"You, young man, turned out to be one of those anomalies whose fate has been messed up by the heavenly will. There are no 'buts' to assert here," The Sect Master said, cracking a smile that didn't seem very sincere!
"Hehe, don't wet your breeches now. It's not all that bad. As cultivators, we always shall be a bit of an eyesore of the heavens. After all, we are the newer generations competing for their power.
"So being a victim of their unfair laws isn't all that uncommon among cultivators. However..."
The old man paused as a dark glint appeared in his eyes. Han Xuhan felt a chill down his spine as if death itself was right around the corner. He could already make a few guesses as to where this conversation was heading.
"Existences like you are very unstable factors to have around. Anyone with sufficient knowledge of the cultivation world knows that the reincarnated selves of mighty cultivators from older times are always discriminated against by the heavenly laws.
"The stronger they were, the greater the adversities they shall face. Many don't even survive childhood!
"They are the harbingers of apocalypse and destruction. Even if they manage to awaken the memories of their past life and get stronger, they often start bloodbaths and challenge the heavens, blinded by their vengeance and driven almost crazy due to how twisted the heavens have made their fates to be.
"This is also another form of punishment by the heavens on mortals and immortals alike, whether we ultimately challenge heavenly laws or not, simply because we dare to cultivate!"
Han Xuhan listened up until then without interrupting. But now, he couldn't just stay silent. He was being labelled as a troublemaker without even committing a wrong.
Not to mention, he was definitely not the kind of heavenly anomaly they suspected him to be. His situation was a lot more complicated, judging by the golden finger accompanying him.
"...I can honestly swear that I won't do any of those things, sect master. Let's just forget that I took the test, and you can let me leave while no one is looking.
"That way, you wouldn't need to watch out for any apocalyptic disasters I might attract by the heavenly order. I am not a cultivator yet, which also reduces the possibility of significant destruction centered around me, right?"
The old man chuckled gloomily.
"It isn't as simple as that. What if you awaken your memories after you return and realize that the heavens have greatly wronged you? I have read about many such examples!
"What if you realize that some powerful heavenly faction is actively trying to suppress your destiny, no matter how many times you reincarnate? They might just want to torment you for some past enmity!
"What would you do if you learned that a heavenly Celestial intentionally killed your past life's Daoist partner in a tribulation?
"What if an immortal upset with you made your parents, relatives, or offspring suffer in secret? What would you do if you discovered that, without causing chaos and destruction on a massive scale, you cannot save them from eternal torture?
"How are you going to deal with that? Are you willing to let it pass off and bear the humiliation, hmmm? Are you willing to spend each of your nights imagining the screams and the curses they spit on your name?"
With each scenario he described, the ferocity in the man's face increased a notch. It didn't seem like he was just trying to intimidate Xuhan. And considering the bigger picture, Han Xuhan couldn't entirely discredit the proposed scenario.
But as he thought about it calmly, he found a tiny trap in the old man's words. It wasn't about the problem itself, though.
If, right now, he responded that he would not be willing to bear such injustice, the consequences wouldn't be good for him.
It would mean he was truly an unstable factor who might bring destruction to all living beings around him. As a reputable sect, Crimson Snow Sect would never let him off the hook!
But if he lied and said yes, it would be the proof of a timid and cowardly nature, thus marking him as a sinister person, a scum who would not only sacrifice his own dignity to survive, but also show his apathy towards the suffering of those he should cherish.
Would any responsible cultivator let him go in that case? The risk was even greater here!
So Han Xuhan stayed silent for a long time before speaking. The only choice he had was to break the premise itself.
"Your words are very cleverly placed, master..."
"My name is Xuan Zi."
"Your words are very cleverly placed, Master Xuan Zi. You've placed many prerequisites in your question and made it impossible for me to answer without stepping into a trap.
"Those conditions about having my Daoist partner killed in tribulation, or my loved ones being tormented because of me... I refuse to believe that they're common occurrences.
I don't know much about this heaven you speak so casually of, but I have some doubts about how you're portraying such celestial beings.
"Unless I committed heinous crimes in my past life, why would they go that far to pick a fight with me? But what kind of crimes can justify a heavenly being in torturing innocent folks?
"And why would they leave me alive, safe, and ignorant of their vengeance, even if they did this much? It would be pointless.
"You cannot be holding the will of the world in your hands without being worthy of such power! So the Celestials cannot be a bunch of retards! I refuse to believe it!"
Of course, Han Xuhan himself didn't actually believe his logic. He just wanted to break out of Xuan Zi's trap anyhow.
His system insisted that he was stuck inside a fictional world, as ridiculous as it seemed. He chose to believe that over all the far-fetched bullshit this man was spouting.
However, one thing was certain. If this world truly was a result of fiction drawn up by human imagination, then the so-called heavenly Celestials were most likely to be retarded!
This was almost a constant in all the novels he read!