503: Why did you fail?

Youming glanced at Xiaoxuan again, a trace of wariness flashing in his eyes, before finally taking a deep breath and saying, "I will tell you everything if you let me leave this Supreme treasure. I can acknowledge you as my master, but I don't want to stay here any longer. It's too oppressive here; I've had enough."

As for Youming's words about acknowledging him as master, Xun Xiuyuan didn't even consider them, choosing to ignore them directly.

He knew perfectly well that an existence like Youming would not easily submit; acknowledging him as master was merely a stopgap measure.

Before entering the Ling Tian Pagoda, Youming had also said that he would not resist if Xun Xiuyuan used Soul secret arts on him, but he had not expected Xun Xiuyuan to take advantage of the moment he relaxed his mind to pull him into the Ling Tian Pagoda.

The shock and anger of that moment still lingered in Youming's heart.

This was the origin of the "camaraderie" between Youming and Xiaoxuan later on through playing Fight the Landlord—during the boring times in the pagoda, Xiaoxuan actually used a deck of conjured playing cards to kill time, and incidentally to beat up Youming, yet there was also a strange tacit understanding between them.

Xun Xiuyuan slowly shook his head, his tone resolute: "No."

Upon hearing this, Youming's eyes did not show much disappointment; all of this was already within his expectations.

Just as the aura around Xiaoxuan shifted slightly and he was about to strike, Youming suddenly raised his hand, and his voice sounded again:

"Kun Jiong is not an ordinary existence—he is the leader of the Soul Beast Great Universe, and his cultivation has reached the Peak of the Supreme Realm."

His tone was calm, yet every word was heavy, "Back then, I was at about that same Realm."

Xun Xiuyuan's gaze shifted slightly. Seeing that Youming did not continue to bargain, he couldn't help but turn back to Xiaoxuan, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny and deep meaning.

Seeing this, Xiaoxuan tilted his head, then beamed a bright and brilliant smile at Xun Xiuyuan, as if the tense atmosphere around them had eased a little because of this smile.

The corners of Xun Xiuyuan's mouth curled up slightly, a hint of imperceptible amusement flashing in his eyes, as he turned his head to look at Youming again.

Youming had long noticed the subtle exchange between Xun Xiuyuan and his servant, his heart tightening involuntarily, and he sighed helplessly.

He was truly afraid of this Supreme treasure's artifact spirit, who was full of tricks and unreasonable; every confrontation made him feel immense pressure.

Casting aside all distracting thoughts, Youming took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and began to recount again.

"The Soul Beast Great Universe," Youming's voice was low and clear, "All Cultivators in this Great Universe are naturally close to the Law of the Soul, as if it were an innate talent. This also makes their Soul secret arts numerous, ranging from simple mind-reading to complex Soul control, they have it all. Their Mental Energy is also far superior to ordinary Cultivators of the same Realm, often allowing them to take opponents by surprise in battle."

Hearing this, Xun Xiuyuan couldn't help but think of the Phantom Poison Universe.

He interrupted, his tone carrying a hint of urgency: "What is the limit of Mental Energy at the Peak of the Supreme Realm? Is there a specific numerical definition?"

Youming was taken aback by this, raising his eyes with slight surprise: "Limit? I really don't know that. My Mental Energy has reached ten billion units, and there is still room for improvement; I can feel a slight increase every day I Cultivate, so I don't know the upper limit. Perhaps only those experts who have stepped into a higher Realm can catch a glimpse of it."

Youming's words were clear; he had not yet touched that so-called limit, and this answer made a greater desire for exploration surge in Xun Xiuyuan's heart.

Xun Xiuyuan glanced indifferently at his attribute panel; the value clearly showed over twenty billion, far exceeding Youming, who was standing in front of him at this moment.

His heart stirred slightly, but he did not show it, his gaze merely becoming a bit calmer.

Youming seemed not to have noticed his thoughts and continued: "Kun Jiong may have touched the threshold of that so-called limit. His Physical Body cultivation is indeed unremarkable, but his attainments at the Soul level are extremely formidable. However, during the years I associated with him, I didn't feel that he had made much of a Breakthrough. Perhaps his Mental Energy has already reached the Peak of the Supreme Realm and can no longer advance."

Xun Xiuyuan nodded lightly without comment, simply continuing to ask: "Tell me about the five Great Universes."

Youming pondered for a moment, as if salvaging fragments of memory from the river of time, and finally spoke slowly:

"The five Great Universes and the Blue Star Universe have been in an antagonistic relationship since the beginning of their existence. Yet between the five Great Universes themselves, large-scale wars have never broken out—even if there were conflicts, they were limited to conquests against the Blue Star Great Universe."

Xun Xiuyuan frowned slightly upon hearing this. According to the secret information he had previously obtained, the five Great Universes were once subordinate Universes to the Blue Star Great Universe in an extremely ancient era.

Youming noticed the subtle change in his expression and immediately explained: "Daoist Xun, it is precisely because our five Great Universes have never given birth to experts at the Supreme Realm that we have had to submit to the Blue Star Great Universe for long, long years. But where there is oppression, there is bound to be a spark of resistance. War is merely another continuation of dignity and survival."

Xun Xiuyuan remained calm, silently watching Youming, without saying anything further.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment, and the vast secrets of the Universe seemed to him like nothing more than a prologue that had not yet ended.

Seeing this, Youming had no choice but to continue speaking in a low voice, his tone carrying an irrepressible heaviness: "Our five Great Universes and the Blue Star Great Universe are like being isolated by some invisible barrier, trapped in this endless Void Realm. There is no exit, and no hope can be seen."

Xun Xiuyuan lowered his gaze slightly, still listening quietly, but no longer staring intently at Youming, as if his thoughts had drifted to a more distant place.

"It wasn't until the first Supreme was born in the Blue Star Great Universe that we suddenly realized—so there is an even vaster world existing outside."

Youming's tone grew stronger, yet he controlled himself not to let his emotions spiral out of control, "Therefore, every one of the leaders of our five Great Universes has reached the Peak of the Supreme Realm, with no path forward; cultivation has reached its limit. Only by borrowing the Supreme passage of the Blue Star Great Universe is there a glimmer of possibility to reach that unknown outside world."

Youming explained the reason for borrowing the passage again, then his voice gradually faded, and he fell into silence.

He did not know what else to say, nor was he sure what else Xun Xiuyuan wanted to hear.

At this moment, Youming was no longer the existence that once looked down upon the heavens.

After a round of "training" by Xiaoxuan, the sharpness and arrogance on him had been completely worn away; if it weren't for a lingering desire for life in his heart, he might have long ago chosen to perish together with Xiaoxuan, though he himself did not know if he could succeed.

"Five Great Universes, five passages, how many experts at the Supreme Realm do you have?" Xun Xiuyuan's tone was low and serious, as if confirming a crucial piece of intelligence.

"There are only five of us leaders at the Peak of the Supreme Realm, and there are still dozens of other Supreme Realm experts." Youming replied slowly, a shadow of memory flashing in his eyes, "These Supreme Realm experts are distributed at the key nodes of each Universe, responsible for maintaining the stability of the passages, but even so, our strength still appears insufficient."

"With such a powerful lineup, why did you fail?" Xun Xiuyuan pressed, his tone carrying puzzlement, because according to the information he had received, the Blue Star Great Universe had only dispatched five great experts at the Supreme Realm.