Chapter Twenty-Four: Analysis

In the early hours, as always, Chen Hongxu reached out to silence his alarm the moment it rang, sprang up with a swift motion, and sat cross-legged in quiet cultivation. After two hours had passed, he slowly opened his eyes, but unlike usual, he didn’t go out to exercise. Instead, he leaned back against the wall, following the flow of his breath, and called back the spirit of the soldier who had been dragged away by Xue Xi to keep her company.

“There are some things I think I need to understand more clearly,” he said.

The soldier spirit yawned, resisting the urge to complain about Xue Xi’s terrible sleeping habits. She pursed her lips, flipped her hand and produced a toothpick, placing it in her mouth with a roguish air. “Go ahead,” she replied.

“Am I really that capable?” Chen Hongxu asked earnestly.

She blinked, seemingly caught off guard for a moment, and then grew indignant, pointing at him. “You woke me up so early just to have me praise you? How did I never realize you were so narcissistic?”

He froze for half a second, caught between laughter and tears. “No, it’s just that after the trip to Japan, I realized I’m not as formidable as I imagined. There are so many things I can’t ask anyone else, and since we’re familiar, I thought I’d ask you.”

“I see.” The soldier spirit scratched her head, gathering her thoughts before explaining. “You started late, but your current achievements are already impressive. For now, as long as you don’t expose yourself, you won’t attract trouble from anyone truly powerful.”

“Isn’t Su Xiaoxiao a person?” Chen Hongxu immediately retorted. He had learned from Fan Caobao that Su Xiaoxiao was gravely wounded, yet despite being half-dead, he still couldn’t gauge her, which made him anxious.

“Inheritors are exceptions among exceptions, but given her determination to obtain the vertical eye, I roughly understand what her inheritance is,” the soldier spirit explained. “Let me first tell you what an inheritor is. Ignorance is frightening...”

She assumed an air of deep suffering. “Take China, for example—a nation of ancient civilization, naturally rich in inheritances, including the twelve zodiac, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism... Inheritance is divided into two types: artifacts and intent.”

“I should count as intent, right?” Chen Hongxu mused.

She shook her head, though didn’t argue, and continued, “Artifact inheritance naturally passes down divine weapons, but everything has its time, so this kind of inheritance is the easiest to break—things always eventually deteriorate. Intent inheritance is like yours: you gain memories and cultivate according to them. Of course, your situation is special, since it's the military lineage. It has been continuously passed down for thousands of years, never once broken—just rarely surfacing in recent times.”

“Never broken?”

She nodded. “Ancient generals renowned for their prowess, as far as I know, all cultivated the military discipline. Whether they obtained the military embryo is unknown. Otherwise, do you think charging through thousands of troops and taking an enemy’s head is so easy? When two armies face off, even the killing aura alone is unbearable for ordinary inheritors.”

“Cultivating the military discipline makes one of the military lineage, and thus an inheritor, but not in the orthodox sense. Only by obtaining both the military embryo and the discipline can one be a true inheritor.”

“So, hearing you say this, I inherit both artifact and intent, and the military artifact doesn’t fade with time?” Chen Hongxu asked uncertainly.

She nodded. “That’s roughly correct.”

“But with everything you’ve said, why do I still feel like I can’t match Su Xiaoxiao?”

“What you lack is time. She’s an inheritor too and has clearly cultivated longer than you,” the soldier spirit considered carefully. “But don’t think inheritors are invincible. All inheritance is passed down from others, so even if you reach perfection, you only attain heights others have already reached. Besides, those people weren’t necessarily so formidable—they all died in the end...”

“Enough with the useless talk. Analyze for me: if I really went all out against Su Xiaoxiao, what are my chances?” Chen Hongxu interrupted. He cared little for ancient predecessors; Su Xiaoxiao had threatened to assassinate him at any time.

“The vertical eye is something ordinary inheritors rarely use. Though this is a replica, if wielded well, its power is immense.” The soldier spirit pondered a moment. “From my study of Su Xiaoxiao’s demeanor, she’s most likely the inheritor of the Snake among the twelve zodiac, probably already a ninth-level master—she could kill you in minutes.”

She glanced at the demoralized Chen Hongxu, smiled, and continued, “But you needn’t worry. She avoided missions in Europe to conceal herself, so her injuries must be quite severe, likely putting her strength on par with yours. And after being outmaneuvered by you at the Spring Shrine, she’s probably even more wounded. She won’t recover quickly.”

Chen Hongxu looked skeptical.

“Do you think Su Xiaoxiao likes you?” the soldier spirit suddenly asked.

“She’d rather chop me up and feed me to the dogs—how could she possibly like me?” Chen Hongxu rolled his eyes.

“Exactly. She’s ninth-level, you’re fifth-level—a gap of four levels. Even with your military embryo projection, it’s not enough. In short, you’re completely outmatched. She doesn’t like you, hates you deeply, and has the power to overwhelm you. So why do you think you’re still alive?”

Chen Hongxu thought for a moment. During the Japan trip, he’d always been on guard against Su Xiaoxiao, but if she truly wanted to kill him and had the power, she’d have had plenty of opportunities. The fact he was still alive meant she couldn’t defeat him by brute force.

“Haha!” Realizing that the threat posed by Su Xiaoxiao was temporarily resolved, Chen Hongxu laughed happily, got up from bed, dressed, and went out to buy breakfast for Xue Xi.

The soldier spirit held in her hand an ornament resembling an eye, gazing at Chen Hongxu’s bustling figure and sighed, “Trouble may have only just begun!”

At seven in the morning, Xue Xi woke promptly, anxiously opened the door, and looked suspiciously at Chen Hongxu and the soldier spirit already sitting on the sofa watching the morning news. She questioned, “Soldier spirit, did you sneak back to Chen Hongxu’s body while I was asleep last night?”

Chen Hongxu rolled his eyes. What was always going on in this girl’s head?

Realizing she’d been a bit rash, Xue Xi stuck out her tongue and hurried back to the room to wash up.

After Xue Xi finished grooming and breakfast—forty minutes later—Chen Hongxu glanced at the clock. It was already seven forty. Today was the first day of the new term, and it was best not to be late, even if Xue Xi’s influence protected him. Being overly unconventional or challenging the rules wasn’t wise.

“School’s starting!” As they reached the school gates, Xue Xi shouted, then smiled sweetly and turned to Chen Hongxu. “I’ll come find you at lunch and give you a surprise!”

“Surprise?” Chen Hongxu looked up, but Xue Xi had already scampered off, turning back with a playful face and waving her hand high.

He withdrew his gaze, narrowed his eyes, and surveyed the campus, murmuring, “The final year…”