Chapter 1436: Very Disappointed

A steaming bowl of noodles was brought to the table. After setting it down, the shop owner cleared away their previous bowls. Throughout it all, he had a bright smile on his face. These two had eaten several bowls; his noodles had to have tasted great!

Sui Gujin gently pulled the hot bowl of noodles toward her. She first picked up the bowl and took a small sip of the broth, looking graceful all throughout. Only after savoring it did she begin to eat the noodles.

For her, eating noodles was a novel experience. Eating noodles with a man? That was something she'd never done before.

She cherished her time deeply. Since she took power, the Suiming Civilization had become her everything. Each day was spent strategizing for its future, so how could she possibly find time to stroll through town and eat noodles?

If Ye Guan hadn't invited her, she wouldn't have come out here. She couldn't help but think that slowing down once in a while wasn't so bad after all.

Beside her, Ye Guan was deep in thought. Sui Gujin's words weren't exactly an epiphany for him. He had thought about her words before, but he never really pondered them.

Most people had things they would rather not confront within themselves. The reason he asked her that question today was simple—he was exhausted.

He had to find ways to become even stronger; he had to eventually face the Great Daoist Brush Master, and eventually, he would have to establish his Order. The mere thought of those daunting tasks made him feel exhausted, both physically and mentally.

He knew well that if the Great Daoist Brush Master made a move, he would be too weak to resist.

What about fighting back? He wanted to do so, of course, but as Sui Gujin had said, even if he managed to merge his three bloodlines, he would still not stand a chance against the Great Daoist Brush Master.

There was also a huge chance that the Great Daoist Brush Master had powerful backers behind him. Ye Guan truly felt helpless at the mere thought of his future, and he couldn't help but think that this was one of the side effects of aging.

Ye Guan shook his head and chuckled. "I feel like going back to the Milky Way."

Sui Gujin looked at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled. "There's no deeper meaning to it. I'm just tired. I want to rest for a while."

Sui Gujin said nothing.

Ye Guan felt a little disappointed and dejected at her silence. Then, he realized that this was his own issue. How could he expect someone else to solve it for him?

Just like she said, others would only respect someone strong and outstanding enough.

Ye Guan shook off his disappointment and smiled. "Want more?"

Sui Gujin shook her head.

Ye Guan placed an immortal crystal on the table. "Let's go, then."

The two got up and left.

Just then, the shop owner came over with a grin. "Young Master, Young Madam, did you enjoy the meal?"

"Young Madam?" Sui Gujin's brows immediately furrowed. Her natural aura of authority made the shop owner shudder.

"D-did I say something wrong, Young Madam?" stammered the shop owner.

Sensing her displeasure, Ye Guan quickly stepped in. "It's nothing. We enjoyed the meal. Please, go about your business."

With that, he pulled Sui Gujin away.

After a short walk, Sui Gujin shook off his hand, her expression frosty. The chill she emitted was palpable from three meters away.

Just then, Ye Guan pulled out a stick of candied hawthorn and offered it to her.

"Try it, this is called Dao Hawthorn, and it's from the Milky Way."

Sui Gujin ignored him.

Ye Guan smiled and coaxed her, saying, "Come on, give it a taste."

Sui Gujin ignored him and walked away.

At that, Ye Guan could only follow her helplessly.

Soon, they arrived at the Guanxuan Academy.

Sui Gujin sat down at the desk where Mu Shuo usually worked, and she scanned the documents in front of her.

Mu Shuo stood respectfully to the side, visibly nervous. In front of Sui Gujin, she felt deeply pressured. It was like Sui Gujin could see right through people.

After a moment, Sui Gujins said, "First of all, the good news—the Guanxuan Universe has become pretty stable. You've done well in that regard.

"However, when it comes to making use of the people, your performance is lacking. You're too soft and slow."

Mu Shuo hesitated before responding, "Pavilion Master Sui, I was worried about pushing too hard and causing a backlash."

"How many Great Sovereign Realm cultivators are in the Guanxuan Universe at the moment?"

"Three hundred seventy-two..."

"And from the Ten Desolate Universe?"

Mu Shuo faltered. "That's..."

Sui Gujin stared at her and said, "Do you know how much time your Academy Master has left? Not much. The Ruler Divine Temple is about to reappear, and when it does, the Great Dao Contest will begin. Countless powerful and mysterious enemies will pop up.

"When your Academy Master goes off to fight in that war, are you just going to sit back and watch?"

Before Mu Shuo could respond, Sui Gujin added, "What do you mean by backlash? Everything they have now, who gave it to them? The Academy Master gave it all to them.

"In this world, there's no such thing as taking without giving. If someone refuses to give back to the Academy Master, why keep them around?"

Mu Shuo opened her mouth but didn't speak.

Sui Gujin suddenly said, "Soul."

The space beside her rippled slightly, and a woman stepped out.

Sui Gujin said, "Put aside what you're working on. From now on, you and your team will temporarily take over the Guanxuan Inner Committee."

Soul bowed slightly and said, "As you wish."

Mu Shuo's face turned pale.

Sui Gujin's voice turned sharp. "Ideology. The people of the Guanxuan Universe have yet to unite, mindset-wise, and that is truly foolish.

"If your people can't realize that their fates are tied to the Academy Master's fate, then no matter how much the Academy Master does, it won't matter. That's human nature—give a bit, and they'll be grateful; give a lot, and they'll become resentful.

"Those who truly understand gratitude are few and far between."

Mu Shuo trembled. "Pavilion Master, please give me another chance."

"What are you talking about?" Sui Gujin looked straight at her and said, "What did I tell you the first time we met? Did you not realize that it was your chance to shine?"

Mu Shuo's voice quivered. "I..."

Sui Gujin shook her head. "It's not that you're unwilling. You just don't have the skill for it. It's a skill issue, in other words.

"You're still focused on thinking about the clans, focused only on short-term gains and survival. You can't even see the bigger picture, so how can you see the world from the Academy Master's perspective?

"Maybe you could manage a small region, but a whole universe? Not even close. For the Academy Master's sake, I'll give you one more chance, learn from my team. If you do well, stay. If not, then

I must ask you to leave."

Mu Shuo bowed deeply, grateful. "Thank you, Pavilion Master."

Sui Gujin walked to another table, swept her divine sense across the documents. Then, she turned to Soul and said, "Start with the students. They admire the Academy Master, so make sure that everyone in the Guanxuan Universe will understand one thing—the Academy Master's failure means everything they have will vanish into thin air.

"Even the Old Lands won't accept them. This isn't a threat, it's a fact."

Soul bowed. "Rest assured, Pavilion Master. I'll handle it."

Sui Gujin nodded and looked at Ye Guan. "Give me your tiny pagoda."

Ye Guan opened his palm, and the pagoda floated to her.

Sui Gujin handed it to Soul and said, "Move the Guanxuan Universe into the pagoda."

Soul took it and hesitated. "What about the spiritual energy of the Old Lands..."

Sui Gujin calmly replied, "Bring it all in."

Mu Shuo twitched when she heard that, and her eyes flickered with a complex light.

Just like that, they were about to obtain a huge chunk of the Old Lands' spiritual energy.

Soul nodded and quietly left.

Sui Gujin looked at Mu Shuo.

Mu Shuo bowed and withdrew.

Sui Gujin turned to Ye Guan and asked, "Can I criticize you?"

"Sure, but..." Ye Guan nodded. "Can you do it gently?"

Sui Gujin stood. "I'm very disappointed."

Ye Guan was stunned.

Sui Gujin's face turned cold.

Ye Guan stepped closer and said, "I know you're doing this for my sake. Say whatever you need to say, please."

"We're just temporary partners, not even friends. My words will be too harsh for your ears. If you end up failing to accept it, it'd be detrimental for both of us," Sui Gujin replied.

"Don't be like that..." Ye Guan muttered.

Sui Gujin stared deeply at him for a while before saying, "What disappoints me is your lack of decisiveness and an iron resolve. Frankly, what you're managing...this Guanxuan Universe is a joke. A loose mob.

"Without help, a lone immortal domain could sweep you away. The problem isn't just enough time; you're also a problem. You're like a child, lost in a fantasy about the future..."

Sui Gujin paused for a while before adding, "You need to understand that you're trying to build an Order. And Orders are built on mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"If you can't even unify your people, how can you stand against your enemies?"

Sui Gujin glanced at the reports and shook her head. "Look at these, they all talk about their own self-interest. The clans are scheming for their own interests.

"Without a threat to unite against, the corruption of this universe will become a nightmare. And their so-called faith in you? It's impure. Against a true powerhouse, it'll collapse instantly."

Sui Gujin became more emotional as she said, "And you better not start pointing fingers. Your enemies are strong, yes... but do you really not have any idea just how insane are the 'cheat codes' that your family bestowed upon you?

"Take that little pagoda for an example. Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's just use the Ten Desolate Universe as an example. if I were you, I'd have already built a terrifying civilization. They're weak, but if trained well and their faith in you were pure, your strength would be twenty times higher than it is today.

"But look at you... what a mess."

Sui Gujin plopped into a chair. "When we were eating earlier, you asked me that question. I knew you wanted my help. But have you considered how little we know each other? We're just temporary partners. If I were to speak too harshly, things would become unpleasant for both of us."

Just then, Little Soul exclaimed, "Lady Sui, you're correct, but our young master has some redeeming qualities, too! Like, he really likes you! Can't you feel it? I totally can!"

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.

Sui Gujin sprang up, both flustered and furious. "Y-you... what are you talking about?! And you! Something's wrong with you, too! Who made you? His aunt, right? You were forged to break all Daos and Laws, yet you were actually shattered, and multiple times at that?!"

Little Soul was dumbfounded.

"And that pagoda! That pagoda is problematic, too!"

Little Pagoda was speechless.

Before she could go on, her face flushed red, and she could feel her blood boiling inside her. Moments later, her clothes started disintegrating into ashes.

Ye Guan was alarmed. "It's your mysterious bloodline! Calm down!"

The Mad Demon Bloodline and the Mortal Bloodlines had only suppressed it temporarily, allowing it to slowly merge with Sui Gujin. However, Sui Gujin became so agitated that it was starting to awaken.

Ye Guan quickly sealed the space around them and rushed over to hold her.

"Can you suppress it?"

Sui Gujin frowned and convulsed. Even her skin cracked open, oozing blood.

The close proximity affected him as well, and his clothes were reduced to ashes by the mysterious bloodline.

He pressed his forehead against hers.

"Come on, we have to fuse," Ye Guan said, opening his sea of consciousness.

Sui Gujin stubbornly shook her head. "No."

Slap!

Ye Guan smacked her backside. "Now's not the time for pride. Stop it!"

Sui Gujin glared daggers at him, eyes blazing.

Knowing she responded better to a soft approach, Ye Guan gently said, "I'm sorry. I won't make you mad again."

Seeing the beaded sweat on his forehead, Sui Gujin's heart wavered. Still, she turned her head away.

Ye Guan pulled her into a soft embrace, and his voice trembled as he said, "I know that if not for my aunt and father, you wouldn't be here with me. You wouldn't get involved with me at all. Just fuse with me for now.

"Once you've recovered, I'll set you free..."

After a moment of silence, Sui Gujin entered his sea of consciousness.

The mysterious bloodline changed vessels, and Ye Guan convulsed. His figure emanated a crimson glow, and he was instantly consumed by pain.

Even while enduring the pain, Ye Guan conjured a dress to cover her, and then he rolled far away. With his defenses down, the Mad Demon Bloodline and the mysterious bloodline would become uncontrollable, so anything could happen.

Sui Gujin turned to see him writhing in agony not far away.

Upon seeing that, Sui Gujin's vision briefly became blurry.