Martial Saint with Passives

This thrill of holding the power of life and death, of being the undisputed master of all...

It was like the most potent poison—once tasted, he was hooked, utterly unable to quit!

If he ran...

He would be forced to live like a stray dog, hiding his identity, skulking in the shadows, never again to savor the feeling of being above all others!

’I can’t let it go... I really can’t let it go!’

Zhao Kang squeezed his eyes shut in anguish, his heart at war with itself.

On one hand, the shadow of death loomed, ready to fall at any moment. On the other, the intoxicating allure of supreme power.

The choice was agonizingly difficult!

’Should I take the gamble?’

’Maybe... maybe that True Master really doesn’t care about a worthless life like mine? As long as I prove myself obedient enough, useful enough...’

As he continued to wrestle with his decision,

Suddenly, an icy chill crept up his spine without any warning!

It was the feeling of being stared down by an ancient Fierce Beast, its eyes boring into his back!

In that instant, every hair on Zhao Kang’s body stood on end!

He whipped around, his movements stiff with sheer terror.

"Who’s there?!"

However, when he saw the face of the person behind him, his pupils shrank to pinpricks, and his heart nearly leaped out of his throat!

There, on the Grandmaster’s Chair behind him, a person was sitting—and he had no idea when they had appeared!

The man was dressed in gray, his expression serene. He was holding Zhao Kang’s personal purple clay teapot, examining it with curiosity.

It was... Jiang Che!

Somehow, he had slipped past the countless guards outside the residence, bypassed all the visible and hidden sentries, and appeared right in his bedroom without a single soul noticing!

"T-True Master?!"

Zhao Kang’s legs gave out. With a THUD, he dropped to his knees without a moment’s hesitation, his kneecaps smacking hard against the floor.

"W-What are you doing here?!"

His voice trembled, and beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead like rain.

Jiang Che set down the teapot, lifted his gaze, and looked at him with a faint, unreadable smile.

"It seems you’re not half bad."

Jiang Che’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

"Not running away under these circumstances... you have some courage after all."

Hearing this, Zhao Kang’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately began kowtowing, his forehead banging against the floor. "You jest, True Master!" he stammered. "Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I would never dare to run! My loyalty to you is as vast as the heavens and earth!"

"Enough. Get up."

Jiang Che waved a dismissive hand. "I didn’t come here tonight to listen to your pledges of fealty," he said coolly.

"Yes, yes, of course..." Zhao Kang scrambled to his feet, trembling. He stood to the side, bowed at the waist with his hands held low, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Jiang Che watched him, his fingers tapping a slow, steady rhythm on the table. TAP... TAP...

With every tap, Zhao Kang’s heart skipped a beat.

"I have one more thing... that I need you to do for me."

Finally, Jiang Che spoke.

"Do this for me, and you will remain the King of Lin Yuan City. I don’t care how you throw your weight around."

Here, Jiang Che paused, his gaze growing dark and profound.

"Furthermore, I can guarantee that from this day forward, no one... will ever be able to threaten your safety."

At these words, Zhao Kang’s head snapped up, his eyes erupting with incredulous joy!

’Still be the King of Lin Yuan?’

’And no one would be able to threaten my safety?’

This was a dream come true!

"Really?!" he asked, his voice trembling with excitement. "Please, just give the order, True Master! Not just one task—a hundred, a thousand! I’ll see them all done perfectly for you! I would walk through fire and climb a mountain of blades for you!"

Jiang Che watched his ecstatic display, the corners of his lips twitching into a faint smile.

"Those... were your words."

For some reason, seeing the smile on Jiang Che’s face sent a sudden, inexplicable shiver down Zhao Kang’s spine.

It was a feeling...

...like a rabbit being watched by a venomous snake, its forked tongue greedily tasting the air.

"T-True Master?"

He instinctively tried to back away, but his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, too heavy to move.

He instinctively sensed something was wrong, but he didn’t dare resist, or even look away.

It was then that he noticed it: Jiang Che’s eyes... had changed.

Within those once deep, black irises, an uncanny purple light began to glow!

The purple light swirled like two bottomless vortexes, instantly capturing his gaze and tugging at his very soul!

"Look at me..."

Jiang Che’s voice seemed to drift from a distant horizon, carrying an irresistible, magical quality.

Zhao Kang’s consciousness instantly grew hazy.

His vision blurred, and the world around him began to twist and fade away.

It was as if nothing existed in the world but that pair of...

...uncanny, swirling, purple eyes!

An intense wave of vertigo washed over him like a tidal wave, completely overwhelming him...

[Pupil Seal]...

Activated!