“You have to start over.”

Guan Zhenyan gave him this answer only after Sage asked a few more times, making him bow his head and display some conviction. Sage was reluctant, feeling that he was only a few steps away from begging. He had no issues scraping his belly on the ground to flatter someone for a business transaction, but in those instances he’d chosen to initiate the exchange. They’d also been quite some time ago, and as he grew stronger, his pride followed suit. He had a suspicion it was caused by the fusion with the Winged Snake Worm, it was descended from Ruanfu as well as a few other creatures and was only barely within his range of things he could link with.

“What do you mean, start over? Start over what, cultivation?”

Sage was chained, muzzled, and usually had a face like stone, but even he couldn’t help but convey how crazy Guan Zhenyan sounded with the look in his eyes. Was the man truly saying he’d need to start cultivating from scratch without the Seed of Life? Did he want it for himself? Was it even possible to get the Seed of Life back now that it had sprouted? Sage certainly didn’t think so, none of the sources he’d read said it was possible.

“Your body. I told you it was a mess, didn’t I? We’ll need a Liberator Butterfly, but judging from the mess you’ve made, you probably already got one in the past. You’re going to build a new body, one that isn’t terrible.”

Sage nodded as Guan Zhenyan mentioned the butterfly, though he was cautious of being told to change his body. He was quite proud of his body and the choices he’d made to pack in useful abilities!

“So, the first step shall be to allow me to link our minds.”

“Wait. Do what?”

Guan Zhenyan had already mentioned the Insect Immortal Index before, so Sage was immediately wary of some sort of modified version. Having a beast body himself, if Guan Zhenyan wiped his mind, perhaps there was some special form of the Merge technique that could allow him to take Sage’s body.

“I’ll need to scan your body inside and out to get a true measure of your condition. More importantly, I can assist you during the Chrysalis process to help you form a more optimal form, and also know what you’re lacking. That will make it much easier to find the Spirit Insects and Animals that will give you the greatest enhancement.”

“Huh? You want to help me? Earning my freedom by allowing you to make me stronger? That definitely sounds like a trick to me. You probably just need to link minds so you can steal all my secrets or turn me into a slave. Wouldn’t linking minds put me completely at your mercy?”

“It can. Hence why we have reached this impasse. Until I can figure out a way to get you to form the link willingly, you’ll just have to stay chained up here. I’m not just going to let my investment run off on me.”

“What could I have that could interest you? You’re far more powerful than me, so what use would I be? You wish for me to hand over everything from the Universe Ring? Or maybe you want to get to my Ancestor? Despite being the reason why I was being hunted, you should know that I'm not actually great with Seals.”

He didn’t mention the many unusual devices he’d created. It was also a point of suspicion for why he’d be wanted, but he was worried that might lead to an odd line of questioning so he kept mum.

“Do you know how difficult it is to find someone with an excess of Spirit Power? Most of the geniuses with great Spirit Power also have exceedingly high levels of talent and all the Sect hide them better than their life savings. I’m also not great enough of a personage to take the best recruits from the Royal Court. Even better, your Spirit Power was a byproduct of the Seed of Life, which you’ve even sprouted already. That means you’ve already overcome the biggest hurdle and while you might currently be a bit of a mess, you aren’t beyond correction.”

While Sage was pondering what Guan Zhenyan had said, the man took another puff from his pipe and sent a smile at the chained up beast, “Most importantly, you have a set of Poison Meridians which will make you the perfect test subject.”

The serpent’s body recoiled, pulling back away from the slovenly dressed fellow. Guan Zhenyan merely laughed, “Haha. You’re two for the price of one. How could I pass up such a great deal? A disciple as well as a perfect poison tester. The only snag is getting you to agree to a mental link. It’s no big deal really, I’m sure I’ll think of something within a few years. A suitable treasure should pop up in an auction sooner or later.”

Sage was not liking the sound of that. This was the sort of situation he had been fearful of back in the Shou Empire. He didn’t wish to be a servant of Demonic Beasts, but the other option was a complete mystery. On the other hand, either party could have been lying to him, but if that were the case why were they taking their time to speak with him? If they didn’t care at all they could have just ignored him or forced him to do what they wished. It was hard to tell whether Guan Zhenyan was lying, telling the truth, or even just teasing him.

“This is definitely a difficult situation. If I was an idiot then you might have said all of that to lure me into a trap. On the other hand, if you think I’m clever you would know I wouldn’t fall for such a simple ploy. Since you know my history, you would likely know I’m not foolish enough to be tricked, but you told me anyway. Unless of course you knew I would be thinking that way and so you wish me to think you’re telling the truth because there would be no other reason to tell me.”

What is wrong with me? Death is on the line and now I’ve suddenly become sicilian?

“You definitely need more rest.”

Guan Zhenyan didn’t give him the chance to speak anymore, a puff of smoke flew to Sage’s face and he instantly felt extremely drowsy. There was only time to recall that the man had proclaimed himself as a Poison Master before sleep overtook Sage. He woke later and found that his muzzle had been removed, but the rest of the chains were intact. He’d also been moved indoors. He found himself in a large room, a necessity given his size, and while there weren’t any bars, there were a pair of guards outside the door. There was a large platter of meat waiting in front of him and it was still nice and hot, as if they knew exactly when he was going to wake up. Sage wasn’t surprised, Guan Zhenyan seemed extremely powerful, so it was only fitting that he had such great timing.

After finishing his meal, Sage had to think about what he was going to do. It was no wonder he’d been confused earlier, it truly was a tricky situation. There were many things that could only be done with a willing subject. For all he knew, this man could even be working together with those fellows from the Shou Empire. There were any number of plots that could be at work, and he really didn’t have anything to fall back upon. On the other hand, his instincts were telling him to trust Guan Zhenyan. Just like they’d led him to avoid the Shou Empire, they were now telling him to stay on the path. Even with so many reasons to doubt, he chose to follow his gut.

“I agree to link minds.”