The person behind the gauze curtain was none other than the female physician who had previously set Jiang Yin’s bones at the medical hall, Lin Yueying.
Seeing Jiang Yin, Lin Yueying stepped forward with a smile. “We meet again, Miss Jiang. It seems we are quite fated. I wonder if you still remember what I told you before?”
Of course Jiang Yin remembered. She had been thinking all along the way about how to cooperate with others, and at this very moment, seeing Lin Yueying standing before her, she suddenly realized what that sentence meant. “Wait, the cooperation and mutual benefit you mentioned, don’t tell me it was with you?!”
“Miss Jiang is truly clever.” Lin Yueying lightly tapped Jiang Yin’s shoulder with the folding fan in her hand, her tone carrying a deeper meaning. “For the sake of me setting your arm properly, during the competition we should help each other out.”
Jiang Yin felt as if she had been played. She had even seriously pondered Lin Yueying’s words before, but now it seemed she had been deliberately teased.
Most likely even the name Lin Yueying was fake, used to make her think she had some connection with Huameng Tower.
Jiang Yin lowered her head and glanced at the wooden stick in her hand. This stick was called the Moon Shadow Branch. It was common knowledge across the Eastern Profound Continent that those who crossed the vine bridge could obtain the Moon Shadow Branch. She had simply been too caught up in the situation to notice such an obvious flaw.
A trace of anger rose in her. She pulled Xue Zhuang’er behind her protectively and said bluntly, “Once inside Dream Tower, everyone is a competitor. Where does this talk of helping each other come from? Miss Lin, let’s each rely on our own abilities.”
“Miss Jiang may not know this.” Lin Yueying took the initiative to lower her head and explain. “Last night, Huameng Tower issued a new notice. Starting today, there will no longer be only one person selected in the preliminary round each day.”
“Oh, is that so? Then that’s really wonderful.” Jiang Yin did not believe it at all.
There had never been any plot in the book about the rules being changed in advance. It was only because the male and female leads were always evenly matched that Huameng Tower eventually made an exception and allowed both of them to pass the preliminary round.
This Lin Yueying, tricking her once was not enough, she was really treating her like a fool.
Jiang Yin turned her head away in irritation and ignored Lin Yueying.
“Miss Jiang, what I said is true…”
Lin Yueying still wanted to explain something, but at that moment, a bell rang inside the building. As the sound of the bell echoed faintly, a courtesan dressed in Huameng Tower’s signature lotus skirt stepped onto a strip of red silk and slowly descended from the third floor.
Her voice spread throughout the building, interrupting Lin Yueying’s words.
“Congratulations to everyone for passing the vine bridge. Before the competition begins, I will announce today’s rules for you.”
“In the past, the competition was based on the Moon Shadow Branch. Within the time of one incense stick, whoever obtained the most Moon Shadow Branches would win. However, everyone should have seen Huameng Tower’s notice. This time, there is no longer only one selection spot, so the rules have also changed.”
“There is no time limit for this competition. There are a total of twenty six participants, and twenty four will be selected. The first two people to lose the Moon Shadow Branch in their hands will be eliminated immediately. Once two people are eliminated, the competition will end at once. Now, the match officially begins.”
Jiang Yin thought she had misheard. “How many did she say would be selected? Twenty four?!”
What Lin Yueying said was actually true. Huameng Tower had changed the selection rules.
This might be good news for others, but for Jiang Yin, it was terrible news.
She had originally planned to eliminate Xiao Lingchuan in the preliminary round. If only two people were eliminated today, there was no way it would be Xiao Lingchuan’s turn.
Moreover, in this case, her golden finger would also be useless.
While she was frowning in distress, Lin Yueying shrugged. “Miss Jiang, I told you I didn’t lie to you. But eliminating two people? I wonder who will be so unlucky to be targeted along with me.”
Since Lin Yueying had not lied to her, Jiang Yin naturally no longer resisted talking to her. Hearing this, she asked in confusion, “What do you mean, targeted?”
As soon as her words fell, the courtesan standing in the hall raised her hand. A sudden gust of wind swept through the building, lifting the gauze curtains. All the participants saw that at the tip of the Moon Shadow Branch in their hands, a faint green flower had bloomed, with numbers marked upon the petals.
The courtesan raised her voice. “A spirit-detecting formation is carved onto the vine bridge. The cultivation levels of those who crossed have all been recorded. The numbers on the Moon Shadow Flowers are arranged according to your cultivation ranks. Now, the competition begins.”
Jiang Yin had not expected that Huameng Tower had not only changed the competition rules, but had even ranked everyone’s cultivation levels.
She looked at the glowing number 26 on her flower. After a moment of silence, she hid her hand behind her back.
Although the courtesan did not say whether the ranking was in ascending or descending order, it was obvious enough. With her combat ability, there was no way she could be first.
But she also had not expected that she would actually be last.
Even though Jiang Yin reacted quickly, Lin Yueying, who was standing beside her, still saw it. Holding a flower marked with 25, Lin Yueying leaned over and clicked her tongue in amazement. “Miss Jiang, so the other unlucky one being targeted is actually you.”
Jiang Yin could not refute it. The rules clearly stated that only two people would be eliminated, and now the Moon Shadow Branch had ranked everyone’s strength for all to see. The weakest would definitely be targeted.
Lin Yueying was right. This was blatant targeting!!!
Seeing that the participants in the building had already begun observing the numbers in each other’s hands, Jiang Yin reacted swiftly. She pushed Xue Zhuang’er to the side and, without hesitation, ran upstairs. “Find somewhere to stay on your own!”
Right now, she was the weakest person on the field. Once discovered, she would become the target of everyone. At a time like this, anyone who stayed with her would be dragged down!
Oh, wait, there was one exception.
“Wait, Miss Jiang, let’s go together.”
The other unlucky one, Lin Yueying, followed closely behind Jiang Yin as they ran upstairs, shouting while running, “Mutual help and cooperation, mutual help and cooperation!”
Jiang Yin wished she could cover her mouth. “Keep your voice down! You’ll draw everyone over!”
“?” Lin Yueying let out a soft laugh. “Miss Jiang, I admit you’re very slim, but do you really think you make little noise when you run?”
“What do you mean?”
Jiang Yin turned her head to look, only to see dozens of pairs of eyes in the first floor hall staring straight at her and Lin Yueying on the staircase.
To be precise, they were staring at the Moon Shadow Flowers in their hands, marked with 25 and 26.
Jiang Yin cursed under her breath. She had been careless.
The competition had just begun, and most people were still observing. At a moment like this, her sudden dash upstairs was suspicious even to a fool.
But she had no choice but to run. The first floor was a wide open hall, without even tables or chairs to use as cover. Staying there would be waiting for death.
Going upstairs at least gave her a chance.
The structure of Dream Tower was very peculiar. The entire building was circular, hollow in the center, and had five floors in total. Aside from the first floor hall, the other four floors were filled with countless hidden doors and mechanisms. Each level also had gauze curtains and water mirrors as cover, forming a massive maze.
This was also a defining feature of Huameng Tower’s competition. It was not based solely on strength. Intelligence and luck were just as important.
Jiang Yin could not understand why Huameng Tower had suddenly acted as if possessed and introduced a ranking of the participants’ strength. There had been nothing like this in the original story!
Could the changes brought about by her, a mere cannon fodder female supporting character flapping her wings, really be this significant?!
With the numbers in the hands of the two girls on the stairs exposed, some people still waited, while others were already unable to hold back. Someone raised a bow, and a sharp arrow shot straight toward the hand in which Jiang Yin held the Moon Shadow Branch.
The one who shot the arrow was clearly a cultivator. The arrow was imbued with spiritual power, tearing through the air in an instant. If this arrow struck, it would likely pierce straight through Jiang Yin’s palm!
Unless Jiang Yin immediately threw away the Moon Shadow Branch, she would be eliminated and automatically ejected from Dream Tower.
For someone she had just met like Liu Niang, it hardly seemed worth losing a hand.
But Jiang Yin had no time to think about any of this. Almost the moment she instinctively tightened her grip on the Moon Shadow Branch, the arrow was already about to pierce into her palm.
“Zheng!”
Another sword was drawn at the same instant. A fiery red figure leapt onto the second floor like a blazing flame. The arrowhead collided with the sword blade, producing a sharp, grating sound.
“Picking on a weak girl, what kind of skill is that?!”
The woman in red stood with her back to Jiang Yin, sword in hand. Her voice was sharp and penetrating. The Moon Shadow Branch in her other hand bore a bright and unmistakable number 2, representing her strength. “If you have the guts, fight me!”
What a valiant and dashing heroine!
Even though her face could not be seen, her heroic aura was extraordinary, and she was willing to help others. That red attire was like a sudden burst of flame cutting through the gloom, giving people a sense of boundless hope.
Jiang Yin stared at the heroine’s back again and again. In her vision, the hem of the red skirt fluttered without wind, and a line from the original text surfaced in her mind.
‘Clad in red, valiant and free, her sword moved with her heart, her only thought was you.’
The attire of this heroine was exactly the standard look of the female lead, Zhu Nian.
Zhu Nian had also come to participate in the preliminary round? It seemed that even without Xie Huaian pushing the plot forward, the course of the story would not change.
No wonder the system was at ease letting him take Xie Huaian far away from Zhu Nian.
“Many thanks for your help, heroine!”
Time was urgent. Jiang Yin had no time to admire the female lead’s heroic bearing. After hastily expressing her thanks, she took advantage of the momentary shock among the people below and quickly climbed up to the second floor, plunging straight into the countless layers of gauze curtains.
Lin Yueying followed closely behind. The two of them darted through any door they saw along the way, relying on the principle that even they themselves did not know where they were in order to confuse their opponents.
Jiang Yin even saw a staircase that, to the naked eye, seemed to stretch endlessly upward. It felt as though climbing it would not just take one to the fifth floor, but all the way to the Southern Heavenly Gate.
She shut her eyes and charged forward.
“Wait… Miss Jiang!”
Lin Yueying quickly grabbed her. “Although these are illusions created by formations, if you step onto them, you really will walk endlessly without ever reaching the end!”
Jiang Yin said, “Isn’t that even better? We can just follow one path all the way through. In a maze, turning left and right, we might run into others.”
“But wouldn’t that block off our retreat as well?!” Lin Yueying bent over, panting heavily before she could finish her sentence.
“Cut it out. You’re just too tired to walk.” Jiang Yin mercilessly exposed her excuse, and even began to doubt the fairness of Huameng Tower. “You look even weaker than me. Why am I ranked last?”
“You might not believe it if I tell you.” Lin Yueying was truly out of strength, gasping for breath after every word. She simply sat down on the ground, first piquing Jiang Yin’s curiosity before speaking with a serious expression. “You know the Tower Master of Huameng Tower, right? I’m her biological older sister. I got this ranking through pulling strings.”
Jiang Yin said, “…”
She let out two dry laughs, her expression not reaching her eyes, and lifted her leg to continue up the stairs.
Lin Yueying lunged forward and hugged her leg. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell the truth! Huameng Tower probably ranks based on overall ability. My medical skills are quite good, while you don’t know anything. Naturally, my ranking is a bit higher than yours. Please, I beg you, can we not go this way?”
At this moment, this female physician from the medical hall no longer had the gentle and kind demeanor she had at first meeting. She had completely turned into a shameless rogue, clinging tightly to Jiang Yin and refusing to let go.
Jiang Yin was at her wit’s end. “Miss Lin, you said it yourself, I don’t know anything. Why are you insisting on following someone like me, the last place?”
“Promise me first that you’ll cooperate with me in this competition, then I’ll tell you!”
“Then forget it.” Jiang Yin was not falling for it. “Miss Lin, cooperation requires sincerity. Since you’re unwilling to say anything, I won’t force you. Let’s part ways here.”
Seeing that Jiang Yin had already placed one foot onto the Heavenly Ladder, Lin Yueying hurriedly said, “Wait, I’ll tell you! Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you, alright? Just don’t go up!”
Jiang Yin swiftly withdrew her foot. “Deal.”
Lin Yueying reacted a moment later. “…You did that on purpose?”
“Miss Lin, I admit you’re very clever, but you don’t really think you hid it well, do you?” Jiang Yin mischievously threw her earlier words back at her. “Let’s go. We’ll find a place to have a proper talk. By the way, you should know where the safest place here is, right?”
Lin Yueying’s pupils shrank slightly. She looked at Jiang Yin as the smile on her face gradually faded away.