Chapter 16: A-Yue——

At least she was a cultivator. Even if she’d slipped and fallen, she wasn’t completely helpless like an ordinary mortal. The girl seemed remarkably adept at handling such situations. Before Bai Xiaoxiao could so much as blink, the young woman had already fixed her expression as if none of it had ever happened, then calmly greeted them with a salute between peers.

That said a great deal about her mental fortitude.

Before Bai Xiaoxiao could process what was happening, Ye Xingtong stepped forward, crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and looked down at the girl. “What brings the Young Pavilion Master Jing all the way out here for such a tiny secret realm? And didn’t I hear you got grounded by your mother for failing several exams… mmph—!”

The girl’s expression changed. She darted forward, clamped a hand over Ye Xingtong’s mouth, and hissed “Shut up!” through gritted teeth before releasing her, stepping back and wiping her hand as she went.

Then she addressed Bai Xiaoxiao and Ming Jingqiu with a faint, elusive smile. “Sorry for the intrusion. Xingtong and I are old friends. When I heard a secret realm was opening nearby, I figured she’d come to join the fun, so I came to find her. The two of you must be Xingtong’s senior sisters from the Sword Sect. Would you mind if I tagged along?”

Ming Jingqiu returned the salute coolly. “And you are?”

A flicker of realization crossed the girl’s face. “Oh, look at me, forgetting my manners. I’m Jing Ying. This senior sister can call me A-Jing or A-Ying, whichever you prefer.”

Ming Jingqiu did neither. She only gave a slight nod and said, “Young Pavilion Master Jing.”

Jing Ying’s gaze drifted, she touched her nose, and gave a soft laugh, taking it as acknowledgment.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoxiao returned a salute as well but said nothing, her expression thoughtful.

Beside her, Ye Xingtong spat a few times, furiously wiped her mouth, and shot the girl a disgusted glare. “You snuck out again. When Aunt Jing finds out, you’re done for, I’m telling you.”

Bai Xiaoxiao finally remembered who Jing Ying was. She settled her mind and called out to the System.

“Is this Jing Ying the one from the Myriad Laws Pavilion?”

The System lowered its voice in reply. “That’s correct, Host. That very one.”

Bai Xiaoxiao looked at her with some surprise, thinking that appearances truly were deceiving. Jing Ying looked remarkably sharp, yet she was a genuine slacker when it came to studies.

Saying she was the Young Pavilion Master was just a title in name. If not for her mother, the Pavilion Master, shielding her, she probably would have been weeded out long ago.

That was because the Myriad Laws Pavilion in this book operated completely differently from every other sect.

It all stemmed from the second-generation Pavilion Master, Chongxue, who was also a Transmigrator. That woman possessed extraordinary talent, cultivated far beyond the ordinary, and had a sharp mind. Unsurprisingly, she had taken the seat of Pavilion Master.

The very first thing she did upon assuming office, with the support of the first-generation Pavilion Master, was to launch a bold reform—recruiting cultivators from all over the world. As long as they met the standards, anyone could enter the Pavilion to study.

The Myriad Laws Pavilion set up sub-academies based on attributes. Spell cultivators were sorted into classes by Spiritual Root value and attributes; Formation Cultivators and Talisman Cultivators were sorted by comprehension. Moreover, whether disciple or Elder, everyone had to pass layer upon layer of examinations. Disciples who failed were held back a year; Elders who failed had their salaries docked.

Once a disciple reached the Nascent Soul stage, they could pass an examination to become an Elder, or the Pavilion would arrange for them to train at various city outposts.

In short, it was a massive academy—the kind that guaranteed job placement upon graduation.

Bai Xiaoxiao had felt a little envious when she first read that part. After all, modern society didn’t guarantee job placements. Graduate, and you were unemployed.

But the current Pavilion Master was no longer Chongxue. That Transmigrator senior was said to have already Ascended—whether she’d returned to the modern world or gone to the Upper Realm, no one knew.

Thinking this, Bai Xiaoxiao looked at Jing Ying again, and a trace of sympathy crept into her gaze.

Poor thing. Even in the Cultivation World, she couldn’t escape the fate of being graded.

Jing Ying didn’t notice. She was too busy brawling with Ye Xingtong over being called out, her dignified bearing rapidly collapsing.

Bai Xiaoxiao edged closer to Ming Jingqiu, watching the two of them squabble childishly—without even a trace of Spiritual Power being used. She asked in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist Ming, the Young Pavilion Master Jing and Xingtong seem to be old acquaintances.”

Ming Jingqiu nodded. “Junior Sister Ye’s mother and Pavilion Master Jing are good friends. They’re close in private, so I imagine Junior Sister Ye and the Young Pavilion Master have known each other since childhood.”

Bai Xiaoxiao privately nodded.

Those two might speak with thorns and even scuffle, but it was obvious they had a good relationship.

Unfortunately, in the novel, neither of them came to a good end.

Ye Xingtong had been at odds with Rong Qingqing from the start—their personalities clashed, and they couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

And if Bai Xiaoxiao remembered correctly, in the latter half of the Original Novel, when the seal on the Three Realms Passage was damaged, the great sects agreed to reinforce it together. They walked right into a trap and were imprisoned. Jing Yuan was ambushed, her cultivation falling to Soul Formation and her Dao Heart damaged.

Around the same time, internal strife broke out in the Myriad Laws Pavilion. Jing Yuan’s soul returned to heaven and earth, yet the one who succeeded to the Pavilion Master’s seat was not any of the candidates—it was a junior. That person had somehow obtained the inheritance of the second-generation Pavilion Master, Chongxue, and claimed the title by calling herself Chongxue’s disciple.

All because she was close to Rong Qingqing, she became part of the protagonist’s group.

But poor Jing Ying—her mother dead, the Myriad Laws Pavilion changing hands. The shock was too much, and she fell into the Devil Path overnight. Of course, a villain who opposed the protagonist never had a good ending. During the war of the races, Jing Ying tried to take revenge on Rong Qingqing, but before she could even see the woman’s face, she was captured by one of Rong Qingqing’s admirers, humiliated, and killed.

Bai Xiaoxiao reviewed all of this, then looked at the flying boat full of villains and cannon fodder packed together, and found herself at a loss for words.

She sighed inwardly and was about to speak when she noticed the atmosphere around her suddenly turn strange. She looked toward the distance and saw a pillar of spiritual light shooting up into the sky, followed by wave after wave of spiritual qi surging at the flying boat.

“The secret realm is about to open.”

Ming Jingqiu looked up at the light pillar and tightened her grip on her sword.

“Why is it opening early? Wasn’t it supposed to be tomorrow?”

Bai Xiaoxiao struggled to keep her footing and avoid being thrown off by the qi waves.

But she remembered Shen Zhiyue saying this secret realm needed five days to accumulate power from the moment it began leaking spiritual qi. They’d decided to come on the second day, and thanks to the flying boat, they’d arrived a day early—only to coincidentally run into the secret realm opening ahead of schedule.

“I’m afraid something has gone wrong.”

Ming Jingqiu’s face was as heavy as water as she stared at the slowly opening entrance, brows knit tight.

Ye Xingtong and Jing Ying finally stopped brawling. Neither had been on guard, and they’d nearly been flipped over by the sudden surge of qi. Fortunately, the flying boat’s defensive barrier activated in time, saving them from being launched into the sky.

In just a short span, the secret realm’s entrance had already swung wide open.

Ye Xingtong’s eyes lit up immediately. “Who cares what went wrong? We’re here now—we might as well go in and take a look.”

Jing Ying nodded frantically beside her.

Watching her now, Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t recall a single trace of her earlier imposing presence.

She couldn’t help but shake her head and looked at Ming Jingqiu questioningly. “Fellow Daoist Ming?”

Ming Jingqiu was the highest-cultivated among them and the most experienced. No one had any objections to following her lead.

But Bai Xiaoxiao was afraid she’d say no, because Bai needed to get inside the secret realm to complete her Side Quest.

She wondered whether Rong Qingqing had already gone in.

Bai Xiaoxiao had paid attention a moment ago, but among the cultivators who’d rushed in, she hadn’t seen her.

While Bai was mulling it over, Ming Jingqiu suddenly spoke. “Forget it. We’re going in too.”

Cultivation itself was a struggle against heaven and a competition with others. If one backed away at the first sign of difficulty, one might as well never have started cultivating at all.

In truth, had she been alone, Ming Jingqiu wouldn’t have minded at all. But with people in her care, she had more concerns.

Since the decision was made to go in, there was no reason to delay. Ye Xingtong immediately stowed the flying boat, and everyone shot toward the entrance on their swords.

Bai Xiaoxiao had learned Sword Flight before, but she wasn’t skilled at it yet, so she flew crookedly, as if she’d tumble out of the sky at any second.

Before Ming Jingqiu could offer to carry her, the moment they neared the entrance, a violent force sucked them all in, giving no one a chance to react.

After a dizzying whirl, when Bai Xiaoxiao opened her eyes again, she found herself inside a cave. The sound of dripping water reached her ears—a steady, unhurried drip, drip, drip, following a oddly regular rhythm.

It was incredibly hypnotic. For no discernible reason, Bai Xiaoxiao felt her mind fog over the moment she regained clarity.

“Calm your heart. Focus.”

Those four sudden words struck like a blow to the head, snapping Bai Xiaoxiao awake. A cold sweat broke out across her body.

She looked around as if she’d seen a ghost and realized she was floating in a pool, sprawled out like a corpse. The dripping sound wasn’t an illusion—it fell from the jagged stone pillars overhead, landing not far from her, and inexplicably carried a hypnotic, illusion-inducing effect.

“Thank you, Your Eminence.”

She gave her thanks inwardly, spotted a place where she could climb ashore, and hurriedly swam over.

“Don’t move yet.”

Shen Zhiyue’s voice was somewhat stern.

Bai Xiaoxiao paused and obediently stopped, though her expression was confused. She asked cautiously, “Your Eminence? You can see?”

“Mm. I can see through your eyes.”

Bai Xiaoxiao found it quite astonishing and couldn’t help turning to look around.

“…Don’t turn so fast.”

Bai Xiaoxiao obediently went “Oh” and slowed down.

But that was when she noticed something was wrong. “Huh? Where are Fellow Daoist Ming and the others?”

She finally remembered she hadn’t entered the secret realm alone. But this cave wasn’t large, and it was empty all around—she was clearly the only one here.

“They’ve probably been scattered to different places. Rather than worry about them, you’d do better to worry about your own situation, silly snake.”

Bai Xiaoxiao paused, then gave an embarrassed laugh. “Your Eminence is right.”

Hearing her obedient reply, Shen Zhiyue paused before giving a soft “Mm.”

“There’s Heart-Capturing Grass on the shore. If you’re not careful, you’ll fall for it. Be careful.”

Bai Xiaoxiao nodded and swam cautiously toward the shore.

Perhaps because she was prepared, her head spun the moment she reached dry land—but she quickly recovered.

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at those lush, harmless-looking little plants, thinking it was quite curious.

But this wasn’t the time to admire grass. She shook her sleeves, and pool water splashed all over her face. Unpleasant.

“You can use the Water Control Art.”

Shen Zhiyue’s voice drifted over lightly.

Bai Xiaoxiao’s mind stirred. She retrieved the Water Control Art Shen Zhiyue had mentioned from her memory. After reciting it several times, she finally memorized the Incantation, then focused her attention and tried to use it.

Following the Incantation, Bai Xiaoxiao felt a peculiar sensation. She guided the droplets of water on her body to detach one by one, gathering into a mass before her, until not a drop remained. In an instant, her whole body was dry and fresh.

Opening her eyes, Bai Xiaoxiao was overjoyed. “Your Eminence, did you see that? I did it!”

Hearing that cheerful voice, the little figure seated in her Sea of Consciousness seemed to curve its lips as well. “Mm. At least you’re not too stupid.”

Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but giggle foolishly. But looking at her current predicament, her face crumpled again.

She had no idea how this pool and cave had formed. The place was sealed on all sides, not even a breath of wind—let alone a way out.

Just then, a wicked heat suddenly erupted from her lower abdomen. Bai Xiaoxiao’s whole body stiffened, and she realized with dawning horror that the Gu Poison—which should have flared at night—

Was early.

Panic gripped her heart. Instinctively, she mobilized her Spiritual Power to suppress it, but for some reason, her internal energy was boiling. The more she circulated it, the faster her desires swelled, until in an instant her reason was scorched away, leaving only that single green silhouette in her mind.

“Your Eminence… Mm…”

“A-Yue——”

The name she’d buried in the deepest part of her heart finally escaped her lips as a low, love-laden murmur.