Chapter 909: A Desperate Gamble

On the other side.

Feng Qianyue returned to the Fengyue Pavilion once more.

At this moment.

The meeting inside the Fengyue Pavilion was still ongoing. Seeing Feng Qianyue re-enter, a young man in white robes stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Feng Qianyue, didn't you leave early? Why are you back?"

"Bai Ji, what I do is none of your concern."

Feng Qianyue ignored him and instead turned her gaze to the middle-aged man at the head of the room.

The man was none other than the Island Master of Fengyue Island and the Sect Leader of the Fengyue Sect, Xu Zhu.

"Master, Qianyue has a request," Feng Qianyue said, bowing her head with her hands clasped together.

"Speak," Xu Zhu said, his eyes flickering slightly as he spoke calmly.

"A friend of mine has arrived on the island. He wishes to undergo the Death Inheritance. I hope Master can grant him permission," Feng Qianyue said in a low voice.

Hearing this, Xu Zhu's brows immediately furrowed.

After a long pause, Xu Zhu said in a low voice, "Qianyue, if it's just an ordinary friend, let it go. You know the secrets between the Death Inheritance and our Fengyue Island. We no longer open it to outsiders."

"Master, I understand what you're saying, but I still wish to make this request," Feng Qianyue said, bowing deeply.

Seeing this, Xu Zhu's frown deepened.

"Hmph, Feng Qianyue, Master has already said that the Death Inheritance is no longer open to outsiders. How can you still pressure him like this?" Bai Ji stepped forward and said sternly. "Don't you know that the Death Inheritance is tied to the fate of our Fengyue Island? Every time someone fails the inheritance, our island's fortune is greatly depleted. Once one of the dominant forces in the Heavenly Domain, our island has fallen to its current state precisely because of the Death Inheritance."

"In the past, we didn't understand the mysteries behind it, and allowing countless people to undergo the inheritance led to the loss of our fortune. But now that we know the truth, how could Master possibly agree to such a ridiculous request?"

"For a hundred years, there have been no exceptions, and this time will be no different just because of you!"

"Bai Ji, Master is here. It's not your place to speak," Feng Qianyue retorted with a stern face, then turned her gaze back to Xu Zhu and continued earnestly, "Master, I only ask for this one exception. Please, for the sake of all the effort I've put into Fengyue Island over the years, grant me this one request."

With that, Feng Qianyue knelt on one knee, her hands clasped together.

At the head of the room, Xu Zhu's expression remained unreadable, showing no signs of emotion.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, the sound echoing through the silent hall, while his sharp eyes shifted between her and Bai Ji.

After a long while, he finally spoke in a calm voice, "The Death Inheritance doesn't concern just one person—it concerns the entire Fengyue Island."

"I am old. The future belongs to you."

"The future of Fengyue Island lies in your hands."

"As the two candidates for the future Island Master, this matter is for you two to decide."

Having said this, he gave Feng Qianyue an apologetic look and then closed his eyes.

It wasn't that he enjoyed seeing the two of them in conflict.

But with the Black Domain pressing in and the Heavenly Domain being such a dangerous place, only the most capable could take on the role of Island Master in the future.

Raising the strongest contender was the only way to ensure that Fengyue Island could survive in such an environment.

Xu Zhu's words left Feng Qianyue's face pale with anger.

By throwing the decision to her and Bai Ji, he was essentially rejecting her request.

After all, Bai Ji would never agree to her wishes.

Sure enough, a smug smile spread across Bai Ji's face.

He looked as though he had already won.

"Feng Qianyue, let's drop this matter. I will never agree to such a foolish request," Bai Ji sneered.

Feng Qianyue's face turned livid with anger.

She had promised the senior this matter, and he was currently waiting for her in the pavilion.

If she went back now and told him it was impossible...

She raised her beautiful eyes, biting her red lips as she glared at the smug Bai Ji. Coldly, she asked, "Tell me, what will it take for you to agree?"

"I have no interest in you," Bai Ji said mockingly, clearly enjoying Feng Qianyue's frustration.

"If the inheritance fails and causes Fengyue Island's fortune to decline, I will voluntarily withdraw from the Island Master competition. How about that?" Feng Qianyue said through gritted teeth.

Bai Ji, who had initially been dismissive, widened his eyes in shock at her words.

The room erupted in murmurs of surprise.

Even Xu Zhu, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened them and looked down at Feng Qianyue with a complex expression.

But he did not intervene.

After all, this was her choice.

"Do you mean that?" Bai Ji asked, his voice trembling with excitement.

He had never intended to agree to Feng Qianyue's request.

But who could have expected her to offer such a condition?

"When I, Feng Qianyue, speak, I mean what I say," she replied, her voice firm despite the tight grip of her pale hands hidden in her sleeves.

The step she was taking was incredibly risky.

If Yi Feng failed, she would not only lose her chance to compete for the Island Master position, but with Yi Feng's death, any relationship they had built would be shattered.

To outsiders, Feng Qianyue's decision was utterly foolish.

A gamble with no chance of success.

"Fine, I agree. Seven days from now, I will personally escort him into the inheritance," Bai Ji said with a cold laugh, accepting her terms.

Bai Ji's agreement was within Feng Qianyue's expectations. She nodded, then glanced at Xu Zhu at the head of the room...

After a long silence, she seemed to want to say something but ultimately held back.

Without another word, she turned and left.

She understood her master's good intentions and the difficult decisions he had to make for the sake of Fengyue Island.

But no matter what, in this matter today, he had shown favoritism toward Bai Ji...