Chapter 31
Just as Lou Yuqing was happily immersed in gossip, a red warning suddenly flashed across the system panel.
Oh no!
Lou Yuqing nearly burst into tears.
She stared at her remaining 100 gossip points, heart aching as if something had been ripped away.
Gossip was fun in the moment… but the regret afterward was brutal.
All the points she had painstakingly saved up—gone.
Ling Yunxiao turned his head and saw her expression—completely deflated, like a wilted cabbage. He hesitated for a moment before asking, a hint of concern in his voice, “Are you alright?”
Lou Yuqing rubbed her face. “I’m fine.”
She could always earn more. It would just take time.
Ling Yunxiao wasn’t convinced, but with little experience speaking to girls, he found himself at a loss for words.
After a brief pause, he said, “Do you know how Shadow Spirit Root cultivators move around?”
Lou Yuqing blinked, surprise flashing across her face. Curiosity lit up her eyes.
Encouraged, Ling Yunxiao said, “Watch closely.”
Without warning, his body dissolved into a faint shadow—thin, insubstantial—before vanishing completely. Even the shadow beneath his feet disappeared without a trace.
…Not invisibility?
Lou Yuqing glanced around blankly.
The next instant, the air beside her rippled.
Ling Yunxiao reappeared at her side, his voice clear and calm as it brushed past her ear. “I’m here.”
She whipped her head toward him, eyes wide in shock. She hadn’t even blinked—hadn’t seen anything at all.
“How did you do that?”
Ling Yunxiao pointed to the shadow cast at her feet. “As long as there’s a shadow, I can use Shadow Escape. To us, shadows are like stepping stones—we move through them. Unless it’s complete darkness, which can restrict our movement.”
But places like that rarely held any living beings, so the limitation hardly mattered.
Lou Yuqing looked at him with unconcealed envy. “That’s ridiculously practical. If you can’t win a fight, you just slip into a shadow and run. No one could catch you.”
She paused, then added sincerely, “You’d be nearly impossible to kill.”
Seeing her mood visibly improve, Ling Yunxiao let out a quiet breath of relief. He started to reply, “I’ve run into danger a few times before, and then I—”
Unbeknownst to him, someone was watching from behind.
Gu Buqi let out a cold snort, his expression darkening as he looked at Ling Yunxiao.
Getting that close just to talk? Definitely not innocent.
And what about that strange mental voice?
For some reason, everyone in the plaza could hear it. It wasn’t limited to any ten-zhang range at all.
His previous assumptions… completely overturned.
Meanwhile—
Now that the mysterious voice had gone silent, Si Nidie and the others couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment. Their gazes drifted longingly toward the group of newcomers whose secrets had just been laid bare.
If only there were a few more juicy stories.
The so-called “Perky Butt Guy” and his companion were on the verge of tears. No one had warned them they’d have their dignity completely exposed before even entering the Wendao Sect.
Their reputations were ruined.
…And yet—
“Perky Butt Guy” paused, reconsidering.
Watching other people’s scandals… was actually pretty entertaining.
Besides, he had a brother who’d somehow ended up under a mountain boar spirit.
Compared to that… he wasn’t doing too badly.
Thinking this, he felt instantly better.
His unfortunate brother: “…”
Just then—
“Ahem.”
Elder Xu’s light cough cut through the noise.
His gaze swept across the crowd—sharp, penetrating—like it could see straight through them. An invisible pressure followed in its wake.
The entire plaza fell silent.
Everyone straightened instinctively, their earlier frivolity vanishing in an instant.
They could enjoy gossip—but not at the cost of discipline.
“All of you, step into the inner circle at the center of the plaza,” Elder Xu said, his voice deep and steady. “I will activate the array to test your spiritual root attributes.”
The plaza, nearly a hundred feet wide, was divided into two rings. The disciples remained in the outer circle, leaving the spacious inner circle to the newcomers.
Lou Yuqing turned to Ling Yunxiao. “Go on.”
Even if he was guaranteed to pass, he couldn’t skip the process—it wouldn’t look right.
Ling Yunxiao nodded, then asked, “Should I come back afterward?”
“Of course.” She smiled brightly.
He returned the smile faintly before walking toward the inner circle with the others. His simple white robes traced the lines of his tall, slender figure, every step carrying a natural ease—unrestrained, effortless.
Lou Yuqing watched, completely absorbed.
A voice suddenly rang out beside her, teasing and bright.
“Junior Sister… is he that good-looking?”
Lou Yuqing: “…”
She turned calmly. “Senior Sister, don’t you think so?”
Si Nidie touched her nose, caught off guard. “Well… yes, he is.”
Then, without missing a beat, she leaned closer, tone turning mischievous again. “So? Are you two close? You seemed to be chatting quite happily.”
Gu Buqi remained expressionless.
Not close at all.
Lou Yuqing replied with perfect composure, “Senior Brother Hao asked me to look after his friend. Senior Sister already knows this.”
“I was just teasing,” Si Nidie said with a laugh, waving it off. Seeing she couldn’t pry anything out of her, she dropped the subject—though her curiosity clearly hadn’t gone anywhere.
Si Nanren watched his sister and shook his head helplessly.
When they were younger, she’d investigate anything that moved—even the neighbor’s dog.
Some habits never changed.
In the inner circle, Ling Yunxiao’s gaze sharpened slightly as he looked in a certain direction—just in time to meet Elder Xu’s eyes.
Elder Xu remained perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened.
Moments earlier, he had received instructions from the sect leader: no need to conceal anything about Ling Yunxiao. Proceed as usual.
He agreed.
The Wendao Sect had stood for ten thousand years. It had the strength to handle whatever came.
If other sects had fallen… that only meant they were too weak.
Ling Yunxiao gave a small nod, expression indifferent.
Around him, however, the others were far less composed.
They had all passed the Heavenly Ladder—each one a standout.
And yet, by the sect’s standards… fewer than one in ten would pass the Spirit Test.
Elder Xu raised his hands.
The ancient array plate rose into the sky, releasing a hazy white light that spread outward, instantly enveloping the entire plaza.
Everyone closed their eyes.
Soft light wrapped around them, seeping into their bodies like a cleansing tide. All tension, all unease—washed away, leaving behind only calm.
Elder Xu’s hands moved in rapid succession, forming seals as streams of intricate incantations flowed into the array plate.
The light grew brighter.
Brighter—
Until it shone like a second sun.
Lou Yuqing blinked.
Upgraded?
Excitement flashed across her face as she opened the system panel. The progress bar surged forward at an astonishing speed—1% to 100% in an instant.
Much faster than its initial activation.
The panel refreshed.
[Host: Lou Yuqing
Melon-Eating Value: 100 points
Melon Field Range: One-mile radius
Melon Master List: Qing Xuzi (10,000 points)…
Module Functions: Audio-Visual, System Tasks]
Everything else remained unchanged.
Lou Yuqing’s gaze lingered on the new module.
Audio-visual…?
Did that mean what she thought it meant?
A mechanical voice sounded.
She froze. “…You’re awake?”
[…]
An ellipsis appeared.
“I see…” she murmured.
Then she stiffened.
“Wait—how were you hearing my thoughts earlier?”
The things she kept buried in her head were absolutely not meant to see the light of day. If the system had access to those…
She might as well dig her own grave.
The reply came instantly.
“If it’s disabled… you won’t hear them anymore, right?”
Lou Yuqing let out a long breath of relief.
Finally, she focused again. “So the audio-visual feature… it’s like watching gossip live?”
Her eyes lit up.
System… you’re incredible.
Her face flushed faintly with excitement.
“And the task function?” she asked, glancing at the other module. “What’s that for?”
“No fighting? No life-or-death missions?”
Lou Yuqing’s eyes sparkled. “Perfect.”
She tapped the task panel.
Nothing happened.
“…System?”
Lou Yuqing nodded slowly.
Got it.
—
After some time, the light of the array gradually faded.
The crowd reappeared—some relieved, some dejected.
Those with spiritual roots glowed faintly, colors shimmering around them—gold, green, blue, red, yellow—each corresponding to the five elements.
Any other color…
Signified a mutated spiritual root.
Like Ling Yunxiao’s.
Lou Yuqing looked up.
His figure flickered between solid and illusory, dark light coiling around him—like a shadow that refused to stay still.
Striking.
Unique.
Aside from him, two others stood out—a cyan wind root, and a blood-red blood root.
With no Heavenly Spiritual Roots appearing this year, the three of them were the most outstanding.
Elder Xu felt a trace of disappointment—but not surprise.
Such talents were rare.
“Those with spiritual roots remain. The rest may withdraw,” he announced.
The plaza quickly thinned.
Those who failed left reluctantly, turning back again and again.
Those who remained… were not entirely at ease.
Those with weaker talent—fewer than three roots—still faced one final trial.
“The Test of the Heart,” Elder Xu said calmly. “If your talent is lacking, your character must make up for it.”
An hour later—
Only a handful returned.
Lou Yuqing did a quick calculation.
One percent.
The pass rate was absurdly low.
Elder Xu wasn’t surprised.
The Wendao Sect valued quality above all.
Just as he was about to dismiss the rest—a young woman stepped forward.
Beautiful. Composed.
She bowed. “Senior, may I request an audience with the sect leader?”
Elder Xu’s eyes narrowed. “Junior, mind your place.”
The woman lifted her chin.
“Can’t a daughter see her father?”
Silence crashed down.
The crowd’s minds went blank.
…What?
Sect leader’s daughter?
Elder Xu stood frozen, instinctively looking toward the sky.
Above, Sect Leader Qingxuzi’s expression darkened instantly.
He had only one daughter.
Song Li.
Who was this woman… daring to claim her name?
Then—
A voice echoed in everyone’s mind.
Lou Yuqing’s thoughts.
[How am I supposed to tell the sect leader… he picked up a fake daughter?]
Qingxuzi’s anger faltered.
Lou Yuqing glanced at the system panel.
A new task had appeared—
…Well.
That escalated quickly.
The disciples collectively sucked in a breath.
Qingxuzi felt a chill run down his spine.
His entire body went cold.
Song Li… wasn’t his daughter?
“Sect Leader, remain calm,” Meng Zonghan said quietly. “We must first verify Yuqing’s words. Do not lose composure.”
Qingxuzi closed his eyes briefly.
“You’re right,” he said at last. “Yuqing has never been wrong… but this may still be a misunderstanding.”
Even as he spoke—unease coiled tightly in his chest.