Outside the storage room, Zixin stood, his gaze low as he pondered: How am I supposed to gain the wolf's trust? Is there something that it believes?
Suddenly, his eyes flashed with a glint of realization, his lips curving into a faint smile.
"Prove my perseverance, huh?" Zixin muttered, clenching his fist in excitement.
However, he soon regained his composure, his thoughts clashing in a flash: However, isn't this heavily dependent on both time and luck? The wolf will only have so much time left before it eventually fades away, but even then, the certainty of its cooperation is… doubtful to say the least.
Zixin sighed, muttering under his breath, "It seems every visit must be worth the time and effort; otherwise, it would simply be a waste of both my limited time and effort."
He quickly shook his head, pushing the door open. The door creaked open, revealing the inside. After stepping inside, Zixin immediately noticed the change inside the room.
"No change. So Fang Hau didn't come here?"
Zixin rubbed his eyes, stepping closer towards the rotting wolf corpse. He took out a handkerchief, wrapping it around his hand as he stretched it forward, his mind splitting, entering the White Palace as the killing intent surged through his hand, rushing into his mind and entering the White Palace.
Within the White Palace were doors, a maze made of doors. Wooden doors stood beside one another, and behind each was another row of doors.
Zixin's mind, on the other hand, hid somewhere inside this maze, carefully observing the wolf's actions.
The killing intent surged like a fog and split itself apart into multiple clones, each rushing through different doors, searching for any traces left by Zixin.
Zixin bit his lips, thinking to himself: It's already using its might this early on? I suppose that aligns with their nature, to use full force during a hunt–no, in this case, it would be revenge. The only monster that doesn't do this would be the Wolf Lord, but that's because it has a greater intellect compared to its subordinates.
A faint memory belonging to Wolf Lord soon surfaced inside his mind:
The Wolf Lord stood tall, its gaze sweeping past its subordinates. Some wore an excited expression, whilst others wore heavy looks.
Right after its ascension, the Wolf Lord fought like a storm, gaining the trust of its kin. However, even with its great achievements, not all chose to follow it.
A group of wolves howled, stating their disgust with the Wolf Lord and thus, leaving as a result. The Wolf Lord, on the other hand, chose to let them leave, after all, they are kin, but also to show their weakness. Without the Wolf Lord's control, the wolves that left would be leaderless, becoming weaker. But even if one stepped up to the task, their numbers would greatly dwindle, leading to their extermination. And these wolves would end up as an example of the risks of leaving the Wolf Lord's side.
Zixin's eyes lit up once an idea came to him: Can't I use this information to my advantage? Is this wolf an outcast? If so, then I may have just found the answer to my breakthrough. But, I can't exactly be obvious either; subtlety is the key.
Zixin quickly tossed the thought aside, thinking: Sigh, I aim to obtain the wolf's trust; using deceitful methods would only deepen its distrust. In other words, honesty might truly be the best policy. Plus, it's easier to be honest; after all, it's simply stating the truth.
Zixin nodded, sweeping his gaze across the maze as he watched the wolf clones search for him.
Zixin muttered, "My actions would be the last factor in persuading the wolf. Since wolves believe that actions matter the most for survival."
As Zixin pondered, the wolf's clones merged, transforming into one wolf, which clashed against the doors, tearing the maze apart.
The maze shook, Zixin's mind crumbling due to the wolf's onslaught. Zixin couched up blood, coming to a realization.
It planned to distract me whilst it was analyzing the maze. After gathering enough data, it merged its clones, breaking the weakest part of the maze. To think that it managed to understand that my mind was split across the maze, becoming the pillar that held it together, what a monster. Once Zixin understood the wolf's plan, he analyzed the downsides.
But this plan is a double-edged sword. The more it attacks, the less it will have left; after all, its remaining thoughts will be spent. Zixin bit his lips, waving his hand and letting the maze crumble under his will.
Cracks formed, spreading like wildfire before shattering under the wolf's attacks. Debris falls, creating a temporary dust cloud to cover the white void.
The wolf listened in, using all it had to search for Zixin. Its gaze shifted, eventually landing on a dark figure enshrouded by the dust clouds. The wolf ran, pouncing onto Zixin's arm without hesitation.
Zixin closed his eyes, his heart sinking into the abyss with no way out. But no matter how long he waited, he felt no pain, as though the wolf missed its target. But it couldn't possibly have done it; he was at point-blank range–he didn't even dodge, so how could it?
And thus, Zixin opened his eyes and saw the wolf knawing its way through a faint golden light which came from Zixin's clothes–his white robe!
Before he knew it, a sudden realization dawned on him: This strange robe adorned with golden ribbons was actually a mental barrier?
Since the start, whenever Zixin enters the White Palace, he would always be wearing this white robe. At first, he didn't think much of it since there was little to go on. All he knew was that based on Elmer's memories, he didn't have such clothes; in fact, he was simply a white humanoid light inside the White Palace, but for some unknown reason, Zixin had this robe. Eventually, Zixin dismissed this mystery, until now. At this very moment, the answer became clearer than ever before.
Is this a privilege of my Bloodline? I've heard that during the Ascension Ceremony, the Ruler must wear a similar outfit. Is it something engraved in our Bloodline? Sigh, there are still too many mysteries left unexplored. Zixin shook his head, nearly forgetting the wolf right in front of him.
He smiled bitterly, speaking solemnly, "It seems life was never fair. Apologies, even in my wildest dreams, I couldn't possibly imagine such an outcome."
However, his words only served to further fuel the wolf's hatred. Its fangs clenched harder, biting into the light. Zixin controlled his strength, waving his hand and sending the wolf flying.
But the wolf persevered, rushing with newfound passion and biting harder. Each attempt, however, was thwarted once Zixin chose to defend himself. Kicking and pushing the wolf away with every attempt.
The wolf halted, showing signs of fatigue. It lifted its gaze, glaring at Zixin as it howled in rage.
However, this was no ordinary howl, and Zixin knew that, as his brain translated the wolf's words. The wolf announced its hatred of those gifted by this world and the unfairness of it.
Zixin's eyes lit up, his gaze firm: This is an opportunity to persuade the wolf! I just have to…
Suddenly, Zixin's eyes dimmed, sucking the life away.
"The mental barrier comes with a cost, huh?" He spoke as his mind collapsed from exhaustion, his body lying on the floor.
…
A few hours later, Zixin woke up just as the foul scent emanating from the rotting corpse wafted through the air. Zixin squeezed his nose, rising to his feet and leaving the room in a hurry.
After closing the door shut, he sat down, his back faced against the door, whilst staring at the walls in a daze.
Zixin broke through the daze, shaking his head and wandering through the hallway, thinking to himself: How could I convince the wolf now? It's dead set on making me suffer, but I refuse to believe that there's no way out. Hmm? Wait a moment.
He paused, his lips curving slightly into a faint smile, "I suppose that could work, but it needs some supporting details."