1
Starting Strong, Binding the Palace Intrigue System
Du Xinghe had transmigrated into the role of a tool-like senior sister in a cultivation group-favorite novel.
She was the one who took the blows in dangerous situations, while all the good things went to the junior sister.
Fortunately, even female supporting characters had their dignity. On the very day she transmigrated, she activated her own golden finger.
Laughable. Whoever wanted to be this tool could have the role. She was leaving tonight with her system, cutting ties completely with the Jiuyang Sect!
During her descent down the mountain, Du Xinghe finally realized the system she had bound was called the Imperial Harem Intrigue Invincible System.
Staring at the Warm Passion Pill in the newbie gift pack, her silence was deafening.
…
“Xinghe, you’ve returned too late.”
“The Spirit Nourishing Grass must be consumed at the first quarter of the hour of Zi for the best nourishing effect. You should have returned before the hour of Zi.”
When Du Xinghe dragged her injured body back to the Jiuyang Sect, what greeted her was criticism from her master, Yuanming Zunzhe.
She lifted her head.
What met her eyes was an equally aloof and ethereal gaze.
Yuanming Zunzhe wore wide snow-white robes, his hair tied up with a long hairpin. To his left stood a fiery red precious sword. The Fire Control Sword, which never allowed anyone else near, was currently being supported by a slender young girl. When she saw Du Xinghe’s blood-stained face, she trembled in fright: “Senior Sister!”
An overwhelming pressure from Yuanming Zunzhe crashed down, throwing Du Xinghe, who stood below, ten steps back. She landed heavily on the cold stone bricks.
“You scared Junior Sister,” scolded the senior brother, Su Yan, from the side.
Du Xinghe said nothing.
She was still absorbing the original host’s memories.
Just two hours earlier, the original host, while gathering Spirit Nourishing Grass, had first been attacked by wild beasts. Injured, she accidentally fell off a cliff to her death, becoming the current Du Xinghe who shared the same name. A mysterious force calling itself the System had repaired her fatal injuries, but with a fierce snowstorm raging on the cliff and her severe wounds, she would likely have died outside if she hadn’t returned to the Jiuyang Sect promptly.
So Du Xinghe gritted her teeth, forcing herself to walk step by step back to the Jiuyang Sect.
The moment she saw Yuanming Zunzhe, the original host’s memories flooded in.
The original host was originally a street urchin. Ten years ago, when the Jiuyang Sect widely recruited disciples, she luckily became a disciple under Yuanming Zunzhe, embarking on the path of cultivation.
Half a year ago, the original host rescued Ming Zhi, who had been attacked by Moon Spirit Wolves.
At that time, her cleanliness-obsessed fellow disciples and master all scorned her for being filthy. Only the original host, out of kindness and seeing they were both girls, cleaned her body, changed her clothes, and treated her injuries.
After being cleaned up and healed, Ming Zhi revealed her stunning natural beauty and was found to possess an extremely rare Heavenly Spirit Root. She was immediately accepted by Yuanming Zunzhe as his closed-door disciple, becoming the junior sister among the four disciples. Compared to the quiet and solitary original host, the lively and radiant Ming Zhi became the only splash of color on the perpetually snow-capped Wentian Cliff. In the blink of an eye, she became the master’s beloved disciple and the group favorite of the three senior brothers.
The dirty and hard work all fell to the original host, who then rushed to claim credit in front of the junior sister.
And Ming Zhi, immersed in being the center of attention, forgot that it was the original host who heated the water and cleaned away her filth. She grew hostile toward her senior sister, constantly urging the master and senior brothers to exploit her, thereby gaining a sense of security.
The original host was introverted, strong, and independent; Ming Zhi was gentle, delicate, and unstinting with admiration and praise, always placing herself in a lower position. The feedback from those around her affirmed her behavior. In just half a year, she became the group-favorite junior sister of the Jiuyang Sect.
In secret realms, the original host went first; when it came to materials and treasures, the junior sister had first pick.
There was a blade that the original owner would block, and after it was all over, they’d still complain that she hadn’t blocked it thoroughly enough.
This time, the original owner had been ordered by her master to venture out in a heavy snowstorm to search for Spirit Nourishing Grass, all to brew medicine for the junior sister.
After recalling everything, Du Xinghe had only one thought—
If she’d known, she might as well have died out there.
“Alright, alright, it’s past midnight. Fourth Junior Sister, hand over the Spirit Nourishing Grass so I can refine it into a Spirit Nourishing Pill. Master, don’t get angry over such a small matter and delay Zhi Zhi’s medicine time.”
Second Senior Brother Xue Yanguang gently mediated, “Once she takes the Spirit Nourishing Pill, Zhi Zhi will quickly recover her vitality.”
Ah, the Spirit Nourishing Grass.
Du Xinghe remembered the herbs in her waist pouch, already soaked through with her blood.
The original owner had long died under the sect’s exploitation, yet all they saw was the junior sister’s insufficiently rosy complexion.
“Fine, hand it over.”
Yuanming Zunzhe said indifferently.
Ming Zhi pursed her lips, hesitantly advising, “If Senior Sister doesn’t want to, then forget it.”
But Du Xinghe, standing below, moved.
She pulled the Spirit Nourishing Grass from her waist pouch, and Ming Zhi’s gaze fixed on it—Spirit Nourishing Grass wasn’t actually a rare herb. Never mind the master, any of the three senior brothers could gather it as easily as reaching into a bag. The only reason she’d been sent to collect it was Ming Zhi’s idea.
“Junior Sister, do you want this?”
Du Xinghe asked with a smile.
Her hair was full of snow, her face pale, but her eyes held a vast, misty depth.
Seeing her take the initiative to bring it out, Yuanming Zunzhe’s expression showed a hint of satisfaction.
“If Fourth Senior Sister is unwilling, then let it be.”
Ming Zhi looked on the verge of tears.
“—Fine, I’m unwilling.”
As soon as the words fell, Du Xinghe crumpled the Spirit Nourishing Grass into a ball and swallowed it.
The herb, mixed with her blood, carried a metallic taste.
Her movements were swift, tearing open her wounds. Snowflakes melted into the injuries, yet failed to cool her blood.
None of the five present had expected the usually silent and reserved Fourth Junior Sister to make such a fierce act of defiance. Yuanming Zunzhe, especially angered, released a surge of sword energy that cut her left arm and sent her tumbling out, landing in a small snowdrift outside the hall.
“Go back and reflect in seclusion for a month. From now on, you don’t need to gather medicine for Ming Zhi.”
The master’s voice echoed from the hall.
It was both annoyance at her defiance and a concession in the matter.
The original owner, that honest tool, had never protested suffering or blocking blades for Ming Zhi. Today, Du Xinghe’s fierce rebellion had bruised his pride. While he meted out a minor punishment, he also showed fairness by exempting her from gathering herbs for her junior sister.
This fairness—she wanted no part of it!
Du Xinghe sneered.
Just then, Xue Yanguang walked out of the hall with a complicated expression and called out to her as she was about to turn and leave, “Fourth Junior Sister, Spirit Nourishing Grass isn’t a rare item. Why provoke Master and Zhi Zhi over it and end up hurting yourself? Your aptitude is poor; being allowed to stay in the inner sect is already Master’s mercy. Zhi Zhi has a Heavenly Spirit Root—once she recovers, she’s expected to achieve the Great Path within a century. She isn’t someone who holds grudges or is narrow-minded. You…”
Before he could finish, Fourth Junior Sister cast him a cold glance.
Struck by her penetrating gaze, Xue Yanguang found himself unable to continue.
“Whether Junior Sister holds grudges or not, I don’t know, but she certainly doesn’t remember favors.”
“I saved her from the beast’s jaws, treated her wounds, and cleaned her.”
“Every month when the Glow-Level secret realm opens, the best low-grade spirit core I fought to bring back—she took it for herself.”
“Little junior sister was still at the Qi Refining Stage, yet insisted on following us into the Glimmer-grade secret realm. I took a blow for her, and the wound still aches faintly to this day.”
Du Xinghe tugged open her collar, revealing a vicious tear scar on her pale skin.
Xue Yanguang averted his gaze, speaking with visible discomfort: “Helping fellow sect members is a matter of principle. How can you use this favor to criticize little junior sister? As long as you’re her senior sister, you should support her! Moreover, her aptitude is exceptional, with great prospects on the path of cultivation. There might come a day when you need to seek her help.”
“What if we’re no longer fellow disciples?”
Du Xinghe flipped her hand, revealing the inner sect disciple badge engraved with her name.
With pressure from two fingers, the badge snapped in half, falling silently onto the snow-covered ground.
“I, Du Xinghe, hereby withdraw from the Nine Sun Sect today. From now on, our former bonds as fellow disciples shall be like this badge.”
Du Xinghe turned and walked away.
Her blood-soaked crimson robes fluttered in the wind, gradually disappearing into the night.
…
When the deacons of the Celestial Opportunity Hall saw the injured Du Xinghe coming to withdraw from the sect, their expressions varied, yet they still processed her procedure: “You should think carefully. Once you leave the sect, you can never return. Even if life here feels stifling, the resources are ultimately better than being a rogue cultivator.”
In the deacons’ eyes, the original host had been an ordinary, honest disciple with mediocre aptitude. Though the Nine Sun Sect remained one of the three great sects, even if she wasn’t favored by Yuanming Zunzhe and her senior brothers, she still lived more comfortably than any rogue cultivator. Now, leaving the sect in a fit of pique—she wasn’t a six or seven-year-old child anymore—likely no other sect would take her in.
“You have all shown me much kindness over the years, but my decision is final.”
Du Xinghe clasped her hands in salute.
They sighed repeatedly, all thinking that Yuanming Zunzhe had been too biased, forcing his disciple to leave the sect.
However, the head deacon who was close to Ming Zhi glanced at her sideways: “No need to waste words on her. Once she leaves the Nine Sun Sect, a rogue cultivator with mediocre aptitude is no different from a mortal—unable to escape poverty, illness, and aging, destined to become a handful of yellow earth within a century. Could there possibly be any other opportunities for her? Three years from now is the Immortal Alliance Competition. Originally, as the fourth disciple of Yuanming Zunzhe, even if you were completely useless, you’d be guaranteed a spot within the top three hundred. By leaving the sect today, you’re giving up your qualification for the Immortal Alliance Competition! No other sect will accept a disciple abandoned by the Nine Sun Sect!”
The Immortal Alliance Competition was held once every five years.
Its purpose was to select the most outstanding young cultivators from various sects across the Pingyun Continent, taking the top three hundred to cultivate and seek treasures in the Torch-grade secret realm.
Rogue cultivators could participate, but the threshold was higher and more stringent!
On the path of cultivation, falling behind by one step meant lagging at every step.
Others wanted to give Du Xinghe some spirit stones and elixir pills, but the head deacon stopped them, and nothing came of it.
They understood in their hearts that while the head deacon’s words were harsh, they weren’t without reason.
The head deacon sneered:
“By leaving the sect today, you’re cutting off your own path to immortality!”
Of course, Du Xinghe had no intention of cutting off her cultivation path.
They didn’t know that Du Xinghe could decisively and resolutely leave the sect because, from the moment she transmigrated, a system notification had echoed in her ears: [Detecting host information… Invincible System binding in progress… 10% complete…]
Invincible System!
At that time, Du Xinghe was severely injured and hadn’t clearly heard the first part of the Invincible System’s message. However, that mysterious power possessed the ability to reverse life and death, and the system was called “Invincible”—likely aiming for the Great Ascension Stage.
Now, holding the Invincible System, Du Xinghe smiled calmly and uttered those classic words:
“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully the youth for his poverty!”
“Your words today merely suggest that without the Nine Sun Sect, I can no longer obtain cultivation resources. I admit the Nine Sun Sect is powerful, but no matter how strong, can it surpass the Heavenly Dao? I will participate in the Immortal Alliance Competition as a rogue cultivator. I am the chosen one, the sole protagonist!”
Du Xinghe was quite satisfied with her performance, feeling she had captured the essence of a main character.
Having said this, she turned and left, with no one daring to stop her.
The Grand Steward exclaimed in astonishment, “Has she gone mad from cultivation?”
…
As Du Xinghe descended the mountain, the system finally completed its binding.
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully binding the Imperial Harem Intrigue Invincible System!]
[This system will assist the Host in winning the emperor’s favor, preventing schemes from consorts, and becoming the final victor in the imperial harem! You will be the chosen imperial consort, the emperor’s one true love!]
[Please accept the Newcomer’s Gift Pack.]
Du Xinghe: …Huh?