[You felt a surge of joy when Guo Qing brought up the matter himself.]
[Originally, you just wanted to present yourself as someone who detests evil and stands for justice in front of Guo Qing, and then slowly make your move on the Heavenly Profound Sword.]
[You didn't expect Guo Qing to be so easily swayed.]
[When Guo Qing proposed the idea of the divine sword recognizing its master, you naturally didn't refuse.]
[Soon, you completed the process of bonding with the Heavenly Profound Sword.]
[That's right, the bond was with the Heavenly Profound Sword, not with Guo Qing.]
[Because the Sword Spirit is, in essence, a part of the divine sword.]
[Due to Guo Qing's unique nature, he had more freedom and could control the Heavenly Profound Sword itself.]
[After the bonding was completed, Guo Qing disappeared.]
[No, to be precise, he fell into a deep sleep.]
[According to Guo Qing before he fell asleep, he is now just a wisp of a Sword Spirit, and his strength grows with the wielder's power.]
[He mentioned that his former cultivation was like a castle in the air, even if borrowed, it could only be sustained temporarily.]
[This time, after being awakened by Bai Ruoxue and burning part of his soul in the recent fight with you, he was already quite weak.]
[In the future, if he wants to awaken, it will depend on you.]
[As long as your cultivation continues to improve, he, as your life-bound Sword Spirit, will continuously recover, and there will be a time when you meet again.]
[You had many questions for Guo Qing, but before you could ask, he had already fallen into a deep sleep.]
[This left you somewhat disappointed.]
[When you confirmed that Sword Spirit Guo Qing had completely fallen asleep, you suddenly realized that his desire to bond with you might have been a way to save himself.]
[However, you didn't dwell on it and simply smiled.]
[No matter what, the Heavenly Profound Sword was now yours, which also enhanced your strength.]
[You had just tested it out.]
[Even with Sword Spirit Guo Qing asleep, the sword's power was still extraordinary.]
[Even though you hadn't learned any sword techniques, just swinging the sword wildly produced power comparable to your full-force Silent Destruction Fist.]
[This was the first time you experienced the importance of a powerful weapon.]
[With the Heavenly Profound Sword in hand, you searched the Heavenly Profound Temple but found nothing else of interest.]
[Then, you glanced at the still-sleeping Bai Ruoxue.]
[After a moment of thought, you sat down nearby and quietly waited.]
[After all, Bai Ruoxue was not your match now.]
[If she wanted revenge, she would have to return to the Eastern Regions to unlock her memory and strength.]
[At that time, if she came to the Southern Regions with her true strength, wouldn't she attract the attention of the powerful beings in the Immortal Realm?]
[You were sure she would be noticed.]
[Although your Eye of Insight couldn't see through Bai Ruoxue's strength, you believed her unsealed power wouldn't be low.]
[Of course, you knew that the reason you couldn't see through her true strength might be because Bai Moyu had sealed her cultivation.]
[Your talent wasn't a match for a powerful being.]
[But in any case, Bai Ruoxue's senior brother Guo Qing was at the Great Principal Golden Immortal level, and her father Bai Moyu was a powerful being. How could she be weak?]
[Such a strong person entering the Southern Regions wouldn't go unnoticed by the powerful beings in the Immortal Realm, right?]
[And once Bai Ruoxue was targeted by other powerful beings, would Bai Moyu ignore his daughter?]
[At that time, would Bai Moyu be drawn into the chaos of the Southern Regions?]
[You smiled, looking forward to Bai Ruoxue's revenge.]
[After all, you knew this was just a simulation.]
[As long as you could gather more information and uncover more possibilities, you could make the real world safer; even if you failed in the simulation, you wouldn't lose anything.]
[Moreover, you didn't plan to stay in the Southern Regions for long this time.]
[By then, if Bai Ruoxue really came for revenge, it would only drag Bai Moyu into the chaos, while you might have already left the Southern Regions.]
[Of course, this was just your thought. You didn't really care about Bai Ruoxue's choice.]
[If she didn't come for revenge, it didn't matter to you; you wouldn't force it!]
[After all, she was just a pawn you casually placed.]
[After that, you left the Evergreen Mountain Range and headed straight to Spine Mountain.]
[Your appearance made Old Li and the others very wary.]
[But you subdued him with two moves, and after a good talk, they understood your intention.]
[You told them you wanted to take them out of the Southern Regions.]
[Initially, Old Li didn't believe you.]
[But he couldn't resist when you secretly destroyed the protective formation left by Senior Lu Wuya.]
[You triggered the formation prematurely!]
[The people of Spine Mountain had no choice but to agree to venture out of the Southern Regions with you.]