"Correct." Wei Qing nodded openly, admitting it without hesitation.
That was exactly his plan. Whether it would work was another matter—but trying cost him nothing.
A flicker of comprehension crossed Ruan Mei's eyes, followed by the careful, clinical evaluation of a researcher staring at a live bomb.
"The risk is extremely high," she said bluntly. "We can't predict her reaction. She might observe… or she might harvest us on the spot."
"And why are you so certain," she continued, "that whatever 'research' exists between you and me would be enough to lure her into making a move?"
Wei Qing looked as though he'd been waiting for that question.
"Ruan Mei, have you ever heard the term 'reserve candidate'?"
"Reserve candidate?" Ruan Mei repeated softly. "What do you mean, Wei Qing?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." His tone was calm, almost casual. "Even among Aeons, there can be 'reserve candidates'—or, more precisely, heirs."
"If an Aeon falls," Wei Qing said, "then the reserve candidate tied to that Path can inherit the authority and take the helm of that Path… becoming the new Aeon."
The words landed like a silent thunderclap inside the sealed barrier.
For the first time, the tranquil surface of Ruan Mei's gaze cracked into unmistakable turbulence.
"An Aeon… reserve candidate?" Her voice stayed controlled, but the tremor beneath it betrayed her. "An heir? Wei Qing—do you understand what you're saying?"
It was beyond absurd.
Aeons were the incarnations of Paths—the extreme embodiments of cosmic law. Their births and deaths were among the grandest, most inscrutable events in the universe.
For "reserve candidate" to be even possible implied something terrifying and intoxicating:
That Aeons were not immutable.That the authority of a Path might be inherited.That a "mortal" could, in principle, take the throne of a cosmic law.
For a genius—especially for Ruan Mei—it was a lure almost impossible to resist.
Wei Qing watched her reaction and knew the bait had struck exactly where he intended.
"I understand perfectly," he said. "Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it can't exist. Isn't that right?"
He took a step forward, narrowing the distance between them.
"And I may be a living example—an ongoing process… an observation sample in motion."
Ruan Mei fell silent for a long time.
She stared at the man before her. In his eyes was an almost insolent certainty, the kind that made reality feel negotiable.
In the stillness of the sealed space, she could hear only her own heartbeat—faster than she liked.
"Then," Ruan Mei finally asked, voice carefully measured, "which Aeon's… reserve candidate are you?"
"Destruction? Abundance? The Hunt? Or…" She hesitated just a fraction. "…Finality?"
As for "Beauty," she no longer took it seriously. At this point, it was obviously just one more layer of camouflage.
"I am Abundance's reserve candidate," Wei Qing said evenly. "And I am an Extinction Emanator created by Nanook—made to stand as Abundance's counterpart."
He did not mention that he was also Destruction's reserve candidate.
Even so, what he'd revealed was already enough to rattle a mind as disciplined as Ruan Mei's.
She froze.
Her fingers curled, nails pressing faintly into her palm—small pain to confirm she wasn't dreaming.
The information density was obscene.
Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, had engaged in creation?And this man claimed he was Abundance's reserve candidate?
In Ruan Mei's own predictions, she'd expected him to answer Destruction—or perhaps the Hunt, given how strangely the Hunt had "favored" him.
But Abundance?
If her memory was correct, he'd only become an Abundance Emanator after killing Shuhu. And yet now he was saying Abundance was the most "generous" of them all?
Wei Qing seemed to read the question in her eyes and supplied the missing piece.
He told her—plainly—about the moment Yaoshi had asked what he desired, and how he had answered without hesitation:
He wanted divinity.He wanted the throne.
Ruan Mei went still again.
She'd just heard a man describe—like it was an everyday negotiation—demanding an Aeon's position from the Aeon itself.
It was madness.
And yet… if it was Yaoshi, the Abundance—the one infamous for boundless giving—then such blasphemy might actually be possible.
"Wei Qing," Ruan Mei said at last, "the concept you're proposing is enough to overturn the universe's current understanding of Aeons."
"But words alone prove nothing. How can I be sure your 'reserve candidate' is not an elaborate fabrication—meant to lure me… or meant to lure Polka Kakamond?"
Her skepticism was entirely reasonable.
For a genius, anything beyond established law demanded the harshest validation.
Wei Qing didn't rush to argue. Instead, he lifted his right hand, palm up.
A thin strand of emerald energy gathered at his fingertips—lush, warm, and pure. The primal essence of Abundance itself.
"Ruan Mei, you're not unfamiliar with Abundance," he said quietly.
She wasn't. And that was precisely why her breath caught.
This Abundance was different from any she'd ever touched—more refined, closer to the root. Less "power," more "authority."
Before she could speak, Wei Qing stepped closer.
He touched two fingers to her forehead.
The Abundance surged into her like a tide of spring.
Ruan Mei's body shuddered—hard—like a person plunged into warm water after a lifetime of cold.
In that instant, she saw it.
Not with her eyes, but with something deeper: a connection forming between herself and the vast, endless Path of Abundance threaded through the cosmos.
"…So I've become an Abundance Pathstrider?" Her voice trembled despite her control.
So easily?
No—perhaps not "easily."
Perhaps it was Wei Qing, wielding the authority of a so-called "reserve candidate," opening a door on her behalf.
And more than that—Ruan Mei could feel it.
The ceiling of what she could achieve on the Path of Abundance had been raised to a height that no longer seemed inferior to her Path of Erudition.
Wei Qing lowered his hand and asked, calmly:
"Well, Ruan Mei?"
"Now will you believe me?"
Then, without softening his tone, he delivered the real purpose behind the demonstration.
"Agree to work with me," Wei Qing said.
"Please."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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