Chapter 14: The Overpowered Protagonist's Power Fantasy (13)

The dealer set up a tent, grief-stricken as he handed out money. The line was not long, since most were betting against Qin Yang. Yet the dealer’s heart bled, for the spirit stones were distributed in heavy bags to each person.

Shen Xing and Yue Nianxin stood in the middle of the line, with Su Bai between them. The multiplied winnings were her victory spoils; she had fiercely slapped Qin Yang’s face in the arena match. Now, stepping over Qin Yang to collect the prize money, the effect of mockery could not be more complete.

Su Bai asked, “After collecting the winnings, shall we go on a quest?”

Yue Nianxin’s eyes brightened. “A quest from the Righteous Sect?”

Immediately, she warmly took Su Bai’s hand. “Junior sister, I have cultivation at the peak of Golden Core. I heard from Shen Xing you want to take on Xuan Pai missions. You can join me, and we can do them together!”

Shen Xing looked puzzled. Was this a subtle way of excluding him?

Su Bai nodded, sensing the logic, and replied, “Indeed, Shen Senior Brother and I are both sword cultivators specializing in close combat. We happen to lack a long-range magic cultivator.”

Yue Nianxin’s expression was excited; these past days, Shen Xing had been showing off her junior sister’s monster-slaying routine whenever she had the chance. Wasn’t this just a perfect opportunity for her to squeeze in?

Shen Xing was moved to tears, thinking despite this junior sister’s generally cold demeanor, she still cherished her position as senior brother.

Unaware of the schemes brewing in the others’ hearts, Su Bai’s mind kept replaying the Heavenly Evolution Sword Technique that Qin Yang had unleashed today.

In her previous life, she also possessed a mutated Celestial Thunder spiritual root, giving her an extraordinary sensitivity to lightning elements. Because of this, she seized the moment to condense water into ice, breaking the sword intent of the Heavenly Evolution Sword Technique.

“Look—” Shen Xing pursed his lips, “Why is Liu Zongyu at the back of the line?”

At the very end of the line lurked a sneaky figure.

He wore a half-black mask covering his mouth, a black headscarf binding his head into a smooth semicircle, a stark contrast to his previous flamboyant playboy attire. Now clad in the most ordinary sword cultivation robes, he could easily blend in among the disciples.

Shen Xing laughed. “Junior sister, how much did he bet on you? Little money is beneath Young Master Liu. Otherwise, why would he come to claim the prize dressed like that?”

Yue Nianxin chuckled as well. “Junior sister, that day he said he’d bear a thorned branch to apologize to you—did he actually do it?”

Su Bai rummaged through her memories, hesitated, and uncertainly said, “Maybe not?”

“That won’t do!” Shen Xing’s eyes gleamed like a broke gambler’s as an idea struck him. “Then let’s take this chance to extort him!”

**

After Liu Zongyu collected his winnings, seeing no disciples recognized him, he relaxed and found an empty spot to gleefully count a large pile of high-grade spirit stones.

Junior Sister Su Bai was truly a goddess! One match earned him thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones!

Just then, a chill touched his neck. Three figures landed silently behind him, each patting his shoulder in unison.

Liu Zongyu’s pupils shrank. He thought within the Inner and Outer Sects of Wuji Sect, only Qin Yang and Jiang Yu had higher cultivation than him. Why then could he not sense the presence of these three at all?

Could they be enemies?

But how could enemies enter Wuji Sect?

“Junior Brother Liu,” a devilishly low voice rang out—it was Shen Xing—“What are you sneaking around doing?”

Liu Zongyu turned his head trembling. “Ah… it’s Senior Brother Shen.”

In that instant, he had already thought of one hundred and eight ways to die and his last words. Seeing it was Shen Xing, he felt a wave of relief.

He exhaled, but before the breath left, his gaze belittling the newcomers was met with a sudden lift.

Whoa!

What a sight!

Shen Xing, Yue Nianxin, and Su Bai stood side by side.

One sly and cunning, one smiling with a dagger hidden behind, and one radiating killing intent.

Liu Zongyu’s calves trembled.

Yue Nianxin, the most amiable-looking, smiled brightly and said, “Junior Brother Liu, the most important thing in life is to keep one’s word. That day on the arena you said you would bear a thorned branch to apologize to Junior Sister. Did you or did you not?”

Shen Xing snorted coldly, playing the red-faced role beside her. “That day on the arena, you spoke arrogantly and disrespected my Junior Sister. Now you’re using her to make money—it’s just too much!”

“Wronged!” Liu Zongyu wanted to cry but had no tears. He hurriedly explained, “That night after the match, I carried three hundred thorned vines to apologize to Junior Sister.”

Shen Xing and Yue Nianxin exchanged puzzled looks.

Liu Zongyu looked pleadingly at Su Bai. “Junior Sister, please speak fairly!”

Su Bai searched her memory. She recalled that in recent days, whether in the arena or practicing swordplay in the courtyard, she had indeed heard some noise outside the courtyard.

But absorbed in sword techniques, she hadn’t paid it much mind.

“Junior Sister, the lock formation outside your courtyard requires a Nascent Soul peak cultivator’s brute force to break through. I couldn’t get inside!”

Liu Zongyu was drenched in sweat, every word full of grievance. “I tried to communicate with you using spiritual energy, begging you to open the door—I knelt all night!”

Yue Nianxin was quick to counter: “But you snuck around to apologize secretly. That day on the stage, your rude words were in front of everyone!”

“Wronged!” Liu Zongyu pressed his lips tight. “Thorned vine is a mysterious-grade spirit plant. It drew blood from my back. If you didn’t respond, I dared not move. Many outer sect disciples were watching that night!”

That was why his legs trembled whenever he saw Su Bai.

A woman cruel enough to make him kneel all night carrying mysterious-grade thorned vines was terrifying indeed!

“I, Liu Zongyu, may have a sharp tongue, but I am a man of loyalty.”

He grew more sorrowful as he spoke. Raised in luxury, he had never suffered such grievances before. Wiping his tears, he said, “The first day you ignored me, I came the second day. The second day you ignored me, I came the third day. For the sixth form of the Shadowless Saber, I truly wanted to befriend you, Junior Sister.”

“This wager money was just my way of showing you my sincerity.”

Yue Nianxin and Shen Xing exchanged glances, speechless.

How did he manage to portray himself as the aggrieved party?

Su Bai twitched her lips. “Sorry, at that time I found the noise outside annoying, so I sealed my five senses.”

Having practiced swordplay for several days, she had sealed them for a while.

With this matter settled, Su Bai, who topped the Inner Sect assessment of Wuji Sect, returned to her courtyard to continue cultivating, awaiting tomorrow’s apprentice ceremony.

The livestream was closed at this time.

The 888 system transformed into a spirit form, anxiously watching the girl meditating peacefully on the bed.

“What’s wrong?”

Su Bai had just completed twenty full cycles of energy circulation and opened her eyes. “888, what’s on your mind?”

Called by name, 888’s drooping rabbit ears suddenly perked up. Its eyes darted about nervously before gathering courage to speak: “Host, there is something I must tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“I just want to remind you.”

The 888 system hesitated, choosing its words carefully. “Since the Candle Dragon has gained self-awareness, the world’s built-in rules have designated Qin Yang’s Slaying Dragon as the highest priority. This means all the world’s resources will tilt toward Qin Yang.”

“Resources will tilt without limit.”

888 emphasized.

“Since the Candle Dragon is an unstable factor, is the rule’s restriction on Qin Yang’s Slaying Dragon because concentrating resources on him maximizes benefits?”

Su Bai pondered a moment.

888 said solemnly, “Exactly. You and Qin Yang made a six-year pact, but after six years, Qin Yang will be endowed by the Heaven’s Way with all resources and fortune.”

“Unless you buy a Fate Reversal pendant to forcibly overturn destiny.”

At this point, 888 sighed. “Our benefactor generously funded the top-up leaderboard, splitting fifty-fifty. I now hold 200,000 reward points. The Fate Reversal pendant requires at least five million reward points and can only be purchased by systems ranked A or above.”

In short, this path is nearly impossible.

“What does piling up resources and fortune mean?”

Su Bai asked.

888 explained, “For example, the Heavenly Evolution Sword Technique. Although we promised to decide who could cultivate the sword technique after the Inner Sect assessment—and we won—due to the special status of the Realm Master of the secret realm, he always finds a way to have the Jade Scroll Master teach Qin Yang the sword technique.”

The special status of the Realm Master of the secret realm.

Su Bai’s eyes flashed. Following 888’s words, she added, “So no matter what, Qin Yang will definitely receive everything he is supposed to get according to the original story?”

888 nodded vigorously. “Mm-hmm!”

Then it cautiously observed Su Bai’s expression. Seeing no displeasure, it couldn’t help but ask, “Host, aren’t you curious why the rules don’t include your abilities?”

“I guess it has something to do with me being an outsider,” Su Bai closed her eyes again, circulating spiritual energy while talking with 888. “More likely, before the Candle Dragon deviated from the world line, Qin Yang himself was the world’s priority.”

“Host, you’re so smart!”

888 admired her. “And your personality is so good, completely unlike the ruthless Daoist swordsmen rumored to be unreasonable.”

Su Bai: “That’s just the basic principle of being a sword cultivator.”

888 argued seriously, “For example, when signing contracts, you’re willing to split reward points fifty-fifty with a small-time system like me, knowing how difficult my life is, and you don’t try to squeeze oil from me like some streamers who hate systems.”

The soft, translucent little rabbit happily circled Su Bai once. “And you don’t get mad at me over suffocating plotlines! Host, you’re just the best!”

Receiving such enthusiastic praise, even Su Bai couldn’t help but curl her lips. “You have a great personality too.”

In the eyes of other systems, she might be the grumpy host who always demanded exorbitant fees, according to 888.

Perhaps infected by 888’s tone, the girl’s originally cold voice softened. “You don’t interfere with what I want to do. You respect my decisions. See? Respect is mutual, and that’s just the fundamental principle of a sword cultivator.”

“Can I become a sword cultivator too?”

888 hopped in front of Su Bai, eyes sparkling.

Su Bai opened her eyes. The little rabbit was adorable and soft. She couldn’t help reaching out to stroke it before nonchalantly saying, “When I earn enough to buy a physical form, I can teach you swordplay.”

“Yay!”

888’s ears twisted into a spiral as it spun around happily. “888 wants to become a sword cultivator like the host!”

Elsewhere, the Carefree Sword Sovereign, sitting in meditation inside his cave dwelling, suddenly found himself entering an unfathomably profound realm.

He frowned slightly.

He had not focused his mind—how could he have entered such a mysterious realm?

The Carefree Sword Sovereign opened his eyes.

Around him was a vast mist, the daylight diffused within it, paler and brighter than sand grains. Lowering his head, he moved his foot, stirring the mist like rippling spring water, with bright white glimmers scattering like fish.

Frowning deeply, he pondered.

Who could have silently set up an array in his cave dwelling, drawing his divine sense here?

Setting aside that the protective arrays of Wuji Sect were set by several array masters, and the main mountain protection array was refined by the sword intents of successive Sword Sovereigns, his cave dwelling had multiple layers of prohibitions outside. Moreover, with his cultivation at the Great Ascension stage, no one should be able to make such a move under his nose.

Unless—

A guess surfaced in the Carefree Sword Sovereign’s heart.

A divine decree from the heavens.

At the same time, a hoarse, ancient voice echoed from the boundless void, coming from all directions.

“Carefree.”

The voice was ethereal, as if from another dimension, but carried no trace of spiritual energy fluctuation.

Within this spiritual realm, the voice bore authority that even a Sword Sovereign couldn’t help but feel awe and reverence.

The Way of Heaven.

Almost at the moment the voice spoke, the Carefree Sword Sovereign reached a conclusion.

“The Candle Dragon’s emergence overturns the heavens. When the whole nest is disturbed, no egg remains unbroken.”

The voice continued, “One child bears a fate, receives Heaven’s protection, is enlightened by an ancient great power, cultivates the Heavenly Evolution Sword Technique, destined to save the world.”

“Carefree, you must do everything in your power to assist him.”

The Carefree Sword Sovereign was startled, asking, “May I ask who speaks?”

Two names arose in his heart.

“The one who obtains heavenly fortune is also blessed by heavenly thunder.”

“A lightning spiritual root rare among ten thousand.”

The Carefree Sword Sovereign’s expression turned grave.