He's in this planet?

Under the dim lights in the lobby of the apartment, Derick and Jerry walked toward the apartment room. Derick, tall and broad, led the way. Jerry, smaller and wiry, followed nervously.

"Young Master said today's the perfect chance to get rid of Lin Xuanyu's body," Derick said, his voice low.

Jerry nodded. "Yeah, with the funeral on the Lin Clans' main planet in twelve hours, everyone's distracted. This is the best time to deal with the body and disappear."

Derick grunted. "We got lucky before. The Lin Clan experts almost caught us, but Lin Yuan and his subordinates vouched for us. If not for them, we'd be dead."

Jerry exhaled. "Now that things have calmed down, we can finally finish the job."

They stopped at the apartment door. Derick grabbed the knob, pausing.

"Let's get this done," Jerry urged.

Derick nodded and slowly opened the door. As it creaked open, he froze. 

"What's wrong?" Jerry asked, confused.

His large frame blocked Jerry's view.

Derick didn't reply. He was trembling.

"H-he…T-that..." Derick stammered.

"He?" Jerry pushed past him to look. What he saw made him stop cold.

In the middle of the room sat a man.

He was handsome, with short black hair and glowing blue eyes. His grin was cold and mocking.

"Welcome to my tiny little apartment, my most trusted subordinates," the man said, his voice had a casual tone in it.

???

Jerry's mind short-circuited.

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

A shocked and fearful look stretched across his face as countless thoughts ran through his mind. He vividly recalled the scene where he had hit Lin Xuanyu's face over and over until it was unrecognizable.

Immediately, he wanted to believe that what appeared in front of him was just an illusion. But looking at his big brother, frozen in place, made that impossible.

"R-RUN!" Derick shouted in panic. The only thought in his mind was to escape as far as possible.

Suddenly, a cold chill ran down their necks, like the feeling of a knife pressed against their skin.

Before they could act, Lin Xuanyu's voice rang out again.

"Move a single step backward, and your head will roll to the floor."

He flashed them a big smile.

"But if you take a step forward, you'll be safe. I promise I won't do anything to you."

The air grew heavier, and their bodies froze, unable to decide whether to believe his words or run for their lives.

"Y-Young Master Lin..." Jerry called out in panic.

"Yes, Jerry?" Lin Xuanyu tilted his head and replied.

"Why are you both shaking?" he asked, laughing lightly and gesturing toward them. "Come inside. It's chilly outside, isn't it? I'll get you both a warm glass of water."

It was almost as if he wasn't the same person who had threatened them moments ago.

Jerry nodded quickly and nudged Derick, who was still in a trance. He gestured for him to go inside.

Derick looked terrified but obeyed. They could still feel the cold presence at their necks. They had no choice but to comply.

As cultivators just a step away from Core Formation, they knew exactly what that chilling sensation was. It was the unmistakable power of legendary sword intent.

But how is using it outside his body?!

Lin Xuanyu gestured to the small room. "Considering this is a tiny apartment, there's only one chair. I usually use it, so sorry for the inconvenience!" He smiled apologetically.

Moments later, he approached them with two glasses of water, smiling warmly. "Here, have some water."

Derick froze as a memory struck him.

He vividly remembered the time he personally poisoned the man now standing before him. The scene of Lin Xuanyu's lifeless body flashed before his eyes. His expression turned ugly, and Jerry's face mirrored his own fear and guilt.

Seeing their reactions, a cold glint flashed in Lin Xuanyu's eyes. His smile didn't waver, but his tone grew sharper. "What? Does this remind you of something? Hm?"

Both of them, shaking, took the glasses from Lin Xuanyu's hands and drank them in one gulp. Considering they had watched him pour the water personally, they doubted it was poisoned.

After they drank, Lin Xuanyu happily collected the glasses and placed them on the kitchen counter.

He then walked back to the chair and sat down with a glass of cola in his hand. He then turned to them. "Hurry up and come over, and sit on the floor," he said.

"On the floor?" Derick asked, uncertain.

"Yes," Lin Xuanyu nodded with a smile. "That's right, on the floor. I don't like subspecies like you standing above me."

Both of them were shook after seeing his smile, and they felt a small tug from the sword intent on their necks. They silently and shakingly sat down a distance right below Lin Xuanyu's chair.

"I'm sure that you both have many questions," Lin Xuanyu said as he sipped on his cola. "Unfortunately, you both aren't in a position to question me."

Both of them trembled slightly but didn't say anything.

"If I wanted to, I could kill you right here, right now," Lin Xuanyu said. "But I won't do that. After all, I'm not cold-blooded like you both."

He then lifted his hand and showed two fingers at them. "You guys have options."

"One, die," Lin Xuanyu calmly said.

This made them shake and look at Lin Xuanyu with terror.

Didn't he just say he wouldn't kill them? Why was he suddenly talking about dying?!

Lin Xuanyu smirked. "Or option two, spill everything. How and why you did it, and what brought you here today."

Of course, he knew why they were here, how they did it, and why they did it. What he wanted to know was about where Lin Yuan was.

This was a roundabout way of asking where Lin Yuan might be. If he asked directly, they might lie and set a trap for him. By asking like this, they might reveal everything. If what they said didn't match his information, he would kill them—although not in his apartment. He didn't want to deal with the mess.

"Think about it carefully." Lin Xuanyu says with a smile, "I'll give you ten seconds to decide!" 

Both of them were taken aback when they heard this.

How were they going to decide in 10 seconds?

Lin Xuanyu started looking at them with a bored expression and then said, "Alright, time's up. What's your decision?"

???

It hasn't even been 5 seconds though?

Jerry screamed internally. However, he had already reached a conclusion.

He looked at Derick, and Derick nodded at him. They turned to Lin Xuanyu and said, "We're willing!"

"Good," Lin Xuanyu said with a grin. "Now, tell me everything."

Jerry started recounting everything, while Derick occasionally added some words.

He explained that it was all for Lin Yuan—to let him take his place in the marriage with Lia. Lin Yuan had promised them a potion that could cleanse their bodies of impurities left behind by the pills they had taken to reach their current stage.

To begin refining their bodies and forming their first core, one must be free of any spiritual material waste.

That was why they did it.

They were willing to do anything to reach Core Formation, a huge leap in both life level and strength!

After they attempted the murder, they quickly returned to the main planet to avoid drawing too much attention or getting caught.

They came back today on Lin Yuan's orders to collect Lin Xuanyu's body and bring it to him before destroying it.

Hearing this, Lin Xuanyu leaned back, "This Lin Yuan... he sure is a weirdo."

He was speechless for a moment.

Why did he want to see his body before destroying it? 

Did he have some weird tendencies?

Jerry then added nervously, "Lin Yuan is on this planet at the moment."

Hearing this Lin Xuanyu froze, then a cold smile appeared on his face.

Checkmate!