
Shen Zuo stayed silent for a moment, then answered honestly:
"I wanted to hit him."
Silence settled.
Ling Li looked at him for a long time, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I know."
He opened his eyes again, his gaze colder this time.
"And that's exactly the problem."
Then he added in a calm tone:
"I taught you how to kill your opponent, how to survive them, how to exploit every mistake they make... but I didn't teach you all that so you'd forget about your own life the second you get a chance to hit him."
Shen Zuo lowered his head slightly.
As for Bai Ren, he just stood there smiling, watching the two of them.
Ling Li said:
"You won a moment, and lost the fight."
Then he stepped closer, until he stood directly in front of Shen Zuo.
"If you can't control yourself, it won't matter how strong you become. A day will come when a real opponent exploits that gap, and it won't be a light hit, and no one will be there to help you."
Silence settled again.
Ling Li sighed.
"As much as I'd prefer to keep training you for a few more years, we don't have the time. Well then... today we'll tell you the missions you need to complete, now that you've turned twenty."
He paused for a moment, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable, then continued:
"The time allotted... is unlimited. Meaning, take your time."
Shen Zuo shook his head lazily and said in a mocking tone:
"Yes, yes... can you untie me now?"
Ling Li smiled a faint smile, his eyes half-closed, as he answered:
"You look pretty comfortable like this, actually. Just needs a bit of whipping to complete the picture."
"Anyway, I don't want to drag this out any longer."
Bai Ren's voice echoed around them as he slowly rose from his spot, then waved his hand indifferently as he spoke:
"You have ten missions and five restrictions placed on yourself."
He smiled slyly as he continued:
"First, the first mission is to build an organization, and the second is to destroy the greatest power in the world."
He paused for a moment, then added in a more serious tone:
"Destroying it means... destroying the entire army, destroying the ruling class, crippling them economically, and crushing them morally. Destroying them completely."
Then he stared at the suspended Shen Zuo and said coldly:
"Anything less than that... and I'll kill you."
His eyes gleamed as he watched Shen Zuo, still hanging there in the air.
...
In the present
Shun De woke up from his unconscious state. Even though his body had fully healed after taking the pill, he'd blacked out from the pain he'd suffered earlier. He opened his eyes slowly and found himself in a strange room lit by a brilliant crystal glow, an imposing man sitting calmly in front of him.
This was Shen Zuo.
Shun De was confused at first, but quickly remembered him. This was the man who'd saved him moments ago.
"Wh... who are you?"
Shun De asked, cautiously backing away.
Shen Zuo answered mockingly: "Your savior."
Shun De didn't know how to respond, but the moment his eyes landed on the wall, he froze. There was an image showing Luo, Cha Ji behind him, and the hawk perched on his shoulder.
"Wh... what is this? Why are you watching Luo and Cha Ji, and why's the hawk on his shoulder?"
Even though he'd barely regained consciousness, Shun De began taking precautions, bracing for a fight. Shen Zuo smiled seeing his reaction and said calmly: "I'd advise you to stop that, because I could kill you without even using Aether."
Shun De stood up and said, suspicious and afraid: "Why'd you bring me here? And what's your connection to the person writing about us?"
Shen Zuo smiled, then pointed at the image and said: "That's basically me... but let's not drag this out. Look closely at your companions."
He paused for a moment, as though savoring what he was about to say, then continued: "They've been subdued through the Pack Leader Phantom that worthless hawk carries."
"..."
Shun De couldn't process the words. He knew about the Pack Leader Phantom, and he knew a person could only use it on those they shared a genuine bond with, so how had the hawk managed to pull this off?
Shen Zuo noticed the confusion in his eyes and laughed, saying: "Don't overthink it. The whole thing was easier than you'd imagine. Getting you three attached to the hawk was the simplest part of the plan. True, it took me a few months before I even started executing it, but during that time, I was exploring this new world and watching you."
Shun De's eyes widened slightly.
"Watching us?"
"Yeah. You know what? I picked you out of dozens of teams that come through this forest."
Shen Zuo said, shrugging his shoulders, then continued with a calm smile: "I wanted to get you three attached to the hawk gradually. It shows up when you need it, helps you out when you're in danger, then disappears. And the more that happened, the more natural its presence became to you, until the day came when you'd trust it without even realizing it."
Shun De began to grasp something terrifying.
Every time the hawk had appeared... every bit of help it had given them... none of it had been coincidence.
He asked him, his voice tense: "Then why didn't you use the Pack Leader Phantom yourself?"
Shen Zuo smiled as though he'd been waiting for that question, then said: "That's an easy answer. You guys were never going to like me after just a few bits of help. Your nature would make you suspicious of me instantly, but the hawk's different. At the end of the day, it's an animal, so it was easy for you to extend your trust to it without thinking too hard."
Then he added: "And on top of that, the Phantom's level is too high for me to bother with personally. True, I can use it, but why wear myself out when I can just use the Adjustment Formation already set up here? It only needed a bit of maintenance. It can redirect the Pack Leader Phantom's ability so that I become the leader."
Shen Zuo fell silent for a moment, then said: "But there was one problem."
He looked directly at Shun De.
"You."
Shun De froze.
"Your analytical nature would always keep you cautious. I was planning to separate you three first, without killing you, then have the hawk subdue them one by one, and gradually start helping you too, until you got used to its presence and came to like it as well. Then everything would've ended easily."
Shen Zuo's voice lowered slightly as he said: "But the plan changed when you nearly died."
Shun De kept staring at him in silence, then asked: "Why'd you save me?"
Shen Zuo shrugged indifferently and said: "I don't know. Is it pity? Or something else? Maybe even I don't know."
Then he smiled, and added: "But I do know one thing. I don't want all that effort going to waste over your death."
Shen Zuo stepped a little closer to him, then said in a calm tone: "So I'm telling you all this for one reason only. I won't force you to follow me, and I won't use t
he Adjustment Formation on you."
He fixed his eyes on Shun De and said:
"I want you to know everything... and then choose to follow me of your own free will."