31. Good News and Bad News
As soon as she asked the question, a bad feeling welled up in her heart.
Damn it… she felt that a certain something was about to react.
Don’t, don’t, don’t! She had already seen enough ridiculous quests. The only one she had made significant progress on was Xinyao’s path to the throne, but the reward for that wouldn’t be given until her official coronation.
And the other quests, like Yan Chuyue’s, were just malicious attempts by the system to make her life difficult.
But she wanted to see how the system would turn her into a little girl. It couldn’t be as simple as a magic trick, right?
“Rest assured, the system’s actions will satisfy you.”
The system’s sudden voice almost made her jump.
This guy was like a ghost, appearing out of nowhere.
“What, are you so sure I won’t complete this quest?” Gong Yiling raised an eyebrow and muttered.
“The best solution has already been provided to the host, but the host clearly doesn’t intend to follow it. Therefore, the system concludes that the host wants to change.”
“I want to change your head!” Gong Yiling retorted angrily. “If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost.”
“Since you’ve asked so sincerely, I’ll mercifully tell you.”
“Hmm?” The strange feeling in Gong Yiling’s heart finally materialized. “Pah, I’ve set it to ‘do not disturb’ and ‘reject messages.’ Don’t speak. I won’t listen even if you do.”
“Ding, notification—”
“I’m not listening, not listening, not listening!”
“Due to the host’s personal request, the following content will be delivered via voice broadcast instead of text.”
What the hell?
“Quest Name: The Sorrow of Tianyuan
Quest Difficulty: Unknown.
Quest Objective: Investigate the truth behind the Great One Engineering Sect’s destruction by heavenly lightning and inextinguishable fire. Requires precise details of when, why, and whose anger caused the fall of the old sect and the rise of the Hundred Paths.
Additional Objective: As the sole inheritor of the Great One Engineering Sect’s secret technique, the Heavenly Saint Technique of the Myriad Paths, your choices will determine the fate of the technique and the truth of this world. The decision to rebuild the Great One Engineering Sect rests with you.
Quest Reward: Heavenly Dao Stele.
Time Limit: Until the Nine-Colored Deer or the host dies.
P.S.: This world hides many unknown truths. For this reason, a mysterious force has drawn in those closely related to this world’s creation, hoping to uncover these truths.”
After listening to this long-winded explanation, Gong Yiling rubbed her forehead.
She only had one thing to say.
Damn this broken system! She knew there would be a trap waiting for her.
And it was a main quest-like mission.
But what was her current identity? The Young Palace Master of a demonic sect! She hadn’t even established her third faction yet, and now this?
“Wait… ‘those closely related to this world’s creation’… then why pull me in? Shouldn’t it be Youyuan?”
Gong Yiling finally found a crucial point in the long explanation.
Although as her brother, she had some connection, the true creator of this world was clearly Youyuan. Why pull her in instead of her sister?
“When did you get the impression that Gong Youyuan isn’t here?” The system suddenly said, “It’s not an illusion, but an assumption on your part.”
“If you’re here, why are you so sure she isn’t?”
“This…” She wasn’t really sure. But from a transmigration novel perspective, the mercenary queen who replaced Yan Chuyue was the female lead, and she, the replacement, was the second female lead.
If Gong Youyuan also transmigrated, who could she be? She couldn’t have transmigrated into the male lead, Jiang Chenmo, right?
“System, do you know—”
“I don’t know.”
The system answered without hesitation.
“I haven’t even finished my question.”
“The system knows what the host wants to ask, but the answer is ‘no comment.'”
She couldn’t rely on this thing. Whether it knew or not, it wouldn’t tell her.
But learning that Gong Youyuan was likely in this world, Gong Yiling felt a sense of relief.
Not just the comfort of meeting someone familiar, but also the hope of uncovering the truth.
She couldn’t figure out all these strange things on her own, but Youyuan was different.
The author shouldn’t be confused about her own world, right? Right? Right?
With this thought, Gong Yiling felt a surge of confidence.
She stopped thinking about it and began to study the Thousand Transformations manual, which had opened for her.
The techniques and archaic language were difficult to understand, even for an expert in ancient languages.
But it didn’t matter.
Gong Yiling didn’t need to understand the words.
Because of her Heavenly Saint Technique of the Myriad Paths, she had an innate comprehension.
This allowed her to quickly grasp new martial arts, and it was even more effective when combined with Thousand Transformations.
She just needed to study the diagrams, and they would become animated in her mind, replaying over and over.
All paths lead to the same source. The examples in Thousand Transformations, when broken down, all returned to their fundamental principles.
Gong Yiling closed her eyes, trying to comprehend the profoundness of the movements, her hands mimicking them.
She suddenly opened her eyes, picked up a bamboo bookmark, and struck forward.
It looked like a slash, but it left a claw mark on the bookshelf, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.
This was using a blunt object to simulate the power of a claw, and she succeeded on her first try. It took her less than half an hour from starting the book to launching this attack.
Such a swift and precise move made the book spirit’s jaw drop—if it had one.
“Holy shit! How… how did you do that!?”
“Just like that.” Gong Yiling examined the simulated claw mark, frowning with dissatisfaction. “It still feels like a blunt object’s tear, not sharp enough. The speed and depth are also lacking. It can’t break through defenses yet.”
“I thought it would be simple, but it seems I’m still far from mastering it.”
Book Spirit: “Pah! The fastest person to reach this stage took a month, and you did it in half an hour???”
“I have the Heavenly Saint Technique of the Myriad Paths. Why talk about speed when you have a cheat?”
“This…” The book spirit seemed to agree.
But then it realized, even the old sect’s members hadn’t learned it this quickly.
Could this girl… be a genius?
