Jiang Jiuming slowly raised his head, tears still clinging to his eyelashes, but the sorrow in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a clear, foolish expression.
He looked at Chi Yu, bewildered: “Did you hit me?”
Chi Yu shook her head: “No, I didn’t.”
“You didn’t hit me?”
Then why did his face feel so sore?
Chi Yu reached out and patted his head: “You might have been bewitched by evil spirits and hallucinated. It’s fine now.”
Her palm felt warm, and Jiang Jiuming sniffled, seeking comfort: “Chi Yu, I just had a really scary nightmare.”
“I dreamed I married a man and became widowed.”
It was terrifying.
As he spoke, he pulled up his clothes to wipe his tears, but froze completely when he saw the bright red fabric: “What is this?”
He looked down and realized he was wearing wedding attire, panic filling his eyes.
Chi Yu: “Uh, I have a good news and a bad news to tell you. Which one do you want to hear first?”
“Bad news!”
“You did marry a man. He was a Resentful Ghost.”
Jiang Jiuming widened his eyes, his voice trembling: “Then what’s the good news?”
“You’re widowed. I just killed him.”
“…”
Damn, so the dream was real!
It was terrifying.
When he regained his senses and realized he was sitting on a grave mound, which had collapsed and exposed the coffin lid, Jiang Jiuming instantly screamed and leaped up: “Ah! Sorry, brother, I didn’t mean it! I didn’t sit on it and break it, please don’t blame me!”
Help, even though he was a cultivator, it didn’t stop him from fearing ghosts.
After all, they were all hideous.
“Don’t panic, it’s a small issue. Just follow me.”
Chi Yu calmly led him, Shen Yanzhou, and Song Wan away from that place.
After returning to Yunshui Residence, Jiang Jiuming finally calmed down. When he reached his room and saw his pale face painted like a woman’s and the blood-red lipstick in the mirror, he screamed so loudly he nearly got kicked out by the innkeeper.
Chi Yu let Song Wan sleep in her room.
Late at night, she couldn’t sleep at all and got up to leave her room.
As soon as she stepped out, she met Shen Yanzhou’s gaze.
He leaned against the railing on the long corridor, seeming somewhat awkward when he saw her.
“You’re not sleeping? What are you doing here?”
She asked curiously. Shen Yanzhou pursed his lips: “I’m afraid something might happen again. My cultivation base is higher than yours now, I…”
“I want to protect you.”
Under the moonlight, the young man wore dark robes, his black hair tied up only with a hairpin, with star-like eyes and sword-like brows, resembling a deity, softly saying he wanted to protect her.
Chi Yu was stunned.
She suddenly remembered how he looked in the earth pit, covered in wounds with no intact flesh.
Shen Yanzhou stared at her, his face innocent, his eyes subtly disdainful.
He was quite curious about what she thought of him, who was so “devoted to her.”
“Did I disturb your rest?” He blinked, continuing to act, “Then I’ll go back first. Call me if anything happens.”
As he spoke, he turned to return to his room.
“Shen Yanzhou.”
Chi Yu suddenly called out to stop him.
“What?”
He pretended to be confused as he turned back, meeting her bright, sparkling eyes.
Chi Yu said: “In the earth pit, you didn’t hinder me. From now on, prioritize taking care of yourself first, don’t worry about me.”
“Although I’m sometimes unreliable too, I’ll try my best to protect you.”
Actually, in the earth pit, she never thought of letting go.
When she first arrived in this world, he was a virtual character to her, a paper character, so she only cared about herself, instinctively pulling him in to block harm.
But after spending time together, with the young man taking good care of her along the way, she gradually integrated into this environment. His image in her eyes also became vivid, turning into her friend.
Although she occasionally tricked her teammates, she also tried her best to protect him.
Shen Yanzhou was slightly stunned. He responded and returned to his room, the gentleness on his face completely vanishing, replaced by a hint of irritation and gloom.
A Task Executor saying such things to him, without even feeling guilty.
If he hadn’t experienced five cycles of reincarnation and seen through their tricks long ago, he might have truly been fooled.
Shen Yanzhou always believed that Chi Yu didn’t push him into danger simply because the rewards were too low.
If one day, the System offered high enough rewards, she would surely treat him the same as the previous five.
For now, since she wanted to play the good person, he would just act along.
Early the next morning.
After receiving Chi Yu’s message, Song Yingying arrived at Yunshui Residence first thing. Seeing her sister Song Wan safe and sound, she wept tears of joy.
Chi Yu handed her a handkerchief, waiting for her to dry her tears before subtly hinting, “Miss Song, we’ve completed your task. Remember to give a good review.”
Song Yingying snapped back to reality. “Of course.”
As she spoke, she took out a small Storage Bag. “This is fifteen hundred Spirit Stones. Thank you, fellow Cultivators, for your hard work.”
Chi Yu’s eyes lit up, and she happily accepted the Spirit Stones before seeing her off.
She divided the Spirit Stones into three portions, giving them to Shen Yanzhou and Jiang Jiuming.
When night fell, she took out the Spirit Stones given by Mo Chongyang, focused her energy, and began cultivating.
With the sect selection approaching, Shen Yanzhou had already reached the Qi Refining Fifth Stage, while she had not.
She was determined to enter the Taixu Sect together with Shen Yanzhou, so she had to improve her Cultivation Base.
Fortunately, her comprehension was good. After several days of cultivation, her Cultivation Base improved significantly.
In contrast, she developed heavy dark circles under her eyes.
Another morning.
The System was somewhat worried. “Host, you haven’t slept for several days. Is this really okay?”
Chi Yu, with panda-like dark circles, slowly lowered her hands and exhaled a turbid breath. “Sacrifice sleep, gain boundless power.”
The all-night cultivation method allowed her to progress rapidly.
Given time, she might even become a True Immortal.
The System was speechless. “I think you want to go to the Western Heaven.”
If she didn’t sleep soon, she’d be waiting for sudden death!
But Chi Yu had no intention of stopping. She took out the crystal stone from the earth pit.
The moment King Nanshan died, the cycle of karma ended, and the Resentment Energy on the crystal stone had completely dissipated.
Now, it had instead become a useful cultivation Magical Artifact.
Chi Yu slowly absorbed its Spiritual Qi and finally, after three days, her Cultivation Base rose to the Qi Refining Fifth Stage.
At the same time, Canglang City was bustling with excitement. With the sect selection approaching, many Cultivators and sects flocked to the city, which was decorated with lanterns and banners everywhere. Even at night, it was as bright as day.
On this day, the sky was clear and the air fresh.
All the Cultivators in Canglang City gathered at Chaolu Platform, a vast open area where the Six Great Sects assembled, each occupying their own territory.
At the very top was the position of the Taixu Sect.
While other sects tested Spiritual Roots as the first step in selecting disciples,
the Taixu Sect was different. As the top sect in the Cultivation World, it always came up with new tricks.
The senior disciple in charge of registration raised his hand, and a gate-like entrance appeared on the stone steps. “Everyone, please proceed.”
Chi Yu was somewhat puzzled but still lined up and stepped inside.
“Wait, what is this?”
Inside the enclosed space, looking at the square table in front of her and the paper and pen on it, Chi Yu was utterly bewildered.
The next second, words appeared on the paper, and at the same time, the senior brother’s voice rang out.
“The first round of this year’s Taixu Sect disciple assessment primarily tests everyone’s comprehension. A score of sixty or above is considered passing. Those who pass will proceed to the second round, while those who fail will be eliminated. The exam lasts half an hour. Everyone, make good use of your time to answer the questions.”
Chi Yu: “Holy crap.”
Wait, System didn’t tell her that cultivating immortality also involved taking exams, for crying out loud.
System: “Uh, Host, in the original text, Shen Yanzhou’s participation in the assessment was only briefly mentioned, with detailed focus on the third round, so I don’t know the specifics of the earlier rounds either.”
It paused: “But I believe these questions won’t stump you. They’re probably just asking about cultivation taboos—all basic questions that are easy to answer. You can do it.”
Hearing this, Chi Yu relaxed. She picked up the pen and started answering.
Then, she was dumbfounded.
“Question 1: As is well known, Red Lotus is a highly toxic substance. A single drop can destroy the Meridians and Dantian of dozens of people, leading to death by poisoning. So, the question is: Is expired Red Lotus more toxic or non-toxic?”
System: “…”
Chi Yu: “? Is this what you call a basic question?”