Absolute Choice
chapter-455

Speechless had never met Sunless in person during the trials prior to this. But the girl who had the famous title of being the best swordsmen in the younger generation and labeled as a sword fanatic, had nonetheless caught his attention even if he was lofty in personality and scoffed at genius peers his age. Even before entering the Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower, he had specifically taken a look at the contestant details provided by his organization.

As Sunless was ranked third in the official forecast, the organization had definitely spent more effort in gathering information about her, as well as describe her in detail.

Her background, when she became the old God of Swords' disciple, whatever competitions she had participated in, at what age she gained insight to Sword Intent and Sword Truth was information that was easily obtained. So they were naturally included in the report, but what garnered Speechless's interest was the subjective description the organization had of Sunless.

The information read—

"Sunless Ye, a fanatic whose Sword Truth and obsession are born from swordplay. She can be considered a genuine sword fanatic, one that is rarely seen in a century. Although she is a sword fanatic, she is not an idiot. Her day-to-day actions are no different from a normal person's. However, she shows a lack of concern for anything other than swords when compared to normal people. To her, the world is constructed out of swords and non-sword matter."

"But strangely, despite having such an inhumane way of looking at things, her emotional quotient is not low. She almost never takes the initiative to converse with others. If family members or friends of family strike a conversation with her, she would ignore them in 90% of situations, but there are still situations where she would answer very tersely. These answers are usually worth pondering over."

"Sunless does not hate the world outside the world of swords, but she does not have the intention to take the initiative to make contact with it. Her intelligence and emotional quotient aren't low, and she is different from typical genius and retards. She is cold, but she never belittles others. Therefore, it can be inferred that although she is in her teens, her maturity might exceed many adults."

"However, her maturity comes from an understanding of the world. She greatly values swords, but she does not belittle things outside of swords. There is probably no existence in this world other than swords that can cause her to waver. It can then be boldly assumed that even when faced with the different choice of choosing the survival of her elder brother or father, she would be able to calmly make the most rational judgment."

This piece of information left a deep impression on Speechless. Especially that bold assumption at the end of the information which left him surprised.

Could this teenage girl really be able to calmly choose the life and death of her loved ones?

The description seemed to be filled with contradictions, but they sufficiently depicted an image of a person with a monstrous maturity and sword-obsessed fanatic. It was fresh on Speechless's mind.

But at that moment in time, after seeing Sunless in person and seeing how she attacked like a stomp, Speechless began to doubt if he had gotten false information.

What happened to her being mature and how she wouldn't waver for anything other than swords?

Sunless' present state clearly looked like something important to her had been snatched away. She was disregarding everything in order to snatch it back and she looked somewhat crazy.

Speechless could not help but shout, "Hey, is that the real Sunless Ye? Why is it that she is completely different from what the rumors say about her?". He reflected oddly aloud.

Speechless was obviously not the only person who had such thoughts, but there was clearly someone who knew the truth.

"The power of love."

Mu Yuesheng said softly. After saying that, she used 'Lightning Flashstep' and charged towards the intense battle. Having seen Sunless's abnormal response, she was jolted awake from the disbelief that 'Shi Xiaobai had been killed'. She realized that the Level Lord in front of her needed to be quickly defeated to learn the truth.

The others also began to react. They naturally wouldn't sit idle with the ongoing battle. Even though the opponent was a Level Lord, it was impossible for them to retreat. The few of them exchanged looks before proceeding forward as they rushed towards Field Marshal Awesomo.

Only a stunned Speechless and Pulp Farmer, who had to help support him, was left behind.

Speechless turned to look at Pulp Farmer and said with a chuckle, "Did I hear wrong? Did Yuesheng say...the power of love?"

Pulp Farmer looked at Speechless's left chest which was slowly recovering, but there was still a wound about the size of half a fist. He helplessly gave up on the urge to join the battle. With the rest gone, the responsibility of protecting the heavily injured Speechless landed on him.

Pulp Farmer hesitated for a moment before he answered Speechless's question. "You didn't hear wrong. Although it's hard to believe, the once pure sword fanatic has probably become a blossoming young girl who has gone blind from love. Sunless's personality is different from normal people. It's not easy for her to fall in love, but the moment she does, she would become crazier than anyone else. In the beginning, she only had eyes for swords. Her obsession with swords is known throughout the country, but now, there is an additional Shi Xiaobai in her eyes."

Speechless was stunned before he clicked his tongue, "Did that rascal, Shi Xiaobai, become some homme fatale? It's so strange. That rascal's looks are ordinary and he has an odd personality. Even though his talent is not bad, and he is rather strong, and that bit of personal charm, but it shouldn't go as far as..."

Speechless could not help but feel mixed emotions. According to his observations, his two sisters had a certain degree of affection for Shi Xiaobai. Mu Yuesheng's affection for him was rather mild and it was not a romantic one. It was mostly from gratitude and respect, so the chances of her 'liking' him were rather low. As for his blood sister, Mu Lengxi, her situation seemed problematic. The way she looked at Shi Xiaobai was clearly like a pure and innocent girl that had her feelings blooming.

If he added on Sunless, who disregarded everything, and Dawn, whose massacring obsession wavered, as well as that girlfriend of unknown existence, he knew from his two encounters with Shi Xiaobai that the number of girls that were affectionate to him or more numbered five!

Furthermore, it was very possibly only the tip of the iceberg!

Speechless, who had no lack of a bevy of admirers awaiting his favor from a young age, found it unbelievable. That was because the girls that had affections for Shi Xiaobai were no ordinary girls.

Speechless muttered to himself, "Indeed, that rascal might seem harmless on the surface, but he is actually a love expert that entrenches himself with every step..."

Pulp Farmer frowned slightly and said, "Sorry for me not being able to agree with your words. Although I have not known Shi Xiaobai for a long period of time, I can tell that Shi Xiaobai is a genuine person who thinks and acts in one and the same way. That rascal might at times have an intelligence of a monster that had lived for thousands of years, and at times, he might be so impassioned that he resembles a pure idiot, but what is rare about it is that the contradicting sides of him are both real. They come directly from the heart."

"He is smarter than anyone, so he can see how the world is filled with a darkness more than anyone. However, his eyes have always been filled with light. He clearly can see through evil, but yet he still firmly believes in good. That is the adorable thing about that rascal. And to Sunless, who can also see through the world but chooses to ignore it, Shi Xiaobai is an existence she is unable to emulate but one she longs for. It's not a coincidence that she likes him nor was it by design, but a necessary outcome."

Speechless was left dumbfounded for a moment before he gave Pulp Farmer a serious look. After that, he said with a grin, "You looked like a boor, but who knew that you had such keen observation skills and to be so meticulous. You are able to see one's essence normal people can't. It looks like you 'like' Shi Xiaobai and Sunless, but the 'like' is probably different, right? However, you acknowledge it from the bottom of your heart that it is a necessary outcome, so you chose to give up from the very beginning."

Pulp Farmer's eyebrows immediately knitted even closer together. His expression looked slightly uglier as he repressed his anger and said in a solemn voice, "Shi Xiaobai's situation is unknown, while Sunless and company are engaging in a perilous battle with the Level Lord, yet you still have the mood to make such a meaningless joke?"

Speechless pricked up his eyebrows and said with a chuckle, "Don't worry. That rascal, Shi Xiaobai is still alive. Furthermore, he neither will nor can die. He must be jumping around alive and well somewhere and shouting 'This King, This King'."

Pulp Farmer said angrily, "What are you basing on to make such an irresponsible conclusion?"

Speechless looked at Pulp Farmer and with a calm gaze and serious tone, he said, "Because...he is Shi Xiaobai."

Pulp Farmer was immediately left stunned.

Speechless suddenly took a step forward and shunned Pulp Farmer's support. He cast his gaze at the intense battle in the distance as he slowly lifted his right hand towards the wound on his left chest that was the size of half a fist.

"However, you are right. Now is indeed not the time to joke. It's best to end this farce as soon as possible."

Speechless' tone had a carefree and mocking tone, but what his hand had done shocked Pulp Farmer agape.

He saw Speechless slowly reach his right hand into the cavity in his left chest. Suddenly, he clasped the healing but mangled flesh and began forcefully pinching it!

Such a form of pinching was not self-mutilation, but a special technique used to stimulate the body's natural ability to accelerate healing. However, what was receiving such treatment was soft and weak flesh. There were lots of delicate nerves in the flesh and by pinching it so forcefully, it was obvious how intense the pain would be.

"Are you crazy!?"

Pulp Farmer roared as he took a step forward and stretched out his hand to stop Speechless, but when he saw Speechless's face, he was left astound in his spot.

That calm and completely normal looking face had nothing other than calmness. Despite enduring an excruciating pain, he did not even winch nor produce a drop of sweat. He calmly ravaged on the flesh that did not seem to be part of his body.

Why?

"Why are you able to remain so calm?"

"Because it does not hurt at all."

The calm response did not sound like he was forcing it at all. The calmness struck Pulp Farmer like a bolt of lightning. He was left stunned in his spot as his body began trembling.

Speechless turned his head slightly and gave a faint smile before he said, "Go on. Join in the battle. This Emperor does not need any protection. Pulp Farmer, you are quite a nice guy. I'll temporarily leave This Emperor's two sisters in your care. Protect them and help This Emperor buy a bit of time."

"When This Emperor's wounds recover, no matter how many schemes the stupid ox has, This Emperor will rip them apart for all to see!"

Pulp Farmer remained stunned.

Finally, he gently and slowly gave a solemn nod. IChooseDogLeading (我选择狗带) when read in Chinese sounds like I Choose Go Die. It was a meme that resulted from a former member of famous Korean boygroup, EXO, TAO (Huang Zitao). At a concert, there was a part in a rap that where he said "", but due to a mispronunciation, it sounded like he will not easily choose to be led by dogs. This phrase now means 'I'd rather die/I choose death'.