Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 207 Unsettled Minds
Chu Ning slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the support in Li Jing'an's eyes, the scrutiny in Yu Xingshui's eyes, the apprehension on Bai Xiu's face, and the deep worry of the elders.

He did not immediately respond to the questions, but instead, with a calm that penetrated the heart, clearly declared:

"My real name is Chu Ning. I have grown up by tracking down evil spirits."

"Before his death, Master Hunyuan had already passed on the Boundary Lock to me."

"I came to Yipin Pavilion to obtain his complete legacy. Now, I have obtained the legacy, and the boundary lock is upon me."

His voice carried a hint of maturity born of experience, and his gaze swept across the entire room before finally settling on the five-patterned soul lock that swirled gently in his palm.

Then, his voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharp edge that seemed to pierce through the fog and a resolute determination to bear everything, as he asked the core question:

"If I am unable to bear this realm and wield this lock, the power of the realm lock will backfire and devour me first, annihilating my body and soul!"

"but--"

He paused, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping across the entire room once more, especially Yu Xingshui and Bai Xiu. Each word he uttered was like a thunderclap:
"If I can bear the weight of this 'boundary lock' and shoulder the 'responsibility of the Pavilion Master'!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the Soul Lock in his palm trembled slightly, its five lines vibrated, and a wisp of seemingly illusory memory suddenly emerged from the depths of his soul sea.

That was at the end of the Locked Source Land, the last moment when the soul of the Primordial Master was completely consumed by the burning.

In that gaze that looked down upon all living beings, there was both entrustment and reluctance. The words, "The responsibility of the boundary lock is yours to bear," thundered in his mind and lingered for a long time.

He was not without fear.

What kind of existence is Hunyuan?
The pinnacle of the first rank, the pillar who had led the Soul Mirror Pavilion for a thousand years, ultimately fell at the hands of a demigod...

How far can I go?

At this moment, though he was in a high position, his heart wavered for a moment.

But he remained standing, for those eyes were no longer in this world, but the lock was in his hand.

"you--!"

His gaze finally settled on Yu Xingshui and Bai Xiu's faces, and the three words "Can you accept this?!" struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

The entire room was deathly silent! You could hear a pin drop!
Yu Xingshui's eyes flickered violently, clearly shocked by the information that "Hun Yuan passed on his position before his death," and her scrutiny was tinged with surprise and doubt.

Bai Xiu's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, his fear deepening.

The elders exchanged shocked glances, all stunned by the sudden revelation of their identities, the declaration of their inheritance, and the almost arrogant yet extremely open-minded sense of responsibility. For a moment, none of them could immediately respond.

Seeing this, Li Jing'an finally showed a relieved yet expectant smile. He slowly stood up, his voice not loud, but carrying the authoritative authority of a final decision, resounding throughout the Heavenly Council Hall:

"With the soul imprint revealed, the inheritance has been established! Why argue further?"

"The position of Pavilion Master is yours, the key to the boundary lock is yours, this responsibility of protection is yours..."

"It's also you!"

"The decision has been made!"

As soon as he finished speaking, in the stillness of the night, Chu Ning slowly stood up from the side seat.

He no longer needed to say anything. With steady steps, he walked towards the circular soul array at the very center of the Heavenly Council Hall, which symbolized the source of the Soul Mirror Pavilion's authority.

A faint light flowed in his palm, and the five Soul Lock patterns reappeared. Although the light was not as intense as it had been, it carried the resilience of being reborn from the ashes.

The Soul Master's mark between the eyebrows sensed the gathering of authority, and it became slightly hot, igniting a faint yet incredibly firm golden flame.

He is no longer a bystander or pawn of power.

Instead, he stands atop the Soul Mirror Pavilion, wielding the World Lock and shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting this world—the Pavilion Master!
Li Jing'an stood with his hands behind his back on the towering stone steps, looking down at the busy Soul Law Deacons below, his eyes sharp as an eagle.

His trusted followers stood at attention, not daring to utter a sound.

"Order: Effective immediately, recall all authority seals of 'Level Four' and above scattered among the various halls and elders! Leave not a single one!"

"Anyone who wishes to exercise power, regardless of the size of the matter or their past experience, must go through..."

He paused slightly, his gaze turning towards Jingyunzhai, his voice resolute:

"...It requires the personal approval of 'Pavilion Master' Chu Ning!"

"Announce to the entire cabinet—"

"The Heavenly Mirror Law Meridian, from this day forward, shall be solely in accordance with the Pavilion Master!"

This is not only a consolidation of power, but also a paving of a path to unassailable authority for Chu Ning, who is newly ascending to the throne.

Yu Xingshui sat alone in front of an ancient mirror, her fingertips tracing paths across the surface, leaving trails of silver light.

What appeared in the mirror was not a star, but a terrifying scene deep in the far north of the Great Zhou territory—a place that should have been frozen for thousands of miles, but was now being burned by dark red flames and the earth was cracked.

In the heart of the scorched earth, countless thick, black chains flowing with lava crisscrossed, forming a massive sealing array. At the core of this array was the outline of a giant lava ape bound by chains, yet still slowly stretching its enormous body—the sealed land of the Blazing Bone Ape Lord.

"The Blazing Bone Ape Marquis... has been silent for decades, but his restlessness is growing stronger every day." Yu Xingshui murmured, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, her fingertip pointing at a spot on the edge of the mirror plate.

As the scene zoomed in, three enormous stone pillars, inscribed with ancient runes, were revealed to be riddled with spiderweb-like cracks from the dark red flames, from which wisps of malevolent energy seeped out.

"Its 'World-Burning Demonic Flame' has already eroded three boundary markers, and the sealing power is weakening..."

Her gaze turned solemnly towards Jingyunzhai, her voice not loud, yet clearly echoing in the quiet room, as if she were speaking to someone who was sensing this place:

"This Blazing Bone Ape Lord possessed the body of a demigod. He once shattered the Heavenly Gate with a single punch, displaying overwhelming ferocity. Even the Primordial Grandmaster, a peak first-rank master who wielded the power of the World Lock, fell at his hands."

She paused, and the giant ape image in the mirror seemed to sense the probing. Its giant eyes, formed of lava, suddenly opened a crack and cast a fierce gaze that could shatter one's soul, across the endless space and the mirror.

Yu Xing Shui forcefully suppressed the tremors in his soul consciousness, his voice carrying a barely perceptible sharpness, as if interrogating:

"I wonder if Pavilion Master Chu... now that you've taken charge of the Realm Lock, are you confident you can defeat this formidable enemy?"

These words, once uttered, were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a storm in the hearts of Li Jing'an, Bai Xiu, and several core elders who were sensing this place, all connected by the invisible boundary lock.

Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward Jingyunzhai, their eyes filled with surprise, scrutiny, and deep worry.

Even Li Jing'an, a staunch supporter of Chu Ning, had a look of inquiry and solemnity in his eyes at this moment—the death of Hunyuan was a mountain looming over everyone's hearts. Was Chu Ning, the new Pavilion Master, truly exceptionally strong, or had he merely... obtained the inheritance by luck?

Bai Xiu stood before the Soul-Burning Pillar, the dark red flames within it leaping and reflecting on his cold, hard face.

Yu Xingshui's words also clearly reached his ears, and the four words "the fall of Hunyuan" made the muscles at the corner of his eye twitch violently. "A demigod... even Hunyuan has been defeated..." His thoughts raced through his mind, then turned into a deeper gloom.

He didn't turn around; his cold and clear voice reached the ears of the several core elders standing behind him:

"The Five-Patterned Soul Lock has already achieved its status and cannot be shaken by brute force. Xian Fenghuai serves as a cautionary tale."

"Issue my order: All warriors and stewards under the Soul Form Pavilion shall, from this day forth, exert all their strength to eradicate all evil spirits within the territory! They must be completely wiped out, leaving no one alive!"

A cold, determined glint of calculation flashed in his eyes:
"Eliminate internal troubles and lie low while waiting for the right opportunity. We need... a 'reserve weapon' that can immediately stabilize the situation and clean up the mess when he is overwhelmed, or when he is completely restrained or even severely injured by that Flaming Bone Ape Marquis!"

It was no longer wise to confront the Pavilion Master head-on, so he chose a more covert and ambitious path—using the pretext of eliminating evil spirits to consolidate his power, accumulate strength, and await possible changes.

Chu Ning clearly heard Yu Xingshui's questions and saw all the focused gazes directed at him.

In those gazes, there was Bai Xiu's cold observation, the elders' deep doubts, the unfathomable meaning behind the Jade Star Water Mirror Plate, and Li Jing'an's inquiry, which was full of support but could not hide his worry.

The pressure is immense, all converging on me.

Chu Ning did not immediately answer the pointed question about "confidence".

He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of buildings, looking towards the burning, sealed land of the far northern ice plains.

After a moment of silence, he withdrew his gaze, turned around, and spoke in a calm and even voice, yet with the unquestionable decisiveness of someone newly assuming power. His voice, transmitted clearly through the power of the boundary lock, reached the ears of every key figure watching the matter, and echoed throughout Jingyunzhai.
"Given the ferocity of a demigod and the precedent of the Primordial Chaos, how dare I, Chu, presume to be certain of victory?"

His tone shifted abruptly, his voice suddenly becoming deep and solemn, carrying an overwhelming and unyielding authority:

"However, having taken charge of this pavilion and assumed this boundary lock, protecting the border and ensuring the safety of the people is my inescapable responsibility!"

"As for the odds of winning..." Chu Ning's gaze swept across the void, as if he could see those scrutinizing eyes, and a faint yet sharp smile curved his lips:
"The First-Rank Pavilion enshrines martial artists who are all at the First-Rank level, forming the cornerstone of our pavilion's combat strength."

"By order of my Pavilion Master: From this day forward, all martial arts practitioners currently serving in the Pavilion and registered in the Pavilion are to be summoned to the Heavenly Mirror Platform within three days!"

"With the impending calamity of burning bones looming ahead, I, the Pavilion Master... must personally witness the might of my Pavilion!"

……

Inside Jingyunzhai, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Outside Jingyunzhai, the night was deep.

Lei Jingjing sat down, wearing a robe, and stood guard by the door.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she looked at the soul lamp in the room—the "Soul Fate Lamp" that Chu Ning had lit for her during the Soul Trial Array.

During her coma, the lights never went out for a moment; in fact, they shone even brighter when she was at her weakest.

She should have been happy, but whenever she thought of the backlash Chu Ning had taken for her in that battle, she felt a deep pain in her chest.

"If he hadn't come then..." She dared not think about it further, and could only stand quietly outside the door.

Chu Yun sat on the other side, his brows furrowed with worry.

Although she didn't speak, she kept running her hand over the tattered pages left by her father, reading each line of text several times, just to calm herself down.

The two stayed up all night, until that moment when Chu Ning's Soul Lock reappeared with a faint light and the candlelight in the study flickered. They then got up almost at the same time and their eyes met.

Chu Ning closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into the depths of his soul.

The five soul-locking patterns on his palm flowed gently, no longer in a defensive or offensive form triggered by external stimuli, but under the guidance of his will, they slowly extended and intertwined like five living galaxies containing endless mysteries.

Becoming the Pavilion Master and taking control of the core of the Boundary Lock allowed him to connect with this mysterious power to an unprecedented depth.

He "saw" it.

It was not a simple energy network, but a vast, intricate, three-dimensional network that seemed to be constructed from countless laws and runes.

This network, centered on the soul lock in his palm, extends outwards, silently infiltrating every inch of the Soul Mirror Pavilion, every hall, and even faintly connecting with the boundary markers in the far distance.

It is like an invisible net, or a giant tree rooted in this world, with roots spreading everywhere, drawing on some kind of "order" power originating from the world's origin.

"This is the boundary lock... the cornerstone power that maintains the stability of this realm?" Chu Ning realized. He tried to mobilize the weakest wisp of soul lock power, not for attack or defense, but for perception.

"Om."

A strange wave spread out from him.

In an instant, it was as if he possessed countless eyes—

He sensed the flow of his soul energy when Li Jing'an, the Grand Councilor of the Cabinet, issued the order;

They sensed the ferocious and overwhelming aura of the Burning Bone Ape Marquis within the Jade Star Water Mirror Plate of the Mirror Abyss Quiet Room.

They could even vaguely sense the painful roars and sharp fluctuations of soul power erupting from the depths of the Soul Rift Abyss as those battle soul seeds forcibly condensed their second soul imprints under immense pressure.

"Insight...and connection?" Chu Ning was shocked.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the immense power of the Boundary Lock.

He realized that this power could not only protect, but also allow him to "understand" and "control" the Soul Mirror Pavilion and the realm it protected in a completely new dimension.

However, when he tried to access the deeper layers of the law—those that carried core decision-making power and involved the Soul Mirror Pavilion's suppression system and the authority over the boundaries of the realm—he suddenly felt a heavy barrier.

Although the permissions have been restored, the boundary lock seems to have its own will, instinctively performing "primary verification" on it.

A feedback from the soul law echoed along the soul lock like a cold current, as if examining and testing whether he, the new pavilion master, was truly worthy of the "master position".

His palm trembled slightly, the fifth mark of the Soul Lock suddenly contracted, and a slight stinging sensation rose from the depths of his consciousness, as if a certain "source imprint memory" had produced a subtle rejection reaction with the boundary lock structure.

Chu Ning frowned slightly, realizing that even if he were in charge of the Realm Lock, if he could not fully understand its structural rules and "Soul Law Sequence", this power might not obey him.

"It seems this is not as simple as blocking the inheritance... but a deeper game." He murmured to himself, his palm slightly clenching as he re-stabilized the Soul Law interface and temporarily closed some of the access test channels.

Worse still, just as he hesitated for a moment, a faint "backlash" surged from the Soul Lock itself—a warning from the "Soul Master's Mark" in the fifth rune, which had not yet been fully integrated.

If the power of the boundary lock is excessively agitated and exceeds the threshold that the soul lock can bear, it will trigger a "will backflow"—a reverse burning that is enough to cause the soul consciousness to collapse.

Chu Ning forcefully suppressed his soul power, adjusted his mind, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a few breaths, and forced the surging boundary lock that was about to rebound into the second soul gate in the deepest part of his soul sea.

(End of this chapter)