The Martial Unity

A deep flush of relief erupted from within Rui.

The Divine Doctor had indeed succeeded in entering the Garden of Salvation.

"I am looking for him," Rui blurted out. "I am looking for the Divine Doctor."

I am aware.

"As I told you," Rui narrowed his eyes. "I can help you. If you are willing to help me find the Divine Doctor. I am willing to exercise my power to make life easier for you."

…What do you propose?

A number of thoughts flashed through Rui's mind.

Hmmm. I can't trust you.

"Oh, but you have no choice but to." Rui smirked. "I am sincere, and you can sense it as long as you are willing to help me find the Divine Doctor. I will exercise my political power to aid your survival."

…

"Think about it." Rui spread his arms. "Imagine a Sage-level powerhouse working to ensure that the chemical cycles you need are maintained. We have the power. I don't know how strong you are, but I severely doubt that you can match the power of the Kandrian Empire. I don't see any Sage-level beasts in here, which informs me about your power."

…

"With the political power I have, I can easily set up a division of analysts with powerful Martial Artists dedicated to aiding you in what you are doing. As long as you give me a list of species needed, I'll ensure that they don't die."

…

"You will no longer be alone," Rui promised the Elder Tree. "You will gain the support and cooperation of one of the most powerful empires in all of human civilization. In return, I first seek any and all intelligence about the Divine Doctor. This is a trivial demand and will not hurt you in any way. If you have any sense in you, you will accept this offer."

Unfortunately, Rui's logic was too strong. In normal circumstances, the only hurdle in this offer was the fact that there was no proof that Rui was sincere about his offer to the Elder Tree. After all, there was no incentive for it. The moment Rui got the information he needed, there was nothing stopping him from reneging from his side of the deal.

In this particular circumstance, however, the Elder Tree could quite plainly and straightforwardly see that Rui was genuine and sincere about his offer.

Normally, having one's mind exposed to another was an enormous disadvantage when it came to negotiations.

Rui, however, had turned it into an enormous advantage by employing a brilliant strategy that used it to produce outcomes that would have been impossible otherwise.

You really do remind me of the Divine Doctor.

Rui narrowed his eyes. Considering everything that he had seen the Divine Doctor do, he wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but he remained silent. He was far more concerned about the Elder Tree's decision than its musings.

I accept your offer.

Rui's smile widened. "Great!"

But I have a condition. You must swear to me in no unclear terms that you will not bring harm to the Divine Doctor.

"I swear," Rui affirmed. "I require his aid to heal my father from the Eternal Dream disease. I have absolutely no intention whatsoever to harm him in any way unless in self-defense."

The Elder Tree grew satisfied with that. Good. Then we have an agreement. Let me tell you all about the Divine Docto

—

"Wait." Rui raised a hand. "Before we get there. I have another offer that I want to propose."

The Elder Tree quickly read his mind. You wish for… the knowledge and skill underlying the adaptive evolution of the Garden of Salvation?

Rui grinned, nodding as he grew more excited. "In return for otherworldly knowledge about the fundamental nature of non-esoteric reality."

I can just read your mind to get access to that.

"Yes, but you cannot understand it unless you have gained a fundamental mastery over a vast amount of information that is ingrained in me subconsciously. You also simply may not understand the underlying concepts because of their complexity. Furthermore, much of it is stored in alien language and alien numbers. You may be able to read my mind, but you will still have to dedicate an immense amount of time and mental effort if you want to try and decode an alien language."

Unfortunately for it, Rui was correct about that as well. The Elder Tree, while sentient and intelligent, knew that it was not extraordinarily brilliant. It would not be able to gain anything meaningful.

"Furthermore, if you refuse, then I'm not going to stick around for much longer." Rui shrugged. "Only up until you tell us all the information about the Divine Doctor. Can you gain every single iota of information in that timeframe?"

…Fine. However, I must inform you that I cannot teach you how to bend heaven and earth like I do.

Rui frowned. "Why not?"

Because this is not a Martial Art skill or technique. It is not mastery. It is an innate genetic ability that my body has. Martial Artists are able to exert power that is many orders of magnitude above their raw power. However, in my case, this is my raw innate ability. It is not something I am able to pass on to you.

"Damn!" Rui cursed, growing dismayed. "Wait, what about the knowledge? What about the knowledge of exactly what world is most fit for each species?"

I am indeed able to pass that on to you. In the many centuries since the Age of Martial Art, when I created the Garden of Salvation, I have grown intimately familiar with most of the fauna and flora species of the Beast Domain, including the so-called 'adaptive evolution' information on exactly how to adaptively evolve the world to each and every single species.

Rui's eyes lit up with ecstasy. "Yes! YES! Give it to me! GIVE IT TO ME!"

He was unable to hide the sheer enthusiasm he had for inheriting the knowledge that came from adaptively evolving the world for countless species for centuries. It was utterly game-changing for how he approached the Beast Domain!

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