Arrogance Of Prince

"Huh… so interesting."

Before Ray could react, the woman suddenly extended her hand and touched his forehead with her index finger.

What is she doing now? Ray frowned but didn't move, not that he could.

Her icy-blue eyes scanned him with curiosity. "Yes… just as I thought. You really don't have a single speck of Qi in your body. No spiritual energy, no special physique… and of course, a rare case of a spiritual root is impossible, considering you don't even have Qi in your body."

She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"For a moment, I assumed you had some special technique or a high-level magic item that was hiding your presence from my senses. But no… you are truly Qi-less. Completely energy-less."

Her words carried both curiosity and intrigue.

Then, with a simple snap of her fingers

Ray suddenly felt a shift. His head was free.

The restriction on his body was still there, but now, he could move his head slightly, blink, and even speak. Everything else remained frozen.

He let out a slow sigh, his gaze calm as he looked at the woman standing before him.

Who is this crazy lunatic? Ray thought to himself.

The woman raised a brow at his reaction. "Huh. You're not scared?"

Ray scoffed lightly. Should I be?

"Can't you see the situation I'm in?" he replied flatly. "I'm completely restrained, and you're standing here monologuing about how weird my existence is. You have total control over me. If you wanted to kill me, you could do it anytime. So why should I waste my energy panicking?"

The woman's lips curled into a smirk. Interesting.

"Not even a flicker of fear," she mused. "Most people would be trembling by now. You, on the other hand, are sighing as if this is some minor inconvenience."

Ray sighed again, visibly irritated. There we go again. Another self-absorbed cultivator.

"What do you want, crazy woman?" he asked bluntly. "Don't come near me, and why are you so free that you have time to harass a mortal? Have some standards and fight someone your own level."

Get a life

For the first time, her calm demeanor almost faltered.

Crazy woman? how dare he

The silver-haired woman's eyebrows twitched slightly with irritation.

When was the last time someone dared to call her crazy?

And in that tone, no less?

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "You really think I won't kill you? Or do you think you have some way to escape my grasp while you're under my watchful eyes and constraints?"

Ray clenched his jaw. His face grew red not from fear, but from anger.

When was the last time he.. Ray Darkheart, prince of the Primordial Imperial Family was disrespected like this?

To be controlled like a prisoner and then mocked?

He refused to bow.

He refused to plead for mercy.

He had already died once. What's the worst that could happen?

The woman's expression flickered with surprise.

She could see it the arrogance in his eyes, the unyielding pride, the kind of defiance no mere mortal should have.

And yet, there it was.

A man, fully restrained, still staring back at her with absolute defiance.

Fascinating.

She smirked. This mortal… he's entertaining.

With an amused tone, she finally said, "Hey, kid, don't take it to heart. I'm just a passerby. Got interested when I saw so many low-grade spiritual weapons scattered around. Then I found you, standing here with an Adept-level magic beast on your neck."

She crossed her arms. "At first, I thought you were in trouble, so I restrained the space. But then… I got curious. An empty, trash constitution like yours, yet possessing an Adept-level magic beast as an obedient pet?"

She looked into his eyes, intrigued. "That's quite the mystery."

Ray rolled his eyes.

"Oh, whatever. Just free me, and I'll forgive you after you apologize," he said, his tone completely serious.

The woman blinked.

Then, she grinned.

"Apologize?" she repeated, tilting her head as if she had misheard him.

Ray nodded. "Yes. You've wasted my time, trapped me for no reason, and insulted me. It's only fair."

she didn't get angry but more interegued

The woman chuckled, rubbing her chin. "Mmm… no. I won't do that."

Ray narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why not?"

She took a slow step closer, her smirk widening.

"Now I'm even more interested," she said, her icy-blue eyes gleaming. "A mortal, looking at me with killing intent and speaking like an equal? That's amusing. Do you really think I'd allow it?"

Ray fell silent for a few seconds.

Yes… he was just a mortal now.

Not a prince.

Not an heir to an empire.

And she? She was a cultivator.

And cultivators had egos bigger than planets.

They worked day and night, pushing their limits, struggling through countless hardships to gain power.

If someone of a lower level let alone a mere mortal dared to look down on them, that was more than enough reason to kill.

Ray sighed internally. Yeah… she's right.

But that didn't mean he would bend.

I don't want to die this early.

He had just gotten this new body.

He had an unimaginably powerful system.

It would be a waste to throw it away here.

He could always take his revenge later.

For now, he just had to end this conversation and get out of here.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Ray finally looked up at her.

The woman watched him silently, not interfering, letting him think.

"So," she finally said, "what do you have to offer kid? Maybe something that can make me change my mind?"

She smirked. "Everything runs on equivalent value, after all."

She was enjoying this.

Ray, still unable to move his lower body, kept his face straight, his expression serious.

His lips parted.

His words were firm.

"First and most important thing."

The woman's ears perked slightly.

She leaned in, intrigued. "Oh? Let's hear it then."

Ray's obsidian-black eyes locked onto hers.

"Don't dare call me 'kid.'"

The air grew still.

Her expression stiffened slightly.

Ray exhaled slowly.

"My name is Ray. Ray Darkheart."

His voice carried undeniable authority.

"Call me 'kid' again… and there will be nothing between us."

Silence.

The woman's eye twitched.

Black lines appeared on her forehead.

This damn mortal…

She had expected him to beg.

To plead.

To offer something of actual value.

Instead…

Instead, he set conditions.

She exhaled deeply, rubbing her temples.

"…What a pain."

She swore, she had never met someone this arrogant before.

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