Chapter 2: This Generation’s Master of Penglai Island Has a Serious Problem

A pyramid scheme? Temptation?

The crescent moon was as sharp as a blade, curved like a hook, and hidden beneath clouds tinged with the color of blood, it cast a bewitching glow.

The nights at Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss were filled with sinister winds, and danger lurked at every turn.

Wolves howled and tigers roared—eerie, piercing cries that sometimes seemed to come from the distant horizon, and other times seemed to echo right in their ears.

The remaining disciples of the Primordial Pavilion were utterly exhausted. The group sat together recuperating beneath an ancient, thousand-year-old tree. Their once pristine white school uniforms were now filthy and tattered, a far cry from the spirited and confident appearances they had when first entering the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss.

Crystalline blue patterns on their uniforms emitted a faint glow in the darkness. The weaker the light, the more fragile the life it represented.

If a Primordial Pavilion disciple died, the crystalline blue pattern on their uniform would extinguish completely, and the Life Flower left in the Life Palace of the sect would also wither and fall.

Leaning against the banyan tree was a man who still looked young and boyish. Yet his face was already pale and ashen, a deathly aura emanating from his entire body. His breathing was so faint and fragile he seemed like he might fade away at any second.

“Hou An, you have to hold on! We’ll escape soon. You have to hold on. Once we get back to the Primordial Pavilion, the Elders will definitely be able to heal you.”

Hou An opened his eyes, his pupils already unfocused. His voice grew softer and softer as he looked up at the blood-red crescent moon. “Senior Brother Jing Chen… I’m… I’m afraid… I can’t hold on. Help me… bring a message to… little junior sister. The candied hawthorn… I was going to bring her… I…”

Jing Chen cut him off, his eyes already wet. He hardened his voice, “You’ll tell her that yourself when we get back. I’m not relaying any messages. Handle your own business.”

Hou An wanted to say more. Seeing him struggling to breathe, Jing Chen immediately channeled spiritual power into him, trying to ease his suffering.

“Don’t talk. Focus, regulate your breathing. With Eldest Senior Brother and Eldest Senior Sister here, we’ll be fine. They won’t let you die.”

Hou An closed his eyes, feeling the spiritual power rush into his body only to disappear in an instant. He shook his head. “Senior Brother Jing Chen, don’t… waste your energy. It’s useless. My Spirit Sea… is shattered. No matter how much spiritual power you give me… it’s pointless…”

“Shut up!” Jing Chen didn’t stop, continuing to pour spiritual power into Hou An.

Seeing this, the other disciples also continuously fed Hou An their own spiritual energy, trying desperately to preserve the last shred of his life force.

A sudden rustling in the distant thicket startled everyone. They immediately drew their swords, ready to defend themselves, staring intently into the pitch-black undergrowth.

“Could it be… the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox has caught up?” panicked Male Disciple A.

Jing Chen narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the thicket, and said in a deep voice, “Probably not. Although Eldest Senior Brother and Eldest Senior Sister could not defeat the High Spirit-Rank Nine-Tailed Bone Fox, they wouldn’t have been killed by it either.”

“If it’s not the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox, then what Spirit Beast is in that thicket?” Female Disciple A was already trembling with fear, the hand holding her sword shaking uncontrollably.

“Spirit Beast?” Jing Chen shifted Hou An to a safe position behind him. “Who said it has to be a Spirit Beast? Do you feel any spiritual energy fluctuations?”

No.

Besides the wind rustling the grass, they felt not a single ripple of spiritual energy.

Everything seemed incredibly calm and peaceful, yet no one dared to make a reckless move.

Because this was the legendary Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss, a place from which no one returned.

Whatever appeared here, no matter what it was, was definitely not benevolent.

Everyone stood frozen in place, constantly vigilant of every change around them. The moment spiritual energy fluctuations were finally perceived, Jing Chen immediately sent his Natal Sword flying toward the thicket, charging straight into the darkness.

When he saw the familiar glow of the crystalline blue pattern emerging from the thicket, Jing Chen’s pupils constricted. He quickly recalled his Natal Sword and cried out in delighted surprise, “It’s Eldest Senior Brother and Eldest Senior Sister. They’re back.”

Hearing this news, the tense expressions on everyone’s faces finally relaxed.

Two figures emerged from the undergrowth. They wore the same pure white school uniforms as the others; the clothes were somewhat torn and marked with both large and small bloodstains, but the crystalline blue patterns on their uniforms still shone brilliantly.

The newcomers were precisely the people Jing Chen had spoken of: the Eldest Senior Brother, Gu Chuan, and the Eldest Senior Sister, Lu Qing’an.

Gu Chuan stepped forward, glanced at Hou An, and asked, “How is his injury?”

Jing Chen shook his head, his eyes reddening even more. “Not good.”

Gu Chuan grasped Hou An’s wrist to feel his pulse. His brows furrowed deeply. “We need to speed up. We must leave the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss before dawn, or we’ll all die here.”

Jing Chen looked at Lu Qing’an, who was still staring into the darkness behind the thicket. Worried, he asked, “Eldest Senior Sister, is the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox chasing us?”

Lu Qing’an rotated her wrist, recalling her Cloud-Cutting Sword.

She turned around, her expression calm. “No.”

Upon hearing this, Male Disciple A’s face lit up. “Eldest Senior Brother, did you kill the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox?”

If it hadn’t chased them, Gu Chuan and Lu Qing’an must have slain it.

Everyone looked at the two of them, faces flushed, eyes filled with a mixture of excitement and hope.

Gu Chuan shook his head. “No. That beast is, after all, a High Spirit-Rank. Qing’an and I couldn’t kill it.”

“Then shouldn’t we leave immediately?” Female Disciple A panicked. “Otherwise, the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox will catch up!”

Since it hadn’t been killed, the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox would surely return to hunt them down.

“No rush,” Gu Chuan’s expression shifted. “The Nine-Tailed Bone Fox isn’t chasing us.”

“What does Eldest Senior Brother mean by that?”

“Nine-Tailed Bone Foxes are known for their vindictiveness. Once we angered it, it would hunt us to the death without end,” Jing Chen said, puzzled.

“It was scared away.”

Jing Chen stared at Lu Qing’an in shock. “What does Eldest Senior Sister mean by that?”

Lu Qing’an wiped the blood from her fingertip and looked up. “Exactly what I said.”

“Scared away?” Jing Chen murmured in disbelief. “The kind of Spirit Beast that could scare away a Nine-Tailed Bone Fox… would have to be a Saint-Rank Spirit Beast, right?”

“Encountering a Saint-Rank Spirit Beast? We’re doomed for sure.”

“What do we do? We could barely handle the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox. If a Saint-Rank Spirit Beast comes, we won’t be able to resist at all.”

“Hou An’s injuries are getting worse, and our spiritual power is almost gone. What can we possibly do now?”

The group fell into panicked chaos, despair setting in. A few female disciples even started crying.

Lu Qing’an’s brows furrowed. She shouted, “Giving up resistance before even facing the enemy? Is this how your Masters taught you?”

Everyone hung their heads in silence, as if they had already prepared themselves to die.

“Eldest Senior Sister, we know you and Eldest Senior Brother are prodigies of nature, having reached the Golden Core Realm at such a young age. You could at least fight a Spirit Beast like the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox. But we haven’t even formed our Golden Cores yet. Never mind the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox, we’d probably die even against a Heaven-Rank Spirit Beast,” Female Disciple A choked out, her voice thick with tears.

When facing death, no one could remain calm, least of all this group of young, ambitious prodigies who had been cherished and coddled since childhood.

If they hadn’t been set up during their mountain training and mistakenly entered the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss, hunted by the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox and facing life and death—how could they be in this situation?

Lu Qing’an sighed. She walked over to Hou An. Seeing his worsening condition, she took out a box of pills from her robe. “Feed him this.”

Jing Chen took it and looked. It was actually a Grade Four pill—the Profound Qi Pill.

“Th-this… the Profound Qi Pill is too valuable, Eldest Senior Sister. This…” Jing Chen felt he shouldn’t accept it.

Lu Qing’an took out the pill and directly shoved it into Hou An’s mouth. “A life is more valuable.”

Jing Chen’s eyes trembled as he watched Lu Qing’an help Hou An absorb the medicine.

Hou An’s complexion improved significantly almost instantly. Though still very weak, he was at least breathing in more than he was breathing out.

Hou An opened his eyes, feeling the changes within him. Gasping for breath, he said, “Thank… thank you, Eldest Senior Sister.”

Lu Qing’an said nothing. She stood up and surveyed the surroundings.

Watching Lu Qing’an’s retreating back, a myriad of thoughts surged through the minds of the disciples.

Every five years, the Primordial Pavilion required its disciples to descend the mountain for training, hoping they could enhance their strength and break through cultivation levels during the experience.

The disciples participating in the training drew lots to form groups. Their group had attracted significant attention because they had drawn Gu Chuan and Lu Qing’an.

The training had been proceeding extremely smoothly. Everyone in the group had achieved strength enhancements and level breakthroughs. But on the way back to the Primordial Pavilion, they had been ambushed by the Mo Le Sect and forced into the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss, completely losing contact with the Primordial Pavilion and leaving them unable to call for help.

Even with the Late Golden Core Stage Lu Qing’an and Mid Golden Core Stage Gu Chuan protecting them, they all knew in their hearts that no one would leave the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss alive.

Gu Chuan walked to Lu Qing’an’s side. Seeing her grave expression, he asked, “Did you find something?”

“I found nothing.”

Gu Chuan let out a breath. “Good, then.”

“It’s not good,” Lu Qing’an clenched her fist. “In a perilous place like the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss, calmness isn’t a good sign.”

“Do you remember how the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox looked when it fled?”

Scrambling blindly, as if it had run into some truly terrifying monster.

It was the first time Gu Chuan had seen such clear fear and panic in the eyes of a Spirit Beast.

“What exactly…” Lu Qing’an’s voice was cool and clear, but it struck Gu Chuan’s heart like a heavy hammer, “could scare a Nine-Tailed Bone Fox into fleeing for its life?”

Gu Chuan’s breath caught in his throat.

After resting for a short while, everyone immediately set off again.

As she walked, Lu Qing’an suddenly stopped and looked back sharply into the distance. It was still pitch black, but she had the distinct feeling something was there.

Not a Spirit Beast, not a ghost or phantom.

“Find something?” Gu Chuan also stopped, looking into the distance as Lu Qing’an did.

Lu Qing’an retracted her gaze and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

She hadn’t sensed any hostility or killing intent.

In the distant treetop, Cheng Huan hid behind the trunk of a tree, desperately holding down the restless Nine-Tailed Bone Fox struggling in her arms.

The Nine-Tailed Bone Fox, previously so large it seemed to blot out the sky, had now shrunk in Cheng Huan’s embrace to the size of a small pet kept for amusement.

“So alert,” Cheng Huan sighed inwardly.

Cheng Huan thought she had hidden herself very discreetly, especially considering her strength. Even the most powerful Spirit Beast in Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss shouldn’t be able to detect her.

But she hadn’t expected Lu Qing’an to actually discover her trail.

“She’s only at the Late Golden Core Stage, yet she can detect me. Truly worthy of being the Female Lead protected and favored by the Heavenly Dao.” Cheng Huan stroked the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox’s tail, clicking her tongue in wonder.

She had been a Tasker doing missions for a long time but had never served as a Female Lead. Not that she’d want to; those A-Grade missions came with immense risks.

A shiver ran through her palm.

Cheng Huan looked down at the trembling Nine-Tailed Bone Fox. “What are you so afraid of? I’m not going to kill you.”

“But your tail feels really nice. Could you give me one tail as a souvenir?”

The Nine-Tailed Bone Fox’s eyes widened: !!

“Silence means consent, huh.” Cheng Huan smiled slightly. A rusty iron dagger suddenly appeared in her palm. One swift slash.

The Nine-Tailed Bone Fox let out a pitiful, piercing shriek that echoed throughout the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss.

Cheng Huan released the Bone Fox, now left with only eight tails. She looked at the Cloud-Cutting Sword that had materialized beside her neck. Her eyebrow arched. “Just a passerby. Was there really a need for swords and spears?”

Just by looking at her silhouette, Lu Qing’an could tell the woman before her was no ordinary person. Her aura was unparalleled, her strength unfathomable. Lu Qing’an couldn’t probe this person’s cultivation level at all, meaning it was higher than hers.

If the Nine-Tailed Bone Fox hadn’t made a sound, she wouldn’t have been able to instantly detect this person hiding in the darkness.

She just hadn’t expected it to be a woman.

“Passerby?” Lu Qing’an’s gaze fell on the red, furry tail in the woman’s hand, her voice dangerously cold. “The Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss is hardly a regular route for cultivators. Who are you?”

Cheng Huan turned around, paying no heed to the Cloud-Cutting Sword at her neck. She said flatly, “Knowing the danger, you still dared to come alone to investigate. Should I call you courageous or foolish?”

Lu Qing’an stared at Cheng Huan in disbelief.

She was stunned by the woman’s exquisite, peerless beauty. Tall and slender, she seemed surrounded by an ethereal aura, dreamlike and illusory, like a fairy descending gracefully from the heavens.

And what terrified Lu Qing’an even more was that she could not move. She was frozen in place, her Spirit Sea within her completely silent and still, as if forcibly suspended by someone.

Cheng Huan sized up Lu Qing’an from head to toe. The criteria the Heavenly Dao used to select Male and Female Leads wasn’t fixed; it seemed to depend entirely on the Heavenly Dao’s whim.

The Three Thousand Worlds weren’t just “three thousand”—that was merely a figure of speech. But the number of Taskers was precise.

The Heavenly Dao often selected Awakened individuals from the myriad worlds to become Taskers or Systems.

Sometimes they were Male or Female Leads, sometimes mere passersby or cannon fodder. It varied.

When she was a Tasker, she had never once chosen a mission where she had to play the Female Lead.

And some Assistant Systems, from start to finish, didn’t even assist the Leads.

The probability wasn’t fixed. It all depended on the Heavenly Dao’s decision.

The Lu Qing’an standing before Cheng Huan was the Female Lead of this Mission World. The Male Lead was Gu Chuan, her fellow disciple under the same Master. They were childhood sweethearts; the entire sect believed the two should become Dao companions and cultivate together in pursuit of immortality.

Yet the Lu Qing’an in front of her was solely focused on her cultivation, with no intention of using dual cultivation to advance her power or as a shortcut to immortality.

A Female Lead whose main goal was her “career”—she was practically the epitome of the saying, “without love in the heart, great things can be accomplished.” Young as she was, she was already at the Late Golden Core Stage, her future limitless.

Lu Qing’an felt her scalp tingle under Cheng Huan’s stare. She could sense that the person before her had no killing intent. Her gaze was clear; her eyes contained curiosity and… a hint of approval.

Unable to move, completely at this person’s mercy, Lu Qing’an stared straight at Cheng Huan and said coldly, “What exactly do you want?”

Cheng Huan’s eyes swiveled. She folded her arms across her chest and said with the utmost seriousness, “Do you want to reach the heavens in a single bound?”

Lu Qing’an: ?

“Do you want to attain the Dao and ascend to immortality?”

Lu Qing’an: ?

“Do you want to achieve great things and be remembered for all eternity?”

Lu Qing’an: ?

Cheng Huan lifted her chin, declaring with absolute confidence, “Become my disciple, and I’ll make all your wishes come true.”

Lu Qing’an: ?

Had she… run into something unclean?