I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Qin Yuan didn't press the matter on this point. He knew Yuan Chu was right.

"The second condition," Qin Yuan said, holding up the black crystal in his hand, "is that after you fuse with the Chaos Core, the collapse of the myriad worlds must be stopped. Seventeen worlds have been corrupted by demons, and you are responsible for restoring them."

"No problem," Yuan Chu answered readily. "After the fusion, I will be a complete Chaos, and I can still repair several worlds."

"The third condition," Qin Yuan stared into his eyes, "is that you need to swear a Chaos Oath."

Yuan Chu frowned slightly. The Chaos Oath was the oldest and most inviolable of all oaths. Oaths made in the name of Chaos were subject to its backlash; those who broke them would be reduced to nothingness by Chaos itself. Such oaths were meaningless to ordinary people, as they were not embodiments of Chaos. But for Yuan Chu, he was the orderly aspect of Chaos, and upon merging with it, he became the complete Chaos. For him, the Chaos Oath meant using his own power to bind himself.

"You don't believe me," Yuan Chu said.

"I don't trust anyone," Qin Yuan said.

Yuan Chu stared at him for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Good! Good lad! Choosing you to inherit the Nine Transformations of Chaos back then was definitely the right decision. Your personality is most suitable to be the successor of Chaos." He hung the purple gourd back on his waist, put away his smile, and said seriously, "I, Yuan Chu, made a vow in the name of Chaos—after fusing with the core of Chaos, I will never harm any living beings in the myriad worlds, and I will definitely repair the seventeen worlds that have been corrupted by demons. If I break this vow, may I be doomed forever."

The instant the Chaos Oath was sworn, a deep rumble resounded throughout the heavens and earth. The sound was unlike thunder; it was more like the response of some ancient and powerful will. Everyone felt that will—vast, cold, and unquestionable.

Qin Yuan nodded and tossed the black crystal to Yuan Chu.

Yuan Chu caught the crystal, glanced down at it, and a complex emotion flashed in his cloudy old eyes: nostalgia, sadness, anticipation, and a barely perceptible excitement.

"After waiting for countless millennia, this day has finally come," he murmured, then raised the black crystal above his head.

The crystal lit up in his hand.

It wasn't a black light, but a light that transcended the realm of color. It seemed to be absorbing all the light around it, yet also emitting something brighter than light itself. Countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of the crystal, then it exploded with a roar, transforming into an overwhelming black mist that enveloped the entire Sword Pavilion Square.

Qin Yuan took a step back, shielding the seven women and Yan Yue behind him.

The black mist churned for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before slowly subsiding. When the mist cleared, the disheveled old man in the gray robe standing in the center of the square was no longer the same man from before.

The person standing there was a young man who looked to be no more than thirty years old.

He wore a pure white robe, his face was handsome, and a faint chaotic rune adorned his brow. The purple gourd at his waist had vanished, replaced by a longsword floating beside him. The sword's blade was translucent, and it seemed as if stars and galaxies flowed within it.

"Yuan Chu?" Qin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

The young man nodded. His voice had changed; it was no longer the old man's hoarseness, but clear and strong, though his tone remained the same: "How was it? I was quite handsome when I was young, wasn't I?"

The atmosphere in the entire square instantly became eerie. Yan Lingji opened her mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. Even the usually aloof Mu Hongyi showed a hint of surprise.

"After the chaos is complete, can the physical body be reshaped?" Su Yao asked.

"Clever." Yuan Chu moved his new body, his bones making a crisp sound. "My previous body was broken and could only maintain the appearance of an old man. Now that Chaos is complete, of course I need a better shell. Otherwise, how can I face walking through the myriad realms?"

He looked at Qin Yuan, his eyes holding something Qin Yuan couldn't understand.

"You've done me a great favor. In return, I'll give you something too." Yuan Chu extended a finger, a soft white light emanating from its tip. "It's not a follow-up to the Nine Transformations of Chaos, nor is it something that will allow you to directly break through your cultivation level. That would be too boring."

He placed his finger on Qin Yuan's forehead.

"What I'm giving you is the 'Eye of Chaos.' It will allow you to see things you couldn't see before—like, the path to higher places."

A white light entered Qin Yuan's brow, and two chaotic runes appeared in his pupils, flickering briefly before disappearing. Qin Yuan blinked; the world appeared unchanged. But he knew that some things were different.

"What lies beyond the Eternal Realm?" Qin Yuan asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." Yuan Chu smiled mysteriously, then took a step back, his body slowly rising. "The oath has been made, the gift has been given, and I must now go and repair those seventeen worlds. Little Qin Yuan, we will meet again when you take that step."

His figure rose higher and higher, finally transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.

The square was quiet for a while.

"Has he forgotten something?" Yan Lingji suddenly asked.

Everyone looked at her.

"Didn't he say he was going to give Qin Yuan cultivation techniques? The Chaos Ten Transformations, Eleven Transformations, a Hundred Transformations or something?" Yan Lingji counted on her fingers. "And all he gave me was an eye? Is this old man cheating?"

Qin Yuan did not answer. He turned around and looked at the pillar of light that stretched across the sky like an eternal ladder.

Under the gaze of the Eye of Chaos, the pillar of light changed. Before, it was just a beam of light, but now, he could see the structure inside—it was a path to heaven composed of countless steps, each step engraved with dense runes, layer upon layer, leading straight to a height he could not see.

And at the very top, something was watching him.

It wasn't malicious, nor was it well-intentioned; it was simply a gaze. Like the look in someone's eyes as they watch ants carrying their food.

"What is that?" Qin Yuan asked in a low voice.

No one answered him. But in the Eye of Chaos, that gaze met his for a moment, then vanished.

Qin Yuan withdrew his gaze, turned around, and saw Yan Yue walking towards him with a wooden cane.

"I'm going back to the Great Yan Dynasty." Yan Yue stopped and looked up at him. "My father is seriously ill, and my brother, the Crown Prince, sent an urgent report a few days ago that someone in the court is trying to seize power amidst the chaos. I have to go back."

Qin Yuan looked at her and nodded: "Just say so if you need any help."

"No need." Yan Yue slammed her wooden staff on the ground, raising her chin slightly. "I can handle matters in the court. All those people combined aren't as scary as a single finger of the Heavenly Mystery Sect leader."

Qin Yuan's lips curved slightly. This was the Yan Yue he knew, the Ninth Princess who could manipulate events in the court and lead from the front on the battlefield.

"I'll be back once I've finished dealing with this," he said.