Zanpakuto, I cannot take it?
Yan Shouyi's expression stiffened, feeling somewhat awkward, but he did not retreat immediately. Instead, he pressed further, "Why?"
For so many years, Yan Shouyi had borrowed the manifestation of the Zanpakuto. Although he had never held the actual Zanpakuto, he had long regarded it as his own weapon in his heart.
Now that he had finally seen its true form, how could he leave empty-handed?
The tiger once again blew its nose. "Youngster, if this Honored One says you cannot take it, then you cannot. Asking why is merely seeking humiliation."
He hadn't expected this great beast to be so irascible and incomparably proud.
It had the same vibe as Lu Jing, the Great Elder of the Lu Shan Sect…
Speaking of which, Lu Jing also had a big beard, bearing a striking resemblance to the great tiger before him.
Yan Shouyi's thoughts instantly flew back to Rongcheng. After a brief moment of daze, he actually chuckled.
The tiger was taken aback, then angrily roared, "What are you laughing at?"
It was a divine tiger, the king of beasts! Who wouldn't bow and pay homage when seeing it?
It was already generous not to have made this brat kneel; yet, he dared to laugh at this Honored One???
The divine tiger was furious beyond measure.
Who would have thought that Yan Shouyi would honestly reply, "Nothing, I just thought of another senior I know who looks a bit like you…" Da Feng Novel Network.
"Hahahahaha!"
The divine dragon laughed heartily, circled around Yan Shouyi, and returned to the divine tiger's side. It chuckled,
"I, however, find this kid quite interesting."
The divine tiger shook its head dismissively. "A mere youngster, nothing more. With his current abilities, he cannot take the Zanpakuto at all. Let's not waste time and disturb our cultivation. Go back where you came from and scram!"
Yan Shouyi gazed at the divine dragon and divine tiger, wondering if these two felt lonely being together.
Not only were they unhappy about his arrival, but they also felt disturbed and were eager to send him away.
If he were thinking with the mindset of Long Fei City, he would surely be suspicious of the gender preferences of this divine dragon and divine tiger.
But Yan Shouyi would not ask; that would be courting death and ruining his own future!
Yan Shouyi put on an appearance of humility and spoke to the divine dragon, who seemed easier to converse with,
"Senior Divine Dragon, this junior has been borrowing the manifestation of the Zanpakuto for years, fighting demons and upholding righteousness. I am already quite familiar with the Zanpakuto. Today, I encountered a formidable enemy, which is why I have come to disturb you two. This junior believes that my experiences over the years have been sufficient for me to wield the Zanpakuto. I implore both seniors to give me a chance to try."
The divine dragon groomed its whiskers with its claws, leisurely stating,
"You underestimate the Zanpakuto too much. Its killing intent is too heavy, and its malevolent aura is too strong. Even if we let you touch it, you would be corrupted by its aura and degenerate into a bloodthirsty individual with a deranged mind—I see you as half-promising and young. It's best not to gamble this time and let the Zanpakuto ruin your future!"
The divine dragon spoke amiably, much easier to communicate with than the divine tiger. Through its response, Yan Shouyi roughly understood why they were reluctant to let him take the Zanpakuto.
As long as it wasn't their problem, it would be much easier to resolve.
Yan Shouyi cupped his hands.
"The Zanpakuto was previously the magic treasure of my adopted grandfather, Zhang Shantong. My adopted grandfather has already acknowledged me."
"Tch, don't try to scare us with that Zhang Shantong!" the divine tiger snarled, baring its teeth. "He also passed our recognition to use the Zanpakuto back then, so his acknowledgment is useless. It must be our mutual acknowledgment!"
"Then how can we pass your recognition, esteemed seniors?" Yan Shouyi pressed.
At this point, the hope of taking the Zanpakuto appeared.
The divine tiger realized it had misspoke and became somewhat flustered. "When did this Honored One say I would test you?"
Yan Shouyi: "…Now?"
Divine Tiger: "…"
The divine dragon burst into laughter, cradling its belly with its dragon claws, its entire body continuously spinning in mid-air.
"Many words lead to mistakes, many words lead to mistakes! It seems we haven't spoken to living people for too long, and we've forgotten how to communicate!" the divine dragon chuckled. "Ah Hu, stop targeting this kid. Let's give him a proper test. If he passes, what's wrong with letting him take the Zanpakuto?"
The divine tiger retorted, "But if he passes the test, what he takes won't be the Zanpakuto… In any case, I think this kid is not qualified!"
"Not necessarily," the divine dragon shook its head. "He is the kid acknowledged by Zhang Shantong; he should have some outstanding qualities."
The divine tiger seemed to recognize Zhang Shantong. Upon hearing the divine dragon mention his name, the divine tiger pondered for a moment and finally nodded.
"Then let him try! Ah Long, you are not allowed to go easy on him!"
"Am I that kind of person… Bah, am I that kind of dragon?"
The divine tiger clearly had very little trust in the divine dragon's "dragon ethics."
It then said to Yan Shouyi,
"Kid, the test is simple. Ah Long and I will each ask you one question. There are no right answers to these questions. Answer whatever comes to your mind. As long as your answers satisfy us, you can take the Zanpakuto, and we will each bestow upon you a great gift."
Yan Shouyi hesitated for a moment.
The divine dragon asked doubtfully, "Are you backing down?"
The divine tiger sneered, "What a coward, backing down already. As this Honored One expected!"
However, Yan Shouyi weakly replied, "Esteemed seniors, I only want the Zanpakuto. Is it alright if I don't accept your gifts?"
Divine Dragon: "…"
Divine Tiger: "…"
This kid… Why isn't he playing by the rules?
For such an opportunity, wouldn't ordinary people be ecstatic?
This kid, however, actually refused their gifts!
The divine tiger immediately pounced, looking as if it were about to roll up its sleeves and beat Yan Shouyi: "You brat, you are the first person in thousands of years to look down on us. Die!"
"Ah Hu, calm down! We finally met someone fated!"
The divine dragon quickly restrained the divine tiger.
But the divine tiger still huffed indignantly, "For your sake, this Honored One will spare him for now. After the test, regardless of whether he passes or not, this Honored One will beat him up!"
Yan Shouyi found it both funny and exasperating. This divine tiger's personality was becoming more and more like Lu Jing's; even its angry expression was identical.
The divine dragon appeased the divine tiger, then glared back at Yan Shouyi with annoyance, "Why do you refuse our gifts?"
Yan Shouyi honestly replied,
"If I accept your gifts, I will be entangled with your karma, and I might end up in trouble later. My life already has enough troubles, and I just want to resolve my own issues, then go home to have children with my wife."
Upon receiving Yan Shouyi's answer, for a moment, the divine dragon almost couldn't resist punching him.
The divine tiger continued to egg it on from the side, "See? This kid is a wretch. Don't stop me from beating him up later!"
The divine dragon thought: I definitely won't stop you!
But this kid's reasoning was hard to refute…
The divine dragon simply resorted to shamelessness. "Kid, if you don't accept our gifts, then forget about the test."
Yan Shouyi: "...Is it that casual?"
"It's precisely that casual!" the divine dragon said slyly. "Who else but us guards the Zanpakuto?"
The divine tiger also chuckled slyly, looking like a villain who had successfully bullied Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi was speechless. This dragon and tiger pair had probably been lonely for too long and developed psychological problems.
Moreover, those so-called gifts were likely exactly as he had guessed – accepting them would surely invite trouble.
But he needed them now and had no other choice, so he decided to accept.
Thus, he sat cross-legged and said, "Fine, I will reluctantly accept your esteemed seniors' gifts!"
The divine tiger's expression changed, and it grumbled, "Do you think we genuinely want to give you gifts? Pass the test first!"
"Alright, then I accept your test!"
"…"
The divine dragon and divine tiger were somewhat bewildered.
Initially, they had looked down on Yan Shouyi, but now it seemed as though they were begging to give him a test.
Ah, whatever!
They would just ask two questions and let this kid scurry away in disgrace!
The divine tiger's expression turned serious. It slowly walked before Yan Shouyi, its colossal form blocking all the setting sun's glow.
It was only then that Yan Shouyi truly felt the powerful aura emanating from the divine tiger!
"This Honored One asks you, in your entire life, have you ever harbored the thought of ruling the world, being the sole supreme ruler?"
Yan Shouyi was taken aback. What kind of question was this?
He asked, "Is this important?"
The divine tiger sneered, "You only have the qualification to answer, not the qualification to ask or question."
"Is there a time limit?"
"Stop babbling and answer quickly!"