Chapter 868: Can Be Zero or 100%

Wagaga.

"Rao Xiannv, I'm here!"

High above the nine heavens, accompanied by a voice tinged with excitement, Wang Dachui's figure materialized beside Rao Yaoyao.

As soon as he appeared, he stared intently at Rao Yaoyao's graceful back, then asked with a face full of greed mixed with curiosity, "I heard you made a big move this time, even giving away a Kongjian Yuanshi. So, did you reel anyone in?"

Rao Yaoyao gazed at the Lingjing, her expression deeply serious.

Wang Dachui glanced over and, seeing her like this, immediately understood. He chuckled, "It's normal if you didn't catch anyone. What real big fish lurking in the depths would be lured out by just one stone?"

After a pause, he grinned slyly and winked. "So, does that mean your Kongjian Yuanshi went to waste?"

Rao Yaoyao ignored his comment. With a wave of her hand, the Lingjing displayed the image belonging to Ye Xiaotian. "Let's talk business. Do you recognize this person?"

Wang Dachui leaned in for a closer look, but all he could see was a blurry outline in the Lingjing. He was shocked. "What am I supposed to make of this? I can only tell it's a person!"

Rao Yaoyao rolled her eyes. "What I want you to look at is his ability... And here's what this person really looks like."

She flicked her finger again, and the Lingjing showed Ye Xiaotian drifting aimlessly in the Yunlun Shanmai.

"Obviously, he's disguised. Even if I show you, what could you possibly figure out?" Rao Yaoyao scoffed.

This time, Wang Dachui was truly stumped.

He didn't recognize the white-haired, short-statured young man in the Lingjing at all.

But then...

"Space attributes, with such a high level of Daoze enlightenment, plus the white hair and that height—the image you're giving me only matches one person," Wang Dachui shrugged and glanced sideways. "Shengong's Ye Xiaotian?"

Rao Yaoyao snorted mockingly. "If it were that simple, would I need you to look? He's smuggling in! Would he be that bold?"

Wang Dachui was immediately displeased.

"You only gave me this to go on, and I've already drawn these conclusions. What about the Kongjian Yuanshi?"

"You're the one who used it to fish, so it must have been for him!"

"Where's the footage of him making a move? If there's a battle scene, I can analyze it for you!"

Rao Yaoyao shot back, "If I had a battle scene, would I still need you?"

Wang Dachui was at a loss for words. "Then go find that Yu Lingdi kid. Identifying someone through attributes isn't my department's specialty. The person you showed me has no special constitution—I can't see a thing."

Rao Yaoyao was a bit annoyed by his words, but on second thought, Wang Dachui was right.

It was her problem that the Kongjian Yuanshi hadn't lured anyone.

In the end, it had fallen into Xu Shao's hands. Based on the combat strength Xu Shao displayed in the Yunlun Shanmai and his ability to hold his own against Yu Lingdi...

In the Lingjing, if that white-haired, short-statured young man wasn't planning to make a grab for it, the Kongjian Yuanshi might really end up being taken by Xu Shao fair and square.

Rao Yaoyao could understand that.

The Yunlun Shanmai was meant for the younger generation's trials, yet a freak like Xu Shao had shown up, displaying combat power far beyond his peers.

What smuggler would risk exposure to forcibly seize a Kongjian Yuanshi that they might not even succeed in getting?

So, Xu Shao had played his cards cleverly, and that space attribute expert had his own reasons for not acting.

Rao Yaoyao considered calling in the trial officials to stir things up again, maybe to make a connection and get that space attribute expert to face off against Xu Shao.

But first, the trial officials had already interfered once, barely dealing with Gu Qingsan. Interfering again in the trials wouldn't sit well—not just with the trial participants, but she'd have a hard time explaining it to Shengong.

Second...

Even Yu Lingdi, the head of the trial officials, couldn't handle Xu Shao.

With Yu Lingdi absent, and Xu Shao openly taking the Kongjian Yuanshi, who could successfully meddle and make that connection?

This Kongjian Yuanshi business had been a calculated risk, but no one expected it to end up in a young person's hands!

The only silver lining was...

At least it hadn't completely gone to waste.

Rao Yaoyao decided not to dwell on it. She directly pulled up the battle footage of Mu Xiaogong and asked, "What constitution does this person have?"

Wang Dachui could see it clearly this time and was quite pleased. He declared, "Tunsheng Mu Ti!"

Rao Yaoyao was stunned. "Take another look?"

"It's definitely Tunsheng Mu Ti!" Wang Dachui didn't even need to check again; he said it with conviction.

Rao Yaoyao straightened up, clearly taking it seriously. "Tunsheng Mu Ti absorbs life force, but isn't that limited? This young girl..."

"She is Tunsheng Mu Ti!"

Wang Dachui was confident in this area, as his department specialized in it. He emphasized, "No need to doubt it. If I say she's Tunsheng Mu Ti, then she is. It's just that her constitution has mutated slightly."

"Mutated?"

Rao Yaoyao didn't speak, but from the side, Ye Xiao, carrying Yi, appeared. The two were clearly very interested, and Yi asked, "How has it mutated?"

"Watch closely!"

Wang Dachui pointed at the young girl in the battle footage and began explaining:

"This person has wood attributes, can absorb life force, and her fighting style is so obvious. Plus, she's so young-looking—it's undoubtedly Tunsheng Mu Ti."

"On this continent, aside from some freaks, it's impossible for someone to have two constitutions at once. That's like one soul having two bodies—it's just not normal."

"Of course, my department studies these freaks, but those cases involve forcibly seizing someone else's constitution and sealing it into oneself without causing rejection..."

Wang Dachui puffed out his chest and grinned. "I can spot that in an instant!"

Yi, with a sugar hawthorn in his mouth, mumbled, "So, you're saying this young girl only has one constitution? Besides Tunsheng Mu Ti, is there any other possibility?"

"Well, you can't say it's absolute..." Wang Dachui understood and shook his head. "Look at this girl—the rate at which she absorbs life force has clearly exceeded what her body can handle, so she's getting younger... Well, not younger, more like smaller."

"Smaller?" Rao Yaoyao frowned as she repeated.

"Yes, exactly smaller!"

Wang Dachui thought of something and suddenly turned back to Rao Yaoyao and Ye Xiao, winking mischievously. "Life force is a great thing. It relates to a woman's assets. If absorbed properly, it's basically a permanent way to stay youthful."

"Of course, life attributes are rare on the continent."

"If you really wanted to find someone to take it by force, you'd probably come up empty. The only place you might find someone is in the Lingbu..."

"Don't go off track!" Rao Yaoyao interrupted.

Wang Dachui's mouth ran on forever once he started, and if she didn't rein him in, he'd ramble without any useful info.

"Oh, right."

After being stopped, Wang Dachui didn't get angry. He returned to the point, pointing at the young girl in the Lingjing. "This girl's Tunsheng Mu Ti has mutated. It's not quite at the Shengti level yet, but it's close."

"Look, the rate at which she absorbs life force is almost unlimited."

"Life force can be a blessing or a curse. Absorbing a little keeps you youthful and maintains your figure, but too much makes your body regress, developing toward an infant state."

As he spoke, Wang Dachui slid his finger down, pointing to the girl's chest.

"See this—it's way too flat."

He slid further down.

"And this—her legs are too short."

He circled his finger around her whole body and added, "This girl, from a physical development standpoint, doesn't match her bone age at all."

"Clearly, she can't control the rate at which she absorbs life force."

"But that's normal. A young girl like her wouldn't know how to control it."

"Life force is addictive when absorbed continuously, and the addiction is terrifying."

"You see her looking fine now, with a healthy glow, but try stopping her from absorbing it? People like her can go berserk—driven to the edge, they might even bite someone."

"There was that incident before..."

As Wang Dachui went on, seeing everyone listening intently, he started to get carried away.

Who was in front of him? Seven Sword Immortals' Rao Yaoyao, and two of the Six Department Heads, Ye Xiao and Yi.

It was a rare chance to show off in front of them, so Wang Dachui, caught up in the moment, blurted out:

"More than ten years ago, at the 'Jiu Ji Sheng Hui,' one of the five great Shengdi families, the Dao family, had a young member who got away from the adults and played with peers. He was completely drained of his Daoji by that 'Zhi Sheng Mo Ti' from the Lei family!"

"If they hadn't caught it early, he would have been sucked dry!"

"That became one of the triggers for Xuanji Bansheng's expedition against the Lei family, right?"

"Tsk tsk..."

Wang Dachui sighed as he spoke. "The Lei family controls the heavenly punishment of the Dao, plus their 'Tianxia Tongshu'—who wouldn't covet that? I even suspect that the Dao family's kid was deliberately..."

"Wang Dachui!" Rao Yaoyao suddenly realized something and shouted to cut him off.

The group seemed to snap out of it, all jumping in shock.

Wang Dachui's earlier words had led them so smoothly that even he hadn't noticed—everyone, including himself, had subconsciously followed his line of thinking about constitutions.

But when he brought up the Lei family secrets, no one had reacted in time.

Among them, these things weren't that big of an issue when discussed casually.

So, since they all knew about it and treated it as routine, their focus hadn't been on stopping his loose talk.

Until Wang Dachui got so bold as to voice his suspicions...

That word "deliberately" hit like thunder from a clear sky, stunning Rao Yaoyao.

If she didn't stop him, someone in the group might end up in serious trouble!

"You're getting ahead of yourself." Rao Yaoyao's face paled, her beautiful eyes fixed on Wang Dachui, her voice icy cold, as if she could devour him.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Wang Dachui was sweating profusely, his back hunched as if under immense pressure, repeatedly apologizing. "I got carried away, I spoke out of turn. It was all nonsense—you didn't hear anything, just let it pass like a fart."

Yi, on Ye Xiao's back, took a while to recover before chiming in, "Wang Dachui, oh Wang Dachui, I can't just pretend I didn't hear that. This is worth a favor."

Wang Dachui froze, resisted the invisible pressure for a moment, then relaxed and straightened up.

But hearing Yi's words, his mouth twitched.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "Fine."

He actually agreed!

Ye Xiao, who rarely spoke, added, "Share and share alike—one favor."

"Why are you butting in?!" Wang Dachui was furious, nearly grabbing his hammer to swing at Ye Xiao.

Yi's face turned stern. "What's the problem?"

Wang Dachui felt a headache coming on as he looked at the pair and gave up resisting.

He clutched his head, hopping around in frustration. "Fine, fine, one favor each. I'm the fool for coming to help explain this... You ungrateful lot! A bunch of ingrates!"

Rao Yaoyao waved it off—she didn't care about favors.

But Wang Dachui's words had pulled her back to some wild thoughts she'd had before, and she suddenly felt tense. She asked quietly, "So, you said this Tunsheng Mu Ti has mutated—what direction is it mutating in?"

Wang Dachui didn't dare say more and replied directly, "Normally, it's evolving toward 'Tunsheng Shengti.' There might be some special functions, but no major changes. Once the mutation is complete, she won't be limited to plant spirits or human life force—the absorption rate will become incredibly terrifying."

"What about abnormally?" Yi pushed Ye Xiao's head aside and asked curiously, "In an abnormal case, how would it mutate?"

Rao Yaoyao looked over too, her face full of tension and hope.

What she hoped for was that Mu Xiaogong's constitution didn't match the mutation direction she feared.

But this time, Wang Dachui fell silent.

After a long pause, he said, "I know what you're thinking. The chances are slim, but Tunsheng Mu Ti does have the potential to evolve or mutate into those life attribute constitutions you know: Xie Yue Shengti, Da An Tian Qu, and... that unspeakable one, Zhi Sheng Mo Ti!"

Everyone's expressions changed.

Rao Yaoyao pressed, "The chances are slim—how slim?"

"Hahaha..."

Wang Dachui paused, then suddenly put his hands on his hips and laughed. "Just kidding! This girl's evolution path is set—it basically can't become Zhi Sheng Mo Ti. You're overthinking it. The only Zhi Sheng Mo Ti in the world is gone—how could there be another? Even my department can't find one!"

Rao Yaoyao and the others were so angry they nearly lashed out. Yi even jumped off Ye Xiao's shoulder, fist raised to punch.

Wang Dachui dodged quickly.

"Hey, you can't hit me!"

"Serves you right for tricking me out of a favor. From now on, don't ask for my help—you little schemer. This grudge, Wang Dachui, won't forget!"

Yi's short legs couldn't catch up with Wang Dachui's, so he just gritted his teeth and shouted, "You shorty, stand still!"

Rao Yaoyao watched the two department heads fooling around, and for some reason, her mood lightened.

As long as it's not... As long as it's not...

Just then, the usually taciturn Ye Xiao spoke again.

"What if there's another possibility: She's actually Zhi Sheng Mo Ti, but it was sealed as a spirit body, then transplanted with wood attributes to disguise as Tunsheng Mu Ti? In that case, no matter how it appears or how the constitution mutates, at its core, it would only be unsealing toward Zhi Sheng Mo Ti?"

Wang Dachui, who had been joyfully hopping around, suddenly froze in mid-air, as if space itself had been halted.

Yi crashed right into his back with a thud, wincing in pain.

Rao Yaoyao's pupils shrank, and she whipped her head around in disbelief toward Ye Xiao. "You..."

Wang Dachui stiffly turned his head.

He was first shocked that Ye Xiao had said so many words at once.

Second, horrified by the content.

Seeing Wang Dachui's reaction, Rao Yaoyao's heart leaped into her throat. She shouted, "Wang Dachui! Is that possible?!"

The void fell silent.

Wang Dachui said nothing.

Even Yi's raised fist hung in the air, afraid to strike.

"Don't joke around!" Rao Yaoyao said sternly, fearing another prank.

But this was too serious—Wang Dachui clearly didn't dare joke. After pondering Ye Xiao's words, he swallowed hard and forced out, "Yes!"

"Possible?" Rao Yaoyao's breath stopped.

Wang Dachui opened his mouth, hesitated, and after a long while, trembled as he said, "It could be zero... or it could be... one hundred percent."