It was evening by the time the crowd cleared.
At a little distance, like a trickling stream of sand, human figures were melting away into mist. The sky had become an overwhelmed little blushing maiden, who, donning her most colored garbs, was thrumming a sobering tune on a harp, as she welcomed a group of flying swallows back home into her bosom.
A group of children followed behind a handsome young man. Their path, winding across inner parts of the town, cut through the center of looming Shajing with its many old and ancient ruins, its abandoned shacks and tall giant stones cut into strange shapes, seen scattered everywhere, along with remnants of palaces and forts, giant citadels of King Raven of the Soul Tribe, and a few tablets inscribed with undeciphered runes. A pure chaos of past and present.
Suddenly the young man burst into a hearty laughter. His cyan clothes shimmered, gossamer like strands caught light tenderly, like tendrils catching dew. Under the blushing red of evening sky, he became a lustrous weave of fragmentary pink and mauve—one would expect such a burst of brightness would subdue his other features, but his dimples, deepening further highlighted his peculiar temperament, ambiguously affectionate.
Unlike him, most children wore old and drab, colorless fabrics and supported dirty unwashed faces —of course there were other kids from noble and merchant families, but they could be counted on one hand.
At this moment, they could be seen crossing the river, walking upon an old wooden bridge.
"No, no of course not!" The young man laughed light-heartedly. "No, rest assured you guys. No one will make you walk all the way to Tianlan Sect. Whoever told you that was just messing around with you as no carriage or horse can take you to the place where we are going—don't assume things and don't worry, little brats! A flying ship will come tomorrow. Some more elders will join us tonight and together we will head back."
"A flying ship!? Does it really fly, brother?"
"Brother you aren't lying? How can a ship fly in the air? Or are we going by the sea?"
"Hmm, our ships do fly. In fact there are many treasures that will do that for you. Do not limit your imagination now, alright? There are many inconceivable things waiting to be discovered by you." He lowered his palm to rub the head of the boy, Rong Yuanchun and said, "Flying for the first time is an experience you will recall even when you've grown old."
"Brother Li, do we need money to live in the sect? Or to cultivate?" A precocious looking girl, Ning Yizhuo, asked. "Do we have to pay gold to study as we do in the academy here? What happens if we don't have anything?"
Hearing this, many smiling faces stopped beaming visibly. A few beggar children looked at each other nervously. Brother Li took in their nervousness and immediately reassured them.
"No, you do not need to worry about that. You will be given three years time to get used to the ways of the sect. As for gold, unfortunately, they cannot be used as currency in our Cultivation world, little girl."
Brother Li explained carefully to everyone. "In fact, in our world gold and silver hardly amount to anything. You will see people using them as decoration, but they are useless when it comes to cultivation. Even when it is used, it is only used by mortals —there are mortal villages and towns in the cultivation world as well. There you might find people using gold as currency. But even then, our gold differs in properties from here. If any of you is going to bring your golds along with you, be aware that it might become a useless piece of junk. As for other things, you don't need to worry about livelihood as of now. The sect gives out tasks which need to be completed by disciples from outer and inner sect alike and after completion of each task, you'll earn sect contribution points which can be exchanged for resources from the sect. Although the sect won't ask you for payment for accommodation, disciples are required to support their needs by themselves, that means, you'll have to buy your own pills and herbs, weapons and treasures, and other daily necessities. But for now, new disciples like you can easily cultivate just using sect's stipend, which will cover a lot of your needs. You will hear from others how the stipend is low and insufficient, but it is for older cultivators not for you. As for currency, most cultivators use Spiritual beads and Spirit stones and crystals but bartering and equal exchange are also quite common. Your first year stipend will include thirty low grade spiritual beads and ten low spirit stones. Sounds good enough to you all, does it now?"
He then took out a luminous stone and showed them a real spirit stone. Its jagged edges suddenly caught stray sunlight, the white spirit stone burned fiercely.
"This is, what we cultivators call, a non-attribute low-grade Spirit stone. It doesn't have any attributes of its own, so everyone can use it no matter what kind of spiritual roots they possess. But the manners in which it can be utilized is limited because they happen to contain the most volatile kind of Qi. Spirit stones are generally divided into low, medium and high grades, depending on how much spiritual energy they hold within themselves—you can sense this difference on your own once you get familiar with sensing Qi. As for exchange rates…One low quality Spirit stone is worth a hundred spiritual beads in our continent. A thousand low grade Spirit stones exchanged will fetch you one medium grade stone, while a hundred medium grade Spirit stones can be exchanged for one high grade Spirit stone. As for Spiritual Crystals, they are rarer and considered heavenly treasures. Hardly anyone who has seen them will ever use it for trading to be fair."
"Brother Li, you are here. I hope you've told them about the test already."
Suddenly another cultivator jumped down from the rooftop. A tall, brown eyed, pointed nose young man who wore his cyan uniform quite haphazardly. His waist was decorated with quite a few scabbards. He walked closer and put an arm around brother Li's shoulders and said in a playful manner, "Or you forgot the important information while telling them about trivial things?"
"Feng Xiao...The entourage is back early?" Brother Li asked, looking concerned. "How is he now? Any news about the demon seeds?"
"Don't ask, brother, just don't. You wouldn't believe what it is like out there or what we saw coming here…and Xicheng, tsk! Come on, I won't spoil your mood with my horror stories. Ask me later, right now however, let me meet my prospective new junior brothers and sisters."
"Alright then. Children, this gentleman here is your brother Feng Xiaoliang."
All the children who'd scooted closer in fear, recognized the familiar looking cyan-cloth and immediately saluted and called out in tender voices, "Senior brother, hello!"
"Hello juniors! Hello, hello." He immediately surrounded himself with children and started chatting with them. "You can call me brother Feng. Your brother Li and I come from the same village, so we are more like brothers in the sect. I know all his secrets and he knows mine—we have each other's back, which is quite an important thing to have if you want to live long. If you ever need any help understanding any difficult techniques, come to any of us, we will help you for sure. Your brother Li might have still not told you this but he will take first year classes and teach you basic Qi induction techniques. Don't be shy now, you will be seeing us a lot in the sect. Come, come, now tell me something about yourself."
"Greetings brother Feng." A slender girl wrapped in layers upon layers of mist-like silk clothes came forward and introduced herself, gently bowing in an elaborate salutation. "I am called Xi Qingqing, brother Feng. I just joined from Anjing. Brother Li told me I have a wood attribute Heavenly spiritual roots so I might get into the inner sect."
"Hello junior sister Qingqing," Brother Feng seemed to be very pleased with this news. He turned to brother Li, and asked, "I heard your group picked up a treasure this time brother Li. Is this her? Does she have a mutant physique?"
"You might have heard about Wei Zhiruo." Brother Li shook his head lightly. "Little Zhiruo, here, has mutant thunder roots with a purity level that is close to perfection."
Xi Qingqing, who was sidelined, frowned and looked at the child Brother Li pointed out with a wave of his hand. She saw a scrawny little girl, wearing rags, barely recognizable with the amount of dust and grime she had on her face. Xi Qingqing's frown immediately turned into a deeper contempt, scoffing she turned to her female friend.
"Perfect Roots!!? Really? That's definitely a one in a million aptitude right there. Brother, you struck gold this time. I know it's your team who will get the most contribution points this round."
Brother Li, however, just shook his head laughing. "How much more can it be? You are just exaggerating."
What followed was another round of introductions. Ning Yizhuo, Wei Zhiruo, Rong Hualan, Rong Yuanchun, Hua Shen…almost all of the thirty children exchanged names, embarrassedly introducing themselves.
Brother Feng took a second look at Wei Zhiruo's ghostly pale face, then nudged his companion.
"Is the rumor true? Elder He seems to have notified the sect elders about the destined disciple of Venerable Gu being here this time…little Zhiruo seems to also possess thunder roots right?"
"You said it yourself, it's just a rumor. Destined or not, little Wei has great potential. Even if she doesn't become the one in Grandmaster Jian's prophecy, do you think other Elders will not fight for her?" Brother Li replied, looking thoughtful.
"Yes, she has good aptitude, enough to be called a real genius anywhere in this world. Venerable Gu has never taken a disciple because of strict requirements of his Arts—this time, if his destined disciple really happens to go to the sect, it will be another great contribution. I am just looking forward to your good fortune, little Wei."
"Thankyou for your kind words brother Feng, brother Li." Wei Zhiruo simply added then scooted closer to Rong Yuanchun's sister Rong Hualan who gave her a warm smile.
"Let's hurry back." Suddenly Brother Li extended his hands and looked at a piece of yellow paper with a frown and then said something cryptic to Brother Feng, "It's a big deal already. A returning group from Yong Empire was attacked just now. Be careful and don't let these candidates out of your sight. We don't know how many of those beasts are lurking around. Tsk, it's becoming a game of tag, this wretched mission."
"Is it Elder Shen's group?" Feng Xiaoliang sighed. "It was his group that was supposed to come around this time."
Wei Zhiruo suddenly roused her distracted eyes. The name Shen was all too familiar to her, so she keenly listened to the following conversation.
"Yes, it's him. He was coming back after investigating the Shen clan's tragedy. Now even that case seems somehow linked with those demonic cultivators."
"Hmm…I had my fair share of doubts in the beginning, brother Li. I thought it was just another one of those sect's internal affairs, intrigues and ploys you know—with junior sister Yue's engagement breaking up and all, and that lackey, that Shen pushing young master Wen Haiming to go out. He wouldn't have dared to do that if Old Wen wasn't in seclusion, but see! Now the whole affair reeks of some deeper conspiracy. Hisss, so many pitfalls tsch! Guess how many traitors are lurking in the sect right now? What even are those Law Enforcement Hall members doing anyway?"
"Who knows." Brother Li snorted mockingly.
Brother Li suddenly turned to the group of silently eavesdropping children. His solemn eyes suddenly turned mellower. As if remembering something, he started explaining in his slow voice as they walked along a path lined with tall poplar trees on both sides of the road.
"Before I forget again…There will be a test, little ones. Before you can truly become the sect's disciples, you'll be asked to climb the Immortal pathway and reach the mountain peak to show your determination to walk on this road of strife and suffering. If you fail, you will fail to prove your ability to stay true to your Tao! So the test is a very important part of your future journey. The cultivation world cannot accept failures."
Rong Yuanchun immediately thumped his chest and promised, "Brother Li, we will succeed! You just wait. We will become fellow disciples of the same sect for sure!"
"I am glad if you are this confident. I am looking forward to that day."
Brother Li said then he smiled.
***
By the time everyone reached the inn, it was already night.
Tired, dispirited wayfarers found their way back to a three-story Inn, clumsily tucked between several quaint looking buildings with their wooden walls and jutting out eaves and roofs that curled elegantly, with all its curves being shapely and just right. Numerous huge trees stood rooted around the edifice, framing and animating everything with their softer rustling branches. There was a storm of lanterns giving off their effusive glow; a stone step led into a huge lacquered double door, going past which one would come across a grand hall with high ceilings, with wooden beams framing its height, evoking deeper awe in their appraisers.
Indoor balconies and hallways on higher floors were occupied; people came and went, climbing stairwells, or descending them. There were tables and chairs placed around. Wei Zhiruo saw candles burning everywhere she turned; silk and brocades, scintillating fabrics drew flickering eyes towards their delicate lines. Lanterns floated everywhere. The inn was too lavishly decorated.
Soon, their small group of children was joined by other cultivators and other groups of children following behind them. Introductions were made and it was found that Tianlan Sect wasn't the only one coming out seeking new disciples this time. Their inn was housing guests from three major sects —Kunlun, Tianlan, and Wuji Sect—though just that morning, the Kunlun sect departed to go back to the Cultivation world.
"Li Sifeng? I heard your sect has found a gem this time. Is that true? A perfect Root physique!? Will our cultivation world see the rise of another genius this time?"
The cultivator wore black clothes with golden cuffs and brocaded collars and came closer with a wide smile on his face. His dignified posture immediately stifled the small chatter amongst the group of children.
Brother Li didn't comment much, but he turned to the children and introduced the newcomer. "This is your Brother Deng everyone. He is the direct disciple of Venerable Wu of the Wuji sect. His family comes from an ancient line of Artifact makers. If you ever need any treasures you think will be hard to find otherwise, you can try your luck in Brother Deng's shop."
"Of course! Everyone from the Tianlan sect is always welcome!" Brother Deng replied good humoredly. Then the two older men started talking amongst themselves.
"It's amazing. There are so many mortals with spiritual roots in Dajin this time. I don't know how it is in the Yong Empire or Daxia, but my fellow cultivators sent me messages saying how others have brought back too many talents to be believable at all!"
"Hmm indeed. If what we found this time wasn't an exception, then…just thinking about it feels unreal, brother Deng. We have been careless for way too long." Li Sifeng grew somber.
"You don't say." Brother Deng sighed while he shook his head. "But a loss averted is no loss at all, and some would even say, we were lucky those demonic cultivators didn't get more opportunity to wreck havoc. The situation is becoming clearer and the elders are discovering deeper roots of this conspiracy—just think, it could have been worse. We should be thankful, Sifeng."
"I am brother Deng. But more than that, I feel this situation could have been entirely averted had our Sects and Alliance members been more mindful of their duties."
The two fell silent, then talked some more. Then brother Deng said goodbye and took his group of children back to their chambers to settle for the night.
Li Sifeng watched the group leaving, then led his own group of children deeper into the building where the dining area was situated.
It was past nine but even then new groups were coming from outside —some came from other nearby villages, some from towns.
After leading the children into the hall however, brother Li shortly disappeared. Everyone else looked at the served tables and waiters standing with food on platters waiting upon children and other cultivators, then forming their own smaller groups, they gathered to have dinner.
***
Wei Zhiruo sat down on a chair. She and other four children —the girl named Ning Yizhuo and her sister Ning Fei, and Rong Hualan and her brother Rong Yuanchun—sat together fairly close to the Dining hall's wide entrance.
"Weeei Zhiruo!" Rong Hualan chirped. She put one of her lotus roots like tender arms on the table and tapping the surface she asked frustratedly, "Do you really have a mutant spiritual root? Why didn't you tell me that? I thought we had already shared all our secrets between us! "
"She does. And did you need to ask? Almost everyone knows this, Hualan. I thought you already knew, but you turned out to be more clueless than I guessed earlier," Ning Fei said without waiting for Wei Zhiruo to answer.
She happily enjoyed glum looking Hualan's angry expression, then sitting down lazily she pulled her hesitant sister to sit together with her. She said, "I guess now we know it is very rare to have pure roots like yours. My sister's Heavenly fire root's purity is nothing in comparison. You are so lucky, Wei Zhiruo. I think you'll be immediately chosen by some elders in the sect or even by True Taoist lords. Don't forget to take care of us occasionally if you do make it there!"
"Of course, I will," Wei Zhiruo nodded, "I guess it does make a lot of difference if you happen to be chosen as a direct disciple. I am guessing it's because of the resources they might provide? I am not fully sure…or maybe it's because the higher the cultivation level of the teacher, the better their guidance, right? But you see, even if I happen to have a special spiritual root, if there is no one who possesses appropriate techniques or inheritance, it's useless to have such potential, right?"
"That's true, I didn't think about that. But brother Li said you are some kind of destined disciple…if Venerable Gu really has thunder roots, why not? Or how great is the possibility of someone else having the same attributes as yours?"
Wei Zhiruo couldn't help but ponder as she said, "We will only know when we reach the sect, right? What if it's just a rumor or a case of mistaken identity?"
"Hmm...Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"Of course she is going to be fine! Even if the prophecy is a rumor, she will still be the best one in our batch!" Rong Hualan said. Then as if she thought of something sad, she cupped her cheeks in her palms and sighed, "Wei Zhiruo, I am worried about us three though—me, my brother and you, Ning Fei—we all will have to take the test. And who knows if we will really make it to the peak?"
"But didn't they say the test is for everyone?" Wei Zhiruo interrupted, sounding confused. "I thought we were going together, weren't we?"
"Exceptions are made for exceptionally good candidates like you two prodigies. If you two don't want to take the test you wouldn't have to." Ning Fei chimed in and then bowed her head again, picking up her food in small bites and chewing them elegantly.
"You two are so lucky," Rong Yuanchun sighed enviously. The three looked equally glum. "I don't want to come back here after failing!"
"So it's a privilege for good candidates?" Wei Zhiruo whispered, "Or is it something like a test within a test? What if there are certain benefits of taking the test despite having these privileges? Or the test wouldn't be open for everyone, right?"
Ning Yizhuo paused in her action as she picked up a tender slice of meat. She looked towards Wei Zhiruo for the first time. "Do you think so too? I was going to take the test either way because of that. It is better to be safe than sorry or we might miss some unexpected opportunities."
"But are you two sure you want to take this risk? What if you end up failing? Wouldn't that mean you will have no way but to return to the mortal realm like others?" Rong Hualan looked at them worriedly.
"We can try, right? There is no loss in trying. And if we fail, that's upon us, it just shows we aren't capable enough. And who says, after failing we will certainly have to come back here? Don't forget, we all have spiritual roots. We can cultivate on our own, can't we?" Wei Zhiruo replied.
She observed the deliberating Ning Yizhuo silently. If she hadn't kept an eye open directed in her way, she'd have missed Ning Yizhuo's tiny nod at her, which came several minutes later.
***
Wei Zhiruo finished walking around the more scenic parts of Shajing. Having seen the ruins of past palaces, ghostly chambers and vaults, tunnels dug within the ground, accompanied by her group of new friends, it was already late afternoon when they all walked back to the Market Square.
"Let me buy us breakfast." She said to Rong Hualan. "I know where the breakfast store is, so I will be faster. Will steamed dumplings be enough for all of you? Or does someone want something else?"
"Just dumplings are good. Come back quickly, we will wait for you around the platform." Rong Hualan replied.
Wei Zhiruo recalled the exact location of a small shop selling fresh breakfast, as she swiftly walked into the crowded Market square. After she finished ordering her food, she stood waiting under the eave, bathing in the morning sunshine. Just then, a huge rattle of wheels and harnesses broke into her silent pensive mood.
"It's late. We are late! Mother?!" A boy jumped out of his carriage. "I told you two to hurry up but you wouldn't listen! Look! Aren't we late now? It's all because of her! That ugly thing—!"
"Ming'er! Don't talk rudely!" A woman immediately chastised her son, putting her hands on the boy's blabbering mouth. "Watch what you're saying, Ming'er. This isn't the way you should be talking about your concubine sister. Now, walk ahead."
"I understand mother." The boy glumly conceded, then chewed back his angry words. But his disgust for his sibling was visible on his face. "But mother if it wasn't for Yu Mengjin causing such a scene to come along with us, we wouldn't be this late. And father — he actually agreed! Why did he do that? Despite you not wanting to take her with us, despite all of our protests, he still took her with him! Did he think about you or both of us for even a second? Where does he place your dignity as his Main wife, mother?"
"Okay, okay. These are things between adults and you children shouldn't be minding them. Think about good things, think about your future. Get ready for the ceremony, okay?" The woman gave her son a soothing look.
"Am I not feeling this bad for your sake, mother? I just cannot accept this mother."
"Brother is right, mother. You always excuse our father giving a number of reasons for his actions, but don't you feel tired? I feel tired on your behalf." Another girl, perhaps the woman's daughter, added.
Suddenly a maid came panting.
"Madam, please hurry up! The line is getting longer and both the young master and miss will have to line up by themselves! I asked and they won't allow servants to replace the candidates in this process. I told them they are tired from their long journey from Tainan prefecture, but they won't listen! Everyone has to stand in the line by themselves, they said, and there is no exception to this rule. What should I do?"
The silently leaning woman straightened her back, then said, "Is that so? Don't worry. Ming'er, Lan'er. You two heard her, right? Now go and line up. Hurry. Or it will be really late!"
Although the woman was slightly displeased, she immediately showed her graceful bearing and kept her displeasure to herself. She escorted her children to the tail of the queue, then pushing her son in a breezy manner towards the end of it, she watched her daughter follow along.
Wei Zhiruo gravely watched them. There was something very unsettling about the scene. Her instincts, going haywire, ached and pulsed. She felt a shiver run down her back.
"Miss, your food—here take it!"
She turned back and was paying the shop owner when she felt it—that heavy, lingering invisible sight falling on her back.
She looked back.
There was nothing there.
She picked up the paper wrapped steamed buns, and made her way through the crowd. Echoes of steps, laughter and cries and angry shouts and yelling faded away like a strand of lost thread. She felt the color fade away, felt the traces of stillness weigh on her shoulder heavily. Heavy breath took center-stage echoing like a trumpet signaling the chaos of a war — in her mind, she found herself alone, suffocated.
Figures, shapes and outlines muddled together to create hollowed out caricatures. Her steps had long stopped walking forward.
Wei Zhiruo couldn't recall what she saw. She thought, perfectly sure, that she had seen something —but now she wondered if she had. Maybe it was due to her stubbornness, she soon realized what it was. After struggling endlessly, a broken picture hit her hard —a gray shadow was seen floating over that boy's, Ming'er, head.
Heart throbbed achingly, as chill filled her mind. She wished to seamlessly disappear. Or fade away into oblivion. She'd glimpsed it in the past, the abyss that stretched on and on, on the opposite side of her sanity. But such desire to plunge headfirst into it was first—so she clenched her teeth and muttered no to herself. She couldn't let go, she couldn't. Doing that would mean abandoning herself. She could die, she could lose all hope, but she'd never let another creature play with her mind. Not now, not in Cuiping, not in depths of heaven or hell. Nowhere…
"Snap!!"
A piece of shattered glass crunched under her feet.
Wei Zhiruo knew that sight was no longer on her back. A second later, the gaze followed. One step, three, she counted fifteen and felt the gaze intensify before retracting —she didn't delude herself that it was gone. She was right; she felt the sight on her again.
'It's suspicious of me,' Wei Zhiruo sweated.
She took out a piece of steaming meat-filled bun and took a bite.
She tasted nothing. She chewed and swallowed mechanically. She watched a few more families joining the test site, and decided to go back to find her companions sitting around the pool. As she approached the raised platform, she busied her mind tracing the remnant tiles, the patterns in the remaining archways around the pool, pathways connecting them made of stones cut and polished in peculiar hexagonal shapes, busing in anything that could distract her for a while. But she still smelled the rotten fishy stench in the air. It was horrid, like a pile of fish got left behind in a sweltering humid closet to rot, to get filthier in its flesh and blood. She felt too nauseous to eat anymore so she threw away the half eaten bun in her hand to a stray dog.
That boy was close. He looked paler.
Wei Zhiruo pretended to be calm when she saw the shadow floating around him. He was standing innocently amongst a sea of children, looking expectant and cheerful, and guileless. Ignorant of the creature floating on his head. She didn't know what that thing was; the gray of its flesh looked sickening, as did its pitted and ugly texture like ugly tumors growing from blobs of filth. She wondered whether it was even a thing. It had no shadows, no shape of its own—it was not a spirit, nor any creature she was familiar with. She doubted if it even had a soul.
At that instant as if to exacerbate her inner disgust, the tentacles began to squirm nauseatingly.
Feeling her back sweating profusely, Wei Zhiruo kept looking around herself to see if anyone else had seen that abomination. No one looked alarmed. Not those humans, nor the Daoist. She grew increasingly panicked seeing all this—this shouldn't be happening, she thought. If even the cultivators were clueless about this…what was that thing?
Suddenly, Wei Zhiruo heard its voice. Muffled, hoarse, mechanical and stiff. It talked like an old machinery trying to get back into shape, rubbing against its rusty parts with unfamiliarity.
[The system itself cannot intervene directly…host. Your sister is…dead. Her soul is lost, her body…occupied. Mercenary Ning Minglan…the heroine of the second book, is already here. We cannot stop these events from happening. You need experience points to stop her from harming your mother though…host. You need to do the tasks to gain those points…do it to stop the alien soul from exploiting your sister's body and doing those atrocious…things written in the novel. Do you wish to initiate this Task?]
The monster was talking with the boy. It seemed the boy was aware of his existence. Even if he knew there was something talking to him, looking at his pale yet unhorrified face, she became sure even the boy couldn't see the real appearance of that thing which called itself the 'system'.
[Initiating main quest! Weaken Protagonist Yu Minglan! Steal her opportunities, hamper her progress.]
Wei Zhiruo controlled her aching head from reeling. Her fingers twisted and formed a seal. She opened her eyes —that shadow was there, swaying amidst the golden threads, with nothing attached to itself. It was as if the heavens here couldn't feel its existence at all!
[Host Yu Yichen is being given access to the novel's first arc. Chapter loading…Ting! Do you wish to see the current progress of the main task, host?]
[Novel One, First Arc Progress: 4%]
[Experience gained: 8 points]
[Progress is too low…you are in Shajing, host. According to our calculation, you should have gone to Xicheng. However, the plot changed. We are still trying to investigate the reason for sudden plot change. Meanwhile Host Yu Yichen…should refrain from exacerbating plot deviations any further. Do you wish to see the next plotline?]
[Novel
Main Character: Yu Mengjin
Description: Yu Mengjin knew heaven was unfair. Born as a weak red Phoenix, living on the charity of others, she wished she could straighten her back one day and stand tall to her enemies. But…no one pitied her! Her child was dug out from her womb, her lover watched and laughed. To him, it was all a game. Her little phoenix…her child got burnt to ashes. Once reborn, Yu Mengjin pledged she would never be a weakling again! It didn't matter whether she was born with five spiritual roots. She will change her aptitude! Awakening her bloodline, she once again took flight into the blue sky, rushing towards the highest peak in Heaven.]
[Ting!! Warning! Warning! Anomaly detected! Important plot points are missing! Warning! Warning!]
Wei Zhiruo by now was sure the thing happening in front of her was a once in a million opportunity. Despite her head almost splitting with headache, she remained still eavesdropping.
[Warning! Main target Yu Mengjin is missing from the scene! She is still stuck healing Wen Haiming. By System's calculations, she should have already gained the Artifact Soul Effacing Jade after Wen Haiming died…discovered hidden Bloodline Rejuvenating Elixir and stimulated her bloodline…Progress being recalculated…Ting!! Next plot point for the heroine: Meeting and becoming Venerable Lord Zhuge Qing's last disciple.]
Wei Zhiruo suddenly saw the worried face of her friend. Rong Hualan looked at her pale face and jumped down from the platform, she was running to come to her.
[Initiating transmission of Second Novel:
Main Character: Yu Minglan
Description: Agent 408, died. In a plane crash. Suddenly finding herself in ancient times, Yu Minglan, felt her new life would be spent seeking a good handsome and rich husband, a noble family to marry into and then living the life of an enviable matriarch. But things changed. She soon realized, she didn't transmigrate into the ancient Hua nation, but in fact, into a book! "Red Phoenix Ascent to Godhood" was a raging bestseller—full of face slapping events, countless cannon fodders and villains and adventure in Cultivation world; she had finished the novel in just one day! But Yu Minglan was not born in some unnamed character, but as the villainous older sister of the heroine! What else could she do? To survive, she could do only one thing—snatch, snatch and snatch some more! All the opportunities she had seen in the novel, she was going to snatch all of them!
Progress: On the way back to the Tianlan sect, the ship is attacked by Demonic cultivators. Yu Minglan steals a dead demonic cultivator's Dimensional Space ring, containing fragments of an ancient Cultivation Art.
Task: Stop her from obtaining the treasure.
Task Rewards: 200 experience points, a chance to draw Immortal artifacts from Gacha, ten Top quality Spirit stones!]
This time, she clearly saw a light screen flickering with letters on them, which the system read out aloud. Still no one around seemed to notice this bizarre development.
[Yes, despite previous animosity, host needs to support the heroine Yu Mengjin in her journey. Your Main task is to prevent invading soul 'Yu Minglan' from making any changes in the first novel
Wei Zhiruo felt the buzzing voice in her head taking over every thought. She was tethering to the edges of control when…her huadian suddenly flashed. As if stimulated it unfurled its sixth petal.
At the same time, Rong Hualan reached her and clutched her cold wrist. "Wei Zhiruo! Wei Zhiruo…are you listening?"
[Ting! First side Quest issued!!
Description: Yu Minglan, the girl who finally climbed the three thousandth steps of the Immortal pathway, became the last to reach the peak. The sun had already set by the time she came up. But when Elder Shen announced the rewards, he brushed his white beard and let her pick her reward first. She looked down at the dagger blade, a blackened iron ring, and a mystical looking piece of rolled up scroll and immediately reached out to pick up the old looking ring from the gifts. Something told her this was the second biggest golden finger, the one which heroine Yu Mengjin missed in the book and which fell into the hands of villainous Xi Qingqing. A real mustard-seed dimensional space. The scroll must be a high level cultivation technique the heroine had picked for herself, the knife went to the Second male lead, Gong Xiaojun! Then this ring…!! She didn't feel the burning desire to pick any of the other two. It was this. This ring. It was her chance!
Task: Stop Yu Minglan from being the first in the test or gaining the ring with the space.
Quest rewards: Twenty Top Quality Spirit stones, ten draws at Gacha, 500 experience points.]
"Wei Zhiruo, don't scare me! What is happening to you? Are you feeling faint? Come on, say something!" She heard a faint worried voice of Rong Hualan but it soon got drowned in a long barrage of announcements from the system.
[The Second Side Quest is being issued…Ting!! Initiation completed, please carefully look at the details!
Description: Yu Minglan frowned. She didn't want to meddle into someone else's business, but she really detested this white lotus heroine! Who said the Red Phoenix was born selfless and pure?! Why couldn't she find any shred of selflessness in Yu Mengjin, who was always looking forward to seeing her downfall? What gave this concubine born daughter the courage to feel resentful of her —or the original owner? It was true that Yu Mengjin's mother died because of an order from her mother, but did this girl even realize who holds the power in the house? How could a weak woman like her mother even think of murder? The real reason was…of course something else had happened in the background! She hated this two faced woman Yu Mengjin. So she saved that disciple called Wei Zhiruo. Who would have thought…Yu Minglan looked down at the necklace she picked up from that girl's neck. Venerable Gu's second disciple was really true to her reputation. Foul mouthed, uncouth and hot-tempered. The way she stormed away immediately after throwing away the bag full of spirit stones as if she could pay the price of her life that way was really something…but she did gain this treasure. Who would have thought, the future powerhouse Su Mengdi gained her first treasure by stealing from her junior sister! If she wasn't mistaken, this was the necklace that carried the Essence of Stars and Moonlight, a prehistoric heavenly treasure which could refine bloodline! Not only that. Today, Yu Minglan also gained another opportunity. Who could have thought, the Cursed Pond which smelled so foul had Spiritual Water Pool stored underneath it?! She felt she was really lucky today.
Task: Stop Yu Minglan from awakening her Ice Phoenix bloodline by gaining ancient Necklace. Stop her from saving Wei Zhiruo, and gaining knowledge of the Spiritual Pool.
Quest rewards: 100 experience points, 5 Top Quality Spirit stones]
"Wei Zhiruo…Wei Zhiruo, say something!" Rong Hualan finally panicked and ran back to call others.
[Ting! The conditions have been met for extraction of the third novel!! Do you wish to extract…extraction underway! The third novel
Main Character: Su Mengdi
Description: Su Mengdi had a long dream. She dreamt that her esteemed teacher Gu Tianle, whom she loved more than anyone else was actually thinking of her as a substitute! Substitute for his dead wife, the Magnolia Fairy Guo Fengyi who wasn't even dead yet! One day in the future, the reincarnation of Guo Fengyi will knock on the doors of the sect, and become the master's last disciple. Not only that, it didn't end there. It was just the beginning of her nightmare. In the future her spiritual roots will be dug out for the sake of Guo Fengyi, her swordbones will be dug out to be given to her as well. All the treasures she will seek with difficulty will eventually find their way to her as well! Waking up from her dream, Su Mengdi realized she only had one way to escape from her predestined fate —grow stronger as soon as possible!
Task: To be determined??
Task Reward:??]
"Wei Zhiruo? Are you even listening to us? What's the matter with you?" Ning Fei called out into her ears.
She looked up, her head swimming.
Rong Hualan and others were looking into her eyes. Someone was dragging her away to sit down.
"Come, come this way. We have been calling you for so long! What happened? Are you okay? Maybe it's the heat of the sun which is making you so uncomfortable—"
***
"What's happening now?"
With her almond shaped eyes, a pretty young lady pointedly looked towards a direction. Men and women wearing armors over their bodies, holding swords and long spears and a range of other mysterious looking weapons descended from the sky.
Kunlun, Wuji, Tianlan sect members, even the Cultivators Association members had all gathered to quell the unrest in Xicheng. Now, many of the Cultivators were gathering here to go back to the cultivation world together.
"Xicheng…the whole town has turned into a ghost city."
Li Sifeng, who was bringing his group of children close to where the Ship was anchored to the ground, heard the discussion and stopped in his tracks. The two young ladies greeted him respectfully.
"The sect has decided to send Nascent Soul Cultivators, so don't worry," Li Sifeng informed them. "Even if we are attacked, we won't suffer. Maybe other ancestors will intervene as well. This is no longer just the problem for sects to deal with. Other cultivation families will also come forward this time. Or else…"
It was the evening of the second day. Many children lined up to climb the ship's stairs and go inside, being guided carefully by other cultivators. Just right in front of them stood an army of ferocious looking faces. Some rode their flying vehicles, some came with their growling beasts. But always, they would keep the gigantic flying ship in the center of their formation.
"But it was too late. They successfully destroyed everything brother Li. Those wicked demonic cultivators! What else can we expect from them?"
"Why now? Weren't the sects alerted in time?! I heard even Sect elder Shen and Tang, both late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators, went to Xicheng. The Wen family sent their Deity Transformation Ancestor along with those coming from Gu and Chen clan. Everyone was alerted; almost half of the cultivation world was furiously protesting at this oversight. How could the Cultivator's Association fuck this up at such a sensitive moment?!"
"It was already too late." Li Sifeng shook his head.
The first girl explained to her friend, "By the time they arrived the whole town had been burned to ashes. It took them a fortnight just to cleanse that foul breath of resentment. The infiltration was going on for too long, maybe centuries. And you know it's Xicheng, not someplace else. Inhuman torture camps, human flesh trading channels, sickening rituals, all of this happened right there where we Cultivators usually conducted our spiritual root testing ceremony! Isn't that just right under our nose? I hate to imagine the atrocities— the inhuman treatment, butchering and torture, and everything else they suffered just because of our carelessness! The Association didn't have a clue about this, nor did our sects — how can there be such a coincidence?! I refuse to believe no one knew."
"Is it actually that bad?!"
"It's horrible! I can't believe something like this was happening there and for so long! No way there is no involvement of traitors from our side. If it wasn't for junior brother Wen and others bringing the news, who would have heard of this?"
"You mean, our sect's junior brother Wen Haiming? What does he have to do with this?"
"Wen Haiming was the one who alerted the sect." Li Sifeng took the turn to explain this time, "Demonic cultivators were chasing after him when he sent the message. All five of them are still missing. No one knows whether they are dead or alive. But they should be safer now that so many people have come out to support them."
"Wen family…it is understandable why they are so angry this time. Their only young master's life is in such jeopardy," the other female shook her head, "this is the reality of our world, isn't it? The powerful prey on the weak and innocent people die like mayflies."
Suddenly a booming voice echoed in the air interrupting their heated conversation.
"Get inside the ship quickly. We will depart in fifteen minutes." Grand Elder showed up.
"We obey, Grand Elder!!"
Chaos ensued.
Wei Zhiruo climbed inside following the lead of brother Li like her other companions. Inside the ship, another elder stood before them with his hands behind his back, scrutinizing their faces as he spoke out instructions in a cold voice. Wei Zhiruo recognized him. He was the same Elder who had done the test for her.
"Find your rooms. Choose and settle there. Loitering around within the ship is forbidden. We will not reach the Great Barrier till a week from now and even then," The elder briskly swept across his weary eyes around the Flying ships deck full of curious little bobbing heads of children, teenagers and a few, conspicuous adults but who were looking at him with eager eyes to understand the course of their journey towards their new future, "—even then, we will have to wait a long time before we reach Tianlan. As you might have heard, there are demonic cultivators running rampantly out there. Be prepared to live here for a long time, as we are delaying the trip to secure your safety. In the meantime, follow orders and listen to your senior brothers and sisters about common knowledge related to the cultivation world. That world is nothing like the world you are leaving behind. The strong eat the weak. Only the strong have the right to state their demands and the weak like you — you are the fodder which isn't even enough to feed their pets. Learn!! Knowledge and only knowledge can be the key to your future survival. Best of luck."
The Elder finished his speech, then vanished, turning into a handful of mist.
Wei Zhiruo felt it. The air charged with tension, with pulsating, thrumming anxiousness.
In the midst of the noise, she once again heard the mechanical disjointed warning blaring loudly like a screech of an angry ghoul.
[Warning! Anomaly detected!! Warning!!]
[Warning! An urgent Task is being issued! Ting!!
Task details: Identify and kill the variable!!
Reward: 900,000 Experience Points, a lifetime access to all system treasures and resources.]
"Hey, Wei Zhiruo, which room are you going to choose?" Rong Hualan patted her on the back and asked.
"Let's look at them first."