Ascension of the immortal Asura

The Sword-Saint's words seemed to echo throughout the room, and also within John's mind. Even after thinking for some time, he was still finding it hard to believe the audacity of the Sword-Saint.

This offer was most likely some sort of ploy to eliminate him in the long run, and even if it was truly a sincere offer, it was almost farcical that the Sword-Saint thought John would even entertain the offer for a second.

'Such is the way of someone who commanded everyone and everything his entire life,' John thought silently. 'He waves his hand and thinks everyone will rush to do his bidding. Well, I'm certainly not everyone.'

"What about my master?" John asked curiously.

"What about her?" the Sword-Saint asked, the small, 'friendly' smile lingering on his face.

"Well, you captured her, basically enslaved her, forced her into a marriage she didn't want, and then only gave her an out when you thought there was no way you could lose. Why should I want to join up with someone like that?" John said flatly, not sugarcoating his words at all.

Naelia's eyes went wide with shock, while even Zuri had a slightly surprised look on her face. Only Araxus was calm, with an amused look on his face as if he were truly enjoying where this conversation was going, like a bystander enjoying juicy drama.

A sour look appeared on the Sword-Saint's face, one that he suppressed with great effort.

"That was all a…misunderstanding," the Sword-Saint said with a wry smile.

"A misunderstanding?" John repeated. "From what I know, the situation is quite clear. What is there to misunderstand?"

"That…" the Sword-Saint said. "Lilian, your master, was not forced into this situation. I merely strongly suggested she go through with this marriage, as it would be an affront to the Heavens for a union between two pinnacle geniuses such as her and my son not to…" the Sword-Saint trailed off again, realizing his words were not as convincing out loud as they sounded in his head.

"Oh?" John hummed lightly, leaning back in his chair. "So then let me ask a quick question before I give my answer. If I were to lose against Ji'Han in the finals, and my master decides not to go through with the marriage, would you accept her decision and let her go?"

"Well, of course I would honor-" the Sword-Saint replied quickly, almost as if expecting this question from John. However, he cut off mid-sentence as he heard John continue.

"Would you be willing to swear a Dao Oath to the Heavens that you would respect her decision, regardless of what her decision ends up being?" John asked, a questioning look on his face.

The Sword-Saint froze, his calm, friendly guise gone. Heavenly Dao Oaths were something that no cultivator wanted to mess with. Dao Oaths made to the Heavens were considered the most binding oaths of all. A Heavenly Dao Oath if broken could lead to no consequences at all, or could lead to one becoming despised by the heavens, forever ending up as an enemy. The Heavens were fickle, and no one could know for certain what it would end up doing. As such, almost none dared to risk it, especially not someone like the Sword-Saint who had so much to lose, and very little to gain.

To John, who battled the Heavens his entire cultivation life, such a thing was acceptable. To someone like the Sword-Saint, who already lived at the pinnacle of the world and respected the Heavens above all else, breaking such an oath was not acceptable.

The Sword-Saint's hesitation was all the information John needed. He had heard what the man had wanted to say, and was not interested in the slightest. Even if he didn't have the backing of the Prime Shadow, he would still refuse out of principle alone. He despised people like the Sword-Saint, who schemed and plotted with everything they did.

"I appreciate the offer, but I decline," John said calmly but firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt or debate.

The Sword-Saint's friendly smile instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating glare.

"You will regret this decision," he said as he turned around and strode towards the front door of the room, opening it, then stepping out without pause.

"Tell Ji'Han I said hi, and that I hope he doesn't disappoint me," John called out as the Sword-Saint vanished from sight. "It would be a shame for the crowd to watch a one-sided beatdown in two days."

He waited for a moment, then turned to look at the others. Araxus immediately started laughing, his boisterous laugh flooding out into the hallway. Zuri had a slightly surprised look on her face, while Naelia looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"You…you can't just speak to the Sword-Saint like that!" Naelia said, her voice shaky.

"Why not?" John replied questioningly. "Just because he's powerful doesn't mean I should respect him. Respect is earned with more than power alone."

"I…" Naelia trailed off, still shocked by the Sword-Saints sudden arrival and hasty departure.

"You really know how to piss people off," Araxus said with a toothy grin.

"Hey, I didn't start this feud," John replied, "but I sure as hell will end it."

"How?" Araxus asked. "Even if you do beat Ji'Han, that won't end things. While the Sword-Saint won't go back on his word and not honor the bet between him and your master, he'll most likely come for you in other ways."

"He can try," John replied calmly. "If my personality was to make the safe decisions and to appease the powerful instead of doing what I want to do, I would have never made it this far in the cultivation world."

"I couldn't agree more," Araxus said approvingly. "I'm glad someone else understands this. All the other geniuses like Ji'Han and Jaxus only care about fame. It's rare to find another true genius that cultivates for strength and the thrill of combat alone."

"Speaking of combat," John said as a sly smile appeared on his face. "How about we resume our battle once again?"

"Hell yeah!" Araxus roared, not hesitation at all to stand up and rush towards the training room entrance. He opened the door and disappeared on the other side, not listening to Naelia's calls of concern for him to properly rest and heal himself.

John smiled and stood up, moving towards the training room as well. If Araxus was true to his word, then it was time to see if he could learn to use Chaos Lightning.