Hearing the word “kill,” the snowball trembled in fear.
It hesitated, glancing at its master and then lightly sniffing the unconscious Jiang Xuezhi, letting out a series of troubled chirps.
“On the verge of death?”
The young man set her down.
Noticing the ground was filthy, he paused briefly, took a blanket from his storage pouch, and laid it beneath her.
His expression remained stern, meticulous, aloof, and detached, he seemed like an utterly unapproachable person.
Yet every one of his actions was careful and considerate.
In the perilous secret realm, he calmly and composedly checked Jiang Xuezhi’s spiritual veins. Despite being in a deep coma, she nearly jolted awake when her vital points were touched, a reaction that even startled him momentarily.
“Go ahead.”
At his low command, the snowball grew less fearful.
It approached Jiang Xuezhi’s vital points, adopting a “sucking” posture, gradually extracting the toxins from her body.
He had known her injuries were severe and her condition critical, but he hadn’t expected it to be this dire.
Judging by her attire, she appeared to be a disciple from one of the upper three continents’ sects. It was unclear whether she had been harmed by demons from the lower three continents, but her body was saturated with toxins, roughly estimated to be over a hundred different kinds.
For over a hundred toxins to accumulate in one person and for her to survive this long was nothing short of a miracle.
Frowning, the young man watched the black mist being extracted. After inhaling the mist, the snowball turned black, and its clear eyes turned red, a sign that it had reached its limit.
For it to reach this state indicated the extraordinary nature of these poisons.
The young man promptly stored the faltering snowball back into his pouch to rest. Turning back to check on the unconscious woman, he found himself meeting her now-awake eyes.
…
How long had she been unconscious?
Probably not even the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
When she had passed out, it seemed as though she might never wake again.
He truly hadn’t expected her to regain consciousness so quickly.
Although some toxins had been cleared, many remained. Whether she could survive in her current state was uncertain, staying conscious was an immense challenge for her.
Yet, against all odds, it had happened.
Jiang Xuezhi hadn’t initially wanted to clash so unpleasantly with the people of Xuantian Sect.
Her worldview and understanding of gender were entirely different from those of this world.
As an Alpha with 3S-level mental power, she viewed every member of Xuantian Sect as distinctly Omega-like.
Raised with the values of protecting and accommodating Omegas, she was reluctant to make enemies of them, it felt beneath her, the kind of behavior that would have landed her in a nest of insects for disciplinary action back at the military academy.
But they had pursued her relentlessly, exuding an obsession of “you’re not leaving unless you kill me,” so denying them their wish would have seemed ungracious.
After all, this wasn’t her territory. There were no Federal laws to abide by, so nothing really mattered.
And now…
Jiang Xuezhi suddenly grew alert, swiftly moving away from the young man and calmly assessing their situation.
She had encountered her first kindred spirit since transmigrating into this book.
An Alpha.
If gender classifications here aligned with her world’s, he would undoubtedly be an Alpha.
Jiang Xuezhi met his gaze, seeing boundless coolness, innate nobility, and an indescribable, decadent allure.
The young man had jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall, tied up with a simple wooden hairpin. Beneath his elegant, flowing locks was a face of breathtaking beauty, cold as frost.
Jiang Xuezhi’s pupils contracted. Her black robes were soaked in blood, her hair disheveled like dark seaweed, ready at any moment to ensnare anyone who dared approach.
“Since you’re awake, I’ll take my leave now.”
In contrast to Jiang Xuezhi’s guardedness, the young man appeared far more composed.
When he spoke, his voice was crisp, like shattering jade striking ice, devoid of any superfluous emotion.
Even so, Jiang Xuezhi could sense no hostility from him.
Perhaps it was her keen intuition for battle auras, otherwise, it would be hard to explain how she could discern “no ill intent” from that expressionless, icy countenance.
Jiang Xuezhi lowered her gaze, noticing the blanket beneath her, now stained by her own filth. She also felt that the toxins clogging her system had significantly receded, further confirming her judgment.
As the young man’s figure was about to vanish from sight, she finally spoke her second sentence since their encounter.
“Thank you,” she said succinctly. “I owe you a life debt, and it should be repaid. But at this moment, I possess nothing of value to offer you. Should we meet again someday, if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask.”
Following the etiquette of this world from the books, she gave a slight bow toward his retreating back.
She was a person who clearly distinguished gratitude from grievance. Whoever showed her kindness, she would remember and never treat them unfairly.
The young man paused slightly. It seemed he hadn’t intended to look back, but Jiang Xuezhi’s reaction and attitude ultimately made him turn around.
Between his brows lingered what seemed like perpetual ice and snow, his eyes deep and still as an ancient, frigid well, rarely betraying any emotion.
The sharp, sword-like aura and chill he exuded made it easy for others to feel dismissed and excluded.
His gaze lingered for a moment on her blood-stained yet strikingly beautiful face before he slowly said, “We likely won’t meet again.”
Their statuses differed, separated by a thousand miles. Once they parted now, there would be no chance for a future encounter.
She understood the underlying message, he expected her to retreat in the face of difficulty.
After all, she didn’t seem like someone who would fail to appreciate a favor.
The young man prepared to leave once more, this time with no intention of turning back. But from afar, he heard her speak again.
“That’s fine,” she said casually. “My name is Jiang Xuezhi. You can remember it. If you ever hear it again, you can still come to me to fulfill my promise.”
With those words, before the young man could depart, Jiang Xuezhi left first.
Her figure swiftly disappeared around the corner. The young man was slightly taken aback, momentarily unable to collect his thoughts.
Jiang Xuezhi was busy.
She was busy, and clearly, so was he. There was no need to waste each other’s time, once what needed to be said was said, it was best to leave promptly.
The moment she arrived here, she knew exactly where she was.
In the original book, there was a fascinating ancient secret realm that emerged not long after Lin Wanwan returned to the Xuantian Sect.
This secret realm was of an exceptionally high level. After evaluation by the First Immortal Manor, it was approved for entry by disciples at the Golden Core stage or above from various immortal sects, led by Nascent Soul masters.
This was an extremely stringent requirement. Aside from prodigy-filled places like the First Immortal Manor, Golden Core cultivators in other sects were considered masters. Nascent Soul? Many immortal manors couldn’t produce one in centuries.
In the Xuantian Sect, only Xie Wangwu barely qualified as a borderline Nascent Soul. To bring Lin Wanwan into the secret realm to search for treasures and help restore her severely injured, broken body, he took a pill that temporarily boosted his cultivation but would backlash afterward, barely managing to take her in.
If Xiao Jin were still alive, he would have entered this secret realm too. Xuantian Sect’s Wu Shuang also wanted to come in, but unfortunately, her cultivation was too low, not even at the peak of Foundation Establishment, let alone approaching the Golden Core stage. She could only watch helplessly as others went while she was left behind.
From then on, Wu Shuang harbored an even deeper hatred for Lin Wanwan, scheming in every way to oppose her. However, she acted covertly, using substitutes to take the blame while she maintained a facade of tranquility on the surface.
Jiang Xuezhi had replaced the original substitute and left Xuantian Sect, no longer needing to concern herself with those palace intrigue plots. So, she didn’t give them a second thought.
Her sole intention was to leave the Barren Abyss and, once her body had recovered a bit, find a way to enter the secret realm that was about to appear in the City of Sin. She never expected to be directly sucked into the newly opened realm the moment it appeared.
At the instant the secret realm opened, the First Immortal Manor hadn’t yet had time to clear and control the area. Those “fated individuals” nearby might be drawn in.
Jiang Xuezhi was one of those fated individuals.
How fortunate.
Her luck was finally turning.
Gripping the Pojun spear in her hand, she recalled the various trials of the City of Sin’s secret realm in her mind. Her steps were calm and unhurried, showing no sign that she had not a trace of spiritual power and her cultivation was stuck at the early Qi Refining stage.
This was a secret realm where even a Golden Core cultivator needed to be escorted by a Nascent Soul cultivator to enter. Yet Jiang Xuezhi, in her current state, moved through it with unshaken composure. Pojun, sensing the calm in her bloodline, was once again astonished.
Did she truly consider this lucky?
The First Immortal Manor hadn’t yet organized this place. With her physical condition, did she really think this was fortunate?
This was an immense misfortune.
Having accepted its new master, the weapon spirit of Pojun was now connected to Jiang Xuezhi’s heart and mind. It understood her feelings perfectly.
To avoid having to find another master so soon, it couldn’t help but convey its warning.
Don’t act rashly.
Find a safe place, wait for the secret realm to stabilize, and make plans only after others begin to enter.
Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, they could wait until the situation settled before reaping the rewards of the battlefield. That would be much safer.
She did indeed need time to recover.
“Is this how your previous master used to act?”
Jiang Xuezhi sensed the intent conveyed by Pojun but didn’t slow her pace in the slightest.
She asked offhandedly, but Pojun couldn’t shake the feeling that her tone was odd.
Although the ancestor did enjoy reaping rewards and playing the oriole, it had already acknowledged a new master. Why did she keep bringing up the predecessor?
“It’s not that I want to mention it,” Jiang Xuezhi said slowly. “It’s that you always try to control me using the ways of the previous master.”
“Pojun, I think you need to truly understand me.”
“You must get used to my way of handling things and move forward at my pace.”
Just like synchronizing and merging with a mecha.
Jiang Xuezhi wasn’t particularly fond of cold weapons, but now she had no choice but to try and harmonize with it.
“Compared to lying in wait and playing the oriole, I prefer to strike first, gain the upper hand, and take the initiative.”
She used three phrases with the word “first” in quick succession, trying to make Pojun quickly grasp her meaning.
And Pojun understood instantly.
“One last thing,” Jiang Xuezhi declared, brandishing her spear as she leaped into a nest of snakes. “Speed is crucial in war, first come, first served!”