In a deep, lush forest, towering trees soared into the clouds. Their trunks were thick, branches and leaves dense, intertwined to form a giant green canopy, blocking out most of the sky. Sunlight could only barely penetrate the dense tree crowns, casting dappled spots on the ground, where light and shadow intertwined.
Deep within the dense woods, a young woman was frantically running, holding up her skirt. She wore a lightweight, pale green dress, the hem fluttering in the wind. Though her dress was ethereal, her face was etched with terror. Every breath was accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, and her steps never faltered.
Not far behind this young woman, a behemoth was in hot pursuit. The Dragon Flame Tiger’s body was covered in scarlet scales, and a pair of sharp claws left deep gouges in the ground. The Dragon Flame Tiger occasionally let out a low roar that echoed through the dense forest, making the surrounding air tremble.
Lu Xiaoxiao knew that once the Dragon Flame Tiger caught up, the consequences would be unimaginable. She ran forward desperately, weaving through the complex network of trees. Sweat streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the earth beneath her feet, but she had no time to wipe it away, only gritting her teeth and dragging her exhausted body forward.
Suddenly, her legs gave out, and she tripped over a branch, falling to the ground. The branches instantly tore her long dress, and scarlet blood oozed from her fingertips.
She stared at the fresh blood on her hand, completely unable to understand why this dream had lasted so long—so long that it was the first time she had felt utterly exhausted in a dream. Nor could she understand why this dream was so real—so real that she could smell the iron-like scent of her blood after the branches cut her palm.
But she had no time to hesitate.
The Dragon Flame Tiger covered in scarlet scales was less than a meter away from her. She could even smell the foul stench from the beast’s mouth. In a moment of extreme peril, she grabbed the long sword that had fallen, her body instantly taut like a fully drawn bow. She spun around and desperately swung the sword backward.
Fortunately, her sword injured the Dragon Flame Beast. Unfortunately, the Dragon Flame Beast was naturally agile and reacted extremely fast, violently tilting its head at the last moment to dodge the fatal strike. The long sword failed to slash its throat, leaving only a hideous wound on its lower jaw.
The wound was shocking. Scarlet blood flowed down the scales, dripping onto the ground with a “hissing” sound, seemingly corroding the earth slightly.
Lu Xiaoxiao forced her fatigued body to stand up, still holding the sword with both hands, facing the Dragon Flame Beast. She secretly lamented the near miss: If the location had been just a little lower, and a little faster, she might have killed this fierce beast.
The Dragon Flame Beast paced back and forth a few meters in front of her. Its vertical pupils, radiating a fiery glow, stared intently at the long sword in Lu Xiaoxiao’s hands, as if ready to launch the next round of attack at any moment. Lu Xiaoxiao could only adjust the sword tip to keep up with the Dragon Flame Beast’s movements.
Why won’t this dream end?!
Lu Xiaoxiao was anxious, but the stinging pain in her palm kept reminding her that this was reality.
The Dragon Flame Beast was stimulated by the scent of her blood. Its pupils suddenly contracted to the size of needlepoints. It lifted its massive claw and hurled a piece of broken wood toward Lu Xiaoxiao. The broken wood was as tall as a person and, driven by immense force, tumbled through the air, emitting a terrifying whistle.
Lu Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected the beast to be so intelligent and frantically dodged to the side. However, her already weak body reacted a little sluggishly. In her haste, the sword in her hand was actually struck by the broken wood and sent flying, landing hilt-down on the ground a few meters behind her.
Lu Xiaoxiao had just regained her balance and hadn’t even had time to catch her breath when she felt a fierce killing intent rushing at her. The Dragon Flame Beast suddenly pushed off with its hind legs, its thick claws fiercely digging into the ground, kicking up large patches of mud and broken stones.
At this moment, all the hairs on Lu Xiaoxiao’s body stood on end, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible large hand. She clearly knew that she had nowhere left to retreat. She could only resign herself and close her eyes, only hoping that when the beast tore at her, she wouldn’t suffer too much.
However, the expected feeling of her throat being ripped open did not come.
Instead, the sound of a giant object crashing down rang out.
Lu Xiaoxiao opened her trembling eyes and only saw a tall young woman, with ink-black hair trailing to her waist, standing in front of her with her back turned, holding a scarlet long whip. And the mountain-like Dragon Flame Tiger lay at the young woman’s feet, its eyes wide with a hint of fear.
Feeling that the crisis was finally over, all the strength seemed to drain from Lu Xiaoxiao’s body, and her legs gave way, making her collapse onto the ground.
“Thank… thank you for saving me,” Lu Xiaoxiao gasped out.
The white-robed young woman turned around at the sound, and Lu Xiaoxiao finally saw her features clearly.
At first glance, it was like seeing a fully bloomed peony flower, passionate and vibrant. Her almond-shaped face was further enhanced by a pair of fox-like eyes, adding a touch of allure. She instantly felt that the beauty in front of her should not be wearing this white robe; a red dress would suit her better.
Seeing the young woman walking toward her, Lu Xiaoxiao stood up, wiped her hands, and extended one toward her. But the person seemed not to see her, walking past her toward the back.
Lu Xiaoxiao followed her gaze and saw the person stop in front of the sword that had been struck away by the Dragon Flame Tiger. The young woman reached out toward the hilt of the sword, as if to pull it out, but quickly withdrew her hand the moment she touched it.
“Is this sword yours?” the young woman asked.
Lu Xiaoxiao: “Yes, it was in my hand the moment I arrived here, so it should be mine. What is your name? Thank you for saving my life.”
The young woman turned her head: “My name is Tantai Jing. What do you mean by ‘it was in your hand the moment you arrived here’?”
Lu Xiaoxiao: “Your name is very unique. My name is Lu Xiaoxiao. By ‘arrived here’ I mean…” The words caught in Lu Xiaoxiao’s throat. She suddenly realized that she might have been abruptly transported to another dimension. This kind of thing probably shouldn’t be shared with others.
Tantai Jing: “I know your name is Lu Xiaoxiao, the Young Sect Master of the Xuantian Sword Sect. Who doesn’t know that? Even if I didn’t recognize you, everyone recognizes your personal sword, the Chaoyuan Sword.”
“Young Sect Master! We finally found you, Young Sect Master!” A group of people suddenly rushed out of the forest and surrounded Lu Xiaoxiao.
“Young Sect Master, where did you go? We turned around and you were gone. You completely terrified us.”
“The Young Sect Master’s immortal powers are truly extraordinary. The Dragon Flame Tiger over there must have been killed by the Young Sect Master. What are you standing around for? Go quickly and extract the demonic core for the Young Sect Master,” a thin cultivator with a pair of downward-slanted, three-white eyes (San Bai eyes) shouted at the other timid people.
“It wasn’t me who killed it. It was my savior,” Lu Xiaoxiao turned around a few times but couldn’t see Tantai Jing. “Oh no, I don’t even have my savior’s contact information.”
A short, stout cultivator next to her stammered, “Young Sect Master, I know which sect she belongs to.”
Everyone’s eyes focused on him. The cultivator with San Bai eyes gave him a particularly sinister look, and the stout cultivator shivered, daring not to speak further.
The San Bai guy blocked the stout cultivator and said, “Young Sect Master, that female cultivator was Tantai Jing from the Yaoxia Palace. It is said that she reached the top ten of the Seventy-two Earthly Fiends Ranking within just a few years of entering the sect. She is quite pretty and her cultivation is decent, but she’s still far inferior to you, Young Sect Master.”
“That’s right. Our Young Sect Master is not someone who used to be a rogue cultivator that can compare to her. The Young Sect Master’s future path to immortality is limitless.”
These few people surrounded her, endlessly flattering her. Lu Xiaoxiao was a bit confused. What Young Sect Master? What Xuantian Sword Sect? She only remembered that the game she had just opened before she went to sleep seemed to have a Xuantian Sword Sect in it. But since she was new here, she figured she should just listen to what others said for now.
Lu Xiaoxiao considered herself to have thick skin, but it was starting to blush now: “Stop, stop, stop. Let’s leave this place first and return to the sect.”
The group quickly agreed and led Lu Xiaoxiao toward the outside of the mountain.
The feeling of escaping just now was too real, not at all like being in a game.
But since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it. Young Sect Master of the Xuantian Sword Sect—doesn’t that mean I can have whatever I want? Heavens! You finally have eyes! You’ve given this diligent, hardworking office worker a chance to change her destiny!
Lu Xiaoxiao still had some memory of the Seventy-two Earthly Fiends Ranking mentioned earlier. In this game, to encourage consumer spending, there were two combat power rankings: the Seventy-two Earthly Fiends Ranking for Foundation Establishment cultivators and the Thirty-six Heavenly Stars Ranking for Golden Core cultivators. Those who could make it onto the list were considered the elites of their generation, possessing extraordinary talent and immense potential. Of course, in the game, it referred to spending money; here, it referred to combat power.
Regarding this, Lu Xiaoxiao thought that she must properly repay Tantai Jing when she saw her next time. But for today, forget it. The mountain was too dangerous, and she couldn’t lose her own life before she even had the chance to repay her gratitude.
The group walked on the mountain path for an hour and finally entered an inn named “Yuelai.”
The inn had three floors. When Lu Xiaoxiao and the others arrived, it was already noon. The hall was packed, with only one table left vacant.
Before Lu Xiaoxiao could speak, the San Bai cultivator skillfully tossed out a silver ingot: “Waiter! Bring out your best wines and dishes. Hurry up and introduce them to our Young Sect Master and serve her well, and your tip will be generous.”
The waiter, holding a rag, swiftly wiped the table clean, introducing the inn’s specialty wines and dishes while his eyes were fixed on the silver ingot in the center of the table.
Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t pay any attention to the waiter’s introduction, completely captivated by the conversation at the next table.
“The Xuantian Sword Sect truly lives up to its reputation as the number one Immortal Cultivation Sect today. Look at their clothes, their demeanor—even just eating a meal is so generous. I’m truly envious. If only I could enter the Xuantian Sword Sect as an Outer Disciple one day, it would truly bring glory to my ancestors.”
Hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but feel a secret satisfaction.
“Brother, that’s not something you want to join. How long have you been in the Demon Beast Mountain Range? You’re so behind on the news, you don’t know yet, do you? The Xuantian Sword Sect was already annihilated by the Demonic Cult half a month ago. The entire sect was a river of blood, a veritable human purgatory. It was truly tragic.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall stared uniformly at Lu Xiaoxiao’s table.
The San Bai cultivator was stunned. He drew his sword and charged at the two men: “You’re full of nonsense! My Xuantian Sword Sect is the number one sect in the world. How could it be annihilated just like that? Our Young Sect Master is right here, perfectly fine!”
The other party didn’t back down: “The number one sect is long gone. I’m not afraid of you, even if you’re fierce! How long have you been in the Demon Beast Mountain Range? Believe it or not, you’ll find out when you go back.”
“That’s right, that’s right. The Xuantian Sword Sect is long gone. I advise you to quickly take off those robes, or if the Demonic Cult finds you, you won’t have a good time.”
“What a pity. The Xuantian Sword Sect’s Sect Master was a good person. When she was around, no troublesome demons or monsters ever appeared in the surrounding hundreds of miles of cities. Now it’s different. Without the Xuantian Sword Sect to check the Demonic Realm, the whole world is in chaos, filled with filth and disorder.”
Lu Xiaoxiao listened to a few more words from others, and her heart sank. Before I even get back, how could the sect have been annihilated?
Even colder than Lu Xiaoxiao was the San Bai cultivator. To get the opportunity to serve the Young Sect Master, he had spent two hundred Spirit Stones, all to flatter her and build a good relationship, hoping to get a purchasing position back at the sect. Now, he truly had lost both his wife and his army.
Before the dishes were even finished ordering, several people excused themselves to go to the bathroom and ran away. The San Bai cultivator went out to inquire briefly, returned, picked up the silver ingot on the table, glared fiercely at Lu Xiaoxiao, turned, walked two steps, then returned, spat on Lu Xiaoxiao, and left.
Well, within the time it took to steep a cup of tea, Lu Xiaoxiao was alone again, and after searching her entire body, she couldn’t find a single copper coin.
The waiter, who had witnessed the whole thing, said, “Miss, what would you like to eat?”
…What the heck is there to eat now?