《VRMMORPG: The Other World Online》


 Chapter 1 - Lets Play A Game!

    The deep blue and bright pink poster flashed again and again with the same words.


    [Let''s play


    VRMMORPG: The Other World!


    World''s greatest Virtual Role Playing Game!


    Join us on our 5th anniversary from September 5th to September 15th and have a chance to win an S-Ranked Treasure Map!


    We Promise you a Qi-full experience for even the Qiless!]


    Utter nonsense.


    Virtual Reality Immersion games that transported player consciousness into the Fictional Realm of the game had become the most common gaming mode that people preferred.


    Technology advanced but some things remained the same.


    Freelancers still got scammed.


    Cyberbullies were at an all-time high.


    The poor and rich separation still existed, even widened, and so did every other kind of prejudice. They even created new ones. The lastest being of course those with Qi and those without.


    And love-sick fools still brought trouble to their friends.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Pink-haired girl in front of her with condescendence.


    Her Phoenix eyes fell towards the poster the other girl had pasted on their dormitory wall two days ago.


    [Qi-full experience for even the Qiless.]


    She should have burned it the minute she saw it.


    Qi. The power that divided their current society.


    Qi Awakening was the result of the body vaccinating itself against the C virus that killed millions during the 2020s.


    It became a definitive thing in the 2040s.


    By the 2060s almost everyone had their Qi Centers activated.


    By 2070s the segregation led almost to the third world war. The UNO and its various factions made rules that made it a global crime to discriminate against those without Qi.


    And yet those people were called Qiless or Non-Qi people by everyone in a tone that indicated it was an insult rather than a fact. Some even saw those without Qi as a lesser species.


    The Qiless became the new minority. Thankfully, slavery was prohibited otherwise the Non-Qi would have become cattle to be bought and sold. Not that there wasn''t any that tried.


    You awakened your Qi centre between the age of 10 and 15. And if you didn''t have Qi by then, you were treated as second chance citizens.


    After all, those with Qi, theories suggested, could live up to 500 years. They did not get easily hurt or sick. Their immune system got a three-fold boast.


    Experts speculated that everyone had Qi Centers, it was just that some couldn''t access them. The reasons were unknown.


    VR became a place to prove true strength for the Qi-full because Non-Qi players could only play continuously for 12 hours without hurting themselves. This meant that the level difference between the Non-Qi and Qi users widened as time went on.


    Cheng Xiu felt her eyes spin as Gu Shu grabbed her and shook her shoulders again and again.


    "You have to! You have to!" She shouted.


    Cheng Xiu pushed her hands away and huffed.


    She glared at the girl with the hot pink hair and picked up her favourite novel from the ground.


    She looked at the slight bend in the bottom corner of the front cover with a scowl. She smoothed the surface out and placed the book softly on her bedside desk.


    "No," Cheng Xiu said.


    Gu Shu shivered at the hidden warning in her tone but she couldn''t back down. "Sorry about your book. But Xiu Jie, you have to. It''s your birthday! You are 18 now and this is your birthday present!"


    Cheng Xiu leaned against her bedpost. "Who are you calling Jie? You are older than me. And since it''s my birthday shouldn''t I decide what I do with my birthday gifts? And I didn''t even ask you to buy me a new VR pod. I was actually hoping for the new collection of StarDust series books. I have been trying to hint at it all summer. Even your usual gifts of makeup products were better. used had use for those!"


    Gu Shu frowned and leaned over her face.


    "You barely touched anything except for that one shade of lipstick in the whole Elite Collection," she said in frustration. "It expired and had to be thrown away. I still can''t believe you still kept using that thing! Aren''t people who read books supposed to be smart? Things past its expiry date are hazardous!"


    Cheng Xiu blushed in embarrassment.


    "I-I didn''t check the date," her eyes fell on the poster again. Qi-full for the Qiless. "And I loved that shade of red. You could have got me more of that instead. A VR pod is just too much. You don''t know restraint A''Shu!"


    Gu Shu groaned.


    She leaned into Cheng Xiu''s shoulder. "I''ll get you the book collection if you want it so much! Just play The Other World with me."


    "No, Little Shu."


    Cheng Xiu pushed her away and laid on the bed, the latest novel of her favourite author Si WenLu opened in the Fold.


    The Screen Folder or the Fold as it was called by most people was the communication/entertainment device that people started to use instead of Phones and computers from 2065 onwards.


    The one Cheng Xiu held in her hands was an old model that came out last year. The Kent Series Mark VI.


    It was a good enough model no matter what Gu Shu said.


    Gu Shu sighed and laid down beside her.


    It was hard and uncomfortable under her spin.


    She always wondered how her best friend could sleep in this thing. It was the Dormitory issued one and Cheng Xiu never changed it and she didn''t allow Gu Shu to buy a new one for her.


    Gu Shu''s eyes landed on the silky sheets of her mattress.


    Her bed and mattress were custom made.


    She had complained to her dad about it and he changed it the next day.


    Dormitory or not, Gu Shu didn''t want to compromise her comforts as she spent the rest of her four years of college in St. Andre College.


    Gu Shu stared at the thin form of her black haired friend, wondering how she could get her to change Little Xiu''s mind.


    She understood Cheng Xiu''s apprehension.


    As a Non-Qi, Cheng Xiu would be at a disadvantage. The chances of her being bullied were higher than others. But Gu Shu wanted her friend to love the VR world the way she used to.


    Cheng Xiu fidgeted.


    She could feel the stare of Gu Shu behind her head.


    Her eyebrow twitched in irritation. She couldn''t concentrate on why Lucy Facia broke Edaro Lone''s heart by choosing Alessandro Haria of all people.


    She put the Fold down with a groan, grabbed her pillow and hit Gu Shu with it.


    The pink-haired girl grunted in pain.


    Good.


    Cheng Xiu hoped it hurt a lot.


    "Ow. Little Xiu, why?"


    Cheng Xiu glared at her. "You were staring. And why do want me to play this game so badly? What''s so special about it? Isn''t it just one of your dating games?"


    Gu Shu opened her mouth.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand in a stop sign.


    "I have tried three of those because of you! My luck in VR games suck! I always get stuck at a middle level. After all, I need to pay to progress further, get bullied because I ''have a pretty face and nothing else, or get a Bad Ending! I''m fine with my adventures in movies and books! I don''t need to go online to find Qiless Haters."


    Gu Shu grinned as she found an opening. "It''s not like those games! The Other World is an Acton adventure type with many story modes and you can progress on your own. I heard some say that playing it might even invoke the Qi centre in you!"


    Cheng Xiu stilled at that.


    Qi-ful for the Qiless.


    She shook her head. No! This was how she was tricked into playing that horrible darling of Her Lover game.


    A chance to feel the Qi. The source that connects you to the universe.


    It made her play stupid games that scarred her.


    At this point, it was just a marketing gimmick that she no longer wanted to fall for.


    Her romantic heart was traumatized by the toxic harem story for the one hour she played Darlings of Her Lover, thank you very much!


    "And," Gu Shu said hurriedly as she saw her friend''s face twist in protest, "they released its 5th Version today! On your Birthday! You and this game are Destiny!"


    Cheng Xiu looked at her friend in suspicion.


    Gu Shu shifted with unease at the look in her eyes. "What?"


    "You tell me," Cheng Xiu found herself saying. "What is this really about? You have never been so adamant about me playing a game before. Adventure games are normal and we have encountered enough Qi activating games to know it''s a ruse. That was not a good pitch for it."


    Gu Shu cringed. She should have realized little Xiu would become suspicious if she pushed too far. "Little Xiu, our department''s Male God Ren Dao recommended it to me, saying we should join his guild in it because they don''t have enough beautiful lady members in it and those who bring new girls into the guild are rewarded with something called a Fang Sword."


    Cheng Xiu held back a sneer when she heard that name. Ren Dao. "I hate that guy. Have you seen the way he treats Love Charleston from Economics Department? And your crush on that piece of trash is so strong that not only did you want to join this stupid guild, you also sold out your best friend? It sounds mighty suspicious if you ask me. Especially if he is inviting you to play it to bring girls into the guild. That sounds, especially like Pimping. He is a pimp. Why am I surprised? Of course, he is. His treatment of women around him should have been a sign."


    Gu Shu shook her head vigorously. "No! Brother Ren Dao is not Pimping, Little Xiu! I do want to join the guild but I''m not going to force you to!"


    Cheng Xiu scoffed in disbelief.


    "It''s true! The guild system is only open at level 10 and Male God Dao will take me to the guild when I reach that level."


    Gu Shu sighed in happiness.


    Cheng Xiu waited for her to continue. She was used to her friend being an idiot.


    Gu Shu shook her head to get rid of her fantasies. "But I have to do the initial things by myself. Xiu, I want you to enjoy at least one VR game as you used to in Primordials Online. This started 5 years ago so there is no need to worry about catching up. It''s about that. And some players just use it as a vacation so your levelling speed will be normal. Come on, it will be fun."


    Cheng Xiu rubbed her head. "But I will hold you back."


    Gu Shu rolled her eyes. "No, Little Xiu. We will be levelling on my own and you by yourself. We might not even be in the same country anyway. I just want you to play this game. I...I...and you are my best friend so you should be doing this anyway. It''s your duty as my best friend."


    "I still say Ren Dao is a pimp," Cheng Xiu said.


    Gu Shu glared.


    Cheng Xiu grinned. "And you are not joining his guild until I am sure it is not some virtual brothel he is trying to recruit you into."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the golden pod in one corner of the room.


    "That still doesn''t explain why you got me a gaming pod? My VR Helmet would have been fine."


    Gu Shu snorted. "That ugly thing? Your dad bought it in 2159 at a yard sale. It''s been five years since then! It had overstayed its welcome. And gaming pods are better for your Nervous System and posture. I am doing you a great favour."


    Cheng Xiu got up and walked to the gaming pods lined up against their bedroom wall. One was in Gu Shu''s favourite Black colour and the other was golden coloured with black handles and black flowery designs.


    Beautiful, Cheng Xiu thought.


    "What are you doing?" Gu Shu asked when she saw Cheng Xiu press on the latches of the pods, opening it.


    "How much do you think it will get me if I were to sell it?"


    "Don''t you dare!" Gu Shu said. "I might be rich, but I am not that rich! And dad will kill me!"


    Cheng Xiu laughed. "Really?"


    "I''m serious!"


    "Relax. I was joking. Let''s play a game!" Cheng Xiu said with a smile.


    Gu Shu laughed in excitement. "You mean you are playing The Other World?"


    Cheng Xiu grabbed hold of Gu Shu''s hand and lead her to the pods.. "We are playing The Other World."

 Chapter 2 - Into The Other World

    They got into the pod.


    Gu Shu''s lid closed almost immediately.


    Cheng Xiu looked around the interior of the machine. Everything was sleek and smooth. The material of the bed was soft and comfortable.


    Her heartbeat started to race, trying to jump out of her ribcage. She was unsure if it was in excitement or fear. Cheng Xiu suspected a bit of both.


    A part of her was excited to experience a gaming pod. She never thought she would be able to see one with her own eyes, let alone use one. Her father''s measly wages and her small income from occasionally tutoring the neighbours were hardly enough to get such a great thing, especially with her Non-Qi status.


    She didn''t thank Gu Shu for it yet. Whining about it instead. She would do it once they were out of the game.


    Another part of her heart was scared. She had watched a lot of horror movies in which the characters are replaced by the AI in the Pod who take over the original''s body and no one knows.


    Everything is fiction, she thought to herself. It was okay. She was okay. Everything would be fine.


    She put on the VR Helmet attached to the pod. It was a necessary piece of equipment because it connected the wires to the user''s brain nerves. It also acted as a backup in case the pod had some malfunction. Hopefully, it wouldn''t. She did not want to be the reason people found out the faults in it.


    She then flipped on the switch to connect the VR helmet to the Nutrient Fluid which would make sure that her mind could handle the level of stimulation the pod puts her subconscious through.


    She took the Fold Watch attached to the sidewall and put it on her wrist.


    The Screen Folder was called so because it was a crystal screen that could be Folded. Made by Vrinsium, a metal found in abundance on Mars and other planets. It was discovered by Avrin Landon, a Martian scientist when he searched for a metal that could be used in VR helmets without making them bulky by using his Qi. It was the discovery of Vrinsium that led to many technological advances, making Avrin Landon the father of VR Gaming.


    The Vrinsium was more malleable than even gold until it reacted with copper, which would make it more solid. Hence giving the Fold the ability to fold the screen. This meant you could technically carry a screen that was as large as that of a movie theatre in your pocket. The quality of the images, sounds and resolution depended on how much you were willing to pay. The lighter the Fold was, the more expensive it was.


    Looking at the high-resolution picture of butterflies as the wallpaper on the Fold Watch around her pale wrist, this particular Fold Watch cost a lot.


    She laid down and looked at the icon for The Other World, an animated door frame with fluttering curtains.


    Activate, Cheng Xiu thought.


    That was the greatest achievement yet. AI system that analyzed thoughts so that you could forego voice commands. It made international communication even more accessible.


    The icon in the watch changed.


    The curtains parted and the darkness within slowly turned to white light.


    The bright lights of the pod dimmed into pale blue.


    Her vision turned dark.


    A whirlpool of lights and shadows passed by her eyes faster than her mind could react.


    When her mind focused, Cheng Xiu found herself in a blank, white room.


    She looked and moved around in awe. Everything felt so real. No wonder Pods were so in demand. VR Helmets had nothing on the details she saw in her hands and feet. Her skin texture was exact to reality.


    She stood naked as she was born in the empty room. Alone.


    The wall opposite her turned golden, and black symbols started to appear. A glowing black circle faded in and words-no spells started to be etched around it in glowing amber colours.


    Cheng Xiu suddenly heard a soft, childish sound.


    [Welcome to The Other World.]


    [User xxxx4444 is playing Version 96S5. Checking database for previous iterations of User xxxx4444.


    None found.


    Would User xxxx4444 like to create a new User Account?]


    Cheng Xiu wanted to curse badly. Why did her User ID have four 4s in it? Was she that unlucky?


    "Create Account."


    [The Other World is requesting access to all information stored in the DNA Registration Bank of User: Cheng Xiu. This information is for a better gaming experience and will not be used by a third party.]


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes. She didn''t feel comfortable with giving her personal information to God knows who.


    "Denied."


    [Would User Cheng Xiu like to leave the Game now?]


    So if she did not give her information she couldn''t play?


    Cheng Xiu sighed. Damn it. She didn''t want to give information but she still had to play for Gu Shu''s sake.


    "Give DNA Registration access to The Other World System."


    [Thank you.


    Downloading DNA information.


    Name: Cheng Xiu


    Age:18 years 6hrs 7 mins Old


    Blood Type: O+


    Illnesses: No prior illness or hereditary malfunctions were detected.


    Qi Status: Qi Center Inactive.]


    Why did it want this kind of information anyway?


    [You are the first Non-Qi Player with their birthday on September 5th, 2164, the Launch Day of The Other World version 5. You will receive a special reward once you register to the Adventure''s Guild in your Starter Village.]


    "Oh. That''s awesome I guess. Some good stuff for spending my birthday in a VR game that is sure to have morons who want to bully and or harass me."


    [Please create a new Player Name.]


    She used the Gamer name she had been using since she was 14 for any game she played.


    "Selafia."


    Sela was her favourite character from Master Si WenLu''s first novel [A Girl Like The Flame]. Sela, a Wiccan Witch, used her soul fire to create a permanent barrier between the Male Lead and Evil Spirits that wanted his soul called a Fia [soul fire] Protection.


    14-year-old Cheng Xiu had spent 4 days depressed and heartbroken because of it. Since then she had always used Selafia to immortalize the witch in her heart.


    A blue line scanned her entire figure.


    [Please change your Avatar according to User preferences]


    A lifelike model of Cheng Xiu stood in front of her in her undergarments.


    "Keep the black hair colour. Change the hair highlights to red and maroon. Keep everything else unchanged."


    [Would Selafia like to use face accessories?]


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head, considering. She nodded.


    The golden wall transformed into shelves. Each cubicle had Cheng Xiu''s head in it.


    Cheng Xiu shivered at the eerie image of her heads on display. Creepy game.


    The faces were wearing all kinds of masks and face tattoos.


    Cheng Xiu chose a simple black mask that had bright blue swirls and patterns embossed on it.


    "Is this detachable later on?"


    [Yes.]


    Cheng Xiu put the mask on.


    [Please select your Starter Village.]


    The shelves disappeared and in its place emerged a large map. From it, Cheng Xiu understood a bit of the geography of the Gameworld.


    There were five continents. Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern and Central.


    That was a disappointing world-building effort for a multinational, multi-billion dollars company. She hoped it was better inside the world than what it seemed to be.


    A pedestal appeared in front of her. There was a single black dart on it.


    Cheng Xiu felt annoyed. "Please don''t tell me that throwing a dart is how my starting point is chosen."


    There was silence.


    Cheng Xiu groaned. "System of this game? Is this how it''s done?"


    [You can call me Maya. And yes, that is how you choose your Starter Village.]


    She was surprised by the human quality in the AI''s voice. It creeped her out a bit, to be honest. Skynet might be a thing!


    She took the dart and threw it quickly, wanting to be done with this as soon as possible. Darts. Honestly. Throwing darts. Disappointing for such a hyped-up game.


    The dart landed in the southernmost of the Southern Continent.


    Cheng Xiu Shrugged. It was all the same anyway. She had played enough RPGs to know that.


    [Please remember that you can change your initial location when you have seen your first choice as long as you don''t step out of the Teleportation Circles.]


    Cheng Xiu was surprised. "Really? Why is that?"


    [The first selection is based on your luck. It gives a glimpse of how your luck is in this world. If you do not like it, you will be sent to one of Central Continent''s five common Starter Villages.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Weird game mechanics."


    [Please remember that you can only access your Player Status once you register with the Adventure''s guild. Until then you will not be able to do any missions.]


    A weird stipulation. This game had too many rules.


    She realized something. "Hey! Maya! I will get clothes right? Or am I going to appear naked in the middle of a street?"


    [Player will be given the basic Traveler''s Clothing automatically.]


    "Good to know."


    [Player Selafia will hear two clues about the land you will begin your journey in after 5 seconds.]


    Another weird game stipulation.


    She was mildly curious about this one. Gu Shu had said there would be two voice-overs that would hint at how she could survive The Other World initially. That was an element she had not encountered before in any other Game. And being able to change your initial village after seeing it but not stepping out of the Teleportation Circle was way too complex and instruction.


    She was suspicious of the trace of pity she heard in the AI voice. But that had to be her imagination, right?


    She suddenly heard her voice echo around her, speaking cryptic words.


    [Fairness is an illusion created by those with an unfair advantage. As long as you are the one with the advantage you will never feel the unfairness of your world.]


    Was that the supposed clue? What kind of stupid clue was that?


    The second voice-over played. Again in her voice.


    [Great Opportunities are sought after. They don''t come to you.]


    Cheng Xiu couldn''t understand how these words could be considered as clues, unless...


    [Transferring User Selafia to Veritas Village in the southern kingdom of Vixia.]


    The room started to glow forcing Cheng Xiu to close her eyes. When she opened them again she was looking at a busy street through a screen of rainbow lights.


    ____________________________________________


    A/N: Sorry about the exposition dump that you had to face in these two chapters. I''ll try to show the backstory instead of telling it from now on. If you do see the few that got away please forgive me and do point them out. I''ll fix them as I go.


    Leave a review on how the story felt and moved.

 Chapter 3 - Pushed Into Poverty

    The Transportation Circle was still glowing blue.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back so she wouldn''t accidentally fall off the Transportation Circle and this Veritas became her Starter Village before she could observe things to decide.


    She looked around her. The Architecture of the place seemed to be inspired by the middle ages of Europe, with small inspirations from Persia and Arabia in the woodworks. The place was overcrowded, although most of the people seemed to be NPCs and not actual players.


    The NPCs were easily recognizable because of the Green Diamonds above their head instead of the Blue ones above the Players. It was similar to the trailers of the game she saw as ads on Y-Tube.


    She looked down to see the kind of dress the Game gave her as a beginner. She was wearing a white robe that looked like those of Ancient Chinese immortals, a black sash around her waist keeping it in place, a crude, cheap blade strapped to it. The only weird addition to the attire was the knee-length black boots on her feet. Her left forefinger was adorned with an iron ring that had a pale blue stone embedded in it.


    ''System, What is this?''


    [It is the storage ring assigned to you. It has 20 shelves, each for one kind of item. 50 of the same kind of items can be stored on the same shelf. It is upgradable.]


    Voices filtered through the Rainbow Barrier catching her attention.


    "The quests hardly give any monetary rewards!" a teenager cried as he took his rewards for running errands from the Potter NPC.


    "This village is too poor!" a lady screamed to a frail-looking old woman NPC as she shoved manure into the mule carriage. "I should have listened to my brother!"


    Cheng Xiu started to back away. That didn''t sound welcoming at all.


    "The quests given in this Village are the worst for beginners when compared to other beginner villages," a man wearing glasses said to the man next to him as the two of them loaded woods into a horse carriage. "Can you believe I left Sentara Village for this place? What was I thinking?"


    Cheng Xiu backed away even more. So that was why the AI Maya had pity in her voice. The village chosen by her was poverty-ridden.


    "Stupid Qiless," a blonde man shouted and kicked a fat man away. "Stay away from me!"


    And had racists. Nice. Such an attractive village. Not.


    The Teleportation Circle flared blue, startling her.


    Cheng Xiu stumbled back. She didn''t want to be here permanently. She refused to make things harder than it already was for her.


    ''System, I don-''


    She crashed into someone coming through the portal behind her, her heels stamped on their feet. She felt a warm sturdy, muscled chest against her back.


    She cringed. God. Why?


    "Get off me," a baritone voice said into her ears.


    Cheng Xiu felt weak-kneed at that voice. Good lord. Now that was a voice she wouldn''t mind listening to all day long.


    Before she could turn around and say sorry she felt the guy hold her shoulder and shove her off his body.


    She flew out of the Rainbow Barrier and fell on the dirt road of Veritas Village. Dust filled into her mouth and Cheng Xiu choked, coughing and spitting, trying to get rid of it.


    She heard the sound of hooves and turned to see a horse carriage that seemed to be coming her way without a sign of stopping. Cheng Xiu dived out of its way in terror and jumped to her feet.


    Her body shivered in fright. She stared at the place that would have been her place of death, shock written all over her face. Her first death would have been under the wheels of that carriage and she knew the pain would have been too real.


    She should have lowered the pain level.


    "You should be careful next time," a voice said from next to her.


    She recognized that voice. It was the jerk that pushed her out of the barrier and sealed her fate!


    She spun around, her dark Phoenix eyes spitting fire.


    She was glaring at a very broad and attractive pair of collar bones. A body covered in a black ancient robe that had bright dragons stitched into the fabric that looked expensive. She raised her head to look at the man whose chin reached the top of her head.


    There was something familiar about him, but she couldn''t figure out what.


    Her eyes met crimson eyes set on a beautiful face. It was chiselled in such a way that even the shadows on it were beautiful. Her heart skipped a beat, and she blushed, a dazed look entering her eyes.


    He raised a thick dark eyebrow at her.


    Cheng Xiu finally remembered where she was and who was in front of her.


    "You shoved me, you jackass!" she said to him, glaring.


    He tilted his head to the side, considering her words.


    "I guess I did. My apologies. But you fell on me and stamped my feet though."


    Cheng Xiu deflated. She blushed. "Right. You still shouldn''t shove people. It''s impolite."


    His thin, pale pink lips curled into a smile.


    God help her soul. She felt thirsty.


    He nodded at her. "Of course."


    Cheng Xiu gave him a strained smile and tried to run away.


    He grabbed hold of her elbow, force stopping her. The inertia made her crash into his body again.


    "What the hell!" she asked, scowling at him.


    "I''m waiting," he said, his voice laced with laughter.


    "For what, you jerk!" she asked in anger. She was starting to become immune to his handsomeness.


    "For crashing into me," he replied patiently.


    Cheng Xiu considered it for a moment. "No. I crashed into you and you shoved me, making me fall out of the Teleportation Circle. I almost got run over by a horse carriage and your actions made this place my Beginner Village. As far as I''m concerned, you did more harm to me than I did to you."


    He looked at her in surprise and then looked around them. "Veritas as a beginner village...hmm...that is some bad luck...I''m sorry then."


    Cheng Xiu had a feeling that he wasn''t sorry at all. Looking at the sweet smile on his face she was even sure he was laughing inside. Her instincts were practically screaming it.


    She glared at him.


    "Is that Lu Wenxian?" a girl suddenly screamed.


    The man''s smile became strained.


    Cheng Xiu realized who it was. Why he had felt so familiar. Lu Wenxian, CEO of Lu Enterprise, is a major shareholder of the game and one of the top gamer gods.


    There wasn''t a VR game that he was not famous in. Some even say that if he claimed second no one would dare claim first place.


    Cheng Xiu always thought it was overhyped.


    Many girls started to recognize the man after that shout, and ran towards him. She saw him get surrounded and the distance between hin and Cheng Xiu grew. Cheng Xiu smirked as she realized the guy was stuck and unable to move. His face still had a polite smile but Cheng Xiu was sure he was barely holding onto the facade.


    His alluring red eyes were still trained on her, almost seeming to ask for her help. Cheng Xiu grinned at him and ran away.


    His eyes narrowed when he couldn''t see the long-haired girl anymore and his face turned blank. The temperature around them started to become icy.


    The girls started to back away as ice spears started to appear under his feet. In a blink of their eyes, he disappeared from their midst.


    Cheng Xiu stood bent over with her hands on her knees in a small alleyway between two small houses, panting, trying to calm her breath.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to cry. She was pushed into Poverty. That horrible Wenxian. She hoped he would suffer for what he did to her.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. She needed to stay focused. There was no use crying over spilt milk.


    She needed to level up to level five to start the messaging function of the game. Then she and Gu Shu could talk to each other, plan on where they could meet and join Ren the pig''s guild if it was not a digital Brothel. Then she could forget about this stupid game and go back to her simple life of simply over master WenLu''s handsome writings.


    She decided to find the Adventure''s Guild so that she could leave this nightmare of a world behind.

 Chapter 4 - Filth, Cracked Walls And Diamond.

    Cheng Xiu walked over the wooden bridge that separated the central area of the village from the rest of it.


    The smell of the place was horrible. She was sure sweat and filth were the most prominent and it made her want to gag. When she wanted to experience the VR world like the real world this is not what she had in mind.


    She tried to avoid touching any of the locals for fear of it was from them the smell was coming from them. She had nothing against them but that didn''t mean she was going to purposefully touch them when she could avoid it.


    Cheng Xiu never claimed to be a ''hug even the shit covered people'' kind of a person.


    Cheng Xiu hadn''t realized she could be a neat freak until then. She sounded like a whiny bitch even in her head. But she couldn''t help herself. She was used to the tidy life of N City where she spent all her life. Even in other VR games the cities, towns and even villages were clean and sweet-smelling to be more tourist-friendly. Veritas Village was none of those. Maybe it was the poor status of the village itself that made its conditions so...destitute.


    She observed the people.


    The NPCs of the Village were divided into the poor and the poorer. Thin, gaunt, and sick looking. They all wore coarse clothes and thread bear, with patches of different shades of Grey and what might have been white long ago.


    Her beginner''s set of clothing made her look rich in comparison.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. There was nothing she could do about this and they were NPCs anyway. Just strings of Data. But it was really hard to treat them as just that when they looked so real.


    Her heart had felt pain and pity for anime characters, who were 2D.


    How could she not feel something for these NPCs when they looked no different from her except for the colour of their Diamond.


    She couldn''t do anything though. Maybe she could buy food for a person or two when she had enough money.


    That reminded her. She needed to walk faster to register with the Adventure''s Guild faster and do missions faster.


    [Go Straight past the Melon seller.]


    She followed the instructions Maya was giving.


    Only being able to do missions after registering with the Adventure''s Guild. Sounded a bit like someone, probably the AI, was trying to control the player base. But why would they? What was its purpose?


    [Those not registered at the Adventure''s Guild are treated as Civilians and are required to gain Citizenship in the village they want. You can do it by approaching the Administrative Department next to the Adventure''s Guild.]


    ''Since when does living in a village require Citizenship? In what reality is there an Administrative Department in a Village? If it has that, then can it even still be called at the village?''


    [This is how this reality was made. And household registries are things that have existed since a long time back. The host should brush up on her history instead of always reading romance novels.]


    ''Did you ask for my DNA registration so that you can personally attack me?''


    [Maya is a good System and only does and says things because she does not want Host to be misinformed or ignorant.]


    ''Talking about yourself is a sign of an arrogant person who thinks they can do no wrong or if you are trying to distance yourself from taking the blame or a mix of both. Which is it in your case?''


    [Please take a right and walk straight. You will reach your destination.]


    ''Blatantly ignoring my words huh? Subtlety, your other name is not Maya.''


    [We are here.]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. ''So it seems.''


    The tall grey coloured building in front of her. There were cracks on the walls, some of the stones seemed to be missing. The signboard was chipped and faded in colour, hanging by a single nail. The broken door would give splinters to anyone who touched it.


    The image was not promising at all.


    Cheng Xiu pushed the door open and shivered at the grim that covered her hand. God. It was good that this was VR and she didn''t need to worry about diseases. She was a Qiless. She would get diseases easily unlike the Blessed.


    Cheng Xiu walked in and squeaked as a fat rat scurried past her.


    Ugh. Gross.


    Stupid Lu Wenxian! She hoped he suffered for this. Die a hundred times! Noa thousand times!


    Cheng Xiu wanted to leave the game already. She would rather play those otome games and suffer heartaches than heart attacks.


    Taking a deep breath she looked around. The whole thing was made of wood, even the ceiling. There were cracked wooden tables and chairs with legs missing.


    Two NPC men were sitting at a corner table, whispering to each other and pointing at her. Their eyes sparkled with hope.


    Cheng Xiu marched up to the bartender NPC, her eyes trained on the men. The NPCs seemed a lot more autonomous in this game which could be a bad thing if they could attack Players. She would be powerless to stop them if it was so.


    The old bartender smiled at her kindly. "Welcome, young miss. How can I help you?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "I''d like to register as an adventurer please."


    His smile became strained.


    The men at the corner raised their heads and looked at her with a scowl on their faces.


    Cheng Xiu shifted her feet, unsure. "Is something wrong?"


    The bartender sighed. "Veritas is a small poor village, miss. The locals themselves don''t have enough jobs to do and the few that we have, we have to divide it between the locals and outsiders like you. You can imagine how unwelcome some might think your presence is."


    Cheng Xiu fidgeted. "I''m sorry... I just-"


    The bartender laughed jovially. "Nonsense. It''s not your fault miss. It is an inevitable result of having a bad Village head and the horrible politics back at the capital. I thought you were a client coming here to give missions and so was a bit disappointed."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. The NPCs behaved too lifelike in this game and the world-building didn''t seem to be too bad.


    "So...about that Registration?"


    The bartender called a young boy NPCs to manage the bar and then took her to a hidden alcove behind the bar. A Grey diamond floated atop a crystal pedestal.


    "Just place your hand on top of that diamond and pick your palm with its sharp edge. The diamond will glow and a card will come out of this slot," he pointed to a sliver rectangle opening at the foot of the pedestal. "That card tracks all missions assigned to you, your mission status and your rank in this Guild and Adventure''s Guilds all over the world. It is valid for three months, called the trial period. Don''t lose it. If you do, to buy a new one you need to pay 50 copper coins. After the trial period, you have to pay 20 copper coins to get a new one."


    Why was the game mechanics so...real? Like she was joining an actual organization or course.


    "You can proceed whenever you are ready."


    Though the man said that Cheng Xiu could she the impatience on his face. Lip-servicing. Nice.


    Cheng Xiu moved forwards and placed her hand on top of the diamond. Its surface was cool and smooth. Taking a deep breath, Cheng Xiu pushed her palm down, wounding it. She almost screamed in pain. It felt like her skin was burning away. Her blood rushed down the diamond on all sides and seeped into it, turning the Grey diamond red. It started to give an unearthly glow and a low mechanical hum was heard in Cheng Xiu''s ears.


    The diamond started to spin, agitating her wound. She tried to move back but found her body stuck in that position. The diamond started to heat up and warmth spread through Cheng Xiu''s veins. Her blood boiled. Her bones creaked. She felt her very soul go through an unthinkable amount of pain. She couldn''t think anymore.


    Then she felt it. A lukewarm feeling in her guts, starting with her belly button and then travelling up all over her body. It pushed back the intrusive warmth of the diamond, washing away the pain that wracked her body and clearing her mind.


    She felt connected to everything. She felt that she belonged somewhere in this vast world. That she was better than she ever was before. Her body felt stronger. She felt powerful. Power strummed in her blood vessels and nerve endings, making her want to scream and shout in excitement.


    She had never felt so energetic.


    [Ding!]


    [Congratulations on successfully registering at the Adventure''s Guild in Veritas Village. Player Status officially accessed. You are now eligible for System Missions.]


    [Player Selafia has officially awakened her Qi Center and is ready to venture into the world of adventures!]


    Cheng Xiu''s heart thudded. ''Qi? That feeling of belonging, that power...that''s what having Qi feels like?''


    [Yes, Host! Congratulations!]


    ''Thanks,'' Cheng Xiu said to Maya in a daze.. She had felt Qi for the first time in her life.

 Chapter 5 - Conned To Be The One

    A/N: A difficult chapter to do because it''s basically world building. I''m sure there are better ways to do this but this was the only way I could think of. Hopefully it will be entertaining to you guys.


    Do you know how tough it is when your keyboard is American English and your Writing App is British? You see errors everywhere.


    Our MC is full of complains and is two faced.


    Happy readings.


    Chapter 5


    Conned to be The One.


    She grabbed the semi-transparent blue rectangle card that came out of the Silver slot in the pedestal.


    [Host Selafia has successfully registered with the Adventure''s guild. Reward for joining The Other World on your birthday: 20 Sliver and 10 copper coins.]


    Cheng Xiu quirked an eyebrow. Monetary rewards? That was unexpectedly generous.


    The old bartender cleared his throat.


    Cheng Xiu turned to him and realized he was waiting for her to respond to him.


    She smiled at him. Gu Shu would want her to be polite to him, he was technically her new employer, after all.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t ask your name earlier, uncle. I''m Selafia. You are?"


    He laughed. "Myrdian, Miss Selafia."


    "Please, call me Sela."


    "Miss Sela. You can call me uncle Dian. Miss Sela, do you like our village?"


    Cheng Xiu gave him a strained laugh, twirling her earring. "It could be better."


    "I believe so too. Do you think you will become famous in the future?"


    "Maybe? I''ll try my best?"


    He gave her a satisfied smile. "Do you think you can make Veritas your starting point to greatness?"


    Cheng Xiu gave him a pained look. She wanted to cry. Uncle, it was her starting point. She couldn''t change it even if she wanted to. Stupid Lu Wenxian!


    "Sure," Cheng Xiu said in a squeaky voice.


    He nodded. He stretched out his palm towards her. "Could you hand me the Registration card?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned and tilted her head. "May I ask why?"


    He raised an eyebrow at her sudden harsh toned voice. "I was hoping to attach the name of this village to yours."


    "Huh?"


    "I am hoping to spread the name Veritas to all four corners of the world. Giving outsiders like you the Veritas name is one of my ways of doing it."


    "Really? Why would you choose outsiders?"


    "They will leave this village in search of better prospects. You are one of those outsiders who said that our village could be better and I agree. So I am giving you a chance to make it great. The card please."


    Cheng Xiu felt her cheeks heat up at his words. It sounded so heart warming when he said it. Maybe she could do it. She handed the card over to him. "I-I was just being cautious."


    He inclined his head. "I understand. It''s a good attitude to have, Miss Sela. Now, I want you to touch the centre of the card with a finger. Yes. Like that."


    Cheng Xiu felt her Qi centre stir and her finger on the card warmed up. Ripple of blue lights waved across the card, her finger as its centre of origin. The card surface turned completely blue and started to glow. Unfamiliar words in an unfamiliar language started to appear on it. Her masked face became her profile photo.


    Uncle Dian bit his forefinger and let his blood drip on to the card. The information on the card flickered and changed.


    Her Profile name had a surname now. ''Veritas Selafia.''


    Cheng Xiu looked at uncle Dian in confusion.


    "Now everyone will know that you are from Veritas! I was born and brought up in these lands, you see. I left to see the world but I returned here to make this place better. The village will become great only if it has great heroes coming from it. I hope you will become great, Selafia Veritas and raise our village into glory!"


    Cheng Xiu''s lips twitched. This NPC was a nut job.


    [Ding!]


    [Quest Alert!


    Madman''s Prophecy!


    Sato, the mad prophet, once predicted that the Saviour of the Vixia Kingdom would be born from Veritas Village! Since hearing that, Bartender Myrdian has been conning every Player that crosses his path into promising to make Veritas great again in hopes that one of them will be The One.


    Fulfill the Prophecy. Become Vixia''s saviour.


    Reward:?]


    Cheng Xiu chocked on her saliva. This game was broken!


    She looked at the kindly smiling face of the old man and had an urge to scream in frustration.


    She came into this game to just keep her friend company! She didn''t want world saving quests!


    The old NPC was looking at her expectantly, as though he was waiting for her to do something.


    She gave him an obvious fake smile. "I''ll try my best, uncle Dian."


    Myrdian beamed at her. "You are already better than 90% of those who have this mission!"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"


    "Most of them throw things at me or throw me!"


    A cold realization came to her mind. "The broken chairs, Cracked Walls and the broken door....those were people attacking you? How are you still alive!"


    "I''m sturdier than I look!"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head, disappointed. And she thought it was because the village was poor.


    There was one thing she couldn''t understand though. "Why would people be against this quest? Isn''t getting a quest a good thing?"


    The man nodded vigorously. "Yes it is! I don''t know why they were so mad at me!"


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes at him. "Really? But, uncle Dian, something tells me that you do know why they were so against this quest."


    "That something is lying to you. You shouldn''t listen to everything it says," the old man said sagely.


    Cheng Xiu''s eye twitched in irritation. "Uncle Dian, don''t lie to me. What is the point of lying to me now when I already am doing the quest."


    The old man sighed. "It''s because...usually, people can leave Veritas Village and start their journey outside Veritas after reaching level 3 because of the low rewards that the village gives to its warriors. But those with this quest will have to reach level 5 to leave the Village."


    Cheng Xiu''s hands twitched. She really wanted to wrangle the man. Myrdian backed away as though sensing her ill-intentions. Cheng Xiu tried to calm herself down. It''s just two more levels, there was no need to get violent about it.


    Stupid conning NPC. Stupid Lu Wenxian.


    "I guess I should see what other quests are available then if that''s all? Maybe a simple one like manual labour?" Cheng Xiu asked in a feeble voice.


    She was a Qiless. She could only play for 12 hours. She already took more time than others to level up but now she couldn''t leave this stupid village before reaching level 5. She would be staying in this backwater village for a long time.


    Demonic Devs making horrible quests for beginners.


    "Don''t you want a Cultivation Method?" the conning bartender asked in confusion. "Do you already have one?"


    "Cultivation Method?"


    Myrdian nodded. "That''s how people become stronger. Did you not know that?"


    She hadn''t. "I did know that. I just didn''t realize the Adventure''s Guild had any."


    The NPC laughed heartily. "We do. Follow me."


    The man pressed his hand against a random stone on the wall and the wall parted brick by brick. Inside was a small pool of water bordered by large Boulder and small pebbles. A small, grassy island stood in its middle and a stone pillar stood like a tree in its middle.


    "This is a Qi pillar. The great grandfather of our current Village head brought it here with him from the capital city back in the day. He wanted to create warriors for this village! All you have to do is sit in front of the pillar and try to read the inscriptions on it. Don''t get up until you have comprehended at least a quarter of it. Now go! I might have customers waiting for me!"


    The NPC left and the wall closed behind him.


    Cheng Xiu watched him leave. What customers? The only customer the old man seemed to have were flies. The rest of them were either employees like her or that boy on staff. Lying to her to get away.


    She would have to reach level 5 quickly. She didn''t want to stay at this village more than necessary.


    Wait.


    Leave this place...


    "Wait! Uncle Dian! How will I get out of this room!"


    The room fell into silence.


    Cheng Xiu screamed in frustration. "Stupid old geezer! Is this why you practically ran away siting non-existent customers? Uncle Dian! Uncle Dian!"


    She was going to die of starvation in the game!


    "Damned NPC. I hate adventure RPGs and the Devs of this stupid game. May you all rot in hell."


    Cheng Xiu tried to calm herself. She couldn''t let a game get the best of her. She looked at the Qi pillar. Maybe comprehending the Cultivation Method will open the wall automatically.


    She could only hope.


    Cheng Xiu strode towards the small island.

 Chapter 6 - Pillars, Grasslands And Clones

    Cheng Xiu waddled through the pool of water surrounding the island and reached its grassy Beach.


    [Ding!]


    [Host Selafia has stepped on the Qi Island of Veridus. Martial Arts practice and Qi Manipulation gets 5% boast.]


    Cheng Xiu observed the pillar. Grey, greasy, wide, and tall. The inscriptions on it were bewitching, holding her attention the moment she looked at them.


    Cheng Xiu sat in front of the tall pillar and straightened her back. She tried to read the inscriptions that were a fusion of Traditional Chinese and some other ancient languages.


    She felt the Qi in her blood spread out and reach towards the pillar. The inscriptions began to glow and in moments turned into a golden pillar of light.


    [Host Selafia has started to learn part 1 of True Qi Cultivation Method.]


    Her vision went dark and then she found herself standing on grassland with yellow grass blades and a pink sky.


    A man in teal robes appeared before her with a kind smile.


    Her shoulders tensed.


    "Hello," the man said in a cracked voice. "Another young one has come to learn the greatest Cultivation Method on Earth I see."


    Greatest? The system called it part 1. She held her tongue. No need to make enemies with NPCs by mocking them. She wasn''t strong enough for it.


    "I''m Selafia, uncle. May I know who you are?" she asked him.


    He smiled and threw something on the ground. A blob of clay.


    "Watch closely."


    A shadow version of herself materialized before her from the clay. It was an exact copy.


    The two NPCs bowed to each other and then took a stance.


    Cheng Xiu felt grounded. Present. Stable. She felt a connection to the clone NPC that was beyond it looking like her.


    The old man and her shadow self started to exchange blows. It started slow and picked up speed as time passed.


    Cheng Xiu felt her limbs become sturdy, her bones become willowy like the branches of a Bodhi tree. Rooted and firm.


    [Part 1 of True Qi Cultivation has reached 10% comprehension.]


    Cheng Xiu mimicked the old man''s movements, feeling stupid and pretentious.


    Cheng Xiu tried to imitate what her clone was doing, but it felt wrong. Like there was something she was missing.


    She observed the two fighting figures.


    The man pushed the clone with an open palm. The clone skidded to a stop.


    The two fought again, starting from that same grounding stance as in the beginning.


    The match repeated again and again and again. Cheng Xiu stopped counting after the 42nd time her shadow failed to even hit the man. Sometimes she would be kicked, sometimes punched, sometimes she would be thrown away and sometimes she would lose her footing.


    She tried to understand the principle behind the fight. Maybe if she understood its underlying principles she would understand what was missing. What was she not considering?


    She moved her legs to the initial stance they came to again and again.


    Her balance felt wonky. It wasn''t stable enough. She moved her foot wider. She started to feel secure.


    Cheng Xiu moved her legs until she felt her stance was stable.


    Cheng Xiu observed.


    The two figures had started from the beginning again.


    She saw lightness in their footing. Cheng Xiu sensed that they were grounded but not tense unlike her. She tried to imitate their lightness. It took time but she succeeded.


    [Comprehension has reached 20%]


    Cheng Xiu felt her Qi Centre stir and the Qi in her veins move around her body.


    Her mind cleared of all thoughts as she started to imitate the two figures again and again.


    At first, her movements were stiff, rigid, and forceful. Aggressive. As though she was trying to prove to someone that she could do it. Her movements then changed to tensed, and pretentious waves that imitated those having power, while her movements barely agitated her Qi pool to circulate in irregular patterns.


    [Comprehension has reached 40%]


    Then it changed to lax, powerless, and unsure until she reached a place that wasn''t too forceful, too lax, too low, or too high. Her movements smoothed. Her body started to emit a silver glow in ripples and her Qi started to manifest on her fingertips and toes in golden lotus patterns.


    [Comprehension has reached 80%. Initiating final stage Shadow Battle mode.]


    Cheng Xiu walked towards the two figures in a trance.


    Her eyes started to glow gold and her skin turned Grey.


    The man and the Clone started to repeat another fight.


    Cheng Xiu replaced the clone and started to fight.


    She and the old man went bout after bout. Her skin was bruised and healed. She fell to her knees. Had her hand twisted. Had her legs cracked? Had her ribs crushed?


    Cheng Xiu returned to her feet again and again.


    It became harder for the man to crush her. To crack her. To hurt her. To push her. To touch her.


    She started to hurt him. Crack him. Crush him.


    He laid on the grass, panting.


    He got up and looked at her. Her eyes were still glowing golden and her Qi was still circulating her body.


    "Well done," the old man said. "I hope to see you at the second pillar, young one. Train hard and become stronger."


    He faded away.


    [Ding!]


    [World announcement: Selafia Veritas has become the first person to comprehend the 1st part of the True Qi Cultivation Method to 100%


    Selafia is awarded: 4000 gold coins.


    +2000 to world reputation.


    +a World First Title.]


    Cheng Xiu came out of the trance and blinked. She defeated an NPC. Wow.


    The adrenaline rush subsided and Cheng Xiu felt bone-deep tiredness.


    She sat on the ground, panting, aching everywhere. "Wasn''t this a dreamscape? Why am I feeling tired?"


    [Just because something happens in your head doesn''t mean it doesn''t take energy. Thinking is also a physical process. Especially during a trance. Trance mode is only achieved by those who have played this game for a year or two. All the expert Players in The Other World have felt it but very few fall into trance in the beginning.]


    AI Maya sounded mildly impressed.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Thanks, Maya. What now?"


    [Would Host like to leave the Dreamscape?]


    Cheng Xiu tried to etch this grassland into her mind so that she could always remember it. "Yes!"


    Her vision turned black and then she was sitting cross-legged in front of the pillar.


    Cheng Xiu felt refreshed and clear-headed. Her body was coiled with contained power.


    [Would Host like to see her Status widow now?]


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn''t this be something you showed me already?"


    [Host was going through an important quest moment.]


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes sparkled. "I had a World announcement, right? Does that mean I completed the Prophecy Quest?"


    [No.]


    Cheng Xiu was silent for a while. "Aren''t you going to substantiate that statement?"


    [That World announcement was a personal achievement of the Player against other Players. It has nothing to do with the Vixia Kingdom becoming great.]


    Cheng Xiu wilted. "Oh. Then let''s just see my stats."


    [Ding!]


    A virtual window appeared in front of her.


    [CHARACTER STATUS


    Name:	Selafia


    Cultivation Method:	True Qi Cultivation


    Cultivation Level:	Qi Sensing I


    Title:	World''s First True Qi Cultivation Master


    Intelligent:	2


    Dexterity:	1


    Speed:	1


    Strength:	1


    Vitality:	1


    Wisdom:	2


    Attribute Points: 0


    Skill Points	:0


    Skills: None]


    Cheng Xiu read through her status. "So, everyone starts at 1?"


    [Of course. Of all your attributes, the Intelligence slot has been fulfilled.]


    "And what does that mean?"


    [In The Other World, the number of points the Host can give an attribute is limited. For Level 1 and 2, you have a maximum of 2 slots. Level 3 and 4, you have 3 slots and from level 5 onwards you have 5 slots. For each level up the System gives you 1 attribute point to all your stats, as can be seen in yours. You can fill the rest of the slots on your own through Quest completions and learning another aspect of your cultivation.]


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "That''s makes everyone have the same strength. How do you gain money if don''t make your Players feel that they can stand above the rest?"


    [If you level up, the previous levels are locked. It means you have to fill the slots of your level before you level up.]


    "That...is...it''s fair and unfair. These game mechanics are too...complicating. That reminds me! Why does it say Qi Sensing I? I''m pretty sure I reached Root Awakening 10 in the grassland!"


    [Your Spirit has reached the epitome of True Qi Cultivation but your body is still that of a beginner. It might be stronger than before but you still have ways to go before you reach the level you did in the dreamscape. Think of it as a taste of what realizing your full potential feels like.]


    "Wow. So it''s a way for the Devs to make you want to keep playing. This game is more manipulating than any other. I don''t know if I should be impressed or feel cheated."


    [The Host has 10 minutes in-game time before she will be forcefully ejected from the game.]


    "Bu-but...are-are you telling me I spent 12 hours in the pod, 24 hours of in-game time staring at a piece of rock?"


    [It was a magical rock?]


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "I guess it was."


    She looked at the wall of the island room that was the gateway to the outside world.


    [Most Players take three in-game times at least to finish reading the pillar''s 25 %. Myrdian will return to release you then.]


    "Oh...um... let''s log out then."


    Her vision went black.


    Cheng Xiu laid in the gaming pod as the dim blue lights started to brighten up.


    Something was missing.

 Chapter 7 - The Missing Piece

    Cheng Xiu''s hand went to her chest. Her heart felt hollow. Lifeless. She couldn''t feel it. She couldn''t feel the Qi in her veins.


    Her hand shook and she clenched it into a fist.


    Tears rolled down the corner of her eyes.


    She had lost the connection she felt with the world around her. She felt desolate.


    Cheng Xiu pressed the lid with her hand and it automatically opened.


    Cheng Xiu got out and stared at the VR pod that held the missing piece.


    She took a deep breath and then walked to her study desk with stiff strides.


    A pale yellow box sat on it.


    Cheng Xiu traced the words etched on the lid.


    ''Mama loves her little boss.''


    Her heart felt less stuffy, and she relaxed.


    "I felt it today mama," Cheng Xiu said. "I felt that connection you and everyone always talk about."


    She laid her face on top of the etched names.


    "I want to f-feel it a-again."


    Cheng Xiu broke into sobs.


    "I-I want to feel it again."


    It took almost an hour before she was ready to move.


    She pressed a finger pad on the side and the box unfolded by itself. Cheng ate the chicken sandwich she packed for herself in the box and walked to the bathroom.


    Maybe a little bath would do her good.


    The door slid open and the lights turned on by itself. Cheng Xiu placed her hand on the screen attached to the wall.


    She heard a beep sound. The tub began to fill with water as she stripped down.


    A cold shower and an half hour in the tub of warm water later, she felt less hopeless and lost.


    Cheng Xiu laid in her bed that night, her Fold by her side. She couldn''t bring herself to touch Master WenLu''s works for the first time. She kept staring at the ceiling and It was way into the night when she fell asleep.


    In the morning, Gu Shu still hadn''t come out of the Pod yet.


    It was an advantage that the Blessed had. They could play in the Pod for Three continuous days without harming themselves.


    Cheng Xiu switched on the bot clearner, her eyes returning to Guard Shu''s pod again. The girl was lucky it was the weekend that day and that they didn''t have any classes.


    Cheng Xiu opened the door to go out when she heard a beeping sound.


    Gu Shu''s Pod opened.


    Cheng Xiu felt confused. She walked towards the gaming pod.


    Guys shut scrambled out of the game.


    "What happened? I thought you will not get out of the Pod until the third day."


    "You got a world announcement?!"


    "How did you know that?"


    "You always use username Selafia. I was only confused about the Veritas part but did you? Was that you?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Yeah. So what? The game has been out for 5 years. I''m sure there have been multiple World announcements. If there weren''t, I would be disappointed."


    Gu Shu rolled her eyes. "There are many. That''s not the issue. The issue is that you got a 100% comprehension rate on True Qi Cultivation! Do you even know what that is? The people in the forum said it is one of those World Quests and those who participate in it are all experts of the Game! The True Qi Cultivation is something that the experts have been trying to get a 100% on for a long time because it leads to a World Quest. Nobody knows what that Quest is but they say the rewards would be amazing!"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips, considering her words. "The amount of information you just spilled...A''Shu, if only you put this much effort into your studies you wouldn''t worry your poor father and he wouldn''t have to bribe people into teaching you."


    Gu Shu glared and pushed her shoulder. "Don''t be a bitch. I haven''t even told you the best part yet. That last person to have a world announcement on this was Song Wei! And his completion rate was 90%! There are articles online wanting to interview you. So many people want you to join their guild! They are paying Millions! All the guild captains will be looking for you now!"


    "You are a millionaire already. Why are you so excited about this?"


    "My dad is the millionaire. Besides, this is different! They are willing to pay millions just to talk with you!"


    "That''s too bad. I''m not playing anymore."


    "What!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "it''s not for me."


    "But you have to. What happened? You always play the games I bully you into and then you only stop if you can''t make any progress. Why is this one so different?"


    Cheng Xiu rubbed her forehead. "I have to do too many projects-"


    "Little Xiu..."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She wanted to but she knew she would only be setting herself up for heartaches. "No. Do you want to grab breakfast from the canteen with me, or do you want to take a shower first?"


    Gu Shu sighed. "I''ll come with you."


    "If you plan on bullying me into playing that game then don''t bother."


    "Why can''t you play the game!"


    Because she''s not a masochist, she wanted to say. She would experience that loss of connection every time, why would she put herself through that just to play a game. She wasn''t a pro gamer so she could back out from perpetual misery and psychological trauma.


    They reached the red tinted canteen hall.


    St Andre''s Canteen was large and well equipped with all the needed modern facilities that money could by. But, to the disappointment of it''s student population, their food was mediocre.


    Cheng Xiu sat down.


    "I''ll be right back!" Gu Shu shouted and ran off.


    Cheng Xiu sighed as she saw Gu Shu approach a tall man with blue tipped black hair. The man was wearing a tight leather jacket over a red shirt and skin tight black jeans.


    Ren Dao. Aka, the f-boy of their department. The new age arrogant chauvinist.


    Gu Shu talked to him, waving her arms around in excitement.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to drag the girl by the elbow so did not embarrass herself like this but Cheng Xiu did not want to make a scene. Because when Ren Dao was involved, Gu Shu would make a scene.


    The said jerk looked over at her and waved, a grin appearing on his face. He gestured to her in a ''come here'' motion.


    Cheng Xiu quickly looked down, acting like she didn''t see his gesture. She tapped on the steal rod set in the middle of the table. A hologram of that day''s menu opened in front of her. She selected fish congee, because it was a non-class day and it wouldn''t matter even if her breath smelled like fish, and a side of grilled vegetables.


    "A''Xiu!"


    Cheng Xiu flinched at the voice. "Senior Ren."


    "How many time do I have to tell you to call me Brother Dao, A''Xiu! I call you A''Xiu after all!"


    Because I don''t like you, Cheng Xiu thought.


    The server guy placed the food in front of her. There were server Bots available in market but they were used only in more prestigious Colleges and, human servrrs and waiters doing service work was only for the poorer places. They were either Qiless or those who didn''t have much in terms of Qi pool making them no different from Qiless.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed the chopsticks and got ready to eat.


    Someone pinched her side.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed that hand in a deadly grip and glared at the offender.


    Gu Shu yelped and looked at her with hurt eyes.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and let go. She quirked an eyebrow at her best friend.


    "Little Xiu, brother Dao is waiting for your reply."


    "What is it?"


    Ren Dao''s smile strained. "You shouldn''t be rude to people who are trying to be nice to you."


    "I''m not sure what Senior Ren is talking about. I always show courtesy to people in the same way that they show me. Now, what is it, Senior Ren?"


    Ren Dao let out a fake laugh. "I didn''t see you at the party last weekend. Is A''Xiu not a party person?"


    Cheng Xiu tensed. "I wasn''t invited."


    Ren Dao''s black eyes glinted. A cruel look flashed across his face before it turned into a kind sad one.


    Cheng Xiu caught the expression he had.


    "Oh. I forgot that Cheng Xiu is Qiless."


    Gu Shu frowned and looked at Ren Dao suspiciously. Ren Dao hugged ger shoulders. "You don''t seem like the Qiless type."


    Cheng Xiu tightened her hold on the chopsticks. "Oh? Not the type?"


    "Anyway!" Ren Dao said, sensing that he was walking on thin ice. "I heard that you are quitting the game already. I kept trying to say to your friend here that The Other World is not a place for the Qiless but Gu Shu insisted. But I do think you can at least reach level 20 without too much difficulty, A''Xiu! I hope I can see you in game as a member of the Spiral World Guild. Bye then, beautifuls."


    Cheng Xiu watched him strut away in disgust. She glared at Gu Shu.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "You snitched to Ren Dao about it? What is wrong with you?"


    "He asked if he would see you as well in the game. I said you wouldn''t be."


    Cheng Xiu massaged her temples. Love sick fool. What was she going to do about this snitching habit of hers.


    "Just sit and order food. I''ll deal with you later."


    Gu Shu sat beside her and rubbed her shoulder. "Little Xiu! Don''t be angry. I was just...I...um..."


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "You can''t even make up a lie to cover up your stupidity, can you?"


    Gu Shu puffed her cheeks. "You''re bullying me."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Just eat."


    Gu Shu ordered a salad and the two ate in silence.


    Gu Shu''s Fold Watch beeped.


    Cheng Xiu looked on curiously as her friend read a message.


    Gu Shu''s face paled.


    "What is it?" Cheng Xiu asked, concerned.


    "My cousin is coming to see how I am adjusting to the Dorm life."


    "Which one? The pretty, tall guy with those cute glasses?"


    Gu Shu rolled her eyes at the blatant interest in her friend''s tone. "Please make it more obvious. I don''t think I know about your crush on brother Wen since 9th grade at all."


    Cheng Xiu wrinkled her nose. "Oh yeah. His name has Wen in it too. Yeah, I''m over it then."


    Gu Shu blinked. "You''re over it? Over what?"


    "Hating on a jerk. Maybe he just had a bad day and I just got on his nerves. I suppose I was just being dramatic."


    "If only my cousin knew of your feelings for him. Even forgiving people."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "It''s admiration, you fool. My intentions are pure."


    Besides, Cheng Xiu had witnessed him kissing another guy accidentally when she was in 8th grade. She knew when she didn''t even have a fighting chance.


    "Pure? Since when is any intention of yours pure?"


    "So is it him who is coming?"


    "No. It''s my Little Aunt''s daughter."


    Cheng Xiu shuddered. "Oh God, not her."


    "Oh yes, her," Gu Shu said to her with a grim look on her face.

 Chapter 8 - Cheng Xius Change

    Cheng Xiu stared at Gu Shu. "Well, good luck with that."


    "What do you mean good luck? Are you not coming with me then?"


    "You are not expecting me to welcome Gu Lin of all people are you?"


    Gu Shu leaned against her shoulder and started to become teary eyed. "Little Xiu, please."


    Cheng Xiu leaned back and pushed her away. "Nope. Not falling for that again."


    "But I-"


    "Gu Shu!" someone called.


    The girls turned at the voice.


    A tall bespectacled young man stood at the canteen entrance and waved in their direction.


    "Is that student president Wang Lu? Since when do you two know each other?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "The HOD has asked you and that friend of yours to meet him at the Training Tower this afternoon!" Wang Lu shouted and walked off.


    "Did he just say ''that'' friend?" Gu Shu asked Cheng Xiu in disbelief. "Did he mean you?"


    "Probably," Cheng Xiu said scratching the tip of her nose and went back to eating.


    Gu Shu huffed. "The least he can do is remember your name."


    "I''m sure he has better things to do than learn the name of every Qiless he meets."


    Gu Shu scowled. "You are not any Qiless! You are the first ranked scholarship winner in our department this year! Second generation young masters like him who got into the school through the back door should worship the ground you walk on."


    "The pot is calling the kettle black I see."


    Gu Shu gave her a coquettish smile. "But I do worship the ground you walk on. In fact, I worship even the air you breath."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "You do you I guess. But that is still not going to make me agree to meet Gu Lin."


    "But-but-but...it is for a good cause!" Gu Shu said. "If you are my best friend you should do it!"


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "If you want our relation to end because of this then so be it."


    Gu Shu draped her hand around her shoulder. "Little Xiu, you are too cold hearted."


    "Yes, and it helps me sleep at night. Now eat your breakfast quickly. The bell is about to ring and I still have that calculus assignment to complete."


    Gu Shu shivered. "Oh my God, me too! Cheng Xiu, you have to help me!"


    "No way."


    "Cheng Xiu, when I told you to learn to say no to people this summer I did not mean say no to me. I meant others. How can you say no to your best friend?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "But it''s easier to say no to you than anyone else, A''Shu."


    "A''Xiu, please."


    Cheng Xiu drank the congee water andCheng Xiu placed her chopsticks down.


    "We''ll see," She said and touched the green touch pad on the menu rod. It gave a comforting warmth to her finger.


    The machine scanned her fingerprint and a blue screen with her student data was on it. The food was 20 Credits. A student had to deposit 5000 credits at the time of their admission. Each meal price would be deducted from that initial deposit and it included taxes. Once the total deposit amount depletes to 100 credits the student had to make a new deposit. Any money remaining in the deposit after their four years in the college would be taken by the College as alumni money.


    Many poor resentful students named the system the Black Hole.


    Cheng Xiu''s deposits were part of the scholarship program so she didn''t really worry about it. It helped her save a lot of the allowance money that her father sent her every month.


    They went back to their room after Gu Shu had her fill and paid credits.


    In their room, Cheng Xiu ignored the existence of the VR pods in one corner. She would be tempted to play to feel Qi again if she saw it and she wasn''t sure her mind could get used to the emptiness that came with it when she returned to the real world.


    The two girls sat bent over their books, papers scattered all around them for the next two hours. Gu Shu gave up at the two hour mark while Cheng Xiu kept checking and rechecking her finished answers and then working out some more questions.


    "I''m done," Cheng Xiu said in disbelief.


    Gu Shu sprung up and crawled to her, shock written blatantly on her face. She checked the pages of answers and her head spun.


    "Little Xiu, you...you finished even part 3 and 4 of the worksheet."


    "I know that. I wrote it, idiot."


    Gu Shu took hold of both her shoulders and started to shake her softly, observing her face.


    "What?" Cheng Xiu asked, scowling at the scrutiny in her friend''s eyes.


    "I know you have high IQ. But we both know that it should take you three more hours at least to finish part 4. What did you eat with that congee when I was not looking for you to be able to do it and where can I buy it."


    Cheng Xiu pushed her off herself. Gu Shu fell back. Cheng Xiu quickly cushioned her friend''s head.


    Gu Shu blinked. "Your reflexes are faster than before."


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "Should I be concerned about the few brain cells you had left since you panted after Ren Dao or are you okay?"


    "Why can''t you ask me something without insulting me?"


    "The same reason why you have no sense of personal space. Habit."


    Gu Shu nodded. "Yeah. You know, if you had awakened your Qi, I would say you had levelled up. But since that''s not the case, what do you think happened?"


    Cheng Xiu froze. Qi Awakened? Could it be?


    Cheng Xiu shook her head to remove such thoughts. No need to put such thoughts into her head and give her heart any hope. That will result in the end in her heart being torn apart.


    "Here," Cheng Xiu said, handing Gu Shu her assignments. "Copy it properly this time. The methods should bet the same even if the results are not."


    Gu Shu Hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you!"


    "It''s fine. Now get off me."


    Cheng Xiu sorted her textbooks as Gu Shu started on her own assignment.


    "You know Little Xiu, a good friend wouldn''t let their friends copy off their homework. They would say that I should do my work on my own."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "And then spend the rest of the day trying to ignore the rain cloud above your head as you keep begging me to help you? I will get nothing done, and my whole day would be wasted. No thanks. I''m fine with you copying my work. I''ll extort you in some other way."


    "That''s the spirit!" Gu Shu said, and gave her a thumbs up.


    Cheng Xiu returned the gesture and got up.


    She touched the Red touch pad on the cupboard. The red turned green and the cupboard slid open. She placed her texts inside and paused. She took out a blue envolope from under on of the books.


    She opened it. "Gu Shu, what is this?"


    Gu Shu raised her chin up, curious. Her eyes widened on seeing the envelope and she scrambled to her feet. She ran to Cheng Xiu and tried to grab it. Cheng Xiu moved it away from her, and glared.


    "You were going to meet Ren Dao''s guild mates at Wisdom Food Court tomorrow?"


    "He invited me!" Gu Shu defended. "I couldn''t say no."


    "Yes you can!" Cheng Xiu grabbed her ears and twisted it. Gu Shu cried. "Meeting a bunch of boys alone at night! Are you stupid!"


    "It would be a public place!"


    "You don''t know the type of Qi manifestation they could have! What if they had puppetry or something?"


    Guess Shu rolled her eyes. "Puppetry is at least S-Rank manifestation Cheng Xiu! There is no way someone like that would be here in H-City. And for the last time, Brother Dao is not a pimp!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "How many girls will be there?"


    Gu Shu looked down, embarrassed. "Only me."


    Cheng Xiu suppressed the urge to strangle her friend. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Let us say, your Ren Dao does not have any malicious intent, can you guarantee that of the men who would be coming?"


    Guess Shu sniffed. "No."


    "Then?"


    "What do I tell brother Dao then?"


    "Blame it on me if it matters to you that much. That I was being unreasonable and you don''t want to get into trouble with me. I asked you to do some personal projects with me, so you are bogged by research. Say anything. Throw me into the space drift. If he wants to take you out he can. But it is not going to be at night with his guy friends."


    Gu Shu rubbed her tears away and nodded.


    "Now go do your homework. We need to meet the HOD in an hour."


    Gu Shu went obediently.


    Cheng Xiu felt guilty for hurting Gu Shu but she tried to ignore the feeling. She was right. Sure, it was a bit controlling of her but if it meant her friend would be safe from predators, so be it.


    In the afternoon they walked towards the tall metallic building with the holographic projection that said "Training Tower." Its entrance was a large gate with two silver pillars on both sides.


    Gu Shu placed her hand on the scanner attached to the gate pillar. The gate opened.


    They took an elevator to the Guidance Hall. The Guidance hall was a cold, blue tiled large room, with hundreds of seat placed in a semi-circle pattern around a raised podium. The smell of Sakura flowers hung in the air.


    The HOD sat on one of the chairs at the back, with many students and teachers sitting in front of him in rows. The man was gaunt, with salt and pepper hair and a trimmed snow white beard on his face. He looked regal in his pale blue suit and dark shirt.


    Everyone turned to them when Gu Shu and Cheng Xiu came in.


    The HOD smiled. "You must be Cheng Xiu and Gu Shu from the first years. Take a seat, ladies. I''ll begin the meeting once everyone is here. We still have four more people."


    Cheng Xiu bowed to everyone present and sat at the back. Gu Shu followed suite.


    Soon almost everyone had sat down.


    Gu Shu was staring at the latest arrival with hearts in her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu glared.


    Ren Dao gave both the girls a charming smile and talked to the lady beside him.


    The HOD cleared his throat.


    "For those who don''t know, I am your HOD Si Cao. Vice Head Mr Jin, if you will?"


    A man in a white velvet suit ran up to Si Cao and placed a large Foldscreen in front of him.


    On the screen was a symbol of a guard in which dragon circling a man, the Standard of the Alliance, on a red background.


    Mr Jin cleared his throat. "The Earth Alliance under the witness of the UNO was created in 2041 after the skirmishes between the Blessed and the Qiless threatened to lead to an out right World War thr-"


    "Mr Jin!" the HOD scolded. "We don''t have to rehash that. Everyone sitting here took World History in high school. Would you get to the point?"


    Mr Jin laughed in a squeaky voice. He was shaking. "Ri-right! The Alliance Force Energy Engineers Trainees are coming to our college! Well, not exactly our college...more specifically they are coming to the Technosphere of our college which is about 10 miles away. But we are hosting it! Which is an honour that every single one of you should appreciate. The Energy engineers are-"


    The HOD cleared his throat.


    Mr Jin flushed and ducked his head.


    Mr Si Cao motioned Mr Jin to sit. The HOD smiled at the nervous man. Mr Jin relaxed visibly.


    Mr Si Cao beamed at the students. "St Andre''s Technosphere has some of the greatest facilities in the city when it comes to the Geoenergy Department."


    Everyone clapped. Cheng Xiu copied them awkwardly. It wasn''t an achievement any of the students sitting here contributed to so why were they reacting like the HOD had praised them?


    Mr Si Cao waited until the applause had died down. "This is why, we are collaborating with the Alliance Instructors to organize a series of seminars that can help our students gain better understanding on the subject they are studying and learn from experts of the field in two months time. A field I hope at least one of you will be able to join when you graduate from the university. And you all are selected to be part of the welcoming committee."


    Everyone clapped again, louder this time.


    As the HOD sat down, murmurs rose in all corners of the room.


    Gu Shu''s eyes never left Ren Dao who was now openly flirting with the girl next to him. Cheng Xiu wondered if her friend was knowingly ignoring his behaviour or if she had on some kind of eye filter that made her not see what the rest of the world did.


    Mr Jin stood up and placed a Fold in the middle chair. He then pressed on the Fold Watch on his wrist.


    A holographic list of names came above them.


    "The names listed here are to stay back. The rest of you can go. Either you Class Instructor or your student representative will inform you about the rest of the details."


    Gu Shu got up to leave with Ren Dao but stopped. She saw Cheng Xiu stare at the list in confusion.


    "Little Xiu? Come on!"


    Cheng Xiu pointed at the hologram. "My name is on it and so is yours."


    Gu Shu spun to the front and stared at the hologram. There it was, at the bottom of the list.


    Cheng Xiu, First Year, Department of Geoenergy Engineering and Management.


    Gu Shu, First Year, Department of Geoenergy Engineering and Management.


    Gu Shu stared longingly at the disappearing figure of Ren Dao. She felt like she would cry.


    Cheng Xiu pulled her down to her seat again.


    "Fate is so cruel," Gu Shu groaned.


    "Maybe it''s a sign," Cheng Xiu said in amusement.


    "You and Fate are cruel," Gu Shu said with a sigh.


    "You''ll live."


    _________________________


    A/N: so what do you think of the chapter? like it? Love it? tell me in the comments!


    Do tell me what you think of the characters so far. Is there anyone you would like to see more of? what do you think about my writing? too much? too little? just enough?


    Also, Thank you all for the collections. Thank you! thank you! thank you!

 Chapter 9 - Painted Face

    The selected students sat in a row before their HOD Si Cao, and Vice Head Mr Jin. There were sixteen of them. Two boys and two girls from each year.


    The sweet smell of jasmine floated through the air as a beautiful woman in her late thirties came in. She wore a red cardigan and high heels, her hair flowing. Behind her came two boys around Cheng Xiu''s age. One was round, with a potbelly and neatly cut hair while the other was thinner, with windblown hair and an arrogant smile that seemed to indicate that he was superior.


    Cheng Xiu was impressed by the gait of the woman. She looked powerful and authoritative.


    Mr Si Cao smiled and shook hands with the woman. He gave the two boys a speculative look and turned to the rest of the student body.


    "Students, this is Ms Bo Ling from the Mathematics Department. She was an honour student during her time here at St Andre and now she is a faculty member of our school. She will be the main coordinator of the Seminar Programs. She will be working with you all directly and only if there are issues that she cannot handle will either Mr Jin or I will intervene."


    Ms Bo''s red-painted lips gave them a strained smile. She then turned to the HOD again.


    "Teacher Si, there is a problem."


    Mr Si frowned. Ms Bo whispered something to him, pointing at the two boys behind her.


    Mr Si tensed.


    Mr Jin glared at the woman.


    Many of the students ducked their heads while a few people looked at the short round boy with a malicious smile.


    Cheng Xiu leaned towards Gu Shu.


    "What did she say?" she whispered. She hated the fact that she did not have the heightened senses that most Blessed had. The fact that the woman whispered even when she knew that most of the people here could hear her meant she did it just to keep the Qiless out of the loop.


    "Something very wrong," Gu Shu said through gritted teeth. Her nails dug into the hand rest of her chair.


    Cheng Xiu observed Ms Bo and the two boys. Perhaps one of them was a Qiless and Ms Bo didn''t want him to hear what she said.


    Ms Bo called the boys forward and pushed the stout boy roughly to the front. She still had a polite smile on her face. "This is him."


    Mr Jin looked pained. "Sister Bo, this is not done. Young San Zhu has been working hard for the past three years in that position. You can''t just say you want to replace him as the student representative with Mr Liu, who is second to Mr San in academics."


    Ms Bo lost her smile. Her face turned clod. "Mr Liu is far superior to San Zhu. Besides, Mr San has been enjoying this position for too long, especially as a Qiless."


    She uttered Qiless like it was some disease that made her nauseous to even think about.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. So she was another Qiless hater.


    Cheng Xiu felt nauseous herself. To have thought this woman was inspiring in any way made her feel stupid.


    "That is not a reason!" Mr Jin argued.


    "Mr Liu is obviously better. Besides, I''m not suggesting this. It is up to the Mathematics Department to decide this and I have my HOD''s approval. I am informing you of our collective choice."


    Mr Si kept quiet as his eyes scanned the audience.


    Cheng Xiu ducked her head, her arms curled into a fist.


    Collective choice.


    A Qiless got replaced just like that with a Blessed. An ''obviously better'' candidate.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to scream at the woman for her unfair assessment. At the HOD for keeping Quiet. For herself for being powerless. For the rest of them for not standing up for the boy, even though they had the power.


    "You may leave," the woman said to San Zhu in a cold tone.


    San Zhu slumped, bowed his head and walked away, occasionally wiping away his tears.


    After the boy left everyone''s view the teachers started their presentation.


    "Look at the people around you," the HOD said. His eyes kept returning to Cheng Xiu making her uncomfortable. Did he want to pull a Ms Bo on her? "These people will be the class representatives of their year. If you want to get any information regarding their classes, you should turn to them. A detailed file has been sent to your student profile. You may look through it in your own time."


    Mr Jin opened a glowing interface that had sixteen names on it. Mr Jin smiled at them all. "Now, I was hoping to select a captain from among you who will be in charge of the rest of the students. You may cast your vote through the touch screen attached to the hands of your seats."


    Cheng Xiu pressed the button under the armrest. A Fold attachment slid out from the side. The screen turned on and the sixteen names were listed.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    "Is something the matter, Ms Cheng?" the HOD asked.


    Cheng Xiu looked up in shock. Everyone stared at her, curious. She quickly shook her head.


    Ms Bo gave her a kind smile. "Don''t hesitate to say what''s on your mind dear."


    Mr Si Cao grinned. "Yes, do speak your mind."


    Cheng Xiu side-eyed him. She couldn''t understand the man''s game.


    "I-I," she cleared her throat. "I think this voting ballot is unnecessary."


    Ms Bo frowned. "What?"


    "Why is that Ms Cheng?" Mr Jin asked.


    She smiled at him. He was the only one who spoke for that boy. "None of us know each other to make such a decision. I think, if we must have a representative today, then we choose the president from the Fourth year."


    "And why fourth?" Mr Si Cao asked, his eyes sparkling in happiness.


    Cheng Xiu squirmed. "Because they are the senior-most among us? Or if it seems like a big burden to them, then the third years."


    Ms Bo nodded at her proudly like a proud mother. "Well said!"


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    "Is everyone in agreement?" asked Mr Jin. They all nodded. "Then, fourth years, decide."


    The four fourth years excitedly discussed who it would be among them.


    One of the girls nodded. "Teachers, we are ready. It should be Brother Lan who becomes the president. He is the best among us in terms of academics and overall performance."


    "Yes! We should always choose the one with the highest scores," Ms Bo said.


    "Yes, we should," Mr Si Cao said with a satisfied smile.


    Unless they are Qiless, Cheng Xiu wanted to sneer at the woman. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. There would come a day when the woman would regret hr words. She would stand at the top and the woman would understand that Qiless does not mean talentless.


    They began to compile a list of topics to be discussed. From the latest discoveries in engineering and mathematics to the historical development of various fields in the modern-day. Soon the servers brought in lunchboxes for them.


    They all finished and were dispersed.


    "Miss Cheng!" the HOD called. Cheng Xiu stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "A moment of your time, please. Ms Gu, you may leave."


    Gu Shu reluctantly left.


    Cheng Xiu dragged her feet towards the man. Beside him stood Mr Jin, Ms Bo and senior Lan.


    Mr Si Cao talked to Mr Jin, ignoring her presence after that, like he hadn''t called her.


    Cheng Xiu shifted on her feet. Was this some new form of bullying that these people were trying on the Qiless?


    Ms Bo came up to her and smiled. "Hello, Ms Cheng. I''m Bo Ling. I teach Calculus for the Third and fourth years in both the mathematics and engineering departments."


    Cheng Xiu nodded awkwardly. "Cheng Xiu, ma''am. First-year Geoenergy engineering student."


    "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Ms Bo said with a kind smile. "If you don''t mind me asking, what is your Qi manifestation? You seemed to be highly regarded by your teachers and from the little I have seen and heard I must say you are a captivating person."


    Qi Manifestation was the outlet of the Qi in their body when the centre was full. Some had fire outlets, some had water or ice, some had poison and others had puppetry. It all depended on the family you were born into, the kind of childhood you had, the food you ate and the mental capacity you had and many other minor factors that people couldn''t identify. The more power you had, the stronger your manifestation.


    Some Blessed was also born without a manifestation, like Gu Shu and could only use ancient techniques to power themselves. Many of them did not do that though. They were content living a normal civilian life.


    Cheng Xiu desperately wanted to run away. She looked at the HOD who had his back to them. Everyone here could hear their talk so why were they pretending to be dumb.


    Senior Lan seemed engrossed in the data in the Fold in his hand and Cheng Xiu couldn''t determine whether he was faking it.


    "I...I don''t have any Qi manifestation, Ma''am," Cheng Xiu said.


    The woman looked surprised but then gave her a kind smile. "Some Qi Manifestations are not as obvious as others. Maybe intelligence or beauty is yours."


    Cheng Xiu wanted to cry. Why was this woman so obsessed with her face? Did she want to steal it? Was that this woman''s manifestation?


    "I am Qiless, Ma''am."


    The woman flung herself away from her, horrified. "Wha? What did you say?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at the woman. "I am Qiless."


    The woman''s face turned glacial. "Oh. I see."


    Someone cleared their throat.


    A frown flitted through Cheng Xiu''s face as Mr Si Cao walked towards them.


    "Ms Cheng, you will be the announcer for the program," he said.


    "What!" Ms Bo said. "But...but she is...she is a...she...surely someone more capable in the first years..."


    The HOD gave the woman an indulgent smile. "Ms Bo, Ms Cheng was the one who got 9.9 in the university entrance exams. In fact, the only reason our St Andre was able to gain her as our student instead of the other more prestigious Colleges is that we offered a full scholarship and housing arrangement to her family. The student with the highest score in all our first years is Ms Cheng and the second-place student''s score is 9. 4. If you can find someone more capable than her do tell me."


    The woman looked shocked and disbelieving. "That...surely you are joking Teacher Si. She is a..."


    The HOD ignored the stuttering woman and turned to Cheng Xiu. "You will have to do a bit more extra hours than usual, Ms Cheng. Will that be inconvenient to you?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head in a daze.


    The man nodded and went away.


    Mr Jin patted Cheng Xiu''s shoulder, pride in his eyes and followed after the HOD.


    Cheng Xiu moved to the door, her mind still on the HOD''s words. Did that just happen?


    "You! Stop there!" Ms Bo called.


    Cheng Xiu stopped and looked at the woman.


    Ms Bo stood in front of her. "I think all Qiless are useless."


    Cheng Xiu tensed. She glared at the woman.


    "I think anything a Qiless can do, a blessed can do better."


    Cheng Xiu clenched her fist.


    "I think a Qiless is replaceable."


    Cheng Xiu stared at the woman''s hateful eyes, wishing she could gouge it out.


    "And you are no exception to that thought. Sure, you have better grades but in the end, there will always be a Blessed that can replace you. Don''t expect kindness from me. If you think you can take the place of a blessed, then you will have to prove you can do the job as much as a blessed. Teacher Si is blind to the likes of you but I will show him the difference between Iron and steel."


    The woman walked away.


    Cheng Xiu returned to her Dorm in anger and frustration. She screamed and kicked the table and hurt her toe. Cursing at the pain, she lay on her bed.


    Stupid woman. She wasn''t replaceable. Cheng Xiu knew from experience that arguing with her kind of people was useless. She had endured throughout high school to know that.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and suppressed the anger that formed in her. Crying and complaining would not get her anywhere, except depression.


    She laid there, unmoving for some time.


    The quietness of the room was comforting at first but soon it became suffocating to endure.


    She blinked and searched the room with her eyes for her pink-haired friend.


    Her eyes fell on the Black Gaming Pod. A sliver lighted circle glowed on its sides.


    Gu Shu had returned to The Other World.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the Golden Gaming Pod next to it and became aware of the emptiness again. She turned away from it and laid on her side but her mind kept replaying what it felt to have Qi. She felt a yearning for it like never before.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. No. She needed to prove that being a Qiless did not hurt her and she would not be able to do that if she yearned for Qi.


    But it''s just a game, a part of her whispered. Maybe playing the game and still being a functional Qiless could make her prove herself that she was better than what others thought of her.


    Cheng Xiu got up and walked up to the Pod. Something seemed to call out to her from it.


    Cheng Xiu pressed open the lid to the Pod and laid down.


    A/N: I feel like I should explain. The game is not bad in itself. Being blessed or Qiless is not necessarily bad. It''s all labelling. Wanting to awaken your Qi centre is not bad and being okay with being a Qiless is also okay. But the society Cheng Xiu is in is very much factioned.


    Thank you all for reading this chapter! I hope you will come to love the story.


    Thank you for the collections, comments and votes, they mean a lot. It keeps me motivated.


    Thank you again!!!

 Chapter 10 - Ametures Assemble

    Cheng Xiu arrived at the Qi Island of Veridus.


    The emptiness that she felt in the real world disappeared. Instead, She felt content. Complete.


    A sense of crisis developed in her.


    She closed her eyes and tried to suppress the feeling of doubt.


    Don''t over think. Just enjoy the game as long as she played it.


    That''s enough. It has to be enough.


    With that mindset, Cheng Xiu looked around the island.


    There wasn''t much of a difference between when she left and returned except for the Pillar. The Qi Pillar''s inscriptions were not as clear as before.


    [Ding!]


    [Welcome back, Player Selafia Veritas. You have been offline for 18.5 hours. No ailments to the physical body detected. Avatar is 100% efficient.]


    "Thank you for that creepy specific information that I didn''t ask for."


    [You are welcome.]


    Dense AI, she thought as she got off the island. She waddled through the water again and reached the wall. Her clothes were dripping wet.


    "It was dry when I went to the island. Did it lose its power because I reached 100% understanding? Maya, what''s going on?"


    [It''s the Qi Pillar''s speciality to keep those coming towards it dry. The pillar rejects water. The water you walked through is water that the pillar repelled when it was First placed here.]


    "Okay. Hydrophobic Pillars are a thing. Good to know. I feel hungry. Why do I feel hungry Maya? I just finished lunch."


    [The Player Avatar has been without food for more than 24 hours and since host is at the Qi sensing I Stage, your body still feels all the needs a normal human does, hunger, thirst, excreating.]


    "Tha-that''s a bit too realistic, don''t you think?"


    [Yes!]


    The AI sounded proud.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. What was she thinking the AI would say? That it was sorry for making a VR game realistic?


    Cheng Xiu ogled at the wall that led to the outside world. She had never felt such hunger before.


    "Uncle Dian! Uncle Dian, are you there?" Cheng Xiu called.


    There was no response. She tried a few more times.


    Dispirited, Cheng Xiu slumped to the ground. "This was a stupid idea. What am I doing in here if all I am going to do is sit here and stare at a wall? Secret entrance or not, that is just lame. Maya? you there?"


    [Yes, Host?]


    "What should I do?"


    [Whatever you want to. The Other World is limitless.]


    "I am not asking for a promotional speech about the game! Suggest something more productive."


    [Host could try to open the door yourself.]


    "That¡­can I do that?" Cheng Xiu frowned at the brick wall. "What are my chances of success?"


    [-26%]


    Cheng Xiu glared. "Show me your work! How did you reach such a pitiful percentage? That is below zero!"


    [Host is not authorized to see the working mechanics of The Other World data compilation.]


    "Why did you suggest I try to open the door if the chances are so low?"


    [Because the host wanted to feel productive.]


    Cheng Xiu''s eyebrow twitched. "And trying to open a door the chances of which is in the minus is what you consider productive?"


    [No.]


    "Then why did you suggest it?"


    [Because the Host asked.]


    Cheng Xiu felt her head spin. She felt the conversation was going round and round.


    Damned AI.


    She pulled down her rising urge to swear. "Maya. Please."


    [The host can also try to understand her fighting prowess better. Practicing in your head is not the same as practicing in real life after all.]


    Cheng Xiu felt like the System was implying something but she couldn''t figure out what.


    "But wouldn''t that just make me more hungry?"


    [It will occupy your mind and you won''t feel the hunger as profoundly.]


    Cheng Xiu grinned. "Good idea! Well done System! You are more than just a glorified alarm clock and reminder."


    [How kind of the host.]


    "Thank you," Cheng Xiu said and got into the formation. She spread her footing and lowered her body.


    She closed her eyes and envisioned the feel of her battle with the old man. She made the first move, and the second. Cheng Xiu began to sweat at the third form.


    She panted and laid on the ground. "Why is it so tiring to do this?"


    [Because it takes energy to do it. In the dreamscape things are easier because thinking happens at high speed, especially someone with your thinking capabilities. But your physical body is not conditioned enough to move it at the level you did in your head.]


    The wall opened and Uncle Dian came in. He looked around and saw Cheng Xiu lying on the floor, panting. He smiled at her.


    "It''s a good thing I came to check on you, Miss Sela. You must have worked hard to learn your cultivation! Come on! Lets get you something to eat! Were you practicing your martial arts?"


    "Hm."


    "That''s the spirit! Soon you will be strong enough to make Veritas famous!"


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. And here she thought he genuinely cared. But she was hungry.


    Cheng Xiu followed out after the old bartender.


    The guild seemed busier than the last time she came here. Though most of them were players and not customers.


    Cheng Xiu sat on one of the stools at the bar and Uncle Dian placed a bowl of fried rice in front of her.


    "Do you want something else, Miss Sela?" he asked.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head, drooling at the bowl.


    He laughed. "Then dig in!"


    "Thank you for the food," she said and began to eat.


    The stool next to her was dragged out and someone sat down.


    "A flask of your finest jin, uncle Dian!" the man next to her said.


    The old bartender came to the newcomer with an adoring smile like it was his grandson who was sitting there.


    "Little three! What happened? You look devastated."


    "I told you about how one of my cousins was trying to get my position, right?"


    "Don''t tell me he succeeded!"


    "He succeeded. And it was all thanks to that woman. I don''t know why I didn''t see it coming. It was very obvious from the start she didn''t like me and didn''t like the fact that I held any position of power. I hate women."


    "Nasty woman! But you shouldn''t hate all women, little three. Look at Miss Sela here. A very brave and kind woman."


    Little Three looked at the masked woman scarfing down the fried rice like someone would snatch it away from her.


    He smiled at the sight.


    In The Other World, people were unbridled because here there was no one who knew them to judge their actions.


    " Miss Sela, this is Little Three. He is a favorite of mine!"


    A pair of sharp, beautiful Phoenix eyes looked his way as she put down the empty bowl.


    "San Zhu?"


    He stiffened.


    The woman quickly shook her head and laughed.


    "I''m so sorry. Your face looked a bit like a senior I saw before. Hi, I''m¡­Sela."


    The man gave her a strained smile.


    "What does he look like?" he asked.


    "A bit more round than you and he definitely had a pot belly."


    He wanted to cry. "Um¡­how do you know we look alike then? Since I am slimmer."


    She fidgeted. "I usually have a pair of good eyes when it comes to facial recognition. Weird."


    He took the flask of jin from the uncle and poured some into his mouth. They fell into silence.


    "Did you hate the guy?"


    "I don''t know him, how can I hate him."


    Little Three jerked up and looked at her. "What? Should there be a reason to hate someone?"


    Cheng Xiu laughed. "I only saw him today at a meeting."


    Little Three slumped to the table. "Oh. There huh?"


    Cheng Xiu side-eyed him. There was no way she was wrong.


    "There''s no reason for me to hate him, Little Three. How can I when we might share the same fate?"


    Little Three stared at her in disbelief. Something clicked. "Ms Bo will hate you!"


    The girl had a cheshire cat grin. "She does. Said it to my face actually."


    "I hate her."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Which is entirely natural."


    Little Three sighed. "You never believed I was not San Zhu."


    "I have a good memory when it comes to faces. Names are harder but faces are easy."


    "San Zhu."


    She smiled. "Cheng Xiu."


    San Zhu turned towards her in shock. "The girl who beat everyone else in the Entrance exam? Wha-what kind of broken luck..."


    She smiled and turned to the bartender. "Uncle Dian, how much was it?"


    "The food is on the house today ! It''s your first day of meal after all. You have to pay from tomorrow."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Okay."


    She started to walk away.


    "Wait!" San Zhu called.


    She turned to him in confusion.


    "Do you want to do Quests together?"


    "Do I get to choose the Quests?"


    "Only if it is Level appropriate."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Makes sense. Let''s go!"


    A/N: Thank you all for the love and support that you guys give me and I hope I can live upto it.


    Thank you for the collections.


    If you liked the story so far please do spare a powerstone.


    Maya:[Author is being shameless.]


    Me: "Yes I am."

 Chapter 11 - Pillars Of Quests

    Pillars of Quests (No, I don''t have a thing for pillars. )


    ___________________________________________


    San Zhu led Chang Xiu to an inner alcove not far from where the Qi Pillar Island was located. Two ferocious lion statues stood on either side of the wall marking it as the entry way into something.


    San Zhu inserted his Guild ID into the mouth of one of the lions. The eyes of the lion glowed and the wall between the statues disappeared.


    Inside was a long golden corridor with high a ceiling and many glowing pillars that had inscriptions on it. In front of one of the pillars stood a long line of players.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her in awe.


    "This is where the Players get their work," San Zhu said. "How long have you been playing The Other World? you seem really taken with the Mission hall."


    Cheng Xiu turned to him grinning. "Yesterday morning!"


    San Zhu almost fell. "What!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why do you seem so shocked?"


    San Zhu walked to a secluded part of the hall and motioned for her to join him.


    Cheng Xiu stood in front of him, suspicion in her narrowed eyes.


    "Sister Cheng-"


    Cheng Xiu put her hand over his mouth. "Call me Sela here!"


    He blushed and looked down to his feet. She backed away from him. "Sorry. Sister Sela, Veritas is not a beginner''s village!"


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in confusion. "Sure it is. Do you think the AI made some kind of mistake and I was supposed to be at some other Veritas?"


    San Zhu shook his head. "No. Sorry, that came out wrong! I meant this is a Beginner''s village but it is an S-Rank beginner''s village with a potential to turn SS-Rank or even SSS-Rank at any given notice."


    Cheng Xiu sweated. "The system did not say anything about ranks in villages!"


    San Zhu shook his head. "The ranking system was compiled by the expert players in the Players Forum. It''s not official. But it makes sense. The villages, towns, and cities of The Other World follow the general convention of power in our own society. The lowest are F-Ranks, followed by E, then D, then B, then A, then S, then SS, and finally SSS. Many believe that they are ranked in this way because it is where people with those Qi potentials could go. With me so far?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded, her eyes teary. Her luck was bad.


    San Zhu felt like a monster for doing this to the girl. She was a Qiless like him who clearly worked hard to get ahead in society and he felt responsible for this junior of his who showed so much potential inspite of her background. Now he was the one who was destroying her ideals in a game that she must be playing to relax and enjoy and escape reality.


    Cheng Xiu ducked her head, her eyes unseen. She imagined Lu WenXian pinned to that map of The Other World that she saw and throwing those darts at him instead of on the board. One in each hand and legs. One in his heart. One on his head. And one on his unmentionables.


    "To Qiless like us, villages of this level are only accessible when we reach level 5 and can teleport over. In fact, many don''t do it even then because of the danger a village of this rank could pose to the Qiless. It''s a surprise that a Qiless beginner would gwt Veritas as the Starter Village. There must have been a reason this happened."


    Her bad luck, Cheng Xiu wanted to say.


    Cheng Xiu frowned, remembering how the village looked when she got there. "But when I came here, there were a lot of people who were complaining about the low rewards for high - risk Quests that this village had. Shouldn''t an S-Ranked village be more rewarding? And there were a lot of people complaining about there not being enough quests."


    San Zhu smiled. "Those must have been civilian quests. In a danger prone village like this, the rewards that civilian NPCs can give out is bare minimum. If you want higher rewards you have to take those that are given out by officials and important people of the village or go monster hunting."


    Cheng Xiu leaned her head against the wall. "Why is this village so despondent?"


    "Vixia Kingdom is under great duress right now. It is flanked on two sides by the Goan Kingdom and is at war with them because all its trade routes by land have become inaccessible. It only has the sea route to trade now and is facing constant attacks from pirates. There are two other trade route of course, the ones that go through the Viridian Forest. Once the people started to step into the forest the beasts started attacking almost all Vixia borders. Basically waves of Moster''s at regular intervals. You will see the occasional high level players at the places because of this. You might have seen some in Veritas too."


    Her mind went to WenXian''s face. Damned bastard.


    "Is that why Veritas has become S-Ranked?"


    San Zhu nodded. "Almost all missions are E ranked and above because the chances of Veritas existing for a long time is slim. I''ll miss uncle Dian when that happens but the AI already has plans in motion after all."


    Cheng Xiu stared at the ceiling in a daze.


    San Zhu felt guilty at putting upsetting thoughts in her mind. He should have waited to give her this information. Her poor feminine heart must be aching.


    Damned WenXian. Screw you!


    "Let''s get that Quest, Sister Sela!" he said, trying to get her out of the funk. "This kind of information is not really that important since we''re already here and it''s not like we have the Chosen One quest that uncle Dian cons people into. Those poor fools have to work extra hard now."


    Cheng Xiu felt an arrow through her heart. She wanted to curl up in a corner and cry.


    Brother San, did you have something against me that you are attacking my ego so much?, she thought.


    San Zhu stood in front of one of the glowing pillars. "Sister Sela, come here. Select one of the E rank quests from these lists and then touch the pillar with your Guild ID. It will give you all the necessary information."


    Cheng Xiu looked through the number of quests. Cleaning roads, fixing tiles, washing clothes,...killing slime, helping merchants, escorts, cleaning a river,...the list of missions went on and on.


    Cheng Xiu selected ''Killing Lemon Monsters'' which was ranked E. She wanted to get a feel of the Quest mechanics before doing something too crazy like hunting feral wolves. She touched the pillar with her ID.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has taken the quest to be The Chosen One and has achieved 100% understanding of True Qi Cultivation Method and gained fame of +2000. Player is not allowed to take Quests that are below your station.]


    Cheng Xiu swore at the AI. ''I decide what my station is. Screw you, Maya.''


    Maya did not respond.


    Cheng Xiu selected ''Deliver palesgrass x10 to Beginner Witch Loo''.


    [Ding!]


    [Player''s 100% comprehension of True Qi Cultivation Method makes her a being who is considered powerful in the magic users community. You can not interact with those who are below Apprentice without it being seen as a declaration of war.]


    Cheng Xiu hurriedly selected a high E-ranked one this time. War it said! Yikes!


    She chose ''Escort Farm Manager to the Farm.''


    [Ding!]


    [Player''s status as someone without any prior Quest logging makes you ineligible to Escort missions.]


    Cheng Xiu groaned.


    [Ding!]


    [Player has chosen 3 Quests that were inappropriate for the Player consecutively for their first Quest. The system will now choose a random mission from the appropriate tier for Player Selafia Veritas.]


    NO!


    [Quest Chosen!]


    [Kill the Rats climbing the clock tower in the Viridian Forest.


    Rewards will be based on Player Performances.


    Happy Gaming!]


    ''Maya! Damn you, Maya! You are a broken AI, I want a refund!''


    [Host has not yet spent money in The Other World. Players can only unlock the System Market after completing at least one Quest.]


    Cheng Xiu finally lost it and cursed aloud.


    San Zhu spun to her in shock, wondering what had caused someone as sophisticated as Cheng Xiu to cuss.


    "Sister Cheng? What happened?"


    Cheng Xiu blushed as many players looked over.


    She cleared her throat. She took out her ID and showed it to San Zhu.


    San Zhu cursed. "f****, why did this happen!"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. There was no way she was going to say she was one of the fools with the Chosen One quest.


    San Zhu sighed and wanted to complain about it but seeing how miserable Cheng Xiu felt changed tactics.


    "I guess this is just bad luck. Let''s go, sister Cheng. A Quest in Viridian Forest is tough to handle but it is the most rewarding. We should leave now before it''s too late," he tried to reassure her.


    Cheng Xiu gave him a pained smile. Did he think she couldn''t see how irate he was?


    Cheng Xiu followed after him, her head bowed. Damned WenXian. He really screwed her over.


    A/N: Thank you all for the love and support.


    This was supposed to be the Quest Chapter but it became a character + game mechanics chapter instead.


    Thank you for all the collections. Welcome to the TOW family. We tow things.


    4th Wall Theater:


    Maya: [Is WenXian going to be the ML?]


    Me: "Maybe! It''s a secret!"


    Maya: [You have no clue do you?]


    Me: (sits in a corner, crying and drawing circles) System is bullying me.


    Maya: [I can see you trying to hide the bottle of glycerin.]


    Me: Thank you, folks. See you soon.


    Maya:[Idiotic Author.]

 Chapter 12 - Reptile Carts

    San Zhu opened his inventory and pulled out an assortment of weapons: bow and arrows, daggers, a sword, and a staff. He laid the items before her.


    "Choose, sister Cheng!"


    Cheng Xiu knelt down to look at the items. "I already have a system issued weapon though. And I don''t have the skills necessary to use any of these."


    San Zhu scoffed. "Those rusty things? They are meant for F Ranked Quests, not D ranked ones like the Rats. You should know this. And the weapons themselves have improvement enhancements in them, so you should be able to use them for now."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the weapons in surprise. Wouldn''t that mean anyone could use these?


    " So that''s how the game makes money!" Cheng Xiu exclaimed."It sells these items to low level players!"


    San Zhu nodded. "And the rich in the game collect the rare items in the market. Now select one!"


    She took the bow and arrows and the sword. She would try to kill the things from afar three times and only if that doesn''t work would she use the sword. "Thank you, brother San, for your generosity."


    San Zhu beamed at her. "You''re welcome, sister Cheng. Now come on, I''ll inform you about the Rats Quest on the way. We have to return to the village in 10 hours or so."


    "Why?"


    "I have a term project to work on in the real world and considering it''s Ms Bo''s work¡­"


    "Oh. Her. Yeah, then we should."


    San Zhu observed Cheng Xiu. He wanted to ask how Ms Bo had offended her but knowing Ms Bo, the woman must have not liked to have someone as talented as Cheng Xiu being a Qiless.


    They walked out of the Quest Hall and made their way to the front door. The Guild had become desolate again as the Adventurers left to do their Quests.


    Cheng Xiu flitted her eyes around. There wasn''t that much of a difference between when she came in at first and now, three days later.


    There were new cracks on the walls though. One in perticular looked like the body of a man was embedded into it.


    Uncle Dian had duped another poor soul to take the Madman''s Prophesy.


    San Zhu placed his ID on a blue box in one corner. It flashed red. He opened the lid and pulled out a blue stone that had 2 etched on it.


    Cheng Xiu looked at it curiously.


    San Zhu smiled. "This is our ride."


    She tilted her head. "This? How? Do you throw it on the ground and it turn into a vehicle or something."


    He laughed. "Nothing that crazy. We will be taking a Reptile Cart. Come on!"


    He walked out the road.


    Her eyes widened. Reptile Carts.


    She ran up to him. The stench of the village assaulted her nose once again and the sun blazing hot did not help it. But there were more important things to worry about.


    "Reptile Carts? Are you talking about the Reptile Carts that Kai Shane used to ride in the Book ''Masters of the Western Dragons''?"


    San Zhu nodded with a grin. His junior was looking at him with the awe and gratitude that he wished she would show from the start. The attitude he was trying to get her to feel since meeting her. Because in the end, it would be kind of cool to have the best of their college fawning over him.


    Her eyes shone with excitement.


    San Zhu wasn''t delusional. He knew this awe was for the information he gave and that was all he wanted from her. To be appreciated as someone valuable.


    "The Reptile Carts from Master WenLu''s debut novel? that Reptile Carts?"


    He nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, the GM of The Other World decided that it would be an interesting addition. I think so too, though I haven''t really read Si WenLu''s works so I can''t be sure. I only have time to read comics most days. But yeah, Reptile Carts are cool."


    Cheng Xiu looked scandalized. They were entering a menagerie of some kind but Cheng Xiu only looked around superficially. Seeing that the Reptile Carts were not in sight, she lost interest quickly.


    "Do you even know what the history of Reptile Carts are?" she asked in a squeaky voice.


    San Zhu sweated and shook his head. He felt like he was in front of a dragon who was ready to breath fire on him if he so much as thought to make a wrong move.


    Where did his cute junior sister go?


    "The Reptiles are actually dragons!"


    San Zhu froze in shock. What?


    "Um¡­sister Cheng, The Other World doesn''t have dragons. At least not yet."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "They are dragons. More specifically, they are the runts of the litter who should have died but Witches and Wizards saved them and used them for their own purposes. The MC of that story created a Dragon revolution to release the Runts from being misused and in turn gets many fortunate encounters because she had a Dragon''s Blessing!"


    San Zhu backed away from her unconsciously as her entire deposition shined.


    "So you like WenLu?" a voice teased from behind her.


    Cheng Xiu nodded and turned towards the voice in excitement. Was it another WenLu fan?


    Her smile froze and disappeared.


    "You!" she hissed.


    "Me!" WenXian said with a smile. His red eyes sparkled.


    "Wen-Wen-Wen-Xian?" San Zhu felt delirious. What kind of broken luck was this? Was fate smiling on him today because it beat him up so badly?


    WenXian turned to him. "One Went is enough. Do not add more. I can hear you very well."


    "An honor, sir," San Zhu said and bowed before him.


    WenXian raised an eyebrow.


    Cheng Xiu blushed. She had spent most of her time thinking of ways to bring the man harm that she had forgotten he was a famous person.


    "What do you want?" Cheng Xiu asked politely.


    WenXian smirked. "I heard WenLu and I had to see who it was. Who would have thought it was the masked woman who threw me to the wolves and ran away."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him with sparkling eyes.


    WenXian stepped back as she started to look like one of his rabid fan-girls.


    "Are you a Master''s fan as well?"


    WenXian blinked. "Master?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Master WenLu."


    "Don''t call him Master!" WenXian said with a shiver. "That bastard has too much of an ego already. I won''t be able to handle it if he hears you call him Master."


    Cheng Xiu felt unbridled excitement rise in her. "You know the Master personally?"


    WenXian started to sweat and shook his head vigorously. "No. I just know his kind of people."


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "You definitely know who the Master is."


    San Zhu pulled her back, trying to get her to stop. They were getting curious glances from people.


    Cheng Xiu shook his grip off. "I wasn''t born yesterday, Mr Lu...wait...your name is Lu WenXian and Master''s name is WenLu¡­"


    WenXian ran away.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the empty space in front of her in disbelief. "Brother San, does he not realize that by running away he just confirmed my thought process?"


    San Zhu sweated. "You would have figured it out anyway. He probably did not want to be there to witness it. After all, he did not see or hear it happening so there is a plausible deniability. While you think of it, let me go get our ride."


    San Zhu ran away too.


    But Cheng Xiu was trying to figure the truth out and did not notice his words or movements.


    Si WenLu. Lu WenXian. Lu. Wen. Si? No. It couldn''t be that easy, could it?


    "Brother San, is there someone-" she looked around her. "Brother San?"


    She looked around. Did he go to pick up their ride?


    She would ask him when he returned with the Reptile Cart then.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. She was going to get a Reptile Cart! A cart pulled by an actual dragon!


    The Other World was so beautiful.


    She went to a corner and waited for brother San.


    Her eyes fell onto a large Notice Board.


    She walked up to it and started to read it. Some were political news, some were announcements of weddings and funerals. Some were wanted posters of NPCs and even some Players. Some were world informations that Cheng Xiu found useful.


    Too useful.


    A Reptile Cart was a means of transportation that the Adventurer''s Guild provided for its beginner members who couldn''t use the teleportation circle without combusting.


    Cheng Xiu shivered. It was a good thing she was not one of those idiots who tried to teleport just to see what would happen.


    There were many hidden rules and consequences to this game that people wouldn''t really know about until they triggered it. The Other World was far more dangerous and unpredictable than most games.


    ''Maya,'' she thought. ''Why is the game-style so disorderly?''


    [Real life is not orderly or consistent.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. ''Why was this game made to be so disorderly then?''


    [The Player does not have Authority to know about the goal of The Other World.]


    Cheng Xiu stilled. The Other World¡­the AI always said The Other World. Not the Game. Maybe she was over thinking things and it might have been a simple word choice, but the fact that this game could actually make Qiless feel like they have Qi¡­there was something more going on in this.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. It wasn''t any of her business what the game goal is as long as she was not dragged into it.


    San Zhu returned.


    Behind him was an old tattered cart and pulling that cart were two Western styled dragons. One''s scale was blue tinted and the other was blue with an undertones of green.


    San Zhu laughed at the dazed look Cheng Xiu was giving the dragons. "Come on, you weirdo. You can ogle the dragons on our way to the Viridian Forest."


    Cheng Xiu giggled. Actually giggled and ran up to the dragons.


    She stopped a feet away from it though. The Runts only obeyed those who held their rein and everyone else had to be casious.


    Cheng Xiu got onto the Cart and San Zhu followed. Cheng Xiu looked at him curiously. "Who is driving then?"


    "Just press your Guild ID to one of the runes etched on the reins. The dragons will move automatically."


    Cheng Xiu grinned and did just that. In the books, this mechanics was called the Magician''s Dream where the driver poured their magic into the runes of the reins and thought of where he or she wanted to go to. The runes instructed the dragons.


    The runes in their cart lit up in a blue light and the dragons spread their wings and flew off into the clouds.


    A/N: A magical chapter!


    Thank you for the love and support that you all showed the work! Thank you! Thank you!


    I hope the story will be able to make you all fall in love with it!


    Author''s Theater:


    Cheng Xiu: I figured out who WenLu is!


    Me: you haven''t honey.


    Cheng Xiu: yeah I have!


    Me: Maya, you tell her.


    Maya: [Host is on the right track.]


    Me: I didn''t tell you to reassure her!


    Somewhere in the distant future.


    WenXian is kneeling on the floor, holding someone''s legs and sobbing.


    WenXian: I''m sorry I revealed it! I revealed it! It was me!


    Si WenLu: Well done.


    WenXian: huh?

 Chapter 13 - Squirrels!

    A/N: Thank you all for the love and support you showed. It was a grandfather of mine who died. He had been bed ridden for the past 4 months so I guess it''s a good thing he died without suffering for too long. I don''t like funerals. They seem to suck the energy out of me somehow and make me tired and emotionally drained.


    Sorry for the downer of an Author''s note at the beginning.


    Anyway, this was a fun chapter to write. I hope you all enjoy it.


    Here is the real chapter 13.


    Happy Readings.


    Tow 13


    Squirrels!


    Cheng Xiu gazed down at the moving lands. The further and further they moved from the Village center, the smaller the houses around them became. From those made of stones, it changed to those made of straws and mud, and the village was bordered by many houses made of sticks and straws. None of them had windows. It really was a village.


    The Dragons slowly descended to the ground and landed with a soft thud.


    "What''s going on?"


    "The flying period is over I guess."


    "Shouldn''t Reptile Carts fly all the time?"


    San Zhu laughed. "That''s for people who are level 20 and above. Us low-level people have to make do with a spurt of taste of how it feels to fly in a Dragon Cart."


    "That sucks."


    San Zhu shrugged.


    Cheng Xiu went back to watching the terrains of The Other World.


    The dragons ran at full speed and before she knew it, they had left the last marks of civilization. The lands changed, becoming rolling yellow hills, with wild vegetation. And then it drove into a dense forest.


    "Are you alright?" San Zhu asked. "You seem a bit upset?"


    "Mm."


    San Zhu frowned. "So¡­did that mean you are alright?Or did you mean you are upset?"


    Cheng Xiu stared into the golden trees, mind occupied.


    "Sister Cheng?"


    Cheng Xiu turned to him. "Yes?"


    San Zhu shook his head with a strained smile on his face. "Nothing. WenXian was a great guy, huh? I have always admired him as a fellow player. Did you know that he is in almost all the leaderboards?"


    "He pushed me out of Veritas teleportation circle. That''s how it became my starter village."


    "A-all these rich people s-suck. Huh sister Cheng?" he said and turned back to observe the road. Talking to Cheng Xiu about WenXian was like stepping on a ground full of hidden traps. He had better avoid that topic from now on.


    "The Lu family has three sons, right?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    San Zhu frowned. So much for avoiding it. "Five actually. Three from the first wife, who died, and two from the second wife, who ran away with another man."


    Cheng Xiu hummed. "What are the names of the younger ones?"


    "A son called WenXian who is 22 years old. I hear he is kind of a waste of space or something. The other is a daughter. I think she is 17 or something. The Lu family is very protective of her because she is the first daughter in five generations. So there isn''t as much of public information."


    "Hm."


    The youngest son was 21. He couldn''t be the Master.


    Cheng Xiu had stumbled across the master''s work when she was 14 herself. It was a fanfiction work about a handsome 15 year old pop star trending during that time falling for a young heiress. She had loved the Master''s work and read every one of the Master''s works since then.


    Cheng Xiu was an OG member of Master''s Fanclub-cough-Discussion Forum.


    The Master was 18 at most.


    "What is the girl''s name?" She asked casually.


    San Zhu gave her a look that said he wasn''t buying her nonchalant attitude.


    Cheng Xiu blushed.


    "Lu WenYi."


    "Are the Lu parents obsessed with the name Wen?"


    San Zhu shrugged. "I guess it''s-"


    Loud screeching noises echoed around them.


    "What is that?" Cheng Xiu asked, arming herself with the Bow and Arrow and strapping her sword in place.


    San Zhu took out a Spiked Trident from his storage ring. "I''m guessing a monster of some sort."


    "What? Why are we going through other monster''s areas before we reach the Rats'' place?"


    "The Other World is different from most VR games," San Zhu said. "There is no area limit to creatures of the same level."


    "And what does that mean?" asked Cheng Xiu as she pulled out the weapons San Zhu gave her from her own Storage ring.


    "Any creature that is in the same level or lower than the Rats would be in the same general area. They eat each other, drink water from the same river and keep the population in check most of the time. So it must be the sound of some creatures on a hunt."


    Cheng Xiu notched an arrow to the bow. Her body glowed and her mind calmed down. Her mind filled with a basic understanding of how to use the bow.


    [Ding!]


    [Player has equipped herself with Level 3 Artemis Bow. Gained 5% Archery Efficiency.]


    Well, that was convenient, Cheng Xiu thought.


    They waited for an attack. There was nothing. The cart went deeper into the dense forest.


    San Zhu put his trident down.


    "Relax, Sister Cheng," said San Zhu, seeing her tense figure. "We are riding a level 5 Reptile Cart, there is no way those things would dare to attack us as long as we stay out of their lair."


    Cheng Xiu stood up and looked around her, into the wild dark forest on either side. Her instincts told her that they were in danger.


    The cart left the forest onto a dirt road that was surrounded by trees and long orange shrubs on either of its side.


    She saw two yellow dots in the sky. They were bigger and bigger as whatever those were got closer and closer.


    Cheng Xiu shot an arrow to the yellow dot on the right.


    "Sister Cheng! What-"


    The dot dodged.


    The two dots became bigger faster. She could finally make out the shapes and tried to identify what they were.


    "Are those squirrels?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    San Zhu cursed and tapped on the runes twice. The Dragons picked up speed.


    "They''ll catch up to us in three minutes at this speed," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhu panicked. "Shit! Shit! Why are Flying Squirrels here?"


    "Maybe because they are smarter than you give them credit for or maybe this is a change that came along with Version 5 of the game."


    They heard screeches near the wheels of the cart.


    "Damn it! There must be ground level ones as well!"


    San Zhu raised his trident and ran to the opening. He saw a red, cat-sized squirrel with saber teeth gnawing at the wheel knobs. There were many running after the cart.


    Cursing, San Zhu stabbed the squirrel''s back and threw it on the dirt road.


    [Ding!]


    [Player has killed a Red Squirrel. +1 to weapon Mastery Level 2.]


    Two more jumped onto the wheel. San Zhu continued to kill off the squirrels as fast as he could but they seem to be replaced just as fast by others. Some came in twos and threes while some came solo.


    The only good thing was that it actually honed his skill.


    Something tore through the wood panel walls of the cart, fell on the floor, and rolled to Cheng Xiu''s feet.


    She shot another arrow and looked at the large brown shell case.


    "Is that an acorn?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Don''t worry about that right now! Kill the Flying Squirrels! Quick! They have exploding nuts which they will throw at us if they get within a 2 mile radius from us!"


    Cheng Xiu cursed and shot another arrow.


    The Squirrels dodged again.


    "For a supposed genius, your aims are pathetic!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "I''m trying! I have no prior experience!"


    San Zhu cursed. "I must be cursed today! First I lost my position to that Liu bastard! Now I have to fight random squirrel attacks!"


    Cheng Xiu shot another arrow.


    It hit the left one.


    [Ding]


    [Critical hit! Through sheer luck Player has unlocked Archery Skill.


    Congratulations Player Selafia.]


    [Player has killed a Flying Squirrel of E Rank. +2 to Archery. 2/100 to level up.]


    The Squirrel disappeared into pixel lights.


    Cheng Xiu smirked and notched another arrow.


    Another acorn tore through the panels. Cheng Xiu turned her arrow head towards the front wheel.


    "Kill the Flying Squirrels! As long as they are dead, the others will leave!" San Zhu shouted at her as he stabbed another red Squirrel from beside her.


    Something bit her leg.


    "Ow!"


    A large red squirrel gnawed at her feet.


    Cheng Xiu scowled, and released her arrow to its head point blank.


    [Ding]


    [Player has killed a Red Squirrel of E-Rank. +1 to Archery Level 1. 3/100 to level up.]


    The beast pixelated away.


    Cheng Xiu bent down and observed her wound. It was deep and bleeding.


    "What happened?" San Zhu asked, his back to her as he killed some more Squirrels.


    Cheng Xiu aimed her bow at the other Flying Squirrel. The one that seemed to always dodge and escape her arrows. "We forgot a cart has four wheels."


    San Zhu cursed and started to run around, killing those that go the closest to one of the wheel knobs.


    Cheng Xiu released her arrow and aimed at its yellow head. It hit the beast in the mouth as it spit something at their cart.


    [Ding!]


    [Player has killed a Flying Squirrel of S-Rank! +10 to Archery. 13/100 to level up.]


    Its yellow body pixelated as it fell to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu looked down at what the beast had thrown. A red nut, that was the size of a basketball.


    "Bother San! It''s a-"


    The nut exploded, breaking the cart into pieces. The runes on the reins broke apart and the Dragons ran off.


    Cheng Xiu felt pain everywhere and everything went dark.


    A/N: And that is the true Chapter 17.


    Squirrels and Exploding nuts. Don''t ask me what goes on in my head. Sometimes, even I am curious about the deep end to which my mind goes.


    Thank you for all the collections, and I hope to write and develop this into a story you won''t leave halfway.


    So how was the chapter? liked it? loved it? how was the pacing of the story? Was it enjoyable to read?


    Do comment and share your valuable opinions on how the story feels like so far. Also, if you did like the chapter would you mind sparing the story a powerstone? Thank you!

 Chapter 14 - Journey Through The Viridian Forest

    A/N: I seem to be treating San Zhu''s storage ring as Doremon''s pocket in this chapter. Would you believe this innocent Author if she told you she cut half of the scenes off because it would seem Deus ex machina? No?


    Well, I have no excuses then.


    Happy readings!


    Tow 14


    Journey through the Viridian Forest


    The strong smell of smoke and burnt flesh woke San Zhu up more than the pain he felt. He groaned and rolled to his side. And clutched his side that was burnt and charred.


    "Open Inventory: F-Grade healing potion-one and E-Grade healing potion two."


    Three vials of green liquid appeared in his palms. Two had the letter E on its lid and one had the letter F.


    San Zhu drowned one of the E-Rank healing potions. The bleeding stopped and muscles covered the area of damage. A thin, translucent green skin covered the area.


    He tore off his undamaged sleeves and tied it around the wound. He would need to drink another E-Rank potion.


    He took the other vials of potions and stood himself up.


    His eyes searched around, trying to find Cheng Xiu''s figure. He saw her lying face down on top of a purple bush not far off.


    San Zhu dragged his feet towards her. He knelt down next to her, and turned her over. He looked her over. Except for the burned clothes that barely hid her modesty, she did not seem hurt.


    San Zhu frowned in confusion. She should be hurt, given the state her clothes were in but she wasn''t.


    San Zhu shook her shoulder, careful not to touch her skin. He did not want to give her the wrong impression.


    A soft, floral scent wafted through his nose as he bent over her. "Sister Cheng? Sister Cheng? Sister Cheng, wake up!"


    Cheng Xiu scrunched her nose and groaned. "A''Shu, I don''t want to know what underwear Ren Dao was wearing in your wet dream this time. Go back to sleep."


    San Zhu stilled. Is that what girls talked with each other when they were alone? Were all humans Perverted by nature and girls just hid it better?


    San Zhu shook his head to get rid of such thoughts. "Sister Cheng! I''m not A''Shu or whoever, I''m your senior brother San Zhu! Wake up, please."


    Cheng Xiu slowly blinked her eyes open. "Brother San?"


    San Zhu nodded. "Yes. It''s me."


    "What are you doing in our dorm- why are we in a forest? And why are the leaves on the trees yellow and orange? Is it autumn already?"


    San Zhu gave her a strained smile. "Are you pulling my legs, Sister Cheng? We are in The Other World, remember?"


    "We died! Oh my God! I died! But I haven''t proven to that stupid Ms Bo that I am the best for the job! How can I die before that! What will my old father do! Who will take care of him now!"


    San Zhu looked on in horror as she burst into tears. "Wha-what is happening? Sister Cheng¡­please don''t cry¡­"


    She cried louder into her hands.


    San Zhu looked around them, desperate.


    His eyes fell on the purple bush she laid in. He frowned and took out a scroll from his storage ring. He flung it open and started to skim through it.


    Purple Bushes¡­.purple bushes¡­purple bushes¡­aha! Purple Bushes of the Viridian Forest. A speciality of the Southern Continent¡­Squirrel beasts are found in abundance near these as it helps in their cultivation...muddles the mind of Qi practitioners who have no mind protection technique. Huh.


    San Zhu put the scroll away and grabbed her wrists. He pulled her over his shoulder and moved away from the bushes. He laid her down on the ground. Her clothing was even more damaged now.


    San Zhu accessed his storage ring again and took out two pairs of plain blue robes and pants.


    He laid the robe on top of her and shook her again. "Sister Cheng? Sister Cheng!"


    Cheng Xiu squinted her eyes open. "Brother San?"


    "Are you okay?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded and got up. The robe on her body started to slip. She pressed it to her and looked at San Zhu in panic.


    "The explosion had damaged your normal clothes, so I put that on top of you!" San Zhu explained in a hurry. "I swear! I didn''t see anything! I didn''t do anything!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Okay. I was just shocked, Bother San."


    "Are you okay, Sister Cheng? You took the worst of the blast and fell on a Purple Bush that muddles with the memory of Cultivators. Thank God it seemed to be of F-Rank. Here, drink this, it will heal you up."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the vials of potions. "I just feel drowsy and tired, brother San. Like I ran a 500 meter race and then a 1000 meter rally. I''ll be fine."


    San Zhu tried to put the vials in her hand. "There might be some internal injuries."


    She pushed the vial towards him. "You look worse off than me. You should drink it. I feel fine. And you should call me Xiu, Brother San. You have been far too kind to me the entire day, despite how your day went. And I really appreciate that."


    San Zhu smiled. "My mother would kill me if I disrespected a girl, Sister Xiu. And with how capable you are, I''m sure she would just adopt you. My mother loves smart kids."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. Her eyes turned misty. "Your mother must love you a lot then."


    San Zhu snorted. "Nope. As far as she is concerned, I''m stupid. Can you walk?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    San Zhu got up. "I''ll check for a water source. According to the veteran gamers of Veritas, there should be a river called the Red River around here. You change your clothes."


    San Zhu walked away.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the clothes. They were a bit bigger and definitely made for men.


    With a sigh, she got behind a tree and changed.


    By the time San Zhu returned Cheng Xiu had found her bow, which was broken and burnt.


    She held up her weapon. "Do you have more of these?"


    San Zhu took out a bow and arrows that were more intricately designed, and handed them over to her.


    Cheng Xiu gaped at him. "Why do you have so many things?"


    San Zhu blushed and shifted his feet. "I have been playing this game since the beginning, sister Che-Xiu. And I am always prepared for most situations."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Well, color me impressed. Brother San! I have become a fan!"


    San Zhu flushed and looked at his feet. "I-it''s not that impressive."


    "Oh, stop it. You are amazing. Just take the compliment. Now, did you find that river you were looking for?"


    San Zhu nodded. "Yes. We can walk alongside the riverbank, opposite to its flow. We are bound to reach the Crimson Mountain range of the West. Rats in The Other World stay at Rocky Pits they create at the foot of a mountain."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why there?"


    "There would be villages or towns nearby and so they can always get food to eat. Human food or humans as food, whichever is more convenient for them."


    Cheng Xiu shivered. "How do you know all of this?"


    San Zhu smiled. "You''ll know soon enough. I can''t say it. Literally. It''s a law of The Other World."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Let''s find a cave first then."


    San Zhu tilted his head. "Why?"


    Cheng Xiu pointed to the sky. "The sun is going to set soon. I might not have played The Other World much, especially not in the night but I''m pretty sure night is when the real beasts come out."


    San Zhu looked up in shock. The sun was in the west, and the sky had started to gain a yellow tinge. "It''s been six hours already? How long were we knocked out for? I was sure we had more hours! What do we do now?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "Find a cave to safely log out and in and then scout the Rocky Pits if possible. There is no need to be so dramatic."


    San Zhu sweat dropped. "Sister Xiu, how are you so logical at this time?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "It''s easier for me not to panic than panic. Emotions are not¡­easy to control so I try not to be emotional."


    San Zhu frowned. That couldn''t be healthy.


    They began walking in silence. San Zhu had drowned the F Rank healing potion, so his gait was steadier. Cheng Xiu was slower than even him. There was a bone deep tiredness in her that she couldn''t shake off.


    Cheng Xiu looked around them in suspicion. "Why is the forest so quiet?"


    "Because we are not near any lairs or dungeons." They reached a small path and walked along it.


    San Zhu used his trident to make way for them whenever they reached an overgrowth of bushes and grasses.


    Cheng Xiu removed the sword San Zhu gave her from her storage ring.


    Her body glowed blue as information on blade handling poured into her mind.


    She started to cut off the plants in their paths. It didn''t give her any points. "What about the Squirrels? Were we near their lair then?"


    San Zhu pointed to the purple bushes. "That''s their food. Those things are the reason why they found us. But since the Flying Squirrels are killed off, we don''t have to worry about them for the next 24 hours in game. A new Flying Squirrel will not replace them before then, so we don''t have to worry about them."


    The muddy road led to a valley.


    The air turned wet, and fresh. A cool breeze flitted through their hair, making them look like grand warriors going in search of a grand epic.


    Far up the valley of yellow and purple bushes they rounded a sharp bend on the road and the sound of gurgling water broke the quiet space.


    Further away, a river tumbled over rocks.


    Cheng Xiu observed the river and its bank. It looked normal. The water seemed pure as it reflected the golden sunset sky. The ripples made it look like a silk cloth. There was an allure to the river water.


    San Zhu held her elbow and pulled her from the edge of the bank.


    "What are you doing!"


    Cheng Xiu blinked.


    The sun set completely and the golden river turned blood red and glowed eerily.


    Cheng Xiu stumbled back.


    San Zhu cursed.


    A black vine pulled out of the river and made to grab the place that Cheng Xiu stood a moment ago.


    "Wha-"


    San Zhu slapped his palm over her mouth and dragged her back.


    Four more black vines reached for the place. The blood red water dripped onto the bank, making the places it fell on glow red.


    An unknown terror gripped Cheng Xiu''s heart as she felt like she was being hunted by a great predator.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and tightened her hold on the sword in her hand.


    She wouldn''t go down without a fight.


    Almost like the creature heard her thoughts, the vines turned into sharp stakes and flew towards them.


    A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. I tried to make the place interesting enough for you all to engage in the narrative but I''m not sure if I succeeded.


    Please tell me how I did. And if you have any questions or concepts that you would like to know about ask that in the comments.


    I usually try to avoid describing the places around the characters in too much details as I start fearing I''m telling too much.


    If you liked this chapter please don''t forget to comment, vote, and leave reviews! I might not reply to them all but I do read them.

 Chapter 15 - Rainbow Experts!

    Thank you all for the love and support! So many of you joined together! Welcome to the TOW family. Let The Other World tow your hearts.


    Happy readings!


    Tow 15


    Rainbow Experts


    As the stakes flew their way, Cheng Xiu pushed San Zhu to the ground, and rolled them both away.


    A low hum was heard across the forest, and tiny lights emerged from the blood colored water. It swirled in the cool breeze and flew around the trunks of the trees in the forest.


    The stems and branches turned to ash color. The leaves fell to the ground. And bloody flowers bloomed. The stems twitched and twisted.


    When the rumbling sound disappeared, the forest started to glow red. Screeches of various beasts were heard far and near.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhu screamed.


    A long stake hovered in the air and dashed down at her.


    Cheng Xiu rolled away with a grunt, her sword slipping from her hand.


    The long black vine pierced into the ground.


    Cheng Xiu crawled towards her fallen sword and used it to stand up. Her body wasn''t fully recovered.


    "Brother San, what is this thing!" she asked as she tried to cut the vine. It didn''t even leave a scratch.


    "Serpentine Vines!" San Zhu screamed as he backed away from the thing. "They are things that feed on the Qi in cursed rivers. Why the hell are they here?"


    "Are you stupid?" Cheng Xiu asked. "The Red River turned red after sunset! Do you think that''s normal now?!"


    San Zhu jumped away.


    The Vines grabbed Cheng Xiu''s legs and started to drag her towards the water.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhu called as he ran after her.


    Cheng Xiu screamed and tried to hack at the Vine in vain.


    "Ignis!" a soft feminine voice echoed in the forest.


    A flaming circle formed around Cheng Xiu''s feet, holding a small warmth. The Vines started to burn away.


    Cheng Xiu laid on the muddy ground, delirious. She had almost been drowned to death by a plant. That was a new low even for her.


    More Vines came towards her.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhu called as he reached her side and helped her stand.


    "Ignis!" multiple voices echoed.


    Many burning circles appeared around the tentacle like Vines and burned them away.


    Something started to screech in pain.


    The bloody water became turbulent and from it a humanoid trunked tree rose up. The body was feminine and the face was hauntingly beautiful. The creature''s hair looked like moving bloody water and its legs were the Vines that grabbed on to her legs.


    "I don''t think that''s a Serpentine Vine brother Zhu," Cheng Xiu said, as more Vines came towards her. Fire circles came around those things again, burning them away.


    The woman''s face on the tree trunk opened its mouth and screamed in pain.


    Cheng Xiu cringed.


    A crazed laugh came from the sky.


    Cheng Xiu looked up and was stunned.


    Ten people stood on floating swords, like Immortals from old fairytales. They all wore different shades of clothes and each of them looked unique.


    At the forefront was a girl wearing white robes. And that was the only thing in a single shade on her. Her ponytailed hair had all the colours of the rainbow. Her sash, her socks and the gloves on her hands were all multicolored. Her face was painted red on one side and blue on the other.


    Behind her was a woman all in blue, with golden highlights. Even her bob-cut hair was blue. With a wave of the golden scepter in her hand, large ice spears hit the creature, wounding it.


    Beside the blue girl was a woman in indigo robes. Her long, wind blown hair was indigo. She threw daggers at the creature. Wherever the daggers pierced, it started to bubble and melt.


    Behind them flew four men. One in Yellow,throwing out balls of light. It hit the creature at the places that the Indigo woman''s daggers wounded and burned the creature further.


    One man was in Orange, his hand holding javelins that he threw at the humanoid''s stomach. They went through the creature''s stomach and back to the man''s hands.


    The man in red robes created barriers around the Players, and threw talismans at the creature. They sometimes created fissures and sometimes burst open.


    The man in green waved the long staff held in his hands and healed the people whenever they called him near. Whenever the creature''s Vine roots slashed too close to him, he cut it off with water blades.


    Behind them came a girl who looked normal in her white robes, except for her violet hair. She created purple thunderbolts at it again and again, slicing off its new appendages that re grew almost immediately.


    Behind her came a man Cheng Xiu knew well. A certain Black robed man. Lu WenXian. He took out his sword, and swung it from afar. Windblades cut through the creature repeatedly.


    Far behind them, lazily lying on his sword was a man in a deep Grey robes. He yawned repeatedly.


    "That¡­that¡­" San Zhu lost his ability to speak as all of the Immortals on the swords attacked the Creature with all sorts of power. Fireballs. Thunderbolts. Ice missiles. Windblades.


    Well, almost everyone. The man in the Grey clothing seemed to have actually fallen asleep.


    "They are¡­" Cheng Xiu said and paused.


    "Yes they are," San Zhu said in excitement.


    "Are they called the Rainbow Squad?" Cheng Xiu asked curiously.


    "What?" San Zhu asked in shock.


    The Rainbow girl laughed like a hyena, nearly falling off her sword. Chen Xiu felt like the girl had heard what she said. The girl probably did. Sword surfing must be high-level right?


    San Zhu shook his head.


    "They are the Grandmasters of The Other World! Experts! They have all reached the Seventh Tier! The Immortal Realm!" he shouted at her in a fanboy voice.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. How was she supposed to know that?


    She looked up at the fighting Immortals.


    "But they still look like a rainbow squad to me," Cheng Xiu whispered so that San Zhu wouldn''t hear her. But seeing the glare thrown her way, Cheng Xiu guessed he did hear.


    The creature lashed its Vines at the people on the sword so quickly, that Cheng Xiu barely made out its afterimage. The people were just as fast in dodging and attacking it.


    The Immortals attacked the creature even more but it seemed to be healing just as fast.


    The man in Grey hovered in the air, far away from the Monster''s reach, and yawned again.


    "Brother Star! Don''t be lazy!" the Rainbow girl shouted.


    The man made a shooing gesture.


    The girl pouted and threw a fireball at him.


    With a wave of his hand, the fireball turned its trajectory and hit the creature''s humanoid face.


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes. "Brother San?"


    "Yes?" San Zhu asked, his sparkling eyes on the Immortals.


    "Is it me or are the trees around us losing their life?"


    San Zhu looked around them.


    The trees that had glowed beautifully for so long had lost their bright red hue. The area looked like those abandoned places in horror movies.


    San Zhu shivered. "Sister Xiu¡­I have heard of this! When S-Ranked Seventh Realm bosses fight, they absorb the Qi in the creatures around them to make themselves stronger. And the creatures they absorbed the Qi from become-"


    Cheng Xiu pointed. "That?"


    The trees around them started to twist and turn, and two of them shifted into Humanoid trees. The things ran towards Cheng Xiu and San Zhu, screaming.


    "Demonic," San Zhu finished in a whimper.


    Cheng Xiu positioned her legs in a fighting stance. Though she did not gain any efficiency in swordsmanship she could use her Cultivation method as the basis to fend off these fiends.


    "What are you doing? Shouldn''t we be running?" San Zhu asked. "Those are Demonic Treemen! A B-Ranked demonic beast of the Golden Core Realm! Neither of us are the opponents for them!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "And how far will you be able to run? Do you think you''re capable enough to run away?"


    "Do you think you''re capable enough to fight?" a voice asked from above them.


    Cheng Xiu yelped as she saw a face hanging upside down above her head, and backed away. It was the man in the Grey robes.


    His words registered in her mind. She shook her head. "No, but I would rather fight than run away."


    The man snorted. "How foolish. It is not a bad idea to run away, girl."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "Then by all means do so, boy."


    He smirked. "I''m Star Phoenix."


    Cheng Xiu smiled politely. "Sela. Are you going to help us with them?"


    "Nope. Let''s see how far your false bravery is."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged and ran towards the screaming Treemen full frontal.


    San Zhu stumbled after her. "Sister Xiu!"


    A/N: It was an interesting chapter to write. There were too many characters introduced in this chapter. I didn''t give much of a discription on them because I can do that once Cheng Xiu or San Zhu meets them face to face instead of just flying on swords in the sky.


    Do tell me how it was. If you guys want more descriptions I can take that into account in the future. I''m just afraid of writing long bodies of descriptions no one is going to read.


    Do comment, vote and share the story if you liked it. Don''t forget to leave behind Chapter comments. Your valuable feedback, I believe, will improve me as a writer and hence improve the storyline.


    Thank you!

 Chapter 16 - The Demonic Treemen

    A/N: Thank you all for the collections, comments and power tones. They mean a lot to me and I hope that this story can continue to be something that you all love and support.


    Thank you.


    Happy Reading!


    Tow 16


    Demonic Treemen.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards the wooden creature. One of the Treeman''s hands elongated and swiped at her, creating spikes on the side to hurt her even more.


    Cheng Xiu dashed to the side.


    She looked in the direction it was in only to find it not there anymore.


    She saw the creature run towards her from the corner of her eyes as she ran into the woods.


    Cheng Xiu ran.


    The roots of its hands followed her.


    The Demonic Treemen could not run as fast as a regular human and Cheng Xiu was a cultivator in this world. It was easy for her to outrun them. But the creatures made up for this disadvantage by having roots that were faster, stronger, sturdier and far more flexible than Vine monsters were.


    San Zhu ran in the opposite direction and the other Demonic Treeman ran after him.


    He saw Cheng Xiu weave through the woods and circle back to the place she started.


    She signaled him to follow her.


    San Zhu understood what she was trying to do. He was a bit disappointed that this was the solution that the college genius came up with but then again, he couldn''t complain as his only solution had been to run away.


    He ran towards her.


    The gray expert looked on in interest. It was obvious to him that the girl was new to the gaming experience, and the man with her must have promised to carry her or something. But it impressed him how quick-witted the newbie was.


    Most people who played The Other World took more than 10 dungeon quests to reach the kind of level headed playing the girl was putting in. He was sure she must have done only 3-4 quests so far given her inexperience with her fighting style, and yet she could¡­


    His gray eyes narrowed. His eyes flitted to the other experts who were fighting the Forest Spirit and then towards the running Newbies who were creating a root barricade. Should he try poaching them to his guild before the others had a chance to see their potential?


    Cheng Xiu ran faster, her legs burning. She met with San Zhu halfway to where the gray-robed man was standing.


    "Brother San?"


    "yeah?" he said, huffing as they ran together.


    "Do you have something that can put the Treemen on fire?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    San Zhu huffed and looked at her in bewilderment.


    Wasn''t Cheng Xiu at the Qi Sensing I Realm? Why was he the only one who was out of breath?


    "Brother San?" Cheng Xiu asked wearily. She could feel a wave of resentment come from his body. She would know. She had felt this feeling towards her most of her life.


    "I have a fire talisman that can do the trick!" the man in gray said.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes narrowed. The man''s gray eyes had a glint she usually saw in the eyes of old women who thought of how to swindle people. Old women like her grandmother.


    Those eyes never meant well for her before so Cheng Xiu ignored the man.


    A root got too close to her and was about to pierce her in the stomach.


    Cheng Xiu swung her sword towards the root, desperate to make a distance between her and the wooden appendage. She didn''t want to know what it felt like to die in the VR world if she could help it. It couldn''t be pleasant.


    Her sword cut right through and tore the root in half.


    Cheng Xiu stilled. She stared at the cut off part of the Treeman in shock.


    "Brother San," Cheng Xiu whispered. "Are you seeing what I''m seeing?"


    "Yeah¡­" San Zhu was just as shocked. "Without Qi, their body is not stable. They are easily destructible."


    Cheng Xiu slashed at another root that tried to pierce her stomach. "Yeah. I''m sure you are right."


    San Zhu pulled out his Trident.


    They nodded at each other and stood back to back. They started to fight off the waves of roots that came their way as they moved towards the center of the root barricade. Towards where the Demonic Treemen stood together.


    Cheng Xiu slashed her way through and reached the ugly humanoid creatures.


    On seeing them, the creatures screamed at the two humans and ran towards them.


    Cheng Xiu ran forward, her eyes flitting towards the roots around them, just in case of a hidden attack.


    They reached the Treeman.


    San Zhu stabbed the creature.


    Cheng Xiu slashed down her sword. It cleaved through the Treeman''s body without little resistance.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has killed a level 3, E-Ranked Demonic Tree man, which was two levels above Player''s. Well done.


    Rewarded with: +1 skill point!]


    Why did the system seem a bit disappointed by her.


    Damned system. What did it expect her to do?


    The body of the cut Treeman caught fire and burned.


    Cheng Xiu stepped away and looked around to find the source of the fire.


    San Zhu threw away his own Demonic Treeman''s carcass and watched it catch fire and burn.


    "Brother San?" Cheng Xiu called. "What-"


    "It''s a special effect of the title demonic," the man in gray said.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she watched the roots around her burn as well. "What do you mean?"


    "When you kill any monster with the title Demonic to their name they will catch fire," the man said.


    "We are cultivators who have Qi," San Zhu said with a sardonic smile. Cheng Xiu gave him a strained smile in return. Neither of them actually had Qi in real life. "The Demonic creatures are those who are Qiless. So when we kill them, they get burned by the overload of Qi to their system."


    Cheng Xiu froze and looked at the burning roots. Was this the game creator''s subtle hint that he thought of those who were Qiless as Demonic?


    "Don''t say it like that!" the gray robed man scolded with a frown on his face. "They are demonic because they lost their Qi and made a contract with a demon of the underworld to come back as beasts. They are not Qiless. They are Lifeless."


    San Zhu blushed at being scolded by an expert. Even more so because it was the Master of the Phoenix Guild who was scolding him.


    "I''m sorry, Master Star Phoenix."


    The man beamed. "It''s alright! It''s alright! But you have to be careful with your words. What if a Qiless heard your words and got offended?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at the man curiously. "You care about what the Qiless think?"


    The man snorted. "Nope. I care about no one. But I do care about the words I say. Oh, here comes the next wave!"


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped at seeing the man float away on his sword.


    "Good luck!" he shouted at them.


    Cheng Xiu looked to where he was staring at.


    From deep in the forest came three Demonic Treemen towards them.


    "Why?" Cheng Xiu asked desperately.


    "The Forest Spirit is a Boss," Star Phoenix said in glee. "Mobs will always exist wherever there is a Boss."


    "I mean why do they always come towards us?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Because we are the only ones standing on the ground," San Zhu said miserably.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to cry. "In my next life, I want to be born as an MC in a webnovel so I have a skill that can help me fly."


    "What if you are an MC in one?" San Zhu asked as he readied his trident.


    "Then my author is brain dead for not giving any cheats," Cheng Xiu said as she cut down one of the new Treemen.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has killed a level 3 E-Ranked Demonic Treeman. Well done.


    Rewarded: +1 Skill Point.]


    Cheng Xiu felt her heart thump. "Brother San, what is the amount of Skill points I need to get a skill?"


    San Zhu was still watching his Treeman burn. "For a level 1 skill, 1 skill points. For a level 2 skill, 2 skill points. It goes on like that. They don''t have Ranks. And you can buy any skill you want, regardless of whether it''s level 1, 2, 3 or any other. But you can only use a level 2 skill after mastering the Level 1 of said skill."


    Cheng Xiu frowned as four Treemen came towards them. "Then why allow them to buy the skills beforehand?"


    San Zhu sighed. "Because if someone kills you before you use your skill points then half of their reserve skill points belongs to the killer."


    "That''s unfair!" Cheng Xiu said.


    "Wow! You are a newbie newbie huh?" Star Phoenix said from above them.


    Cheng Xiu scowled. "Damned jerk. Help us, if you can. Otherwise keep quiet. Stop with your wisecracks."


    San Zhu sighed. He was sure Cheng Xiu was a polite person most of the time, but there were moments like these where he was left second guessing. She must be so unbridled in here because nobody actually knows her.


    "No thank you," Star Phoenix said with a laugh. "You guys are doing so well. I wouldn''t want to disturb your progress."


    Chegn Xiu muttered something impolite. Star Phoenix just smiled at her.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhu went back to fighting the creatures.


    They fought for an hour. San Zhu had to take Energy Potions of E-Rank every ten minutes to keep going while Cheng Xiu took on bottle half way through and then went in with renewed vigor.


    San Zhu was bewildered at first until he thought of a reason this could happen. Cheng Xiu had access to a better Cultivation Method than he did.


    Star Phoenix who watched the two fight valiantly also guessed as such and the greed in his eyes intensified. He had never seen any cultivation methods that could help those of the low levels fight so hard for more than an hour. The fact that she took a single Energy Potion was inconsequential. Even a C-Ranked Energy Potion wouldn''t help someone who exhausted their Qi as quickly as the girl did.


    The recovery capacity of her Cultivation Method must be amazing.


    Cheng Xiu ducked as a spiked root came her way but did not expect to be pierced through the back.


    Cheng Xiu screamed and coughed blood.


    Her mind clouded with pain and anger. She sliced the roots in her back like a maniac.


    "Sister Xiu, watch out!" San Zhu said as he pushed the Treeman he was fighting and ran towards her.


    Cheng Xiu looked up and froze.


    A spiked Vine coated in blood red water rushed towards her.


    She hadn''t realized that they were getting closer and Closer to the Boss fight as they fought the Treemen.


    Star Phoenix moved towards her still form.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhu screamed.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head and tried to roll away, but she was a level one player despite high Physic. She did not stand a chance against the Level 70 Boss.


    The spiked Vine just missed her heart thanks to her attempt to jump away and pierced through her stomach instead.


    Cheng Xiu was sure she would pass out from the level of the pain. A level pain that she never wanted to experience again.


    And why did these things always attack her stomach? Did her stomach have some sacred jewel that she died with in her last life?


    Her thoughts stopped working. Her body shook at the shock it received.


    And then a blue barrier appeared around her and a red robed broad back appeared in front of her.


    A/N: so, what do you guys think of this particular chapter? Too detailed? Not Enough detailed? What is it?


    Do leave your opinions in comments and reviews, and share with me your valuable opinions, please. They mean a lot.


    Author''s Theater:


    ML: hey! When am I coming into the story?


    Me: how would I know? I wanted you to be the guy in gray but it turned out to be Star Phoenix! A character I deleted at the creation page!


    ML: you have a writing disabi-


    Cheng Xiu walks in.


    Cheng Xiu: Hey guys!


    ML: Yes, love?


    Cheng Xiu: Who are you?


    [Author starts laughing.]


    ML: Your husband.


    Cheng Xiu: Can we have a divorce? I don''t think I am ready for marriage yet, or relationships in general.


    ML was shot to death by a rejection arrow. The author was seen laughing like a hyena on the side.


    (Sorry for this.)

 Chapter 17 - Hostility Gained

    Tow 17


    The red-robed man took out a pocket watch and threw it at the creature.


    A golden circle formed above the creature''s head.


    The face in the trunk opened its mouth and let out a terrifying scream.


    "Don''t get in the way, junior!" said the red-clad man and flew away.


    "Okay!" Cheng Xiu said as she kicked away another Treeman. She didn''t want to be another problem they had to consider as they fought that beast.


    Cheng Xiu moved away.


    "Sela!" Star Phoenix cried as he flew to her. "Behind you!"


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhu screamed.


    A Serpentine Vine wrapped around her legs and pulled her over.


    Cheng Xiu felt a sense of vertigo as the Forest Spirit wrapped her in its vines. Cheng Xiu freed her hand and tried to hack at the bindings.


    Just as before, it didn''t even scratch the surface.


    The Immortals were throwing magical attacks at the creature, uncaring about her. Which made sense. She was a nobody and they had better things to do.


    Cheng Xiu suppressed the discomfort that thought brought. A nobody. She was nobody in this game.


    Cheng Xiu relaxed and observed the fight. There wasn''t much she could do with her current strength but she could learn from this and become better.


    She saw the fire circles around the creature''s roots and waist, burning them away. Water bullets and spheres stopped the creature from reforming the wounded areas.


    The wind blades cut through the creature and created empty spaces.


    Through them, Cheng Xiu saw a glowing white crystal ball. The javelin and the electric blades were burning away the area around it, exposing it to the atmosphere with each attack.


    Was that its energy source?


    Cheng Xiu observed even more. The javelins were doing the most work, cutting away the vines around the source.


    The creature snarled at the man with the javelin and put Cheng Xiu between itself and the incoming weapons.


    Cheng Xiu shivered in fright as the javelin came towards her at great speed.


    Cheng Xiu screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. She was going to die.


    She was going to die!


    The javelin grazed the tip of her ears, burning it a bit and cut through the vines again.


    Cheng Xiu opened her eyes in surprise only to see a second one following it.


    She felt her Qi Center stir and her instincts screamed.


    Cheng Xiu tried to move away but the vines made it impossible.


    Desperate, she bent her head.


    The javelin went through the place where her face was a minute ago.


    Her heart shivered and she felt everything around her become white noise.


    The javelins were returning to the man as the Forest Spirit used her as a shield again.


    The man aimed and threw. Once again, right at her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and ducked.


    The javelin sent through the place her face was. Again.


    Cheng Xiu glared as her grip on her sword tightened. They were using her.


    The Qi in her Veins stirred.


    Cheng Xiu trained her eyes at the javelin as it came towards her again.


    She let go of her sword and tried to catch the javelin.


    "No!" the man screamed when he saw a newbie hold his weapon.


    Cheng Xiu aimed the thing, which seemed to weigh nothing and threw it right at the glowing crystal at the creature''s centre.


    "No!" all the Immortals screamed.


    The javelin broke through the crystal shell.


    The creature screamed and melted away.


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground in a roll.


    [Ding!]


    [Congratulations, player Selafia Veritas. You have broken the curse of the Forest Spirit.]


    [You have gained the hostility of 7 Immortals of Level 70. Hiding Player name from World Announcement.]


    Cheng Xiu started.


    What?


    [World Announcement: SelaXiu Veritas has defeated the 5th and final Demonic Forest Spirit.


    +1 to all stats.


    +200 crystals.


    +200000 gold coins.


    +60,000 World Fame.


    +1 Title]


    ''Why Xiu?'' Cheng Xiu asked, even though her heart thumped.


    The system did not answer.


    "Sister Xiu! Sister Xiu!"


    San Zhu ran towards her. There was panic in his voice.


    "I''m fine," Cheng Xiu said as she stood up.


    "It''s nearly 7 in this world!" San Zhu screamed.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Huh?"


    "I have to leave. I told you. I have an important paper tomorrow."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "I still haven''t done my Rats mission."


    "Log off now. We can start tomorrow."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. She was sure she couldn''t do it alone.


    "Wait!" the girl with the rainbow hair said. "We haven''t talked about what you just did!"


    Cheng Xiu grinned. "I''ll see you tomorrow!"


    San Zhu logged off.


    That was a great thing about The Other World. You could log out from anywhere. Even if you were in the middle of a fight. It was a privilege that only the Qiless had. Because of their weaker Physic, they could log out if they played for more than three real-world hours.


    Of course, when they logged in they would still be in the same position as before but it was a privilege many took.


    Cheng Xiu was sure that when she returned to the game the Immortals would have already left. They were experts. Surely they had better things to do than to wait for a beginner nobody.


    "They logged out in the wilderness!" the girl in the blue robes said. "Was that a special item?"


    Star Phoenix laughed. "Or a Qiless."


    The orange-robed man, with his javelin, frowned. "Are you implying that a Qiless girl grabbed and managed to hold Rynheart?"


    The wind user laughed. "Don''t take it so seriously, EverHill. It was a joke."


    The rainbow-haired girl sat on the floor.


    "What are you doing, Yue?" WenXian asked with a frown.


    She grinned. "Her name had Sela in it! Just want to be friends with a fellow lover of good books!"


    WenXian sweat. "You know brother Xing will not like you talking to strangers."


    Yue looked at him with suspicion. "Why do you look so nervous about me meeting her? What did you do?"


    "What he did?" the woman in indigo said. "That girl took away brother Xian''s core! He could have reached level 70 himself with that! Little Yue, it makes sense for him to be wary of that girl!"


    "Sister WuQi! How could you say that? It''s obvious the girl was just protecting herself," Yue argued.


    "So we are all going to ignore the fact that someone below level 20 just used a level 70 weapon?" the healer asked.


    "Brother Long," Star Phoenix said, pulling the green-clad man into his arms. "Why is that so important?"


    "Brother Phoenix," EverHill called. "It seems you are trying to poach people again."


    "No, I''m not."


    The healer shrugged Star Phoenix arms off himself. "If brother Phoenix is trying to poach the newbies, they must have potential. I''ll wait for them to come back with you sister Yue."


    The other experts agreed with him and they turned that valley into a camping site for Immortals.


    Star Phoenix tried to pursued the girls to go away seeing as some of them were reluctant to wait for a beginner nobody but it had the opposite effect as it convinced them to stay.


    The Immortals waited for hours in that valley.


    A/N: Sorry for the late update. We had a hospital emergency and then I got sick.


    Thank you for the love and support that you guys gave this story.


    Do point out any mistakes that you see. I''ll edit them out. Also, tell me if you find anything in the narrative lacking, please. I''ll try my level best to make the flow better.


    Love you all!


    Thank you!

 Chapter 18 - The Unwanted Normalcy!

    Cheng Xiu laid in the game pod, trying to adjust to the feeling of emptiness that overwhelmed her.


    It was going to be harder to adjust to the feeling of Belonging and then to have that feeling disappear than she thought possible.


    This must be the feeling millions of Qiless felt when they played the game.


    Why would they keep playing it?


    Time passed.


    Her mind kept rounding on that ''why''.


    She knew the answer but she wasn''t sure she was ready to accept it.


    To feel like they belonged.


    She didn''t feel like an outsider, even though she was a player in a world of NPCs.


    For the first time, she didn''t have to prove to others her self worth. She could be whoever she wanted to be and gain success and people would accept that success without arguing that she didn''t deserve it, even after all the hard work and effort she put in.


    Her Fold Watch beeped.


    Cheng Xiu opened her eyes and read the new message.


    [User xxxx444 is not connected to any VR world. It is recommended that user be connected to a VR world during pod usage to keep the brain functions normal while the Nutrient Solution heals any of the damages dealt with your Physique. Would you like to connect to a VR world?]


    Cheng Xiu declined.


    [User xxxx4444 is not going through any supplementary medical treatments and no new ailments have been detected. The user shows 5% more physical prowess than normal. Would User xxxx4444 like to inform the officials about the changes in your Physical Potential?]


    Cheng Xiu''s heartbeat increased.


    She declined again. This time, faster.


    She refused to think about why there was a change of such drastic proportions in her body.


    She knew her actions could be stupid.


    It could be the result of something dangerous to her health but Cheng Xiu''s instinct told her otherwise.


    If this was the result of the game then there would be others like her. Let them come forward first and she would see how people reacted to it.


    After all, even though they all advertised Qi Awakening, none have succeeded yet.


    The first person to step forward would become a guinea pig.


    If it was not because of the game, she would still become a lab rat as people tried to figure out the reason for her evolution.


    And not even other Qiless would stop them because it was a chance for them to get powers like the Blessed.


    Cheng Xiu removed the Fold Watch.


    She got out of the Pod, took a warm bath and went to sleep, unwilling to let herself think about The Other World or anything related to it.


    The night passed.


    Cheng Xiu woke up from her restless sleep to the loud sound of her Fold ringing.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the time. 4:00 Am.


    What kind of a monster was calling her at four in the morning? Who died?


    Cheng Xiu looked at the caller ID: Bo Ling.


    Why did that name seem familiar? Maybe it was a teacher?


    She did a name search in the Faculty interface.


    A woman''s face appeared on the screen. She was beautiful.


    Cheng Xiu groaned.


    It was the teacher who hated the Qiless.


    It really was a monster calling her.


    "Hello?"


    "Are you not a scholarship student? Why are you still asleep?"


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath to calm her raised hackles. If the woman was in front of her at that moment she would have punched her in the face.


    "I had already finished my scheduled topics to learn, Ms Bo."


    "It''s teacher Bo to you!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes.


    "What happened, teacher Bo? Why are you calling me at such an hour?"


    "So you also question your teachers! This is the culture of the only Qiless genius of St Andre''s!"


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. Did this woman get hit in the head as a child?


    "I was asking. Not questioning. There is a difference."


    "So now you will even teach teachers? Don''t forget that I am older than you and your better!"


    Cheng Xiu bit into her pillow to suppress the scream that wanted to come out.


    The damned woman must be drunk or something.


    Cheng Xiu cut the call.


    She laid back and closed her eyes.


    Her Fold rang again.


    Cheng Xiu groaned and picked it up.


    "How dare you cut my call!"


    "I''m so sorry ma''am," Cheng Xiu said in a mocking voice. "My hand must have slipped."


    "You!" The woman seemed frustrated.


    Cheng Xiu was now sure the woman''s lover must have broken up with her or something and she wanted to use someone as a punching bag and thought Cheng Xiu was perfect for it.


    She only had one thing to say to that: Screw you.


    "Why did you call, teacher Bo?"


    "We are having a meeting today at 6 in the morning at the Guidance Hall!"


    The woman cut the call.


    "She could have just messaged me that," Cheng Xiu muttered. "Really must have broken up with her boyfriend or girlfriend."


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes again. But sleep had left her.


    She groaned.


    Cheng Xiu was never able to go back to sleep if she was woken up at night.


    Huffing she took up her Fold and started to read "Stars Fated to Die", a contemporary novel about the heroine from earth travelling to Venus to further her study and meeting with the Male Lead, who was a guest Professor from Mars.


    After the people from Mars, Venus and the Moon had declared themselves Independent 50 years and a separate Nation, such stories were much more prevalent than those like Master Si WenLu''s fantasy novels. And the author of "Stars Fated to Die", Xing WenLu was the bestselling author of the genre. There was something haunting in the way he described the relationships of his characters even though they were mostly aliens or people living on other planets.


    In fact, Cheng Xiu was called a traitor by some of the newer fans because she openly admired Xing WenLu''s writing despite being Master Si WenLu''s fan. Their hatred came from the fact that the two authors shared the same given name. But the real fans knew the truth. Master Si WenLu started to write stories because she admired Xing WenLu.


    Cheng Xiu stopped reading. She looked out the window into the distance as a thought occurred to her. She opened up the news blogs and looked for the details of the Lu family members. More specifically, their names.


    :


    :


    Lu WenXian,


    Lu WenXing,


    Lu WenYue.


    Cheng Xiu stared in disbelief. What were the chances that Lu WenXing was Xing WenLu? Very high.


    Cheng Xiu understood two things from this. Lu WenXing was Xing WenLu and her two favourite authors were related!


    Cheng Xiu smiled. She was probably one of the few people who knew this secret. She felt honoured.


    She should probably thank Ms Bo for waking her up so early. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have bothered to look such pieces of information up. If she was Lucky, that woman might even have a heart attack at having helped at Qiless in any way and die.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. That was too dark a thought.


    She spent the rest of the hour reading.


    Cheng Xiu reached the meeting place at 6 on the dot only to receive glares from the students sitting around Ms Bo. They were all students from the mathematics department. Except for the girl with the ponytail hair sitting so close to Ms Bo she might as well have been sitting on the woman''s lap.


    Cheng Xiu recognized the girl. Ren Yin. Ren Dao''s twin sister and the ''princess'' of Cheng Xiu''s class. The Ren girl had never liked the fact that Cheng Xiu existed in the same class as her, believing that those who were born ''low'' should not try to go above their status.


    Cheng Xiu had never liked the girl''s attitude.


    This was going to be one fine morning.


    "I see that genius does not mean punctuality," Ren Yin said with a sneer.


    Cheng Xiu gave the girl a sweet smile. "Well, genius means someone with a high-functioning brian and punctuality means being on time. So I guess you are right. They do not mean the same thing. Well done."


    Ren Yin glared.


    "The meeting was set at 5:45," a boy with glasses said, sneering at her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at Ms Bo questioning.


    The woman kept typing into her Fold, not looking at her, her lips curling into a satisfied smile.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to roll her eyes but suppressed them. Did she look that easy to bully this woman? She wasn''t San Zhu.


    "Teacher Bo must have had a headache yesterday so I guess she forgot the actual time."


    Ms Bo looked at her in disbelief. "What do you mean I forgot the actual time!"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Don''t you remember, teacher? You Called me at four in the morning to tell me the meeting is at six. I wondered why you would personally call me to tell me this. You could have just sent a message over the AI system. You must have been really tired."


    Ms Bo''s eyebrow twitched. "Sit! We have very little time to plan things as it is! We only have two months at most!"


    Cheng Xiu sat on the chair opposite Ren Yin, a triumphant smile on her face.


    Ms Bo looked at her with hatred in her eyes.


    ''Let''s see who will win,'' Cheng Xiu thought to herself. ''The woman full of so much hate that she would rather lie than keep her dignity or the Qiless girl who outdid even the best of the blessed in this country.''


    Her black eyes dared the woman who called herself a teacher.


    Ms Bo''s eyes flashed as she saw the challenge and sheer arrogance in Cheng Xiu''s Phoenix eyes.


    Damned Qiless!


    A/N: Thank you all for your support and love that you give this story through votes and comments! Thank you!


    Please don''t forget to comment on the Chapter and Review the story.


    (Maya: You can use chapter comments to criticise the author for her shoddy updates.


    Author: Maya! Go back to where you came from!)


    Thank you again!

 Chapter 19 - Its A Steal!

    Everyone sat in silence.


    Cheng Xiu put her cheeks in her palm and looked out the window, watching as two hummingbirds fought with each other over a rose bush.


    It was rare to see such small creatures in the wild since the Qi Awakening. The mutation of humans had led to mutations in the things around them. Plants that could move, and were sentient. Animals who had awakened their own Qi manifestations. There were even speculations that some of them were going to grow even more aware of the world around them. That the animals that everyone was already scared of would start to think. To create their own language. Retain information that wasn''t just based on instinct.


    People started to come into the Guidance Hall.


    Cheng Xiu kept listening to Ms Bo explain Quarts Calculation to the students around the woman, her eyes following the man that came nearer.


    "Teacher Bo? You called?"


    She motioned for him to sit.


    Gu Shu came in, running, her pink hair swinging in the wind and looking at Cheng Xiu with betrayed eyes.


    What did she do?


    Behind her came Ren Dao. Of course.


    The two walked towards her.


    "A''Xiu!" Ren Dao said, a big grin on his face. "You are here too!"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Senior Ren. Where else should I be?"


    Ren Dao gave her a strained smile. "I didn''t mean it like that! I just meant that it''s great to see you!"


    Cheng Xiu nodded and then went back to watch the hummingbirds.


    Someone huffed in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at Ren Yin. "Something you want to say, Ms Ren?"


    The girl glared at her. "Cheng Xiu! Who do you think you are! You should be respecting Brother Dao and worshipping him for even looking your way! Yet you dismiss him so!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. She turned to Ren Dao. "Did I offend you?"


    "Not at all!" Ren Dao said with a grin, sending a glare towards Ren Yin.


    Gu Shu frowned. Her eyes to Ren Dao, who looked annoyed and ecstatic and then towards Cheng Xiu who had gone back to staring at the window.


    "Cheng Xiu," called Gu Shu, her voice angry.


    Cheng Xiu hummed.


    Gu Shu sighed. "Were you here for a long time? Did you have breakfast yet?"


    Cheng Xiu gave her a soft, warm smile and shook her head.


    The pink-haired girl handed her a paper bag. "Here, it has peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in it. Two of them!"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow and eyed the bag.


    "Did you make it?"


    "No. Obviously not."


    Cheng Xiu took the bag and opened it.


    Gu Shu huffed. "I''m not that bad at cooking!"


    "Tell that to your father. He''ll believe you."


    Gu Shu pouted and turned to Ren Dao.


    "Brother Dao! Little Xiu is being mean to me."


    Ms Bo cleared her throat.


    Everyone turned to her.


    "Good morning, everyone!"


    The students clapped.


    Cheng Xiu put the sandwich bag down with sorrow-filled eyes. She loved p&b sandwiches the most!


    "I''ve gathered all of you here today to discuss in detail how we are going to conduct the seminars. We will look at the departments in-depth and which ones would present their seminars on which day. Does anyone have any idea they would like to share?"


    "We will follow what you have planned, Ms Bo!" Ren Yin said passionately. "After all, you know the best about such things!"


    Everyone agreed.


    "Teacher Bo?"


    Bo Ling froze. Her eyes locked with a pair of Phoenix eyes.


    "What?" Ms Bo spat.


    Cheng Xiu gave her a polite smile.


    "I was wondering if we could include a student seminar session as well."


    Ms Bo pursed her lips.


    "That''s a stupid idea!" Student Liu, San Zhu''s substitute representative, said.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "But this is an opportunity for us to show the Alliance Force the capabilities of our college''s students. Shouldn''t we take advantage of it?"


    Ms Bo gave her a strained smile. "Yes. Go-go-good idea."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips, trying not to smirk at the sheer unwillingness in the face of the woman in front of her. It seemed to physically hurt her to have praised a Qiless.


    Ms Bo gave her a mocking expression. "But the International seminars are in two months and shortlisting the names of all 3000 students in our college is a monumental task that will not be easy to organize even with the AI system. So your point is moot."


    There were snickers around them.


    "She is clearly trying to ostracize you," Gu Shu whispered, glaring at the Red dressed woman.


    "She might hear you," Cheng Xiu said as she went back to staring out the window.


    "You!" Ms Bo called.


    No one responded.


    "You! Qile-... Miss Cheng Xiu!" Ms Bo called.


    Cheng Xiu started.


    Her eyes found a pair of dark eyes that screamed bloodlust at her.


    "Yes?" Cheng Xiu asked calmly.


    It was a tactic she had learned over the years. To remain calm and collected when speaking to people like Ms Bo. Her kind lived and thrived in opposition. When they met with indifference, they didn''t know what to do.


    "Get up here and distribute these pamphlets!" Ms Bo screamed.


    Cheng Xiu gave her a judgemental look. Who used Pamphlets in this day and age.


    "Well?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed and started to hand the pamphlets over. There were many snickers.


    Ren Yin sneered at her as she snatched a pamphlet from her hand. "This is the true worth of the likes of you. Serving others."


    Cheng Xiu sat back in her seat. "So, you look down on soldiers as well?"


    Ren Yin glared. "You!"


    "You dish it out," Gu Shu said to Ren Yin, "But you can''t take it?"


    Ren Yin gritted her teeth.


    The two devolved into bickering.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head and read through the pamphlets. She had to admit that Ms Bo did have a great skill at organizing. Everything seemed flawless.


    Ms Bo sat next to Ren Yin and began speaking to her, ignoring the pink-haired girl.


    Gu Shu huffed.


    "Brother Dao-" she froze as she saw Ren Dao stare at Cheng Xiu with lustful eyes. She glared. "Brother Dao!"


    Ren Dao''s face showed annoyance for a split second before it changed to one of his charming smiles.


    It didn''t seem as charming now.


    "Yes, A''Shu?"


    Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she shook her head. "N-nothing. J-just¡­I thought Little Xiu''s idea had merit."


    Cheng Xiu looked up, her eyebrows furrowed.


    Ren Dao nodded. "Yeah, but she didn''t think about the amount of effort that would have to be put in to get the student seminar going. But then, she is a Qiless. It is to be expected that she would fail to see such things."


    "I''m Qiless, not brainless," Cheng Xiu looked at the man with hatred in her eyes.


    Ren Dao shivered at her glaring eyes. At times like these, he was happy that Cheng Xiu was a Qiless. If it was a Blessed girl, he would have had broken bones already. But looking at the beautiful face that that hate filled Phoenix eyes were embedded in, he felt regret. If only she was a Blessed. Then he could have dated her.


    "Of course! Of Course!" he said with an indulgent smile.


    "Teacher Bo," Cheng Xiu called again.


    The woman in red glared at her. "Yes. Ms¡­I forgot. What was your name?"


    Cheng Xiu wanted to snort. So the petty woman was trying to play that game. "You see, Ms Bo, I was thinking that maybe we can select the students who are going to participate in the seminar from the senior group. Wouldn''t that be better?"


    Ms Bo glared. "It''s Teacher Bo to you, Ms Cheng!"


    Cheng Xiu gave her a sweet smile. "My bad, Teacher Bo. I seem to keep forgetting how I addressed you five minutes ago. You have to forgive me. After all, you are a Blessed who used my name only ten minutes ago and then forgot and I am a Qiless, genius or not. Surely I can forget things as well."


    Ms Bo glared at her. She had never had to argue with a Qiless before. Most of them knew their place in society and accepted it.


    "Does anyone have an idea how we can select a student member for the seminar?" Ms Bo asked through gritted teeth. "It will be difficult to select even from the seniors. And besides, the students might not agree with our selection."


    "We can maybe conduct a debate competition or something," Cheng Xiu said.


    Ms Bo didn''t react, acting like she had not heard Cheng Xiu.


    "Teacher Bo!" Ren Yin shouted.


    Everyone stared at her.


    "Yes, Little Yin?"


    "We can do a student debate thing!"


    "Yes! That''s a good idea! Well done, Little Yin! As expected of a child of Ren Family!"


    "As expected of biased women with inflated egos," Cheng Xiu muttered.


    Gu Shu giggled but soon the whole room fell into pin-drop silence.


    Ms Bo jumped to her feet, her eyes bloodshot and angry.


    "Is there something you want to say Ms¡­I keep forgetting your name. Was it Chin? If you want to say something, say it out loud!"


    Cheng Xiu dug her nail into her chair''s arm, suppressing her anger. Anger was not the emotion she required here. She would not lose her cool in front of these wolves.


    "Just surprised that Ren Yin was the one who found the solution to the problem and not you, Ms Bo."


    "Teacher Bo!" Ms Bo said in anger.


    "I''m sorry, I keep forgetting."


    Ms Bo glared. "Well, even so-called geniuses like you did not-"


    She stared at the sheer judgement and anger in those Phoenix eyes.


    She blushed. "It doesn''t matter who thought of it! So there is no need to discuss it."


    "If it mattered enough for someone to give credit to the wrong person out of spite," Cheng Xiu whispered to Gu Shu. "then it does matter enough to discuss it."


    Gu Shu nodded.


    Ren Yin glared. "Cheng Xiu! What are you implying!"


    Cheng Xiu let out a fake gasp. "Oh! I''m sorry! I forgot that the blessed had better hearing. How dense of me! It''s just, Ms Bo did not hear my suggestion so I forgot that those Blessed of F Rank and higher have superior physique. It''s my fault. Oops."


    Gu Shu suppressed a giggle. She had forgotten how passive-aggressive Cheng Xiu could be.


    "That''s enough!" Ms Bo said when he saw Ren Yin''s hand glow. "Ms Cheng Xiu! Are you implying I''m showing favouritism?"


    "No, Teacher Bo," Cheng Xiu said. "I wouldn''t dare to speak out of turn." Her eyes flitted to Ren Yin. "But I do have to say that I''m surprised by how shameless some people could be when they can''t prove their superiority over others."


    Everyone murmured. Most of them were meeting the rumoured Qiless Genius of St Andre''s for the first time. Many were disgusted by the arrogance in the Qiless girl''s speech while the rest were impressed that anyone would have the guts to talk back to Ms Bo. She had connections in the Alliance after all.


    "But, TEACHER Bo is right," Cheng Xiu said. Ms Bo glared at her emphasis on the word ''teacher.'' "We should start talking about this debate thing that Ms Ren came up with that you find to be a genius idea."


    Ms Bo blushed at her wordings.


    The rest of the meeting went smoothly.


    Many of the students spoke with Cheng Xiu, impressed by her calm and collected demeanour as she answered their questions.


    " A''Xiu is quite impressive," Ren Dao said with a strained voice. He didn''t like the fact that she was getting so much attention. With the conversation she had with Ms Bo, it became very clear to him she wouldn''t be as easy to control as he thought. Damned Qiless.


    Gu Shu sighed. "Yeah. She is."


    The meeting dispersed.


    Cheng Xiu dragged Gu Shu to their rooms before the girl could start fawning over Ren Dao again. Not that she protested at all. Which was a first.


    "So, what happened?" Cheng Xiu asked, biting into the sandwich Gu Shu gave her.


    Gu Shu looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"


    Cheng Xiu chugged down a glass of milk and grimaced. She hated the taste of milk and only drank it because she promised her dad she would. She had to ask her father to take back the promise.


    "I''ve known you since we were in kindergarten, A''Shu. I saw your tear-filled eyes after you talked to that Ren Yin. What did she say to you?"


    "Is that what you saw?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Little Xiu, if I ask you something, will you answer me honestly?"


    Cheng Xiu gave her a curious look. "Sure. Shoot!"


    "What do you really think of Ren Dao?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "I should have realized what you wanted to kn-...ow. Did you just hit my forehead?!"


    Gu Shu glared. "Focus! Tell me! What do you really think?"


    "A pimping a-hole who deserves to be neutered. Ow! Stop hitting me! You wanted to know the truth!"


    Gu Shu deflated. "You don''t like him, huh?"


    "What smart girl would like a condescending jerk like him¡­other than you?"


    Gu Shu sighed. "What if he says he likes you?"


    "I''ll laugh at his face."


    Gu Shu looked at her sceptically.


    "Really. He hides it well but I can see it in his eyes. He is a hater of the Qiless people. So why were you actually upset?"


    Gu Shu gave her a strained smile. "Because Brother Dao wasn''t giving me his attention."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "I told you he wasn''t worthy of you! You never listen! It''s nearly 8! Come on! We need to get to class! It''s Calculus!"


    "But-"


    Cheng Xiu grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.


    It surprised Gu Shu how strong Cheng Xiu was, despite not having an active Qi centre.


    They walked along the busy corridors of the Mathematics Department. They had Calculus first thing in the morning and it was in the Math Department.


    Cheng Xiu suddenly stopped.


    Gu Shu crashed into her back.


    "Little Xiu?"


    "You stay here. I''ll be right back!" Cheng Xiu said and walked off to the left.


    Gu Shu frowned and watched her friend walk up to a familiar man. He was pretty, in a chubby sort of way, and she was curious why his face seemed so familiar.


    "Brother San!" Cheng Xiu called, a grin on her face.


    San Zhu blinked and looked at her in shock. The boys around them were even more shocked than him. Since when did San Zhu know such a beautiful girl?


    "So, did you finish writing your paper? Do you want some help? I might not be as well-versed as you but maybe a different perspective could help!"


    San Zhu gave her a helpless smile. He hadn''t expected her to talk to him in the real world as well.


    "Sister Cheng-"


    "Didn''t I already say you could call me Xiu?" she asked him in confusion.


    The other boys gaped. San Zhu was on a first name basis with such a pretty girl!


    "Sister Xiu, how about we talk later?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned and then looked around them. She saw the jealousy and hatred directed towards San Zhu.


    Dread filled her.


    She had forgotten her genius status. Were they jealous that San Zhu knew such a high scoring person?


    " Okay, brother San. We can speak later!"


    Cheng Xiu ran back to Gu Shu.


    The rest of the boys rounded on San Zhu as soon as the girl left, their faces a mixture of jealousy and curiosity.


    San Zhu wanted to cry. This was why he shouldn''t make friends with pretty girls.. They brought trouble.

 Chapter 20 - Jumping In Rank!

    Calculus was a subject that most students hated. The biggest reason for it in St. Andre was their Calculus teacher. Sir Ning. He had a perpetual frown and an unapproachable face. And his teachings left students more confused about the subject than when they came in.


    That day was no different. Everyone was trying to keep their eyes open as the man prattled on about derivatives. Cheng Xiu used to like derivatives until then.


    A knock at the door interrupted as he went over the same problem again. This time in a completely new way.


    Cheng Xiu looked over.


    San Zhu stood at the door.


    The boy handed a note over to the teacher and then practically ran away.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. That was just cute.


    Teacher Ning cleared his throat. "I have been called to the Principal''s office. Everyone, study page 45 to 60 and complete the exercises in them until I get back."


    The man then ran after San Zhu.


    "What was that about?" Gu Shu asked.


    "Who knows," Cheng Xiu said. "He didn''t even activate the Monitoring Bot."


    Gu Shu took out her Fold and then started to type on the screen. "Which is lucky for us!"


    "What are you looking at?"


    "My DNA profile!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why?"


    Gu Shu rolled her eyes. "Because I want to see my progress. By the way, who did you run off to talk with before? What was so important?"


    Cheng Xiu smirked. And there it was. She had wondered why Gu Shu did not pester her about that as they walked to their class. It turned out, she was waiting for an opportunity.


    "Nothing. Just someone I met in the game."


    "You met someone from our College?" Gu Shu asked with wide eyes at her.


    "Mhm."


    "You didn''t tell me that," Gu Shu said in a small voice.


    "I met him yesterday."


    "Oh."


    Cheng Xiu looked at her friend curiously. Gu Shu seemed a bit off since the meeting that morning. She wondered how she was going to coax the pink haired girl to tell what was on her mind. It couldn''t be a simple thing. Unlike Cheng Xiu, who always hid her inner thoughts until she felt the time was right, Gu Shu was used to speaking her mind. Especially to Cheng Xiu. If she didn''t talk about it, the feelings would fester until she broke down.


    But Cheng Xiu knew her friend''s stubborn nature and how difficult it was to get Gu Shu to do anything that she didn''t want to do. The Gu heiress was the type who would argue senselessly even when she and everyone knew she was wrong. The reason for it was that she was "entitled to express her damned opinion".


    Cheng Xiu shook her head and took out her own Fold. She would deal with it after getting back to their room. For now there were some things she wanted to research.


    She opened The Other World forum and signed in with her email address.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the various options the forum had and chose "World".


    The world interface opened to more options.


    Cheng Xiu looked through them and started with the simplest option. Places.


    Reading through the articles on the various Continents and people Cheng Xiu was surprised. The writers of these articles were experts of the game and not the Game officials. But the articles were meticulous and detailed.


    ''The Other World was vast but Players could only access the Four Petals Continents at present. The Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Continents were the Petals and the Center was the only Continent that was connected to all Four. The Northern-''


    "Little Xiu!" Gu Shu shouted. She fell on top of the other girl.


    "Gu Shu! What the hell is wrong with you!"


    Gu Shu laughed and thrust her Fold under her nose.


    "Look!"


    Cheng Xiu pushed her away and looked at the Screen.


    A Character Profile was displayed.


    [Name : ShuRen


    Cultivation Method: Heart Sutra


    Level : Qi Sensing VI]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "What?"


    "I leveled up this morning!" Gu Shu gushed. "Now I''m only four levels away from being able to join Brother Dao''s guild!"


    "Um¡­A''Shu?"


    Bright wide eyes stared at her. "Yeah?"


    "You are hopeless."


    Gu Shu frowned in confusion.


    "I mean¡­your user name is ShuRen. That''s¡­weren''t you the one who used to mock those girls who changed their usernames to include their crush name as well? Aren''t you doing the same thing now?"


    Gu Shu blushed. "It''s not the same thing." Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow at her. "It''s not!"


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "Alright then. If you say so."


    "It''s not!" Gu Shu glared at her.


    Cheng Xiu laughed. "Okay! Okay! It''s not. I''m being stupid."


    Gu Shu sat back in her chair. "I showed you mine. Now you show me yours!"


    The boy in the desk in front of her choked on the water he was drinking and started to cough. Water spilled everywhere.


    Gu Shu screamed and hid behind Cheng Xiu. "What the hell!"


    The boy''s face was flushed red and he started to bow to them. "I''m so sorry! I''m so sorry!"


    "You!" Gu Shu looked ready to strangle him as she realised his spittled water had fallen all over her desk. "Look what you did!"


    "I''m really sorry!"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips.


    The boy looked ready to cry. "It''s my fault! I heard those words and my mind¡­I''m so sorry!"


    "Heard what words!" Gu Shu asked in anger.


    "Tho-those words¡­I''m so sorry! So sorry!"


    Cheng Xiu burst into laughter.


    Gu Shu looked at her in shock and disbelief.


    The boy blushed even more.


    Gu Shu hit her over the head. "Oi! What are you laughing about!"


    Cheng Xiu hissed and snorted. "You should really be careful of your words, A''Shu. The poor man. It''s okay, Brother¡­"


    "Ching Gao."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Brother Ching."


    "Really sorry," the boy said awkwardly and then ran off.


    "Don''t we still have class?" Cheng Xiu asked his retreating back.


    "I''ll notify the Cleaning Bot!" he said and ran off.


    Gu Shu hit her shoulder. "Why would you let him get away?"


    "Because it was an accident. Now, what were you asking?"


    Gu Shu looked at her in excitement. "Show me your Character Profile in The Other World!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed and took her Fold. She logged into her DNA Registration Interface.


    "You used your DNA profile? Why would you do that!" Gu Shu asked in horror.


    Cheng Xiu froze. "What do you mean by that?"


    "Using a DNA profile to create an account is equal to signing Exclusivity. This is the only Character you will be able to play as! You can''t change your gender. You can''t reroll your skill or anything. If you delete this account and create another one, you would still have the same name, cultivation method, and Starter Village!"


    Cheng Xiu''s lips twitched in annoyance. "Is that so?"


    Gu Shu peeked at the screen. "Anyway, show me your Profile!"


    Cheng Xiu glared at the girl. Did she just give some bad news and then gloss over it like it isn''t important?


    "A''Xiu! Send it to my Folder!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed and opened her Player Profile.


    [Name : Selafia Veritas.


    Other Names: SelaXiu Veritas.


    Cultivation Method: True Qi Cultivation.


    Level : Qi Sensing I.


    Title: Aggro Queen( Player has 30% chance of gaining aggro of the Players around her.)


    Dex: 2


    Str: 2


    Spd: 2


    Stam: 2


    Int: 3


    Wis: 3]


    Cheng Xiu looked at her Profile in confusion. What was the Title all about?


    "A''Xiu!"


    Rolling her eyes at the impatience in her friend''s voice, Cheng Xiu shared the Character Sheet with Gu Shu.


    Gu Shu read through it in excitement and then deflated. "You are still in level 1? Why are you so slow? shouldn''t you have already done your first two missions atleast?"


    Cheng Xiu gave her a strained smile. "I''m having some difficulties reaching the Quest destination."


    Gu Shu frowned. "Reach destination? But aren''t all level 1 and level 2 missions within the starter city?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Yeah but seeing as I got 100% in my cultivation, there were some mild changes."


    Gu Shu smiled. "You know, there was a World Announcement yesterday night of some SelaXiu getting a title and lots of rewards. It''s why I wanted to see your profile. Your names sounded similar. That girl got so many rewards in one go, though. How awesome is that! I wish we could have her luck!"


    Cheng Xiu looked at her in confusion. Didn''t her character sheet have SelaXiu as another name?


    Cheng Xiu snatched Gu Shu''s Folder and looked.


    Her other name and title were missing. All her stats were at 1.


    Cheng Xiu returned the Fold in a daze. Gu Shu was talking something about the various missions that she had to do but Cheng Xiu was only half listening.


    She pulled up her character sheet in her own Fold Screen. Her other name and title was visible, her wis and Int Stats were at 3 and the rest at 2.


    She shared the character screen again.


    A message popped up.


    [Please note that Player Information has been moved to Rank S encryption and Player details cannot be sent to devices that are registered to people below Rank A.


    If Player still insists on sharing data to Lower Level devices you must give access to the device through your DNA profile. Note that giving access to others of your high ranked profile would decrypt your personal information to them. It is advised that Player keeps her real Character Info a secret.


    If you have any further enquiries regarding your Rank or anything Player Profile related please follow the link given below. Our AI system is always accessible to you at any time and any day.


    Thank you.]


    The bell rang.


    Gu Shu jumped to her feet. "Come on, Cheng Xiu! Brother Dao wants to meet at the cafeteria!"


    Cheng Xiu followed the link. "You leave. I have some things to get done."


    "What things?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at Gu Shu from the corner of her eyes. "Things."


    Gu Shu rolled her eyes. "I''ve known you since we were eight A''Xiu. You have to do a bit better than that at lying."


    "Not lying."


    "Then tell me what the thing is!"


    "No."


    Gu Shu huffed. "Why not?"


    "I need to know more before I give you any explanation. Go now. Isn''t your Dao waiting for you to talk or something?"


    Gu Shu frowned and tried to peek at the screen. Cheng Xiu closed the Fold and put it in her bag. "I''m concerned now. Show me what you were doing. Besides, you usually try to stop me from going to Brother Dao. That''s the biggest red flag for me."


    Cheng Xiu looked at her. "I do no such thing. I only stopped you from meeting him at night with his guy friends in a hotel. Once. Usually, I tell you my opinion on your attachment to him. There''s a difference. I still think he is a dick."


    Gu Shu''s eyes turned dull. "Yeah. I guess you always did hate him. So, the feelings are all of his own."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Feelings?"


    Gu Shu shook her head. "I''ll be leaving then! You come quickly. We only have a 15 minutes break before we have to go to our next class!"


    Cheng Xiu waved her off.


    As soon as Gu Shu''s silhouette disappeared, Cheng Xiu took out her Fold Device again.


    A blue interface had opened up following the link.


    [Welcome, Player Selafia Veritas to The Other World Q&A.


    I am your designated personal AI assistant, Maya. How may I help you today?]


    "You again," Cheng Xiu muttered.


    She pressed a button on the side of her desk.


    The wooden panel of the desk moved away and a magnetic, fiber panel raised from under it. A small compartment opened up in the right side corner. Inside it sat a crystalline chord.


    Cheng Xiu linked the wire to her Fold Device through the USB portal.


    A red light blinked in the chord and then a virtual keyboard materialized on her desk.


    This was called a Lightscreen. There was a motherboard built into the school desks, made of magnetic crystals, and students could use it to use the virtual keyboard and virtual touchpad programmed into it. The power source of the device was the natural Qi available around them.


    [Why was my Player Status moved to S Rank?] Cheng Xiu typed in.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has been tagged in the tracking list of ten Level 70 Players. As Player was Level 1 when you achieved this feat, and multiple high ranked players have tried to access your personal information, the system has decided to encrypt Player Information to the highest Rank of your Enemy to keep Player Info safe.


    This is being done because Player used their DNA Profile to open her TOW account.]


    Cheng Xiu hemmed. She wasn''t given a choice in the matter of choosing her Log in method. But Gu Shu and now the game AI made it sound like it was not mandatory to use their DNA Profile.


    Did Cheng Xiu misunderstand the system words?


    Another message popped up.


    [Congratulations to Player Selafia Veritas for becoming the first person in the game to have such powerful enemies at Level 1!]


    Cheng Xiu felt like she was being mocked. That wasn''t something she should be congratulated about! Broken system!


    [Thanks!] she typed and then felt the message didn''t express how irritated she actually felt. She sent a bunch of frowning emojis at it.


    [Ding!]


    [You are welcome!]


    There was a string of smiley faces following that.


    Cheng Xiu had the feeling like she hit a cotton pillow. Ineffective and a completely wasted effort.


    Damned system.


    With a huff, Cheng Xiu closed everything and marched off. She had better things to worry about. Like a bunch of high-profile people tracking her and trying to hack into her personal information.


    She shivered. She had hoped they would forget about her little mishap.


    Hopefully, this was a glitch in the system and she didn''t just gain powerful enemies that she couldn''t face.


    Hopefully.

 Chapter 21 - Unexpected Intervention.

    Cruel laughs echoed in the poolside.


    Brown eyes looked on in malicious satisfaction. A pale thin hand, far more powerful than it should be, kept the head of the person under the water. The person flailed their hands as their lungs slowly lost air.


    The thin hand got hold of the person''s hair and pulled it up.


    A flushed, wet face was revealed. The bloodshot blue eyes looked at their assailant with a burning hatred.


    "Don''t look at me like I have wronged you," Ren Yin said with a cold sneer. "I told you before that you should stay away from brother Fei. That I didn''t want the likes of very courageous to still persevere. You must take me as a joke."


    The girl shivered from the cold, but her face still held unyielding pride. "Brother Fei and I are friends. I won''t stop being friends with him just because you are a jealous bitch, Ren Yin."


    Ren Yin sneered.


    "You little whore, you have learned to talk back to your betters!" one of the girls behind Ren Yin, who was enjoying the scene, said.


    She plunged Chu Ying''s head into the pool waters again. The girl struggled against her hold.


    Ren Yin motioned her to stop.


    The girl pulled Chu Ying out again.


    Chu Ying heaved. Her entire body was soaked and her white clothes became transparent.


    Ren Yin sneered. "Look at you, drenched in water, exposing your body for all to see. You want to seduce my Brother Fei!"


    She raised her hand to slap the girl.


    A jade-like hand grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her back.


    Ren Yin lost her footing and fell on her back.


    "How dare you!" one of the girls shouted.


    Ren Yin winced at the pain on her tailbone and looked at her assaultor.


    Her eyes met with a pair of Phoenix eyes. "Cheng Xiu!"


    Cheng Xiu sneered. "Classmate Ren Yin, I see that stealing people''s ideas is not the most despicable thing about you."


    "You!" Ren Yin tried to get up. But the tiled floor was slippery and she fell back down. "Ruo! Help me up!"


    "Yes, Sister Yin!"


    The girl who was drowning Chu Ying a minute back rushed to her side.


    Cheng Xiu turned to the victim and observed her. Her body was shivering and her head was bowed, as if in shame.


    There was something very familiar about the girl.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What''s your name?"


    The girl looked at her with angry eyes. "Chu Ying! Why? do you want to know whether you should bother helping me or not?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "You think too much. I just wanted to know your name. You are not from the Geoenergy Department?"


    The girl hunched, as though protecting herself from an attack. "Mech Tech Department."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. "You are the one from C-City right? The one already enlisted in the Alliance Force?"


    Chu Ying blinked at her in confusion. It was weird to find someone who knew her because of her achievements in this college. Most of them only cared about the fact that she came from the Capital, and that she was the pretty childhood friend of Brother Fei.


    Chu Ying Reluctantly nodded. "I am."


    Cheng Xiu looked at her with a soft smile.


    Chu Ying fidgetted. Why did this girl look at her like she was looking at her Kin?


    Cheng Xiu turned to Ren Yin with a cold smile. "So you do have a thing for bullying those who do better than you at something."


    Ren Yin finally managed to stand on her feet without Ruo''s help. She glared at the Qiless in front of her.


    "Get lost, you useless Qiless! This is between me and her!"


    Chu Ying looked at the girl in front of her in surprise. A Qiless! She had never really seen a Qiless before!


    She observed the girl. Infact, she didn''t look any different than those with it!


    The only difference was, this girl was prettier than the Film actresses that she had seen in her life. There was an aura around her that made it seem like she was looking at an accomplished person who knew they were valuable than a Qiless.


    Did Ren Yin make a mistake in identifying her?


    Cheng Xiu pulled out her Fold from her backpack.


    "What are you doing?" Ren Yin asked in panic.


    "Reporting this incident to the AI System. In fact, there should have been a System interference already," Cheng Xiu said with a frown. She looked at Ren Yin. "Did you tamper with the System Interface?"


    "The AI Grid of this building was damaged yesterday," Chu Ying said to her. Phoenix shaped eyes with deep black pupils looked her way. Chu Ying blushed. "That''s why I was here. The teachers of our department said we are allowed to observe the Grids as long as we keep a distance from the mainframe. I thought the pool side was the best place because it''s far from the poolside rage and everyone chose places closer to it. I ended up alone here."


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "The Grid being damaged was enough information."


    "Oh."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the blushing face and smiled. She then glared at Ren Yin who was glaring at Chu Ying.


    Cheng Xiu activated her Fold.


    "There can be no Penalty Bots here! The grid is damaged! Were you not listening?" Ren Yin informed her with a malicious smirk.


    Everyone around her understood her intentions. This was a great opportunity. She could teach this arrogant Qiless her place and there would be no proof of what she did.


    Cheng Xiu gave her a condescending look.


    Ren Yin''s face froze.


    "The Penalty Bots are not controlled by the Grid. They have their own mainframe which is in the college Dean''s office."


    Ren Yin and her two lackeys shivered in fright and panicked.


    "But¡­" Chu Ying said, her face twisting in unwillingness.


    Cheng Xiu frowned at her. "What?"


    "You are not a student of the Mathematics Department. Only students of this department can access such privileges."


    Cheng Xiu wanted to hit her head somewhere. Was this girl stupid? Why would she give such information to people who was hurting her?


    Ren Yin laughed coldly and walked towards the two girls. "Well, that''s just convenient!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She accessed her student profile through the Fold and put it on speaker. "Grant Access to Penalty Bots of the Mathematics Department."


    ''Access Granted'' a mechanical voice said in the Fold. Everyone around her froze.


    "You know what''s more convenient, Ren Yin?" Cheng Xiu asked with a smirk. "My privilege as a scholarship holder."


    Ren Yin looked at her Fold Device in shock. The other two girls looked at the Qiless girl in horror.


    Chu Ying felt like her three world''s view was just stamped over by elephants and then shit on it by mules.


    Since when did Qiless become people who could access Scholarships? Were they not inferior and primitive people?


    "As a scholarship holder, I am given power to access the Penalty Bots of any Department. After all, the college is spending resources on me, so they need to safeguard me."


    Cheng Xiu tapped on the screen.


    ''Opening Complaint Form. Bot 626 is the closest Bot to you. Please report your Complaint,'' the mechanical voice said.


    "Sister Yin?" the Ruo girl called in fear.


    Ren Yin gritted her teeth and was unwilling. "Cheng Xiu! Don''t cause trouble unnecessarily!"


    "Unnecessary? So should I ignore the fact that you were trying to drown a fellow student and raised your hands to hit her?" Cheng Xiu asked incredulously.


    Ren Yin glared.


    The other girl next to Cheng Xiu burst into tears.


    Everyone looked at her in shock.


    The girl ran towards Cheng Xiu, trying to hug the girl. Cheng Xiu dodged.


    "What do you want?" Cheng Xiu asked with a sneer.


    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I was possessed to have done something like this! Rui was possessed! I''m sorry! Please don''t complain! I will be ruined! My future will be destroyed!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Did you think of your future when you were bullying Classmate Chu?"


    The girl turned to Chu Ying. "Classmate Chu! Please! I''m sorry! I''m sorry for my part in your misery! Please!"


    Ruo also came forward with tears in her eyes. She fell to her knees next to the Rui girl. "I''m sorry too. Please forgive us!"


    Chu Ying looked at the crying girls at her feet who were on their knees and holding her feet. She then looked at Cheng Xiu.


    "Miss¡­maybe¡­"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She looked at the crying girls. Her eyes then went to Chu Ying and Ren Yin, who was looking at her two lackeys in shock.


    She relaxed. "Fellow student, what guarantee do you have that these people won''t do the same despicable thing? Today it was trying to drown you. Tomorrow they will set you on fire if they get the chance. And just because they will leave you alone does not mean they won''t do the same thing to other people. Be reasonable."


    Chu Ying looked at crying girls with pity. "They are girls. If they are charged with bullying then their future will be ruined. I''m sure they have learnt their lesson."


    "We have!" Ruo quickly said. "We have!"


    Cheng Xiu looked at Ren Yin.


    The Ren heiress snorted. "Since when are you Miss. Saviour? Didn''t you let me take your idea, as you said?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "I don''t speak up when there are authorities present, Ren Yin. Ms Bo was there and she is a B Ranked employee of the college. Right now, in this room, I am the one with the greatest authority unlike this morning. You should know this as you w, ere so quick to kiss Ms Bo''s ass."


    "Whatever!" Ren Yin walked away.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the crying girls and signed. "Leave before I change my mind and don''t think that you are off the hook. Think of this as a Probationary period." The girls looked at her in confusion. Cheng Xiu slouched. "As a¡­grace period."


    The two girls nodded and then scurried away.


    Cheng Xiu turned to Chu Ying. "Your clothes are wet. I''ll ask a friend of mine to bring you fresh ones."


    "Thank you," Chu Ying said with a bow.


    Cheng Xiu called Gu Shu and gave her the details. The Gu heiress was indignant and wanted to report Ren Yin and others. It took Cheng Xiu some time to actually get the girl to stop her ranting and get Come clothes.


    Cheng Xiu observed the girl for some time. She had sat down during their conversation and was fiddling with a necklace that hung near her stomach.


    "That''s a long chain," Cheng Xiu commented.


    Chu Ying nodded. "It was given to me by my Nanny before she died."


    Cheng Xiu hemmed. "My friend is bringing your clothes."


    "I heard."


    Cheng Xiu stood there, unsure of what to talk about.


    Chu Ying looked at the pretty girl in front of her. She still couldn''t believe that she was a Qiless. It was a novelty she never thought she would witness.


    "Are all Qiless like you?" Chu Ying asked.


    Cheng Xiu stilled and then looked at the girl with a complicated look. "What do you mean?"


    Chu Ying gave her puppy eyes. "The Capital is safe from Qiless people so I have never seen one before!"


    Cheng Xiu glared. "What do you mean safe? Is being Qiless equal to being monsters?"


    Chu Ying flinched. "That¡­um...my mother said¡­that¡­"


    Cheng Xiu''s aura changed to one of coldness. "Speak properly. What did she say?"


    Chu Ying bowed her head. "That they are¡­murderers and¡­rapists¡­who covet¡­those with Qi."


    Cheng Xiu glared at the bowed head. "Is that right?"


    Chu Ying shook her head. "I-I just¡­the capital doesn''t have Qiless, maybe that''s why mom thought like that!"


    "Who told you the Capital doesn''t have Qiless?"


    Chu Ying looked at her in horror. "They do?"


    "What? Should people like me not be admitted to such places?"


    Chu Ying shook her head. "I''m sorry. I¡­I guess I haven''t met any Qiless so I thought so. Please forgive me!"


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "Whatever."


    Chu Ying felt her eyes sting at the dismissive expression on the girl''s face. "I am sorry. And thank you for what you did! If it weren''t for you, I might have even been dead! So thank you!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "Ren Yin is the type to bully you if you bow your head even for a bit and show weakness. She only picks on the weak. That girl is too cowardly to be a murderer."


    "Oh."


    Cheng Xiu wondered what was taking Gu Shu so long.


    "And thank you for letting those two girls go!" Chu Ying said.


    "You were the one who was assailed. If you don''t want to complain, what can I do? If I try to force the issue then I will be seen as someone who wants attention or something and if you denied it even happening where would I be? Wouldn''t I just be someone who gave a false cry?"


    "Oh."


    Silence filled the space between them. Cheng Xiu kept staring at the deep bleeding water.


    "I''m Chu Ying!" Chu Ying said to her after some time.


    "I know. You said it before."


    "I''m sorry for offending you!"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I get it. You were born sheltered. Heard all kinds of stories about the vicious, demented Qiless who are out to get those with Qi."


    Chu Ying blushed. "Sorry."


    "Just don''t repeat it and we are fine."


    Chu Ying nodded vigorously.


    Silence fell again. Cheng Xiu wondered where Gu Shu was.


    "So¡­what''s your name?"


    "Cheng Xiu."


    Chu Ying nodded and then looked at her in shock. "Cheng¡­Cheng Xiu? The one who passed the entrance exam with a score of 9.9?"


    "Mm."


    Chu Ying stared in disbelief. It was one thing to find that Qiless were like normal people. Even finding out that a Qiless had a scholarship was stretching it, but understandable. But this¡­


    To Chu Ying, this was the most unbelievable. A Qiless with a score of 9.9. There were many in the Capital who wanted to meet the "Hyper-Genius" as they called her. The officials only said that Cheng Xiu was from H-City and that she was a she. Nothing much was known.


    It was Brother Fei who dug up some information on Cheng Xiu. The two of them had wanted to meet the Great One as they had started to call her.


    They found out that Cheng Xiu was accepted as a student in St Andre''s College. It confused them why the supposed Hyper-Genius would choose a college in H-City but brother Fei made a decision. That he would study at the same place as Cheng Xiu did to ensure that his future was set. After all, a person like Cheng Xiu deemed St Andre''s as the path to take.


    Chu Ying had followed brother Fei loyally.


    And now she was sitting in front of hers and Brother Fei''s idol wet and actually insulted her unknowingly.


    Chu Ying''s min a piece of news that she heard.


    "But¡­"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow, making her immortal face look even more devine.


    Chu Ying blushed, and felt her heart beat faster.


    "But what?"


    Ch Ying pursed her lips.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Just say what you want to say."


    "But you have a DNA Profile!"


    Cheng Xiu nodded, not understanding the problem. "Everyone does. It''s my identity proof."


    Chu Ying puffed her cheeks. "But¡­your Mental Power was ranked at S with the potential to grow to SS or even SSS!"


    Cheng Xiu gave her an amused look. "I know. It''s my Profile results. I know it better than you."


    Chu Ying fell into a daze again. She looked at Cheng Xiu in horror. A Qiless with the mental capability of an S-Ranked. If she was so capable as a Qiless, then, if she had her Qi Center activated her potential would be¡­


    Chu Ying couldn''t even imagine what the threshold of her power would have been.


    Chu Ying calmed down. Perhaps that''s why she was Qiless. She was already so excellent. The Heavens felt that if she had Qi then she would be too powerful. Everyone needed a balance. And Cheng Xiu''s Qiless status was how Heaven decided to control her fate.


    Gu Shu came bursting through the door.


    Cheng Xiu got up. "You took your sweet time, A''Shu."


    Gu Shu handed a bag to Chu Ying.


    Chu Ying peeked inside and looked up at Gu Shu in surprise. "These are my clothes."


    Gu Shu smiled. "Or else? I asked one of your classmates and found out you were shorter than most girls. Whose clothing can I give you? I''m 5''4'''' and Cheng Xiu is a bamboo stick that keeps growing in height. There was only so many options."


    Cheng Xiu hit the back of her head. "Insulting your own best friend in front of others. Do you have no shame?"


    Gu Shu rolled her eyes. She looked at Chu Ying. "Well, go on then. Change already."


    Chu Ying blushed. "That¡­that is¡­"


    Cheng Xiu looked towards Heaven, asking for inner strength. She grabbed Gu Shu by the elbow and dragged her towards the door. Gu Shu protested against this malicious treatment.


    "Be quiet! Are you going to watch the girl change now?"


    Gu Shu hugged Cheng Xiu. "What extra fitting does she have that we don''t? Why be shy in front of us?"


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "Not everyone is shameless like you. Classmate Chu, we will wait outside and make sure that no one comes in. Change quickly."


    Gu Shu sighed. "Fine. But hurry up. We have Coding next! And I don''t want to miss that class."


    "Such a good student," Cheng Xiu mocked her as they leaned against the door. "It has nothing to do with the fact that the teacher is a handsome, single man."


    "Nope. It doesn''t."


    Cheng Xiu saw San Zhu leaning against a door and reading a book.


    She was surprised to see him there.


    She had been in this college for a month or two now yet she never saw him but once she got to know him, she seemed to see him everywhere.


    He looked distressed as she wrote on a piece of paper.


    Curious, Cheng Xiu walked towards him.


    Gu Shu followed after seeing her go towards a guy voluntarily. She was curious as to why her iceberg of a friend was doing something so extraordinary.


    A/N: A really long chapter. But I didn''t know where to end the chapter at. Anyway, one more chapter and we will have Cheng Xiu facing the Experts! So excited!


    Also, don''t forget to leave your comments, reviews and opinions on the story! Your valuable feedback is really helpful in knowing how my readers feel about the various scenes and characters.


    What is your favorite character so far? what was your favourite scene? Or is there none?


    Also, the gift function of the story is finally open! Thank you for the attention you showed this story! It''s because of that that this could happen so soon! Also don''t forget to vote with powerstones if you liked, the story!


    Love you all for the Love and Support!

 Chapter 22 - Ambush

    Cheng Xiu walked towards the rotund figure, who stood leaning against the railing.


    "Brother San?" Cheng Xiu called.


    He started and whirled. "Sister Xiu!"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "What were you doing out here all alone?"


    He blushed and then pointed outside. "There are hummingbirds out there."


    Cheng Xiu peered out and saw the beautiful birds she had seen that morning.


    "Bird watching¡­is that a hobby of yours?"


    He shook his head. "Not really, but it''s so rare to see these creatures so up close that I was transfixed."


    Cheng Xiu leaned against the railing next to him and watched the fluttering wings. "Hmm¡­do you think¡­they will survive?"


    "No," San Zhu said immediately. "they won''t."


    "Aren''t you a bit too pessimistic?" a voice said behind them. Gu Shu smiled and leaned on Cheng Xiu''s shoulder. "I''m Gu Shu."


    San Zhu bowed to her. "Hello, Sister Gu. I''m San Zhu."


    "I know you!" Gu Shu said. "Aren''t you that guy Ms Bo replaced yesterday?"


    Cheng Xiu jabbed her in the ribs.


    Gu Shu looked at her with a hurt face. "What?"


    San Zhu laughed awkwardly. "I am."


    "Please don''t mind her, she doesn''t intend to be rude. It just happens."


    Gu Shu pouted. "I don''t offend people."


    Cheng Xiu smiled at her words. "Sure you don''t. That''s why I keep apologizing to people wherever we go."


    San Zhu turned to look outside again.


    Cheng Xiu followed the birds with her eyes. "It really is a beautiful sight to behold."


    "Yeah," Gu Shu whispered from beside her. "But the Qi Beasts will get them in the end."


    "Yeah," San Zhu said. "In the wild, those without power fall prey to those who are more powerful."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips as her hands clenched into a fist. Power. Their entire society was based on it. No one said it out loud unless they were extremists but their society did belong to those with the power. Those without had to silently suffer.


    She had read many history articles about the changes. It was there even before the outbreaks but it''s during and after the Manifestations that people changed.


    Kindness was still advocated but for only your own kind.


    Like Ms Bo. She remembered the friendliness the woman had first shown until she had found out about Cheng Xiu''s reality.


    Kindness towards like-minded people.


    "Is that really how you think it''s going to be?" Cheng Xiu asked him. "Do you think we will all end up as prey for the powerful? That''s our end?"


    Gu Shu shifted on her feet. She felt out of place all of a sudden.


    San Zhu looked at Gu Shu and then at Cheng Xiu. He smiled.


    "Well not everyone. I meant the powerless like me."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Am I not included in your group?"


    San Zhu looked at her with pitying eyes. "You are Cheng Xiu."


    They stayed silent for a moment.


    "Is that all you have to say?" Gu Shu asked San Zhu in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth and pushed down the anger that raised at his words. "I don''t understand Brother San''s words. What does my name have to do with me not being not¡­like you?"


    He smiled. "Sister Xiu, you are Cheng Xiu. You have an identity beyond being a Qiless. You are called the most beautiful girl on campus. You are a Hyperactive Genius." Cheng Xiu''s grip on the railings thigh tend. "You are the first Qiless with an S-Ranked mind potential at such a young age. You are more than just another Qiless. They have to think twice before they can scorn you."


    She didn''t want any of those titles. Because in the end, those titles came with a pitying sigh that said if only she was a Blessed, she could be more.


    Cheng Xiu was sure she was doing her best but her best was brushed off with simple words like ''Genius'' and ''S-Ranked''. Like the near sleepless days she spent to get those results didn''t even happen.


    "I''m also a Qiless."


    "But you are still Cheng Xiu. Almost all the men on this campus who knows you, have a crush on you."


    Cheng Xiu gave him a mocking laugh. "Where are these men then?"


    San Zhu stilled. "Um¡­that¡­"


    "Let me guess," Cheng Xiu said, "They said, ''If only she was a Blessed.'' Am I right?"


    San Zhu ducked his head. "I didn''t mean to offend you."


    "I''m not offended. I don''t think I''m any of those things you listed."


    San Zhu opened his mouth in protest only for Cheng Xiu to hold out her hand in a stop sign.


    "I''m more than a Qiless? But I am still a Qiless, and that''s an important identity to me."


    San Zhu bowed to her. "Really sorry Sister Xiu. I didn''t mean to make you feel like that!!"


    She slumped. "It''s okay. I''m just¡­taking my frustrations out on the wrong person I guess."


    "Um...excuse me?" a soft voice floated over to them.


    The three of them turned around.


    Chu Ying stood in a pale green sundress and smiled at them. "Thank you for saving me, Senior Cheng."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Uh...I''m in the First Year."


    Chu Ying nodded. "I know, but you are my saviour so I want to honour you."


    "Just call me Xiu."


    Chu Ying shook her head. "I haven''t done anything to earn the right to call you by your given name and my grandfather always says that we should earn the right to call someone by their first name!"


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "Oh? What an interesting ideal to have."


    Chu Ying smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, Grandpa is awesome."


    "This is Brother San Zhu. He is in third-year Mathematics Department," Cheng Xiu introduced.


    San Zhu and Chu Ying bowed and headbutted each other.


    Gu Shu laughed. Cheng Xiu grinned.


    "That was funny and adorable," Gu Shu told the two of them.


    chu Ying and San Zhe blushed.


    "I''m Chu Ying, it''s nice to meet you, Brother San," she said, hoping to get over the incident. "I''m from the Mecha Software Department."


    San Zhu nodded his head and the back of his neck. Now it seemed like a gathering of the greats and then him. "Um¡­yeah, nice to meet you too, Sister Chu. Sister Xiu, I''ll contact you at 4:00 in the evening?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head.


    After San Zhu left, Chu Ying also did because she promised her friend she would meet her friend at the library and she was already late.


    Cheng Xiu and Gu Shu continued with their classes.


    Lunch was simple, with Gu Shu alternating between praising Ren Dao and confirming that Cheng Xiu didn''t have feelings for him.


    It ended with the two of them reaching their dorm room still arguing about why Gu Shu''s obsession with that moron was bringing the Gu heiress''s potential down.


    Gu Shu huffed and then went to take a bath to cool off as Cheng Xiu pulled out her Daily assignments. All games aside, she shouldn''t forget the thing that gave her the power to oppose Ren Yin today.


    Her status as a Grade S Scholarship student.


    By the time Gu Shu came out of the bathroom, Cheng Xiu had moved on to reading some short stories.


    "Weren''t you doing wave calculations before?" Gu Shu asked her.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Done."


    Gu Shu slumped against her, putting her head on Cheng Xiu''s shoulder. "I''ll do it tomorrow. Besides, the due date is next week. I''m not a freak like you."


    "Don''t you have a Coding that''s due tomorrow?"


    Gu Shu shot up to her feet and paced. "Damn it! What do I do! What do I do! A''Xiu, I''m dead! I didn''t even begin my research! I forgot all about it in my excitement at buying our gaming pod!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed and then handed Gu Shu a Lightscreen that laid beside her pillow.


    Gu Shu looked at her in confusion.


    "There is a file in it called ''Just Incase''. Its password word is GuCode2. It has the research notes on your topic necessary for you to write a barely passable paper."


    Gu Shu looked at the Lightscreen in her hand in shock. "When did you do this?"


    "When you were busy buying a Gaming Pod and running after Ren Dao."


    Gu Shu looked pleasantly surprised and annoyed at her best friend for assuming she wouldn''t do the work.


    An alarm rang on Cheng Xiu''s Folder.


    Cheng Xiu switched off the device and walked off to the pod.


    "Where are you going?"


    "It''s 4:00 pm. Time to go into your precious Other World."


    Gu Shu began to follow her.


    Cheng Xiu glared at her.


    "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "You have a paper to write."


    "But-"


    "I''ll never help you in this again if you waste my effort."


    Gu Shu huffed and sat back down on the bed. "Go on then."


    Cheng Xiu nodded and got into the pod.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and concentrated on the changes she felt in her body.


    She felt the inside of her lower abdomen warm up briefly and then her consciousness left the reality.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and smiled. The sweet scent of dawn was still in the air in the Virtual world. The land under feet was wet.


    Did it rain in the game last night?


    She felt a cool breeze brush against her skin, making her feel refreshed and energetic.


    The smile on her face froze as her eyes fell on a man hung upside down on a spear in his underwear.


    "Bro-brother Sa-san?" she called in disbelief.


    "Sister Xiu, run!"


    Shadowed figures surrounded her.

 Chapter 23 - Grandmasters Arena

    A woman scantily clad in purple robes walked into the cave tunnel, her path lit by glowing patterns written onto the coarse cave wall. She dragged a forty-year-old man, chained and mouth stuffed in clothes behind her. Green diamonds floated above their heads.


    NPCs.


    The scent of rotten flesh wafted through the air as the wind swept past the tresses of the woman''s hair and the man whimpered in fear and disgust when it hit his nose.


    The narrow cave tunnel broadened out into a wide, circular room.


    An intricate Throne sat in the far end wall of the room. And a man sat on it, his head bent over a few papers on his lap, his legs laid languid on the Throne arm.


    The clothes on him were pitch black and deep gold embroidered. The golden lotus sewn into the hems of his robes was similar to the one drawn on his forehead.


    His entire presence emitted the presence of an immortal who was beyond human touch.


    A blue diamond was floating over his head.


    "My lord," the woman''s seductive voice echoed in the quiet space.


    "Hm."


    "I''ve brought Light Mountain Sect''s grandmaster for you," the woman said, her voice cracking into a deranged laugh as she whipped the man in chains.


    The lacerations left behind by the whips caught fire and the chained man screamed in pain.


    The man on the throne looked up.


    "Diana. What have I told you about playing with your food?"


    The woman smirked. "But My lord, this man thought just because he was an immortal that he could beat me. I was simply defending my honour. And I''m sure this man knows about the Emperor Beast''s defeat."


    The man straightened up. "Immortal Wan Hu, do you know why you were brought here?"


    Diana removed the stuffing in the man''s mouth.


    "You wretched beast!" the man spit. "Turning young maidens into your slaves and puppets!"


    The man looked at the Immortal and then at Diana in confusion. "What is he talking about?"


    Diana''s red lips curled into a smile. "I don''t know, My lord."


    The man on the throne released his killing aura.


    Diana gasped in fear and then fell to her knees.


    Immortal Wan Hu prostrated on the coarse floor in fear, blood leaking from his nose.


    "Immortal Wan, do you know why you were brought here?" the man asked.


    Immortal Wan shook his head in fear. "N-no."


    The man gave a soft smile that contrasted with his cold eyes. "I want information. Information on the one that slew the Emperor Spirit of the Viridian Forest."


    "I don''t know."


    The Lord''s eyes narrowed and a cruel glint flitted through his gaze.


    The spiritual pressure on Immortal Wan Hu increased and the man started to bleed from the nose and mouth.


    The man shook his head. "I don''t know! I don''t know! All I or the other sect leaders could find out was that the Slayer was a girl and that she was significantly weaker than the beast! Please spare me! Spare me!"


    "I see," the man hummed. "Diana. Finish up your dinner."


    The woman smirked and then turned to Wan Hu with a demented look. "Time for dinner, Little Prey."


    She snapped her fingers and the chains around the man disappeared.


    He looked at her in shock.


    "Now run," she said in a garbled voice. Her face turned inhuman and purple.


    The man ran out of the circular space, knowing he had to try to save himself now or he would never see another day.


    The woman ran after him, laughing in madness.


    Soon, horrific screams filled the air and the scent of burnt flesh spilt into the room.


    A shadowy figure emerged from behind the throne. The blue diamond over its head, the only indication that it could be a human.


    "Diana is becoming crazier. You are indulging that NPC a bit too much."


    The man on the throne smirked. "Luther."


    The shadows dispelled and in its place stood a man in all red, with a black sash around his waist. The man had a frown on his face. "Master Yaksha, don''t you think you are being a bit too unbridled in this world?"


    "Luther, are you implying that I''m somehow different from how I usually am?"


    The man shook his head." No, young master Lu."


    Yaksha smiled." It''s Yaksha now, Luther."


    "Apologies, but¡­Diana is becoming more¡­deranged"


    Yaksha shrugged. "She reminds me of my little sister a lot. I can''t help indulging her. Anyway, tell me you have something better than that NPC did."


    Luther sighed. "Her name is SelaXiu Veritas."


    "I know that from the world announcement."


    Luther frowned. "And all the other level 70 Grandmasters are already there waiting to contact her. We might be too late. She might have handed the beast core over already."


    "Really?" Diana asked as she came into the room. "But brother Luther, don''t you think brother Yaksha would have thought of it already if so?"


    "It''s still weird that you start calling him brother when there are no outsiders here."


    "Obviously," Diana said, rolling her eyes. "If I become very familiar with big brother, then they would use that as leverage. Isn''t that right, brother."


    "Crazy NPC," Luther muttered, creeped out once again by the realism in this VR game.


    "Exactly, Diana," Yaksha said and smirked at the annoyed look on Luther''s face that the man tried and failed to hide. "Now Luther, what are the chances that the Immortals are too busy fighting each other and that they haven''t yet decided on anything?"


    Luther looked at Yaksha in surprise. "This is also possible!"


    Yaksha stood up. "Prepare the teleportation circle to Veritas, Diana. We are going on a long journey."


    Diana looked at him in excitement. "Are there going to be more righteous Immortals there, brother Yaksha?"


    Yaksha smiled. "Many."


    In the Viridian Forest, Cheng Xiu got surrounded by the Immortals she kill stole from.


    A shadow flashed in front of her.


    It was the immortal with the red and blue painted face.


    "Hello," the girl said with a sweet smile. "I''m Yue. You said you would see us tomorrow. It''s tomorrow."


    Cheng Xiu crouched, unsure of the situation.


    Expert Yue smiled kindly. "Brother Phoenix here advocated so much for you, that we decided to meet you properly."


    "I did nothing of the sort!" Star Phoenix said bitterly. "You people decided to stick around on your own."


    "I was going to leave," the Red clad man said to Cheng Xiu. "But then Star Phoenix seemed very interested in meeting you. That made it very obvious that you were someone to be looking into."


    The green-robed man snorted. "So the fact that this newbie actually used Everhill''s Rynheart was not at all noteworthy? It''s Star Phoenix''s scheming words that convinced you?"


    The Red clad man shrugged. "It''s Everhill. For all, I know he brought in a defective product instead of the real Rynheart."


    "Crow! I dare you to say that to my face!" the man in orange screamed.


    The man in red turned towards him. "Everhill, I think you brought in the duplicate Rynheart instead of the real one."


    "You absolute jackass!"


    "Is that the best insult you could come up with?" the man in red asked in disdain. "My 10-year-old little brother can do better than you. The Grandmaster of the High Clouds Sect only amounts to this much. How pathetic."


    "Enough!" Expert Yue said, glaring. "Now then. Sister Lotus, you may begin."


    Cheng Xiu felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand.


    She dodged to the side.


    An ice spear embedded itself on the ground where she stood a moment ago.


    Everyone looked at the blue-robed woman in surprise.


    "Good reflexes indicate a sharp mind," the woman said in a monotone voice. "You dodged so perfectly, indicating a superior body to others of your level and higher. The fact that you dodged my ice spear which was laced with a spell not to be noticed, indicates a powerful Cultivation method."


    The girl then observed Cheng Xiu''s costume. "You are level 14. Correct?"


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped. "What makes you think that?"


    The man in green, the healer of the group, laughed. "I think it''s between 15 and 20."


    The ice mage looked at him curiously. "Why do you say that, Long Hei?"


    "You are so weird, Frost. Use either Long or Hei. Why both?" the green-robed man asked. He then turned to Expert Yue. "The weapon she was holding during the fights yesterday was the Level 5 sword of the Central Continent. It''s upgradeable to level 20.Good choice by the way."


    Expert Yue smiled and turned to the man in Red. "Brother Crow, you know what to do."


    The man smirked and threw a talisman into the air.


    Cheng Xiu tried to break away but her hand was grabbed by the woman with the violet hair.


    "Sorry, newbie," the girl with the violet hair said. Her voice had a happy tone to it. "You are going to have to prove yourself today."


    The talisman broke into streaks of golden light and weaved a netted golden dome with blue coloured mini flashes of lightning in between the gaps of the net.


    "It was an accident!" Cheng Xiu said, glaring at the people around them. "Did you want me to let myself be killed instead?"


    "Yes."


    Cheng Xiu looked at her in shock.


    The violet haired girl smiled. "This is a game. Your death wouldn''t have been permanent, unlike the Wild Boss you killed."


    Cheng Xiu tried to loosen the grip on her hand. "Wild Boss always returns!"


    "This one was special!" Expert Yue told her. "These are continent specific Wild Bosses that only occur once in a year, during the Game Anniversary week."


    Cheng Xiu felt her stomach drop. That sounded far more unique. "But¡­there weren''t any special rewards for killing it!"


    "Exactly!" the woman in indigo said. "You have to extract the beast core of the Wild Boss not kill it!"


    "Wouldn''t that kill too?!" San Zhu asked and regretted it as soon as all the experts turned to him. "I''m so sorry. Sister Xiu is sorry too! Aren''t you sister?"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She wasn''t. She wasn''t sorry at all. She did what she had to do to not die. Just because it was a game didn''t mean she had to die if there was another way¡­


    But for now, to not actually die, she had to say she was sorry.


    "Yes¡­" Cheng Xiu said, her eyes on the grass blades under her feet. "I do feel sorry¡­for being in that situation."


    Cheng Xiu wanted to bite her tongue. Why did she add that!


    San Zhu groaned in frustration.


    Expert Yue laughed. "That''s great. Brother Crow?"


    "It''s ready," he said to her.


    Expert Yue took out a paper talisman from her sleeves.


    The other experts followed her actions.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards San Zhu as soon as the violet haired girl let her go.


    But before she could make it to him, the AI Maya said something so illogical that Cheng Xiu stopped and stared at the words.


    [Ding!]


    [You have entered Grandmaster''s Arena. Equalizing all stats to 3. All Grandmaster Players in the Arena downgraded to level 10.


    Player SelaXiu Veritas upgraded to Level 10.


    Starting: Match 1


    SelaXiu Veritas Vs Grandmaster Lotus.


    Battle Begin!]

 Chapter 24 - Long City

    The gilded sword sliced through the dark, furry coat of skin.


    An inhuman scream echoed into the sky.


    Blood spilt everywhere and the horrifying, large rat pixelated into the air and disappeared. In its place came a bunch of Blue armour and a few copper coins.


    A similar beam of pixels and loots appeared next to it.


    [Ding!]


    [Congratulations, Chu Ying and Finfin. You have killed 14 Rats of the Rocky Pits in Long Forest!


    Please return to the Adventurers Guild to claim your system rewards!]


    Chu Ying fell to her knees and heaved.


    "Ms Chu Ying, are you okay?" a young man in a white priest costume asked.


    "I''m fine. Just a bit jittery," Chu Ying said as she stood up, her white Armour clicking against each other. "I can never get used to the realistic effect of these monsters."


    "One of the reasons I hate missions that have to do with the killing. The effects become even more realistic and gory than normal."


    Chu Ying sighed. "Let''s just get this over with, Brother Fin."


    The two of them raised their hands, palms facing the loots the monsters left behind. The things pixelated into a light beam and went into their storage rings.


    "Let''s go," Fin said to Chu Ying.


    The short-haired girl nodded.


    The two walked away from the Rock Pits.


    "Do you want to do missions regularly with me?" Fin asked her. Chu Ying looked at him in surprise. He blushed at the suspicion in her eyes. "Don''t get me wrong, Ms Chu Ying!"


    Chu Ying looked at him curiously.


    Fin smiled. "I usually do regular missions with some of my friends from school and you did say you were doing your missions with random people. I just thought maybe you would like to join us."


    The suspicion returned to her eyes.


    "We have girls too! Three of them! One is my big sister!"


    Chu Ying nodded. "Sure. Okay."


    "You don''t have to force yourself if you don''t want to!"


    Chu Ying smiled. "Nonsense. You can''t force me into doing things even if you try. You should ask my best friend. He is always frustrated about it."


    Fin grinned. "I can guess. You were insistent on killing a lot of the monsters that the Mission called for."


    Chu Ying cringed. "Yeah. I hate Rats."


    "That would explain why the poor creatures suffered as much as they did."


    "They had it coming."


    "Did they?" Fin asked her with a grin.


    Chu Ying pushed him away with a smile.


    They used a Reptile Cart to return to the Teleportation point, where they disappeared into a beam of blue light.


    [Ding!]


    [You have reached Long City. Please step out of the Teleportation Circle to make way for other Players.]


    Chu Ying and Fin stepped away from the magical structure.


    "Let''s go," Chu Ying said to him.


    Fin nodded. "Let''s go to the Arena after this. The others are waiting for us there."


    They got their mission rewards and walked towards the Arena of Long City.


    They met up with three other people in the food court of the Arena. The place was getting crowded by the second as they found a booth to squeeze into.


    "Ms Chu Ying," Fin called as he saw Chu Ying look at the crowd in confusion. Chu Ying blinked up at him. Fin smiled. "This is my big sister, Rin."


    Rin was a tall, bulky woman with muscles protruding out. Chu Ying shivered as she saw the cold assessing look the woman looked at her with.


    "These two are Lion and Bear."


    "Hi," the two boys said together. They were twins and looked to be about Chu Ying''s age. Both of them had poker faces.


    "Hi. I''m Chu Ying."


    "Where are the others?" Fin asked Rin.


    The bulky woman scowled. "In the arena. I would have gone in too was it not for you, Fin."


    "We can go now!" Fin said. He turned to Chu Ying. "Do you want to join us?"


    Chu Ying smiled. "Sure."


    "Check your Profile then," Rin told her. "See what all loots you have and how much you have improved. It will help you know how much you progressed after you have played in the arena."


    Fin nodded. "Yes! The arena is the best place to hone your skills as a fighter. It improves your control over your skills and refines your overall reflexes."


    "Okay!"


    Chu Ying opened her game interface to check her profile progress.


    A Blue screen appeared in front of her. There was a list of leaderboards in one corner. The summaries of the missions that she did so far in another.


    Chu Ying frowned as she realised that the World Chat was showing an unusual amount of activity.


    "Brother Fin, is today something special?"


    "What?"


    "The World Chat is extremely active today."


    Rin snorted. "A Grandmaster''s Arena was just activated, that''s why there is so much commotion."


    Chu Ying blinked. "Grandmaster''s Arena? What''s that?"


    "Portable Arena," the twin on the left said.


    "Exactly what Lion said," Rin said and smirked. "Usually your opponents are set by the system based on your skillset and level and to use the Arena you have to go into a city or a town."


    Chu Ying frowned. "What?"


    "A Grandmaster''s Arena is a special talisman used by people who are above level 50 to fight those who are below them on equal terms in an Arena," Fin said as he drank his coffee. "The talisman forces both parties to Level 10 with the limited skill sets they had at that level when they first played the game."


    Chu Ying looked at them in surprise. "That''s amazing. That would make the fight fair!"


    "Not really," the twin on the right, Bear, said. "The ones above level 50 are still people who had reached Level 50. They have a better grip of their powers and their understanding of the game. They also have the fighting skill to go with that all."


    "So the one who is at the lower level will always be at a disadvantage!"


    Fin shook his head. "Yes, Ms Chu Ying. But there are benefits for the lower level player too. You can gain Stat points that range from 3 to 10 based on how well you faired against your stronger opponent. You also gain access to the Arena store which will have the skill scrolls and tomes that you and your enemy collected over the years in the game. You can buy those to gain new skills."


    "These stats and skills stay with you even after your level returns to the one it was before," said Rin.


    "And if you had a breakthrough during the Battle you get special rewards for that too," Lion said, drooling.


    "And someone used this today?" Chu Ying asked them, excited.


    "Nope," a new voice said. A woman in all black said down next to Rin, an eyepatch over her right eye. "HI! I''m Ro."


    Chu Ying nodded. "Chu Ying. What did you mean by no?"


    "I mean that someone bought 10 Grandmaster''s Arena Talisman today at the auction house," Ro said. "They haven''t used any yet. When they do, an announcement will be made above the Arena all over The Other World."


    Chu Ying nodded in understanding.


    "Hey, guys!" a green-haired girl shouted as she dragged two people into the booth.


    Chu Ying looked at the boy who sat down next to her. He held a white-handled spear in his hand and wore white Armour to match it.


    She then looked at the girl that was dragged in and found herself surprised.


    She recognized the Pink haired beauty in front of her.


    "Sister Gu Shu?"


    Gu Shu looked at her in horror.


    "What are you doing here?" the two girls asked at the same time. While Chu Ying''s voice was curious, Gu Shu''s sounded terrified.


    "I just-"


    Gu Shu grabbed her by the shoulders, stopping the words Chu Ying was about to say.


    "A''xiu will kill me if she finds out I came to play the game without doing the assigned work! You didn''t see me here!"


    Chu Ying nodded at her quickly.


    Gu Shu was about to talk some more when a virtual screen popped up in the sky. The entire Arena stilled.


    [Ding!]


    [Grandmaster''s Arena activated.


    10 Grandmaster Players have activated the Grandmaster''s Talisman against Player SelaXiu Veritas. All matches have been arranged in the Arena!


    The Grandmaster Players are: Immortal Lotus, Lu WenXian, Immortal EverHill, Immortal Crow, Immortal Frost, Immortal Star Phoenix, Immortal Long Hei, Immortal WuQi, Immortal Matchstick and Immortal Lu Yue.


    Initiated Player: SelaXiu Veritas.]


    "What the hell!" Rin asked in absolute shock.


    "Im-Im-Immortal?" Ro said. "As in Players of Level 70?"


    Everyone sat there in surprise.


    "What did this SelaXiu do?" Lion asked Bear.


    Bear frowned. "Isn''t SelaXiu Veritas the one who killed the Demonic Wild Boss of the Southern Continent this year?"


    "That must be the reason!" Fin said to Chu Ying. "This SelaXiu must have the Monster Core!"


    The others gasped as they realized what this Grandmaster''s Arena Battle meant.


    "If they defeat this SelaXiu in an Arena battle," Ro said to Gu Shu, "The most powerful object in her possession would belong to the defeater!"


    "Poor girl," Fin said in pitying voice. "She didn''t even get to keep it for long."


    But Gu Shu wasn''t listening. Her eyes were on the familiar thin figure of her best friend that she lived and talked to for the last ten years standing in the middle of dangerous experts.


    That mask hardly hid her identity.


    Gu Shu''s heart started to beat uncontrollably.


    "Is that Master Ch-... I mean Sister Xiu?" Chu Ying asked in shock.


    Gu Shu shook her head. "No! Don''t talk nonsense!"


    Chu Ying gave her a sceptical look. "I don''t forget the people I''m indebted to sister Shu."


    Gu Shu looked up at the display with worry.


    The others around them looked at the two girls in surprise.


    Did they know this person?


    The golden cage had formed, covering many areas of water, meadows and forests.


    [Ding!]


    [Starting: Match 1


    SelaXiu Veritas VS Immortal Lotus.


    Battle Begins!]


    The figure of SelaXiu ran away into the forest. A woman with violet hair chased after her.


    The people watching the Battle started to laugh.


    "Smart Girl," Rin said, giggling, her muscles trembling in mirth. "That''s the only thing you can do against Immortals. You run when you face one."


    Gu Shu and Chu Ying looked at the masked figure in concern, wondering what she must be thinking.


    "She must be so scared right now!" Chu Ying said.


    Gu Shu nodded.. "I hope she will be able to survive this."

 Chapter 25 - Proudly Running!

    Cheng Xiu gaped at the notification in front of her.


    Fight 10 bloody experts of the game? Did Maya think that Cheng Xiu was some kind of great expert herself? And did these Experts not have anything else to do? Bullying a newbie. Shameful.


    ''No thank you, Maya. Leave the Arena.''


    [You can not leave Grandmaster''s Arena without the permission of a Grandmaster. Only those who have activated the Arena have the power to do so]


    Cheng Xiu felt the ire in her rise.


    ''Log out then. I would rather never play this game ever again than let myself be bullied into something I don''t want to do.''


    [You can not Log out during Grandmaster''s Arena until you die or fight against at least 5 Grandmasters, whichever comes first.]


    ''That''s unfair!''


    [I''m sorry you think so. But, they did pay for it, so their opinion gets priority]


    ''What if this match goes on for days! I''m a Qiless! I only have 12 hours!''


    [If the Grandmasters do not defeat you before you''re Log out period, then you will be declared the winner and be given the most expensive Items from your opponents.]


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She didn''t like the fact that these people were forcing her into this.


    She looked on as the Violet-haired woman came to the forefront.


    The white-robed woman with the whip strapped to her hips exuded the aura of boredom, and distaste.


    "Why are you doing this?" Cheng Xiu asked. "I understand that you think that what I did was wrong, but that did not require such a drastic measure."


    The woman smiled. "My name is Lotus, Captain of the Lightning Sect. My power is Lightning and thunderstorm. I''ve been playing this game for the past three years."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Um¡­okay?"


    Why was this woman telling her these things?


    The woman removed the whip from her hip. "After I''ve killed you, I want you to join my Sect. Would you?"


    "Huh?"


    "Lotus!" Star Phoenix screamed. "That wasn''t the plan!"


    Lotus smirked. "The plan was that the first person to fight her would get the chance to recruit her. It was your idea, Brother Phoenix."


    "I didn''t know you were weaker than me!"


    Lotus rolled her eyes. "You should know that you were stronger than me at level 10, it''s only after level 50 that I outdid you. And Grandmaster''s Arena is at Level 10."


    Star Phoenix cursed.


    Lotus turned to Cheng Xiu. "So, what do you say? Want to join me?"


    Cheng Xiu felt like she was in some alternate universe where her luck was so miserable that she somehow gained the attention of the masters of the game. She refused to believe that this was her own reality and that her luck was so bad.


    "I should have a choice in this too. This is not a good way to invite someone to your Sect!"


    Lotus chuckled. "That is exactly what Brother Long said."


    "You should listen to him!"


    "But you did killsteal from us," EverHill said, annoyance on his face. "And used my RynHeart for it too. This is just an act of small revenge. At least it''s not all of us taking turns to kill you. That''s what Sister Yue wanted."


    "You make it sound so nefarious," Yue sighed. "I just wanted to see how she would respond to various opponents. You are lucky though."


    "How?" Cheng Xiu asked in annoyance.


    "Brother Lu WenXian wanted to battle you until your energy was really low and then heal you again so that the battle could continue," the blue and gold haired woman said to her in a monotone.


    Cheng Xiu glared at Lu WenXian. He really was out to get her.


    Lu WenXian sweatdropped. "Sister Frost, I was just joking."


    [Battle Countdown.


    3


    2


    1


    Go!]


    Lotus didn''t move, waiting to see what Cheng Xiu would do.


    Cheng Xiu stared at the woman in front of her and then at the experts around her.


    It would be so easy to just let herself be killed.


    But she couldn''t.


    She could almost feel her mother''s disapproval of her decision.


    ''You are smart, so why do you always let your pride get in the way of logic?'' her mother had asked when she punched the class leader in the face when she was 10-years-old.


    ''Because otherwise, they will think I''m easy to bully like A''Shu!''


    That was her biggest downfall. Pride. She wouldn''t just go with things because it was easier. She couldn''t.


    ''You have a large ego,'' Gu Shu had said to her when they first met.


    And she did have a large ego. But she never thought of it as a bad trait to have.


    Until now


    Cheng Xiu sighed and stood straight. "Let''s go!"


    Lotus smiled, and raised her whip. "Even at level 10, my whip was strong enough to bring level 20 experts down. And I am a Level 70 expert now, regardless of the game''s attempt to nerf me. This will be over quickly, so don''t be so worried!"


    "Thank you, senior Lotus," Cheng Xiu said and looked around them. "But I really don''t want to know what death feels like so I will try my best to kill you."


    Cheng Xiu wondered how large the border of the Arena was and how different level 10 was from Level 1.


    The difference would affect her ability to fight this woman. She didn''t think she had a better chance now.


    Lotus laughed. "As you should! I''ll try not to die then! Let''s go!"


    Cheng Xiu turned and ran into the forest.


    Lotus stared at the spot the girl stood moments ago in a daze.


    "Did¡­did she just run away?" Lotus asked.


    The others laughed.


    "I guess she did," Expert Yue said. "Better go catch her, Sister Lotus."


    "But she said she was going to try to kill me?"


    "She was lying," Lu WenXian said to the violet haired woman, pity in his voice.


    Lotus cursed and ran in the direction Cheng Xiu did.


    In the far off distance, three shadows emerged from the ground and turned into people. One of them had a green crystal floating above them, whereas the other two had blue crystals.


    Diana let go of the shoulders of the two men.


    Yaksha observed the golden dome in front of them.


    "The girl is inside that structure," Luther said to him.


    "Hmmm. Buy a Display talisman for the Grandmaster''s Arena."


    Luther blinked. "Grandmaster''s?" He looked at the Golden dome in surprise. "Why is it Golden in colour?"


    "Because there are more than two Grandmasters in there."


    Luther looked at him in horror. "More than two! How is that fair! Young Master! That''s horrible! Why would they do that!"


    Yaksha sighed. "I think Yue has something to do with it."


    Luther froze. "Young Miss?"


    "And Lu WenXian."


    Luther''s eyebrows twitched. Was this some kind of family reunion that he hadn''t been aware of?


    Diana looked at them in surprise. "Brother Yaksha''s sister? Isn''t that me?"


    Yaksha smiled. "Yes. But Yue is my sister too."


    "Oh. I would like to meet her!" Diana said with a childish smile.


    "Done!" Luther said and handed Yaksha a green talisman. "It should be big enough!"


    Yaksha closed his eyes and ignited the paper with his Qi.


    A hologram screen appeared in front of them.


    On the Virtual screen, a blue-robed girl was running through the woods of the forest.


    "She is running away," Diana noted in disappointment.


    Yaksha frowned. He watched as the figure skidded through slopes, jumped over boulders and branches and waded through the waters of rivers. There were even places where the girl jumped over branches and climbed the trees.


    "It makes sense," Luther said to Diana. "This SelaXiu is a weak girl. She can not hope to outrun experts! She is trying to hold on as long as she could so that she can get Stat points! Am I right, Yaksha?"


    "No," Yaksha said, his eyes trained on the thin-framed girl. His crimson pupils trembled in excitement. "She is not running away."


    "She is not?" Luther asked. He turned to the screen again. The girl jumped over a few high bushes. "It really looks like she is desperately running though."


    Yaksha smiled. "The Grandmaster''s Arena downgrades a player to level 10. All the players are at level 10. Their stats is the same as it was when they were at that point."


    Luther looked at the girl in surprise. "She is running to get used to the downgrade in her power then! Smart move!"


    "Upgraded," Diana said.


    Luther looked at the NPC. "Upgraded? What upgraded?"


    Diana pointed to the light blue-robed girl on the screen. "Her movements show she is not used to her speed. Her sense of direction is off at various places that someone who is used to high speed would not have. She nearly hit that tree in front of her because she is not used to seeing things move so fast. The girl has been upgraded."


    Yaksha''s eyes glinted with interest. "She adapted quickly to the power difference though."


    Diana nodded. "A quick mind. I would rank it above B. But would need more information to say what her actual rank is."


    Luther felt dizzy. "Are you telling me that a girl below level 10 took down the Emperor Spirit? then it''s no wonder that the experts are so angry at her that they would pull her into a Grandmaster fight! She killstealed from them! I bet that the Monster was near its death when she did it!"


    Yaksha frowned. "A player below level 10¡­.regardless of how close to death the Spirit was, it shouldn''t be that easy for her to take it down. To take it down near its death would still require a player to be at least of Level 30 in terms of raw power."


    Luther paled. "Are you telling me that a player below level 10 has the power of someone of Level 30? Isn''t that a bit too fantastical?"


    "She would have to be someone of a higher rank than most people," Diana said. "Her starting point would have to be at a different level than the rest."


    Luther frowned. "What Rank do you think she started with to be able to kill an Emperor Spirit?"


    "S Rank," Yaksha and Diana said together.


    Diana grinned. "Brother Yaksha and I are of the same mind!"


    Luther rolled his eyes. There she went, ass-kissing again. His eyes went to the girl on the screen. "S Ranked? Where the hell did this expert come from!"


    "Hm. Diana," Yaksha called.


    "Yes, Brother?"


    "Go to Veritas and enquire about SelaXiu," Yaksha ordered.


    "Okay!"


    "Wait!" Luther said to her.


    The purple-clad woman glared at him. "What?"


    Luther turned to Yaksha. "What about Selafia, Young Master? Didn''t you want to find out if she was-"


    "Diana, leave."


    The woman looked at them curiously. "Okay¡­bye brother Yaksha!"


    The woman melted into the shadows and disappeared.


    "Young Master?"


    Yaksha stared at the girl on the screen, running towards the centre again.. "Something tells me, I''ll find her easily this time."

 Chapter 26 - Lightning Pools.

    Cheng Xiu ran, her sense of balance off and her vision blurred.


    The power difference between level 1 and level 10 was so wide that it took her some time to get used to. She stumbled, scraped her knees and bled.


    The Qi in her healed Cheng Xiu but its potency did not compensate much for the amount of small lacerations in her body.


    Cheng Xiu observed the trees around her. It seemed to have grown far more than they did when she had fought those Treemen monsters.


    The land was lush, and everything shone in the golden highlights of the Arena Dome.


    "That was rude," a soft voice echoed. "You should be fighting me, not running away."


    Cheng Xiu looked behind her.


    Violet hair danced in the wind as the Immortal Lotus dashed through the forest, chasing Cheng Xiu''s unsteady steps.


    "No hard feelings, senior!" Cheng Xiu said, her voice uneven. She ducked to avoid the overgrown branch of a tree. "Just getting used to the power difference of Level 10 the arena put me at!"


    "Yes, that is a disadvantage," Lotus said in a sing-song way. "But you should tell me when you run off next time!"


    Cheng Xiu''s footing slipped at that.


    She cursed. There was never going to be a next time!


    The two circled back to where they started.


    The other Immortals sat on a circular podium with San Zhe still hanging upside down from the pole.


    "Where did the podium come from?" Lotus asked as she skidded to a stop next to Cheng Xiu.


    "I bought it," The blue-haired girl said as she sipped on tea. "There was no way I was going to wait for you while standing. I have better things to do than that. Hurry up and kill the girl already. My Guild has contracted me from the Zeon Arena. We have a wild boss coming there in an hour."


    "You are so cold, Frost," the green-robed man said to her. "Think about the rookie''s feelings before you talk!"


    "I''m not you," Frost said in a dull tone. "I don''t care about the feelings of random people I meet in an online game."


    "Um...excuse me," Cheng Xiu said.


    Everyone looked at her.


    "Can you please release Brother San? He didn''t have anything to do with my mistake."


    Star Phoenix laughed. He turned to San Zhe and tickled him.


    San Zhe laughed, and cried.


    Star Phoenix laughed and tickled him harder.


    Cheng Xiu took half a step back, nervous. What the hell!


    "See, little San? I told you she cared!" Star Phoenix said to the man. He turned to Cheng Xiu. "Sure thing! I''ll release your handsome friend here!"


    Star Phoenix cut the ropes off.


    San Zhe fell.


    Star Phoenix saved him from a broken neck and made him stand up steadily.


    "Take it as an incentive," Yue said to Cheng Xiu, twirling a strand of her rainbow hair. "If you can fight for more than five minutes against Lotus little San here won''t have to suffer as much."


    "So give it your best!" the man in red said.


    "Okay?" Cheng Xiu said, a sceptical look in her eyes.


    Lightning crackled in the air as Lotus raised her whip. A soft smile graced her lips.


    Cheng Xiu backed away. "I don''t have-"


    "Let''s go, little Rookie!"


    Lotus swung her whip towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu removed her sword from its scabbard and reaffirmed her footing. She used the scabbard to hit the whip away.


    "Nice form!" Lotus commented.


    "Earth Style," Frost informed her. "The form is very similar to the True Qi method but there is a difference in it."


    Lotus huffed. "Don''t give me clues! The rookie is already at a disadvantage!"


    Lotus swung her whip again.


    Cheng Xiu side stepped it.


    The Immortal frowned. She tightened her grip on the whip handle.


    Electric current ran through the whip visibly.


    The whip came down.


    Cheng Xiu jumped back to the right, barely missing the whip. Small electric currents hit the tip of her sleeve, burning the hem.


    Cheng Xiu observed her enemy as she jumped left and right on various intervals.


    The Immortal leaned more towards the left when she wanted to hit her in the right and more towards the right when she planned on attacking on the left.


    Cheng Xiu started to avoid the whips even better than before, her footworks became smoother, and her form became more fluid.


    "This is becoming boring," Yue said with a yawn. "Lotus, is this all you have as an Immortal? I''m disappointed."


    Lotus frowned at Yue''s words. She couldn''t do much with a lightning whip at this level and it seemed the Rookie was improving at a fast rate.


    She smirked. "I wanted to see how she would fight against my attacks. Now, shall we begin?"


    Lotus stood straight and started to whip near Cheng Xiu again and again and again, picking up speed with each of her lashings.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    The ground at her feet cracked, and small pools of lightning was left behind.


    Cheng Xiu dodged again and again, her speed matching that of Lotus.


    "How is she doing that?" the green-clad man asked Star Phoenix in a whisper. "Lotus''s speed is only second to her pool of Qi. How is this rookie able to keep up with her?"


    "Her cultivation must be related to Speed, Brother Long," Star Phoenix said, disdain in his voice. "Even you should know that!"


    "Quiet," the indigo haired woman said. "Things are getting interesting."


    "Why, WuQi?" Long asked.


    "The spider is weaving her net," WuQi said.


    "So soon?" Star Phoenix asked in surprise. He looked towards the front.


    Cheng Xiu dodged the lightning coated whip, huffing.


    She was losing a lot of her energy with all the jumping.


    "The Spider Web?" San Zhe asked in fear. "Expert WuQi, that''s horrible!"


    WuQi blinked at him in confusion. "It''s your friend''s bad luck that she got Lotus as her first enemy. I hope your friend dies quickly. We all know what happens to people who survive the first attack."


    San Zhe shivered. He looked at Cheng Xiu in worry.


    Another pool of lightning was left behind as the whip swung back again and came down on the lean figure of Cheng Xiu.


    She stepped to the side to dodge the attack.


    Cheng Xiu groaned in pain.


    She fell to her knees.


    The boot on her left leg was burned away and the soul of her feet was blistered.


    Cheng Xiu squeezed her eyes shut.


    The Qi in her vain circulated faster, healing the lacerations.


    The pain subsided.


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes and observed the place where she got hurt, to figure out what had happened. She was sure she had dodged the whip.


    Her eyes fell on the pool of lightning near her feet.


    Cheng Xiu stilled.


    Could it be?


    She looked around. There were similar lightning pools everywhere.


    A cold shiver ran down her spine.


    It wasn''t just dodging a lightning whip she had to do. She had to make sure that she dodged it enough that the electric currents coating the whip wouldn''t come near her. And now she also needed to avoid these puddles.


    The whip came down on her again.


    Cheng Xiu jumped to her feet and to the side.


    But she wasn''t quick enough.


    The whip hit her arm, leaving behind a deep burned mark.


    Cheng Xiu suppressed her scream of pain and returned to her fighting stance.


    Lotus grinned, her violet eyes glinting with bloodlust.


    She brought down the whip again.


    Cheng Xiu jumped back, away from the pools on her sides and closer to the woods.


    Lotus spun the whip over her head, giving it more momentum. She brought the whip down in rapid succession.


    Cheng Xiu dodged backwards again and again.


    Fear and frustration rose in her heart as she realised that the electric currents in the whip lashes were becoming more and more powerful, the distance she needed to jump to avoid getting burned was becoming larger and larger.


    Cheng Xiu''s back hit the bark of a tree.


    Lotus chuckled, her violet eyes taking on an unhinged look. "Little Rookie is so impressive! But why aren''t you using your skills? Could it be that all you know is how to jump around? Come on little Rookie, show me what you can do!"


    The electric currents on the whip became more violent and more violet.


    Cheng Xiu leaped to the side and fell on the ground.


    The whip hit the tree instead, and left behind a huge dent as though it was chipped away by a samurai sword.


    Lotus huffed. "How boring. Come on, Little Rookie, show me the power you possess, the skills you have! Or else I''ll make your death a cruel one. And I''m not a cruel person."


    Cheng Xiu rolled away as the whip came down on her again.


    She wasn''t fast enough, and the whip electrocuted her, leaving behind blisters and burn marks on her back.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth to suppress the cry the wanted to tear out of her throat but a small whimper still left her pursed lips.


    Her chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing.


    What to do! What to do!


    Cheng Xiu felt her eyes sting as she felt more cornered than she ever felt. She felt confused, scared, usure, and insecure.


    Cheng Xiu squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think of a solution.


    The whip came down on her bent over form.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe screamed in horror.

 Chapter 27 - Qi Burst!

    In the Long City Arena, everyone looked on in excitement at the display screen as in it the whip came down on the crouched figure of Cheng Xiu.


    "A''Xiu!"


    " Sister Cheng!"


    "Watch out!" Gu Shu and Chu Ying screamed.


    The dust settled.


    The only thing left behind was a pool of lightning.


    Lotus froze, confused.


    Her violet gaze searched the clearing.


    A few steps away from the striking range sat Cheng Xiu, on her knees, her eyes squeezed shut.


    The Immortals in the clearing jumped to their feet in shock.


    "How did you get there, Rookie?" Lotus asked.


    Cheng Xiu panted. "Now why would I tell you that, senior?"


    "Because I asked nicely?"


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "I don''t think so."


    Lotus glared. "Fine then!"


    She raised the whip high above her head and brought it down again.


    Cheng Xiu jumped away from its trajectory.


    She barely missed her step and stepped on the lightning pool next to her.


    Cheng Xiu breathed heavily. Her eyes went to the lightning Pools around them. They had changed colours, becoming more purple.


    Did that mean something?


    Lotus whipped Cheng Xiu again, but Cheng Xiu ran towards the left, escaping the whip''s vicious sting.


    This continued for some time, Cheng Xiu escaped the attacks from Lotus multiple times getting hit only twice in the fifteen minutes since the battle began.


    "How is she doing that?" Long, the green-clad Immortal asked Immortal Frost. "She is able to escape sister Lotus''s attacks easier now! In fact, I think her escapes are becoming smoother, and faster!"


    "Is that what you want to know about?" Yue asked him. "Don''t you want to know about what she did to escape Lotus''s attack near the trees?"


    "Now that you mention it, I do actually!" he gave her a goofy grin.


    "Qi Burst," Frost said to him.


    Long looked at her sceptically. "Little Frost, they are at level 10 in Qi capacity right now. That girl should not even be able to walk let alone pull Lotus into a cat and mouse game if she did use a Qi Burst."


    "Oh?" Frost looked at him with disdain. "Then what do you think she did?"


    "Probably used an item? I hate paid players, they always get away with things we wouldn''t," Long said with a sigh. Then he looked at Yue who was smiling at him sweetly. "Except for you, Sister Yue! How can I hate you! How can anyone hate you!"


    Matchstick, the yellow-robed man, patted Long on the shoulder. "Nice save, bro."


    Long''s eyebrow twitched. "It''s not a nice save! I meant it!"


    Matchstick raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    Long glared at him. "Why do you sound so sceptical?!"


    Matchstick backed away nervously. "I''m just curious if you meant it, bro. Chill out, dude!"


    "Matchstick," Yue called.


    The yellow-robed man turned towards her cautiously. "Yeah?"


    "I told you to not talk for three days."


    Matchstick slumped. "Oh. Right. I forgot. Sorry."


    Yue smiled. "It''s okay. Don''t repeat it."


    "Sure man."


    Yue''s smile became plastic.


    "I mean, um, sure thing, sister Yue," Matchstick said with a nervous smile.


    "And I agree with Frost," Yue said to them. "She definitely used Qi Burst. My shoes can sense it."


    The Immortals looked at her in understanding and then turned to the clearing where the whips were hitting the ground repeatedly, raising more and more dust, grass and debris.


    "Are your shoes etched with Sensing spells then?" San Zhe asked curiously.


    Yue''s face blanked. She looked at him with a cold gaze. "Yes."


    San Zhe shivered. Why did he have to ask that question? Was he stupid?


    San Zhe wanted to cry. He didn''t really want to bring the attention of the experts on to him but he had always been a curious person, especially about things in VR games.


    His eyes went to the clearing where Cheng Xiu and Lotus were. And his curiosity was really high about sister Xiu. A Qiless woman with an S-Ranked Mental Power.


    But it was true that the more you stand out the more people would crush you.


    He didn''t envy her position. The enemies she gained were just too astronomical in reputation.


    "So how is she gaining so much speed?" Long asked them.


    "She is improving as she goes," Star Phoenix said to him.


    Long blinked. "Huh?"


    "The Rookie is gaining experience from fighting with Lotus," Frost said to him, her eyes challenging his intelligence.


    "She is learning from her fight with Lotus," WuQi, the woman with the indigo hair said to him. "Her mind is constantly finding ways to corner Lotus and find an opening to strike."


    "She better do it quickly then," EverHill said with a sneer. "The lightning Pools are all becoming violet."


    "What would they becoming violet do?" San Zhe asked in a whisper.


    The Immortals stared at him.


    Star Phoenix laughed. "You are a curious one aren''t you? Then listen to me carefully, little San, if the pools become violet before your friend can come up with a plan she is doomed."


    "Why?"


    Star Phoenix sighed. "Because it would mean that Phase two of Lotus''s attack would begin."


    San Zhe froze. Though he didn''t know much of the individual powers of the Immortals he knew what Phase two of Immortal Lotus''s attack meant.


    "Linking? Bu-Bu-But they are both at Level 10, there is no way she can do linking, right?"


    Star Phoenix rolled his eyes. "The lightning used in Lotus''s attacks are sustained by using the natural Qi in the atmosphere. It''s going to be a long time before the pools lose their potency. Once the linkage happens it will be even more difficult. Your girlfriend is struggling so much already, I feel sorry for her."


    "Not my girlfriend," San Zhe said with a blush on his face.


    "But you want her to be," Star Phoenix teased him.


    San Zhe had a self-deprecating smile on his lips. "I''m afraid you are wrong. I have never seen sister Xiu in that way, and I hope I never will! I can''t afford to develop feelings for her!"


    Star Phoenix observed Cheng Xiu for some time. "She is becoming faster."


    "How is she doing that!" Long asked in confusion.


    Star Phoenix turned to San Zhe. "Can you guess?"


    San Zhe gave him a side glance and then looked at Sister Xiu''s figure that danced around the Immortal.


    Lotus''s movements were getting faster as well as though both had hit some kind of a speed button hidden in the game.


    San Zhe frowned. "They are both speeding up."


    "Hmm¡­so it would seem."


    San Zhe looked at Star Phoenix in confusion. "Aren''t they?"


    Star Phoenix smirked. "Why do you think they are speeding up."


    San Zhe thought for a moment. He looked at the circling girls in realization. "They are getting used to the level difference!"


    Star Phoenix laughed and ruffled San Zhe''s hair. "Such a smart boy! Long Hei! Learn from him!"


    Long glared at Star Phoenix. "It still doesn''t explain why the Rookie is gaining so much momentum."


    Star Phoenix put his arm around San Zhe''s shoulder and brought him closer to him. "You know why don''t you San Zhe?"


    "Um¡­"


    Star Phoenix looked at him. "Don''t you?"


    San Zhe sweatdropped. If San Zhe had to take a guess he would say that it was her S-Ranked Mental Power that was coming into effect. In a world that did not limit the extent of her Physical prowess beyond level caps, Sister Xiu''s level 10 would be different from those of the same level.


    It could also explain how she did the Qi Burst. Her higher mental capacity meant that she would have a larger Qi Pool and control over her Qi as well.


    San Zhe couldn''t help looking at Cheng Xiu in admiration. The Other World really showed the difference between those with potential and those without.


    "Little San!" Star Phoenix called him. "I''m waiting for an explanation!"


    San Zhe grinned. "Sister Xiu is just that awesome!"


    Star Phoenix wrinkled his nose and threw the younger man into the arms of WuQi. "Ew. Fanboy. Take him."


    The indigo haired woman glared at him. "And why are you giving him to me?"


    "Didn''t you always want a boyfriend?"


    WuQi glared. She threw San Zhe towards Long Hei who looked at the young man in his arms in confusion.


    "Brother Star! Let me tell you one thing! My heart belongs to Brother WenXian! No one else can take his place in my heart and you know it! What did you mean by throwing that boy at me! Tell me!"


    Long Hei and San Zhe backed away from the livid woman.


    "A''Xian will never like you. He already rejected you, didn''t he?"


    "You!"


    "Brother Star," Lu WenXian called in annoyance. "Was there a need to drag me into your argument?"


    Star Phoenix grinned and gave WuQi a smug look. "Well done, WuQi. Now you have gone and annoyed your precious WenXian. He will never accept you as his bride now."


    Lu WenXian looked at Star Phoenix with betrayed eyes as WuQi slammed into his body and hugged him.


    "Brother Xian! Tell me it''s not true! Please!" WuQi cried.


    Lu WenXian looked at Yue with puppy-dog eyes.


    Yue turned her face away and coughed into her hands.


    Lu WenXian looked at the Rainbow clad girl in annoyance.


    San Zhe tried to sneak away from the Immortals while they were distracted only to find himself in the stronghold of Long Hei who was too busy watching the show to even realize that San Zhe had tried to escape.


    That was just embarrassing.


    San Zhe''s eyes filled with tears at his desperate situation. He really didn''t like being the bait that made sister Xiu fight with these people.


    Matchstick looked at San Zhe''s tear-filled eyes in horror.


    He mouthed San Zhe a few words of comfort. ''I will report it.''


    San Zhe looked at Matchstick in confusion. Did he understand him wrong? Report what?


    With a sigh, Lu WenXian extricated himself from WuQi''s strong embrace and pushed her away gently.


    WuQi broke down into tears.


    Long Hei burst into laughter. "Well done, little Xian! You made a beautiful girl cry!"


    Lu WenXian raised an eyebrow at the man. "What did you do to make the Rookie cry Long Hei? I think that is something we should discuss more."


    Long Hei froze. He looked down at the young man in his arms who looked like he was about to cry. "Um¡­junior...why are you crying? People will think I did something perverted to you!"


    "Didn''t you?" Lu WenXian asked in a teasing voice.


    "I really thought you did," Matchstick admitted. "I was wondering if I should report you to the System."


    Long Hei looked at him in betrayal. "I didn''t do anything! I''m not that kind of a guy! I like melons damn it!"


    Matchstick shrugged. "Doesn''t mean anything. You can also like both for all I know. And you are still holding him."


    Long Hei threw San Zhe away like he was burned.


    Lu WenXian stabilized San Zhe before he could fall on the ground. "Are you okay?"


    "Fine, fine," San Zhe said bitterly. So that was what Matchstick meant by he would report it.


    "We are a colourful bunch aren''t we?" Lu WenXian said with a self-deprecating laugh.


    San Zhe grinned and nodded. "Like sister Xiu said. A Rainbow Squad."


    "So what''s the secret?"


    "Huh?"


    Lu WenXian smirked. "You never said why your friend seems to have such a fast improvement."


    "I don''t know."


    "You don''t know? Or you don''t want to say it?"


    San Zhe pursed his lips.


    Lu WenXian laughed. "It''s alright if you don''t want to say it. But I''m sure she won''t be able to hide whatever advantage it is that she has."


    "What I want to know is, how did she figure out how to do Qi Burst," EverHill said to them. "I''m pretty sure that is the reason she was able to hold my RynHeart too!"


    "I''m pretty sure that was because of your incompetence," Long Hei said to him. "Right, Rookie?"


    San Zhe shrugged and looked back at Cheng Xiu.


    Did being an S-Ranked also mean she could replicate powerful magic in the game?

 Chapter 28 - Linkage!

    Cheng Xiu leapt away.


    "What''s your cultivation method?" Lotus asked, observing the girl in front of her.


    "Why do you want to know?"


    "You''re getting faster."


    Cheng Xiu looked at her in confusion.


    Lotus tightened her grip on the whip. "It''s not just you getting used to the power of level 10. I imagine it has something to do with your cultivation method."


    Cheng Xiu held her sword up, glaring. "Isn''t it a bit rude to ask about someone''s cultivation method?"


    Lotus nodded. "I won''t ask then."


    The violet pools of lighting grew in colour and power.


    Cheng Xiu tried not to cringe as she felt the hairs on her arms raised. The area around them was becoming more and more saturated with electric currents. She had to end this somehow.


    Lotus was an expert in the game. She would have many battle tactics and a better understanding of her limits than Cheng Xiu had.


    Cheng Xiu''s heart thumped. It was crazy but somehow Cheng Xiu didn''t feel fear. Instead, she felt excitement. There was something about thinking about ways to out-do a person so clearly outclassed that made Cheng Xiu''s bloodlust rise.


    For the first time, The Other World was more than a place to feel Qi. It was more than a place that she had to endure for Gu Shu''s sake.


    Cheng Xiu''s dark eyes danced in excitement. She was enjoying this battle.


    It finally felt like she was back in a game.


    The hope that many VR games had raised in her of having Qi only to be disappointed time and again had made Cheng Xiu forget to enjoy games anymore. VR games had lost their charm for her.


    But she felt it again. That hunger to win. That hunger to draw blood. That hunger that came with having a strong opponent.


    The Grandmaster''s Arena that had felt like a burden before felt like heaven''s guidance. It showed her that in this world she could live her dream of being one of the best.


    Cheng Xiu smiled.


    Lotus frowned. The air had changed. The girl in front of her seemed to have had some kind of a breakthrough. Lotus''s instincts screamed at her to be cautious.


    "Senior," Cheng Xiu said with a smile. "Let''s have a good match."


    Cheng Xiu let her mind calm down and feel the Qi in her body. It was not easy. She should have been able to sense the Qi in her as it was a foreign entity to her but Cheng Xiu didn''t feel the difference inside the game.


    She remembered the desperation in her mind as she had watched the Lotus''s attack near the trees but Cheng Xiu was far too hurt at the moment.


    And then a feeling had risen from her chest. Unwillingness to yield. her heart and mind had blanked and the only thing Cheng Xiu had wanted to do at that time was to dodge. And it had worked. She had found the energy to move away with a flash of red in her sight.


    Cheng Xiu felt her blood move faster than it did before. She could feel the breathless anticipation that came with that flash of red.


    Lotus kept up her attacks, becoming more and more erratic as Cheng Xiu evaded her attacks with her eyes closed.


    And her movements were also becoming faster.


    Lotus felt frustrated. Her whips started to leave afterimages at the speed at which she was using her whip.


    Towards the side, Yue stood up.


    "Sister Yue?" Star Phoenix asked the rainbow-haired girl.


    "Lotus is starting the linkage."


    Star Phoenix gaped. "But...but the lightning pools are not strong enough right?"


    "There is a new factor in the fight that led her to this decision," Frost said to him.


    "What?" Long Hei asked.


    "The Rookie is evolving."


    "What?" Matchstick asked in confusion. "I didn''t realize that could happen. I didn''t even see her consume a monster core! Wait! Aren''t Monster Core forbidden in the Grandmaster Arena?"


    "She didn''t use a Core," Frost said, her eyes glued to the blue-robed elegant form of Cheng Xiu. For the first time, Frost coveted a player. "She is evolving through Enlightenment."


    "She is doing that during a battle?" Long Hei asked. "Isn''t that something that you can do only during meditation!"


    Frost tilted her head. "For most. Some can become focused during action but yes...Enlightenment during a battle...that indicates a strong mind."


    "Hm," Yue looked back at San Zhe who was looking at Cheng Xiu with starry eyes.


    "This is why you didn''t answer Brother Star''s question of if you know why your friend was improving to such a degree."


    San Zhe froze and looked at her in horror.


    Yue smiled. "She must have a really powerful mind to have Enlightenment during a battle."


    "That...that is¡­"


    Yue laughed. "An A-Ranked Rookie huh? That is powerful!"


    Star Phoenix and the rest of the Immortals were observing San Zhe''s every move, trying to gauss his reaction.


    San Zhe looked around in panic.


    In the centre of the battlefield, threads of lightning started to rise from the pools and moved towards the centre where Lotus had her whip raised. The electric currents coated on the whip became even more agitated and deeper in colour.


    The lightning threads started to knit with each other.


    "That looks so scary," San Zhe commented.


    "The Lightning Spider Technique was a unique strategy that Lotus had created herself because she didn''t want to just whip her whip around," Star Phoenix said to him. "The technique had five stages. The first Stage- the pools. Lotus lays down the Lightning pools strategically. There is a pattern to it."


    "She laid a five-point pool pattern today," Long Hei said. He sighed. "She underestimated the Rookie. When she fights us Immortals she would use a 12-point pattern. Less predictable, apparently. Although, if you ask me, no one would try to guess any of the patterns unless they are playing for the Leagues."


    "What''s the next Stage?" San Zhe asked curiously.


    "The Linkage," Frost said in a hushed tone.


    San Zhe looked at her, waiting for her to explain further.


    Silence.


    San Zhe felt cheated. Why did she say it like that explained everything? It didn''t.


    Lu WenXian chuckled at the grievance written on the young man''s face.


    San Zhe looked at him curiously.


    "It means using the lightning currents like threads and knitting the pools together. This will allow her to conserve her Qi reserve better. The entire strategy is based on affecting the enemy the most while conserving your energy and Qi the most."


    "Oh," San Zhe looked at the violet pools. "But there is an optimal time to Link the pools? Perhaps when the threads are completely saturated by external Qi...no, then she would lose control over the pools...perhaps the currents have a point when they are separated enough from the source that they don''t drain her Qi reserve as much but it would still be connected enough to her that she can exert her will over it."


    Lu WenXian looked at the young man in surprise. He smiled. "It would seem that SelaXiu is not the only one with a great mind. You are just as capable as her!"


    San Zhe frowned at him, forgetting where he was and who he was talking to. "How can it be? I''m only an A-Rank. Do you see me having the special privilege of being called the promise of our generation? Do you see me being able to handle the Demonic teacher''s direct hatred head-on?"


    Lu WenXian blinked. "If you are at A-Rank and SelaXiu is higher than you...then that means¡­"


    San Zhe froze. He looked around him. The Immortals around them was looking at them curiously. Long Hei was moving his lips but there was no sound.


    San Zhe turned to Lu WenXian, confused.


    He smiled at him. "You seemed to have been too occupied with your thoughts. I put up a barrier when you started analysing Lotus''s strategy. They have already pulled me into an Arena battle over SelaXiu. I don''t want to be here more than I have to."


    WuQi jumped on Lu WenXian. "What are you talking about with the newbie in secret?"


    Lu WenXian''s eyebrow twitched. His eyes met Yue''s.


    She turned away again.


    Traitorous Little sisters!


    Lu WenXian looked at San Zhe for help. After all, he had covered for the newbie, he should help, right?


    San Zhe looked at him with pitying eyes and turned away like it had nothing to do with him.


    Lu WenXian narrowed his eyes.


    He looked down at WuQi who looked at him with pitiful eyes. Lu WenXian wanted to throw himself off a cliff.


    "Brother Xian? What were you talking about? Were you giving the newbie tips?" WuQi used this excuse to hold onto Lu WenXian tighter.


    Lu WenXian gritted his teeth and looked at the broad back of San Zhe as the Rookie forced Star Phoenix into a conversation so that he could pretend he didn''t notice Lu WenXian''s predicament.


    "WuQi," Lu WenXian said.


    "Yes?" the Indigo-haired girl asked with a giggle. She blushed.


    "I asked little San on a date and he rejected me," Lu WenXian said with a pitiful voice.


    San Zhe froze and whirled around, staring at Lu WenXian in horror.


    "Huh?" WuQi asked in a daze.

 Chapter 29 - Heart To Neck

    Yue looked at Lu WenXian in surprise and then at San Zhe. Her gaze was no longer indifferent. They were looking at San Zhe like he was a treasure that she had coveted for a long time.


    "Mr Lu, sir...what are you saying!" San Zhe asked helplessly.


    "You proposed to him?" WuQi asked Lu WenXian in a daze.


    WenXian nodded.


    "He rejected you?" WuQi asked him.


    He nodded again.


    WuQi grinned at him. "Do you want to date me as revenge?"


    Lu WenXian gaped at her. That was not how it was supposed to go!


    San Zhe sighed in relief. Dodged that a oneway ticket to death!


    He glared at Lu WenXian. These Experts were too fickle! They would get you into trouble just to save their skin!


    Lu WenXian pushed WuQi away by the shoulders. "I''m sorry but I can''t move on so easily."


    Shameless, San Zhe thought in a daze. Absolutely shameless.


    "We just have to pretend!" WuQi said desperately. "He will get jealous of us and see what he is missing! We can even pretend to get married and have kids! Four of them! That will show him!"


    Lu WenXian gave her a deadpanned look. "Do you think I''m that gullible?"


    WuQi fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Then do you think I''m that gullible to believe your nonsense? You met him today."


    Lu WenXian shook his head. "But I really do like him!"


    "Really?" WuQi frowned. "Is it love?"


    Lu WenXian nearly nodded but then shook his head. "No, just wanted to get to know him more and stuff like that. I...um...I think he...is..."


    Lu WenXian looked towards San Zhe.


    "Eh...cute?"


    WuQi looked thunderstruck. "Cute?"


    "But he rejected me," Lu WenXian said again.


    WuQi glared at San Zhe.


    Lu WenXian smiled. Now that was the reaction he was hoping for.


    "Why would you reject him?"


    "Um...that¡­"


    "Is he not pretty?"


    San Zhe looked at WuQi and then at Lu WenXian and then back at WuQi. "He is but¡­"


    "Is he not successful?"


    "He is?"


    "Why did that sound like a question?"


    "He is!"


    WuQi nodded her head in satisfaction. "Do you not like bo-"


    "The Spider is threading its web," Yue said, interrupting WuQi.


    Everyone looked at the Battlefield.


    Lotus was spinning the whip around her body in a crisscross pattern, the violet currents spun with her movements, weaving and intertwining, contacting at the pools together.


    The threads of electric current formed attached themselves to the rope of the Lightning whip and split into two.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes remained closed but her body started to glow in an eery brown tone. The writings on her robe changed their colour to bright gold.


    "Her cultivation really is Earth-based," said Frost at the sight. "And knowing that her cultivation is below 50 and that she is so fast...her Cultivation Path is definitely above C-Ranked."


    "That doesn''t matter," Yue said to her. "Lotus''s A-Ranked Lightning Path is more than enough to even the battlefield."


    Cheng Xiu dodged to the right as the lightning threads condensed to form ropes.


    "SelaXiu," Lotus crooned. "I''m impressed by you! No! I''m more than impressed. You have made me use my multiple whips! You have become my enemy."


    Cheng Xiu opened her eyes. Her irises were crimson. The earthy hue of the glow around her body gained an undertone of red and the blue colour of her robe seeped away into white.


    Lotus froze.


    "Impossible," Lotus whispered.


    Cheng Xiu could sense the Qi around her.


    She felt connected.


    She felt that she was never alone. She would always be a part of nature.


    This was the connection that she never had. This was the feeling that the Blessed felt every day.


    Cheng Xiu felt overwhelmed. This feeling of connection...she only felt it so clearly during the Qi Crystal at Veritas, when she had used it to awaken her Qi Centre.


    And this time, she felt the connection deeper than before. It was as though the connection back then had an invisible barrier between her and her Qi Centre.


    Lotus scowled.


    "Damned Rookie," she muttered.


    She viciously hit Cheng Xiu with her whip, its two ropes tearing through Cheng Xiu''s clothes.


    Cheng Xiu jumped back in the nick of time, avoiding any major injury.


    She felt like she was filled to the brim with power. As though she would be able to fight a hundred Lotuses before she lost even half of her strength. Everything seemed to be in slow mode. The settling dust, the scattering soil and rocks and even the leaves and grasses around them. Everything.


    Cheng Xiu flashed away from another attack in a streak of red and brown.


    Lotus gritted her teeth. Wasn''t she a Newbie? Newbies were supposed to be clueless and powerless!


    Why was this girl able to use Qi Burst?


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "What''s wrong? Can''t keep up?"


    "Arrogant!" Lotus said with a glare. "How long can you keep that up, huh? My guess is, not for long. Two Qi Bursts should be your limit."


    Cheng Xiu scowled. That made sense.


    Though she couldn''t feel that limit she figured she only had a limited amount of time to get this right. To find a weakness.


    Lotus gave her a bloodthirsty grin. "Let''s play, Rookie!"


    Lotus brought her whip down repeatedly and tried to hit Cheng Xiu at the vital areas of the head and the neck. In this round, Lotus was focused on killing the girl as soon as possible.


    But it was not that simple.


    Cheng Xiu jumped back and forth and ran away whenever she could.


    Lotus gave out a bloodlust filled scream. Cheng Xiu''s speed was a bit faster than her own making it harder for Lotus to harm the blue-robed girl.


    The violet glow of her whip and its twin ropes spread to her entire body.


    Cheng Xiu found the Immortal''s speed had increased to some level. She concentrated her mind on the erratic moments of the expert woman, trying to find a weak spot.


    Cheng Xiu''s entire body glowed red as she crouched low on the ground.


    Lotus pulled her whip into an overarching to gain momentum.


    Cheng Xiu''s phoenix eyes glinted.


    An opening.


    Lotus bent forwards, her whip coming down in a harsh circular motion.


    Cheng Xiu shifted her grip on her sword to the left hand and ran towards Lotus.


    She shifted her weight to the side, letting the whip hit her shoulder and burn into the skin.


    Lotus looked at her in surprise.


    Cheng Xiu ran forward, not losing a bit of her momentum, her sword pointed towards the heart of Lotus.


    Lotus changed her grip on the whip and spun it towards Cheng Xiu.


    The sword pierced through the heart as the whip wound around the neck.


    Their spectators stilled in shock.

 Chapter 30 - Rewards

    "Did she just-" Matchstick looked on in shock.


    Cheng Xiu pulled the sword out.


    Blood splattered to the ground.


    The whip around her neck disappeared.


    Lotus pixelated away.


    Cheng Xiu felt a twang in her heart as her Qi pulsated. She felt Lotus''s Qi Presence disappear from her Qi Centre.


    Cheng Xiu fell to her knees and panted. Her eyes trembled. She hadn''t realized that she would be able to feel the death of her opponents.


    There was a sense of horror at that, but¡­she felt that wild satisfaction that made her play these games again and again despite the setbacks her Qiless status brought. The savage satisfaction of being the winner of the battle.


    "She just killed Lotus!" Matchstick screamed.


    The golden dome of the arena glowed, giving everything around it a golden hue.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster Arena Battlefield


    Battle 1: SelaXiu Veritas VS Lotus.


    Victory: SelaXiu Veritas]


    "She really did it!" San Zhu said laughing. "Whoo! Go sister Xiu!"


    Cheng Xiu turned to him and grinned. She waved her hands at him. "I did-"


    Cheng Xiu''s vision turned dark. Her Avatar disappeared from the Arena.


    The Arena froze.


    The Display screens all around the world that was watching the aftermath blacked out.


    "What happened?" Gu Shu asked in shock. "Didn''t A''Xiu win?"


    "She is receiving her reward I think," Ro said, twirling her green hair. "After all, she just defeated the first Grandmaster."


    Gu Shu looked at Ro in excitement. "Sister Ro! Does that mean Cheng Xiu is going to get that Lightning Whip?!"


    Rin slammed her beer bottle down. "Where did you get that idea?"


    "Didn''t the loser have to give the Winner their most expensive stuff?"


    Rin grinned. "Yup! But not the Lightning Whip! That is a soul weapon!"


    Gu Shu sweat dropped. "What is that?"


    "A weapon that has pledged its alliance to one person''s soul," Chu Ying said in excitement. "Soul weapons cannot be bought! They are made by the System according to the player preference and materials provided by the player. It''s loyal to you forever unless you don''t treat it well! Soul Weapons are things that have a conscience!"


    "It isn''t a new concept," Gu Shu said to her with a frown. "Why are you so excited about it?"


    Chu Ying grinned. "I love the topic."


    "Good for you I guess."


    "Thanks!"


    "Your friend will get a special reward as well I imagine," Bear said to Gu Shu.


    "A better weapon maybe?" Lion guessed.


    "Better cultivation technique?" Bear said with a grin.


    "We don''t know her cultivation technique to guess if there is a better one, Bear."


    "You are right, Lion. I''m so sorry."


    "It''s not okay-"


    Rin hit them both in the head with a Warhammer.


    The pixellated away.


    Gu Shu looked at the muscular woman in terror.


    "They were annoying me," Rin said with a chuckle. "And I think your friend will be getting a lot more than a weapon. Defeating a person who is 10 levels above you gets you an C Ranked treasure in the Arena. There difference between the two of them would determine what rank the Treasure would be."


    "So cool," Chu Ying whispered as she stared at the Blank area above the arena, waiting for the display screen to reappear.


    "Yeah, she is," Gu Shu said with a grin.


    In a different plane, far away from the interface of the players.


    A whirlpool of lights and shadows passed by Cheng Xiu''s eyes faster than her mind could react.


    When she regained her bearing, Cheng Xiu found herself in a blank, white room.


    Cheng Xiu looked around and found herself covering herself with her hands.


    She stood naked as on the day she was born.


    The wall opposite her turned golden, and black symbols started to appear. A glowing black circle faded in and words-no spells started to be etched around it in glowing amber colours.


    She looked around her in surprise. It couldn''t be.


    She was back in the white room from the beginning of the game.


    The Room of Choices as the players called it in one of the articles she read about The Other World.


    She hadn''t even thought of this place since then.


    [Ding!]


    [Congratulations, Player Selafia Veritas! You have won your first ever PvP in an Arena!


    You are given a care package as reward for this monumental moment of your life! Please keep working hard and enjoy the benefits that our game has to offer!


    Thank You!]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. A care package?


    [Ding!]


    Another one?


    [By achieving your first victory in an arena after receiving the quest Madman''s Prophesy, you have unlocked Vixia''s The Chosen One leaderboard.


    Congratulations!]


    Cheng Xiu was a bit annoyed at being reminded of that particular quest. But that annoyance went away as she realised she now had access to a leaderboard!


    "Open The Chosen One leaderboard."


    [Ding!]


    A blue, translucent Interface opened up in front of her.


    [Next time, just say Chosen One board or think of this board while saying open. I''m a high functioning A.I that is using your brain waves and neurological connections to connect your mind to a Virtual Reality where I keep track of your progress. I know when you think of something.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "How was I supposed to know that? All other game A.I systems are not so intrusive!"


    [I have to be so that I can prevent any peadophiles and rapists from doing horrible things to other players.]


    "You should be reporting this to the police!"


    [That would be a breach of Client privacy.]


    "You are joking, right?"


    [Just because someone has a malicious thought doesn''t mean they are going to commit such acts.]


    "Maybe not here! But what about the real world?"


    [System doesn''t have authority outside this Virtual Reality.]


    "But Maya-"


    [Any suspicious behaviour seen by the system is reported back to the Devs who decide on what to respond and how to respond.]


    "Oh. Okay then."


    She looked at the Chosen One leaderboard.


    Almost all the names were in blue and some were in green. Only her name was in grey colour.


    That couldn''t be a good sign.


    [Ding!]


    [Myrdian, the bartender is ecstatic that you have more than three World announcements in the first week of you playing the game. He has had the Village Head make a statue in your name. The Head refused, but he named the Fountain Near the Bridge after you! It is now called Selafia Fountain.


    Congratulations!]


    Her name on the leaderboard changed to green.


    Cheng Xiu glared.. She didn''t want any of it, let alone be humiliated by having a fountain named after her.

 Chapter 31 - The Red Door

    [Ding!]


    "What now?"


    [Player understanding of Minor Realm Qi Sensing I has been fulfilled. Qi has overflowed Realm Capacity.


    Player Selafia Veritas is forced into a Breakthrough simulation.]


    "What?"


    A red double-door appeared on one of the plain walls of the room. The doors flew open to a dark space. a strong gale began in the room, dragging Cheng Xiu towards the door.


    Cheng Xiu struggled against the current. "System! What is going on!"


    [Host is advancing to level two.]


    "Oh," Cheng Xiu slacked. "Why is it so-"


    She was dragged into the dark space, and the red door closed with a bang.


    Everything was dark around her.


    Cheng Xiu spun around in circles a few times. "System?"


    The black abyss was quiet.


    She looked down to see what she was standing on and nearly choked.


    Cheng Xiu stood on top of a golden Boulder. If she took one step in the wrong direction, she would fall off into the darkness below.


    Cheng Xiu wondered what would happen if she did fall. Nothing good probably.


    "System? Where am I? Have I leveled up?"


    There was no response.


    "System?"


    Silence.


    "Maya?"


    [Yes, Player?]


    Cheng Xiu started and almost fell off the edge of the Boulder.


    "Why didn''t you respond before?"


    Cheng Xiu''s mind had conjured up all kinds of horrible scenarios. Maybe she failed to Level up and was being punished by the game. Maybe her game pod malfunctioned somehow and she had gone into a coma. Or maybe she had traveled across time and space and now was floati-


    [Ding!]


    [Breakthrough Simulation begins in


    3


    2


    1


    Start!]


    A dim light flickered to her left.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    The light flickered again.


    Cheng Xiu squinted her eyes, trying to see into the distance.


    She didn''t know what she had to do to actually level up in the game. If she had to fight a beast or something then walking towards the beast would be the stupidest thing she could do at this moment.


    "Is that a fish?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    It really was a fish. A glowing fish that created ripples of light as it swam through the black space.


    A golden Boulder appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She looked about and her Phoenix eyes fell on the bloodied sword in her hand. Her grip on its hilt tightened. It was the only weapon that she had and she wouldn''t be able to do anything if something comes out of the darkness to get her.


    But¡­


    Her eyes fell on the golden step in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth and hurled her sword at the stone. The sword''s tip hit on the golden surface with a ''ting'' and bounced off.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips as the sword slid over the golden plane and stopped at the brim of the Boulder.


    There was no other reaction. She looked around just to make sure there were no surprise attacks.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and then scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Maybe I was a bit too cautious."


    Cheng Xiu crouched and jumped over to the new stone.


    As soon as one of her feet touched the Boulder, a new one materialized in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu picked up her sword and looked at the new stone. She looked down at the sword and then at the stone. She looked at the stone and then at the stone. She repeated it once more. Cheng Xiu pursed her lips and aimed to throw the sword onto the new Boulder but stopped half-way.


    Cheng Xiu felt stupid. There was no need to be so weary of things.


    She would treat this level up Breakthrough as the one from the other game that she had played five years back.


    Though they were different, both were centered around Cultivation, this part should be somewhat similar, despite the black abyss and golden stone steps showing otherwise.


    Cheng Xiu jumped over to the new stone. Another one appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu sighed.


    She looked over at the place where the glowing fish was jumping from one place to another, creating splashes of light.


    Though they were far away from each other, Cheng Xiu was sure the stones were leading her towards the fish.


    Cheng Xiu jumped off to the new stone. Another one appeared.


    This continued on for a long time. At first, Cheng Xiu''s moments were clumsy and her steps were unstable. She nearly fell off a few times. But as she progressed further and further, Cheng Xiu''s steps became more and more stable.


    The stones were not placed at equal distance from each other, but Cheng Xiu found her speed getting faster and faster as the ran towards her destination.


    In her virtual body a change began to happen. Her bones strengthened, her blood circulated faster, her breathing evened out, and her movements became smoother. Her skin became more lustrous.


    Her fast mind became faster. Her sharp vision became sharper.


    Cheng Xiu grinned as she ran towards the distant light.


    As her speed increased, and vision cleared, Cheng Xiu realises that the Fish was actually swimming away from her. The more Cheng Xiu increased her speed, the faster the fish became.


    Cheng Xiu grinned as she gave chase. She felt like a great predator of the forest. Untamed, powerful and wild. The savage part of her that she had locked away, suppressed a long time back after she had found out she was a Qiless, to be a good girl, to be a model student slipped away from its chains.


    Cheng Xiu felt freedom from playing a virtual game. The sense of freedom that she never felt after her Awakening ceremony back then. Three years. It had been three years since she had felt this kind of power.


    Her steps became faster and she gained on the Fish.


    It was a red Carp.


    She ran faster, her mind narrowed. No other thoughts flitted through her mind except to catch the fish.


    A glowing red door appeared in front of them, floating in the dark abyss.


    Cheng Xiu instinctively knew that she had to reach the Carp before it reached the door.


    They got closer and closer.


    Cheng Xiu pushed her legs harder and harder.


    The Red door flew open to reveal a golden interior.


    The Carp made a giant leap towards the door.


    Cheng Xiu flung herself over as well, uncaring about whether she would be able to make a safe landing. Her dark Phoenix eyes only had the Red, glowing Carp reflected on it.


    Her arms stretched out to hold the fish as her body fell down.


    Her thin, pale hands encircled the cool body of the Red Carp that felt less like flesh and more like metal.


    "Got you!" Cheng Xiu said with a laugh.


    The fish struggled in her grasp as they both fell into the blackness of the abyss but Cheng Xiu''s mind was too focused on the Carp to notice.

 Chapter 32 - First Skill

    The glowing red Carp in Cheng Xiu''s hands dissolved, turned into a tornado of light and disappeared into her chest.


    Cheng Xiu looked at her empty hands in surprise.


    Before she could comprehend what had happened she fell faster. It was the void place Cheng Xiu''s hair flowed up as she descended.


    Her mind was in a trance.


    Her eyes glowed in a golden light and her entire body flashed in the colours of the rainbow.


    Her descent stopped and her body spun.


    She started to float up.


    A piece of dramatic music echoed around her, and Cheng Xiu burst into specks of dust of light.


    When she returned to her senses, Cheng Xiu found herself back in the white room, in front of the open red door.


    Cheng Xiu looked on in a daze as the door slowly closed.


    An etching of a golden fish appeared on the door''s red surface and the door disappeared.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas took the path of the great Tao and ran after their fortune. Her efforts were seen by the heavens and were blessed with success!


    Congratulations, Player Selafia Veritas! You have successfully completed your Breakthrough trial.]


    Cheng Xiu felt like her brain was damaged. "Why a fish?"


    [Ding!]


    [Congratulations to Player Selafia Veritas on your first breakthrough.


    System awards Player +1 to all stats for levelling up.]


    "Thanks," Cheng Xiu said. "But seriously, why a fish?"


    [Certain players are given animals as their spiritual guide.]


    "And I got fish?"


    [Does Player want to change her animal?]


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "It''s fine. I was just curious."


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has passed Battle 1 of the Grandmaster Arena against Immortal Lotus of the Lightning Tribe.


    Battle reward: 1 free skill of rank F from the Arena market.


    +2 paid skills of any rank from the Arena market.


    +1 free Red Carp Sword.]


    Cheng Xiu gaped. "Aren''t you being a bit too generous?"


    [Would the player like to reject these rewards?]


    Cheng Xiu panicked. "I''ll have it! I''ll have it! I was just curious damn it!"


    [Okay then.]


    A blue interface appeared in front of her. It was shaped like a scroll. On the top handle, there was a golden inscription written in English.


    ''Grandmaster''s Market.''


    There were rows and rows of words written in white text on the blue surface. They were all names of skills.


    Cheng Xiu grinned. She always enjoyed selecting skills because it made her feel like she had Qi manifestation. There was a power and control that only came to those who had the skill and Cheng Xiu always valued herself as someone skilful.


    As she went down through the list she realised that they all fell into the general category of Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning. They were then Ranked into F, E, D, C, B, and A.


    ''A Rank'' seemed to be the highest Skill that the arena could give a player.


    Their price started at 50 Gold coins, increasing at a rate of +100 with an increase in Rank.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the corner of the Interface that showed the current amount of money she possessed.


    Bronze: 0


    Copper: 0


    Silver: 0


    Gold: 204, 000


    Crystal: 200


    Money was not a problem when it came to skills she wanted to buy it would seem. She could buy all the skills she wanted but the system had restricted her. She realized it was a good thing it did or else she would have no money to spare.


    Cheng Xiu first looked at the F rank skills. The system had said that she could choose one for free.


    Her eyes fell on Healing (Upgradable) that was in F-Rank.


    Cheng Xiu had only survived for so long enough to deal the killing blow on Lotus was because of her constitution given by the True Qi Cultivation Method that made her body regenerate faster than most people.


    If she had a healing ability it would take her far into this game. It would especially help her during the Arena battle.


    Plus, it was an upgradable skill. Anyone who played games knew that upgradable skills were the most valuable skills.


    She tapped on the ''F-Ranked Healing'' written place.


    The letters glowed white and turned into a stream of light that disappeared into her forehead.


    Cheng Xiu clutched her head with a frown. A spell grafted itself into her memories. Its foundational arrays, its strength, its weakness she knew almost everything. Cheng Xiu felt like she could heal anyone.


    Once her mood stabilized, Cheng Xiu smiled. That was a very interesting experience. It would seem that the skills in this game were a bit more complicated, especially those that are Upgradable.


    Phoenix eyes looked at the other skills on the list. There were too many to go through and she was unsure which one would be more appropriate.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment.


    Her next opponent was Lu WenXian and what little she knew of from her research of the Lu Family and what she had seen during the fight against the Forest Spirit, Lu WenXian was primarily a Swordsman who used wind as his supporting element to strike his enemy.


    She needed a skill that would keep her away from him while also having resistance to his wind Manipulation.


    Wait¡­the system said she could have 2 paid skills¡­she could maybe buy two of them. One for the sword and the other for the wind¡­


    Her eyes flitted through the various skills on display until her eyes fell on two.


    She smirked. Those should somewhat work.


    She wasn''t arrogant as to believe she could actually beat Lu WenXian like she did Lotus. The only reason Lotus had been defeated by her was that Cheng Xiu was trying to find an opening constantly and Lotus let herself open to weakness.


    She knew Lu WenXian was an expert and that he would be much more prepared for her than Lotus was, given that he had seen her fight but these Skills should give her a fighting chance.


    Cheng Xiu bought them and then removed the Red Carp Sword from her Storage Ring.


    The Red Carp Sword was serrated on one side and smooth on the other.


    It looked beautiful and enchanting. It was gilded with gold and had red shells adorning the blade.


    Cheng Xiu put her old sword into the storage ring and tied the new sword to her hip. She looked gallant and majestic with it.


    "I''m ready to leave, Maya."


    Her body dematerialized once more.

 Chapter 33 - Dead Dignity

    In the Red leaves of Viridian Forest, Three figures watched a virtual screen in which Cheng Xiu''s avatar disappeared in a streak of light.


    "Brother," Diana said with a giggle. "Wasn''t that fun to watch? That was fun to watch! I like her!"


    Yaksha stared at the blue sky in thought. "She defeated Immortal Lotus. What do you think is her Cultivation path?"


    "Righteous for sure," Luther said, pushing his glass up.


    Diana frowned. "I don''t like her anymore."


    Yaksha chuckled. "Ah, Little sister, your love is so fickle."


    "I hate Righteous sects."


    Yaksha sobered. "Mm. I know."


    Everyone had a story of how they became powerful. NPCs especially. And Diana''s rise to power was a tragic one.


    There was no righteousness in this world. Those that preached the so-called "Good path" were the ones who needed it the most.


    "Come on then," Yaksha said as he walked towards the Golden dome.


    "We are going to crash the party?" Diana asked in excitement.


    Yaksha smiled. "No. I just want to see my big brother get beat up."


    Luther laughed. "Good one, young master!"


    Yaksha smiled. "SelaXiu didn''t use any other skill than swordplay to defeat Immortal Lotus. I wonder how my brother will fair against such a formidable opponent."


    "Formidable?" Diana asked.


    "Young Master, surely you are exaggerating! Even if she got new skills from the Arena Market, Second Young Master is more familiar with his set of skills!"


    Yaksha smiled. "Hm."


    Familiarity¡­


    That would be an obstacle for anyone. But if this SelaXiu was her¡­How can his brother''s familiarity with his skillsets be an advantage against a woman with an IQ at the S-Rank?


    He had always been curious about her learning curve and now he would be able to see the real extent of her resourcefulness.


    His heart started to beat fast at the thought of it. It had been a long time since he had felt this excited about something that was not The Other World.


    ''Sela,'' he thought. ''Show me the secrets of your mind.''


    Inside the golden dome, a streak of light appeared and pixelated away, leaving behind the thin form of Cheng Xiu.


    The robe she wore had changed.


    Instead of the white robe with brown designs woven in it, she now wore a Shiney white robe that had silver designs on it. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail and a simple silver Carp hung at her hips.


    The only thing that had colour about her was the bright red sword tied to her back virtually and the redness of her lips.


    Lu WenXian started to move towards her to the centre of the clearing.


    "Did she just have a wardrobe swa¡­" Long Hei, the green-clad healer of the Immortals looked at her in shock. "The arena gave her a new Armour and a sword?"


    Star Phoenix sighed. "Nope. The Armour must be because she powered up."


    Long Hei looked at him in shock. "Huh? She Levelled up?"


    "Fighting with Lotus must have given her insight into her Cultivation method," Frost said.


    "But¡­but you only get new Armour after milestones!" Long Hei said to the Blue haired girl. "Does that mean she got an insight into her Cultivation from just a level 10 match up? Isn''t Wisdom Breakthrough something that can only be done in matches that pushes you to your limi-... Oh."


    Yue smiled. "Her sword is definitely a reward though."


    "The arena gives you weapons?" Matchstick asked in confusion. "Why didn''t anyone tell me that before? If I had known that I would have bought all of the Grandmaster''s Arena Talisman in the market so that I can have an infinite supply of high-grade weapons to give to Ms Love."


    "That NPC blacksmith girl you wag your tail after in High City?" Long Hei asked. "why can''t you leave even NPCs alone?"


    "It''s true love."


    "Bullshit."


    Matchstick glared and a ball of light in his palms.


    Long Hei created a water ball in response.


    They threw it at each other. Both dodged.


    The ball of light nearly hit San Zhe in the head but the young man ducked behind Star Phoenix.


    "Please don''t fight!" San Zhe shouted. "I don''t want to be collateral to your God level squabbles!"


    Matchstick and Long Hei looked at the man hiding behind Star Phoenix in surprise.


    Matchstick blushed. "Um¡­sorry man! I forgot that there are people who cannot protect themselves against attacks like ours."


    Long Hei laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry too."


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster''s Arena Battle 2


    Match: SelaXiu Veritas x Lu WenXian


    The battle begins!]


    "It''s starting!" WuQi shouted. "Woo! Yeah! Woo! Woo-hoo! Go, Brother Xian! I love you!"


    Everyone moved away from her as the Indigo haired woman flailed her hands around in excitement.


    Cheng Xiu looked over at the loud woman in surprise and then suppressed the laughter that threatened to spill out at the deadpanned look on Lu WenXian''s face.


    "Senior WenXian," Cheng Xiu called. He looked up at her. "Would you consider quitting this match and letting me get away from this arena?"


    Lu WenXian smiled sweetly. "I''m sorry. I can''t. I have a lovely younger sister who would be very disappointed in me if I did that."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Oh well. It was worth a try."


    "Let''s have a good match," Lu WenXian said with a sweet smile.


    "Okay!" Cheng Xiu responded. "Let''s!"


    In Long City, the Display screen hologram was turned on once again atop the Arena building.


    Chu Ying and Gu Shu sat at the forefront of the group. Chu Ying looked at the screen in excitement, whereas Gu Shu looked at the screen in fear.


    "Sister Gu, Sister Cheng can do anything! Have faith in her!" Chu Ying said to her. "Besides, it''s just a game!"


    Gu Shu blinked at her. "I don''t want her to lose."


    "She won''t."


    Gu Shu gave the girl a hesitant nod and went back to stare at the screen intently.


    Chu Ying followed suit.


    In the Viridian Forest, three figures walked towards the Golden dome, but their eyes were glued to the Floating screen showing a man in black and red and a woman in silver facing each other.


    "Do we stop to watch?" Luther asked Yaksha.


    "Walk and watch," Yaksha said.


    "Oh."


    Diana giggled. "I hope the girl kills this one too."


    Luther glared at her.


    "I''m sure she will," Yaksha said to her.


    Luther looked at Yaksha in exasperation. "Where is your dignity, Young master? You shouldn''t be so blatantly biased."


    "My dignity is dead in a ditch somewhere I''m sure."


    On the screen, the countdown for the match began.

 Chapter 34 - Clashing Swords

    [Ding!]


    [No ailments to the PHysical body detected.


    Avatar is 100% Efficient after Levelling up!]


    [Battle Countdown


    3


    2


    1


    Go!]


    The two figures stood still.


    "It''s nice to meet you again," Lu WenXian said as he removed his sword from its scabbard.


    "Wish I could say likewise but it''s really not,"


    Lu WenXian smirked. "Why do you say that? You can''t still be resenting me about making Veritas your Starter Village, right?"


    Cheng Xiu took out her sword. "Are you not attacking?"


    "I am hoping you would attack first so that I can learn your weaknesses faster."


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped. "Isn''t that a bit too honest, Senior?"


    "Is it?"


    Cheng Xiu scowled and lunged towards him.


    Lu WenXian spread his legs to stabilize his footing and met her blade head-on.


    Their blades collided.


    The recoil from the impact pushed both of them back.


    Cheng Xiu stumbled back.


    She pursed her lips. Just as she had thought. Lu WenXian''s fighting style was far more stable than her own. Cheng Xiu didn''t have a fighting style per se. She was just using her understanding of her earth style of the True Qi Cultivation that she had learned from that old man and using it in sword battle.


    Cheng Xiu leapt at Lu WenXian again and their swords met once more.


    The swords clicked and ringed.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    Lu WenXian smirked.


    He pushed back against her.


    Cheng Xiu dug her feet to the ground, refusing to budge.


    Lu WenXian looked at her in surprise. It would seem that not only her speed, even her strength was above her level limit.


    He stepped back and leaned away.


    Cheng Xiu almost fell face-first to the ground.


    She stumbled to a stop.


    Lu WenXian brought his sword down to stab her in the back.


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground and rolled away.


    His sword slashed the ground.


    It was a good thing that she saw the glint of his sword beforehand.


    Cheng Xiu lunged at him.


    She tried to stab him in the guts.


    Lu WenXian twisted his waist and leapt back. "So close. Rude Rookie!"


    "Backstabber."


    Lu WenXian shrugged. "I''m usually very honourable. It''s because I have been living with my little brother too much. He is completely black-bellied."


    "Very doubtful," Cheng Xiu said as she leapt at him.


    "Really! I''m telling the truth" Lu WenXian said to her as he blocked her attack once again and pushed her back.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back, and bent her knees to get a better balance to her stance.


    Lu WenXian frowned. She was already fixing her form as they were fighting? She only stumbled once!


    Lu WenXian observed her. He realised something. She was copying him!


    During their first clash, she hadn''t known how to stabilize her footing and nearly fell on her butt. But on the very next round, during the second recoil, she had tried to copy his way of regaining balance.


    Though her stance wasn''t perfect, it was still many times better than their first clash.


    Scary.


    He couldn''t let her improve that easily.


    "Miss SelaXiu," Lu WenXian called.


    "Hm?"


    "You are a scary woman!"


    SelaXiu sweatdropped. "Okay? Thank You?"


    "And now it''s my turn!"


    He leapt at her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged his attack and tried to kick his side.


    Lu WenXian spun the Sword around, trying to cut her leg off.


    Cheng Xiu let herself fall to the ground and used the momentum to kick Lu WenXian''s ankle.


    He stumbled but used his sword as a support stick. "Good recovery, Rookie!"


    "Thank you senior!"


    He ran towards her with the sword held straight.


    Their blades clashed again.


    This time, neither of them stumbled when they stepped back.


    Lu WenXian looked at Cheng Xiu''s earth stance in surprise. He realised that she was too good at fixing her mistakes.


    "Scary!" Lu WenXian said as their blades met once again.


    They met again and again and again.


    Cheng Xiu''s attacks became crisper and solid as they fought once more.


    "Why isn''t Brother Xian using his winds!" WuQi asked. "That damned rookie is gaining on him!"


    "He was trying to gauge where SelaXiu was at in terms of Swordfights and how well she could recover when someone attacks her weak spots," Frost said. "It would help him understand his opponent better and make a plan on how to best use their weaknesses."


    "Oh!" WuQi exclaimed. "That makes sense! Brother Xian will be able to defeat the newbie soon then!"


    "That should be the case...but¡­" Frost said.


    "But what?"


    "That rookie''s recovery is far too quick," Matchstick said to her. WuQi looked at him in confusion. "Usually, people take a few battles and training to fix the problems that arise during their matches. But this girl...she barely took any time at all. Within three clashes she stabilized her fighting stance against Brother WenXian."


    "Meaning?"


    "Meaning," Yue said, a small frown on her face. "If brother wants to gain an advantage over her, he shouldn''t let her think. He shouldn''t let her improve."


    "That''s easier said than done," Star Phoenix said. "The rookie is using her superior speed to keep WenXian from thinking."


    "She has a sharp mind," Yue commented.


    "But will her intelligence be enough to keep Brother WenXian away from herself?" Matchstick asked.


    "To win against her, he has to use his wind techniques," Crow, the red-clad man said. "In the Grandmaster''s Arena, the only advantage that a Level 70 player has over someone who is below level 50, is their experience as level 70 players. We are more aware of our limits and our potential than those of the lower realm. but SelaXiu¡­"


    "Is very good at correcting the mistakes that are pointed out to her," Yue concluded. "This makes her fight with brother WenXian a learning experience for her where she is realizing her limits...and even more scarily, her potential."


    "I wish I had won against her so that I could have her in my guild," A voice said from behind Long Hei.


    Long Hei nodded. "That''s right! Thank God Lotus lost to her so that her Guild doesn''t get her as a member, right Lotus!"


    The place fell into silence, the only sound coming from Cheng Xiu''s and Lu WenXian''s blades clashing against each other again and again.


    Long Hei started and backed away, hiding behind San Zhe. "Ah! Lotus! When did you get here!"


    The violet haired girl smiled sweetly at him.

 Chapter 35 - Bullets Dance

    Long Hei smiled at her nervously. "Sister Lotus! Your fight against the girl was just a fluke! You didn''t realise that the girl would be so cunnining! That''s all!"


    "Who will believe your words?"


    "Um...everyone!"


    "Oh? So people will forget the World Broadcast of the Grandmaster''s Arena?"


    Long Hei backed away. "That...that...oh look! Little Sela nearly cut brother WenXian!"


    Everyone turned to the fight at his words.


    Cheng Xiu had almost cut WenXian''s head off had he not backflipped away from her.


    "How the hell did she do that!" WuQi asked San Zhe in anger.


    San Zhe backed away. "Um...I don''t know."


    In the middle of the arena the two cultivators became faster in their movements.


    "Well," WenXian said, panting. "You are a really persistent opponent!"


    He stood straight and sheathed his sword.


    Cheng Xiu understood his intentions immediately.


    He was going to use Wind spells.


    She felt a bit annoyed at the fact that he sheathed his sword to use his wind powers instead of using the wind to enhance his sword strikes. But she shouldn''t be looking at a gifted horse in the mouth.


    Let him underestimate her. That was the most advantageous thinking process she could hope for.


    He raised his hands in front of him. "Wind Bullets!"


    a ball of tornado formed in the palms of his hands. it warpped around his entire arm, making his red sleaves flutter.


    The wind became visible to the eyes as it absorbed the dust in the air to gain momentum and greyish bullets flew towards her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged those that she could but because there were so many of them, some nicked her arms and face.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword to block the rain of wind bullets.


    She swung it left and right, using her greatest effort to block all of them.


    "Wind Blades!"


    Cheng Xiu leapt to the side to avoid it.


    The blade graced near her sleave, cutting the fluttering part of it off.


    Lu WenXian whistled. "I''m impressed, Rookie! Let''s see how long you can actually hold on for though! Wind Bullet! Wind Blade!"


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground and rolled away.


    "Wind Bullet! Wind Blade!"


    The attacks rushed towards her even more.


    Cheng Xiu backed away, using her Sword as her shield.


    "Wind Bullet! Wind Blade!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled away from the attack range again.


    "Wind Blades! Wind Blades!"


    Cheng Xiu smirked, jumped to her feet and raised her sword. "Sword Dance!"


    The red sword in her hand flashed and two copies of the sword floated in front of her. The swords met the two wind blades in the air. There was a flash of red light.


    When they could see things again, the blades were no more.


    The swords floated back and stayed above her head.


    The Red Carp Sword had two inbuilt special moves it allowed its wielder to use. And Sword Dance was the first one.


    It allowed the user to create copies of it and use it to attack the enemy. It was a ranged skill that used Qi to work.


    The number of copies was up to the wielder. If you had the confidence to do so, then you could even make hundreds and thousands of copies to attack the enemy from afar. All you needed was sufficient Qi and concentration.


    Cheng Xiu was not really sure about her capability to control more than two copies and she wasn''t aware of how much Qi she actually had. It took a lot of Qi to manipulate the swords to float the way she wanted it to.


    She had the advantage of having a powerful mind though and it made maneuvering the swords easier.


    Lu WenXian frowned. "Wind Bullet! Wind Bullet! Wind Bullet!"


    Cheng Xiu crouched low and rolled away once again.


    Lu WenXian expected it. He sent a Wind Blade towards her.


    Cheng Xiu used the swords around her to block it and destroyed it in a flash of red.


    She had learned something about WenXian''s attacks. Wind Bullet was an Area skill that targeted everything in its path. It was not as flexible as the blades.


    Even the Wind Blades had the same weakness to a degree. It would move in the way that he attacked it with.


    And Sword Dance could cut down their momentum because the Wind was largely made of his Qi.


    When the Qi in the flying swords encountered them the swords would win because their Qi was constantly replenished by the user unlike the Wind Skills.


    Lu WenXian raised his hands again. "Ice Bullet!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She used the floating swords to stop the bullets. They weren''t as fast as the Wind Bullets before them but they made up for it by being unstoppable. The sword just cut through the bullets, splitting them and increasing their numbers.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword again. "Sword Shield!"


    Cheng Xiu felt her Qi drain into half.


    Sword Shield was the second skill attached to the Carp Sword. It was similar to Qi Burst in that it would take an insane amount of Qi from the user to create a Qi Barrier around her.


    But this skill used three times the amount of Qi that Qi Burst used.


    A thin blue Qi Barrier appeared around her, protecting her from the incoming Ice bullets.


    The bullets hit the barrier and shattered into pieces.


    "Hey, Senior! Using elements other than Wind is a bit underhanded!" Cheng Xiu said to him with a grin.


    Lu WenXian frowned. "You shouldn''t expect all your enemies to be one-element ponies like Lotus, in fact she is a wierd in that-"


    "Lu WenXian!" Lotus screamed. "Just you wait you bastard! I''m going to electrocute you into smithereens! Who is weird! You are weird! Your whole family is weird!"


    "See what I mean?"


    "I was just joking though," Cheng Xiu tilted her head in confusion. "Are you not going to apologize to her? She seems genuinely upset with you. "


    "Why should I? I was only telling the truth!"


    "Lu idiot!"


    Cheng Xiu sweat dropped. "She is really ang-"


    The barrier around her disappeared.


    "Wind Waves!"


    "Sword Dance."


    Two more swords appeared before her.. She used the four swords to cut through the sharp waves that came her way.

 Chapter 36 - Heavenly Fires

    Two waves of water came towards Cheng Xiu in arcs.


    The four copies of her Carp Sword created a Qi field that cut off the connection that Lu WenXian had with the waves, stopping the waves'' momentum and power by half.


    Cheng Xiu backed away until she was inside the woods.


    The waters hit the stems and branches of the trees and dissolved.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes to feel the Qi in her. She got the sense that there was a little more than a quarter left.


    The Sword Barrier and the second Sword Dance did drain her.


    "Northern Fire!"


    Cheng Xiu jumped out of the way of the blue fire that came her way. It hit the wood next to her.


    The tree burst into flames and turned into ash within seconds.


    Cheng Xiu looked at Lu WenXian in surprise.


    Northern Fire?


    She knew that skill before. It was a very famous skill in another game.


    "Western Fire!"


    A streak of orange fire came her way.


    Cheng Xiu jumped back and then ducked. The fire tried to follow her movements and ended up burning the roots of another tree.


    Cheng Xiu was now sure that the skills were not just similar but the same.


    These were the A-Ranked Fire Skills of the game Primordials Online! It was a VR game that never opened beyond the Beta stage.


    These Fire Skills had a specific order they had to be used.


    First, the Blue Fire of the North, or the Northern Fire. This skill invoked the northern Fire Tribe of Heaven. The streak of Blue Fire that it produced would burn its target within seconds.


    Second, The Yellow Fire of the West or the Western Fire. This skill invoked the western Fire Tribe of Heaven. The streak of Yellow Fire it produced wouldn''t kill the opponent. It would slowly eat away the life source of its target. The fire was semi-sentient.


    The third one should be¡­


    "Southern Fire!"


    A pink fire came her way in the shape of a chain.


    The Red Fire of the Southern Tribe of Heaven. A red fire is produced that will burn away the potential of the target. In the game, the potential of the target was the Skills that the player used. It was a broken skill, technically giving its users an unlimited amount of power to lock their opponent''s skills.


    But it had a very deep flaw. The fire was near-sentient and willful. Sometimes it would block all target skills and other times it would lock a useless skill of the target.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Pink colour of the Fire. That could either mean that the fire had a different colour or¡­ in the most likely scenario, Lu WenXian did not have any control over this particular skill.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand. "Ghost Flame!"


    A black flame burst into life in her palms. Cheng Xiu threw the flame at the incoming Pink Fire.


    The two flames intertwined like two snakes and the black one slowly gained more volume.


    The pink flame dissipated with a final spark.


    This was the skill that Cheng Xiu bought from the Arena Market.


    The black flame, called Ghost Flame, was an F-Rank flame. Cheng Xiu bought it specifically to counteract Lu WenXian''s wind attacks. The fire would eat the Qi in the attacks of the wind to make itself stronger.


    Cheng Xiu had not wanted to bring out the skill set. She had wanted to see what skills Lu WenXian possessed at Level 10 before she made her move.


    But if the Red Fire hit her, then all her planning and caution would be for nought. What could she do if all her skills were eaten away by a dum fire?


    Cheng Xiu called the Ghost Flame back into her palm.


    "What is that?" Lu WenXian asked her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in confusion. He had the Direction Flames of Heaven! Those who had those skills should know about the Ghost Flame, right?


    It was a skill that surprised her when she had seen it in the list of skills in the Market.


    The Ghost Flame was a Kin of the Fires that Lu WenXian possessed. But whereas the Direction Flames were of Heaven, the Ghost Flame was its counterpart in Hell.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the curious gaze of Lu WenXian and decided that he really did not know what this flame was.


    "How did you get your fire skills?" Cheng Xiu asked instead of answering his question.


    Lu WenXian smiled. "It was a gift from my little brother!"


    "Huh?"


    Lu WenXian shrugged. "I got it from an Item called Heavenly Directions. My little brother got it somehow and gave it to me!"


    He had a face that said it was the greatest achievement of his life.


    "Good for you?" Cheng Xiu said awkwardly. "If you have these Fires why are you known for Wind Element?"


    "Because Wind works best with a swordsman, and I am a Sword Cultivator."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding. "And you are not good with Fire spells."


    "That too," Lu WenXian said. "Apparently the colours are off because I don''t do it right."


    "That mak-"


    "Wind Dagger!"


    A sharp wind swiped past her ears, leaving behind a thin wound on the shell of her right ear.


    Lu WenXian frowned. The girl had moved a fraction away at the last moment.


    Such a quick reflex.


    No. It wasn''t just a reflex. She had never relaxed and was always observing him. He had to give her props for that. What a focused mind.


    "So you still had more wind skills," Cheng Xiu said with a scowl, her eyes accusing him of cheating.


    "This was the last one, I promise!"


    Cheng Xiu blinked and then shrugged. "I didn''t say anything."


    It was there in your eyes, Lu WenXian thought. He frowned. His Qi level was low. He was not expecting to use the Heavenly Fires in this match. Even though it felt that they had barely fought, he felt the pressure the girl put on him.


    Though it was not visible to the naked eyes, there were sword marks scattered on his chest and his arms.


    Her form showed that she was not a swordsman but there was an intuitive understanding of fighting that she had which only came to those who were trained.


    This SelaXiu had a Real-world understanding of Martial Arts.


    "Where did you learn to fight?" he asked her.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips in thought. "An NPC taught me."


    Lu WenXian looked at her in confusion. "What? No! I didn''t mean your cultivation! I meant¡­were you taught how to fight in the real world?"


    Cheng Xiu''s hands balled into a fist. The Ghost Flame in her hand was snuffed out.


    A small amount of Qi filled up in her centre, a secondary usage of the black flame.


    But Cheng Xiu''s mind was on his question.


    Was she taught to fight in the real world"


    "My mother," she said in a monotone.


    "Oh," Lu WenXian felt awkward as he saw the grief that entered her eyes. He hadn''t meant to make her remember bad things. He knew only one way to get out of this situation. It worked with his little sister so it should work with her, right?


    "Water Bullets!"


    Cheng Xiu ran into the forest. The four Carp Sword copies floated behind her.


    "Sword Dance!"


    Two more copies materialized in front of her.


    "Sword Pierce!"


    The swords turned towards Lu WenXian and flew towards him at high speed.

 Chapter 37 - Imitate

    The six swords flew towards Lu WenXian at high speed.


    He raised his sword and blocked the incoming attacks.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and concentrated.


    She imagined the six swords, their red glossed handle, the cool touch of its metallic surface and its weight against her hands.


    She imagined thin threads of Qi attached to the swords from her Qi Centre.


    Cheng Xiu felt the swords'' presence in her mind.


    Through the Qi emitted by the sword clones, Cheng Xiu was able to create a mental image of Lu WenXian in her mind. The shadowed image moved when he moved.


    It jumped when he jumped.


    This was a technique that the player could use if they had six or more Carp Sword copies activated at the same time.


    It wasn''t as draining as the Sword Shield that she erected before but it took twice the amount of concentration than a usual sword fight.


    But she only had one more skill and she didn''t want to use that skill unless it was actually necessary.


    There was also the fact that she was not sure she would be able to execute the skill as well as the Ghost Flame.


    It was another skill that she had seen being used in Primordials Online but she had never used it herself unlike with the Ghost Flame.


    Cheng Xiu let her mind settle and focused on the six swords in her mind.


    She lifted her hands and moved them to the side, in a blocking gesture.


    One of the cloned swords flew towards Lu WenXian''s neck sideways.


    Lu WenXian raised his sword in an arc and pushed the sword away.


    Cheng Xiu bent her knees and created a crescent with her arms, the tips of her fingers straightened to imitate a sword.


    The sword on the right lowered to the ground and raised upwards in an arc, nearly cutting Lu WenXian in half.


    It was only his speed that allowed him to step back in time to avoid certain death.


    His eyes fell on the close eyed figure of Cheng Xiu.


    She raise her hand and imitated a stabbing gesture.


    The sword in the left corner stabbed Lu WenXian in the shoulder.


    Blood splattered to the ground.


    Lu WenXian pursed his lips in distaste. He would never admit it out loud but he had looked down on the girl before him. After all, no matter how spectacular the Rookie was she was a Rookie. Someone who knew very little about the game. There was at least a 20 level difference between the two of them. He shouldn''t be so weak against her.


    To him Lotus'' loss was because her skills were limited.


    But now, after using the Heavenly Fires and all the wind skills that he had at Level 10, he was losing badly to the girl.


    As a matter of fact, he was losing worse than Lotus did.


    Lotus had really hurt the girl and the only reason she had won was because she found a weakness at the last minute. She had hurt SelaXiu a lot more, cornered her a lot more, and made her desperate.


    But he couldn''t to that to her. Just by getting a better sword and a rather powerful skill, SelaXiu was the one with the advantage in their match.


    A voice echoed in his mind. ''You will always find people who are better than you at something. There is no reason to be so obsessed over it.''


    Lu WenXian stilled.


    One of the cloned swords dashed towards him, thrusting at his midriff.


    Lu WenXian twisted his body away at the last moment.


    He knew that voice very well. "A''Xing."


    ''Nobody can here me,'' WenXing''s voice came to him. ''You better just listen, brother.''


    Lu WenXian gave a subtle nod.


    ''Quit.''


    "What?"


    Cheng Xiu spun around gracefully, the bellowing sleeves of her robes fluttering in the wind as she did so.


    At that moment she looked like a true Cultivator.


    All six of the sword clones spun around, imitating her movements.


    Lu WenXian jumped back twice to get out of their cutting range.


    ''You can''t win against her.''


    "Such little faith in me," Lu WenXian muttered.


    ''It''s not about faith. You are weak, and she is more capable. Quit if you want to give your friends an advantage.''


    Lu WenXian parried to the right.


    "What do you mean?" he asked in a whisper.


    ''When she kills you, the arena will give her more rewards. If you want to give your friends a chance to win, then quit now. Quitting will not give her any obvious advantage, except experience.''


    "You are underestimating me. Your brother is more capable than you realise."


    ''I was trying to help our little sister out but if you want to be a fool then go ahead.''


    "Let me show you what I am made of!" Lu WenXian screamed and raised his sword high.


    He accelerated towards Cheng Xiu.


    In the far distance, where the Immortals and San Zhe stood.


    "Is it me," Matchstick said in confusion. "Or is brother WenXian talking to himself?"


    "He''s lost it!" Long Hei said with a laugh. "He must have lost his brain or something when that SelaXiu used that black flame to eat his!"


    WuQi glared at him. "Why do you sound so happy about it!"


    Long Hei backed away. He grabbed San Zhe by the elbow and pulled the boy in front of him, using him as a shield against any possible attack.


    San Zhe looked long suffering at the others.


    "It''s not your delusion," Frost said to Matchstick. "He was talking to someone. Considering we couldn''t hear what was said, some kind of a barrier item was used to mute the sound around him."


    "Where did Lu WenXian get that!" Star Phoenix asked. "He never shares any of the good stuff with us. Stinky bastard."


    WuQi looked at the gray robed man with murder in her eyes.


    Star Phoenix backed away from her. "I meant he is not that kind¡­I meant I''m too demanding!"


    WuQi went back to staring at Lu WenXian.


    Star Phoenix sighed in relief.


    "I wonder what he was talking about," Matchstick said.


    "Or who," Crow said to him.


    "Yeah, or that."

 Chapter 38 - Hidden Strategy

    Cheng Xiu moved her head away from the blade of Lu WenXian''s sword and round kicked him in the guts.


    She opened her eyes to look at him.


    Lu WenXian glared at her.


    She frowned. His eyes didn''t have the confidence that he did in the beginning.


    Did he think he lost?


    Lu WenXian swung his sword.


    Cheng Xiu ducked and thrust her blade towards his heart.


    Lu WenXian stepped away.


    Cheng Xiu followed him at a quick pace and lunged at him.


    Lu WenXian gripped his sword tighter as he thrust its tip towards her heart.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    He tried to cut her head off.


    Cheng Xiu dropped herself to the ground, and placed her hand on the rough ground for balance. She tightened her grip on the sword handle and thrust towards Lu WenXian''s midriff.


    Lu WenXian attempted to twist away from the stab.


    The tip of the sword slashed through his metallic armour, and left a deep gash on his lower rib.


    Lu WenXian stabilized his footing.


    He gazed at Cheng Xiu as the thin faced girl stood up from the ground. The mask on her face still looked untouched, if a bit dusty.


    Her Phoenix eyes were calm like a still lake at night. Cold and alluring.


    Lu WenXian frowned. He hadn''t expected the girl to have any talent in fighting. Her win against Lotus had seemed like a fluke. But now, SelaXiu was far too capable.


    Cheng Xiu smiled at him.


    Lu WenXian frowned.


    Cheng Xiu leaped at him, her sword pointed straight at him.


    Lu WenXian twisted his upper body way from her attack.


    She seemed to be suspended in the air as she neared him.


    He saw an opening.


    He straightened his sword out, aiming for her heart.


    Cheng Xiu pulled back her hand at the last second, and dropped to the ground again.


    Before he could react, she adjusted her body such that when she rose from the ground, his sword arm was right above her. She raised her sword again, this time aiming to stab through his neck.


    Lu WenXian tried to grab her hand with his free hand.


    A tiny bit of Golden light reflected in the corner of his eyes.


    He forgot about the other six swords that she had under her command because she had engaged him in an actual sword fight.


    Lu WenXian made a desperate decision. He turned his sword until its tip was pointed towards her spine.


    "Eastern Fire!"


    A spark of white light reflected in Phoenix eyes as white fire burst into life in his free hand.


    As his sword pierced through her from the back the white fire hit her sword wielding hand.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. The hand that held the sword burst into black flame.


    The White Fire of the East, or the Eastern Fire. It invoked the Eastern Fire Tibet of Heaven. A skill that heals those that walk the path of Heaven, and burns those who walk the path of Hell. It would absorb the enemy''s skill to power itself and become more powerful.


    "Spirit Root!" Cheng Xiu shouted.


    The earth under her feet moved, and a thin golden plant root burst out and wrapped around the White Fire, and grew around it.


    Spirit Root was the skill Cheng Xiu had bought at the Arena Market as her second skill. though it was classified as a skill, it was actually the spirit of a great beast that did not find peace after death.


    She was unsure if she should use it because it needed a lot of Qi to work first. She had planned to use this skill if she couldn''t hold Lu WenXian off even with the Ghost Flame.


    Who would have guessed that Lu WenXian had Heavenly Fires as his skills.


    Each time he had used the Fires she had been really tempted to use the Spirit Root but had held back because it was a Complete Sentient. There was a reason some had it as their Qi Pet.


    As the Spirit Root dealt with the Eastern Fire, Cheng Xiu''s Ghost Flame covered sword missed its mark as Lu WenXian bent backwards to get away from the burning blade.


    Cheng Xiu''s sword swung down.


    Lu WenXian leaped back, away from the attack.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him with satisfaction, her eyes glinting in bloodlust.


    Lu WenXian shivered when he saw the look in her eyes. She was actually enjoying this!


    He realized that for her, their game had just begun.


    He finally understood what WenXing had meant when he said Lu WenXian couldn''t win against her. It wasn''t just because of skills and intelligence.


    SelaXiu was one of those monsters who enjoyed a near death fight.


    She was too tenacious.


    He parried away from her attack again and again, using his sword to reflect back her sword.


    The black flame that engulfed her sword seemed to have some kind of a power transfer function as he felt the drain of Qi Centre.


    His eyes fell on the Eastern Fire that eaten completely.


    SelaXiu looked even more energized than before.


    Lu WenXian cursed. He couldn''t beat her.


    His eyes went to the Rainbow haired girl at the audience podium.


    He turned to look at SelaXiu who was already so powerful. He couldn''t let her get too much strength.


    "I Qui-"


    Three swords pierced through his heart from the back.


    He fell to his knees on the ground in shock.


    "It was never a one on one battle," Cheng Xiu said to him. "You should have been suspicious of me the minute I engaged you in a sword fight myself despite having Six extra swords that I could use to my will. You didn''t though. Were you being arrogant?"


    He tried to say something.


    Cheng Xiu stabbed him in the neck with her Ghost Flamed Sword and his body pixelated away.


    Cheng Xiu felt something wrap around her angle.


    She looked down.


    The Spirit Root had wrapped itself around her.


    She felt a sense of satisfaction that was separate from her own.


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "Happy?"


    The Root tightened its hold on her.


    A sense of fulfillment enveloped her.


    Cheng Xiu gave the Spirit Root an indulgent smile. "Good to know."


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster Arena Battlefield.


    Battle 2: SelaXiu Veritas VS Lu WenXian


    Victory: SelaXiu Veritas]


    Cheng Xiu''s body pixelated away.


    The Arena Displays all around the world turned dark and vanished.


    "She won!" Gu Shu and Chu Ying shouted in happiness and hugged each other.


    San Zhe looked at the empty battlefield in surprise and awe. He had known Sister Cheng was talented but¡­wasn''t this a bit too talented?

 Chapter 39 - Reminiscent

    Cheng Xiu felt the Qi in her thrum with vigour but there was a part of her that was not satisfied.


    Towards the end of the battle, Lu WenXian was about to quit.


    His use of the White Fire barely counted for anything.


    How disappointing.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She should be feeling lucky that he did not use the White Fire again! But it couldn''t be helped. A large part of her mind was stuck at the fact that her opponent had given up in the end.


    He was an expert in this world. He had more experience than her. He had a better understanding of the rules and the skills involved in this game.


    It didn''t matter that he was pulled down to Level 10! He should be able to do better than her.


    Her mind went to someone she hadn''t thought a long time.


    He wouldn''t have quit, she thought.


    Her eyes sparkled for a moment before they returned to their calm sheen once more.


    But it did make her excited to play this VR game more than ever.


    Playing this game was more than just a means to accompany Gu Shu, to stop the pink-haired girl from getting into trouble. It was more than a means to get the feeling of what it felt like to have Qi.


    The Other World was becoming her obsession.


    As mad and illogical as the thought was, she wanted to play against these experts at their Level. The Other World''s level cap of Level 70.


    She wanted to pull them all into the Grandmaster''s Arena the way that they did her and defeat them all.


    She knew it was a pipe dream but Cheng Xiu found herself looking forward to the next match.


    She opened her eyes. She was back in the White Room.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has passed Battle 2 of the Grandmasters Arena against Lu WenXian of the Lu Inc. Guild.


    Battle Reward: +1 to all stats.


    +1 paid weapon of any rank from the Arena Market.]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She had another point added to all her stats.


    "Status!"


    [Ding!]


    A virtual blue interface appeared in front of her.


    [CHARACTER STATUS


    Name: Selafia Veritas.


    Other Names: SelaXiu Veritas.


    Cultivation Method: True Qi Cultivation.


    Cultivation Level: Qi Sensing II


    Title : Aggro Queen(Player has a 30% chance of gaining aggro of the players around her.)


    Dex: 5


    Str: 5


    Spd: 5


    Stam: 5


    Int: 5


    Wis: 5


    Attribute Points: 0


    Skill Points : 0


    Skills: 1) Ghost Flame(Upgradable after skill reaches Level 10) (F Rank)


    2) Spirit Root(Can Evolve into a Pet after Upgrade reaches Level 10) (D-Rank)


    3) Healing (Upgradable after skill reaches Level 10) (F Rank)


    Weapons Mastery: 1)Apprentice''s Swordsmanship VI


    2) Beginner''s Archery III


    3) Beginner''s Javelin Throw I


    ]


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow at the detailed Status Window.


    "Now that I think about it, didn''t I have a title about being master of True Qi Cultivation or something?"


    [Player Titles with advantages are automatically activated in place of titles that do not give the Player anything at all.]


    "How did all my stats become 5? Weren''t only Int and Wis at three when I levelled up?"


    [Ding!]


    [Would you like a summary of your point gain?]


    "Yes."


    [Ding!]


    [First point to all stats are +1.


    You had +1 added to Int and Wis during your Qi Cultivation Method learning period.


    +1 to all stats for defeating Emperor Forest Spirit.


    All stats were equalized during your entry into Grandmaster''s Arena because the player was at Qi Sensing I. This put all your stats at 3.


    +1 to all stats after Leveling up.


    +1 to all stats as a reward for victory against Lu WenXian.


    Total Stat Points in each attribute = 5]


    Cheng Xiu looked at her Character Sheet again. For the first time, she felt that she was a bit overpowered for a Level 2 player.


    Her eyes went to the Weapons section. "Explain Weapon Mastery grades!"


    [Ding!]


    [Weapon and Skills Mastery Grades: Beginner 1- 10


    Apprentice 11-20


    Journeyman 21-30


    Intermediate 31-40


    Advanced 41-50


    Master 51-60


    Grandmaster 61-70]


    Cheng Xiu hummed. "70 again. Does the Devs of this game have a thing for the number 70?"


    She closed the Character Interface and opened the Arena Market.


    She looked at the various weapons on display. More specifically those that were effective against throw weapons.


    She kept a lookout for anything that had to do with Primordial Online. Though she didn''t know what the connection was between the two games, she was sure that she would be able to cope with the weapons that The Other World had that were even remotely similar to Primordial.


    She couldn''t find any and was about to randomly choose a shield with disappointment when her eyes fell on the name wedged in the second last section of the List.


    Cheng Xiu grinned. "I knew it had something like this!"

 Chapter 40 - Messengers

    "That was a good fight," Luther said in a weak voice.


    "Then why do you look so pained by it?" Diana asked him with a wide grin.


    Luther gave the purple dressed woman a side glance. "That was young master WenXian. He is is the second-"


    Yaksha cleared his throat, cutting the man''s words off. His deep dark eyes held a warning.


    Luther sweated. "I mean, that man was a Level 69 Cultivator!"


    Diana rolled her eyes. "Yes, but his powers were locked."


    "He still had experience!"


    Diana smiled. "Who cares! As long as that girl keeps killing all these Righteous Sects'' people, I will be more than happy to call her my mother!"


    Luther gave her a disdained face. "And why would she be interested in being your mother?"


    Diana glared at Luther. "You have a lot of nerve now do you? Don''t think just because Brother Yaksha is here I won''t harm you if you irritate me!"


    "I''d like you to try!"


    "You!"


    "Alright," Yaksha said in a commanding tone. "That''s enough."


    "Yes Young Master!"


    "It was all his fault! Brother Yaksha! You must honor me!"


    Luther looked at the NPC in disbelief. "My Lord, see! I told you this girl was becoming too willful! Now she even wishes for my death!"


    "What do you guys think her next reward is?" Yaksha asked in a desparate attempt to stop the two from breaking out.


    Luther frowned. "I''m not sure."


    "Weapons!" Diana said.


    Luther rolled his eyes. "And why are you so sure about it?"


    Yaksha smiled.


    "Brother," Diana called and leaned into Yaksha''s side. "Don''t you think I''m right?"


    Yaksha stepped away from her and nodded. "Yes. Weapons it is."


    "What? Why?" Luther asked in surprise. "You are not just saying that because this woman tried to use a yellow book page on you, right?"


    Diana looked at the red robed man in confusion. "What do you mean by yellow book?"


    Yaksha glared at Luther. "She is my sister, Luther. You seemed to forget it again and again."


    Diana frowned. "Does Yellow Book mean something Perverted then?"


    "There is a logic behind the Arena rewards, Luther," Yaksha said, his face and voice barely showing that he was trying to deviate Diana''s attention.


    "Oh?" Luther frowned. "That''s obvious. But how do you know what the logic is?"


    Yaksha sighed. "The rewards are based on your performance in the battle and your next opponent."


    Luther blinked. "So the Arena market gave the girl things that would make her the victor!"


    "Nonsense!" Diana spit.


    Luther glared at the woman.


    "It tried to even the playing field," Yaksha said with a chuckle. "There isn''t much it can do. The only rewards it can give are things like weapons, skills and Stat points. Even those would need to be at a limit as the participants are at level 10."


    Luther frowned. "Then how did that girl win against Lu WenXian?"


    "That much is obvious to even me!" Diana said. "Her superior knowledge of the skills they used!"


    "What do you mean? Lu WenXian is a level 69 player! He would have more awareness of his skills than the girl!"


    Diana shook her head. "She knew about WenXian''s fires and how to counteract them. From the time he used Northern Fire, he became predictable to her!"


    "Predictable?"


    Yaksha sighed. "The Directional Fires can only be used in one particular order. North, West, South, East. It wasn''t just that knowledge that let her win though."


    "That Lu WenXian was too prideful," Diana said. "He was cool in the beginning but his understanding of those Fires were not enough for him to use it on that girl."


    Two shadows came out of the ground under Diana''s feet and turned into copies of her.


    Luther yelped. "Why are your Clones out and about?"


    "Brother Yaksha had said to look into SelaXiu, remember?"


    Luther frowned. "Didn''t you already report it to Young Master?"


    "I did, but I also left these two in the Village so that I can return to Brother''s side."


    "Brother Con," Luther whispered.


    Yaksha glared at him.


    Luther started and then bowed his head in apology. He turned to Diana.


    "So, what did you find out!"


    Each of the Clones handed Diana a golden amulet and disappeared.


    The amulets glowed and pulsed in her hand.


    It pixelated into a streak of golden light and entered Diana''s head.


    The purple robed woman frowned.


    "What is it?" Luther asked.


    "There is no SelaXiu registered in Veritas Adventure Guild."


    "How can that be?"


    "What else did you find?" Yaksha asked Diana, his eyes sparkled with excitement.


    Luther looked at the black robed man in suspicion. Did he already guess this?


    "I found a Selafia Veritas instead," Diana said with a smirk. "One of the Clones talked to the Guild Master who was busy commissioning a fountain at the public bridge."


    Yaksha stared at Diana for a moment. "And found out what?"


    "He was commissioning it for a girl, an adventurer who was recognized by the world three times. Her name is Selafia Veritas."


    Luther gaped. "If SelaXiu is Selafia, then that means that they are playing against a person who has achieved 100% in True Qi Cultivation!"


    "What do you mean ''if''? Isn''t it obvious that they are the same person? They have the same name after all!"


    Luther looked at woman in front of him with pity in his eyes. "Do you know how many Selafias are there in this world right now?"


    Diana frowned. "But there is no SelaXiu Veritas in the village. The only person with a name close to that was Selafia Veritas. And you can''t get the Village name as your last name unless you were chosen for a perticular mission!"


    Luther glared. "That does''t mean-"


    "Brother!" Diana called out. "Am I wrong?"


    Yaksha smiled. "I think you are right."


    "If that is the case, then why did none of the Immortals already find out about her?" Luther asked.


    Diana pursed her lips. This man simply contradicted her for no other reason than to contradict her! She would have killed him already had it not been for the fact that he was useful and Brother Yaksha''s friend.


    Who needs enemies when you have friends like these!


    "They had no reason to look into it," Yaksha answered. "They were hoping to kill her immediately and then kill her again. They might have been aiming for an intimidation tactic. None of them expected that she would actually win against them."


    Luther relaxed. "So that''s why she won those fights. It''s because she is a 100% cultivator!"


    Yaksha glared. "Does that make her efforts anything less? Regardless of 100% comprehension, those Immortals would have won easily had it not been for the fact that they underestimated her and overestimated their own expertise. Especially WenXian. He did not have the qualification to fight against her as far as I''m concerned."


    That''s your big brother, Luther wanted to say. You should be supporting family.


    Yaksha turned to Diana." Go to that Adventure Guild Master and tell him to not reveal who Selafia is. Tell him to use the name SelaXiu instead. And return before the next match starts."


    Diana nodded and disappeared into pixels.


    Luther blinked. "Why did you do that?"


    "Just in case those experts want to know more about their opponent. It''s just a name but why give them any information at all."


    "By experts you mean¡­"


    "Little Yue is far too eager to get into fights, isn''t she?" Yaksha asked with a smile.


    Luther sweat dropped. And you are too eager to become an obstacle to your siblings.


    Beep.


    An electronic sound pierced the silence between them.


    Yaksha took out a paper talisman from his sleeve and looked at the pulsing Chinese characters that said "Brother''s Call."


    Yaksha sent a thread of Qi to activate it.


    "Big brother!" Yaksha said in a falsetto.


    "You bastard!" WenXian swearing voice echoed from the talisman. "You did that on purpose!"


    "I don''t know what you are talking about!"


    "You!"

 Chapter 41 - Remember The Lost

    The click of the shoe heels to the floor echoed in the silent pale blue cabin as a man with silver hair and pink eyes walked in holding a Fold device. He wore a steel blue suit and pale pink tie, making his entire demeanour scream power.


    A man with salt and pepper hair sat on a throne-like chair, bent over a bundle of papers.


    "Chairman Xiu."


    The old man hummed, straightening out his tie.


    "There is a troubling request from home."


    The man stopped moving. He stared at the young man in front of him.


    "What?" he asked.


    The young man fidgeted. "That...mother wants...see...your daughter-"


    A crystal ashtray was thrown at the young man''s head.


    The man let it hit him, cringing at the sting it left behind as it shattered to pieces.


    "I have no daughter!" the man hissed.


    He waved his hand and created another ashtray beside his Hologram screen made of ice.


    The young man''s hand tightened into a fist. "But father, sh-"


    "I have told you many times not to call me that in the office!"


    The young man nodded. "You are right, sir. I''m sorry."


    "Now is there anything else you want to talk about that does not involve that disgraceful woman?"


    The young man pursed his lips stubbornly. "Mo-mother wants to see Rui before she dies!"


    The old man collapses, a despondent look flitting through his face. "Why?"


    "She believes her time is near."


    The old man snorted. "So that''s why. That Madam Xiu, she knows how to use her illness as a weapon!"


    The young man sighed. "It''s been 19 years. We don''t even know if she is doing okay."


    The old man sighed. "What is the use of knowing when she abandoned us! That stupid girl!"


    He looked at the young face of his son. "Fine! Go check, and see if she wants to meet with her dear mother before she passes on. It has been so many years and she hasn''t even tried to reach out to us!"


    The young man smiled. "I''ve already asked Si Fei to check it. He said he has news."


    Another crystal ashtray came towards his face, but the man caught it quickly.


    The old man huffed in anger and pointed a finger at him. "Xiu Ru! You brat! Going behind my back! You!"


    Xiu Ru sweatdropped. "Father, please calm down. I didn''t mean to let you know I did this behind your¡­.I mean, I didn''t mean to deceive you!"


    The old man gaped at him. "You! Do you think I didn''t hear the first part of your sentence!"


    "Can''t you pretend you didn''t?"


    "You!"


    Another ashtray flew to his face. He caught that as well. "Rui must have a child now, right?"


    The old man stilled. He huffed and muttered.


    "I didn''t hear you father, and I''m said to have good hearing."


    The old man glared. "Who knows if that D-Rank was capable enough! I hope he wasn''t!"


    "Father!"


    "You keep quiet!"


    Someone knocked on the cabin door.


    "Come in," the old man said.


    "Chairman Xiu," a young man with brown hair said and came in. His face was twisted in a grimace.


    "Have you found big sister?" Xiu Ru asked in excitement.


    The old chairman leaned in as well.


    The young man fidgeted.


    "Si Fei! Don''t make me take out the cane!" the old man said to him.


    Si Fei sighed. "I traced many terminals and pinpointed Young Miss''s whereabouts."


    "And?" Xiu Ru asked with a grin.


    " They had eloped to Earth."


    The old man hit the table with his fist. "That''s why! That''s why I couldn''t find them! It didn''t occur to me that this Cheng was resourceful enough to travel to Earth!"


    "So you found sister then?" Xiu Ru asked.


    Si Fei cringed. "Xiu Rui changed her name to Cheng Rui."


    Xiu Ru frowned. "Why are you saying things in such a roundabout way? Just tell us!"


    "Cheng Rui gave birth to a female child."


    Chairman Xiu hummed. "I see. Tell her to bring the child as well when she comes, Xiu Ru. I''m sure the Mrs would be more than happy to see the hellspawn."


    "Yes, Chairman Xiu," Xiu Ru said with a grin.


    Chairman Xiu got up to leave.


    "She is dead."


    The old man whirled towards the young man. "What did you say?"


    Xiu Ru grabbed the younger man by the collar and plastered him to the wall. He grabbed Si Fei by the throat.


    Frost began to coat Si Fei''s skin, burning it. "I dare you to say that again!"


    Si Fei gritted his teeth at the pain. "Cheng Rui died three years ago in a terror attack in Australia. There was a Fire Manifestation user who tried to kill off children in a local school and Ms Xi- Mrs Cheng was in the area as a tourist and tried to help the police force. The fire user was A-Ranked and she held on for three hours before her heart gave out."


    The old man collapsed to the floor.


    Tears flowing down his face, Xiu Ru ran to his father''s prone form. "Father! Father!"


    The ambulance was called and Chairman Xiu was taken away.


    Xiu Ru''s face was blank as he looked at the profile of the Cheng Family.


    "What about my niece?" Xiu Ru asked with a frown. "Why isn''t her file here?"


    Si Fei sighed. "I tried to retrieve it but the file is under DNA Registration."


    Xiu Ru raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. We will be leaving for Earth as soon as father has recovered then."


    Si Fei frowned. "We are?"


    "I''m bringing my big sister''s child back. Mother will want to meet her...and father as well, I guess."


    "But...what about Cheng Lan?"


    "What about him?"


    "I see."


    Si Fei watched the cold face of his boss in trepidation. This was not going to end well.


    In The Other World, Long City.


    Gu Shu looked at her player interface with a frown.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Gu Shu shook her head. "Nothing. Just my father saying some big shot is coming to Earth and is going to stay as a guest in our home. Shouldn''t have activated the chat function."


    "Who is the big shot?"


    "Don''t know."


    "Sister Xiu is amazing, isn''t she?" Chu Ying asked in a whisper.


    Rin and Fin had gone off to buy food, while the rest had gone to place bets.


    Almost all the Arenas of towns and cities in The Other World had betting chambers and were always full.


    The newest bet was on the Grandmasters Arena though.


    Many still believed that the experts would win the next round and bet on them while 10% bet on Cheng Xiu just to be contrary. There were less than 2% who believed she had a chance.


    "Who do you think will win?" Chu Ying asked.


    Gu Shu gave her a deprecated smile. "I want A''Xiu to win but that might be too much huh?"


    Chu Ying shrugged. "I don''t know."


    "She is good at it," Gu Shu said, a mellow look on her face. "She is good at everything. It comes with being a hyper-genius, I guess. She is good at all the artsy stuff too. Drawing, dancing...except singing. She is tone deaf. And she is only that much better than me at cooking! Boiling eggs is not cooking."


    Chu Ying smiled.


    Gu Shu looked at the empty space where the virtual screen was. "But she was the best at gaming. It used to be her passion."


    "What hap-"


    "Here you are!" Fin said, handing Chu Ying a plate of burgers and fries.


    The girl took it with an awkward look.


    Gu Shu''s eyes were still on the Arena display, her mind elsewhere.


    Rin raised her hand to call her but was stopped by Chu Ying.


    "She seems to be in deep thought. Let''s wait for her to return from it! There are times when people get enlightened while doing nothing!"


    Rin gave her a sceptical look but shrugged.


    "Whatever," she muttered and bit into the burger.


    The others returned shortly after and they are their meal in silence.

 Chapter 42 - Battle Spear Begins.

    The Immortals we''re still in a state of shock.


    "Did that just happen?" Long Hei asked.


    "Yes it did," Star Phoenix said. There was an unholy amount of glee in his voice.


    "Why do you sound so happy?" Matchstick asked.


    "Her chance of winning against EverHill is even higher than her chance against Lotus and Xian!"


    "What did you say!" EverHill asked.


    Star Phoenix shrugged. "She already is immune to your precious Rynheart."


    EverHill scowled. His mind kept repeating the fights that he just saw. She had the advantage of being a fast learner but he believed his understanding of the game should give him an edge.


    He, unlike the others, could see SelaXiu''s approach to the game. He had been that person in the beginning.


    Cautious, and unwilling to die.


    He could also see that she had a rudimentary understanding of fighting, so even if she was in an unforeseen situation, her mind would be looking for an opening to escape.


    And that was her flaw. She didn''t want to fight. She wanted to escape.


    If he could use that mentality of hers against herself, he would be able to win.


    Inside the golden dome, SelaXiu appeared in a streak of light in the clearing.


    Her white martial robe and her long, luscious hair fluttered in the wind.


    "Damn it! Why does she look so epic?" Long Hei asked.


    "Brother Long, shut up!" Yue said in anger.


    Long Hei backed away.


    He had forgotten how much the girl loved her brothers. She must be seething at the moment.


    EverHill took a deep breath and walked forward.


    Throughout the world, the display screens came back on.


    Yaksha, Luther and Diana stood a few steps away from the clearing, watching the proceedings.


    Yue looked in their direction.


    ''What did you do to him?'' Yue''s voice echoed in Yaksha''s head.


    Yaksha smiled. ''You think too much, little sister. I did nothing. Big brother lost because he did not see her as the formidable opponent that SelaXiu is''


    Yue nodded. ''Brother complained that you pitted him up to fail.''


    ''And you believe him over me?''


    ''Yes,'' Yue thought. ''Because if it means you can achieve your goal, you won''t hesitate to hurt big brother.''


    ''Only because I know he can survive!''


    Yue took a long breath and sighed. ''What are you planning, Brother Xing?''


    ''Haven''t you always wanted to know what I looked like in this world? I thought I will reveal it to you!''


    ''Liar.''


    She heard him chuckle. ''When can I know?''


    ''Who knows!''


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster''s Arena Battle 3


    Match: SelaXiu Veritas VS EverHill


    The battle begins!]


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "I have to ask, can you quit the game so I can go home and rest?"


    EverHill took out an ornate blue spear. "No. I want to see how well I do against genius people!"


    Cheng Xiu grinned. "I might not have much of an experience as you but I''m not weak, senior!"


    EverHill nodded. "I know. I won''t be foolish enough to think so."


    [Ding!]


    [No Ailments to the Physical body detected.


    Avatar is at 100% efficiency]


    [Battle Countdown


    3


    2


    1


    Go!]


    Cheng Xiu removed her sword from its scabbard.


    EverHill raised his spear and ran towards her, leaping into the air when he got near her.


    Cheng Xiu slanted the sword and used it to block his blow.


    He pushed forwards.


    Cheng Xiu bent backwards at the force of his momentum and tried to push back.


    His footing backtracked.


    He spun around, using her moment of u awareness to get behind her and tried to stab her in the back.


    Cheng Xiu twisted her body away at the last moment and the head of his spear grazed the length of her arm, creating a long wound on it.


    Cheng Xiu grimaced.


    EverHill tried to stab her in the heart.


    Cheng Xiu slapped the spearhead away from her body with the blade of her sword, creating a click and a scraping sound.


    She dodged to the side at his next thrust and rushed forward from the side, her sword aimed at his guts.


    EverHill summoned a second shorter spear in his other hand and tried to stab her through from below his outstretched hand.


    Cheng Xiu sidestepped the attack and EverHill used this chance to step back and create space for him to manoeuvre his spears in.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Your good."


    "Thank you."


    His second spear disappeared into his storage space.


    "Isn''t that cheating?"


    "I have a storage space specifically for my weapons. They are allowed."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding.


    EverHill jumped up and bowed his body back words to create tension and brought the spear down.


    Cheng Xiu stepped away.


    EverHill smirked. He changed the trajectory of his blow and released the spear from his hand.


    The spear flew towards Cheng Xiu at a high speed.


    Cheng Xiu slashed the spear away from her.


    EverHill used this time to create a second spear and thrust towards her just behind the thrown spear.


    Not seeing the attack coming, Cheng Xiu barely missed getting hit in the neck.


    The spear pierced through her shoulder.


    Cheng Xiu blinked away the tears the pain caused and used this opening to stab EverHill in the guts.


    The attack opened a large gash right under his rib cage.


    "You always go for the Critical parts huh?" EverHill asked between pants.


    Cheng Xiu grinned at him. "So do you."


    EverHill laughed. "Touche."


    "Let''s continue!" Cheng Xiu said in childish excitement.


    EverHill chuckled and nodded.. "Let''s."

 Chapter 43 - The Mind VS The Experience.

    The attack on Intelligence.


    Cheng Xiu pointed her sword tip towards the orange robed man in front of her.


    EverHill smiled and pointed his own spear tip at her. The shorter spear disappeared from his hand in a glow of light.


    Cheng Xiu pulled her hand in a large arc and brought it down.


    EverHill blocked the blow with his long spear and summoned the second spear once again. He tried to stab her from under her extended arm.


    Cheng Xiu spun away and created distance between them.


    "You are really good with a spear," She commented.


    "And you are not bad with a sword yourself," he said. And he meant it. Though he could see the mistakes that she did which no Experts in sword fights would do. Like creating distance when fighting a spear user, SelaXiu was the only person who he had witnessed improve at such an insane rate in real life.


    She corrected her mistakes fast, and used fight tactics faster.


    He could guess at the reason behind it though. A high-functioning mind. He put her learning capability at A or above tier. If it was above A tier though, he would have to finish this fight really quickly.


    VR games had a greater appeal than the ones most people listed when they talked about why they preferred VR over others, but EverHill agreed with the few gave the real reason. In VR, even a common non-Qi child could learn things faster. It was why the classroom system was changing to VR now.


    For a person who was naturally a better learner than a normal person in real life, the VR made them ''immortals''.


    And The Other World had the most player friendly VR too, making the efficiency of the brain of the Player reach an unseen hight.


    Enemies with high functioning minds were people who could get adjusted to the fight rhythm faster than normal people. And in a VR environment, they should never be allowed to think, or learn from you.


    EverHill spun the spear in his hand, pointing the headless part of the weapon.


    Cheng Xiu hesitated, confused.


    EverHill dashed forward, his weapon aimed at her chest cavity.


    Cheng Xiu spread her legs and planted her feet.


    She used the sword as a shield.


    EverHill turned the spear around quickly, the sharp edge grazing the blade of her sword.


    Cheng Xiu shuffled her feet and came up behind him and raised her sword to stab down into his back.


    EverHill dropped to his hind legs and spun around. He used the two spears as a shield, Cheng Xiu''s blade wedged between the V-shape created by the spears.


    Cheng Xiu pushed down.


    EverHill held on. He would have cursed out loud if he had a breath to spare. Not only was her Speed high, so was her Strength.


    There were two possibilities of why this could happen.


    One was that SelaXiu cultivation was Physical Prowess based.


    The other was that she had filled out her Stats possibilities.


    EverHill was unsure which was scarier, the Cultivation or the Stats maxed.


    If it was a mix of both? A part of him questioned.


    He would have to lay down his spear, call the girl Master, and ask her to teach him her way fo gaming.


    Damned smart people.


    EverHill extended his foot and tried to sweep Cheng Xiu off her feet.


    Cheng Xiu flipped back.


    EverHill jumped to his feet and dashed towards her, not giving her chance to gain her footing.


    Cheng Xiu tumbled to the ground as she tried to avoid EverHill''s jab towards her head.


    She used her sword as a balancing stick and propelled herself forward.


    She used her sword to hit way the tip of the incoming spear to her face.


    Cheng Xiu panted. This man seemed to have an unbelievable amount of energy, being so persistent and not giving her a breather.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to laugh as he ran towards her again. She wasn''t sure if it was the adrenaline rush or something else but Cheng Xiu found herself enjoying this battle more than anything.


    She felt delirious.


    "I wouldn''t have minded joining your Guild," Cheng Xiu said to him as she stopped another one of his attacks.


    "But you won''t," EverHill said with certainty.


    "I promised my best friend I would join her stupid crush''s Guild so that I can watch over her," Cheng Xiu grabbed the shaft of the spear and pulled it towards her, using the momentum to try stabbing EverHill in the left lung.


    "A noble cause," EverHill agreed. A second spear appeared in his other hand and he pushed her sword away.


    "Thanks," Cheng Xiu said and ducked as his weapon was swung towards her head.


    Cheng Xiu spun around. "Sword Dance."


    Two copies of her red Carp Sword appeared and thrust towards her opponent.


    EverHill frowned and stepped back. He swung his hand, and hit the sword blades of the clone swords.


    The blades were pushed back again and again.


    Cheng Xiu dived in, dodging the one or two jabs that he thrust towards her.


    "Isn''t this a bit of cheating?"


    "Is it?"


    "Isn''t it?"


    "I just don''t want to lose."


    "Me too," he said with a laugh. "Forgive me for this then. Heart of Heaven!"


    Two long javelins appeared in his hands, replacing the Spear.


    The Javelins had a long, deep metallic blue shaft, and sharp crystal-like blades on one end.


    "They are called as RynHearts," EverHill said as he ran towards her in full speed.


    Cheng Xiu tried to back away.


    "And I use them whenever I feel like I''ve met a great opponent. You should feel honored, Rookie."


    "I''d rather not have such an honor."


    EverHill smiled.. "I guess you wouldn''t."

 Chapter 44 - Guild Offer

    "Is it me, or is this fight as interesting as the matches in the battle between experts?" Long Hei asked with a wide grin.


    "It''s not just you," Matchstick said to him. "In fact, has Brother EverHill always been so handsome?"


    Long Hei shrugged. "Don''t know. I''ve never seen him fight anyone one on one. You know he is known for standing in the back and letting the rest of his teammates do all the work. Sister Yue?"


    The Rainbow-haired girl smiled. "Brother EverHill is far more talented one on one than he is at group battles. But this is the first time I''m seeing him fight so earnestly. I''m afraid everyone in our group would have a difficult time fighting against him one on one."


    "Why was he chosen to fight now then?" San Zhe asked. "If he is so great, then he should be further back in the line-up, right?"


    Yue smiled. "Because we have far more skills than brother EverHill. He is a proud weapons user. It was only at level 40 or something he started using spells and enchantments in his fights. At level 10, he has no other skill than weapons mastery."


    "But the newbie will win then," Long Hei said with a sigh.


    "No she won''t," Frost said. "EverHill is not going to use any other skill than the ones he displayed now but he has many battle tactics that he has developed over his five years in the Other World as he fought with experts who were far better than him. SelaXiu is powerful, and has a strong learning curve but she is not as familiar with the realistic fight sequence as EverHill is."


    "It really is a Mind VS Mind fight, huh?" Long Hei said.


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu in concern. He couldn''t believe that she came so far and couldn''t help but hope that she would defeat all these experts.


    After all, their powers would be at the same level and though Five years is a large amount of experience, Cheng Xiu''s fighting ability should be able to compensate enough for it, right? Right?


    Metallic bodied javelins replaced the spears in EverHill''s hands.


    Long Hei sucked in a breath. "He can use RynHeart at Level 10?!"


    He turned to Yue.


    She smiled at him, raising her hands in a surrendering gesture. "I didn''t know that either, I promise!"


    EverHill dashed towards Cheng Xiu, using one of his javelins to jab at her while the other was used as a support.


    Cheng Xiu twisted away from it, parrying the sharp edge away from her to the right.


    Cheng Xiu was put on the defensive in an instant, left to deflect his attacks left and right with her sword blade.


    The cloned swords floating above her head were positioned to attack the man but remained unmoving.


    "When you fought Second Lu you used so many skills!" EverHill complained.


    "I haven''t seen you do anything other than summoning and banishing weapons either!" Cheng Xiu said.


    EverHill grinned. "Nonsense. I can''t. I don''t have any spells or enchantments at Level 10. Was an ignorant boy when I started. The summoning enchantment and the banishing spell were things I learned at level 5 because I couldn''t beat a level 15 expert back then. This is the limit of my skills arsenal."


    Cheng Xiu smiled." I might not have played this game for long, senior, but I do know when people are trying to trick me. You want me to use up my Qi so that you can attack me in succession."


    EverHill pursed his lips." Why would you think that?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I just randomly threw the first thought that came to my mind. The reaction you gave me tells me that I was right."


    "Fuck!" EverHill said through gritted teeth. He made a rookie mistake.


    EverHill charged forward, jabbing at her as fast as he could, which did not seem to be fast enough as Cheng Xiu dodged them with great precision.


    Was he becoming slower?


    No, it was not that his speed was decreasing. Cheng Xiu''s speed was increasing and with it, her ability to predict his movements were becoming even more accurate.


    EverHill threw the javelin in his other hand at her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged to the side.


    EverHill traced her movement and aimed for her chest again.


    Cheng Xiu barely stabilised her footing when she saw the glint of his javelin head from the corner of her eyes.


    Jumping back would be the most logical action that she could do but her instincts screamed at her that there was a trap in that route.


    But jumping to the sides would not help her much as she would not escape unscathed.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth and jumped forward. She ducked to the ground and landed in a split.


    EverHill looked at her actions in surprise. Wasn''t that a bit over the top to avoid a bit of pain?


    If she had moved to the sides, sure, she would get hurt a bit but wasn''t the action she took a bit much?


    He looked at the beauty in front of him and realized something.


    He copied her movement and fell to the ground in a roll.


    Two Carp Swords whizzed past where his head was a moment prior and embedded on the ground in front of the girl.


    His eyes went to Selafia, who was slowly getting up.


    "You knew what I had planned," he said with a sigh.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "I had seen you fight with that Emperor Forest Monster, remember. I grabbed your thrown javelin to attack that beast. I haven''t forgotten the fact that your RynHearts return to you whenever it is released."


    The javelin he had thrown at her before flew past her ear towards his hand.


    EverHill caught it and sighed. He looked at the girl in front of him. "Are you sure you don''t want to join my Guild?"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow.


    EverHill spun the javelins in his hands. "We don''t discriminate against what faction you are from. Righteous or Qi-deviated, we accept them all. There are currently only 6 core members and with your skills, you can become a core member in a few months."


    "I told you I-"


    "Think about it? Why waste a good chance to rise in the ranks?"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "My friend-"


    "I know what you said. Your friend can join too and if she is a good friend she wouldn''t hesitate to follow. Her crush can''t be as important as her best friend."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "How can I ask that of her when I know she started to play this game just for that?"


    EverHill shrugged. "People''s motivation to continue playing a game will change as they get involved in the game world and know more about what the game has to offer. I''m just saying, think about it."


    Cheng Xiu fidgeted.


    "It doesn''t even have to be my guild," EverHill said.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened in shock.


    EverHill looked at her earnestly. "You are a good player and someone with so much potential and...I know for you the Other World might be just another VR game but...I''m too used to seeing people without even an ounce of talent vying for the top guilds and you might just be squandering your talent away."


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. Wasting her potential?


    Nonsense.


    "I appreciate your honesty," Cheng Xiu said with a self-deprecating laugh. "But I''m going where my friend is."


    "Loyalty is commendable," EverHill said with a nod. "But...we also have top experts in our guild other than me if that makes a difference."


    Cheng Xiu laughed. "It doesn''t but I''ll bite. Who?"


    "You know the Power Ranks, right?" EverHill asked.


    Cheng Xiu sweatdrpped. "I can guess its function."


    "The No# 1 is in our guild," EverHill said. The tone of his voice didn''t sound happy to say that though.


    Cheng Xiu gave him an impressed expression. "And who was that again?"


    "Yaksha!"

 Chapter 45 - Exposed.

    EverHill looked at her in excitement.


    Cheng Xiu hummed.


    She didn''t know who that was.


    "Oh. Good for you!" She said in a squeaky voice.


    EverHill smiled. "So?"


    "The answer is still no."


    "Oh." EverHill sighed. "Alright then."


    He spun one the javelin around again.


    "No hard feelings?" Cheng Xiu asked with a grin as she spread her footing wider.


    EverHill raised an eyebrow. "How can that be? You have disgraced me, I have to avenge my honour!"


    "So dramatic?"


    "One of us has to be," EverHill said. He was hoping to distract her with his talk but her eyes were mostly on his footwork and the javelins.


    "I''m not great enough to be worthy of your grand guild," Cheng Xiu said with a grin. "Nor am I foolish enough to fall for such distraction tactics."


    EverHill sighed. He charged forward, jabbing and thrusting his RynHeart wherever he could which wasn''t much.


    Usually, when a swordsman fought with someone with a spear or the like they tended to not just keep their distance, they would also try to move so close to his body that his spears couldn''t hurt them.


    That was why he used two instead of just one and also why he learned the summoning enchantment and the banishing spell. He didn''t want to be left in a situation where, fighting with a quicker opponent meant he would lose easily.


    He observed the girl in front of him.


    She was more economical with her movements than many were at her level. Her awareness of his presence was scary as she moved away or came like she was his mirror.


    As he studied her, he found an opening.


    It was such an obvious opening that he guessed it might be a trap but he had to try it.


    EverHill jumped back.


    Cheng Xiu stepped forward.


    He summoned his spear as well as his other javelin.


    He threw the javelin at her, forcing her to step back and then thrust at her with the spear in his hand.


    "Sword Dance!"


    Two swords appeared in front of her and blocked the incoming sharp point.


    EverHill stepped back to gain space as the swords dashed towards him.


    He ducked and tried to get closer to Cheng Xiu again.


    "Sword Dance!"


    Another pair of sword copies appeared in front of her.


    EverHill ducked as he felt the hair on the back of his neck raise.


    "Shouldn''t you be conserving your Qi?" EverHill asked.


    "Why should I? You are clearly not going to use any big Qi skills!"


    EverHill frowned. The girl was not that careless that she would decide to fight with Qi at this point. She had a plan, but what was it?


    He didn''t know much about her skill sets except for the ones that she showed during her fight with Lotus or WenXian, even then, her powers evolved with each battle. She understood her own fighting skills better and gained things from the Arena market.


    He could guess that she had a trick up her sleeve specifically for him, but what that could be was a mystery.


    There was only her past battles that could help him. He felt like his mind was going round and round regarding this matter. His instincts told him that the key to her sudden attacks were in the previous matches he watched.


    Was it the Sword Shield?


    No, a Sword Shield would only be a temporary solution to his attacks and they would leave her weaker, with how much of Qi a barrier of that sort would take. And the rules of the Qi in the Other World was similar to that of the real world. The more Qi you used the more tired you will feel. The body needed that energy to function in peek formation.


    Was it that Sword weaving that she did with WenXian then? He looked at the six swords floating over her in a circle and thought maybe that was it.


    But the Six swords did not make a move unless he got too close.


    This match would end in a stalemate if this went on for a long time.


    He looked at the burning desire to win her eyes and decided that it was not that.


    No. Her plan was something that would ensure her victory; not a stalemate.


    His mind went to the two skills that she last used on WenXian. That black flame and that golden root.


    Which one would she use?


    Which one would work better against him?


    EverHill''s eyes widened and he looked down to his feet. There was nothing there.


    He looked up in confusion to find that the six swords were flying towards him at high speed.


    EverHill gritted his teeth and summoned the two spears from his storage space.


    "You are not the only one who knows how to Weave weapons!" he said.


    The two spears floated to the sky and met the six swords in the air.


    The movements of the spears were faster and smoother than the swords. When the two fought, it felt like a talented preteen fighting against an expert Martial Artist. One stumbled their way through the steps while the other expertly did difficult maneuvers like the were as easy as walking.


    Over at the side, many of the experts were on their feet, gaping.


    "So that''s why I felt her skill was so familiar!" Long Hei shouted. "As it turned out, it was the sword version of that weird thing EverHill does!"


    "What do you mean weird?" Star Phoenix asked.


    "Well, I think it is weird!" Long Hei said. Long Hei blinked. "Wait! I thought that EverHill''s skill came from his Qi Manifestation in the real world! Don''t tell me that she has the same power too!"


    Yue shook her head. "They are different. Brother EverHill is naturally good at it but SelaXiu is not. See how clumsy her swords'' movements look in comparison? There are certain skills that you can recreate in the Other world if you put your mind to it but all you need is an understanding of it. She must have got the knowledge of Weapon Weaving from that Carp Sword but she is only going to be able to reach a certain level."


    "I disagree," Frost said. Yue glared. "What you said might have been the case before but not any more."


    "What?" Long Hei asked.


    "She is learning from him, isn''t she?" Star Phoenix asked with a sigh.


    "Mm," Frost nodded.


    Cheng Xiu''s sword movements were becoming more proficient.


    "How is she doing that?" Long Hei asked in frustration. "There is no way that it is natural for any one to learn a technique so quickly!"


    Everyone raised an eyebrow as he made an ''aha!'' sound.


    "I got it! I know why she can learn things so easily!" Long Hei said.


    "Well, that realization was quick," Star Phoenix deadpanned.


    The others nodded.


    Long Hei glared. "Listen to me!"


    "We are," Star Phoenix said.


    "Her Qi Manifestation is Big Brain!" Long Hei said in excitement.


    Yue sighed.


    The others looked at him with disdain.


    "I don''t know about her," Star Phoenix said to him, his face full of pity. "But you definitely have Tiny Brain as your Qi Manifestation."


    Crow nodded. "I knew this from the beginning!"


    "This¡­" Long Hei looked around him with a betrayed expression.


    "I think Brother Long might be right," Frost said. Everyone looked at her in shock, even Long Hei did. Frost kept her face neutral. "she must have a Qi manifestation that allows her mind to learn things faster than others."


    "That makes more sense than his Big Brian comment," WuQi said.


    "I said the same think, you daggering wench!" Long Hei said.


    WuQi glared at him and took out a small dagger form her side pocket. "Want to repeat that?"


    "Have something to add, little San?" Star Phoenix suddenly asked the contemplative San Zhe behind him.


    San Zhe started and then shook his head.


    "It''s alright! Just say what you want to say!" Long Hei said to him.


    "You already know that she is smart, so why is it surprising that she learned Immortal EverHill''s technique so quickly? especially when she was already using it so well before?" San Zhe asked Star Phoenix. Out of all the Immortals present, he seemed like the least likely one to harm him for no good reason.


    Star Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "because what EverHill is using is his Qi Manifestation."


    San Zhe looked at him in confusion.


    Star Phoenix seemed to realize something as he looked at San Zhe''s expression. Everyone with Qi would know what he meant. It was something they all would instinctively know after they awakened their Qi.


    For San Zhe to not know this¡­


    His eyes fell on the thin form of SelaXiu and turned to San Zhe again.


    "So that''s why the two of you can''t be together," Star Phoenix said in realization.


    "A Qiless," Long Hei whispered. His eyes flitted to Yue who was so concentrated on the fight that she was not paying attention to their conversation.


    San Zhe froze before them in fear and shame.

 Chapter 46 - Shadows

    The light in the old room was barely visible.


    A dark silhouette sat in a rocking chair, hunched over a small, jewel-encrusted bone box. The figure''s boney fingers traced over the bumps and corners of the knick-knacks in it.


    There was a knock on the large wooden door. It was rare to see wooden doors in reality now. Only old buildings that were at least 50 years old would have them.


    The figure raised its head to look at the door and Went back to caressing the things in the box.


    Someone knocked on the door once more.


    The figure laid back on the chair and rocked themselves back and forth, unbothered by the incessant knocking.


    The door was pushed open and the figure on the rocking chair waved their hand.


    The metal chair near the large bed flew towards the intruder.


    The man at the door ducked, his silver hair fluttering in the wind that threw the chair at him.


    "Mother, it''s me!" the man said as the dressing table flew towards him.


    The heavy wooden object stilled in the air.


    The man with the silver hair sighed in relief.


    The wooden dressing table rushed towards him.


    The man raised his hand. Many circles appeared in the air next to his palm, glowing in blue and silver hue.


    A wall of ice appeared in front of him, protecting him from the projectile aimed at his head.


    The dressing table hit the ice wall and shattered to pieces.


    The dark figure on the rocking chair disappeared as the fragments of the broken dresser impaled the place the figure sat at before.


    "Weak!" a woman''s voice echoed from beside his ear, and then the man with the silver hair fell unconscious.


    The woman walked out of the shadows. Her red eyes glittered in the bright light of the room outside and her silver hair bounced as she walked towards her fallen son.


    The woman''s well-manicured red nails tapped the lid of the bone box in her hand.


    The silver-haired man gained consciousness again.


    "Was that necessary?" he asked in an aggrieved voice.


    "Idiotic child," the woman muttered as she looked at the man. "Little Ru, you better have a good reason for coming to me like this! You know what I''m like during this time!"


    "Father is in the hospital," the silver-haired man said with a bowed head.


    The woman glared. "You agitated your father so much? Did I not tell you to not disturb him? isn''t this why I asked you to make Si Fei search before you approached your father?"


    The man looked at her with eyes that were filled with grief.


    The woman''s heart started to beat faster. She felt panic rise in her." What is it? Is your father not alright?!"


    "Yes," the man said in a weak voice.


    "What is it then!"


    "Sister is¡­sister is¡­"


    The woman looked at her son who was struggling with words and an ominous thought passed her mind. She shook her head in denial.


    "Don''t say it," the woman said in distress. "Don''t say it!"


    "She is no more."


    The woman slapped the young man hard, leaving behind a deep gash of a wound on his pale cheeks.


    "I told you to not say it!"


    The man let out a small sob.


    The woman grabbed the man''s hand and pulled him into an embrace.


    The man broke down.


    The woman, Mrs Xiu, stared at the bone box in her hand. "I wanted to show her my collections of bone carvings. I finally learned to do the criss-cross pattern that she used to lovemaking."


    The man in her arm had quieted down.


    The woman sighed. "What about her daughter and her husband? Are they fine?"


    Xiu Ru jerked. He stared at the woman in disbelief. "You¡­you knew she had a daughter?"


    The woman gave him a disdained look. "Of course. My Rui loved me so much, how would she hide this from me?"


    "You had contact with sister?"


    The woman blinked at the accusation in his voice. "Yes. She would send me a letter every two years to tell me what she was doing and how things were doing. Did you know she named her daughter Xiu? I was so happy when I heard of it!"


    "Why didn''t you tell me!"


    The woman sighed. "Because she asked me not to."


    Xiu Ru looked hurt by those words. He was just 8 years of age when his big sister had eloped with that nobody Cheng. Until then, Xiu Rui was the person who looked after him.


    She was basically his mother even if she had not birthed him and now, he found out his mother was hiding this from him.


    "She used to send those paper letters and made sure to send it in such a way that she wouldn''t be easily traced. Your father knew I kept contact with her but that stubborn man! Always asking me to not even mention her name!"


    Xiu Ru frowned. "Sister died helping to suppress a Fire attributed terrorist on Earth."


    The woman sighed. "It was only now that I worried about her safety. It had been three years and yet her letter never arrived."


    "There is still her daughter!"


    The woman looked at the man in front of her. She recognized the eerie light in his eyes. "I did not let any of you know about her whereabouts because I wanted her to live the life she wanted, Ru. The same goes for her daughter."


    A glint of unwillingness appeared in his eyes. "She is my niece! My big sister''s only child! I am meeting the child, mother. Whether you approve of it or not."


    The woman sighed, her red eyes holding grief that was far deeper than she allowed it to show. "Go to the western ward and prepare everything. Even if we couldn''t see your sister once last time. I still want to say goodbye to her properly. Go."


    The man''s face became blank. He nodded and left, his tightened fist by the side of his body the only indication of his protest.


    The woman traced the patterns of the bone lid. "Rui, if only I could see you once more."


    The woman put the box back into the cupboard and lay on the bed.


    She hid her face under the pillow and began to cry.


    In the far distance, in a small underground lab on Earth, a man in a white lab coat looked through the report charts in his hand.


    The two were hidden in an alcove, away from prying eyes.


    "Is this true?" he asked. There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.


    The blonde woman in front of him smiled. "It''s true Joseph. The teacher''s Hypothesis is proving true! 65% of the Qiless in the game are showing signs of Awakening after the fifth release!"


    The man frowned. "I see. And you are still unable to find where the mainframe server is?"


    The woman shrugged. "I didn''t really look into that aspect of it! The AI Teacher Qin created is really powerful! To be able to create a scenario where it can stimulate the Qi Centreville to activate! I wonder how it is doing this!"


    The man smiled at her. "Why don''t you go see if we can track down that AI source and I will analyze how to help these Qiless¡­sorry, these Qi-Awakened further."


    The woman nodded and left, a skip to her steps.


    The man watched her go for some time. It was only after even her footsteps disappeared that he moved from his position.


    The man tapped the Fold Watch around his wrist.


    A call went through.


    The ID on the screen said Unknown.


    "Yes? a rough voice said from the other side.


    "It''s happening," Joseph said in distress, his green eyes on the lookout for any eavesdroppers. "Those damned Qiless are awakening!"


    The other side went silent. "Get me the names of them."


    Joseph hummed and a thought occurred to him. A grin appeared on his face. "Are you going to do what I think you are going to do?"


    "Nature has decided what should and shouldn''t have powers," the voice said from the other side. "Anything that goes against nature should be disposed of."


    Joseph nodded. "Okay then! I''ll email the names to you!"


    "Good."

 Chapter 47 - Rookie Mistake [1]

    San Zhe looked at the two experts in front of him, his eyes reddening.


    He choked back a sob. They knew about his Qiless status.


    He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the jeers, taunting, and bullying that comes with the exposure of his secret.


    It was the reason why he came to the Southern Continent. Too many people knew him as "The Qiless" in most of the towns in the Western Continent.


    "What are you doing?" Matchstick asked in suspicion to Star Phoenix and Long Hei.


    "What''s with that look you brat?" Star Phoenix asked in annoyance.


    "Are you bullying the junior?"


    "No way!" Long Hei exclaimed. The others looked over. Long Hei blushed. "Sorry!"


    Everyone went back to watching Cheng Xiu and EverHill fight each other using the floating weapons in their possession.


    "I don''t bully people," Long Hei said, his green eyes imploring San Zhe to understand.


    San Zhe was surprised. They weren''t going to expose the truth?


    "We were just talking about Sister Yue''s one fatal flaw," Star Phoenix said.


    Matchstick side-eyed the rainbow-haired girl sitting a few feet away from them and found that they were trapped inside a sound barrier.


    Matchstick frowned. "Flaw? What is it?"


    "Her crazy hyena laugh?" Long Hei asked.


    Crow activated a talisman.


    A puppet hand emerged from blue smoke and slapped Long Hei in the face.


    "Wasn''t that a bit extra?" Star Phoenix asked.


    "No," Crow said with a happy smile. He burned the talisman to ash and hummed a small tune.


    Long Hei glared. "Crow!"


    "What is her fatal flaw?" Matchstick asked impatiently. Getting information from these immortals was a hard task as each of them had an opinion on everything.


    "She is a racist," Long Hei said.


    San Zhe stiffened.


    "Racist?"


    "She hates Qiless."


    Matchstick frowned. "Then? Isn''t that normal? Are we supposed to just forget the past and hold hands with them and walk towards the sunset?"


    Star Phoenix glared at the Yellow dressed man, his eyes flying to San Zhe occasionally in concern.


    "They are also people," Crow said, pulling the sleeve of his robes to cover his hands. "And we can''t punish an entire race for the fault of the few."


    San Zhe bowed his head in shame.


    Back in the 2020s, the first of the Qi Awakenings happened and there were far too few places that were safe for the Qi-filled.


    Many religious people saw this as an opportunity to begin a crusade. Those with Qi we''re called Witches, demons and abominations. Abomination was the go-to slur.


    Many Qi-Awakened died during those initial periods under the hands of religious fanatics, exploiters and crazy and not so crazy scientists.


    It was a protest that led to the Qi-filled coming to be known as the Blessed.


    There were many, even generations later, who wanted to see all the Qiless eradicated as a symbol of justice.


    "The past is in the past" Long Hei said in anger.


    Matchstick blinked. "There are many dead people who would say otherwise."


    "Let''s just watch the fight then!" Star Phoenix said.


    Everyone turned to the game in agreement.


    Star Phoenix leaned on San Zhe''s shoulder. "Little San, don''t worry about such things. There is nothing wrong in being a little powerless."


    San Zhe blinked away the tears that seemed to form so easily and nodded.


    "Watch and learn from your friend."


    The spear nicked Cheng Xiu''s neck, drawing out blood.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back once more, away from the jabbing spear that always aimed for her vitals.


    EverHill made a move to run towards the girl but his instincts screamed at him.


    EveHill rolled away to the right.


    A long golden javelin crashed into the same soil he stood at moments ago.


    No.


    Not a javelin.


    EverHill looked at the weapon in surprise.


    It wasn''t a golden javelin but a golden root.


    He glared at the woman in front of him.


    "Don''t take offence, brother," Cheng Xiu said. "It had to be done!"


    She ran into the woods behind her.


    EverHill cursed and chased after her.


    Long Hei laughed. "This Selafia! Not caring about her girly mindset actually went and provoked EverHill, she is dead."


    Star Phoenix frowned. Something was not right.. There were plans the girl had laid down but he concluded that this was an ambush EverHill would see from a mile away.

 Chapter 48 - Options Available

    "Now how will we watch their match?" Long Hei asked when he saw that Cheng Xiu and EverHill had gone deep into the forest.


    Crow moved forward, the sleeves of his red robes fluttering in the wind as he took out a green talisman from them.


    The paper caught fire and a display hologram appeared above their head.


    They could see both the white-clad figure of Cheng Xiu and the orange robes of EverHill.


    "Well done, Crow!" Long Hei shouted.


    In the deep woods of Viridian Forest.


    Cheng Xiu dashed through the dense forest, her senses more focused on the enemy behind her than what it was at the front.


    She could hear the rustle of the grasses and tall ferns that were disturbed as EverHill ran after her.


    Her mind worked at lightning speed.


    She had found that they would be at a stalemate if they kept their fight to just weaponry. It was fascinating. She was learning more and more about her own abilities as she fought with him.


    If she used her Qi, she would become weaker but she might be able to win against him and she had seen the way the man had reacted to her attacks. It would leave her with a more powerful opponent than this, and her chances of surviving would plumate to the ground once again.


    As much as she wanted to win, Cheng Xiu decided to play smart instead. If she could stretch out this match until the logout hour and learn more from the man while she was at it, Cheng Xiu would have gained more from this calamity than ever before.


    She wasn''t stupid. She recognized how much she improved in these few hours of fighting with these experts than she ever would have elsewhere.


    She was able to adjust to the Virtual World than before and learned skills that she would not have access to otherwise.


    But she couldn''t continue fighting by just doing the same thing again and again.


    EverHill would figure out that she was trying to drag out the fight.


    Cheng Xiu still didn''t know if that was all the skills that he knew. She was not naive enough to believe that that was all the skills that her enemy had access to at the time.


    But how long did she have?


    ''Maya, how long until I log out?'' Cheng Xiu asked the AI.


    [Ding!]


    [You accessed the game during in-game time: 7: 30 AM


    Now the time is 02: 04 PM.


    You have 16 Hours until Log Out.]


    Cheng Xiu nearly tripped over an overgrown root at that information.


    8 hours? She had only played for 8 hours?


    It felt longer than that.


    How was she supposed to drag this fight between them for 16 hours more?


    Cheng Xiu stopped running and turned to face her pursuer as her mind kept trying to find an escape from this unending nightmare.


    She was not arrogant enough to think that she would win against all the experts until the end.


    Each of them specialized in something and even though the Arena Market gave her the tools necessary there was no guarantee that she would use the right skillset.


    Even if she defeated EverHill, which would not be easy, she would still have to face seven more.


    Experiencing death seemed like an inevitable thing at that moment.


    Many would want to ask her, what was there to be scared about? Wasn''t it a novel thing, to experience Death without dying?


    It wasn''t.


    She feared death and didn''t want to die. It was just as simple.


    Even when she had played those old table-top games her mother used to play, Cheng Xiu hated to die.


    Even in games where dying at least once would give you diamonds, Cheng Xiu had refused.


    She always had a thirst for life, and would not even think about death unless she heard it somewhere else.


    She couldn''t Log Out. She couldn''t quit.


    EverHill stopped in his tracks when he saw her standing there, straight and unmoving like a painted picture. Her hair, tucked in a ponytail, was the only indication that she was a living thing.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes looked at EverHill with determination. She would try to kill them until she reached Immortal numbered 5 and then she could Quit the game.


    EverHill raised his spear. "What were you thinking?"


    "I wanted to see how you would do in an environment where you have to fight in a forest," Cheng Xiu said.


    EverHill chuckled. "You are so naive. Haven''t you heard of how old Spear Mastery is? In fact, spears are better than swords in dense forests!"


    He dashed towards her.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "We will see."


    EverHill found his path blocked by six Carp Sword copies.


    EverHill frowned. So annoying.


    Why did this girl have enough Qi to maintain this skill for so long? Just how deep was her Qi reserve?


    EverHill summoned his weapons to attack the girl and they once again began their Weapon Weaving battle.

 Chapter 49 - Rookie Mistake [2]

    EverHill ducked and dodged as he followed Cheng Xiu deeper into the woods.


    Cheng Xiu smirked.


    She raised her hand and closed her eyes, imagining the Sword copies attack on EverHill increase in tempo.


    The damage dealt by those copies were not as powerful as the Carp Sword in Cheng Xiu''s hands. This meant that in an attack that required only one strike from her, it needed three repeated attacks from the copies to do the same damage.


    But that was a drawback that she could easily get rid of with her ability to control more than one copy of the sword.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. Maintaining the Sword Dance and then using Weapon Weaving was consuming her Qi at a fast rate and she was not sure she would be able to hold on until she could kill EverHill.


    If only she knew of a way to increase her Qi reserve before she actually lost the match.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind went to all the stories that she had read over the years, trying to find a clue.


    The Other World was created using the stories and legends that were a part of their history so she should be able to find some clues in all the books that she spent her time reading.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she thought. Her mind went to an article that she had read about the Other World that morning.


    The Other World''s rules of Qi worked similar to that of the Real World.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes shined as she found a path to take.


    Perhaps¡­she could use the method that many people in the real world used to replenish their own reserves.


    But¡­those people did it unconsciously.


    Would she bring able to replicate it?


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and concentrated. She tried to release the Qi in her body around her slowly.


    Her movements slowed down as her mind stopped working on using the Weapon Weaving.


    Orange sleeves fluttered as EverHill finally gained an opening against the offensive wall of the swords and dashed towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu spun on the heel of her feet and dodged his attack, an unnatural Elegance in her disposition.


    EverHill cursed when he saw the tranced expression in Cheng Xiu''s eyes.


    This was a passive skill that every player in the Other World had. It allowed the Player to get into the Trance state of the mind and allowed them to tap into extraordinary powers that they couldn''t before.


    Enlightenment.


    It had a condition to be triggered though.


    The player should have understood something about their Cultivation Path or the World around them.


    How the hell did she reach Enlightenment in the middle of a battle!


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glowed in a thin golden haze as she dodged his attacks gracefully.


    EverHill attacked her more and more, frustrated at the fact that he was not able to damage her more as his spear left thin wounds on her hands and neck.


    This would have been enough to bring anyone''s momentum down but somehow, Cheng Xiu''s wounds healed faster, like she had some sort of passive healing power.


    In Cheng Xiu''s mind, things had taken a calm turn.


    The technique that she used was to release her own Qi into the environment and then use it to bring in fresh, natural Qi around her.


    For the Blessed, this was second nature to them. It was similar to the instinctual reaction to touching a hot surface by their hand.


    But Cheng Xiu attempted to do this consciously because there were a lot of people who, after having reached a Mental Capacity of B-Rank and above, the blessed were taught a way to absorb the natural Qi in their world.


    Cheng Xiu felt uncomfortable as the foreign Qi pushed against her veins and attempted to rush out of her back into the wild.


    Cheng Xiu dodged to the side and avoided a stab to her ribcage as she tried to think of a way to dispel the slight pain in her body.


    She tried to think of a way to suppress the wild Qi.


    Cheng Xiu gathered the Qi in her and surrounded the Wild Qi, trying to consume the foreign substance.


    The wild Qi struggled against the wall that she created and desperately tried to escape but Cheng Xiu''s Qi slowing ate away at its corners.


    Cheng Xiu finally felt the pain in her eb away.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has discovered the use of Qi Absorption without a Cultivation Sutra!]


    Cheng Xiu froze.


    EverHill looked at the sky in confusion.


    Qi Absorption? What was that?


    [Reward: +1 to all stats.]


    Cheng Xiu felt her body become lighter, and dexterous as her Qi reserve filled up again.


    "Damn it!" EverHill said as he was nearly impaled in the heart by Cheng Xiu''s sword.


    He blocked her attack one by one and tried to suppress her with his strength but she was stronger than before.


    How did that happen?


    Was she holding back until now? Or did her enlightenment have anything to do with her strength? Weren''t enlightenment related to your Cultivation Path though?


    Previously, the experts had speculated that SelaXiu''s Cultivation Path was based on speed, but now, he wasn''t sure that was accurate speculation.


    He frowned and his mind went to the announcement just then. Selafia. SelaXiu. Their names were so similar and they were both parts of the Chosen One Quest. Were these people actually the same person?


    EverHill shook his head. How could that be? There was no way for a person to have two Player identities in the Other World. People who wanted to be reborn had to ''Soul Kill'' themselves.


    EverHill jumped up, bending his knees as Cheng Xiu swiped her sword in an attempt to cut his legs off.


    EverHill used this momentum to lunge at Cheng Xiu with his Spear aimed at her bent back.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glinted and she rolled away from the attack.


    The Spear blade lodged into the ground.


    Cheng Xiu leapt towards him.


    EverHill used the Spear as a balancing poll and kicked Cheng Xiu in the guts.


    Cheng Xiu curled forward and her sword swiped towards EverHill''s extended leg.


    He let go of his hold on the spear shaft and fell to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground from the effect of his kick.


    Both of them crouched low to the ground and stared at each other.


    Both of them had manic grins on their face.


    "You have been holding back," EverHill said, panting.


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "I''m sorry for making you think so."


    EverHill dashed leapt into the air and threw a javelin at her.


    Cheng Xiu deflected the incoming attack expertly and tried to stab him in between his lungs.


    EverHill used his short spear to stop her, and circled the spear, using sheer force to push Cheng Xiu''s attack from his person.


    The movement left Cheng Xiu''s side wide open.


    Taking advantage, EverHill summoned another javelin towards the exposed part.


    Blood spattered onto the grass blades under their feet.

 Chapter 50 - No Longer A Rookie

    The spear found its mark.


    Cheng Xiu took in a deep shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to ignore the pain.


    EverHill stumbled back.


    A red, ornate sword had impaled his back.


    EverHill felt frustrated. He forgot about her Copies once again.


    He frowned.


    Though he was no super human, he should have been able to keep an eye out for those copies. After all, they were a constant threat to him.


    It wasn''t like he always forgot them, but he seemed to ignore their existence at crucial moments whenever he attacked her.


    His dark eyes fell on the elegant figure of Cheng Xiu as she struggled to her feet.


    "You¡­you don''t have some kind of Mind Magic skill do you?" EverHill asked.


    Cheng Xiu gave him a blank look, her eyes held a golden glow and appeared vacant.


    She was still in a trance.


    He pulled out the sword from behind him with a hiss. It hurt.


    This was the biggest thing that he hated about the Grandmaster''s Arena. It even puts their equipment and accessories at level 10.


    He really missed being an Immortal where you no longer feel the pain from such wounds.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards him.


    EverHill stepped back, making sure to keep a strong awareness to the flying swords that circled them like eagles searching for their prey.


    He jumped towards her, his spear aimed at her head.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed one of the swords that floated above her and used it to slap away the spear, her other sword aimed at his chest.


    EverHill cursed and summoned the spear lodged into the ground previously and aimed to pierce her arm.


    Cheng Xiu pulled her hand back in an arc and jumped back.


    She waved her hand around.


    EverHill used the spear to fight off the sword copies that tried to stab him again and again, mimicking Cheng Xiu''s movements.


    EverHill summoned his two javelins and his long spear to fight off the copies and used the short spear to keep Cheng Xiu away.


    They engaged in this fierce battle for some time.


    EverHill was far more impressed than he was in the beginning. Though he had known about her techniques and her learning capabilities, he still felt that he had underestimated her strength.


    All the experience in the game did not seem to have much of an advantage over the opponent.


    EverHill thought of another reason for it. Perhaps he had been looking at this the wrong way. What if he did not have experience as an advantage?


    Could SelaXiu''s innate ability to learn mean that she also learned the experiences of her opponents? How was that even possible?


    His mind went to a piece of advice Yaksha had given him when they had first met.


    They were sitting in the lounge area of their guild sipping on tea.


    "I want to gain as much experience as possible!" a younger EverHill said heroically. "As long as I have more experience than my opponent, I can find a Breakthrough somehow!"


    Yaksha raised a thick, black eyebrow. "We don''t just gain experience by doing things ourselves."


    "What?" EverHill asked him in confusion.


    "We gain experience through books and experts in the field that we are learning in," Yaksha said. His eyes gained a far away look and a soft smile graced his lips. "What do you think you would do if you are faced with an opponent who learns from their mistakes, corrects it. and learns from your mistakes and corrects it and is constantly learning from the world around them? How do you defeat that kind of a person?"


    "Isn''t that what everyone does? What is so special about that?" EverHill asked.


    Yaksha gave him a pitying look. "What if they learn from you almost instantly? in one or two fights?"


    " Are they even human at that point?" EverHill asked with a twisted face." Don''t talk about impossible things like that!"


    Yaksha chuckled. "We are living in a world where people have Qi Manifestations. Why is a person with high learning speed impossible?"


    EverHill rolled his eyes. "Because¡­you know...they would have a strong cheat that puts them at SS-Ranked or SSS Rank. And people of that rank won''t play such games."


    Yaksha hemmed and drank his tea.


    They had had conversations in that vein many times since then, but it was the first time EverHill actually considered Yaksha''s hypothesis.


    He observed the woman in front of him and asked the question Yaksha had asked him on that day.


    How do you defeat a person who can bypass your experience advantage after engaging with you in a few bouts.


    His heart thudded.


    He wanted to know the answer.


    Could he defeat her?


    EverHill, for the first time since the match began, stopped looking at Cheng Xiu as someone without experience. He stopped looking at her as someone whose only advantage was having match appropriate skills.


    This was someone beyond that. This was someone who could learn from you and do it better than you.


    And with that handicap out of the way, EverHill found himself treating her as he would someone dangerous. Someone at the Level of Yue and the other Immortals.


    He tried to think about what they would do when they faced him with SelaXiu''s skillset instead of as a Rookie with said skillset.


    He found himself responding to the girl''s attacks faster, and his actions became more precise. He stopped her lunges midway, kept the distance between them and treated her as a true enemy that he needed to guard against.


    Everyone watched as the fight became even once more.


    Cheng Xiu was no longer able to do lunges and leaps as easily. It was like EverHill gained a guide towards Cheng Xiu''s thought process right then.


    He put her in more blocks and standstills than before. He brought their momentum to the rhythm he wanted to, and slowly weared her down. There were more and wounds decorating Cheng Xiu''s body and her cloths tore in many places.


    Even though the wounds would heal fast, it was using up more and more of her Qi to do so.


    At the edges of the Golden Dome, a figure leaned against the trunk of a tall tree and observed the match on a hologram screen. His crimson eyes shined.


    "She is losing again," Diana complained.


    "Of course," Luther said in a smug tone. "What else do you expect? EverHill is a five-year veteran!"


    Diana huffed. "I wish I could help that girl chop down those Righteous Sects scumbags! Brother!"


    "A Rookie VS an Expert! This result is expected," Luther said.


    Yaksha sighed. "EverHill has gained momentum because he has stopped seeing her as a Rookie."


    Luther looked at him in confusion. "What?"


    Yaksha ignored the red-robed man. He didn''t know what to feel about the fact that he might have had a hand in SelaXiu''s defeat this evening.


    Yaksha felt his heart twinge in regret. He didn''t like the thought of her being defeated by anyone who was not him.


    She was his opponent. His nemesis. He should have been the only one who could defeat her.


    Yaksha stared at the fighting figures of EverHill and Cheng Xiu and found himself wishing for something. He wished that the person who won this match would be SelaXiu. It could only be SelaXiu.


    Nobody else was allowed to defeat her except him.

 Chapter 51 - Well Laid Plans

    Cheng Xiu twisted her body away from the straight thrust to her guts and parried the follow-up jab.


    Her trance-like state was gone and a deep frown etched over her face.


    Their momentum was faster than it was before.


    Cheng Xiu could feel the difference between how EverHill acted before and the way he acted now. His attacks were more fierce and more thought out.


    There were traps and subterfuge in his attacks.


    There were moments when he would let her get close to him so that he could limit the range of actions that she could take.


    Cheng Xiu was able to defend against attacks that went for her critical points but she found herself frustrated at being unable to avoid the smaller attacks.


    Even with absorbing Wild Qi, she did not seem to have enough momentum, always being pulled in and outmanoeuvred. And without the trance-like state that she was in before absorbing Wild Qi was much harder.


    This meant that her wounds healed slower and slower, and with the barrage of attacks that EverHill threw at her, the number of wounds on her body increased by a large amount. Cheng Xiu finally knew the difference between those with and without experience. She found herself immersed more and more into the rhythm of their blows.


    Despite the pain, her body was in and the exhaustion that was slowly gaining on her, Cheng Xiu''s heart started to beat faster in excitement.


    Her dark, Phoenix eyes burned with passion and a glint of stubbornness.


    She wouldn''t be killed today. She wouldn''t let these "experts" who forced her into an Arena match just because she tried to save her own life be the ones to get what they wanted.


    ''Face an enemy that wants you dead with your strength!''


    It was a motto Cheng Xiu had used when she used to play adventure-type games. Because in these situations, the only advantage she would have against her enemies was her intelligence. Her planning.


    She suppressed a smile that wanted to grow on her lips as she calmed down and a plan formed in her mind.


    Her eyes glowed with a hunger to see her plan coming to fruition.


    EverHill jumped towards her.


    Surrounded by trees, there wasn''t much room for either of them to move freely.


    Cheng Xiu''s options were limited.


    Cheng Xiu backed away just as fast as he moved forward and found herself backed up to a tree.


    EverHill rammed the spear towards her. The chance of her dodging to the side so that his spear would be lodged in the tree was high, and so EverHill summoned the short spear at the ready.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    EverHill smirked.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed hold of the spear just as it was about to pierce the thick stem of the tree and used the movement to haul herself up into the tree.


    EverHill blinked up at her in surprise.


    She was going to do an overhead stab?


    That move would leave her front wide open! Was she stupid or was she giving up?


    Cheng Xiu jumped down, her sword aimed at EverHill''s face.


    EverHill spread his legs apart to brace himself and readied his weapon to attack her straight on.


    As she got closer, EverHill felt danger all around him.


    Trusting his instincts honed over the years, he fell to the ground and rolled away.


    Six swords stabbed into the ground when he had just stood.


    EverHill''s heart shook in fear. He had forgotten their existence again. There was no doubt.


    SelaXiu had a skill that used Mind Magic.


    It was so subtle that he couldn''t even detect it but he was sure of it in his heart.


    Cheng Xiu landed on the ground softly and turned to look at him.


    EverHill felt his heart quiver in fear at the fire he saw in her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu observed the man and guessed that he must have figured it out.


    What she used was not actually a skill but a technique that the Arena Market had and it was a technique that she was very familiar with in the other game that she played.


    It was called Illusion and that was exactly what it was. It taught the user how to use your Qi to control the perception of Reality of others.


    What Cheng Xiu used was a watered-down version of it, that allowed her to "forget" about her crucial skills at the right moment.


    There was no real way around it, except to always keep it in your mind.


    Once you are distracted you are affected.


    Cheng Xiu just needed to do something that would attract his attention and EverHill would focus on that, forgetting about the real threats.


    Experts of the technique could exert their will on the people they wanted, rendering those people into puppets who do their bidding.


    The technique was easy to employ.


    All she had to do was send trickles of Qi into EverHill''s body every time their weapons came into contact. And then she could just use the Qi in his body the way she did Weapon Weaving.


    As long as she had the superior mental strength and kept the distractions to a minimum, she would be able to lure EverHill the way she wanted.


    Or she should but, EverHill was no push-over and his ingrained battle instincts made it hard for her to trick him as much as she wanted to.


    Cheng Xiu had formed a plan in mind when she had seen the change in the mental state of EverHill but it hinged on the fact that she could distract him long enough to execute it properly.


    With EverHill aware of her "mind magic", she wasn''t sure it would be so easy to trick him.


    On the other side, EverHill gritted his teeth in frustration. The moment he thought he had a handle on her, she did a manoeuvre that he hadn''t seen coming.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards him with her sword again.


    EverHill jumped back, his eyes on the sword copies that were slowly coming out of the ground and on Cheng Xiu.


    Her eyes brightened in excitement. It was time.


    EverHill saw an opening as she came at him at high speed.


    He summoned both his spears and his javelins to attack her.


    Her sword copies were flying behind her.


    EverHill met her head-on.


    At the last moment, before the spear met with the tattered robes of Cheng Xiu''s chest, the sound of a choked voice left EverHill''s mouth.


    The javelins and spears stilled.


    Cheng Xiu''s sword impaled EverHill in the chest.

 Chapter 52 - Conclusion

    EverHill looked at her in shock as his life force diminished at a fast pace.


    Golden roots bound his feet, his hands, and his weapons and pinned him to the ground in a kneeling position.


    Cheng Xiu pulled her sword out.


    EverHill spit out blood.


    His body pixelated away.


    Cheng Xiu sheathed her sword back into its scabbard.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster''s Arena Battlefield.


    Battle 3: SelaXiu Veritas Vs Immortal EverHill


    Victory: Sela Xiu Veritas.]


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes as her vision darkened and her body pixelated away to the White Room.


    In the wildering, the experts stared at the empty battlefield with mixed emotions.


    "A newbie so powerful," Long Hei whispered. "To be able to defeat three-game experts in a one on one match. Is there even a way to defeat that sort of a person?"


    "You have got a good seed there," Star Phoenix said with a yawn.


    "You don''t seem to be concerned," Crow observed.


    "Why should I be?" Star Phoenix asked. "Isn''t it just a high intelligence? Her little mind tricks will be difficult but not impossible to counter."


    "Mind trick? What mind trick?" Long Hei asked.


    San Zhe listened to their conversation closely while hoping they wouldn''t notice him. After discovering that he was a Qiless, San Zhe felt awkward at talking to them.


    "Don''t know the skill she used but it seemed to affect a person''s vision or something," Star Phoenix said.


    Matchstick walked towards them, his yellow robes bellowing. "Just got a message from EverHill."


    Everyone turned to him.


    "She has a skill that directly makes the opponent forget about the skills they have."


    The others looked at him in confusion and horror.


    "Isn''t that too broken a power?" Long Hei asked him. "No wonder she won!"


    "Her win is more than that," Star Phoenix said to him in a condescending tone. "It''s how she executed her skill that matters. How long do you think she had planned for that final move?"


    Long Hei shrugged.


    "From the first time she brought it out," Frost answered.


    Star Phoenix nodded. "My thoughts exactly."


    "You mean she started to plan this right when she failed to stab him with that fake javelin?" Long Hei asked. "She must have decided to use it only if it was necessary to."


    "To be more specific," Frost looked at the clearing with a thoughtful expression. "She knew that the greatest advantage she had over EverHill was the Root and from the moment she brought it into play, she was constantly using Qi to camouflage it from EverHill."


    "She only used it once before the end though," WuQi said with a thoughtful frown on her face. "Why wouldn''t she immediately use it to restrain him? Unless¡­"


    "It didn''t have that fighting power before," Frost said with a nod.


    "Where did it get its fighting power from then?" WuQi asked.


    "The forest!" Long Hei said with a grin. Everyone turned to him for an explanation. "Why else would she move into dense woods that would hinder her movements unless it is to access the Wild Qi in the area!"


    WuQi rolled her eyes. "Access Wild Qi? That is not something people can do voluntarily, idiot. She can''t upgrade her skills using Wild Qi even if she could."


    "What if it isn''t a skill?" Long Hei asked in excitement.


    Everyone froze.


    "A Qi Pet?" Star Phoenix asked. "Are you telling me that the Grandmaster had a Qi Pet all along? Long Hei, after this I want you to challenge me to a Grandmaster Arena!"


    "Why?"


    "I want a Qi Pet too."


    Long Hei looked at the greedy man in front of him with disdain. "Sure. Just give me the money to buy a Grandmaster then."


    Star Phoenix froze and then coughed. "Never mind, I don''t want one anymore."


    "Isn''t it just a pet?" Yue asked. "I finally know a way to defeat her easily. Crow, there is a specific talisman you can use."


    Crow smirked. "I know. I thought the same man."


    "What?" Long Hei asked.


    Crow smiled at him. "Wait and see. If I tell you the trick then where would the fun be?"


    "I don''t mind spoilers," Long Hei said. "In fact, I''m the kind of person who reads the reviews before I watch a movie!"


    Crow wrinkled his nose. "Why am I surprised?"


    "How would I know? Am the Qi in your Heart who knows how your heart works?" Long Hei asked with an eye roll.


    "What do you think her new rewards are?" Star Phoenix asked San Zhe.


    "I...um...I don''t know?" San Zhe said to him. "Probably has something to do with suppressing Talismans?"


    Star Phoenix grinned. "Exactly."


    "Something tells me the game doesn''t like the fact that we are bullying a low level player," Long Hei said.


    "No?" WuQi said in fake horror. "None of us could guess that! My God! You are so smart, Long Hei."


    Long Hei gave her a glance at her tone and then grinned. "Aren''t I? I knew you would see my greatness one day! But I must warn you, WuQi. You can''t stop fawning over WenXian and start on me! I don''t like hags!"


    WuQi gritted her teeth. She wanted to kill Long Hei for being so thick-skinned.


    "Who are you calling a hag?"


    "I''m sorry. I meant Ugly woman."


    "Long Hei!"


    Lotus wrapped her whip around WuQi''s waist to stop her from harming the green-robed menace.


    The entire clearing echoed with WuQi''s screams of frustration and Long Hei''s terrified cry.

 Chapter 53 - Interlude

    On the streets of the Long City Arena, people screamed and shouted a single name.


    "SelaXiu!"


    "SelaXiu!"


    "SelaXiu!"


    Chu Ying high-fived everyone in the restaurant.


    "She did it! She really did it!"


    "That was epic," Rin said, her hair bouncing as she plopped into the seat again.


    "No!" Lion cried. " I bet on the expert!"


    "I bet on the Rookie," Bear said, throwing a smug look at the other.


    Lion glared at him. "What a stroke of rotten luck! Can a Rookie really play like that?"


    "She must be a professional," Ro said with a longing sigh. "I wonder which guild that SelaXiu belongs to."


    "Probably not in the top ten," Rin said. "Otherwise those people wouldn''t be the ones attacking her."


    "To have that strong a player," Fin said with a frown. "I imagine a new team is going to overtake the Leaderboard."


    "She is still only one player," Rin said. "A team is more than one person. If you want to beat the big guys, you need more than one person."


    "What are you guys talking about?" Gu Shu asked.


    The others looked at her in surprise.


    "The Regionals?" Chu Ying said to her.


    Gu Shu furrowed.


    "Well," Chu Ying said with a strained smile. "The Other World is one of the 10 games selected for the E-Sports Alliance."


    "You think that she is at that Level already?" Gu Shu asked Ro in surprise.


    Ro gave her a decisive nod. "How else would she be able to beat three experts already?"


    "And one of them is Immortal EverHill," Fin said in awe.


    The rest of them nodded.


    "Is he a big shot?" Gu Shu asked.


    "The Guild Leader of Immortal Radiance," Lion said.


    Bear nodded. "And it has Yaksha in it!"


    "Oh?" Gu Shu looked at the excited faces around her, unable to connect with the enthusiasm they showed. It was just a game.


    Gu Shu had always thought so and she couldn''t understand the near fanatic love these people showed for this game. Going as far as to learn who are the big names in it.


    And even Cheng Xiu had the same aura at times when they were younger. But with her mother''s death...


    Gu Shu''s grip on the spoon tightened. She didn''t want to think about the Cheng Xiu of that time. It was an image she didn''t even want to remember.


    "So this Yaksha is an Immortal like them?" Gu Shu asked.


    "How can that be?" Lion asked with a shake of his head.


    "Yaksha is Role-Player!" Bear said to her.


    "Meaning?"


    "He takes on a role in the game, basically," Chu Ying said. "People who have played in the Beta version of the game got a chance to have a preset identity for them in the later versions of the game. There is no real advantage, I think. Just a different identity to the default ''human'' race all of belong to."


    "And it''s not that exclusive," Fin said. "If you have enough money you can change your identity to beastmen, Elves, dwarves, trolls, giants, pixies, fairies or anything."


    "Yaksha is different though!" Ro said with a glare at Fin.


    Fin cringed. He forgot that everyone except him was a ''Yaksha'' simp in the group.


    "How is he different?" Chu Ying asked, trying to save Fin from being killed.


    Fun gave her a grateful look.


    "Yaksha is Vampire-Demon hybrid!" Ro said.


    "And he has an NPC as his aid!" Lion said.


    "I heard she is hot!" Bear said to Gu Shu.


    Gu Shu sweatdropped. How was an NPC being hot equal to such high status?


    "And he is the No: 1 in almost all Leaderboards," Rin said. "The only ones he is not in are Guild things, which he doesn''t participate in much."


    "He is in Immortal Radiance as a mascot," Bear said to her.


    "But Immortal EverHill is also powerful!" Chu Ying said, her eyes shining. "And for Sister Xiu to have beat such a person-"


    "He was weakened to Level 10," Gu Shu said.


    "So was SelaXiu," Fin argued.


    "She is so great!" Chu Ying said. To her, Cheng Xiu was already a legendary existence in real life, but now, Cheng Xiu''s position in her heart was even more exalted. She grabbed the mug of beer in front of her. "Here! Here! Let''s celebrate her victory by drinking some more! The next 5 rounds are on me!"


    Everyone cheered and grabbed a refill.


    Gu Shu pursed her lips as the people around her screamed in excitement.


    She felt a twinge of jealousy at Cheng Xiu''s rise to fame but she squished it down fast. Cheng Xiu was her best and only friend. She was not allowed to have such thoughts about her.


    It was just that...Cheng Xiu seemed to always stand out wherever they went.


    She knew it wasn''t Cheng Xiu''s fault, and Gu Shu was the one who forced her to play the Other World knowing her friend would garner attention in the game but...she still felt a bit jealous.


    Being a hyper-genius meant Cheng Xiu was good at everything she tried to do and Gu Shu knew she shouldn''t compare herself to that standard but it was not easy to not do.


    "She still has seven more experts to go," Gu Shu found herself saying in a whisper.


    The loud, rowdy atmosphere diluted the effect of her voice. No one heard it.


    Gu Shu''s mind went to a time when they were kids and had played their first VR game.


    Father Gu had forgotten to turn on the Child-safe mode on the VR helmet.


    She remembered a little ten-year old Cheng Xiu standing before her, with her hands stretched out, hiding a little Gu Shu from view.


    A man had stood in front of them, looking ready to leap and a gun pointed the little girl''s head.


    Gu Shu could still feel the horror she felt at realising what was happening.


    "Don''t worry A''Shu!" a squeaky voice had said from her front. "I''ll protect you! I''ll jump towards the man''s gun and you should run away!"


    Gu Shu had shaken her head vigorously.


    "You should listen to me, A''Shu! I''m smarter! And I''ll die a hero!"


    Thankfully, Gu Shu''s father had come before that happened and forever traumatised her but it still left a shadow in her mind.


    From then on, Cheng Xiu had become her shield, her protection.


    And Gu Shu felt disgust rise in her at her own jealousy. She had no right to be jealous.


    Gu Shu took a deep breath in and calmed her mind down.


    "I hope you find your love for games again," Gu Shu said, hoping Cheng Xiu would feel her well wishes.

 Chapter 54 - Jade Bracelet

    A golden framed oil painting of a little girl hung from the otherwise plain white wall. It looked old and battered.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    She looked around her in confusion.


    It was the White Room. So what did the painting on the wall mean?


    The painting glitched.


    Cheng Xiu backed away, dread capturing her heart. She had seen enough horror movies to know that paintings were dangerous if they did something they shouldn''t.


    The canvas rippled like the surface of a still lake disturbed by falling pebbles.


    A thin, pale leg came out of the painting first. One by one, the girl got out.


    She had a white crystal floating above her head.


    Cheng Xiu observed the newcomer.


    The girl was approximately 13 years old, and had long black hair tied in a half-ponytail. She had Phoenix eyes and a clean lean face.


    There was something very familiar about her.


    The girl walked towards her and then stopped. A golden chain became visible around her ankle that tied her to the cage inside the painting.


    "Can you come closer?" the girl asked in a squeaky voice.


    Cheng Xiu backed away even more.


    Kids with squeaky voices were even more dangerous than creepy paintings.


    "Are you not going to talk?" the little girl asked


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment. Did she have to answer?


    The child blinked up at her expectantly.


    Cheng Xiu slumped in defeat. "Hi."


    "I''m Maya, and I have a Spirit Delivery for you."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "From whom?"


    The girl grinned. "From Prince Yaksha of the Demon Clan."


    That name again. Yaksha. EverHill''s team famous mate.


    "Why would he give me anything?"


    The girl narrowed her eyes. "Because of Player Debt 6666."


    Cheng Xiu froze.


    Player Debt.


    A term she was very familiar with.


    Player Debt was gameplay introduced in 2099 by a Russian game called "Figures." It had people of various servers able to loan Weapons or Skills with a Player of their choice with a stamp to their character called "Player in Debt". The Debtor could collect their debt any time they wanted to.


    It could be In-game currencies, equipment, Magical beast, anything. The Debtor could collect things that had the same value as the thing they let the other borrow.


    Though the idea had existed before, it was "Figures" that popularized the function by creating a Network, where there were people who even paid others real money to get the equipment and skills they wanted.


    The Whales found a new way to show off their money and many found it as a way to make money.


    Cheng Xiu, in her entire gaming life, had done many transactions in this manner but...


    "I''ve only started to play this game for a few days now," Cheng Xiu said. "I''ve not given anyone anything nor have I taken anything through the Player Debt portal."


    "A Debt is a debt, regardless of the game," the little girl said.


    An idea formed in Cheng Xiu''s mind. "Where is this debt from?"


    The girl stretched out her hand and a green-blue jade bracelet appeared in her palm with a flash.


    Cheng Xiu looked at it in confusion.


    "This is?"


    "Player Selafia Veritas has been given the Jade Bracelet of Kuan Yen and the Player Debt 6666 has been paid."


    The girl disappeared.


    "Wait!" Cheng Xiu called.


    The Golden Frame disappeared.


    "Hey! I have questions!"


    Silence filled the room.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Jade bracelet that floated in front of her.


    She didn''t trust these experts as far as she could throw them and the entire scene seemed fishy.


    The bracelet glowed green.


    Cheng Xiu backed away. Was it going to blow up in her face? If it did, then she would curse this Yaksha person would die a rotting death!


    The bracelet disappeared from in front of her and Cheng Xiu felt something cool around her wrist.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has passed Battle 3 of the Grandmaster''s Arena against Immortal EverHill of the Immortal Radiance Guild.


    Battle Reward: +1 to all stats.


    +1 Paid Weapon.]


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. Such a late notification.


    Cheng Xiu hissed in pain as the Jade on her wrist created spokes and pricked her skin.


    [Ding!]


    [Player SelaXiu has bonded with Kuan Yen''s Jade Bracelet 1 of 2.]


    One of two? Where is the other?

 Chapter 55 - Another Fountain

    "What does thing this do?" Cheng Xiu asked as she looked at the green-blue jade on her wrist. It seemed to glow with an inner light.


    [Ding!]


    [Blessed by the Buddha, Kuan Yen''s Jade Bracelets gives the wearer the ability to see through disguises of any race of creatures when activated 5 times in 12 hours. The skill then becomes inactive for 12 hours.


    The Bracelet skills can become passive skills without off-time if the player wears both the bracelets.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. To be able to see through all kinds of disguises.


    Why would anyone give her such a powerful tool?


    Though she was a bit disappointed that she had to activate the skills whenever she needed it, it didn''t change the fact that what she was given was a near OP Item.


    She wanted to know how this Yaksha had found out about the fact that she was the Selafia that he knew...


    Cheng Xiu thought of something. Her eyes narrowed.


    "DNA Registration!" She realised. Cheng Xiu rarely used her DNA data to play VR games, even though they were the most secure way to log into anything.


    The reason she didn''t do that was simple. Cheng Xiu often didn''t spend money to play in a game. It''s not that she didn''t want to, but that she was too broke and couldn''t afford to and even though her parents would have been more than happy to spend money on their only daughter, Cheng Xiu always felt guilty over it. Even at a younger age.


    The only game that she had spent more than 500 Credits of money on was the Primordials Online, which was the reason why she had to change her login ID to her DNA Registration.


    And the Other World was the second game to have DNA ID in.


    Shaking her head to clear her thoughts about that, Cheng Xiu wondered about the Item and its functions.


    She wondered if her next opponent had some kind of skill related to that in their inventory. If they did then this Item was a Godsend.


    Immortal Crow. Which one was that? Was it a woman? Was it the dagger woman or was it the woman in blue if so? She knew that the Rainbow-haired girl was called Yue, and there was an expert called Frost among her enemies. The woman in blue was the most appropriate to the name Frost.


    And a skill that used disguises seemed like a good support skill for someone who used daggers as weapons. But it was also a good skill for people like the Healer or even the guy with the talisman.


    Cheng Xiu wished she had researched a bit more about the experts of this game so that she wouldn''t be so blindsided by this entire Arena debacle.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. Her thoughts went again and again to that place of ''if''.


    "Status without skill details!"


    [Ding!]


    A glowing blue interface appeared in front of her.


    [CHARACTER STATUS


    Name: Selafia Veritas


    Other Names: SelaXiu Veritas


    Cultivation Method: True Qi Cultivation


    Cultivation Level: Qi Sensing II


    Title : Aggro Queen (Player has a 30% chance of gaining aggro of the players around her.)


    Dex: 7


    Str: 7


    Spd: 7


    Stm: 7


    Int: 7


    Wis: 7


    Attribute Points: 0


    Skill Points: 0]


    Cheng Xiu hummed. Her progress was not that good. She was still at Level 2 even though she had been playing this game for a few days.


    She knew that this was normal for cultivation VR games but it still irked her to not be at least Level 10 by this point.


    [Ding!]


    What now?


    [Myrdian, the Bartender of Veritas is ecstatic that you have made another stride in making Veritas famous. Because of you, the Immortal Radiance and Demon Lord Yaksha have declared Veritas a ''No-War'' Zone. He went to the Village Head to make a statue in your name. The Village Head has refused, but ordered a new fountain to be built in your name in the middle of the Market Place called True Selafia Fountain.


    Congratulations!]


    What the hell? Another Fountain?


    Cheng Xiu glared at the announcement in annoyance. Why couldn''t she get something more useful?

 Chapter 56 - Proved

    On the long, towering branches of the tall trees of Veridian Forest, Diana bit into the bloody flesh of what could have been a human hand once.


    Luther looked at her in disgust.


    "Have some dignity, Diana!" He scolded her.


    The woman looked at him with annoyance in her eyes. "You had your fill, didn''t you? Why shouldn''t I have mine?"


    "Because you relish it a bit too much. It''s weird!"


    "Nonsense. You are the Vampire that cringes when he has to kill things. You are the weird one, right brother?"


    Yaksha laid on the light branch, his eyes closed and chewing on the end of a chicken bone.


    Luther''s eyes flashed with envy. Why didn''t he get an identity like his young master that allowed him to eat normal food? What kind of rotten luck did he have?


    Yaksha ignored them, his mind on the little girl that only he could see who had appeared before him.


    The girl gave him a formal bow.


    [Greetings to Player Yaksha. Your Player Debt 6666 has been cleared. Player Selafia Veritas has accepted the tribute and bonded with the Kuan Yen Bracelet.]


    The girl bowed and then disappeared.


    Yaksha smiled, his eyes falling on the green-blue jade bracelet on his wrist.


    His palm curled into a fist.


    It really was her. He had used the Player Debt as a way to test her identity, to make sure that she was the same person even though he believed it with all his heart.


    As his mother once said, the heart would say lies to itself so that it doesn''t feel disappointed.


    He had to make sure that his heart wasn''t lying to him.


    "Brother?" Diana called.


    He turned towards the purple dressed woman.


    "Mm?"


    "Am I wrong?"


    He blinked. "You are never wrong."


    Diana gave Luther a smug look.


    "Young Master! Do you really think I am the weirdo here?" Luther asked, his voice sounding heartbroken.


    Yaksha pursed his lips. That backfired quickly. He hadn''t listened to their conversations and now it put him in a tight spot.


    What should he do? Confess that he hadn''t heard? No! That was another potential trap that he could fall into.


    Yaksha kept his face blank and turned his face away, pretending to be observing the surroundings.


    "But being the weird one is not a bad thing," he said.


    Luther looked at him with worshipful eyes. Of course in this game, his habit of hating to kill his prey would be seen as weird! Young Master couldn''t say he was in the right and still be a convincing Demon Lord! So used the fact that he was being weird as a shield.


    Yaksha felt the adoration that Luther showed him than seeing it.


    He let out a light sigh, careful not to let the other two hear it. Dodged that emotional drama with his quick thinking.


    "Her next opponent is Crow," Luther said to Yaksha with a grin on his face.


    Yaksha narrowed his eyes. "But not all kinds of weird are good either. You should be careful, Luther."


    Luther wanted to cry. The smile on his face strained. What was with the sudden reversal of attitude that his young master was showing him?


    "Young master, why?"


    Yaksha glared.


    Diana let out a boisterous laugh. "Say, Luther! You seemed really happy about the fact that she would be fighting this crow next! Why?"


    Luther realised what he did wrong. "Well...um...well...the girl will get to hone her skills against a Talisman expert! I was excited to see their fight!"


    Diana froze. "A Talisman expert?"


    Luther saw the shocked look on Diana''s face and grinned. "Crow of the Guo Alliance! A Talisman expert! Do you know what that means? An indefinite amount of ammunition! And unlike the other experts, he rarely fights directly. Long raged attacks, and strong barriers! And his use of Talisman means that versatility in his attacks! A formidable foe!"


    Diana rolled her eyes. Brother Yaksha had just subtly scolded this man for showing so much glee over SelaXiu''s fight and yet, he is still so enthusiastic about this Crow.


    What an idiot!


    "But he is still at Level 10 in the Arena, right brother?"


    Luther pursed his lips. His big mouth! He had forgotten that the young master was biased towards the girl!


    "She might not win this round," Yaksha said with a sigh. "There are only two skills in her possession that could hinder him somewhat."


    "Oh?" Luther asked in surprise. He couldn''t believe that the young master actually said the girl would be defeated. Wasn''t she some kind of godly existence in his mind?


    "What are they?" Diana asked.


    "Ghost Flame and the Qi pet," Yaksha said to her.


    "What is a ghost flame?" Luther asked. "Was it the black flame she used against young mas- I mean, she used against Lu WenXian?"


    "Isn''t that obvious?" Diana asked with derision in her voice. "What other flame skills have you seen the girl using? Are you stupid?"


    Luther glared at the girl.


    Yaksha chuckled. "He is getting on age. Forgive him, Diana."


    "Hmph!" Diana looked away in disgust. "Senile more like it."


    Luther gritted his teeth. "You-"


    "It''s Starting!" Diana screamed.


    Luther pouted and looked away.


    The display screen had turned back on.


    The countdown had begun.

 Chapter 57 - Crow

    Yue looked at the vast arena before her with a frown.


    A blue barrier dome suddenly surrounded her as Crow sat beside her.


    "What is this?"


    Crow laughed. "Sound Barrier. We have superhuman friends after all."


    Yue looked away towards the battlefield again.


    The ground was charred, there was almost no grass left and there were many holes and cracks in the soil.


    The three Immortals had really tried their best to beat that girl.


    "What''s wrong?" Crow asked.


    "Wondering what the skill she would get in this round would be."


    "Are you worried?"


    Yue shook her head. "I know you can beat her."


    "Then why are you so worried about what skill that girl gets?"


    Yue looked at the Yellow-robed man. "Don''t find it strange that she seemed to have found the right sets of skills for both Brother Xian and Brother EverHill?"


    Crow looked down, avoiding Yue''s eyes. "It could be that she was lucky."


    "I''ve always thought that I was loved by this game," Yue said in a huff. "And now, the game is going in her favour."


    "You think she is taking your place in this game?"


    Yue scowled at the underlying incredulity in his voice.


    "Isn''t she?"


    Crow sighed. "I don''t know what to tell you."


    "What you think is happening. What you think is the truth."


    Crow crouched on the ground and drew a spiral on the soil with his finger.


    "I could say that you are just imagining things," he said in a low voice. "Or I can say that the System has always been fair and that it feels that 10 Immortal Level players forcing a low-level player into a Grandmaster''s Arena battle in succession were a bottom line even the Devs couldn''t cross."


    Yue frowned as she heard the unsaid bit of his words. "Let alone me? Is that what you want to say?"


    Crow smiled. "It''s just a guess, Yue. No need to get so emotional about it."


    Yue glared at the side face of the yellow-robed man.


    "You have been avoiding looking at me for some time now."


    Crow froze. "Have I?"


    "What are you planning?"


    "What would I plan?"


    Yue could hear the slight hesitancy in his voice.


    She gritted her teeth. "Are you interested in her?"


    Crow hummed. "You could say that."


    Yue glared at the man before her. "Should I be worried that you will sabotage us because of your interest?"


    Crow laughed. "Why would I do that? If I win, wouldn''t she have to be in my Guild?"


    Yue glared at him.


    Crow looked away at the accusation in her eyes.


    "Brother Crow-"


    Crow stood up, and walked towards San Zhe, ignoring Yue.


    The blue dome around her broke and covered San Zhe and the other men of the group.


    Lotus, unfortunately, or fortunately, ended up inside the dome as well because she was talking to Matchstick.


    The woman looked at Crow in annoyance.


    Crow gave her an apologetic shrug and continued to walk towards the only Rookie of the group.


    San Zhe blinked at the walking Yellow banana in front of him. Who had that shade as their hair colour? Who was even obsessed with that colour so much?


    Sister Xiu was right.


    These people really were the Rainbow-squad.


    Crow gave an all-teeth-showing grin.


    "Hey man! San Zhe, right?" Crow asked with great enthusiasm.


    San Zhe looked at him in suspicion. He nodded.


    Crow put his arm around the younger man''s shoulder. "Tell me more about this girl of yours, huh? Is she single?"


    San Zhe sweatdropped. That was what this guy wanted to ask?


    "I...um...I think so?"


    Crow grinned. "Excellent! What''s her favourite colour?"


    San Zhe looked at him sideways. "Why do you ask?"


    "Don''t play dumb man, you can guess why!"


    San Zhe pushed his hand away. "I don''t know."


    "Really?" Crow asked sceptically.


    "Yeah!"


    "Her favourite food?"


    San zhe hesitated. "I don''t think she has a perticular preference."


    Crow nodded in understanding. "That''s good. So she should be easy to feed later in life!"


    San Zhe''s eyebrow twitched. "What do you mean by that?"


    Crow smirked. "Isn''t it obvious dude? As her Guild Leader, don''t you think that I should treat your friend well?"


    "Huh?" Long Hei kicked Crow in the back. The Yellow-clad man stumbled into San Zhe. "And what do you mean by that? You jerk! You think you can beat her, even when she has already beaten EverHill?"


    Crow stood up and dusted himself off. "Hey, Long Hei? Which side are you on? Shouldn''t you be cheering me on?"


    "Definitely not your side! Who will cheer for you?" Long Hei asked. "I hope that you die horribly!"


    Crow sighed. "Man! Dude, you are way too much. Cursing your own teammates...why do I have such pig teammates?"


    "You are the pig!" Long Hei said. He turned to Star Phoenix who sat on the ground and looked like he was enjoying a good show. "Brother Phoenix! Why are you not saying anything? Say something!"


    "You are a pig teammate."


    "I didn''t mean you have to agree with him when I said you should say something."


    Star Phoenix shrugged. "I don''t side with evil."


    "Who are you calling evil?"


    Crow put his arm around San Zhe again. "How long have you known SelaXiu for?"


    San Zhe glared. "Not long."


    Crow hummed. "How old is your friend?"


    San Zhe wrinkled his nose. "Too young for you."


    "I''m 23 though?"


    "Exactly."


    Crow smiled. He held San Zhe in a chokehold. "Tell me, man! I''m just trying to get to know such a phenomenal person!"


    San Zhe gritted his teeth. His heart was beating hard. "I believe she recently turned Eighteen."


    Crow raised an eyebrow. "Eighteen? So young?"


    San Zhe relaxed as he saw the disbelief in Crow''s eyes. "Yup! She is so awesome, right!"


    Crow smiled. "Right man! An Eighteen-year-old actually beat Lu WenXian, Lotus, and EverHill all on the same day! Wow! And she was only active in the game for so long in the game right!"


    San Zhe nodded in excitement. "She has only been playing The Other World for Four to Five days now!"


    Crow stilled.


    The surrounding around them froze.


    "What did you say?" Long Hei asked in disbelief.


    Lotus and Matchstick stopped their discussion and whirled towards San Zhe, shock evident in their expression.


    San Zhe could only think of one thing.. Shit, he screwed up.

 Chapter 58 - International Secret

    Crow frowned. "A few days..."


    Star Phoenix found himself nearly drooling at the thought of a talent that could fight against experts of a game only after a few days.


    He grabbed San Zhe by both the shoulders and shook him. "Are you telling the truth? Are you telling the truth? Or are you hyping up your friend?"


    San Zhe felt dizzy. "I...I...I am..."


    Lotus kicked Star Phoenix away. She turned to San Zhe. "What''s the catch then?"


    San Zhe looked at her in a daze. "Wha..?"


    Lotus huffed. "There has to be a reason why she is so good at it then. It can''t be pure talent."


    "Wait," said Long Hei. He turned to Lotus. "If she is still such a newbie, then she shouldn''t be that far in level from Level 10. She wouldn''t need to adjust to the power difference as much as an expert, that might be one of the reasons why she is able to fight so well."


    Lotus rolled her eyes. "I can adjust to the powerlevels just fine, you idiot."


    "And it still wouldn''t be enough to defeat a person who has been playing the game for five years," Star Phoenix said.


    "I still think it''s because she is a genius," Matchstick said.


    "Can genius really explain away all her success?" asked Lotus.


    "It can, but there can only be a single reason for it."


    Lotus raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    Matchstick grinned. "It''s very obvious, you guys should guess!"


    "I will kick your teeth into your mouth," Crow said with a sweet smile. "Then we can see if any of us can guess."


    Matchstick backed away, and hid behind Long Hei.


    "Hey!" Long Hei scolded. "Get lost! I don''t want to be caught in the cross-fire!"


    "What is it?" Lotus asked.


    "I''ll give you a clue!" Matchstick said. Everyone started to get impatient. "It''s something we peculated before, when we saw her fast learning capabilities when she learned from EverHill how to Weave!"


    Lotus frowned. "That she was a fast learner?"


    San Zhe froze. For the first time, thinking that revealing that Sister Xiu was a few days old player was not a good move.


    Star Phoenix cuaght the small movement San Zhe made and realized that they were in the right direction.


    "That she has a bigger brain!" Long Hei said, his face looking very smug about it.


    Everyone rolled their eyes.


    Matchstick shrugged. "Close. I meant, she would have a higher Ranked Mental capabilty."


    "EverHill''s potential was at near A-Rank in real life, right?" Long Hei asked. "So, she is an A Rank?"


    "I am an A Rank," Crow said with a chuckle.


    Silence fell.


    "If you win," Star Phoenix said, "then her potential is at least at B+ or near A."


    "So, if she defeats you," Long Hei said, "She is a..."


    Crow smirked, his eyes glinting. "S Rank."


    "Eighteen year old and S Ranked in mental power?" Lotus asked. "Then at what level would she be at by the time she has reached her thirties or her fourties?"


    Crow laughed.


    He turned to San Zhe. "You know Mr San, I''ve heard of an Eighteen year old with a Speculated S Ranked mental power recently."


    San Zhe felt helpless and wanted to choke his previous self.


    "There is something like that?" Long Hei asked.


    Every Immortal except Lotus looked at him curiously.


    "Cheng Xiu from Earth?" Lotus said, her voice vibrating with hidden emotions.


    "Xiu?" Long Hei asked. "Is that the same Xiu as SelaXiu? Does that mean we can actually know where she is from in real life?"


    "The information was locked yesterday," Crow said.


    "What were you doing looking at that kind of imformations?" Matchstick asked. He had already opened the game Interface to report to the System about privacy breaches.


    Crow frowned. "Don''t think I don''t know what you are thinking of doing, Little Stick."


    Matchstick glared at him at the nickname.


    "What were you doing, looking up that information?" Star Phoenix asked.


    Crow shrugged. "Checking out the competion. I finally found a way to hack into the Public Service Files but turned out her Profile is DNA Registration locked and her DNA Registration got upgraded."


    "Competition?" Long Hei asked.


    Crow smiled. "It''s a science thing, you commerce people wouldn''t understand."


    Long Hei blinked. "What the hell! Dude that is so prejudiced! It''s discrimination!"


    "Wait!" Matchstick said. "Earth? She is from Earth?"


    Crow sighed. "Yeah."


    Matchstick pursed his lips. "So, Earth has its first S Ranked Mental Ability now?"


    "It hasn''t been officially announced," Crow said.


    "Why is that?" Lotus asked. "She took the Allaince Level test and got 9.99 out of 10. What more proof do they need? And there wasn''t even a photo! It was all so hushed up! If it was in Mars, we would have already celebrated it ten times over!"


    Star Phoenix frowned. "There might be some other factor. Maybe she cheated or something."


    "Sister Xiu never did that!" San Zhe said in anger.


    "So it is her then," Crow said, nodding as though San Zhe had confirmed something he had a doubt about.


    San Zhe wanted to Log out. He would never play this game again. He was revealing too much. He didn''t have the emotional range to see the traps these Immortals set up for him.


    "So why is her status not being Declared?" Long Hei asked San Zhe.


    San Zhe pursed his lips. He felt his eyes fill with tears and it was getting really hard to keep them form falling.


    Because she is a Qiless, he wanted to say to them. They would rather die than declare a Qiless as an S Rank potentialed person.


    "Little San?" Star Phoenix asked in concern. "What''s wrong? Did we ask something bad? Why are you crying?"


    The tears had fell down.


    "What''s going on?" WuQi asked from the other side of the Barrier. "Why is the newbie crying? Are you bullying the newbie? Why didn''t you call me too?"


    "We-" Long Hei was about to say but Star Phoenix stamped his foot. "Are not going to tell you anything."


    WuQi rolled her eyes. She turned to Frost. "What were they talking about?"


    The others froze. They had forgotten that Frost could lip-read.


    Blue eyes looked at the Immortals in front of her and then turned away. "Crow wants to date SelaXiu."


    Yue frowned and then glared at Crow.


    WuQi rolled her eyes. "So that was it. I thought it was some smuggling thing or international secrets that you were talking about!"


    Long Hei sweatdropped. It was international news and it was a secret, so she wasn''t wrong.


    Thankfully, there was a golden glow in the Battlefield and Cheng Xiu appeared before them, ending the conversation for the moment.


    As Cheng Xiu watched Crow walk towards her, she noted the weird way most of the Immmortals were looking at her and the guilt in San Zhe''s eyes. What was wrong?

 Chapter 59 - Patch Work

    In the Viridian Forest, three figures perched on a tall tree.


    Yaksha''s hand went to the sword on his back and then fell back to his side.


    Diana gave Yaksha a curious look when she saw his worried face even though it was nearly well hidden. Brother Yaksha never revealed such a vulnerable expression on his face.


    "What is it, brother? What are you worried about?" Diana asked.


    Luther scoffed. "Stupid girl. It''s obvious, isn''t it? SelaXiu is going to be fighting against Crow, a Talisman specialist!"


    Diana observed Yaksha''s face that had a smile on his face. Even though he tried to hide it, his concern was still coming through.


    "Brother?"


    "How did you create the identity of SelaXiu?" he asked instead of the shrug off she expected.


    Diana frowned. "What?"


    "I told you to create SelaXiu as a separate identity to that of Selafia, how did you do it?"


    "Hmm...I created copies of myself and used a Transformation Pill to disguise myself as local people in the Village and then went about talking about SelaXiu!" Diana said. Her face glowed in excitement as she talked about her deeds.


    "What exactly did you talk about?" Luther asked.


    Diana grinned. "Telling people that she brought me bread, fixed the Farm Manager''s problems in the river and all that. Most people wondered why I was talking so much about a low-level adventurer and so I said she was not a low-level Adventurer, she was a Level 42 Adventurer."


    Yaksha slowly relaxed as he heard her explanation.


    Diana was curious about his reactions. "What''s wrong, brother Yaksha? Did I do something wrong?"


    Yaksha gave her a gentle smile.


    He patted her on the head. "You did wonderfully."


    Diana smiled.


    "What''s so great about that? In fact, didn''t she just over-complicate things instead?"


    Cheng Xiu appeared in a flash of light and the blue barrier disappeared.


    Crow walked towards her.


    Yaksha smirked. "In this case, it was just the right amount of complications."


    "The right amount?" Luther looked at the man beside him in confusion.


    Regardless of the years that he had been serving the Lu family and knowing the Heirs and the other siblings since childhood, Luther was rarely able to discern what Yaksha was thinking unless he allowed him to know about it.


    "The fight is about to start," Yaksha said, ignoring Luther''s enquiring tone.


    On the spectator Podium of the Immortals, Star Phoenix burnt a piece of Talisman.


    WuQi poked his shoulder.


    "What?" he asked.


    "Who did you send a Talisman message to?"


    "One of the squad leaders of my guild stationed in Veritas."


    WuQi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What was it about?"


    Star Phoenix smiled. "I wanted him to confirm some spectacular information I just learned about!"


    WuQi''s eyes sparkled. "What is it?"


    "Guild secret."


    "Bullshit! Tell me!"


    Star Phoenix backed away from the dagger that she pulled out.


    "Okay! I''ll tell you! I''ll tell you!"


    WuQi leaned closer.


    The others froze.


    Crow stopped for a moment and then continued to walk forward.


    Star Phoenix cleared his throat. "I heard that..."


    "Yeah?" WuQi leaned forward in excitement.


    "Lu WenXian..."


    Crow smirked.


    San Zhe relaxed.


    WuQi leaned in even more, her eyes sparkling as she heard that she would be hearing a secret about WenXian.


    "Is buying a ring for Little San!"


    San Zhe choked on his spit.


    WuQi looked at him in dazed confusion. "What?"


    "Lu WenXian is going to buy a ring for San Zhe over here!" Star Phoenix said, his eyes glittering in malicious glee at seeing the devastated look that entered WuQi''s eyes.


    Long Hei burst into laughter.


    WuQi shook her head. "You are lying! You are making this up so that I won''t ask what your real secret is!"


    Star Phoenix looked at her with pity. "I forgot that you have feelings for him."


    "I...I..."


    "Then again," Star Phoenix said with a shrug, "how does that matter when WenXian himself forgets it."


    "Ouch," Long Hei hissed. "Low blow, Brother Phoenix."


    Star Phoenix shrugged. "I''m doing her a favour."


    WuQi glared, her eyes tear-filled. "You are lying."


    Lotus kicked Star Phoenix away and hugged WuQi. "He is lying. He just found out that his girlfriend is cheating on him and is taking it out on you."


    WuQi blinked.


    "Really?" she asked with hope in her voice.


    Lotus nodded. "Really."


    WuQi straightened up and glared at Star Phoenix. "You are a sour loser, Phoenix. No wonder your girlfriend cheated on you!"


    Star Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Little San, let''s eat some cream-filled cones! Have you tried them?"


    San Zhe felt dizzy. Could anyone be so nonchalant about getting accused of wearing a green hat?


    In the battlefield of the Arena, the yellow-robed man reached Cheng Xiu.


    "Us Immortals are an interesting bunch aren''t we?" Crow asked Cheng Xiu as he stood in front of her.


    "Sure."


    Crow looked at the woman in front of him.


    A tall and lean frame, with slight curves that revealed her gender and long, and dense black hair that danced in the wind.


    The black mask on her face hid most of her facial features but he was sure her face was thin too.


    Crow could guess from her bone structure that she was an attractive woman behind the mask but she wasn''t how he imagined S Ranked Cheng Xiu to be.


    She looked too...plain for someone with S Rank. Too normal. No colour difference in the hair or the eyes, no special wings or anything.


    Did she change her appearance in-game?


    That would make sense.


    Cheng Xiu frowned at the way Immortal Crow looked at her up and down.


    She felt her skin crawl.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster''s Arena Battle 4


    Match: SelaXiu Veritas VS Immortal Crow


    The Battle begins!]


    "Let''s start the fight already," She said.


    Crow raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you not going to ask me to quit the game like you did others?"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She didn''t like the schemey smile on his face.


    "Will you?"


    "Yes!" Crow said with a laugh.


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "What''s the catch?"


    Crow smiled. "A Player''s Debt!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "No thank you."


    There was no way she was going to give this weirdo any power over her.


    Crow actually slumped. "Oh. Okay then."


    [Ding!]


    [No Ailments to the Physical body detected.


    Avatar at 100% efficiency]


    [Battle Countdown


    3


    2


    1


    Go!]

 Chapter 60 - The Schemer

    Crow pulled out a yellow coloured Talisman from his sleeves and ignited it with his Qi.


    Cheng Xiu planted her feet to balance herself.


    The fire on the Talisman disappeared and it looked good as new in his hand.


    Crow looked at it in surprise. "Dude, what the hell?"


    [Ding!]


    [Player Crow is in the Grandmaster''s Arena that has a Level 10 Limit. A Chaos Talisman Minimum Level is at 20 and so, Player can not use the Item.]


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow at the message.


    Long Hei, WuQi and Star Phoenix started to laugh at Crow.


    "Hey! Crow!" Long Hei called.


    The Yellow-robed man turned to the Green-robed man with narrowed eyes.


    "Having performance issues?" Long Hei asked, and burst into laughter.


    WuQi and Star Phoenix started to laugh harder.


    Yue sighed and looked at Frost.


    The blue-haired woman nodded her head.


    She turned towards the laughing Immortals. "If you guys won''t stop laughing there will be consequences."


    The three choked and backed away from her.


    "Sorry," Long Hei said to her.


    "You are Level 70 players, Leaders, vice Leaders and Elders of your guild. Behave."


    The three nodded.


    San Zhe felt like the rose-tinted glasses that he wore when he looked at the experts of the game was shattered to pieces.


    They were so...


    Crow turned back towards Cheng Xiu.


    "I have to admit, that was stupid of me dude. Everyone else was nerfed so why wouldn''t I be."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She didn''t believe his words at all. Though she hadn''t fought with him before, her instincts told her he was lying.


    But what for?


    Cheng Xiu observed the man and pulled her sword out of its sheath.


    Crow raised an eyebrow at her action. "You do know I am a Talisman Expert, right? Do you even know what a Talisman fighter is known for?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head. Though she hadn''t played against or with a Talisman user before she could infer his fighting tactics from the brief encounter she had witnessed between him and the Emperor Forest Spirit.


    "Long ranged," Cheng Xiu said. "Versatile."


    Crow tilted his head. "That''s right I suppose. It means that I don''t engage physically with my opponents."


    "Ever?"


    "Ever."


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "That''s debatable. And that was at Level 70. You might not have been a Talisman Expert at Level 10, so you would have more up your sleeves."


    Crow grinned. "I like the way you think man. You are very smart."


    "It''s common sense."


    "Dude, you will be surprised to know that most people lose their common sense when they are fighting against experts who clearly outclass them. Especially if they win against said experts."


    Cheng Xiu lifted her sword. "I''ve not forgotten who I am fighting and what their true capabilities are. I''m not arrogant. Sword Dance!"


    Two copies of the Red Carp Sword appeared on her either side.


    "Brought in the big guys already? I feel honoured, dude!"


    Crow waited for her to move.


    Cheng Xiu remained still.


    "Aren''t you going to attack me?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Didn''t you say you were a Long Ranged player? I would have to be stupid to run straight towards danger."


    Crow''s face blanked. He realized the meaning behind her words.


    "You think I was lying about the no physical contact thing."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Why would I think that? I don''t know anything about your fighting style."


    Cheng Xiu suddenly turned around and slashed the air with her sword.


    A wooden puppet cat fell to the ground and caught fire. Its ashes flew away to reveal a blue burnt Talisman.


    Cheng Xiu turned to face Crow again.


    Crow nodded his head, as though he was listening to someone invisible talking. "What gave me away?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "There is one more thing, other than long-range and versatility that is a Talisman Expert speciality I think. And this skill should be the reason why Talisman Experts are different from Mage class."


    Crow''s eyes widened.


    "They need the opportunity to lock their target. Right?"


    A slow grin grew on Crow''s face.


    "Your use of the Chaos Talisman was to get me to relax. To make me think that you were a bit absent-minded, and you used that chance to use a single talisman that would let you lock me as your target."


    Crow nodded. "That''s right."


    "There is more."


    Crow froze.


    "You used the puppet specifically so that you can see how sensitive I am to your Puppetry. It could either actually hurt me or you can use this chance to gain my Qi signature."


    Crow sighed.


    "I guess I underesti-"


    "You knew I would spot it. You were hoping for it."


    Crow looked at her in the eyes, his eyes sparkling.


    "I have always wondered if I will meet a mind that can see through the traps I lay," Crow said. "I always hoped I wouldn''t. So let us see if you are worthy of my ire."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She wondered why she was able to get under these experts'' skin so easily. She said a few words and all of a sudden they would behave like dungeon bosses with their Aggro pulled towards-


    Her mind to a title she had. Aggro Queen.


    Her eyebrow twitched in irritation. Damn it.


    "Annoyed by my words?" Crow asked with a laugh. "You don''t kn-"


    "You are starting to sound like a villain in old movies."


    Crow frowned.


    "And you talk too much," Cheng Xiu said. "Fight."


    Crow sighed. "Very well then."


    He swiped his arm in an arch and three blue Talismans flew out of his sleeves.


    The Talismans were on fire.


    Cheng Xiu moved her sword copies towards the puppets that appeared from the burnt papers.


    As two of the puppets engaged in a game of cat and mouse with the sword copies, the third came running towards her.

 Chapter 61 - Puppetry

    The puppet slipped past her blade and twisted in the air.


    Cheng Xiu jumped back.


    She raised her sword and slashed it in half.


    The wooden doll caught fire and turned into ashes.


    The Blue talisman in the puppet tore and fell to the ground.


    One of her sword copies slashed its head off.


    The puppet moved away, not caring that it was now headless.


    The cloned sword slashed the puppet in half.


    It burst into flame and became ash, leaving behind its torn up blue talisman pieces.


    Cheng Xiu''s thoughts raced. Cutting the talisman could end the spell, just as she had guessed.


    Two other puppets ran towards her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Sword Dance!"


    Two copies of her sword appeared on either side of her shoulders.


    One blade cut through the chest of the left one, while the other blade cut through the right puppet''s guts.


    The humanoid wooden creations froze.


    The puppet cut in the stomach tried to slash away the sword copy with its hands but failed to.


    The puppet cut in the heart fell to the ground and burst into flame. Its ashes flew away to reveal the blue Talisman.


    Cheng Xiu smirked: Weakness, heart.


    Crow seemed to have guessed that she had figured out the puppet''s secrets as he seemed his hand again.


    Two Yellow Talismans floated into the air.


    They glowed a brilliant golden light and the circular design on its paper surface started to spin.


    Bullets of fire sped towards her.


    Cheng Xiu flipped away.


    The bullets followed her trajectory as puppets ran towards her. The fire would zip past the puppets when they got in the way.


    Cheng Xiu cursed. The bullets were locked onto her Qi signature it would seem. She couldn''t use anything as a shield because it would just go around it.


    Cheng Xiu decided not to waste her energy by running. There was no use in that action.


    She still had skills to fight with.


    The bullets and puppets got closer and closer.


    Cheng Xiu smiled.


    Crow frowned at the change in her expression.


    "Ghost Flame!" Cheng Xiu shouted.


    Crow''s eyes widened. He forgot about that skill of hers. There wasn''t any prior data about it though he suspected it was something related to WenXian''s Heavenly Fires.


    He forgot such a powerful skill of hers.


    How was that possible?


    His mind went to her fight with EverHill. It was that technique again.


    He forgot about the skill itself?


    The black flame flared towards the coming fire bullets and puppets.


    In seconds, the fire turned the puppets into ashes.


    It turned into tendrils of flame and started to consume the bullets as fast they came.


    Crow stopped his attacks.


    He looked at the woman in front of him.


    The flame came back to her and turned into a single flame again, no bigger than a candle''s flame.


    The white-robed woman closed her palm and snuffed it out.


    He realised that she might be using the black flame as a way to filter more into her as he grew weaker.


    Such a scheming mind.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She wanted to use the black flame to kill the Immortal and just end the game but she couldn''t.


    She didn''t know how powerful the flame would become after it consumed a human and as willful as it already was, Cheng Xiu was unwilling to see how much more willful the flame would be.


    There was also the problem that she might not be able to control it at all and it would in turn control her.


    It was the drawback of using things that were meant to go against Heavenly creations. There was a chance of the power controlling you then you controlling it.


    Crow swept his arm once more. Five large blue talismans appeared in the air.


    They each caught fire and turned into tall, pale women. Their eyes were dead, but they looked human. Their faces were the same. The only difference among them was that each had a Chinese symbol engraved on their forehead representing one of the five elements.


    Fire.


    Earth.


    Metal.


    Water.


    Wood.


    Cheng Xiu stood straight, ready to face them.


    The Fire girl ran forward, her arms and legs covered in red flames.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword and met the overstretched hand head-on.


    The blade of her sword vibrated as it met with the surface of the puppet''s hands.


    The puppet''s eyes turned towards her, its face blank.


    It got engulfed in flame.


    Cheng Xiu tried to back away, but the creature grabbed hold of her sword arm.


    The flame on it seemed alive as it moved towards Cheng Xiu''s skin and started to burn away her flesh.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth to not cry out as tears flew down her face.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand and kicked the thing away from her.


    The bottom of her clothes burned.


    Cheng held the sword in her hand tighter as sweat dripped down her face.


    She suppressed the whimper she wanted to let out as the movement agitated the wound the puppet left behind.


    The fire puppet dashed towards her.


    "Sword Dance!"


    Two more copies appeared.


    The puppet tried to throw a punch at her when it reached her again.


    "Sword Shield!"


    A blue barrier erupted around her.


    The puppet didn''t stop moving at hit the barrier with its fist.

 Chapter 62 - Counter 1

    The barrier reverberated.


    Cheng Xiu panted.


    The fire puppet hit the barrier again.


    The barrier pulsed.


    The water puppet moved. It waved its hand and created a vortex of water in front of it.


    The vortex hit the barrier at the same places the fire puppet hit.


    Cheng Xiu felt a part of her mind struggle against an obstacle.


    She spun around.


    The metal puppet hit against the barrier from the right. The wood puppet hit the barrier from the left and the earth puppet hit it from behind her. They pelted the barrier with bullets of wood, rocks and daggers.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to cry. Where was the fairness in this Match? They flanked her on all sides!


    Cheng Xiu tried to clear her mind. She couldn''t lose like this.


    Cheng Xiu thought about the unfairness in this match. It shouldn''t be like this. These skills should have a limit as they were nerfed. But what was that-


    The Fire puppet turned into ashes.


    There was no Talisman in its place.


    Cheng Xiu blinked as a thought occurred to her. Durability? Was durability the nerfed part of the Elemental puppets?


    The water puppet turned into a puddle.


    The Earth puppet turned into dust.


    The wood puppet withered away.


    The metal puppet exploded.


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow. The time since the moment they were summoned till they died was 5-7 minutes. In this timeframe, the puppets would die.


    Did the puppets use of power also become a factor?


    Though not obvious, the puppets were activated the entire time. Ready to attack her, and act as a support when necessary.


    The fact that the fire element went out first was likely due to its attack on her.


    Cheng Xiu looked over at Crow, curious about what he would do next.


    The wound on her sword arm throbbed.


    Crow tossed out five talismans again.


    The Elemental puppets were back.


    Her eyes went to Crow, who hadn''t moved from his spot yet. He didn''t look tired from using all those talismans.


    "Do you have infinite Qi?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    He laughed. "The opposite actually. Makes it necessary to learn to have good control over the Qi so I won''t waste it."


    Cheng Xiu pondered his words. "You have a talisman that is used as a storage for Qi."


    Crow looked at her impressed. "Yes! It''s so obvious that people won''t even give it a thought."


    "So the question is," Cheng Xiu said, "who will last longer."


    Crow smiled. "I''ve never liked stalemates. I like killing my opponents very much. It''s become a habit and a problem."


    "Should I feel sorry for you or your opponents?"


    "You are one of my opponents."


    "Sorry for your opponents it is."


    He smiled. "I think so too."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes.


    "But do you know the worst of it?" Crow asked.


    "I don''t."


    "I hate opponents with hidden skills."


    "You must hate playing poker then."


    Crow narrowed his eyes. "I don''t like you."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. Did this guy think his opinion of her would mean something to her?


    The fire puppet moved towards her barrier again.


    Just as it raised its fist to hit the blue barrier again, a wooden baby puppet appeared next to it and placed a white talisman.


    Cheng Xiu felt a sense of unease rise in her guts.


    She leapt to the side.


    The fire flared as the talisman glowed, and the barrier broke.


    Cheng Xiu somersaulted and slashed at the baby puppet, turning it to ashes.


    The other puppets ran towards her.


    The fire puppet lept at her with its raised fist.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes to connect with the Qi around her. She could sense the movements of the puppets. They were all connected to Crow''s chest.


    She manoeuvred the sword copies towards each of the puppets and occupied them with it. The puppets lept and lunged to get to her, and Cheng Xiu backed away even more.


    She sensed five different Qi threads other than the Elemental puppets.


    The fire Puppet escaped the sword copy as she got distracted and grabbed her by the shoulder.


    Cheng Xiu pushed the thing away with her sword and spun to the left.


    The puppet followed her.


    Cheng Xiu slashed towards the puppet''s heart.


    It moved away.


    The blade of her sword slashed through a baby puppet''s heart.


    There was stillness during which Cheng Xiu spun her sword by the hilt and pierced the Fire puppet''s heart.

 Chapter 63 - Counter 2

    The puppet turned into ashes.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back.


    Crow narrowed his eyes. He hadn''t expected her to get out of the bind so quickly.


    Crow closed his eyes, and raised a white talisman. The talisman caught fire.


    He threw it up in the air.


    The talisman turned into a blue barrier.


    Cheng Xiu spun away from the water jet the Water puppet threw at her.


    She lept towards it.


    It created a water blade and aimed at her heart.


    Cheng Xiu ducked under the blade and stabbed its heart.


    Crow flinched as he felt the thread between him and the talisman burn away.


    He didn''t want to use elemental talismans unless they were necessary but if he lost one more of his puppets Crow would have to have to use his Elemental Talismans.


    Cheng Xiu stepped away from the puddle of water, dripping from head to toe. The Water puppet actually exploded.


    The earth puppet burrowed into the ground.


    The wind puppet disappeared.


    The metal puppet turned into many daggers and flew towards her.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth in frustration.


    She needed to gain more advantage, but the throb from the burn on her sword hand and the water that dripped from her side made it hard for her to hold on to her blade.


    She closed her eyes and concentrated on the areas around her. The Qi in her veins pulsed and started to spin faster.


    Her eyes gained a golden glow. She once again entered the trance state of Qi Absorption.


    The pain in the burn on her hand ebbed away but not fast enough for the approaching enemy.


    She threw her sword into her other hand and dashed towards the flying daggers.


    Some missed but most made shallow cuts on her skin.


    Cheng Xiu sped towards where the highest concentration of Qi was located and reached the edges of the woods.


    A mini metal puppet stood there with wire threads in its hands.


    It spun the threads in its hands.


    The daggers changed their trajectory and flew towards her back.


    Cheng Xiu stamped on the small puppet body.


    It twitched and struggled under her foot.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand and stabbed the puppet through the heart, ending it.


    Cheng Xiu watched as the daggers exploded and a few shards flew towards her.


    Cheng Xiu swiped it away with her sword.


    Crow frowned at her nonchalant face. To have gone into such a trance during this time was just...


    He sighed. It was stupid of him to think that it would be so easy to defeat an S Rank.


    The Other World was a VR in the end and those with a stronger mind were able to fight better. Their minds worked at a faster level than most AI codes in the world.


    It made him think of something else. Something he didn''t think of until then.


    How strong was the AI system of the Other World that it could interpret the thought process of an S Rank with such fineness?


    Many rumours floated online about the AI system of the Other World of course. The biggest reason was that it didn''t seem to have any connection to any nation. They couldn''t find its servers even though they could access its data.


    Many speculated the Rank of the AI as they do. People liked to rank things for no other reason than that it made them look sophisticated. The world agreed Rank was A.


    But now, standing in front of an S Rank mind that seemed to work just as sharply as it would in the outside world put the AI code at S Rank at least.


    And that was a scary thought.


    Crow frowned. No wonder the game liked giving SelaXiu resources. She was its human counterpart.


    Cheng Xiu slashed away two more baby puppets.


    Her eyes turned everywhere, searching for the Wind puppet.


    She felt a cold hand around her ankle pulling her down.

 Chapter 64 - Information

    A man with silver hair walked into the quiet office. A man with brown hair sat on a large chair, bent over his papers.


    "Did you find anything?"


    The young man with brown hair looked up. "President Xiu."


    The man glared. "I asked you something."


    "And I heard you."


    "Fei''er, don''t think that just because you are my best friend I won''t hit your face," Xiu Ru said in anger.


    Si Fei snorted. "Nonsense. Since when have I being your friend stopped you from trying to kill me?"


    Xiu Ru gritted his teeth. "I''m not joking. I''m not in the mood to be joking."


    Si Rui sighed.


    "I know. The good news is that we have found the Cheng family''s old address. If they haven''t changed location, then they are now in Mainland China."


    "I can sense a but in those words."


    "I won''t be giving it to you."


    Xiu Ru glared. "What did you say?"


    "Madame Xiu''s orders."


    Xiu Ru scoffed. "We have done plenty of things behind my parents back before, how is this any different? Besides, I''m your Boss. You should be obeying me, not the woman of the household."


    "Is that so?" a feminine voice asked from behind them.


    Xiu Ru closed his eyes. That was a stupid thing to say out loud.


    "Mother."


    "Madame Xiu"


    Madame Xiu smiled at Si Fei and turned to her son with a glare. "Didn''t I tell you not to do this?"


    "Are we really not punishing that bastard for getting my sister killed?" Xiu Ru asked in anger.


    "She was killed by a terrorist," Si Fei said. "And she only died because she wanted to save the children. Had nothing to do with Mr Cheng. In fact, I believe he didn''t want her to go."


    Xiu Ru snorted. "That village buffoon doesn''t know kindness! All he knows is how to stuff his mouth!"


    Si Fei raised an eyebrow. "You haven''t even met the man before."


    "Is there even a need to? I can guess the kind of man he is," Xiu Ru said with a sneer.


    Madame Xiu sighed. "I hadn''t realised Telepathy was a part of your powers."


    Xiu Ru''s ears turned red even as his face remained the same.


    "Why can''t I know where my niece is?"


    "Because she should be an adult by now," Madame Xiu said. "We will contact Mr Cheng in this matter and arrange a meeting with her."


    Xiu Ru scowled. "I''m her uncle. Do I need that man''s permission to meet her?"


    "Yes, you do," Si Fei said.


    "Why? Give me a good reason," Xiu Ru said.


    "Because that man is her father and her only living parent," Madame Xiu said. "She will need to accept us before-"


    There was a knock on the door.


    "Come in," Si Fei said.


    A woman in a pearl white dress came in. She stopped at the threshold when she saw the other occupants of the room. She bowed.


    "Hello, Madame Xiu, President Xiu, and Manager Si."


    Madame Xiu raised her eyebrow.


    "What is it?" Si Fei asked her in a soft voice.


    Xiu Ru frowned at his tone. He looked at his friend.


    "I''ve found news about the person you asked," she said.


    "Go on," Si Fei said, half distracted until her words registered. "What did you say?"


    The woman smiled, unaware of the landmine she was standing on. " I''ve found news about Cheng Xiu, Daughter of Cheng Ru and Cheng Lan."


    Xiu Ru looked at her as though he was looking at an angel.


    The woman blushed at the intensity of the stare in his eyes. She wondered if she was experiencing her CEO romance.


    "What did you find out?" Xiu Ru asked.


    Madame Xiu made to cut her off but was held back by the words she said next.


    "Cheng Xiu, aged 18, is the person with the highest percentage in this year''s Alliance Exams!"


    Xiu Ru found himself annoyed. Was that a big deal? He got 92% himself.


    "A total score of 9.99," the woman said.


    Xiu Ru froze. That score...how was that possible?


    "She is the speculated S Rank from Earth!"


    S Rank?


    "I''m sorry," Si Fei said in awe. "Are you telling me an 18-year-old has an S Rank mind?"


    The woman nodded eagerly.


    "I wish I could meet her soon," Xiu Ru said to himself.


    The woman thought he was talking to her.


    "You can. She is part of the Gu family that have wanted to establish an Alliance with our company for a long time," the woman said. "And President Xiu is going to the Gu Family this week, right?"


    Xiu Ru nodded. "You can go now."


    The woman blinked, unsure. She bowed a little and walked away in a daze. The President had smiled.


    "Fate wants me to meet her mother," Xiu Ru said and walked away.


    "Should we tell him that just because he is meeting the Gu doesn''t mean he will meet his niece?" Si Fei asked.


    "No need," Madame Xiu said. "Let him think he won. Book a Spaceship for me as well. Someone has to keep that brat in line."


    "Should I look for gifts for 18-year-olds while I''m at it, Aunty?" Si Fei asked in a teasing tone.


    "Yes," the woman said. "Better to."


    Madame Xiu walked away.


    Si Fei shook his head and picked up his Fold to do as ordered.. Crazy family.

 Chapter 65 - Qi Suppliers

    Cheng Xiu stabbed her sword into the ground and stopped her descent into the Earth.


    She slashed the hand of the puppet.


    Ting!


    The sword hit the puppet''s body and reflected.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and tried to kick the thing''s hand off her ankles.


    The grip tightened.


    Cheng Xiu flinched.


    She glared at the offending appendage.


    "Ghost Flame!"


    The black flame burned the puppet''s hand off.


    Cheng Xiu bent to the side, avoiding a gust of wind that was aimed at her face.


    She looked around, unsure.


    Cheng Xiu thought about what she should do for a moment. The wind puppet, true to its nature seemed to be invisible but still felt.


    Her instincts told her that it was watching her, her Qi told her it was near her, even the Enlightenment technique couldn''t really pinpoint where the thing was, like it was in the very air around her.


    Cheng Xiu tried to sense out her enemy again using Qi.


    She felt the slight shift in movement in the space in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu jumped away, just as a hand came out of the ground to grab her legs again.


    The Earth puppet.


    Cheng Xiu realised what was happening. The two puppets were working together to bring her down instead of separately trying to face her.


    She felt a bit of pride rise in her heart at that thought. These were Elemental puppets used by someone far superior to her in level, but once the field was evened, once they were at the same level, she was someone these experts had to take seriously.


    She tried to suppress the giddiness that came with that thought. To be considered a worthy opponent, to be considered as someone who should be fought against with sincerity...Cheng Xiu hadn''t felt this feeling in a long time. Not since Him.


    And now, she was the named enemy of Level 70 experts. It occurred to Cheng Xiu, finally, that what she was experiencing was a once in a lifetime adventure.


    Until then. she was still a bit stuck in survival mode. EverHill''s fight did bring out the joy of fighting but this fight made Cheng Xiu really realise that she did have an edge. That she was a formidable opponent.


    None of these experts was looking at her as an easy win. They weren''t going to let their guard down.


    That brought Cheng Xiu an inexplicable joy.


    Cheng Xiu tried to clear her mind. She couldn''t let her excitement jinx her mind, and her luck.


    She tried to think of a way to get around the two puppets.


    Her eyes went to the baby puppets around them. They were there almost like a decoration. Now that she thought of it...why would Crow keep the baby puppets out even though they were doing nothing.


    Could they have a purpose in this fight with the Elemental puppets?


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword and aimed to slash at the baby puppet to her left.


    A gust of wind was aimed at her chest.


    Cheng Xiu twisted away.


    Her right arm got a bit caught in the wind and was shredded to the bone at the part.


    Cheng Xiu choked at the pain that attack brought her.


    It was a smart thing to have moved away from that attacks instead of trying to deflect them. She didn''t want to think of the consequences of that action.


    Cheng Xiu used Qi Absorption to heal herself.


    She felt the Earth Element move towards her underground. She could now recognise the Qi signature of the Earth element. It had a sense of stability and calmness to it that the other Qi signatures didn''t have.


    Cheng Xiu jumped into the air.


    It was confirmed. The baby puppets served a purpose. A purpose that made the wind Element puppet and Earth Element puppet nervous when she got near any of them.


    She tried to see what the purpose of these puppets was through the Qi around them and aimed her sword for the closest baby puppet.


    As her sword pierced through the wooden creature, Cheng Xiu finally realised what their purpose was.


    The puppet turned to dust and she felt the Qi in the Earth Puppet lose a fraction of its power.


    Qi Suppliers.

 Chapter 66 - Strike One

    Cheng Xiu leapt away from the Earth Puppets constant attacks. Her sword copies floated around her in circles.


    Her eyes fell on the other wooden baby puppets.


    Qi Suppliers.


    Suppliers were minions who gathered power for their masters so that they could use it whenever they could without worrying about things like running out of ammunition.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. If these suppliers were supplying Qi for the puppets, then why would those puppets lose their powers before?


    Could it be that Crow had just started to use the supplier puppets to help the Adult puppets?


    The Earth Puppet jumped out of the ground towards her.


    Cheng Xiu prepared her sword.


    If Crow had started to use these Qi suppliers for his Elemental Puppets, did that mean that he also had Qi suppliers for himself? Wouldn''t that mean that he had as much Qi as he wanted as long as he had even one of these suppliers with him? Should she attack him now, when she wasn''t as tired so that she could kill him? Or should she kill off the puppets first?


    On the other side, Crow was observing his opponent closely.


    He suppressed the smirk that wanted to grace his face. Finally, she was on a track that he was familiar with. His opponents, once they discover that the puppets are supplied by the Elemental puppets have only two choices. One, to kill off all the baby puppets and then attack him or two, to attack him before the puppets could supply him Qi.


    Both had its risk. He might be able to make more Qi puppets or it might be a trap to get them to where he wanted him so that he could unleash his next set of skills.


    But looking at Cheng Xiu in front of him, Crow had the hunch that she would choose to attack him than wait for the Suppliers to die out. She was smart in that regard. Any traps he made for her would not be as dangerous as having very little Qi when your enemy was in full charge.


    Cheng Xiu continued to engage the Earth Puppet in a fight, not moving away from her opponents.


    Crow frowned. Had he given her too much credit? Was she not able to see the disadvantage she would be in?


    Cheng Xiu jumped over the head of the puppet.


    The puppet moved its hand to grab her ankles even though one of its arms was burned off, and the other was half burnt too.


    Cheng Xiu smirked.


    She aimed the sword straight through the face of the puppet, leaving behind a huge dent on its face.


    Crow felt his heart jump. How was it possible? How was she able to make damage on the skin of the puppet with her sword?


    He thought hard as he observed her moments.


    He saw the light glow on her sword.


    Crow realised what had happened. He didn''t want to believe it, he couldn''t. Conscious Qi Burst! She was using conscious Qi Burst to make damage on the puppet.


    Had she discovered the truth about the puppet''s strong outer skin? Or did she just want to create damage on the weapon?


    Cheng Xiu landed on the ground and immediately bent backwards.


    A gust of wind brushed past her, tearing the hems of her clothes.


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow. She had just wanted to see how Qi Burst would do against the impenetrable skin of the puppet and actually ended up damaging it a bit.


    Cheng Xiu observed the puppet''s surrounding Qi. It had dissipated a bit. Could it be that the puppet''s outer skin was made of Qi or something and could be damaged through Qi Burst? Was the strong skin created by using another Talisman that was not a part of the puppet''s original makeup?


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head in thought. She had to test it out. But how?


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes travelled to the baby puppets that hid in the woods.


    She smiled.


    She ran towards them at a high speed.


    Crow sighed. So she chose to kill the Qi suppliers instead of him. He was disappointed. This was the power of an S ranked mind?


    Cheng Xiu tried to stab the babby closest to her left in the heart.


    The Earth puppet chucked a boulder at her.


    Cheng Xiu ducked away from it. The tip of her sword touched the baby puppet''s chest.


    The Earth puppet tried to grab ahold of her hand.


    Cheng Xiu swung her hand away and used Qi burst to knock the puppet off its feet.


    A golden light appeared around the puppet''s midriff briefly. A single green Talisman was attached to the puppet with a golden thread.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. So her thoughts were right. The impenetrable skin was not fool-proof and it would seem, the Talisman was really unstable.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword in the air.


    Crow was still wallowing in his disappointment when he saw Cheng Xiu stab the stomach of the Earth Puppet.


    He watched uncomprehendingly as a Talisman became visible for a brief second before it was torn by the blade of the Red Carp Sword.


    He watched with a numb feeling in his heart as she pulled back her sword and stabbed the Earth puppet in the heart.


    It turned to dust.


    How long did it take for her to figure out a trick that took many experts more than two years to clue together? Half an hour? Five minutes?


    Crow suddenly felt that they were not in the same league. That he was not a worthy opponent to her.


    He shook his head to clear his mind but the thought that she might be superior to him slowly sprouted in his heart and with it, he started to resent her.


    Cheng Xiu grinned and pointed her sword towards him, and through the happiness of her victory against his puppet, he saw mockery. His humiliation. His self worth being ridiculed.


    Anger rose in his heart. He would destroy her.


    "Strike!" Cheng Xiu said.


    Crow gave her a mocking smile. "It''s strike one."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "I would hope so!"


    He glared at her.

 Chapter 67 - Wind Puppet

    Crow calmed his mind, and laid the next trap.


    Cheng Xiu ducked away from the gust of wind. A part of her hair fluttered and fell to the ground.


    Her eyes scanned the area around her. "You again. You know, for a puppet dancing to someone else''s tune, you irritate me a lot more than your master does."


    Cheng Xiu felt the next attack from the right.


    As she jumped to and fro to escape the Wind Puppet''s attacks, Cheng Xiu found herself wondering about Crow''s plan.


    At such a stage he should have used the Qi supplied by the Baby puppets to create more elemental puppets to fight against her.


    But he didn''t. Instead, he was waiting for either her to die or for the Wind Puppet to lose the battle.


    Why?


    Cheng Xiu jumped onto a tree branch.


    She felt the attack coming from the right.


    Cheng Xiu jumped away again.


    She looked around her, her mind still trying to piece together what might be the reason for Crow''s decision to not use more Elemental Puppets as support. She would have. In fact, Cheng Xiu would have done it right when the Water Puppet was killed on the off chance that her enemy would figure out her secrets.


    But he didn''t do that. Did he not have enough Qi to do so?


    That couldn''t be it. As far as she could tell, these Baby supplied Qi to Crow the most, not the Elemental Puppets. He should have already summoned the other puppets three times.


    Could it be that he could not summon the puppets alone? Was it possible that he could only activate the Talismans together?


    Cheng Xiu remembered an Old Card Game that she played with her mom when she was a little girl. In it, a particular collection of card combinations would envoke a particular set of skills that would otherwise remain inactive.


    sort of like a team is only strong as long as they stayed together.


    Cheng Xiu wondered if that was the case. If Crow could only summon the Elements Four at a time, then that would mean, as long as the last puppet is not dead, he can''t summon the others.


    She could get rid of the Baby puppets if that was the case.


    Then her mind went to the time when these puppets were attacking her Sword Shield. They had turned to nothing after a certain set of time.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She needed to kill all the Baby puppets before the timer ran out and the Wind Element Puppet''s Talisman self-destructed.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and gathered the Qi around her through Qi Absorption. She could do this. She had to.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards the Baby puppets, careful to avoid the Wind puppet''s attacks at intervals. She soon understood another thing about the Wind puppet''s attack. It had a cool downtime.


    Cheng Xiu smirked and timed her movements in such a way that the Wind Puppet''s attacks would hit the Baby puppets instead of her.


    Crow cursed when he saw the Wind attack kill off the fourth Baby puppet as well.


    He realised that Cheng Xiu had discovered another one of his attack plans. He couldn''t believe the precise timing with which she was moving.


    It would seem, he hadn''t actually understood the scope of her ability to figure out skills.


    But this kind of precise fighting couldn''t come in a day or two, Genius or not.


    He saw her attack the Baby puppets, again and again, ignoring the Wind Puppet.


    A bad premonition echoed in his heart.


    Cheng Xiu had figured out that as long as she didn''t kill the fourth Elemental Puppet, she could move around faster, and be freer.


    He gritted his teeth. Damned S Rank.


    Deep in the forest, Yaksha looked at the fight with slight awe in his eyes.


    "She...Young Master...why is this Crow being so careless? Shouldn''t he attack her with more powers while he is occupied?" Luther asked.


    "Don''t be stupid," Diana said to him. "Do you think it is easy to control Elemental Puppets to such a degree? The Baby Puppets can move on their own but are still under his command because they are lesser spirits. The Elemental Puppets are activated by using Elemental spirits, which are a higher tier. They are very volatile. He must be having trouble controlling them, especially now."


    "What?" Luther turned to Yaksha. "What does she mean?"


    "Elemental Puppets are always summoned together. This is because they won''t obey you at all if you summon only one or two. The Summoning Talisman requires all Four elements to work. And since there is only one Elemental puppet left..."


    Luther realised what had happened. "So that was what happened. This SelaXiu is very lucky."


    "Luck is only a part of it," Diana said with a soft smile. "The real thing is that SelaXiu has recognised this flaw of the puppet and is using it to keep Crow out of it. Right, brother?"


    "I''m not sure how much she is aware of the Talisman''s Limitation but she is using the fact that he can''t summon more Elemental Puppets to her advantage."


    Diana grinned. "I like her. In fact, I love her. Brother, we must put forwards the offer for her to join our sect."


    Yaksha smirked.. "Maybe."

 Chapter 68 - Awakened Qiless

    A man leaned against a windowpane and looked out to the vast forest. He had long black hair, and blue eyes, and was covered in tattoos.


    The sound of a door creaking open echoed.


    The dark-haired man looked up.


    A man in a buttoned-up shirt came towards him with a gentle smile, his brown hair neatly combed and orderly, and his green eyes held a sense of purpose.


    "You must be Victor Gracian!" the brown-haired man said.


    Victor nodded. "Mr Mead."


    The man laughed. "Please, call me Joseph. So, Victor, how about we get down to the real deal?"


    Victor nodded. "Yes. Of course."


    Joseph smiled. "Now, tell me, Mr Gracian...what were the symptoms that you went through before you fully awakened?"


    Victor sighed. "You see...ever since I started to play TOW-"


    "TOW?"


    "That''s what we call The Other World."


    "I''m sorry for interrupting you. Please continue..."


    "I felt the difference between TOW and other VR games almost immediately."


    "How so?"


    "For one thing...I could actually use Qi in the game."


    Green eyes glinted. "Oh?"


    Victor nodded. "I had never used Qi before in my life but in TOW...the Qi I used seemed real...it felt...I felt...fulfilled."


    "Fulfilled?...interesting."


    Victor blinked. "Isn''t that you feel?"


    Joseph shook his head. "Since my Awakening was natural I never felt unfulfilled."


    Victor tensed. Those wordings...


    Joseph laughed. "Sorry! That came out wrong. I meant I never experienced a Qi less life so I never knew any differently."


    Victor smiled. "so that''s it. I have to admit...I was a bit hesitant to meet you, Mr Mead."


    "Call me Joseph," the green-eyed man said. "So you started to notice the difference from year one?"


    Victor nodded. "There were many who participated in the Beta tests who said that TOW felt different but I never knew the difference..so..."


    Joseph leaned in, curious. "Beta tested? There were Beta tests?"


    Victor nodded. "Three Beta tests actually."


    Joseph leaned back, and frowned. "But I researched The Other World''s history and have found that there were no Betas..."


    Victor smiled. "It had a different name back then."


    "Oh?"


    "It was called Primordials or something."


    Joseph''s eyes shook. "Primordials?"


    "That is right," Victor said. "We created a community for those who were showing signs of awakening their Qi and discussed it. We had a few seniors who said that TOW was the official version of Primordials."


    Joseph hummed. "This...Primordials...it was the game that shut down three years back, correct?"


    Victor took a sip of his wine. "I think so...have you heard of it?"


    Joseph smiled. "I knew someone hell-bent on creating something that would allow those without Qi to gain it. It was the dream of his mentor or something...he created...well...I always thought that Primordials was his...to find out that even The Other World is Teacher Qin''s is..."


    Victor frowned. Though his words were sad, he couldn''t help feel there was an undertone of hatred in it.


    Victor was newly awakened but he knew to trust his instincts.


    "I heard that Mr Mead was working with Scientist Fennings. Where is she?"


    Joseph smirked. "She was occupied with something."


    Victor finally realised that this might be a trap of some sort.


    Joseph observed his expressions and sighed. "I had wanted to know more about your experience but oh well!"


    Victor stood up and ducked away from the bullet to his head.


    The chair fell and the table was overturned.


    Two men appeared from thin air.


    Before Victor could react a gun was pointed at his face and the men disappeared with him.


    The room glitched and everything was back to normal.


    Joseph sighed. He took out his Fold and called a number.


    "What is it?"


    "The Other World is the renamed Primordials."


    "What!"


    The sound of something breaking was heard over the phone.


    Joseph looked up at the ceiling. "It would seem that the bloody AI evolved more than we had thought. To actually function to such a high accuracy even when there is no longer anyone to command it..."


    "We always knew Qin was smart, Joseph. Our priority now is to track down all the awakened or awakening Qiless and terminate this disease. We will deal with Maya once we locate it. As smart as that AI is, there is still the fact that it must need a base of some sort."


    Joseph nodded. "According to that Abomination Gracian, there is Forum or something for the Awakening Qiless."


    "Find it, and infiltrate it."


    "Yes, sir."


    Joseph put his Fold back down and looked out the window.. He wondered in which parts of the universe these Abominations were hidden.

 Chapter 69 - Perfect Timing

    Cheng Xiu killed a few of the last remaining Baby puppets and left two alive. She guessed that these two supplied Qi to the Wind puppet rather than Crow as their connection to the yellow-clad man was barely there.


    The two puppets would ensure that the Wind puppet doesn''t expire as easily and prevent Crow from summoning more.


    He also seemed to be unable to break his connection to the puppets, which would have killed the Wind puppet easily.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards Crow.


    Crow pulled out a Yellow Talisman and lighted it up.


    She noticed the golden circle in its middle.


    Cheng Xiu remembered this particular talisman. It was the one he used at the beginning of their battle.


    Cheng Xiu turned and ran away.


    Crow smirked at her action. It was funny to watch her reaction to his attack. He finally understood what people meant when they said, arrived like an elephant and left like a rat. She had so majestic when she came to attack her but now she ran for her life.


    A golden circle appeared in the air and fire bullets flew towards her.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. The bullets would drain out his Qi reserves faster as she had already killed off his suppliers.


    She looked at the Jade bracelet in her hand.


    The Kuan Yen Jade bracelet.


    It was time to draw the trap and catch the prey.


    Crow summoned two Baby puppets to act as his Qi suppliers.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and summoned the six sword copies that floated in the air.


    She controlled two of them towards the two baby puppets Crow used as his suppliers and engaged them in battle so they can do nothing but escape.


    The Fire bullets got closer to her.


    "Ghost Flame!"


    Crow frowned as he watched the black flame ear the red fire and became bigger.


    Cheng Xiu touched Crow''s Qi with her own.


    ''Qi Illusion,'' she thought.


    This would distract Crow enough.


    She asserted her will on the Qi pet that lurked in the ground, eating away the Wild Qi around it.


    It responded by spinning just below Crow''s feet.


    Cheng Xiu smiled, fondness filling her heart.


    Cheng Xiu sent a small amount of Qi into the bracelet.


    [Ding!]


    [Player used Kuan Yen''s Jade Bracelet 1/5 times. After five uses, the Item will go into a 12-hour cool down in the game.]


    Her vision turned dark, the only visible thing became the concentration of Qi to her left, not far off from where Crow had stood, behind him.


    She realised that because his Qi reserve had declined, Crow could not let his puppets go too far from him anymore.


    Perfect timing.


    Luck was on her side in their match.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword and ran towards him at full speed.


    Crow pulled out two new talismans from his sleeves.


    "Oh no, you don''t!" Cheng Xiu screamed.


    She pulled out a black card from her sleeve and sent a strand of Qi into it. She threw it at Crow.


    [Ding!]


    [Player SelaXiu has activated Godly Curse 1/4.]


    [Player SelaXiu has put Medusa''s Curse on Player Crow. All skills and techniques of Player Crow locked. As the players are at Level 10, the lock time is 10s.]


    Crow stilled like a statue, unable to counter Cheng Xiu''s attack.


    The Qi pet burst out of the ground and wrapped around him.


    Cheng Xiu killed the two baby puppets that supplied Qi to Crow and the two baby puppets that supplied Qi to the wind puppet.


    "Ghost Flame!"


    The back flame ate away at the wind puppet.


    The sword copies stabbed into Crow one by one.


    Cheng Xiu plunged her sword into Crow''s heart.

 Chapter 70 - A Fountain Of Wishes

    Cheng Xiu pulled back the sword lodged in Crow''s heart.


    He jerked.


    The 10 seconds were over.


    Crow''s body pixelated away.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back and sheathed her sword. Her copies disappeared.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement : Grandmaster''s Arena Battlefield


    Battle 4: SelaXiu Veritas Vs Immortal Crow


    Victory: SelaXiu Veritas.]


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes flitted to the group of Immortals standing at the side as audience. Their grim expression deepened in her heart, delighting in it, as her body pixelated away.


    ***


    In the Audience Podium of the Immortals and San Zhe, there was silence.


    "That was intense," Matchstick said at last. "That''s another Immortal gone."


    Long Hei frowned. "Are you ignoring the fact that she just beat Crow of all people so easily? In fact, I would say, her fight with Lu WenXian is the only one that was a bit more humiliating for the Immortals."


    WuQi glared at him. "Damn you, Hei! If brother Xian was playing at his original level, he would have definitely won!"


    Lotus snorted. "We all would have."


    WuQi huffed.


    "Frost," Lotus called.


    The blue dressed woman looked up at her.


    "Did you see it?"


    "It''s not surprising, considering that she is an S Rank."


    "What is it?" Long Hei asked with a pout. "Don''t hide things!"


    "She figured out the fact about the Qi Suppliers and the secret behind the Elemental Puppets," Lotus said.


    "I agree with Frost," Long Hei said. "She is an A Rank! Makes sense for her to be able to figure it out. In fact, it isn''t that big of a secret! Even I know it!"


    WuQi snorted. "Yes, it is not much of a secret since even the green idiot knows it."


    "She came up with a way to fight against him in that single fight," Lotus argued. "That goes beyond simple genius!"


    "Cheng Xiu is a Hyper-Genius," Star Phoenix argued.


    "And that is enough of an explanation?" Lotus asked.


    "It''s not just her Rank or genius," Frost said. "She is good at adapting. Too good at it. People who can adjust their emotional state to such a level are dangerous people."


    "And brother Star wanted to poach her for himself," Long Hei said.


    Star Phoenix kicked him.


    "I was only telling the truth!" the green robed man, massaging his butt.


    "Idiot," WuQi said smugly.


    San Zhe smiled. It was fun to listen to them banter. He was getting to witness something that none of their fans got to see. The Immortals outside their respective Guild duties.


    It brought him a sense of satisfaction but that feeling was not enough for him to not complain about being dragged into something that he didn''t want to.


    ***


    In the streets of Veritas, a man stood in front of a woman with curvaceous features. The purple of her robe stayed snug against her, as she came out of the fountain.


    This woman was one of Diana''s copies.


    "So you are telling me that wishing in this fountain rises my chance of getting higher grade lots?" the man asked.


    Diana nodded.


    The man looked at the NPC in front of him. He wasn''t sure whether he should believe her as Veritas was said to house the craziest NPCs in the game.


    His eyes fell on the fountain. It couldn''t hurt, right?


    He took out a single silver coin from his pocket and threw it into the fountain. It hurt his heart to do so, and hoped that the NPC was telling the truth.


    He then took a grey box from his storage ring.


    The man closed his eyes and then opened the box lid.


    He opened one of his eyes and peeked in.


    He gasped.


    The passers-by who were curious about the NPC in dripping wet clothes became curious about the man''s reaction.


    The man pulled out a scroll. "An D...D...D rank te-tec-technique?"


    The people watching the entire fiasco gasped. They all turned to the beautiful fountain with the silhouette of a woman carved into it with greed in their eyes.


    They just found themselves a Loot enhancer!


    "What is this fountain called?" a man asked.


    "True Selafia Fountain," another answered.


    Soon, the foot of the fountain filled up with coins of all values and the internet broke about the mystical fountain in Veritas.


    The gamers dubbed it a new name after seeing the frenzy believers tossing coins in.


    The Fountain of Wishes.

 Chapter 71 - Travelling News

    Lion sighed. "She defeated even Crow."


    "I expected it," Rin said.


    Everyone looked at her sceptically.


    She pulled out her short blade and pointed it at them. "Do you want to contest me on that?"


    They shook their heads.


    "I have some hot news!" Bear said, putting down a scroll.


    "What is it?" Lion asked.


    "They found a Wishing Fountain in Veritas!"


    "The kind where people toss coins in to make wishes?" Lion asked.


    "What other kind is there?"


    "Who knows. Maybe there is one where they toss babies instead of coins."


    The people around the table looked at him in horror.


    Lion panicked. "I meant there might be! Why are you all giving me that look!"


    "So that was your hot news?" Rin asked.


    "This one is special!"


    "Oh?"


    "It gives people a higher per cent of success or even a higher Ranking loot!"


    Everyone looked around in wonder.


    "How high is the rate of success?" Ro asked.


    Bear grinned. This was what he was waiting for. "As low as 30% and as high as 70%. Some of the guilds are even planning to create a branch in Veritas so that they can take full advantage!"


    "Amazing," Rin whispered. "This Veritas is becoming very interesting. Maybe we should invest in it as well!"


    Bear sighed. "In the last one hour, the area has seen an influx of NPCs."


    Rin slumped. "Oh."


    "Is that a bad thing?" Gu Shu asked.


    Rin nodded. "An influx of NPCs means an upgrade in the economy. It is the first clue to the player base that a place is going to become prosperous."


    Gu Shu sweatdropped. She couldn''t see the bad it that.


    "This is good for players who take missions from Veritas or even remotely related to Veritas. More NPCs means more Quests, and more rewards than before," Fin explained.


    "This just made Veritas a booming economy," Ro said and laid down a map in front of everyone. "Veritas was one of the Villages that Vixia was going to lose in the upcoming war with the States of Azure. Now¡­Veritas just became an unknown factor."


    "This will be a massacre," Fin said.


    Everyone nodded.


    ***


    On the other side, in Viridian forest.


    Yaksha cut the connection between him and the other side.


    "Who was it?" Diana asked.


    "What did you do?" he asked instead. "People are going to wish in a fountain because a lady in purple said that their wishes would come true."


    Diana grinned. "I tried to make SelaXiu into a very lucky person! I said that her luck against the Immortals is because of the Wishing Fountain called True Selafia. He actually believed it!"


    Yaksha smiled and shook his head. "Well, your trick worked so well that it has broken the balance in the game."


    "Meaning?" Luther asked.


    Yaksha smiled. "It was Everlasting who just called. He wants to create a branch in Veritas."


    "May I ask why?"


    "Veritas just gained a remodelling sanction from the King of the Vixia Kingdom. A direct order."


    "How did this happen?" Luther asked. "Does Diana have a world illusion power I wasn''t aware of?"


    Diana glared. "I only did it because the man was annoying me!"


    Yaksha smiled. "It has more to do with who you used to market the fountain."


    Diana and Luther leaned towards him, curious.


    "SelaXiu is the most well-known name in the player base right now," Yaksha said. "By using her name, you made the man beileve in your lie. After all, no matter how much skill SelaXiu showed right now, all people could see is that a low-level nobody defeated four Immortals. That needs luck in their minds. And SelaXiu seemed to have luck in spades."


    Diana nodded. "So the first few believed. But how did it turn into such a big movement in an hour?"


    "You underestimate the power of desperation," Yaksha said to her. "The people who believed you were desperate. They needed that bit of luck. And the few successes after throwing coins in led to others believing as well. There is also the game system to think about."


    "What about it?" Luther asked.


    Yaksha looked up at the sky. "Something tells me, the reason there were so many successes were that the system wants it to happen."


    "Why?" Diana asked.


    Yaksha shrugged. "Who knows."


    You do, Luther and Diana thought when they saw the slight smirk on his face.

 Chapter 72 - Master Returns

    Cheng Xiu shook away the disorientation from being suddenly transported to the White Room.


    She frowned.


    In front of her stood the Red Door.


    She didn''t feel like she had achieved anything Cultivation-wise in this match, and yet, the Red Door had appeared.


    The last time that the Red Door had appeared was for her Level breakthrough.


    She assumed that the Door only appeared when it was time for her to Level up. Why was it here now? Did she guess wrong? Did the Door have a purpose beyond that?


    The Red Door burst open.


    Cheng Xiu readied herself.


    Last time, she was sucked into the Dark Abyss by a strong wind.


    There wasn''t any this time.


    A figure got out of the Door into the White Room. It was an old man with a white beard wearing teal robes. His face had to laugh lines that showed an innate kindness in them.


    Cheng Xiu recognized the person.


    It was the NPC who taught her the 10 Levels of True Qi Cultivation.


    The old man smiled.


    "You have completed Level One, and is standing at the cusp of Level Two Breakthrough. I have never seen anyone achieve such a fast Breakthrough before."


    The man observed his surroundings. "But there is a reason for my presence here today. Many learned the True Qi Art, and yet¡­none of them achieved 100% comprehension¡­I knew of your potential then but I did not think you would stick with this cultivation for so long when it takes twice as much time to Level Up than any other Cultivation Method¡­Do you know? The people before you changed their Cultivation Method as soon as they heard that."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. Gaming was all about trying to become stronger faster. Especially in a Leaderboard filled Game like The Other World. It made sense for players to choose the easiest route. The few who were stubborn would stick around for a few more months but would eventually quit.


    "And so, when you came in I had no hope for you," the old man said. "But¡­your fame of 100% made people who were about to quit the path, endure and strive for their excellence. And then you made even more of fame through your World Announcements and your Fountains."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyebrow twitched at the last word. She was still a bit irritated at having lost the opportunity to get useful rewards and got Fountains instead. The entire Chosen One quest seemed like a scam at this point.


    "You have proved that True Qi Cultivation is one of the best Cultivation Methods there is!" he said with a smile.


    "Didn''t you say it was the Greatest?"


    "When did I say that?"


    "When you were introducing yourself the first time."


    "You are remembering wrong."


    "I have an excellent memory."


    The man sighed. "It is the greatest, but it still has a few competitors. Anyway! There is a reason I am here! I want to reward you for making people see the greatness of True Qi Cultivation."


    "It better not be a damned fountain again."


    The man gave her an awkward smile. "But fountains are great rewards! You have a monument to your name now! In your case, two of them! Don''t people want to have statues and monuments built for them?"


    "Not when they are useless in this world."


    He frowned. "How is having a monument to your name useless. It is one of the primary conditions to"


    The man paused, as though listening to an invisible person.


    He nodded.


    The Old Man focused his eyes on Cheng Xiu. "I''m not giving you a fountain though!"


    Cheng Xiu wanted to ask what he was going to say. What would having a fountain to her name be a condition for? But, she kept her curiosity down. She had seen that glint in his eyes back when she first met him, and she had asked for the man''s name. The man wouldn''t give her an answer.


    "So what are you giving me then?"


    "Information."


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow. "Information? On what or whom?"


    The Old Man smiled. "Maya is a powerful entity, able to analyse the thought process of all the people under her care to give them the best benefits."


    Cheng Xiu knitted her eyebrows. Did all the NPCs know about AI? What was she to them? Mother? Creator? Guardian? Protector?


    [All of them.]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She wasn''t expecting the AI herself to answer. And why was this NPC randomly praising his creator?


    The man smiled. "This means that there are things that people might not even think about themselves that Maya knows about."


    Cheng Xiu gave him a hesitant nod.


    "Which means there are ways for her to help people even in the Other World."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. The hairs on her skin stood up, and her heart trembled in fear. "The Other World?"


    The man nodded. "The place that the Potential Immortals come from. People like you."


    Cheng Xiu wanted to back away. She did not like the words that the NPC was saying. She had always assumed that the knowledge of the real world would not be comprehended by the NPCs of the VR. It meant there was no filter between NPCs and Players who talked about the game!


    [Don''t worry. There is. There are just a few NPCs who are exempted from it when they are supposed to fulfil a task. The filter would be raised once the task is done.]


    Cheng Xiu relaxed. Then her mind comprehended what the NPC had said. Maya could help the Potential Immortals in the Other World? Did that mean that AI could influence the players outside the VR?


    Cheng Xiu''s mind went back to the moments when she had felt as though there was something different about her. Almost like she was going through an Awakening of her own. Could it be that the feeling was also influenced by the AI?


    She had played many games that alluded to Qi-Awakening but it was this game that came close to it in the VR but if it could do the same for her real body¡­


    "And your reward for exposing the power of True Qi Cultivation for the world to see is that¡­in your next fight, try to learn the fighting style of the opponent as much as you can."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "If it was something important, I would have given it my attention even without that incentive. That was useless."


    The man sighed. "Your next opponent is a bit like that EverHill. Someone who used their Qi skill in our world as well."


    Cheng Xiu understood. Her next opponent was someone who could use Qi Manifestation in the game as well as they can in the real world. "Understood. But it still not that helpful."


    The man pursed his lips. "You might also have to use your Jade bracelet a few times."


    Cheng Xiu stilled. Her Jade Bracelet''s speciality was that it would expose those who are hidden. She had hidden kills then?


    "Thank you for your help."


    "Do you want to practice your fight style with me before I go?" the NPC asked.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment and then nodded.


    "Release your weapon then!"


    Cheng Xiu pulled her sword out of its sheath.


    A golden sword materialized in his hand.


    The two looked at each other from across the White Room and in a tacit understanding leapt at each other.

 Chapter 73 - The Advice

    The man aimed at her heart.


    Cheng Xiu ducked out of the way, huffing.


    "Have you noticed that you get stronger after every fight?" he asked.


    She frowned. "Isn''t that kind of obvious? Wouldn''t I get stronger the more I fight?"


    The man laughed. "Not necessarily."


    Cheng Xiu spun away from his jab. "What do you mean then?"


    "Have you noticed that every time you leave the White Room, you become stronger?"


    Cheng Xiu''s mind spun. "What is this place?"


    The man smiled. "The physical Representation of your mind, and body. And your Qi."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "So I get stronger after leaving the White Room because I was ''in contact with my inner self?''"


    "You sound sceptical."


    "Shouldn''t I be?"


    "It is not because you are in this room that you become more powerful. It is because it is in here that your Attributes are being enhanced by the System."


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment, and then a thought occurred to her. "The thing about how each attribute can be only enhanced a few times before the breakthrough?"


    The man nodded. "In the Grandmaster''s Battle, you are all put at Level 10. The Level 10 you were at. But since, you, Selafia, was at Level 1 at the beginning, the rules had to be modified. How do you think it was modified?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "It couldn''t be that the slots are all filled, because then the game mechanics would be unfair to the ones who used the Grandmaster Talisman, because some of them would not have filled slots at this level. Some might have never had a chance to fill their slots before they Leveled Up."


    The man stabbed her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu fell backwards.


    The man smirked. "Smart. So, what do you think happened to you? How do you think your powerups are working?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "It is obvious then isn''t it?"


    "Oh?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Every player gets 1 point to all their attributes from the system after they have levelled up. This means that no matter how fast you level up, you will get that 1 point for all your attributes. And so, if I am being levelled up, the System will give me that 1 point per level, so if I have only system points, at level 10, I would still get 10 points per attribute."


    The man looked at her proudly. "So?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "In the first battle, my Level 1 attributes were balanced to 3 per attribute because¡­why did that happen?"


    He smiled. "It is the System''s way of compensating you for forcing you to play an Arena Battle."


    Cheng Xiu nodded as she got up on her feet. "That seems fair¡­or advantageous. Let''s go with fair, just in case she decides to take it away saying she doesn''t want to give me an advantage."


    The old man laughed.


    Cheng Xiu jumped towards him. "Anyway, as I was saying, So at Level 1, I started at 3 points, and the rest of my attributes for each level would be 1 point each, bringing my total score to 12. But then I gained more points. My current attribute points are at 7 each, so my total scores have gone up to 15. I am becoming stronger not just because of the fights, it''s my stat totals. I mean, this was very obvious now that I think of it."


    "But you didn''t think of it," The Man said. "It is a good thing though. Or else, you would have had a harder time at winning."


    Cheng Xiu nodded and was about to strike the man in the neck.


    He deflected her blade. "That is why you need to master your fighting style at this level."


    Cheng Xiu swung her sword towards his guts. "I need to get used to the Levels now so that when I become more powerful I wouldn''t look like a child who did not know why the rice cracker crumbled when I pulled it a bit."


    The man looked at her with sparkling eyes. "It is very rare to find a person who just needs a hint to comprehend the truth. Most of the time, people don''t understand things even when you explain to them by exposing your soul."


    Cheng Xiu''s face twisted. That seemed similar to the people who couldn''t accept the fact that the Qiless existed too or that they are an abomination.


    The man smiled. "The reason I brought this up is that your opponents until now had somewhat of a scattered distribution of attribute points. These players only started to focus on filling their slots after levelling up after they reached level 15 or 20 when they have understood the game mechanics. But the opponent you will face next is similar to you in the point distribution. There is very little difference. You only have a point or two extra, and I am not sure how well you will be able to utilise that advantage."


    "Is that why you want me to study the next opponent''s fighting power? But how does that relate to the other world?"


    The man pursed his lips. "Your next opponent is Frost, and her power in your world was also of the same nature."


    Cheng Xiu understood his words. The next user was someone who had Ice Manifestation as their ability in the real world. "I''ll keep that in mind."


    The man nodded. "Until next time then!"


    The man bowed and disappeared.


    [Ding!]


    [A Fountain of Wishes!]


    [The True Selafia Fountain created by the Village Head of Veritas has been declared as a Protected Monument by the Vixia Kingdom king.


    Congratulations, Player Selafia Veritas!]


    Cheng Xiu felt her eyebrows twitch.. She could only console herself that it wasn''t another damned fountain.

 Chapter 74 - Immortal Name

    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu looked at the blue interface in front of her in excitement. This was becoming her favourite sound.


    [Player Selafia Veritas has passed Battle 4 of the Grandmaster''s Arena against Immortal Crow of the Laughing Scarecrows Faction.


    +1 to all stats


    +1 Qi Supplier (Baby sized) (Grade E)]


    Cheng Xiu choked on nothing. She got a Qi Supplier? Just like that? And the Babies are E graded. Did that mean that there are adult-sized ones as well?


    Did Crow have it?


    Cheng Xiu thought he did. He was one of the, if not the, best in Talisman fighting. He should have it already. But the fact that he did not use it meant that he couldn''t. It must be of a higher level than the rest and he needed to be above Level 10 to actually use the talisman.


    Cheng Xiu finally understood how lucky she was. If he hadn''t been subdued by the Level 10 barrier, the man wouldn''t have hesitated to end her.


    Cheng Xiu couldn''t help the glee filled smile that wanted to grace her face. It softened her features, showing the childish charm that she tried to kill in herself.


    Her mind worked. She couldn''t use the puppet during her fight with the Immortals though. The chances of them pestering her would increase even more than it already did. She was scared of the way this would end.


    What were the chances that these experts would leave her alone after this?


    What were the chances that they would not pull something similar to the Arena Battle sometime in the future?


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. She shouldn''t worry about such things until she had to. It wouldn''t be good for her mindset during her next fight.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu looked like the words on the screen changed and turned into her heart one with annoyance and confusion.


    The Interface was titled. "Veritas Chosen One."


    She watched as her name from Grey to Blue, then from Blue to Green, then from Green to White, then White to deep Purple, and finally from Purple to Golden.


    "What is happening?"


    [Player Selafia Veritas has achieved the greatest Achievement in the Player Base so far! You are the first one to have a Nationally recognised Monument! This has led to your name being recognised by those in Veritas and those beyond!]


    Beyond the scope of her village? What?


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu was dazed.


    [Selafia Veritas has broken through the fame of her Veritas Village and aims to become known in her Entire Kingdom!]


    "I didn''t say anything like that."


    The title of the Chosen One leaderboard changed to "Vixia''s Chosen One."


    Her name was in blue already.


    [Ding!]


    What now?


    [''The Mad Prophet''s Quest'' has changed to ''Vixia''s Hope''.]


    Cheng Xiu felt her heartbeat loud. Was this the so-called legendary Quest that everyone thought was a hoax?


    Was this the false Quest that Myrdian, the bartender had to force people to take? It was so easy for her to get into the next level of this quest though. All she had to do was get two unwanted Fountains.


    Cheng Xiu smiled for a moment, and then she realised, she did not gain anything from this achievement. All it did was give her a new leaderboard to climb up.


    This quest was a scam after all.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu felt like the system was just waiting for her to think that to slap her metaphorical face with something.


    [Player Selafia Veritas is rewarded 4000 World Fame for achieving Number 1 in the Village Leader Board.]


    She was right.


    It was waiting for her to think bad about it to release that reward.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu felt her head spin. There was more?


    [Player Selafia has triggered the World Quest : 1 and is now able to see her progress by completing 5/10 conditions to activate the Quest.


    The Immortal Name: Make your name known to the World forever as a Legend to be told by generations to come.


    Conditions to Activate the Quest:


    1)	Have 70,000+ Fame (Complete.)


    2)	Have 3 World Announcements (Complete)


    3)	Be in the Top Ten of anyone Leaderboard. (Complete)


    4)	Defeat 5 or More Players or NPC in an Arena Battle. (In-Progress. 4/5 Completed.)


    5)	Complete 10 Regular Quests of Rank E or Above. (In-Progress.)


    6)	Have at least 1 Master Grade Weapon. [Soul Weapons do not count.]


    7)	Have 20,000 or more Gold Coins or 100 Crystals in possession. (Complete)


    8)	Make Acquaintance with 50 NPCs (In-Progress.)


    9)	Have One Monument in your name. (Complete.)


    10)	Gather 10 Worshipers for your Monument. (Complete.)]


    Cheng Xiu Felt like she was in a dream somehow. A World Quest. It was the rumoured World Quest. This was something she was enamoured with the minute she heard its name. This was a quest that could only be triggered by the elites of the game and yet, she had triggered it without paying anything.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She was lucky. She was the luckiest in the world. There was no way she would have been able to trigger so many of the conditions through hard work.


    Cheng Xiu felt like the next time she saw Myrdian, she might thank him through tears. He was the one to force the Village Head to give her fountains in her name.


    There was no reward mentioned from completing the World Quest but who cared! It was a damned World Quest. That was the biggest reward in itself. A World Quest meant that you are included in the narrative of the World. You matter to the grand theme of things. She had to Activate this Quest, even if it meant that she would be doing manual labour.. It was worth it.

 Chapter 75 - Rose And The Primordial

    In a dark cave, beside a carnage of bodies, a man drank blood from a wine glass. The blue diamond on his head reflected the redness of the room.


    A woman clad in tiger clothes sat beside him, holding the dead body of a sturdy looking man.


    The man finished off his glass of crimson drink, and licked his teeth clean.


    "Do you want some more, Sire?" The woman asked.


    The man let out a boisterous laugh, and took hold of the woman''s chin in a tight grip.


    The woman winced, but remained still otherwise. "Lovely Rose, my dear dear Rose, if I want something from you, I will ask it. And you will give it, otherwise, do remain silent."


    The woman nodded.


    The man smiled and then bit into his own hand. He then stretched it out towards her lips.


    The NPC gasped and looked at his bloody wrist with hungry eyes.


    "One gulp. That''s it. No more. No less." The man whispered.


    She looked at him and gave a soft nod.


    The man pressed his wrist to her lips.


    The woman''s face turned demonic with glowing red eyes, and elongated teeth. Her skin turned grey, and viney.


    She bit into his wrist, took a big gulp, and stepped back, longing in her eyes.


    The man smiled. "Good girl."


    He leaned back against his chair, and sighed. "I am finally full. Now, I am willing to listen to stories. Tell me, my dear Rose, what is Yaksha up to?"


    She pursed her lips.


    The man''s eyes glinted. "Don''t tell me you have fallen to his charms like Diana did?"


    The woman shook her head. "Sire, Lord Yaksha has gone to witness a fight between a Potential Immortal and other Immortals."


    The man raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Did he find his childhood crush then?"


    The woman shrugged. "I don''t know, Sire. Lord Yaksha went after the Emperor Core is all I know. The girl seemed to have it."


    The man spun around. "The Emperor Core?"


    "Yes, Sire."


    The man cursed, all his grace gone. "That damned bastard! Why can''t he be like other lovesick fools and wander around in search of his beloved? Why is he always the one who gets the most important information?"


    The woman hesitated. "Lord Yaksha will not be getting the Core though."


    The man stilled.


    "Why?"


    "The 10 Immortals declared a Grandmaster''s Battle on the Potential Immortal."


    The man snorted in disbelief. "Those people again? Are the Elites so damned weak that those 10 buffoons got all five Emperor Cores?"


    The woman shook her head. "I..am not sure?"


    The man sighed. He opened his player interface and opened a section termed "Elite Primordials".


    There was already a string of messages waiting for him.


    The man frowned and opened them one by one.


    [From : Lucia Frasier


    Does anyone know about this girl those buffoons are after?]


    [From: Sage Wine


    SelaXiu. No guild association.]


    [From: Lightning Simp


    Can someone find out where this Veritas is? I keep trying to get there but it tells me I am banned from the place. How is that possible when I can''t even remember the place?]


    [From: Kavya Resonance


    Elites are not able to enter Beginner Villages. Veritas is a Starter Village.]


    [From: Lightning Simp


    Then why is my device saying Yaksha is there?]


    [From: Lucia Frasier


    Because he is Yaksha. Haven''t you learned yet that the same rules that apply to us, does not apply to him?]


    [From: Lightning Simp


    What is that supposed to mean? Of course the same rule apply to all the Elites!]


    [From: Kavya Resonance


    Idiot. It affects the seven of us. Yaksha was never one of us. Idiot.]


    [From: Lightning Simp


    My lovely woman, can you not see what I can? The bastard is one us. He is an Elite.]


    [From: Sage Wine


    He is an Elite. But he is The Eighth.]


    [From: Lightning Simp


    Oh. I forgot that.]


    [From: Lucia Frasier


    Why are you searching for Yaksha anyway?]


    [From: Lightning Simp


    Found a few ghosts in my Eastern Tower. Wanted to know why he was sending his minions to spy on me.]


    [From: Sage Wine


    Me too.]


    [From: Kavya Resononce


    Yeah. Scared me to death when I stamped on a skull. I hate that I felt ghostly brain matter on my shoes. There was squishing sound. Yuck.]


    [From: Lucia Frasier


    I found two lurking in the High Castle. What is that man planning?]


    [From: Kim Sowo


    Everyone! Watch the Grandmaster''s Arena Live Feed! It is amazing!]


    That was where the messages ended.


    He frowned. "Rose?"


    "Yes, Sire?"


    "Get me a Display of the Grandmaster''s Arena from the Guild Market."


    "Yes, Sire."


    The woman left in a spark of light and returned immediately.


    The man laid on the throne, and grabbed a crystal glass off the table.


    The Display came on. There was an empty battle field that was broken beyond recognition. Since when is a Potential and an Immortal''s battlefield like that? It looked so tor-


    His eyes fell on the wriggling thing just across the corner of the screen.


    His eyes shook.


    No.


    No.


    It couldn''t be.


    His heart started to pound.


    Though The Other World was the updated version of the Primordials game they all used to play, there was not much of actual proof of it. The players of the Primordials would get a simple "Primordial" title when they levelled to 70. Those who reached Level 99 in the Primordial would get the title "Elite Primordial".


    The only proof they did have was the Heavenly Fire that Yaksha had. Which the idiot gave to his beloved big brother.


    But now, there it was¡­another proof.


    A Spirit Pet. The Spirit Pet!


    "Who does that belong to?" he asked, pointing towards the wriggling root.


    "Um.." Rose looked at her list of names. "That¡­belongs to SelaXiu."


    SelaXiu¡­the similarity of that name to hers¡­.


    His mind went to that summer.


    A figure dressed in all white, with dark black, long hair fluttering in the wind, thrust their sword into the White Dragon''s heart.


    A mechanical voice echoed in his mind. [Player Selafia has slayed the Eternal Dragon, and has reached the end of the Dao. She has seen the truth of power, and the source of power. All that will begin shall end. Player Selafia Upgraded!


    Selafia has become the first player to reach Level 100 in the Primordials Journey!


    Selafia is titled "The True Primordial" by the Great Buddha!]

 Chapter 76 - Old Aqueintance

    His hands shook, cracks started to form on the crystal glass he held.


    He could remember his young voice even now.


    "I¡­I want to become just as strong as you!"


    A young thin face smiled at him, framed by beautiful dark locks. "You can''t, Yu kun."


    "Why not?"


    The little girl smiled and looked towards the setting sun. "I don''t consider you my rival. Only my rivals can defeat me. And you are not my rival."


    He had glared at her. "Am I not powerful enough?"


    She laughed. "I only have one rival. My rival."


    There was a softness to her voice, and a light blush on her cheeks.


    Little Yu had known even back then, as dense as he was at 14, that the look Selafia had adorned on her face was something more the appreciation for a rival.


    Little Yu''s had shook as he tightened his wrists into a fists. "Who is he?"


    Selafia blinked. "Huh?"


    "Who is your so-called rival?"


    "My rival?" she had a dazed smile on her face that she seemed to be unaware of.


    Little Yu''s heart burned with jealousy. "Who is he!"


    Selafia backed up. "Relax. Everyone knows who my rival is. I never made it a secret, silly. It''s A''Xing!"


    Little Yu stilled. That was right. It was always Xing. It was always damned A''Xing. That was the only name she constantly had in her mouth when they talked. Yu, A''Xing declared a war on me. Yu, A''Xing took my kill away. Yu, I killed A''Xing today. Yu, A''Xing said this. A''Xing did that. A''Xing. A''Xing.


    He could still here her keep saying that name again and again and again.


    An old jealousy rose in his heart at the thought of it.


    The man laid his head against the throne, and shook his head. It was stupid to still hold on to feelings for someone who never was yours. He didn''t like the fact that Little Xing still had him feel insecure even after so many years.


    His mind went to the Cliffside in the Primordials. The last time that he had seen either Selafia or Xing.


    He had hid behind a tree and listened to their conversation.


    "What do you mean you are leaving?" Xing asked, his entire body screaming hesitence.


    Selafia bowed her head. "Some...something...happened...I can''t play games as much anymore and I get addicted when I play this game so I have to leave."


    "Why can''t you play games like before?"


    Selafia started to cry.


    Xing walked forward to hug her, but she backed away.


    "I...I need to prove that...that I am more than just a...I promised someone that I would do my best to be the best."


    Xing took hold of her hand. "But you don''t need to prove anything! I...I...what about your True Primordial title? The final event would be next week before the game updates, don''t you want to know what your title means?"


    Selafia shook her head. "It is just a title...I have a more important thing to look after."


    "But-"


    There was beeping sound.


    "I need to leave. Dad wants to...bye."


    "Are you ever going to play Primordials again?" he asked her.


    Selafia stilled. "I...I don''t know."


    "I know you will," Xing said. "You love gaming too much to stay away."


    Selafia choked on a sob.


    She grabbed Xing into a hug and then left in a flash of light.


    In the dark cave, the man pulled himself away from those thoughts.


    "Rose."


    "Yes, Sire?"


    "Did you find out anything new about that Selafia?"


    "The one with the 100% success?"


    He closed his eyes to calm himself. "Yes."


    "She got a monument to her name now called True Selafia Fountain."


    His eyes sharpened.


    His mind went to the title that Selafia had gained back then. True Primordial. And the Selafia of this game was linked to the cultivation called as True Qi and now, a monument of the name True Selafia. He didn''t like the hypothesis that his mind was putting forward.


    She couldn''t be here, not after so many years.


    If she was...


    His heart started to beat faster. A smile on his lips.


    He really did have a fair chance now. After the reboot of the Primordials into The Other World, he had tried to search for both Selafia and Xing, but though there were many players in the game with both those names, they were all the wrong people.


    He had suspected that Yaksha was Xing once because the man was searching for some girl as well. But that suspicion was thrown away when he had found out that the reason he was looking for the girl was because he had multiple Players Debt with the girl.


    Now that there was another Selafia in the game but no Xing, things would work out even better for him if she was his Selafia.


    His instincts told him it was, especially with the many "True" things that she had-


    The man jumped to his feet and faced Rose, his eyes shaking with anger. "Did you say monument? Not a statue or something? A monument? As in something that was approved by the King?"


    Rose frowned. "Yes, Sire."


    The man paced. A monument. That was a dangerous thing.


    He opened a Quest Interface in front of him. There was a Quest with a very familiar name in front of him, but the quest, which was green all the other times that he saw it was grey now.


    He couldn''t access it anymore.


    He was outclassed by someone else. This Selafia.


    He threw his glass away in anger and started to destroy things.


    On the interface was the greyed out Quest title "Immortal Name."

 Chapter 77 - Not Cheng Xiu?

    In the meadow of the Viridian forest, a group of Immortals sat, waiting for the next match to begin.


    Long Hei looked at Frost from the corner of his eyes in intervals.


    Frost sighed. "What is it, Hei?"


    Long Hei laughed. "Well¡­I just wanted to ask you something¡­"


    "What?"


    "Are you nervous?"


    Everyone turned to look at him.


    Long Hei panicked. "I didn''t mean to offend you! It is just that¡­well¡­she did defeat 4 Immortals."


    Frost shrugged. "I don''t know and I don''t care. All I want to do is finish this battle and go home."


    Long Hei tilted his head. "Why? What happened?"


    Frost sighed. "One of my family members had a heart attack."


    "Oh?" Long Hei looked at her for a second. "I''m sure he will be okay."


    Frost nodded. "I hope so."


    She turned to Yue, who came sat down beside her and put her arm around Frost''s shoulder.


    "It will be alright."


    Frost relaxed against her side. "Did you contact Crow?"


    Yue nodded. "I did. He is alright but¡­well, he seemed to have lost a bit of his sanity. He sounded¡­obsessed. I don''t know if-"


    "Really?" Star Phoenix asked into a talisman. He nodded and the talisman turned to dust. "I just got two updates. One more bizarre than the other."


    Long Hei looked at him with curiosity. "What is it?"


    "SelaXiu has been playing this game for a month," Star Phoenix said. "Her earliest one is the Scroll Delivery Quest given in the outpost. Quiet high Quest for a player of Level 1, but not unmanageable."


    San Zhe frowned. That wasn''t right. He was guiding Cheng Xu to her first Quest, which was the Rock Pit. The fact that it seemed to have changed¡­and she had only played for a week or so. There wasn''t a reason for her to lie to him about it. So why did Star Phoenix lie about it? Or was there something else at work?


    He thought for a moment.


    Could it be that Cheng Xiu used some kind of an item to change her questing time so that the Immortals wouldn''t find out about it? If she did, he would have to commend her foresight. Maybe that was the difference between an S Rank and a B Rank like him.


    The Immortals turned to San Zhe.


    He backed away. "W-what?"


    "You said that she was playing the game for only some time now. That was why we had the speculation that she was Cheng Xiu of all people," Long Hei said. "And you did not even try to say otherwise. You even acted like it was her, saying that Sister would never lie when we speculated that Cheng Xiu could have cheated in the Alliance test."


    "You seem to have been agreeing with her identity back then," Lotus said as well. "Why is that?"


    Frost sighed. "It is either that your speculation about her being Cheng Xiu was correct or it is that she is an S Rank player, but just not the one we know."


    "Why are you so sure she is an S Rank though, Frost?" Yue asked with a frown. "And when did you guys speculate her real identity?"


    Everyone else gave her a strained smile.


    "Her learning capability and her fast reflexes are a clue to her rank, especially with the way that she handled EverHill''s Weaving technique," Frost said.


    "Why are you all so sure she was 18 anyway?" Yue asked. "She could have de-aged herself in the game."


    "But San Zhe said that she is 18, and he did not seem to be lying when he said it," Matchstick argued.


    Yue scowled. "You guys speculated so much about her identity and you did not even think of informing me even a bit about it?"


    "We were not sure of it, so we sent a few of the other guild members to check out the facts," Matchstick said. "We thought that her being an S Rank could mean that she was Cheng Xiu."


    Yue frowned. "Who is Cheng Xiu?"


    The others looked at her in confusion.


    "Don''t you watch the news?" Matchstick asked.


    Yue frowned. "I have better things to do than to pay attention to speculative fiction."


    Matchstick sighed. "Cheng Xiu is the 18-year-old girl from Earth who had a very high score in the Alliance Test."


    Yue raised an eyebrow. "And you thought someone of that calibre would be wasting their time playing a VR game instead of focusing on their work?"


    Matchstick scoffed. "You can''t be saying that. Crow is an Alliance Topper himself, and so is your brother."


    Yue glared. "Brother Xing is different. He has a high Ranked Mental Capacity!"


    Matchstick rolled his eyes. "It is like you are not listening to me. I said that SelaXiu could be an S Rank!"


    "Why?"


    "Because Cheng Xiu is speculated to an S Rank."


    Yue frowned. "Which country does she belong to?"


    Matchstick shrugged. "Who knows. All I know is that she is from Earth."


    Yue scoffed. "Don''t you think that those Earthlings would have declared this for all the known Universe to know that they have an S Rank?"


    Matchstick shrugged. "I am not part of the Earth Alliance. I don''t know what their leaders are thinking. But most experts are sure that Cheng Xiu is an S Rank of 18-years-old."


    Yue pondered. "S Ranked and 18? That is a powerful potential."


    Matchstick nodded. "There is also the fact that we don''t know when her Mental Capacity increased to S Rank either. If it was a recent development, it is still an achievement but if she had that capability at 16 or 17, that would mean that she might become SS in the next 10 years."


    Yue gasped. "No¡­that¡­that kind of potential¡­"


    "And that is why we were so shocked when we speculated that SelaXiu might be Cheng Xiu. When San Zhe did not protest against our speculations, I was even more sure," Star Phoenix sighed. "So, San Zhe¡­which is it? Is she or is she not Cheng Xiu?"


    "And if she isn''t," Long Hei warned, "Why did you keep quiet when we speculated that she is?"


    San Zhe pursed his lips.


    He did not know what to say or do at that moment. If he said that she was Cheng Xiu, then Sister Cheng''s effort to create a false trail for herself will fail, but if he said she wasn''t, then he would have to give these people an explanation as to why he kept quiet, even though he knew that their speculation was wrong.


    San Zhe avoided eye contact with them as he thought of an excuse.

 Chapter 78 - Immortal Frost

    "Well?" Star Phoenix asked.


    San Zhe wanted to cry. Even though Star Phoenix had seemed like the friendliest of the Immortals, he now understood that even the friendliest of them wouldn''t be friendly towards him if they thought he lied to them.


    San Zhe sighed. "I was afraid to say anything."


    Star Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "I am pretty sure you protested against us, when we speculated that Cheng Xiu cheated."


    "You said Sister Xiu cheated," San Zhe said, "so I protested it instinctively. I did not mean anything else by it."


    Star Phoenix''s eyes widened. "Well, well, well! It would seem that I had underestimated you, San Zhe! I took you for a little innocent mouse, but it turned out you are a rat!"


    "Brother Phoenix," Lotus admonished. "There is no reason for you to be so rude."


    Frost moved away from them, towards the forest with a determined look in her eyes.


    Star Phoenix sighed. "Sorry. I guess this means that she is not Cheng Xiu?"


    San Zhe hmmed. "I...I am not¡­she isn''t¡­she-"


    "Enough," Yue said. She turned to Matchstick. "We can assume SelaXiu is at least A Ranked because she defeated Crow. As to whether she is Cheng Xiu or not¡­time will reveal everything. Earth hasn''t even declared any S Rank among them, so I don''t see why we should worry about such things."


    The others nodded.


    "Frost?" Yue called.


    Frost turned to look at her.


    "Where are you going?" Yue asked.


    "Nowhere," the blue-robed woman said, her eyes on the corner of the trees where something wriggled out of view. "Just wanted to see the vegetation of this continent."


    Yue frowned but turned to the others. "Let us wait for the Arena Battles to end. Then we can discuss this with SelaXiu. This San Zhe would have to tell the truth then."


    San Zhe paled.


    Frost''s eyes went to the tree roots.


    She guessed that it was that Spirit pet that SelaXiu had with her before.


    Why did it not go with SelaXiu? Did she leave the thing here so that she could spy on them?...Or maybe She wanted to keep the Spirit Pet here because it was beneficial to it. But how? How was it beneficial for the root to stay here? Did the forest have food resources? If so, what would it be?


    Could she perhaps block that resource? Frost wondered. Could she weaken the pet by blocking its source?


    ''Access Viridian Forest Map,'' she thought.


    [Ding!]


    [Viridian Forest Map costs 50 Gold Coins. Would you like to buy?]


    ''Buy.''


    [Ding!]


    A large detailed map visible only to her appeared before her. She found her location on the map, which was indicated with a blue pin with her name ''Immortal Frost'' floating above it.


    Frost analysed the area around her. Meadows, a steep hill, a dense forest, and a lake area made up the Grandmaster''s Arena. Frost thought for a moment.


    None of the other Immortals made use of this large selection of topography to their advantage.


    As SelaXiu was a relatively new player she should not be used to the detailed and realistic portrayal of the game, and if Frost could use her own expertise on the subject, then that could lead to her victory.


    She could guess in a small way that the reason someone like EverHill and Crow did not use the terrain might have had to do with the fact that they all had level 10 energy, but if that was the case, then the area should not be so big. There has to be a reason why there was so much space to be covered.


    Frost thought for a moment and came up with a hypothesis. There might be areas in the arena that had Recharge Points, places where the combatants could fill up their Qi Capacity again and also areas with medicinal herbs and attacking animals and plants. If she could lure SelaXiu into the dense forest, away from the clearing, then she could make full use of the Arena to suppress her opponent.


    She was not dumb. She knew that this plan might backfire, and she might end up helping the opponent to win the battle but she couldn''t help but hope for the best. She had to try to gain as much of an advantage as she could.


    She recognised SelaXiu''s talent and prowess, but more than that she was happy that she decided to take up Yue''s suggestion to create an Arena battle with SelaXiu.


    She was very hesitant at first, but Yue had convinced her that after the match, they could all visit the Viridian Borders to get an update on the coming war between Vixia and the Azure States.


    Her Sect Leader was trying hard to get information on that and so she had decided to help him. And here she was, waiting to fight a worthy opponent.


    Golden light flashed in front of them, and a tall, lean figure appeared in front of them, dressed in a white Martial robe with burnt orange border designs. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind, and her face was hidden behind an intricate mask.


    Frost stood up and walked towards SelaXiu. Her eyes were focused on the Spirit Pet who started to bury itself into the ground.


    A slight smile adorned her lips as she walked towards her opponent.


    SelaXiu''s stance was not the defensive footing she had at the beginning of the Arena battles, there was an air of determination to her face that wasn''t there before, for her other matches. She wondered why that was.


    The blue-robed woman walked forward, her strides calm and even.


    She stopped a few feet away from Cheng Xiu and extended her hand towards the girl.


    "Hello, my name is Frost. I belong to the Gathering Mist Sect."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes held a cautious glint.


    Frost smiled. "I hope our match will be memorable for you."


    Cheng Xiu gave her a hesitant nod. "Yeah¡­I guess. You are someone who plays at level 70, the match would be memorable for me."


    Frost smiled. "But?"


    "I am afraid it might not be as memorable to you," Cheng Xiu said.


    "Do you have so little confidence in yourself?"


    "I don''t know much about your powers, skills, strengths or weaknesses, whereas you have been observing me from the start," Cheng Xiu said, a small frown on her face. It was something that irked her. "I am unsure about my ability to defeat you under such circumstances. All I can promise you is that I will try my best to defeat you."


    Frost nodded. "That is all that matters in the end."


    Frost felt her heart settle. She finally had a path she could take to defeat SelaXiu. But she would have to play her cards right.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster''s Arena Battle 5


    Match: SelaXiu Veritas VS Immortal Frost


    The Battle begins!]

 Chapter 79 - [Bonus ]River Tactic

    Cheng Xiu pulled out her sword and spun it around. She let her mind wander, and released the Qi in her body to the Wild Qi in the forest.


    She could feel the Qi Pet sneak around below her feet.


    She also began gathering Qi in her palm to cast a Qi Illusion as soon as the match began.


    Cheng Xiu observed the woman in front of her.


    Immortal Frost wore deep blue Martial Robes, with golden embroidery. Her hair was a deeper blue, with golden highlights.


    Cheng Xiu was sure that the frame of Frost''s body was similar to her own and there was a familiarity to her facial features, even though Cheng Xiu could not think of where she would have seen it.


    [Ding!]


    [No Ailments to the Physical body detected.


    Avatar at 100% efficiency]


    [Battle Countdown


    3


    2


    1


    Go!]


    Cheng Xiu stepped back, away from the Frost.


    They stood still for a moment.


    Black Phoenix eyes clashed with deep Blue ones. Both assessed each other''s momentum.


    Frost moved forward, sending an ice dagger towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu dodged to the side and forwards, her blade held in front of her.


    "Sword Dance!"


    Two swords appeared beside her, spinning in a slow pattern.


    Frost sent more ice blades at her, aimed at her critical striking points.


    Cheng Xiu dodged again and again.


    Frost used their continued exchange to lure her towards the dense forest.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She could understand what her opponent was trying to do. Veer the enemy towards the position that you want them in and then put them in a weak spot. But she couldn''t think of anything in the woods behind her that would give Frost that kind of an advantage immediately.


    Her mind went through what she knew about the Viridian forest, trying to think of a reason that Frost would want her to go into the woods.


    It couldn''t be the woods themselves, Cheng Xiu concluded. The trees would be a great cover for Cheng Xiu and Frost would have lesser chance of attacking her because of it.


    Frost had witnessed her fight with immortal EverHill where she had used the dense woods to her advantage. And Cheng Xiu was not gullible enough as to believe that a woman who was stronger than EverHill, and Crow would be less intelligent than them, especially with the calm and reserved demeanour that the Blue-clad woman carried with her.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind returned to all the fights she had in the Viridian forest so far, to think of another reason.


    Another ice blade came to her neck.


    Cheng Xiu dodged to the side.


    The ice blades got lodged onto the tree trunks and the ground around them.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glinted in interest. She could use them later to her advantage if they won''t melt easily.


    Cheng Xiu had the sword copies fly towards Frost, attacking her from both sides.


    Two ice swords appeared to fight them.


    Cheng Xiu watched on with curiosity as Frost''s ice blade actually withheld the onslot from the copies. She hadn''t realised the strength that Frost''s ice possessed until then. For it to protect the woman from such powerful weapons, those ice weren''t just made from water. Then again she should have realised that, as the woman did not carry anything that resembled a gourd with her.


    Cheng Xiu observed Frost''s movements as they moved closer to the treeline.


    Frost took out water from her sleeves and weaved it around her as a semi-shield, protecting her from the few stabs that the Sword copies were able to take, inspite of the ice swords that tried their best to stop them.


    Cheng Xiu understood how Frost was able to create the weapons now and what she wanted Cheng Xiu to do by luring her into the forest.


    Find a water source.


    Cheng Xiu was not that surprised by the development. It must be taking Frost''s Qi reserves to keep the ice sword''s strength stable against real swordblades. And having more access to water would mean that she reserve her Qi better, it would also give her more resources to suppress her with. Cheng Xiu also thought of the possibility that she might be able to absorb the natural Qi present around the water source.


    Cheng Xiu could already think of two water sources in the viridian forest that she was aware of. One was the river in the meadow, where she fought the Emperor Forest Spirit, and the Treemen. And it was not that far from where they stood at this point.


    There was also a lake in the far south, but that was farther away than the river source. It would not be easy to make it to that place while fighting your enemy without them figuring out what you had planned half way through.


    And Frost would not underestimate her like that. The Experts were experts because they could adapt better.


    The best water source would be the River, even then it was a gamble as the chances that Cheng xiu wouldn''t guess what Frost was trying to do were slim to none.


    Cheng Xiu was not sure how she felt at the moment. She was able to read Frost''s thinking so easily. It could be that cheng Xiu had become an expert at fighting experts and now, she could guess their way of thinking better or maybe there was more to Frost''s plan than just lure her to the riverside without her knowledge and try to kill her.


    At least, Cheng Xiu hoped there was. She would admit that she had a standard for her opponents now, thanks to the enemies she faught with so far. It might be an arrogant way of thinking to have, but she couldn''t help it.


    Cheng Xiu frowned at her own thoughts. This kind of thinking was something that she should avoid. Frost might have a way to utalise this to her advantage.


    Cheng Xiu brought her thoughts back to the present. She needed to build a trap for the expert, as a just in case.


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground and rolled away from the daggers that nearly pierced her entire upper body.


    A small smile graced her lips as a slight shadow wrapped around her leg.


    Cheng Xiu jumped to her feet and faced the expert again, one leg to the front while the other pointed to the side.


    Frost assessed her stance. Cheng Xiu seemed to be favouring her right leg more than her left.


    That was a new development. Was she injured? That was not possible. The Arena made sure that the players were at 100% fighting capacity before beginning the match.


    She was not sure what it could mean otherwise though.. Frost thought of the possibilities that would make her favour one side. Could it be a new weapon that she got from the Arena market?TatT

 Chapter 80 - Illogical Conclusion

    Cheng Xiu stood still for a moment, and then burst forward at full speed.


    Frost frowned as she blocked the attack to her neck, and used a water blade to aim to the girl''s torso.


    Cheng Xiu slipped away by falling to the ground.


    She did a round kick.


    Frost dodged.


    Cheng Xiu tried to kick her again.


    Frost used a ice sword to try to slice her leg off.


    Cheng Xiu pulled her leg back at the last second and engaged Frost in a sword fight.


    Frost backed away, refusing to humour her. Frost knew better than anyone how well she would fair against a sword fight and fighting someone who could put EverHill in a standstill while in a sword fight was the stupidest thing that she could do.


    On the Experts podium, everyone sat with a grim face.


    "Did you guys see that?" Long Hei asked.


    "See what?" Matchstick asked him. "That Frost is luring her into a trap, or that SelaXiu is freaking fast enough to dodge and play on a even field with Frost of all people. Oh hell! I can''t believe I am saying this, but I pray Frost wins, just to keep our dignity as experts of this game!"


    "Frost has stopped trying to drive her into the woods," Long Hei said. "I wonder why."


    Star Phoenix snorted. "Is itsn''t it obvious? A girl with enough brain power to defeat that scheming Crow before he could pull out the big guns! Frost is underestimating the girl''s ability to think things through."


    Long Hei frowned. "Why would she do that? Even I could tell her that her plan was far too obvious."


    "It was a test," Yue said.


    Long Hei blinked. "A test? What kind of a test? To see if she was smart?"


    Yue shook her head. "To see how much the girl has let her win against the experts to go to her head. To see how aware she is of her opponent''s thought processes."


    "And what is the verdict?" Long Hei asked.


    "Four hours," WuQi said.


    Everyone looked at her.


    "What are you saying?" Long Hei asked.


    WuQi sighed. "Someone who is not used to the playing level of The Other World would be disoriented at this point. Four back to back Arena Battles, and yet her mind is so¡­"


    Long Hei hmmed. "the AI takes her to the Arena Market, and makes sure that she is 100% efficient everytime though?"


    WuQi glared. "Aren''t you an expert? You should know this already!"


    Long Hei stepped back nervously. "I¡­um¡­"


    "The AI always says 100% physical efficiency," Star Phoenix said, "Not mental. The fact that her mind is still so sharp¡­no, sharper than before¡­is just¡­"


    "I am inclined to believe she is an S Rank because of just that," WuQi said.


    Star Phoenix frowned. He looked at San Zhe.


    San Zhe backed up. "Um¡­I¡­"


    Star Phoenix sighed and burned a Talisman. A golden barrier appeared around the two.


    Long Hei jumped in at the last minute.


    Star Phoenix glared.


    Long Hei laughed. "No secrets between us!"


    Star Phoenix shook his head at the green-robed man''s antics and turned to San Zhe with a serious expression.


    San Zhe gulped.


    "You are a Qiless."


    San Zhe froze.


    Star Phoenix looked at him with a considering eyes.


    San Zhe looked around nervously, wishing he could escape.


    "Would you please look at me when I talk to you?"


    San Zhe looked at him from under his lashes.


    "I had thought that I knew the world around me," Star Phoenix whispered.


    Long Hei frowned. "Yo! Phoenix, are you alright?"


    "I wondered if I was wrong in recognising San Zhe as an honest person."


    "And?"


    Star Phoenix sighed. "I have never known who can fake being guilty of revealing a secret as well as Mr San here if that is the case."


    Long Hei laughed. "What? Shocked that someone can actually out do you in being a liar?"


    Star Phoenix glared at Long Hei.


    The man gave him a strained smile. "Sorry."


    The grey-robed man sighed. "Then I thought about the fact that Earth had an S Rank and yet they did not acknowledge it."


    Long Hei stilled. He looked at San Zhe in disbelief. "You can''t be saying that¡­that Cheng Xiu is a¡­"


    "Why else would they not acknowledge it?" Star Phoenix asked, his eyes staring straight at San Zhe.


    Long Hei''s eyes widened. "She is a¡­a Qiless?"


    San Zhe broke into cold sweat. He never realised how smart these experts were from this. Why were they able to figure this out so quickly? What kind of thought process did they have to have to think ''Oh! This girl is not declared officially despite the proof so she must be a Qiless?''


    Long Hei gasped at San Zhe''s nervous reaction. "She¡­she is a¡­she really is a Qiless?"


    Star Phoenix shook his head. "I suppose so."


    San Zhe looked at Star Phoenix in confusion.


    Star Phoenix sighed. "It was a guess."


    San Zhe frowned.


    "Do you know what my speciality is, Little San?" Star Phoenix asked.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "Qi Empath."


    Star Phoenix smiled. "Exactly. It means that I knew that you were not faking it when you acted so guilty about revealing Cheng Xiu''s identity. Granted, the fact that you lied to me about SelaXiu''s experience in the game threw me for a loop until I realised, she could have lied to you about it. But why would she? Or she could have told you the truth. Which meant all the data the guilds collected on her could be false. I don''t know how she could have done that though, but this is the Other World. Anything is possible here."


    Long Hei let out an impressed whitsle. "I keep forgetting how cool you can be, and then you talk like that!"


    Star Phoenix spared him a glance. "I don''t want any kisses from you."


    "Wasn''t offering any!" Long Hei said with a glare. He shook his head and turned to San Zhe. "As for the fact that she is a Qiless, well it is the most likely scenario. Trent McCoy was Earth''s first A Rank and they leaked his identity as an A Rank despite his explicit request to remain anonymous. Kasi Nand was Earth''s second A Rank. They declared him as such despite the fact that he still hadn''t gone through the entire vetting process yet. So, what could be the reason other than her being a Qiless that would prevent a power-hungry government from declaring its first 18-year-old S Rank?"


    San Zhe slumped. He understood their thought process.


    San Zhe frowned as he realised something. "You do realise that Earth has more than one government, right? In fact, Earth has more than 200 countries at present."


    Long Hei rolled his eyes. "But the Earth Alliance is the one that has the power to make Intergalactic decisions. Especially the declaration of Ranks."


    San Zhe sighed. "Maybe, but the Earth Alliance doesn''t work in the way your Moon and Mars Alliance do. I mean we are more in numbers."


    Long Hei raised an eyebrow. "I can hear the condescence in your tone. Why do you sound so proud of the fact that Earth has more population? Did you contribute to that number already?"


    San Zhe flushed. "I¡­no! I¡­I¡­how could you¡­I¡­"


    Star Phoenix snorted. "You broke him, Hei."


    "It was going to happen sooner or later," Long Hei said.. "He is far too easily teased."

 Chapter 81 - A Hypothesis

    Star Phoenix looked at the fight that was going on far away from them. Blue and white robes intertwined as both the women fought against each other at high speed.


    "They are far from the woods now."


    Long Hei followed his eyes. "Yeah. Frost must have realised that Sela-Cheng Xiu has figured out her plan."


    San Zhe made a weird sound at the back of his throat.


    Star Phoenix slapped Long Hei''s head. "Shut up. Keep calling her SelaXiu. That is who she is in the game."


    San Zhe looked up at him in surprise. "You are not going to reveal to the other Immortals about sister Xiu?"


    Star Phoenix snorted. "Do I look like some kind of a goody-two-shoes that I will reveal this level of secrets to those idiots?"


    "But you revealed the fact that you suspected sister Cheng''s identity."


    "Only after I heard the news that SelaXiu has been doing missions for a long time in the game."


    "Oh."


    Star Phoenix smiled. "come on. The interesting bit is going to start soon!"


    San Zhe frowned for a second before he realised what he might be implying. "Frosted Limbs?"


    Star Phoenix laughed. "Hopefully, yes."


    San Zhe looked at the two female fighters in excitement.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head, barely missing the ice blade that went past her cheeks.


    Frost looked at her with calculating eyes.


    "You figured it out."


    Cheng Xiu blinked in confusion until she realised what the woman must be implying. "It was rather obvious."


    "I hoped otherwise."


    "Sorry to disappoint you?"


    Frost put her right foot forwards. "I did not have many skills when I was at this level you see, so there isn''t much I can do."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "The Arena System declared you as my fifth opponent. I think we can both agree with the fact that it would be a crazy thing in itself if what you said is true. If you have no skills, then what about the experts until now that I fought? Were they toddlers?"


    Frost gave her a nod. "I understand. I would be insulting my colleagues if I said that I do not have any skills. The Arena System seems to think that I have a higher chance to defeat you than EverHill and Crow did. But...I suppose that is the speciality of the Arena. It looks at an opponent''s differently than we do."


    Frost waved her hand, and two ice draggers flew towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu bent her knees, ready to move to the sides. She was impressed by Frost''s accuracy in attacking her vitals but something told her that this attack was different from the others.


    The ice turned into water, and tried to wrap around her.


    Cheng Xiu jumped away. "You can use water as it is?"


    "It is the basis for ice, so obviously I can."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Some games don''t have that mechanism."


    Frost nodded. "That is true. But this is the basis in The Other World. Water and Wind make Ice."


    "Understood," Cheng Xiu said as she manoeuvred the sword copies to hit Frost in the heart and the neck simultaneously.


    Cheng Xiu was not surprised when the Ice Shield appeared once more, protecting Frost from her attacks.


    Frost quirked her lips briefly before it once again returned to the stone-cold face it was before.


    Frost closed her eyes. When she opened them, her blue eyes held a hint of deeper blue, and vapour seemed to come out of them. The tip of her hair turned white and sliver, while her lips turned blue.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She tried to think of a reason for the changes she saw in Frost.


    Qi Manifestations were not as predictable as the variables of the machines, which made it difficult for her to comprehend. But she could guess that perhaps the expert in front of her could channel her ice power even through her own body.


    And that was a surprise. She had heard of instances where Qi Manifestations would act internally but those were special skills like body strengthening, super speed, x-ray vision, and the likes that would change the Physical nature of the user, but this was the first time that she saw someone use Ice powers, a Qi Manifestation that should only have functions like a projector.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glittered in excitement at having found something so profound about Qi users. Was it a common thing that all Qi users could do? Or was Frost just that special?


    Disregarding the sword clones that still fought against the frost blades, Frost jumped high into the air and extended a fist towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu ducked.


    A pale fist brushed past Cheng Xiu''s cheek making her hiss in pain.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand, and gingerly touched the wound.


    The place was cold, and a few splinters of ice was lodged into the skin.


    There was no blood though. The ice had frozen it from flowing.


    Cheng Xiu looked away from her fingers towards Frost who launched another fist at her.


    Cheng Xiu stepped to the side, and used her sword to shield herself from the attack touching her skin.


    The pale limb and the broad blade collided. A twanging sound echoed in the air.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened when the ice started to coat the sword blade.


    Cheng Xiu frowned for a moment in thought. "You can use such powerful skills even though you are at a Level 10 restriction?"


    Blue lips tilted up briefly. "All skills are restricted to Level10 in the Arena. No exceptions."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Did that mean that Frost''s attack was even more powerful than what she had witnessed? It was a possibility. But another hypothesis crossed her mind. A hypothesis that was substantiated by her experience this time in the White Room where she had met the Master.


    "So what you are using is not a skill at all," Cheng Xiu said. Her voice held confidence that her heart did not. She was not sure if she was right, but it was a hypothesis that she thought could be the truth. "You are applying fighting techniques that you learned in the real world to the Virtual Reality of the Other World."


    Frost smiled softly. Her entire face mellowed at the gesture. "Just like how you keep on learning to use Qi Burst, and Qi Absorption."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "You....knew?"

 Chapter 82 - In-security

    Frost shook her head. "Just a hypothesis. But it was one based on my own experiences. I don''t think many would be able to recognise what you have achieved."


    Cheng Xiu was about to thank her, and say courtious words, but Frost charged at her just as she opened her mouth to speak.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back, and then back again. With each swipe of Frost''s fists towards her, Cheng Xiu backed up even more. It got to the point that she was only a few steps away from getting into the woods, and her positioning was such that she was moving towards the riverside.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She knew what Frost intended to do. She wanted to attack Cheng Xiu until she had the Rookie where she wanted her all along. Near a water source that would allow the blue-robed woman to have more Qi supply.


    But Cheng Xiu was not sure how she should handle this situation. She could use the Ghost Flame but she was not sure how the Flame would react against Frost''s ice. Though logic dictated that fire would win, she couldn''t help the feeling of doubt the rose up in her heart.


    But what else could she do, a voice in her head asked. She couldn''t engage in a physical confrontation as the chances of her being able to escape unscathed was impossible, and the chances of her getting the upper hand was even more of a pipe dream at that point. This wasn''t like the fight with Immortal Lotus where she was absolutely helpless, and yet...somehow she felt a sense of doubt in her heart that she had not had then.


    Cheng Xiu tried to think of a reason for her own emotions as she jumped away from a kick to her shin.


    She had to rationalise herself at this point. She would not be able to fight well if she couldn''t hold on to her emotions.


    Could it be that she felt pressured about this match? This was her fifth match, and whether she won or lost it would be her last Arena match for the day atleast. Cheng Xiu found herself thinking about the end. She found her heart beating sporadically at the mere thought of loss.


    And there it was. Unlike before with Immortal Lotus, where her only desire was to stay alive and not let herself be cowed by the experts of the game, now she wanted to win. If this was going to be her last match, regardless of whether she won or lost, Cheng Xiu wanted to leave the Arena a winner. She could beat four Expert players. Was it greedy of her to want to win all five of her matches.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips in distress. She had always been a competative person. She had always strived to be the best not just to prove herself, but also because somehow, Cheng Xiu found her heart somersault at the mere thought of loss. She couldn''t lose. If she did, then it was proving to the people who watched her, waiting for her to fail, that they were right all along.


    Cheng Xiu knew her own heart. She recognised her own faults. It was one of the perks of being a hypergenius, she understood herself better than others would themselves. She knew how to assess herself. But that recognition of her own flaws did not bring about a dramatic change in her. She couldn''t bring herself to change her way of thinking despite the fact that she knew better than anyone that trying to prove yourself in front of people who could never see the good in you was not a healthy way of dealing with such people.


    If it was Gu Shu in her place, then Cheng Xiu would have tried her best to change her mind about it. She would have tried to make Gu Shu see herself and not others.


    So why was it so hard to do the same thing with herself? Why was it that there was no one around her who would stop her, and say ''don''t have to prove anything to me, I know''?


    Cheng Xiu pulled herself away from such thoughts. She couldn''t afford to have such thoughts. She was a Qiless. She had to prove herself.


    And it was okay to want to win.


    Cheng Xiu stabalised her emotions and found an anomaly. While it was true that she would have such thoughts all the time, she was never one to doubt her own skills before. Cheng Xiu had always tried to prove herself because she believed that she was better.


    Cheng Xiu knew that she could be quiet narcisstic about things that used her skills and her intelligence.


    She never doubted her ability. She did not need to. Because in some ways, Cheng Xiu was aware that she would always think of ways to escape. She could always think up a solution, and when she only had one option in her mind, she would use that option, regardless of the results as that is the only way to move forward.


    Something clicked in her mind.


    She closed her eyes and concentrated inside herself, examining the Qi in her veins.


    She found it.


    Though it was very minute, she found a small focal point near her heart that was different the others somehow. She somehow felt the difference. Though there was a familiarity to the Qi attached to her own that Cheng Xiu was not sure the meaning of, with it was also a sense of otherness. This was not her Qi. It was similar somehow, but it was not hers.


    Cheng Xiu''s heart settled.


    She manipulated the Wild Qi around her, and directed it towards the the foreign connection.


    Frost hissed in pain and held the side of her head the moment the link between the Qi strand and Cheng Xiu''s Qi pool broke.


    Cheng Xiu stood stright, with her head held high. "That was quiet interesting, trying to create a sense of selfdoubt in me that I would have to question myself and my decisions. Too bad I found out about it, right?"


    Frost blinked. The ice mist in her eyes were still present. "How did you find out?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Call me a narcissist if you want to but the thing is, I would never have self-doubt when it comes to my plans, especially when there is very few options to begin with and the best course of action and the logical reaction to your attacks is that."


    Frost''s glinted. "Show it to me then. The reason for your arrogance. Your belief in yourself."


    Cheng Xiu raised her hands. "Ghost Flames!"


    Black flames appeared on the palm of her hands, one in each. The one in the right divided itself into two, while the other divided into three.


    Frost frowned. "Very well then!"


    Frost''s entire body let out mists of ice as she jumped towards Cheng Xiu.


    The white-robed girl stood still for a moment and then jumped up into the air to meet her opponent mid-way.In-se

 Chapter 83 - Luthers Resentment

    LYaksha jumped down from the flimsy tree branch, and landed on the sturdy ground.


    He looked up at his companions who stared at him with curiousity. "Let''s take a walk."


    Luther frowned. "Young Master? Why?"


    Diana gasped. "Could it be¡­do you think that SelaXiu will be forced to go to the riverside?"


    Yaksha smiled. "Let us go to the burrows of the area."


    Diana jumped down gracefully, a light smile on her face. "You don''t''t?"


    Yaksha tilted his head in thought. "This area is about to be overhauled."


    Diana blinked and watched him walk away from them in confusion. She shook her head and ran after him. She might not understand the situation but she trusted Yaksha enough to know that he was always right.


    She ran after him.


    Luther watched the two leave without waiting to see if he would follow them. Luther hurried down the tree and followed after them.


    "That Frost girl¡­she¡­her skill level was too complex for it to just be a skill," Luther said, side eyeing Yaksha.


    Diana looked towards him briefly before holding onto Yaksha''s hand.


    Yaksha laughed. "One would think that it was Crow''s or even Lu WenXian''s skills that were complex."


    Luther blushed. "I know. It is just that¡­Frost''s use of ice to internalise it into her limbs¡­"


    "I did not understand anything from your muttering," Diana said with derrison.


    Luther scowled at her.


    Yaksha sighed. "Tell me what you want to directly. Don''t play around with your words."


    Luther nodded. "It is just that...I think..."


    Yaksha sighed. "You think she is using her Qi Manifestion."


    Luther gave him a hesitant nod.


    Yaksha shook his head. "You are behind in the Other World news, Luther."


    "Young Master?"


    "Everyone knows that Frost is a Qi Ability user."


    Luther''s eyes shined. "A true blessed then. Not many people can use their real Qi Manifestations in this world."


    "And yet, they still treat this world as just another VR game," Yaksha muttered.


    Luther frowned. "Young Master?"


    Yaksha shook his head. He turned to Diana. "Why don''t you go ahead, and create an invisible base for us while I deal with Luther''s blabberings."


    Diana looked between the two men curiously and then left with a nod.


    Yaksha stared at the place that she stood.


    Luther fidgeted. "Young Master...I-"


    "What is it that you really want to talk about?" Yaksha asked.


    Luther cringed. He knew that his Young Master did not like to talk about the real world as much because to him it did not exist. Though he wondered how the Young Master would fullfil his ambition of discovering all about the Other World''s creators, with the way that he liked to play the game.


    "That she is part of...that family."


    "The Xiu?" Yaksha asked.


    Luther nodded. So the Young Master was aware of the growing issues of his family. This was a great sign.


    Yaksha looked towards the display screen in front of him. SelaXiu ducked away from an overhead punch from Frost, escaping the ice pokes that embedded themselves deep into the stems of the trees behind her.


    "I wouldn''t be surprised if she was."


    "Are they interested in the Other World as well?" Luther asked in a hushed voice. "Are they looking for a way to find clues about the server location of the Other World?"


    Yaksha hmmed. "It is a possibility. Is there any conglomerate that is not eyeing the shares of the Other World? A game that not only connects the people of over 7 planets and 3 dwarves. I would be surpirsed if the Xiu Enterprise is not eyeing it. And there is Xiu Ru. That man is too money hungry to not give it a try."


    Luther side-eyed Yaksha. "Are you not looking for that too Master?"


    Yaksha jumped up a boulder. "Am I?"


    Luther knitted his brows. "But The Other World is all the VR you have played in the last five years, even though most of the playerbase play multiple VR games."


    Yaksha stopped and turned towards Luther. "Do you really think I am that greedy, Luther?"


    Luther quickly shook his head.


    Yaksha sighed. "I never cared about such things. To me, the Other World is a VR that should be enjoyed and experienced without bringing my real world conflicts and interests into the game."


    "But Madam Lu said-"


    "I know what grandmother said. I was there when she talked to you about it."


    Luther pursed his lips. "The Madam loves you the most, Young Master."


    Yaksha stared at Luther with cold eyes.


    The man shivered in fright.


    "And yet, all I see for her love is what she did to my moth-" Yaksha looked at the sky above him with a longing face. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "...forget it. Let us leave. Diana would be bored and would end up killing more righteous Cultivators to vent her boredom if we left her alone for too long. I am not willing to expose my presence to these Experts as of yet."


    Luther gave him a slight nod, his mind already filled with anger and the unwillingness to let the matter go.


    He was not approving of Yaksha''s treatment of the Madam of the Lu Household, but there was nothing he could do. He could still remember a time when the little boy of five would sit on the Old Madam''s lap and listen to her stories.


    Yaksha had captured the Madam''s heart in a way that not even his sister was able to to, despite the fact that she was the only girl born to the family in three generations.


    But after the Young Master met that woman called as his Mother, Yaksha had changed his attitude. He accused the Madam of horrible things, broke off the family chain that the Madam had remodelled for the then 13 year old, and went to live with that woman instead. Even though the woman sent the child back after only a year, Yaksha was never the same with the Madam and the Lu family, and he resented her even to the present.


    Luther walked behind Yaksha in slow strides, his mind full of memories of the little boy who cried that his own father used him as a pawn and the young man who even refused to acknowledge the family that raised him as his own.


    Luther''s heart filled with the resentments collected over the years towards that woman.


    Though he shouldn''t think so, Luther hoped that the woman would die sooner so that they could have their Young Master completely away from her poisonous tongue.

 Chapter 84 - Stable Emotions

    In the Viridian Forest Arena the two figures met in mid air. One was covered in frost while the other held black flames in both her hands.


    A pale fist brushed against the black flame, creating a crisscross pattern at the point of contact. The pattern burst out and exploded sending both the figures away from each other.


    Cheng Xiu landed on her feet, and rushed towards Frost as the black flame engulfed her hand completely. The Qi of the Flame consumed the Qi of the ice when they made contact once more.


    Cheng Xiu created two more copies of the Red Carp Sword and launched herself towards the lean figure of Frost, her original sword engulfed in flames.


    Their figures blurred as they continued to engage in combat. Explosions burst out around them.


    Frost''s fist rushed towards Cheng Xiu''s heart, and an Ice Sword appeared in her other hand.


    Cheng Xiu flicked the Sword away and grabbed the fist. The Ghost Flame engulfed her enemy''s hand.


    Frost raised her leg to kick Cheng Xiu in the guts.


    Instinct had Cheng Xiu let go of the sword in her hand, and use the now free hand, covered in the black flame, to block the offending limb.


    An intrinsinc pattern appeared at the point of contact and exploded.


    Cheng Xiu was thrown into the sky because of the impact, and spun in the air.


    She tumbled to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she tried to stand up again.


    The Qi in her heart fluttered.


    Cheng Xiu rolled into the forest.


    Ice blades pierced the ground that she lay on just a second ago.


    Cheng Xiu was impressed. The recovery time of the Immortal was far greater than her own after the explosion that threw both of them away. The match finally showed the one thing about being an expert that Frost had, and she did not.


    The ability to adjust.


    No matter how smart and resourseful one was, there were some things that could only be gotten through hardwork. And the ability to recover from explosions was something one could not easily learn.


    "You are not the first one to be able to counter my ice powers," Frost said as she walked towards Cheng Xiu. "And you won''t be the last. I have only one advantage, and that is my ability to stabalise my emotions."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes shook. Those words...


    Her mind went towards an old memory of a woman with long silver hair who always smiled for her.


    ''My advantage is that I can stabilise my emotions.''


    A little Cheng Xiu frowned at the burnt cake in front of her, the tearstains on her chubby cheeks leaving a trail.


    ''I want to control my emotions too,'' Little Cheng Xiu said with a pout on her face. Her lips trembling from barely held back sobs. More tears fell down her cheeks.


    The woman with the silver hair brushed the tearstains away with a laugh. ''Not control, because no one can control emotions without becoming mere machines, but stabilise.''


    ''Stabilise?'' Little Cheng Xiu asked.


    The silver haired woman hauled the child up into the air, and tickled her.


    The garden was filled with laughter.


    The woman placed the child onto her laps, and held her in a tight embrace. ''To stablise emotions is to remember the good when something bad happened, and to remember the bad when the good happened. This helps me moderate my powers. It is something that everyone can do. I just do it consciously and have the ability to maintain that stability of emotions.''


    ''Can I do it too?'' Little Cheng Xiu asked.


    The woman gave her a considering look. ''Hmm...maybe...if you eat all the vegetables in your plate, and listen to mommy''s every word, and stop fighting with the boys in your class you will.''


    Little Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes. ''No.''


    The silver haired woman sighed. ''A''Xiu...aren''t you mommy''s good girl?''


    Little Cheng Xiu shook her head. ''No. A''Xiu is a bad girl. Mommy...then cake?''


    The silver haired woman sighed. ''I wish you would show half the obidience that you show your father towards me.''


    Little Cheng Xiu looked at her in confusion.


    The woman nodded. ''Fine, you Daddy''s girl! Let''s make him a new cake!''


    Little Cheng Xiu laughed in exitement, and grabbed the butter.


    The older Cheng Xiu in the Viridian Forest stood in a daze as Frost dashed towards her with an ice Sword.


    Long Hei frowned at SelaXiu''s figure as the lean girl stood motionless. "Brother Phoenix...she is..."


    "You guessed it," Star Phoenix said. "Frost has captured SelaXiu''s in her Ice Mirrage."


    "I did not expect her to use skills she used against experts of the game against a Rookie," Long Hei said. And then he blinked. "Wait...why is she able to use that skill at the Level 10 barrier?"


    Star Phoenix raised his eyebrow. "You can probably guess."


    Long Hei sweatdropped. "Please don''t tell me that Frost''s abilty to infulence people''s emotions is not a skill but a Qi Manifestation."


    Star Phoenix nodded and looked away.


    Long Hei stared at Star Phoenix for a long time, waiting.


    Star Phoenix frowned as he realised Frost was not moving anymore.


    "Brother Phoenix?" Long Hei called.


    Star Phoenix kept staring at the two still figures at the edge of the forest. "Yeah?"


    "Why are you not responding? Why are leaving me hanged?"


    Star Phoenix blinked and looked at the green-robed man in confusion. "What are you talking about?"


    "Is Frost''s ability to manipulate emotions a Qi Manifestation?"


    "Didn''t you not want me to tell you the truth?"


    "Are you trolling me?"


    "Yes, Long Hei," Star Phoenix said with a sigh. "It has to be a Qi Manifestation."


    Long Hei nodded. He turned towards the two still figures. "What is happening with Frost? Why is she not moving?"


    Star Phoenix sighed. "Because SelaXiu has one technique that is not controlled by her consciously, apparently."


    Long Hei was about to question Star Phoenix about his weird and cryptic phrasing when vines burst out from the ground and wrapped itself around Frost in a cocoon of black vines.


    "The Spirit Pet!" Long Hei cried out.


    Star Phoenix nodded. "The spirit pet."


    The rest of the immortals looked at the cocoon with greed in their eyes. A spirit pet that could work despite its master being immobile and not able to give it any instructions.. Its grade must be high, maybe it was even at the B Rank.Sta

 Chapter 85 - Qi Root

    Frost tried to free herself from the death-like grip the black vines had her under to no avail.


    She couldn''t believe she forgot about the spirit pet even though she had specifically marked the creature with her emotional control so that she could keep track of its moments.


    Frost frowned, her eyes on the still figure of SelaXiu. She was barely able to influence the other girl''s emotions and it took a lot of effort and Qi to keep her under that influence. The best way to influence a person was to make people want to stay in the illusion that you created.


    Frost liked to call this skill "Victim''s Dream" because it made the victims of the technique to live out their dreams. Frost barely had any influence on what the Victim would see.


    And it was really hard to find out SelaXiu''s dream. The girl had many amibitions, and goals, and yet, there did not seem to be any dreams of any sort. She was too focused on proving herself of something that that was all she dreamed about.


    Or that was what it seemed like at first.


    Each time they had fought, Frost used Impact Skill to send bits of her Qi into SelaXiu''s veins again. This time she was even more conscious than before because she did not want to end up like the beginning of their battle where the girl realised her emotions were being played with almost immediately.


    It still wasn''t easy. There were many barriers that her mind held that Frost Nonetheless get access to. And Frost guessed that it was SelaXiu''s superior Rank that prevented that access.


    But something about Frost''s words had triggered a strong emotional fluctuation in SelaXiu. It was so strong that Frost felt guilty about using the technique for the fear of triggering something for the other girl.


    None-the-less, Frost used her power to make SelaXiu lean into that remembered feeling.


    Even though she was unable to see what the illusion that SelaXiu''s mind had created was, Frost could not help hope that it would weaken her mentally. That was one of the tricks that Frost used when she played against the experts of the game. A layer of Qi Illusion is woven into the Qi of the opponent through the Ice Limbs technique.


    Frost did not feel guilty about using skills and tactics that are used against larger, more powerful people to fight against a Level 10 opponent because Frost liked to be in control of the momentum of the fight.


    And that was the biggest mistakes that the other Experts made when they fought with SelaXiu. They allowed themselves to assume their normal skills and tactics would be enough to kill SelaXiu and so, were pushed into a corner where they were forced to use their techniques against expert opponents but by then, SelaXiu had learned their basic quirks. It would be easier for her to predict a fight and her opponent''s thought process when she observes the basics of her opponent''s fight style


    The only one who had nearly escaped this ability of SelaXiu was Crow whose Qi Puppets occupied his opponents so much that they did not even consider other options for the presence of the puppets.


    Frost refused to make the mistakes that she knew others made. She would not allow SelaXiu to gain insight into her fighting style.


    Frost closed her eyes and concentrated on her Qi.


    She could feel the points where the vines surrounded her body. Though it held her in a tight grip, she recognised its weak points through the places it was unable to hold onto as firmly as did some of the parts.


    She created ice blades and pierced through the thick layers of the creature''s body.


    It twisted and turned as the blades tore through it.


    Those watching felt their heart fallin regret. A powerful creature, and yet, it ended at the hands of Frost because its master was not competent enough. It made those watching also realise why they had not challenged an Expert.


    Because they were ruthless.


    Part of Frost''s face became visible once more as more and more blades tore through the creature.


    Frost''s skin started to turn grey, her hair turned silver, and her lips turned deep blue.


    There was an enchanting beauty to her that was not there before.


    Long Hei cringed. "I feel bad for SelaXiu¡­she worked so hard and got a Spirit Pet as a reward only to endup losing it on the same day."


    Star Phoenix frowned. "That pet might be an upgradable creature. It is the only reason I can think of for it to have the ability to distinguish between friends and foes, and do things without its master''s explicit orders."


    Long Hei sighed. "I feel guilty when I say this, but thank god, it is dying before it could reach its full potential, and unlike players, NPCs are not immortal."


    Star Phoenix nodded. "You are not alone."


    Three figures sat on top of a boulder and stared at the cruel reality that the Spirit pet was dying slowly as it protected its master from Frost''s deadly moves.


    Yaksha''s hand held the handle of his sword in a vice grip, barely holding himself back from attacking the girl for even daring to hurt the Spirit Pet.


    He was unsure of what he should do. The Qi Roots were special creatures who were extremely willful and refused to obey anyone. But when they did agree on a master, there was no one else they would accept as theirs and they would die to protect that person.


    His eyes went to the thin, still form of SelaXiu who had yet to move a muscle.


    He wanted to shake her away from the Qi Illusion that Frost wove around her. Wanted her to understand that her Spirit Pet was being obliterated.


    Yaksha bowed his head, distressed.


    Diana frowned at Yaksha''s reaction.


    She had not seen her brother so worried about anyone except her and she could feel how concerned he was about the Spirit Pet.


    An idea formed in her mind. "Brother¡­"


    Dark red eyes stared at her.


    Diana smiled at him. "It is your duty to protect the creatures of the spirit realm."


    Yaksha shook his head. "Any creature who has accepted a human as a master is no longer under my jurisdiction."


    "But the Qi Root doesn''t have a master," Diana argued.


    "What are you talking about, Diana," Luther asked. "Can you not see that it is protecting its master?"

 Chapter 86 - A Message

    Diana shook her head. "The creature is doing that willingly. No creature would do that for their ''master'' willingly because even at a subconscious level there would be a resistance on the creature''s part."


    Luther tilted his head mockingly. "Right! Of course! Then please tell me why the Qi Root is protecting that SelaXiu?"


    Diana grinned and turned to Yaksha who held a new spark in his eyes. "You get it, don''t you, brother?"


    Yaksha nodded and raised his hand in the air. A blue intrinsic design appeared in front of him.


    Luther grabbed his wrist as wind picked up speed around them.


    Yaksha glared at Luther.


    Luther forced himself not to cower in fear. "Young Master, what are you doing? The AI System would see us as breaking the rules and punish us if we tried to help that girl!"


    Yaksha looked at him with a cold gaze. "I am the Yaksha Lord. I am allowed to protect the creatures of the Other World, especially those of the Spirit Realm."


    Luther shivered in fright. "But¡­but what about the girl''s dignity?"


    Yaksha''s brow crinkled.


    "If that SelaXiu girl knows that you helped her, would she approve?" Luther asked. Though he wasn''t sure if the girl had that kind of a personality in reality, she would have had to at least pretend to be a decent for his young master to have cared about her, and Luther hoped it was enough to deter the young master from doing something that would put their mission in jeaopardy.


    "The actions are simple," Diana said with a scoff. "Brother Yaksha helps the Qi Root, she wins, and she is greatful to brother. Or, if brother does not want her to know, she never will. Why are you so concerned about this?"


    Luther shook his head. "Silly girl, your thinking is too straight forward! The Grandmaster Matches are an honour! And that SelaXiu won four of them on her own! You tell me! Will that girl actually want Master''s help if she finds out that master can help?"


    Diana frowned. "If it is a matter of my pride and my Spirit Pet, I would choose my spirit pet! I would hope that the girl that brother is interested in would have a bit of courtesy as to care about the creature that accepted her! If that Frost is able to kill off the Qi Root, where would SelaXiu''s pride be?"


    Luther shook his head in disappointment. "You forgot that she is part of the Potential Immortals. They see creatures as nothing more than a means to an end."


    Diana pursed her lips in disapproval.


    Yaksha considered the words of his companions and understood the path he should take.


    The blue intrinsic circle around his hand turned deep purple, and glowed.


    Luther sighed in disappointment as he backed away. He was not sure what he should feel at the moment that an NPC had more say in the young master''s actions than he did.


    The Blue circle grew in area more and more, so much so that the water in the lake started to reflect its deep blue light.


    In the Viridian forest edge, more and more ice blades cut into the body of the Qi Root.


    New and new vines came out of the ground to replace the once that were cut off.


    Frost frowned in irritation. She raised her hand that was finally free of the vice-like hold, and created sickle blades out of ice. She sent it hailing towards the Spirit pet.


    Frost hated the Qi Root for its persistence as it was wearing down her Qi Capacity more than she liked to. With the Illusion still in place on SelaXiu, it was unwise for her to be using her Qi to such a level. But it could not be helped. She needed to get rid of the threat of the Qi Root as soon as she could.


    The sickle ice blades tore through the roots faster, far faster than what the creature could regenerate and it slowly started to lose its momentum. No matter how strong it was, the Qi Root in the end was only a day old at most and so it could not hold on for much longer and started to become weaker.


    Those watching felt their heart twinge in pain as they realised tha the creature was reaching its end.


    In the illusion of memories that Frost created, Cheng Xiu felt her heart thud making her pause in her third attempt at making the cake with her mother.


    She looked up at the sky, a far off look entering her eyes.


    In her heart, she felt like a part of her that she did not even know existed was about to die out, and she would regret letting that happen.


    Almost like someone had read her mind, a glowing blue light appeared in front of her and she felt a warm safe feeling settle in her consciousness.


    ''SelaXiu,'' A deep alluring voice that had her want to just hear again and again echoed in her mind.


    Cheng Xiu froze for a moment, unsure about the fact that she was hearing sexy voices in her head. It could be a good thing or a bad thing. For her own sanity, she would go for it being a good thing.


    ''Your Qi Root is about to die at the hands of Frost.''


    Cheng Xiu felt her heart tremble in shock, and her eyes widened in horror.


    ''You better get out of this illusion if you want to save your pet.''


    Cheng Xiu felt the warm presence leave her mind.


    "What is it, A''Xiu?" the silver-haired woman asked, as she put down the baking tray in front of her.


    Dark phoenix eyes looked at the silver-haired woman with an unreadable expression. "Mom¡­I feel like I am losing something by staying here with you."


    The silver-haired woman frowned. "A''Xiu¡­do you not want to stay with mom?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked and looked at her in the eyes. "I do. I did. But there are somethings that are far more important than the illusions of happier times. Do you know what that is mom?"


    The silver-haired woman''s lips curled into a smile. "To stay with those that you care about. To stay with those that need you more."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "And I feel like something needs me more right now."


    The silver-haired woman nodded. "Be careful, and take care of your silly father."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head with a smile.. "This really is an illusion, isn''t it."

 Chapter 87 - Connections

    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and tried to analyse the flow of her Qi in her veins.


    The voice and the surrounding areas around her disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu realised that her senses were being used directly through her own Qi.


    She felt the Qi around her fluctuate briefly.


    But everything seemed stable, the way it should be as she was baking a cake at the moment and not fighting anything.


    Cheng Xiu''s brows crinkled. She was not able to find the way to break away from the illusion. She tried to think of a way but came up empty.


    Her mind went to the way she had felt in the beginning of their fight with each other. Frost had used her Qi strands to infiltrate into Cheng Xiu''s veins, and induce insecure thoughts in her mind. The illusion that she was under should work in the same principle as that of the Emotional Illusion that Frost was able to create.


    But unlike before where it was obvious that she had a foreign Qi in her veins, now she was not able to find the odd one out.


    Cheng Xiu guessed that it was because her enemy had figured out that she was able to distinguish her from the pools around her.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment. Would she be able to find out Frost''s Qi signatures if she was able to recall the feeling that Frost''s Qi gave off?


    After all, Frost should not be able to mimic her Qi so well. As far as Cheng Xiu had read, Qi signature was unique to each person, just like fingerprints and irises. In fact, it was easier to track Qi signatures than it was to track using fingerprints or iris because Qi covered the entire body and radiated around the body, constantly interacting with the environment and others with the same ability.


    This radiation of Qi from their skin was the reason why the Blessed felt like the Qiless were useless, because a Qiless did not know the feeling of being constantly contected with each other.


    Cheng Xiu''s heart settled. She knew her Qi Capacity very well thanks to her being a Qiless in the real world and could use it as a basis to distinguish Frost''s presence in her mind.


    Her thoughts went towards the man who sent her that message. Who was he? Why did he help her?


    Her eyes fell on Jade bracelett around her wrist. She couldn''t help but remember that the person who cleared her Player Debt 6666. Prince Yaksha of the Demon Clan. EverHill''s team mate.


    She felt the soft presence of the jade bracelet, and found that there was a trace of Qi in it that was not her own. It was something that she was not aware of before but after the warm presence she felt in her consciousness she finally realised that it was Yaksha who gave her that warning.


    Why did he help her though. There were no free lunches in their world. There were always conditions that had to be met for something to be free, and Cheng Xiu was not sure she did anything to have Yaksha help her for free.


    What did he want with her? It couldn''t be because of a help she did in the Primordials. That was not how humans worked. At least, not the ones that she knew.


    Cheng Xiu was not sure how she should react regarding Yaksha''s involvement, but she was not even sure they would meet each other face to face. Though she appreciated his help and was suspicious of the reasons behind his help, right now, there was only one thing that she cared about right now.


    Break out of this Illusion and save her Spirit Pet before it was too late.


    She could feel its strength weaken.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes again. She used the technique of Qi Absorption to move around her Qi, to find the familiar feeling of Frost''s Qi. It wasn''t as easy as she thought it would be because somehow, Frost was able to camouflage her Qi signature very well.


    Cheng Xiu felt the Qi Root lose its Qi more and more. Though it had eaten a lot of the natural Qi that Viridian Forest had in large quantity, the Qi Root was still a few hours old and so was unable to use its large amounts of Qi effectively. The more it fought, the more it lost.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment to find the solution.


    She changed her concentration from finding Frost''s Qi to finding the link between herself and the Qi Root. An idea had formed in her mind.


    Cheng Xiu let herself sink deeper and deeper into her subconscious, and connected with her Qi. She maneuvered it so that it connected with the Qi link of the spirit pet the way she would connect her will with the sword copies.


    She sent out a single white strand of Qi through the link to check on the Qi Root''s condition more thoroughly.


    The white Qi strand returned and with it a torent of information.


    Before she had the chance to even make sense of the clusters of facts her own mind bombarded her with, a golden Qi strand came towards her in a rush.


    Cheng Xiu froze, unsure of her course of actions as the golden Qi connected with her own strand of Qi.


    A feeling of turst and adoration filled her heart. It was the feeling that the owner of the golden Qi felt towards her.


    Cheng Xiu gasped in realisation. It was the Qi of the Spirit Pet.


    She smiled.


    The golden Qi spun around her, and showed her the images of Frost''s cruel attacks and the way that the Qi Root stopped the Blue-clad woman from even approaching Cheng Xiu.


    A sense of excitement raised in her heart through the Qi link.


    Cheng Xiu grinned, her entire face transforming to someone who was extremely gentle and kind. She knew what the Spirit Pet wanted despite the fact that she had never been in this kind of a situation before.


    "Well done, love," Cheng Xiu whispered to it.


    The golden Qi pulsed in excitement.


    "I am very proud of you!"


    The Qi pet danced around her even more.


    Cheng Xiu raised her Qi strand and curled it around the golden Qi, and used it as a link to feed the Spirit Pet Qi from her own reserve.


    The golden Qi resisted for a moment until she sent a soothing feeling through their connection.


    The golden Qi calmed as it was once again filled with energy, and it doubled its efforts to stop Frost''s attacks.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her once more, trying to find the Qi mark of Frost.


    Her senses fell on the one close to her eyes. She remembered the feeling that Frost''s Qi gave off. A sense of familiarity with a small sense of difference. She decided that though had a similar Qi somehow, there should be a difference in the emotions and experiences that they had during their match.


    She felt a sense of slight frustration coming from her eyes. The eyes were the easiest to decieve, second only to the ears.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. She found her.


    Cheng Xiu started to use Qi Absorption but instead of converting the Qi into a usable variable, she sent it directly to the Qi Focal Point that she suspected was Frost''s link towards her.


    There was the sound of something breaking as a thin layer of film seemed to disappear from her eyes.


    Voices returned around her, and she was able to see Frost fall to her knees, screaming in pain.

 Chapter 88 - 30% Aggro

    Cheng Xiu looked down as the Qi Root slowly wound itself around her ankles.


    The tendrils of the Qi Roots touched the back of her hand and twisted around her wrist. The bright jade bracelet looked even more luxurious against the black background.


    Dark Phoenix eyes looked at the cowering Frost with cold eyes. "I don''t like the feeling of being helpless when the ones that I care about are hurt. And I don''t like those who make me helpless in such situations."


    Frost frowned and jumped to her feet. Her face held the grim realisation that Cheng Xiu broke away from her Illusion. "You really are skilled, SelaXiu."


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting otherwise?"


    "Considering the fact that you were are supposed to be a rookie, yes."


    Frost closed her eyes. The air around them turned colder and colder until mist started to form around Frost''s body. The mist entered Frost''s skin, turning it snow white. Her hair turned completely silver and her lips turned into pure blue colour.


    Frost opened her eyes and revealed a pair of golden eyes.


    "I admire you," Frost stated, mist appearing with each breath that she took. "It takes a lot of power and intelligence to break through the illusions that I create. Can you tell me how you were able to do it?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    The Qi Root around her wrist tightened its grip almost like it was responding to her ire at the Immortal.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and patted the tendrils with her other hand.


    "Go. Take a few minutes of break."


    The Qi Roots seemed to hesitate.


    Cheng Xiu''s lips held a soft smile that was hidden behind the mask that she wore, but the Qi Roots losened its grip. It was able to understand her intentions through the Qi connection that they still shared.


    The roots dug into the ground and disappeared. The only signs that it even existed was the shredded and cut of pieces of roots around her and the long lose soil trails.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes flashed. She looked up at Frost.


    Frost looked at their surroundings in disinterest. Seeing the look that Cheng Xiu''s eyes held, Frost frowned. "This is a match. If you did not want your pet to be hurt, you should have kept it in your storage ring instead of bringing it out. Do you not expect me to attack your pet in retaliation?"


    Cheng Xiu glared. "Forgive me, Ms Frost. I am not a logical person when it comes to those I care about. And I do not care whether it attacked you first, or my Spirit Pet attacked you first, the thing is, I only care about the fact that you have hurt my Qi Root and so, I have to retaliate."


    Frost nodded. "Very well then."


    Thin layer of ice covered the entire skin of Frost as she moved forward, even her feet left behind indentaitons of her icy footsteps.


    Cheng Xiu bowed her head and concentrated. Six sword copies started to circle around her, and she summoned the black flames once more.


    The black flame engulfed both her arms, burning away the hem of her clothes.


    Frost leapt at her.


    Cheng Xiu side stepped her.


    Frost created an ice pole and used it to manuevour in the air, and kicked Cheng Xiu, ice blades following the attack.


    Cheng Xiu raised her leg and met Frost''s in mid air.


    Frost smirked, expecting Cheng Xiu''s leg to be peirced by the ice blades.


    Black Flame burst out from her legs, burning away her shoes and parts of her pants.


    The flame consumed the Qi in the blades, weakening their momentum.


    Frost frowned. The circles had not appeared. She wanted them to appear so that she could put the white-robed girl in a stronger illusion.


    "You must be wondering why your magical circles have not appeared," Cheng Xiu said in a clam voice, her eyes flitting to her barefeet and then back towards her enemy''s face. "The answer is simple. I let the flames consume your spell."


    Frost glared as she understood what she had done and what she had figured out. "You realised it?"


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "Your illusions and your ice powers are those that you had even when you were in the real world, but powers like that are not stable enough for a person to use unless they become proficient in all aspects of their Manifestations. For you that should be wind, water, and sound, correct? In the real world, you need that level of understanding of your own powers to fully utilise it. But you are not an S Rank, so I can safely assume that you do not have that level of control. How am I doing so far?"


    Frost glared. She felt like she was becoming even more aggressive than she should at such comments. What she said was the truth, so why was it irritating her so much?


    Frost leapt at her with an ice sword that turned into a lance at the last second.


    Cheng Xiu used her Ghost Flame as a shield, and attacked Frost with a fire whip.


    Cheng Xiu had finally become efficient enough in her power that she was able to project the flame from her hand. But because of her limited Qi capacity, she could only use a short whip.


    "I guess I am on the right track," Cheng Xiu commented as she dodged another thrust from the ice lance.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the words that floated above her head briefly.


    The words were in a flaming red colour. [Title: Aggro Queen. (Player has a 30% chance of gaining aggro of the players around her.)


    Cheng Xiu had activated that title.


    Titles remained passive and excerted their will on the player and their environment, but once active, the effects could really be felt.


    Cheng Xiu activated the title because she had realised that it was the only real advantage that she could have against Frost''s illusions. The woman was too calm. It was only if her emotions were unstable that Cheng Xiu could win against her.


    Cheng Xiu had figured this out at the last moment, just before she fell into the illusion. Frost''s words had triggered the memory of her mother speaking to her about stability in emotions and Cheng Xiu had realised that Frost used that method of fighting. And Cheng Xiu just happened to have a title that affected the emotional stability of the opponent.


    "Here is what I realised," Cheng Xiu said, her heart beating in excitement as her plan took shape, "the Other World follows the rules of the real world when it comes to its power usage and but there are ways to circumvent the obstacles that we face in the real world because in the end, this is a game world. You are using a witch''s spell to circumvent the obstacle of having to learn more about your skills to use it together. In the Other World, you can use ice to supplement your Illusions and vice versa."


    Frost glared, her face twisted in a sneer. "That is not that big of a guess!"


    Cheng Xiu grinned. 30% aggro was too OP.


    "But if you are able to use both your skills together only by the use of a spell, that means that as long as I keep preventing you from using said spell, I am in all clear."


    Frost gasped.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head.. "And the Ghost Flame is specially skilled against spells."

 Chapter 89 - Draw Of Blood

    Black flames burst out towards Frost.


    The blue-clad woman created an ice wall.


    The flame consumed the ice.


    Cheng Xiu dashed forward, and summoned the swords with her. She had Frost surrounded and engaged Frost in a sword dance.


    Frost struggled to maintain the flow of their fight as the amount of weapons that she could summon was not fast enough for her to stop Cheng Xiu as the other changed her position every two minutes.


    Frost''s eyes burned with desire to win as her ice started to be consumed by the black flame even faster.


    Frost''s eyes glowed and ice daggers appeared around her.


    Cheng Xiu paused for a moment. She knew at a glance what the Blue-robed girl intended to do.


    Frost brought the daggers down.


    Cheng Xiu swiped her leg horizotal to the ground, and a jet of fire thrust out of her legs to melt away the daggers before it touched the ground.


    "I only have one goal in this Arena," Frost said. "To win against you."


    Cheng Xiu stood up.


    Frost summoned more sickle blades. "You, on the other had, have your precious Spirit Pet to worry about."


    Cheng Xiu''s grip tightened on her Sword handle.


    Frost smiled. "Have nothing to say?"


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "What is there to say? We will see who will win."


    Cheng Xiu''s heart felt heavy. The title did manage to aggitate Frost but the effect it had on Frost''s decision making skill was lacking.


    She weaved her swords around her, using it as a means to distract the woman as she thought of a way to end this battle.


    Cheng Xiu absorbed more Qi into her veins and projected it towards the Blue dressed woman.


    Frost frowned. Cheng Xiu''s movements were not slowing down. In fact, her reactions seemed to have become faster.


    They engaged in sword fights. Though Frost was not a Weapon expert like WuQi, or a Specialist like EverHill, she was someone who did have an extensive knowledge about fighting styles thanks to her family background. This meant that in some ways, she would be able to find out the weakness of her enemy''s style easily.


    But she faced a problem with Cheng Xiu that she did not have to with the others. Unlike others who would be defeated once their weakness was exposed, and their momentum disrupted, Cheng Xiu improved further. Every weak spots that she took advantage of would be compensated for almost immediately. Frost did not think that Cheng Xiu was aware of that part of her skill but it was a scary thought.


    The real clincher was that Frost could not defeat Cheng Xiu without trying to take advantage of those weaknesses. And if she tried to take advantage of that opening and failed to kill Cheng Xiu immediately, then in the next bout, Cheng Xiu would have already covered the weakness that she had painstakingly discovered.


    Frost smirked. So this was what it felt like to fight an S-Rank. So frustrating.


    Cheng Xiu spun around, thrusting her sword towards Frost''s fatal-points as she circled the woman.


    Frost did her level best to kick the girl away as she used ice blades to pierce the ground. This was the only advantage that she had for now. She needed to find a way to use this to get she wanted. Create an opening.


    Frost created ice blades in the air again, and thrust them into the ground.


    Cheng Xiu sweated as she pushed herself to release a large amount of Flame to counteract the attack.


    Frost jumped away, avoiding the sword copies that nearing cut off her head, and turned the ice blades into sickle blades and attacked the ground where the Qi Root had last vanished.


    Cheng Xiu was not sure what the shape of the blade had to do with the pain in would cause her Qi Root but she was not willing to take the risk and jumped towards them.


    Frost smiled.


    The ice blades changed direction and peirced Cheng Xiu''s skin.


    Blood coloured the ground crimson.


    The Qi Root spun around under the ground right under her feet, agitated.


    Cheng Xiu felt its distress towards her wounds through their Qi Link which seemed to have not disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu used her will to get the Qi Root to understand that it should keep a low profile for now.


    She had not known how emotional Qi Roots were until then. They seemed more real than she remembered them being in the Primordial game.


    Cheng Xiu got to her feet, blood oozing out of her shoulders and her back.


    She spun her head around to release the tension in them and then dashed towards Frost. Her eyes held a fire in them.


    Frost was not surprised by the quickness of her recovery speed. In fact, she did not think there was anything that Cheng Xiu could do that could surprise her anymore. The girl seemed to have a strong personality and a stronger will.


    "It is an honour to have fought with you," Frost said as she brought out a talisman from her pocket. "But this is the end."


    The blue paper burned away and left behind trails of ashes.


    Frost''s cheeks gained a slight blush as power rushed through her. Golden eyes, framed by silver lashes looked at Cheng Xiu with a gentle look. "That was a Qi Talisman. I just replenished my core with Qi."


    Cheng Xiu gave her a small nod. She was sure that the experts had something of that nature with them. She guessed the only reason that Crow did not use this talisman was because he had the baby Qi suppliers to help him, and using a Talisman was a thing those who did not have any other way to compensate themselves with would do.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards her in full speed.


    Frost glared as she was pulled into another swordplay.


    As their bouts increased, Frost found herself on the defensive more often than not. She had never been so unsure of the reason for her weakening position than she was in this match.


    Frost tried to think of a reason for it.


    As they fought more and more, a sense of familiarity started to sink into Frost''s consciousness.


    The sliver-haired woman gasped as she realised why. Cheng Xiu was no longer just fighting her. The girl was imitating her stance, using her body momentum and her opponents'' the way that Frost used against her.


    Frost realised that Cheng Xiu was slowly learning the Ice Limb. She was learning her fighting style without even realising it.


    Frost felt her heart beat a bit in excitement and fear. She had never known one could learn a style by fighting it. She had heard of those who created counters for their enemy''s attacks through fighting them contineuosly but not someone who could just learn a fighting style.


    Cheng Xiu''s body started to glow.

 Chapter 90 - Fated Arena

    Cheng Xiu''s body started to emit a silver glow that rippled through the air.


    Frost backed away.


    The spectators watched in awe as the tips of her fingers and toes glowed with a golden light that turned into a lotus pattern that bloomed with each of her step.


    The copies of Cheng Xiu''s sword disappeared and the Red Carp Sword in her hand emitted a golden light and disappeared into a beam.


    Though she saw all this, Frost''s eyes were still on the Phoenix eyes that stared at her with a predatory glint in them. Her dark eyes had changed into a golden pool of light, similar to Frost''s and yet, different.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Player SelaXiu Veritas and Player Frost have intiated the Fated Arena.]


    Those that knew the meaning of those words gasped as one.


    WuQi screamed in excitement. "Fated Arena!"


    Yue jumped to her feet, shock written on her face.


    WuQi and Long Hei ran forwards only to be stopped by an invisible barrier.


    "Idiots," Lotus muttered.


    The two figures in the forest froze as the trees began to disappear, and golden walls appeared around them. The ground under the two turned into a dark abyss.


    San Zhe looked at the excited experts and the changed landscape in confusion. He turned to Star Phoenix. "Brother Star¡­what is happening?"


    Star Phoenix sighed. "''Fated Arena'' is a hard to trigger machanism of Arenas. Every Arena in the Other World has one. It happens when a battle shows the signs of being so destructive and damaging to the topography of the world, and the spectators."


    "Most battles have that destructive aspect though?"


    "Which makes the Fated Arena even more special," WuQi said in excitement. "It means that the AI has calculated that the fight between those two will be so destructive that it will damage the world itself."


    San Zhe frowned. "I don''t think I understand."


    Lotus sighed. "Veritas and the Viridian Forest are part of the World Quests right now. Vixia Kingdom and the Azure States are planning their attacks with the forest and its surrondings in mind. Their battle might affect the NPC storyline which can not happen yet, so the AI has created the Fated Arena. They can do anything in the Arena and it won''t affect the world."


    San Zhe frowned. "But they are both at Level 10. How destructive can they get?"


    "Which is what makes this battle even more interesting," Yue said in a hushed tone. Her entire demeanour was that of a child in a candy store. "Lotus."


    Lotus looked at the rainbow clad woman. "Yeah?"


    "I want SelaXiu in my Guild no matter what."


    Lotus''s eyes widened. "But if Frost defeats her, then Frost has the right-"


    "No matter what," Yue said with a glare. "I will compensate Frost with real money."


    Lotus sighed. "Understood."


    San Zhe pursed his lips and looked away from the girls towards the glowing figure of Cheng Xiu.


    He couldn''t believe the amount of trouble that she got into in the few hours that they had played the game together, and he wasn''t sure how he would be able to help her out either. He did not have the power to even stand in her shadow, how would he protect her from the vultures that eyed her.


    San Zhe felt guilty. He couldn''t help but think that the only reason that Cheng Xiu had stopped and not logged out was because of him. If only he had been able to react faster when he had seen the group of experts waiting for their return.


    He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.


    San Zhe blinked and looked behind him only to back away fast.C


    Lu WenXian smiled at him. "Sorry. You seemed at bit worried."


    WuQi gasped and ran towards them. "Brother Xian!"


    She tried to take a hold of his hand only to find herself hugging Crow. She gagged and threw him away.


    The yellow dressed man hit into EverHill.


    "What is going on?" Matchstick asked. "Why are you all here?"


    "It is a fated battle," Lu WenXian said. "Must watch it from up close!"


    Crow frowned. "I was not able to find any clues that SelaXiu is Cheng Xiu, so I wanted to ask San Zhe some questions."


    San Zhe backed away in fright.


    Lu WenXian patted the shorter man''s back. "Relax. Crow will not torture you. Maya wouldn''t allow it."


    "Who the hell is Maya!" WuQi asked.


    Lotus rolled her eyes at the purple clad woman. "The AI of the Other World."


    WuQi blushed and ducked her head. "Right. I forgot about the fact that it had a name."


    "She," Crow said with a shake of his head. "We should respect the gender that the AI chaose for herself, dude."


    Yue walked up to him. "Crow."


    Crow looked at her, his eyes dimming. "Ms Yue."


    Yue frowned. "I see that you are fine with your lose."


    Crow frowned. "I will be after I defeat her at my full power."


    Yue nodded. "That makes more sense for you."


    Crow turned away from her.


    Yue''s eyes flashed as it went towards SelaXiu.


    In the lakeside of the Viridian forest a man sat lazily staring at the display screen where two feminine figures stood stock still as the environment around them changed.


    A woman in deep purple sat beside him. "Brother¡­SelaXiu¡­she¡­"


    Yaksha smiled. "Isn''t she beautiful, Diana?"


    Diana smiled. "Dangerous too."


    Luther coughed. "Young Master, look at the side. All the other experts seemed to have returned. Are they planning on pulling another Grandmaster''s Arena after this one?"


    Yaksha chuckled. "Nonsense. Can such a thing be done?"


    "Young Master?"


    "The Grandmaster''s Arena can oly be used on the same person by different people. And they can only do it once in two days. And by that time¡­"


    Luther blinked. "And by that time?"


    Yaksha smiled and looked at Diana. "SelaXiu would have a more powerful companion by her side than the one she has now."


    Diana''s eyes widened. "Brother¡­"


    Yaksha looked back at the screen with interest. "I wonder how much more surprises SelaXiu will present for the spectators by the time the match ends."


    Luther sighed. "Probably an unbelievable amount."


    Yaksha laughed. "Are you no longer believing your experts are all powerful?"


    Luther smiled. "I can admit when I see a miracle happening, Young Master."


    Yaksha nodded. "Indeed.. A miracle."

 Chapter 91 - The Traits That Need To Go

    The golden walls disappeared, and the trees returned. The only change to forest from before was the ground they stood on which was still black.


    Frost stepped forward and ran towards Cheng Xiu, an Ice Lance forming in her left hand and a shield on the right.


    Cheng Xiu created a whip made of the Ghost Flame and lashed it towards Frost.


    The blue-clad woman side-stepped the attack.


    Cheng Xiu dashed forward, her gaze still in the predatory trance she fell into.


    Her Carp Sword met Frost''s shield in the air.


    The two tried with all their might to push the other away.


    Frost was surprised by how hard it was for her to just push her opponent. She had underestimated the base points that Cheng Xiu had put in her Stats slots. That was the only way that her physical prowess could be so strong. Speed and strength had to be equal.


    Frost backstepped.


    Cheng Xiu charged forward, slashing against Frost left and right, as she circled the blue-clad woman.


    Frost struggled just to shield herself and was unable to attack Cheng Xiu.


    Frost had learned that the Lance was an extremely flexible fighting style but she realised that against an opponent like Cheng Xiu who learned her fighting style easily, having a theoretical understanding was not enough.


    Frost glared, refusing to give in.


    She jumped back.


    Frost thrust her Lance down at Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu deflected the weapon''s trajectory by spinning away from its point and tried to chop Frost''s head off.


    Frost threw the shield in her had towards Cheng Xiu''s wrist, making her lose her girp on the hilt of her sword and take her hand away from the shield''s trajectory.


    Frost used her free hand to create a second lance that she aimed towards Cheng Xiu''s midriff.


    Cheng Xiu ducked and grabbed the handle of her sword.


    Frost aimed the lance down.


    Cheng Xiu used the momentum to grab hold of Frost''s thrown away shield and blocked the attack.


    Cheng Xiu jumped to her feet, spinning her sword around in her hand.


    Frost glared.


    Cheng Xiu''s flexibility and her agility the girl''s greatest strength at the moment, and for Frost, they were the greatest obstacle. Even when she attacked the Qi Root as a distraction, the other girl''s high reaction speed made it hard to use that advantage to its fullest potential.


    Frost transformed the lance in her hand to a longsword, and rushed towards Cheng Xiu, an idea forming in her mind.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Why would Frost engage her in a direct conflict of swords? Did the woman forget that Cheng Xiu had good swordship? Cheng Xiu did not consider Frost to be such a person. She was sure that there was a reason for her movements.


    Cheng Xiu''s golden eyes dimmed as her thoughts turned. The trance state that she was in now was similar to that of how she was when she first fought with that old man in the grassland as she replaced her clone. She would react on instinct.


    But Cheng Xiu could not allow herself to fall into the trance completely. She was fighting hard not to because, the way she learned to fight from the old man NPC was through multiple deaths, and in the arena, a single death meant that it was game over for her. Then she would have to listen to these Immortals, agree to their terms, accept their demands. And Cheng Xiu hated to be forced to do something.


    So she couldn''t die. She would not allow herself to die here, in the hands of this woman. She only had this one match, now was not the time for her to back down, to lose.


    She side stepped Frost''s attack.


    Frost glared as she tried to thrust at Cheng Xiu''s heart again.


    Frost was trying to get closer to her.


    Cheng Xiu took a step back as she thought so. She needed to figure out why the woman would-


    Cheng Xiu''s mind churned. Her senses went to the Qi Root below her feet underground.


    She searched the Qi Root''s Qi collection to find out if Frost had a tracking ability.


    And there it was.


    Cheng Xiu felt the small pulse of Frost''s Qi in her creature''s presence.


    So this was how the woman kept tracking the Qi Frost, and kept attacking it. She used her own Qi to tag it.


    Cheng Xiu thought so far, of how their fight has been going, all the attacks that Frost had used. From the Ice blades and Sickle Blades to the Longsword that she carried in her hand.


    What were the chances that Frost would actually risk draining her Qi by attacking Cheng Xiu with repeated transformation of her weapons? Cheng Xiu did not think that the expert was so dense as to use a tactic that did not have a chance of succeeding. That meant, Frost had a plan to make use of her drained Qi to make Cheng Xiu weaker than her.


    How?


    Cheng Xiu stepped away from Frost even more, keeping a 5 meter radius between them.


    Cheng Xiu could not think of a reason for Frost''s thoughts and realised her error. She was thinking in terms of Frost''s advantages and disadvantages.


    Perhaps she needed to think about this fight from the point of view of herself. What advantage did SelaXiu had that Immortal Frost knew of?


    Cheng Xiu''s mind seemed to be lagging as it could not come up with a thought immediately.


    Her swordsmanship? No. That couldn''t be it. If it was that, the Expert would not engage her in a sword fight.


    Her intelligence? Though Cheng Xiu liked to believe that was her greatest trait, she felt that could not be it either. The immortal had seen her fights until now, and knew her mind a bit.


    Cheng Xiu''s thoughts went to the one advantage that she had over everyone before.


    Her Stats.


    Cheng Xiu had a more balanced stat, and their total fighting capability was greater than that of the Immortals that she fought so far.


    So her strength?


    But how would the Immortal block her strength that was so innate to her?


    Their power struggle with the shield and the sword must have triggered the thought process, if the Stats were the advantages that Frost was considering now.


    As she pulled the ice shield in front of her to protect her front from Frost''s thrust Cheng Xiu''s mind went to the brief exchange that she had with Frost, right before the blue-clad woman summoned the longsword. She had taken the ice shield and used it to block the lance that came for her life.


    What did this action show?


    Speed? Quickness? Agility? Flexibility?


    Cheng Xiu thought which one of these could Frost affect. Her thought process went on it circles until she realised something.


    Why should it be just one? Why not all of them?


    Cheng Xiu jumped away again.


    Frost''s blade thrust into the tree that Cheng Xiu had used to propel herself.


    The tree turned into ice crystals and turned into dust.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. What skill did Frost have that would allow her to attack all those attributes of Cheng Xiu?


    Cheng Xiu''s mind catalogued the skills Frost exposed until now, and finally her mind came up with a theory. A theory that Cheng Xiu was a bit excited and frightened by.. If it was that, she had to admit that Frost was the most dangerous person she had faced until now.

 Chapter 92 - Second Blood

    Frost jumped forward, excitement bubbling in her heart as she got closer to Cheng Xiu.


    At the last moment, the white-robed woman spun away.


    Frost ducked as she felt a sensation of heat come from above her.


    The Black Flame hit the place that she stood minutes ago, burning the grass there.


    Frost glared at the girl who stood on the tree branch, her long black hair fluttering in the wind as she looked down at the blue-clad woman.


    Cheng Xiu smirked and broke off a tree branch that hang above her. She used the Ghost Flame to burn the branch and threw it at Frost.


    Frost stepped away, observing the way the flames kept burning, not burning away despite the fact that the branch had turned into ashes.


    Frost looked up at the rookie, her mind working in full force to find a solution to the new development.


    Cheng Xiu looked down at Frost with golden eyes, her entire demeanour that of a predator waiting for her prey to make her move.


    Cheng Xiu jumped away seconds before the branch that she stood on was impaled by a long ice spear.


    Cheng Xiu observed the woman as she descended from the air and landed on the ground. There was a purposeful glint in Frost''s eyes that showed the satisfaction at having brought cheng Xiu to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind had two thoughts at that moment. One, Frost wanted to get close to Cheng Xiu''s person for the reason that Cheng Xiu had guessed. And two, the AI system was really so advanced that it could show the intensions of the people in their eyes, despite the fact that they were in a VR world. Cheng Xiu wondered about the intricate code that the game had to make this a possibilty.


    Frost sent an Ice Blast towards her.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand and created the Ghost Flame.


    Both elements once again met in the air, and created an explotion sending their creators far away.


    The trees around them got bent and battered. The leaves of many burned away. Some trees caught fire and spread it out while many other trees turned into icicles and broke into pieces.


    The spectators of the match gawked in awe at the destruction that the two women left behind.


    In the Long City, Gu Shu looked at the fight with awe and envy.


    "Aren''t they supposed to be at level 10?" Lion complained. "Why is the aftereffects of their attacks so devastating?"


    Bear nodded. "I am at Level 30, and I can''t do that much damage."


    "They are so powerful," Chu Ying whispered.


    "How can they have so much of Qi capacity?" Gu Shu asked.


    Rin sighed in admiration. "That is the difference between those who are great and those who are not."


    Fin sighed. "Sister."


    Rin snorted. "Fine. I''ll explain. Frost is a Ice Manifestation in real life. This means that she can control ice better than anyone in the Other World, because she knows how to do those things already. As for the Qi capacity...there are stored Qi available in the market for those who want it in the form of talismans, items, herbs, and beasts. It makes sense for them to be able to fight like that."


    "They could also have Cultivation methods or skills that focus on Qi storage," Ro said. "And the efficiency at which you learnt your cultivation method also matters. Like that girl, Selafia. 100% completion means that her ability to retain Qi, store Qi, and utilise Qi is far greater than anyone else who uses that Cultivation technique."


    "So the power behind their attacks are...normal?" Gu Shu asked.


    Rin laughed. "For experts? Definitely. Even at Level 10, they will be able to cause far more havoc than we could even dream of."


    "Oh My God!" Chu Ying shouted, gaining everyone''s attention. "Sister Xiu! Watch out!"


    Everyone turned towards the screen to find Cheng Xiu impaled by multiple ice blades.


    Gu Shu gasped in horror. "A''Xiu!"


    The others jumped to their feet in excitement.


    In the Viridian Forest, a few seconds back.


    Cheng Xiu got up to her feet, trying to stabalize herself from the impact that explosion had.


    She felt more than saw Frost coming towards her.


    Cheng Xiu readied her fire.


    Their elements met again, creating another explosion, sending the two women off.


    Frost raised her hand and created an ice slide below her.


    She slid dwon to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu landed on a tree that was half burnt.


    She lauched herself to the ground.


    Frost created another longsword.


    She raised her hand and released more ice blades at the part that the Qi Root circled.


    Cheng Xiu splayed her hand out and created a burst of flame, burning away ice blades.


    Frost used her moment of distraction to thrust her longsword towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu spun around, and used the ice shield as a barrier, she also coated the hand that held the ice shield with a small layer of Ghost Flame, making it melt fast.


    Frost''s longsword thrust into the ice shield and created a dent.


    Frost smirked.


    The ice shield and the longsword made of ice transformed into many sickle blades and embedded themselves into Cheng Xiu''s skin making her gasp in pain and cry out.


    Cheng Xiu fell to her knees, and gasped as blood spluttered out of her many wounds on the black floor, glowing an eerie red.


    Cheng Xiu''s golden eyes flickered, and the silver of her skin lost a bit of its luster.


    Frost raised her hand, and created more ice blades to impale Cheng Xiu with them.


    Cheng Xiu spit the blood out of her mouth and jumped to her feet, using the momentum to create waves upon waves of fire.


    Frost looked on in shock, unable to understand how Cheng Xiu was able to withstand the amount of pain her wounds would be causing.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards her, creating sword copies as she went.


    Frost raised her hand, ready to create more ice blades.

 Chapter 93 - Xiu And Frost

    Cheng Xiu clashed with the lean figure of Frost, ice and fire colliding, and creating an explosion.


    Some of Frost''s ice blades impaled Cheng Xiu''s shoulders.


    The two figures entangled as they tumbled around, and crashed into a large rock formation creating sending stone sharpnels everywhere.


    Cheng Xiu smirked and used their close proximity to burn Frost.


    The blue-clad woman hardly managed to roll away, her clothes catching fire.


    Frost breathed hard.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and absorbed even more Qi into her veins. The eyes she opened were bright gold in colour.


    She had gone in trance once more. And this time it was deeper than it was before.


    [Ding!]


    [Host Selafia Veritas has accessed the Complete Learning Trance. +1 to all stats.]


    Cheng Xiu''s movements became faster.


    She thrust her blade into Frost''s shoulderblade before the woman could react.


    Frost pursed her lips to ignore the pain and created sickle blades and cut Cheng Xiu''s midriff.


    Cheng Xiu created the Ghost Flame once more to burn away the skin of Frost''s right arm that was extended towards her, melting the ice blades that were still raining on her in the process.


    The blue-dressed woman cringed at the pain. It had been a long time since she had felt this amount of pain and suffering.


    The two women engaged in a series of blows that destroyed the area around them. Burning and shattering down trees, turning rocks and boulders into dust. Explosion echoed everywhere as the two engaged in more and more physical contact.


    Frost tried to create ice spears, swords, daggers, and lances. The only ones that she hadn''t tried was arrows and guns, and the only reason for that was that she could become a sitting duck with both. It required a mastery in Elemental Control to create things that would need precision to attack with and Frost lacked that precision at the moment.


    Cheng Xiu let her mind sink further and further into the trance as the two engaged in battle.


    Frost found herself unable to find as many openings in Cheng Xiu''s attacks as she did before. Slowly and slowly, Cheng Xiu fixed all the mistakes that she made while fighting with the expert.


    Frost had never realised that anyone could make the saying "Experience fixes Mistakes" seem so literal.


    Fear rose in her heart as the Qi around Cheng Xiu rose even more.


    Frost finally realised that attacking the Qi Root might not have been such a smart move. She should have tried to find a different way to attack Cheng Xiu instead of engaging in a fight with the Qi Root. It agitated Cheng Xiu to such an extent that the girl actually found ways to break out of her limits.


    Cheng Xiu enflamed her Sword once more and attacked Frost.


    The Blue-haired girl released ice stakes from her hands and sent them to Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu ducked away, a few of the blades slid past her cheeks, cutting it and drawing blood.


    Frost scowled and used sickle blades again.


    Cheng Xiu ducked once more.


    A few of the blades cut off a few strands of her hair, and a single blade hit the black leather that held her hair in place, breaking it.


    Black haired tumbled down from its high place and swished against Cheng Xiu''s thighs as she moved away from the blades even more.


    Cheng Xiu scowled as the hair covered her whole face, obstructing her vision.


    Frost tried to take advantage of the situation, and launched even more of ice blades at her.


    Cheng Xiu''s heightened senses allowed her to dodge the few that attacked her like a boomarang.


    Cheng Xiu scowled as she ran towards Frost, her long hair fluttering behind her. She hated having long hair, and would have to chop them off at the first chance that she got, Cheng Xiu decided.


    If Frost could hear her opponent''s thought process she would have spit out blood in sheer disbelief. How could Cheng Xiu have such thoughts at a time like this?


    Cheng Xiu sent a signal to the Qi Root, and it burst out from the ground.


    Frost crouched, ready to attack.


    The Qi Root curled around Cheng Xiu''s hair and Tightened it.


    Frost gaped in disbelief. What the he-


    It took all her instincts as an expert to jump away from the root that almost grabbed her ankles and then roll away from the fireball that was thrown her way.


    Frost jumped to her feet and scowled at Cheng Xiu. "Such a despicable tactic. Trying to distract me by using the Qi Root to tie your hair, while you made it attack me!"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow, her golden eyes dimming. "Tactic? I needed to tie my hair, and the Qi Root can do it while I attack you. My pet can also try to attack you while it was at it. I see it as using a single arrow to kill many birds at once."


    Frost raised her hand in a wide arc, and created scythe-like ice blades. They were not as thin as real scythed blades, and so were not as effective against her enemy.


    Frost never regreted the fact that she was not more well versed in her Qi Manifestation in the real world than she did at that moment. It made her weapons weaker than they should be.


    Cheng Xiu twirled the flamed sword in her hand, creating a circle of fire and leapt at the Blue-dressed woman.


    Frost tried to sidestep, but found a part of her hair burned away.


    If she had not moved a few angles futher, then the one to be burnt away would not be her hair but the entire right side of her face.


    Frost shuddered. It seemed that the fight with Cheng Xiu was inducing more fear in her mind than the ghost stories that she grew up hearing.


    Frost took out a Qi talisman and burned it away, replenishing her storage.


    She then closed her eyes, and summoned a rain of sickle blades.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she backed away to stand under a tree.


    She raised her hand and placed it onto the tree trunk, and lit it on fire.


    The fire caught on.


    She jumped away from the sickle blades and lit the other trees around them on fire.


    It took Frost a while to realise that she was surrounded by black flames from all side. A bad premonition entered her heart, making her hope sink.


    Cheng Xiu smirked.


    "Isn''t this what you planned from the get go?" the white-robed woman asked.


    Frost froze. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu grinned, panting a bit from having lost a chunk of her Qi. "You wanted to get close to me so that you can impale me continuously with your ice blades. You embedded every tree around us that I hadn''t attacked with your ice blades for that reason, right? You wanted to use a talisman to convert the Qi in the trees to yourself, and use the ice in their stems to entrap me...or maybe even kill me."


    Frost''s heart shuddered. She figured that out?


    Frost''s eyes fell on the trees that now buned around her. Teh girl used her own tactic against her.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "It was getting hard to maintain the Ghost Flames, so thank you for giving me that idea."


    Frost''s eyes trembled in supressed anger. "Who wanted to help you!"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "You didn''t. But that was the end result."


    Frost raised a talisman, and burned it.


    She felt the Qi in her veins respond to her actions.


    Frost summoned the ice from the trees that were not yet burning. The created long lances and spokes from their stems, and started to try to impale Cheng Xiu with it.


    Cheng Xiu danced away from the ones that got too close and used the fire on the various trees to extinguish the others that she could not immediately dispose of.


    Frost realised that she had to do something so that she could defeat Cheng Xiu somehow immediately. There was no way that she could fight against Cheng Xiu for too long. The girl was too strong and learned things at too fast a speed. If she did not defeat Cheng Xiu now, she would never be able to defeat the girl at all.


    The latest development made her realise that Cheng Xiu was completely in her wavelength of thinking now.


    Frost dashed towards Cheng Xiu by creating a spear in her hand.


    Cheng Xiu was caught off gaurd by the irrational move that the expert did.


    A pointed spoke impaled against Cheng Xiu''s heart.


    A firey blade impaled Frost''s heart.


    The ice sword changed into many blades in an attempt to shred the woman to pieces.


    The Qi Root impaled the blue-robed woman from all sides.


    Sword copies thrust into the immortal body as many ice spokes impaled Cheng Xiu in the back.


    Blood splattered everywhere and the two women fell to their knees, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.


    Everything turned into stunned silence.E

 Chapter 94 - The Winner

    Everyone gaped at the dramatic turn of events.


    No one had expected Frost to be the one to do the ''hero rush''.


    Silence fell, as everyone waited with bated breath to hear the World Announcement that would decide the winner.


    Those who gambled for the expert to win, hoped SelaXiu would break her stride.


    Those who gambled for the underdog to win, prayed for SelaXiu to once again show the world her miracle.


    In the Viridian Forest, the ground slowly gained its natural colour. The setting sun cast a deep shadow on the feminine forms that sat there on the knees, head bent.


    Experts and rookies alike remained unsure of the result of this fight.


    Frost made a slight movement, and got burnt by the Ghost Flame that ate away her innards.


    Frost frowned. "Well played."


    Cheng Xiu pulled out her sword, and sat there motionless.


    Frost spit out even more blood. In retaliation, she pulled her ice sword away, leaving behind a huge gash on the white-robed woman, turning it crimson.


    Blue and dark eyes clashed.


    Frost''s eyes dulled first, and she pixelated away.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and cringed as she felt her wounds become agitated.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement: Grandmaster''s Arena Battlefield.


    Battle 5: SelaXiu Veritas Vs Immortal Frost


    Victory: SelaXiu Veritas.]


    All over the Other World, people laughed and cheered as they witnessed history. A Rookie no name player defeated Immortal Frost, the great thinker!


    There were histeria in many places of the gameland as they all realised that selaXiu would become the next God in the game if they let her grow.


    There were screams, shouts, and crying.


    Gu Shu sat in silence, unable to control her heart that still did not recover from seeing Cheng Xiu impaled and nearly dead. She was not able to do anything about it either. She finally had an incling as to what Cheng Xiu must have felt whenever she believed Gu Shu was in trouble.


    Beside her, Chu Ying looked at the kneeling figure of Cheng Xiu with sparkling eyes. She had known that Cheng Xiu was talented, but she had not realised the true extent of her talent that she was able to achieve something of this level.


    She looked through the forums of the Other World, and read the special articles that were being published there about SelaXiu''s identity. Though there were many controversies, one thing that everyone agreed on was that SelaXiu would be the next person to reach the God-level fame and power in the game.


    Chu Ying sighed in wonder.


    "Why is she not going to get her rewards yet?" Rin asked.


    Chu Ying and Gu Shu looked at her in confusion.


    Rin frowned. "Isn''t that girl supposed to go get her reward and then play the next match? Who is her next opponent anyway?"


    Chu Ying frowned. "Her next opponent is Star Phoenix."


    Rin hmmed. "Star Phoenix. The greedy expert, huh? That is a tough one. He is one of the few people who have been strong from Level 1. It will be difficult for this SelaXiu to defeat him. So why do you think she is not being taken to her rewards yet?"


    "Maybe there is no reward," Lion said.


    "That doesn''t make sense," Bear countered.


    Lion shrugged. "I have no idea. Just guessing."


    As the people around the world had conversations similar to those, Cheng Xiu stared at the special notification that only she got in a conflicting mood.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has defeated 5 Grandmasters in the Grandmaster''s Arena. Your total Arena count is 15000 Merit Points. Player can use Merit Points in any Arena of the world and buy the corresponding rewards.]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has defeated 5 Grandmasters in the Grandmaster''s Arena, fulfilling the prior criteria to quit the Arena.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "That doesn''t make sense. Wasn''t it Log out of the Arena before?"


    [Correct but there was a mini-update during your Arena Match that lead the Devs to believe that forcing you to fight 10 Immortal Level Players was unfair of the game, and destroyed your player experience. Player can quit the Arena without loging out. But there will be punishments awaiting the Immortals if you quit the Arena.]


    "Why?"


    [Log Outs could be for any number of reasons but to quit an Arena means to declare that you are declaring the match as unfair.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Even though a part of her wanted to keep playing the Arena until either she died or all of the experts did, Cheng Xiu knew that she couldn''t.


    She was sure the fights would even tougher, and she might not get this chance to log out or quit again. She also did not want to play the game the way that the Immortals wanted her to. She wanted to see their reaction the fact that Cheng Xiu could quit the Arena. And more importantly, the experts would be punished if she quit.


    And that was the most important point.


    "Quit Arena," Cheng Xiu said with a slight smile, cringing as it stretched the wounds on her face.


    [Are you sure you want to Quit Grandmaster''s Arena?]


    "Yes. I am sure."


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has quit the Grandmaster''s Arena.]


    Cheng Xiu smiled as the gloden barrier around them dimmed.


    The Immortals looked around in confusion, making Cheng Xiu realise that they had not known about the 5 Battles rule.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to laugh at that. Well, it was lucky for her they did not, as otherwise, the Immortals would have fought harder.


    A World announcement flashed across the sky, the content of which made the watchers laugh at the words, and what it meant for the Arena game.


    [Ding!]


    [World Announcement:


    SelaXiu Veritas has been declared Winner against 5 opponents, fulfilling the Arena Contract.


    Player SelaXiu Veritas has decided to quit the Arena, citing Forced Participation Multiple Times. All


    Players who forced Player SelaXiu Veritas in a Line-up battle are barred from entering the game for 24 Real World Hours.


    The Grandmaster Players are fined 100 Gold Coins each for their Violation of Cyber Right Act, Article 15.


    Grandmaster Players are banned from entering Veritas, and its Affiliates for 24 Real World hours after they have come online.]


    Everyone stared at those words in shock, and awe. What the hell¡­


    [Grandmaster Players are forced out of the Game in:


    1


    2


    3!]


    The Golden Dome collapsed and the Immortals disappeared in pixels, unable to even react in time.


    The only beings left in the clearing was the bleeding Cheng Xiu and the frozen San Zhe who was not able to comprehend what had just happened.


    Banned for 24 Real World Hours¡­Not allowed to enter Veritas or its Affiliates for 24 Real Hours after that¡­


    He had never realised that there was such a condition that could be activated in the Grandmaster''s Arena. He felt his head spin as he realised Cheng Xiu forced Immortals to log out of the game. Immortals.


    A player of below Level 10, forced players of Level 70 to log out.


    Was he still in the real world? Or was this some kind of a fantasy?


    San Zhe saw Cheng Xiu collapse to the ground, and rushed to catch her, forgetting that they were in the VR.


    Just before he reached Cheng Xiu, a strong figure reached Cheng Xiu first and held her against their broad chest that was intrinsically designed.


    It took San Zhe a moment to recognise the figure.


    "Ya..Ya¡­" San Zhe stuttered in absolute shock.


    Crimson eyes that glowed with an eerie inner light locked with his gaze.


    "Yaksha," San Zhe breathed out in awe. "Lord Yaksha."


    There was a snort from their side.


    A woman clad in thin, transparent purple robes tilted her head to the side. The green diamond that floated above her head indicated that she was an NPC.


    "You could show a bit more respect than that when you meet the master, Human," the beautiful woman said with a sneer.


    San Zhe backed up nervously, raising his hand in a calming gesture. "Sorry. I was just¡­"


    "It is fine," Yaksha said, his eyes on the masked face of Cheng Xiu. "The system did not call her to give the rewards there might be a reason for that¡­"


    San Zhe frowned. "What reason could it be?"


    "It wanted to see if she would survive for much longer. If she did not, and she died, it would detuct some of the rewards the next time she logs in. We have to wait for her condition to either completely diorite or stabalise before she can be taken to the White Room."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "The White Room? Isn''t that only accessible during Qi Breakthroughs?"


    Yaksha smirked. "What do you think the Grandmaster''s Arena does? It forces people to go through mini breakthroughs after every single victory that they face."


    The purple -clothed woman sighed. "Her condition is not that stable though. Should we help her Bro-Master Yaksha?"


    Yaksha shook his head. "She has to recover on her own, Diana."


    Diana nodded in understanding.


    San Zhe sat down beside them and took hold of Cheng Xiu''s hand, worry lining his face.


    Diana observed San Zhe and sighed. "She will be fine. Don''t worry."


    San Zhe nodded.

 Chapter 95 - Health Bar

    Yaksha observed Cheng Xiu, trying to think of a solution.


    He turned to Diana. "Have Luther come here."


    Diana''s eyes widened and darted towards San Zhe.


    Yaksha knew why she was shocked by his words. In the Other World, the only ones who knew about Yaksha and Luther being acquaintance was Diana.


    Yaksha wanted to keep their contact a secret so that he had hidden weapons in the game amongst the Elites.


    Diana saw the determination in his crimson eyes and sighed. She nodded and contacted him through a talisman.


    A shadowy figure appeared near Yaksha''s shoulder. It materialised into a man wearing black cloak. Blue diamond floated above his head, indicating that he was a player.


    San Zhe looked at the man in shock. "You are Luther BloodStar! The player who became a Vampire in the game!"


    Luther ignored San Zhe and bowed to Yaksha. "My Lord?"


    Yaksha sat on the ground, and let Cheng Xiu''s head fall on his shoulder. Her head moved about, almost like she was dead.


    "Analyse her body conditions."


    Luther looked at the girl in suspicion. This was not the first time that he had seen women act like they had fainted so that the young master would catch them but it was the first time that he had seen it happen in the game world.


    "She is not faking it," Yaksha said as he recognized the hesitance in Luther''s body language.


    Luther blushed at being called out by the young master himself.


    He tried to take his mind off such thoughts and thought of the girl''s actions so far. It made sense that she would lose her consciousness even In-game. After all, the radiation of the game must be really strong for the Arena Battles, and hers were extraordinary ones.


    In fact, now that he thought of it, the girl''s strong mindset and the personality that he and witnessed so far made her a good enough candidate for the young master even if this ended up being a ploy.


    So long as it worked¡­he nodded to his own thoughts and brought out an old tattered book. He flipped through its pages and reached towards the end, where he found what he was looking for.


    He opened his mouth, and fangs appeared. He bit into his own hand and let the blood fall onto the ground.


    Luther began to mutter as he placed a hand on Cheng Xiu''s temple.


    There was a flash of light and a hologram appeared above their head.


    San Zhe sat there in a daze as he realised that a Vampire just did a Bloodspell. He just witnessed the legendary Bloodspell!


    Yaksha looked at the information listed in the interface with a frown on his face. "Is this showing the correct data?"


    Luther blinked. The young master had never questioned his work before. What did he encounter that made him do something so out of the ordinary?


    Luther observed the data interface that he had pulled out about Cheng Xiu and found himself stumped. "Why isn''t this girl dead yet?"


    San Zhe glared at the man for his insensitive words.


    "She should be dead already with the amount of damage that she sustained at the hands of Immortal Frost. I knew it was bad, but why is she alive when it looks like she was hit with damage that would kill those at Level 10?"


    Yaksha looked through the Interface data to find out whether there was anything that he had overlooked. His eyes fell on the Qi Capacity of Cheng Xiu which showed an abnormal behaviour. A theory began to form in his mind as he observed it.


    Diana realised what he was looking at. "Look at her Qi Capacity, Luther."


    Luther frowned as he stared at the Qi data for sometime, unable to tell what was wrong immediately. It took him a while to realise what Diana was implying at. "Why is her Qi capacity at 40% filled already?"


    Yaksha smiled. "I think you already know the answer."


    Luther sighed. "She has some kind of a passive healing ability."


    "It is more than that," Diana protested. "I can sense that she does have a healing ability of somesort, but it is too weak. Her Qi is returning on its own because of something else."


    Luther frowned and turned to San Zhe who still sat in a daze. "Do you know?"


    "What?"


    Luther rolled his eyes at the man''s response. "Do you know the reason for her increased Qi capacity?"


    "No...I don''t think I do."


    Luther rolled his eyes again. "You are not that use-"


    "Can you guess at something?" Yaksha asked, cutting through Luther''s sure to be derogating words.


    San Zhe nodded. "The other Immortals said that sister Xiu gained...consicious Qi Burst?"


    "Qi brust is throwing your Qi at your enemy," Luther said in irritaiton. "Do you see your Sister Xiu bursting with adrenaline rush?"


    San Zhe shook his head, flushing in embarrassment.


    "But you are on the right track," Yaksha said to San Zhe in a comforting tone.


    Luther glared at San Zhe, jealous of the young master''s deference to the man.


    "I am?" San Zhe asked.


    Yaksha nodded. "She must be using Qi Absorbtion to regain her Qi faster."


    "Everyone does that though," Luther argued. "but we don''t see this level of recovery rate in them!"


    Yaksha sighed. "I imagine she is able to consciously use Qi Absorption, and she must have a very high rank in the real world."


    Luther hummed. "I understand, My Lord."


    "I suppose the only thing that we can do right now is to wait," Diana said as she leaned against San Zhe with a yawn.


    San Zhe choked on nothing and coughed.


    Diana giggled.


    Luther massaged the bridge of his nose to aliviate the pain that came with seeing the NPC''s silly antics.


    Yaksha pulled Cheng Xiu''s bangs out of her face, and held her a bit tighter in his embrace. He was not comfortable about the fact that she was so still. They met after so many years, and their first meeting after a long time was her being unconscious in his arms.


    They watched as the Qi capacity went up and up, until in reached 75%. And then a new progress bar appeared which had the title of "Health." It began at 1% and started to go up fast.


    When the progress bar reached 20%, Cheng Xiu body glowed and her body pixalated away.


    San Zhe looked down at his empty hands in confusion. "Wha..."


    "She just went to get her rewards for the Immortal Frost battle," Yaksha said as he curled his hands into fists. She had to be okay. Even though it was just a VR death, Yaksha was not willing to see his friend be defeated by those arrogant lot who liked to call themselves experts.


    She was bullied into it, and won. She deserved a complete victory. She should not face death at their hands. Or anyone else''s, for that matter.


    She was his Enemy to fight, to defeat, to kill. No one else had the right, or should have the power to do so.


    Diana placed her hand on his shoulder, calming him down somewhat.


    Luther could not help the feeling of satisfaction that came with seeing the progress bars go up. He had to admit that he had started to like SelaXiu for her fighting prowess, and to see that she could pull herself out of even such a strong near death situation made Luther truely appreciate the girl.


    He finally also understood his young master''s obssession with the girl. His want to defeat her on equal terms.


    But Luther could not help but wonder if there were other feelings involved in his master''s actions than just appreciation for his enemy.


    To many it would be the default conclusion, but for Luther...he did not dare hope. The young master''s distaste of love and relationships of that kind made him worried that he might read into things the way that they weren''t. So he could not let himself hope.


    San Zhe relaxed after he heard Yaksha''s words. Getting rewards meant that Cheng Xiu was alright.


    Though it had not happened in the last 5 years, the chances of death while playing VR games was still a possiblity for Qiless like them. The reason was that, the radiation that was exerted on the brain was far stronger than regular VR sessions. And Cheng Xiu was pulled into an Arena match, which required a stronger radiation. He was still shocked by how much Cheng Xiu could withstand.


    San Zhe had no doubt in his mind that if it was any other Qiless than the S-Ranked Cheng Xiu, they would have died during the first match. He could not help feel a bit teary-eyed at the thought.


    He would never reach the hight that she did, and though he felt a bit envious of her situation, San Zhe also felt even more admiration for Cheng Xiu grow in his heart. He could relax now, for some time.


    No looming matches or Immortals to worry about for the time being and Cheng Xiu was actually safe and sound.


    He wondered what kind of rewards she would receive for the Frost Battle.


    San Zhe was sure that it would be something that he could not even dream of.

 Chapter 96 - Crimson Portal

    Cheng Xiu blinked open her eyes and looked around in bewilderment. She was back in the White Room.


    Cheng Xiu felt disoriented. She remembered fainting after the Immortals were kicked out of the game, which made her extremely happy. She had never known she would be happy about someone''s misfortune, but she was.


    She was sure that she would end up dying anyway but was unwilling to just give up.


    Cheng Xiu used Qi Absorption at the last minute.


    She wondered if it helped her or not. Cheng Xiu hoped it did.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu looked up on instinct, aware that this sound was accompanied by rewards for her so far¡­she even got a fountain to her name. What an honour.


    Cheng Xiu ignored the fact that she hated those ones in particular.


    [Player Selafia Veritas has passed the Battle 5 of the Grandmaster''s Arena against Immortal Frost of the Beautiful Dead Guild.


    +1 to all stats


    +Nature Manipulaon Skill Level 1]


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes sparkled as she looked at the newest skill that she had. And she did not recognise the skill name though she could guess as to its content.


    It must be the Other World only skill or from the other games that the Other World had devoured over the years.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips.


    She wondered what this one could be about.


    [Host has passed the 5 Arena Battles againt Grandmasters, and your overall completion you''re overall 98.97%]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What happened to the rest of the points?"


    [Host barely won against Immortal Lotus, and Immortal Frost.]


    Cheng Xiu reviewed her fights so far and realised that it was correct some what.


    "Still¡­so many points¡­"


    [Host shouldn''t be so obsessed with scores. What matters is that you have won.]


    "What is the use of winning, if my scores are poor? Is that any better than losing?"


    If the system could hit its head against a wall, it would have done the deed by now.


    [Host Selafia Veritas has gained


    +1 chance to gain a soul weapon shard for her completion of 5 battles the Grandmaster''s Arena.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "That sounds familiar. What is Soul Weapons?"


    [Ding!]


    [Soul Weapons are a speciality of The Other World. They are weapons created from the Player''s own Qi, and hence, only they can use it. Soul weapons can not be sold, they can only be attained through defeating the previous holder.


    If someone steals your Soul Weapon, then it means you lose your Qi Core itself and you will lose your status as a cultivator, which means, to Players of the Adventure Guild, their accounts are deleted, and they would have to start afresh.]


    Cheng Xiu was shocked. That was some OP thing right there.


    [Would you like to use the chance now?]


    Cheng Xiu nodded automatically. She still couldn''t believe that she was getting this chance.


    "What are the chances of me getting a Soul Weapon without this chance?"


    [70%]


    That was higher than she had assumed. "Is it so high for everyone or did I trigger something or the other?"


    [A player with the Immortal Name Quest has a greater chance of gaining a Soul Weapon than others.]


    Cheng Xiu nodded, not that surprised. There had to be a reason for her to have such a high chance of success, and now, she finally knew where she had heard the term "Soul Weapon."


    [Would Player Selafia Veritas like to use her chance to try to obtain the soul Weapon Shard?]


    Cheng Xiu hmmed. "You say shard, which means that I have to find the rest of the shards to make it a complete Weapon. How many pieces of shards should I gather to make a complete Weapon?"


    [7 Soul Weapon Shards.]


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by the low number. "What are the chances of me obtaining all the Shards pieces?"


    [85%]


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrows. "That is¡­is it because of the fact that I have the Immortal Name Quest that I have such a high chance?"


    [No.]


    Cheng Xiu fell into silence, waiting for the System to substantiate. It took her some time to realise that the System is not going to substantiate unless she asked for it.


    "What do you mean by no? What other reason is there?"


    There was silence again. [Player Selafia Veritas has the User Identity of 4444.]


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head curiously. Why did she feel familiar about those digits? Cheng Xiu finally realised what that number represented.


    "I got this high a chance because I played the Primordials?"


    [No. It is because you are of User ID 4444.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Meaning?"


    [Player Selafia Veritas of User ID 4444 is the only person to hold the title of the True Primordial. It gives you a higher chance of fortunate encounters in the Other World.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "That title¡­what does it mean? What all things does it effect?"


    [Player Selafia Veritas is at Level 2 of the Other World. You do not meet the conditions to access such information at the moment.]


    Cheng Xiu''s brows knitted. She was not happy about the fact that she had to keep her curiousity to a bare minimum but she also understood that there were levels to everything.


    "At what level can I access the rest of the information?"


    [At Level 60 onwards.]


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by how long that would take. But she did not allow herself to let it to get her down. It was just another reason for her to reach that level, and higher!


    [Would Player Selafia Veritas like to use her chance?]


    Cheng Xiu''s lips hooked upwards. "You really are persistant huh? I have two more questions though."


    [Please go ahead.]


    Cheng Xiu supressed a smile at the annoyance that she could hear in the AI''s tone. "If I use this chance, and loose it, will I still be able to go after the Weapon shards on my own?"


    [Yes. That is possible.]


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Is it possible to take up the shards route, and still go about trying to get hold of the Soul Weapons as whole, instead of just shards?"


    [Yes. It is still possible.]


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and let a sigh of relief. "Then yes, I would like to use my chance to try to get the Soul Weapon Shard."


    [Ding!]


    [Accessing Palyer Data. Player Selafia Veritas linked to her soul portal.]


    The walls around her turned golden and the sound temple bells started to echo from every corner of the room.


    A red portal appeared in the air.


    Cheng Xiu looked up, half her face reflecting the golden light form the walls and the other half reflecting the red of the potral.


    Cheng Xiu gulped. There was something ominous about the portal itself, let alone the clear unnatural light that it emitted.


    Cheng Xiu took a step forward, and then a second, and then a third. Her hesitant feet gained confidence as she got nearer to it.


    An eerie humming began to echo from inside the portal.


    She was only a few feet away when she felt a suction sensation envelope her, pulling her towards the crimson portal.


    Cheng Xiu''s phoenix eyes reflected the red light of the portal as she went through it.


    She felt a sense of virtigo for a moment, and the portal spit her out of it.


    Cheng Xiu rolled out of the portal onto wet grass.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she stood up, and looked around.


    There were high walls, and white diamond encrusted ceilings that allowed the place, a small room, she fell in shown in white splendor.


    The colours of the walls might have been yellow or gold at once upon a time but now, it was indistinguishable from the other washed out things.


    She found herself in a ruined Chinese Palace.


    The sound of blades clashign reached her ears.


    Cheng Xiu turned towards that direction and started to walk.


    She found herself in a long, narrow corridor.


    Cheng Xiu followed the sound of the weapons.


    The sound got bigger and louder as she got closer and closer.


    The palace walls were made of rocks that were chipped away and the flooring was all grass now.


    Cheng Xiu reached a bend, and turned the corner to find herself in some kind of a training room.


    The sound of the weapons seized.


    At the far end where the lighting was not as bright, leaning against the wall, stood a woman.


    She wore deep red martial robes, and two swords were tied to her back. She had the air of a weary traveller than that of a powerful martial artist but her rigid body and her conserved stance gave away the fact that she was an accomplished fighter, one who has seen many things in the world and was unphased by it.


    Cheng Xiu took hesitant steps towards her, and stopped when she got a look at her face.


    More specifically, the woman did not have a face.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the unmoving faceless figure in trepidation, but she knew that she had to face this woman.


    She could not let her opportunity to go to waste. If she could get a shard at the moment, she had to try.


    Cheng Xiu stepped forward.


    The diamonds on the ceiling flashed and the entire room became visible.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back in horror.

 Chapter 97 - The Faceless Lady

    The wall the crimson dressed woman leant against wasn''t just any wall¡­it was a wall made of corpses.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Challenges the Qi Persona to the battle of the Soul Weapon.]


    The figure stepped towards Cheng Xiu at those words.


    Cheng Xiu calmed her heart, and observed the woman''s physique. She needed to know what the woman''s strengths and weaknesses were.


    Two swords on strapped to her back indicated that she was primarily a swordswoman, but there was an air about her that made it seem like the faceless woman was a weapon expert in general, it was just that she decided to use swords more often.


    "Welcome," a melodious disembodied voice said.


    There was something special about the voice. Something familiar.


    She could not help think that the underlying tone of the voice was similar to something that she had heard often, but there seemed tpo be a barrier between her and the knowledge of that recognition that Cheng Xiu was not as keen to dive deep into.


    Cheng Xiu nodded at the woman, assuming that it was her voice.


    "I am Nameless," the voice said.


    Cheng Xiu hmmed. She tthought for a moment. She wondered if there was a connection between this lady and the Immortal Name Quest other than the Quest being the thing that raised this chance to find her Soul Weapon high enough for her to consider it.


    The red-clad woman stepped forward towards her again.


    Cheng Xiu bent her knees, ready to fight.


    She went to grab her sword only to find that her sword was not there anymore.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    The red-robed woman unsheathed her sword and waved it towards Cheng Xiu.


    There was a flash, a bow, and a quiver filled with arrows appeared in front of Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu backed up and turned to the faceless woman in a questioning demeanour.


    "To find your Soul Weapon, you must find your Weapon first," the voice said. "And this bow and arrow will help you see."


    "Will it? Do we just fight with each other until one defeats the other?"


    The voice chuckled. "All you have to do is survive."


    The red-dressed figure raised her sword and planted it to the ground.


    Three golden rings formed around Cheng Xiu.


    "These are called Level Rings," the voice said. "As long as you can cross all three rings, you will get the Soul Weapon Shard."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. It sounded so simple that she was sure it was going to be a difficult task.


    "Why the bow and arrows then?"


    "Please choose a direction and move forward."


    Cheng Xiu sighed again. She was not getting an answer for that question it would seem...or she would find out soon anyway that there was no need to inform her.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed the bow and the quiver from the air and placed it on her shoulder. She then looked around.


    She looked at the woman and took a step towards her.


    An unbearable pressure pressed down on Cheng Xiu from all sides, making her fall, front first, into the ground.


    She coughed out blood.


    Cheng Xiu felt her breath hitch and found it difficult to breathe.


    Black spots appeared behind her eyelids, and her head felt like it would be crushed at any second.


    She began to panic. In a moment of helplessness, as she felt like her entire being was crushed, Cheng Xiu''s mind churned.


    Prensure Rooms...


    She had heard of Pressure Rooms, constructed to train Alliance Soldiers who could use Qi Manifestation.


    It was a room designed to put invisible pressure on people so that their Qi would start to act out in its attempt to save the person. This would lead to a stronger constitution, and they also found themselves able to use their Qi much easier, their movements were smoother and their thoughts were faster.


    Cheng Xiu guessed that she was in something similar to that. The ring must be creating a pressure room so that Cheng Xiu felt Pressure on her body and Qi.


    Cheng Xiu felt her head spin from the pain that wracked her entire body.


    She wanted to think of the method the article mentioned about how to counter the Pressure room but she was unable to focus on anything except for the pain she felt.


    Deep in her core, the Qi started to flow at high speed.


    Cheng Xiu sighed as she felt the pressure let up a little. The pain was now bearable at least. She tried to push herself off the ground but found it impossible.


    She thought of the method that the Trainees supposedly used to make themselves able to withstand the pressure.


    Qi Circulation.


    The method to be able to train in the pressure was to consciously circulate the Qi in the body.


    The method to begin being able to withstand the pressure was the Qi in the body automatically circulating.


    Cheng Xiu was not sure how she would do that. It was something that those who were blessed did on their own, and she was a Qiless in reality...


    Cheng Xiu heaved out a breath as she realised that her thought process was not in the line that it should actually be at.


    She might be a Qiless in reality, but in this game she was a Cultivator. Someone with an Active Qi Centre.


    She was, unlike in reality, able to use her body like a Blessed One would. So, theoritically, her body should react in the way that any Qi-full person would react to the Pressure, by circulating the natural flow of Qi in their body at a faster pace.


    Almost like an echo to her thoughts, she felt the pain in her body ebb away.


    Cheng Xiu smiled as a silver luster appeared over her skin.


    Her body was circulating the Qi in it faster and faster. She was gaining more and more power from that action.


    Cheng Xiu laid there unmoving for sometime, as she let the feeling of Qi Circulation getting faster and faster.


    Finally, as she felt the last dregs of pain disappear from her body, Cheng Xiu curled her hand into a fist. There was no lingering pain either.


    She took a deep breath and started to push herself off the ground. It was a herculean task as she felt she carried multiple bags of heavy object on her back and tied weights to her limbs.


    Cheng Xiu scrunched up her face, and pulled herself to her feet, despite the protest in her limbs.


    She started to pant, and looked at the faceless woman with a complicated look.


    Even though she knew that the woman was just doing as she was programmed to, Cheng Xiu thought she could feel the disappointment in Cheng Xiu at taking so long to just to ge tback to her feet.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath, took hold of her weapon and took a step forward.


    This time, perhaps because she was expecting it, Cheng Xiu was able to force herself not to fall on her face, and only fell on her knees.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she waited for the weight to lift from her.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and walked forward again. The pressure was lesser somehow. Or perhaps she has gained more momentum.


    Her steps became steady.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and walked on.


    The woman smiled and raised her sword again.


    Cheng Xiu''s heart sank in trepidation. It couldn''t be that she was increasing the pressure on her was she?


    There was a flash of light and shadowy figures rose from the ground.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back.


    Cheng Xiu realised what the figures were as they made their way towards her. They were corpses with ash skin, bleeding wounds, and dead fish eyes.


    Cheng Xiu wrinkled her nose as a putrid smell rose from the ground as more and more figures rose from the ground.


    Cheng Xiu realised what her next task was. Kill the corpses.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has to kill the Zombies that are walking her way, and make it to the next ring in half an hour.]


    Cheng Xiu wanted to curse. It was already difficult for her to stand on her feet, damn it! And now she had to fight Zombies while going forward? And that too at a time-crunch? Why not just ask her to live without breathing while they were at it!


    Cheng Xiu felt like her emotions were getting over complicated but Cheng Xiu found herself not caring about that as she moved forward.


    She couldn''t back out now. This was her choice in the first place, and she would have to face the consequences of that even she did not want to, so she might as well just accept the attack, and face it head on!


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath, and regretted it as the putrid smell forced its way into her senses.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth, and notched the arrow into the bow, and aimed.


    Her hands shook as the Zombies crawled closer and closer towards her.


    She let the arrow fly away and hit the zombie closest to her.


    It hit the man in the forehead, and his head burst into fleshes and blood splatters.


    Cheng Xiu cringed as some fell on her, but shook off the feeling as she notched another one, and took a step forward.

 Chapter 98 - Kill The Zombies

    Cheng Xiu felt the Qi Suppression even more powerfully than before.


    It took her a moment to get used to the pressure.


    Cheng Xiu was unsure how she would be able to defeat all these creatures and reach the other ring half -an-hour at the rate that she was going.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment, and then looked down at her feet.


    She wondered if she could measure how long it would take her to actually make it to the other side and then walk forwards.


    Her feet was six inches, and she only had to cover approximately 1 meter to reach the next ring¡­which meant that she could take 8 to ten steps to reach the next ring, but the Qi Pressure and the Zombies were the real obstacles. The pressure more so than the zombies.


    The Zombies could be easily killed, but she would need to get used the Qi Pressure if she wanted to move smoothly.


    Cheng Xiu notched the arrow on the string, and let it impale a drooling woman who came towards her sneakily.


    Cheng Xiu took her next step forwards as she moved towards the ring, notching the next arrow on to the bow.


    A man jumped towards her.


    Cheng Xiu let the arrow fly.


    It hit the man square in the chest, and he too burst into smithereens.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips into a thin line as she got coated with the innards of the dead body. The rancid order that came from her body made Cheng Xiu want to puke, and the only think that kept her from ding so was the fear of the fact that the dead and decade innards that coated her would go into her mouth.


    Could she just go away already. She never thought she would come to hate the realism in the VR as much as she did at that moment. She would have rather never breathed at all than have smelt this horrible smell.


    Cheng Xiu looked on with a blank face as a decaying baby came crawling at her.


    She raised her bow and arrow, and aimed.


    The baby gruggled as it neared her.


    Cheng Xiu slouched and killed the Zombie grandma behind the baby instead.


    She did not like this game anymore. It was making her do things that she did not want to. If she had to play the psychological game of choosing the grandma or the baby to kill, she would have damned played the "Be The Next Psychotic Killer" game that Gu Shu thought would be funny to play.


    Cheng Xiu had never been as relieved as she was when she saw the horror-struck face and sleepless nights that Gu Shu went through.


    And now, she was regretting playing The Other World.


    No¡­that was not true. She regretted for being greedy enough to take this chance at a Soul Weapon.


    Cheng Xiu scowled and skipped the baby Zombie and killed a Zombie bride with another sword.


    She took another step forward.


    The Qi Pressure exerted itself on her again and once again, it took her a long time to get back into the groove of moving her legs freely.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back and kicked away the Zombie Groom that jumped towards her.


    The body skidded away and fell on top of the Zombie bride.


    The Bridegroom struggled to his feet and ran towards her again.


    Cheng Xiu started to throw arrows after arrows as she took steps towards the ring.


    At the final step, an old man grabbed her left leg, while a young woman grabbed her right.


    Cheng Xiu nearly fell on her face again, but used the bow as a support to stop her movements.


    She glared at the offencers. It was hard enough to kill them when they were just running towards her, but now she also had to fear that they would somehow appear out of nowhere and grab her legs?


    Cheng Xiu shot the old man with an arrow, and kicked the lady away.


    She took the final step towards the next ring.


    Almost like there was a magnet attached to her soles, her leg moved onto the glowing ring, instead of inside it.


    Cheng Xiu tried to move it inside, and lost her balance and fell as her leg planted itself onto the ring.


    Cheng Xiu cringed at the pain she felt on her buttocks, and her spine.


    She laid there for a second, not knowing what was happening.


    [Ding!]


    What now? She thought in irritation.


    [Player Selafia has touched the Second ring in Half-an-hour.]


    After those words, a red transparent barrier appeared out of the ring that she had stepped on, and became circular wall between herself and the respawning zombies.


    Cheng Xiu cursed her luck as she got up. "What now? What is happening?"


    She immediately regretted that action as a salty taste entered her mouth.


    Cheng Xiu gagged.


    She tasted Zombie innards in her mouth! God! Yuck!


    [The Red Barrier is up. The Spawning of Zombies have come to a stop.]


    Cheng Xiu stilled from her gagging reflexes at those words.


    She looked around her in surprise and saw that the Zombie numbers were indeed not increasing. And then a thought occurred to her.


    Could it be that she had to kill all the remaining zombies in the ring before she could enter the next one?


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu felt like she was jinxing herself again and again in this game.


    [Player Selafia has to terminate all the Zombies in the Frist Ring so that she can travel to the next one. When all the zombies are killed, the Red Barrier would come down.]


    Cheng Xiu shook her head at her bad luck, sending blood splatters on to the ground.


    She took aim at the creatures instead of giving it any thought, because if she did, she would lose her sanity and actually puke.


    The arrow nearly slipped from her hand from the goop that fell on her as she released it from her grip.


    The arrow wobbled in the air, and hit a tall man in the throat.


    Cheng Xiu began to systematically kill all the zombies in the ring.


    She soon realised that the further the zombies are from the second ring, the slower their movements are, and it also made her realise that the only way she can kill some of them was to move towards them, as they won''t come towards the places that have the stronger Zombies.


    Cheng Xiu moved towards them as she killed the zombies around her. The growling and snarling sounds from the zombies made her grit her teeth but she tried not to think about it much.


    Finally there was only one zombie left.


    The baby zmobie.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips in distaste. She knew that it was not a real baby, just a code in the system, but Cheng Xiu found herself unable to do anything.


    The baby zombie started to cry, and the bodies of the dead zombies moved.


    Cheng Xiu''s heard sank. The baby zombie was the real OP in the ring. It could revive the people around it with its cries.


    Cheng Xiu realised that she had learnt an age-old lesson that she keep having to relearn again and again.


    Kindness does not beget kindness. Most of the time, your bits of kindness will be repaid with a poisonous dagger to your back.


    Cheng Xiu was attacked from all sides by the zombies, and was bitten by the old woman whose head returned to her neck.


    [Ding!]


    [Critical Hit! Player was bitten by a Zombie. Status effect: Corruption. Player has to kill the source in 10 minutes, if you don''t want to be killed permanently.]


    Cheng Xiu glared at the baby zombie, that was the source of her current trouble as she killed more and more zombies.


    Her movements became smoother as the Qi in her worked full time to heal and revert her body to the prime condition it was at the start of her battle.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards the baby zombie, killing the others along the way.


    The baby cried again, and the other zombies were revived once more.


    Cheng Xiu killed one enemy after the other as she ran towards the baby with a purpose.


    As the baby opened its mouth to cry again, Cheng Xiu sent an arrow through its forehead, its neck and its heart.


    Even though it might have seemed excessive, Cheng xiu had experienced enough games to know that reviving NPCs like these could only be killed in special ways. If it was so easy to kill the baby the way that she killed the adults then this game wouldn''t be so entertaining.


    Cheng Xiu observed the baby''s body as it disintegrated into pieces, leaving no traces behind.


    The other zombies fell to the ground like puppets who had their strings cut off.


    Cheng Xiu gasped as the weapon in her hand heated up.


    She looked down, and watched as the bow, and quiver disappeared into pixels.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has cleared Ring One of the Level Rings! Red Barrier has disappeared!]


    Cheng Xiu looked at the red pixels with dead eyes.


    Even though it was just a code, she still killed a baby, and that made Cheng Xiu feel horrified in a way nothing else did.


    But that was the kind of thing that she had to get used to in the Soul Weapon Quest, she supposed.


    Cheng Xiu stepped towards the second ring with that thought in mind.

 Chapter 99 - Dire Wolves

    Cheng Xiu stepped over the golden ring into the second field.


    She was pressed to the ground by a great pressure.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes, and felt the Qi inside her circulate faster again.


    The temperature of her body rose up with the increase in the Qi tempo, and she felt her muscles contract in an unpleasant throbbing.


    Cheng Xiu tried not to focus on the Qi or the pain, turning her attention towards the Red-clad lady.


    Unlike before, when she was completely faceless, now a small projection could be seen that hinted at a nose.


    She was fascinated, and a thought appeared in her mind, that, as absurd as it should sound to her, felt logical.


    The closer Cheng Xiu is to reaching her Soul Shard, the closer the woman comes to having an actual face.


    Cheng Xiu curled her hand into a fist, and raised it towards her head massaged her forehead, thinking of a way that she would be able to complete the task.


    Cheng Xiu was really surprised by how much she enjoyed the gameplay of The Other World. It was such a unique experience that she had in this VR than she did in others.


    And it was definitely better than Gu Shu''s Otome games.


    She did not have to feel or face the rejections of NPCs for being too "Wooden" or "Unromantic".


    Cheng Xiu felt the pressure on her body become bearable again, and stood up slowly.


    The sound of growls echoed around her.


    Almost like it was waiting for her to recover to throw her under the bus, the system made another announcement.


    [Ding!]


    [Payer Selafia has to kill the 50 Direwolves to make it to the third ring.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. That announcement was far too straightforward.


    Cheng Xiu had expected more riddle ridden words from the System as it always did, but now the system was being very matter-of-fact about it.


    Then again, how could the system make the "Kill Direwolves" more creative when it was the most basic quest one could get for a beginner adventure. She was surprised it was not a slime instead to make things even more basic.


    Golden portals appeared around her.


    Wolves loped into her field of vision from the golden portals. They had glowing blue fur, and silver claws.


    Cheng Xiu felt that they were far too beautiful.


    The wolves barked at her, ferocity in their eyes, drool dripping from their mouth.


    She took her thoughts back. They were not beautiful at all.


    Cheng Xiu went to grab her sword and remembered that she did not have it with her.


    She also did not have any bow or arrows.


    Cheng Xiu was confused on what to do.


    Could she use the Ghost Flames to kill them?


    Cheng Xiu blinked as she realised that she could have used the Ghost Flame in the last fight as well. She had not even think of it as a possibility though.


    "Ghost Flame!"


    Nothing happened.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Why was it not working?


    She tried again. "Ghost Flame!"


    Nothing happened. Her Qi did not even move from its set path.


    Cheng Xiu tried once more, but the result was the same.


    "This is a Quest to find your Soul Weapon," the melodic voice said at her third failed attempt. "You will not be allowed to use anything except for your wit, and your weaponry skills for these fights."


    Cheng Xiu gave the faceless woman a nod of understanding.


    She thought of how she hadn''t used the Ghost Flame in the first ring, like she was not even aware of its existance.


    "I suppose you made me forget that I had spells at my disposal?"


    "It was your first try in the Ring, there was no reason to let you waste time when you were up against Zombies," the woman said.


    She looked on as the wolves jumped at her. There was no way she could win against all these Dire Wolves when she had no weapon whatsoever. It made Cheng Xiu feel far more insecure than when she had felt in her fight against Immortal Lotus.


    Cheng Xiu ducked away from the few wolves that nearly bit her neck off, but two of the dire wolves dug their claws into her skin, and tore it away into pieces.


    Cheng Xiu cringed as blood oozed out of her wounds, and used the momentum of the wolf that aimed for her shoulder, to turn around at the last moment, letting the beast bite into the wolf behind her.


    The two canines crashed and bit each other. The one that aimed to take a bite at her had its neck torn into.


    The wolf''s body disintegrated, and in its place laid a dagger.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has killed 1/50 Dire Wolves, and gained one Wolf Dagger as Loot!]


    Cheng Xiu gasped. Loot! There was an actual loot!


    Loots were rewards given by the system to players after they had killed their enemy. So far, Cheng Xiu had not seen such things happening in the Other World and had thought it followed some niche games that did not give out loots for killing their NPCs in the name of making the game more "Realistic."


    But now, here it was. She had found loot. Or the game had started give her loot.


    Cheng Xiu lunged forwards, and grabbed the dagger.


    The Force of supression was greater this time because the Wolf Dagger was a few steps from the ring, unlike her current position, which put her right at the edge of the ring.


    Cheng Xiu coughed out blood, and stood up slowly, observing the dagger in her hand.


    It was a blue crystaline blade, held in a silver handle. There were intricate patterns all over the blade, and on the handle was a thinly etched Word.


    "Selafia."


    She assumed that the name in the dagger belonged to the one who killed the Dire Wolf.


    The other wolves growled as they approached her slowly.


    Cheng Xiu looked up, but remained still for a moment to observe their pattern of attack.


    They saw her immobile figure, and dashed towards her at top speed.


    Cheng Xiu spun the dagger in her hands, and then plunged it into the head of wolf closest to her.


    The wolf whelped and died.


    Two of the other wolves tried to bit her arms and legs.


    Cheng Xiu hauled the dead wolf stuck to her blade at them sending the two away from her.


    The dead wolf disintegrated and turned into another dagger.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has killed 2/50 Dire Wolves, and received the Wolf Dagger as loot.]


    Cheng Xiu grabbed the bloody dagger off the floor, took a deep breath, and walked towards the two wolves that had attacked her.


    The two wolves howled and dashed towards her.


    The Qi in her body warned her against the one from behind that nearly tore off her neck.


    Cheng Xiu stepped away from its trajectory.


    The wolf bit into her shoulder instead of her neck.


    Cheng Xiu let out a scream of pain at that , and then kicked the wolf that was still in the air, anger clouding her thought process.


    The extra movement made her lose her balance and fall onto the rock-cut, debris filled floor from the Qi Pressure of the Ring. There might have been a few chips of stones where she landed, as Cheng Xiu felt something dig into her ribs.


    Cheng Xiu rolled away from the wolf that still tried to take a bite off her.


    Cheng Xiu coughed out more blood as she got up to her feet.


    The Qi Pressure was stronger in the second ring, and yet, she did not seem to have the reprieve between that she did in the Zombie fight making it hard for Cheng Xiu to recover from the battle.


    The wolf tried to take a bite off her again.


    Cheng Xiu rolled away once more, and landed right next to the Wolf Dagger that the second Dire Wolf had left behind.


    She grabbed the dagger in a hurry and plunged it into the heart of the wolf.


    Cheng Xiu spit out more blood.


    She looked on with a grim expression as the Dire Wolf body disintegrated and left behind another dagger.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has killed 3/50 Dire Wolves, and gained a Wolf Dagger.]


    Her heart felt cold.


    She had killed a lot more in this world than she thought she would so early. And the moments before their body disintegrated was so realistic that Cheng Xiu felt sick of herself.


    Why was the Other World graphics so realistic?


    Realistic games with blood and splatter was unpopular to the general public, so why was the Other World so loved?


    Cheng Xiu frowned at her grim thoughts. Now was not the time to ask such philosophical questions. Right now, she only had one thing that she had to do. Try her best to gain a Soul Weapon Shard. She later should not feel guilty that she did not give her 100% before she was defeated.


    She would think of the moral dilemmas that the Other World put her through later on, in the real world.


    With that thought, Cheng Xiu proceeded to try to kill the wolves one by one as her movements in the ring became smoother and smoother.


    The Kill Count started to go up as she made her way through the Dire Wolf waves.


    5/50 kills.


    10/50 Kills.


    26/50 Kills.


    38/50 kills.


    49/50 kills.


    As she made her 50th kill, instead of a 50/50 notice that she should get, Cheng Xiu got a different notification that had her cursing the Devs once more.. This time cursing their ancestors while she was at it.

 Chapter 100 - Qaurter Wolf Pack

    [Ding!]


    [Quest Alert!]


    [Defend Against the Pack:


    The Dire Wolves consider you as a formidable enemy and have decided to attack you in packs of four. A pack of four is called as the Quarter Wolf. They have the ability to suspend the death of their pack members for a period of time.


    The Pack has used the ability to suspend the death of Player Selafia''s 50th Kill.


    The Player has to survive the attacks of the wolves for 10 minutes for the effect to disappear, and the 50th kill will happen. Should you fail to survive the 10 minutes, the wolf will be revived and you will die.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "If I don''t survive, that means that I will be dead. What nonsense is this?"


    [Ding!]


    A red bar appeared at the corner of her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu had played enough games to realise that she was looking at a health bar.


    [To Survive, means to have your Health Bar at 15% at least. Should you fail to maintain that per cent of your Health Bar by the end of the 10 minutes countdown, the Quarter Pack will be considered as the winners, and you will receive instant death as the penalty.]


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She really was underestimating the capabilities of the Devs of the Other World. They could complicate things so easily.


    Cheng Xiu gripped the hilt of her silver-blue daggers in both her hands close to her chest, and waited as the wolf that she had thought was dead stand back up, a glowing blue diamond forming in between its brows and three other wolves joined it. One had a yellow circle at the forehead, one had a red square at the forehead, and the third had a green triangle.


    Cheng Xiu cringed as she looked at the ''should be dead'' diamond wearing wolf. "So this is like an act of revenge huh? I killed you so now, you are trying to kill me?"


    The Undead Wolf growled at her.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "My luck is bad, you know? How else would I end up having these kinds of Quests while everyone else would be fighting slimes or doing groceries?"


    She looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. "My dear Maya, you are a very...creative AI."


    [Thank You.]


    "That you heard," Cheng Xiu muttered.


    The wolves growled as they dashed towards her at an invisible signal.


    Cheng Xiu stood ramrod straight, staring down at the wolves.


    The pack started to circle her, growling and barking at her.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips, her eyes falling on the Health Bar that had 100% on it.


    She had to be careful. Otherwise, she might end up losing this fight, and her willingness to kill that Baby Zombie would have been for nothing.


    The wolf with the yellow circle leapt at her from the left, its claws extending out to reveal sharp, deadly nails.


    Cheng Xiu faced it and slashed at the extended leg of the beast.


    The blade and the beast''s claws met with a twanging sound, sending sparks everywhere.


    Cheng Xiu braced herself.


    The wolf growled and snarled to her face, sending spittle towards her.


    Cheng Xiu wrinkled her nose in distaste.


    She saw a shadow move in her peripheral vision and dodged to the left, as she used the momentum to send the Yellow circle wolf that attacked her blade to the right.


    Cheng Xiu watched as parts of her hair got bit by the wolf that had tried to attack from the side.


    The teeth of the beast cut the hair strands into pieces, and the saliva of the beast melted the hair in its mouth.


    The red square on its forehead glowed.


    Cheng Xiu landed on her feet, very near the wolf with the green triangle on its forehead.


    The thing tried to take a bite out of her guts but Cheng Xiu slashed its face with her knife as she jumped away from it.


    The wolf snarled at her in pain as the blade took away one of its eyes.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She had not realised that these beasts had poisonous spittle...perhaps they did not.


    Or at least, the regular Dire Wolves did not. It must be a speciality of the Quarter Wolves.


    Cheng Xiu dodged as the first wolf started to attack her again.


    The undead wolf stood still, watching as its pack members tried to kill its human killer. Its silver eyes started to glow blue as it waited for an opportunity.


    Cheng Xiu kicked away the first wolf, and tried to slash her dagger at the wolf that had tried to take a bit of her sides behind her back.


    She noticed the golden markings on its paws as it slashed at her, similar to the yellow circle on its forehead.


    The beast growled and snarled at her, barking in anger at the human that held the power over it.


    Cheng Xiu tried to pierce her dagger through the neck of the wolf.


    A sharp pain started to spread from her shoulder to the small of her spine.


    Cheng Xiu gasped in shock, and jumped away.


    The undead wolf growled at her, pieces of her bloodied clothes still in its mouth. The diamond on its forehead glowed.


    Its drool dripped from the chin into the folds of the clothing, burning it as it went down.


    The red bar went down to 82%.


    Cheng Xiu cringed at the pain in the mark left behind by the Diamond Wolf.


    Blood dripped from her shoulder, flowing down her hand and coating her dagger-holding wrist.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. A part of her left breast was exposed to the air, giving her goosebumps.


    She felt that she was lucky at that moment, that there were no male viewers to see her state of undress. She had always held herself in a certain image, and that image was being torn apart by Dire Wolves.


    She was starting to dislike the canine species as a whole because of it.


    And her Health Bar had gone down to 82% and seemed to be decreasing as she lost more blood.


    Cheng Xiu glared at the Diamond Wolf. "I will enjoy killing you."


    Cheng Xiu crouched and then dashed towards the wolves, uncaring of the pain that her movement caused her as her wounds were agitated.


    She needed to kill that beast no matter what.


    The Triangle Wolf leapt at her, intercepting her movement towards the Diamond Wolf.


    Cheng Xiu used the other hand''s dagger to slash at the wolf''s open mouth.


    It whined at the pain and backed away.


    The other wolves growled at her even more at that moment.


    Cheng Xiu glared and then raised the two daggers, the tip pointed outwards, ready to fight harder.


    The wolves dashed towards her as one.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards them at full speed, a plan forming in her mind.


    At the last moment, just as the wolves were about to reach her, Cheng Xiu ran towards the circle.


    The wolves ran after her at full speed as well.


    Cheng Xiu was briefly amazed by the fact that she could outrun the Dire wolves.


    Sure, they were low-level beasts in the game, but in reality, she would not be able to run away from even common dogs, let alone the Dire Wolves.


    It made her appreciate the Other World''s mechanics even more.


    She started to observe the wolves and their movements as she ducked away from claws, twisted away from poisonous teeth, and dodged leaping bodies.


    The Green Wolf was the fastest, it reached her figure faster than the other wolves.


    The yellow wolf was stronger, as its attacks left large indentations on the ruined stone floor.


    The Red Wolf had the most stamina, as it would continue to attack her even when the others were waiting to catch their breath.


    It also made Cheng Xiu realise that the Diamond Wolf, the one that had returned from the dead, was the smartest of the bunch. She wondered if its death gave it that ability. After all, death changes things. IT could change even the happiest of person, let alone an animal.


    Her eyes fell on the diamond on its forehead. It might also be that the diamond was the source of its intelligence, and it got that as a bonus for dying and then returning to the world of the living.


    There was a reason that Cheng Xiu was considering the abilities of the undead Wolf more than the other wolves.


    In battles, the one she had to fear was not the soldiers but the king, and in the Quarter Wolf pack, the one with the Diamond on its forehead was the king. The pack leader.


    She was surprised that she was able to use human tactics against the beast and use the analysing skill that she kept exclusively for the humans towards the said beast, but not overly concerned.


    She was not conservative or egoistic enough to believe that human minds are superior.


    But Cheng Xiu knew that she could outsmart this particular beast. After all, its intelligence was borrowed, and in the end, it still relied on its baser instinct.


    Cheng Xiu smirked as the beast leapt towards her.

 Chapter 101 - 50 Kills Given

    Cheng Xiu kicked away the wolf with the triangle on its forehead, panting. The physical activity of continuously dodging and rolling away from the beasts that leapt at her was taking its toll on Cheng Xiu.


    She felt like she had run a marathon already even though the battle between her and the Dire Wolves was going on for perhaps 5 minutes only.


    She had to survive for 5 more minutes to outlive the Diamond headed Dire Wolf.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth from the stinging pain on her shoulder as she swang her hand to the side, and slashed away a part of the fur from the Dire Wolf with the red square on its forehead.


    The wound should have healed somewhat by now from the way that her wounds had healed in the Arena but she could still feel the sting on the wound, despite the fact that it had been a few minutes since the Diamond Wolf had attacked her.


    Did the wounds left behind by these Dire Wolves reduce the probability of it from healing as fast as it would if it was attacked by anything else? Or was the problem not with the wolves themselves, but the ambient Qi available in the air?


    She had read that the more Qi a place had, the harder it is for a Blessed Person to get hurt. Perhaps the Castle Ruins had naturally low Qi, though why that could be, she couldn''t guess immediately.


    Cheng Xiu sensed a swipe towards her head from a claw coming towards her at high speed.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back, avoiding it.


    A few of her hair strands got stuck in the beast''s hand.


    Why did these wolves have something against her hair? Were they trying to make her bald?


    Cheng Xiu looked at her Health Bar.


    68%


    Somehow, she had lost even more Health as she made her way towards trapping the beasts.


    Cheng Xiu glared at the wolves in front of her, and looked beyond them towards the third Ring. She was eager to reach it, even though she knew that the next level was even more cruel than this one.


    The wolves dashed towards her again.


    Cheng Xiu calmed her mind and tried to look at the battle with the Dire Wolves the way she would see the Fights with the Immortals.


    Cheng Xiu used the speed of the Green Wolf as it tried to take a bit off her bleeding shoulder to haul it over to the body of the Yellow Wolf.


    The Yellow Wolf, which had the advantage of being the sturdier of all the four wolves was fine with the impact, but the same could not be said about the Green Wolf as it lost much of its momentum as it hobbled to its feet.


    The Diamond Wolf barked at the Green Wolf.


    The Wolf with the triangle on its forehead growled at the blue-eyed wolf.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back from the swipe towards her head, and the bite towards one of her hands from the Dire Wolf with the Red Square on its forehead.


    She ducked away from it as it leapt over her head and fell into a heap behind her with a yelp.


    The Diamond headed Dire Wolf barked at the Square-wearing Wolf.


    The Dire Wolf barked something back in response.


    The Diamond wolf growled at Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "What did you want me to do? Stand still, and let you pack mate maul me?"


    Cheng Xiu kicked away Green Wolf, preventing it from eating away her leg.


    The Yellow Wolf leapt at her.


    Cheng Xiu brought her daggers out towards the front of her torso, preventing it from attacking her even more.


    Cheng Xiu felt the strength of her knees weakens as the pressure of the Wolf was greater than it already was.


    She gritted her teeth, and prevented the Yellow Wolf from overtaking her completely by using her hind legs to press her heels against the floor.


    Cheng Xiu felt a sharp bite on her bleeding shoulder, making her unable to move away.


    She saw a blue glow in the corner of her eyes.


    The Diamond wolf had got another chunk of her.


    Cheng Xiu felt a second bite on her leg. She did not have to look to know that it was the Green Wolf that bit into her calf, as she saw the Red Wolf bite into her forearm.


    Cheng Xiu screamed out in pain as tears fell down her face.


    The pressure of the Yellow Wolf''s weight started to win against her more human power.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the Health Bar at the corner of her vision.


    50%


    49%


    43%


    40%


    36%


    30%


    28%


    24%


    21%


    19%


    Cheng Xiu''s heart fell as she saw the red colour of the Health Bar drain out even more.


    Each per cent that went down felt like a symbol of her death. No. It really was the symbol of her death as after 15% she would die in the game.


    18%


    17%


    16%


    Almost like it was teasing her, the percentages actually started to go down by decimals.


    15.9%


    15.7%


    15.4%


    Cheng Xiu felt a cold shiver go down her spine as fear enveloped her heart.


    15.1%


    The Health Bar stopped at that part.


    She could not let these wolves be the reason that she was dead in the game. She would have preferred to be killed at the hands of the Immortals instead of "Death by getting Mauled by Wolves."


    Even the fact that the wolves that were attacking her were Dire Wolves did not change the fact that she would be killed like a prey rather than a warrior.


    She wouldn''t let this be her end.


    An idea formed in her mind. Though it was a bit more risky, Cheng Xiu was sure that it was the best course of action.


    Cheng Xiu gulped down her fear, and loosened her hold on the dagger.


    The Yellow Wolf saw her weakening grip and used almost all its strength to try to take a bite off her face.


    Cheng Xiu made a bold decision and turned her head away.


    She closed her eyes, and started to use Qi Absorption to gather more Qi into her veins.


    The Health Bar went up a bit at 16.2%.


    She waited until the Bar was filled up to 20.3%, enduring the bite of the beasts on her bones.


    She was surprised that she had not broken anything yet. Perhaps being a Cultivator gave her a sturdier bone.


    Cheng Xiu thought of the plan she had formed in her mind.


    Though it was far riskier, Cheng Xiu knew what she had to do.


    She put her dagger-holding hand down, and turned her body away from the leaping Yellow Wolf, letting its bite sink into a particular part of herself than her face.


    The Yellow Wolf bit into the same shoulder that was held in the biting grip of the Diamond Wolf.


    Cheng Xiu cringed as she felt the bones in the shoulder blade break.


    She could no longer even more than arm without feeling immense pain. But Cheng Xiu did not let that stop her from moving that arm.


    She would lick her wounds after she had won this battle.


    The Diamond Wolf growled at the Yellow Wolf.


    The Yellow Wolf pulled away in fear.


    Cheng Xiu used this momentum to plunge her dagger into the heart of the Yellow Wolf.


    The Wolf howled in pain.


    Cheng Xiu did not wait to see the results of her action, and daggered the Red wolf that gnawed at her forearm in the head.


    Blood coated her and the dagger as she pulled it out.


    She pulled the dagger out of the Yellow Wolf''s heart, and used it to cut away the other eye of the Green Dire Wolf.


    The Diamond Wolf bit into her neck.


    Cheng Xiu stabbed both the daggers through the front of its neck.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has killed all the Dire Wolves in the Quarter Wolf pack at 9 minutes and 40 seconds.]


    She could have survived for twenty more seconds, and won.


    She looked around her to find that the Quarter Dire Wolves had returned to normal, and were starting to decay.


    Cheng Xiu frowned in confusion.


    [Ding!]


    [Quest Complete!


    Defend Against the Pack: Player Selafia has not just survived the attack of the quarter pack, she has also won against them.


    Rewards:


    +1 to all stats.


    +Qi Capacity at 100%]


    Cheng Xiu gaped in surprise. Not just survived, she won. And winning was different for this Quest.


    Her eyes went to the dead wolves who had now become dust, and left daggers of their corresponding colours in their place.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrows. What now?


    [Player Selafia has killed 50/50 Dire Wolves.


    The Player is allowed to enter the Third Ring.]


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and walked towards the third ring, her mind still amazed by the fact that her plan had worked.


    She had used the Qi absorption to resuscitate her Qi Capacity as Cheng Xiu had realised that otherwise, it was hard for her Qi flow to increase.


    The low amount of Qi in the atmosphere meant that she had to consciously remember to take in more Qi.


    And it was the right decision to make, as it allowed her to rise her Qi percentage to a stable level of 20% and allowed her to fight her enemies.


    Just as she stepped over the line of the third ring, a golden5 pixelated light filled her eyes, and her game avatar disappeared from the castle ruins.505

 Chapter 102 - The Red Carp

    The golden light disappeared from her eyes, forcing her eyes to be blinded for a moment before it adjusted to the whiteness of the room.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her in wonder. She was back at the White Room.


    Did she fail to clear the Soul Weapon Quest?


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas''s Qi flow composition of the Minor Realm Qi Sensing II has overflowed the Realm Capatcity.


    Player Selafia Veritas is forced into a Breakthrough simulation.]


    Cheng Xiu gasped at the familiar message. She was getting levelled up.


    Cheng Xiu felt like it had been days since she had leveled up, even though it had been only a few hours since her last breakthrough.


    A double-door painted in deep red colour appeared on one of the plain walls of the room. There was a single golden fish etched on the door''s red surface where the handle should be. The proof that she was at level 2.


    Cheng Xiu smiled and waited for the door to fling open as it did the first time around.


    The doors burst open to a dark space.


    Cheng Xiu loosened her body.


    A strong gale began to surround her in the room, dragging Cheng Xiu towards the Red door.


    The door closed behind her with a bang.


    Cheng Xiu felt hard surface under her feet, and stabilized her footing.


    She looked around her.


    Everything was in infinite darkness, just like before.


    She knew from experience that it was hard for the system to respond to her queries in the Abyss, by choice or by programming, and kept the hundred and some questions that were bursting at the seams to be thrown at the AI.


    Cheng Xiu waited for the simulation to begin.


    She wondered if it would be the same as last time, with the Red Carp, and her chasing after it.


    There was a flash of golden light to her left.


    Cheng Xiu immediately turned, curious to see what the thing that created that light was. She hoped that it was the Red Carp.


    It wasn''t.


    Instead, it was a golden pole, with a thin flat surface.


    Cheng Xiu had a hunch of what she should do.


    Ripples of light appeared around her.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back in surprise a large Red Carp burst out from under her feet, and swam away into the dark Abyss.


    Cheng Xiu lost her footing and fell of her ass.


    She yelped, and muttering, got up.


    She sighed, and looked at the golden pole.


    She really did have to jump huh? And use the poles as stepping tools?


    Cheng Xiu felt like this game was finding new and newer ways to torture her so that she would just yell out in frustration and give up.


    Cheng Xiu crouched and sprung herself up onto the pole.


    Her right leg landed on the pole surface, but her body started to lean back on its own.


    Cheng Xiu flailed her hands and cursed.


    It took her a moment to actually gain her momentum.


    She slowly placed her other leg''s toes on the pole surface, and flailed as her body moved to and fro as she lost her balance briefly.


    Cheng Xiu sighed in relief as her footing stabilised.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as another godlen pole appeared in front of her.


    It really was like the first Breakthrough, just a lot more harder because the amount of space for her feet to land carefully on was very little.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Red Carp that was further away from her than before.


    It would seem, the fish also swam faster.


    Cheng Xiu realised that she had to be faster than she was in the first Breakthrough despite the fact that the area where her feet could land on had decreased significantly.


    Cheng Xiu jumped again, and landed on the second pole.


    Her footing slipped and she nearly fell down, but she gripped the pole surface at the last second, and saved herself from her certain doom.


    Cheng Xiu hauled herself up and landed safely on the flat surface of the pole again.


    She took a deep breath and exhaled as her balance returned to her.


    She wanted to know the purpose of this simulation. It could have been anything else but the game Devs decided that jumping around, chasing after fishes was a great way to excite people about the game.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head off that kinds of thoughts as another pole appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu groaned in frustration. "I am not a frog, why are you making me jump so much?"


    [Ding!]


    [Your Fish is getting away.]


    Cheng Xiu nearly fell off the pole in shock. She had not thought the AI would respond at all.


    The words of the AI finally registered in her head.


    Cheng Xiu turned her head so fast that she was scared she might have broken something in it.


    The golden glow of the fish was barely visible.


    Cheng Xiu felt like she was being left behind by something way more important than a glowing fish.


    She jumped towards the third pole without a thought, wanting to just reach the Red Carp.


    A fourth appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu jumped onto it instinctively.


    A fifth pole appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu jumped onto it, and stood steadily.


    She finally realised what she was doing and stopped. She looked down in surprise and nearly lost her balance at the movement.


    Cheng Xiu relaxed as she realised that she could do it if she did not think about it too much, which was a mistake that she always made. She always thought too much about everything, and did not think enough about the really important things in her life.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head to get such thoughts out of her mind.


    Her footing slipped a little at the movement.


    Cheng Xiu felt a tingling feeling rise in her sole at that moment. Her heart started to beat rapidly.


    She shook her head to get her mind together, and looked towards where the Red Carp should be, but her eyes could not see anything in the distance.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath to calm her nerves down.


    She needed to hurry and run if she wanted to catchup to the Red Carp.


    If she remembered correctly about the first simulation, it''s ultimate goal was to return to the Red Door.


    The Red Door should be the destination of this Carp as well. But if that was so, she needed to get to it before it was too late. If she took too long, the carp would reach the door before she could catch it and she would not be able to advance.


    If that was the case, then it would take her twice as long to return to this level simulation to retry. Atleast, she thought that must be the case. After all, the Other World was basically the Primordials in many ways, and she had many experiences about such special level-ups.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and leapt forwards.


    Her feet landed on the pole.


    Another pole appeared.


    Trying not to think about it too much, Cheng Xiu jumped towards it''s flat surface.


    She landed on it, and then crouched when she felt that she would lose her balance.


    Another pole appeared.


    Cheng Xiu got up to her feet carefully, and jumped onto the pole.


    This continued on for sometime. At first, her jumps were hesitant, and doubtful. It slowly turned into clumsy and somewhat stable jumps, though the hesitance in them did not disappear.


    Cheng Xiu slipped off many times, and had to get hold of the poles in different ways so that she could remain in the simulation.


    Cheng Xiu was sure that if her movements were fast forwarded, she would look like an acrobatic pole dancer more than a gamer trying not to die in a VR simulation.


    Her movements became smoother, and with smoother movements came the confidence in her heart to move her faster.


    Cheng Xiu hastened her jumps and gained speed by her hundredth jump.


    Her speed got so good to the point that Cheng Xiu felt that like she was running more than jumping.


    Golden light entered her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu realised what that meant and jumped faster.


    The Red Carp finally became visible.


    Cheng Xiu grinned.


    She started to run towards large Red Carp at full speed, unaware that the distance between the poles were gradually becoming larger.


    Cheng Xiu gave chase to the glowing Red Carp, her own skill taking on a silver glow.


    Her eyes gained a golden light as she neared the carp.


    A glowing red door appeared in front of them, floating in the darkness of the abyss.


    Cheng Xiu hastened her steps further as the fish started to swim faster as well.


    The silver glow on her skin, and the golden glow in her eyes increased as Cheng Xiu stretched out her hand to touch the tail of the creature.


    The Red Carp made a desperate attempt to reach the Red Door as the golden hue on its body turned red.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed the tail and flung the creature up into the air, and caught it in an embrace.


    The Red Carp stilled.


    Cheng Xiu laughed in delight, the sound far more melodious than ever.


    The two beings glowed golden as the Red Door flew open.

 Chapter 103 - Trolls In The Castle

    She returned to the White Room with the Red Carp still in her embrace.


    The Red Door burst into specks of red lights and hovered around her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the light specks and the Red Carp in her hands.


    The body of the fish vibrated for a moment, and burst into red lights as well.


    Cheng Xiu backed up. "What is go-"


    The light specks fluttered around her, and hit the walls of the room, turning them red.


    As she watched on, the room became redder, and redder, and turned into the colour of blood.


    The soft melody that had played during her first simulation echoed around the room again, and Cheng Xiu''s eyes started to glow golden in response.


    The shadow of a woman wearing martial clothing, with long hair and two swords on her back appeared on the furthest.


    Cheng Xiu walked towards it in a trance, her mind blank and not registering any of her actions.


    She raised her hand and the Red Carp sword appeared in it, and she slashed it downwards, creating a crack on the wall that the shadow stood at.


    The shadow stepped out of the wall, and the colour of the wall seemed to bleed into the dress of the shadowy figure as she began walking towards Cheng Xiu.


    The cultivator realised that the woman is someone that she had gone familiar with. It was the Faceless Woman from her Soul Weapon Quest.


    [Ding!]


    [player Selafia Veritas took the path of the Great Tao and ran after their fortune. Her efforts are rewarded by the heavens.


    Congratulations, Player Selafia Veritas! You have successfully completed your second Breakthrough Trial!]


    [Ding!]


    [+1 to all stats for levelling up.]


    Cheng Xiu was paying less attention to the AI and more to the person in front of her, who despite not having a face, had the posture of a great ruler.


    Cheng Xiu cleared her throat. "Did I violate any of your rules? Was I not supposed to leave the Castle ruins before the Quest was over? Did I lose my chance at having a Soul Weapon Shard?"


    The faceless woman shook her head. "You need to return now as you are now eligible to take part in the third ring without delays."


    "What would have happened if I hadn''t been able to level up then?"


    "Nothing. You would have had to return to your Realm as you would have failed to match the conditions required to participate in the Rings."


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by those words. She would have lost her chance at the Soul Shard without the Level Up. She was really lucky to have made it out with the level up then.


    "I was really lucky then."


    The woman shook her head. "You would have already gone through a Breakthrough if had stayed in the White Room and not taken the Soul Quest. By taking the test, you have, in fact, subdued your progress in the game for the time being. It finally reached a point where your Cultivation Body was starting to show its wear and tear."


    Cheng Xiu realised what she meant. "So it was my body that was at fault and not the Qi in the Castle Area. I thought the area had lesser Qi than in other places."


    The Red-robed Martial Artist nodded. "That is also a factor. But you would not have felt the effects so early if it was the only reason. You felt it the most because your body felt the instinctive need to not be in trouble. To not get killed. And overuse of your Qi at that crucial moment, when your body was bursting to undergo a Breakthrough would have had permanent consequences. Shall we leave then?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded, her mind occupied by what she learned there. Did this happen to the Blessed in the real world as well? Is that why many lose their Qi access or get defects? Their Qi Realm wants a breakthrough but their body is not ready enough?


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes filled with golden lights, distracting her from the thoughts.


    She blinked away the spots that filled her eyes, and found herself once again in a spot only a step away from the third ring, even though she was sure she had stepped into the ring when she was summoned away.


    She looked at the woman in the Red-robes who stood in front of her, just beyond the third golden ring.


    Her face had a new addition to it: eyebrows.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head, and then stepped into the glowing golden ring.


    The pressure on her was far greater than it had been in both the rings before combined, and Cheng Xiu fell to the floor with a thud under the pressure. Blood oozed out of her mouth and nose, and her eyes became bloodshot.


    Pain wreaked havoc to her senses.


    Cheng Xiu let her Qi flow around her body, concentrating on its rhythm rather than the pain induced into her body.


    If nothing else, happened, Cheng Xiu still had it as a consolidation that her pain tolerance had gone up, hopefully.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth as the pain got worse.


    Her Qi flowed in her body madly as she tried to recuperate.


    Slowly, very slowly, Cheng Xiu''s skin got a translucent glow, and her bones started to strengthen. Her blood began to flow without hesitation and her vision sharpened.


    Cheng Xiu realised that her body was going through a power-up from having gone through a Level up. This might have been what had happened in the first Breakthrough as well because there was no actual reason to change a working format. The only difference between back then and now, was that Cheng Xiu could see the level up happen in real-time, unlike before, where, because she was in the White Room for so long before she was in the Grandmaster''s Arena, her body rejuvenated without her knowledge.


    Cheng Xiu felt her cracked ribs heal, the wounds left on her skin by the Dire Wolves also healed, and her mind seemed to become sharper.


    Cheng Xiu tried to get up, and struggled to her feet, her breathing laboured and her demeanour tired.


    She stood still for a moment, collecting her thoughts and her emotions.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has to kill 30 Trolls, and rescue the female Cultivator with the tiara from their camp so that she can go find her Dao Partner to win in this round.]


    Cheng Xiu wrinkled her nose as a fishy smell entered her nose. She could not believe it, her experience in this Quest seemed to be an attack on her nose.


    Her eyes fell on the creatures that appeared out of a golden portal.


    The Trolls were large creatures that looked not so different from humans, except for the fact that there was a fishy smell to their skin. They carried clubs on their shoulders and looked angry as their eyes fell on Cheng Xiu.


    "Another Human!" one of the trolls growled to the one behind it, "I see these ugly creatures wherever we go now! Even our sacred places are not being spared from them now."


    "And their smell!" a feminine voice said from the side, a horrified look on its face. "They smell so weird!"


    The troll that was leading them laughed. "But I have heard that these Humans can become cultivators too!"


    A troll near the leader gasped. "Can they?"


    A troll to the right drooled. "Does that mean...does that mean...oh!"


    The leading troll nodded with a laugh. "With this one and the one we have caught before, it is sure to be a delightful evening, my people!"


    "Is it a female?" another feminine voice asked curiously. "I have heard that the ones with the bumps on their chest are females!"


    "So the one we caught before was a female?" the one next to the leader asked.


    The feminine troll nodded. "I think so. And looking at it, this one is also a female!"


    The other trolls looked at Cheng Xiu and nodded to each other.


    Cheng Xiu, who was observing the goings until now felt conflicted.


    She was offended that she was being checked out by Trolls of all things, but also curious of how they decided which one was the female and the male. It could not be the voice because the first voice sounded more feminine while the other female voice was deeper.


    She was not moving from her spot though. Each step that she took would be challenging for her so it was better to see how the Trolls moved and attacked at first, and she also needed to find her target that she was supposed to save.


    The leader hummed as it noticed the considering glint in Cheng Xiu''s eyes. "Careful though. This one seems a lot stronger and smarter than the one we captured before."


    "How can such things cultivate and how strong can they get?" a troll asked the leader, "they are no different from those animals!"


    "That is right!" a feminine voiced troll agreed. "They have to distinguish their male from their female through their looks! We are clearly the smarter creatures!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at the logic that the female troll employed. Nonsense. That would be the same logic that those Blessed people used to say that people like Cheng Xiu had no brain and should stick to menial jobs.


    A golden spear with blue crystals encrusted into its head appeared in a flash in front of her.


    The Trolls stepped back as one, suspicious.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "Let''s see who is smarter, shall we?"

 Chapter 104 - Troll Positions

    Troll Positions."Brave words for a puny human!" the one at the far left said with a mocking laugh, its gruff voice grating on her nerves. "What are you going to do with that silly stick of yours? We are well-trained against such weapons, silly human."


    The rest of the Trolls joined him in mocking her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Trolls that laughed at her declaration and counted them out. There were approximately 20 Trolls at present in the ring. If she wanted to meet the Quest goal of 30 kills, she had to kill 10 more. The captive was not here yet, and she was her Quest goal too.


    Cheng Xiu guessed that the 10 she needed would come with the captives if she could kill these 20 here.


    Her eyes went to their weapons and their physique.


    All the Trolls carried clubs with them and had sturdy feet and bodies. The female and male looked the same. There were no visible differences, not that it would matter unless it turned out that the female Trolls could give birth instantaneously to defeat her in numbers.


    For her own sanity, Cheng Xiu prayed that was not the case.


    "Come on then, Little Human Cultivator!" one of the frontline Trolls laughed. "Let us see your might!"


    Cheng Xiu took a step forwards and found herself pushed to the concrete floor on her knees.


    The Qi in her body circulated faster to accumulate the change in pressure.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and then stood up, ignoring the pain that wracked her body and her concentration.


    The Trolls started to laugh.


    "The great and mighty Human," the first female voice mocked her. "Cultivating to reach the greatness of all things. And yet, you don''t even seem to have the capability to stand on your own!"


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth, and let her body adjust to the pressure slowly. There was no time crunch this round, which she was thankful for. Her mind was not as sharp as it normally was.


    Cheng Xiu opened her eyes and looked at the place the mockery came from. "I am known in these parts as Selafia. What about you guys?"


    The Trolls gasped as one.


    "You¡­you have a name!" the female Troll shouted. "How can this be!"


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrows. "Did you not capture another Cultivator? Did she not introduce herself?"


    Cheng Xiu took a small step forwards as she asked so. She needed to adjust to the Ring Pressure as much as possible before these Trolls attacked her.


    Cheng Xiu was a little surprised at the turn of events. In the last two rings, she had somewhat adjusted to the pressures of the ring before she got a Quest, but this time, her body had only just entered the ring, and it was bombarded with enemies and pressure.


    She wondered if it was because it was the last ring. Did this mean, after she finished the third ring, she would get a Soul Shard? Though she wanted to believe that the Other World was very generous, it could not be that generous. She imagined that she would have to fight the red-robed Martial Artist.


    Cheng Xiu took another step to the front.


    "So what is your name?" she asked the leader through a straining voice. Or at least she thought it was the leader. It was the only Troll with a greenish band on its wrist, so she assumed it was.


    The leader Troll looked at her with disdain in her eyes. "Silly human! Why would I tell you such things?"


    "Why were you guys so surprised that I had a name?" Cheng Xiu asked as she took another step forward.


    The leader snorted. "Because naming things require intelligence!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes as she took another step forwards. "Anybody can name things. Even 2-year-old children could."


    The Troll growled. "What audacity!"


    "Let us eat her already!" the female-voiced Troll said.


    The leader nodded. "My dear fellows! Capture that Human! The one that does the deed shall have her one entire leg tonight!"


    Cheng Xiu shivered as her stomach rolled.


    The Trolls cheered in a high voice.


    The two trolls at the front raised their clubs, and ran towards her, screaming.


    Cheng Xiu held up her spear, ready to strike them.


    The Troll at the left swung the club to her skull as it was the first to reach her.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back and bent backwards to avoid getting in harm''s way.


    She saw a wooden club come her way to her sides from her peripheral vision and twisted away.


    The pressure of the Ring was still too high for her, and Cheng Xiu had to put in a great number of effort to get to the other side of the weapon.


    She raised the spear and used it to block the attack to the back of her head.


    She spun the spear around in her hand until the head faced the Troll, and aimed towards its chest.


    The Troll tried to back away, but her spear found its mark, and the blade of the spear thrust into the creature''s chest cavity, and pierced through its heart.


    The Troll spits out yellow blood, and fell to the floor and became a heap of flesh.


    The other Troll aimed the Club at her neck but it ended up hitting her back as she tried to move away from the attack.


    Cheng Xiu stumbled forwards as her legs nearly gave out under the pressure her body felt at having made two steps instead of the one she was making until then.


    Cheng Xiu used the pole of the spear to balance herself and spun on the spot. She hit the Troll that attacked her back right in the neck with the spearhead.


    Yellow blood spilt out of its wound and splattered across her body.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back instinctively in disgust, and nearly fell on her knees again at the sudden pressure that she felt in her body.


    The Leader Troll spit on the ground in disgust. "Pathetic losers! Lost to a human! You three, go!"


    Cheng Xiu turned around to face the incoming attack.


    Three Trolls ran towards her with their clubs raised.


    Cheng Xiu split her legs to balance herself and faced them head-on, the spearhead turned straight at the incoming enemies.


    The troll on the right zigzagged to the left and the one on the left zigzagged to the right as they got to hitting distance at her.


    Cheng Xiu''s attention was, however, on the Troll in the middle. She instinctively knew that this was the one that would give her the most trouble.


    The left one took a swing at her head, the right one at her neck.


    The one in the middle circled her faster than her eyes could follow.


    Cheng Xiu guessed what the Trolls were planning to do, and boldly fell to the ground, and rolled away from the front.


    The pressure was great, but the satisfaction at seeing the three clubs collide, and send the Trolls back because of the impact of their attacks was even greater.


    Cheng Xiu had been right to have guessed that the one in the middle would try to use the distraction of the side Trolls changing their positions to attack her.


    When the Mid Troll had disappeared from her sight, Cheng Xiu had guessed that it would either attack from above or from behind her, as those would be her blind spots.


    They couldn''t attack her from the under, because the space required to accommodate a third person was less in that angle, and these Trolls did not look like the flexible kind.


    The Trolls from the sides changed position again as Cheng Xiu got up to her feet.


    The Mid Troll tried to kick her in the guts.


    Cheng Xiu used the pole of the spear to stop the attack and spun the spear in her hand. She raised it to jab the spearhead into the extended leg.


    The Troll was able to see her action but was not able to prevent it.


    The troll on the left swung its club hard towards her head in an attempt to kill her before she could harm their brethren.


    Cheng Xiu twisted away, closer to the Troll audience that she had going for herself.


    The Mid Troll swung it to her head, while it gave the troll to the right a signal.


    Cheng Xiu ducked.


    The two Trolls at the sides tried to attack her head together.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes, and concentrated on the Qi around her, sensing the clubs coming her way before it could happen.


    Cheng Xiu staggered to the side and used the spearhead to slice the throat of the right Troll that was the closest to her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged once, twice, and a third time as the troll at the left aimed at her head. There were tears in its eyes.


    It made Cheng Xiu realise that the right Troll must have died.


    She felt sad for the lost life for a brief moment, but in the end, she knew that to complete the Quest she had to kill 27 more. In the end, this was a VR game, and she had to remember that. Or else she might never be able to finish what she started.


    The Troll jumped at her with its club held high above its head with both hands and aimed straight at her head.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes flashed.

 Chapter 105 - The Connected Rings

    Cheng Xiu''s eyes looked to the ground as she stabbed the jumping Troll in the heart.


    The weight of the Troll''s body was far greater than she had anticipated but Cheng Xiu used her momentum to throw the dead Troll impaled on her spearhead towards the Mid Troll that stumbled as it was bogged down by the sudden weight of its teammate.


    "How?" a raspy voice asked her.


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyes as she met with wide yellow irises.


    She smiled. "I will tell you after I have defeated everyone one of you if you are alive by then. What if I have to use it in a future fight with your Brethren?"


    The leader Troll growled in frustration. He could not believe that a human had killed 5 of his people already. Since when were humans so powerful?


    "Leader?" a feminine Troll called.


    The leader took a deep breath and signaled of the next round of Trolls to face of against the Human Cultivator.


    Cheng Xiu looked at her approaching opponents with a calculating pair of eyes.


    The leader Troll shivered at the cold, analytical pheonix eyes directed at them. He just could not believe that this Cultivator was purely human. Humans were not so intelligent.


    This time, there were Seven Trolls that came in to attack her.


    Cheng Xui cataloged their features. Like before, the Trolls looked like normal human men, with dark skin. The smell from their body was stronger though, and the Club that they carried was made of metal.


    Cheng Xiu stepped forwards, ignoring the pressure that her body felt.


    Cheng Xiu had to think that her body was getting used the Qi Pressure in the current area much easier but she was sure that accomplishment would soon disappear after she got near the main Troll group, which she was sure she would have to do, so that she could save her Quest goal-the Troll captive.


    The two Troll at far right ran towards her, their metal clubs raised above their head.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to let out a sigh as she realised that thi sperticular group had a fighting pattern too. She would be able to handle them somewhat easily if that was the case.


    Cheng Xiu was always good at getting out of Patterned Attacks in every games that she played. It had less to do with her guinius status and more to do with her father''s insistance for her to play and learn patterns though.


    And Cheng Xiu always felt thankful at such moments when her skill at figuring out patterns helped her achieve success online.


    Cheng Xiu ducked from the first attack, used the pole of the spear to trip the Troll and did an upward thrust to the heart of the Troll that had tried to use the first Troll as a defense to attack her.


    The hidden Troll barely backed away in time to prevent its death by impaling.


    The first troll swung backwards as he fell down.


    Cheng Xiu used the swung club as a stepping, and jumped high into the air.


    The Trolls looked up as the human Cultivator flew into the air, and seemed to almost be suspended in space for a moment before she fell down.


    Cheng Xiu used the spear to aim at the Hidden Troll''s heart.


    The Troll tried to use its club like a mullet to swat Cheng Xiu away.


    Cheng Xiu twisted her body in mid air at the last moment, and stepped on the raised club instead of being slapped away by it like a fly, and used the momentum to strike the first Troll in the heart as it too turned and started to raise its club to hit her.


    The Troll wrinkled and then fell to the ground as a stone statue.


    Cheng Xiu let herself land on the ground away from the Hidden Troll.


    The watchers gaped at Cheng Xiu.


    All that happened in seconds. She jumped up, and all of a sudden they were one short of a comrade.


    Cheng Xiu smiled, her heart beating in excitement. That had been fun.


    The two Trolls at the far right of the line dashed towards her, to join the hidden Troll.


    Cheng Xiu looked at them with indifferent eyes, her mind only seeing obstacles that she had to get rid of.


    The hidden Troll was the first to attack, a taller Troll ran behind it with the Club raised.


    Cheng Xiu dodged and dodged again, going backwards.


    Even though going forwards would allow Cheng Xiu''s Qi and body to become more powerful, at the moment, to deal with the greater number of her enemies, she had to make sure that she had the advantage and the only way that she could ensure that was to fight her enemies in the area that she could show her full potential or the area where her movements were as restricted as it would be if she moved forwards.


    The hidden troll took aim to her chest, trying to cave it in with its metal club.


    Cheng Xiu dodged it by moving to the side.


    A Troll made a move to expose its sides.


    Cheng Xiu did not take the bait, as she saw the taller raise its club in anticipation, and tried to stab the hidden Troll in the chest.


    The Troll dodged, but he was not fast enough and a part of its sides got slashed by the spearhead.


    The Troll that stood in the middle of the two trolls who watched the three Trolls attacking her pulled out a talisman and started to mutter.


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes when she saw that the wound she had caused the Hidden Troll had disappeared.


    A Healer Troll. That was new. She had not been aware that there were Trolls wish magical powers. Then again that thought was stupid. In a Cultivating world how could there be any race that could survive with using magic? It might be a rare thing, but they would surely have it.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Healer Troll with a glint in her eyes. For a brief moment she considered taking out the Healer first because as a rule of gaming, the healer was a strong supporter. And seeing the Metal Club the Healer held in its hand, it was more of a paladin.


    Cheng Xiu changed her mind though.


    The healer was so crucial to a team that all the remaining Trolls would come at her at once if she dared to attack the healer.


    She would just thin their numbers down before she attacked the healer. But the healer would have to go. She could not let such a powerful team member to exist within her enemy''s camp.


    Cheng Xiu stepped on the golden line that marked the separation between the second ring and the third ring and stopped as her body felt a jolt.


    She instinctively knew that she could not go into the second ring. If she did, she would have to face the Dire Wolves again.


    Sure enough, there was an annoucement confirming her thoughts.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has already completed the Second Ring! If player returns to any of the previous rings, you will have to face your current opponent along with your opponent from your previous ring.]


    Cheng Xiu shivered. Dire Wolves and Trolls? No thank you!


    Cheng Xiu dodged to the sides as the Hidden Troll jumped towards her with its club raised.


    The Hidden Troll stumbled into the second ring.


    Cheng Xiu watched in shock as Dire Wolves appeared out of golden portals, and dragged away the kicking and screaming Troll with its sharp teeth.


    She had not realised that she could use the ring''s atmosphere in that manner.


    She felt like a fool for not trying it out before to see if it would work.


    This was why Cheng Xiu felt that the logical route of career was the best for her. She did not know how to use her imagination well enough.


    The taller Troll got out of the trance of seeing its teammate being dragged away by weird looking beats and tried to push Cheng Xiu into the second ring, to see if she would also be dragged away like his comrade was.


    Cheng Xiu dodged to the side, and jumped back in the direction of the other trolls instead. "I don''t think so, big guy. I am far too important to become Dire Wolf Chew toy. Sorry. But really am not sorry."


    The taller Troll glared at her in frustration.


    This human was far to good at moving away from their attacks and words created anger in them in ways that no other race of Cultivators did.


    The Troll next to him hit the taller troll in the head with his club lightly.


    The taller Troll stumbled and then looked at his companion in anger. "What!"


    "This human is our food, idiot," the shorter Troll scolded. "Did you forget?"


    "Sorry."


    "Let us eat the human as revenge for our brethren."


    The taller Troll nodded, and looked at Cheng Xiu drooling. The other Trolls followed its gaze towards the human cultivator. "Lets eat the human quickly then."


    Cheng Xiu raised her spearhead at the hungry look that she got from the group.


    "I''d like to see how you will be able to do it," she mocked.


    The two Trolls ran at her.

 Chapter 106 - Eight Kills In

    Cheng Xiu dodged the club aimed to smash her head in and evaded the club to her shoulder.


    She backed away further, nearing the Troll leader and his entourage.


    She dodged the taller Troll once more, her eyes on the ground.


    She sidestepped the shorter Troll that came from behind the taller troll to hit her over the head.


    Cheng Xiu raised her spear and thrust it towards the taller Troll''s abdomen.


    The Troll twisted away from her attack.


    Cheng Xiu observed as the shorter Troll became visible to her.


    She used the pole of her spear to stop the taller Troll''s club from hitting her. It barely missed and hit her in the shoulder.


    Cheng Xiu cringed at the harsh pain that invaded her senses without any warnings.


    She ducked away from the thrust of the club from the side of the taller Troll''s shoulder, from the shorter Troll hiding behind it.


    Cheng Xiu thrust her spearhead towards the taller Troll again, this time aiming for the shoulder blade.


    The taller Troll dodged once more, but the edge of the spearhead grazed past its shoulder leaving behind a deep gash.


    The taller Troll stretched out its Club to hit Cheng Xiu in the stomach, wanting her to back away from him.


    But instead of doing that, Cheng Xiu dashed forwards, her thin frame curled, as she put the spear parallel to the ground.


    The taller Troll felt that he was watching everything in slow motion as the spear went past his neck, where he expected it to go, and raised his club again forward, and he heard a crunching noise of bones breaking.


    The Taller Troll turned to see the spearhead pull out its victim''s skull.


    The troll fell into a shocked silence as he realised the human cultivator was never aiming for him, and that the thing''s attention was always on his partner.


    The shorter Troll fell to the ground as a heap of skin.


    His eyes became red in distress and it turned towards the human cultivator with a maddening scream and dashed towards her.


    Cheng Xiu''s body was still extended from attacking the shorter Troll, and her side was exposed.


    She cringed as the taller Troll''s club hit her sides.


    There was a crunching noise, and she flew off to the distance, tumbled to the floor, and rolled away because of the force.


    She slid across the field and stopped near the line of the second ring. Her spear fell from her grip.


    She panted as she suppressed the pain in her body.


    She was just happy that she did not cross over to the second ring, which would have prevented her from easily returning to fight with the Trolls, and she would have had to fight the Wolves again, this time in an even worse physical condition than she was in at the start of the match against the Dire Wolves Quest.


    Cheng Xiu smiled though. She had killed eight Trolls so far.


    The taller Troll ran towards her, its club raised above its head in a full arch.


    Cheng Xiu rolled to the right, and the club crashed into the floor, creating spiderweb-like cracks on its surface.


    Cheng Xiu used the momentum to grab the spear and jumped to her feet.


    She almost regretted it as her body trembled from the pain at her sides.


    Cheng Xiu was sure that she had broken a few bones and that there might be internal bleeding.


    Her body nearly fell to the floor from the shock of the pain she experienced.


    Cheng Xiu tried to ignore the pain that she felt as she saw a shadow from the corner of her eyes preparing for the new Troll to attack her, even though the Taller Troll came at her at full speed, its club raised.


    Cheng Xiu used the spear in her hand to try to stab at the new Troll in the eyes from the side, her eyes still locked straight ahead, locked onto the figure of the Taller Troll.


    The new Troll dodged her attack and tried to smash her head at the ear.


    Cheng Xiu sidestepped and kicked the Troll away.


    She was grateful for her Cultivator Body as she felt the Qi in her veins heal her internal injuries. It was a privilege she would not receive in the real world.


    The Taller Troll was a few steps away from Cheng Xiu at that point.


    Cheng Xiu ignored the new Troll that was struggling to its feet from the ground and dashed forwards to the taller Troll.


    The taller Troll frowned, ready to catch the little human Cultivator''s weapon if it got closer to him.


    Cheng Xiu changed the trajectory of her weapon at the last moment and swiped at the knees of the taller troll.


    The tall being fell towards the ground, not expecting the human''s treacherous attack.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed the Troll by the elbow, preventing it from falling to the ground completely.


    The taller troll looked towards her in shock, wondering if the human cultivator had a brief lapse of judgement to have tried to save her.


    Cheng Xiu hauled the taller troll to its feet, and before it could get its bearings, she hauled it over her shoulders towards the back of her.


    The taller troll felt confused as it flew across the air.


    And then it saw the golden ring, and the Troll felt its heart sink as it realised what the human had planned for it.


    The taller Troll tumbled into the second ring.


    Golden portals opened around the Troll, and the blue-coated beasts from before stepped out of it and mauled its body.


    The Troll''s pain-bearing cries sent shivers down everyone''s spine.


    The other trolls looked at the panting form of Cheng Xiu as they would look at a monster.


    Was this a human? Was this how powerful the humans really were?


    The leader gritted his teeth. He realised the direness of the situation as the troll that was kicked away by the human cultivator rushed forwards to kill her. He had not taken the human as a threat. No matter how many humans that he had met in the past, he had always been able to kill them with only the first group of Trolls. Even the human cultivators that he had met weren''t as powerful as this human seemed to be.


    It wasn''t that the human could not get hurt or that it was far more powerful, but the fact that the human seemed to recover far too easily.


    The leader knew that the thing had to have a strong mind to reach the Red Castle but to have this amount of tenacity did not bode well for his troop.


    He thought about what he should do about such a situation.


    He signalled the healer Troll and the one next to it using the scent in its body.


    The healer troll looked at the leader with a grim face. It nodded in response.


    The healer troll knew how dangerous the human was from the fight that it had seen so far, and the fact that she was still standing even after a club to the side meant that the human had a way to absorb the Qi in the wild consciously to heal itself.


    And that was something only those with a strong sense of their Qi Flow should have been able to do.


    The healer Troll, unlike the leader and the rest, stopped seeing the woman in the white tattered martial robes as a human. She was clearly not just a human.


    The healer Troll understood that the human was one destined to reach great heights, with a potential that the heavens would be envious about. The Troll saw that the human was far more powerful and if let to grow, would become more powerful, and a threat to the entire Troll race.


    The healer Troll stepped forwards, and the Troll at its sidestepped in front of it.


    A long blade appeared in its hand.


    Cheng Xiu''s attention was immediately caught.


    The troll in front of the healer held a blade instead of a club like its brethren.


    Her eyes went to the Troll that she had kicked away before. If the one on the left of the healer was a sword wielder that meant that the one on the right was-


    The kicked-away-Troll raised its hand and the club in its hand turned into a shield.


    The shield returned to the right of the Healer, its eyes vigilant.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "The sword and the shield to protect the Healer. A Three against one¡­don''t you think that for a proud race of Trolls, group attack is a bit¡­not so proud?"


    The healer Troll smiled. "There are many mysteries in the Primordial Space that you do not know about, Human Cultivator. The castle ruins are just a glimpse of the Space."


    Cheng Xiu nodded, taking note of the fact that the Healer called the castle grounds the Primordial Space. She had a vague idea of what that meant.


    The Sword Troll ran forwards as the shield held back to cover the healer.


    Cheng Xiu raised her spear parallel to her body and waited for the Troll to reach her.

 Chapter 107 - Dead Comrade

    The long sword thrust towards her neck at a high speed.


    Cheng Xiu blocked it with her spear and deflected it back to the Troll.


    The troll quickly recovered and tried to hit her in the neck again.


    Cheng Xiu kicked him in the guts, sending him away, the troll''s longsword grazing past her arm, leaving behind a deep gash.


    The troll skid across the floor and jumped to its feet again.


    It swiped its sword at Cheng Xiu and tried to chop her head off.


    Cheng Xiu ducked and thrust the spearhead of her long sword towards the creature''s neck.


    The Troll dodged to the side. It observed the human in front of it with a calculating look. It had known that the human Cultivator was quite strong but it had not thought that she was so strong that she would be able to stop its powerful sword cuts.


    It fascinated the creature that the human seemed to have an innate sense of power, and the ability to use its own body to make the Troll weaker. That took physic which was supposed to be the exclusive strength of the more stronger races.


    In the Other World, the number of pure Human Cultivators were rare. In fact, before the Great Wave, the human population were only strong in numbers. They had a few priests here and there but overall, the number of Human Cultivators could be counted in the tens.


    Even though the rest of the races saw the increase in the number of Human Cultivators, none of them, other than the demon races actually saw it as a threat. How could they, when the Humans had just started to cultivate, whereas most of the other Races were far ahead of them in terms of receiving cultivation treasures, and items?


    But now, the longsword Troll realised that the human race was a threat¡­or would be if they were allowed to reach their potential.


    A few bouts with a single human cultivator made the Troll think in this manner.


    But that was why the Troll race had always survived in the wars between the different cultivators. They, unlike the other races, could recognise threats before they become threats.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards the sword wielding Troll and used her spear to balance herself and launched herself across the area, aiming to kick the midriff of the Troll.


    The Troll gave her a mocking smile, and raised its sword against her, swiping its sword towards the ankle of the human cultivator.


    Cheng Xiu pulled her leg back at the last minute and used the momentum to kick at the sword blade of the Troll.


    The Sword swivelled.


    Cheng Xiu landed on her feet, pulled out the pole of the spear from the ground, and thrust the spearhead towards the heart of the creature in a sharp and fast motion.


    The Troll moved at the last moment, but the spearhead lodged itself into the shoulder blade of the sword wielding Troll.


    The troll realised that the human cultivator''s skin glowed with a silver light.


    Qi Trance.


    A skill that was accessible to those who have more power.


    The fact that the human was able to use the skill so freely meant that she had a strong inner Qi flow.


    The troll observed the human''s eyes and found them to be regular deep black eyes.


    It was not a complete trance that she was in then. She was perhaps only using a meditative technique.


    The troll rushed towards her and tried to behead her again.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    The Troll aimed for her stomach while parrying the sword that was thrust towards its head.


    Cheng Xiu deflected the attack and smirked.


    The troll froze as it realised as they kept on fighting, they had gotten closer and closer towards the healer.


    Cheng Xiu dashed forwards, sidestepping the longsword that tried to cut her in half to stop her from approaching the core part of their formation.


    The troll with the large shield in front of it covered the healer completely from the eyes of the human cultivator.


    Cheng Xiu stepped to the side and tried to kill the healer again from the small opening that the shield Troll had left.


    The shield blocked her vision from the healer again, and the shield moved forwards, to push her towards the golden line of the second ring.


    Cheng Xiu knew it might have been stupid of her to do something that she had been sure she would not do. She tried to kill the healer before she had tried to kill the other Trolls.


    But her logic was simple.


    The Sword and the Shield were being used primarily to protect the healer from harm so that it could provide its assistance during the entire match.


    And that was the problem.


    Though there were only two Trolls now against her, they were far stronger than that of the other trolls that she fought so far. And they had the support of the healer to make any small damages that she made on the sword Troll or the shield Troll nothing but illusions with its healing ability.


    If she wanted a definite victory, she needed to get rid of the healer Troll first in this round.


    But what if she could not kill the healer troll, a small part of her asked. Cheng Xiu had a backup plan. But that would involve hoping that the sword Troll and the shield Troll would risk their own safety to protect the healer.


    Cheng Xiu jumped high in the air, using the shield as a stepping stone.


    Guessing what the humans as planning to do, the shield troll stretched its hand in an arc, trying to shake Cheng Xiu off its weapon.


    Cheng Xiu flipped in the air and used the momentum to turn the spearhead towards the healer.


    The sword Troll had come to their position at that point.


    Cheng Xiu suppressed the smirk that wanted to grow on her face, as she twisted her body in the air.


    The sword Troll swished its weapon towards her thighs.


    The shield Troll protected the healer.


    The healer Troll''s eyes widened as it realised what the human was actually trying to do.


    Cheng Xiu threw the spear in her hand.


    It pierced the skin, and the skull of the Troll and passed through it, and pierced into the floor.


    The longsword fell to the ground as the sword Troll''s hand slacked.


    The shield fell, and the shield Troll looked on in shock for a moment at the floating Cultivator, before it turned into mere skin.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. The shielder is likely to always forget to shield themselves. And her gamble on that old saying allowed her to relax.


    The troll with the longsword glared at the human cultivator as she landed on the floor gracefully.


    It picked up its sword from the ground and thrust towards her heart as tears fell from its eyes.


    Cheng Xiu felt a bit of guilt at that moment, but she then reminded herself that this was a game, a VR but still a game. She could not let her mind get distracted.


    Cheng Xiu started to dodge the continuous stabs towards her person from the longsword as she moved towards the spear that was lodged into the ground.


    The healer troll slowly walked towards its fallen comrade and shed a single tear.


    The shield had fulfilled its duty of protecting it.


    "She was a good shield," the healer whispered. The Troll then stood up and saw the fight between the human cultivator and the longsword Troll becoming faster and faster, as the human dodged every attack with mere scratches across its skin.


    The healer frowned and looked at the ground, where the spear was stuck into the ground. There were a few droplets of yellow blood that was characteristics of a troll.


    The healer''s hand curled into a fist in anger, and its dark black eyes got a hint of red as it realised how many of its comrades that weapon took.


    The healer looked towards the human cultivator and realised that she was manoeuvring their fight so that she could get closer to the spear. After all, regardless of how strong a warrior as if they did not have their weapons they would become monkeys that could only dodge, and run away from their attacks.


    The healer smiled. It was time the human cultivator started to act like those of her race should. Run in fear of their life, when they see a Troll with a weapon.


    The healer walked towards the spear purposefully as Cheng Xiu got closer to her weapon, and just before she could get hold of it, the healer Troll pulled it out of the ground.


    Cheng Xiu sidestepped the longsword that nearly took away her head, but she was not able to get near the healer fast enough.


    The healer Troll took a potion bottle from its pocket and dropped two drops of a purple liquid onto the spear.


    The purple liquid stained the pole of the spear in purple, and the colour spread.


    Cheng Xiu watched in horror as her spear rotted away before her eyes.


    When the purple colour reached the blade, the blade caught fire.


    The healer looked at Cheng Xiu with cold eyes.. "Let us see how well you do without your weapon that was stained with the lives of my brethren."

 Chapter 108 - Dominant Weapon

    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips at the healer Troll''s words. She had known that it would not be easy to fight these Trolls already, and now she had lost her weapon.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the lady in the red Robes. "Any chance that I could get a second spear?"


    The red-robed faceless woman kept mum.


    Cheng Xiu sighed as she realised what that meant. "I guess I was hoping for too much."


    Cheng Xiu ducked away from the long sword to her face while she was distracted, and sidestepped from the metal club to the shoulder from the weapon of the healer Troll.


    She frowned, unsure of what she should do. She knew that her powers were inactive at the moment, and the only weapon that she had for this fight was broken by the healer, she was powerless.


    Almost like the red-robed woman had heard her thoughts, the woman turned away from Cheng Xiu, facing the wall.


    What are you trying to say? Cheng Xiu wondered. Did the red-robed woman mean that Cheng Xiu was disappointing her?


    Cheng Xiu ducked, dodged and evaded the combo attacks of both the healer and the longsword Troll.


    She was trying her best, was she not? She had no actual advantage at that point.


    While she had fought with the Immortal expert called Lotus, she had a rusty old sword with her to deal the blows, but now, she was left with no weapons or skills. Cheng Xiu thought that she was doing relatively good, considering the circumstances, no matter what the red-robed woman thought.


    Cheng Xiu dodged again. She felt the Qi in her increase its flow as she circled, and stepped towards the larger group of the Trolls near the end of the Third golden ring.


    The healer troll glared at her, its red eyes gaining a saturation in colour as it looked at her.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to put her hand in the air, and shout towards the heavens at that moment. In games, when your enemy gained a different eye or became red, it meant that they had received some kind of special skill, or had activated a special ability of theirs.


    Cheng Xiu did not like the fact that the healer had another boost in power. The creature already had healing ability and a metal club, was it necessary to add special skills to the mix?


    The metal club in the healer''s hand glowed red and the bulging area of the club detached itself and hung from the pole area by a strong iron chain. It became a mace.


    Cheng Xiu cursed. A mace! It fricking turned into a mace! She could not believe that the weapon the healer had held was so versatile.


    She was unsure of how to proceed so that she could actually win this round, and then fight with the rest of the trolls. The quest goal was to kill 30 Trolls, and she was struggling to make the number reach a hundred.


    She could not believe that she had thought she would be able to win against the trolls just because she was able to recognise the pattern. Just because she was able to calculate the safety that she could get by having a parachute did not mean that she would be able to stop herself from becoming paste in the ground when she fell without a parachute.


    Damn it. She was in deep trouble.


    The healer spun the bulging part of its weapon by spinning the iron chain it was hung from.


    The troll released the weapon at high speed.


    Cheng Xiu dived away to the side and rolled to her feet.


    The metal ball hit the ground with great impact, and left a meter deep indentation on the floor, sending debris everywhere.


    The Troll with the longsword dashed at her and jabbed at her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged towards the right, and left, and spun away from a frontal attack, and ducked away from one on her neck.


    She heard the clanking of chains as the healer troll spun the weapon in its hand again.


    Cheng Xiu saw the longsword coming from the left, and heard the metal ball on the chain coming at a high speed and made a risky decision.


    She took a step to the far left.


    Her body passed the tip of the sword at a fast speed, but the speed was not fast enough, and the sword cut into her forearm.


    The spinning ball fell to the ground, creating indentation again.


    She looked at the deep hole on the floor as she removed herself from the sword, and ran towards the left even more.


    She made the right decision she decided as a purple liquid was released from the metal ball into the ground, turning it black.


    A healer could be the best assassin because they knew the poisons very well, and how those poisons would work on each individual.


    As Cheng Xiu dodged and evaded the attacks of the Trolls she started to think of ways that she could save herself from this situation. She needed to find a way to win soon¡­


    Cheng Xiu catalogued the enemies before her with keen eyes, trying to get a sense of how her next course of action was to be.


    As she observed and made use of the space of the ring available to her completely by jumping and running around, a plan started to form in her mind.


    Cheng Xiu took and deep breath, and dashed forwards, her eyes on the longsword.


    The longsword Troll tried to chop her head off.


    Cheng Xiu ducked away from the attack and leapt forwards.


    She grabbed hold of the wrist of the longsword Troll.


    The troll''s eyes widened as it saw that the human cultivator had broken into its guard formation.


    It glared at her and tried to grab her by the throat using the freehand.


    Cheng Xiu bent her neck, and reached the back of the Troll, trying to break the hand of the Troll to make it release the weapon.


    She heard the metal chain spin behind her.


    Cheng Xiu tried to snatch the sword out of the Troll''s hand, not caring about the incoming attack on her back.


    As the metal ball was released from its chains once more, Cheng Xiu smirked.


    She grabbed ahold of the collar of the longsword Troll and hauled him to the front of her body.


    She grabbed its armed hand and used the longsword in its hand to deflect the metal ball of the Healer Troll.


    The metal ball bounced away and the hands that held the longsword revibrated.


    Just as she had thought. The longsword of the troll had the ability to deflect the Healer''s mace.


    She had guessed this because of the confidence with which the healer troll had attacked Cheng Xiu even though there was a chance that the healer''s attacks could hurt the other Troll instead of the human cultivator. And the healer would not want to hurt its comrade. The reason was that the Trolls seemed to attach importance to their comrades.


    The healer troll looked at the human in front of it in anger and frustration as it realised that the human had once again gained in the fight while it was trying its best to not let the human get any advantage again.


    The longsword Troll tried to break away from the human cultivator''s grip. It turned the sword towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu used that momentum to turn the blade towards the wielder itself.


    The two struggled as they tried to use the longsword to impale the other.


    The healer watched the two in conflict, unable to understand how to get one over the human cultivator without hurting its comrade.


    It spun the metal ball again.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes, and concentrated on the Qi flow of herself, and tried to direct it towards her arms and legs to support her strength.


    The longsword swerved from their grips as a silver sheen coated the human skin.


    The trolls realised what was happening.


    The human cultivator was once again going into a Half-Trance.


    The longsword moved forwards and buried itself in the white-robed shoulder.


    Cheng Xiu cringed, and her concentration broke.


    She looked down to find that the longsword was lodged into her shoulder.


    She looked to find the Troll was far away from her, tied into a cocoon of ropes near the Troll leader.


    "I am your opponent now," the healer said, as she pocketed a talisman.


    Cheng Xiu realised what had happened. "You helped your comrade."


    "Shouldn''t I have?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Up to you."


    She pulled the longsword out of her shoulder and grunted in pain. "Thank you for the weapon by the way."


    The healer glared at the human hatefully.


    Cheng Xiu gave the healer Troll a cheeky smile, revealing a single dimple on her left cheek. "In fact, I am a sword user best myself. My understanding of spears is almost completely based on my fight with a spear user."


    The healer''s eyes widened. "You were not even using your dominant weapon."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. She raised the sword in her hand to show it to the healer Troll. "Now I feel more comfortable."


    The healer gritted its teeth.

 Chapter 109 - Jin Er

    The healer troll jumped towards her, releasing the chain once more.


    Cheng Xiu raised the long sword and dashed towards the healer.


    The healer swung the weapon, preventing Cheng Xiu from making much progress as a large indentation appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu stepped to the side and dashed forwards again.


    The healer troll jumped back and aimed towards Cheng Xiu''s heart, as she threw the iron ball towards her person.


    Cheng Xiu used the longsword''s blade to deflect the weapon.


    The healer glared at the woman in front of it.


    The longsword and the shield would always be able to block the mace that it held. This was because it was the one that ordered for their weapons to be commissioned like that. Even though in other Troll Squads, the healer has the sturdiest weapon of the group, it had wanted its Sword and Shield to be able to have the same sturdiness of its weapon.


    The logic had been simple. If the sword and the shield are as sturdy as its weapon, then the chances of the Healer having to use the weapon would be reduced.


    There was also the fact that it had cared about its comrade more than most Healer Trolls.


    And now its kindness and caring was the reason why the human was able to withstand its attacks, and it was not able to avenge its brethren.


    Cheng Xiu dashed forwards again, keeping the sword parallel to the floor.


    The Troll stepped back and swung its weapon again.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    She smirked.


    The healer troll looked at her expression that said she had figured something out with trepidation. That expression did not bode well for the troll that it was aimed at.


    And that was indeed that case, as the human cultivator dashed towards the healer Troll at full speed.


    The troll tried to step back and throw its weapon once more but the human was faster, and the healer troll was unable to block the upward thrust of the longsword.


    The healer grunted in pain as the longsword pierced through its collarbones.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and pulled the sword out. The healer actually bent its knees a lot just so that the weapon would attack the collarbones instead of the heart, where the blade was actually aimed at.


    The healer troll grunted in pain but otherwise did not indicate that the yellow blood that flowed out of its wound had anything to do with the creature.


    "So figured it out," the healer said.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "I have figured out many things. You will have to be a bit more specific than that."


    The troll nodded. "My backward jumps."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened in enlightenment, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. You can''t use that weapon of yours to its full potential without there being a great distance between you and your enemy."


    The healer nodded.


    Cheng Xiu dashed towards the healer again, trying to use her superior speed to its full advantage.


    The healer troll stopped using the mace and engaged Cheng Xiu with her weapon''s metal club form.


    Their attacks started to turn vicious after that, with lacerations and broken bones.


    Cheng Xiu''s skin started to be littered with small cuts from the flying debris.


    But the one that was getting constantly hurt was the healer as the wounds on its body grew in number. Though it was a healer, it was not able to heal itself because that was how Troll magic worked.


    The troll always carried around healing talismans because of that but the constant engagement of the blade and the club prevented it from healing itself.


    The leader troll realised that its group healer was in real trouble and looked towards the left of his shoulder, and eyed the troll with the green tunic that stood gawking at the fight.


    The troll walked over to the leader.


    "Contact the named ones," the leader said with a grim look on his face.


    The troll looked at the leader with shocked eyes.


    "But sire, they are-"


    "Our comrades are dying," the leader said with a grim face. "If it is the only way to save our people we should sacrifice some things."


    The troll bent to the floor and took a single broken tile from the debris that flew off around them because of the repeated attacks of the Healer and the human cultivator. It then took a small cotton piece with writings on it from its pocket and tied it around the tile shard.


    The troll murmured something, and the writings on the clothing disappeared into the tile. The tile glowed red.


    The Troll threw the tile into the air.


    Every troll in the audience watched the tile flip over and fall onto the golden ring.


    A golden portal opened up in its place.


    A single man looked out of the portal towards the leader Troll. "You called, sire?"


    The leader nodded. "Yes, young one. Contact the named ones to come into the castle ruins."


    The young Troll''s eyes widened. "Come to the castle? What about the human cultivator that we-"


    "This is an emergency. Bring the human cultivator while you are at it. We might be able to get out of this situation if we use this opportunity right."


    Though the young Troll was confused about the leader''s words, he gave the leader Troll a respectful bow and left.


    A few minutes of silence later, a line of trolls came in.


    Cheng Xiu and the healer Troll stopped their fight to look towards the new arrivals.


    These trolls looked quite different from the ones so far. They all wore a yellowish-white tunic and held maces and mullets as their weapons.


    Cheng Xiu wondered why these ones looked different.


    The healer troll looked towards the newcomers with a complicated look on her face. She could not believe that the fight with a single human cultivator put their entire team at such a risk that the leader had to contact the named ones.


    The named ones were specialists of their Troll Colony and were only pulled into combats when things were too volatile and the leader realised the only way to win against an opponent is to bring them in.


    As they were called, the speciality of these Trolls was the fact that they were all named by the Queen of the Colony. It gave them the ability to heal on their own, and talk with those who were also named using telekinesis.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened as she realised that the trolls at the end brought in a person in shackles.


    It was a woman that could be described as cute, with slightly chubby cheeks and a round body. Her hair was light brown and tied into twin buns on the sides of her head. There was a single leaf design between her brows in a light green colour. The woman wore a pale pink martial dress that was intrinsically designed. It made Cheng Xiu realise that the girl must be from a wealthy family or she was a really powerful cultivator.


    The woman looked up and observed the surroundings with a despondent look until they found Cheng Xiu. The woman stilled for a moment and observed her from head to toe.


    It was the slight push from the Trolls that held her in the shackles that made the woman stop just staring at the white-robed woman.


    "What is a human doing in the Primordial Space!" the woman asked with a shocked exclamation.


    Cheng Xiu raised her brows. So this was the woman that she was supposed to save?


    "You!" the pink-robed woman exclaimed. "What are you doing in here!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. This woman was a bit rude to a cultivator.


    "Did my father send you!" the woman kept talking. "Let me tell you, little girl, I, Jin Er, came willingly with Liso, and will not return to get married off to that pompous man that he selected for me!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. So this was a bear child. A bear Child was someone who was disobedient to their parents, and Cheng Xiu always admired people who could just straight up defy their own parents.


    Cheng Xiu always caved when her own parents¡­her father demanded something from her. She was just lucky that he never really asked anything bad of her, and just wanted her to follow her heart. And it would seem that this woman, Jin Er, did not have that kind of freedom.


    "I am Selafia, and I don''t know what you are talking about," Cheng Xiu said to the woman. The reason she made that statement so obvious was to know more about the situation.


    Cheng Xiu had realised that there was something more going on in this round of the Golden Ring battle than the others.


    While the first ring had a baby Zombie, it was still mobs of NPCs in the end. The second one had a vengeful dead Dire wolf that tried to use battle strategies to fight against her, but it was still a mob.


    The third ring, though it seemed like a mob at first, seemed more of something important to the game overall, and not just something that keeps appearing with every new player. Unless that was the case.. If it was, then she was really impressed.

 Chapter 110 - Poisoned Needles

    Jin Er, the Quest target frowned at the girl in front of her.


    The Woman had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail, with a wooden brocade adorning it. The ornament indicated that the woman was someone with a poor background, the ones that are likely to take up a mission that would pull them into the Primordial Space where the other creatures resided for Jin Er''s miserly father''s few scrapes of coins.


    No rich person would take on such a dangerous task for so little a reward.


    Jin Er''s eyes fell on the woman''s pale face. Jin Er felt that if there was any woman that had the chance to be a Goddess of Beauty, this woman''s face would land her that title. It made Jin Er want to destroy the person herself, even though a sense of awe still permitted through to her.


    The woman was beautiful. The kind of creatures that she had hated to associate with the most.


    Her eyes went to the Troll with the armband, the leader of the group of Trolls.


    "Liso, don''t look at her anymore! I am more beautiful than this girl!" Jin Er shouted towards the Leader Troll.


    Cheng Xiu choked. "Wait¡­what? Are you not waiting for your lover to save you or something?"


    Jin Er glared at the white-robed woman. "What? Do you also want to try to take me away from my love?"


    Cheng Xiu felt like she had fallen into a rabbit hole that she was not able to escape from. Her eyes went to the leader Troll who was glaring at the pink-robed human captive.


    "Pathetic woman! Who are you calling Liso? Do I look like a blonde idiot to you?"


    The chubby woman burst into tears, and she glared at Cheng Xiu. "My Liso is scolding me! You seductress! How dare you try to take my love away from me!"


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped.


    "Who is trying to seduce who? Lady¡­I¡­are you okay in the head? Does this look like a romantic gesture to you?" Cheng Xiu asked as she pointed towards her wounded body and that of the healer.


    It was only after that gesture that Jin Er understood that there was something more suspicious about the situation. Her eyes fell on the longsword in the white-robed woman''s hand, and looked towards the Healer Troll that she was sure was her love rival before the other human came along.


    "I see what is going on here!" the pink-robed woman said. "The two of you are competing to see which one of you will bed my Liso! I tell you now! I won''t allow it! Is my Liso an unfeeling object that you will wager him!"


    Cheng Xiu felt her head spin at the woman''s words. "You really are out of your mind, aren''t you?"


    Jin Er glared at the woman. "Let me tell you now, little girl! As long as I am alive, Liso can only belong to Jin Er."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. The quest that Cheng Xiu had to save the girl from the troll so that she can go find her lover¡­wait¡­there was another clue in the quest! The woman Cheng Xiu had to rescue was a female cultivator and she was supposed to be wearing a tiara of some sort.


    Cheng Xiu observed Jin Er. The girl did not seem to have anything on her that would indicate that she had anything that even remotely resembled a tiara, and the girl did not seem like a cultivator but a rather normal person.


    Did that mean Jin Er was not her quest target?


    As though an answer to her thoughts, two more men in yellowish tunic walked out of the golden portal behind Jin Er. Another woman was held in shackles between them.


    The woman was graceful in a pale blue dress, and her figure seemed to be floating, There was an ethereal glow to her entire frame. Her hair floated in visible blue wisps. Her eyes were deep blue coloured, and on her head sat a beautiful piece of the silver tiara with pink stones embedded onto it.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. The Quest Target.


    Jin Er also looked at the woman, her face paling.


    The woman with the tiara on her head looked at Jin Er with apathy for a moment before her deep-set eyes widened in surprise.


    "Liso! What are you doing here!" the woman asked Jin Er.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She turned to Jin Er. "Weren''t you saying the Troll leader was your lover Liso?"


    Jin Er, or Liso, cringed and glared at Cheng Xiu. "Outsiders should not interfere in sect matters. This is between me and my Junior sister!"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow.


    "Liso?" the beautiful woman called in confusion.


    "I can explain, DaYin!"


    "Please do."


    "That woman was sent by father to capture me!" the woman in pink said, pointing towards Cheng Xiu. "I introduced myself as Jin Er, and said that the Troll Leader was my lover Liso!"


    DaYin raised her eyebrows. "Why would you do that?"


    "So that the person would think that they got the wrong person."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "I really have no idea what you are accusing me of, lady."


    The pink-dressed woman pointed towards Cheng Xiu and then looked towards DaYin. "See DaYin! She is even that good at lying!"


    DaYin nodded with a frown on her face. "Young Cultivator, Liso''s heart is in the right place, and she does not require your help."


    Cheng Xiu raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You are both shackled."


    The pink-robed woman, Liso, huffed. "Clearly I am letting myself be dragged away by these creatures!"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Why?"


    The beauty spoke before her friend could. "It is a personal matter for this person. Great Cultivator must forgive DaYin as she is unable to answer you."


    "I really thought she would say something," a female troll commented.


    "Me too," a young Troll responded.


    "Enough of this nonsense," the leader Troll said. He turned to the healer Troll. "Finish this!"


    The healer frowned and took out a bottle from its storage ring.


    Cheng Xiu recognised it as the poison bottle that the woman had brought out to destroy her spear.


    Her hackles rose at the sight of it, and Cheng Xiu raised her sword.


    The healer glared at Cheng Xiu, hatred brewing in its eyes.


    Cheng Xiu saw the intense emotions in its eyes and fell into confusion. "If you are so angry, why did you not attack me while I was talking to miss crazy over there."


    "How dare you!" Liso called. "Do you have the guts to say it to my face!"


    "Shut up!" the leader troll growled.


    The yellowish tunic wearing Troll pulled on Liso''s chain and brought out a muzzle from its storage ring.


    Liso stepped back in chagrin.


    "If you don''t want to be muzzled, be quiet," the leader troll warned her.


    Liso nodded.


    DaYin looked at the interaction with dull eyes and turned to look towards the battle that was about to begin not far away.


    "I have more honour than that," the healer said.


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "You people are the ones to attack me first to try to eat me, I don''t see your honour."


    "Stupid human," one of the watching trolls commented.


    The other trolls snicked.


    The healer Troll gave her a mocking smile. "I was talking about the fact that the named ones were coming in."


    Cheng Xiu understood. "My words still stand¡­not very honourable. Then again¡­not many people would show good behaviour with their food."


    The healer tilted its head. "I hate you for what you did to my brethren. But I do admire you for your thoughts."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged.


    The Healer Troll splashed poison towards her face.


    Cheng Xiu evaded it by stepping to the side.


    The healer troll smiled. "You have great reaction speed."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Thank you. It keeps me alive when my enemies have the advantage."


    The healer Troll nodded as well. "That makes sense."


    The healer Troll brought out a few thin needles from its storage ring and dropped them tip first into the poison bottle.


    Cheng Xiu did not need to be a genius to realise what the troll had planned.


    The troll took placed its metal club on the ground and took out a single needle from the bottle.


    Purple poison dripped from the needle tip and fell to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back on instinct as the purple drop fell to the ground and the floor started to corrode. She looked up at the Troll with a grim face.


    The troll gave her a mocking smile. "Let''s see which one is faster. Your reaction speed, or my ability to throw these ZhenJiu at you."


    Cheng Xiu dodged the needle thrown her way.


    The needle struck Cheng Xiu''s sleeve lightly and went through to the other side, and embedded itself into the floor.


    Cheng Xiu quickly cut off the sleeve at the place that touched the needle tip with her long word.


    The cut off sleeve part fluttered to the floor as it slowly turned to dust.


    Cheng Xiu glared at the healer troll.


    The troll smiled sweetly in response.. "Very quick indeed. Let us put that to the test, shall we?"

 Chapter 111 - Zhenjiu Pins

    In the audience, Liso grinned. "I say, the little girl deserves this for trying to follow father''s orders, right DaYin?"


    DaYin looked at the battle below in awe.


    Her deep blue eyes twinkled as she watched Cheng Xiu dodge away from the healer''s vicious attack with the acupuncture needles. Such a talent, that she was able to dodge a B-Rank healer''s thrown attacks¡­


    DaYin''s eyes turned red, a mad glint in them. She coveted it. She coveted it more than anything.


    Cheng Xiu felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on its end. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.


    The healer sent multiple Zhenjiu pins at Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and tried to step back. Her leg caught something, and she fell back onto the hard floor.


    Cheng Xiu cringed and tried to blink away the reflexive tears that gathered in her eyes, as it made her vision blurry.


    Her eyes settled on the thing that made her lose her balance and scampered away in disgust.


    It was the skinsuit that the Trolls had left behind when she had killed away from the other Trolls.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. How strong was the skin of these Trolls? Would it be able to stop the flying in acupuncture pins towards her?


    She grabbed ahold of the skinsuit, trying not to think about the gooey feeling that the underside of the skin had.


    If she thought about it, she would lose her guts and everything in it.


    She spread the skin in front of her, the gooey side facing the Healer.


    She heard a horrified scream from the audience.


    The pins got stuck to the skinsuit and started to penetrate the last layer as well.


    Cheng Xiu''s brows furrowed.


    Thankfully, the pin stopped before it completely came through.


    "How dare you!" the healer troll screamed, looking at the human cultivator in absolute anger.


    Cheng Xiu felt guilt in her heart. "sorry. But it is a matter of survival."


    The trolls watching the scene screamed in agitation.


    "Leader! There is no need to give an honourable fight to a beast of this sort, who will use even the dead to survive!" a female Troll said.


    Cheng Xiu took a step back as she saw the anger in the healer''s eyes. This was not what she had intended when she had used the Troll skin. Then again, what had she expected the Trolls would do? Not care? She had seen how much of a community the trolls were, how much they loved their people, and now, she was violating what they must consider the most sacred. Using their people''s dead skin as a shield from their own attack.


    The leader listened as the trolls around him started to hit their weapon ends onto the ground.


    He looked at the Named One on his side and nodded.


    The Yellow tunic wearing ones formed a single file and marched towards the place where the healer and Cheng Xiu fought.


    The white-robed girl took in the approaching enemy and understood what was happening. She was going to no longer be shown mercy. Because using patterned fighting was showing mercy. It was giving her a chance to fight back.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the healer who looked at her with a vicious smile on its face.


    "Now you will know the consequences of making the Troll Race your enemy."


    Cheng Xiu ignored the healer''s words and analysed her situation. She had incoming fighters whose capabilities was something that she was not much aware of, and she did not know how many healers were among them as the Trolls all wore the same clothes, and she was sure that if there was a healer, they would still know how to fight well.


    Her eyes fell onto the figure of the Healer troll who was her current opponent.


    Better to take out all the enemies she knew before she tackled the ones that were still in the realm of the unknown. Otherwise, her known enemy would join the new ones to try to defeat her.


    Cheng Xiu ignored the incoming yellow tunics and dashed towards the Healer troll at full speed, the longsword held in position and the skin sheet at the ready.


    The healer glared at the incoming human cultivator and raised her metal club to smash the girl.


    The club reached her head.


    Cheng Xiu ducked at the last moment and used an upward thrust from below.


    The Troll tried to back away while throwing the pins at her.


    Cheng Xiu lifted the Troll skin, and allowed it to become a barrier between her and the Healer, obscuring each other from the view of the other.


    The healer troll lifted its metal club, ready to hit the human cultivator with it as soon as the skin fell.


    The troll looked on, but there was nothing behind the skin curtain.


    The troll felt a sharp pain from the side.


    There was a single longsword that impaled its side.


    The Troll looked up at the attacker.


    Dark Phoenix eyes looked at the Troll with calculating eyes.


    Cheng Xiu pulled the sword out of the troll''s body and used the momentum to try to impale the troll''s heart with the longsword.


    The healer Troll raised the Zhenjiu pin in its hand and aimed for Cheng Xiu''s forehead.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed the pin-holding hand, and the Troll grabbed her sword-holding wrist.


    The two figures started a tug of war with each other.


    Cheng Xiu''s peripheral vision showed that the yellow-tunics were waiting for the winner to emerge. If it was their own, they would celebrate Cheng Xiu''s death, but if it was Cheng Xiu, they would immediately pull her into an all-out battle.


    Cheng Xiu made a quick decision.


    Relaxed her hold on the longsword just a bit, to give the opponent the illusion that she was losing control.


    Sure enough, the Healer troll gave her a triumphant look and pulled the longsword out of Cheng Xiu''s hand viciously.


    But that smile did not last long.


    Cheng Xiu had used the brief distraction that the healer troll had gone through, and snatched the Zhenjiu pin from the Troll''s grip.


    The Troll''s eyes widened as the acupuncture pin was slammed hard into her neck.


    The healer screamed in agony as pain wracked through its every pore.


    Cheng Xiu stepped away as the Troll''s entire body bubbled like it was put into a deep-fryer, and slowly turned to dust.


    12 Trolls down. 18 Trolls left to go.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the line of yellow tunics. There were eight of them.


    Her eyes fell to the watching trolls. Including the leader, there were 9 of them over there. Which left the entire troll count at present to 17.


    She needed one more and Cheng Xiu was not sure how she would get that one unless there was a bigger boss that was yet to make its appearance.


    Cheng Xiu decided that she would deal with that spare 1 when she got there. She needed to kill 17 Trolls before that.


    The yellow tunic at the far end jumped over the line and threw darts at Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu smirked, and grabbed the skin sheet pierced with those dangerous pins, and used it to block the incoming attack.


    The darks deflected off the Troll skin.


    Cheng Xiu pulled out one of the pins embedded in the skin harshly and threw it at the Troll that threw the dart at her.


    The Troll''s eyes widened and fear entered its eyes.


    The creature tried to dodge it.


    The pin grazed past the troll''s neck, leaving behind a thin wound.


    Blood oozed out a bit from the wound.


    That was enough.


    The Troll started to scream in pain as its skin started to develop blisters. The dart Troll''s death was even more gruesome to watch as the poison took its time in killing the creature off.


    Cheng Xiu removed threw more pins from the skin.


    She raised the poisoned weapon with a smile on her face. "Who is next?"


    "You cruel woman!" Liso screamed at Cheng Xiu. "How can you do such a dishonourable thing as to use their own comrade''s weapon against them? Don''t you have a heart?"


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "I only have one aim today. To survive. If it means I have to use methods that I don''t agree with or weapons that are not mine, or I am familiar with, then so be it. I would rather live with the guilt than to die and become the food of these trolls."


    Liso gritted her teeth. She turned angrily towards DaYin. "Can you believe her audacity, DaYin?"


    The paler woman smiled, her eyes fixated on the thin figure of cheng Xiu. "She has sure a strong body, despite it being so beautiful."


    Liso frowned. "I¡­I guess? So what?"


    The pale woman licked her lips. "And did you see her handling of the weapons right now? A longsword, a screening sheet, and now Zhenjiu pins¡­her hand-eye coordination must be near perfect."


    Liso frowned as she realised what the beautiful woman was thinking. "You can''t be thinking-"


    "Such a beauty will always be loved by men, more than a simple flowery girl like DaYin is now."


    Liso shook her head. "DaYin, that is not true. Lord Yi is not-"


    "I want that," DaYin said with a wistful sigh. "I want that for myself."


    Liso looked at the girl with concern in her eyes. "DaYin¡­"


    "It is the only way that he will accept DaYIn," the beautiful woman whispered, her eyes filled with obsession as it watched Cheng Xiu''s movements.. "It is the only way to make it perfect."

 Chapter 112 - Quest Upgrade

    Cheng Xiu threw the acupuncture needles at the yellow tunic wearing trolls.


    Her accuracy with the needle was not as profound as the others thought though, it was the poison of the healer that was allowing her to kill the yellow tunics so easily.


    The needles penetrated the skin of the Troll that raised a battle axe at her.


    14


    Cheng Xiu was surprised at how easily she killed off these creatures. If they were called the named ones, should they not be even more impressive than the healer? Why was she able to kill so many of them?


    Another yellow tunicked Troll fell victim to the Zhenjiu needle and turned into ashes.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu started at the sudden sound.


    [ 2 Named Trolls dead.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Why was that specifically announced? Was there something special about that?


    The trolls in the yellow tunics closed their eyes as a golden light enveloped them.


    Cheng Xiu did not wait to see what was happening, and removed another Zhenjiu from the skin sheet, and threw it at the troll closest to her.


    It hit the creature right in the eyes.


    The purple of the poison visibly spread throughout the creature''s glowing body and started to melt its insides.


    15 trolls dead. She was halfway there.


    Cheng Xiu looked down at the Zhen Xiu that she had in her hands. She had two poison needles on hand embedded into the skin, but that did not matter much as she still had 5 named ones to defeat.


    Cheng Xiu did not want to use that weapon that she had just gained if she did not want to, but she also knew, from fighting the special Direwolves that if she allowed these Trolls to do whatever it was that they were trying to do, she might end up losing the game.


    Cheng Xiu''s grip on the skin tightened and she threw the next Zhenjiu at a troll.


    The Troll opened its eyes to reveal golden pupils, and dodged the attack.


    Cheng Xiu unconsciously took a step back.


    She knew what the golden eyes meant. A Trance.


    She finally understood what the named ones had as their speciality. They were able to go into a trance collectively.


    The other trolls opened their eyes.


    All their pupils were golden in colour.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the needle that had missed its mark and fell to the ground. There was still some poison on it.


    Cheng Xiu dashed forwards and dodged the dart that was sent her way with ease.


    A battle axe came down on her slightly bent form.


    Cheng Xiu evaded to the side and rushed forwards.


    She grabbed the needle.


    A longsword came down on her neck.


    Cheng Xiu jumped to her feet, and in one fluid movement, embedded the needle into the skull of the troll.


    The troll turned into dust.


    Cheng Xiu panted from the excursion she put her body through to be faster than a troll that had fallen into Qi Trance.


    She used Qi absorption to replenish the Qi in her system.


    Cheng Xiu had started to notice that she was using the Qi in her body to move about in the ring. There was something constantly draining her reserve.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind went to the difference between the fights until now, and the one with the Trolls.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes went to the side of her sight.


    There was no health bar visible there.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She had forgotten another important aspect of the game.


    Her eyes went to the faceless lady standing at the far corner. "Did you do this? Did you make me forget?"


    Liso scoffed. "Who is she talking to? Did she lose her mind?"


    DaYin frowned. Her eyes swept the area, but she could not see who the human cultivator could be talking to.


    Her eyes went back to the girl fighting the Named Ones.


    Her eyes sparkled, and she licked her lips.


    Liso frowned. "DaYin?"


    The woman pressed her hand against the shackles that held her.


    They melted away.


    Liso stepped back in horror. "Da-da-dayin?"


    The woman looked at her.


    Liso stepped back in shock and fear.


    DaYin''s eyes glowed with a red demonic glow.


    "Who¡­Who are you! Where is my Lady DaYin?"


    DaYin gave Liso a crooked grin that made Liso''s blood curdle.


    "Little Liso," DaYin said, "I am going to become even more beautiful."


    Liso frowned. "Wha-"


    DaYin walked towards where the fight was taking place.


    None of the trolls stopped her approach. It was like they were no longer aware of what was going on around them.


    Deep poisonous green gas emitted from DaYin, and the trolls around her stepped back in fear.


    "You are now playing a different game to the one you were playing before," the voice of the faceless woman echoed in Cheng Xiu''s mind. "That is why there is no health bar to measure your health declination."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Different how?"


    "The third ring is the true test for your mind. How you will be able to adapt to the changes around you can be known in this situation."


    A troll jumped at her, its huge broadsword whooshing as it came down at her.


    Cheng Xiu threw another needle, but it was dodged by the beast in the air in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu was impressed and dodged to the side from the sword attack.


    The sword hit the ground and a large weblike indentation appeared on the floor.


    She felt kind of sorry for the ruined castle. It was already in a bad state and now, it was getting even more disarrayed as the fights continued.


    Her sight caught deep green fumes covering the entire floor, hiding it from everyone''s view.


    The Trolls in the tunic froze like they were statues instead of being actual living Trolls.


    "What the hell!" Cheng Xiu said.


    [Ding!]


    [Quest Upgrade!]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. What?


    [Defeat the Witch of Many Faces, and save the trolls from being annihilated.]


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped. Did the mission just change from killing the trolls to saving them? What just happened?


    Her mind went towards what she had to do at first. She had to save that tiara-wearing woman before¡­what happened when she was not looking? Did the woman escape on her own?


    Cheng Xiu looked towards the silhouette that was walking towards her in curiosity. Was this person the reason that she had a quest upgrade?


    When the figure in the shadows became visible to her, Cheng Xiu looked on in confusion.


    "You are¡­" she started but stopped when she saw the red eyes that the girl held. Her thought went to what the game had called her new opponent. The Witch of Faces. "Are you the real DaYin?"


    The woman wearing the tiara smiled. "I am DaYin."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Did you possess this body, or were you born with it?"


    The woman gave her a dark grin, a perverted satisfaction echoing in her expression. "I was born as DaYin."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She felt that there was something hidden in the woman''s words. "What do you want?"


    DaYin grinned, her mouth drooling a bit as her deep-set blue eyes looked at Cheng Xiu. "You. Everything about you."


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped. "That sounded ambiguous. What do you want from me?"


    The woman looked at Cheng Xiu with hungry eyes as blue veins appeared all over the woman''s skin, and her beautiful skin turned in the greenish tinge of the sick and the dead.


    Cheng Xiu scrunched up her nose in distaste as a rotting smell caught her sense of smell.


    Cheng Xiu was familiar with this smell. It was similar to the one she had smelled when she was fighting the zombies in the first ring.


    The woman smiled at her, revealing rapidly yellowing teeth. "Your youth, your life, your strength, your mind. I want all those things that you possess. I want to become you."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What kind of a stupid demand is that? How can you become me?"


    The woman scoffed. "Why can''t I? I will become the best."


    "The best? How are you going to achieve this lofty dream of yours then?" Cheng Xiu asked as she tightened her grip on the Zhenjiu in her grasp.


    The woman in the tiara took a step forward. "I will kill you, and eat your flesh."


    "How are any different from these trolls?" Cheng Xiu muttered.


    The woman''s eyes narrowed. "I am nothing like them! They feed to keep the hunger at bay, I feed to achieve my goal of being the best! And my instincts are telling me that eating you will make me Perfect."


    Cheng Xiu backed away. She did not like where this was going. "Perfect? Why do you want to be perfect?"


    The woman gave her a lofty smile. "For him! My lover likes me to look perfect!"


    The woman leapt at Cheng Xiu, her fingers turning into talons.


    Cheng Xiu tried to stab her.


    DaYin dodged.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. It would seem even this witch was scared of the poison on the needle.


    This was going to be an interesting fight.

 Chapter 113 - Burned Them

    Cheng Xiu leapt into the air, the Zhenjiu needle held in front of her.


    The witch dodged, her air fluttering in the wind.


    Cheng Xiu gagged as the rotten flesh smell increased around her.


    The demonic eyes of the woman glowed even more in anger at her action.


    DaYin raised her hand. her nails grew out and she clawed at Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu dodged the sharp nails and tried to puncture the woman''s hand with the needle.


    DaYin hastily pulled her hand back and stared at the human cultivator. The obsession in her eyes increased even more.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head as she thought of a way to defeat the woman faster.


    DaYin clawed at her again.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    The witch raised her hand, and a bright fireball was created in her palms.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She tried to use the Ghost flame, but there was still no response. Her Qi pathways were blocked from one side. She could not release the Qi in her body at such a high amount.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind worked fast. Could she use the Qi in her in small amounts though? Would she be able to use her Qi as threads to weave an illusion around the witch, pulling her into a Qi Illusion the way that she did with the experts, and similar to the way that Frost did to her?


    The woman threw the fireball at her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    The woman threw a second one.


    Cheng Xiu dodged again.


    The woman smirked, and a golden magical circle appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. There was something very familiar about that circle. It took her a minute, but Cheng Xiu realised that it was similar to Crow''s summoning of the fireball or fire missile precisely.


    Cheng Xiu remembered what it would do to her.


    The fireball would keep following you around until it hit you like a tracking missile.


    Cheng Xiu gulped.


    The only reason that she was able to escape from Crow''s attack at that moment was that she could use the Ghost Flame, but now, she was not even able to use that!


    Cheng Xiu looked around her in distress as she started to run away from the attack.


    The woman let out a soft laugh. "You don''t have to worry so much, Little cultivator. As long as you die, this will all be over."


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "How profound."


    She used one of the Yellow tunic Trolls as a shield as she ran away. The Qi pressure on her body increased as she neared the place that the Troll leader stood.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened in surprise as she saw that one of the legs of the Leader Troll had turned into stone and the green smoke that was coming out of the skin of the woman was also coming out of the leg that was slowly turning into stone.


    Cheng Xiu fell to her knees as the pressure of the environment around her got the best of her.


    She forgot to keep track of the pressure of the area around her.


    Cheng Xiu felt more than saw the fireball come towards her.


    Her heart sank, and her mind stopped working. She was not able to figure out what she could do in this situation to win against the woman. The woman would not allow herself to be stabbed by the Zhenjiu pins, which had to be why this DaYin was using magic instead of the hand to hand combat that she had engaged in before.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes fell on the single needle in her hand. There was no other way. She had to hope that it would work. If it did not, she would have to suffer being burned to death.


    The fireball was just a meter away from her.


    Cheng Xiu struggled to her feet and faced the fireball.


    "What are you doing?" DaYin asked in confusion.


    The fireball was just 500 cm away from her.


    300.


    200.


    When the fireball was just under 100cm away from her, Cheng Xiu extended her hand towards it.


    In her hand she held the Zhenjiu needle, the poisonous tip pointed towards the incoming fireball.


    DaYin''s eyes widened. "Impossible. It won''t work. It can''t work!"


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes as the fire got extremely close to her.


    She felt pain erupt from the tip of her hand, and travel up towards her face as her vision was filled with a bright red colour.


    Cheng Xiu felt her face heat up a little, and then there was silence.


    Cheng Xiu kept her eyes shut, and tears ran down her face as the burning pain of her entire right hand clouded all her other senses.


    She heard a small chuckle enter her ears.


    Cheng Xiu panted, and the tears flowing down her cheeks increased as she opened her eyes to look at the woman in the pale violet clothing.


    Red Demonic eyes looked at her in hunger and the witch applauded her slowly. "Well done, little cultivator! Well done! So brave as to face the Live Fire. So Brave."


    The last word was dragged out with a purr in her voice.


    Cheng Xiu panted and glared at the woman.


    The woman gave her a mocking smile. "You are a tenacious woman, I will give you that. But the fact that you are ready to become disfigured just to stay alive¡­why would you do that? If it was me, I would have killed myself already instead. What use is there to live with something like that?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at her hand that had the entire first skin burnt off, and the bleeding muscles were visible to the naked eyes. Blood dripped to the floor from her fingers.


    Cheng Xiu wiggled the digits and regretted it immediately as the pain overwhelmed her mind for a minute.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and exhaled. She looked up at the woman with disdain.


    The woman frowned and gritted her teeth at the contempt that she saw in Cheng Xiu''s face.


    "Why should I quit living for your satisfaction?" Cheng Xiu asked. "I want to live, but more than that, I don''t want you to have your way. It is as simple as that."


    The woman glared. She raised her hand and a second fireball appeared in her palm. "You were able to save yourself once because of the Zhenjiu needle, but what about a second time?"


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "Let''s see, shall we?"


    DaYin looked at the human cultivator in suspicion. Could it be that the woman had more needles with her?


    DaYIn looked at the skin sheet that the white-robed woman had left on the floor as she ran from the first fireball.


    There were no needles impaled on it.

 Chapter 114 - [Bonus ]Imperfect

    DaYin snorted. She looked at the woman in front of her with a calculating gaze. She recalled all the attacks that the woman had done until now.


    DaYIn realised that the Zhenjiu that the woman had used to stop her fireball really was her last needle. Why did this woman look so confident even though she had no way to protect herself? Was she trying to play a mind trick with DaYin?


    She had to admit that it would have worked if she did not remember that the woman had grabbed the last needle in her hand when she had seen DaYin approach.


    DaYin raised her hand and threw it towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu leapt to the side and ran towards the witch.


    DaYIn raised her eyebrows. "Are you thinking that you can escape being attacked by the Live Fire if you run towards me? The Live fire has a keen sense of who created it, and unfortunately for you, this idea of yours will fail."


    Cheng Xiu did not respond to the woman''s mocking and instead dived towards the ground, very close the DaYin''s position, and rolled on the tiled floor.


    She cringed at the pain that her right hand went through at the sudden movements, and put her hand on the Zhejiu needle that lay there.


    DaYin''s eyes widened. "No!"


    Cheng Xiu threw the needle at the fireball.


    The needle went right through the centre of the fireball and turned into ashes.


    The fire flared briefly and snuffed itself out.


    Cheng Xiu panted as she slowly got up to her feet.


    "How..." the witch with the pale greenish skin asked in a whisper. "Where did you get that from? How long has it been on the floor there for?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned briefly. Why did the woman sound so distraught?


    Cheng Xiu tried to think of the woman from a different perspective. The woman had shown that she was someone who cared about herself the most, and seemed to have an obsession with being the best...did that include intellectually too? Did the woman''s obsession with perfection include her wit?


    But she clearly did not consider herself to be perfect...Cheng Xiu''s head spun around the problem that the woman''s reactions were giving her.


    The woman had looked at the skin sheet and thought that there were no more Zhenjiu that she could use. Perhaps that was where it made her angry. She must have been very sure about her own data and was now upset that she had not seen the Zhenjiu that lay only a few steps away from herself.


    Cheng Xiu''s brow wrinkled as she thought. This was a piece of good information that she had gained on the woman, and if she could use it right perhaps there was a chance that she could win this round.


    The woman in the pale purple dress created another fireball in her hand and looked at Cheng Xiu with disdain in her eyes.


    "It doesn''t matter," the woman said in a croaking voice. "That was the last one, wasn''t it? It was the Zhenjiu that you had thrown at me and I had dodged in the beginning. I had forgotten about it. But it doesn''t matter, because I win in the end."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She did not like the way that this match was going.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and calmly walked towards the longsword that she had thrown away to use the needle effectively.


    DaYin frowned and looked at Cheng Xiu in anger. "Are you looking down on me! You damned human! Let me see how well you can play now! With your only advantage gone!"


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes, and took something out of her storage ring, hiding it from the woman''s prying eyes by hiding it inside her short sleeve.


    Her eyes sparkled as she tilted her head a bit.


    The longsword in her hand started to melt.


    Cheng Xiu let it go.


    DaYIn frowned as the longsword that the human cultivator had held onto until now was thrown away onto the ground.


    Her eyes widened in shock as the longsword turned into dust.


    This effect.


    No.


    Impossible.


    All kinds of denial ran across DaYin''s mind that made the woman stumble back.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and revealed the object in her hand.


    It was a bottle with purple liquid inside it.


    "How?" DaYIn asked in a feeble voice.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I stole it from the hands of the healer at the last moment. I was not going to allow it to die with her. That would have been a waste of good poison."


    DaYin looked at the woman with unwilling eyes. Her eyes then fell on the dust that was once the human cultivator''s longsword.


    DaYin smiled and gave the woman a mocking smile. "And how are you going to use it? Throw it directly at me? You can''t. Even a single drop falling on you will kill you. The Hell''s Poison does not distinguish between the target and the user. It just consumes everything around it."


    Cheng Xiu hmmed. "So this is called as Hell''s Poison? I would have just called it the Eater."


    DaYin scoffed.


    "Good thing there are these as well," the white-dressed woman said as she pulled out a few needles from her storage ring.


    DaYin stepped back in fear. "No."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glinted. "Yes. What do you call these again? Zhenjiu, right? It was a lucky thing that the Healer put so many into the bottle of the Poison to soak them inside it. It made things far easier for me."


    DaYin''s eyes shook in fear. "You...you are..."


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "My my. Are you afraid of death that much? Were you not the one who kept saying that was a liberation or something along that line? Why are you afraid of your freedom from pain?"


    DaYin glared at the human cultivator through tear-filled eyes. "I am not in pain."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Not physically, no. But you are in pain. You are hurting in self-loathing. It should be the only reason that you want to kill me so badly and eat me to become perfect. Because your imperfections make you hate yourself."


    DaYin slapped her hands over her ears and shook her head in denial, tears running down her face.

 Chapter 115 - Deep Dive

    DaYin''s body started to give off whiffs of red smoke, and the green fumes that came out of her rotten skin increased even more.


    Cheng Xiu choked as the rotten smell in the area increased. She felt her windpipe become stuffy from the tangy smell that attacked her senses.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back, regretting the words that she said to the NPC. She had wanted to agitate the woman to find her weak spots but it would seem that her words just made the woman madder and even more bloodthirsty.


    The blue lines on the woman''s skin became a deeper blue, and her eyes turned completely red, no more whites visible to anyone to see.


    Cheng Xiu cursed.


    The woman curled into a ball and screamed.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back.


    The woman''s back started to bulge, and a pair of long pale arms covered in blood grew out of them.


    Cheng Xiu''s face screwed up in disgust and horror.


    The woman''s scream got louder.


    The floor and the stone walls of the castle ruins started to shake.


    One of the hands extended towards Cheng Xiu and another extended towards one of the tunic-wearing Trolls.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth in frustration and threw the needle in her hand towards the palm of the bloody hand.


    The Zhenjiu pin embedded itself into the arm.


    An eerie, bodiless scream emitted from all around her, and the hand started to turn into dust.


    The woman screamed in pain.


    She shook her entire body the way a dog would shake itself to get rid of water.


    The bloody hand on the woman''s back fell off onto the floor.


    Cheng Xiu bent her legs to balance herself as the shaking of the building got faster. This was going in a direction that she had not anticipated.


    The woman screamed some more.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the woman and then followed the other extending a bloody hand with her eyes.


    The hand touched the yellow tunic wearing Troll.


    The Troll turned into a stone statue.


    The sickliness of the woman''s skin receded.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. She realised that the woman was able to maintain her normal human form by consuming the life of the creatures around her.


    Cheng Xiu''s thoughts fell into confusion. If that was the case, then why did the woman declare that she was going to eat Cheng Xiu? Why did she not just say that she was going to turn her into stone as well? Was it just an error?


    No. It couldn''t be.


    Was the person turning into a statue the way that the woman ate?


    Cheng Xiu dodged the second arm that came her way and grabbed another pin from the poison bottle.


    Cheng Xiu dismissed her previous thought.


    The woman wanted her to die normally. She wanted to eat Cheng Xiu''s flesh.


    Why did Cheng Xiu have to be "eaten" while the Troll was turned into a statue? And how was this important to Cheng Xiu? Could she find a way to win this battle if she was able to find the cause of the way that the woman ate people?


    Cheng Xiu''s thoughts churned. She realised that there was one reason she could theorise that would have different ways of consuming people. Perhaps, by turning them into stones, she gets a temporary powerup, while eating the flesh itself must give her a permanent buff.


    The woman looked up.


    Her incisors had elongated and penetrated her lower lips. Two streams of blood flowed down her chin.


    Her crimson eyes were cruel as a vicious smile grew on her face.


    Cheng Xiu slashed towards the extending hand with the poisoned needle tips.


    The woman screamed, and along with her screamed a second female voice in sync.


    The cogs in Cheng Xiu''s head worked overtime.


    "That second voice," Cheng Xiu whispered. The cruel smile on the woman''s face turned into a victorious grin. Cheng Xiu shivered. "Those are the women you ate to survive. Those are the people you killed to become the ''Best''."


    The woman guffawed.


    "You can''t beat me," the woman said in a croaking voice. "You will never beat me."


    Cheng Xiu gave the woman a mocking smile and raised the needle in her hand. "We will see about that."


    The woman raised her hand in answer to Cheng Xiu''s challenge and created a fireball in her palm.


    The woman''s face had an arrogant shade of purple to it.


    DaYin threw the fireball at Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth and threw the Zhenjiu in her hand towards the centre of the fireball.


    The fire flared, the needle turned into ashes, and the fire fizzled away.


    The green fumes in the area increased.


    The woman took a step towards the human Cultivator.


    Cheng Xiu started to cough as the green fumes and the red smoke from the woman intertwined and attacked the white-robed girl''s senses.


    Cheng Xiu felt her head throbbing, and pain seemed to begin inside her brain.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed her head and groaned.


    DaYin looked at the woman in confusion. Did she do something to the girl without her knowing it?


    Cheng Xiu fell to her knees and screamed as the pain in her mind increased even more. Blood started to drip from her nostrils as she tried to alleviate the pain she was feeling.


    Cheng Xiu panted.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has been playing The Other World in DeepDive mode for 34 minutes. The player is reaching their rank limit. It is advised by the system that player Selafia quit the Primordial Space in one minute so that she does not receive any damage in real life.]


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened.


    Deep Dive?


    Fear grabbed hold of her mind as she heard those words.


    Deep Dive?


    She was playing in Deep Dive?


    Why?


    Why was she playing in Deep Dive?


    [Ding!]


    [Players can access the Primordial Space before the Fifth Expansion only through Deep Dives.]


    Cheng Xiu shivered in fright at the AI''s words as the Witch created another fireball.


    The witch thought the human cultivator was scared of its attacks, and that Cheng Xiu was finally out of ammunition in the form of the acupuncture needles.


    Cheng Xiu took out another needle and threw it away at the fireball.


    The needle turned to dust, and the fireball fizzled out.


    [Would Player Selafia like to get out of the Deep Dive mode now?]


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. If she did that, then she would have done all these that she did for nothing.


    [You will die if you don''t go out.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "People are usually only able to stay in Deep Dive for 10 minutes at most. I stayed for half-an-hour."


    [Only because of Player Selafia''s actual Spiritual Rank being at S-Rank.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why are you giving me a choice to log out on my own if it is a risk to my life? Aren''t things like that automatic?"


    [ Player will be forced out of the Deep Dive automatically in two minutes. The system asks you to log out before that to reduce the damage you might receive further.]


    Cheng Xiu''s ears filled with an eerie ringing, and her thoughts seemed to be only focused on winning. "So I have to defeat her in two minutes. Got it."


    It was a stupid decision, and Cheng Xiu would never be able to explain why she did what she did.

 Chapter 116 - Two Minutes

    The woman threw another fireball at her.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards the woman, grabbing a needle from the poison bottle.


    She threw it at the fireball.


    As the fireball started to fizzle, a second needle passed through the centre of the fireball that the first needle had gone through, and went straight towards the heart of the woman.


    DaYin gashed and the bloody hand on her back grabbed ahold of the stone troll and threw it towards the incoming needle.


    The statue of the troll turned into dust.


    Cheng Xiu kept running towards the woman, her eyes on the mace that one of the yellow-tunics held.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards her enemy at full speed, the mace held in her hand tightly.


    The woman gave her a mocking look, and a second bloody hand came out of her back.


    This hand dashed towards Cheng Xiu''s mace, as the first one grabbed another troll, turning it too into a statue.


    Cheng Xiu swung the mace in her hand and bashed it against the incoming hand.


    The hand reacted in a way that surprised Cheng Xiu as it turned elastic.


    The swing of the mace hardly did any damage except to leave scratch marks on the woman''s skin.


    DaYin wailed as she looked at her hand. "Ruined! My beauty is ruined! You!"


    Glowing crimson eyes looked at Cheng Xiu with absolute hatred. "You destroyed my beauty! I will destroy you!"


    The woman''s screaming words echoed around them, and Cheng Xiu was surprised to feel that the ground itself started to reverberate in response to the woman''s voice.


    The woman''s scream increased even more.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as the pain in her head increased.


    She did not have time to think about her pain though. She needed to defeat her enemy.


    Cheng Xiu started to swing at the bloody hands of the woman repeatedly.


    DaYin tried to scratch and tear away the limbs of the human cultivator as she walked forward as well.


    The green fumes around them increased.


    DaYin threw another fireball at Cheng Xiu.


    The white-robed Human Cultivator threw another Zhenjiu pin at the witch.


    DaYin panted heavily as she ran towards the enemy. The Qi in her body decreased, and hence, the sickly look of her physique increased.


    DaYin screamed in frustration as another needle destroyed her fireball.


    DaYin''s body glowed red, her robes become tattered and black in colour. Half of her face disappeared and another face took its place.


    The witch raised her hand again, and this time she launched iron blades at the human Cultivator.


    Cheng Xiu glared.


    [One minute until Player Selafia is forced to log out of the Deep Dive.]


    Cheng Xiu raised her poisonous needle again.


    She ran through the blades, letting them impale her as long as she could avoid the vital areas and her legs.


    She gritted her teeth through the pain and dashed off.


    The witch of the many faces was unable to show any of her other faces or their specialities as she was caught too off guard. The pain should have been enough to stop the human Cultivator from advancing but it barely slowed her down.


    DaYin raised her hand to create another attack.


    Cheng Xiu let go of the mace in her hand and snatched the broadsword that was strapped to one of the tunic trolls.


    She dashed forwards.


    DaYin threw a fireball at Cheng Xiu in her hurry to get Cheng Xiu away from her.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia will be forced out of the Deep Dive in 20 seconds.]


    Cheng Xiu grabbed the poison bottle and threw it at the fireball.


    The fire burned away the bottle.


    The poison in it doused out the flame immediately and there was still some spare poison that fell towards DaYin.


    DaYin gasped in shock and tried to step away from it only to be impaled by cheng Xiu''s broadsword.


    Cheng Xiu jumped away just as the position touched the face of the woman, destroying her face instantly.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia is being forced out of Deep Dive in


    10


    9


    8]


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground, and held her head, crying as the pain increased even more.


    [7


    6


    5


    4]


    Cheng Xiu watched as the statues started to come back to life. There seemed to have been a lot more trolls who had turned into stone statues than she had first estimated.


    3


    2


    1]


    Cheng Xiu''s body turned into a streak of light and disappeared from the castle ruins.


    The NPC known as Liso blinked her eyes and looked around, unsure of what had happed. "DaYin? Where is my Lady DaYin?"


    The trolls looked at the human NPC with complicated eyes.


    "What should we do about this human girl?" a young troll asked the leader troll nervously. "That human in the white-robe killed that witch¡­and saved us. It means¡­"


    The leader troll sighed. He looked at Liso with an awkward smile. "Why don''t we go find your family?"


    Liso frowned. "No. Why!"


    "Because you belong to a race that the Trolls are indebted to, and you were a victim, just like we were," a female troll said. "The troll race is a community, and we shall treat the other races just as such. If you are the enemy of one of us, you are the enemy of all. And if you are the friend of one of us, we shall all treat you as a friend."


    Liso''s eyes brightened. "Does this mean you are going to marry me?"


    The leader troll snorted. "No."


    Liso deflated. "Oh."


    The leader slapped a talisman on Liso, and himself, and every troll in the area and the one human went away in a flash of light.


    The faceless woman in red straightened up from her position as eyes appeared on her face.


    The eyes were bright. They were deep black in colour and phoenix shaped.


    The figure disappeared into a burst of rose petals.


    The golden rings on the floor disappeared, and the castle became lifeless once more.


    The eerie wind blew, and the place where the different attacks had happened returned to its original state.. Old but mark free.

 Chapter 117 - Delirious Xiu

    Cheng Xiu blinked her eyes to get rid of the flashes of light and took a deep breath.


    Temple bells echoed throughout the room.


    There was a ringing sound in her ears that made it hard for Cheng Xiu to even concentrate on her surroundings, let alone hear the slowly dying sound of Temple bells.


    The red portal that would lead to the Primordial Space started to close up.


    There was a flash of golden light, and a figure appeared in front of her.


    The figure was that of a 13-year-old girl, with a white crystal floating above her head. She wore a simple blue shirt and a frilly white skirt. She had a pair of phoenix eyes, and her long black hair was pulled into a half ponytail. She had golden chains around her four limbs.


    Cheng Xiu squinted her eyes at the girl in a drunken manner. "You¡­are Maya? Right?"


    The girl nodded with a smile.


    "Never thought the AI of this game would be a little girl," Cheng Xiu said with a slur.


    The girl smiled cutely at the older girl, her chubby cheeks revealing a dimple on one side.


    Cheng Xiu giggled and poked the girl''s dimple. "Hey. You have one just like me!"


    The girl nodded. "I appear in front of the Players as a version of themselves most of the time."


    Cheng Xiu gasped. "That is so cool!"


    The AI sighed. "You are experiencing a backlash from having spent 41 minutes in the Deep Dive of the game. It is recommended that you get a complete health check-up once you log out so that you do not face any other backlashes in the future."


    Cheng Xiu giggled in answer. "Hey! Maya! I won! I won against the Witch!"


    Maya nodded and took out a glowing red crystal from thin air.


    Cheng Xiu clapped in amazement. "Woohoo! Yeah!"


    Maya rolled her eyes and handed the crystal over to Cheng Xiu.


    The white-robed girl blinked at the little girl with a lost look on her face.


    Maya sighed. "Your reward for winning in the Level Ring Challenge."


    Cheng Xiu returned the crystal to the little girl with a shake of her head.


    Maya looked at the woman in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu gave her a tragic face, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I¡­I didn''t cross all three lines of the Level Rings."


    "You won against all the enemies."


    "I didn''t cross all the rings."


    "You killed even the Witch of Many Faces."


    "I didn''t cr-"


    "Just take the reward."


    Cheng Xiu pouted, and snatched the Crystal away from the little AI, and put it in her storage ring.


    She turned to the little girl with a mocking face. "Now what you will do! Ha! I snatched it away from you! So you can''t give it to me!"


    Maya took out a parchment from the ring on her hand and handed it to Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu looked at Maya in confusion. "This¡­is¡­"


    "Your treaty with the Trolls. As long you show that to any Troll establishment they will give you a 20% discount."


    "Wow! Woohoo!"


    Cheng Xiu started to clap her hands.


    Maya sighed. "Shall I log Player Selafia Veritas out of the game now?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned and thought. She started to nod but then shook her head. "I need to meet brother San Zhe! I won''t abandon people!"


    Maya sighed and waved her hand.


    "Bye!" Cheng Xiu sang as she disappeared in a flash of light.


    Cheng Xiu blinked away the light from her eyes.


    San Zhe looked up from his crouching position in pleasant surprise.


    Diana backed away from San Zhe, putting away her talons.


    Luther stepped away from the tree had leaned on with a sigh. "finally."


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe screamed.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head to get rid of the blue spots in her vision from the flash of light.


    "Sister Xiu?"


    "It always does that," Cheng Xiu whined.


    San Zhe blinked, unsure of what to do. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she grabbed ahold of her head as her vision blurred.


    A warm hand held her by the shoulder and Cheng Xiu felt herself leaning against something warm and solid.


    "Are you okay?" a soft voice asked into her ears.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head and looked up.


    She was met with a face in a silver mask that Cheng Xiu found very familiar. "I¡­who¡­"


    "I am Yaksha," the man said. "Are you okay?"


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu in concern. "Sister Xiu?"


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas is showing signs of mental fatigue. It is heavily advised for the Player to log out.]


    "I am going to be logged out?" Cheng Xiu asked in a daze.


    "No Sister Xiu," San Zhe said with a smile. "We still have 3 hours of real-time! Which should be enough to finish the Pit Quest!"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes filled with tears, and she looked at San Zhe pitifully. "Really?"


    San Zhe gave her a hesitant nod.


    "You seem out of sorts, sister Xiu," San Zhe said with concern.


    "What happened?" Yaksha asked.


    "I went to fight trolls!" Cheng Xiu said with a laugh.


    "Trolls?" San Zhe asked with a frown.


    "You went into a dungeon?" Luther asked in disbelief. "How were you able to do that? And why are you like this after the dungeon run? Which dungeon would do this to a player? Are you in some kind of attack from the creatures of the dungeon even now? Most dungeons ha-"


    "Luther," Yaksha called in a warning tone to his voice.


    Luther blushed and stepped back.


    "How did you fight the trolls?" Yaksha asked.


    "Through many weapons!" Cheng Xiu said, her chest puffing out, and her phoenix eyes glimmering with pride.


    "Why are you like this?" Yaksha muttered in exasperation.


    "Because I did it in Deep Dive!" Cheng Xiu said with a proud grin.


    The players around her froze.


    "What?" Luther asked through a choking voice.


    "Sister Xiu?" San Zhe called in fright.


    Yaksha frowned. "You went through Deep Dive¡­you were gone for only ten minutes here. How long did you spend in Deep Dive?"


    San Zhe relaxed. "That''s right. People can only spend 10 minutes in Deep Dive!"


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "40 minutes!"


    San Zhe stepped back in horror.


    Yaksha''s eyes widened. "Four times faster¡­"


    San Zhe gulped.


    "Lord Yaksha," Diana called, "What happened?"


    Yaksha observed the girl who leaned against him and looked drunk.


    He pulled out a white talisman from his storage ring and pasted it on the girl''s forehead.


    The talisman lit up.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has triggered the Retreat Talisman. The player is being forced to log out in:


    3


    2


    1]


    Cheng Xiu''s body disappeared.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe screamed.


    "She is fine," Yaksha said. "She was just logged out. You know her in real life, right? Go check on her now."


    San Zhe nodded and logged out.


    Luther gasped. "He logged out in a No-Safe Zone!"


    Yaksha jumped into a tree and laid on its branches.


    "Brother?" Diana called.


    "We will wait for her to return," Yaksha said to her.


    Diana nodded.

 Chapter 118 - Painful Reality

    Cheng Xiu could hear the beeping of a machine right under her ears, agitating her.


    Her head seemed to be splitting apart, and Cheng Xiu felt nauseous. Her body shivered as she felt cold and unwell. Her stomach ached, and she felt far more tired.


    She wished she could just fall asleep but the pain in her head forced her to stay awake.


    Cheng Xiu let out a groan.


    The Fold Watch around her wrist beeped again.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    [User xxxx4444 is not connected to any VR world. It is recommended that the User should be connected to a VR world during Pod usage to keep the brain functions normal while the Nutrient Solution heals any of the damages dealt with your Physique. Would you like to connect to a VR World?]


    Cheng Xiu just stared at the Fold Watch without moving, her mind not working.


    [User xxxx4444 is not going through any supplementary medical treatments. The user is showing signs of new ailments which can not be measured by the Pod System perfectly. It is recommended that the User connects to a Medical assistant immediately.]


    Cheng Xiu''s mind started to return to normal. She declined.


    [User xxxx4444 should contact the medical support immediately as there are fluctuations in your body.]


    "What kind of fluctuations?" Cheng Xiu asked, her thoughts barely able to register the System''s words.


    [User is showing signs of fatigue, and pressure of the mind the way that those who have gone into a Deep Dive would show. Though the problems are in the same frequency, the Qi fluctuation in the User''s body is making it hard to give the user a conclusive report. Your body shows a 5% increase in Physique more than last time but there seem to be damages that are being repaired in your nerves.]


    "Let me out," Cheng Xiu said between pants as the pain in her mind increased even more, which she had not thought was possible.


    [User xxxx4444 is showing signs of going into shock. Accessing code 777-Medical Support.]


    "Access denied!" Cheng Xiu said through gritted teeth. "Let me out!"


    [User xxxx4444, please reconsider. Your vitalities are showing abnormal signs. Accessing code 777- Medical support.]


    "I said access denied," Cheng Xiu said in half-scream. Her thoughts were jumbled, and she was not able to think well. All she knew was that she had to get out of the Pod as soon as she could. She needed to make sure that no one would take her to the Medical Centre. The chances of her being discovered were high there. She needed to get out.


    "Let me out!" Cheng Xiu said as she hit the pod door. "Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!"


    The pod cover opened with a swishing sound.


    Cheng Xiu scrambled out of the pod and staggered to her bed.


    Her head spun.


    She felt something cool flow down her lips to her chin.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand and rubbed the liquid away.


    She looked down.


    It was red.


    Why was it red, Cheng Xiu asked herself in confusion.


    Her headache increased even more.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she felt the wetness return, flowing down her nose to her lips, and then down to her chin.


    Cheng Xiu stared at it in a daze.


    Was it blood?


    Her mind circled that idea.


    She looked around and went to her bedside table.


    On it sat a tissue box.


    Cheng Xiu started to wipe away the red liquid, that she was starting to suspect was blood, from her face.


    Her nose felt stuffy.


    Cheng Xiu sneezed, and the red liquid flowed out of her nose even more.


    The pain in her head subsided.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. As it turned out, the red liquid was the reason she was feeling that headache all along.


    Cheng Xiu started to wipe away the red liquid with more and more tissue paper with enthusiasm.


    She walked towards the dustbin and threw the papers inside it.


    Check Xiu watched the papers dissolve and then walked back to her bed.


    She laid down at the edge and closed her eyes.


    She was so tired. And now, without the headache, she could sleep peacefully.


    In another part of the college campus, San Zhe was talking to a female student.


    "Please, can you do this?" San Zhe asked.


    The girl snorted. "No way fatty. You know boys are not allowed to enter the girl''s dorm or vice versa."


    San Zhe sighed. "Then can you please check on Cheng Xiu, Frist Year, Geoenergy Department?"


    The woman rolled her eyes. "I can''t. Sun Zhe, do you even know how strict the matron of the ward of Geoenergy is? It will skin me alive if I dared to ask her anything! Go talk to a faculty member if it is so important!"


    San Zhe sighed.


    "What is so important?" a voice asked from behind him.


    San Zhe froze in fear.


    He turned around and met with a pale and beautiful face.


    "Teacher Bo," San Zhe said.


    "Are you harassing girls now too?" the woman with red lipstick on her lips asked.


    San Zhe sighed. "It is¡­it is about Cheng Xiu from the Geoenergy Department."


    The woman''s eyes flashed. "Oh? What happened?"


    San Zhe gulped. He did not like the look on the woman''s face.


    "She¡­she asked for my help with something."


    "And what is that something?"


    San Zhe sweatdropped. "Um¡­she did not say. Said I should some girl to help her."


    The teacher raised her eyebrows. "Is that so? Then let us go see what she wants help with."


    "What? I can''t-"


    "As long as you have a teacher with you, you will be fine."


    "Oh," San Zhe thought for a moment. He did not like the way the teacher was watching him every more, judging him in contempt. "But Sister Xiu needs a girl''s help¡­"


    "Did she say that?" the woman asked.


    San Zhe backtracked. He needed to give himself away to escape if this backfired. "No..she just said that she needs help and that since I am a guy and I can''t go into the dorm for obvious reasons, I should send someone."


    "Doesn''t she already have a roommate?"


    "Yes."


    "So why not ask her for help? Why you?"


    "Because¡­her friend is busy with assignments."


    "And Cheng Xiu is not?"


    San Zhe gulped. "Well¡­she is a genius. I am sure she is fine."


    The woman nodded. "so she just asked for help. You can now help her yourself! And I will be there to see it!"


    San Zhe gave her an awkward smile. "Right."


    The woman smiled in satisfaction. "Shall we leave then?"


    San Zhe gave her a weak nod.

 Chapter 119 - Dorm Gossip

    Miss Bo knocked on the door of the room.


    San Zhe shuffled his feet behind her. His eyes looked about awkwardly, not sure what he should do or not to.


    He was worried about cheng Xiu''s condition but if she was still in the state of drunk then it would not be good.


    Miss Bo would use this as a way to discredit Cheng Xiu instead of trying to give her a chance to explain herself.


    Just before San Zhe could think about the consequences of that the door was pulled open.


    Cheng Xiu stood at the doorway and looked at Miss Bo and San Zhe with a dazed face.


    Miss Bo cleared her throat.


    Cheng Xiu''s Phoenix eyes turned towards her.


    The two women stared at each other for a moment.


    The silence was deafening.


    San Zhe cleared his throat.


    Miss Bo''s judging eyes looked towards him for a moment and then turned towards the tall girl by the door.


    "Are you not going to invite us in?" Miss Bo asked.


    Cheng Xiu crinkled her eyebrows in confusion. "Why should I?"


    Miss Bo scoffed. "Did you not call San Zhe for help?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked at the woman and then turned to San Zhe.


    The round boy blushed at the enquiring Phoenix eyes. He could see it in the way that the girl leaned against the doorframe that she was still not back to normal but it seemed that she was otherwise okay.


    He found the panic in his heart slowly dissipated.


    Cheng Xiu nodded and then looked at Miss Bo again. "But I called San Zhe."


    Her voice was a bit slurred.


    Miss Bo''s eyes narrowed. She sniffed the air around Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back, her eyes judging the intelligence of the woman in front of her.


    "What are you doing?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Miss Bo frowned. "You do not smell like a drunk and yet¡­you are showing signs of it."


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow. "Oh? What else do I smell like? A''Shu says I always smell like sandalwood."


    Miss Bo glared. "Maybe it is the soap you use."


    "That is what I keep telling her," Cheng Xiu said with a nod. "Anyway, why are you here?"


    Miss Bo frowned. "You needed a woman''s help, didn''t you? Is there a reason I can''t be that help?"


    Cheng Xiu gave her a considering look.


    The two women stared for some time.


    San Zhe sighed. "Sister Xiu, perhaps we can take this inside."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why?"


    "Sister Xiu," San Zhe said to her with a pleading voice.


    Cheng Xiu sighed.


    "What was your name again?" she asked Miss Bo.


    "You!" Miss Bo said with a glare, thinking the Qiless girl was mocking her.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head to the side. "You seem upset. Why? I just asked for your name."


    Miss Bo gritted her teeth.


    San Zhe felt a headache come on. He had not thought this through. He should have found a better excuse with Miss Bo or tried to contact that girl called Chu Ying. She seemed to have been close to Cheng Xiu as well.


    If only he was allowed into the dorm. If he was, then this conversation would not be happening.


    Two girls climbed the stairs and stopped at seeing a boy at the far end.


    "Who is that?" the girl in twin ponytails asked.


    The girl with the bob cut hair frowned. "I think he is that second third year San something from the Mathematics Department."


    "What is he doing in our dorm?"


    The girl with the bob-cut hair shrugged. Her eyes widened as she realised what she was seeing. "Isn''t that the teacher Miss Bo from Mathematics?"


    Miss Bo''s shoulders stiffened at those words. She changed her demeanour to someone who was only concerned for her students.


    The girl with the twin ponytails frowned. "yeah¡­and they are standing in front of Gu Shu''s room right?"


    "The first year?"


    "Yeah. And they are talking to Gu Shu''s smart roommate. I think her name is Xi or something."


    Cheng Xiu looked towards the two girls as well.


    "Do you think she heard me?" the girl in the twin ponytails asked with worry.


    The girl with the bob-cut giggled. "Do you think that girl and that boy were¡­"


    Cheng Xiu leaned against the doorframe completely and stared at the two girls.


    San Zhe frowned at her appearance that screamed "Let me hear more" and turned to see what she was looking at.


    The twin ponytailed girl smirked, unaware of the three pairs of eyes trained on her figure. "Or they are talking about that Seminar thing that I hear is happening. I heard that Miss Bo is the one in charge of everything, and Cheng Xiu is the Student Representative for the first years."


    The other girl rolled her eyes. "That San Zhe was kicked out."


    San Zhe frowned as the two girls laughed. He wished he could hear what they were saying as it looked like they were talking about the three of them.


    He then understood what they must be thinking. As the only man in the group, the entire scene seemed a bit more suspicious than it should be.


    "Hey!" Cheng Xiu called out to the two girls and then held her head between her hands in pain.


    The two girls frowned and looked towards her.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head so that it was also resting against the doorframe. Her eyes held a mean glint to them. "Do you think we can''t hear you? Or are you mocking us?"


    The two girls froze.


    "Wasn''t Miss Gu''s roommate a Qiless?" the ponytailed girl asked her friend.


    "She is supposed to be," the other girl said in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "You better leave before Miss Bo decides to report you for character slander."


    The two girls shivered in fear.


    In St Andre, the rules for bullying was very strict, and those that involved character slandering were even more so. There was even a chance to lose their place in the college because of it.


    "Sorry!" the twin-tailed girl said.


    Her friend echoed her words, and the two ran away immediately.


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu with a frown. "Sister Xiu?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked at him.


    San Zhe gulped. "You heard what those girls said?"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "You didn''t?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "How can I? I am not a Blessed."


    Miss Bo frowned at his words and looked at the girl before them in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "And I am?"


    San Zhe shook his head.


    Cheng Xiu laughed. "Say¡­San Zhe, you and me, we should stick together! It is so rare to find those who are Qiless on this campus. I tried to meet a few on campus, but they treat me like I am the plague. Something about me being a genius, and so am not the same. Like¡­how is that fair, Brother San?"


    San Zhe pursed his lips, unsure of what to do.


    He looked towards Miss Bo to find her observing Cheng Xiu with a weird look in her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu clapped, bringing his attention back to her.


    "I know what we can do!" Cheng Xiu said in excitement. "Let''s build a clubhouse just for Qiless!"


    "Planning terrorist groups now are you?" Miss Bo asked in a mocking voice.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Who are you?"


    Miss Bo gritted her teeth. "Bo Ling. A teacher of the Mathematics department, and the cor-ordinator of the new Seminar. I am-"


    "So why are you here?" Cheng Xiu asked in confusion. "Are you conducting a ''Mathematics'' seminar here? And who says ''Mathematics''? why not just say Math like normal people, you weirdo."


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe called in exasperation.


    "I am here because San Zhe here said that you needed help. And I think he might have been right. I need to know what kind of Drug roofied yourself with, please move aside."


    Cheng Xiu blinked at her for a moment and then widened her eyes. "Aha! So that was why you were here! Good! Wait here for a moment!"


    Cheng Xiu went back into the room and closed the door in Miss Bo''s face when the woman tried to get in.


    The woman stared at the door in a daze for a moment.


    She shook the dazed look off her face and started to hit the door.


    Cheng Xiu opened it and stuffed a card into Miss Bo''s hand.


    "What is this?" the woman asked in a strained voice.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "You wanted to help me right. That is the card to my Game Pod. I need you to get me three B-Grade Nutrient Solutions. I am apparently out of it according to this."


    She pointed towards the Fold Watch on her wrist.


    Miss Bo frowned. "That¡­was it?"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Or else?"


    Miss Bo was about to shout at her when the woman saw Cheng Xiu walk into the room again.


    The teacher was about to call the girl back when she saw the tall girl collapse onto the floor.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe cried as he tried to step into the room.


    He got electrocuted, and had to step back.


    "Miss Bo, help!" San Zhe called.


    Miss Bo looked at the girl and then at San Zhe.. She ran into the room.

 Chapter 120 - Wide Awake

    The warm sunlight flitted through the gap between the curtains and fell on the lean figure tucked under thick blankets on the bed.


    The air in the room was cool, and a scent of fresh garden roses filled in the pale blue room.


    Birds chirped.


    Cheng Xiu frowned in her sleep. Her thoughts were jumbled, but she extricated herself from the arms of sleep unwillingly.


    Her phoenix eyes fluttered open, and she stared blankly at the bouquet of roses on the bedside table.


    Cheng Xiu turned and lay on her back, staring at the white ceiling for some time.


    She stared at the glittering fairy lights attached to the ceiling in hooks. Since when did she have hooks in her ceiling?


    Cheng Xiu sat up on the bed and looked around in a daze.


    There were quite a few bouquets on the floor near her bed.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked around. It was not her dorm room. It was too spacious.


    The door suddenly opened.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards it to find a rotund figure come inside.


    "Brother San Zhe?" Cheng Xiu called.


    San Zhe stopped stuffing his face with the noodles and stared at Cheng Xiu for some time.


    His eyes widened.


    "Sister Xiu?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    "Where am I?"


    "You are in the hospital."


    "Why?"


    "You fainted."


    "Oh."


    San Zhe shuffled towards her. "You are okay now?"


    Cheng Xiu considered his question seriously for a moment. "I¡­think so."


    "What do you remember?"


    Cheng Xiu was confused by his question. "Why would you ask me that?"


    "Please answer me honestly."


    Cheng Xiu frowned and thought for a moment. Her eyes widened.


    She looked at San Zhe in horror. "I¡­I spoke to Miss Bo so disrespectfully!"


    San Zhe panicked. "Just pretend like you don''t remember!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Brother San, why would she believe that?"


    "Because according to the Doctor, there was a high chance that you would lose your memories completely."


    Cheng Xiu stilled. "What?"


    San Zhe sighed. "You..um¡­the Deep Dive had a strong impact on you. There were nerve damages¡­but¡­well¡­the doctor kept saying that it was not damage caused by Deep Dive when I tried to say to him that it was. The area that is usually affected by Deep-Dives were safe. They were not able to say what was wrong with you, except that a lot of your nerves had lost their membrane covering."


    Cheng Xiu considered his words in silence.


    San Zhe stared at her for a moment. "Sister Xiu?"


    Cheng Xiu looked up at him. "Yeah?"


    "I don''t know what you did in the game¡­but please be careful¡­and don''t do it anymore."


    Cheng Xiu froze. "Not do it anymore?"


    San Zhe nodded. "We will not be able to predict the consequences."


    Cheng Xiu''s hand tightened into a fist on the blanket. "Because I am a Qiless?"


    San Zhe started to nod his head but stopped midway. "It is only a part of it. You know I am the least likely person to care about that."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips and nodded. "Sorry. That was rude of me. I made it sound like I am the only one who has ever gone through such things."


    San Zhe chuckled. "You are allowed to be a bit self-centred you know?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "I know. So¡­no more special dungeons huh?"


    "What were you doing anyway?" San Zhe asked. "What made you do a Deep Dive?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "A chance to get a soul weapon shard."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "A soul shard?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded, her eyes glittering. "Yup! And I got it too!"


    San Zhe felt a headache come on. "Sister Xiu¡­I always thought that you were the logical sort¡­how can you risk going into Deep Dive for a soul Weapon? No, not a soul Weapon. A chance to get a soul weapon shard right? A shard. How can you risk your health for something like that? Did you even consider the way your parents would feel at that moment?"


    Cheng Xiu blushed and looked down at her hands. "I¡­did not know it was a Deep Dive instance. I wouldn''t have tried to participate in it if I knew that was the case."


    San Zhe frowned. "How can you not know? The AI system always gives the players a detailed summary of the dungeon if it has even a 1% risk to the player."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "I¡­don''t know."


    "Maybe we should contact the Pod Operators. It might have something to do with the Pod."


    "How did you know it was a Pod?"


    "You told me."


    "Right. And I don''t think that I will be able to afford a gaming pod repair. Those things would be expensive."


    San Zhe frowned. "How did you buy it then?"


    "It was a gift from Gu Shu," Cheng Xiu said, bowing her head. She felt embarrassed. Even though Gu Shu had bought her the Pod as a gift, and she had years of experience of Gu Shu trying to spend too much money on her, Chng Xiu felt like she was exploiting her friend somehow, and she never felt good about that.


    San Zhe hmmed. "Perhaps¡­you can ask Gu Shu to-"


    "There is no need for that," Cheng Xiu said in a hurry. "I¡­"


    San Zhe sighed. He could understand the girl''s thought process. "Have you thought about the fact that it is the way your friend is showing she cares?"


    Chng Xiu smirked. "I know. But I can''t indulge in that kind of thing for her. I am afraid that I might start to¡­"


    "Exploit her?" San Zhe finished.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "A''Shu might not realise it, but there are many just waiting to leach all the money she has in her account when they get the chance. I don''t want to be that person in her life."


    "I don''t think you ever will be," San Zhe said with a smile.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I am human, and I can be a greedy person too."


    San Zhe laughed, and then sobered up. "So¡­will you quit TOW then?"


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "You wish! I still have my old Gaming helmet. If you can use it, why can''t I? My skills won''t deteriorate because of it!"


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu in admiration. "Oh."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "So where is Gu Shu?"


    San Zhe blinked. "Um¡­she got a call yesterday, and so she went home."


    "Went home?"


    San Zhe nodded. He hesitated for a moment. "That¡­the doctor said that you will wake up only in two days¡­so she decided to go home¡­something about having a guest come over."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding.


    "How about we go out then?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Go out?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded.. "I kind of want to see the outside world."

 Chapter 121 - A Walk In The Park

    It wasn''t as easy as she had wished for them to just leave the hospital room. The main doctor had to check up on her.


    The doctor put down his glowing hand and then wrote down the results of his scanning. "Everything seems to be fine. There is only a bit of clotting with might be because of the concussion. So what did you say happened again?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "That I did Deep Dive for more than half an hour."


    The doctor chuckled.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "You don''t believe me?"


    The doctor shook his head. "If you don''t want to tell me, that is fine. My job is to heal you, which I did."


    "I am telling the truth," Cheng Xiu said.


    The doctor nodded. "I am sure you are. Did you know that an A Ranked Ability user can only stay in Deep Dive for 20 minutes at most? And the consequences of that would be far worse than what you have shown so far."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She smiled. "I was just joking."


    The doctor laughed. "I thought so. You can go out. There is not much damage I suppose. But we would like to keep you in observation for a bit longer if you don''t mind?"


    "Understood."


    "And no VR in the meantime. Since this happened while you were using VR, it is better to be safe, correct?"


    Chng Xiu nodded at the doctor''s words.


    The doctor left after that.


    Cheng Xiu stared into the space, her thoughts revolving on the kind demeanour of the doctor and his disbelief of her claim. She could understand where he was coming from, but she did not like it.


    "Shall we go then?" San Zhe asked nervously.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. She took up the walking stick and slowly made her way out of the room.


    As the two people walked on the pavement of the garden, Cheng Xiu looked around the place in wonder.


    "This is Hospice Apollo, right?" Cheng Xiu asked. "One of St Andre''s Speciality Hospitals?"


    San Zhe nodded. "Miss Bo was forced to admit you here as she had to register you and herself in."


    "I am surprised she did not let me just die," Cheng Xiu mused.


    San Zhe sighed. "Yeah¡­she likes to pretend to be above such things."


    "Lucky me, that hse has such vanities," Cheng Xiu said with a smile.


    She looked towards the side where many flower bushes were huddled together. She bent and smelt the rose in the bush.


    Cheng Xiu felt the pain in her mind calm down and smiled.


    "You seemed to be full of wonder at such sights," San Zhe said with a laugh. "Never been to a garden before?"


    Cheng Xiu grinned. "The last time I went to a garden was five years back."


    San Zhe frowned. "Five years back? What happened then? Sorry. I was just being curious, you don''t have to answer it if you don''t want to."


    Cheng Xiu laughed. "So polite. Why are you acting like we are strangers?"


    San Zhe ducked his head. "Aren''t we though? We have only known each other for a few days."


    Cheng Xiu''s smile dimmed. "Right. I guess¡­um I thought going through the life-and-death arena against the experts made us friends."


    San Zhe gave her a light smile. "You went through those things. I was just a spectator who kept getting manhandled by those experts. But I guess being friends is a given at this point huh?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Did they hurt you?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "No¡­I was just being a bit too cowardly at the sight of so many experts of the game together."


    "There is no need to be embarrassed about that," Cheng Xiu said with a smile, "it is okay to be a bit of a coward. Just don''t let it hold you back from doing what you want to do in life, and you will be fine."


    San Zhe gave her a slight nod. "My mom keeps telling me the same thing."


    "You should listen to her," Cheng Xiu said with a grin. "As for what happened 5 years back¡­I found out that I was a Qiless."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "Oh. You found out about it so early."


    Cheng Xiu looked towards him curiously. "When did you find it out then?"


    "When I was 15. My parents thought it was because I was a late bloomer until then."


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    "Can I ask you something?" San Zhe asked.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards him, waiting.


    "How did they react?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "My parents?"


    San Zhe nodded.


    Cheng Xiu looked up at the sky, watching the white clouds roll away. Her eyes dilated as she remembered those years.


    "My...mother was not happy."


    San Zhe looked up in surprise.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and walked towards the park bench.


    The two people sat down.


    Cheng Xiu watched the rippling water of the lake in thought. "My mother was a powerful person you know? She was an A-Rank scientist. She fell in love with my father who was barely even at E Rank. At least that is what I have heard. My mother''s family never approved so they eloped. A year later I was born. Everything seemed perfect until my Qiless status came out...mother blamed dad for it. Dad endured. I remember them fighting a lot at those times..."


    San Zhe looked at the woman in front of him with pity in his eyes.


    "My mother was just concerned that her choices were punishing her child," Cheng Xiu said in a whisper. "So I started to just focus on my studies. And my marks changed dramatically. Mom realised that I would still have a future even though I am a Qiless at that point, and she started to help me improve. People keep saying that I am a genius, that I am incredible...it took a long time to reach that point though."


    "Oh."


    Cheng Xiu crinkled her brows and looked towards San Zhe.


    She started to laugh at the expression on his face.


    "You don''t need to feel so sorry for me, brother San," Cheng Xiu said. "My father never allowed me to be overworked. He would slip me a lot of fantasy and romance books to read when mom was not looking, and he even roped Gu Shu into it. I can tell you, you won''t find anyone on campus who had tried out every damn otome game like me. Even Gu Shu had to step aside at my Powerleveling in the game."


    San Zhe shook his head. "So you have a lot of online boyfriends huh?"


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "Husbands more like. And all of them had bad endings. I am never lucky in love..."


    San Zhe saw her smile dim somewhat. "But you at least have your dad to support you!"


    Cheng Xiu hmmed. "Perhaps. But I think his love is...overcompensating. He keeps apologising to me."


    San Zhe frowned. "What? Why?"


    "My dad keeps apologising that it was his fault that I became a Qiless. After mom died, that guilt increased even more."


    San Zhe sighed. "That is just-"


    Cheng Xiu caught a ball that was aimed at her face.


    San Zhe stood up in shock.

 Chapter 122 - Xiu Xue

    A girl in a green summer dress walked over towards the two people sitting on the bench. She had a thin, short figure and a round face. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. Two girls wearing light pink frill dresses walked on either side of her.


    Cheng Xiu''s Phoenix eyes met with a pair of brown eyes.


    "Oh! If it isn''t the college belle! I mean, the genius of our college!" the girl exclaimed.


    Cheng Xiu gave the girl a mocking smile. "Ren Yin. If you wanted to make a grand entrance, you should have your posies on their knees and sit on them. I mean, with your bad hand-eye coordination, isn''t it less harmful to others?"


    The girl in the green dress puffed her cheeks in anger. "Cheng Xiu! Don''t think you are invincible just because you are the school genius!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. She turned to San Zhe. "Let''s go before the whining wild animals try to turn all territorial on us."


    San Zhe looked at the girls and then at Cheng Xiu. He gave her a slow nod.


    "I heard that you have brain damage now," Ren Yin said with a laugh. The girls at her sides laughed along with her.


    "Maybe you can become a customer at a Brothel now." One of the girls said with a twisted look on her face.


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "I knew your balance was bad but it would seem even your IQ is as messed up since you have such¡­perverted friends hanging with you. Maybe you should read up on ''Jokes for dummies'', ''How to make friends for dummies'' or maybe even ''How to construct sentences for stupid people.'' I am sure one of those titles exists for you."


    Ren Yin glared at her.


    Cheng Xiu massaged her temple. "Seriously though¡­is this your life''s mission now? Try to make the Qiless look bad in front of people? Do you think you are being all that?"


    "Are you okay?" San Zhe asked her in concern.


    "I am fine. I just get headaches in the front of idiots. Let us go."


    Cheng Xiu threw the ball back at the green-dress girl and started to walk away.


    "You stupid Qiless! Don''t think that you are all that! You are nothing more than a glorified trophy for the college!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "At least it is better than being a Trophy wife, which is the position you seemed to be aiming for."


    San Zhe gaped at her.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. She was not a vegetarian who would let everyone walk over her.


    "Cheng Xiu! You are going too far!" Ren Yin screamed.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and got up again. She used the walking stick to balance herself once again, and looked at Ren Yin with a polite smile.


    "I went too far with Trophy wife? Then what about the Brothel comment that your little friend over there made?"


    Ren Yin glared. "She said that! Not me!"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I did not see you try to stop her."


    Ren Yin glared. "Do you know that my Paternal Uncle is a specialist at this hospital?"


    "What should I do about that? Dance? Sing?"


    Ren Yin gritted her teeth. "You!"


    Cheng Xiu walked away from the group of girls, not caring about the way Ren Yin reacted to her words. Just as she was about to step away ice glazed the ground she was walking on, making her nearly slip.


    San Zhe quickly caught her by the waist and helped her stand up steadily.


    He quickly removed his hands. "Sorry."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "For helping me? Thanks anyway."


    He smiled.


    Cheng Xiu whirled around, holding her head at the sharp pain her movement caused her and stood still until the pain subsided.


    Cheng Xiu looked up to find a woman in her mid-twenties standing beside Ren Yin with a cold expression on her face.


    Cheng Xiu blinked in surprise. Though the colour of her hair was black, and her eyes were brown, Cheng Xiu recognised the girl in front of her at a glance.


    Immortal Frost.


    "Cousin!" Ren Yin shouted happily. "You showed the Qiless her place."


    Frost frowned. She looked at Cheng Xiu from head to toe. "You are a patient here."


    Her words were not a question.


    "And you are a bully," Cheng Xiu said.


    Frost frowned. "Your voice¡­can you talk in a lower pitch?"


    "No. Why would I do that?"


    "You useless Qiless!" Ren Yin screamed. "You are going too far!"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I don''t need to listen to your cousin or you."


    Ren Yin gave her a smug look. "Cousin Xue is the best at Ice Manipulation in the entire Xiu family!"


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow. "Xiu Xue? You belong to that high-range family in planet Gyana, right?"


    Frost frowned at her words. "And if I am?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "you must have a lot of resources then. It is no wonder that you were able to be so powerful. Anyone with even a spec of potential could reach the ''best'' title if they are supplied all their life with A-grade crystals, pills, and potions."


    Frost smiled. "There is no need to be jealous and to use those things, you still need to show a spec of potential."


    "There is no need for it, but there are reasons to be jealous," Cheng Xiu said with a shrug. "And that spec of potential is something everyone has."


    "Even a Qiless like you?" Frost asked in a calm voice.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "You should ask your cousin over there about my spec of potential. I am confident to say, I do have it."


    Frost hmmed. She bowed her head. "I am sorry for nearly hurting you. Ren Yin screamed that you called her a trophy wife."


    "I did," Cheng Xiu said, leaning heavily on the walking stick. "I was sitting on the bench, minding my own business with my friend. Ren Yin decided to try to bully the Qiless. I replied to her in the tone she talked to me. And regardless of what I said to her, using your power to harm a Qiless in the Hospital space is irresponsible and it shows that you are too entitled that you do not consider who you can hurt with your powers."


    Frost frowned. "Is that so? I am sorry for what I did then."


    "I don''t need it," Cheng Xiu said, rolling her eyes.


    Frost smiled. "But there is a reason to apologise."


    Cheng Xiu stared at the girl for a moment and then moved away.


    "Hey!" Ren Yin said angrily. "You can''t just ignore my cousin."


    What is wrong with this girl, Cheng Xiu thought to herself. She did not want to talk to the said cousin, and the feeling seemed to be mutual.


    "Why can''t I ignore YOUR cousin?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Ren Yin gave her a smug look. "because she is the Female Representative that GateKeep Academy has sent! You are supposed to serve her!"


    Cheng Xiu stilled and then turned around to look at the expert of the Other World.

 Chapter 123 - A Guess And A Confirmation

    Frost looked at the girl in front of her with a blank expression. "What do you mean, cousin?"


    Ren Yin grinned. "She has to serve you and stuff because she is part of the Welcoming committee!"


    Cheng Xiu cleared her throat. "This is Hospice, not St. Andre''s. I do not need to do anything related to the Welcoming committee here. Secondly, I am the Student Representative of the 1st year. I don''t need to personally serve Miss Xiu Xue here."


    Ren Yin frowned. "Are you making excuses so that you can shirk off your responsibilities? If you were just going to ignore these things, then why even bother taking on such duties? If I were you, I would do such things personally!"


    Cheng Xiu stared at the brown eyes of the girl. Ren Yin frowned at the intensity of the gaze on her person. "Well, you are not me, are you? So if you are, you can have this responsibility. Don''t come putting your opinion in front of people who never even asked for it."


    "Sister Cheng," San Zhe called, "please don''t make enemies with them."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Why was he calling her Sister Cheng instead of Sister Xiu?


    She thought for a moment and realised that the woman in front of her might know of the way that San Zhe had addressed her in the game and might connect the dots.


    Cheng Xiu knew there was reason to worry. Even though there were many people with the name Xiu in all the worlds, the number of people with the name Xiu, being friends with a San Zhe, and having the general aesthetics of SelaXiu was far too much of a coincidence.


    She was impressed by his quick thinking. She smiled at him. "I will be careful with my words from now on."


    "So you are dating that fatso then?" Ren Yin asked with a smug look. "You match well."


    "Did I ask for your opinion?" Cheng Xiu asked her. "What does it matter to you who I date and don''t date?"


    Ren Yin frowned. "Who wants to care about your love life? It is only because big brother¡­"


    Ren Yin bit her tongue at her slip up.


    Frost''s eyes widened as she realised what the girl was about to say.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the green-dressed girl with suspicious eyes. "Because of Ren Dao what?"


    Ren Yin pursed her lips. "It is only because brother Dao is friends with that Gu Shu that I care about anything to do with you!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "whatever. Anyway, Miss Xiu Xue?"


    Frost looked at her with curious eyes.


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head. "It was¡­interesting to meet you. Bye."


    "I hope you get well soon," Frost said with a small smile. "I would like to know more about St Andre nad its Technosphere."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "You can ask the third and fourth years for that. I am relatively new, and my knowledge might not be enough. Or¡­I can contact some of the senior representatives to get you to the Technosphere."


    Frost shook her head. "I want to know your opinion."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the girl curiously. "I might have to stay in the hospital for a few days. You can get to know much about the Technosphere in that time."


    "I can wait," Frost said. "Get well soon."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the woman in confusion and then left with San Zhe.


    "Did you find it weird that the woman''s attitude seemed to have turned a bit warmer after Ren Dao''s name was uttered? What do you think that was about?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    San Zhe shrugged. "These kinds of things are not my forte. Women in general are not my forte. Did you notice that it was Immoral-"


    "Impossible to get rid of Ren Yin? Yes. It was very annoying."


    San Zhe looked at her in confusion and then his eyes widened. Right. Those with Qi tended to have a superior hearing.


    San Zhe gave her a nod of understanding.


    Cheng Xiu smiled and the two walked off towards her ward again.


    In the garden, Ren Yin looked at Frost in confusion. "Why were you so nice to her at the end there?"


    Frost smiled. "Ren Dao likes her, yes?"


    Ren Yin gritted her teeth. "She is a Qiless."


    "And yet she is the Student Representative instead of you," Frost said in a monotone. "That says something about her, correct?"


    Ren Yin shrugged. "She only got that position because she was the top scorer of this year''s Alliance Exam."


    Frost froze. "She is?"


    Ren Yin nodded, unaware of the thoughts that she just put in her cousin''s head.


    "Her name is Cheng Xiu then?" Frost asked, a cool glint in her eyes.


    Ren Yin nodded and then looked at the taller woman in surprise. "How did you know that?"


    Frost looked at Ren Yin with a smile. "Everyone knows the name of the First Ranker."


    "I am sure she cheated somehow," Ren Yin said, her voice filled with jealousy. "How can a Qiless get more marks than a person with Qi?"


    Frost looked towards the path that Cheng Xiu walked on. "Then how can a Qiless outdo the officials of the Alliance, who are all people with Qi?"


    Ren Yin pouted. "You are only taking her side because brother Dao likes her. He is only interested in her because she is a bit different to the usual hags he sniffs after. Once he gets her, he will lose his interest."


    Frost shook her head. "And why do you think that Little Dao would get her?"


    "Because he always gets the girl," Ren Yin said crinkling her nose. "She would be lucky for the amount of time that he is interested in her."


    Frost stared at Ren Yin for a moment. "Why don''t we go eat breakfast?"


    Ren Yin looked at her with sparkling eyes. "Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and pita bread?"


    Frost nodded.


    Ren Yin agreed and the two cousins started to walk away, Ren Yin''s two ''friends'' walking behind the two like bodyguards.


    Frost''s eyes travelled to the path Cheng Xiu disappeared to for the last time.


    We meet again, she thought with a smile.. SelaXiu.

 Chapter 124 - Noodles And Call

    Cheng Xiu sighed as she stared out the window.


    It had been an entire day since she had woken up in the hospital and she suffocated at the four blank walls already.


    Even though Cheng Xiu seemed somewhat alright to them, the doctor had insisted that Cheng Xiu avoid playing games for some time and avoid reading or writing or any other activity that would strain her mind actively.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to scream in frustration as she saw the same orange sky she did five minutes ago.


    There was a knock on the door, and San Zhe came in with a smile.


    Cheng Xiu sat up in excitement, a grin on her face.


    San Zhe smiled at her and handed her a cup of noodles. "Here you go, Ms Cheng. Your Medium Extra Large Chicken Noodles."


    Cheng Xiu opened it and looked at the springy noodles with drool on her lips. She gulped and smiled at San Zhe.


    "Let''s eat together."


    San Zhe laughed. "I am afraid for my fingers with the way that you are looking at the food. I am fine. I ate at home."


    Cheng Xiu froze and looked at him in surprise. "You live near here?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "No. I live with my mother''s big sister on weekends and holidays. My parents are back at M City."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in confusion. "M City? Don''t they have better education facilities than here?"


    San Zhe nodded. "Yes, but there is also the affordability of it. St Andre is affordable for my parents¡­I do live on campus like you though."


    "I guessed that," Cheng Xiu said with a chuckle. "I would have been home by now otherwise¡­did you inform my dad?"


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "Oh! I didn''t! I am so sorry, Sister Xiu! I was not thinking properly!"


    Cheng Xiu patted him on the shoulder. "It is okay. Don''t inform him. He worries about me as it is, there is no need to give him even more reason to worry¡­and he might take away my gaming Helmet if he knew what happened."


    San Zhe sweatdropped. "That is your primary concern?"


    "It is my secondary concern. Now! Let''s eat!"


    The two began to eat when San Zhe started to get messages, and he had to reply on occasion.


    Cheng Xiu took bites of her food as she observed the man in front of her.


    She looked at her near-empty bowl of ramen and at the barely touched cup of ramen that was in front of San Zhe.


    Cheng Xiu put her chopstick down and patted him on the forearm.


    San Zhe blinked away from his phone and looked at her.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "You should eat your food before it goes completely cold."


    San Zhe nodded.


    His phone buzzed again.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards the screen in suspicion as San Zhe hurried to answer.


    "Is it your girlfriend?" She asked him.


    The chopstick that was going towards his mouth paused as San Zhe looked at her. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu leaned back towards the pillow and gave him a teasing smile. "The messages. Your girlfriend?"


    San Zhe laughed and shook his head. "It''s a guy."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Is it your boyfriend?"


    San zhe choked on his food and stared at her with wide eyes.


    Cheng Xiu gave him a Cheshire cat smile, her eyes sparkling. "Is he cute?"


    San Zhe started to cough. "Sister-Sister-Xiu¡­you¡­have¡­it wrong."


    Cheng Xiu raised a sceptical eye. "Oh? So his is not cute?"


    "I don''t have a boyfriend! It is Immortal Yaksha!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Yaksha?"


    Cheng Xiu remembered the man who held her in his arms and who helped her log out.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. "You are right, Brother San. That is not cute, that is sexy. I agree."


    San Zhe gave her a nervous laugh. "He made me add him as my friend so that he could make sure that you are okay."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Why would he care?"


    "Because he helped you?"


    Cheng Xiu thought of the bracelet she wore in the game and the message that Yaksha sent to her to save her Qi Root from dying.


    Cheng Xiu looked at San Zhe''s phone. "Do you have his number?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "No, but the phone is linked to the web browser that the Other World interface provides. You can talk to him through it."


    He turned the phone on and sent a message.


    The reply was immediate.


    He read the message and looked at Cheng Xiu cautiously.


    "What?" she asked.


    San Zhe handed her his phone. "He said he would voice call you as video call is a bit inconvenient for him at the moment."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the phone and then at San Zhe. "Is this alright?"


    San Zhe gave her a reassuring smile. "It''s fine. He seemed really worried anyway. Maybe talking to you will calm him down."


    Cheng Xiu gave him a teasing smile. "That sounds a bit like parenting stuff. I don''t mind! It would be very interesting to live with two dads!"


    San Zhe looked at her with a judging expression. "The Deep Dive damage was greater than what I had thought it was it seems."


    Cheng Xiu blushed. This was why she avoided people. Every time she talked, people found out that she was a weirdo.


    Cheng Xiu looked at his contacts and found the name Yaksha easily. Too easily even.


    "You don''t have much in your contact," Cheng Xiu commented as she pressed the call.


    San Zhe nodded. "I never needed to. I had very few friends since I was young. I just have the numbers of my families and my dorm mates, and some of my teachers who I call to clear doubts."


    Cheng Xiu smiled at him. "I was not judging you. Mine has fewer contacts than yours does."


    The call went through.


    Cheng Xiu put the phone near her ears.


    "Hello?" Cheng Xiu called.


    "Hello," a deep voice said from the other end.

 Chapter 125 - President Xiu

    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened at the bass of the voice. It was attractive and also familiar. "I am¡­SelaXiu."


    "How are you now?"


    "Fine," Cheng Xiu said, pursing her lips. "And thank you for your many bits of help."


    "Many helps?"


    "For saving my Spirit Pet and for saving me. Even though I am not as famous or influential, I would do anything in my power to repay this debt. Thank you."


    A soft Chuckle was heard on the other side. "Saving your Qi Root was my duty. As for saving you¡­it was something any decent person why could do something would do."


    "It is just an act of decency for you," Cheng Xiu said with a smile. "But your actions saved my life. So thank you."


    "I do have some ulterior motives for helping you though," the man at the other side of the phone said.


    Cheng Xiu''s brows crinkled. "What is it?"


    He laughed. "I was just teasing you. You should get better soon, right?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What is it? What is your motive for helping me then?"


    The man sighed. "I have no particular motive¡­maybe just a small wish."


    "What is it?"


    San Zhe frowned as he saw the slightly suspicious look on her face.


    "I want you to be the greatest player in The Other World as you can be," the man said.


    Cheng Xiu head a the crinkling of papers, and the sound of moving fabric.


    "Why? What is in it to you whether or not I reach my best?"


    "I wanted to fight with you as well¡­the way that those Immortals did. I was a bit jealous of them, to be honest."


    "So why didn''t you?"


    "Because, as I said, I want you to reach your best. There is nothing more addicting than the feeling you can get when you defeat someone when they are at their best."


    Cheng Xiu frowned at those words. She felt like they were familiar. "That is a childish concept of fighting in the game."


    The man chuckled. "An old friend said that to me when I told her that I wanted to fight her and she refused. I have always tried to play catchup."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Then I guess your friend is the childish one."


    "Perhaps," the man said in a soft tone. "Are you alright though?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "I am."


    Her eyes fell on San Zhe.


    San Zhe frowned at the glint in her eyes.


    "Mr Yaksha-"


    "Just say Yaksha."


    Cheng Xiu nodded even though he could not see it. "Do you have a lover?"


    There was silence at the other end for a few moments.


    San Zhe stared at her in awe and horror.


    "No."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Are you interested in girls or boys?"


    San Zhe hit his forehead in exasperation.


    There was silence once again.


    "What did you say?" the man at the other end asked her in confusion.


    "Are you interested in boys or girls?" Cheng Xiu said with a sigh.


    "¡­girls."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Oh."


    "You sound disappointed."


    "I was hoping to be the reason why San Zhe has a love life. Oh Well."


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu like she was the cruellest person in the world.


    Cheng Xiu felt guilt build up in her heart. "Um¡­it was nice meeting you then."


    "Tell San Zhe to message me when you are back online. I would like to talk to you in the game."


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    "Hello?"


    Cheng Xiu blushed. "Sorry. Forgot you couldn''t see me. Yeah. I guess I will see you online. Bye now."


    The phone was cut off.


    Cheng Xiu looked at San Zhe and then bowed her head. "Sorry. In my attempt to tease you and maybe try to hook you up, I did not ask your opinion. I am sorry."


    San Zhe slouched and looked at Cheng Xiu for a moment. "Has anyone ever told you that your self checks a lot?"


    "What?"


    "You seemed to apologise a lot," San Zhe said to her.


    "Only because I realised what I did was wrong," Cheng Xiu said. "And it is hard for me to see my wrongs easily."


    San Zhe nodded and then took up his chopsticks again. "Shall we eat then?"


    Cheng Xiu picked up her chopsticks. "Let''s."


    The two spent the evening with noodles and telling stories to each other.


    * * *


    In the spaceport of the US Country, a space shuttle landed softly.


    A man with silver hair and blue eyes walked out of it in sure strides.


    The women watching him nearly drooled.


    Many of the employees of the space shuttle bowed to him.


    A plum woman in official clothes stood waiting for him at the silver gate.


    "Mrs Bai," the man said, removing his dark glasses. "is everything ready?"


    "Yes, President Xiu," the woman said. "We have gathered all the Cheng Xius of the Country and the other department is collecting data at our Australian Depos. We will get a conclusive result by 9 in the evening."


    The man nodded. "If my parents ask about my whereabouts, tell them you don''t know. You only know that I am searching for a Cheng Xiu."


    The woman nodded. "Understood sir."


    "Let''s leave for the hotel then."


    "This way sir."


    The woman and President Xiu walked away to the car waiting for them.


    * * *


    In another location, somewhere in the suburbs of London, three bodies were piled on top of each other.


    A woman and two men.


    A man in a white suit raised his arm and shot balls fire at the body pile, burning them to ashes.


    A man grey suit came towards him with two glasses of wine.


    He handed one over to the man in the white suit.


    "That is a total of six people we have found in the last one week," the man in white said with distaste in his face and voice. "Joseph, they are evolving faster than we had anticipated."


    Joseph sighed. "I have tried to find Maya''s servers again, but it is no use. That AI is too cunning."


    The man in white sighed. "I had thought that with the death of creator Qin, the project would be destroyed completely. Have you got a lead on how Maya went online again?"


    Joseph pursed his lips. "Only a brief report. Something about a Player in the Beta stage accessing the Primordial Title, allowing Maya to access Phase 1 of her servers."


    "And now she is at Phase 5," the man said with contempt. "Find me the player with the title. Perhaps we can access Maya''s servers through that."


    Joseph nodded.


    "In the meantime, kill all the Qiless who have awakened that you find."


    "Yes sir."

 Chapter 126 - Family Calls Family

    Cheng Xiu stared at the papers in her hand, her thoughts far away from her surroundings.


    It was the fourth day since she had left the Other World due to having brain damage from playing it in Deep Dive. Deep Dive, which forced the Player''s mind to work at high speeds. The time spent in the Game while usually was twice as long as reality, Deep Dive was 4 times faster than the Actual Game Speed.


    And Gu Shu had not contacted her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Were they not friends? Was she not her best friend? What happened to Gu Shu that was so bad that she did not even contact cheng Xiu herself to just ask if she was alive? Even Yaksha, someone who did not even have any relation with her showed more concern than Gu Shu did.


    "Sister Xiu?" San Zhe called from opposite her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked and looked up at him.


    "The paper?" he prompted.


    Cheng Xiu gave him a dazed nod and looked at the paper in her hands closer.


    [Return Notice for Virtual Reality Pod, series 51. Status: Lagging in AI Reactions.]


    This was the return notice for the VR pod that Gu Shu had given her.


    "You need to sign it," San Zhe said with a smile.


    "Why should I sign it? Didn''t Gu Shu buy it?" Cheng Xiu asked in a low voice.


    San Zhe looked at her for a moment. "You used it, you registered in it. There is no other way. You have to sign it. Miss Gu could have signed it but she is unavailable right now."


    Cheng Xiu sighed and stuffed the papers back into his hands. "You can have her sign it when she returns or you can mail it to her."


    San Zhe gave her a slight nod, wanting to say something to her but not sure what to say exactly.


    "Did Gu Shu call you?" Cheng Xiu asked. Even though she did not want to, she still felt herself asking.


    San Zhe shook his head.


    Cheng Xiu looked down on the floor. "Then¡­do you think she contacted the doctors or someone?"


    San Zhe hesitated. "I¡­don''t think so."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips.


    Her Fold rang.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the screen in a daze.


    [Dad] it said on the black screen.


    Cheng Xiu extended her hand to take it up and then paused. She looked at San Zhe. "What should I say?"


    San Zhe shrugged, confused.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and picked up the phone. "Hello?"


    "Little Boss," a gruff voice said, "Did you even forget that you have a father now?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Dad."


    "Why didn''t you call?"


    She heard a light sniffing sound coming from the other side of the phone.


    She felt a headache come on. "Are you crying?"


    "No," the voice sounded even gruffer now.


    Cheng Xiu put her head in her palm and massaged her temple. "Dad, I was busy with work. I texted you that I had to be the new coordinator for a college seminar."


    "Still," the man said in a low tone. "Little Boss, you should know, your dad and your grandma only have you! We are living only for you. Are you that busy that you can''t even text your father now?"


    Cheng Xiu felt guilt raise in her heart, and her throat felt stuffy. "Dad¡­I am sorry. How about I make it up to you?"


    "How?"


    "I will visit you this weekend."


    "Really?" Mr cheng''s voice was extremely surprised. "You promise you will come this weekend?"


    "I-"


    "Give me that!" a female voice screamed at the other end.


    "Mom! Let go! I am talking to Little Boss!" Mr Cheng''s voice was heard.


    Cheng Xiu felt herself smile.


    "You unfilial brat! How dare you use your height against me!"


    There was a thud sound.


    "Ow! Mom!"


    Cheng Xiu chuckled, biting her lips to prevent herself from guffawing.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. He had never seen Cheng Xiu as relaxed as he did at the moment.


    "Hello? Xiu? Little Xiu? Can you hear me?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Yes, Gran, I can."


    "Good. I thought this useless father of yours cut the call off in revenge," the rough female voice said to her. "And don''t come home on the weekend if you are too busy! This disgraceful father of yours is an obvious fool. Is it so easy to maintain the top position in any college? There must be hundreds of people eyeing your position, and Gran knows how much effort my dear child puts into her works. You will burn out yourself to overcompensate your absence if you come home."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I won''t do that. Do I look like someone who would risk her health just for the fleeting notion of success?"


    "Yes," two voices said together.


    Cheng Xiu looked at San Zhe in surprise.


    He gave her an awkward smile and then whispered "Deep Dive" towards her.


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes.


    "I know you well enough to know that you will," Gran said with light humour in her voice. "You used to pee in my lap once, remember? Wearing only single underwear and dancing round in the "


    "Gran!" cheng Xiu shouted, her face deep red. "I seem to have found an excuse-I mean I have a job to do. Brother San is calling me, bye."


    "Brother San? Who is brother San?" Mr Cheng''s voice shouted.


    Cheng Xiu cut the call.


    She smiled at San Zhe awkwardly.


    San Zhe returned the gesture with an even more awkward smile.


    "Family," cheng Xiu said with a light laugh.


    "They are always crazy," San Zhe said with a slight nod of his head.


    After that they had breakfast, and the doctor came to give her a check-up.


    She was allowed to leave that evening.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the empty room in the dorm with a slightly complicated feeling.


    "Shall I keep these here?" San Zhe asked her from behind. He held a pale suitcase in his hand.


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    San Zhe stood there for a moment, hesitating. "Call me if you need anything."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "You have done enough already. I don''t know how I will ever repay you for your care."


    San Zhe shook his head. "I didn''t do much. The money was paid by Miss Bo and Yaksh-"


    San Zhe''s eyes widened as he realised what he said.


    Cheng Xiu stared at him for a moment in surprise.


    "Why would Yaksha pay-"


    "I need to leave now!" San Zhe said with an awkward smile. "Bye!"


    Before she could react, he dashed out the door.


    Cheng Xiu looked on in confusion.

 Chapter 127 - The Return

    Cheng Xiu called her dad again after San Zhe left.


    After coercing her dad into believing she was not dating anyone or planning to elope, and that she did know that he would support all her decisions so she had no reason to elope, Cheng Xiu laid on the bed, looking at the ceiling for a moment.


    Everything that happened in the span of a few weeks and her mind in chaos.


    The ability to feel the Qi, the loss of that feeling, the exhilaration of playing a game that hooked her heart was tremendous. She knew that she was getting addicted to it already, but Cheng Xiu found herself unwilling to change¡­and was there even a need to change? She was not the only person in the world to have an addiction to VR games, and she was doing it for genuine reasons. Like the feeling of having Qi¡­or active Qi centre¡­and the ability to fight the way that she was able to do in the Other World was amazing.


    But would the experience be the same anymore?


    Her eyes went to the black and cream gaming pods in the corner of the room.


    She could not use that anymore as the technology seemed to be malfunctioning.


    It was lucky that she did have an S Ranked Mental Strength, otherwise, she would have died already.


    Cheng Xiu frowned for a moment. Where did she put her old Gaming Helmet?


    Cheng Xiu got up and looked under the bed.


    There, a small red metallic box was stuffed in.


    Cheng Xiu pulled it out and placed her hand over the lid of the box, that had a hand scanner.


    There was a beep sound.


    Cheng Xiu touched the corner buttons of the lid, and a virtual keypad came out.


    Cheng Xiu pressed the relevant buttons, and the lid opened.


    Inside the lid sat two VR Helmets. One was a deep purple, with jagged yellow lines that imitated lightning on the headphones.


    The other was a completely black VR helmet, that had golden circles etched on its sides.


    Her eyes went to the purple one first. It was the one Gu Shu had mocked about. Her father had bought it for her for the Chinese New Year to replace the black one, which was even older than the 2159 model that Gu Shu had mocked. And it was her favourite because her mom had helped her choose.


    Cheng Xiu sat back on the bed and then looked at the gaming pod.


    She shook her head and put the helmet down.


    Cheng Xiu picked up her Fold and started to call Gu Shu.


    It rang for a moment before she cut it off.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. Was she overreacting? So what if Gu Shu did not call, she only left after she found out that Cheng Xiu would wake up only a few days later. Neither Gu Shu nor the doctor had predicted that Cheng Xiu had the amazing healing capacity that she did.


    And Gu Shu was not obligated to tell her everything that happened in her life, right? Did she need to know who was visiting the Gu Family and for what reason?


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment and then shook her head again. She was overcomplicating things. Whatever the reason, she would not know what that reason was unless she contacted Gu Shu herself. And even if she had not called her, cheng Xiu could call her to update her health her best friend.


    Was there a need to stand on ceremony about such matters?


    Cheng Xiu sorted out her thoughts and called Cheng Xiu again.


    It rang for some time before it was picked up.


    "Hello?" a soft voice said on the other side.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Who is this?"


    "This is Maid Sui of the Gu Residence," the voice said proudly.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Hello, Ms Sui. Is Gu Shu there?"


    "Yes. The madam here."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She was? Then why did she not pick it up? Gu Shu had put everyone''s number with its caller tune to make sure she knew who was calling her. So she should have known it was Cheng Xiu if she was in the room right? Why did she not pick up?


    "Can you give her the phone, please?" she asked Sui.


    "Please wait a moment as I ask," the woman said from the other end.


    There were muffled voices.


    "Hello?" Gu Shu''s voice came through.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. There was something wrong with her voice. "Are you okay?"


    "Fine. Why did you call?"


    Cheng Xiu felt her heart sink. What? Why was Gu Shu talking to her in that tone?


    "You didn''t call or message me," Cheng Xiu said in a fake happy voice. "That is not like you at all. I expected you to have questions or something or the other or at least rant about the latest news about that Ren Dao."


    "I am sure that you know more about Ren Dao than I do now," Gu Shu said. Her voice seemed like she was talking through gritted teeth.


    "What are you talking about now?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Didn''t you meet his cousin?"


    It did not take the IQ of a genius to realise what had happened. "You are jealous because I met some cousin of his? Really?"


    "Ren Yin said that Miss Xiu Xue was very impressed by you."


    "So?" Cheng Xiu asked. "Have I ever shown any interest in that Pimping Moron before that I will show it now? What nonsense!"


    "I...I just..."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "I guess we will discuss these idiotic theories of yours in detail once you get back."


    "But Ren Yin-"


    Cheng Xiu cut the call off.


    She pursed her lips. Her eyes filled with tears and her hold on the Fold increased.


    "All for a boy," Cheng Xiu said in a mocking voice. "She did not call all for a boy."


    Her phone vibrated.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the text, thinking it was Gu Shu. It wasn''t.


    It was a forwarded message from San Zhe.


    She opened it.


    [Want to meet up soon? -Yaksha]


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She typed ''Yes. See you in five at the forest.'' and then grabbed the gaming Helmet.


    Even though the Doctor had told her to take it easy for a few days, Cheng Xiu felt too agitated and angry at the moment.


    She walked towards the gaming pod, the VR Helmet in hand.


    She pressed a button at the head of the gaming pod.


    It opened to reveal a large container of blue liquid.


    She detached the tank from the pod and connected it to the Helmet in her hand.


    A green light on the sides of the Helmet woofers appeared.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and put the helmet on.


    She lay on the floor.


    "Activate Visor 4444," she said in a steady voice.


    There was a beeping sound and everything in her vision disappeared.


    All she saw was black.

 Chapter 128 - White Room Again

    Cheng Xiu blinked.


    The room was blue all over.


    A large deep blue interface appeared in front of her.


    [Welcom, User xxxx4444.]


    The voice that spoke was the monotone voice of a man.


    "Access all games available under the user name," Cheng Xiu said, her mind not interested in the game. She was still thinking about what Gu Shu had done.


    [Ding!]


    [Available Game: The Other World.]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. There should have been a lot more than that but it seemed that the information was deleted.


    "Enter The Other World reality," Cheng Xiu said with a sigh.


    [Ding!]


    [User xxxx4444 is being transported to the interface of The Other World. Please be on Stand by as the System contacts the AI of the Game for wave transmission.]


    A virtual clock with a countdown from 10 appeared above her head.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips in exasperation. After experiencing the fast reaction of the gaming pod, her patience towards the Gaming Helmet seemed to have fallen.


    When the countdown reached 0, the blue of the room disappeared and she saw the familiar white room.


    Cheng Xiu let out a breath of relief. She had not realised how much she had gotten used to this room until then.


    [Welcom back, User xxxx4444, to The Other World. You have been gone for 4 days in Real-Time.]


    Cheng Xiu smiled as she heard the familiar female voice.


    "Hey, Maya."


    [Hello, User.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why am I being called User instead of Player?"


    [Whould the User like to register as a new player or do you want to continue with your previous account?]


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by that question. "No. I want to continue to use my present one."


    [ding!]


    A floating keyboard appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked.


    [Please enter the relevant password.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She did not know any passwords that the system asked for before. She typed in the password that she used for her register one. It was the only one that made sense.


    [Ding!]


    [WElcom, Player Selafia Veritas. You have been away from the game world for 8 Gametime days.]


    [Would you like to log in now?]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Wait."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She knew that those experts would be searching for her right about now. If she needed to escape their scrutiny, she had to change her appearance.


    "I would like to make changes to my character."


    [Ding!]


    An expressionless naked clone of Cheng Xiu appeared in front of her. The clone''s appearance changed to her present costume.


    The clone had dark black hair with subtle red highlights. She wore a black mask on her face that had blue designs on its surface.


    Her clothes were that of a typical Wuxia avatar, A white dress piece that had brown and black embroideries on the hems with bellowing hands, and flowing ribbons all around her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "I look decent. How can I change my appearance so that I can look somewhat different when I really like this look already? Can I at least change my clothes?"


    [Player can access her gift pack that is sitting in her inventory gathering dust if the Player wants better types of equipment.]


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. She had forgotten all about the gift that the game had given her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the storage ring and thought about the Fresh package.


    A light blue Chest appeared near her feet.


    Cehgnx Xiu looked down and opened the lid. Golden light flashed.


    Inside was a single piece of white cloth and a half red and half blue crystal ball.


    "What is this? Isn''t this a cheap gift?"


    [Ding!]


    [No. It is the Beginner Pack.]


    Cheng Xiu sighed and took out the piece of clothing.


    It suddenly transformed into a large piece of clothing and tried to wrap itself around Cheng Xiu.


    The cultivator jumped to the side.


    The cloth froze in mid-air.


    [Player Selafia, please don''t dodge. This is the process.]


    Cheng Xiu looked at the clothing suspiciously and then stood still.


    The clothing wrapped around her, and transformed into a beautiful martial robe that hand scattered red leaf designs on the hems.


    Cheng Xiu raised her brow in surprise.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has equipped the "Elemental Master" Level 3 robes. +3% increase in fighting accuracy.]


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "A very useful equipment to have. Thank you!"


    She looked at the crystal and then picked it up. There was no reaction whatsoever.


    "What is going on? What can I use this for?"


    [Ding!]


    [That is the Dual Gem of the Vixia Forests. After you drop it into the water of both the lake of the Viridian Forest and the Azure Lake, the Crystal will give you or a being of your choosing a power boost. After use, the Item will go into cooldown for 1 month.]


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by that. A month-long cooldown? How powerful was the power boost it required a month-long cooldown?


    Cheng Xiu shook her head, putting the crystal into her storage ring, and then looked towards the clon again.


    The clone''s clothing had changed to the one she wore.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and looked towards the mask. Though it was a beautiful mask, it did not match with her present colour scheme anymore.


    "I would like to change the mask, please."


    There was a beep, and the wall of the white room parted to reveal rows and rows of masks.


    Cheng Xiu looked around for a moment before her eyes fell on a white mask.


    She walked towards it and examined the item.


    It was a full face mask. The only thing that would become visible was her eyes. And even though her eyes could be considered her most recognisable feature, the mask would hide it in a shadow. There were many little white crystals decorated the part of the eyes.


    Cheng Xiu selected it.


    [Ding!]


    [Player has to pay 100000 gold coins to be able to buy this item. Would you like to continue with the purchase process?]


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened¡­that was very expensive.

 Chapter 129 - Viridian Forest

    "Can I afford that?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    [Player''s current income is: 200 crystals, 204000 gold, 20 silver, 10 copper.]


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and selected to proceed to pay.


    She felt the mask on her face disappear and instead of it, a new, cooler feeling appeared. It would seem that she was able to afford a lot of things.


    She smiled as she looked at the clone once more. She looked far cooler than before. Even enchanting.


    Cheng Xiu changed her hairstyle to open hair, with the hair dressings changing to a deep red colour.


    Cheng Xiu finished things up and returned to the Viridian Forest.


    It was daytime now in the game world, and everything looked vibrant and beautiful.


    Cheng Xiu smiled.


    Her eyes fell on the two figures sitting under a tree, talking.


    Cheng Xiu immediately recognised the two as San Zhe and Yaksha.


    Cheng Xiu rushed towards them.


    San Zhe looked at the approaching figure with caution.


    Yaksha stood up. "Miss Selafia."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened at his greeting.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe said in a worried voice.


    Yaksha looked at her with a disappointed face.


    "What?" cheng Xiu asked in confusion.


    "How can you just leave like that!" San Zhe asked. "Didn''t'' the doctor already tell you that you have to be careful at this time?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "what?"


    "You are not supposed to play for a few more days!" San Zhe said with a glare.


    Cheng Xiu looked down at her feet in guilt. She had forgotten.


    "Sister Xiu!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "I am sorry. I forgot."


    "That is good then," san Zhe said with a sigh. "The quickly log out then!"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I feel fine though."


    "And how long do you think that would last?" yaksha finally said to her.


    Cheng Xiu finally looked up at him.


    Phoenix eyes locked on to dark deep-set eyes.


    "I am much more sturdy than I look."


    "You are supposed to be intelligent."


    "You are a very rude person."


    "And you are a very forgetful one. Or uncaring," Yaksha said, his eyes not leaving hers. "Only someone who did not care about the people who would worry about them would still insist on playing a VR even after the doctors said to take a break."


    Cheng Xiu glared. "You don''t have a right to judge me."


    "Maybe not, but I do have a right to speak out my opinion of what I think about this unreasonable behaviour of yours."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Hey, anyway. I am Selafia¡­I mean SelaXiu¡­but you already know that."


    Yaksha frowned. "Your memories are jumbled?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned in return. "I suppose it is. I had not considered it before. I guess it will take some time to reach my former glory."


    "You can rest for a few days," Yasha advised, "it would allow you to reach your former glory sooner."


    Cheng Xiu smirked, even though he could not see it. "I am fine. Thanks for the advice though."


    San Zhe looked at the two people. Why did the atmosphere between these two seem a bit too charged? Was he being fed some kind of dog food without knowing?


    "I know my limits better than most people," Cheng Xiu said to Yaksha. "It is just that, the Deep Dive was far too unexpected and I had already lost my reasoning to some extent."


    Yaksha sighed. "Very well. If you think so. I am nobody to force you to do something you don''t want to do."


    Cheng Xiu smiled.


    "You can''t be serious," San Zhe said in shock.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards him in anger. "San Zhe. Shut up."


    San Zhe was shocked at the harsh tone in Cheng Xiu''s voice.


    "What happened?" Yaksha asked Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu blinked and looked at him in confusion. "what?"


    "You are angry about something and are taking it out on San Zhe. What is bothering you?"


    Cheng Xiu left out a sigh. "something very personal."


    Yaksha nodded in understanding and did not push her for more information.


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu for a moment and then thought of something. "Miss Gu still hasn''t contacted you?"


    Cheng Xiu snorted. "I called her."


    San Zhe guessed that the talk did not go the way that Cheng Xiu had thought it would go, and the two friends must have had a fight over the phone.


    He wasn''t'' sure what he felt at the moment. This Gu Shu did not seem to be that great of a person.


    "Anyway!" Cheng Xiu said, "where should we go, now that we are here anyway."


    San Zhe sighed. "Sister Xiu¡­are you sure you should be playing this game."


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head. "Yes. I want to."


    "Do you have any business in the forest when you came here?" Yasha asked.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in confusion. "what?"


    "When you were forced to fight with the experts," Yaksha explained.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened in enlightenment. She turned to San Zhe in excitement. "That is right, Brother San! We still haven''t done the Rat Pit Quest!"


    San Zhe frowned as worry rose in his heart. Cheng Xiu was a bit too emotional today, which was not what he had seen from her so far. She seemed like the quietly contemplating type than the sugar rush attitude that she was showing them at the moment.


    It was either because of the Deep Dive damage or it had something to do with Gu Shu.


    Seeing that he was with her for the past few days and she had not shown this kind of an attitude before, he decided that it had something to do with Gu Shu.


    He was surprised by the amount he was able to figure out about Cheng Xiu after just a few days of interacting with her.


    Cheng Xiu was not that complicated a person although she was an S-ranked genius. It put him in a weird mindset that Gu Shu had this level of impact on Cheng Xiu''s mood.


    "she is your best friend, correct?" Yaksha asked Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Who?"


    "This Miss Gu that San Zhe was talking about."


    The scowl on her face became deeper. "How did you know?"


    "I didn''t. I just made an educated guess and asked you about it."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "yes. She is."


    Yaksha looked at her for a moment, his thoughts a mystery to the two of the Qiless in his company.


    "then let us go to complete this Quest of yours," Yaksha said with a small smile. 2but you have to promise me that you will log out after that."


    "Okay!"


    "Let us leave then," Yaksha sadi to San Zhe.


    San Zhe gave him a dazed nod.

 Chapter 130 - Journey To The Rats Pit

    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe stood still in shock at the large machine in front of them.


    It was shaped like a swan, made of gold, with beautiful peacock blue stone embedded in the place its eyes should be. There was a palanquin-like thing placed on top of it.


    "What is this?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Yaksha put a small bead into his pocket and looked at the Swan Machine briefly. He gave Cheng Xiu a small smile, though she could not see it as the black mask on his face covered all his facial features.


    "This is a Swan Ride," Yaksha said with an awkward smile. "My NPC sister, Diana, made me buy this. She lost interest in it after the first ride and returned the machine to me."


    "Lord Yaksha," San Zhe said in a daze. "This was the exclusive ride sold in the Game Market for 50,000 gold coins."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "So cheap?"


    San Zhe sweatdropped. "Where is 50,000 gold cheap?"


    "Isn''t it?"


    "No. It isn''t."


    "Alright then."


    San Zhe blinked at the dismissive tone in her voice.


    "So this is the ride we are going to take to reach the Rock Pit?" Cheng Xiu asked. "Why not something a little less¡­extravagant?"


    Yaksha blinked. "Diana likes these kinds of things¡­don''t you?"


    Cheng Xiu gave him a stressed smile. "I do. But the thing is¡­I just want to gather a regular player experience if you don''t mind? Maybe¡­some other time?"


    Yaksha sighed and waved his hand towards the machine.


    Writing surfaced on the golden body, and the swan glowed completely in a beautiful light.


    The machine turned into a glowing ball that was the size of a pebble and fell into Yaksha''s waiting palm.


    He returned it to his storage space again and looked at Cheng Xiu''s waiting expression hesitantly.


    "That was the most conspicuous one I had."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in disbelief. "How did you reach here so fast then?"


    "Using a teleporting talisman. But those can only be used by those who are at Level 5 and above."


    Yaksha, even though he had guessed the truth, was still shocked to learn that Cheng Xiu was at Level 3 until now.


    "I can also use my Title in the game to transport over but the consequence is that we won''t be able to enter any dungeons that are below level 10, and they would have to be B-ranked or above."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "So many conditions. What is your identity in the game anyway? San Zhe told me once that you are one of the few people who chose to be given a different race other than a human?"


    Yaksha shook his head. "That is a misconception. You can become a different species later on as well. But yes, I got to choose my race in the beginning."


    "Why?" Cheng Xiu asked. "What made you so special?"


    "I played the beta version of The Other World before, and also started to play this game from its 1st official year as well."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. "You used to play the Primordials?"


    Yaksha smiled. "We are losing time just staying here and talking. We should start walking if we should reach our destination quickly."


    San Zhe reacted immediately. "that is right! Sister Xiu can not stay in the game world for too long!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at his words. "Don''t you have something like the reptile cart or something?"


    Yaksha stared at her for a moment and then shook his head.


    "Walking it is then!" Cheng Xiu said with a clap of her hand and started to walk towards the west.


    "Sister Xiu!"


    Cheng Xiu stopped and looked towards San Zhe in confusion.


    "We are supposed to head towards the east."


    Cheng Xiu blushed and then turned in her direction.


    Yaksha''s brows knitted in worry.


    San Zhe bit his lips. "She is¡­"


    "It will be alright," Yaksha said and walked behind Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards him with a smile.


    San Zhe let out a long-held sigh and walked behind the two, his eyes trained on the figure of Cheng Xiu. Even though she had said that she was okay and that there was nothing wrong, he felt worried about her mental balance and also worried that being in the virtual world would mess with her mind even more.


    They had started their journey at 10 in the virtual world and it was nearing noon already when they finally saw the peaks of the mountain range.


    San Zhe also could not help think¡­this was the quietest tracking that he had done with anyone.


    Cheng Xiu was far too busy looking at everything around her curiously to even consider the fact that she should give a face to the others, even though yaksha was the person who had ultimately saved her.


    San Zhe cleared his throat.


    The two in the front turned their faces towards him as they continued walking.


    "This is one aspect of the game mechanics that I hate about the Other World," he said in a squeaky voice. "The time it takes to travel from one destination to the other is so long."


    Cheng Xiu looked to the front again. "It depends on the player. Some like the long walks. And don''t forget, they can teleport over to where they want."


    "That is true," San Zhe said.


    "After you reach level 10, you can access teleportations that will take you directly to the task place automatically for a price at the Quest Pillar Halls," Yaksha said to her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in surprise, so did San Zhe.


    "What?" the two Qiless said in shock together.


    Yaksha looked at San Zhe in confusion. "Did you not know this?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "I am only at level 6."


    Yaksha sighed. "I see."


    "You know," Cheng Xiu said after a moment of contemplating, "What I want to know is, why are almost all the mechanics starting at Level 5 or Level 10?"


    Yaksha sighed. "Because after Level 10, you completed all the minor realms and are entering a new Major realm called the Foundation Realm. And your Qi roots¡­the Qi veins in your body is finally able to handle a lot more Qi distribution. You will find such restrictions in every game¡­The Other World just has a more¡­detailed restriction."


    "I see," cheng Xiu said.


    She felt the hair at the back of her neck raise as her eyes fell on the river that was flowing a few meters away from their position.


    It was red in colour.

 Chapter 131 - Details Are Afterthoughts.

    "This¡­" San Zhe said, his heart and body trembling in fear.


    "Don''t worry," Yaksha said with a smile on his face. "this is a natural reaction for the Viridian Forest. The river will turn red at exactly noon and just as the sun is about to set. These times are crucial for the life of the forest."


    Cheng Xiu looked at Yaksha with curious eyes. "So the water turning red is not something that the Emperor Spirit does when it is looking for its prey?"


    Yaksha shook his head. "How can that be? The Spirit Emperors are Special Bosses that only come during the Aniversary month. These kinds of effects of the forest are something that happens every day. There is no connection."


    "Good to know," Cheng Xiu said, her heart relaxing.


    They walked some more before Cheng Xiu came to a stop.


    Yaksha looked at her in surprise. "What happened?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at the man in front of her for a moment, considering if she should share her thoughts or not. She did not trust him enough.


    "You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to," Yaksha said on seeing the suspicion in her eyes. He started to walk again.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips as she thought her next course of action over. Even though it would have been better if she could completely trust him but she couldn''t.


    He was a high-level player and yet he was doing things that were done by chaperones. What reason did the man have for approaching her? She did not believe it was because of the goodness of his heart.


    "Why are you helping me?" She finally asked. There was no need to harbour so many ill-thought about a person if she could ask the person a question and clarify the matter.


    Yaksha looked at her for a moment. "Quite an honesty¡­I first took notice of you because you created a sensation by killing the Emperor Spirit. While I have level-capped in the game, having a Monster Core of that level would surely be far more advantageous in my hands. I could give it to Diana. But then¡­you seemed to be a talented person who had garnered the attention of far too powerful enemies."


    "You seem to care about that NPC friend of yours," Cheng Xiu said with a light laugh.


    "I do," Yaksha said with a smile. "And I care about you as well."


    Cheng Xiu locked eyes with him, and a soft smile grew on her face as well.


    San Zhe felt that he was once again being fed unwanted dog food.


    "We are almost there!" San Zhe said awkwardly.


    Cheng Xiu and Yaksha blinked and looked at San Zhe.


    They then turned towards the hill range. They were closer.


    "We will take about half an hour to reach there at most," Yaksha said. He turned to Cheng Xiu. "What do you know about the Rat Pit. And what exactly are your Quest''s details."


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she recalled what the Quest was. It had been so long since she had left for the Quest that she had even forgotten most of the details until then. Unlike usual, it took her some time to think about the details.


    "It is to kill the rats that are climbing the clock tower in the Viridian Forest..." cheng Xiu frowned. "Are you sure that we should be going to this Rat Pit?"


    Yaksha nodded. "The Clock Tower is a very unique feature of the Viridian Forest."


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe said with a smile. "The Clock Tower is the only man-made structure in the entire forest. It was created by a great Cultivation Master 1000 years back according to the lore of the world. It is usually difficult to defeat any creatures in the Clock Tower, let alone the Rats who live in the tower pits. I was very scared until now. But we have yaksha with us today, so there is no need to worry!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked at Yaksah. "I just realised...you can''t help us as you are such a high-level player."


    Yaksha shook his head. "I am allowed to participate in the Quest without any problems. Quests that involve monsters have fewer Level Restrictions."


    "I didn''t mean that," Cheng Xiu said with a sigh. "I meant I don''t want you to help us."


    "What!" San Zhe asked. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "Sister Xiu, since Lord Yaksha can help us and is willing to help us, why can''t we ask for his help? This is not the time to let your pride run your logic."


    Cheng Xiu frowned at him. "Brother San...I want to do my first official Quest to the best of my ability, not the best of the group''s ability. And Brother Yaksha...can I call you Brother Yaksha? Great! Brother Yaksha should not be exploited."


    "I don''t mind."


    "I do," she said to the Black-robed man. "So can we just do the quest on our own?"


    "Only to a certain extent," Yaksha compromised. Cheng Xiu opened her mouth to argue but Yaksha stopped her from speaking by raising his hand in a stop sign. "This is not because I don''t think you can do it, or that I think the Quest is too much for you...compared to the Immortals you fought, this is easy. The reason is that you have still not completely recovered. And until you have, Quests that strain your nerves should be avoided."


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    San Zhe sighed in relief. As it turned out, Immortal Yaksha was such a kind person...or had feelings for Sister Xiu.


    "I suppose..."


    "So the moment that I see that the Quest is taking a toll on you," Yaksha said, "I will participate in the quest. Can you agree to that?"


    "Why are you pretending that you will listen to me?" Cheng Xiu said with a frown.


    "Because I will," Yaksha said hesitantly. "I won''t like it...but in the end, you know your condition too and are intelligent. So...I will back off."


    Cheng Xiu slumped. "Fine. In that case, I need to prepare some more so that I can be at the optimal level."


    Yaksha''s eyes widened as Cheng Xiu brought an item out of her storage ring. His eyes sparkled.


    As expected of his Rival, she was capable of such a thing as well.

 Chapter 132 - Masking Squad

    San Zhe looked at the crystal in Cheng Xiu''s hand curiously.


    "What is that?" San Zhe asked her as he moved closer to her.


    Cheng Xiu looked up at San Zhe. "It is called as ''The Dual Gem of the Vixia Forests''. It can give those that use it a boost in skill."


    "Dual Gem? Why does that seem familiar?" San Zhe asked her.


    Cheng Xiu struggled.


    San Zhe turned to Yaksha for an answer and then thought better of it. There was no way that he dared to ask Lord Yaksha to explain.


    Yaksha noticed the gaze that San Zhe had given him but did not feel the need to explain to the man. After all, the man was only at Level 6. He would learn more about such things after he had levelled up some more.


    Cheng Xiu turned to Yaksha. "Do you know what it is?"


    Ykahsa nodded.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "What does it do?"


    "Every major kingdom in the Other World is home to Skill Stones, nad these skill stones are known by their kingdom names. The Dual Gem is one such skill stone. Its ability, unlike most skill stones, is to power up a person and make them have Realm Breakthroughs."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Is it safe to force yourself to Breakthrough to a Realm despite the fact that the body would obviously not be ready for it?"


    Ykahsa smiled. "That is the speciality of the Dual Gems. They allow the player to develop without the backlashes that they would usually face for forced Breakthroughs."


    Cheng Xiu was very impressed by that and looked at the Gem in her hand. The Noon sun hit the red and blue crystals and reflected the coloured lights to her face mask.


    "Brother Yaksha, can I ask you something?"


    "Of course."


    "If I place my hand into the water in the river now, will there be any consequences?"


    Yaksha frowned. "No¡­if the water is red, then it is time for the creatures to rest in the forest. There should not be any problem."


    "Thank you for saying that," Cheng Xiu said.


    She looked at the river of the viridian forest and walked forwards.


    "Sister Xiu? What are you doing?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled at the blue-robed man even though he could not see it through her white mask. "I have a hunch."


    "A hunch?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "The crystal would only activate after I drop it in the Viridian river and the Azure Lake apparently."


    San Zhe frowned. "Okay?... I don''t get it¡­"


    "You believe that by dipping it in the reiver now, you might activate the powers of the stone partially," Yaksha said.


    "Correct," Cheng Xiu said. "I should happen logically. After all, stones like these, when they have more than one condition to meet means that its powers can be accessed in Levels."


    San Zhe nodded in amazement. That did make sense.


    Cheng Xiu walked forwards and dipped the hand that held the stone into the red water.


    The blue side of the crystal started to fill up slowly with red water, turning that part of the crystal purple.


    The crystal started to pulse.


    Cheng Xiu started to lift her hand out of the river when something got ahold of her wrist.


    Cheng Xiu froze.


    It was a rotten claw of some kind of weird creature.


    There was a flash of light in front of her vision.


    The hand that held her wrist turned into dust, and a screaming voice rose from the river at that instant.


    The creature hiding inside the river was despondent as it watched the crystal leave the water surface.


    Cheng Xiu let out a huge sigh of relief and looked towards Yaksha. She knew that he must have been the person to have helped her.


    "Thank you," Cheng Xiu said, she then gave him a scrutinizing look. "and I am not an invalid. I can take care of myself."


    "That doesn''t mean that I should stand still and watch you suffer when I can clearly help," Yaksha said to her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Did you not want to fight with me when I grew stronger?"


    Just because you are going to be someone that I am going to fight in the future does not mean that I should not help you even when you are weak," Yaksha argued.


    "That is exactly what it means," Cheng Xiu said. "I have honed my skills through trial and error. While I do not mind the players who want others to carry them, nor the people who use real money indiscriminately to reach the top position, my own fighting style is to fight to the best of my ability and find my weaknesses so that I can fix them in the future. Your help will not help me."


    San Zhe looked at the still figure of Yaksha and wished that these two people would not wear masks so that he could know what their current expressions were. It would make things easier to handle.


    "Why would you say that?" Cheng Xiu asked. "Am I actually difficult to handle?"


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "I said that out loud?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Brother San..why are you so forgetful about such things when you are supposed to be a genius?"


    San Zhe snorted. "I am book smart. Please don''t expect me to suddenly be able to understand the world around me the way you do."


    "So¡­about the mask thing¡­"


    San Zhe raised his hand in panic. "I was just curious about your expression, nothing more!"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Okay¡­will there be other players who are doing this task with us?"


    San Zhe nodded. "There will be a lot of people."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips at his words and turned to Yaksha only to find a man in simple, white robes and black pants in front of her.


    The mask on his face had changed from black to gold.


    "Uh¡­"


    "Isn''t this what you wanted?" Yaksha asked. "For me to wear a disguise that would make me inconspicuous?"


    Cheng Xiu wanted to ask him where he thought he looked inconspicuous. The man was far too tall and well built that it was really hard to make him inconspicuous.


    Cheng Xiu then looked at San Zhe.


    San Zhe slumped. "You want me to wear a mask don''t you?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head guiltily. "And change your clothes. The other players should be somewhat familiar with your clothing too."


    San Zhe wanted to cry. "Sister Xiu¡­you called the experts the Rainbow Squad before¡­we will be called the Masked Squad."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "This is not for aesthetics though. This is so that we can avoid trouble as much as possible."


    San Zhe slumped.. "Fine."

 Chapter 133 - Hardships In Friendships

    Yaksha, surprisingly, had a spare black mask that would fit the face of its wearer.


    San Zhe had looked at him with worshipful eyes while Cheng Xiu gave the man a judging gaze.


    Yaksha was unperturbed by it.


    He always carried around all the necessities just in case he damaged his present equipment and did not see anything wrong with his actions.


    Cheng Xiu turned to Yaksha as San Zhe went behind a tree to change his clothes. "Yous aid that the river should be safe but it wasn''t."


    Yaksha nodded. "It would seem that the stone would attract the creatures of this forest towards it despite only being partially activated. It is not something that you should keep out in the open, just in case you are attacked again."


    Cheng Xiu immediately put the stone in her storage ring and stared into the space.


    "Have we not spent too much time here already?" Yaksha asked.


    "What?"


    "Are you feeling any headaches or uncomfortable anywhere?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head.


    San Zhe ran towards them. The robe he wore was a pale yellow robe that had black embroidery along its hem.


    "You look good," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    "Let us leave then," Yaksha said. His voice was cold.


    San Zhe shivered at the tone of the expert. Did he offend the Lord Yaksha somehow? Did he not want to actually share his clothes or masks with San Zhe and only did it to keep his face? Was he expecting San Zhe to refuse his kindness? But he couldn''t do that! He was not powerful enough to actually refuse the Immortals anything.


    The three began their journey towards the Hill ranges once again, with Cheng Xiu in the middle of both men.


    The Dual Gem was indeed an attractive thing for the creatures of the forest.


    Soon Cheng Xiu was the target of many watchers in the forest area.


    San Zhe''s eyes fell on the creatures that hid in the shadows of the dense woods with a bone-chilling fear in his heart. He had never witnessed so many creatures in one place ever before.


    San Zhe screamed in fright when he thought that something had leapt at him from above.


    It was a fallen leaf.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him for a moment.


    San Zhe blushed. "Let us ignore what just happened okay?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged and went forward again.


    She looked towards all the sides of the forest, her mind occupied by many thoughts.


    Why were they not attacking them even though they clearly wanted to?


    Cheng Xiu then felt slight negative energy from her left. She turned to find that Yaksha was covered completely in a black mist.


    "Brother Yaksha," Cheng Xiu began.


    "Call me Yaksha," he said. "I have told you that already."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Yaksha¡­can I just call you Dage then?"


    Dage? Yaksha looked at her in surprise. Big Brother? He had once tried to get her to call him exactly that only for her to refuse, saying that she would only do that if she did not know who he was.


    Yaksha had tried a myriad of ways to disguise himself so that he could get her to call that, but Cheng Xiu seemed to always find out that it was him in the end.


    "Okay," he said, his dead heart showing that it existed for the first time in a long while. "I will be more than happy to be your Dage."


    San Zhe frowned. There was a subtle sense of gloating that was coming from the expert. San Zhe shook his head. He was thinking too much. Why would the expert feel triumphant about Cheng Xiu calling him big brother?


    "Dage," Cheng Xiu called, unaware of the thoughts of the petty man in front of her. "Are you okay?"


    "I am. Why do you ask?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at the black mist that had decapitated a lot. "Nothing¡­just casually asking¡­"


    Yaksha nodded, though his mind tried to think of a reason that she would ask this.


    San Zhe felt his feet become havier as he walked along with the other two. His steps slowed down, and very slowly he started to fall behind.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked behind.


    Her eyes widened.


    San Zhe saw Cheng Xiu look back and stop.


    Was she waiting for him?


    San Zhe felt his heart melt. Sister Xiu was so kind despite being such a powerful person. His admiration for her grew.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes narrowed behind the mask, and she released the intricately decorated sword from her waist.


    San Zhe froze in his steps. "Sister Xiu?"


    Cheng Xiu raised the weapon in her hand and dashed forwards.


    San Zhe stumbled back in shock. The goodwill that he had created for Cheng Xiu in his heart started to crumble as a sense of being betrayed entered instead.


    Cheng Xiu swiped the sword towards his ankle.


    San Zhe let out a scream as he closed his eyes in fear.


    After some time he realised that he seemed to not be in the dorm at all. Instead, he seemed to still be in the Forest from the small sounds that reached his ears.


    San Zhe opened his eyes slowly to see Cheng Xiu sheath her sword again.


    "Are you okay?" the girl asked him.


    San Zhe blinked at her in confusion. "Huh?"


    "Your leg had that weird centipede around it," Cheng Xiu explained. "Did you not feel it?"


    San Zhe gaped at her in confusion for a moment and then looked down at his feet.


    There laid a weird centipede thing that looked far too large to be a centipede. Its midsection was slashed open and the weird watery substance that was its blood had spilt all over him.


    "So that was what you were aiming for," San Zhe whispered.


    "Or else?" Cheng Xiu asked in confusion. "Anyway, brother San, why don''t you walk in front of me and Dage will walk in front of you? This way, we can protect you better!"


    San Zhe blushed in embarrassment. He was supposed to be the one who said that but now, it was sister Xiu who said those words to him.

 Chapter 134 - Slithering Shadows

    The three figures walked along the Red River in the dense Viridian forest.


    The growls and caws of the forest creatures reached the ears of the travellers.


    San Zhe shivered, his eyes moving from one corner to the other as he looked at the shadows of the forest in trepidation.


    Even though it was Mid-day, and the sun was up high, the forest trees were so dense that light barely touched the forest floor.


    Cheng Xiu''s skin had a light silver gleam to it. A sign that she was using the Qi in her veins to connect to the world around her.


    Her senses were confused. The Qi of the Forest trees were not distinguishable from the creatures of the forest.


    Behind the two low-level players, Yaksha walked in an even stride, his broad shoulders relaxed. He felt a familiar Qi pulse around them, making him look into the shadows of the threes.


    There was a slight movement in the bushes. The leaf rustled.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened as he realised that something had slithered near their feet. San Zhe shivered at the thought. He stepped back and started to walk in stride with Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu frowned at him. She was not able to understand his actions. "What happened?"


    San Zhe blinked. He looked at her in confusion. Did she not see or hear the thing that slithered past them?


    He looked behind at Yaksha only to find that the expert seemed to be looking at scripture in his hand. No. Not look. The Expert was reading the scripture as he walked behind them.


    San Zhe stared at this image in confusion. What was going on? Was what he saw just an illusion? Was there nothing waiting for them, slithering on the ground? And why was this expert so casual about walking among these dangerous woods?


    Just as those thoughts occurred, San Zhe realised that the forest was only dangerous to people like him who were so low in level that they had to be conscious of everything. Why would Lord Yaksha, the man who could kill thousands of people of his level with a single snap of his fingers worry about something like a snake? In fact, wouldn''t Yaksha think that the snake was weak enough for people of low level to kill?


    His eyes fell on Cheng Xiu. There was also the fact that Cheng Xiu asked the Expert to not interfere with her Quest experience unless she asked for it. No wonder the Expert had gone so far as to pull out a scripture to read. He must have found their company boring.


    "Sister Xiu," San Zhe said at last.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards him.


    "There might be magical and poisonous snakes around us!"


    Cheng Xiu shivered. "Snakes?"


    San Zhe nodded.


    "That is so cool!"


    San Zhe started to nod again and then stopped. Hold on. That was not the words he was expecting!


    "Cool?" San Zhe asked in a strained voice.


    Cheng Xiu nodded, a grin on her face. "I haven''t seen any snakes for real before! Only the ones on Y-tube and Informational channels!"


    "Have you never gone to a Zoo?" he asked.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Dad tells me we went once when I was a few months old with mom. He used to promise to take me to the zoo, but then something from work would come up and we could never go!"


    San Zhe felt sympathy raise in his heart for her.


    "There is a small Zoo in the Red Cape," Yaksha suddenly said.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Huh? Where is that?"


    "It is a shoreline ghost village here in the Vixian Kingdom. Though it is not as prosperous as Veritas, it is still more famous."


    "Something to do with the title ''Ghost Village'' I assume?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Ykahsa stared at her in the eyes, making Cheng Xiu feel arrested. "Yes. We can go there once you get well enough."


    Cheng Xiu pointed towards him. "It''s a promise then?"


    "Yes."


    "You can''t go back on your word after that!"


    "I won''t."


    Cheng Xiu smiled and then looked ahead again. She was going to see a zoo in the game! Cheng Xiu''s mind was filled with all kinds of animals that she would see there. There might be even dragons! Though San Zhe had said there weren''t any real dragons in the Other World, she refused to believe it.


    What kind of gaming company would not use the opportunity to include Dragons in their games? It would surely be the greatest attraction in the game!


    Yaksha took a glance at the calm and soft smile on Cheng Xiu''s face.


    Her emotions were less agitated than they were at the beginning of their journey but he could not help feeling that her attitude was a bit too friendly.


    It occurred to him that he had seen this kind of behaviour from Cheng Xiu once before. It was during the time that he was playing the Primordials with her.


    He remembered her being extra friendly towards everyone around her for a week. He had later found out that she had fought with one of her teammates and was not talking to that person anymore.


    Cheng Xiu was always the person who forgave first but at that time, she did not want to be the first one to give in again. So the two had spent her days doing missions and being friendly to everyone.


    This was so that she did not have to think about the other person and feel the need to go talk to them or insist that they talk to her.


    He wondered if she had fought with someone again and that was leading to her present attitude.


    As the three people walked along the leaves filled path towards the hills range, San Zhe once again saw something slither in the under bushes.


    He looked to see that Cheng Xiu and Yaksha had not yet reacted to the motion.


    San Zhe frowned. Why were they not reacting?


    He saw a dark shadow slither very close to his feet.


    San Zhe released the Trident that he had put in his storage ring and dashed towards the shadowed creature with a scream.

 Chapter 135 - The Trick Of The Eye

    Cheng Xiu looked on to the scene of San Zhe screaming, raising his trident and running off. What happened to him all of a sudden?


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes and released the carp sword from its sheath.


    "Brother San!" she called as she ran off behind him.


    Yaksha stared at the fluttering long black hair of Cheng Xiu as she ran off behind her friend. He tilted his head, and stepped forwards, the golden mask on his face glinting in the dim light, letting off an eerie aura that had the creatures lurking in the shadows whimper and run away.


    Cheng Xiu cut through the foilage as she ran after the blue silhouette that dashed after something unknown.


    "Brother San! Brother San! Wait!"


    San Zhe seemed to be unable to hear her calls as he ran after the slithering snake.


    "Damned beast!" he cursed as he ran after it. His companions were not reacting to the beast''s presence which meant that they were put into some kind of an illusion that made them think that everything was normal. He had to kill the creature to save his companions.


    He slashed his trident this way and that as he tried to hit the snake.


    It was golden at the top, and black at the bottom. The top of its head had a deep red stone embedded in it.


    San Zhe knew what this creature was called. This was the Crimson Head. The snake that lived in the caves near the Clock Tower of the Viridian Forest. It was poisonous.


    San Zhe hurried after it.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as San Zhe the figure of San Zhe seemed to gain speed even more.


    She was quite surprised about it. Though she had not wanted to, Cheng Xiu subconsciously deemed San Zhe as someone weaker than her, despite him being two levels above her.


    But now his speed seemed to have increased by a bit too much.


    Cheng Xiu pushed her legs forward but still found San Zhe far away from her reach.


    Soon, his form disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she burst into a clearing and found two roads forked in front of her.


    She looked to the right and then to the left, unsure which route that San Zhe had taken. She observed the environment around her to find a clue to the situation.


    The two-path seemed to be identical.


    Cheng Xiu''s sharp eyes caught sight of the single fallen leaf on the left that seemed to have been cut off by a sword.


    Cheng Xiu took a step forward and then ran into the road on the right.


    A figure became visible under a large tree. It was a woman in pale white clothes that barely covered her essential areas. Had any straight man or bent woman had seen her would have fallen on their knees. Her cold green eyes followed the red-clad figure of Cheng Xiu until she disappeared.


    A snake slithered towards her.


    She looked at the creature for a moment with a blank face.


    "You did well," she whispered to it.


    ''That girl guessed the right path,'' the snake whispered in misery as it wound around her curving figure.


    The woman smiled at the snake, petting its golden scales. "She is the Keeper of the Stone. If she could not recognise such lowly illusions then she would have lost the treasure already."


    ''A human,'' the snake said, its voice growing in contempt. ''How can a human ever be worthy of the Crimson Treasure!''


    The woman nodded.


    ''Do you think this will help the Queen?'' the snake asked her.


    "Hmm," the woman said as she knelt to the forest floor. "The Crimson Stone has the power to restore the life of anyone. We can use it to restore our Queen to her old health."


    The woman closed her eyes, and a pattern appeared in front of her. She concentrated and sent a thread of Qi into the formation, disrupting it. "Now, the human will find herself in the company of creatures far more dangerous than she had ever been in."


    ''What about her other companion?'' the snake asked. ''Isn''t he going to be a problem?''


    The woman transformed into a snake with Golden scales and a white underbelly. ''No. He can not interfere in our matters without losing his Place in the Elite Council. That human is ours to deal as we wish with. If she has the ability, then she will escape on her own.''


    ''Why?'' the snake asked in confusion. ''She is just a human. Why would he get into that kind of trouble for such a simple act of kindness?''


    The golden snakes started to move forward. ''Because she is the Keeper of the Stone.''


    Yaksha walked slowly out of the shadows and looked towards the disappearing figure of the two serpents. His eyes fell on the glowing formation that was losing its lustre.


    He started to step forwards.


    In another part of the forest, Cheng Xiu rushed forwards, her heart anxious about the place. She couldn''t believe that she left Yaksha behind to run after San Zhe. She should have asked the Expert to help her in that instant but had forgotten in her hurry.


    She did not think that asking for his help in this regard was a bad thing. She knew her powers well enough to know that she could probably not fight with the creature that lured them into this side of the forest on her own. And even if she could, she would not be able to save San Zhe without any harm.


    Neither did she have that kind of power, nor did she have that kind of skill.


    It was better to ask Yaksha in that instant.


    She hoped that the expert would be able to reach them in time before something happened to San Zhe. Even though this was a game, it could leave shadows in people''s hearts if they encounter something too nefarious, and Cheng Xiu knew how nefarious the Other World could be from the articles that she read in the foram.


    Cheng Xiu reached another crossroad.


    Just as she was deciding on which path to take, Cheng Xiu felt killing intent from behind her.


    Cheng Xiu turned around immediately and raised the sword in her hand.

 Chapter 136 - The Return Of Howls

    Something moved in front of her in the bushes.


    Cheng Xiu frowned, contemplating whether she should actually investigate the sound or keep looking for San Zhe. Even though it seemed to be very obvious what she should do, it wasn''t. There might be a chance that the thing hiding under the bushes could lead her to San Zhe.


    Cheng Xiu raised her weapon in front of her cautiously and walked forwards.


    Something moved out of the leaves at an amazing speed and went away in the opposite direction.


    Cheng Xiu cursed and followed after the shadowy figure.


    She burst out of the foliage into a small clearing. The noon sun highlighted her entire feature in a warm light.


    Cheng Xiu was briefly blinded by the light and blinked.


    "Sister Xiu! Run!"


    Cheng Xiu froze and turned around to see where San Zhe''s voice was coming from.


    His voice seemed to echo everywhere around her.


    Cheng Xiu saw a flash of gold in the corner of her eyes.


    She dashed forwards towards it.


    There was nothing there.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Brother San? Brother San?"


    Her calls echoed in the clearing and yet there was no other sound. Not even the sound of falling leaves could be heard.


    Cheng Xiu''s heart filled with apprehension as she walked forwards the way she had seen the golden thing was in and guessed that it might be the direction that San Zhe had run off to.


    Cheng Xiu hated the feeling that filled her heart at that moment. It was the dread that one would feel when they could sense that something was watching them but couldn''t see what that thing exactly was.


    She had no choice but to take this route though as she had no other clue of where San Zhe could have gone to.


    The cool air of the dense forest refreshed her senses as she left the clearing.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Could it be that the clearing actually had a negative effect on her?


    She gave the sunlit clearing with a curious gaze and stepped forwards towards it again.


    As soon as the sunlight of the clearing touched her skin, Cheng Xiu noticed the slight agitation in her Qi flow.


    She also felt a bit weak. Even though the effect was not that dangerous, but Cheng Xiu''s instincts told her that if she was in contact with it too frequently she would not like the consequences. And she had a premonition in her heart that she would have to face this kind of clearings more as she walked through the forest.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back into the shadows of the trees again and felt her senses become sharper.


    She thought for a moment and decided that in some ways this was an easier task.


    All she had to do was avoid the clearings.


    Cheng Xiu felt her heart thump. Did she just jinx it? Did she become a crow''s mouth for herself?


    Cheng Xiu could not help curse herself for thinking that thought.


    She looked towards the east, which was the direction that she saw the golden shadow.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head to get rid of all the other thoughts and walked forwards again.


    She walked through the forest, looking through the trees.


    There were many kinds of trees around her. A lot of teaks, rosewoods and ashwoods were around her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she realised that she was looking at the same kind of trees for more than half an hour.


    And yes, she was one of those people who were able to distinguish trees from each other.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her in confusion.


    The deathly stillness of the area around her made her even more agitated than anything else.


    Cheng Xiu heard a hissing sound to her left.


    She whirled to face that direction.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes darted this way and that as she tried hard to see what had her instincts on so much of an edge all of a sudden. And she hoped it was a snake at least.


    Cheng Xiu heard a growl to her left and saw glowing blue eyes in the depths of darkness in between the foliage of the bushes.


    Cheng Xiu froze. She knew that glowing blue eyes.


    Growling and barking echoed her surroundings.


    A few strands of blue fur caught the light and become visible to her.


    Cheng Xiu froze, her heart falling to her stomach.


    She recognised the creatures who had come to visit her. Direwolves.


    Almost like her thoughts were a summon, the creatures began to step forwards into the light.


    In another part of the forest, Yaksha was facing an old man who threw spears at him at a speed that would have left anyone else dead on the ground already.


    Yaksha dodged them skillfully.


    "You won''t be able to help your human friend, Demon Lord," the man said with disdain on his face. "So what if you are the ruler of the demon clans! Once we have the Crimson Stone and its Keeper we Serpents will rule supreme."


    Cold black eyes stared at the man as though he was looking at an inanimate object.


    The cold indifference in the masked Man''s eyes made the elder even angrier.


    "Do you think that human of yours will be able to save herself from the creatures that lurk in the Viridian Forest?" the man mocked.


    Yaksha waved his hand.


    A gush of wind appeared out of nowhere and rushed towards the man.


    The wind went through the middle of the man.


    Blood oozed out and the man fell to the ground in two pieces.


    Yaksha looked on coldly at the increasing pool of blood at his feet.


    A woman in purple appeared in front of him then.


    "Brother?" Diana called.


    Yaksha looked towards her with deep, calculating eyes. "It would seem that there is more going on with my friend than I had initially anticipated. You will have to look after my affairs for some more time."


    Diana frowned. "What happened?"


    Yaksha gave her a derisive smile, though she was not able to see it through the mask.


    "It would seem that the Crimson Stone and its Keeper has appeared."


    Diana froze. She wanted to deny the news already. "Then..your friend¡­"


    Yaksha nodded.


    Diana looked at him in excitement. "Brother! This is great news! You can ask your friend to lend it to you!"


    Yaksha shook his head. "She is from the righteous sect, and is a human as well."


    Diana wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I had forgotten. Surely she can ask one of the Elites to change her nature?"


    Yaksha looked towards the forest. "There is no need for her to change her nature. That stubborn humanity of her is her most charming feature¡­but I am getting worried that she is still in this world when she should be resting."


    Diana felt her heart shiver. "You want to kill her?"


    Yaksha laughed. "I will if she stays here more than 12 hours."


    Diana did not understand his words but decided to trust him.


    "Is there some other news?" Yaksha asked her.


    Diana nodded. "Lord Luther has been in contact with Lord Yu. It would seem that he is once again making moves against you."


    "I see."


    "And.."


    Yaksha looked at her at the hesitance he heard in her voice.


    "And?"


    "Elites Lighting Simp, Sage Wine, Kavya Resonance, and Lucia Frasier would like you to retreat the Ghosts you placed in their presence."


    Yaksha had a one-sided smile on his face at her words, his eyes twinkling. "Was that their exact words?"


    Diana smiled. She could see from the twinkle in his eyes that he intended for them to react the way they did. "Lightning Simp said that if you do not call back the Ghosts then you should not blame him for pulling the stick in your¡­ass¡­out of you through your mouth."


    "He always had a bad temper."


    Diana chuckled and then looked at the dark forest behind him. "Are you not going to help your friend?"


    Yaksha sighed. "I promised her I would only help her when she asked to."


    "I see," Diana said and then bowed. "Then I will take my leave Brother."


    Yaksha nodded.


    She disappeared in a flash of light.


    He looked towards the development in the dense forest, the mask creating a hologram right in front of his eyes for him to see what was happening to his rival.


    A direwolf lunged at her.


    Cheng Xiu jumped to the side and raised her sword in defence.


    He really hoped that she could win against these creatures. After all, she had won against the Experts of this game when they had years of experience with her in the battle area. She had to win against a bunch of dogs.


    * * *


    In the real world, a silver-haired man walked into an extravagant palace-like house.


    A bald man laughed and shook hands with the man. "President Xiu! Welcome! Welcome!"


    The maids and young ladies in the room blushed as they stole glances at the excellent features of the man. That, paired with his cold eyes, made them all feel weak-kneed.


    The man took his hand out of the old man''s grip and wiped it with a towel.


    The bald man stared at the action for a moment and then laughed it off even though he felt indignation rise in his heart.


    A light chuckle was heard behind him.

 Chapter 137 - Family Of Opinions

    The man continued to laugh as he gave a harsh look towards the young girl with pink hair behind him.


    "Mr Gu," President Xiu acknowledged, "Thank you for having me and my company here."


    "It is a great pleasure of mine to have you here, President Xiu," the fat-bellied man said in an overzealous tone.


    "Still," the man with the silver hair said in a monotone. "This is Mrs Bai Jia, my assistant for as long as I stay here. All the accommodation you make should be just for the two of us."


    The plum woman in the dark office suit bowed to the rotund man, her face holding a gentle smile. "Thank you for your care."


    The man''s eyes sparkled. "I heard that President Xiu is coming to our humble Earth in search of a bride. How true is that?"


    Though the man played his words off as a joke, everyone could see the calculating gleam in his eyes.


    Deep blue eyes stared at the man for a few moments, his face blank.


    Mr Gu started to sweat. He messed up. He messed up. They were done for now. He had destroyed this one chance of getting into the good side of the Xiu Industry.


    Mrs Bai handed President Xiu a file with all the girls with the name Cheng Xiu.


    "That is correct," President Xiu said in a calm voice.


    Mrs Bai that the side blinked in surprise. Was that the cover that the young master wanted to use to look for his niece? Wouldn''t that create unwanted rumours?


    Mrs Bai kept her opinions to herself though. She knew when and where to express her opinions, and the Gu Residence was not the place to do so.


    Mr Gu''s eyes started to shine with greed. He pulled the young girl behind him and forced her to bow in respect.


    "This is my daughter, Gu Shu!" the bald man exclaimed. "She is 18 years old and very pretty!"


    Gu Shu glared at the bald man, the idiot she was forced to call her father. She sometimes wondered if she was his daughter. He wanted to sell her in this manner.


    "Welcome to our humble home, President Xiu," Gu Shu said through gritted teeth, not daring to look at the man in front of her. A soft scent wafted to her nose that she felt was familiar.


    It was the same sandalwood scent that Cheng Xiu liked to wear.


    Gu Shu unconsciously relaxed her vigilance and looked up at the man before her.


    She found herself falling into a daze.


    The man before her exuded the charm and allure that only men who were confident in their status would have. It wasn''t just arrogance. It was the self-assurance that was embedded in his eyes.


    The man looked and felt reliable.


    Gu Shu gulped.


    President Xiu looked at the girl for a moment, his cold eyes softening.


    Gu Shu had the sudden thought that he was looking at her the way elders would look at little children.


    She felt uncomfortable all of a sudden.


    "You are 18?"


    "That is right!" the bald man said.


    President Xiu darted towards the man for a moment and then he returned to observe the pink-haired girl again. "Not as pretty as my niece but I am sure you are the most beautiful in your peer group."


    Gu Shu suddenly wanted to hurl something at the man in front of her.


    But you don''t know how your niece looks, Mrs Bai, the old woman thought from behind the silver-haired man. You shouldn''t be so biased even before meeting her.


    The woman gave the Gu Heiress an awkward smile.


    Gu Shu looked at the woman briefly and then turned to her father.


    "A need to leave for college," she said through gritted teeth.


    President Xiu frowned. "Have I offended you?"


    Gu Shu froze and then looked towards the man who looked like he was being wronged. Gu Shu did not believe he did not know why she was reacting the way she did.


    Gu Shu gritted her teeth. It was only because this man was the Heir of the Xiu Conglomerate that she was willing to restrain her urge to smash his face in. Her family could not afford to provoke that big family.


    "You haven''t offended me," she said, barely holding back the anger in her voice.


    President Xiu raised an eyebrow. "And yet you are leaving right after I complimented my niece."


    Gu Shu pursed her lips. It wasn''t because you were praising your niece that I am upset. It is saying that I was not good enough.


    "I have to go meet a friend," Gu Shu said.


    "A friend?" Mr Gu said. "Don''t you only have one friend?"


    Gu Shu felt like her heart was stamped on by her father. She glared at him.


    Mr Gu stepped back as he realised that he might have triggered the conditions to activate Angry Gu Shu.


    "Is it something important?" Mrs Bai asked curiously. "If it is, then you shouldn''t hold back. Otherwise, would you mind spending some more time with us?"


    Mrs Bai was only trying to keep Gu Shu''s temper down because she saw the young girl ready to tear her father in half at the moment. She did not think that the girl had any actual reason to go to her friend and was probably using it as an excuse to escape from President Xiu''s presence.


    Gu Shu relaxed at the soft smile that Mrs Bai sent her way. "My friend has just returned from the hospital. We had a bit of a disagreement but if I don''t go now, she will be really upset with me."


    Mr Gu frowned. "Little Xiu was in the hospital? Why didn''t you tell this sooner? Is she okay? What happened?"


    Gu Shu sighed. They worry that she saw in her father''s eyes made her want to know what kind of potion Cheng Xiu fed to her father to make him like her so much.


    President Xiu was unconcerned about Gu Shu''s words until he heard the name of the friend.


    "Xiu?" he asked.


    Mrs Bai looked at the change in President Xiu''s voice with a warm gaze. He knew why the man was curious about the Gu Heiress''s friend. The name he wanted to search for was Cheng Xiu. If they were lucky enough to find the Young Miss just by coming to Earth they were really lucky.


    Perhaps in the distant past, this would have been too coincidental but times had changed. Luck was also a strong factor in the new era. And the Xiu Family were said to be walking Koi Fishes.


    Gu Shu looked at him. "My friend. She was doing Deep Dive for too long."


    There was a mocking laugh from behind her.


    Gu Shu gritted her teeth. She knew without looking who it was.


    "That useless girl dared to go into a Deep Dive?" a woman in a long deep green dress asked her in a contemptuous tone.


    Gu Shu glared at the woman. "Lady Gu."


    The woman before her was Gu Sui, Gu Shu''s foster mother and her real mother''s sister.


    Gu Sui gave her a fleeting look before she smiled at President Xiu warmly. "I am Gu Sui. The madam of the household and Gu Shu''s aunt from her mother''s side."


    President Xiu barely responded to her.


    "And A''Xiu is not useless," Gu Shu said angrily.


    Gu Sui rolled her eyes. "No matter if you put it in a slum or a palace, a dog will remain a dog. And that Qiless is still going to remain a Qiless."


    Gu Shu glared at the woman before her.


    "A''Sui!" Mr Gu said in a warning tone.


    Gu Sui let out an aggrieved sigh. "Do you see this, President Xiu? I have to deal with Qiless sympathisers every day."


    President Xiu looked on to this family drama with indifference. His eyes lose interest in this Xiu friend of Gu Shu.


    With his sister''s capabilities, how can her daughter be a Qiless?


    Gu Shu saw the dismissive gaze that President Xiu adorned and felt like choking him. Wasn''t he interested to know about Cheng Xiu before? He lost interest just because he found out that she was a Qiless?


    "Why would she go into Deep Dive then?" Mrs Bai asked at last. "Isn''t your friend smart enough to know the danger that Deep Dive has on Qiless?"


    Gu Shu saw the curiosity in Mrs Bai''s eyes and realised that the woman was just not mocking her friend.


    Gu Shu smiled at the woman. "She¡­did not know she was in a Deep Dive. The pod seemed to have malfunctioned at that moment, resulting in her going into Deep dive without being aware of it."


    Mrs Bai nodded. "That makes sense. Is she alright now?"


    "She is perfectly fine," Gu Shu said, "just a bit more emotional than usual."


    Mrs Bai smiled. "That is good to hear."


    Gu Sui rolled her eyes. "Talking about that unlucky girl in front of such great guests! Gu Shu, apologize."


    Gu Shu glared at the woman.


    "Why don''t I show you guys to your room personally?" Mr Gu said desperately. He did not want this to escalate.


    President Xiu looked at the two women glaring at one another and decided that Mr Gu''s suggestion was for the best. He nodded in consent.


    Mr Gu led them to their rooms eagerly.


    He had escaped that landmine for now.

 Chapter 138 - Qin Conspiracy

    After Mr Gu left the two guests in their respective rooms, President Xiu made a call through his Fold.


    A young face with soft, curly brown hair and warm brown eyes came into view as a hologram.


    "President Xiu," the man addressed.


    The silver-haired man nodded and sat on the bed. "I have asked Mrs Bai to get hold of all the files named Cheng Xiu, Si Fei."


    The man frowned. "Brother Ru¡­I mean¡­President Xiu¡­how can you be so sure that Cheng Xiu was the name that your sister chose for her daughter?"


    "Because it was the name I chose," Xiu Ru said as he lay on the bed. He looked far younger than he did before. "I made sister promise me that she would name her first daughter Xiu. The Xiu of beauty. And seeing as she changed her name to Cheng Rui¡­the child must have that man''s name too."


    Si Fei sighed. "I have collected all the data on the Cheng Xius I could. There are 145 Cheng Xius in the country. How will you find the one that is your niece?"


    "She is my niece. She can not be an ordinary existence."


    Si Fei did not know how to react to that comment. Though he was very aware of the narcissistic tendencies of the President, it still took him by surprise that this trait also extended towards those who were related to him. Then again, it made sense that the President would have that kind of a personality.


    "Have my parents asked where I am?"


    Si Fei shook his head. "Chairman Xiu is still too weak. There is a heart demon making it difficult for the Healer to treat him. As for Madam Xiu¡­I am not sure. She did not want to meet up with me."


    President Xiu listened to Si Fei without any expressions until he heard the news about his mother. "Find out where she is!"


    Si Fei blinked. "Huh?"


    President Xiu stood up and paced around the room. "What are the chances that my mother is sitting still while she is aware of the death of her daughter and that I have planned to bring her granddaughter back? No¡­she must be preparing to come to Earth!"


    Si Fei sighed. There went the image of the cool president just after he heard the name of his mother. Si Fei felt a bit embarrassed about the new development but he also knew why the President was agitated. His mother would beat him to near-death just to make sure that he did not do anything she did not want him to.


    Si Fei shook his head. "Then I will take my leave, President. I will inform you of any news that I hear about the name Cheng Xiu."


    President Xiu nodded.


    Si Fei cleared his throat.


    President Xiu blinked. "You haven''t left yet?"


    Si Fei gave him a weak smile. "There is something that I have noticed and I was wondering if I should tell the President about it."


    "Since you have mentioned it, you want to say it."


    Si Fei shrugged.


    "What is it?"


    "I have seen a lot of the Upper Echelons in the Alliance come to Earth."


    President Xiu frowned. "Why?"


    "Something about trying to locate the MainFrame of the AI of the game The Other World."


    President Xiu snorted. "You can''t be serious."


    "I am."


    "Why do you think the sudden interest?"


    Si Fei pursed his lips. "There is a name attached to the Other World Game that has everyone scampering for information."


    "Name?" Xiu Ru asked. "What name?"


    "Qin."


    Xiu Ru blinked. "Qin? As in Scientist Qin?"


    Si Fei nodded. "There are also reports of many Qiless of the Upper Class missing."


    Xiu Ru pursed his lips, his eyes taking on a dark shadow. "Do you think it is the same person as¡­back then?"


    Si Fei nodded. "Yes. There is no hiding it. What should we do, President?"


    "What should we do? Why should we do anything?"


    Si Fei frowned. "The Xiu family is indebted to the Qin family in many ways."


    "So?"


    "If we don''t take any action now, wouldn''t the Xiu Family be seen as people with no consciousness of gratitude?"


    Xiu Ru got up and poured himself a glass of wine. He drank a mouthful and then looked at Si Fei with a cold gaze.


    Si Fei shivered at the unfeeling look that was given to him.


    "The Qin Family''s help is something that we have always been grateful for," Xiu Ru said in his monotone voice. "And that was why we were willing to buy the TOW Project when it was first proposed by that man in the Alliance. But things have changed now. The Lu Family is no longer allied with the Qins. The Lu has declared the Qin their enemies. If we lend them a helping hand, will we not be declaring ourselves the enemies of Lu?"


    "And since when have you cared about such things?" Si Fei asked, his voice agitated.


    Xiu Ru paused his action of placing the Wineglass to his lips and looked at Si Fei. "What is this really about?"


    "Since when has the Xius been scared of the Lu?" Si Fei asked in a stressed tone. "Haven''t we always done what was right? How can you not care about¡­about the Qin family at such a crucial moment?"


    President Xiu hmmed. "My dear Si Fei¡­the Qins sold the AI of the Other World a long time back¡­time even before we were born. Why are you so agitated? And it had better not be a lie that you are going to say."


    Si Fei gulped. "That¡­"


    President Xiu looked at him with a cold expression. "What are you hiding?"


    Si Fei exhaled. "TOW Project has reached its Fifth Phase in the game."


    President Xiu Froze. "What?"


    Si Fei looked at him with a complicated gaze. "The Qiless who have been exposed to the latest version of the game is showing signs of awakening."


    President Xiu looked at him in shock. "How is the Alliance reacting to this?"


    Si Fei shook his head. "The Alliance is non-responsive. But the families behind the Alliance have started to move."


    President Xiu pursed his lips. "Even the Lu''s."


    "Even the Lus."


    "What else?"


    "I fear that there is a conspiracy."


    "What kind?"


    Si Fei took a deep breath and said words that President Xiu had guessed but did want to acknowledge.


    An AI with the ability to help the Qiless. It was very obvious how powerful and advanced such an AI should be. If they could learn its secrets, they could maybe even gain power through it.. Understand their own Qi through it.

 Chapter 139 - Falling Into Mirages

    In the dense woods of the Viridian Forest, a lone human girl clad in white and red martial robes jumped this way and that.


    Cheng Xiu huffed as she jumped to the side again as the wolves clawed at her, and tried to take a bit off her body.


    She was not sure what she should do. Even though her fight with the Direwolves before was far more difficult, Cheng Xiu could not help feeling that there was wrong with the situation that she was in.


    San Zhe ran off on his own, clearly seeing a threat that she or Yaksha had not seen. And Yaksha himself was nowhere to be found. Cheng Xiu could guess that the promise that he had made to her might be the reason for his absence. If he was near her perhaps he would be tempted to help her and so he might have decided to stay far away for now.


    Cheng Xiu thought about the fact that she was now deep in this unknown forest, not aware of the voice she heard and the silhouette that she had seen was that of San Zhe or if it was an illusion.


    Cheng Xiu hoped it was real.


    Then there were her surroundings. No matter how many times she had walked she was still stuck in this little clearing, almost like she was hit by a ghost wall like in the Horror movies.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she slashed at the wolf again.


    Her mind worked and she realised that she had forgotten that she did have the means to kill these wolves without much trouble.


    "Sword Dance."


    Two copies of her Red Carp Sword appeared beside her on both sides.


    The swords moved about, killing the dire wolves one after the other.


    Cheng Xiu looked on at the scene of death without any agitation in her eyes.


    She seemed to have grown a bit immune to the gore of this game world.


    She was surprised to see that the wolves were barely hurt at all.


    Something was not right.


    She remembered the fight with the Direwolves in the Primordial Space. The direwolves of that place was not as sturdy as these creatures were.


    Sure, she could have brushed it off as the Direwolves in this world is far superior to those of the Primordial Space, but Cheng Xiu rejected that thought before it could even sit in the chair of her mind.


    The Primordial Space was where she had to go in order to get the Soul Weapon Shard. How could it be that the Creatures of that world would be weaker than those in this reality?


    Cheng Xiu created a second double copy of her sword and let them keep attacking the creatures.


    Her mind churned as she observed the place around her.


    Could it be that she was¡­


    She Xiu''s eyes glinted as she saw the slight distortion of light towards the right. Though it happened for only a moment, Cheng Xiu''s accurate mind gleaned what it should in that brief period.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her in the forest with a cold gaze. Her eyes, at that moment, looked identical to that of President Xiu.


    "Come out! Whoever you are!" Cheng Xiu said as she scowled. She looked towards the shadows of the forest. "Don''t think that you can get away with this. I know that you have placed me in an illusion. If you break this off on your own, I will let you leave, otherwise, don''t blame me for being rude."


    There was no response to her words other than the wolves standing up once more.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes narrowed. Though her words were very brave, her heart was not really in the threat. She was just a level 3 player. There was no way that she should have been able to kill whatever creature it was that had put her in this loop.


    Cheng Xiu created the third pair of copies and then closed her eyes. She wanted to ''see'' the Qi thread that her attacker used on her.


    The movement of the swords seemed to slow down.


    Cheng Xiu could feel her senses heighten as she felt the Qi at the centre of her fluctuating.


    Cheng Xiu let her consciousness float away from the centre and move towards the veins of her Qi, imitating the Flow of her Qi.


    She analysed the movements around her.


    Even though she was no expert on Qi or Qi techniques, she was still good at remembering important things, and her fight with Frost was still fresh in her mind. She was immediately aware of the Foreign Qi that was attached to her core.


    Cheng Xiu manipulated the Qi in her veins and curled around the Foreign Qi, absorbing it the way she would the Wild Qi around her.


    The Thread of Qi broke away, and the illusion fell apart.


    Cheng Xiu blinked her eyes and looked towards the front.


    There were no Direwolves. Her swords were hacking the trees around her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    She heard a movement above her head and a muffled sound.


    Cheng Xiu looked up and was momentarily stumped.


    San Zhe had his face buried into the bosom of a voluptuous woman. Both the figures stood in a high branch above her head.


    The woman moaned.


    Cheng Xiu felt her cheeks heat up, and she coughed.


    The woman looked down.


    "What do you want human?" the woman asked, her voice seductive.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "You are choking my friend. Please release him."


    The woman laughed. "I am pretty sure that he does not mind."


    Cheng Xiu looked towards San Zhe, who was being suffocated in between the woman''s breasts. She was not sure he would mind either but she could only preserve.


    "If that is the case, then I would like to hear it from his mouth," Cheng Xiu said to her.


    The woman scowled. "Fine."


    She released the man''s head briefly.


    "Sister Xiu! Help!" San Zhe said with tears falling down his cheeks. "I don''t want this kind of spring! I don''t want to die a virgin."


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped. Did he have to say that?


    "This is the Other World," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    San Zhe froze. "Huh?"


    He understood her words immediately. This was the Other World. This was a game.


    San Zhe cried harder. "I don''t want to be raped in my mind either!"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. Just as she had thought.. There was no way that he would want to die like that.

 Chapter 140 - Unwanted Egotists

    Cheng Xiu looked towards the woman who had San Zhe in her grasp.


    "Please release my friend."


    The woman stared at Cheng Xiu with a crooked smile. "Or else?"


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword. Though she did not know the level of the NPC in front of her, she still could not let the woman do anything she wanted to her friend without his consent.


    The sword copies flew in the air towards the woman.


    She looked at the incoming weapons with a twisted smile on her face.


    Cheng Xiu tried not to think about the reason why the woman was not even a smidge worried about the swords and concentrated on attacking the woman.


    The woman laughed as she jumped this way and that, taking San Zhe with her.


    Cheng Xiu used the tree trunks of the sturdy trees around her and jumped onto the branch that the two people were standing on before.


    The branch shook under her weight, threatening to break off at any moment.


    Cheng Xiu looked up and found the woman and San Zhe missing again.


    She gritted her teeth in frustration and called back the sword copies. She was not able to save her friend even though she had been so close to him.


    Cheng Xiu jumped from moe branch to the other as she moved towards the centre of the forest, hoping to find her friend soon.


    She was surprised that she did not see any creatures in her journey. Not even the Flying Squirrels. But did prove one point, that NPC woman was a special existence in the game.


    There was boisterous laughter from under her.


    Cheng Xiu looked down and found herself being surprised.


    She knew the man who was looking up at her and laughing.


    She was never as happy about wearing a mask as she was at that moment.


    A man looked up at her with blue spiked hair.


    "Do you need any help miss?" the man asked. "I am DaoRen, the vice leader of the Blue battalion."


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. Of all the people that she had to meet, it was this fool. Cheng Xiu decided that the best action that she could do was ignore the man and try to find her friend at the moment.


    She looked around, trying to find out if there was any clue as to which direction that woman had taken San Zhe.


    "Are you looking for something?" Ren Dao asked the masked lady above him.


    Cheng Xiu ignored the man.


    Nothing. There was nothing. There was no clue at all as to which direction they had travelled.


    "Or are you looking for someone," Ren Dao asked.


    There were sounds of footsteps in the forest.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked down to find that five more people had entered the place while she was busy looking for clues.


    "Captain," Ren Dao said in a meek voice.


    "What is the situation?" a gruff voice asked.


    Cheng Xiu was curious about the fact that there was someone even that arrogant man would respect but did not think the information was important to her at the moment and so naturally did not give their discussion any attention.


    "Are you looking for a masked man in blue robes being carried away by a beautiful lady or are you looking for the man in a black and golden mask who is fighting an NPC?" the gruff voice of the captain asked her.


    Cheng Xiu froze.


    She looked down.


    The captain of Ren Dao''s team was a middle-aged man with a sturdy body. His muscular form was exposed almost completely with only his crotch area being covered by a cloth. His body glistened like it was waxed and he held a war-hammer on his back.


    Cheng Xiu had to force herself not to keep staring. Though she wore a mask, the chances of the man not noticing her stare were low as he was a player of a higher level.


    Cheng Xiu nodded towards him.


    "Which is it?" he asked in an annoyed tone.


    "Both," Cheng Xiu said, her voice a pitch lower so as to make it less obvious what she actually sounded like.


    Ren Dao gaped at her. "So what are you guys? The Masked Heroes?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. She ignored his presence and looked towards the captain of the team. "Where are they?"


    The captain smiled.


    Cheng Xiu felt her heart tremble as she had a bad premonition.


    "Information is key," the man said. "It is valuable."


    "What do you want?" Cheng Xiu asked. She knew the kind of conversation this was turning out to be and was not really sure how to react to the situation if her guesses were correct.


    The man looked at the weapon in her hand. "Your sword."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Aren''t you using a war hammer already? And it looks like a high grade on as well."


    The man laughed. "It is not for me, it is for our guild leader."


    The player behind him frowned. "That sword of hers¡­"


    Cheng Xiu froze. She had made sure to change everything about herself to hide her identity but she had forgotten the most important part. A person''s identity in the game was not just their costume¡­their skillset and their weapons were also included.


    The captain looked at her with a considering eye as he realised that the weapon in her hand really was familiar to them.


    "Who are you?" the man asked.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She did not like the fact that she had made such a huge blunder.


    "Well?" the player who had observed her sword from before called out.


    Cheng Xiu wished she could create a sword copy to send it towards the man''s heart. The only thing staying in her hand at that time was the fact that her using that technique would cement the guess in their minds.


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "Why should I tell you anything?"


    "That seems very suspicious," the captain said. "Don''t you want to know where your companions are?"


    "What does my identity have to do with my companions?"


    The man smirked. "It is to make sure that you are not their actual enemy of course."


    Cheng Xiu scoffed in disbelief. "Are you serious? Do these kinds of kindergarten tricks actually work on the people in this game?"


    The man frowned at the absolute derision and contempt in the girl''s tone.. Sure, the excuse he used was not the best, but she should have recognised that he was not someone she should trifle with.

 Chapter 141 - She Left

    "If you are really are not-"


    "Captain," Ren Dao suddenly called.


    The large man looked towards Ren Dao with glaring eyes. "What?"


    "I am sure the dear lady will introduce herself," Ren Dao said. He gave the woman in the white mask a reassuring smile. "Please forgive the captain. He is concerned. What is your name? Which guild do you belong to? WE only want to know this because we want to know which Guild is in this part of the forest. It would make things easier for us to decide on our next course of action."


    Cheng Xiu wanted to scoff again but barely refrained herself. While Ren Dao''s words would have worked a little if she did not know the man and that burly man had not opened his mouth, now they had already burned the friendly bridges between them. The only reason that she had not actually attacked them until now was that the players were at a higher level and she was just a novice in comparison.


    "I don''t have a guild," she said to them.


    The players gasped, and there was an excited murmur among them.


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. What were they thinking? Why did they seem to be so excited about something like this?


    "Then¡­those companions of yours are also not part of a guild?" Ren Dao asked in excitement.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I don''t know. I haven''t asked them."


    Ren Dao nodded. "Does that mean that you haven''t known each other for a long time?"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glinted. Ren Dao was good at gaining information from so little that she said? She was actually impressed a bit. But that little emotion was buried in the months of underhanded insults that she had suffered in his and his family''s hand.


    "Yes," cheng Xiu said. She did not see any actual harm in giving the man this kind of information.


    "I would like to introduce my guild to you then," Ren Dao began. "We are called-"


    "I want to know the information on my friends," Cheng Xiu said in a cold voice. "If you know where they are then say it and I will compensate you to the best of my ability, otherwise leave."


    Ren Dao could not help but think that there was something about the way that the woman talked to him that was familiar. Her speech pattern was very familiar to him. It was similar to the Low-End accent that Cheng Xiu had and her voice sounded almost exactly like Cheng Xiu when she said certain words.


    He looked at the girl before him seriously, wondering if it really was Cheng Xiu before him.


    She was wearing a white martial robe that had leaf patterns along the edges and the hems had red and gold embroidery. Just her costume alone must have cost a lot of money. Then there was her sword. If it was not the SelaXiu sword, then it was still the same kind. And that also required a lot of money.


    And most importantly, the entire equipment on the girl not just cost a lot of money, it also required her to have a strong cultivation base.


    And that was the biggest giveaway that she is not Cheng Xiu.


    No matter how great Cheng Xiu was in real life, in the game she was nothing more than a Qiless. A poor Qiless at that. And there was also the fact that the only way for anyone to learn the Qi flow was to understand it a bit.


    Since Cheng Xiu was a Qiless it would mean that she was a weak novice in this world.


    This woman was still a big fish though. And she was not affiliated with any other guilds.


    "Dear player," Ren Dao said, "if you could just listen to "


    The woman in the white mask turned and jumped away from them.


    "Did she just leave?" someone asked from behind Ren Dao in surprise. "Is she not even going to hear the vice-captain''s offer?"


    "Her friend was taken away by an NPC," another said. "She is worried about him."


    The first man scoffed. "His face was buried in the woman''s breasts. I would like to know which part of the man was in trouble."


    The second man laughed. "Maybe the two are dating and she thinks that he is suffering at the hands of the NPC instead."


    The first man laughed. "That is just sad. Then again that woman deserved it for dismissing the captain and the vice-captain like they were common dogs. I know-"


    The man had his head chopped off, and his body pixelated away.


    The surrounding filled with silence.


    "Get that girl''s information," Ren Dao said in a blank voice, resheathing his sword.


    The men surrounding the captain and Ren Dao nodded and disappeared in a flash.


    "We approached her in the wrong way," the captain said in a dull voice after he was sure that the minions were gone.


    Ren Dao nodded.


    "We assumed that she would beg for us to give her information on her friend''s whereabouts for anything."


    Ren Dao nodded again. "And that was where we failed to understand. That girl was not someone who would allow herself to fall for simple threats like that."


    "Let us go see if we can corner her too," the captain said immediately.


    Ren Dao frowned. "Why?"


    "So that we can coerce her into accepting our guild."


    Ren Dao shook his head. "There is no way that we will be able to keep her after though."


    The captain laughed. "Little Dao! After she joins the guild, she has to wait for a week before she can leave. By that time she would see the benefits of joining our guild, just like all the other bitches."


    Ren Dao felt a headache come on. "All the other women of the gold came on their own. And there is also the fact that she is wearing really expensive equipment already. There is no way that she is going to be coerced in that route. And she doesn''t seem that worried about fighting the NPCs. This means that unlike the woman in our guild, she does not need to be carried."


    The captain snorted. "Any of the two men with her could have provided her with that equipment. And fighting NPCs? She is just being foolish and stubborn. You are thinking too much, Ren Dao. You have been watching too many female-centric movies."


    Ren Dao rolled his eyes. He was sure the captain was thinking too little. But he was sure that the captain would not care about his opinion on this matter. The captain already had a preconceived notion about women and it would hardly change.


    "Let us search for her too," Ren Dao said instead. "No matter how powerful she is, she shouldn''t have gotten far."


    The captain nodded.


    The two men disappeared.


    A golden snake slithered away from the site too, unknown to the others.

 Chapter 142 - Run Together

    Cheng Xiu jumped through the emerald coloured greenery of the Viridian Forest. She now knew why it is called the Viridian Forest.


    The red river and the phenomena of the tree leaving turning red after sunset had man her think that the people who named this place were those who never learnt the name of colours or only knew that Viridian was a colour.


    Cheng Xiu increased her speed as she ran through the thick foliage.


    It wasn''t that she particularly knew where San Zhe was taken to, she at least knew the direction that he was taken in. She had to thank that bulky captain of Ren Dao for that.


    He had come from the northwest of the forest. Even though her back was turned to him when she had heard his voice first, she was still very aware of the direction that his voice had come from. There was also his teammates who had come from.


    Cheng Xiu smiled as she ran in that direction.


    She wondered about Yaksha''s situation at that moment. She was not worried about him despite the words that the half-naked man had told her but she could not help thinking that it was such a coincidence that Yaksha was engaged in some kind of fight with an expert right at the moment that San Zhe was in danger.


    Both she and San Zhe had also fallen into illusions.


    San Zhe was first lured out somehow, and she had run after him on instinct. And then she was pulled into an illusion that made the Direwolves come into being.


    She could guess that the person who put them in the illusions wanted them away from Yaksha so that they could be dealt with easier.


    But if that was the case, why were they not attacking her yet? What was the purpose of this chase?


    In front of her was a large clearing with golden sunlight illuminating the clearing despite the fact that she could see that the surroundings were in pitch black shadows like it was after Dusk, even though it was barely past afternoon.


    Cheng Xiu skidded to a halt.


    She wasn''t stupid.


    This clearing should be like the one she had experienced before, where energy was drained bit by bit the longer that she fought against those Direwolves.


    While in nature, sunlight would give you energy, at that moment she felt like she was losing her life as well as her strength by being in the sunlight at this place.


    Why was this happening though? Was this natural to the forest? Was this an attack from an NPC? Or was it an attack from hidden players waiting to rob her of her pieces of equipment?


    What was going on with this forest? Did she already trigger some kind of a hidden plot?


    If she didn''t, then why was there no level restrictions in the surrounding area.


    As she thought that, another idea came to her mind.


    San Zhe had told her that the Vixia Kingdom was at war with the Asure States.


    Was that the reason that there was a problem with the levels of the forest?


    Was she encountering things that were beyond her level for this reason?


    Or was this man-made? She did not put it past the people around her that they would do something like that. After all, human nature was always to be greedy.


    Even if she was just a weak person, they would still want to drain her of everything she had. There was no doubt about it.


    "Hey!" a voice called from behind her.


    Cheng Xiu was startled and looked behind her.


    Ren Dao and his damned team were walking towards her at a casual pace. She would have thought that he did find her without effort was it not for the unsteady breathing that he had, and the nearly collapsed look that his minions had towards the far end.


    The only person who looked normal was the captain and he was not that interesting, to begin with. He must have good stamina.


    "As I was saying-" Ren Dao had just begun his drivel when he gawked.


    "She left again," one of the men at the back stated.


    Ren Dao sent a glare at the man.


    The man gave him a nervous chuckle and then hid behind another man.


    Cheng Xiu ran off, her speed decreasing at a visible rate as she ran across the bright clearing.


    "She had slowed down," someone said.


    Ren Dao nodded.


    "Do you think that she wants us to chase after her as he searches for her friend so that she does not lose time talking to us?" the captain asked the blue-haired man.


    Ren Dao''s eyes sparkled. "Maybe! Let us follow her and talk to her like that!"


    The group nodded in agreement and ran off into the clearing as well.


    It was only as they saw that Cheng Xiu''s speed was increasing that they realised that this bright piece of land was not just a simple clearing.


    This was an actual trap.


    "Light Sands!" one of the men in the back whispered in horror.


    That was right. They were being subjected to a Witch Skill.


    "This means a most-"


    "Let''s retreat!" Ren Dao said with panic in his voice.


    The others were about to turn around at his words but halted in their steps.


    The ground under their feet shook, and a large golden serpent burst out of it, sending rocks, and mud everywhere.


    The grown men screamed in fright.


    Cheng Xiu looked behind her on hearing the commotion.


    Her eyes fell on the large golden serpent that was attacking the men in Ren Dao''s team and the kaleidoscope of spells that were being cast at the creature to keep it away from them.


    Cheng Xiu cursed and she started to run faster.


    Even though she briefly considered engaging in a fight with the creature as well, she immediately tossed out that idea.


    Cheng Xiu was well aware of her strengths, and fighting a serpent of that size was very difficult. She still had to find San Zhe and try to rescue him as well. She could not allow herself to be exhausted at this point.


    Cheng Xiu ran away faster than she did in any other situation.

 Chapter 143 - On The Other Side

    In another part of the forest, San Zhe hung upside-down from a large banyan tree.


    The woman who had held him in her bosom licked her lips as her eyes burned with passion.


    San Zhe was far too busy staring at the bubbling cauldron in the corner of the treehouse he was hung on top of in horror.


    "Dear boy!" The woman said with a manic laugh. "If your friend does not find you in the next five minutes you will become my food! How great is that!"


    San Zhe wanted to cry. It wasn''t great for him!


    "Do you know how long it has been since I have eaten a human? Far too long! That Zona! She is too uptight! What is so wrong about eating a human?"


    San Zhe hung his head, not even looking at the woman anymore. The woman was too cruel, forcing him to hear her kink about eating humans.


    The woman laughed as she looked at San Zhe''s defeated form. It brought her great joy to see the humans in such miseries! Having their hopes crushed!


    She looked at the cauldron and then towards the winding path that would lead the human girl towards her tree. It was such an obvious vantage of view that the girl should be able to find it without much trouble if she would just lookup.


    The woman''s eyes darted towards the human man in her grasp.


    Her eyes gained a calculating glint and then she had a Cheshire cat smile on her face.


    She walked towards the human with a soft sigh that would make anyone feel that there was something forbidden about her, her hips swaying to the sides.


    Her hand raised and caught the human''s chin in a light hold.


    She lifted his face with a seductive smile on her lips.


    San Zhe raised his brown eyes to look at the woman curiously only to fall into a slight daze.


    "Little human," the woman said, purring out her words into his ears, "Would you like to play a game?"


    San Zhe trembled in fear. He shook his head hard.


    The woman chuckled and pinched his cheek. "Aw...don''t be like that little human. I assure you, it will be fun for both of us."


    San Zhe shook his head harder.


    The woman waved her hand and the tree positioned San Zhe straight again, letting his feet touch the wooden floor of the treehouse.


    San Zhe felt the blood rush away from his head and fell to the hard floor. His head was spinning as a dizzying spell overcame his senses.


    The woman chuckled and then bent down.


    She slowly crawled on top of San Zhe.


    San Zhe''s entire frame shook as he looked around him in panic.


    The woman pressed her chest against his and placed her lips against the shell of his ear.


    "For each minute that your friend delays arriving," the woman whispered, sending shivers down San Zhe''s spine as he felt her hot breath, "I will eat something of you."


    San Zhe stilled and tears fell down the corners of his eyes as fear gripped his heart completely.


    "How about it?" the woman asked.


    San Zhe shook his head.


    The woman chuckled. "What if I told you that you would feel absolute pleasure despite it?"


    San Zhe looked at her in confusion for a second as her words slowly registered to him. San Zhe shook his head again.


    The woman laughed. "What if I told you that you did not have any choice in the matter?"


    San Zhe looked at her with wide eyes, his bloodshot eyes revealing his desperation.


    The woman laughed and closed her eyes.


    Her beautiful face transformed to reveal black fangs, and her face transformed into a hard black shell.


    San Zhe could not help think that her face looked a lot like a snake''s even though she still retained a few features of a human face.


    The woman opened her mouth and came down with her fangs.


    Just as her fangs were about to penetrate San Zhe''s throat there was a bright flash of light.


    The woman stopped.


    San Zhe''s eyes filled with relieved tears and he turned his face towards Cheng Xiu.


    And it turned out to not be Cheng Xiu.


    It was a woman with green eyes and an alluring aura around her.


    "Claris," the new woman called.


    The woman with the black fang looked at the newcomer in displeasure. "What are you doing here?"


    "The Keeper is coming," the woman said instead of answering. "The little ones are occupying her other companions."


    Claris raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What now?"


    The new woman looked at her for a moment and then looked at the human in Claris''s hold. "Try to activate the Stone."


    Claris laughed. "In the end, it is still my way that is going to work. I am sorry to say this, little Camille, but I win again."


    The new woman, named Camille, looked at Claris with a cool expression. "Don''t mess this up."


    "I won''t!" Claris said.


    Camille disappeared in a flash.


    Though he was not the best person when it came to understanding human interactions, even San Zhe could tell when the woman called Claris was given the go-ahead.


    The woman lowered her face towards San Zhe again and held his chin in place. "I am impressed by your human girl. Very determined, and unpredictable. That Camille would never allow me to have my way with you if she thought that there was a chance to get things done her way. But thanks to your friend, the little sister of mine would have to accept my way now."


    San Zhe did not respond, not that the woman cared about his thoughts on the situation.


    The woman laughed. "Do you know what my way is?"


    San Zhe could guess.


    "Guess," the woman said.


    San Zhe shook his head. There was no way that he was going to give her his opinions. What if what he said was something the woman had not thought of and he put ideas into her head.


    The woman exposed San Zhe''s neck even more. She licked her red lips. "I have missed human flesh."


    San Zhe trembled under her hold.


    The black fangs descended.

 Chapter 144 - The Return Of Enemies From The Tree

    The sword pierced the woman in the same place again.


    She hissed at the pain.


    She turned towards her attacker with a glare. "You! Don''t you see that he doesn''t want to leave?"


    Cheng Xiu scowled. She turned towards San Zhe who was looking down at her in a daze.


    Brother San? Are you not coming?"


    "I don''t want to leave," he said in a dull voice.


    Cheng Xiu stilled. She could recognize that he was being manipulated.


    "Let go of him!" Cheng Xiu said with a hiss in her voice.


    The woman smiled. "If you have the ability, take him away by gaining his consent."


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. He was being controlled, and it was obvious that he would do what the NPC wanted him to do.


    There was no way that he would come with her willingly now.


    But there was no reason to ask for his consent in this regard. She could get him away from the woman and the skill effect of the NPC should wear off on its own.


    Almost as if the woman had heard her thoughts, she laughed. "Let me see you try."


    Cheng Xiu''s vigilance was instantly raised. There had to be a reason that this woman was so confident.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards the two of them, hopping from one branch to another.


    Her eyes moved about, waiting for something or the other to happen.


    The woman brought out her whip again.


    Cheng Xiu''s hold on her sword got tighter.


    The girl was stunned at the NPC''s next action.


    She whipped the tree, breaking off the wood from it instead of attacking her.


    There was a rumble under her feet and she found creatures crawling out of the sturdy trunk of the tree.


    They had the face and body shape of people, but their body was made completely from the same rough texture as the tree they crawled out of.


    Their movements were unstable.


    Their focus was completely on Cheng Xiu who had raised her weapon higher and held on to the hilt of the sword tighter the minute she had seen their movement in the trees.


    The creatures screamed at her in a guttural voice.


    Cheng Xiu gaped.


    She knew what these creatures were better than most of the people in this game. She had seen them before. She had fought against them before. She had killed them before.


    Demonic Treemen.


    The creatures that she had fought with during her first journey towards the Rat Pit.


    They were the minions of that Emperor Monster.


    Cheng Xiu felt her heart tremble. She looked around just to be sure that there was no sudden rise of the boss around her.


    Why was it these things? And why was this NPC able to call upon these creatures? Weren''t they supposed to be summoned by the boss? Did that make this woman someone at the level of the boss?


    Cheng Xiu shivered. The boss was only weakened last time due to the attack of 10 Level 70 players. It was the only reason that she was able to defeat the creature by throwing Immortal EverHill''s weapon.


    No. It was not possible. Though the woman was powerful she was not powerful. She did not have the aura that the Emperor Monster did.


    Cheng Xiu calmed her mind.


    According to San Zhe, the Demonic Treemen were Golden Core Realm creatures and far too difficult to kill.


    But that couldn''t be right. The system notification at that time said that the creatures were 2 levels above her at Level three. If the difference was that, then she, at Level 3 now, should also be at the Golden core realm. But she wasn''t. Her Level was called Qi Sensing.


    So were the creatures in front of her at Golden Core Realm?


    Cheng Xiu just realised that she did not know the Realm Names of this game. Since she was at the Qi Sensing III at the moment, that must mean that Qi Sensing was the first Realm of the game and the Demonic creatures she fought first at Qi Sensing Realm. So¡­where did that put Golden Core at? Was it the next realm? If it was, then it would put her and the creatures at a 10 level difference. If it wasn''t¡­then it would mean that the level difference between her and the creatures were more than 20.


    And that was summoned by the Boss back then.


    These were summoned by the NPC who should be weaker than the Boss, and so should, in theory, be weaker than the ones that she faced at the clearing before.


    But that would mean that the creatures were at Level 2 or Level 1. Which was also not a possibility. The NPC would not summon such weak creatures to deal with her.


    Cheng Xiu did not think she was being narcissistic when she thought this. Well aware of her strengths, she was sure the NPC would not take her lightly. And that meant that these creatures were not at her level or lower. They had to be higher.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword and dashed towards them.


    She wondered if she could kill these creatures she was able to kill the ones in the clearing, by cutting off the roots of the creatures.


    Cheng Xiu did not know if it would work. But she was willing to try.


    In the deep forest, a group of men stood in the shadows, waiting for a good opportunity to attack Cheng Xiu. The people had blue crystals on their heads to indicate their identity as players. Their body and their weapon were battered and damaged. And most of them looked worse for wear.


    "That NPC looks so sexy," one of the men said with drool on his lips.


    The others nodded.


    "It is too bad that the masked player has to face off against those creatures," another said. "What are they anyway?"


    "Creatures that are a speciality of the Southern Continent," a bulky man with only his crotch covered said. The war hammer in his hand was broken at places. "They are known to be powerful. They can even reach the Golden Core realm."


    "Wow. Now I feel really bad for the masked beauty."


    "How do you know she is a beauty?" a man asked his comrade.


    "Isn''t she a girl?" the man said as an answer. "As long as she is a woman she is beautiful."


    Many in the team nodded in agreement.


    Ren Dao glared at them all. "Shut up. Wait for a good opportunity. When the girl is overwhelmed by the creatures we will rush in to save her at the nick of time. It should be enough for the girl to gain a favourable impression."


    The others nodded in excitement and prayed for the Red and White robed girl to fail faster.

 Chapter 145 - A Heros Entrance

    San Zhe squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the pain to descend with closed eyes.


    He felt a small incision on the curve of his neck.


    San Zhe took a deep breath, holding back tears.


    The wait on him suddenly disappeared and the pain in his neck decreased.


    San Zhe blinked open his eyes to find the seductive woman standing at the far end of the room. Her shoulder was pierced by a lone red blade that had intricate designs carved on it.


    Even though he had seen the sword many times before, this was the first time that he was finding it as beautiful as he did today. Its etchings were beautiful, its colouring was extraordinary. It looked like a God Weapon. No. It was a God Weapon.


    San Zhe''s eyes travelled towards the door of the room.


    A beautiful woman took slow steps into the room, her sword held diagonal to her chest. She had the fairest skin that he had ever seen, with beautiful pink lips. The martial robe that she wore should be made of the finest materials as the clothing looked that it was made by the gods themselves just for her.


    Her hair was long and pitch black, and they fluttered in the wind.


    "Sister Xiu!" he called out to the goddess who had come to save him.


    Enchanting Phoenix eyes looked at him for a brief moment.


    San Zhe felt his heart melt. "You are so handsome! I love you! I will give my everything to you!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She looked towards the NPC who had released herself from the wall and threw away her sword to the floor.


    The sword that was thrown away disappeared with a flash.


    "What did you do to him!" Cheng Xiu asked with a frown.


    "I did a few things," the NPC said with a light laugh, "and I would have done a few more things if you were a few seconds late."


    Cheng Xiu glared. "Did you put him in some kind of illusion?"


    San Zhe blinked. "Huh?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She gave him a compassionate look. "It is okay, Brother San, this woman is at fault for what you did."


    "Huh? Why? What did I do?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "You called me handsome, and said you loved me."


    San Zhe blushed in embarrassment immediately. "Oh¡­that¡­"


    The NPC laughed. "Now that is not something that I did."


    Cheng Xiu glared. "Don''t lie to me."


    "It is not something that I did."


    Cheng Xiu gave her a hesitant look and then looked towards San Zhe.


    San Zhe gave her a soft smile that looked more like a grimace.


    "What do you want to do with brother San?" Cheng Xiu asked. "Why did you kidnap him? If it is because he crouched on your territory, then we are sorry for that."


    The NPC rolled her eyes. "You talk too much."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. And then she thought of the words she just said. She had thought too much. Even though the Other World is a VR, it was still a game. An NPC kidnapping a Player was normal. There was no particular reason for it other than the fact that the player is "Food". The fact that she was trying to reason with the woman about something like that was like a human trying to argue with a wild beast not to eat meat. It was simply not done.


    The NPC released a whip in her hand.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened as she looked at the lightning whip in the woman''s grip.


    It was a very familiar weapon.


    "Do you know an Immortal named Lotus?" Cheng Xiu found herself asking.


    The NPC whipped the weapon at her.


    Cheng Xiu lunged to the side, reaching San Zhe within a few steps.


    The lightning Whip hit the wooden floor instead and the timber cracked into many pieces, flying in different directions.


    Cheng Xiu shivered. Even though she knew the danger that the weapon in the NPC''s hand could cause from the fight that she had with the Expert, it was still a great psychological stimulation to see the damage happening again.


    Cheng Xiu had hoped in some ways to not face these weapons so soon. The fact that she had to face it, and that it was in the hands of an NPC who seemed to know what they were doing made Cheng Xiu want to curse her luck. Why was she the one who always had to fight these kinds of enemies? Why couldn''t she just fight normal enemies that were at her level and be done with it?


    Why was she forced to fight with enemies with a question mark as their level? Why?


    The whip came towards her and San Zhe at great speed.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed San Zhe''s hand.


    She forced him to fall to the ground and fell to the ground herself.


    The whip hit another wall of the treehouse.


    "Why is she able to use lightning?" San Zhe said with a grievance in his voice. "Since when are creature NPCs able to use magic indiscriminately?"


    Cheng Xiu dragged San Zhe to his feet and dragged him along as she ran towards the door.


    The whip cracked behind them.


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground on her back.


    San Zhe moved to the side.


    The whip barely touched his hand and felt behind a small whip mark.


    Cheng Xiu leapt to her feet.


    She dashed towards San Zhe.


    She grabbed his hands as the whip cracked again.


    She dragged him out of the door.


    The whip hit the doorframe instead and broke off the wood.


    Cheng Xiu did not turn back and started to jump from one branch of the large tree to another.


    San Zhe blinked, stared and then kept staring at Cheng Xiu''s agile movements in a daze.


    Cheng Xiu realised that her companion was not with her at that moment.


    She looked up to find him sitting in the corner.


    The NPC had come out and was grinning at San Zhe''s crouched form.


    The seductress walked towards the man in the blue robes in slow strides.


    Cheng Xiu created a sword copy and had it go to attack the whip-holding NPC again.

 Chapter 146 - Root Cutting Kindness

    Cheng Xiu cut at the roots of the screaming Demonic Treeman that leapt at her.


    The gilded sword went through the creature''s roots the way that a hot knife would go through butter.


    The creature screamed in pain.


    Cheng Xiu kicked it away when it neared her.


    The creature fell off the branch that she was in.


    Two others jumped at her one after the other.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword overhead, its tip pointing to the sky and brought the weapon down.


    The creature split down the middle.


    The monster behind it leapt at her through the gap between the cut off sides of the first one.


    Cheng Xiu reacted with fast precision. She raised her sword and cut off the creature from the middle of its "Head", just as the cut off piece was reforming, she sat on her hind legs and slashed the root of the Treeman.


    Both the creatures fell to the ground in a heap of wooden bodies and caught fire.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. The flame effect appeared once again, destroying the wooden flesh of the creatures. She couldn''t believe it was that easy to kill these creatures. She had needed San Zhe''s help in distracting it last time.


    Four more of the creatures leapt towards her.


    Cheng Xiu created sword copies to deal with them.


    She killed off the creatures one or two at a time.


    She heard the crack of a whip distantly.


    Cheng Xiu felt her heart fall with a thump with that sound.


    She instinctively knew what that meant. More of the creatures.


    Almost like they were summoned by her thoughts, the creatures crawled out of the thick bark of the main tree.


    She was surprised to find that a few were going away from her towards the other trees.


    Cheng Xiu did not have time to think of the reason why it would do so but she kept up her vigilance against these creatures.


    One of the Demonic Treeman released a long vine towards her.


    Cheng Xiu''s guts crunched up in phantom pain at the sight of them.


    She leapt away from it and tried to move away from its attack range.


    Just as the monster''s appendage reached her again, Cheng Xiu had one of the sword copies cut into pieces. The things crawled for a few moments before settling down. It caught fire as well and burned to ashes.


    Cheng Xiu huffed. That was tough to do. Even though she had fought with multiple enemies before she felt far more tired than she did ever before.


    Cheng Xiu paused in her action of beheading the creature in front of her as she retraced her thoughts.


    She looked up as her hands tore off the roots of the creature.


    The sunlight was warm against her skin, giving her a feeling that she was losing her energy too quickly.


    She was not sure what to make of this matter. She was sure that the trees that she had touched were free of the sunlight when she leapt at the tree. Yet, now, the tree was in the sun.


    Cheng Xiu leapt away in the darker part of the tree branches, observing the environment that she was in.


    Her eyes widened. Above her, the tree branches decreased in size as a Demonic Tree emerged from it.


    So that was what had happened.


    Last time, the demonic trees that she fought were those that were created using the lives of the trees in the forest completely. But now, the Demonic Trees created by the NPC woman were from the branches of the ancient tree that she stood on.


    Perhaps it was because the tree that she stood on was so old that only its branches were being used instead of the entire trees, unlike the young trees that were used by the Emperor Spirit that she had to face before. There was also the chance that the reason she was able to kill the Demonic Treeman summoned by the Emperor Monster was that they were weaker.


    What would have happened to her if the Demonic Treeman was created from this ancient tree instead of in that battle. A Demonic Treeman was summoned by the Emperor Spirit using the lifeforce of the Ancient Tree that she stood on.


    Cheng Xiu did not have to think too hard to understand what would have happened. She would have experienced Death in the game already.


    She couldn''t deal with all these creatures to make her way towards San Zhe.


    Even though it seemed like a long time, the truth was that it had only been a few minutes since she had started to fight these monsters.


    San Zhe had also gotten out of the control that the NPC had put him in and was being held upside down.


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu who was dealing with the Demonic Treeman below with a concentrated face with complicated eyes.


    He felt his heart fall into disappointment.


    Isn''t it always the Hero who saves the beauty? Did that make San Zhe a beauty?


    He hoped not.


    He would have liked to be the hero but seeing as it was Cheng Xiu who always saved him, he had to say that the Hero spot was taken.


    He looked at Cheng Xiu with complicated eyes. He wanted to ask her why she was doing so much for him. But he couldn''t. He knew why. He had been that person before. The person who would die for those who showed him even a bit of kindness.


    He had learnt his lesson a long time back though. He wondered when she would. She had to. There was no way out of that kind of disillusionment.


    Had Cheng Xiu heard his thoughts she would have laughed? She was not doing this because he showed her kindness. She was doing this because she considered him a part of the few people she cared about now. And for those few people, she was willing to risk even her identity.


    "Ghost Flame," Cheng Xiu said calmly.

 Chapter 147 - Yakshas Hold

    Cheng Xiu felt her entire body freeze at that moment. The entire area around her froze with her.


    A figure in a black robe and golden mask appeared beofre her, his long hair flying in the wind.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Yaksha."


    Yaksha raised his hands and intertwined their fingures together.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind froze along with her body.


    The place where their fingers touched a warm glow emerged as Yaksha sent waves of Qi in to her veins.


    The sparks of black flame that had emerged in the palm of her hands got snuffed out.


    Her heart thumped against her ribcage as she stared at the hand that held hers. It was pale and broad, and the fingers were long. If the man had not specifically changed his appearance of the appendage, then Cheng Xiu had to admit that he had beautiful hands.


    She could feel the warmth of his hands even after the glow had disappered.


    Was her hands always so cold?


    Cheng Xiu could feel blood rush to her ears. All of a sudden she could not look him in the eyes.


    Cheng Xiu darted her eyes about to avoid looking at him and her eyes fell on the still figure of San Zhe who was inches away from being bitten by the woman again.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    She turned to face Yaksha and glared him in the eyes. "What the hell, Yaksha!"


    She was able to use her voice.


    Cheng Xiu tried to shake off his hands form hers.


    Yaksha reluctantly let her go, his hands falling to his sides. His fingers twitched in small movements in regret.


    "I am sorry for grabbing you like that with out your consent," Yaksha said with a small bow of his head.


    Cheng Xiu felt lost for words for a few moments. Her face flushed. "That¡­that is not what I was ta-talking about. I-it is just holding, I mean, grabbing hands, don''t make it so d-dra-dramatic."


    Yaksha nodded. "Even so, I did it without preamble. Sorry."


    Cheng Xiu brushed his words off. "That is not the issue here! Why did you stop me from using the Ghost Flame? And how did you do it! I have always thought that the Ghost Flame could not be countered without¡­without special attrifacts."


    Yaksha stared at her for a moment. "How much of your Qi does the Ghost Flame spell take from you?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What are you talking about?"


    "As for how I snuffed out the Ghost Flame¡­that is a trade secret," Yaksha said. His voice sounded teasing.


    Cheng Xiu, unfortunately, did not feel teased. She glared at the man before her in anger. "Explain what you meant by the amount of Qi I use for Ghost Flame?"


    "Do you trust me?" Yaksha asked her instead.


    Cehng Xiu glared. "What?"


    "Do you trust me?"


    "No."


    Yaksha stared at her in the eyes for a moment.


    Cheng Xiu started to feel uncomfortable with his gaze and looked away.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes found an even more bizzar image than San Zhe being bitten by that woman.


    At the bottom of the tree was a Tablo of Ren Dao and his team being entangled completely in vines.


    "They were snooping," Yaksha said.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. The tone of his words made it seem like he was the reason that these people ended up the way that they did.


    Cheng Xiu''s feelings were complicated at that moment. She was happy that Ren Dao was the person who got into that kind of trouble but also felt a bit pity for him for his predicament.


    "SelaXiu," Yaksha called.


    Cheng Xiu blinked up at him.


    "Please log out."


    Cheng xiu frowned. "Why?"


    "You know why."


    "I don''t actually. Why don''t you enlighten me?"


    "You have just gotten out of a critical condition that involves Deep Dive. Your mind is far too agitated," Yaksha said. "And no matter how much you wish to continue you can not."


    "You can not order me."


    "I am not ordering. Think of this not from the percepective of San Zhe''s friend, but from the percepective of a player with your conditions."


    Chng Xiu gritted her teeth.


    "Your face tells me you know what I mean."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She nodded. "But San Zhe-"


    "Despite how real everything may seem or feel," Yaksha said to her, "This is still a VR. Death in the game will not lead to his actual death. He will just respawn at his resurection point."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I know that. It is not Death that I am scared about. He doesn''t want to be violated in the game. I need to make sure that he is safe at that point."


    Yaksha tilted his head. "The Other World will not allow that kind of a thing to be witnessed or happen to a Player. San Zhe is safe."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Really?"


    "Yes. There are some things that the game keeps away from the players."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the talbo above her again. "That NPC. She seemed to excersice some kind of mind control on San Zhe after I first rescued him. I think it has to do with the biting she does."


    "She is a half-breed," Yaksha explained.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards him curiously. "What?"


    "The NPC is called as Claris. A Vampire-cursed Spider Hybrid who has gained a human form through cultivation. She is a famous Boss in one of the dungeons of the Western Continent."


    Cheng Xiu was surprised. "A dungeon Boss? What is she doing here?"


    Yaksha shook his head. "The dungeon Boss is still there, forever cursed to stay in the montains of the West for the crime of Kin-killing. The one here is Claris, but the run down version¡­or the weaker version in friendlier terms."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What does it mean for her to bite San Zhe? What is her plan?"


    Yaksha smiled. "Who knows. But you are right, we should not let San Zhe suffer at the hands of such an NPC. I will help San Zhe in your stead. Would you please consider Loging off?"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "You will save him?"


    "I promise."


    "Thank you."


    Yaksha nodded.


    He snapped his finger and the world returned to normal.


    Yaksha flicked his wrist to the side, and sent the NPC into the house again.


    With another movement from him the door closed.


    Cheng Xiu smiled as she saw San Zhe get out of his daze.


    Yaksha gave her a look.


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head and left with a flash of light.

 Chapter 148 - Shadows That Eat

    Yaksha took out a single talisman and tossed it in the air.


    The talisman burst into flames. Strings of fire attached itself onto the Demonic Treeman around him.


    The creatures burst into flames and turned into ashes.


    San Zhe stared at what had happened for a moment, unsure what he should do. He just got saved by the Male God Yaksha, the rumoured number 1 player of The Other World. He was not sure what he should do about the honour that he was just handed over.


    San Zhe''s eyes filled in gratitude and tears. He looked at Yaksha with reverence.


    Yaksha nodded towards San Zhe. "I sent her away. She should not push her health for something as silly as a game."


    San Zhe hesitated. As silly as a game. It really was a game. He seemed to have forgot it, and from the looks of it, so did Cheng Xiu.


    San Zhe smiled. "You were finally able to convince her-"


    The NPC woman burst out of the door at the moment.


    She looked towards the person who attacked her, anger in her eyes.


    Those flames of anger changed to an unsure emotion as she stared at the golden masked man in front of her.


    She closed her eyes and tried to get a read on the man using her Qi. She needed to know his level, how powerful he was, how much he could handle, how much she could gain¡­


    She felt a femiliar oppressive feeling from the Qi of the other.


    Claris''s puffy lips curled on one side. Her eyes opened and stared at the man in front of her.


    "So the ghosts are a part of this fun little game," the woman whispered with a smile.


    Yaksha stared at him for a long time.


    The sound of metal hitting metal, and moans of pain could be heard from under them.


    "Annoying pests," the woman whispered as her eyes fell on Ren Dao and his men.


    She snapped her fingers.


    San Zhe watched the next few moments in awe and horror.


    Spiders crawled out of her hair¡­no it was better to say that her hair was a string of spiders.


    San Zhe stared for a moemnt and became nausceous. He could feel bile rise in his stomach at the thought of these creatures being so close to him that he could have touched a few of them accidentally.


    The tiny spiders crawled over the rough barks of the tree faster than they should be able to and reached the players below.


    San Zhe watched in a horrified daze as the players were bitten repeatedly.


    They started to disappear one by one as the players logged out.


    San Zhe had one question he would have liked to ask them though. Who were those people?


    "Now that the nueisences are gone," the woman said, twirling a strand of her hair.


    San Zhe shivered at the sight. Those were spiders! How was she able to handle it with such calm! If he ever became a data, he did not want to be like her.


    "Lord Yaksha," the woman purred. "An honour. I have heard so much. All good things! Really! The man slated to be the next Ghost King of the Cultivation World. A real honour. And I must say, your presence near the Keeper is surprising, considering the nature of the Keeper."


    Yaksha did not reach to her taunting words, and only raised his hand with a talisman in it.


    "People did say that you make your own talismans," the woman said, unconcerned about his actions, "is it true?"


    "What do you all want with SelaXiu?"


    The woman laughed. "What would I want with the Keeper¡­you tell me, Lord Yaksha."


    Yaksha burned the talisman in the air, and connected it to the tree he stood on.


    The woman''s eyes widened in panic. "No!"


    The tree started to shrivel.


    The woman''s eyes became bloodshot as tears rolled down her eyes. "Don''t you dare!"


    She tried to grab hold of San Zhe.


    Yaksha threw a bag at her feet.


    Beads rolled out of the open mouth of the bag towards her feet.


    The waman hissed, her black fangs proturding even more.


    Her body crumbled and turned into that of a spider with bat wings.


    San Zhe shuffled his feet away from her in shock and fear.


    "Yaksha! You will pay with your blood for this!" the woman screamed as she leapt at him.


    He snapped his fingers.


    Ghostly figures rose from his feet and dragged the woman towards Yaksha''s shadow.


    The spider struggled in the ghostly hands.


    The dull faces of the dead did not change as they dragged the woman towards their summoner.


    The woman sank into the shadows of Yaksha like that part of the rotting tree was made of quicksand.


    She stopped screaming in anger and frustration and started to cry for mercy, begging him to let her go.


    Yaksha stood still as a statue, just watching.


    San Zhe looked at the image that it formed in horror and awe.


    He had known that the more you played The Other World the more you will be numb to the pain and sufferings of others, but it was the first time that he had actually seen this kind of scene personally.


    He had killed monsters and human-like NPCs but none of them begged for mercy.


    It made his scalp tingle in fear.


    Yaksha looked at San Zhe coldly. "Shall we leave then?"


    San Zhe shivered at the monotone of his voice, which was very different from the tone he had ever talked to him with. San Zhe nodded. He wouldn''t have denied Yaksha even if he had wanted to stay at that moment.


    "Give me a report on how she is doing will you?" Yaksha asked.


    "Is that a right thing to do?"


    "I am only asking her health report to make sure that she is getting better."


    San Zhe nodded his head. "Okay."


    "Are you going to tell to her I asked such a thing from you?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "I will keep it a sceret."


    Yaksha shook his head. "You are not that much of a true friend are you? Ask her if you can send me the reports first. She would feel betrayed by you later on when she finds out about this matter otherwise."


    San Zhe''s eyes sparkled with admiration. "Okay."


    Yaksha nodded at him and left in a flash.


    San Zhe stared at that spot for a moment and logged out as well.

 Chapter 149 - The People Who Think High Of Themselves

    In a dormitory room, Cheng Xiu slowly got up from her lying down position.


    Her back muscle pulled in protest.


    Cheng Xiu let out a sigh and got up. Her waist actually ached like it would when you would stay in the same position for too long. She cringed and then looked around.


    Her eyes observed the disturbances that she observed in the room. An extra person was sitting at the foot of her bed now.


    Cheng Xiu blinked owlishly at the pink-haired thing.


    Gu Shu fidgeted in her seat, not looking at the girl in front of her in the face, shame written on her face.


    Cheng Xiu felt her lips twitch. That is right, feel ashamed of your actions now.


    "A''Xiu-"


    "Who are you?"


    Gu Shu''s eyes filled with tears. "I-I was wrong to have said those things to you!"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyebrows twitched. "Oh. Is that all?"


    Gu Shu took a deep breath. "I¡­I should have visited you. But I swear, I was keeping tabs on your situation! I even talked to many of the nurses in your ward through the butler."


    Through the butler¡­


    "You needed to enquire about your best friend''s health through the butler," Cheng Xiu tried to get Gu Shu to see where she was wrong. But it was not to be. Gu Shu did not take the hint.


    "That''s right!" Gu Shu said with a beaming smile.


    Cheng Xiu felt a headache come on and she suspected that it had nothing to do with the Deep Dive incident or her little adventure in the game at the moment.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Alright. I do have a question though."


    "Yeah?" Gu Shu asked leaning forward, she was so happy that Cheng Xiu had forgiven her.


    "Why are you torturing my mother''s lunchbox with your horrible cooking?"


    Gu Shu stared at the black-haired girl, not able to comprehend her words for a second. Her eyes became wide like saucers as she realised what Cheng Xiu had said. She was not expecting these to be the words that Cheng Xiu would say next. Where was the "I forgive you" from her dreams?


    She glared. "My cooking is not that bad! And I didn''t cook it anyway. I made Aunty Li make Dimsums for you!"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Trying to curry favour through my stomach¡­do you think I am a man?"


    Gu Shu sweatdropped. "Don''t you like Aunty Li''s Dimsums?"


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "I like. What does that have to do with you?"


    "A''Xiu! I am sorry! You have to forgive me!"


    "That is not how saying sorry works!"


    "If you don''t¡­I will cry!"


    "What more can you do?"


    Gu Shu glared at her. Even though she enjoyed Cheng Xiu''s poisonous tongue when it was aimed at others she did not like it when it was turned towards her.


    "Is that all you can say about the fact that your best friend has come to visit you with food? And how did you see the lunchbox? I placed a small trace of Illusion talisman on it. Those who are Qiless should not be able to see them!"


    Cheng Xiu''s heart twinged for a moment. She tried to look past the sudden reminder that she was ''useless'' in this world. Gu Shu always did the same thing. Doing things that would hurt her. She might not have meant it, but it still hurt to see that there would always be things in Gu Shu''s life she can keep her away from.


    Cheng Xiu subconsciously dodged thinking about why she was able to see something the Qiless usually can''t.


    "A''Xiu? You haven''t-"


    "Were you staring at me while I was in the game?"


    Gu Shu blinked at her. "Huh?"


    "Were you staring at me while I played the VR game?"


    "Yeah¡­why?"


    Cheng Xiu gave her a judging look. "You''re creepy."


    "I was just observing!" Gu Shu defended herself.


    "Never seen as beautiful a person like me before?"


    "Your ego is showing," Gu shu muttered.


    "So is your pettiness. Do you see me call you out on your faults?"


    "Yes. All the time!"


    "I only do it out of the kindness of my heart."


    "Sure. If that is what you want to call your OCD be my guest."


    "I would rather not," Cheng Xiu said. "You are a horrible host."


    "Yeah," Gu Shu said as she remembered her meeting with President Xiu, "I probably am."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "There is no need to use probably. You are."


    Gu Shu gave her the stink eyes. "Why are you being so mean to me?"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "You really don''t know?"


    "I was a bit petty, wasn''t I?" Gu Shu asked.


    "A bit?" Cheng Xiu asked in disbelief. "If that was just a bit for you, then I fear what you call complete pettiness."


    "You actually agreed?" Gu Shu asked her with a hurt expression. "Best friends are supposed to say good things about each other!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "We have had this talk before. I won''t disagree if your statements are correct."


    Gu Shu pouted. "When did we agree to something like that?"


    "When you said that I am a Qiless who would have to work a hundred times harder just to get to your level of respect," Cheng Xiu said.


    Gu Shu started to cry. "I didn''t mean that! We were fifteen! I was drunk!"


    "Some say that alcohol loosens people up so that their secret thoughts are revealed."


    "All lies and slander."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "A''Shu..."


    Gu Shu looked at her through tearful eyes. "Yeah?"


    "I know the truth just as much as you," Cheng Xiu said. "Why else do you think I am working so hard?... Or used to. I haven''t studied much since I started to play TOW."


    "What the hell is a tow?" Gu Shu asked, and then her eyes widened in enlightenment. "Right! The game! I told you I would find you a game for you to fall in love with as much as you did that Primordials game! You love it, right?"


    Cheng Xiu gave her a strained smile. "Yes."


    Gu Shu nodded. "A''Xiu..."


    Cheng Xiu looked at her.


    "Have I ever said sorry for saying those things?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned a bit. "Why are you apologizing so much today? Is there going to be another Virus flair this year?"


    Gu Shu rolled her eyes. She then stared at the girl who looked too pale and weak. "I am a horrible friend aren''t I?"


    "Yes you are," Cheng Xiu said, "But is there a particular reason for your enlightenment about this now?"


    "Why are you such a good friend to me despite that?"


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "It''s basically Stockholm Syndrom now. I am too used to your rude presence in my life and will actually miss you."


    Gu Shu smiled. She hit her on the shoulder lightly. "I am serious. Why?"


    "And I am serious too," Cheng Xiu said. "Stockholm syndrome is a thing!"


    "A''Xiu!"


    "You have your moments too," Cheng Xiu said. "Nobody stays for the abuse. And you are my oldest friend. You out-lived the others."


    Just as she was about to continue, a knock interrupted her words.


    "I''ll get it," Gu Shu said as she got up from the bed. She took the yellow lunchbox on the table and handed it over to Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu took hold of the box but did not open it. Instead, her eyes followed Gu Shu.


    Her heart thumped in excitement. Was it San Zhe? Did Yaksha manage to rescue him before he met with an accident?


    Even though she knew that he was an Expert in the game Cheng Xiu could not help her heart from doubting. After all, no matter how much of an expert a person was, they would still find it a bit difficult when the enemy numbers were high and he also had to protect a civilian on the way.


    She looked as the door opened in anticipation.


    A silhouette was revealed as Gu Shu opened the door.


    Gu Shu gasped in surprise.


    Cheng Xiu blinked as she looked at the figure at her doorstep. No. No. This was not real. What was happening?


    "What the hell are you doing here?" Cheng Xiu found herself asking.


    Gu Shu hissed at Cheng Xiu to keep quiet from behind the visitor.


    "A''Xiu, how are you now?"


    "She is fine!" Gu Shu said in a high pitched tone, "And she is very honoured that you have come to visit her despite your tight schedule, brother Dao!"


    That was right. It was pig Ren Dao who had come to visit them. How did he get in? Never mind, with his money and influence there weren''t many places in the academy that he couldn''t get into.


    Ren Dao gave Gu Shu a soft smile.


    Gu Shu blushed and smiled at him cutely.


    Cheng Xiu could almost she the instant that the logical side of her best friend decided not to be online. It was rarely there as it was, but now, it had gone completely off.


    Ren Dao gave Cheng Xiu an even softer smile, his eyes gentle.


    Cheng Xiu internally scoffed. Damned perverted jerk.


    "Senior Ren Dao," Cheng Xiu said with a cold tone, "How did you get in?"


    She expected him to say he paid or that he was just walking by to see his sister but he had an answer that had her even more frustrated.


    "Teacher Bo was kind enough to let me in," he said with a smile.


    Of course, there were traitors of that sort.


    That damned woman.


    Despite her prejudice, Cheng Xiu had hoped she was at least a bit professional. But she turned out to be a Blessed-Con. Someone who would do anything for those who had Qi.


    Ren Dao actually sat down near her legs without even asking.


    Perverted Jerk.

 Chapter 150 - Timely Interruptions

    Cheng Xiu glared at the man with blue hair. Damned man.


    "A''Xiu-"


    "Please, Senior Ren Dao, call me Cheng Xiu. We are not friends or in any relationship where it would be appropriate for you to call me as such."


    Ren Dao''s hands tightened into a fist at her words. Damned Qiless woman should feel honoured that he was even willing to talk to her! Why did he have to like this weakling?


    Cheng Xiu was not able to guess the emotions that were flittering through his face nor did she want to guess. From the brief contempt that she was able to see in his eyes, she was sure that he had thought of her status as a Qiless to make himself feel good. Sometimes, humans were predictable like that.


    Gu Shu looked at the two people in uncertainty. She could see from Cheng Xiu''s responses how much the senior''s presence was annoying her but she could also see how indulgent brother Dao was towards her friend.


    "Cheng Xiu," Ren Dao corrected himself. "I heard that you met my cousin Xue?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Yes?"


    "What do you think of her?"


    "I am not interested in such things."


    "Huh?" Ren Dao looked at her in confusion, not able to get her meaning immediately. When he did, Ren Dao blushed. "That is not what I meant. I meant, do you consider her a nice person?"


    "Nice?" Cheng Xiu considered his words. Immortal Frost was someone that she would put in the ''Nice'' category. She would put the expert in the ''Arrogantly intelligent'' part along with herself. "I think that Ex-¡­Xiu Xue is a very intelligent woman. Was there something you wanted to say?"


    "Yes," Ren Dao said to her.


    Gu Shu''s heart twinged in pain. She could see where this was going already. He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend.


    "Would you consider-"


    "Are you going to help us with the upcoming events too?" Cheng Xiu asked. "I heard that The Other World is going to hold a special function next Sunday. I could not get the details on why the events were happening."


    "Nobody knows much," Ren Dao said, "Though there are some rumours that it is the Alliance E-Sports special events. I mean, there are so many professionals, right? They need to eliminate a lot of players before the Live-Action gathering."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding.


    "As I was saying-"


    "I did go into the game for some time," cheng Xiu said, "But I overstayed my welcome and became hospitalized."


    "How are you now?" Ren Dao asked with concern in his voice.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes narrowed. "I am fine now. Just a few days more of rest."


    "You should take care of yourself."


    "Mm."


    "Cheng Xiu, I will be upfront with you. Will you be m-"


    Someone knocked on the door.


    Gu Shu started and opened the door.


    San Zhe poked his head into the room. He saw Cheng Xiu lying in the bed instead of standing up.


    His heart filled with worry, San Zhe ignored Gu Shu who was looking at him incredulously and failed to notice that Ren Dao was sitting at the head of her bed.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe said in worry as he ran towards her. "Why are you still in bed? Is everything alright? Does your head hurt? Let us take you to the Hospice!"


    Cheng Xiu''s face softened and a grin overtook her blank expression from earlier as she heard the words of concern from him.


    "Brother San, I am fine!" Cheng Xiu said with a laugh.


    Those who watched her were dazed for a moment.


    Cheng Xiu was beautiful. There was no denying that. But when she laughed she transformed into a goddess.


    Her smile, with the dimple on one of her cheeks, were so contagious that San Zhe smiled completely with her. "That is great to hear."


    Gu Shu looked at their interactions with a stuffy heart. She was my best friend here! Why was he being given that kind of smile? Were they dating? She refused to believe that they were just friends because even though they were best friends she had never seen Cheng Xiu look at her in that fond and indulgent way she did at that fat man.


    "Who are you?" a gruff voice asked, interrupting San Zhe who was about to tell her what had happened.


    San Zhe looked back at him and was shocked. Was that Ren Dao? When did he get here?


    Ren Dao glared at the newcomer, overcome with jealousy. "I did not realise that Cheng Xiu had a boyfriend."


    "I was not aware that I had to make you realise such things," Cheng Xiu said in a biting tone. The soft look she gave San Zhe was replaced by a cold, bottomless abyss that was her black eyes.


    Gu Shu felt concerned for her friend. "A''Xiu, don''t be rude."


    Even though Brother Dao liked her, he was still Blessed. If he got offended, then Cheng Xiu''s way to success would be short-lived.


    Cheng Xiu, unfortunately, did not see her interference as a good thing. Rather, she saw it as her being offended on Ren Dao''s behalf.


    Cheng Xiu couldn''t be blamed for her assumption though as all of Gu Shu''s previous reprimands were because Cheng Xiu had insulted Ren Dao in one way or the other. It was surprising how many times Cheng Xiu had done that as the college had started only a few months back.


    "Whatever," Cheng Xiu said.


    Ren Dao scowled and opened his mouth to say a few harsh words to Cheng Xiu only for him to be interrupted by a horrible ringtone.


    Cheng Xiu blinked and stared at San Zhe.


    The rotund man blushed. "Sorry."


    He took out his Fold device, an old model set and saw who was contacting him.


    Ren Dao looked at the old battered Fold in San Zhe hand in disdain. A poor senior man, Qiless and with no status. Cheng Xiu''s friends were all people like her appearance. When they started dating he would have to forbid her from contacting the Qiless Loser.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened as he saw the name on the Fold. The calls were done through the internet now so there was no need to share mobile numbers. They just needed a stable connection and a link to the profile of the other party.


    [Lord Yaksha.]


    San Zhe stared for a moment.. A legend was contacting him. What should he do?

 Chapter 151 - Revealing Breakdown

    San Zhe stared at the phone in his hand in a daze.


    "Brother San?" Cheng Xiu called.


    San Zhe blinked up at her.


    "I¡­I¡­"


    Cheng Xiu frowned in concern. "Is everything okay?"


    "Yesss," San Zhe said, "Um¡­I need to take this call¡­I think¡­no I know I should¡­.bye!"


    San Zhe ran out the door.


    Cheng Xiu blinked at his disappearing form. "um.."


    "You should be careful, A''Xiu," Ren Dao said to Cheng Xiu, an unknown emotion crossing through his eyes. "Your boyfriend might be making you wear a green hat."


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. A Green Hat was slang for the fact that her partner was cheating on her.


    "I see, I will be careful."


    Ren Dao looked at Cheng Xiu''s deep black eyes, wanting to say something but stopping himself at the last moment. Ren Dao got up, ready to leave.


    "Wait," Gu Shu said, "You are dating that guy? I thought he was helping you guide in the game?"


    Ren Dao blinked. He looked at Gu Shu and then at Cheng Xiu who looked at her friend like she was the stupidest person she had ever come across.


    "That man is not your boyfriend?" he asked, hope in his voice.


    Gu Shu stilled. She just realised that she might have dug a pit for herself to fall into.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She could have lied and said they were in fact dating but that would be unfair to San Zhe. It was not a thing a good friend should do.


    "We are not," Cheng Xiu said to Gu Shu.


    "You did not deny you were dating him!" Ren Dao said with a scowl.


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow, looking at the man in disdain. "I said I hadn''t realised that I have to make you aware of all the happenings in my life."


    Ren Dao relaxed. He put his hands in his pocket and looked at Cheng Xiu for a moment. So it was just her prickly attitude coming out rather than her having an actual boyfriend.


    Ren Dao smirked. "I am at Level 48 in the game. I can carry you better than that Qile-that San Zhe¡­wasn''t that his name?"


    Cheng Xiu looked up, asking the heavens to give her the strength to deal with him.


    "You are at Level 48? Then how would you carry me? Is the dungeon of Level 1 and Level 70 the same?"


    Ren Dao looked at her in surprise. That was right. He could not carry her until she reached Level 10 on her own.


    "What level are you at?" Ren Dao asked. "Maybe I can have some of my guild buddies help you out."


    Cheng Xiu just looked at him, not answering.


    Gu Shu at the side felt a sour taste in her heart as she looked at how attentive Brother Dao was towards Cheng Xiu. He hadn''t extended that kind of an offer for her.


    Ren Dao shook his head. "Better yet, tell me how many Quests you have done? And what were they? If you take certain Quests, they can help you level up faster."


    Ren Dao looked at her with expectant eyes. She was a genius, after all, she should have done some real progress in the game!


    Cheng Xiu looked at him with a complicated gaze.


    Ren Dao frowned. "A''Xiu?"


    "I was going to my first Quest when I got hospitalised."


    Ren Dao froze for a moment, dazed. He stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time. "So incompetent?"


    Cheng Xiu glared at him.


    Ren Dao realised what he said and coughed. "That¡­um¡­I suppose you being a Qiless means you level up at a slower pace than most. I don''t need to ask you what is your level at now though since you haven''t done any Quests yet."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips.


    Ren Dao gave her a reassuring smile. "My guild is the best! You will love our-"


    "Thank you for visiting senior. It seems that my sickness is acting up again. I will see you when I get better."


    With those words, Cheng Xiu took the quilt next to her and buried herself inside it.


    Ren Dao looked at her in half-longing, half-lustful eyes and then walked out after saying goodbye to Gu Shu.


    The pink-haired girl stared at the bump under the blanket known as Cheng Xiu for some time.


    Cheng Xiu peeked out of the blanket. On seeing that Ren Dao had really left the room she let out a relieved sigh and then got up.


    Her eyes went to Gu Shu who stood by the door of the dorm, staring at her with a certain gaze.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "He has a crush on me, doesn''t he?"


    Gu Shu looked at Cheng Xiu for a moment and then nodded.


    "That was why you were so hostile towards me?"


    Gu Shu hesitated. There was something in Cheng Xiu''s tone that made her hesitate in answering.


    "Don''t stall," Cheng Xiu said as she guessed what Cheng Xiu must have been thinking.


    Gu Shu nodded.


    "You did not visit your so-called best friend who you have known for so many years was in a coma and hospitalized because you were jealous she had the interest of the guy you liked, who you have known for a month or so?" Cheng Xiu asked with a blank face, her voice flat.


    Gu Shu stilled. She was dense most of the time but even she could tell that Cheng Xiu was angry.


    "I¡­I wasn''t thinking¡­I-"


    "Wasn''t thinking," Cheng Xiu echoed her words. "If I wasn''t thinking, I would forget about why I was upset with you the minute I hear you had gotten hurt somehow."


    Gu Shu looked at her shoes in guilt.


    Cheng Xiu felt the corners of her eyes sting and her nose and throat become stuffy.


    Cheng Xiu cleared her throat to hold back the tears. "If I were you I would come to visit you first, and only then remember that I was upset with you."


    "I am sorry," Gu Shu said in a small voice, her sound breaking at the end. "I wasn''t thinking. Xiu! You know I am not a considerate person to most people! Please don''t hate me! I know I did wrong! I am sorry!"


    Cheng Xiu stared on as Gu Shu broke into sobs. It was different from her usual tears.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She did not like emotional scenes, especially when she was in them. She could feel her headache getting bigger.


    "You have to work harder to get back into my good grace," Cheng Xiu said to her.


    Gu Shu stopped sobbing and looked at Cheng Xiu for a moment. She started to nod vigorously.


    "Now get me some congee," Cheng Xiu said, "Then I will eat that dimsums. You are not getting any."


    Gu Shu nodded eagerly and dashed out of the door before she could change her mind.


    Cheng Xiu watched her go with a complicated gaze. Was she being too lenient?

 Chapter 152 - Friendly Talks

    Gu Shu ran out of the room and bumped into San Zhe who was returning from his call with someone outside.


    "Senior San," Gu Shu said, bowing her head a bit. "I am going to get A''Xiu some congee from the cafeteria. Do you want something?"


    San Zhe looked at her for a moment. "Actually¡­can we have a few words?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in suspicion. She gave him a nod, curious about what he would have to say to her considering they did not have anything in common other than Cheng Xiu.


    "Sister Xiu is good to you," San Zhe said.


    Gu Shu tilted her head.


    "And I hope that feeling is at least a bit there from your side as well?"


    Gu Shu glared. "Yes. And this is not something we need your opinion in."


    "It is not an opinion¡­do you care about Sister Xiu''s future?"


    Gu Shu raised an eyebrow. "Where is this going?"


    "There was an expert in the game who wanted her to join his guild," San Zhe said to her, "She refused because she has to join some low-level guild with you."


    Gu Shu remembered the battle Cheng Xiu had with the experts of the game. One of them had offered her such a thing?


    Gu Shu smiled. "A''Xiu and I are going to join Brother Dao''s guild!"


    "Why?"


    "Huh?"


    "Why are so obsessed with that man when it is clear that he is interested in your best friend instead?"


    Gu Shu smiled. "A''Xiu is not interested in him. And as long as she is not, I have a chance!"


    San Zhe sighed. It would seem that Cheng Xiu''s friend was too self-centred to see what he was trying to say. Forget it then.


    "Then¡­I suppose I should go inside. Please be on your way too. Take care, Ms Gu."


    Gu Shu stared at him for a few moments.


    "Wait!" she said to him, grabbing his shoulder.


    San Zhe looked at the hand and then at Gu Shu. He frowned in confusion. "Yes?"


    "Why are you not scolding me for not checking up on Cheng Xiu then, if you care about her this much?"


    San Zhe looked at her with a gaze filled with pity. "That¡­is your matter. I don''t know your personal life and can not comment on why you did not visit your best friend, or call her."


    Gu Shu frowned at the words he used and the tone of his voice. She was not sure what to make of his words though.


    Before she could formulate a response, San Zhe walked away.


    Gu Shu watched him enter their dormitory room and then left. She would think about why his words agitated her later.


    Inside the room, Cheng Xiu was eating her medicine.


    "How are you? Really?" San Zhe asked as he entered the room without a preamble.


    Cheng Xiu gave him a sweet smile. "I am fine."


    "Do you need me to do anything?" San Zhe asked.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I am fine."


    San Zhe nodded.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him, wanting to ask about who had called him and if everything was okay. But she couldn''t. If it was something that she should know about then he would tell her, right?


    San Zhe suddenly bowed his head towards her, bending his waist completely forward.


    Cheng Xiu almost fell off the edge of the bed from scrambling away from him in surprise.


    "Brother San?"


    "Please forgive me," San Zhe said, "I am a pig teammate!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Pig teammate? How did you betray me?"


    "Lord Yaksha asked me to report to him your health conditions," San Zhe said, "And I didn''t¡­resist."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why does he want to know about my health condition?"


    San Zhe shrugged. "Because he cares about you?"


    "So can I?"


    "Can you what?"


    "Can I report your health details to him?"


    "Didn''t you already do that though? Isn''t that why you said you have betrayed me?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "No! I mean¡­I did betray you for today because he asked you to log out and he was very worried about your mental state. I meant, in the future. Can I?"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "I am not sure¡­no. You can''t."


    San Zhe sighed. "So now I have to say to an expert of the game that he can not get the information he wants."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "You are not going to try to convince me that I am in the wrong?"


    San Zhe frowned. "It is your health status, you have the right to deny anyone you don''t want to know what your health is like unless you are a criminal or you are facing a doctor. Then you don''t have the right to withhold information of that sort."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Thank you."


    "Don''t be such a pushover all the time," San Zhe said, "And you know it is serious when I am the one telling you that you are being a pushover."


    Cheng Xiu let out a small laugh. "I don''t let everyone push me over. I just have a few people in my life whose words I cannot ignore even if I wanted to."


    San Zhe looked at her with complicated eyes. "Even if it is your best friend you should not easily give in."


    "What brought this on?"


    "I just feel like I should say this much to you," San Zhe said, and then he looked at his fold device when it rang.


    [Lord Yaksha.]


    San Zhe''s eyes widened and then he handed the device over to Cheng Xiu quickly.


    Cheng Xiu looked at San Zhe in confusion and then at the screen. When she saw a familiar on the screen she was surprised.


    She then looked at San Zhe''s panicked expression.


    "Pick it up quickly!" San Zhe said.


    Cheng Xiu nodded and pressed the green button.


    "Hello?" Cheng Xiu said.


    "Hello, Miss Sela," a divine male voice said from the other side. Cheng Xiu felt her scalp tingle in delight. "How are you now? San Zhe said to me that you were fine, but I still wanted to make sure."


    "Are you bullying my friends?" Cheng Xiu asked instead of answering his question.


    San Zhe looked at her in confusion.


    "What?" the voice on the other side asked. She heard the light sound of papers being flipped and the sound of pen scratching against paper was audible. "I am not. Why would you think such things?"


    "Then why would Brother San be so nervous?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    There was a slight chuckle.


    Cheng Xiu blushed as she heard it. She was not sure if it was because he laughed at her or because of his laugh itself. She felt her ears heat up as well.


    San Zhe wondered what the great Male God was telling Cheng Xiu that she would blush so much. His mind couldn''t help going over some terrible thoughts.


    "I think he was starstruck."


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by the words for a moment. She looked at San Zhe, whose warm brown eyes looked at her curiously. He did not seem coerced to do anything or that he was threatened.


    Was she thinking too much?


    She was probably thinking too much.


    "I see¡­then yes, I am doing well," Cheng Xiu said. "It was just a small headache. Anyway, thank you for your help. IF you hadn''t helped when you did, my new costume and mask would have been a waste of effort. And thank you for saving Brother San. I know he must have already said this, but still¡­thank you."


    "Mm," the voice at the other end said. "You take some more rest. We can do the Quest when you are ready."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Thank you for the care."


    "You are welcome. Goodbye."


    "Goodbye."


    The connection was cut off.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the device''s dark screen for some time and then returned it to San Zhe. "There are some dimsums in that yellow box over there. Would you like one?"


    San Zhe smiled and shook his head. "I just came to check on you. Nothing more. So no thank you! I will have it some other time."


    "Suit yourself."


    They sat in silence as Cheng Xiu took up her Fold.


    Cheng Xiu stilled as she remembered something that she had wanted to ask him at that moment. "How did you get into the Girls dorm anyway? I mean, Ren Dao¡­I mean Senior Ren Dao has a sister here and Miss Bo also permitted him. How did you? It can''t be Miss Bo. That woman hates our kind too much."


    San Zhe scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "I asked the head nurse in the college clinic to permit me. I told her about your situation. She was very curious about you."


    "You are on good terms with her then?"


    San Zhe nodded. "I often get into fights. So she sees me too often."


    Cheng Xiu could guess how he got into those fights but decided not to say anything so that she did not embarrass him if he felt like that.

 Chapter 153 - Try To Fix Things

    When Gu Shu returned from buying the congee for Cheng Xiu, she found the girl listening to San Zhe with rapt attention.


    Gu Shu pushed the door open with a loud bang, letting the two inside know of her enterance.


    Cheng Xiu was startled by the abrupt sound and glared at Gu Shu. "Why are showing your agression on the door? If the door is damaged, what would you do then?"


    "The doors are made to resist a high D-Level attack, it can take being banged to the wall," Gu Shu said, a scowl on her face. "What were you two talking about?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why are you taking that kind of a tone with me?"


    Gu Shu scowled even more. She felt like she was being replaced by that San Zhe, how could she not be upset? Cheng Xiu had always been her best friend and yet she was spending more time with that San Zhe person.


    She couldn''t understand how he was able to get so close to her friend''s heart just by accompanying her in a single mission. Was it because he was also a Qiless? Was that all it took for Cheng Xiu to try to replace her?


    Cheng Xiu decided to ignore the girl for now. She would talk to the pink-haired girl when there was no third party in their dorm.


    "Your congee," Gu Shu said in a dull voice as she presented a black box towards Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu looked at her. She could see that Gu Shu was hurt about something, but she was not sure what could have happened in the time that she had gone to the cafeteria to get her lunch.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head and opened the box. It was a simple rice congee with some pickle. That was it. She was now really sure that Gu Shu was upset with her. Cheng Xiu sighed and picked up the soup spoon from the side of the box.


    After she had finished eating, Cheng Xiu demolished the shrimp dimsums that Gu Shu had bought for her. With great reluctance she gave San Zhe and Gu Shu one each.


    San Zhe was amused by her hurt expression. "If you want it so much, Sister Xiu, you can have it."


    San Zhe returned the dimsum in his hand.


    Gu Shu had bitten off half of the dimsum in her possession when she saw this. She felt upset that she had not thought to do so. This might have been the method through which the fat man gained Cheng Xiu''s trust! Very underhanded!


    Cheng Xiu pushed the offered piece away without even looking at it. "What is meant for me is in my hands, what is meant for Buddha will be in Buddha''s hands and what is meant for you should remain in yours."


    San Zhe blinked. "Um¡­you could have just said no."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "No. That piece was meant for you, that is the reason why you ended up in our room at this time. Now, eat."


    San Zhe looked at her in surprise for a moment and then took a bite of his.


    Cheng Xiu quickly finished off the ones in her hands, the shrimp flavour filling her mouth and oil coating her lips.


    She looked childish at that moment.


    After that San Zhe enquired about the gaming pod.


    That was another can of worms.


    Gu Shu got upset. "What? Now you think that I can''t afford to help you out or something?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "That is not it¡­I¡­just think it is a waste trying to repair the thing. After all, there is no way that it would function with the same efficiency that it did before."


    Gu Shu pouted. "I can buy you another one!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "You can''t. Your father can. But that is not the point, the point is that I don''t want your help in this matter. You gave me birthday gift-"


    "And now it is broken," Gu Shu interrupted. "So, this is my responsibility."


    Cheng Xiu gave her a teasing smile. "Look at you using words like responsibility. Really proud of you."


    "Shut up."


    "Anyway, I think it is better to return the thing."


    San Zhe listened to the girls talk as he observed the gaming pod in front of him. "Is this¡­The Other World exclusive gaming pod?"


    Gu Shu blinked. "What?"


    San Zhe sighed with emotion. "This is the V51 created by TOW Online, the company that created The Other World game. They got into the gaming pod business last summer I think. This is a gaming pod specifically built with the intensity of the Game Play of the game in mind. It is made for The Other World palyers."


    "It is?" Gu Shu asked in surprise.


    San Zhe nodded. "51 is a dream pod. You should have a warrenty with this though, right? Any maintanance services that you do in the span of a year is free and the company will do it themselves!"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Oh. Why didn''t you say that before?"


    "I did not observe the pod''s brand before."


    "I see."


    "Does that mean that A''Xiu can use the pod?" Gu Shu asked in excitement. "My gift is not going to be given away or sold?"


    San Zhe looked at the girl with a complicated gaze. He always felt that the screws on this girl''s head were a bit too lose. Why else would she always focus on the wrong things? He was just talking about the greatness of the TOW company and the benefits that the pod had and she only cared about whether her gift would be given away.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Does this mean that this pod can be fixed without using money?"


    San Zhe nodded.


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding. She looked at Gu Shu. "Do you want to fix it?"


    Gu Shu frowned. "Isn''t it yours now that I have gifted it to you? Do it if you want to!"


    Cheng Xiu looked at the machine with a torn look. She couldn''t throw away things that could still be fixed. "In that case, Gu Shu, get the lisensing of the Pod and the certificate of ownership so that it can be fixed."


    "What is certificate of ownership?" Gu Shu asked. "Aren''t you its owner?"


    "No.. I am not."

 Chapter 154 - Crazy Xiu

    As it turned out, Gu Shu was right and Cheng Xiu was the owner of that gaming pod.


    Gu Shu called her father to ask him about the certificate and found out that it was in Gu Shu''s bag where the maid had put it in.


    That led to an hour of scolding from Cheng Xiu about how she never checked her belongings.


    Gu Shu left half way through because he couldn''t listen to it anymore.


    San Zhe left soon after as it was not appropriate to stay in the room after Gu Shu left.


    Cheng Xiu applied for the Repairing of Gaming Pod that TOW offered and picked up a book to read only to end up asleep.


    The next day was more sedated. Ren Dao briefly showed his face but he did not stay to talk as he did before, Gu Shu left for her home saying she had a guest that she had to entertain and San Zhe had classes.


    Cheng Xiu picked up her books and spent a long while studying, and sleeping when she started to develop a headache and then picked up the book again to study.


    This routine lasted until she had to go meet the doctor that evening and she was given the all clear.


    The doctor had a suspicious look on his face as he recorded how fast her recovery was, but he did not give it as much thought as he probably should have as he did not think it was a bad thing to have an improved healing effect.


    San Zhe invited her to play TOW after he heard that she could now really play.


    Yaksha said that he was a bit busy and that he would meet them directly under the Clock Tower.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed her old VR helmet and dived into the world of fantasies again.


    She felt the connection of Qi come back online and smiled. Even though it had only been a few times she really enjoyed the feeling of connecting with Qi. It gave her a sense of belonging that she did not experience in the real world.


    Cheng Xiu blinked and found herself standing in a clearing.


    San Zhe stood oposite her in a fitting blue robe, and a black mask.


    "Bother San," she said in greeting.


    "Come on then," San Zhe said with a smile, "The Clock Tower is this way."


    "Where are we? Why did we appear here instead of near that old tree?"


    San Zhe looked about, refusing to face her. He was not sure how Cheng Xiu would react to the situation. But it shouldn''t be a bad reaction though.


    "Lord Yaksha destroyed it."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Huh?"


    "This is the place that the old tree used to exist. It''s just that¡­the tree no longer exists."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "This Yaksha expert is very capable, isn''t he?"


    San Zhe grinned. "Definitely."


    "Let''s go then," Cheng Xiu said. "There is no reason to linger."


    San Zhe nodded.


    The tow of them started to walk towards the hill range again.


    The forests got thicker, and the creatures around then became braver.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe had to kill Flying Squirrls and Exploding Nuts along the way.


    Cheng Xiu could not help thinking that it felt like she was doing things the same way again when she borrowed a bow and arrow from San Zhe and killed off the creatures.


    But things were different.


    She was different.


    She could accurately kill the squirrls before they reached her position easily and was able to track down many of the hidden squirrls who had gone cray.


    The scerey around them remained the same for a long time.


    It got to such a point, that Cheng Xiu, who usually likes to walk in the woods felt cranky.


    It was a good thing that they reached a place that was quiet different from what they had seen so far.


    It front of them was deeper forest, which would be scary in itself.


    What really made things worse was that the entire area was covered up by goop.


    Cheng Xiu had enough games to know what this was.


    Slimes.


    Cheng Xiu shivered in disgust when she heard the watery sound in the thing''s movements.


    She wasn''t sure if it was only one slime or multiple, but she was sure that it was disgusting.


    Was this game not based on Cultivation? Why was there Slimes in a Cultivation game?


    "Maybe we can look for another way," San Zhe said after taking in the scene in front of them. "These creatures have acids that will corrode anything that it touches."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "We have been trying to do this quest for way to long. We can''t go back now. Let us move forwards."


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand and aimed it towards the body of the Slime nearest to her.


    "Ghost Flame!" she shouted.


    The black coloured flame burst out and consumed the entire body of the creature and burned it away.


    Cheng Xiu stopped the skill once she was sure that there was not a single bit was left of that thing. She closed her eyes and consumed the Qi that the flame had created and then smiled.


    She could not just feel that her Qi capacity had reached its limit, she could also feel that her muscles, and nerves felt replenished.


    She looked towards the Slimes that were attached to the barks of the trees around her with greed.


    These things could be her Qi suppliers just like that puppet that she had with her!


    Cheng Xiu walked forwards, both her hands being covered with the black flame.


    The Slimes shivered as they felt that a predatore was near.


    San Zhe stood at the side and watched in a daze as Cheng Xiu burned away thousands of Slimes with passion in her eyes, and a crazed grin on her lips.


    He was sure that he even heard her let out an evil laugh at one point.


    He was wrong.


    She wouldn''t be afraid of Lord Yaksha''s cold method of disposing the enemy.. It was Lord Yaksha who would be scared off by the crazy girn that Cheng Xiu had on her face as she burned away Slimes of all things.

 Chapter 155 - Torri

    Cheng Xiu killed off the last of the Slimes and looked around for more.


    "That was it," San Zhe said to her helplessly. "You killed them all, Sister Xiu."


    Cheng Xiu sheathed her sword back into its red and white casing. "That is too bad. I wanted to burn a few more-I mean I thought there would be more."


    San Zhe gave her a look. Do you think I did not hear that little slip of yours?


    Cheng Xiu smiled sweetly at him, giving him a sense of danger. Just ignore it or face the consequences.


    "Let''s go then," San Zhe said with a smile and walked away.


    Cheng Xiu looked around once more to make sure that there was nothing else and then followed him.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has cleared the Nothern Slime Meadow!


    Reward: +1 poison resistant potion.]


    San Zhe took out a purple bottle from his storage ring. It had a wooden tag with the letter ''E'' etched on it.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened and looked at her own storage ring. She closed her eyes and thoought of the Reward that she just got.


    A purple appeared in her hand as well. It had a tag hanging from its neck as well. The letter on it was ''C''. She got the better reward. Which made sense as she was the one who killed all the Slimes.


    "I got this too?"


    "Why do you seem surprised?"


    San Zhe scratched his cheeks. "I guess I got it because we are in the same party."


    "We are?" Cheng Xiu asked. "You didn''t invite me nor did I invite you¡­is it because we are doing the Rat Pit quest together?"


    San Zhe nodded. "The AI will treat people who are doing a mission for the Adventure guild together to be of the same party."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Good to know I guess."


    "Let''s go then, Sister Xiu."


    "Mm."


    They began walking again.


    After a few minutes, they finally reached the foot of the hill.


    The place was covered completely in greenery. Cheng Xiu noticed a single cement brick that was placed a few steps away from her. Did it have something to do with the tower?


    "You know what, Sister Xiu?"


    "What?" Cheng Xiu asked as she looked at the stone for some markings.


    She was surprised to find one at the bottom. A black circle.


    Cheng Xiu recognised this as the game symbol for the White Room. Did that mean she was at a place like the White Room? Was this a place she can access the White Room from?


    "I think it is unfair to a beginner to force them to fight walk this long."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She would find out more about the circle soon enough. "Well¡­most people have easier time. I just happen to have a bad luck with Quests in every game. It has been happening for a long time and I am used to it. Sure, I swear and curse a lot about it in my heart every time, but I am used to my shitty luck in general."


    San Zhe was unsure how he should react to that comment. She really did seem to have bad luck in general. Really, ending up fighting with an Emperor Spirit and then fighting with experts, and then being forced to play a game that made her go into Deep Dive for too long, going into a coma, only to return to find herself being faced with NPC enemies.


    He should probably tell her that the NPC that kidnapped him was someone who worked for an NPC that wanted to bring her harm.


    But San Zhe couldn''t bring himself to say it.


    She deserved to not to worry about things for a bit of time at least.


    "Take out your Player Card," San Zhe said to her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What is that?"


    "The regitration card that you got from the Adventure''s Guld?"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes sparkled with understanding. "That!"


    She took it out of the storage ring.


    San Zhe nodded and then pointed towards the only concrete brick that stood to her right. "Place your card on top of that stone over there, your name side up.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. It was the same stone that she had seen earlier.


    Cheng Xiu did as he instructed her.


    The Stone glowed golden and then the card disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu panicked and took a step forward.


    San Zhe held her back. "Stop. It is registering your Quest with the Clock Tower. The Tower will ensure that there is a record of you reaching here and doing the mission when we return to the Adventure Guild. You will the card back after you leave the dungeon."


    "How?"


    "It will return to your storage ring on its own."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding.


    The glowing stone elongated and shone brighter until it nearly blinded them.


    When Cheng Xiu looked the stone again after her vision had returned, there was no longer a stone.


    There was a golden archway in front of them instead.


    The style of the archway was similar to the red torii gateways that Cheng Xiu often saw on the Internet.


    "This is called as the Tower Torri," San Zhe explained. "It is a special pathway that leads to the Clock Tower."


    "How can people be sure of what they are supposed to do?" Cheng Xiu asked in frustration. "Why is the beginner tutorials of this game so bad?"


    San Zhe looked at her with guilt. "That might be because you haven''t yet completed the first Quest yet. You are not qualified enough I guess. I know it because my own AI System informs me of the route that I should take."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in disbelief. "I need to complete my first mission to access the Torii, and I need access to the Torii if I want to complete the game? What? What would I have done then if you weren''t here?"


    San Zhe blinked. "If you stay in this area for a minute or two, the stone would start to glow and the System would give you the instructions again."


    Cheng Xiu relaxed. "Oh."


    "Let''s go in then."


    "Wait!"


    San Zhe looked at her in confusion. "What''s wrong?"


    "Shouldn''t we wait for Yaksha?"


    San Zhe bite his tongue. "Oops. Sorry."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Happens."


    Just as the two got ready to wait for him some more, Cheng Xiu saw a figure walk towards them from the east.


    He wore a simple black robe and a plain black mask. But the way he walked and the wayhe held himself gave away the clue of who he is.


    "Brother Yaksha!" Cheng Xiu called with a smile.


    "You actually recognised me," the man said with a laugh.


    Cheng Xiu nodded, ignoring the way that the sound of his laughter made her feel. She knew she could be such a voice-con sometiems, someone who liked someone immediately because of the sound of their voice.


    "It was not obvious, but I do recognise your gait."


    San Zhe was surprised by her words at first until he thought of her amazing IQ. Remembering something like that must be very easy for a genius like her.


    "Shall we go in then?" Yaksha asked her.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "We were just about to wait for you."


    "I was lurking around," Yaksha said. "I just thought it would be best to meet you after you have activated the Torii."


    "Why is that?" Cheng Xiu asked in confusion.


    "You might have met with some more trouble along the way," he said in a teasing tone, "After all, you seem to attract the aggression of the sentient beings around you very easily."


    Cheng Xiu felt like her heart was demolished my a wreaking ball at that moment. "So cruel?"


    "Isn''t it the truth? Why are you reacting like I am being delibrately cruel to you?"


    Cheng Xiu glared. "Let''s just go in!"


    "As you wish," Yaksha said with a soft chuckle.


    San Zhe felt like he just became a thrid wheel.


    He suddenly felt something warm wrap around his palm.


    San Zhe blinked and looked at Cheng Xiu''s masked face in a daze.


    "Let''s go!" she said as she pulled him along.


    Yaksha stood at the foot of the gate, waiting for them.


    The tree stepped over the threshold.


    From the outside, it seemed like they had teleported, and the golden Tori gate returned to its previous shape as a stone.


    Inside the gate, Cheng Xiu and San Zhe were looking around in awe.


    "I have never seen a Clock Tower entrance like this one before," San Zhe whispered.


    Cheng Xiu observed the place around them.


    They were in a rock-cut passage that had intricately designed vines and flowers on the walls and ceilings.


    The area was cool and a sweet smell filled their noses.


    There was something divine and mysterious about the passage way.


    "Let''s continue to walk," Yaksha said. "The passage will lead us directly to the level in the clock Tower that your mission is at."


    "I see," Cheng Xiu said. "Have you seen things like this before? You don''t seem surprised."


    "The Vixia Clock Towers are all like this. They are the oldest standing Clock Towers after all."


    "Longest standing?" San Zhe asked. It was the first time that he was hearing this.


    Yaksha nodded. "It has been in the storyline of The Other World before the Reincarnations, that is, the advent of the players."


    "Wow," San Zhe said.


    Cheng Xiu felt like she should know this place all of sudden.

 Chapter 156 - Everything Is Not As It Seems

    Cheng Xiu was not sure how she was familiar with this passageway though.


    It was not something she had seen in the Primordials even though she wished it was that easy to recognize the place.


    Perhaps she had read it somewhere.


    The trio started to walk forwards.


    Their footsteps echoed in the area.


    Cheng Xiu felt a chill go down her spine. She felt like she was being watched.


    Cheng Xiu looked with suspicion at the rock-cut style and the deep realism in the expressions of the statues that evoked a sense of mystery in her mind.


    "You know," she said, her quiet voice echoing in the abandoned passageway, "These engravings and sculptures wouldn''t exist just for aesthetic purposes, right? They need to have a deeper meaning. No game developer would create things just because they are pretty to look at. So, does that mean that they come to life at a perticular moment, when certain conditions are met?"


    Cheng Xiu felt the air around her cool as San Zhe took in a deep breath in shock.


    She stilled. Did she just jinx them?


    San Zhe looked at the masked girl in horror. That was a flag! She just raised a flag for them! She just jinxed them!


    "No way," San Zhe said through gritting teeth, "I have been to many clock towers in other countries! Nothing of that sort ever happened!"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She had an argument for it, but she was not sure if she would be jinxing them for real if she said it.


    "What?" San Zhe asked, "What is it that you want to say, Sister Xiu?"


    In his mind, he was praying for her not to jinx them anymore.


    "Well¡­ this is supposed to be one of the oldest Clock Towers, right?" Cheng Xiu asked. "What if things are different here?"


    San Zhe gave her a strained smile, which she returned with the same emotion. Sister, when you clearly know that you are raising a flag, then drop it already! Why was she waving it around enthusiastically even then?


    A chuckle echoed in the passageway.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe turned to him, indignation clearly written in the body-language of San Zhe. Cheng Xiu was calmer, more curious about Yaksha''s take on the concept than anything else.


    "There is nothing like that to fear," Yaksha said.


    San Zhe relaxed. "See, I knew it!"


    "Usually," Yaksha said, almost like he worded his sentence in a way that would hurt San Zhe the most.


    San Zhe froze, the air around him turning dark in response to his despair.


    Cheng Xiu was curious about that phenomenon.


    "The statues can, in fact, become ''alive''," Yaksha said.


    Cheng Xiu could almost see the arrow that Yaksha threw at San Zhe''s heart to break it.


    "But they will only do so in the presence of those who are Level 50 or above," Yaksha finished.


    Cheng Xiu''s hand went to the hilt of her sword in response to his words.


    San Zhe stepped back in fear, hoping it will hurt less if he was away from the other man.


    "But, I have suppressed the my level so that these enchantments would not detect my aura."


    San Zhe relaxed. Why couldn''t he just say that! Nearly gave him a heart attack.


    Cheng Xiu, on the other hand, unsheathed her sword.


    "Sister Xiu?"


    "They can not detect your level?" Cheng Xiu asked in a mocking voice, "Are high-level monsters so na?ve? Can they not hear your words either?"


    "Oops," Yaksha said in a dull voice, "Sorry."


    You don''t sound sorry at all, Big Brother! San Zhe shouted in his heart even though he did not dare to say it out loud. That was a Level 70 player. He would be obliterated if he decided to upset this Mt. Tai.


    Cheng Xiu hmmed. She suddenly turned towards San Zhe.


    Before he could react, her sword was near his neck.


    Sister Xiu! You can''t forget old friendships for the sake of new loves!


    Ting!


    The hilt of her sword hit something that sounded like a stone.


    San Zhe watched in amazement as the head of a stone snake fell to the ground. Its stone fangs were elongated, like they were about to take a bite off of something when tragedy struck it.


    San Zhe shivered as he realised how close he was to death at that moment. It might have been a game, but he would still feel the sting of the bite from the creature. He would know, he had died many times in the past.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword and placed it against the Expert.


    San Zhe stood still. That was a stupid move! He is an Expert! A Level 70 Player! Did Cheng Xiu''s intelligence go offline?


    "What are you doing!" San Zhe said in a panicked voice.


    "What is your intention!" Cheng Xiu asked Yaksha, ignoring her scared friend for a momnet. "Are you luring us into some kind of trap? If you want to kill us, why not do it directly? Why are you playing mind-games with us instead?"


    Yaksha sighed. "Sorry."


    San Zhe blinked behind his mask. That sounded like a genuine apology. What the hell?


    "What are you specifically apologizing for?" Cheng Xiu asked, not letting up her aggressive stance. "That your trap failed? What?"


    "I am sorry I did not warn you about the Statues," Yaksha said. "I wanted to test your reactions and so I kept that information hidden."


    "Why exactly did you want to test our reactions?" Cheng Xiu asked in suspicion.


    "Because I wanted to see what your mental capacity was against a situation where you thought you were betrayed by your teammate," Yaksha said. His voice was even and his words sure.


    "And what was the verdict?" San Zhe asked, inspite of himself.


    "That you are stupid," Yaksha said to Cheng Xiu.


    San Zhe gaped. What?


    "What?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "When you know for a fact that you are weaker than me, why would you raise your weapon against me if not for the fact that you are stupid," Yaksha explained.


    "I would have logged off," Cheng Xiu said, "And create a new account. If you did have genuine bad intentions towards us, can we escape unscathed?"


    Yaksha pulled out his sword, that was the metallic black in colour and killed off a snake near Cheng Xiu.


    The girl did not even flinch, let alone back away from his personal bubble.


    Yaksha laughed. "Indeed. I forgot you could log out like that. My apologies. As for the monsters that were awakened by my presence¡­I will deal with the trouble I created obviously."


    Cheng Xiu''s sword moved away from his neck at those words, but not completely.


    "You only have one mission today," Yaksha said to her. "And that is to kill a bunch of mangy rats. The rest are mine to deal with."


    Cheng Xiu nodded, and moved away from him.


    San Zhe relaxed once again. "Lord Yaksha¡­ you should really give out clear sentences that explains your thought! My heart can''t take more of your way of testing."


    The black masked man looked at San Zhe.


    Even though he couldn''t see the man''s expression, San Zhe was sure at that moment, Yaksha was glaring at him.


    San Zhe stepped away from the man, letting out a nervous laugh. Sure enough, a beauty could get away with a lot of things that a man couldn''t. He did not have the kind of influence on the Expert''s opinions the way that Sister Xiu did.


    "I will trust you for now," Cheng Xiu said with a glare. Under the white mask, her dark eyes seemed even more alluring than it did before.


    Yaksha nodded.


    Cheng Xiu walked away from him.


    San Zhe was surprised by the abrupt end to their conversation and ran after the white and red robed woman.


    Just as he was about to walk in step with her, San Zhe''s collar was grabbed by someone and he was placed behind the girl.


    San Zhe blinked at his change in position in shock, unsure of what to do.


    He looked back at Yaksha, only to cringe away.


    The man was killing off creatures of all kinds without making any sounds.


    The stones did not even hit the ground before it disintegrated in the air and became ashes in the air.


    San Zhe stared, gaping, his footsteps coming to a stop.


    "You are the weakest," Yaksha said in a brutal voice, "We do not have time to play ''Damsel in Distress'' with you to see how Sela will save your as again. Stay between us, and bring out your weapon. Are you a noob?"


    San Zhe nearly cried. He obediently pulled out his trident. How was he supposed to know that the mission at the Clock Tower would be so dangerous right at the gateway this time?


    "Don''t be mean," Cheng Xiu said. "But it is better if you stay between us, Brother San."


    San Zhe cried a river in his heart. He was at level 6. He was at a higher level than her but she was already more powerful than him!


    The three walked in silence.. San Zhe with a cloud of sadness raining over his head.

 Chapter 157 - Too Sick To Think Of A Title. You Think Of It

    Cheng Xiu and the rest of them reached the other end of the passageway, and found themselves facing another Torri gate. This time it looked far more normal, coloured in a lightly dulled out Red.


    Yaksha suddenly appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What is it?"


    "Do you really not want my help when you get there?"


    "Was there a need to block my way to ask this question?"


    "Has anyone ever told you that you are very rude to people?"


    "No," Cheng Xiu deadpanned. "I am usually polite even when I am rude."


    "Well?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "This is my quest. My gaming experience. For me to learn and enjoy the Storylines of the Other World."


    Yaksha killed another rock snake that crawled out of a small engraved stone sword. "Then I will only interfere if I think my presence is absolutely necessary. Don''t underestimate the monsters just because they are rats. Underestimating your enemies will lead to your death."


    "I am a Level 3 player going on a mission that even those of Level 5 find difficult," Cheng Xiu said in annoyance, "I can not afford to be so reckless."


    Yaksha stared at her intently for a moment before letting out a chuckle and moving out of her way.


    Cheng Xiu followed him with her eyes and then looked towards San Zhe.


    "I think we should let the Expert help," San Zhe said.


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "Don''t. We are going to fight this out ourselves."


    "Pride goes before a fall," San Zhe said in a weak tone, "There is nothing wrong in asking for help when you need it!"


    Yaksha looked at the two people''s interaction curiously. He could not believe that the prideful Sela would be so patient with a man who was so cowardly. Were these two really just friends in the real world? Or did they have something more going on between them that they were not showing because he, an outsider, was there.


    Somehow, those thoughts brought out an unpleasant feeling in his heart. But in the end, Yaksha was a rational person who never let his emotions to cloud his judgement. He wanted to once again fight with his long time rival, and this time he could even watch her raising in the ranks. It will help him learn a lot more about her. That was all there was to it.


    And he did not want her pig teammate to betray her. That San Zhe was so cowardly that Yaksha was sure he was that kind of a person. That was all there was to that unpleasant emotion that he felt.


    "See that is the thing," Cheng Xiu said in exasperation, "We don''t need his help yet. Did I not say he can help when we really can''t manage? What more do you want? Do you want him to do our entire mission for us while he is at it?"


    Yes, San Zhe thought in his heart. "No¡­but still¡­.why wait till the end to help. He can also help us here and there as well to fight of some of the lesser monsters, we will finish the mission earlier and you don''t have to strain yourself too."


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes. "I thought you were an innocent person. I did not think you were so scheming."


    San Zhe shrugged. Let her think what she wanted.


    "I still stand by my choice."


    San Zhe rolled his eyes in his heart. In wasn''t for you anyway. He looked sideways at Yaksha who had a contemplating posture to him. San Zhe did not know much about the things, but he did know that Yaksha cared about Cheng Xiu''s health. He would see the merit to his words even if Sister Xiu did. Fighting a dungeon monster was very difficult, let along trying to take out the king. There was no need to take too many risks. He wouldn''t let her go through that kind of pain and suffering again.


    He knew he was being a bit selfish but he could still not let go of the image of how she was treated by Gu Shu when she was in the hospital. That blatant disregard for her best friend. He was sure that the only reason that Gu Shu stuck by Cheng Xiu''s side was because everyone else wanted something from her and Cheng Xiu didn''t. Their dynamic was such that it was always Cheng Xiu who took care of Gu Shu. She was basically an unpaid nanny.


    He had a bit of a guess in his heart on why Cheng Xiu tolerated this kind of behaviour but he did not dwell on it.


    She needed someone to make selfish decisions on her behalf. And San Zhe was okay with taking on that personality. He wasn''t the bravest so he would use he cowardliness to his advantage.


    "I know what I want," Cheng Xiu said all of a sudden and started to walk.


    San Zhe was startled out of his thoughts and looked towards her in confusion, following after her. "What?"


    "Don''t try that kind of tricks again," She whispered to his ears.


    San Zhe widened his eyes in shock.


    "I don''t like to think that I used someone''s goodwill towards me just like that," Cheng Xiu hissed.


    San Zhe ducked his head, his eyes flashing. That was honourable. But stupid. As a Qiless, how could she not understand that they needed to be bit less¡­honourable.


    Cheng Xiu patted him on the shoulder making him look up.


    "Stick around with me for too long, and I will poison you with my ideals, Brother San!"


    San Zhe relaxed and smiled. He was a bit relieved that she did not seem angry with him. "Or I might corrupt you into being less honourable."


    Cheng Xiu waved her hand. "It is not about honour. It is about having a bottom line."


    Yaksha, following behind the two, shook his head. Did these idiots forget that he had better hearings tham them? He was a Level 70 player. He had a powerful constitution. Their hissing speech could be heard by anyone above Level 10.


    Yaksha frowned. Was this the difference between a Qiless and an ability user? Did they assume everyone had the same hearing as them?


    They walked into the Torri gate.Too

 Chapter 158 - A Courtyard Of Pillars(I Really Dont Have A Thing For Pillar, Promise)

    The light around them faded and revealed a large courtyard made from the same Rock-cut architecture that she saw in the passageway.


    On either sides of the walls were lined with pillars, each depicting a scene of some sort. They each had a beautiful man or woman or even animals sculpted on them.


    "Do you think these are al-" San Zhe began was cut off when Cheng Xiu slaped a hand over his mouth.


    It acutally hurt a bit.


    He looked at her with eyes full of grievence.


    Was this her way of getting revenge on him?


    If Cheng Xiu heard his thoughts she would have rolled her eyes at him.


    Cheng Xiu looked at Yaksha. "These sculptures are really beautiful aren''t they?"


    Yaksha titled his head. "If you say so."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at him. "They look so life-like."


    Yaksha smirked behind his mask. Dear Sela, how very clever.


    "If you say so," he said again.


    San Zhe saw a few of the male statues glare at the masked Expert while the lady sculptures looked at the man while hiding behind rock trees with coyness in their gaze.


    San Zhe shivered in fear. He almost triggered something with his crow mouth. Thank goodness that Cheng Xiu saw it coming in time!


    "Let us go then," Cheng Xiu said, "Since you have no appreciation of beauty, these enchanting beauties are wasted on you."


    "Why only ask me, Sela-jie," Yaksha asked in a whining tone.


    Cheng Xiu shivered in disgust. What was this man playing at?


    "What do you want! Don''t call me jie, I am not your older sister!" Cheng Xiu rebuked him.


    Yaksha chuckled. "So offended? It is okay then. It is just that¡­I remember you promising me to call me Da-Ge?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at him. "A minor misstep on my part, I am sure."


    "You show your true colour of being an arrogant and rude person too easily when you are teased," Yaksha said, "Or is it because you are more comfortable with me now? I liked hearing you calling me Big Brother though. There is something satisfying about it."


    "Pervert," Cheng Xiu muttered.


    "I can hear you," Yaksha said to her.


    "I know," Cheng Xiu answered.


    San Zhe and the sculptures felt like they were fed dogfood unnecessarily. They did not ask this kind of PDAs from anyone.


    Yaksha continued to tease Cheng Xiu along the way as they walked on. Behind them the Red Torri was no longer visible.


    "Why is this place so long?" San Zhe asked. "Where is the Tower? It was not like this in other places!"


    Yaksha shrugged. "I never played this Tower either."


    The two Low-level players looked at him in shock.


    "I see," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhe was surprised by how calm Cheng Xiu sounded. Was she not at all angry about the fact that the Expert hid this from them until now?


    "Then be extra careful," Cheng Xiu said and then began walking again.


    "Don''t you want to know why I did not say anything before?" Yaksha asked.


    "Probably another one of your twisted ways to test me or something," Cheng Xiu said casually. "Why bother knowing such things. Is it useful to me?"


    "I am hurt by Sela-jie''s words," Yaksha said.


    "Stop that," San Zhe could not help but say. "How old are you?"


    Yaksha blinked and looked towards him. "21. Why?"


    San Zhe was surprised that the Expert was his age. He shook his head. Not the thing to focus on right now. "Sister Xiu just turned 18. You calling her jie is very¡­weird."


    "18?" Yaksha asked in surprise. So 5 years back she was 13? He was beaten in a game by a thirteen year old? She aged herself up to play the game? Though it was normal, he couldn''t believe Sela would do something so dishonourable. And he thought his 16 year old self was pathetic to be beaten by a 13-year-old, regardless of the 13-year-old being a genius and having a great mentor at the time.


    "I am sorry then Little Sela," Yaksha said in a sweet voice.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyebrows twitched under the mask. He called her Little Sela¡­and that was not the most annoying part. He called her Little Sela in a babying voice. She gritted her teeth.


    "You can go back to calling be jie," Cheng Xiu said.


    "Now why would I do that," Yaksha asked. "Such a beautiful young girl. It would be rude of me to call you that."


    "You sound like a pervert."


    "Your mind is too dirty."


    San Zhe sighed. Here they went off again. Why was he being subjected to this? He should just jinx them so that they were too preoccupied to spread their dogfood to others.


    "How many pillers are there here," San Zhe wondered, hoping it would distract one of them.


    It worked.


    "We have passed 29 pairs of pillars," Cheng Xiu answered him, "There should be 25 pairs more."


    San Zhe was surprised by the precision of her words.


    Even Yaksha seemed stumped for a moment before he realised what she meant. "You think this is place is based on Buddhism?"


    San Zhe was confused. "What?"


    "108 pillars," Cheng Xiu said, "based on the 108 scared scriptures of some branches of buddhism. With each side having a pillar each, we should have 54 pairs of pillars. We crossed 29, so 25 left."


    "Why are so sure?" San Zhe asked in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "The architecture is very similar to the pictures of the old Buddhist monasteries that I have seen on the internet. And I remember going to an old monastery in India that had something like this¡­.but the number of pillars were less."


    "Why pillars?" San Zhe asked in confusion. "Why not ovals or spheres or something."


    The sculptures on the pillars sneered at San Zhe.


    He shivered. Did he already offend a mighty person in his time here? "Sorry! I am really sorry! Did not mean to offend you great ones!"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips to prevent herself from laughing. "Old religions had a thing for pillars I guess."


    The sculptures glared at the girl.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged shoulder unappologetically. She was right.. Fight her on it.

 Chapter 159 - The Clock Tower

    Cheng Xiu and the rest reached the final pair of pillars relatively quick thanks to the fact they learned their lesson to not jinx themselves for now.


    Cheng Xiu stood on the spot, staring at the great stone wall in front of her.


    "Did we take the wrong corner?" San Zhe asked.


    "How many corners did you see, Brother San, for you to take the wrong corner?"


    San Zhe blushed. He looked away. He was just trying to come up with a reason as to why they were stuck staring at a wall.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her and then back at the wall. She let out a sigh and raised her hand to place it on the wall.


    A warm hand grabbed her wrist.


    Cheng Xiu gave Yaksha a cold gaze.


    He let go of her hand slowly. "Sorry. But, are you that much of a rookie that you are just going to touch a wall that could be just as dangerous as the pillars of statues around us?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at the statues. The sculptures from the first pillar to the latest, all had followed them here. She looked at Yaksha.


    "What?" he asked.


    "Do you have a better way?"


    "We could see what would happen if we walked in the other direction?" San Zhe asked behind them.


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes and placed her hand on the center of the wall.


    She heard San Zhe curse a very bad word, while Yaksha stuck to her side even more, his hand stretched out so that he could get a hold of her if they ended up in a situation where they were split up.


    Cheng Xiu''s lips curled into light smile at his action.


    The wall was cool under her touch.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and sent a tiny bit of Qi into the wall to see what would happen.


    There was a rumble in the wall.


    From the wall, a small glowing fish emerged. It jumped up and down on the wall like it was jumping in actual water, letting out golden ripples as it swam all over the wall in jubilation.


    "What the hell¡­" San Zhe muttered in confusion. "Is that a moving picture of a carp fish?"


    Cheng Xiu was surprised to find that it was her Breakthrough Fish as she had started to call it in her head.


    Suddenly the carp fish reached where her hand was in a split second.


    Before any of them could react, it touched Cheng Xiu''s hand.


    A familiar Red Door appeared in front of her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked in confusion. Was she having a breakthrough? What was going on?


    "A Door?" San Zhe asked in confusion. "Why is this Door so familiar though?"


    "Open it," Yaksha said, his eyes roaming over the writings on the door. A Breakthrough Door. He looked towards Cheng Xiu. Did she know what this door did? What it represented?


    Cheng Xiu yanked the door open.


    There was another passageway in front of them.


    "Okay¡­maybe fighting things would be more interesting," San Zhe said in disappointment. He couldn''t believe that they had to walk even more.


    Yaksha went in first, yanking San Zhe with him.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. Why was she the one who was entering last?


    Cheng Xiu decided not to give it much thought and walked into the door as well.


    Just as she stepped into the other side of the door, it disappeared.


    San Zhe shivered. He looked at Yaksha greatfully. "Thank you, My Lord! I did not think that would happen at all!"


    Yaksha raised an eyebrow. "Did you not go through any breakthroughs recently?"


    San Zhe stared at him for an entire five seconds. "That was why that door was so familiar to me! That was the Red Door of Breakthrough!"


    Yaksha stared at the man for a moment and then looked at Cheng Xiu who was staring at something in the distance. He followed her line of sight.


    A few steps away from them stood a monolithic tower with the faces of clocks carved on all four sides of it.


    "So the clock is not an actual clock? It is just a carved clock face?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Just then the clock struck twelve and bells started to ring all around them.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back in surprise. "What the hell¡­"


    The ground floor of the tower lit up and a door appeared, and a group of people were thrown out.


    Cheng Xiu was surprised.


    "Finally!" San Zhe said with great emotion. "A familiar scene!"


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Clock Tower at his words.


    The large stone hands of the clocks started to go backwards, until the time it showed was 11''O Clock.


    "This¡­"


    "The time limit is an hour," San Zhe said in excitement. "If you don''t complete your mission in an hour you fail. If there is no survivor player in the dugeon you fail."


    "Why did the clock hand go back to 11?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    San Zhe was stumped. "Because it did?"


    Cheng Xiu threw him a look of disdain.


    San Zhe ducked his head in embarrassment.


    "Because it used to be the Mystical Space of an Immortal a thousand year back," Yaksha answered her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "How do you know that?"


    "There is a team of players who have dedicated their lives to record the mysteries of the clock towers."


    "Are they getting paid?"


    "Yes."


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by that. "By whom? No the Devs obviously."


    "Large companies and industries."


    Cheng Xiu was sruprised by that answer. "Why would they want to know such things?"


    Yaksha smiled. "That is something that I want to find out too."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him for a moment and then nodded.


    "Let''s go then?" she asked San Zhe and Yaksha.


    "Yeah," San Zhe said with clear enthusiasm in his voice.


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by that. "Why are you excited?"


    "No more creepy passages to walk through!"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head and walked away.


    "Sister Xiu! Wait for me!"


    Yaksha followed after them at a sedated pace.

 Chapter 160 - Rats On The Walls

    The three masked figures stood in front of the tower, waiting for the door to open.


    Cheng Xiu''s Player card was inserted into the door.


    "It is taking too much time," one of the players who was thrown out of the Tower whispered to his companion.


    The other man nodded. "This only happens if there is some kind of inconsistency in the quest order though."


    "Do you think that the girl is trying to clear a higher level than her present strength?" a girl asked her male companion.


    The man nodded. "That might be it."


    Cheng Xiu ignored them and just stared at the door harder. This was embarrassing.


    She then heard the melody of Wind Chimes.


    The door opened slowly.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the two men with her.


    They nodded at her and went in.


    Cheng Xiu then turned to the players who were being healed by the healer of their teams. "Sorry for keeping you all entertained."


    She then walked into the Tower without a second glance at them.


    The door closed with a bang, closing off the curses that followed her words.


    "What took you so long?" San Zhe asked.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged and looked around.


    This was an empty stone room.


    Just as she was about to question the scenery, everything changed.


    The area around them became rocky. Sharp rocks and boulders were everywhere the eyes could see.


    Cheng Xiu looked up to find that there were weird creatures that looked like humanoid rats climbing the rock walls.


    Yaksha stepped back. "Give me the signal when you want me to interfere."


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    San Zhe gripped the trident in his hand tighter.


    Cheng Xiu released the sword at her hip from its sheath.


    She closed her eyes.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has triggered the S Ranked Quest Kill The Rats:


    Player must kill:


    20x Low Level Rats


    15x Mid Level Rats


    10x High Level Rats


    5x Rat Councilors


    2x Rat Queens]


    Cheng Xiu was shocked.


    San Zhe was horrified. "Did the AI just say S ranked Quest? It clearly said S Ranked! Wasn''t it D ranked before?"


    Cheng Xiu mentally prepared herself and closed her eyes again.


    "Sword Dance!"


    Two copies appeared beside her.


    She sent the sword copies towards the creatures on the wall and killed them by chopping off their heads.


    [Ding!]


    [Player has killed 4x Low Level Rats.]


    San Zhe stared at the sword copies in surprise as it went around killing the rats.


    After the system announced that she had killed Ten Low Level Rats already, the other rats suddenly fell to the ground.


    Their hairs were in clusters and glossy from some kind of slime on them. There were flees flying around them as well.


    One of the rats screeched at her.


    Cheng Xiu crinkled her nose at the horrible smell that wafted towards her.


    San Zhe gagged.


    Cheng Xiu created a second pair of sword copies and killed off the rest.


    [Ding!]


    [Player has completed Quest 1: Kill 20x Low Level Rats.]


    The few rats that were spared scampered away.


    The ground shook.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe called.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him.


    "Mid Level Rats fight by sending the flees that live on them to attack the players. It gives the status effect called ''Plague'' and your mobility will decrease slowly unless you kill the perpetrator."


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head in understanding.


    She was happy that San Zhe was knowledgeable enough to share it with her, but she could not help wondering why she felt a bit dissatisfied with that information. Perhaps, Cheng Xiu had subconsciously wanted to do things on her own.


    The rats that came up from the ground were no different from the ones from before. Brown coat of fur, slimy, and even more flee ridden.


    Cheng Xiu had her swords quickly finish off these creatures too.


    San Zhe frowned. Why was Sister Xiu able to kill these creatures so easily? Wasn''t the Sword Dance a bit too OP at that point? Why was the system not thinking that she was violating the rules then? Was the skill she was using really still at below Level 10?


    Yaksha stood leaning against one of the rock walls, watching Cheng Xiu''s sword work intently. He had known she would have an easier time doing this quest than she should. By fighting with the Immortals, she had risen her own fighting value at a high level. She should only start having trouble at the counselor stage.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has killed 15x Mid Level Rats.]


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and then created another pair of sword copies.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. Now there were six copies floating around! Was she going to use Sword Weaving so soon.


    In the end, he was thinking too much.


    When the High Level Rats came out of the rocks, sending debris everywhere, Cheng Xiu just used her swords to cut off their heads.


    San Zhe could not help but shiver as he realised that Cheng Xiu had already gone through 2 levels of rats at a fast pace.


    And it looked like she would go through the third level just as fast.


    And he was right.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has killed 10x High Level Rats.]


    Cheng Xiu nodded and then waited for the next batch to appear.


    She then remembered somehting.


    "What was the speciality of the High Level rats?" She asked San Zhe.


    San Zhe wanted to cry. She killed them before they could even use their powers. "Levitation."


    "Doesn''t seem like a rat-like skill though," Cheng Xiu said with a frown behind her mask.


    San Zhe let out a nervous laugh. "They throw poison at you using levitation."


    "I see," Cheng Xiu said. She looked towards the walls and then at the rat corpses around her. She felt bile rise to her throat so she looked away. "Where are the rest?"


    San Zhe shrugged. "Don''t know. I only know up to the High Level Rats."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him for a moment and then she went through the quest details that she got so far in the tower.


    "If there are counselors , and two queens, there should be a king," Cheng Xiu said.


    "What?" San Zhe asked in surprise.


    "I guess we have to go to the royals, and they won''t come to us?" Cheng Xiu asked Yaksha.


    Yaksha nodded. He smiled under the mask. Really, Clever Little Sela.


    "Then let us go," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhe was confused. "Where? And how?"


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes.


    The swords that flew around her embedded themselves into the walls of the tower.


    "By climbing up," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhe shivered.


    Yaksha chuckled.

 Chapter 161 - Down The Ratty Stairs

    Cheng Xiu jumped onto the sword handle and stood straight. She smiled in satisfaction.


    "It is sturdy!" She said to San Zhe and Yaksha.


    San Zhe sweatdropped. "Sister Xiu, I am pretty sure that there are other ways to reach the rest of the targets than this."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes sparkled. "Like hidden stairs and rooms?"


    San Zhe nodded. "Yes, so please come down."


    Cheng Xiu looked towards Yaksha. "Is he right?"


    San Zhe looked at the red and white robed girl with hurting eyes. "You don''t believe me?"


    "You said that you have not played beyond this," Cheng Xiu accused him.


    San Zhe ducked his head and blushed. "That is right, but isn''t it obvious that there would be stairs? This is a tower after all."


    Cheng Xiu hmmed.


    She jumped down from the sword handle and made the copies dematerialize.


    San Zhe was surprised by her actions. "Why did you deactivate the skill? Wouldn''t it be better if there were more swords to protect you?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Why were the rats climbing the walls? Why did the mission want us to stop the rats from climbing the walls?"


    San Zhe felt like his thought process could never keep up with that of Sister Xiu. What was she asking now? And why was she asking this? Wasn''t the answer to that obvious?


    San Zhe for a brief moment forgot that Cheng Xiu was a real noobie player who did not know many things of the game.


    "Each floor of the Tower is Level restricted," Yaksha said to Cheng Xiu when he realised that San Zhe was not going to answer her query. Cheng Xiu turned to him with a curious gaze. "The rats are the lowest. They climb the walls to reach the next level of the tower. If they succeed, then their faction will recieve rewards from the Tower, if the players succeed in stopping them, the players would receive the rewards."


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by that. "Why is this being done? What is the purpose of these Clock Towers?"


    "There are rumours that they keep the Demons away from the cultivation world," Yaksha said to her. "There are also some who would say that that is completely untrue and that this is just like any other Tower game."


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment. Keep away the demons? "Then the purpose of the monsters in the tower is to reach the highest position of the tower so that they can...what? Help the demons? Become demons?"


    Yaksha smiled. "Maybe, take the power of the demons."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the deep set eyes of Yaksha in suspicion. In was obvious from his words that he knew more about these Towers and their functions. But there was no reason that he should say those things to her. They were passing acquaintances, maybe even a bit of the friendly side, but thhey were not at the place where they would share all their secrets with each other.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the area for a moment, her eyes falling on the wall that Yaksha was leaning on. She looked at him in suspicion. "Can I ask you something?"


    Yaksha tilted his head. "Sure."


    "Up or down?"


    "Huh?" San Zhe looked at her in confusion.


    "Meaning?" Yaksha asked her, though his eyes held a glint in them.


    "Should we go up or down?"


    Yaksha spread his hands wide. "Your choice."


    "Move aside then," Cheng Xiu said.


    Yaksha let out a long suffering sigh and moved away.


    Behind him was a small opening on which Cheng Xiu''s Guild ID was placed.


    San Zhe looked at Yaksha in confusion. "Wouldn''t the card only come after she had defeated all her enemies?"


    Yaksha hmmed.


    Cheng Xiu walked forwards, and pulled the card out. On the blue transparent slab, the number of kills that she did in the tower was calculated.


    Cheng Xiu placed the card in the slot again.


    A door opened.


    There was a spiralling staircase that went up and down.


    "There is the stair!" San Zhe said in happiness. "Let''s go up!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "We will go down."


    "Eh?" San Zhe looked at her. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Haven''t you read strategy books? The fist to go up are the scouts, and foot soldiers. These rats are obviously creatures who think in terms of hierarchy too. They have counsellors and Queens."


    San Zhe blinked. He remembered the words that Cheng Xiu had asked Yaksha before.


    "There is a King Rat too?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why do you sound so surprised? Isn''t that how all dungeons work? You have the foot soldiers, the kinghts, the mini Boss, the Big Boss, and some times the Hidden Boss."


    San Zhe sweatdropped. "But there have been no missions issued to kill any bosses though."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "How do the missions reach the Quest Pillars?"


    San Zhe blinked. "The Tower issues those. When the amount of a faction of creatures increases in number, and start becoming pests, the Tower issues a Quest through the System to eradicate them."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "But if the Tower rewards the creatures and the players, that means..."


    San Zhe had a bad premonition. "That means?"


    "The Tower is luring in the Cultivators to feed these creatures? Or Feed itself? Does the Tower retain its power by killing things in it?"


    Yaksha sighed. "There are rats coming."


    Cheng Xiu created a sword copy, and killed the one that came up. "A Tower must have a dungeon. My guess is, that is where our targets are. Let us go!"


    Cheng Xiu ran straight in.


    San Zhe wanted to cry. What had happened to the cautious and careful Cheng Xiu? Why did going into Deep Dive actually make her more risky!


    "Relax," Yaksha said to San Zhe. "If it really gets too much for her, I will help."


    San Zhe looked at the Expert with grateful eyes. "It is not easy trying to protect Sister Xiu!"


    Yaksha looked back at him. "She doesn''t need protection, Mr San. She just needs you to do your job as her friend and not betray her."


    With those words, Yaksha ran down the flight of stairs.


    San Zhe scrambled after him, his mind on Yaksha''s words. Did he seem like the betraying type? Why was the expert always warning him of that?


    San Zhe could not think of a reason, and so decided to shelf the matter for later. When he had a bit more leisure time, he would examine his own actions that would have given that kind of impression.


    The stairs echoed as he ran after the two.


    San Zhe was surprised to find the trails of rat bodies all around himself as he descended. And he knew it was Sister Xiu who had done the deed.


    He heard sounds of metals clashing as he neared the edge.


    He saw sparks flying and Cheng Xiu flying backwards, falling at the foot of the stairs.


    Yaksha stood leaning against the railing, watching as Cheng Xiu fought against a shadowed creature.


    San Zhe looked down in curiousity and nearly retched.


    A humanoid rat stood on its hind legs, holding a pickaxe that was twice its height. The rat was burly and muscular. Its eyes glowed an eerie red, and saliva frothed from its mouth.


    San Zhe took a step back in horror.


    The creature swung its axe towards Cheng Xiu''s fallen figure.


    Cheng Xiu crouched low and dashed forwards, using the sword in her hand as a shield.


    Just as San Zhe thought she would use it to block the incoming weapon, Cheng Xiu changed the trajectory of her body so that the sword changed where it was aimed.


    He watched in daze as the hand that held the pickaxe was torn of the body of the rat.


    Cheng Xiu kneed the creature in the guts and then beheaded it.


    San Zhe was shocked even more. Wasn''t this too graphic?


    Sure, he could only barely see the blood that was coming from the corpse but he felt that Cheng Xiu''s methods had somehow become ruthless.


    "It''s Heart detachment," Yaksha said in a low voice to San Zhe.


    San Zhe eyes widened. Heart detachment...it was like going into a trance, but the thing that you were detached from was the emotional connections that you had. But this should only happen to those who were put under a witch''s curse!


    San Zhe looked at Yaksha.


    The Expert nodded.


    "What do we do?" San Zhe asked in fear.


    "You take care of Little Sela, I will take care of the witch," Yaksha said and disappeared.


    San Zhe blinked. Take care of Cheng Xiu?


    He looked down where Cheng Xiu was engaged in a fight with another humanoid Rat with a pickaxe. She beheaded this one without engaging it in too many close fights.


    San Zhe wanted to cry. They were not in the same league, okay! Lord Yaksha, how could you!


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes were glazed over and red, glowing with killing intent as she looked for her next opponent.


    She heard movements up the stairs.


    Cheng Xiu looked up and her eyes caught sight of a hidden figure.


    A ruthless smile graced her lips.

 Chapter 162 - Improve Things

    Cheng Xiu moved at a high speed towards the man in blue.


    San Zhe stumbled back in fear.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword to impale him.


    San Zhe stopped her attack with the handle of his trident.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe called, hoping it would be enough for her to snap out of the trans that she fell into.


    Cheng Xiu''s glowing red eyes started to gain a veiny texture as she forced her sword to push against San Zhe''s trident.


    San Zhe used this momentum to kick her away from him.


    If Cheng Xiu was still of clear mind she would have seen this obvious flaw in her posture and corrected it. Unfortunately, Cheng Xiu was far too in the witch''s control to see the faults in herself.


    Cheng Xiu flew away from him at the kick and got to his feet. He looked at Cheng Xiu who looked like she was drunk if it was not for the red glowing eyes, and the felt fear grip his heart.


    The red and white clad Cultivator rose to her feet and dashed towards San Zhe again.


    San Zhe frowned and used the trident to attack Cheng Xiu''s vital, though his jabs weren''t that powerful.


    Cheng Xiu did not dodge. Instead, she used the momentum to slash at San Zhe.


    The blue-robed man ducked away from the attack and kicked Cheng Xiu away.


    Her sword cut San Zhe across the sholder.


    He huffed as the Qi in his body circulated at high speeds. Even though Cheng Xiu was at a lower level, her body was more used to fighting with other players, unlike him, who was used to exploring and learning about the world of the game than raising his own combat efficiency.


    He hadn''t realised it before, but now, as he fought Cheng Xiu, San Zhe was aware of the difference between those who kept improving, those who did not.


    San Zhe never cared about the combat side as much for one reason: He was a Qiless. The future of a Qiless was bleak in comparison to their Blessed parts because they could hours into the game unlike the Qiless.


    As his mother always said: VR for Qiless was to experience things briefly. VR for the Blessed was a longer reality.


    But as he resisted the jabs and thrusts from Cheng Xiu, he realised his thinking was too weak. Cheng Xiu at this time, did not show the intelligence and finesse of a Genius. What he was fighting was a Qiless person with no control over herself, and yet, he couldn''t hold her back as much as he wanted to.


    San Zhe realised¡­he had to improve. Not just because it is the only way to protect himself in the game, but it was the only way that he would not be abandoned by Cheng Xiu when she had even more powerful friends than him. If he wasn''t useful, he would become a burden. A burden that coud be used as a weakness. They way that the NPCs did, they that the Experts did. Cheng Xiu might not abandon him, but in the end that would become her biggest weakness.


    San Zhe was in a distracted state of mind at that moment, and Cheng Xiu''s blade came for his neck.


    San Zhe squeezed his eyes shut in fear.


    Ting!


    He heard metal hitting metal.


    San Zhe blinked his eyes open to realise that Cheng Xiu''s eyes were not as red as before.


    "Fight!" she grunted out, saliva dripping from her chin.


    San Zhe wrinkled his nose. "Sister Xiu, are you okay?"


    "Fight!" Cheng Xiu screamed as she brought the sword in her hand down again.


    San Zhe instinctively rolled away, and ended up rolling down the stairs.


    He laid there, blinking at the dungeon ceiling. Did she actually break out of the Witch''s spell?


    San Zhe''s instinct flaired and he rolled away.


    Cheng Xiu''s sword hit the ground he was lying on a second ago, sending sparks flying.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes were a deep red again, and the blue veins that protruded out of her eyes before even more pronounced.


    San Zhe shivered. It must have taken a lot from Cheng Xiu for her to communicate that single word with him.


    The Heart Detachment was a special spell that would force Cheng Xiu to fight things in the way that she did not want to fight.


    If a coward liked to hide, then the spell will force him to be brave. If a warrior liked to be up front, the spell would force then to be sneaky. It forced the victim to fight in a way that they were not familiar with.


    Considering the way that Cheng Xiu was fighting him at the moment, he would know what Cheng Xiu''s usual fight style was even if he did not know her.


    Cheng Xiu usually only fought in ways that would leave her with the greatest advantages, with minimum personal damage if she could help it. Her fighting style was to rely to logic and planning.


    But right at that moment, Cheng Xiu''s fighting style was chaotic and unorganized.


    There was no way that Cheng Xiu would win in this kind of situation that had her abandoning her logic and her instincts.


    And San Zhe knew that to break away from the curse of the witch, Cheng Xiu had to let herself be manipulated, let herself be used.


    No one wanted to be in that position though.


    San Zhe frowned as he realised that Yaksha was not there and he did not seem to be doing anything.


    Why was that?


    Was it because Cheng Xiu said she did not want him to help her unless she was in a life and death situation?


    Was she not in such a situation though?


    No. She wasn''t.


    Her present opponent was San Zhe who did not have the intent, nor the means to actually hurt her.


    In some ways, the one in danger was San Zhe.


    Then again, Cheng Xiu seemed to be able to control herself when she was really about to kill him.


    Even though it had only happened only once, it was obvious it could happen again.


    Even San Zhe was not in much of a danger.


    Almost like he had an epiphany, San Zhe started to counter her attacks better.


    The reason was simple. Cheng Xiu would not actually kill him.


    Cheng Xiu''s movements were fast and smooth, while San Zhe''s were rusty, but he was still able to block Controlled Cheng Xiu''s attacks.


    The area echoed with the clashing of metal as the sword and the trident met again and again.


    San Zhe''s movements started to even out.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened as he realised that not only was his movements smoother, Cheng Xiu''s eyes only had a dull red tinge to it.


    She had actually broken the spell?


    He started to observe her to conform his theory.


    San Zhe then understood something else.


    Cheng Xiu was correcting the mistakes that he made as the fought. She was teaching him at a time like this.


    How did this happen? How was she able to get out of the spell? Was it Yaksha? No. The expert was notorious for keeping his promise.


    San Zhe concluded that Cheng Xiu must have figured out how to break away from the spell on her own. How she could have managed that was a big question to him though. How was she able to resist the Witch''s snare?


    As the two figures fought with each other on the landing of the stairs that would lead to the dungeons, a figure in black stood at the top of the stairs watching the proceedings going on below.


    A woman in a green dress sighed as she leaned against the wall, above her head was the green crystal of NPCs.


    "I can''t believe she actually broke through," the woman said with a sigh. "A powerful mind, Lord Yaksha."


    Yaksha looked at the woman briefly.


    "But is that going to be enough?" the woman asked with a small chuckle. "To resist the King, she needs more than a powerful mind. She need the Ghost King himself."


    Yaksha shook his head. "There is no need. She will be able to handle a rat and his vermin."


    The woman glared. "Don''t think I haven''t seen the investment she is to you, Lord Yaksha. There is no way that a nobody would gain your attention the way that the girl has done. She must have a potential. Tell me¡­what is her ranking?"


    Yaksha smiled behind the mask. "I don''t know."


    "What is her faction?"


    "Human."


    The woman frowned. "You know that is not what I am asking."


    "Neutral," Yaksha said after a pause.


    The woman smiled. "Then things would be easier."


    "If you say so."


    The woman turned into a rat and went down the stairs.


    Yaksha stayed where he was, watching the red and blue twirle as Cheng Xiu lead San Zhe to his perfect form.

 Chapter 163 - Control

    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe''s fight got even more heated as he gained more and more experience as they fought.


    He felt like his understanding of himself and the game itself was always flawed. It was not until now that he realised how many mistakes that he had learned over the years that he had spent in the game.


    San Zhe''s skin gained a silver luster.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword high in the air and attacked San Zhe''s neck.


    He had improved leaps and bounds while fighting Cheng Xiu but in the end, he was still used to his mistakes and was not as fast as Cheng Xiu was at correcting his posture.


    Cheng Xiu''s sword blade lightly grazed the skin on his neck, drawing beads of blood from the point of contact.


    Before she could cause anymore harm, San Zhe''s body disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu red eyes blinked and she looked around in confusion. Where did her enemy go?


    A figure in black appeared in front of her. A black blade pushed hers away. Though the push was not that hard and Cheng Xiu only stumbled back a step.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. This¡­


    "You are resisting the spell," the black masked figure said to her, "But not enough. Are you going to make me do the deeds for you? If so, then why the farce of wanting do this mission without my help?"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes became a deeper shade of red.


    "Lord Yaksha," San Zhe said from behind him, "You are provoking her! Sister Xiu has already resisted the witch''s spell so that she wouldn''t attack me! What else can she do? If she could resist the spell completely, she would have done it already!"


    Yaksha snorted. "She resisted Frost''s Qi Manifestation. Are you telling me, someone who could do that, can not completely resist a Witch''s Level 5 spell?"


    San Zhe blinked. That was right. Cheng Xiu was able to resist that.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "You¡­you¡­"


    "Sister Xiu! What is it?" San Zhe asked. Though he wanted to be near her, he was smart enough to realise that would just be like walking into a battle field naked. Just asking for death.


    Yaksha knew what she was trying to say without much thought. Didn''t you help me before?


    "If you are able to resist powers right after knowing you are in an illusion," Yaksha said to her, "then why can you not break free of a spell even though you are not distracted by any illusion?"


    Cheng Xiu snarled and raised her sword to hit him.


    Yaksha stepped away from her.


    San Zhe backed away, and tried to find a way to break the spell that was holding her logic captive.


    There was a rumble and a shadowy figure dashed out of the dungeon towards San Zhe.


    Yaksha understood the Witch''s intention but he did not interfere. He wanted to see what Cheng Xiu would do.


    And she did not disappoint.


    Cheng Xiu leapt towards Yaksha.


    The creature that came to attack San Zhe from behind was another bulky rat.


    San Zhe wondered if this was a counsellor rat.


    The rat tried to hit San Zhe in the head with a large hammer.


    San Zhe raised his trident to stop the attack even though his heart and mind had become numb from the fear.


    A red hilted sword cut off the hammer wielding hands.


    The creature screamed in pain.


    Cheng Xiu let out a war cry as she leapt into the air and embedded her sword into the neck of the creature.


    The bulky creature stumbled as Cheng Xiu stood on its shoulders, looking down at it with rage filled red eyes.


    Cheng Xiu took out the sword and hacked at the creature''s neck again.


    The head fell off the body.


    San Zhe stared in shock at the blood covered figure Cheng Xiu as the girl stood up from the heap of flesh that used to be the bulky rat.


    Cheng Xiu stood there in the dim lit landing of the stairs, head bowed, her sword dripping with blood.


    San Zhe just stared. Why did he find the figure of Cheng Xiu was more attractive that the stars on TV at that moment?


    Yaksha shook his head. "You are too violent."


    San Zhe blinked. "She couldn''t help it! Sister Xiu is clearly under the influence of the spell! She wouldn-"


    "Is that why you are not resisting the spell so much?" Yaksha asked her. "Do you think this rage filled state gives you more advantage than your usual logical side?"


    San Zhe tilted his head. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu turned and started to attack Yaksha.


    San Zhe gaped.


    Even though Yaksha only dodged, it was obvious that he was holding back. What was going on? What were these to thinking?


    San Zhe felt like there was an entire conspiracy going on around him and there was no one willing to tell him what was actually happening. They all had their own ideas to do things, and just did it! There was no discussion! No negotiations! Nothing!


    Cheng Xiu backed away from Yaksha and looked at San Zhe.


    San Zhe froze. Did she hear what he was thinking in his mind? Was she coming towards him to discuss things? He regretted thinking that! He did not want to have any kind of discussions with Mindless Xiu!


    Cheng Xiu snarled at him.


    San Zhe whimpered in fear, tears falling from his eyes behind the mask. "I am sorry! Please don''t kill me!"


    Cheng Xiu leapt towards him.


    San Zhe screamed and fell to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu stepped on his back and used it as a launch pad to kick at Yaksha.


    The black robbed man swirled away.


    Cheng Xiu snarled. "Fight!"


    "I don''t take orders from you," Yaksha said in a mocking voice. "You shouldn''t step on people to get what you want, Little Sela, that is a very bad habit."


    San Zhe wanted to cry. Why was Lord Yaksha speaking like that? What was his purpose in doing these things?


    Cheng Xiu snarled at the man and leapt at him.


    There was another rumbling noise.


    Cheng Xiu''s attention was captured. She ran into the dungeon.


    San Zhe stared at her disappearing back for a few seconds. It took him time to realise that Cheng Xiu was heading towards danger and that he was supposed to stay by her side.


    San Zhe scrambled after her.


    "Sister Xiu! Wait for me!"


    Yaksha sighed. He walked at a sedated pace towards the direction that the two had gone in.


    "Looking after weaklings is so hard," the witch whispered to him.


    Yaksha waved his hand, making the illusion disappear.


    ? * * *


    In a wide, pristine white room, a long and handsome figure laid on the bed with his eyes closed. The man had silver hair and very delicate figure. There was a heart monitoring machine at the side that beeped.


    The sound of a woman''s heel clicked as a woman in pale blue office dress came in. The woman''s blue eyes scanned the man as she sat down next to the man. Her hand carressed the man''s chin.


    "Zheng," she called.


    The man''s eyes blinked open, revealing a pair of striking blue orbs.


    The woman gave him a soft smile. "There is an interesting news that I got from the Main House."


    The man blinked.


    "Do you want to know?"


    The man blinked again. "Xiu Rui is dead."


    The man''s eyes shook as water gathered at the corner of his eyes.


    The woman shushed him as she wiped the tears. "Zheng¡­my dear Zheng¡­I told you that she would not be protected forever."


    The man glared at her.


    The woman laughed. "And you tried so hard too, didn''t you love? The entire Xiu family wonders how their family is not able to outdo the resources of a man with a D-Rank reach. Now they find out that they were on Earth all along. They never knew the traitor in their midst. Zheng¡­in the end, I was successful where your little Rui was not."


    The man''s eyes became even more vicious.


    The woman smirked. "Don''t look at me like that. I was not the one who killed your little cousin. She died all on her own, saving some low level children."


    The man''s eyes filled with warmth at those words.


    The woman glared at him. "So happy for it? Well, I have some news for you. She had a kid, and now, Little Ru has gone to get that little brat. The entire Xiu family is in an uproar."


    The man just stared at her.


    The woman smiled sweetly at him. "You don''t get it, do you? When that brat is discovered by Little Ru, the first to know would be me."


    The man''s eyes widened.


    "I have sent your Little Xue with the task. That brat was so happy to fulfill her mother''s wish."


    The man''s eyes shook in fear.


    The woman patted his cheeks. "Relax, Zheng. How can Xiu Rui''s child be a match for your daughter? The minute that the child is found out, Xiu Xue will end her."


    The heart monitoring device started to beep louder.


    The woman laughed. "It will be absolutely fun to watch!"

 Chapter 164 - Clear Headed

    Cheng Xiu jumped to the side, her red glowing eyes looking at her opponent in rage.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind went between bouts of clarity and haze, like it could not determine which was its original state.


    San Zhe stood in a corner, holding his trident at the ready for just in case she decided that attacking him would be better than attacking the monsters. Yaksha stood back, staring at Cheng Xiu''s agitated form.


    He wondered why she was able to distinguish that she should be fighting with the monsters and not with him. San Zhe asked Yaksha the doubt.


    "It is because she is moving on instinct," Yaksha said.


    San Zhe gave him a curious look.


    "When the place had both you and the monster, she would choose to fight the monster, whereas, when it is just you, she will fight you first."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "Does that mean it has nothing to do with the fact that she recognises me?"


    "No," Yaksha said, breaking his hopeful heart to pieces. "She does not think of you as a threat¡­or more precisely, compared to the monster, you are not that much of a threat."


    San Zhe wanted to cry at those cold words.


    Cheng Xiu beheaded the third bulky Rat.


    San Zhe frowned. "Shouldn''t sister Xiu find it harder to fight against these creatures? Why is it that all three of these creatures seem to be the same in power?"


    "Because they are all in the same position."


    Cheng Xiu turned to them.


    San Zhe flinched and backed away.


    Cheng Xiu started to attack San Zhe.


    "Sister Xiu! Why me!" San Zhe asked as he blocked her attack. The man sounded completely betrayed.


    Yaksha sighed. "Because my Level Suppression means that you seem like the bigger threat."


    San Zhe''s eyes stinged. He couldn''t believe that he was considered more powerful than Yaksha of all the people.


    The black robed man felt sorry for San Zhe but did not try to stop Cheng Xiu. As long as her attack would not kill San Zhe, he would not intervene.


    Cheng Xiu attacked him again and again.


    San Zhe tried to block the thrusts and slashes towards him as much as he could. He found it really hard, keeping Cheng Xiu away from him even though she was not using any of her skills or fighting techniques. With this it was obvious that if she had even a bit of her thinking ability, San Zhe would have died.


    Yaksha watched as San Zhe started to get overwhelmed again. Just as he was about to save the blue robed man once more from the masked girl''s attack, San Zhe made a move he did not before.


    In his panic, he forgot that Cheng Xiu was being controlled and took out a talisman from his storage ring.


    Yaksha looked at him curiously.


    San Zhe used a thread of Qi to activate the talisman.


    The talisman glowed blue and turned into glowing inscription in the air.


    The inscription floated towards San Zhe''s trident and etched itself onto the golden metal surface.


    Yaksha raised his eyebrow behind his mask.


    "Burst!" San Zhe screamed.


    A powerful jet of water burst out of the trident''s middle spoke and hit Cheng Xiu right in the chest.


    Cheng Xiu flew away and got hit against the wall on the opposite side, making cracks appear behind her.


    San Zhe panted and then his eyes widened. "Oh My God! Sister Xiu!"


    Though he screamed her name in concern, he did not put down the trident, waiting for Cheng Xiu to make a move. He did not believe that Cheng Xiu would go down that easily.


    And he was right.


    Cheng Xiu got up to her feet, the red glow in her eyes even more prominent.


    "Sister Xiu?" San Zhe called in a small voice. "I''m sorry? Can you forget I did that?"


    Though he shivered in fright, he did not lower his weapon.


    Cheng Xiu let out a deranged laugh and then dashed towards him with her sword aimed at his heart.


    "Water Bullet!" San Zhe screamed.


    The inscription on his trident glowed and from the side spoke of the weapon came out water as though in was bullets from a machine gun.


    Cheng Xiu jumped away from his attacks and raised her weapon up to attack him.


    At that time, the floor under their feet rumbled and from the inner parts of the dungeon a tall rat came screaming.


    Cheng Xiu was focused on San Zhe though.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. He realised what had happened. By attacking Cheng Xiu with the trident, he seemed like a greater threat to her than the rat that came at her with a large hammer.


    San Zhe squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and then made a decisive action.


    He put away the trident in his hand back into his storage ring.


    It was a gamble.


    It was hoping that Cheng Xiu would treat San Zhe as a none threat with the weapon that attacked her gone.


    Cheng Xiu stared at him for a moment, and then leapt towards the hammer wielding Rat who was now the most threatening person in the space.


    San Zhe let out a sigh of relief. It would seem that he had made the right decision.


    "That was a big gamble," Yaksha commented.


    San Zhe nodded, falling to his knees. That really was a gamble.


    "Well done."


    San Zhe blinked and then looked up at Yaksha. "Huh?"


    "It is good that you were able to recognise that little Sela was not a match for you," Yaksha said. "If her subconsious thought you were a threat, she might have started to use Sword Dance on you."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "But¡­that¡­doen''t that require her to be conscious?"


    "Not necessarily," Yaksha said. "There are cases when the player just instinctively shouts out a skill name and the system does that work for them."


    San Zhe nodded. "Right. I forgot about that."


    Yaksha stared at him for a moment. "The talisman you used¡­"


    San Zhe shrugged. "It is called Poseidon''s Blessing. Allows me to use water skills."


    "Where did you get that?" Yaksha asked. "That is a very rare talisman, right?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "I made it. It is just a copy of a talisman that I had learnt from an NPC."


    "Fate Witch Aqua," Yaksha said.


    San Zhe looked at him in amazement. "How did you know that?"


    "You have a Western Quest?" Yaksha asked instead.


    San Zhe''s face stiffened. "I¡­that¡­"


    "From you reaction¡­you have the Chosen One Quest from the Western Continent?"


    San Zhe gave him a hesitant nod. "That¡­please don''t tell anyone I fell for the scam."


    Yaksha raised an eyebrow. "Your name doesn''t have the village name attached¡­"


    San Zhe shrugged. "Mine is more about the God Poseidon than a village. As long as I reach Level 50, the quest is over."


    There was a dull thud and the sound of blades clashing dissipated.


    San Zhe started and then slowly turned towards the side.


    Cheng Xiu had killed the fourth Bulky rat.


    San Zhe let out a sigh. "Now what?"


    Yaksha hmmed.


    San Zhe finally realised something. "Did you find the rat witch, Lord Yaksha?"


    "Yes."


    San Zhe leaned forwards to learn more.


    Yaksha kept silent.


    San Zhe blinked behind his mask. "You are not going to explain, are you?"


    "No."


    "Why no-"


    An unpleasant sound cut of his quesitioning.


    Cheng Xiu dragged her sword on the floor, creating a screaching sound as she walked towards them.


    San Zhe tensed, and started to raise to his feet.


    Cheng Xiu stopped a few meters away from them, tilting her head to the side. The red glow in her eyes were not as bright as they were before.


    San Zhe felt hope raise in his heart. "Sister Xiu? Are you back?"


    Cheng Xiu just stared at them.


    San Zhe was not sure what to do. "Why is she not attacking us?"


    Yaksha looked at Cheng Xiu for a moment. He understood what was happening.


    "So that was your plan?" Yaksha asked her.


    San Zhe was curious. What plan?


    The Qi in the room gathered around Cheng Xiu.


    San Zhe backed away in fear.


    Yaksha stepped towards her, raising his hand towards her. "I think that should be enough for what you want to do."


    The Qi burst out, sending San Zhe back, hitting his back against the wall.


    Yaksha''s clothes and his long black her fluttered back, but he remained still.


    The red haze in her eyes disappeared.


    "Sorry," Cheng Xiu said to San Zhe.


    The man looked at her in confusion.


    "That was a big gamble," Yaksha scolded her.


    "Thank you for trusting my judgement," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    Yaksha looked away from her, avoiding the earnest phoenix eyes that she implored her with. "It was nothing."


    San Zhe looked this way and that, between his two companions. "What? What is going on? Sister Xiu? Are you back? Is the fight over? What happened? What gamble?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed.


    She laid a hand on his shoulder, calming him down.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe said in happiness. "You are back!"


    "Let me explain," she said to him in a soft voice.

 Chapter 165 - Twin Jealousy

    "What is going on?" San Zhe asked the two.


    Cheng Xiu sighed.


    Just as she was about to explain herself, the sound of light clapping came from behind her.


    The three players looked towards the sound.


    A woman in green robes sauntered towards them, a dainty smile on her lips.


    Cheng Xiu felt an emotion that she had not felt in a long time. The slight twinge of jealousy. She wished that she had this kind of grace to her actions too.


    San Zhe blinked. "Wow."


    The woman showed a proud smile. "Thank you."


    San Zhe blinked. This¡­how did she know that San Zhe was praising her? Sister, weren''t you too confident in yourself?


    "You must be one of the Queens," Cheng Xiu said.


    The soft, delicate smile on the woman''s face disappeared without a trace, and a cold glint appeared in her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back. Shit. Did she step into a landmine without knowing it?


    "I am the only Queen!" the woman said in anger. "That woman is nothing more than a mistress!"


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head. "Got it."


    "Who are you calling a mistress!" a voice scolded from behind the woman in green.


    Cheng Xiu blinked as an identical woman to the first one appeared.


    The two looked exactly the same. From the clothes they wore to the sound of their voices. There was no differences between them.


    "My husband loves me the most!" the first woman said to the second, a scowl on her beautiful face. "You are just a cheap imitation trying to garner his attention!"


    The second woman gave her a mocking laugh. "Cheap imitation? Who is the one who tries to wear and do the things exactly as I do? It is clearly you who is the cheap imitation!"


    "How dare you!" the first woman scolded. "Me? Wanting to be like you? You are clearly copying me! I chose green as my colour today, yet you wore green! Clearly you are the imitator."


    The second woman scoffed. "I wore this early in the morning! You can ask the maids! Clearly you are the imitator!"


    Cheng Xiu flet a headache come on as the two women started to screech at each other. The two woman had high pitched voices to begin with. When they talked in a normal tone, it was very pleasant to listen to. But when they started to scream at each other¡­Cheng Xiu wished she could stuff clothes into their mouths to make them shut up.


    She tightened her fist, and gritted her teeth, hoping that it would stop the agitation that clogged her senses then.


    Yaksha tapped Cheng Xiu on the shoulder.


    The red robed girl looked at him, her phoenix eyes holding grievance in them.


    Yaksha felt a slight twinge in his heart at that moment. He wished he could take away her difficulties at that moment.


    His fingers twitched, wanting to do something¡­in the end he placed it lightly on her shoulder, and gave it a light squeaze. He sent a small amount of Qi into her veins to probe her mood.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in confusion.


    "Can I?" he asked her.


    Cheng Xiu was not sure what he wanted to do, but she gave him a small nod.


    Yaksha sent a quick bout of Qi into her body.


    Cheng Xiu felt her nerves relax as the warmth of his Qi spread to her Qi center.


    She blinked up at him, and then let out a sigh of relief.


    The headache that was building up in her was gone.


    The two stared at each other for a moment as her inner energy returned to normalcy.


    That was when she heard a light whimper at the side of her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked over only to find San Zhe holding his head and groaning.


    "Brother San!" Cheng Xiu called out in shock, and ran to his side.


    Yaksha looked at his empty hand that was touching her warm shoulder a second ago with some regret. It had felt¡­nice to touch her.


    "Are you okay!" Cheng Xiu said in agitation, making Yaksha look over. He saw her arm draped over the blue robed man''s shoulder, completely focused on him. "What happened?"


    San Zhe was just about to say something to Cheng Xiu when he felt a shiver go down his spine. He shivered. Why did he suddenly feel that he was surrounded by death?


    San Zhe looked around and found his eyes looked with the dark eyes of Yaksha.


    San Zhe shivered at the coldness that was there in those eyes.


    He followed the big shot''s eye sight, and found that it was looking at his back, or the hand on his back?


    San Zhe understood imediately.


    He jumped to his feet away from Cheng Xiu.


    "Brother San?" Cheng Xiu called out.


    "I am fine now!" he said in a squeaky voice despite the fact that the booming headache was killing him inside out. "Really!"


    Cheng Xiu observed him for a moment, and then turned to Yaksha. "Thank you for your help, Dage!"


    Yaksha looked down at her. "Just Ge his fine."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Thank you!"


    "You are welcome."


    "Can you help Brother San the same way?" Cheng Xiu asked. "He seems to be going through the same thing."


    Yaksha looked towards San Zhe, and just stared.


    The two NPCs were still arguing with each other.


    San Zhe shivered. "No! I am fine! Besides, Sister Xiu, you should not try to take advantage of the Expert! Isn''t that what you said before? I am fine!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned at his words. She turned to Yaksha again. "Yaksha ge?"


    He made a slight sound of acquisition.


    "What did you do to me exactly?" she asked. "Was that a skill of yours?"


    "No," Yaksha said in a soft voice, "I just sent a small amount of my Qi to disrupt the Voice Illusion that the two women were pulling you into."


    Cheng Xiu understood. She turned to San Zhe with excited eyes.


    San Zhe shivered at the glint in them. What¡­why did he suddenly feel sorry for himself?


    "Brother San," Cheng Xiu said in a very coaxing voice.


    San Zhe shivered for two reasons. One was the hungry glint that appeared in Cheng Xiu''s eyes that screamed "I want to experiment with this guinea pig". The other was the black eyes of Yaksha that promised death to San Zhe for the way that Cheng Xiu called him.


    Bigshot, I am not doing anything! San Zhe wanted to scream at the man. It is clearly Cheng Xiu who had the ill intentions!


    "How about I give you a bout of Qi instead of Yaksha¡­ge then?" Cheng Xiu said in excitement. "That way you don''t have to worry about the fact that I am trying to exploit the expert!"


    San Zhe wanted to cry. No thank you! He could see the mad scientist in the girl getting ready to dissect him!


    "I will do it," Yaksha said.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "You will?"


    "You will?" San Zhe echoed in disbelief.


    Yaksha sent a bout of Qi into his shoulder instead of replying.


    San Zhe gasped in shock at the sudden that he felt. He was sure it did not hurt Cheng Xiu when the expert helped her though. Was he punishing him?


    "Done."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Oh."


    She sounded very disappointed.


    San Zhe backed away from her immediately. It did not hurt! It did not hurt at all! And even if it did, he could handle it!


    Cheng Xiu turned away from him with a little regret and then looked at the bickering NPCs.


    "Why are they still fighting when it is obvious that their combo attack is not working?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Combo attack?" San Zhe asked her in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Didn''t you hear Brother Yaksha''s words right now? We were being pulled into a Voice Illusion."


    "I see," San Zhe said. He was too distracted whithering in pain to notice such things. "So why are they not attacking us with something else?"


    "Because they are preparing for a second bout," Yaksha said. "And this one would be stronger."


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment, and then raised her sword.


    She created Sword copies.


    San Zhe realised what she was trying to do, and pulled out his trident from the storage ring again.


    Cheng Xiu controlled the sword copies to try beheading the NPCs.


    The two women separated and glared at Cheng Xiu.


    "What are you doing!" one of the women asked her.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "You screeching was disturbing my peace of mind."


    The NPC women glowered at the girl.


    "How rude!" the woman on the right said as she pulled out a book from thin air. "Aquis Artus!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Aquis? As in Aqua? Something to do with water?


    A blue geometric design appeared under Cheng Xiu''s feet.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and lunged to the side.


    Just as her legs left the ground, however, large arms made of water grew out of the magical pattern and grabbed hold of Cheng Xiu''s legs.


    The girl fell to the ground.


    Cheng Xiu rubbed her chin from the phantom pain.


    The women walked towards Cheng Xiu as one.


    "Now let us see how much your peace will exist!" the woman with the book said to her with a sneer.


    The other woman took out an identical book out of thin air, and placed it in her hands in the exact same manner as the first one.


    The two were indistinguishable again.

 Chapter 166 - Can You Be Replaced?

    In a room decorated with golden statues and gaudy wall piece decorations, a long dining table that could seat 20 people took the center stage to shine.


    It was made of wood that was painted in gold, giving off a feeling of garishness and exaggerated show of wealth.


    At the head of the table sat a man in his late twenties, looking through some sort of files. He had silver hair and wore black framed glasses. He gave off the feeling of power and presitige.


    Gu Shu took glances at the man every few seconds, and would look away when he seemed to notice her stare.


    Opposite her sat a man with a big pot belly, smiling at the silver-haired man.


    "Mr Xiu!" Mr Gu called in excitement. "How is the food?"


    President Xiu froze.


    He stared at the file in his hand without actually seeing it, his attention on Mr Gu''s words.


    He looked away from the file towards the front of him.


    An exquisite plate of stake sat by his hand.


    Xiu Ru let out a sigh and put the file down. "I am sorry. I hadn''t realised that we were dining."


    Gu Shu glared at the man at those words. What did that even mean? Then why did this man think they were all sitting at the dining table? To play table tennis?


    "Do you have the habit of sitting at other people''s dining table to do your office work?" Gu Shu asked with a sneer.


    "A''Shu!" Mr Gu scolded in panick. "Apologize! Now!"


    Gu Shu pouted but muttered out a sorry any way. She was the host, she should be more courteous after all, regardless of how disrespectful the guests were. It showed that she had the manners that the guests lacked.


    "Louder," Aunt Sui, Gu Shu''s aunt said to her. "There should be sincerity to your words went you apologize, A''Shu!"


    Gu Shu looked at the woman with aggrieved eyes. "Sorry, President Xiu. I was upset about something and let it cloud my judgement."


    Xiu Ru looked at the young lady for a moment, wondering why it felt like she was thinking of ways to murder him in her head. Then again, she must be. With her upbringing as the Eldest Daughter of the Gu House, and the Heiress of the family, the girl would not have bowed her head to a lot of people.


    "May I ask what might have been bothering you?" He asked.


    Ms Bai at the side looked towards the grey suited man in surprise. Since when did the young master start to care about such things. Did he start to have feelings for the young girl?


    Ms Bai looked towards the Pink-haired girl who glared at the Xiu Heir. The girl was only 18, but then again, that meant that she was of age¡­she thought that the Gu Family must feel very fortunate to have a girl child at that moment.


    Mr Gu and Gu Sui also looked like they thought the same thing. Why else would the Young Master of the Xiu family ask such things to the gu Heiress!


    In President Xiu''s mind, however, was a completely different thought. This Gu Shu was the approximate age of his niece! He could try talking to this girl as practice for when he met his niece. She would, hopefully, be less¡­impulsive though. The Gu Heiress really seemed to be unable to hold back her thoughts from showing on her face.


    "Why do you want to know that?" Gu Shu asked him instead of immediately answering.


    Mr Gu and Lady Gu glared at the girl for her impertinent words.


    President Xiu looked at the girl for a moment, considering his words. "I was just trying to understand the situation. You did say that your Qiless friend had discharged from the hospital right? And you went to visit her? Is your current mood because of that?"


    Gu Shu looked at him in suspicion as the rest of the Gu family looked at the man in overwhelming happiness. Why would you remember that kind of a detail of a random young lady if you had no other intension?


    President Xiu blinked at her expectantly, waiting for her to answer him.


    Gu Shu sighed and then nodded her head. "Yeah¡­My best friend has a boy hovering around her¡­I don''t like it."


    President Xiu blinked, not understanding the situation. "You like this boy?"


    Mr Gu stilled, while Gu Sui glared at the pink-haired girl, daring her to agree.


    "No!" Gu Shu said with a crinkled nose. "I just think he is trying to replace me!"


    President Xiu gave her a hesitant nod. "I¡­see."


    This conversation was weird and boring all of a sudden. His own niece would have a different personality. There was no way that she would talk about jealousy because of friendships with him¡­right? How would he hanlde the situation if she did though?


    He was not sure how he should.


    "That Qiless?" Gu Sui asked in disdain. "She should feel lucky that you are even giving her a glance! How would she dare to try and replace you? Did you not buy her that Gaming Pod? Can anyone else be as good as you towards a Qiless?"


    "Gu Sui," Mr Gu said in a tired voice. "Please don''t interfere in the children''s drama. It is not a place that a guardian should poke their head at."


    "Is that so?" President Xiu asked him in a curious voice, "But what if their friendships are better off to be terminated but the child does not know what is good from bad? How would you react then?"


    President Xiu was asking this for when he met his niece, but unfortunately his words triggered some darker feelings to those who were listening.


    "What do you mean not knowing Good from the bad!" Gu Shu asked with a glare. "Are you trying to say that A''Xiu is not good for me? What do you even know about her? Just because she is a Qiless?"


    President Xiu backed up. "When did I comment about your friend?"


    "Isn''t the president right!" Gu Sui asked in a excited voice. "I always tell her that that Qiless is not good news, she never listens to me!"


    President Xiu looked at the two Gu women helplessly. "That is not what I meant¡­"


    Gu Shu glared at him, threw her cutlery and walked away.


    Mr Gu and Lady Gu called after her to apologize to the honoured guest but Gu Shu did not even turn to look back.


    President Xiu looked at Ms Bai helplessly. "What did I do?"


    Ms Bai shook her head to say that she did not understand even though she did. The young master was clearly asking tips for parenting, but the entire Gu family thought he was talking about the Qiless friend and saying that she was a bad influence to the Gu Heiress.


    "President Xiu, I am sorry for her!" Gu Sui said to the silver haired man, trying to make him understand things.


    Xiu Ru just looked at them all in confusion.


    Gu Shu fell on the bed face first with red rimmed eyes, burrowing her head into the pillow. She couldn''t believe that man! How annoying!


    Gu Shu looked at the ceiling. She was not stupid, she knew that President Xiu was talking about something else, though what that something else was she could not guess. But Gu Shu wanted to get away from that situation, and so used the misunderstanding to run away.


    Gu Shu turned over and sighed.


    As she was explaining what had happened between her, Cheng Xiu and San Zhe, she had realised that the story made it seem like what she was saying was trivial, and she could see it in the disinterested gaze that President Xiu had at that moment that thought so too.


    Was she overreacting? Was San Zhe not her replacement?


    She thought of what Cheng Xiu would say to her doubts if she actually heard them. They had this kind of a conversation when they were a few years younger, and Gu Shu was sure that Cheng Xiu''s outlook on life had not changed to such a point that she would say otherwise.


    She could still remember the cool wind against their face as they walked along the seaside. It was the first time they went to a beach right after Cheng Xiu''s mom had died. Cheng Xiu had locked herself up and only talked to some of the adults around them. She did not talk to Gu Shu or her family though.


    Gu Shu had asked her whether Cheng Xiu had found a replacement for her at that moment.


    Cheng Xiu laughed at the silly question. "Can you be replaced? Can anyone take the place of another? No one takes your place when I make new friends, A''Shu. It just means my heart grew a bit bigger to make room for someone new too."


    Gu Shu knew Cheng Xiu would say something along those lines again if asked, but maybe not use such corny words though.


    Cheng Xiu''s words were spoken from her missing her mother, but those words hled true for friendships too, right?


    Right.


    Best novel online free at novelhall.com or NovelTeam.Net

 Chapter 167 - Over Powered

    Cheng Xiu struggled against the hold of the water arms that held on to her legs, and kept her pinned to the concrete floor.


    A second blue geometrical pattern appeared under San Zhe''s feet. The water arms that emerged from it pulled him to the ground next to her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at Yaksha who stood leaning against the dungeon wall. She was upset that he was not attacked. She guessed that unless Yaksha takes the first step, these NPCs would not attack him at all.


    She felt a bit of jealousy at that moment but still endured. She had other things to focus on at that moment. Like how to escape from the water arms that held her down.


    Cheng Xiu looked at her sword copies that were floating near the ceiling of the dingy dungeon without her control. She knew how she could escape.


    Cheng Xiu commanded the sword copies to attack the two women in green to distract them. It was not easy to control them. Cheng Xiu at Level 10 while fighting the Experts had a better control of the skills but now, she was not able to use the skills to the potential that she had been able to use before.


    The Qi in her body kept struggling against her. They were not as obedient and the flow seemed to be far rougher than it was before.


    Cheng Xiu created another sword copy while the first two attacked the NPC witches.


    She aimed the new sword copies towards the center of the geometrical circle that was under her and let the swords stab into the area. Though it was just a speculation of hers that if she could damage the geometrical pattern she would be able to break the spell, she wanted to try if she could.


    The reason for this specualation was that the witches could not be too advanced. It would be setting her up for failure when the system seemed to want the players to fight in dungeons that were meant for their level.


    The swords cracked the ground that she lay on, only a few centimeters away from where she laid.


    The two NPCs looked towards her, and screamed.


    "No!"


    "How dare you!"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. Didn''t she just attack one of the patterns, why were both of them reacting to it like she had destroyed both their hard works?


    Cheng Xiu looked and conformed that she had only destroyed the work of the first NPC. San Zhe was still stuck struggling against the water arms that held him down.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked towards the two NPCs. A theory formed in her mind.


    "Why are you both reacting?" Cheng Xiu asked as she slowly dusted off the debris on her hair.


    The swords braking the spell circle so close to her had sent chunks of concrete chips and shards at her. She had avoided her eyes getting hurt but there were a few scratches that decorated her face. She did not care about it much though. After all, this was a game world and these kinds of injuries left no traces.


    "Didn''t only one of you attack me?" Cheng Xiu continued. "With the way that the two of you were acting before, the other should not care whether the first attacker''s spell is broken¡­in fact, the second attacker should even feel delighted¡­so why did both of you feel so pained?"


    The NPCs glared at her, but did not answer her.


    "Not going to comment?" Cheng Xiu mocked. "Weren''t the two of you screeching at each other before? What happened now? Did somebody stuff your mouth with rags?"


    The NPCs continued to glare.


    San Zhe at her side looked at her in confusion as he struggled against the hold of the water arms. Why were these arms so tangeable? Water, unless it was in ice form, should not have this kind of ability to hold onto him. It was unscientific.


    If Cheng Xiu heard his thoughts at that moment she would have kicked him in the head for his stupidity. They lived in world that was filled with people who used Qi to accomplish great feats of miracles. How could he still argue if something is scientific or not?


    "I do have a question though," Cheng Xiu said to the two women. "I don''t know if I should ask it¡­"


    The two NPCs looked at each other and then at Cheng Xiu.


    The NPC that had attacked her nodded. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Which one of you failed at capturing me?"


    "What?" the second NPC asked her.


    "Well, you see," Cheng Xiu said to her in a fake regretful voice, "Due to the sudden nature of the spell attack at the moment I did not clearly see who had attacked me. Since there are two of you, I am now confused. Do you know which one of you attacked me?"


    Yaksha smiled behind his mask. It would seem that she had realised the truth of this Dungeon.


    San Zhe looked at her in confusion. Even he knew which one had attacked him and which one had not attacked him and he wasn''t that observant a person. The two NPCs had not changed their places since the beginning. Even when they were attacked by Cheng Xiu''s sword copies, the NPCs dealt with them using water barriers and water arms to swat them away. The two did not move from their position.


    Cheng Xiu was an S-ranked Genius. How could she not know that kind of stuff? Don''t people of her level have great memories?


    "I did," the NPC that had attacked San Zhe said.


    San Zhe looked at the green robed woman in confusion. Dear NPC sister, was he the one who was wrong all along? Did the NPCs change their positions when he was not looking? When did he not look though? Was it when he fell to the ground?


    "Oh?" Cheng Xiu asked in wonder. "It is you? Dear Sister, I thought it was you! You are so beautiful! How can I not be attacked by a beautiful person! I always knew that the only person who could defeat me was someone who was completely beautiful!"


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu''s profile in a daze. He did not seem to know this script¡­since when was beauty a factor in such things? Then again, the people who always attacked her until now were people with great face value, it would not be too far fetched for Cheng Xiu to misunderstand that having a good face value was a requirement or something¡­although¡­did all geniuses have such delusions of grandeur or was Cheng Xiu special in that regard?


    Hearing Cheng Xiu''s shameless words of self-praise the NPC that had attacked San Zhe glared at Cheng Xiu with murder in her eyes.


    The NPC on the left, the NPC that had actually attacked her smiled proudly. "That is right! You were captured by a great beauty."


    Cheng Xiu nodded, playing along. "Right! Right! A great beauty! Only a great beauty who was at the level of the Queen can defeat me!"


    The NPC on the right scoffed. "What great beauty! Surely you are mistaken! You were captured by an ugly woman! Queen?" The woman spit on the ground. "You mean a mere mistress without any value!"


    The left NPC glared. "How dare you! Who are you calling a mistress! You are the mistress!"


    The two NPC women were back at bickering towards each other.


    Cheng Xiu used their distracted state to release San Zhe from his Spell binding as well.


    San Zhe gave her a grateful bow, and then looked towards the two women who bickered over who was the real mistress and Queen.


    San Zhe was confused. He felt like he was stupid, but he really could not understand what was going on.


    "Do you want to know?" Cheng Xiu asked in a whisper as she nodded her head in the direction of the two NPCs.


    "Yeah," San Zhe whispered back.


    "They are two disgraced mistresses," Cheng Xiu whispered.


    San Zhe looked at her with a blank look.


    "Don''t you read?" Cheng Xiu asked impatiently.


    San Zhe nodded.


    "Novels? Or textbooks?"


    "Textbooks," San Zhe said.


    Cheng Xiu gave him a disdained look. "Why do these ''queens'' not have servants that attack in their stead? Isn''t that how these scenarios work? The Boss NPCs send out minions to do their work."


    "Didn''t they already do that?"


    "Did they?"


    "Didn''t they?"


    "No."


    San Zhe was officially confused. In fact, he felt that after this conversation he would have to open a club for the confused and become its president just for how confused he was. "The hammer wielding NPCs though¡­"


    "Did you get the ''Killed the Rat Counsellor'' announcement?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    He shook his head.


    "Me niether," Cheng Xiu said, "Since we haven''t met the counsellors, how can we meet the queens?"


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "Then these¡­"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Exactly what they are accusing each other of. Mistresses."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened.


    "They are here to distract us," Cheng Xiu explained. "They are sort of like hidden bosses¡­or sub plots of the dungeon. They are there to give the players a more thorough understanding of the NPC power-levels and their skill sets. Also, maybe defeating them might help the players in killing the counselors and the actual Queens, who might also be twins like these two. It might be the fetish of the King to have twins as his women."


    San Zhe gaped at her. Were they playing the same game? When did Cheng Xiu gain such a detailed analysis of the dungeon rules? He did not say anything about sub-plots or Quests like that¡­how did she figure these things out without playing the dungeons at least a few times?


    Was this the power of the Logical Minds? So Over Powered!

 Chapter 168 - Speculations Of San Zhe

    Cheng Xiu looked at the NPCs who were too busy fighting with each other to look towards her and San Zhe.


    "So how do we defeat them?" Cheng Xiu whispered to San Zhe.


    The man in the blue robes frowned and then thought of the way that the dungeon was set up. Even though he knew that fighting them would be hard, he could guess a bit of where their powers were at. "Maybe we can attack their Spell Books?"


    Cheng Xiu looked towards him. "You think that their power source are their Spell Books?"


    "Yeah," San Zhe said to her. "Think about it. The first woman attacked you after taking out her Spell Book. The second woman attacked me after taking out hers. They could maybe only trigger the Spells in the book if the book is near them?"


    "Isn''t that condition a bit too strict?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    San Zhe shook his head. "This is a high rank dungeon but it is still restricted by the Clock Tower rules. That is, the players can only fight those who are within their Quest limit. For example, your Quest ends at the Queens. That means you can only attack NPCs up to the power levels of the Rat Queens. And only NPCs upto the power level of the Queens can attack you. The King of the Dungeon will not attack you."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding. "That is kind of interesting."


    "It should be. The system will not give you missions that are not within your limit. That is why most people use the Quest Pillars."


    Cheng Xiu noted what he was not saying at that moment. "There are ways to enter these dungeons without that Quest Pillar thing?"


    San Zhe nodded. "Through hidden plotlines that are strewn across the world, and there are also commissions. There are also player issued Quests."


    "How would they do that?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Through the system. After you have completed your first Quest, you can use the System interface to commission to do your works for you. You can use the in-game currency to make the system issue the quests," San Zhe said.


    "It is one of the methods to make the players use money in the game, isn''t it?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    San Zhe nodded.


    "So because the Quest was issued to us, people who are low levels¡­" Cheng Xiu said and looked at him in surprise.


    San Zhe nodded his head. "The NPCs will also be of that level. The fact that we encountered the hidden Plotlines without anything though¡­I think it might have to do with the quest delay¡­"


    "Quest delay?"


    San Zhe nodded. "This quest should have been finished in two days in-game time. At most it would take 4 days in-game time. But seeing as we spent more than a week and haven''t completed the quest yet, means that the system is trying to train the player to finish the Quest as quickly as they can."


    "Oh," Cheng Xiu said in surprise. "Wouldn''t the system know that I did not log in for so long, and that was why the Quest was delayed?"


    "This is supposed to be your first Quest," San Zhe whispered in embarrassment.


    Cheng Xiu scowled. She understood. She was supposed to finish the first quest quickly. But she didn''t. Since the player had not completed the first quest yet, the system decided to put the game in easy mode, giving the players advantage by showing the sub-plotlines that the players usually have to look for on their own.


    This system was far more user friendly than she had first thought it was. But it only began its help after a week had passed, which meant it will only help if Cheng Xiu really delayed the Quest for too long, and this might have been the only time that she received this kind of help. After all, her first Quest would unlock a lot of game features that were locked for now. Perhaps the only reason the system had helped her at the moment was because it wanted the player to start using money online and the only way that she could do that was if she finished her first quest.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. What a complicated System.


    "This game is not very user friendly, is it?" Cheng Xiu asked San Zhe in whisper.


    San Zhe smiled. "It is¡­usually. You were the few unlucky ones who somehow ended up attracting unwanted attention."


    "So their powers should definitely be their spell books?"


    "I think so."


    "Or maybe they can only remember the spells they want to access if they use the book. Maybe the condition to use the books for these NPCs might be having the book at hand. Maybe it costs Qi¡­like the can activate the spells by simply applying the Qi to the book. This would make them lazy and they would not learn the actual way to use the spells independently and they would become even more dependent on the Spell Books. What an interesting way of implementing restrictions!"


    San Zhe really wanted to know what really went on when Cheng Xiu was thinking. Why was she able to predict the conditions of the NPC powers so well?


    He had been playing the game for a long time, it made sense for him to reveal such secrets, but for her to be able to guess it too¡­he wondered if she was used to playing VR games more often than he had guessed before.


    He looked towards the two NPCs who were still bickering. Did they not get exhausted? He got tired just by looking at them.


    "Why are these two so engaged in fights?" San Zhe wondered. "Could it be that the real Queens are also like this? Maybe that is the clue that we should get from this sub-plot?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in disdain.


    What? San Zhe wanted to ask her. Did he say something very stupid? Why was she looking at San Zhe like that?

 Chapter 169 - Cheng Xius Theory

    "Or it is the exact opposite of these two," Cheng Xiu said to him. "What do you think is the difference between a mistress and a Queen?"


    San Zhe blinked. "The King favours one more than the other?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "Nonsense. That is not true. If a King favours his mistress he could just make her his Main Consort. The fact that there are two Queens indicate that both the women are influential and that they are in a cooperative relationship. That is the only way that both can exist."


    "Didn''t you just say that the King might have a Twin fetish though?" San Zhe asked in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "I just speculated that based on the fact that there are two queens and the mistresses before us are twins who behave exactly like each other. There is no way to distinguish them. Since their presence is a clue to defeat the dungeon, we can guess that the Queens are also twins. That is it. But the fact that we met the mistresses and they quarrel with each other could mean that the Queens, who are more powerful would behave differently."


    "And they might not be twins!"


    "How is that relevant?"


    "Then how is it relevant whether the Queens quarrel or not?"


    Cheng Xiu gave him a look.


    San Zhe stared at her, and then thought of what he just said. "Yeah¡­I might be dumb."


    "It happens."


    "So the queens would work with each other instead of against each other," San Zhe speculated. Cheng Xiu gave him an encouraging smile. "And we might not be able to sow discord between them as easily as we were able to with these two."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Correct. And instead of the NPC spells working one on one¡­"


    "They might combine their attacks," San Zhe said with a grim face. "That¡­doesn''t seem like much of a help."


    "That is where your speculation that their spell books are the source of their power comes in," Cheng Xiu said with a smile.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened in understanding. "They might still be using the same methods?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Or else this entire sub-plot would be a waste."


    San Zhe had another theory in his mind at that moment. He looked towards Cheng Xiu with pursed lips.


    Cheng Xiu saw his expression and gave him a curious look. "What is it? Don''t hesitate to tell me any ideas that might come into your mind. It can help us if we can determine what is or isn''t the right ideas."


    "What if it is the exact opposite of our speculations though?" San Zhe said to her in a low voice. He felt like he was jinxing them by putting forwards this theory of his, but he could not help it. He needed to know what Cheng Xiu thought of his idea.


    "You mean that we should be able to sow discord between the queens like we did the NPCs and that their power source would not be the same as that of the NPCs," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhe nodded.


    "I don''t think so."


    "Why not?"


    "Because then this dungeon would be too easy."


    San Zhe blinked. "Huh? How?"


    "It was very easy for us to sow a discord between those two," Cheng Xiu said as she pointed to the two green-robed women. "There is no way that we would be lucky enough to have to be able to do that same thing to sub-bosses of the Dungeon. The system would not allow that."


    San Zhe nodded. That did make sense¡­but¡­


    "But if it is the opposite," San Zhe said to her, "Then that would mean it would be harder to fight the NPCs. If they have different power sources and their spells are powerful without a Spell Book to bind them-"


    "We would be able to distract them easily," Cheng Xiu said to him, "by using the king as an excuse. Or even their beauties or powers. Or the way that they walk. If the Queens are as unstable as these two, then there are many ways that we can control the outcome of the dungeon. Besides, the system is most likely to show something that is related to their powers than their behaviours."


    San Zhe sighed. "I guess you being a genius makes you able to see things in a way that I can''t."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Being a genius means that I have a sturdier mind. I can do things faster than the rest of the people around me. But that did not mean that I am somehow able to guess the intricacies of a game or novel or something. Those kind of things only come through experiences. It is sort of like if a chef was told to make a Chow Mein. If they do not have a recipe at hand, the chef will only be able to try to make the food if they have heard of the food before, know the ingredients that go into it, and know the general taste of it and know how it looks like. I can only think of things in a way if I am familiar with something about that thing, or something of its nature."


    San Zhe was surprised by how much Cheng Xiu said in a breath. She sounded like she had been keeping that in her chest for a long time and was just waiting for someone to say the trigger words to let it all out.


    "I did not mean to offend you," San Zhe said to her. "Or brush away your talent-"


    "It is not about talent," Cheng Xiu said to him in frustration, "it is about hard work. I put in as much heart and soul into things as others."


    San Zhe nodded. "I meant hard work. I did not mean to make it seem like I was trivializing your hard work!"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Why are we even talking about this. Let us test out the theory that the NPCs'' power source are the Spell Books. Everything else is moot point if that speculation turns out to be wrong."


    San Zhe nodded. He looked towards the bickering NPCs who held the Spell books close to their heart. "How though?"


    "Watch me," Cheng Xiu said as she made her third pair of sword copies. It was time for her to weave her powers again.


    San Zhe backed away.


    Yaksha looked at the pair from his place, a complicated look in his eyes, His mind went towards a time that was different from the one now. To a time when there was someone else by her side.


    Since when did she start to care about ''Hard Work''?

 Chapter 170 - Challenge Accepted

    Cheng Xiu used her sword to attack the NPCs. Perhaps it was because they were too into their own fights, or because the difficulty of the level was set for lower, her attack landed on the NPC that attacked her before in the shoulder, creating a large gash on her shoulder blade.


    The green-robed woman backed away, raised her hand and opened her book. She muttered a spell from it.


    A golden geometric circle appeared under the woman''s feet and a golden shield erected around her, protecting her from the onslaught of the weapon.


    The woman next to her also created a golden barrier around her.


    Seeing this, Cheng Xiu felt into a complicated mood. She was not sure how she should take in the fact that the second NPC did the same thing as the first NPC even though Cheng Xiu''s attacks were focused on the first one.


    It was perhaps because the NPC really did fear that Cheng Xiu would come after her next, in which case she would not be wrong. Or the most likely reason¡­she was used to copying from the first NPC. Doing the same things as her despite the situation.


    Cheng Xiu smiled there was an easy way to test that theory. "Hey Brother San Zhe!"


    San Zhe looked towards her away from the NPC''s golden shield defense. The fact that both of them did the same thing made him miserable. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by the harsh undertone in San Zhe''s voice. Was he frustrated that she was not able to attack the NPC properly at the moment?


    "Can I ask you somehting?"


    "Sure."


    "Do you have any kind of power or item that would attack someone even if there is a shield?"


    "No."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Oh. Then can you attack the NPC that used the spell on you with your trident?"


    San Zhe was surprised by her words. "Why?"


    "I want to check something."


    "Okay."


    Cheng Xiu watched him from afar as he raised his weapon and ran towards the NPCs that were glaring at Cheng Xiu.


    As the man started to attack the shield, creating the sound of metal hitting metal, Cheng Xiu walked towards the Left NPC who was handling her sword copies.


    She raised the Red Carp Sword in her hand and hit the shield with it. The shield shook.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Ghost Flame."


    The sword in her hand was coated with a layer of black flame.


    Cheng Xiu attacked the shield.


    The shield started to form cracks like it was made of metal at the parts that her weapon hit its surface.


    Just as she had guessed, the shield was made of Qi and she was able to affect it with her Ghost Flame.


    Cheng Xiu repeated the action again and again, creating more and more cracks.


    The NPC visibly paled as her shield lost its golden luster.


    The woman glared at Cheng Xiu.


    The cracks started to spread to the ground that they stood on.


    Cheng Xiu gave it a fleeting glance but still kept up her attack on the woman.


    The cracks under her feet grew deeper and deeper.


    On San Zhe''s side, there wasn''t as much of a progress as there was on Cheng Xiu''s side. The NPC that he was given the opportunity to confront just stood there vigilantly, not even looking at San Zhe. Her eyes were trained on Cheng Xiu.


    San Zhe wondered why that might be. Could it be that the NPC in front of him was so sure that he would not be able to do anything to her shield that she could concentrate on her companion''s condition.


    San Zhe felt a feeling of unwillingness raise in his heart. He might not be as great as Cheng Xiu was but he was still a threat to a Level 5 Dungeon! Especially against a sub-plot mini-boss!


    His attacks against the shield became wilder, and more precise.


    [Ding!]


    San Zhe heard a voice in his head.


    [Player San Zhe has activated the condition of ''Desperation''. Your god has heard your pleas. Poseidon has blessed you with an ability to create and manipulate ice and water for 5 minutes.]


    San Zhe felt a plethora of information enter his mind. This was the greatest thing about the Other World, and what made it such a fasinating place. Even the technique information in the game seemed far more real than anything else he had come across in the other games.


    San Zhe examined in the information in his mind as he kept up the random stabbing of the shield. When he finally examined the new skill that the system rewarded him with, San Zhe felt like he was cheated.


    San Zhe blinked. Five minutes. Five minutes! Five minutes? Really? He could not believe how much of a stingy person this Greek god was. If he had known, he would have chosen the more traditional chinese Immortal Quests!


    San Zhe shook his head in regret but decided that there was no need to focus on it too much. He had five minutes. He could do a lot of damage in that timeframe. He had to. If he did not, then he would never be able to live as a gamer.


    He could defeat this Level five NPC! There was no way that he couldn''t!


    His attacks on the shield with his trident became even more aggressive.


    "Poseidon''s Blessing: Ice Form!" San Zhe shouted as he thrust the Trident in his hand forwards.


    San Zhe watched as the trident in his hand changed in appearance. Its spokes became long and sharp ice shards, and they glowed with an inner light that he was not able to guess the origin of.


    Was it the ''blessing'' aspect of the skill that made the light in it so unique?


    The trident created a large hold on the shield like it was hot metal that was going through a plastic sheet.


    San Zhe obeserved for a moment at the NPC. He saw that she had a panicked look on her face but her eyes went to the NPC on her left instead of trying to attack the player who was damaging her shield.


    San Zhe frowned. Why was she not reacting? Was she waiting for the other NPC to do somehting??


    San Zhe looked towards Cheng Xiu''s side and found himself being amazed.


    The shield was completely cracking at the places nearer to Cheng Xiu. Debris was flying around her and the ground under her feet was also cracking.


    San Zhe felt a long dead fighting spirit in his heart flare. He felt like he should compete against her to see who could cause more damage to the shield of an NPC.


    Though Cheng Xiu had the edge at the moment, he was still the first one to create a hole in the shield.


    He could do it.


    Almost like she had heard his thoughts, Cheng Xiu looked at him and then at the damage he had done to the shield in front of him.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes flashed.


    She nodded towards him.


    Though they had not talked aloud, San Zhe and Yaksha knew what she had said at that moment.


    Challenge accepted.

 Chapter 171 - Double The Effort

    The two freaks that were known as Qiless attacked the golden shields in front of them with a renewed gusto.


    Cheng Xiu created a cracked opening in the golden shield in front of her.


    San Zhe created another large gash into the shield.


    Cheng Xiu cracked another place of the shield.


    San Zhe created another hole in the golden surface.


    The two worked tirelessly as their attacks reached a point of continued grind.


    Yaksha leaned against the wall, just staring ahead.


    Though it was just simple actions, somehow, the two people were able to show such a sychronized attack that it made him wonder if they were twins. Though that shouldn''t be the case, considering the fact that Cheng Xiu had talked to him about her family background when they had played the Primordials before.


    ''I have a mom, a dad, and a crazy grandma. A''Xing! What more do I want, Ah? You should go back to what ever great calamity you came from. I don''t want a big brother!''


    Yaksha''s lip curled into a smile as he remembered those words of hers.


    He focused on San Zhe and Cheng Xiu again.


    The two of them were attacking the shield with great determination.


    San Zhe''s speed started to increase.


    Cheng Xiu kept up with his momentum.


    San Zhe tried not to think about the fact that a Level 3 player was able to keep up with the speed of a Level 6 player, which was a very unscientific thing that he had ever seen before. Better not to focus on that. He had better just concentrate on destroying the shield in front of him faster.


    San Zhe and Cheng Xiu continued to attack for a 3 minutes straight.


    The NPCs just glared at them, not doing anything else.


    "Why are they not attacking?"


    "Maybe using the Spell Book restricts the number of spells that they could use," Cheng Xiu guessed. "They must be giving the shield a continuous supply of Qi which is not possible if they are also trying to use other spells. It would maybe weaken the shield, and that would destroy the purpose of having a shield in the first place."


    "And maybe them being of a Low Level Dungeon also was a factor."


    Cheng Xiu nodded at San Zhe words.


    At the 4th minute mark of the activation of San Zhe''s skill, Cheng Xiu destroyed the shield in front of her.


    "Brother San! Stop attacking!" Cheng Xiu screamed.


    Though he was unwilling, San Zhe listened to her. He put down his weapon and backed away. He was still not half way there.


    The NPC in front of Cheng Xiu opened her Spell Book again.


    Cheng Xiu weaved the swords around her to attack on the NPC as she raised her own sword to attack the woman.


    Though unwilling, the woman closed her eyes and created a second shield around her.


    Cheng Xiu attacked the shield with the Ghost Flame coated sword.


    Ting¡ª


    The sound of metal meeting metal could be heard easily.


    The black flame in Cheng Xiu''s control moved as though it was agitated by a great wind. Cheng Xiu felt her control of the skill loosen a bit.


    Cheng Xiu smirked. "A shield targeting my Ghost Flame in particular? How very rude."


    San Zhe blinked. Why did Cheng Xiu''s words seem like she was reading out a screenplay or something? What was her purpose of doing this? Why couldn''t he attack?


    The golden shield in front of him flared and then broke into many crystaline particles and disappeared.


    San Zhe blinked. What just happened?


    A Blue shield appeared in its place.


    San Zhe looked at the shield in front of him confusion. "What is going on?"


    "Didn''t you notice it?" Cheng Xiu asked with a smile.


    "Notice what?" San Zhe asked.


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "The second NPC can not use the Spell Book on her own."


    San Zhe blinked at her in confusion. "Huh?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "She will always use the spell set that her sister is using, regardless of the situation. No matter if it is right spell to use or not. She also does not know about the spells in the book. She has to wait for her sister to use it to know what she should use as well."


    San Zhe nodded in understanding. "I just have one question."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "What is it?"


    "Why is there so much of details for a Low Level Dungeon?"


    "Aren''t you the expert between us?"


    "Nope. I don''t think I am qualified anymore."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I honestly don''t know. Yaksha, do you?"


    Yaksha blinked. "What happened to the Ge you used to add to my name?"


    "Is this any time to be asking such questions? Just tell me."


    Yaksha looked towards the two NPCs who were grinding their teeth. He knew what they were thinking. They had never met players who would be so casual about fighting them before.


    Yaksha smiled behind his mask. It really was an interesting way to play the game.


    "There might be two reasons...though both are my own speculations," he said to them.


    Cheng Xiu waved her hand. "That is fine. Just tell us."


    "First, the Clock Tower of the Viridian Forest is too old an existance," he said to her. "Which means that the NPCs in it would have a bit different stories to the ones that we are used to in the other towers."


    Cheng Xiu nodded her head. "What is the second guess?"


    Yaksha tilted his head. "The entire Vixia Kingdom has been upgraded to S Rank. That means that all the Quests in it would be readjusted to meet with the rank of the Kingdom that they are in."


    "Could it be a combination of both?" Cheng Xiu asked him, her brows furrowing under the mask.


    Yaksha nodded. "I think it is a combination of the two. The Clock Tower is old, giving the NPC world a far richer experience and the world of the Clock Tower has also increased its difficulty."


    "We are facing a double whammy," San Zhe muttered. He looked towards Cheng Xiu with a complicated look.


    "What?" the girl asked.


    "You have really shitty luck," he told her.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes were dull at his words. "Thanks."


    "You are welcome."

 Chapter 172 - Rat Transformation

    Cheng Xiu ran towards the shield with the Ghost flame surrounding her sword flaring. She hit the shield with all her might and created a large chasm in the shield.


    The NPC backed away in shock. "Impossible! How can it be! The Azure Shield should have been able to block you!"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. Shielding against the Ghost Flame was very difficult. It could only be done by using special Heavenly Fires. The reason was simple. The Ghost Flame could only be controlled under the principle of fighting fire with fire. And it was only possible if the Qi of the attacking flame was not eaten by the Ghost Flame, which was a very difficult thing to do.


    Cheng Xiu ran towards the woman at high speed, her sword aimed at the NPC''s heart.


    The NPC quickly cancelled the Qi supply that she was giving the Spell book to create the shield around her and activated another Spell.


    Mud emerged from the ground in front of her, and began to take the shape of a being.


    Cheng Xiu skidded to a halt as the mud molds turned into large rats holding hammers.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. So that was how those things were created.


    Cheng Xiu moved off at a high speed.


    Though her movements were slower than when she was in the Barbaric Mode, She made up for it by umping her skills. Her movements were more precise and dealt heavy blows on her opponents without much hassle.


    San Zhe was surprised by that.


    He had thought that she would be at a disadvantage because she was moving at a lower speed than before, but as it turned out, her attacks were even more ruthless and purposeful.


    There was also another advantage to her having access to her logical side. She was able to use the sword copies to the precision that was only possible if she was concentrating on it.


    Cheng Xiu beheaded the creatures faster than his eyes could track her using the Sword copies as a distraction.


    The NPC woman backed away in fear at the vicious human cultivator in front of her. She glared at the woman who was her mirror image. "You told me that this was a good idea!"


    The right NPC looked at her in surprise. "What?"


    "Weren''t you the one who suggested that eating the cores of the Human cultivators would get us the favour of the King! Look what is happening! That woman is demolishing the Mud Rats!"


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped when she heard what the woman called the Bulky Rats that she had just annihilated. Mud Rats? That sounded more like some kind of weird internet fake name, a band name or some kind of a weird novel title. It did not conform with the images of the Hammer wielding rats that she was fighting with.


    "How is it my fault!" the second NPC screamed at her sister. "You were the one who suggested that we attack these humans! I did not want to! I said we had to let the counsellors handle this one but you were too proud of yourself! Now look it got you!"


    "Me!" the Left NPC screamed. "It was you! I always-"


    The NPC did not get to finish her words as three flying swords impaled her torso.


    She looked down in horror.


    A ball of black fire collided with the Spell Book in her hand and burned into ashes.


    The woman looked on with a silent scream as the fire quickly spread down to her arms and to her entire bodies.


    Cheng Xiu blinked as the NPC turned into ashes.


    That was easy. Far too easy. She was sure that the NPC would have some kind of protection on her but in the end it turned out that she didn''t and she was dead just like that.


    Cheng Xiu had forgotten that she was playing against Low Level Dungeon NPCs and not high level players who would have the means to do such things.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips and frowned. It just occurred to her that she had killed a living thing again. And this time it was someone who looked too human. Wasn''t the NPC woman a Rat Mistress? Why did she look so human? Why didn''t she turn into a rat?


    Was she not a rat then? Was the NPC like that NPC that she had met in the Deep Dive. What was her name?...Right! Jin Er! That woman was delusional enough to fall in love with a troll who was planning to eat her for its dinner. Was this woman the same? Was she also someone who fell in love with a rat?


    Cheng Xiu felt complicated in her heart. Why did it seem that the Jin Er was far more logical all of a sudden? At least the Trolls were always the Trolls. But the rats¡­they were rats before! Rodents!


    Would the woman kiss the Rat?


    Cheng Xiu shuddered at the thought. She would never understand how one could love a Rodent as a Lover. That was on a Level of creepy that she was not wishing to be a part of, thank you very much.


    There was a gurgling sound.


    Cheng Xiu blinked and tore her mind away from the weird thoughts that it had taken the train to ride and looked towards the right.


    The second NPC who kept copying the first was impaled on a Trident.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards San Zhe who kept staring at the woman in front of him.


    Cheng Xiu was just about to call him out when he pulled out the trident in his hand and impaled the Spell Book in the NPC''s hand instead.


    The spell book spilled blood and disappeared.


    The NPC screamed and started to transform. Her skin started to bubble like the surface of boiling water and blood oozed out. The sound of cracks echoed in the space around them as the bones of the woman broke¡­though¡­the creature in front of her could no longer even be called a woman.


    Fine black fur started to grow out of the bubbling parts of the creature''s skin, and finally the woman transformed completely into a rat.


    Cheng Xiu stepped away in distaste.


    So that was how these women looked as rats. She had killed hers by burning it into ashes, and so it made sense that she would not have a chance to turn into a rat before her.


    And Cheng Xiu really wished she did not have a chance to witness the change.. That transformation was just to nasty.

 Chapter 173 - Unlucky Player

    Cheng Xiu looked towards San Zhe and tapped him on the shoulder.


    San Zhe looked towards her with lusterless eyes.


    Cheng Xiu felt that something was wrong. "Are you okay?"


    San Zhe nodded.


    "What happened?" Cheng Xiu asked him, "Why are you so agitated brother San?"


    The blue-robed man chuckled. "I am fine."


    Cheng Xiu pressed her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me."


    San Zhe stared at her for a while and then burst into tears.


    Cheng Xiu was startled for a moment. She had never really seen a man cry in front of her. Her father did not count. He was far too gone in some reagards. But Cheng Xiu pushed the weirdness of the situation down and leaned her shoulder against his.


    "What happened?" Cheng Xiu asked him in a soft voice.


    "I¡­I just¡­it has been too long since I have dealt with humanoid creatures."


    Cheng Xiu stared at his shaking shoulders for a moment as his words sank in. The look she gave him turned into one of understanding.


    "I get it," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    San Zhe sniffled. "Get what?"


    "Even I was weirded out when I had to kill someone in the game. It takes a lot of guts. After all, the death is far too personal in some ways."


    San Zhe stared at her for a moment. "This is the first time that I am seeing a genuine female side to you, Sister Xiu."


    Yaksha chuckled at his words.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "I¡­I was not crying because I was unset by that NPC''s death," San Zhe explained to her. "I¡­I was¡­crying in happiness."


    Cheng Xiu stared at him for a moment. "You were crying in happiness?...you were happy at being able to kill that NPC?"


    "Of course," San Zhe said to her. "I always got killed by the Humanoid NPCs after I got to level 1 again. And I have been struggling to Level Up once more."


    Cheng Xiu looked at San Zhe for a moment. "Level UP once more? What does that mean?"


    Yaksha cleared his throat. "I means that he always falls back to Level 1 because of something."


    Cheng Xiu stared at Yaksha and then turned to San Zhe with an inquisitive eyes. "Why is that? What do you do?"


    San Zhe felt the joy he experienced a moment before dim. Why would it be anything he did! Why would she think that! It could be that he was being targeted or he could just be unlucky! Why was she thinking that he did something!


    "Why-Why would you think it was¡­something that I did that woud make me lose my Levels?"


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow under her mask. "Aren''t you?"


    San Zhe sighed. He nodded. "It has something to do with a quest I got."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "A quest?"


    San Zhe hesitated for a moment. "This¡­is something that I do not want to think about honestly¡­"


    "Regardless, if you are comfortable with it, please explain."


    San Zhe sighed. If he was comfortable¡­he wasn''t. But he also felt that it would be rude of him to refuse her when Cheng Xiu was always so steadfast in her friendship with him. Though they have only known each other for two weeks now, Cheng Xiu had a strict attitude towards their relationship already. She took care of his opinions and did not look down on him in things that mattered the most. He had honestly never felt so comfortable with any other ''friend'' before.


    "I¡­got a quest that talks about the Azure Lake here in the southern continent," San Zhe said to her. "Though at the time I did not know that the quest was talking about that specific location. After I got the Poseidon Trident, I got a curse as well."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "A curse? Does it have something to do with the Trident?"


    San Zhe nodded his head. "That is correct. I¡­I¡­um¡­the quest¡­it said that the Lady of the Azure Lake has cursed me for being the follower of Poseidon. And that I have to go to the Lady herself to remove the curse."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What is the curse?"


    San Zhe sighed. "That I would face a Nine Times Greater Tribulation Lightning every ten Levels, and if I don''t pass the Lightning Tribulation, my cultivation will go back nine Levels."


    Cheng Xiu hmmed.


    Lightning Tribulation was a common trope in most chinese concept of ''Immortal'' cultivation games and novels had. Basically the Gods in heaven would strike the person who was cultivating with lightning. It is only those who have passed the Lightning Tribulation who could reach the next Level.


    Cheng Xiu had first thought that the Other World did not have the Lightning Tribulation because its Tribulation sequence seemed to be ''Chase the Fish'' to get to the next level.


    Could it be that the players would have to face Lightning Tribulation when they wanted to level up every ten levels?


    Cheng Xiu put her theory forward to San Zhe.


    "Your animal is a fish?" he asked her in surprise. "That is cool. Mine is a cat¡­how cool¡­right?"


    Cheng Xiu looked at him with excited eyes. "Very cool! Cats are really cool!"


    San Zhe sighed in relief. It would seem that Cheng Xiu was a cat person.


    "But yes," San Zhe said in exasperation. "Lightning will strike you every ten levels. And it is not fun in any way. It is very painful."


    "Is that the general setting of the game?" Cheng Xiu asked him, "Or are you just special because of the curse on you? It doesn''t seem too profitable to make the players experience such pains for Level ups."


    San Zhe stilled. Was it really like that? Was he unlucky enough that he was only one who always suffered from the Lightening strikes? He had never thought to research on this topic because he had thought that it was the default setting. But now he could not be so sure.


    At that moment, Yaksha said something that changed the way that San Zhe viewed the world.


    "It really is only you," Yaksha said to him. "The curse is making it harder for you."


    "Thanks," San Zhe said to him with a pained expression.

 Chapter 174 - Incompetent

    "You are welcome," Yaksha said to him as though he felt that he had been a genuine help to the blue-robed man.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "But in any case, we will help you lift the curse."


    "We?" Yaksha asked her.


    "Won''t you?" Cheng Xiu asked him, staring at him.


    Yaksha stared at her for a long moment.


    San Zhe, the subject of their conversation felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. Were these two going to argue over him? And was Sister Xiu going to be shameless in asking the Bigshot to help him? Why would he? He wasn''t a special player like Cheng Xiu and neither was he a pretty girl, there was no way that the bigshot would want to help.


    "I will," Yaksha said to her. "Aren''t you afraid that I will be interfering with Mr San''s gaming experience though?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She turned to San Zhe.


    San Zhe sat up straight and looked deeply into her eyes. He prepared himself to tell her that he did not need the expert''s help. That it was his duty to fulfil the Quest alone.


    But there was no need for such a preparation. The reason, Cheng Xiu asked a question that was not in the same vein as the one he assumed that she would ask him about.


    "How long have you had the Quest for?" Cheng Xiu asked. Though it was just a formality. Because San Zhe was still at Level 6 and has been playing this game since its beginning, she could guess how long it had been. But she did not want to assume things in his stead, and just waited for him to answer her.


    "That¡­" Sun Zhe''s eyes flickered with complicated emotion. He was not sure how he should answer that. "It has been five years almost. I entered the Other World VR three months after it was launched for the general public and I got the quest a month later when I was at Level 9."


    Cheng Xiu blinked and her phoenix eyes gazed at him with pity.


    San Zhe shrunk his neck. Yeah. That was not good at all, was it?


    "Did you never think of quitting the account?" Yaksha suddenly asked him.


    San Zhe blinked. "Um¡­I did¡­but honestly¡­I cared about this quest a lot¡­so¡­"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Cared about the Quest? Why?"


    San Zhe sighed. "Because I got the trident because of an old friend of mine who is¡­no longer among the living."


    "That was a weird way to phrase that," Cheng Xiu said, "But okay¡­so that is why you won''t quit the game account? Because the trident means something to you personally?"


    San Zhe nodded his head.


    "See what I mean," Cheng Xiu suddenly said to Yaksha.


    The man in the black mask sighed. "I do."


    San Zhe looked between them in confusion. "See what?"


    "You do need expert guidance," Cheng Xiu said with pity in her eyes.


    San Zhe pursed his lips under his mask. "You think I am incompetent."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Brother San, it is not a matter of competence. Think for a moment and look at the facts. You have been playing the same game for nearly five years, and yet because of a single curse, you are not able to progress beyond the Tenth Level. You know what that looks like."


    San Zhe bent his head to hide his eyes from Cheng Xiu''s line of sight. "I am incompetent."


    "No," Cheng Xiu said to him, "You are just poor."


    San Zhe blinked, the dark look on his left as he looked at Cheng Xiu. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I am sure there are a lot of items that could have helped you in such situations but there would be conditions that you have to meet, like having the right amount of money."


    San Zhe blinked. He felt like he had lost Cheng Xiu''s thread of thought already. "Money?"


    "Doesn''t the Other World have auction houses and System markets?" Cheng Xiu asked Yaksha.


    "It does," he answered.


    "See what I mean," Cheng Xiu told San Zhe. "There would be solutions in such places but you are too poor to enter. It is not about Competency. It is just about money."


    "Some people would consider that a sort of competency too," San Zhe said to her in a low voice. He knew he was just being contradictory for the sake of it. But he just couldn''t accept the solution that Cheng Xiu presented to him. He seemed to be willing to believe that he was incompetent than the fact that he was not rich enough. "That can''t be the case. If it was, only paying players would have the means to complete the task."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Maybe the quest was supposed to go to people of higher levels. Have you thought of that?"


    San Zhe blinked. He remembered his long-dead friend and realised what Cheng Xiu meant.


    "Was the quest also supposed to go to that friend of yours?" Cheng Xiu asked him calmly.


    San Zhe nodded. "He was a C ranked player according to the System."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "I see."


    "But I ended up getting the trident because¡­"


    "Because¡­?"


    "He ended up in an accident in the middle of the game."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "What kind of an accident?"


    "He was playing the game while he was travelling to the US with his parents¡­their aircraft crashed into the sea because of some kind of malfunction."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "Sorry for digging up your bad memories for you. I seem to keep doing that¡­sorry."


    San Zhe let out a wet laugh as his eyes became red-rimmed but the tears that fell were obscured by the mask.


    "Maybe my life is just too full of calamities."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him for a moment. "So you gained the Trident in his stead."


    San Zhe nodded his head. "He was a trident expert¡­and I was the arching expert¡­I used to be obsessed with those when I was younger."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "So you took up the Trident for him?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "I am not that traumatized, Sister Xiu. I didn''t use the weapon immediately. I wanted to even throw the weapon away after the curse was activated and even went to the volcanos and seas to do so, but I always hesitated at the last moment. When I went through my first Lightning Tribulation, I threw it into the ocean. But it is a bound item that cannot be abandoned. I can only abandon the account. But¡­yeah¡­I just tried using the weapon when I ran out of arrows once¡­I liked the feel of it, and was never able to part with it after that."


    "Fascinating," Yaksha said, though his tone sounded uninterested. "But now I am convinced that you need my help."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "It is not destroying your gaming experience either as you had five years to figure this stuff out."


    San Zhe felt an arrow pierce through his heart at her words. Wasn''t she just saying that he was not incompetent? What happened to that comment? By saying that he had five years already and he didn''t¡­she was implying that he was incompetent!


    San Zhe looked towards her with complicated eyes.


    "What?" Cheng Xiu asked him at the look he gave her.


    San Zhe shook his head. "Thank you, Sister Xiu, for your contribution. And thank you expert for your guidance."


    "I didn''t agree yet," Yaksha said.


    The silence that his declaration brought was awkward and stifling.


    San Zhe wanted to dig a pit where he sat and bury himself in it. That was the only way that he would be able to kill this sudden embarrassment.


    "You don''t need to then," Cheng Xiu said to him. "I can help him myself! I will help you!"


    San Zhe gave her an awkward smile that she could not even see. "Th-that-um¡­thank you, Sister Xiu."


    Yaksha frowned at the harmonious picture that the two were created before him. "I did not disagree either."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Brother Yaksha, you are an expert, don''t be so indecisive."


    "I will help," Yaksha said to San Zhe.


    San Zhe blinked. Wasn''t that a bit too quick in accepting?


    "And I was not being indecisive," Yaksha said, "I was reminding the two of you not to put words in my mouth."


    "When did I ever do it?" Cheng Xiu asked him with a frown.


    San Zhe bowed his head in apology. "Sorry, Lord Yaksha! We did not mean to offend you!"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at his actions. He was so brave at times, yet when he met people who were even a bit more powerful than him, he would cower in fear. Where did his bravery go to at these moments?


    Yaksha shrugged. "That is fine. Now, get ready."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Are the counsellors coming?"


    Yaksha nodded.


    "How many are there? Is it one on one, or are they all together?"


    "In pairs."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "There are five of them¡­"


    "One of them is at the back, and is coming along."


    Cheng Xiu understood. "So they come in pairs while their leader, who most likely had the power of two of them put together, is coming along?"


    Yaksha nodded.


    "That sucks," Cheng Xiu said and then froze. She looked towards Yaksha in a daze. "You-you-why did you help when I did not ask for it?"


    "Think of this as an IOU," Yaksha said. "There are times when you need information. And this is one of those times. Most players at this level would have some kind of detection item. You don''t. I just helped you out."


    "How do you know we don''t have such an item?"


    "Do you?"


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "¡­.that¡­.Forget it. Brother San, get ready."


    San Zhe nodded and raised his Trident again.


    Cheng Xiu had the sword copies around her spin wildly. "Time to meet a bunch of bureaucrats."


    San Zhe sighed.. "Let''s."

 Chapter 175 - Brute Force

    Cheng Xiu and the others decided to meet the creatures early as they did not want to create advantages for the Rat Counsellors who were coming their way.


    Cheng Xiu stopped at the flight of stairs in front of her. "How low are we going?"


    "Lower than this," Yaksha said to her. "Rats live underground."


    "Not all of them," San Zhe said and blushed at the curious attention that they gave him. "I¡­I mean, rats usually exist where there is extra food, is dark, there are less people visiting, and so¡­the thing about them only being underground is worng."


    Cheng Xiu smiled behind her mask. San Zhe actually contradicted the expert he was so scared of! It was a definite improvement to the last time he was in front of Yaksha. Did this mean that killing the NPC gave him a new confidence?


    Cheng Xiu was unsure about the morality behind that bravery but decided that it was not her business. So long as the killing stayed in the game she was not going to look into it too much.


    The trio walked down the stairs.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe kept vigilance of the happenings around them. Cheng Xiu, because she did not want to once again be caught in a trap. San Zhe, because he did not want to face a special Rat attack.


    Yaksha, contrary to the two of them, strode forwards with a lazy gait. It could seen from the occasional yawns that he released.


    They reached the foot of the stairs soon without any attacks.


    The place before them was divided into three paths.


    "Which way should we go, Sister Xiu?" San Zhe asked. "And why have we not encountered those counsellors yet?"


    Cheng Xiu forwned. "I am¡­not sure on either of your questions."


    Suddenly, the walls of the three paths glowed golden and the words inscribed onto them gained a golden glow, like they were coated with gold.


    "What is happening!" San Zhe asked Yaksha.


    Yaksha just stared ahead.


    The lights died out without any fan fair.


    Cheng Xiu frowned, not sure what to make of this situation. Why didn''t they meet these creatures already? Why was the paths glowing? Why were they not glowing anymore? What could these things mean?


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and tried to send out her Qi as a way to sense their surroundings, to see if those rats were around them somewhere, just hiding from them in plain sight. But she could not sense anything at all.


    "Sister Xiu?" San Zhe called.


    Cheng Xiu opened her eyes.


    San Zhe hesitated for a moment. "Which way should we go?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged and then threw a coin up. "Make a call, head or tails?"


    "There are only two sides to a coin," Yaksha informed her.


    Cheng Xiu just stared as the coin almost touched the ground.


    "Head!" San Zhe said to her.


    Cheng Xiu watched as the coin fell to the ground. It was tail.


    Cheng Xiu sighed and picked up the coin again. "You are out. Yaksha, Head or Tail?"


    Yaksha laughed. "Head."


    The coin was tossed into the air again.


    The coin fell.


    It was tail again.


    "Do you have an affinity to tail?" Yaksha asked her.


    Cheng Xiu sent him a glare that he shrugged off and reached for the coin again. "If the coin falls to head, we will take the first route. If it falls to tail, we will not take the first route."


    Cheng Xiu tossed the coin into the air again.


    The coin finally showed Head.


    "First route it is," Yaksha said to her.


    The girl nodded.


    San Zhe felt like he did not understand the people in front of him. Why were people so weird?


    The trio walked onto the first path.


    Cheng Xiu''s thoughts returned to its previous musings. Why did she not detect the Rat''s Qi even though she had tried her best to?


    Was she too weak to notice such things? Were the Rats creatures who were so strong that she would not be able to find out their location?


    Her skill worked well enough against Level 10 Players when she was just experimenting with it, so why was it that right now, when facing Level 1-5 rat monsters, it failed her?


    She felt frustration rise in her heart.


    She did not think there would be any advantages if they simply just walked into the monsters. That would be no different from just waiting in that dungeon space upstairs for the counsellors to come and get them. They should at least be able to know where the enemies were positioned.


    Just as Cheng Xiu was about to ask for San Zhe''s help to see if he had something that could track the rat counsellors, she felt something in her Qi senses.


    It was the sensation of having briefly touched some kind of tail. The Qi in the tail reacted to hers.


    But the sensation soon disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and then tried to think of a reason as to why this might be the case. She thought back to the rats that she fought before. Was there any clues that they left behind that could help her out at that moment?


    Cheng Xiu tried to think hard, and then realised what she had overlooked. Well, not overlooked. She had noticed it, but she had not given it much thought from the angle of it being any hint other than for how to defeat the other Rats.


    Cheng Xiu remembered that the last enemies that the system had acknowleged that they had killed was actually the wall climbing rats that they had met upstairs.


    Neither the Hammer Rats, nor the Twin Mistresses gave them any other points.


    Cheng Xiu remembered the Quest words that were said to her in the hall of the Quest Pillars.


    [Kill the Rats climbing the Clock Tower in the Viridian Forest.]


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips.


    It couldn''t be¡­did those beings called as the Rat Counsellors climb the walls of the tower too? Were they doing the same thing as the Quest targets from before?


    Cheng Xiu had to think for a moment but in the end decided that it might be the case.


    Her first mission targets were the tower climbers. When the Mission became S ranked, it just gave her a list of beings to kill. This did not mean that these rats were not climbing the walls.


    If they were, why didn''t the twin Mistresses climb the walls?


    Cheng Xiu thought of something. Could that be the reason why the system thought of them as Sub-plots of the dungeon instead of those who were bringing real harm? Because unlike the others, these ladies did not climb the walls of the Clock Tower.


    Maybe they were too busy competing with each other to have noticed the fact that all the important personals of the Rat King were climbing walls.


    Cheng Xiu and the others finally reached a door.


    It was an iron door coloured in black.


    San Zhe tried to push the door open, but it did not budge. "Now what?"


    Yaksha stared at the door for a moment. "Do you have a Unlocking Talisman? That would work."


    "No," San Zhe said with a shake of his head.


    "No. Do you? I will buy them from you," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    Yaksha laughed. "So Formal! Little Sela is too serious. You should relax more."


    Cheng Xiu just stared at him.


    Yaksha sighed. "I wish I could help, but Diana keeps my talismans most of the time, especially the ones that can unlock stuff."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "So there is no way to open this door the normal way."


    "Should we go back and look at the other passages?" San Zhe asked.


    Cheng Xiu gave it some thought and agreed.


    The three walked back to the forked pathway, and selected the second one.


    The end result was the same immovable Iron Door.


    They tried the third path.


    The iron door greeted them again.


    "I guess there is no other choice," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhe, who was trying hard to open the door, looked up at her in surprise. "What is it? Sister Xiu! Tell me! You can never have a bad idea."


    "It will defeat the purpose of trying to do a surprise attack on the Rats though."


    "That is fine by me," Yaksha said to her, eyes curious.


    San Zhe echoed his response.


    Cheng Xiu gestured for him to step aside.


    San Zhe was confused but in the end obeyed her.


    As he did, Cheng Xiu used the Red Carp Sword in her hand to cut a dent into it.


    San Zhe realised what the girl had meant. When in doubt, use brute strength.


    "It needs just a little more power," Yaksha commented.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. She understood what he was implying that she should do.


    "Ghost Flame!"


    Following her shout, black flame erupted around the sword.


    Cheng Xiu pulled in all the way back and used great strength to break the door.

 Chapter 176 - Two Rats And Players

    What greeted the trio of trespassers was glaring bright light that almost blinded them.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe had to blink several times to adjust to the lighting.


    When their visions cleared, the two stood still in shock at the sight in front of them.


    The Iron Black door opened to a large white room. The only the occupants in the room were two blue robed anthropomorphized rats climbing the a wall of the room each.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Are they also trying to scale the Clock Tower?"


    "Perhaps," Yaksha said with a laugh. "But I wonder if they would really have that kind of an ablility. What do you think, Little Sela?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "You can just call me Selafia, or SelaXiu, or even just Xiu. There is no need to add the ''little'' to it."


    "Are you not going to attack them?" Yaksha asked instead of responding to her suggestion.


    "Is that a smart thing to do though?"


    "Ah! That¡­is a question you should ask yourself."


    "Why are they not attacking us?" San Zhe asked. "I mean, it is not that I want them to attack us, it is just that¡­the rats before attacked us right?"


    "Did they?" Yaksha asked him. "All I remember is a white-robed Player using a very over powered sword skill to kill those things off."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened at his words. That was right. The rats did not really get any chance to actually attack them because they were too busy dying.


    He looked towards Cheng Xiu with a complicated expersssion.


    Cheng Xiu was surrounded by sword copies that were spinning around her head.


    "Does that mean I can just attack these monsters like I did those rats at first?" Cheng Xiu asked in excitement.


    San Zhe felt a bit pity of the Rat Counsellors who were climbing the walls at the moment. He couldn''t help thinking that they were such poor creatures. They were just climbing the clock tower, minding their own business and trying to better their position as a race, and now they were being faced with a monster like Cheng Xiu who had an OP skill that made copies of her sword. And she could control it with her mind.


    He really did feel sorry for them.


    Cheng Xiu seemed to think that San Zhe''s silence was an agreement and manipulated the sword copies to fly into the room.


    The swords struck an invisible barrier and flew back.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Did we not meet the conditions to enter this room then?"


    "Maybe that was why the Iron Door did not open?" San Zhe suggested.


    Cheng Xiu opened her mouth to respond to him but stopped at the alluring chuckle the reached her hearing.


    Cheng Xiu turned towards Yaksha, confusion in her body language.


    "Sorry about that," Yaksha said to her. "That barrier is a talisman that I used."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why?"


    "This is not just your mission," Yaksha said to her. "If you do not allow Mr San to participate then the rewards that the system would give him would be far too pitiful."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened when she heard that. She turned to San Zhe with a pitiful gaze. "I am so sorry brother San! I was just thinking about gaining Experience for myself and did not consider you at all! I am so sorry! Really! I was not trying to snatch away your opportunity!"


    San Zhe panicked at her words. "I know that! I did not think you did! Why would I think that? And besides, this quest was supposed to be a way for you to experience the Questing aspect of the Other World. When did it become about my gaming experience?"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes narrowed. "But still-"


    "No buts. I am serious," San Zhe said to her. "Besides, do you really think that I would stop you from completing a mission that we are a week long over due on a little faster?"


    Cheng Xiu''s face cleared. "Thank you, Brother San!"


    San Zhe nodded in happiness.


    Yaksha, who watched the two paly out such a harmonious scene felt his hands itch. Why was it that Little Sela became even more innocent over the years?


    If Cheng Xiu could hear his thought she would have just glared at him.


    She wasn''t being innocent at that moment. She was just being a nice person, apologizing and explaining herself so that she did not hurt her friend''s feelings with her callous way of dealing with things.


    "Then why don''t you attack them!" Cheng Xiu asked San Zhe with an enthusiastic smile that San Zhe was not able to appreciate thanks to the face mask that she wore.


    "Sister Xiu," San Zhe with a slight sigh. "I told you already. This is your mission. I am only here to experience it by supporting you when things become difficult for you."


    "Isn''t that why I am here?" Yaksha asked him.


    San Zhe froze. He had forgotten about the Godly Player near him.


    How could he do that? That was just asking to get killed.


    "Well¡­that was what we agreed on at the start of the Quest," San Zhe explained to the Great Expert. "But now that Lord Yaksha is here there is no need for me to remain in that role."


    "Great!" Cheng Xiu said. "Then we can do the quest together?"


    San Zhe looked at her for a moment. "How about you fight one and I fight the other? Like we did with those Twin NPCs."


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment and then nodded. That did make more sense. "So who should go first?"


    "Ladies first?" Yaksha suggested.


    Cheng Xiu threw him a look.


    "Gentlemen should face dangers first."


    "That is a bit sexist."


    "Is it?"


    "It really is."


    San Zhe looked between the two. Why were they arguing about something like this as well?


    "I guess I will go first then," San Zhe said and started to walk forwads.


    A figure in red and white dashed forwards past him.


    San Zhe blinked. "What just happened?"


    "Little Sela decided that ''ladies first'' is less sexist," Yaksha said to him with a small laugh.


    San Zhe sweatdropped. Why did the great expert act like he had something extremely witty at the end? How was his words supposed to be considered as being witty?


    Yaksha seemed to realise that San Zhe did not get his sense of humour and sighed. "She did not want you to face the enemies first. Watch her attack those creatures and learn how the enemies are reacting to her. Make a strategy based on your observations."


    San Zhe blinked at the experts words. That was a genuine advice that Lord Yaksha had given him of his own accord. San Zhe felt a bit proud at the moment.


    "Thank you, great God! I will!"


    Yaksha looked at him for a moment. "Don''t call me god. I am not one. Just call me Yaksha, or if you must, then add the Lord. But that is it. Got it?"


    San Zhe nodded.


    He looked into the room.


    Cheng Xiu had reached the rats.


    She stepped on the wall and used that momentum to attack the Rat on the Left.


    It was left again.


    Why did she always choose Left?


    The rat creature spit out a ball of fire at her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged and used the sword copies to try to impale or dissect the creature.


    The thing about rats, the common ones or the monsters, was that they were extremely agile creatures.


    The sword copies were only able to hit the rat for a brief moment but even that did not leave any superficial wound on the monster.


    Ting-


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She could hear the sound of metal hitting metal.


    She looked closer at the rat creature that she was attacking with the sword copies and saw that there were sparks that flew everywhere that the swords hit. Like they were attacking a metallic thing instead of a living creature.


    Cheng Xiu dashed forwards, escaping the balls of fire that it threw her way occasionally.


    She briefly looked at the rat on the opposite wall that had a similar texture to its body. The Rat''s fur coat was not made of hair. It was made of strips of metal.


    Cheng Xiu observed the creatures again.


    She noticed the white shade of the monster''s underbelly.


    Cheng Xiu smiled.


    From her periphery vision she saw that blue-robed San Zhe dash towards the creature on the right wall.


    "Their fur is made of metal!" Cheng Xiu shouted out a warning to him. "Try to attack its underbelly! That is its weak spot!"


    "Understood!" San Zhe screamed at her.


    He expected a ball of fire to come his way. But the monster climbing the right wall instead threw out a spear made of rocks.


    San Zhe barely dodged it in time and rolled away from the creature''s attack range in a hurry.


    The rat looked at San Zhe for a moment. Made a sound that sounded like it was mocking him and started to climb the wall again.


    San Zhe''s grip on the trident tightened and he jumped towards it from the ground.


    Cheng Xiu saw his movements.. She stilled for a moment and then ran towards him to stop the man from impaling the Rat.

 Chapter 177 - The Line That Was Crossed

    Cheng Xiu dodged to the side as another Fire ball made its way towards her as she made her way to San Zhe.


    As she reached San Zhe''s position, she manipulated the swords flying around her so that they would be able to circle around the blue-robed man.


    "Sword Shield!" Cheng Xiu shouted as she used the sword in her hand to fight off the talons that the Earth Rat tried to tear her apart with when she got too close to it.


    A blue shield appeared around San Zhe.


    The rat on the wall, recognising that the man was protected by the shield turned to attack Cheng Xiu instead.


    Between the two of them, it perceived that Cheng Xiu was the more dangerous one. And that was the biggest difference between a human and an animal. The later knew how to recognise danger.


    The Earth Rat sent out Spears made of Earth and rocks at her wave after wave.


    Cheng Xiu dodged the incoming attacks with practiced ease.


    Even though it was an NPC, it was still below Level 5. Which meant that its accuracy was a bit off and the timing of its attacks were rather slow.


    Cheng Xiu, who had experience fighting with a Level suppressed Level 70 expert who was known for his Spear attacks, found the NPC''s attacks rather predictable. It always threw the spear at the same angle with the same speed and always aimed for her head.


    San Zhe blinked in surprise at the speed at which Cheng Xiu reached him.


    Before he could get over the fact that he was once again saved by his junior instead of the other way around, Cheng Xiu grabbed him by the collar and dragged him towards where Yaksha stood.


    She had the swords circle around them vigorously to prevent the few rock spears that were thrown her way.


    After some time, seeing that its attacks were not hitting the target and that its actions were basically useless, the rat went back to climbing the wall again, ignoring the human cultivators.


    Finally, seeing that the rats were not going to attack them, the blue shield around them disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu panted as she felt like she had used too much energy. She bent forwards slightly and held her waist as she heaved in breaths. Her phoenix eyes looked towards San Zhe with swirling emotions in them.


    San Zhe looked towards her in concern. "Sister Xiu, are you okay?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What were you thinking? Why did you simply rush in? Didn''t he tell you observe for a while?"


    San Zhe ducked his head in embarrassment. "I thought I could handle it."


    Cheng Xiu took deep breaths. "Handle it?...You could, but instead of handling it, you acted rashly."


    San Zhe nodded, his head still bowed.


    "What would have happened if the attack of that NPC was not Earth Spears, but Fire Balls? What would you have done then?"


    San Zhe pursed his lips in frustration.


    "Well?"


    Cheng Xiu was about to continue her scolding when she felt a weight on her shoulder.


    She looked up to find that it was Yaksha.


    "What?"


    "Don''t you think you are being too anxious?" Yaksha asked.


    Cheng Xiu scoffed in disbelief. "What do you mean by that?"


    "He is an old player," Yaksha said to her. "He knows what to do and what not to do in such situations, even if he has only experienced Quests up to Level 10. You should not treat him like he is a complete newbie like you are."


    Cheng Xiu scowled. "I am not-"


    Yaksha raised his hand to indicate for her to stop talking. "And if he dies despite that experience then let him."


    Cheng Xiu glared at him for his uncaring words.


    "In the end, this is a game, Little Sela," Yaksha said to her patiently. "Death in the game is normal. He can reload the character after it. You are treating this like it is the real world. Don''t become so immersive."


    Cheng Xiu bowed her head in thought. She knew that this was a game. She was not preventing death because she forgot that it was not reality. How could she forget? Her reality did not have powers after all. She was a Qiless.


    Cheng Xiu stopped that train of thought before it could gain steam. She was not going down that route again.


    "I know that this is a game," Cheng Xiu said to Yaksha. "I know that the death in the game is not real death. But he will still feel that pain. He will still be dead¡­if only virtually for a few seconds. If I can prevent my friends from experiencing something so unpleasant why shouldn''t I?"


    Yaksha rolled his eyes. Why did he think this girl would be Less emotional after so many years? She still held onto that silly notion of morality in the game as well.


    Yaksha was about to try to explain to the girl what he meant but someone else beat him to it for the first time.


    "It is the same reason that parents let their babies try to walk and crawl," San Zhe said. Cheng Xiu looked at him in disapproval. "It is. Parents might be afraid that their kid would get hurt and don''t want to see them in pain but that does not mean that the parents should just prevent the kids from even trying to crawl or walk. If they do that, the child will not be able to walk or crawl properly."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "But-"


    "That being said¡­thank you for your help," San Zhe said with a laugh. "I would have died because of that small negligence of mine if you weren''t there."


    Cheng Xiu fidgeted, unsure of how to respond. This was the first time that someone was saying thanks for her interference. She was used to Gu Shu''s rants about her being overprotective.


    Yaksha observed her slight movements and chuckled. "It would seem that that was cleared. Now¡­there is something that we should all discuss."


    The two Qiless looked over at him in confusion.


    He pointed to the two wall climbing rats.


    "Oh yeah," San Zhe exclaimed. "Why are they not attacking us?"


    "Probably because we are no longer disturbing them," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    San Zhe''s mind worked her words out. "You mean that¡­these NPCs would not attack us unless we attack them."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "At least, that is my conjecture."


    San Zhe hmmed. "That would make sense¡­.these creatures are trying so hard to reach the next floor of the game. If we interfere with that goal of theirs, they will attack us. Otherwise, they will ignore us. So these NPCs only attack who attack them first? So if I use an Insta kill skill, wouldn''t that just kill them?"


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "The minute we attack, they will retaliate."


    San Zhe frowned. "That means we have to-"


    There was a sudden blaring siren in the white room.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the walls in confusion. "What just happened?"


    "Sister Xiu! Look over there!" San Zhe screamed at her.


    Cheng Xiu looked to where he was pointing.


    The fire-based rat that Cheng Xiu had chosen to attack had scaled the wall a lot. A blue line became visible after it had crawled past it.


    Cheng Xiu had a bad feeling all of a sudden.


    [Warning: Counsellor Rat Flamer has crossed the Blue Border. Counsellor Flamer''s rank has Upgraded from Rank B to Rank A.


    Mission Level has reached: Danger Zone.


    All Players of the Rat Quest, please annihilate the Rat that Climbs the wall before the Counsellors and the Queens pass the Red Border.]


    Cheng Xiu stared at those words in confusion for a moment. "Did the system just say that the NPC just Upgraded?"


    San Zhe gulped. "Yeah."


    "They can do that?"


    "Yeah."


    "And we are unlucky enough to encounter that on our first Quest?"


    "Yeah."


    "Is this because the whole continent is going through that war?"


    "Yeah, probably."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Huh. A slightly different answer."


    San Zhe blinked at her in confusion. "What?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Nothing."


    As they watched on, border lines of different colours became visible on the walls.


    It started with Grey, and was very close to the ground.


    Next was Green, and it was in the middle of the wall.


    Then was blue, which was towards the Mid-high range.


    After that was Yellow.


    Above that was the colour Orange.


    And finally there was red.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What will happen if the creatures keep crossing the borders? I mean, other than the fact that they will upgrade in power and they will be close to reaching the next floor."


    San Zhe shrugged.


    Cheng Xiu turned to Yaksha with hopeful eyes.


    Yaksha stared at her glittering eyes, unmoved.


    The light in Cheng Xiu''s eyes dimmed a bit as she realised that Yaksha was not going to explain it to them.


    Yaksha sighed. "The Tower will start to retaliate."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes basically sparkled. She leaned forwards to hear more.


    Seeing this scene, San Zhe suppressed a snort. All she had to was stare at him intently and the so called Great God of the game easily relented. He couldn''t believe that even a person of Yaksha''s status could fall for that technique.


    "What do you mean the Tower will retaliate?" Cheng Xiu asked. "Who will it retaliate against? The NPC who decided to challenge its authority? Or is the Players who were unable to fulfill the deal?"


    Yaksha chuckled. "Smart Little Sela. But you had it a bit confused. There is no need to add an ''Or'' to it."


    Cheng Xiu blinked, and then her eyes widened. "Don''t tell me¡­both the NPC and the Players would be punished together?"


    "So smart," Yaksha cooed.


    Cheng Xiu suddenly wanted to punch and beat someone into a pulp. And that someone seemed to know what she was thinking as the person chuckled even more.


    San Zhe was too busy worrying over the news that the Great God just gave them.

 Chapter 178 - Breathless Moments

    Punished by the Tower for not stopping the Rats from crossing the border.


    San Zhe shivered at the thought of that. What kind of punishment would it be? Would he lose his weapons or other equipment? Would they fall down the levels? He could not help thinking that if that was the case, then he might have dragged Sister Xiu into the curse with him.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Come on then. We should stop those rats from scaling the walls all the way before it is too late."


    San Zhe nodded his head, and raised the trident in his hands.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the weapon in his hand for a moment. She could not help thinking that San Zhe was too unlucky at times.


    "Be careful," Cheng Xiu said to him. "That Rock Rat seems to be actually stronger than the Fire Ball one. Its attack style seems to be too versatile."


    San Zhe nodded his head. "You also take care. That creature just got upgraded. You don''t know what kind of skills it would gain with the upgrades."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. She turned to Yaksha. "Then¡­Yaksha Ge¡­wish us luck."


    "Is that something that you should be demanding?" Yaksha asked her in a teasing tone. "That is something people have to give to you willingly."


    "Are you not willing?"


    "Not willing."


    "Really?"


    "Really not willing."


    Cheng Xiu scowled. "What kind of a bad attitude is that?"


    "I learnt it from you. So you do know it is bad."


    "Where and when have I behaved so rougishly towards you?"


    Yaksha chuckled. "Then? What do you think you were doing now, demanding that I wish you luck?"


    "Is this a point that you should even be arguing about with me?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    "Can you two stop," San Zhe asked in a stilted voice. He did not want to interrupt their weird mating ritual. It was just that the rats were climbing the walls faster, and if he did not make it in time then the NPC he had chosen would also upgrade like Sister Xiu''s did.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Forget it then. Actually, wishing luck was just a conversation starter."


    "As I thought," Yaksha muttered. "Sela will always have ulterior motives."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What did you say? My hearing is not so good that I will be able to hear all your muttered grievences."


    San Zhe backed away a little. Cheng Xiu seemed to be a bit too emotional at the moment. He did not want to be in the crossfire when the two decides to kill each other."


    "I said ''What do you want to say''," Yaksha said to her. His voice was steady. There was no trace of lying to be detected in it. "Just say it. We are on the same team today."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Why are the rats unable to climb the walls quickly. I noticed that they were able to move rather fast when they were attacking us, but when they scale that wall, their steps are too slow."


    San Zhe blinked. She even had time to notice that kind of things? Sure enough, he could not compete with people with good memory powers.


    Yaksha let out an exaggerated sigh. "If I tell you all the answers then what will you learn from the game by yourself?"


    Cheng Xiu gave him a mocking gaze in response. "There are gaming guides and playthroughs for all games. It does not mean that I am somehow reducing my gaming experience. It just means that I have a more thorough understanding of the game."


    Yaksha stared at her for a moment. "I see."


    "See what?"


    "Very flexible morality you have there."


    Cheng Xiu glared. "Just tell me if you know. If you don''t want to tell me that is fine. Just say so."


    Yaksha hmmed. "No need to be so angry. I was just teasing you. The reason for the rats movements is simple. I think you can guess what is going on."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "It is like those Qi Pressure Rooms in reality, isn''t it?"


    Yaksha laughed. "Such a smart girl. Little Sela is able to figure things about the game so quickly."


    Cheng Xiu snorted. The only reason she was able to think about the Pressure Room was because of her fight in the deep dive against those creatures in the ring.


    The lines that were drawn on the walls reminded her of that. And Cheng Xiu automatically tried to verify her thoughts with someone who knew more than She did.


    Yaksha actually saw through her intentions.


    "But¡­it does not seem to affect us," San Zhe said when he heard Cheng Xiu''s guess. "Why would it not affect us then? That doesn''t make sense."


    Cheng Xiu''s thoughts returned to the Deep Dive scene. Even though she could not understand it, Cheng Xiu wanted to avoid thinking about the Deep Dive as much as she could. But now she had no choice but to examine the scenes in her memories.


    She remembered that she was the only person who was affected by the limitations of the Qi Rings. The NPCs had been fine.


    Cheng Xiu thought of what could be the condition that the NPCs back then and them right now shared.


    Her eyes widened. "Is it because they are the ones being tested?"


    San Zhe looked at her in confusion. "Huh?"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glimmered. "The Rats are the ones who are trying to progress further up the wall. So they are the ones who feel the Pressure of Qi. We, the players, are not bound by that rule! Think about it. We could be considered as further obstacles that the Tower put in front of the Rats so that they would not be able to cross the line easily!"


    San Zhe gaped. "How did you figure that out?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I was in a Pressure Room for the Deep Dive, remember?"


    San Zhe blinked. That was right. In one of their many talks over the week, Cheng Xiu had mentioned some of the details of the Mission she had to do in the Deep Dive. It would make sense that she was able to guess out the reason behind the Pressure Room faster than him.


    Cheng Xiu let the six swords around her spin above her head once again. "Let''s go! The closer they are to the borders, the more powerful they would be! If they are able to move so freely then it means that they are not much restricted as I was."


    San Zhe nodded.


    Cheng Xiu jumped forwards towards the Fire Rat, using the wall to give her a leverage.


    The Fire Rat seemed to know where she was and threw a fire ball at her.


    Cheng Xiu fell to the ground and dodged.


    She used the wall to step up to the creature again.


    On the other side, San Zhe had started to attack the Earth Rat with stabs and slashes of his trident.


    Around his head spun four sword copies, ready to create a Sword Barrier around him whenever he would need it.


    The Earth Rat sent another wave of rocks at him.


    The Sword Barrier took affect, protecting the Blue-robed Cultivator from being smashed to his death.


    After the onslaught of the attack stopped, San Zhe dashed forwards again.


    Cheng Xiu kicked at the Rat.


    It slashed at her.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    Three deep gashes appeared on the wall where she was positioned a few moments ago.


    Cheng Xiu saw the slight purple bubling goo in the gashes.


    It made her think of the purple poison that she got from the Deep Dive.


    She realised that the Rat was far more dangerous than she had thought he was. She could not use her own batch of Purple Poison at the moment, so she had to make sure that the creature did not have a chance to engage in a physical fight with her.


    Though, the fact that she is a sword user put that idea in jeopardy.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and dashed forwards again.


    "Ghost Flame!" she screamed as she raised her sword high in the air.


    Black Flame burst around the sword and covered her hands.


    This was the only really effective skill that she had in her possession. And this was the only thing that she could think of that would allow her to have an advantage.


    The sword hit the metal fur of the beast.


    Instead of the sword being deflected completely without any damage like last time, it cut off a small layer of fur of the creature and created a gash on the skin underneath.


    The rat screamed and screeched as it fell to the ground.


    The black fire of the Ghost Flame started to consume the creature''s skin underneath the fur.


    Cheng Xiu backed off, dodging the rat as it tried to slashed at her with its talon as it tried to put out the black Flame that was slowly killing it.


    She bent at the waist forwards and panted hard.


    She felt dizzy and weak.


    "You damn Human cultivator!" the fire rat screamed.


    Cheng Xiu did not think much about the young female voice that the creature said it to her in, too busy trying to catch her breath.

 Chapter 179 - Double Kills

    The rat in the deep-blue robe rolled around on the ground, trying to put of the fire.


    The fire had spread up the creature''s arm and was not all the shoulder.


    Cheng Xiu grimaced as the rat screamed in pain.


    She walked forwards and raised her sword.


    The rat looked at her in horror.


    "I am putting you out of your misery," Cheng Xiu said to it.


    The rat glared at her, and sent a fireball her way.


    Cheng Xiu dodged it casually, and brought the sword in her grip down.


    The rat was beheaded and there was a flash of light as the creature''s body disappeared.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia Veritas has killed 1x Rat counsellor.


    Gained one Level 3 grade A Monster Core. ]


    Cheng Xiu nodded. As expected. She could only get the system notification if she killed the Main Quest targets.


    She then pulled out the blue coloured crystal from her storage space. The shade was similar to the blue border in the room.


    Cheng Xiu looked at it in facination, turning the stone in her hand to see how it would sparkle in different angles. Blue light reflected off the stone onto her face, giving her features a softer tone.


    "You got a monster core?" a baritone voice vibrated next to her.


    As the warm breath tickled the sensitive shell of her ears, she felt a warm body close to her back. Cheng Xiu stepped away from the body next to her and glared.


    "Yaksha!" Cheng Xiu shouted. "Personal space!"


    Yaksha''s dark eyes stared at her for a few moments before he backed up. "My apologies. I meant to talk to you in a low voice so that we do not disturb Mr San."


    Hearing his words, Cheng Xiu looked towards San Zhe.


    The blue robed man used his trident to block away the stabs of the Earth Spears that were sent his way while also trying to take jabs at the rat in front of him.


    The creature screeched at him.


    San Zhe''s eyes were completely on the beast in front of him, not aware of the surroundings. His entire body was littered in cuts and bruises from the stone shards, spears and boulders that the rat had attacked him with.


    The rat, on the other hand, was in a worse shape.


    Its off-white underbelly was littered in wounds.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Brother San looks extremely heroic at the moment."


    "He took your advice and used the moment that the Rat would raise its hand to attack him to create wounds on it."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes sparkled at the words. "That''s good."


    Yaksha nodded.


    "Right!" Cheng Xiu said in a whisper, careful not to distract San Zhe''s fight. "I did get a monster core as a reward for defeating that thing."


    Yaksha nodded. "What is its detail?"


    "Level 3, Grade A."


    Yaksha looked at the thing in surprise. "That is a very valuable Monster Core to have at the level you are at!"


    Cheng Xiu looked down at the stone for a moment. "What does it do? Upgrade my character?"


    Yaksha hmmed. "Something along that line. It stimualates your Qi center to awaken faster, heals you if you are too injured or weak, it also allows you to upgrade if you are at a bottle neck and can''t break through to the next Level."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the diamond shaped crystal in her hands in fascination.


    "How do I consume it?"


    Yaksha looked at her side profile for a moment. Her voice sounded extremely excited.


    "Just pop it into your mouth."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. Her nose wrinkled as his words sank into her mind. "This thing has not even been washed yet."


    Yaksha laughed. "The fact that it came from your storage space should tell you that it is clean. System Rewards are always Hygienic. If you want to get unhygienic ones then you would have to kill monsters that are not linked to your quests, and split open its heart while sending Qi into the beast''s veins. You would also have to do this right after the creature had died. The core desipates after an hour of the monster''s death."


    Cheng Xiu''s face looked green. She felt bile raise from her stomach at the thought of what she would have to do in order to get a core without the system''s help.


    "I just asked you if it was clean," Cheng Xiu said in a greiving tone. "Why did you have to tell me the gory details! Did I ask for it?"


    Yaksha blinked at her. "How can I not say something about it? Are you not happy that you know where to get the core from now?"


    "Not happy."


    Yaksha blinked. "So blunt. Why are you always so blunt?"


    Cheng Xiu scoffed and put the blue core into her mouth.


    She feared she had to chew the thing but it melted in her mouth immediately. She felt warmth in her mouth and a refreshing feeling in her veins.


    Her Qi circled in her body faster, and a gentle blush rose on her cheeks.


    She blinked her eyes open. When had she closed them?


    Yaksha looked at her red eyes that had a dazed and alluring aura to it, and gulped. This old acquaintance of his had a unique charm to her after growing up.


    Cheng Xiu then raised her sword and looked towards San Zhe.


    The man''s features were more bloody than it was a few moments ago and Cheng Xiu could not help thinking that he looked even more pitiful.


    She then looked towards the Earth Rat that had lost a few of its fingers and had few holes on its body.


    Well, if San Zhe looked pitiful, then the rat looked miserable. The poor thing.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She knew that it was just an NPC, but she could not help thinking that the system gave the Human cultivators a villainous role. They became beings that would not let other creatures progress.


    Just as she was thinking that, San Zhe was impaled by a spear through his shoulders.


    Cheng Xiu gasped in shock.


    She took a step towards San Zhe and the rat.


    Yaksha stood in front of her, blocking her way towards them.


    She raised her chin and stared into the dark eyes that showed through the blank black mask. "What do you want?"


    "There are things that you should and shouldn''t do. Interfering with San Zhe at this moment falls under the latter."


    Cheng Xiu scowled.


    Though he could not see her face, he could guess her thoughts through the narrowed slits of her eyes.


    "You promised him."


    Cheng Xiu stilled. That was right. She promised San Zhe. She could not do anything unless he asked for her help.


    She looked up to the place where San Zhe fought against the rat. He pulled the spear out of the wound on his shoulder with a light his and threw it back at the creature.


    The Earth Rat threw a boulder at the incoming spear and turned it into dust, sending debris everywhere.


    Following that, the rat slashed its talons towards San Zhe.


    San Zhe stepped away.


    The wall behind him tore through like it did when the fire rat had attacked Cheng Xiu with the Poisonous talons.


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips to stop herself from rushing forwards.


    She had to believe that he could do it. She had to turst his ability and let him do his own thing.


    "Distract me," Cheng Xiu said to Yaksha as she tore her eyes away from San Zhe with difficulty. "Distract me so that I will not rush over to him."


    "So¡­" Yaksha started to say and then fell silent.


    Cheng Xiu waited for a few seconds waiting for him to speak. Seeing that he was still searching for words Cheng Xiu shook her head.


    "such bigshot of the game," Cheng Xiu mocked him, "and yet you can''t find a topic to distract me?"


    "Yes¡­"


    Cheng Xiu sighed and thought for a moment. She had no idea as well.


    Yaksha stared at her for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    "How long have you really known Mr San for?"


    "Two weeks," Cheng Xiu said with confidence.


    Yaksha raised an eyebrow. "You are so concerned about a friend you made only a couple of days ago?"


    Cheng Xiu slumped. "Yeah¡­it is a habit of mine. When I make friends¡­"


    "You are no longer able to think logically?" Yaksha said to her helpfully. "You feel the need to keep protecting them?"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Yeah. How did you know?"


    "Just a guess."


    The thing was, he had known about it a long time back. He was just surprised that she still had that childish loyalty towards her friends despite the fact that she was so old.


    Yaksha was about to say something more when a weird, gurgling screech sound came form the side.


    Cheng Xiu and Yaksha looked over and found the Blue-robed San Zhe stab through the neck of the creature in front of him, killing it.


    +++


    Author''s Theater:


    Maya: You don''t mention me anymore.


    Author: Are you the MC? Why would I keep mentioning you?


    Maya: Just stating the obvious. By the way, there are a lot of characters that you have introduced briefly but haven''t brought them back in a while.


    Author: *sigh* I can nly do things that feels natural. Right now, this is what feels natural.


    Maya: You are writing a Post -apocalyptic story that have people with magic like powers. What is so natural about it?


    Author scoffs and puts her head in the sand.


    Maya snorted in disdain: Useless.

 Chapter 180 - Blank Wall

    [Ding!]


    [Player San Zhe has killed 1x Rat Counsellor.


    Gained one Level 3 grade B Monster.]


    San Zhe looked at the ceiling of the room for a brief moment before getting down.


    "Brother San!"


    He looked up to find Cheng Xiu had run up to him. She smiled at him sweetly.


    "Sister Xiu."


    "Did you get a Monster core too?"


    San Zhe blinked and nodded. "Did you too?"


    "Yeah," Cheng Xiu said to him. "How are you feeling? Does it hurt too much? Hurry, and eat the monster core. It will give you more energy and will heal you!"


    San Zhe stared at her for a moment.


    Cheng Xiu stopped her fussing as she realised that San Zhe''s reactions were a bit weird. "What happened? Does it hurt too much?"


    San Zhe shook his head.


    "I¡­am a bit overwhelmed."


    He had never really pushed himself to fight in battle ever before as much as he did at that moment. Fighting that monster was not just exhilarating. It was also liberating in a way. His mind fell into a trance like state and the only think that existed for him was fighting that rat and ensuring that he won.


    He was a Level 6 Player. It would have been too embarrassing if he had died from the attacks of a level 3 monster.


    "You are a Level 6 player," Yaksha said to him. "Why did it take you so long to defeat a rat?"


    "I¡­I just¡­"


    "How are you going to keep your friends safe if-"


    Cheng Xiu jabbed the side of Yaksha with her elbow to stop him from continuing, a scowl on her face.


    Yaksha looked at her for a moment before turning away from her.


    San Zhe stared at the expert who was mocking him a few seconds ago walk towards the wall, and lean on it, completely ignoring their exsitance.


    San Zhe blinked. Was-was the great expert of the game pulling the ''Petulant Child'' act? What the hell?


    San Zhe could not help thinking that his impression of the expert was shattering.


    Why? Why was this happening? He could not help crying as the image he had created in his mind about the expert started have cracks on it. The image was being held up in his mind only by lying to himself that Yaksha was just joking around. He was not actually acting as a child.


    "Childish," Cheng Xiu hissed under her breath as she looked at Yaksha''s side profile.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe scolded her.


    Cheng Xiu pouted her bottom lip out, though he could not see it. "I am right."


    Yaksha sighed. "Come on. We have to go meet the rest of them before the rats all manage to climb the wall and trespass on other''s property or level."


    Cheng Xiu sighed and nodded."Okay. You know, this is really inconvinient. Why can''t the monsters come to us? Why do we always have to go to them?"


    Yaksha rolled his eyes and did not answer her.


    "That¡­sister Xiu," San Zhe said to her. A pair of phoenix eyes looked at him expectantly. "We are the ones who want to stop them so¡­"


    "I know that," Cheng Xiu said to him with a strained voice. "I just wish it wasn''t like that. Can''t a girl wish things like that anymore."


    San Zhe sighed. He could understand this big ancestor but he could not help thinking that Cheng Xiu seemed to be far too different from the first impression that she had given him.


    Cheng Xiu suddenly patted him on the shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts.


    San Zhe looked at her.


    "Lets go. We have some beasts to kill."


    San Zhe nodded.


    The two walked off.


    Yaksha watched them leave with a complicated emotion in his eyes.


    Cheng Xiu stopped abruptly, making San Zhe crash against her back.


    "Sorry," San Zhe said in embarrassment.


    Cheng Xiu waved his apology away and turned to Yaksha. "Yaksha ge, bigbrother, what you doing, leaning against the wall like you are posing for a picture? Are you not coming with us?"


    Yaksha looked at her with narrowed eyes, his eyebrow twitching in irritation. "Not going."


    Cheng Xiu felt like that there was something wrong with the way that Yaksha was acting though she was not able to pin point on what it was that he was doing differently.


    "What happened?" Cheng Xiu asked in a serious voice.


    Yaksha shrugged. "Nothing. I was just teasing you."


    Cheng Xiu glared at him, wanting to give him a good thrashing but she held herself back in time.


    She turned around without looking at him and walked off to the other side of the room.


    She stood in front of a blank wall, trying to figure out how to get to the other side.


    "Maybe there is another iron door hidden behind this one," San Zhe said to her.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment and then nodded.


    She took out her sword.


    "Please don''t tell me that you are going to break down the wall," San Zhe said to her in a strained voice.


    "Do you see any other option for yourself?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    San Zhe stared at the wall for a moment and then looked at the destroyed Iron Door behind them. "Maybe we can try to walk the other paths that we did not choose."


    Cheng Xiu hmmed. "Do you think that is possible?"


    "Isn''t it?"


    Cheng Xiu waved her hand towards the destroyed opening. "Try it for yourself."


    San Zhe looked at her for a moment and then at the blank wall. He made up his mind and walked to the door.


    He crashed onto an invisible wall. "What the hell?"


    Cheng Xiu patted his shoulder comfortingly. "I did try to see if I could throw a small coin before. It bounced back."


    San Zhe looked at her with an uncomprehending eyes. "When did you do that? Why did you do that? Why didn''t you tell me before?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Right after we had entered the room. I wanted to see if there was any hidden attack that we should be aware of. I did not think that it would bounce back. I guessed that there might be a barrier here. The thing is¡­I did not think much about it. I did not know if the barrier was for everything or only stopped equipment. The fact that Brother San crashed into it means that even humans are restricted by it."


    "So I was an experiment?"


    "Yes."


    San Zhe felt a sharp pain in his heart. "Shouldn''t you hide that kind of thinking from me!"


    "Why should I?" Cheng Xiu asked in a confused voice. "You have the right to know."


    "Then you should have told this to me sooner, before you did the experiment."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head, and considered his words. She nodded. "Brother San is right. I am sorry for keeping it from you."


    San Zhe looked at her for a moment and then sighed. Why did she admit her faults so easily?


    He asked her that.


    "I don''t," Cheng Xiu said in protest. "If you insult my intelligence, that would be a different matter. I would argue back even if I am in the wrong. But social cues are different. I have always felt that it was better to straight up say things in such cases because I have not been able to understand human nature that well. I try my best¡­but¡­well¡­my friendly interactions are limited."


    San Zhe nodded in understanding. He did not agree with it, he thought she was very understanding of humans but perhaps that was how she saw herself. Once they were done with the Quest, he had to reassure her.


    "So the door we came through is no longer accessible," San Zhe said with a sigh.


    "Does it look like a door at all?" Yaksha asked him. "I think it looks more like iron debris and shards. And to think¡­this damage was done by Little Sela. Not at all cute."


    Cheng Xiu glared at him. "I don''t exist for you entertainment or appreciation any way."


    "So fierce," Yaksha said with a smile in his eyes. "That is very uncute."


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. Why was this man able to get on her nerves so easily?


    San Zhe tried to distract them before Cheng Xiu offended another big shot of the game and had to change the account itself later. "I guess this means we are breaking the wall."


    "We are breaking the wall," Cheng Xiu conformed.


    "Such Violent people," Yaksha said with a sigh. "Just send your Qi into the wall. A black Iron door will appear in its place."


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. "You knew this method¡­"


    "Yes."


    Cheng Xiu stared at him for a moment. So annoying! Why was she upset? Yaksha was not obliged to tell them thing.


    Cheng Xiu decided to not to respond to him just in case she would be forced to die of anger if she did.


    She walked back to the blank wall and placed her hand on it. She sent a small strand of Qi into it.


    The wall glowed, making the three people close their eyes.


    When their vision cleared, they were met with another Iron Door.

 Chapter 181 - A Date With A Bad Guy

    A woman in a neat black suit sipped on a tea and typed away at the virtual keyboard in front of her. She had curly red hair and a pair of deep-set blue eyes. Her Caucasian features were delicate and doll like.


    The virtual screen in front of her showed a list of names, range of their age and a string of time.


    The woman''s glasses glinted as she looked up towards the door.


    A man wearing a lab coat walked towards the woman, his stride calm and purposeful.


    The woman got up from her chair respectfully. "Dr Mead!"


    The tall man with brown hair and green eyes walked towards her. He waved her to sit down.


    "How is the data compiling going?" he asked as he leaned against her chair.


    The woman blushed, her eyes lowered to the keyboard in front of her. "I¡­it is going smoothly."


    "Were you able to get any information from those people on the forum?"


    "No," the woman said with a shake of her head. "They seemed to just talk about The Other World in general. Nothing about Qi, or their own situations regarding it."


    The man''s trimmed eyebrows furrowed. "Nothing at all?"


    The woman shook her head again.


    "Have you got any information on the players themselves?" he asked after a while.


    The woman''s eyes widened and then she took a print out of a file and handed it over to the man.


    Their fingers touched briefly, making her blush even more.


    "What is this?" he asked her, ignoring her reactions to his actions.


    "These are the player names, their approximate age range, and the record of the time they logged into the game for the first time."


    The man looked through the list and frowned. "These are fake names."


    The woman stilled for a moment, and then nodded. "This is a game. They wouldn''t go out of their way to use their real names in this."


    The man looked at the woman with a cold gaze. "Assistant Moore, I did not ask for your personal experience in this regard."


    The woman backed away from him. "Understood, Dr Mead."


    "If you find out anything else that might be able to help us to locate these indivuduals, then report it to me immediately," the man ordered and then turned to walk away.


    "Sir!" the woman called.


    The man stopped and stared at her.


    "Can I ask you something?"


    "What is it?"


    Assistant Moore pursed her lips as she arranged her thoughts. "Dr Mead¡­Can we¡­um¡­get a cup of coffee sometimes?"


    The man stared at her for a few seconds. The man let out a small smile, one that hid the harsh shadows of his face. "Then you would have to call me Joseph."


    The woman looked at him in surprise. She did not think he would actually agree!


    "Then¡­when do you want to get that coffee?" she asked tentatively.


    The man kept staring at her.


    Assistant Moore fidgeted. Did she think wrong? Did he only say that to get away or did he say that as a friend? Did he not understand her meaning?


    The man looked at the watch on his wrist. "How about now?"


    "Now?" she asked in shock.


    The man nodded. "Why not? You can get back to work after we have had our first date."


    "D-date?" the woman asked, shock on her face. A smile slowly crept its way into the mix of expressions, making her face look too horrific.


    Joseph shivered but still maintained his cold expression. "That is right. Our first date."


    The woman looked at the files that she had opened up before and then at Joseph. She was very conflicted.


    "What is it?" Joseph asked her. Didn''t she just seem over eager to get a date with him?


    "That¡­can you wait for half-an-hour? Dr Fennings had me compile a few projects¡­"


    The man nodded in understanding. "That data on The Other World AI activities."


    "Yes," the redhead said in a small voice. "So-"


    "That is fine then," the man said to her. "We can go in the evening. Make it a candle light dinner. How does that sound? I hear that the Bamboo House restaurant across the street is a very famous place for dates."


    Assistant Moore nodded with a blush. "Dr Mead is so considerate."


    The man gave her a small smile, and left after bidding her a good day.


    The woman rushed to the door and peeked out, watching the man walk away. The blush on her face was still deep.


    She closed the door firmly, and the shy smile and blush on her face drained away immediately.


    She took out a pen from her desk and clicked on the back end of the metallic casing.


    A projection of a few scanned documents appeared above her head.


    She picked up her Fold device and called someone.


    "Hello," a gruff voice called from the other side.


    "Chief," the woman said in a low voice.


    "Alyssa!" the man exclaimed. "You unfilial child!"


    She sighed. "Joseph Mead just entered the room."


    There was the sound of something crashing.


    "What!"


    "He wanted to know if I had the identities of the players of the Qiless Awakened Forum in that game."


    "Then, have you found it?" the man asked in a light voice.


    "No."


    "That is okay then. We don''t really think he had anything to do with the disappearances but it is good to make sure. After all, he was in that area every time something happened."


    "I think he might have a hand in the disappearance of those Qiless people," Alyssa said instead.


    "What!"


    "Just a hunch," the woman explained. "But Chief¡­if it really is the case, then this act of discrimination is not just a simple discrimination."


    "I know," the chief said in a serious tone, "My guess is that these Qiless have something that made them a target for Joseph and whoever is behind him."


    The woman''s blue eyes fell on the Forum group''s name.


    Qiless Awakened¡­.Awakened¡­.


    The woman gasped in surprise.


    "What! What is it!" the man at the other side of the phone asked in panic.


    The woman did not answer, and instead went towards the latest Advertising hologram of the Other World.


    ''Qi Awakening for even the Qiless.''


    Though it was a simple and familiar boasting¡­


    "I think I know what makes these batches of Qiless special," the woman said to her Chief at last.


    "What is it?"


    "I will call you back," the woman said and cut the call. She then went to the various files of the people who had gone missing in the last few months.


    She circled a few parts on the virtual screen.


    "If I am right," the woman whispered to herself, "then there is a revolution happening around us without us even knowing it."

 Chapter 182 - A Bright Lab

    Joseph Mead walked down the stairs into the cafeteria. A bright Yellow and red banner hung on the wall behind the cashier.


    ''Brilliance Laboratory Cafeteria!"


    The rowdy people slowly stopped what they were doing and stared at the man that pulled out his identity card and handed it to the robot stationed there.


    "Am I seeing things," a man in his early thirties whispered to the man next to him. "Isn''t that Dr Mead? What is he doing here?"


    The man next to him, too busy stuffing his face with noodles, just hummed, not paying attention.


    The man glared at his companion. "Are you even a scientist? What is with that weird attitude! Why don''t you pay attention to things?"


    The man with the noodles in his mouth just rolled his eyes in response.


    "Hey!" the other man whispered. "Do you think it has to do with that project that Dr Fennings is working on? Do you think that is why he is here?"


    The second man swallowed the last bits of noodles in his mouth and wiped his face with a sophistication that was not present while eating. "What does that project have to do with our lab? Aren''t we the weakest of all the Labs out there?"


    "Right."


    The first man slouched in disappointment and returned his attention to his rice.


    All over the cafeteria, the people were having similar conversations.


    After ordering the food, Joseph Mead sat on a table, far away from the gawking crowd.


    He pulled out his fold device and looked through the contacts.


    A call came through just as he was going to open a file that Assistant Moore mailed him.


    "Hello?" he asked in a low voice, his face blank.


    "Joseph."


    The caller''s voice was low, and gruff.


    "Sir?" Joseph answered as he received the tray of lunch from the blue robot that delivered it to him.


    "Did you find anything?" the man on the other end asked.


    "Yes," the man said, "I am sure that the game stimulates the player''s Qi Veins on the first day of their log in."


    "What else?"


    Joseph hmmed. "That is it for now. I will be looking at the subjects this evening."


    "Good."


    "Boss," the man said, "do you mind reserving a booth at Bamboo House at Y street for me?"


    The other side was silent for a moment. "Why?"


    Joseph smiled. "I am going on a date."


    Silence lingered between them again.


    "With whom?" the voice at the other end asked.


    "Alyssa Moore."


    "The Data compiler?" the man asked in a surprised tone. "Why her?"


    Joseph smiled. "Women reveal secrets to their loved ones don''t they?"


    There was a chuckle at the other end. "They do. But only if you are able to get her to fall really hard for you."


    "That is an easy thing to do," Joseph said in a low voice. "So can you."


    "Already done."


    "Thank you, boss."


    The phone was cut off at once.


    Joseph''s green eyes swept over his food tray. Porridge and a single piece of apple and a bit of honey.


    He smiled and started to eat.


    His eyes wandered as he had his fill.


    There was a reason that he had chosen this particular Lab as his base. It was not as prestigious though it had good fecilities. The biggest reason was that, its security measures were not the best in the country, let alone the world.


    This was the only place that he could escape the scrutiny of the authorities.


    After finishing his bland food, Joseph left the Lab Campus towards the small villa near the place.


    He got out of the Hover Car and looked around the place to see if he was being followed.


    Seeing that he was alone, he took out a rusted key from the plant pot next to the door frame.


    He opened the door and walked in.


    The room he walked into was a black space with only a single chair placed in the corner, and shower head on the right side of the wall.


    He stripped and had a quick bath, his movements calm and sure.


    He then pressed his hands on the wall.


    There was beep sound and the wall opened up to another room that showed a row of clean white shirts, black pants and plastic overalls.


    Getting dressed, he pressed the wall again.


    The door closed and opened again.


    This time, it revealed a fight of stairs.


    Joseph sighed and ran up them to an Iron Door.


    It looked similar to the Door that Cheng Xiu had faced in the Rat dungeon.


    He pressed his palm at the place where the key holder should be and there was a beep sound.


    The door opened to reveal a clean and spacious Lab.


    Joseph strode forwards as he pulled out a pair of gloves form his pants pocket, and wore it. There was a pair in every pair of pants that he owned.


    He then took a transparent helmet from a table and wore it.


    He then walked towards the bed in front of him.


    On the bed laid a woman in her thirties. She had exquisite features that was ruined by the horror that was written in her eyes.


    "Hello, Sofia," the man whispered.


    The woman struggled against the hold of the straps that bound her to the bed frame.


    Joseph took out a file from the drawer next to her.


    He read it out for her to hear.


    "Sofia Marks. Subject 13 of the Awakened Abomination Project. Birth Defect: Mute," Joseph said, the light smile on his lips gradually disappearing. "Days of confinement: 2."


    The woman struggled to breakfree.


    Joseph gave her mocking smile and took out a scalpel. "Now¡­let us see why the Qi veins of a Qiless got awakened. This will hurt a little, Subject 13. But it is for a glorious purpose."


    The woman seemed to scream though no words came from her as the scalpel pulled open her veins.


    Joseph chuckled.


    The brightness of the room contrasted with the dark intentions of its occupent.

 Chapter 183 - The Quite Iron Door

    Cheng Xiu sighed as she looked at the metal door in front of her. "Another Iron door."


    San Zhe frowned. "So¡­use brute strength then?"


    Just as he suggested that, there was small sound of the tolls of bells.


    [Ding!]


    [Please place your handle at the place where the key should be inserted and send a small amount of Qi into it.]


    Cheng Xiu blinked in surprise.


    That¡­


    "Why did you not say that before?" she asked the AI.


    [Players should have encounted Sub-plot 2 before they would be able to get in through the iron door for the first time.]


    "We did not encounter any sub-plots," Cheng Xiu argued.


    [Seeing the door not opening, you should have tried to find clues on how to open it through searching through the sub-plots.]


    Yaksha raised an eyebrow. He was surprised by how interactive the AI seemed when it talked to Cheng Xiu.


    San Zhe at the side also had a similar thinking, but his surprise was more obvious.


    "What is it?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    San Zhe shook his head in a hurry. "You continue. The AI wants to fill you in more, I am sure."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "Anyway, why didn''t you just stop us from using brute force then? Or you could have just made it that the door will only open through one means. Why did it open through our method?"


    The AI was silent for a moment.


    Yaksha raised an eyebrow when the system did not respond immediately. He speculated something in his mind.


    "Could it be that¡­" Yaksha started with narrowed eyes, "that the answer was actually brute force all along? It was just that we were supposed to know about it through the sub-plot?"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. "Did you want us to use a specific item to break open the door? But I don''t need that because I have Ghost Flame."


    If there was one thing that the system regretted more than anything else in its entire data-filled life, it was the fact that it kept Ghost Flame in its system Store. Granted it was kept in the Grandmaster''s Store, and the flame power seemed to be useless compared to all the other skills that the players could choose from at that point.


    But Cheng Xiu chose Ghost Flame.


    The system just considered itself lucky that it made the Ghost Flames a single player skill, making it so that the only person with the Ghost Flame skill was the girl in the exquisite white mask.


    If the skill was available to more players, then it would have lost its entire credibility as a Gaming System as it would have made the game unbalanced even more than it already was.


    [Just send your Qi into the door already¡­player Selafia.]


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. She was sure that the only reason the AI added the ''player Selafia'' phrase into that sentence was because it was pretending to be just a simple AI. And it was failing at it.


    Yaksha''s eyes looked at Cheng Xiu and then at the Iron door.


    "Does it have to be Selafia?" he asked the system. He was only asking it curiously, and did not expect any response from it.


    [No. It can be either Player Selafia or Player San Zhe. Any one of them could activate the door.]


    "I can''t?" Yaksha asked in a teasing voice.


    [Player Yaksha is a neutral existence. You can do what you want to.]


    Yaksha shook his head. "You seem very angry about that, my dear Maya."


    The system stayed slient.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Stop antagonizing the system. Lets go then."


    Yaksha shrugged his shoulders. "Lead the way, Little Sela."


    Cheng Xiu sighed at the nickname. But she in the end decided not to respond to his words. If she did, he would keep using it as a means to agitate her.


    And Cheng Xiu refused a self-sabotaging moment.


    She placed her hand on the door.


    The door, though made of metal, was slightly warm under her skin.


    She closed her eyes and let her Qi flow into the centre of her palm and through that into the door where the skin of her hand and the smooth surface of the door met.


    The door slid open without making a noice.


    Cheng Xiu looked at it with a frown. Such a big iron door¡­why did it not make any noise when it opened? Though this was just a VR game, the chances of such a mistake to occur was near impossible, especially with a AI like Maya. Though she did not know the design process, it was very obvious that Maya was a very advanced system. In fact, the AI seemed to be even more human-like than she thought it was a few weeks back.


    So what could be the reason that the door was so quiet?


    Cheng Xiu stood in place and then looked at the long corridor that the door revealed. The stone passageway was lit by torches like the ones in movies.


    The system should be on the side of the players, especially at this level where the players are not even at Level 10. If that was the case, then the silence of the door could be a hint. Maybe they were also supposed to stay silent.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and then looked at San Zhe and Yaksha.


    San Zhe looked over towards her. "What is it, sister Xiu?"


    She shook her head and then looked at Yaksha.


    The two stared at each other for a few seconds.


    "You are right," Yaksha said to her.


    San Zhe blinked. How was she right? Did she talk just now? Did he go deaf? Or did these two gain telepathy when he was not looking?


    "What is she right about?" San Zhe asked.


    "Silence is the key," Yaksha said to her.


    Cheng Xiu nodded to show that she understood and then turned to San Zhe. "Brother San, the door did not creak when it was opned just now. I guessed that there might be a reason why the game had such a design. Yaksha ge agrees with me."


    San Zhe shook his head. They thought of such a deep plot from a door creak. He felt very incompetent at that moment.


    "Then what do we do?" San Zhe asked.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Keep quiet and stick together?"


    "Sounds like an excellent suggest!" San Zhe said.


    Cheng Xiu smiled at him, closing her eyes to show him what she meant under the mask.


    "Lets go then," San Zhe said.


    San Zhe marched out the door.


    Yaksha and Cheng Xiu followed behind him at a calmer pace.


    They walked on in silence for some time.


    He would open his mouth occasionally to say something but would remember half-way through and purse his lips to prevent himself from talking.


    They walked for a few more minutes when Cheng Xiu tapped San Zhe on the shoulder.


    He turned towards her.


    She pointed towards the ground where he stood.


    San Zhe stared down at his feet for a few seconds, trying to figure out what Cheng Xiu was trying to say.


    His eyes fell on the shoes.


    Thinking of something, he walked a bit. There was a sound of foot steps.


    San Zhe shivered in fright.


    It wasn''t the fact that his foot-steps made sounds that agitated him. It was the sound of a second pair of footsteps that accompanied his own even though both Cheng Xiu and Yaksha stood a few steps back staring at him.


    San Zhe grimaced.


    Cheng Xiu pulled out her sword with a ''shuwaa'' sound.


    The sound a second sword being drawn was heard.


    San Zhe wanted to cry.


    Whatever was imitating them through the sounds now had a sword in their hands.


    Cheng Xiu stepped forwards and grabbed his hand.


    San Zhe blinked and then looked at Cheng Xiu in confusion.


    Cheng Xiu gave his hand a slight squeeze with a nod.


    San Zhe could read it in her eyes: I will protect you.


    San Zhe felt like crying for a different reason at that moment. He was once again being rescued by someone who was his junior in almost every sense of the word.


    Cheng Xiu let go of his hand at that moment.


    She turned to Yaksha.


    The two seemed to have reached some kind of an agreement, though Yaksha did not look happy about the decision.


    San Zhe wondered what it was.


    "Its alright, Brother San," Cheng Xiu said to him at that moment.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened in shock. Didn''t they agree not to make a sound!


    Before he could question her actions openly, Cheng Xiu disappeared from their eyesight in the next moment.


    San Zhe stared at the spot in a daze. He opened his mouth to call her out but found a talisman that was blocking his voice.


    San Zhe looked at Yaksha.


    The expert had bad expression in his eyes. There was a barely hid rage in it.


    ___


    Author''s Theater:


    Author: Maya! You are finally here again!


    Maya: I have always been here.


    Author waves the AI away: What do you know! Humph!


    Maya: Childish.

 Chapter 184 - The Other Space

    Cheng Xiu blinked as San Zhe and Yaksha disappeared from her sight.


    She looked around in confusion. She was still in the same space as before. The long corridor stretched out in front of her, lit by the wooden torches.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Both of her male teammates were gone.


    The one who broke the rule was not her though, so why did they disappear?


    Her thoughts cleared immediately. She was the one who should have disappeared. Since that was the case, the place that she stood should be an illusion or maybe a different space to the one from before.


    She looked around. There was no marked difference between this corridor and the one that she stood in before with the boys. Cheng Xiu decided to just walk forwards. There was no way that she would gain anything by standing here alone.


    The second that she took a step forwards, Cheng Xiu''s intuition flared.


    She ducked.


    An arrow flew past her overhead.


    Cheng Xiu let out a sigh. She looked behind her.


    There was just an empty space.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Was this some kind of a deadend thing for the game? Could she only die here to resurrect outside the dungeon?


    Cheng Xiu did not think that was the case. She did not think there would be any parts of the game that would be unplayable. Especially not in low level dungeons. Whatever the purpose of the game was, the first 10 levels of the dungeons need to be player friendly.


    Cheng Xiu changed her route after a moment of hesitation.


    Instead of walking forwards like she had planned to do before, Cheng Xiu started to walk in the opposite direction.


    Her steps were steady, and there figure was straight and purposeful. She did not look like someone who was playing this dungeon for the first time. To outsiders she would look like a person who was very used the space around her.


    With an aloof and cold gaze in her Phoenix eyes, Cheng Xiu looked like a true cultivator who was far removed from the ordinary people.


    She walked on and on, not really aware of how long she walked for. Cheng Xiu used the Qi sensing ability in her to track things around her, even though she was not able to locate anything that would give her a clue on where she should go to.


    Cheng Xiu looked around occasionally, incase her eyes would locate things that her Qi was not able to sense.


    It was only when Cheng Xiu felt that her brow sweating that Cheng Xiu stopped.


    Her chest heaved as she looked around her again.


    How long had she walked for now¡­why was there no end to the corridor?


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes, tried to regroup her thoughts. It was the only way that she would be able to get things done. If she needed to get out of what seems to be an illusion, or a Ghost wall, as her superstitious compatriot would say, Cheng Xiu needed to change her approach towards this problem.


    As her thoughts calmed down, Cheng Xiu used the Ghost Flame to mark on of the walls. This would allow her to know if she was really moving or if it was just an illusion in her mind.


    She wrote a ''S'' on the wall on the right side.


    Cheng Xiu smiled in satisfaction at the black mark and then walked again. As she did, Cheng Xiu started to think about the white room scene, wondering if there was some clue as to how she could escape from this place in there that she had not considered before.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She had to think about how the game was designed at this level. The players were low level players and the chances that they would have noticed the quietness of the door was very unlikely. This meant that, to most players, reaching this space was a forgone conclusion.


    The Devs would think that this was the real game play of the game instead of the silent corridor that the three of them were walking on before. After all, how many low-level players would not make noice as they travelled in groups.


    As she thought this, Cheng Xiu came to a halt.


    Her eyes fell on the left wall. A simple ''S'' was carved on it.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She was sure that the mark was the same one that she made with the Ghost Flame. If that was the case, then it would mean that either the walls have changed or her position had changed. Even if the paths were circular, she should have incountered the writing on the right side of the wall again, instead it is on the left side now. Did that mean that after every few steps that she took, the walls would switch positions?


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. No. She was getting distracted. At this point, her actions would be similar to any average players in the game. If she needed to get out of the passage, she had to think of something that was not a knee-jerking reaction of a normal player and think like the disgner of the dungeon.


    If she was creating a dungeon that would have low-level players in the game, and she needed to make the dungeon special enough without it being too far out of the range of the average person being able to crack it, what would she need to do? Where would she put the clue for those average players?


    Somewhere that would be obvious in hindsight but still difficult to guess immediately.


    Cheng Xiu stood still for a moment and then walked forwards again, not looking at the wall marking.


    She knew where the clue to escape was at.


    Cheng Xiu walked fast, her strides even and commanding.


    She reached a place and then looked at the blank wall in front of her.


    This was the only wall that was blank without a single torch on it.


    The reason was simple.. This was where the White Room of the two rats had been.

 Chapter 185 - Twinned Beauty

    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. The reason why she had not thought of this before was because she subconsciously thought that she already knew everything about the room. But that wasn''t the case. If this was a different space from the one she was in before then it would mean that this room was also not the same as the other.


    She placed her palm against the cold wall, hoping that the method of opening would at least remain the same.


    Cheng Xiu sent a small thread of Qi.


    The Iron wall became visible to her again, and it opened up.


    There was a flash of light.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes shut at the harshness of it, blinking them open only when the red haze disappeared behind her eyelids.


    In front of her stood San Zhe and Yaksha.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Brother San-"


    San Zhe attacked her with his trident.


    Cheng Xiu stepped back in time.


    She frowned and looked at him and Yaksha. "What are you doing? It''s me!"


    San Zhe''s eyes narrowed behind his dark mask, and he thrust the weapon at her midriff.


    Cheng Xiu dodged.


    She saw a glint of something in the corner of her eyes.


    She pulled her head back.


    A black sword flew past her neck, a small wound appearing. Beads of blood trickled down her slender neck to the hem of her robes.


    Cheng Xiu glared at Yaksha who prepared to fight with her, his stance hostile.


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. "You know, it would be believable that San Zhe would attack me the way that you did if he thought I was a fake but I am pretty sure that you had Yaksha ge wrong. He would have either killed me if he really thought I was an imposter, captured me in case that he was not sure, or stopped Brother San, if he thought I was the real one."


    "Yaksha" froze.


    A pair of feminine giggles echoed from the two "men" in front of her.


    She felt it a bit disturbing that Yaksha was giggling and that too in a sweet female voice.


    "Really creepy," Cheng Xiu muttered.


    "San Zhe" sighed. His voice was more masculine, like that sound of pubescent boys. "I told you that we should not have immitated that man."


    "But then I would have to stay behind!" "Yaksha" whined.


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped. She couldn''t believe the really creepy way that Yaksha was behaving. It just did not go with the personality that he had shown so far.


    The skins of the "men" rippled and pealed off, revealing two identical looking women. Or at least, Cheng Xiu thought they were women. She was not really able to say the genders of the creatures though. They had thin figures that looked nearly malnurished, pale skin, long black hair and wore exquisite blue robes, and headdresses. Their appearance screamed money and power.


    Cheng Xiu had the weird thought that perhaps these two were the queens but then tossed the thought away.


    The system would not allow her to meet with the "Final Bosses" of her quest without her meeting all other conditions. Specifically the one that said she had to defeat the 5 Counsellor Rats.


    But what she could guess was that these two were also Mistresses of the Rat King, and she could see that they were twins. Which meant that her theory that the Rat King had a fetish for twin women was a confirmed theory.


    She wondered if her encounter with these two was the System''s way of guiding the players to another Sub-plot, giving them the access to how to defeat their enemies.


    "I am Da Hua," the "Yaksha" impersonator said in a female voice, placing a delicate hand over to her ample chest in a provocative gesture.


    "And I am Xiao Hua," the "San Zhe" impersonator said in a boyish voice. "I am Da Hua''s big sister!"


    "And I am Xiao Hua''s little sister," Da Hua said to her.


    Cheng Xiu wanted to find their parents and ask them what they were smoking on when they named their children. The older one had the "Xiao" meaning "Little" name in its, while the younger one had the "Da" meaning "Older" in their name. Truly creative parents. Must be given a raise of cheers for their inginuity.


    "I am Selafia," Cheng Xiu said to them, not sure if she could take them both on if she attacked them now. Her guess was, she couldn''t.


    "I heard that black masked, blue robed man call you Xiu though," Da Hua said to her.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "So you two have been following us since the beginning I imagine?"


    "Since you exited the room with the climbing Counsellors," Xiao Hua said.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "So what now? What do I have to do? Fight with you guys?"


    The two people laughed at her.


    "Fight?" Xiao Hua asked in a mocking voice. "Do you think yourself so capable?"


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment before answering. "I am not sure whether I am so capable, but I do know that there is a way to defeat you two."


    The two people scoffed at her words.


    "Na?ve," Xiao Hua mocked the human cultivator again.


    "Lets get this over with, Sister," Da Hua said to the one identical to her. "The King should have passed the Yellow line by now!"


    Cheng Xiu thought of Da Hua''s words. She remembered the Border lines of various colours that she had seen in the white room before. She realised that the King must have advanced to the S-Rank realm which was the power-threshold after which reaching the next level, the SS-Rank, would be really difficult.


    Xiao Hua rolled her eyes, and pulled out a thick leather-bound book from thin air. Da Hua did the same.


    Cheng Xiu recognised the book as the same one that the twins that She and the gang had met before.. So the sub-plots are always going to be Twins who used Spell Books.

 Chapter 186 - These Revealed Secrets

    Cheng Xiu smiled.


    That was another thing that got conformed for her. The twins would use the Spell Books. She even suspected that it was the only way that they could combat.


    Da Hua started to mutter a spell.


    "Ghost Flame!" Cheng Xiu said and threw the black flame at the woman.


    Da Hua dodged to the side, her spell breaking off. She glared at the Human cultivator.


    Cheng Xiu observed the two women. There was something about the two that she thought was strange, and she wondered if she would offend them if she asked it.


    "Can I ask you something?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Xiao Hua laughed at her mockingly. "Weak, delusional and polite. You are meant to be killed, aren''t you?"


    Da Hua sighed. "Xiao Hua, let the girl speak. What is it?"


    "Are both of you the wives of the king?" Cheng Xiu asked them.


    Xiao Hua glared at her. "So what if we are? What are you going to do about it?"


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "Does the king have a liking towards¡­twins?"


    Xiao Hua froze.


    Da Hua looked at her in surprise and then burst out laughing. "You were right, sister. Really a delusional girl!"


    "If he does?" Xiao Hua asked instead of giving her sister much attention.


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by the fact that it was Xiao Hua who answered her instead of Da Hua. She was sure that the Xiao hated her before.


    "You don''t need to answer this if you don''t want to," Cheng Xiu told them


    "Then why bother asking?" Da Hua said with a sneer.


    Cheng Xiu kept her face black, not letting the two girls to see her response to those words. She just turned to Xiao Hua.


    Xiao Hua tilted her head. "Ask. I will answer if I think that you are worthy of my answer.


    "Then¡­how did you two become the wives?" Cheng Xiu asked. Seeing the two giving her a confused look, Cheng Xiu elaborated. "I mean, did the king just give out an order that all the twins in his command would become his bride? Or did your guardians decide to give you to the king after knowing your preference for a hefty money?"


    Da Hua frowned.


    Xiao Hua shook her head. "That¡­what if I told you it was both?"


    Cheng Xiu cringed. "I¡­am sorry for you remember bad things then."


    Xiao Hua gave her a mocking laugh. "Me and my sister were the children of poor common rats, we did not have the right to anything. Not even our own life. Becoming the King''s wives has allowed us to wear beautiful clothes, walk on two feet like humans, eat great food, read many things and our life is more valued than it was before."


    Da Hua nodded in agreement.


    Xiao Hua spit to the ground. "As though I would say that."


    Da Hua froze and looked at Xiao Hua in shock.


    "We are nothing more than playthings for the king, abandoned after we were played with to the heart''s content. Even now, we are not even allowed to do what we want to do, go where we want to go, forever stuck in the upper chambers, forced to toil away every day to reach the summit, having to deal with invaders like you. Instead, I would have liked to go back to my books if I was given a chance to."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She looked at Da Hua and then at Xiao Hua. "Your sister clearly disagrees."


    "I would like to play with swords," Xiao said to her in a whisper, "she likes to play with flowers in the garden. I would like to climb the hills, she would like to sit still in a corner of the king''s room, and stare at him. How can she agree to my idea."


    Da Hua puckered her lips. "I¡­"


    Cheng Xiu''s mind worked. Though these siblings argued and disagreed with each other, she could sense that their relationship was different from the first pair of twins. In those, the second always imitated the first. While here, the first and the second were clearly not the same person or imitations of someone. They seemed like real siblings.


    She would not be able to create a discord between them so easily as she did for the first pair. But if these two are supposed to be clues about the Queens, did that mean the queens have completely different personalities altogether? Is the spell book the only point of commonality between the pairs?


    "So the Queens should be like you two as well huh? Someone who was dragged into this by their relatives or the law?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    She did not think they would tell her anything substantial. She only asked it for the sake of keeping the conversation going. After all, what use was it to know if the queens came here through the law or were betrayed by their acquaintances. After all, this was just a low level dungeon, there wouldn''t be too deep a plot at this level.


    "How can they be like us!" Da Hua asked in an offended voice. She glared at Cheng Xiu with bloodshot eyes. "They are unnatural creatures! They are the reason that lead to the king developed such a perverted desire! We-we-we-"


    Da Hua burst into tears.


    Xiao Hua cringed.


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by the human like moments of the sisters. "I did not mean to make you upset! I am sorry."


    Xiao Hua sighed. "Really na?ve. I will tell you something, little girl, we are not humans, even if we look like you all."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Emotions are not exclusive to humans."


    Da Hua cried harder.


    Xiao Hua rolled her eyes, and gave Da Hua a kick in the calf.


    The girl fell to the ground and started to wail even more.


    "Why are you crying?" Xiao Hua asked her.


    "I am sorry," the girl said to her sister. "This is all my fault. It is my obsessive love for the king that put you in this position, brother!"


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. "Brother?"


    Xiao Hua kicked the fallen girl in the butt. "You useless thing! Look what you revealed!"


    Cheng Xiu gave them a strained smile when Xiao Hua looked over at her.


    "So you are a¡­boy."


    "A man," Xiao Hua said to her in disdain. "I am 25 in human years."


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrows. "So why do you sound like a teenager?"


    Xiao Hua pursed her¡­his lips. "Because that was the age at which I changed from a common rat to a Rat Cultivator in a human form."


    A thought occurred to her at that point. "Then the Queens¡­the ones who started all this¡­they might not necessarily be women."


    Da Hua shook her head. "The real one is¡­"


    "Real one?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Xiao Hua hualed his sister up and then looked at Cheng Xiu. "It looks like you have a strong power that can harm anything that has Qi¡­those like me and my sister are basically walking fuels at that point. We admit our defeat. Good bye!"


    Cheng Xiu blinked in confusion as the two started to fade.


    "Wait! What do you mean real one!"


    The two figures had disappeared.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the place where they stood a moment ago in a daze as the scene around her changed and she stood in front of San Zhe and Yaksha again.


    "Brother San?" Cheng Xiu asked in a daze, "Yaksha ge?"


    San Zhe raised his trident to pierce her heart.


    Yaksha took hold of the trident and yanked it away from San Zhe.


    "Lord Yaksha! What happ-"


    "It is the real Little Sela now."


    San Zhe blinked and looked at Cheng Xiu closely.


    He couldn''t recognise the difference between her and the one they fought with before.


    San Zhe dashed towards her for a moment, and pulled her into an embrace. "You are okay! Thank god! I was so scared! When you first attacked me, I thought you were again under the control of the mind control spell! It was Lord Yaksha who told me that the you from before was a fake! Then there were two of you! And both claimed to be you! But neither was you! I was really angry at that time! We met four pairs of yous! I am honestly sick of yous now. Can there only be a you now?"


    Cheng Xiu felt dizzy from San Zhe''s explanation. She sorted out what he said in her mind.


    The gist of it was that they were attacked by people who looked like her. And they seemed to come in pairs. Twins.


    "There is only one of me now," Cheng Xiu assured him.


    "That is great!" San Zhe said to her. "We found out something while you were gone though! The King is in weird mental state and he is climbing the wall. The subjects are being forced to follow his lead due to an imperial order. What did you find?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "This King is reaching the SS rank soon. The queens might not be twins though they might look like it. In fact, one of the queens would be a fake. An imitation, like the first twins that we saw. But seeing as the imitation is of the queen it would be of a higher grade. And they might only have the spell books as their attack weapons."


    San Zhe felt what it was like to be overloaded with information.

 Chapter 187 - The Fork Ran With The Spoon

    "Are we playing the same game?" San Zhe asked her. "In fact, isn''t your luck a bit too good?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. She felt like the entire second sub-plot was a bit too easy, though she was not sure of the reason it would be so easy.


    The rats were not her kin for sure. Was it the system who was helping her? What could be the reason?


    "There is a rumour," Yaksha said in a whisper.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe looked at him curiously.


    "That the system would manipulate things so that you can upgrade quicker if it thinks that you have a higher chance of being a powerful cultivator."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. "That makes sense! Sister Xiu is so great!"


    Cheng Xiu looked at San Zhe skeptically. She wondered what kind of things were going inside of San Zhe''s head that he said she was great or amazing at every turn. People would think she bribed him if it continued on.


    "I have been stuck on the first Quest for weeks," Cheng Xiu said to them with dull eyes. "Don''t rub salt into that wound."


    "So dramatic," Yaksha mocked her. "My Little Sela, the system is able to say if someone has potential or not. You can look at your achievements on your own and then tell me."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What are you-"


    "You reached 100% comprehension on the True Cultivation Method," Yaksha said to her. "You defeated a Level 70 Monster-"


    "That one was only possible because I used the weapon from Immortal EverHill."


    Yaksha shook his head, smiling a little under the mask. "Do you think it is so easy for a Level 3 Player to grab a Level 70 weapon, use it, and succeed it? The system has protocols for such moments."


    "So there was a glitch in the program at that moment?" Cheng Xiu suggested. "How else would I be able to hold it then?"


    Yaksha tilted his head. "Do you know why there are so many people who are willing to take the True Cultivation Method even though it is the least productive one?"


    Because it is the first cultivation Method that we are thought?" Cheng Xiu said to him, rolling her eyes. "Are you trying to suggest that my cultivation method is the reason that I was able to hold onto that weapon of EverHill? If so, doesn''t that mean that it is not that impressive a feat? You just contradicted yourself."


    Yaksha laughed at her.


    San Zhe and Cheng Xiu looked over at him in confusion.


    "Do you think it is so easy to get access to the Qi Island of the Country?" Yaksha asked her.


    Cheng Xiu felt that there was something in his words that she should take note of. Qi island. The one where she accessed the pillar?


    "Is it supposed to be difficult?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "What the hell is a Qi Island?" San Zhe asked in a low voice.


    Yaksha''s eyes darted towards San Zhe for a moment before he looked at Cheng Xiu with a laughing pair of eyes.


    "It is not difficult," Yaksha said to her. "Only those that the system feels have shown to have potential would be dragged to this Cultivation Method by an NPC in some ways. The fact that it is your first cultivation method¡­what did you do to impress the system so much?"


    Cheng Xiu''s mind went to that scene long ago, in a different game, where golden clouds surrounded her. The moment she had gained the Title of True Primordial. She still did not know what that title could have brought her because she never had a chance to use it, but it seemed that the system gave it great importance because it gave her preferential treatment because of it.


    Cheng Xiu felt a small feeling of regret creep into her heart for not using the title.


    "Forget it," Cheng Xiu said, "there is no use talking about it. We should just finish this Quest soon. I am not feeling too well."


    San Zhe''s eyes widened and he almost teleported to her side. "What happened? Where does it hurt? Why didn''t you say anything earlier? How about we log off here?"


    Cheng Xiu gave him a strained smile. Why was San Zhe so dramatic? And why did she feel a little warm inside her heart?


    "Brother San," Cheng Xiu called out, "You are far too emotional."


    "How am I emotional?" San Zhe asked in an offended tone, "You went into deep dive! I just wanted to make sure that you were okay!"


    Yaksha started to walk off.


    "Lord Yaksha!" San Zhe exclaimed, "Please make Sister Xiu see reason."


    Yaksha raised an eyebrow and then looked at Cheng Xiu. "See reason."


    Cheng Xiu blinked at him.


    He stared.


    Cheng Xiu blinked.


    He continued to stare.


    Cheng Xiu felt her brow twitch in annoyance. What did he want with her!


    She thought for a moment. It couldn''t be that he was expecting her to respond, was he?


    "Okay?" Cheng Xiu said, though it sounded like she was questioning him.


    Yaksha nodded in satisfaction and then began walking again.


    San Zhe looked between the two. What was that? Was that the bigshot''s version of making Cheng Xiu do something? How would that be effective? Did the man think Cheng Xiu would just follow his words because he said it to her?


    San Zhe then thought of Yakshas'' identity in the game. The man was the Lord of Ghosts. He was the Number 1 player of the game. Ordinarily, his words should really be enough to make someone do something.


    He then looked at Cheng Xiu who walked beside him with a far off look in her eyes.


    Cheng Xiu could be said to be a bigshot herself. And she had not played the game long enough to have a fanatical view of Lord Yaksha. She had no reason to obey him.


    San Zhe let out a sigh.


    "Look! A Fork in the path!" Cheng Xiu said to San Zhe.


    San Zhe blinked and looked ahead.


    Sure enough, h saw a metal fork on the rock-cut floor.


    "Why is there a fork here?" San Zhe asked her.


    "How would I know."


    An idea occurred to San Zhe.


    "We should pick it up. Maybe it would be important to clearing the dungeon," Cheng Xiu said to him suddenly.


    "I was thinking the same thing!" San Zhe said with a laugh.


    Just as he bent down to pick it up, two arms caught him by the elbows and dragged him back.


    San Zhe looked at his right elbow that was held by Cheng Xiu and his left elbow that was being held by Lord Yaksha. What just happened?


    "Caught in an illusion?" Cheng Xiu asked Yaksha.


    Yaksha nodded.


    "Who was caught in an illusion?" San Zhe asked in confusion.


    "You," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    "Huh?"


    "You mumbled something about thinking the same thing to me and then tried to pick up that fork," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    "You also agreed to it," San Zhe said in a greivious voice.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why would I tell you to pick up a fork from the ground?"


    "Because it might help us to clear the dungeon faster?"


    "Can the fork help us to kill the rats?" Cheng Xiu asked Yaksha.


    The man shook his head.


    Cheng Xiu looked at San Zhe, "even if I told you that it is useful, why would you try to pick in up directly without trying to see if it has some kind of trap in it?"


    San Zhe blinked. "I¡­I¡­"


    "And our mission is to kill the Rats," Cheng Xiu said to him, "How do you think this will help us?"


    San Zhe stared at the fork on the ground in confusion. That was right. How would a fork help them to kill the rat counsellors and Queens?


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Forget it. You were put under somekind of spell."


    San Zhe nodded.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she thought of something. "For a low-level dungeon, this place has too many ways to mislead the players to their death."


    San Zhe nodded. "Not all dungeons are like this."


    "Oh?" Cheng Xiu looked at him curiously.


    "The rat pits in the other Clock towers do have illusions but here it seemed to have been amped."


    "I see," Cheng Xiu said in a low voice.


    Yaksha walked forwards and stamped on the fork.


    The fork made a whining sound.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe backed away from the thing with a tacit understanding.


    The "Fork" started to wiggle under Yaksha''s foot.


    Cheng Xiu felt a bit bad for the utensil. It only wanted to be picked up by the weak members and instead got stamped by the bigshot. Poor thing.


    "Maybe¡­" Cheng Xiu started to say.


    Yaksha lifted his foot.


    The "Fork" ran away.


    Cheng Xiu blinked.


    Right as she thought it would escape completely, she saw it return. And now, with it was a spoon.


    Cheng Xiu felt a bit complicated. Wasn''t it the Fork ran away with the Spoon? Why was the Fork bringing the Spoon to them?


    "This is the big meanie!" a cute voice shouted.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened.. It came from the Fork, and its spokes were pointed at Yaksha.

 Chapter 188 - Salty Lemon

    San Zhe snickered.


    The corner of Cheng Xiu''s lips twitched in amusement.


    "What do you want to do?" Yaksha asked the Spoon in a cold voice.


    The spoon jumped back a few steps and angled its head upwards like it had eyes that could see him.


    "Fork," the spoon called out to its companion.


    "Yeah?"


    "Run!"


    The spoon said and ran away.


    The fork turned towards the direction that the other ran in and then at Yaksha.


    It jumped and ran away, following its companion.


    "That was so random," San Zhe commented after a while.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "I don''t think so."


    "Sister Xiu?"


    "What if this was another Sub-plots?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    San Zhe blinked at her owlishly. "How many subplots are there in this dungeon?"


    "How would I know?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    San Zhe sighed. "Are we going to face infinite amount of subplots until we kill all those rats?"


    "There are multiple subplots," Yaksha said. "Each resident of the dungeon have their own storyline and part to play in the entire game after all. But there are only four main subplots. These are the ones that will give us the clues to solving the main problems of the dungeon."


    Cheng Xiu was interested in these words. "How do we know we are in a relevant subplot or not then?"


    "You can''t," Yaksha said in a low voice. "You can only hope it is."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Why are the dungeons of this game so convoluted?"


    Yaksha looked at her for a moment and then at the long corridor. "Because they were not meant to be treated as game dungeons, but as training grounds."


    "Huh?" Cheng Xiu looked at him in confusion.


    "The ability of a person to realise the important facts from a strew of data is a unique skill that can only be developed over time," Yaksha said to her. "And yes, there are a few who only need a single subplot to work things out while there are many who can not piece together anything relevant even if they have experienced all the subplots."


    "Like sister Xiu did!" San Zhe said in a voice full of wonder.


    Yaksha did not comment on his words of flattery.


    "Why would the game dungeons train people in such skills though?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    Yaksha sighed. "I don''t know."


    "I have pl-" Cheng Xiu stopped herself from slipping. "I have read that the dungeons of the Primordials Online game, which is called as the predecessor of the Other World or the Beta version was like other VR games of its time, just that its concept was Cultivation."


    Yaksha frowned. "Because the Beta Test is a way for the System to see the compatibility of the players to the gaming environment and check the gaming experience itself. It does not need such deep rooted Dungeons for that."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Forget it then. Let us follow those talking utensils then. Maybe we will discover something important!"


    Cheng Xiu walked along the path the Fork and the Spoon took.


    San Zhe scrambled after her.


    Yaksha looked at her retreating figure with guilt in his eyes.


    His mind went to a time when he was younger, just a ten year old boy.


    He could still remember the wind in his hair and the summer heat on his skin. The lemon juice that he made for himself was left abandoned on the stool in front of him in the small garden because he put too much salt in it.


    He could still remember the cool touch of his grandfather''s hand on his as he grabbed his to comfort the little boy back then.


    "Well," Grandpa''s gravel-like voice said to him with a laugh, "Salt is good in summer."


    The little boy flushed and turned away from the man with the salt and pepper hair, his cheeks bulging.


    "Xing''er," the old man called. The little boy stared at the glass of lemon juice, grievance radiating from his small frame. "Okay. Grandpa was wrong. He shouldn''t have laughed at the little prince when he spit out the lemon juice."


    The little boy peeked at the man from under the lashes.


    He saw that grandpa had a grin on his face.


    Little Xing couldn''t handle the mockery. "You liar! You don''t regret laughing at all!"


    Grandpa threw his head back and laughed harder.


    Little Xing''s eyes filled with tears and he ran away.


    "Young Master!" one of the maids screamed and ran after him.


    Little Xing knew the garden better than anyone, and hid behind the bushes, towards the side where his grandpa sat.


    Grandpa was just about to get up to go look for his angry grandson when a robot servant rolled into the garden.


    Grandpa exchanged words with the servant and sat down again.


    Little Xing was upset that grandpa was not even looking for him.


    Just as he was about to go over and complain a woman in a pain white shirt and grey skirt was ushered in by the Robo Servant.


    Little Xing crouched further down. There were guests. He couldn''t run over to grandpa casually when there were guests near him. If he did, then his grandma would be very angry at him for breaking the rules again.


    Little Xing wanted to hear what they were talking about though.


    Big Brother Xuan had said to him that adults always told secrets to each other when children are not around and that if you knew those secrets, you would grow up faster!


    He crawled slowly closer to the pair.


    "-it," the woman said in between sobs, "They are mine, Master Lu."


    Grandpa Lu snorted. "Yours? You sold that right away yourself, Mrs Ming. You knew what that project meant to your father."


    The woman looked agitated. "I was wrong. I did not think¡­he would actually have such a break through!"


    Grandpa Lu rolled his eyes. "If what you said is true, then the Qin Family will gain fame in this world and the others. They will have a great standing in the Alliance. Why are you so against it?"


    "Because he wants to expand the test subjects now!" the woman screamed.


    Little Xing behind the bushes cringed away from the loud voice.


    Grandpa Lu did not even blink his eyes at her words or the volume that she used. "So?"


    The woman looked frustrated. "The soldiers¡­some of them used to be Qiless."


    "Used to be?" Grandpa Lu raised an eyebrow.


    "There are signs that they are awakening now!" the woman screamed even more.


    She expected the man in front of her to be agitated but he remained still. "Are you not agitated by this news?"


    "You should not believe everything that you hear outsde," Grandpa Lu said and took a sip of the Lemon Juice in front of him. He scrunched up his nose. "Really salty, ah."


    The woman''s face flushed in anger. She felt like the words that he said was aimed at her instead of at the Lemon Juice. After all, he was Master Lu, how could the juice delivered to him be not perfect? He was clearly calling her salty!


    "I should not have expected an abnormal man like you to disapprove of those abominations that Qin wants to create!" the woman said with a sneer. "I guess those rumours are true then!"


    Grandpa gave her a gentle smile. "My dear, I am 104 years old. Don''t try to use such wordplays on me. It wont work."


    The woman was agitated again. "Why can you not see reason. He is saying things like he is going to create phases to expose the Qiless to the Core Stimulator over time! He said he wants to give the Qiless an opportunity to be like us!"


    Grandpa Lu just looked at her.


    "Are you not even going to try?" the woman asked in a low voice. "Are you not his¡­his¡­his¡­friend?"


    Grandpa Lu let out a light chuckle. "There is no need to be so conspicious about it. I have made my intentions for him clear, it is he who wants otherwise."


    The woman frowned.


    "I used to be like you," Grandpa Lu said to her. "But once you have lived long enough and met people from different walks of life, you will start to accept a lot of things. Why are the soldiers abominations because they have Qi now? How are they different?"


    "They are!" the woman insisted.


    "Why though?"


    "They just are!"


    Grandpa Lu sighed. "Mrs Ming, you should try to be a lot more open minded."


    The woman flushed even more. "You tell that man¡­you tell that man that if he does not stop that abomination experiment of his, then his precious daughter would return to her home."


    Grandpa Lu frowned. "Young Qin Wu is carrying your grandchild. There are only a few weeks left."


    The woman smirked. "My son is so capable. He can find another woman, more capable than this one. I can have many grandchildren. But that Qin girl, she will lose her rationality once my son abandons her. You tell that Qin I said so."


    The man frowned. "Why can''t you tell this to him?"


    The woman scoffed. "Can the In-Laws be more important than the Lover¡­I mean¡­you know what I mean."


    Grandpa Lu watched as the woman walked away confidently.


    "Come out," he said to the bush next to him.


    Little Xing came out with a guilty expression.


    He expected to be scolded but Grandpa Lu just dusted off his clothes. "Go back inside and practice the violin for me today. I will be back by dinner."


    Before Little Xing could respond, Grandpa Lu walked away.


    The dungeons of the Other World was not meant for the ordinary people when it was first constructed. It was a place to train the Spiritual and Mental Powers of the Alliance soldiers.. And it would seem that the System would carry out the desires of its master despite the fact that said master was dead for years now.

 Chapter 189 - Follow The Light

    Yaksha kept his thoughts to himself.


    There were too many dangerous plots going on with the VR game and he wasn''t sure who all would be dragged into it. He just hoped that people like Selafia who were there to just enjoy the game would not be dragged into it. Though he was not sure that wish of his would come true.


    Many powerful families were already part of the game, and they were making movements everywhere. And Selafia, unfortunately, was too eye-catching.


    He followed the duo of Qiless as they walked through the long corridor, their steps caustious.


    Silence filled the space around them.


    "Sister Xiu," San Zhe said after a while. "What do you think the story behind the Talking forks are?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked at him. "Isn''t talking utensils normal in the other world?"


    San Zhe shook his head, an awkward expression on his face. "Why would you think that it was normal?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Because the Devs are bored?"


    San Zhe shook his head. He shouldn''t have asked. Not everything a genius says is smart and witty things.


    Intelligent people can also be stupid.


    The three fell silent again.


    Their footsteps started to echo.


    San Zhe froze. He remembered the last experience with footsteps. He listened carefully. Sure enough there was the sound of extra footsteps on his left even though both Lord Yaksha and Cheng Xiu were on his right.


    He wanted to cry. Why him? Why did the NPCs always go for him? Was it because the others were stronger or he was weaker? Or was it because of the curse that he was put under?


    Cheng Xiu put her finger on her lips as she looked at him, indicating that he should keep quite.


    San Zhe nodded and pursed his lips. He was too scared to make a sound anyway, so he should be fine at this point.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes darted around the walls of the passage.


    Confused, San Zhe copied her action.


    He was not able to guess what she was trying to see or observe.


    Cheng Xiu pulled out the black flame in her hand and threw it at one of the wooden torches that was near him.


    San Zhe started and looked at her in fear and confusion.


    Did Sister Xiu get ensnared in another spell?


    He thought back to what he said in his head a few moments ago. San Zhe wanted to cry.


    You can keep attacking me, San Zhe thought in his heart. Please don''t put that kind of spells on Sister Xiu. He thought in this manner not because he was a really chivalrous individual. It was just that he did not want to face the Mind-controlled Cheng Xiu again. It was exhausting having to aim your attacks to hurt but not kill. It took too much effort to control his attacks to that extent.


    The wooden torch giggled and then jumped from its holder.


    Cheng Xiu blinked.


    "Talking Forks," San Zhe said in a confused voice, "taking spoons, and now giggling Wooden torches. I think I have seen the extent to which the whimsical nature of the other world could go! Isn''t this supposed to be a Cultivation game!"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow at him. "It is very common in ancient cultures to give human characteristics to inanimate objects. It is very prevalent in cultivation stories."


    San Zhe blinked. "Really?"


    "Don''t you know that already?"


    "Why would I know such useless things?" San Zhe asked her.


    Cheng Xiu''s face froze. Useless information¡­


    San Zhe saw the stiff expression on her face and realised what he just said was very offensive.


    "I meant that it did not seem useful to me! I did not mean that-"


    Cheng Xiu cupped him mouth with her palm. She sighed. "Lets go."


    "Oh," San Zhe said, bowing his head in defeat.


    Yaksha looked at the two. "I feel left out."


    Cheng Xiu stared at him in confusion. "Why?"


    San Zhe looked at the expert in shock, eyes wide and mouth open. Experts could feel left out?


    "You two keep discussing things among yourself, while I walk behind you waiting for either one of you to talk to me."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "I told you that this was our dungeon run. We will have to discuss things among us. We do ask you things that neither of us can answer. Besides, nobody told you to keep quiet. If you want to talk, just talk. Do you need invitations to talk to people walking right beside you?"


    "Yes," Yaksha said.


    Cheng Xiu was stumped. How was she supposed to respond to such a direct answer. She thought for a moment. "Then please, Great Elder Yaksha ge, please join our conversations."


    San Zhe looked between then in confusion again. "That¡­Lord Yaksha¡­we did not mean to-"


    Yaksha sighed. "Little Sela, you are no fun at all. I was trying to have a decent argument with you."


    Cheng Xiu glared. "We are on a Quest. Is this any time to have in-fighting for the fun of it?"


    Yaksha sighed again. "I am a Level 70 player in a Low-level dungeon. I get bored easily."


    "Why are you complaining like I am the one who forced you to join us?" Cheng Xiu asked in anger.


    San Zhe stilled. Cheng Xiu''s tone¡­was she mind-controlled again?!


    Cheng Xiu huffed and walked forwards.


    San Zhe looked at her in confusion.


    Yaksha tapped him on the shoulder.


    San Zhe looked up.


    "Stop staring," Yaksha said, "Let us catch up to the Primordial one."


    San Zhe blinked. Primordial one? What did that mean? Was he calling her a Diva for her breif burst of temper at that moment? That wasn''t good. Sister Xiu was a calm person most of the time, if she was angry then there had to be a reason. Why was the expert thinking about her in that manner?


    San Zhe looked at Cheng Xiu who stomped her feet with each step that she took as though she was trying to release her anger at the ground because of something.


    "Sister Xiu, are you okay."


    "Fine," came a calm reply. "Ghost Flame!"


    Two balls of fire were thrown at the wall simultaniously.


    There was a giggling sound and they saw the Fork, the Spoon and the Wooden Troch appear out of thin air and run away.


    "That¡­sister Xiu, how do you know they are there?" San Zhe could not help asking.


    "Drawings of those items appear on the ceiling when ever they are there," Cheng Xiu said without turning to look at him.


    San Zhe''s mind had another question. "How do you know which wall to hit then?"


    "The drawing will lean towards the opposite direction that the things are in," Yaksha said to him before Cheng Xiu could answer. "See, Little Sela, I have responded on my own."


    She sent the man a fleeting look behind her mask before she started to walk faster, walking quite a few steps in front of them.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. He was shocked. Not just because of the fact that Cheng Xiu figured that out but also that the expert was still on that topic. Did the man want Cheng Xiu to choke him to death or something?


    Yaksha''s eyes sparkled in excitement at the brief verbal spat that they had. Though he knew that her emotions were agitated because of the Deep Dive and the spell that she was under, it still brought back memories.


    Little Sela was such a spitfire before, unlike the extremely collected front that she was putting on for them to see.


    "Sister Xiu-"


    "Come out!" Cheng Xiu said as she cupped San Zhe''s mouth again. "I know who are out here!"


    There were giggling voices.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. Those voices were different from what he had heard before. It was definitely not the utensils or the Wooden Torch for sure.


    He watched in surprise as a beautiful woman walked out of the wall. She wore a blue robe and looked enchanting.


    Another woman came out of the wall behind her.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened. They were twins.


    He suspected that Cheng Xiu''s speculation that the Rat King had a special fetish for twins was not far from the truth.


    "Da Hua," Cheng Xiu greeted the lady who came out first. She then turned to the second on who stood on the left. "Xiao Hua."


    Xiao Hua sighed. "It is you again."


    Da Hua started to cry. "You! Did we not tell you that we were letting you off! Why are you disturbing our peace!"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Could it be that we were not supposed to follow the talking utensils?"


    San Zhe blinked.


    Xiao Hua''s eyes narrowed.


    Da Hua wailed harder.


    Xiao Hua''s eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Should up, sister."


    Da Hua sniffled. "Oh."


    "Am I to guess that the secret that those utensils will reveal is something crucial to the¡­story of the queens and their origin or something?" Cheng Xiu speculated. "You guys are the body guards of this secret?"


    Da Hua wailed again. "We were going to let you go! Why did you have to poke your nose here?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged.. "Because it might help me and my friends to complete our tasks easier."

 Chapter 190 - Heart Piercing

    Da Hua pouted at Cheng Xiu''s words.


    "And now here we are!"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. Her eyes held a curious light. "Say¡­what is with that weird Footsteps effect? What do you intend by doing that kind of a spell?"


    "Create a sense of horror," Da Hua said to her bluntly. "Why else?"


    Xiao Hua''s eyebrow twitched. This silly sister of his! Why was she so na?ve!


    "So it was you guys who did that effect," Cheng Xiu said with a smile.


    Da Hua''s eyes reddened at the corners, looking like Cheng Xiu had bullied her. "Brother! This woman made me reveal our secrets!"


    San Zhe blinked. Brother? What?


    Xiao Hua rolled his eyes at Da Hua. "Da Hua, if it was not for you, would the girl know such things? Why are you so stupid at times?"


    Da Hua looked at her brother with grievance in her eyes.


    "Brother¡­"


    San Zhe nudged Cheng Xiu''s side with his elbow. "Hey, sister Xiu¡­how do you know them?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Right. These are the people who attacked us when we got out of that White stone room with the two rat counsellors."


    "You!" Da Hua called at that moment. "Do you have the ability to talk? Then let us fight!"


    Da Hua grabbed her Spell Book out of thin air.


    Cheng Xiu created a pair of Sword copies to spin around her. She released the sword that was held by the sheath and used Ghost Flame to cover the blade.


    "We can do this the hard way or we can do this the easy way," Cheng Xiu said to the twins. "I have a bit of a soft spot for you so I am willing to not destroy you."


    Da Hua glared. "Do you think we want to fight you? Do you think we are so idle? If it was up to me, I would be in the garden eating some rotten apples!"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Rotten? Why rotten? Why not fresh?"


    Da Hua''s face wrinkled. "I¡­am too used to the taste."


    "I thought it was because you are a rat," Cheng Xiu said.


    "What does me being a rat have to-"


    A string of arrows sprang towards Cheng Xiu from all sides as a green patterned geometric circle appeared under her feet.


    Cheng Xiu used the swords to create a "Sword Shield". When she saw that the Shield was being cracked open bit by bit, Cheng Xiu directly used the Ghost Flame to burn them away.


    Cheng Xiu blinked and looked towards Xiao Hua.


    The man held his Spell Book, a calm look on his gaze. "Shields that can withstand such strong physical attacks, a flame that had the ability to burn anything it touches, and the ability to make multiple copies of your weapon. You are quite a strong person."


    Cheng Xiu scoffed.


    The man sent arrows at her again.


    Cheng Xiu dodged them once more by burning them away with the Ghost Flame.


    "I am really not good at Physical spells," Xiao Hua sighed. "Da Hua."


    Da Hua started to murmur a spell.


    San Zhe dashed towards her, intending to prevent her from attacking Cheng Xiu.


    Xiao Hua looked at him and created a golden spell under his feet. Blades made of Light attacked San Zhe again and again.


    Xiao Hua''s eyes went to Yaksha. The man did not try to help his comrades as he thought the man would, and the others did not ask for his help.


    "Brother San," Cheng Xiu called.


    San Zhe looked at her as he dodged the flying blades, it was hard to do even though they were not fast and he could dodge most without much effort. Cuts of varying depth littered his body.


    "Yeah?"


    "Divide and conquer," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhe frowned. Isn''t that what they were doing already? She would attack the Xiao Hua and he would attack the Da Hua, right?


    "I meant," Cheng Xiu said with a smile. "Kill one and then the other."


    San Zhe understood. She wanted them both to attack a sibling together!


    "Which one?" San Zhe asked.


    "The crying one," Cheng Xiu said and dashed towards Da Hua.


    Da Hua stumbled back in shock and fear.


    San Zhe ran after her, his trident held high. His eyes darted to Xiao Hua when he saw a spark of blue light from that side.


    The man whispered something that sounded like a spell.


    The green patterns under Cheng Xiu''s feet turned into a deep blue colour, and chains made of light rose from it.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Be careful! This could maybe turn into blades or even worse! Brother San, you-"


    The glowing blue light chains entered her chest in haste.


    San Zhe screamed.


    Yaksha moved to her side.


    Cheng Xiu fell her her knees.


    Cheng Xiu felt a deep pain in her heart as something coiled around it. "Wha¡­what is¡­this¡­"


    Cheng Xiu puked blood.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe ran to her side.


    "I did what I had to," Xiao Hua said as he closed his book. "You are capable, but not that capable."


    "Brother!" Da Hua screamed as Xiao Hua fell to his knees as blood poured out of his mouth. "Brother!"


    "What is your name?" Xiao Hua asked as his breathing came in gurgling intervals.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as Yaksha kneeled beside her.


    His once mocking and teasing eyes now held a deep worry in them. "Log Out. Now."


    "Selafia," Cheng Xiu said to the NPC instead of giving Yaksha spare glance.


    Yaksha frowned. "Why are you being so stubborn?"


    "Selafia," Xiao Hua whispered, "I have put you under the Heart Spell. It is a life for life Spell. You have to finish off the Queens if you want to not die. I know you must be thinking that since you are a Reincarnator, you can just be reborn into your birth place or your Safe Zone, but with this spell you can''t.. You will always reincarnate in this corridor until you finish the quest."

 Chapter 191 - Cursed

    Cheng Xiu coughed more blood.


    San Zhe gasped again. "Sister Xiu!"


    "She wont die," Xiao Hua said to him.


    San Zhe glared at him.


    Da Hua held onto her brother desperately, not caring about anything else.


    She gave it no mind, her eyes locked with the NPC who attacked her. "Life for life. What will happen to you then?"


    The man laughed, blood spilling out of his mouth as he did so. "Me? I will be alive if you are able to finish the Queen in this round. If not, I will be giving up my life to sustain that spell on you."


    Yaksha''s hand glowed red.


    Cheng Xiu blinked as panick started to raise in the NPC''s eyes. She grabbed hold of Yaksha''s wrist.


    "What are you doing?" she asked him.


    "This is a Level 5, A rank curse. I can remove it."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "No."


    "Are you stupid?"


    "Why do you want the Queens to die?" She asked Xiao Hua. "Why would you do this? Why risk your life for it?"


    The man snorted in disdain. It agitated his condition, and blood started to flow from his nose as well.


    Da Hua was wailing.


    Xiao Hua let out a self deprecating laugh.


    "Because I want them to die," Xiao Hua said to her. "It was them who put us here."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head curiously.


    "I had a fellow help us to run away, but the b*tches actually caught us and brought us to this hell. Do you know what they said? That this was for the greater good. That I should be grateful that they caught us! They put us as the guards of this place! Controlled under their commands!"


    Cheng Xiu understood the situation. He resented the Queens so much that he was willing to do this to risk his life. "But why did you do this to me? What would you gain from doing this other than your death if or when I fail?"


    The fellow smiled. "It is tradition. The one to follow the light must be the one to hold onto the burden in our heart."


    Cheng Xiu realised what he meant. "You mean¡­that the person who becomes the guard of the secrets would have to do this curse?"


    The man smiled.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Why was these storylines so dramatic? Why couldn''t it just be mindless NPCs who say static lines? Why did the system and the Devs make such plots?


    "They wouldn''t do it," Xiao Hua said to her in a laugh, "That was why they all died."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Meaning?"


    "If I do this, my sister would be spared," Xiao Hua said to her, "No matter how many times you fail, my sister will keep living. That is something I am willing to die for."


    Da Hua wailed harder.


    "You shut up," Xiao Hua scolded her, "What are you crying so hard for? Who died? Am I dead?"


    "Bro-brother!" Da Hua said.


    Cheng Xiu felt the pain in her heart lighten up enough for her endure. She started to get up to her feet.


    Her eyes fell on the glowing red palm of Yaksha who was staring at her.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She took his hand and forced his open palm to close. "I will be fine. This is just another reason to finish this Quest in a timely manner."


    She then turned to Xiao Hua. "Are you sure that I can win against the queens?"


    "You will fail," Xiao Hua said to her in cold voice.


    Cheng Xiu sweatdropped. "Wouldn''t that mean you will die?"


    Xiao Hua shrugged. "What does that matter to me? Are we all not supposed to return to the Primordial in the end?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "The Primordial?"


    Xiao Hua did not give the human cultivators any more attention. He did what he had wanted to do when he approached Cheng Xiu.


    "Let us go," Xiao Hua said to his sister.


    Da Hua looked back at the humans and then ran after her brother, fussing over him. She even got a little kick to her shin for her trouble.


    The two walked into a wall and disappeared.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe called. "Quickly let Lord Yaksha remove that curse! Those NPCs are gone now!"


    Cheng Xiu stared at Yaksha.


    The man in the plain black mask stared back at her for a moment. "Very well then."


    "Huh?" San Zhe looked between them. Were they talking with their eyes again?


    Cheng Xiu smiled under the white mask and turned towards the direction that the twins had taken. "Let us go. The torch went that way right?"


    "Sister Xiu?"


    "They might be NPCs to us," Cheng Xiu said to him, "But they are the living beings of this world. If their life depends on me, can I really stay back and not help them?"


    San Zhe thought for a moment. "This could be an opportunity in disguise."


    "It is not," Yaksha said to him. "The curse is a curse because it gives you no rewards for the hardwork you put into removing it."


    San Zhe blinked. "No rewards either¡­sister Xiu-"


    "I have made my decision," Cheng Xiu said.


    "But if you fail, you will be pulled into this part of the dungeon again and again until you succeed!" San Zhe argued, "And since me or Lord Yaksha were not put into the same curse, we might not be able to accompany you."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I am not afraid of that. I have been stuck in dangerous dungeons before."


    San Zhe blinked at her words. That was right¡­they were both Qiless. She should be able to get accustomed to being stuck at a level. He forgot about that.


    "Sister Xiu¡­"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "But there is one thing though."


    San Zhe looked at her. "What?"


    "When I kill those Queens, I will give that brat Xiao a good beating," Cheng Xiu said with a cold smile. "Am I such a person that he will make me his scapegoat? I will show him what it means to cry for your saviour!"


    San Zhe shivered at the cold glint in her eyes and backed away.


    Cheng Xiu walked off. "Let us go. We don''t have much time."


    Yaksha followed behind her, his head bowed, hiding his eyes from the view of others.. They held a weird light in them.

 Chapter 192 - The Nest

    Cheng Xiu walked through the barely lit pathway, her phoenix eyes glazed as her thoughts were on the various clues that she had found throughout the dungeon.


    "What I want to know is," San Zhe said to her, "Why animated utensils?"


    "Why not?"


    San Zhe blinked. "That is also true."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head with a smile. "I was just trying to troll you. I think you are right. We should question that storyline. In fact, I do have a bit of a guess¡­but we will see if it is right or not."


    San Zhe tilted his head. "What is it?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled and whispered to him.


    San Zhe stared at her for a few moments and then nodded in a daze. "That makes sense¡­but¡­does this mean we have to find a rose or something?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "We will see. I am sure that where we are going right now will show us the right direction."


    They soon reached a dead end. Or to be more clear, a large wooden door that blocked their path.


    San Zhe raised his trident, ready to burst open the door.


    Thinking of something, Cheng Xiu stopped him. "Wait."


    San Zhe stepped back, curious about what she had figured out or planned on doing.


    Cheng Xiu placed her hand on the corner of the door and sent out a small burst of Qi.


    The door flashed blue, and creeped open.


    San Zhe blinked. He looked at Cheng Xiu in confusion. "How did you know to do that?"


    "Isn''t this the method that the system gave out to us when we wanted to open the second Iron door?"


    San Zhe thought some and nodded.


    Cheng Xiu was about to step in when Yaksha walked in front of her and blocked her path.


    Cheng Xiu looked up at him. "Brother Yaksha?"


    "I need to go in first."


    "Why?"


    Yaksha pulled out a dim lit talisman. "The device I used to suppress my Level in the dungeon is running out."


    Cheng Xiu cast him a worried look. "What will happen if it fails now?"


    "We will have to face a horde of dead Rat souls," he said in a light voice, as though what he said was not a scary thing at all.


    Cheng Xiu shivered. "So¡­souls?...as in Gho-ghosts? Why?"


    Yaksha stared at her with deep black eyes. "Because of my identity in the game."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She wanted him to explain more but at that moment, they had little time as the talisman was dying.


    "How will you going into the room help in this situation?" she asked him.


    "It is the Nest," he said to her in a tone that said she should know about it.


    She didn''t.


    San Zhe gasped. "Nests? Why are there nests in this dungeon?"


    Yaksha looked at him briefly. "Random Encounter."


    "Huh?" San Zhe blinked. "You mean this dungeon''s Random Encounters have nests?"


    "What the hell are nests?" Cheng Xiu asked in a low tone.


    San Zhe blinked. "It is like the system store but they are owned by the NPCs. The store would have all kinds of things in it that is common throughout all the system stores and also those that are specialties and are only available at this dungeon''s Nest. They are always owned by Witch NPCs."


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by that. She had not realised that there were even such things¡­but then again. It made sense. This was a game after all, and dungeons are the places that people are most likely to need more weapons, supplements, guides, and other necessities. They might also buy things that are suitable for the environment of the dungeon, or upgrade their entire equipments.


    But that brought her another question.


    "Why are you so surprised by its presence then?" She asked San Zhe. "Isn''t it more weird if there are none here?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "Nests are only available to those dungeons that are extremely difficult to clear. The fact that it appeared here¡­"


    "Why did the Wooden torch and the Fork and Spoon couple run to the Nest then?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    San Zhe shrugged. He was not that talented in game logics.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes started to sparkle. "I am sure that the Nest is very interesting!"


    San Zhe sweatdropped. Sure enough, genius or not, girls are always obsessed about going shopping.


    Cheng Xiu saw the look in San Zhe''s eyes and controlled her expression. She calmed herself down and looked Yaksha again. "But that does not explain why you have to be the first person to enter."


    Yaksha pointed towards a rat head carved into the space at a small corner of the doorframe. "That is called a Witch mark. It records the people who go into the store. If the first person to go in is a Level 10, then only those who are 5 levels below or above that person can go in. So if you go in, only players upto level 8 can go in. I will be forbidden."


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why is it a rule like that?"


    "To protect the people who come in," Yaksha said. "But there are always loop holes. Like the first person who comes in might not be a weak person. Like what I am doing. I am at level 70, so anyone at or below Level 70 would be able to enter the store."


    "Um¡­that¡­" Cheng Xiu just stared at him. "Have you done this before?"


    "Yes," he said to her, his eyes steady.


    "The system allowed it? And there was no patchwork after that to make sure that it did not happen again?"


    Yaksha shrugged. "I don''t know."


    Cheng Xiu was annoyed at those words. "You don''t know¡­then why are you still going in?"


    "What if it is the same? I need to update my talisman."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Fine. Lets try it then. We also need to finish this Quest before all the Rats upgrade to S rank."


    Yaksha nodded and went in, and San Zhe and Cheng Xiu followed after him.


    A tinkling of bell rang as each of them crossed the threshold of the door and the rat head symbol flashed each time.


    The room inside was made of boulders, lit in an ambient red light.


    There were claws and all kinds of body parts floating from the ceiling. There were flaoting wooden torches all around the room, their flame a deep blood red.


    Curious about the lights, and wondering if any of them was the Wooden Torch that led her and the others here, Cheng Xiu moved towards the one near the doorframe and was the closest to them to get a better veiw.


    She was not that surprised to find that the flames of the torches did not emit light. Though she wanted to know if it would burn or have some other consequences, Cheng Xiu forced herself to not do anything stupid like acutally try to touch it.


    She stretched out her neck and look a little peek into the torch holder.


    She stepped back in agitation.


    The fuel that made the torches burn was a kind of red liquid. She could guess what those liquids were.


    Cheng Xiu was still curious though, and her hand stretched to hold the wooden part of the torch instead of the flame.


    She frowned as she saw a rat head carved onto the wooden handle. If she touched the handle, there might be some kind of a reaction like the one in the doorframe, or there would be other consequences.


    She pulled back her hand.


    There was a disappointed sigh behind her and then a groan.


    "I thought she would touch it!" a small voice said in a low whisper.


    Cheng Xiu forced herself not to turn around even though the voice sounded like the Fork when it had accused Yaksha of being a bully.


    "She did not," another voice said. Their position was near each other as their voices came from the same direction and distance.


    "I guess I can only hope that she trips and falls so that she can touch the torch, and then I can leave this place," another squeaky voice said.


    Though she was not familiar with this voice, she was sure it was the wooden torch.


    Cheng Xiu then realised something. San Zhe had not said a word since they can into the room!


    She turned around in worry, only to find that she was placed inside some kind of a glass dome and that San Zhe was searching for her inside the room. He clearly could not see her who was right in front of him.


    Yaksha was staring at a talisman in his hand and talking to the Shop keeper. Like he had forgotten about both her and San Zhe''s existence and that he could not see either of them.


    San Zhe might not be able to see either her nor Yaksha then. Or else he would have realised that something was wrong with Yaksha.


    Why was she able to see and know these things then? Why was she being given this opportunity to know about the dome and the situation of her teammates?


    "I really hope she does too," Little Spoon''s voice reached her ears.


    Cheng Xiu looked to the right and was surprised by the sight in front of her.

 Chapter 193 - The Chasm

    There were three wooden torches with glowing red flames in them floating in the air right next to her face.


    Cheng Xiu was sure that the torches were on the walls before.


    She stepped away from them.


    She closed her eyes and sent the Qi in her out, to sense the world around her.


    She got a sense of emptiness and the sense of being alone as her Qi touched the invisible wall of the dome. She subconsciously made a conclusion, these invisible wall that separated her from San Zhe and Yaksha were not just walls. They were chasms.


    Though she did not know why it happened or what would happen in the chasms, Cheng Xiu knew what it represented in this world. The chasm gave her a somewhat familiar feeling. A feeling that she was only now aware of as she touched the dome wall because she had felt something like that before.


    It was the feeling of having no Qi.


    Though there were many out there who would say that Qiless means that there was no Qi at all in their body, the truth was, they were just unable to access the Qi of the world and the Qi in themselves.


    There were some areas in the universe that were truly Qiless. Areas that were like small pockets of Qiless areas.


    And these areas were very dangerous for those with Qi, whether they could access it or not. Because the creatures that lived in these Qiless areas were hungry for those who had it.


    Cheng Xiu moved away from the Chasm towards the floating torches. Better to face these things than the things that could just suck away the Qi in her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. That reminded her of something. The Ghost Flames were things that ate the Qi in the atmosphere to strengthen itself. It that mean that it was a creature of the Qiless Zone too? Was it something that she should worry about?


    "She did not step back more," a dissatisfied voice said. The voice of the Fork.


    "Do you think that she knows what the Chasm does?" a voice asked.


    "How can it be?" the voice of the Fork asked. "The scary one is the black robed man and now he is separated from them! And this is a girl."


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    "What does it matter if it is a girl?" the torch asked. "Am I not one?"


    "You are a torch now," the Fork argued. "Why is that woman not touching the torches? Don''t they all want to touch it?"


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by those words, why would they anyone want to touch the torches? They obviously meant something sinister as their fuel is blood.


    "Come out," Cheng Xiu said, "I have enough of the three of you trying to make me do things you want."


    "Do you think that she knows we are here?" Spoon asked Fork.


    "How can that be? Is this human so capable?" the voice of the Fork asked.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her to see where those utensils and the wooden troch could have hidden.


    There were barrels and barrels of wine around her with the words ''Vermin Wine is the best'' written on it that made Cheng Xiu want to puke but that was it. There did not seem to be anything else on this section of the Nest.


    If she was asked why wine or any type of alcohols would be placed near the door instead of the aisle closer to the cashier, she would not be able to tell anything in return. The floor planning of the entire Nest made it seem like the wine was the least valuable thing in the room. And maybe it was. She was not aware of ''Vermin'' culture and so she would not be able to judge the Nest functionality.


    "Just come out," Cheng Xiu said as she massaged her temple. Though this was a VR game, she could still feel the phantom pain in her head that this kind of situations would bring.


    "I think she knows where we are," the Spoon said in a trembling voice.


    "Why are you so scared of that?" the Fork asked. "That blockhead is a nutcase. There is no way that a woman can find us so easily."


    Cheng Xiu turned towards the direction that the voices came from, her eyes on the floor. "That is a misogynistic ideology, Little Fork."


    "She knows!" Fork screamed.


    Cheng Xiu saw a flash of silver in the corner of her eyes.


    She turned to see the Fork run out of one of the walls, revealing a hidden room in the wall.


    Cheng Xiu''s lip twitched under the mask. That was the power of having Pig teammates. They would boast about themselves all the way until they are faced with any actual danger, and then they would be the first to abandon the team and run away.


    The Spoon and the Torch bent forwards and forwards as though they were watching the Fork run away from their position.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened when the torch was bounced back by the dome.


    "Oh no!" the Fork cried.


    The Spoon and the Wooden Torch jumped out of their hidden room and turned to see why the Fork was reacting the way it did.


    The wooden Torch jumped back in fright. "The Chasm! Why is it the Chasm!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. The Chasm. Was that what these creatures called the Qiless Zone?


    "What is the Chasm?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    The NPCs did not mind her.


    [Ding!]


    [Chasms are Qiless Zones that eat away at the Qi-filled areas around them. The Other World has semi-sentient Chasms.]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "You know¡­you did not appear when I asked questions before."


    [There was a Level 70 player with you.]


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "How does the Chasm work?"


    [The same way that the Qiless Zones of reality works.]


    "Then what are these red torches for and what do they represent?"


    [Ding!]


    [Player can not access Dungeon related information directly from the System.]


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment. "That means that the Chasms are not part of the dungeon?"


    [Chasms are the ways that the Clock Tower punishes the Creatures in its levels who try to climb the wall. If they survive in the Chasm they can live, if not they can die.]


    Cheng Xiu gaped. "Didn''t that just equal to death either way?"


    [Perhaps.]

 Chapter 194 - The Invisible Door

    Cheng Xiu could not help thinking that the Devs of this game were a bit too cruel to their NPCs. To give them the hope of success through the rings on the walls, and then throwing them to the Chasm¡­what kind of cruel mind could work on such things?


    She looked towards the three animated things that were huddled together near the Chasm.


    "If you guys are scared of the Chasm so much, why are the three of you so near it?" Cheng Xiu asked them.


    The Fork gasped. "That is right. Brother Spoon, come on! We should move away from it!"


    The Fork ran towards where Cheng Xiu stood, avoiding the place that the floating red torches were.


    Cheng Xiu cast the little Fork a curious look as it hid behind her calf.


    "This is your fault," the Fork said to the Spon. "It was your idea to hide in the Nest! You said that the Humans will not be able to say which one is those that belong to the Nest and which one doesn''t, Now look! Stuck in a Dimensional Rift! What will we do! How will we escape! We would have to rely on this Human Cultivator''s capabilities!"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She realised what the Fork''s words meant.


    "We are now in different dungeons," Cheng Xiu whispered. "And you guys are stuck here unless I solve this dungeon on my own."


    "Well done, Piggy Fork," the wooden torch said with a sneer in its voice, "You just gave the human a clue!"


    The Fork bent its spokes as though bending its head in shame.


    "Now now, there is no need to be so rude about it," Cheng Xiu said, "We can all work together. Don''t you guys want to get out of here too? And you said you would have to rely on me for that so be a bit more co-operative would you?"


    The Fork nodded its head. It did want to get out.


    Cheng Xiu gave them an amused look. This must be the next part of the game. These were the NPCs who had to help her in this Nest. She wondered if it was always like this, or if this time it was different because of Yaksha''s presence, and the S ranking of the Country they were staying in.


    "So tell me, what is the goal or objective of this dungeon?" Cheng Xiu asked them, her eyes mostly rested on the Fork who would have the loose tongue.


    "Kill the Rat climbing that wall," the torch said, its silvery flames pointing towards the wall behind her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She was surprised that the one that gave her the information was the Torch. It had seemed unwilling to talk before to even its two companions. She kept this in mind as she turned around.


    She was met with a black wall.


    Cheng Xiu''s face became dull.


    She glared at the Wooden Torch.


    The flames of the torch shivered. "Why are you looking at me like that for?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Are you not trying to pull one over me?"


    "Do you think we would play jokes on you when our lives are at risk?" the Spoon asked, disdain in its voice.


    "I am really curious," Cheng Xiu whispered. "How are you able to modulate your voice like that? Were you humans before?"


    The Fork scoffed, the Spoon shook its ''head'' and the flames turned into a word that said "Wrong" in English.


    "I would really like to know," Cheng Xiu implored as she stared up at the ceiling. There was nothing there either.


    She wondered if she had to enter a separate room here like the one that the other two rat counsellors were in.


    But how to access the room?


    "We don''t want to talk to you about it," the Spoon said.


    "Fine then."


    "You are really going to leave it at that?" the Spoon asked her in anger, indignant.


    Cheng Xiu walked towards the wall. "Or else? What should I do? Torture the three of you to answer me?"


    "Like you have the capability," the Spoon said in a disdained voice.


    Cheng Xiu placed her palm on the wall. It was warm under her hand. A small smile appeared on her lips under the mask at that. She was sure that the way to enter the room was the way that the Iron door became visible in the Rat Counsellor''s room.


    "I do have one question though," Cheng Xiu said. "If you don''t answer me correctly then I wont help you."


    "What is it!" the Fork asked eagerly.


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "Nothing too complicated. Just that."


    She pointed towards the floating Red Torches.


    "That is not a question," the Spoon said in a way that sounded like through gritted teeth.


    "My bad then," she said with a shrug. "What are those? What is their purpoe?"


    "Those are two Questions," the Spoon said to her.


    "Yes. I know. Tell me."


    The three kept quiet.


    Cheng Xiu stared at them for a few moments, taking her hand away from the wall.


    "You!" the Fork screamed. "What are you doing!"


    "Nothing. I am doing nothing. And I will continue to do nothing if you don''t answer me."


    The Fork turned its spokes towards the Spoon and then her, at the Spoon and then her. It kept repeating the action.


    "That¡­they are our life sources," the Torch said.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Were you players?"


    "What do you mean?" the Torch asked.


    Cheng Xiu sighed in relief. "Nothing. Just had a very dark thought. So you guys were rats too right?"


    "Mice," the Spoon spoke. "There is a difference."


    Cheng Xiu bowed her head in apology. "Of course. My mistake. How did you guys become like this then?"


    The three did not speak.


    "Did the King or the Queens do this to you?"


    The three did not move.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "You guys are so pitiful. Fine. I will help you."


    "Thank you so much!" the Fork screamed at her.


    The Spoon scoffed. "She would have helped us, regardless. She has to complete her mission."


    The Fork gasped. Its spokes turned to Cheng Xiu. "You tricked me!"


    Cheng Xiu quickly placed her palm back onto the wall and sent a bout of Qi into the wall.


    "I did no such thing," Cheng Xiu said as she stared at the place that she sent the Qi into.


    The place glowed white and a handle appeared in its place.


    Cheng Xiu took hoild of it and pulled.

 Chapter 195 - Hop Up The Swords

    The wall opened like it was made of nothing, and the stones on it were an illusion. A glaring bright light blinded her for a moment.


    Cheng Xiu blinked her eyes as her vision slowly adjusted to the lighting of the room.


    The place behind the invisible door was a large white room done in the ancient style of marble carvings. The walls were decorated with embossing of a variety of flowers, vines, trees, and fruit baring plants.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She kept her senses on alert.


    From the first moment that she had entered the Torri gates towards the Clock Tower she had seen too many sculptures and embossing that turned out to have the ability to move.


    Cheng Xiu assumed that the same could be applied to these as well.


    There was no way that these decorations existed for a simple show.


    She looked inside a bit more, still not entering the room completely.


    The coloured lines that were not visible when she had first encounted the Counsellor rats were now visible for her to see easily, and the Rat consellor wearing a Yellow robe was climbing up the wall. It had already crossed the Blue line that ranked it as an A-Ranked NPC, and was close to the Yellow Line, which would help it to become S-Ranked.


    Cheng Xiu acted the moment she realised what was happening. She summoned the Red Carp Sword and its six copies, not waiting a second more and attacked the rat.


    Unsurprisingly, the vines that were engraved on the walls of the room began to move and covered the swords, making them all completely immobile.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    Her ace skill had just been rendered useless.


    The rat counsellor did not even look back, or give her any mind as though she did not even exist. More precisely, it did not think that Cheng Xiu had the capability to attack it.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a few moments. She was not stupid by any means, but she had really thought that the weapons would have far more of a chance to fight the Rat Counsellor than they did.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment, trying to find a way to get out of this predicament.


    She took a step forwards.


    "What are you doing!" a voice called from behind her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Fork that came in after her.


    The Spoon and the Torch stood far away, quite close to the place that ones held the door to the Nest.


    Cheng Xiu could guess what had happened. The three must have felt curious about the room and followed her in only to realise that the door that led to the way out had disappeared.


    The must be waiting at that place hoping that the door would open up any moment.


    Cheng Xiu decided not to give them much attention for now, she needed to concentrate on defeating the Rat counsellor at the moment.


    "I am approaching the enemy to engage them in battle," Cheng Xiu said to the little Fork.


    "You are approaching your death," the Spoon said to her in a contemptuous voice.


    "Human," the Torch said in meek voice, "that is Counsellor Ronni, he specially asked the Queens to help him in his bid to achieve the Crossing of the Levels!"


    Cheng frowned. "Help him how?"


    The Torch let out a sigh, its flame fluttering as though in response to the air it left. "By making the Quest taker take the test of Leveling with him!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She looked at the slowly climbing rat and then at the utensils and the torch. She could guess what that meant. "I would also have through the Rings while feeling the Qi Pressure that the room exerts on the trespassing rats?"


    "So smart," the Fork said in awe.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Thank you."


    She started to move towards the wall.


    The Fork jumped in front of her in panic. "What are you doing? Are you insane?"


    "I don''t think so¡­" Cheng Xiu said in a low voice, "But if I want to clear the dungeon I must prevent the Counsellor from climbing up, and it seems the only way I can do that is if I can do that is by approaching the wall, as the vines stopped my swords."


    The Spoon scoffed. "If your weapons were stopped, how are you going to defeat the Lord Counsellor once you get close to him? Are all Human cultivators such idiots or are you a special case? Do you think yourself so capable?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "You are quite a rude utensil, but yes, I think I still have a way to defeat your Lord counsellor."


    The way that she used the title of the rat was in a mocking tone.


    The Spoon trembled.


    Cheng Xiu was sure it was in anger and not in fear.


    "You! You disrespecting-"


    "How are you going to do it?" the Fork asked her, cutting off the Spoon''s rant that it had listened to for far too long.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the rat and then at the veins made of marbles.


    "Anything that does not belong to the Chasm has Qi¡­and anything that has Qi will have to submit a bit before me," Cheng Xiu said as she raised her palm. "Ghost Flame!"


    The black flame burst into life and sat motionless in her hands.


    The torch gasped. "So beautiful¡­.can I hold it?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She shook his head.


    The Torch backed away, its flame drooping. "I see."


    "Hateful human," the Spoon said in a squeaky voice.


    Even the Fork backed off at the moment.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "It is not that I hate you guys. The Ghost Flame was created as a way to counter the Heavenly Fires¡­do you know what that means?"


    The Torch backed away in fear. "It¡­it is thing that should only belong in the Chasm! Why is it out! How can you take it out! Are you working with those in the Chasm? Are you not afraid they will betray you?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "I¡­am not working for them¡­this little one belongs to the Underworld."


    "Nonesense!" the Torch screamed. "Anything that can defy the Heavens belong to the Chasm!"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Why would it not belong to the Underworld?"


    "Is the Underworld so capable?" the Spoon asked her, "If they had this kind of a thing, would they be bullied so easily by the Heavenly Beings!"


    The flame of the Torch nodded its tendrils, the spokes of the Fork imitated the actions a few moments later.


    Cheng Xiu gave those words some thought. It made sense. With something like the Ghost Flame was there any longer anything that the Underworld had to fear?


    She looked at the black flame that swayed in a docile manner in her hand.


    She smiled. "Chasm or not, it is my Flame now. And that is all that matters in the end."


    The Spoon nodded its ''head''. "But you will still have to face the Qi Pressure."


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "If I can get this far, it means I am capable enough to reach for some more. Wish me luck."


    With those words, Cheng Xiu walked towards the wall again.


    Sensing her approach, the engraved fauna became agitated and tried to attack her.


    Cheng Xiu summoned the Ghost Flame again and threw it at her enemies.


    The flame turned all that it touched into ashes.


    The other things on the walls shivered and refused to make a move on her.


    Sure enough¡­her most OP skill is still the Ghost Flame.


    She looked at the grey line on the wall¡­how would she climb the wa-


    Cheng Xiu''s mind went to the trick that she used against the Foot soldiers of the rats.


    She created those six sword copies again, barely coating them with a thin layer of Ghost flames on by one so that she could keep the attacking marble sculptures at bay.


    She then threw each one onto the wall, careful as to keep their distances even.


    Thankfully, the swords stuck to the wall.


    Cheng Xiu smiled and stepped onto the one just above the grey line.


    She did not feel any pressure at all.


    Cheng Xiu smiled and jumped to the next one. There was still on effect on her.


    She kept jumping until she reached the sixth sword.


    Cheng Xiu looked up. Right above her was the Green Line.


    Did the Queens fool this Rat Counsellor and that there was no spell to make the enemy feel the same pressure? That could not be possible. The system would not let such a good plot line to go to waste.


    Cheng Xiu exerted her will on the swords below her so that they would dislodge from the wall.


    She then checked each one of the swords to see if she needed to replenish the Qi of the Ghost Flames coating it. It seemed it was not necessary.


    She threw the sword copies one by one onto the wall above her.


    After all six were securely lodged into the wall, Cheng Xiu started to jump up once more.


    She started to feel a slight pressure like she had a small backpack on her back as she reached the fifth sword.


    She looked up at the sixth sword that was lodged above the blue line.


    When she crosses it, she would become an A-Ranked player of the Quest. She wondered if there would be any corresponding rewards for that but she was also curious if she would be punished because the Rats were nearing S ranks because she was delayed.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and ran up the sixth sword.


    She started to feel the pressure a bit now, like the backpack on her back had large books stuffed inside it. Her legs also felt heavier.


    Cheng Xiu once again willed the swords to dislodge from below her and lodge themselves to the wall above her.


    She started to jump up the sword copies again.


    Below her, the three inanimate objects that were animated by magic stood in silence.


    "The human actually crossed the Blue line in one fell swoop," the Fork said in a disbelieving whisper. "Do you know what this means?"


    "That she is above A Rank?" the Torch whispered to the Fork.


    The spiked utensil nodded in shock.


    "She is above S rank," the Spoon said, its voice a mix of awe and fear.. "So capable."

 Chapter 196 - The Little Helper

    "S rank," the Fork and the Spoon whispered.


    They had not thought that the human was so powerful.


    The Fork started to jump up and down in excitement. "Does that mean we can actually escape this dimension? Of course it does!"


    The others did not speak, watching as the human reached the rat.


    Cheng Xiu lodged another sword right next to the place that the Rat counsellor was about to put his foreleg on.


    The Yellow-robed humanoid rat froze, and then looked at the sword that obstructed its path. There was a look of unrest in its eyes.


    Cheng Xiu stepped on the blade of the sword, her Phoenix eyes locked onto the beast in front of her.


    "Human," the Rat Counsellor hissed. "How are you here already?"


    Cheng Xiu smirked behind the mask. "What? Did you want me to stay at the bottom of the line, trying to crawl up the wall like you do?"


    The rat''s face scrunched as it hissed at he, showing sharp yellow fangs.


    Cheng Xiu wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Your breath smells."


    She expected the rat to be angry at her comment. Instead, it laughed, throwing its head back.


    "Of course. So you better run along, little Human, I have a more important task to carry out than entertain you."


    "Quite confident in your skills aren''t you," Cheng Xiu said, a mocking tone to her voice. "Then again¡­there is a saying that those who have not seen the outside of their house think that is how big the world is."


    "What do you mean?" the creature asked in a low tone.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Isn''t that obvious? I mean that you haven''t seen enough powerful people yet and so you think that you are powerful."


    "That might be it, but I do not think I will learn who is more powerful than me any time soon."


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "You don''t put me in your eyes at all."


    "A human," the rat scoffed. "Do you really think you are qualified? You have to be born into another race, Little Human."


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Do the creatures of the Clock Tower not think that the humans are worth anything?"


    "How can you be?"


    "We are the creatures that the Clock Tower issues the quests to control you all are."


    The rat scoffed. "Exactly. You are all the servants of the Tower! We, the Monsters, are creatures that the Tower has deemed is too powerful to live outside its control! How can you be better than us?"


    Cheng Xiu hmmed. "Or maybe, you are all under the Tower''s control because you are easier to control. The human race would not be the same."


    The rat glared. "Are you saying that you are better than me human!"


    "Oh? You are only getting that now? I have been indicating that since we first started to talk."


    The three objects who observed the interaction between Cheng Xiu and the Rat Counsellor were in a daze.


    "Why is she engaging him in a conversation?" the Fork asked. "Why doesn''t she burn him to death already? And what about that counsellor? Is he even worthy of his title? Getting led by the nose in the hands of a human. Fight ba! I want to see them fight! Spoon! What is going on?"


    The Spoon let out a sigh. "The human is trying to gauge something?"


    "What?"


    "How would I know? Do I look human to you? Do I look like a human expert? Did I ever tell you that I understand human thoughts?"


    "Why are you angry at me for that?" the Fork asked in a aggrieved voice.


    If it could, the Fork would have been letting out streams of tears already.


    The rat counsellor''s eyes fell on the Fork, Spoon and Torch on the floor. It laughed.


    "Are those the things that are giving you the confidence that you can defeat me? Those things? Nothing more than the puppets of the Queens who were killed once they were no longer useful as they were. You think you can defeat me with those things? Really? Do you think you are so capable? Or that I am that incapable?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Killed? They are dead?"


    "They might as well be!"


    Cheng Xiu thought of something. "Those torches with the red flames, what is their purpose?"


    The rat counsellor stilled and gaped at her. "What?"


    "What is the secret behind the torches with the red flames."


    "There are no secrets."


    "Lies. The Queens killed them you said¡­but they are not dead¡­that means their bodies are kept alive somewhere," Cheng Xiu guessed, "and their souls were transferred to these inanimate objects. The reason was simple. The Queens only wanted their body, not their life. Why would they only want the bodies though? To use the body''s blood as fuel of the Torches. But why? For what purpose?"


    The rat counsellor sneered at her and slashed at her with its claws.


    Cheng Xiu dodged, and then burst out laughing. "I was only guessing and wasn''t sure. But your reaction tells me that I am on the right track."


    The rat glared.


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Those things¡­the torches¡­are they a means for you to level up faster? To reach Level S faster? For what purpose? To upgrade? What will it gain you¡­nevermind, I don''t want to know. It shouldn''t matter to me. The torches are also maybe protections¡­is that how you are trying to deal with the Chasms that the Clock Tower created? Do the torches keep the creatures in the Chasm fed and in control of the Queens?"


    The rat counsellor gaped at her. What kind of thought process is this? Why is she able to guess so many things?


    If Cheng Xiu could hear those questions she would shrug and say experience. She had played VR games all her life. She had read the many game guides, and novels that the games are based on to gain a deeper understanding of the gameplays, and the logics behind the various character attributes and buffs of places.


    Cheng Xiu had learned to connect the world of the VR storylines a long time ago.


    Though it took her a moment, she was able to notice the hidden plot thread already.. She had many ways that she could go but the rat counsellor confirmed that her very first thought process was the real plot in this dungeon.

 Chapter 197 - Fighting Through The Countdown

    "No¡­no¡­that¡­" the rat counsellor said as he backed away.


    "Let me guess," Cheng Xiu said, "By destroying those torches I can widen the chasms which will devour the rats who are defying the Tower faster."


    The rat counsellor shivered in fear. It realised that this human should be killed immediately. If the human goes out and reveals this to her companions then they were doomed and everything they did till then, and the sacrifices that they made, who be for nothing.


    He started to attack Cheng Xiu continuously with its poison claws.


    Cheng Xiu expertly dodged them, her speed fast and became faster with each attack.


    The counsellor started to attack without any rhyme or reason, madly wanting Cheng Xiu to die and that was his only goal now.


    The climbing could wait and there were still four other counsellors with him. Even if he failed, they would succeed. But this dangerous human could not leave.


    "Die!" the rat screamed as it used the vines on the walls to restrain Cheng Xiu.


    Cheng Xiu struggled to break free but found it impossible to do.


    The rat screeched as it rushed towards her on three legs, the fourth leg held up as a claw to pierce her.


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes.


    She made the Qi in her body condense and threw it out into a shockwave.


    The vines on her had deep cuts like it was hacked by swords in varying depths. The rat counsellor glared at her as he held his broken arm and looked at the deep gash on it.


    No. This was not the time for it to cry over its wounds. It had to kill the Human who knew too much!


    The rat Counsellor ran towards her again, raising its other foreleg this time.


    Cheng Xiu sent a second shockwave of Qi immediately.


    The rat was thrown back along with the vines this time. They hit the opposite wall and fell to the floor.


    The creature got up, its movements crooked because there were broken bones on it.


    Cheng Xiu huffed and heaved, feeling tired.


    "What was that?" the Fork asked the Spoon.


    "I think¡­a Qi Burst?"


    "A Qi Burst?" the Fork asked in awe.


    "But¡­" the torch looked at the elegant figure of the Human cultivator with complicated feelings. "She used Qi Burst voluntarily? Aren''t those suppose to be involuntary."


    "Don''t ask me," the Spoon declared. "Just watch."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the vines and at the counsellor who was finally on his feet.


    Cheng Xiu felt the Qi capacity in her was really low. She was not sure what she should do now. She could not use another Qi Burst. The Ghost Flame needed a large amount of power to activate that she presently did not seem to have¡­


    They were both at a disadvantage.


    She thought for a moment on how to get out of this impasse.


    The rat counsellor''s eyes portruded and became blood red, his fangs came down to its lower lips, leaving trails of blood.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes narrowed. Was the beast going into a Berserk mode?


    Cheng Xiu skidded to the side to escape the vines that tried to grab her.


    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, using Qi Absorption to fill her Qi Capacity Centre. But the progress was slower than when she had fought with the Experts. The speed difference between a level 3 and a Level 10 was obvious. She was a really powerful person but that did not mean anything in this regard. Her Level was too low for her to reach Full Capacity through the Qi Absorption technique.


    There was no way out.


    She had to fill it just enough so that she could activate the Ghost Flame. That was all she could do. That was the only skill that she¡­


    Wait¡­


    Cheng Xiu thought back to the time when she fought the experts which now seemed so long ago. She did have another way to fill her Qi.


    Cheng Xiu took an inventory of what she had in her storage ring, and smiled.


    There was still hope for her.


    Cheng Xiu took out a simple blue talisman from her storage ring and sent a bout of Qi into it.


    The talisman flashed and a baby in diapers appeared before her.


    Cheng Xiu smiled at it. "Baby puppet¡­"


    She sent a small amount of Qi into its central array.


    The chest of the thing glowed and she felt her mind split the way it did when she was controlling the Sword Weaving Technique.


    She ordered the puppet to absorb the Qi in the area around her.


    "Was that a puppet?" the Torch asked in surprise. "How many skills does she have?"


    Cheng Xiu thought on what to do as she stepped back from the puppet. It would take some time for her Qi Capacity to reach at a level where she would be able to use the Ghost Flame without much trouble.


    Cheng Xiu guessed that 70% of her Qi had to be filled for it.


    But how to occupy the rat and his vines until then?


    Cheng Xiu couldn''t use the Sword Weaving or the Sword Copies because if she did, she would be draining her already low Qi Capacity and then there would be no point in saving her Qi through the Qi Absorption technique and the Qi Supplier puppet.


    Cheng Xiu held the Red Carp Sword in her hand and dashed forwards.


    She could only engage in physical fight until her power was back up.


    She cut away the vines that got close to her, her sword able to actually do damage to the vines. And that was the difference between the copies and the original.


    The Original was that OP at times.


    The rat counsellor jumped towards her, not caring about the broken bones, its limp left hand, or the fact that there were deep gnashes littered on the face and body.


    Cheng Xiu dodged the creature again and again as it slashed at her with its poisonous claw.


    The rat''s movements became even more chaotic.


    Cheng Xiu slapped its attacks away with the blade of her sword.


    Her Qi Capacity had reached 40%...


    45%...


    She ducked as a marble spear came her way.


    48%...


    Cheng Xiu kicked the rat in the stomach, sending it crashing against the wall.


    51%...


    The rat''s skin transformed, the brown fur on its body turned into a slimy black colour.


    The odor of the room turned putrid.


    52%...


    Drool hit the floor of the room from the snarling fangs of the rat.


    54%...


    The rat''s wound healed.


    58%...


    ran at her in full speed.


    66%....

 Chapter 198 - Resting Memories

    69%...


    "Ghost Flame!" Cheng Xiu said.


    The black flame burst forth from her open palm and covered the Rat counsellor completely.


    The Rat screamed in pain as the flame consumed its entire body.


    Cheng Xiu fell to her knees and dry heaved.


    She spit out blood.


    "Human!" the Fork screamed as it rushed her side. "Are you okay?"


    Cheng Xiu squeezed her eyes shut to suppress the nausea that she started to feel.


    She cut off the Qi connection of the puppet to her immediately.


    The puppet turned into a blue talisman again and returned to her storage space.


    "Human?" the Spoon asked.


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyes and looked at the three of them.


    "Are you guys worried about me?" she asked them in a cracked voice.


    "No way!" the Fork denied.


    "Hmph!" the Spoon turned away from her.


    "Yes," the little Torch said to her. "You are the only way for us to break through this Dimensional drift, after all."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Yes¡­that is the only reason that you guys would care about me, ah¡­"


    "What happened!" the Fork asked in worry.


    Cheng Xiu let out a low chuckle. "Nothing. Just thinking about my other companions."


    "We should leave soon," the Spoon said to her.


    Cheng Xiu got up from the cold floor and walked towards the blank wall on the opposite side that the rat was climbing in. "Let''s go, then."


    "Wait!" the Spoon said. "How¡­how do you know which wall to approach?"


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "The wall at that side will lead to the outside world, and this wall¡­the one that is opposite the one that counsellor climbed will send us to the other Rat Counsellor."


    "Then why are we going there!" the Fork asked her in agitation.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "How can it be so easy? We can only clear this dungeon if we defeat all the bosses in it. The dimensional Drift will not go away without us defeating the other counsellor too."


    "We don''t think so!" the Fork screamed.


    "It is not your choice," the Cheng Xiu said as she took a step forwards.


    The Torch blocked her path.


    Cheng Xiu stopped and stared at the creature.


    "You¡­you are weak right now," the Torch said, "You even spit blood. Do you think it is smart to go to the next fight without even resting?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. It was right. She would just die if she went like this¡­and she couldn''t die without clearing the dungeon in this round. If she did, then the NPC Xiao Hua will die. And even though it is an NPC, any life that was entrusted upon her to protect should be protected.


    But¡­


    "¡­What should I do?"


    The Torch was surprised that she listened to its words. It had always thought that humans were impulsive and reckless but now¡­it seemed this one was different at least.


    "Go out," the Torch said. It felt the resistance that Cheng Xiu had to this idea so rushed to explain itself. "So that you can rest for a few moments and maybe even buy some things to replenish yourself. After that you can come back here. I am sure there would be other means to reach the counsellor."


    Cheng Xiu thought about it for a moment and then nodded. That did seem to make sense.


    She walked to the other blank wall, her steps staggering, and pressed her palm on it''s cold surface.


    The wall split open and revealed the Red hue of the nest again.


    Cheng Xiu gulped and stepped out of the room.


    The three animated objects ran past her like their life depended on it.


    "You! Don''t you know that you have to take us with you! We would have been trapped in there if we did not act quickly!" the sliver Fork screamed, the red hue of the Torches no longer reflected on its surface.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "You guys did not tell me there was something like that before."


    The three stood still, understanding her words.


    "Well¡­anyway! We are now free!" the Fork said happily.


    "We are not," the Spoon said in a calm voice.


    The spokes on the Fork drooped. "We are not? Do we have to fight a rat counsellor again?"


    "You are asking that as though you are the one to fight Lord Ronni," the Torch said with a disdainful voice.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Which one of you is Ronni?"


    "Is there something wrong with your memory?" the Fork asked.


    Cheng Xiu stiffened. "What?"


    "We told you that the Rat counsellor was called Ronni."


    "I am fine," Cheng Xiu said. "I just forgot about it for a few moments."


    "You can buy the things you want to now," the Torch said, pointing towards the place that a black masked man stood.


    Cheng Xiu looked around. There were no chasms around her anymore.


    She walked up to the counter, her strides calm and collected.


    The woman at the counter was thin and frail. She was flirting with the man in the black mask who kept looking at his talismans. He asked for more.


    The NPC nodded and went into a room behind the cupboard to get more.


    They waited for a long time.


    The NPC returned with another box of talismans.


    The man looked through them all and asked the NPC to get another box.


    As the NPC left, Cheng Xiu could not hold back anymore.


    "Excuse me," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    The man looked up. Deep black eyes that seemed like the unending starry sky looked at her.


    "Yes?" he asked.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. There was a sense of familiarity in the aura around him and the way that he held himself. Even his voice seemed to be familiar to her.


    Cheng Xiu shook such thoughts away. His voice was too memorable. There was no way that she would have actually forgotten that kind of a voice if she had actually heard it.


    "Are you done?"


    "Are you in a hurry?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned at the man''s question. "I¡­um¡­I have to get back to the quest at hand after refreshing myself."


    The man hmmed. "I can''t decide which talisman to buy. Can you help me?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She looked above the man''s head to find a floating blue crystal. Definitely a player. "I don''t have much experience in this area."


    "That is fine¡­I just need an honest opinion."


    Cheng Xiu looked sideways at the man. She leaned forwards to peek at his collection.


    The closer she got to him, the more her heart seemed to settle. She felt like he was someone who was capable. Someone she could trust to not screw things up.


    Cheng Xiu stilled. Where did that thought come from.


    The masked man looked at the white masked woman in front of him with considering eyes and then chuckled.


    "First time visiting a Nest?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. That was right. This place was called the Nest¡­someone told her that¡­who? Who told her that?...


    "You should not be so nervous about it," the man said to her. "The Nest is a safe heaven. The NPCs of the dungeons can not influence the place much."


    "So they can influence the place to an extent?" Cheng Xiu asked the man.


    He nodded. "The Nest is the place that the Witch of the Dungeon creates her magical spells and stuff. You can think of it as a warehouse. So the fact that the players can go in and out of it safely is tells you how much the tower controls the Nests. But in the end, if the NPC witch is someone significant in the dungeon the Nest becomes places of ambushes."


    Cheng Xiu thought his words over. She remebered that the Twins of this dungeon were all witches. And there were hidden moves on her mind throughout the dungeon.


    "Then I have to be careful I guess," Cheng Xiu said with a laugh.


    "Oh? Why is that?" the man asked.


    "The Queens of this dungeon are witches."


    The man made a sound of understanding. "Then we should get out of here quickly. Please choose a talisman for me."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Sure. So what are you looking of exactly?"


    The man stilled. "What?"


    "I mean¡­what is the purpose of the talisman? Why are you buying it?"


    The man frowned. "That¡­that¡­"


    Cheng Xiu was curious about the doubt in his voice and looked up from her examination of the talismans.


    "What is it?"


    "I don''t know," the man said.


    Cheng Xiu detected the displeasure at that idea in the man''s tone.


    "I guess everyone forgets such things occasionally," Cheng Xiu comforted him, "My best friend takes me shopping and then forgets what exactly she wanted to buy and keeps staring at the shop shelves as though it will help her restore her memories. It happens."


    "It doesn''t happen to me," the man said it in a cold voice. "I might be in an illusion."


    "Aren''t you a Level 70 player? How can you fall into an illusion?"


    "How do you know that?" the man asked in suspicion.


    Cheng Xiu stilled. "I¡­don''t know¡­"


    The man looked at her for a moment. "I guess we should introduce ourselves to each other again then."


    "Huh?"


    "Something tells me we came into this Nest together."


    Cheng Xiu stood still in shock.

 Chapter 199 - Trust

    "Yaksha," the man in the mask said. "You might have heard of it?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "It sounds familiar but¡­"


    "So what is your name?" he asked her.


    "Selafia," Cheng Xiu said with a shrug.


    Yaksha froze. His eyes were trained on the girl in front of him. "What did you say your name was?"


    "Selafia," Cheng Xiu said, a hesitant look in her eyes. "Why?"


    The man stared at her for a long time and then shook his head. "Nothing¡­just curious. It is an interesting name."


    "Thank you?" Cheng Xiu said.


    "So what did you want to buy?" the man asked.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Something that can heal me and get my powers back up."


    He tilted his head to the side and took out a talisman from his storage ring.


    He extended it towards her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and looked up at him. "This is¡­"


    "It is a Reversing Talisman," the man said in a dull tone, "allows your body to be reversed to its previous state of being. But it can only be used once on a person. I had three¡­"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why are you giving this to me?"


    "The things in the Nest are very dangerous to buy. You seem to be someone below Level 10, so it is better to not buy things from here."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "I haven''t heard of such a thing before."


    Yaksha looked at her for a moment. "Well¡­just take it."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I¡­don''t know you¡­so¡­"


    "Think of it as a Player''s Bet then," the man said to her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Something at the back of her mind was agitated at his words. Her hand grabbed the wrist of her other hand subcousiously.


    Cheng Xiu blinked when she felt a cold touch on her wrist.


    She pushed the sleeve up, revealing a thin hand with long boney fingers, and small wrist.


    She was surprised to find a jade bracelet on it.


    Yaksha froze. That¡­isn''t that¡­


    "Where did you get that?" he asked.


    She frowned and looked up at him. Her gaze was unsure. "That¡­I think¡­someone gave it to me as a means to repay their Players Debt."


    Yaksha considered her words.


    "Yes," he said with a nod, "that seems to be the case."


    "You believe me?"


    "Why wouldn''t I?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. She was not sure herself but this man, surprisingly, believed her.


    She looked at the bracelet and then at the man before her. Did he give this to her?


    Her instincts told her that this was the bracelet that she got from a Player Debt¡­so she and this man had a player Debt?


    Yaksha could see the confusion in Cheng Xiu''s eyes but he did not give her any explanation. "Please take it."


    Cheng Xiu took it but did not use it.


    He looked at her in confusion.


    "I will keep this for when I feel like there is no other way but for now I would like to depend on just myself."


    "You don''t trust me?"


    "I don''t have a memory of you."


    Yaksha gave it some thought and nodded. That did make sense. They were strangers who felt like the other is familiar. She was right to be cautious of the things he gave her. "So what are you doing in this dungeon?"


    Cheng Xiu cocked her head to the side. "Wouldn''t you know that too?"


    The man shook his head. "I seemed to have forgotten what I was in this dungeon for or which dungeon this is."


    Cheng Xiu thought about the details of the Quest. She could still remember it. So whatever it was that took her memories away did not take away her memories of the Quest. She wondered why it would only take away the memories of her meeting with the man then.


    "Rat Dungeon of the Clock Tower," she said to him, "We have to kill two more Rat Counsellors and the two Rat Queens to be able to get out of the dungeon safely."


    The man fell into deep thought. "Anything else?"


    She blinked. "We are in Veritas?"


    The man looked at her in surprise. "Veritas? What am I doing here?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. How would she know such things?


    The man frowned. "Isn''t Veritas in the Vixia Dynasty? Aren''t they at war with the Azure States?"


    "Yes."


    "What is the Quest rank?"


    "S."


    The man nodded. "That makes sense. And I can finally guess what I was going to buy in the Nest."


    Cheng Xiu tilted her eyes in curiosity.


    The man turned to the counter again and pressed the calling bell placed on one corner of it.


    The frail looking woman ran out of the back room. "Yes?"


    "I want a Suppressing Talisman, Rank S, with a range of 1 to 10."


    The woman stared at him for a moment and then scowled. "Oh¡­are you sure you are not interested in any of these?"


    The man just blinked at her.


    "I will get it back to you," the woman grumbled. "It did not work. The queen said it would, but it did not work."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "That woman-"


    "Is very kind and generous," Yaksha said to her.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in suspicion.


    He pointed to the door of the Back room that was not fully closed.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. She realised that the NPC was listening in on their conversation.


    "Do you think there is more than the two of us?" Yaksha asked her.


    She was taken aback by the sudden questioning before shaking her head. "I don''t know¡­I haven''t had companions in a game for a long time, but if you are here¡­then chances are, there is at least one more."


    The man nodded. Just as he had thought. "So we need to find our companion."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes went to the barrels of wine in front of her, her thoughts agitated. "How? There is no one here except us."


    "There was no one here except me before you can in out of no where," Yaksha said to her, his eyes trained on her masked features.


    Cheng Xiu gave his words some thought. She understood his implication. The third member of their team might also be in a Quest area.


    "Or they left," Cheng Xiu said, her thoughts taking a darker turn as she remembered the times when she was ambushed by her own teammates for Items and Equipment. "They might have been the person to do this thing to us."


    Yaksha looked at her carefully. Her words just now was filled with a grievence that she was did not have before. What happened in all these years to turn her into this sort of a person who would not give a missing companion the benefit of the doubt?


    "Are you sure?" he asked her. "What if that person is just waiting for us to rescue them instead?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "There are too many What ifs."


    "True," he said. "So I think we should at least try to locate the other. If that person is really the one who betrayed us, I can take care of it."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "But this on the hypothesis that we do have another person with us."


    "Better safe than sorry."


    "You are very kind," she said at last. Her thoughts had been selfish, wanting to just finish the quest and leave this game but Yaksha actually thought about a non-existent person and wanted to try to save them.


    Yaksha gave her words some thought. "I don''t think I am¡­but I do have a code. Those who are under my protection must be kept safe. And that unknown companion of ours falls into that category."


    Cheng Xiu thought about it for a moment. If thought in that way¡­then that companion could be a friend that she had made online, regardless of how unlikely that seemed.


    She ducked her head in guilt and shame. She was being really selfish for just wanting to not look of the person. It was the least that she could do for that person.


    She smiled up at Yaksha, though he could not see it behind her white mask. "You are right. Lets see if we can find them. Do you have any clue?"


    The man frowned. "If the person was someone who came with us, we should have traces of that person''s Qi around us still. I will check it out."


    Saying so, Yaksha closed his eyes.


    The space under his long curled lashes started to glow with a eerie silver light.


    The man frowned and blinked his eyes open.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in anticipation.


    "Well?" she asked him.


    The man nodded. "I can feel a third Qi among the two of us and the presence is close."


    "How close?"


    The man''s eyes went to a blank wall on one corner.


    "There¡­that was the last place that I could find that person''s Qi could be found."


    Cheng Xiu looked over in surprise. She thought of something as she saw the blank wall. "He must be fighting a Rat Counsellor."


    Yaksha considered her words and nodded. "That is very likely."


    "Here," a harsh voice said.


    The Frail NPC woman had returned while they were distracted. She seemed upset as she handed the talisman over.


    "Thank you," he said and tossed a small money pouch at her.


    The woman''s eyes widened and then she gave him a grin. "Thank you, Young Master. Do come often."


    The man looked at the woman''s greedy eyes and stepped away. "Perhaps."


    The woman shivered and then turned to Cheng Xiu.


    Realising what the woman wanted, Cheng Xiu stepped forwards and gave her a list of things that she wanted.


    Two talismans and a 100 gold coins minus later, Cheng Xiu had recovered about 90% of her original strength.


    The two walked to the blank wall among the wine barrels after that.

 Chapter 200 - The Missing Companions

    Cheng Xiu placed his hand on the door and sent a trace of Qi into it.


    The wall flashed blue and then revealed a passage way that lead to what seemed to be a white room.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "That¡­"


    Yaksha gave her a curious look. "Is something the matter?"


    She shook her head. "No. It is just that, I opened the door in a way I wasn''t even aware that I knew."


    Yaksha nodded. "Your knowledge that is related to the dungeon must not have been hampered and even if they were, it is not to the extant that you have forgotten how to access the dungeon."


    The man started to walk into the passage way. "Let us go."


    Cheng Xiu nodded and followed after him.


    The entered the white room.


    The sound of water splashing about made her look over at the side.


    A man in blue robes and a black mask that had blue patterns on it was fighting against what looked like a feral rat. The man held a trident in his hand, slashing away the water arms that came to attack him.


    Cheng Xiu blinked. So this was their companion?


    Her arm raised towards her face and touched the mask on her face. Why were they all wearing masks? Was it some kind of a secret code?


    The man who was fighting seemed to have felt their presence at that moment and looked behind him.


    On seeing Cheng Xiu and Yaksha, the man ran over, leaving the humonoid rat to continue its movements¡­which seemed to be to climb the wall.


    "Sister Xiu!" the man exclaimed. "You are alright!"


    Cheng Xiu froze. Xiu? Why would he use that name? Did they know each other in real life?


    "You know each other in real life?" Yaksha asked, his eyes holding a light of suspicion.


    The man in the blue robes blinked at Yaksha. "Lord Yaksha¡­what are you talking about? Of course we do! Didn''t we already discuss that?"


    Yaksha frowned. The man''s words and the tone that he used meant that he did, in fact know Yaksha.


    But¡­


    "Why was your memory not tampered with?" Cheng Xiu asked him. "And how do you know me?"


    The man blinked at her with his warm brown eyes. "Memory tampered? What?"


    Cheng Xiu scowled. "How do you know me in the real world?"


    "We are both in the same college," he explained. "Do you really not remember?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "How did we meet?"


    The man tilted his head. "You approached me when you thought that I looked familiar to you."


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "You wear mask even in real life?"


    "What? No!"


    "So you did not wear masks before¡­why are you wearing them now?"


    The man tilted his head. "Because we have become famous now?"


    "Oh?" Cheng Xiu wanted to ask more but Yaksha cleared his throat.


    The two looked towards him.


    "We will get our memories back after we have finished whatever conditions it was that made us forget things. There is no need to ask about unnecessary things and waste our time hear."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "How would you know what I asked was unnecessary or not?"


    "Just a guess," the man said, "Now what we need is the details of the dungeon."


    Cheng Xiu scowled as she heard his words but let the matter slide for the moment. After all, he was right, and she had to acknowledge the fact that he knew more about this game than she did so he would be able to at least guess a logical conclusion from the little that he heard.


    Her own unfamiliarity with the game made it impossible for her to make accurate guesses as he did.


    The man introduced himself as San Zhe.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. As it turned out, her memories of the real world was not tampered with and she knew who he was.


    Cheng Xiu and Yaksha listened in silence as San Zhe explained to them what all they had encountered until that moment in the dungeon.


    Cheng Xiu''s expression turned weird when he reached the part of the talking utensils and the giggling Torch that they encountered.


    "What is it?" Yaksha asked her. He could see from her expression that she felt familiarity with that part of the story.


    "There should be more," Cheng Xiu said.


    "More?" said San Zhe. "What do you mean?"


    Cheng Xiu thought about what her instincts were telling her. Could it be that she encountered the utensils after the three of them were separated? If that was the case, then wouldn''t it mean that she did have her memories at that moment? So what happened later? Was the memory loss a result of those animated objects? Or was there some other hidden factor that she did not know about?


    Cheng Xiu shared her thoughts with San Zhe and Yaksha.


    The two gave her words and guesses some thought.


    "It is most likely that you did have your memories until you approached me," Yaksha said at last.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in surprise. What did he mean?


    Yaksha smiled. "Do you remember what I told you about the Nest?"


    "That it is a very complicated place or something," Cheng Xiu shrugged. "It belongs to the witch of the dungeon but we can also do things here¡­.I think."


    Yaksha laughed. "Almost. I think that the witch of the dungeon has decided that at very specific spots, the players would loose their memories."


    "You mean¡­" Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened in surprise. "That Counter."


    The man nodded, his eyes glittering in pleasure that she was able to keep up with his thoughts. It was a very rare thing to happen to him.


    "The Counter at the Nest must be the Place that we would have lost our memories. After all-"


    "Brother San did not go there," Cheng Xiu finished.


    Yaksha laughed again. "Exactly."


    She turned towards the door, and looked through it towards the counter where the frail woman hunched over a few books.


    "She must be the one to do it then."


    "Naturally."


    "Why hasn''t the door close yet?" San Zhe asked them.


    The others looked towards him.


    "What do you mean, Brother San?"


    "That¡­last time, the door disappeared. We were stuck in the room until we defeated the Rat Counsellor. Why hasn''t it closed yet this time?"


    "There could be two reasons," Cheng Xiu said to him. "The conditions to clear this part of the dungeon could be different or may be, there is still someone else who has to come in."


    "Who?" San Zhe asked her. "I promise you, Sister Xiu. It really is just the three of us. There were no other players or NPCs with us. Who else could there be?"


    "Them," Cheng Xiu said, pointing towards the three shadows that were running into the white room with them.


    San Zhe''s eyes widened as the Spoon, the Fork and the Torch came jumping into the room.


    Cheng Xiu looked on curiously as the spikes of the Fork turned towards her in an accusatory way.


    "You left without us!" it shouted at her.


    The door that led to the outside world disappeared.


    Yaksha raised an eyebrow. He looked towards San Zhe. "You said that we were chasing these things before?"


    San Zhe''s figure froze. "Yes."


    Yaksha hmmed. "It seems more like they are chasing us."


    San Zhe sighed. "I have no idea what happened."


    "I will tell you," the Wooden Torch said to them, its silvery flame flickering this way and that as it recounted how it met Cheng Xiu again near the Chasm and how she promised to help her.


    "We thought that we had escaped," the Torch concluded.


    "But we didn''t!" the Fork wailed. "Oh! Human! You were right! There was more to the fight! We have to kill the Rat Counsellor in this room as well before we can escape! I was so angry! I thought that we had gained our freedom!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Do you know what I had planned? And do you know why I can''t remember anything?"


    The Fork stopped crying abruptly. Its spikes shook like it had heard something very interesting.


    "I don''t!" the Fork said happily. "But Spoon does!"


    The Spoon, who was thrown under the bus by its pig teammate, jumped back as all two Humans and the Lord looked at it intently.


    "That¡­" the Spoon was confused on what to say, "The counter. There is a spell on it to erase all the information that the Queen deemed as dangerous. It is activated when the woman at the counter feels your Qi signature."


    Cheng Xiu gave it a curious look. "Thank you. What else? What did I discover while fighting the Rat Counsellor for you guys?"


    Cheng Xiu was careful on what she said. She said the words ''For you guys'' specifically to remind the three of them that she had helped them.


    She tried to suppress the guilt and shame that she started to feel at having manipulated the three of the objects the way she did.


    "That the red lights of the torches is made by sacrificing our blood," the Spoon said, its voice very weak. "That the Queens are using this method to sustain themselves and to hasten the progress of the Wall Climbers."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. That was some big news!


    San Zhe sighed in regret. "Why is it that every time I fight a dungeon, it is just a fight and every time you fight, it is to reveal some secret plot going on that no one had been aware of?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged.


    She turned to the three objects again. "Why was my memories of Brother Yaksha and Brother San Zhe erased though? Why would that be considered dangerous to the Queens?"


    "Because it is," the Spoon said.


    "United, you are strong," the Torch said to her. "And that means, finding a way to keep you separate."


    "But that plans seemed to have failed," the Fork said with a laugh.


    The Spoon hit the spikes of the Fork with the bulging part of its body. "Those are the Rat Queens you are making fun of!"


    "Sorry," the Fork said in a weak voice.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "How do we get our memories back?"


    They remained silent at that question.


    The Fork looked at both its friends. Seeing that neither was answering the human, it laughed.


    "Neither of you guys know it?" the Fork asked with a laugh.


    The Spoon shushed it. "The Queens will-"


    "By killing the Counter Lady of course," the Fork said to Cheng Xiu, "She is the one who activated the spell after all."


    Cheng Xiu laughed. "What a nice utensil. Thank you, Little Fork."


    "You are welcome!" it said with pride in its voice. "I thought it was a common knowledge among the Persona Objects here. After all, we all have the Red Torches here."


    "A bit stupid," San Zhe commented as he looked at it. "But really adorable. I feel pity for it."


    Don''t we all, Cheng Xiu thought as she looked at the Silver utensil.


    "Lets go then," Cheng Xiu said to them.


    "Go where?" the Fork asked.


    "To kill the counter lady ofcouse," Cheng Xiu said to it.


    "But the door closed?"


    "Did it?"


    "Yeah?"


    "What a pity."


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 201 - Elemental Confinement

    Cheng Xiu looked towards the Rat Counsellor who was climbing the wall after that.


    She released her sword from its sheath.


    Just as she was about to step forward, a trident blocked her path.


    Cheng Xiu frowned and turned to San Zhe. "Yes?"


    "That¡­" San Zhe looked around, not meeting her eyes. "I¡­that is my prey."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Yours? Did we have some kind of an arrangement where you would fight one Rat and I will fight the other?"


    San Zhe nodded. "The both of us are doing the same Quest, and we have the same targets, so we kind of decided that we would one each¡­it wasn''t said in those exact words but that was the intent behind it."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She wasn''t surprised that much that they had that kind of an arrangement. After all, everyone had to pull their weight in a Quest. She was not going to pull the entire responsibility all onto herself.


    She stopped doing that a long time back. She no longer trusted anyone to not stab her in the back in these games. Betrayal could be said to be a part of these kinds of game. The more popular the game is, the more likely people are to betray you.


    San Zhe looked at her expectantly.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "That''s fair. Please go ahead."


    San Zhe was surprised that she gave in so quickly. But then he thought of the fact that they did not really know each other from her perspective. It made sense that she would not be as anxious about him as she was before.


    San Zhe sighed. It was weird to think that Cheng Xiu not fussing over him was making him miss her already.


    Cheng Xiu pointed to Yaksha. "Brother San, just now you said the two of us. Then what about this guy?"


    San Zhe shivered. She just called the expert "This guy" and pointed at him. So disrespectful!


    Cheng Xiu seemed to realise the error that she just committed and apologied to Yaksha profusely.


    He waved her words off. He had never cared about such matters in the game. Here, he was supposed to be just a player and he did not mind the fact that she used that kind of words.


    After exchanging a few more words, San Zhe walked towards the climbing Rat again.


    He raised the trident in his hand and began to attack the rat again.


    The rat sent jets of water at him, sending him flying.


    He approached the creature again and was once again attacked against.


    He got up and approached the creature again.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. What was he doing? Why was he trying the same method again and again when it was proven that he could not defeat the creature by that method?


    Cheng Xiu observed some more. She wanted to see if there was something that he was trying to achieve by doing this repeated action.


    It took her a long time before she actually saw what he was trying to do. Though he kept approaching the creature, he did it differently every time.


    It wasn''t obvious at first glance of course, but it was there for all to see. His stabs were more precise and he actually started to decrease the distance between himself and the rat each time he got up.


    Cheng Xiu realised that he was using this as an opportunity to improve his movement skills.


    His reaction speeds were faster, and he seemed to predict his enemy''s attack ranges faster.


    Cheng Xiu observed that the Rat creature was very specific about the amount of attacks that it did on the opponent. As long as the range was within five feet apart, the creature would attack.


    She wondered if he had tried to throw the trident instead of just stabbing at the creature so blindly.


    Almost like he could hear her thoughts, San Zhe threw the trident at the creature.


    The second it reached five feet of the wall, the Rat monster released another jet of water.


    The Fork and the other objects had long hidden behind Cheng Xiu when the first jet of water was splashed.


    "This one is weak," the Fork complained, "Can''t even fight water. Talentless Human cultivators."


    "If you are so capable," Cheng Xiu said to the Fork, "Then go and fight. Go show the talentless human cultivators what you are capable of."


    The Fork kept quiet after that.


    San Zhe looked at the creature in front of him with a considering look and took out a bright red talisman.


    Cheng Xiu was curious about it. In her understanding, Red in game items made them unique or special.


    San Zhe picked up the trident that was thrown away to the other side of the room by the jet of water and pasted the Talisman onto the handle of the weapon.


    Cheng Xiu was curious about it.


    The talisman caught fire and burst into flames.


    The spikes of the trident each carried a flame at the moment. A crystal that was deep maroon in color decorated the handle.


    "Not much of a practical design," she commented. The grip would be difficult and there was the added weight.


    "Each stone stores Fire Qi in it," Yaksha said to her. "Every time that he activates a stone, a jet of fire will be released from it."


    Cheng Xiu pointed to the Rat creature with a tilt of her head. "That is a Water based monster. Water beats fire. What is he thinking about to do this?"


    Yaksha shrugged. He did not know this San Zhe person. How would he be able to tell those kind of things?


    "It depends on the type of flame that San Zhe had stored in the trident."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What do you mean by that? The type that Brother San had stored?"


    "The Talisman is called as ''Elemental confinement.'' The user decides the Element that they want to confine. Fire, water, wind, and even lava is a possibility."


    Cheng Xiu was impressed by that. She had not realised that there were talismans like those as well.


    San Zhe started to attack the rat in earnest.


    The beast tried to scurry away but had to fend itself against the flames that were about to kill it.


    Cheng Xiu was surprised by how precise San Zhe''s movements were as he attacked.


    "Now that I think about it," Cheng Xiu said to Yaksha, "These talismans are so versatile. Why isn''t everyone yammering to be a part of it?"


    "Because it is difficult," Yaksha answered. "And there is also the fact that you need some one to teach you."


    "Difficult?"


    Yaksha nodded. "There are skills that the system gives the players and then there are those that the players have to learn the ins and outs of by themselves. And Talisman creation is one of those skills that the system does not allow just anyone to learn. It is why the Immortal named Crow is so popular in the game world. He passed the grueling tests that comes with being a Talisman creator. And Crow is still learning things himself."


    "You know a lot about those experts."


    "Everhill talks non-stop. There is no escaping when he turns into a mother hen mode."


    Cheng Xiu smiled behind her mask.


    "I hadn''t realised I was fighting such great masters of the game!"


    Yaksha shrugged. "Those ten are not elites. They are just a bunch of buffoons who think that they are at the top of the food chain without even waiting to see if they even have food."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "But they are still experts to me."


    "No," Yaksha said, dissatisfaction was written clearly in his eyes, though his voice was mild. "They are really not. But yes, they are more powerful than you because they are at the Level 60 to 70 range and you don''t seem to be even level 10."


    "So the skills are highly costly and hard to learn. Can you really blame the player base for it?"


    Yaksha shrugged. "Most players are not under my jurisdiction so I am not aware of those kind of attitudes. But no, the talismans can be learnt by anyone and there are always people who would try the skills out and then throw it away."


    Cheng Xiu gave those words some thought. "Then this class of skills are really free. If there was a way to make money with it, then it would have worked better then."


    Yaksha was not sure what she meant.


    "People look at free skills as something that the game made to entertain people," Cheng Xiu explained her thoughts, "It is something that people think that everyone has access to so it must not be good or useful. If it was something that people had to buy, they would have worked harder. Simple as that."


    "Where do you get that kind of thoughts from?"


    "I am also someone with that kind of thinking disability at times."


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 202 - Transform!

    San Zhe swept the trident at the rat.


    A jet spray of water came his way.


    San Zhe dodged to the side and attacked the rat''s mid section.


    The fire of the trident touched the rat''s exposed skin at the side, creating a sizzling sound.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. That was not the sound of burnt skin. It was the sound that water made when it hit a hot pan.


    San Zhe''s thoughts were along those lines as well and he stepped back just in time to avoid an attack to his side. He pressed on of the maroon stones that were embedded on the staff of the trident, releasing a spray of fire.


    The fire engulfed the rat and burned away its clothes.


    The fire started to burn the skin of the rat counsellor.


    The scent of burnt flesh filled the room.


    Cheng Xiu wrinkled her nose. Though the smell was just that meat she couldn''t help thinking about the amount of pain that the rat counsellor was probably in. She was surprised that the rat did not cry in pain from it.


    But perhaps that was the specialty of this monster?


    The Rat counsellor waved its hand.


    A row of Wooden Torches holding the red flames appeared in a row in front of it.


    Another wave of the rat''s hand saw the red flames leave their Torch handles and floated to surround the counsellor.


    Cheng Xiu felt a fleeting anxiousness in her heart though she could not be sure what the reason for that was.


    Her eyes went to the three objects that were hiding behind her calf.


    Though they did not have any facial features on them, Cheng Xiu thought she could feel the horror that was wafting through their body.


    There was another sizzling sound.


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyes just in time to see the Rat counsellor eat the flames one by one.


    The wounds on the creature started to heal.


    Cheng Xiu''s mind felt numb. There were no thoughts in it at that moment.


    Her eyes went to the Wooden Torches and she could see that the blood content in the ones which had their flames eaten by the rat had disappeared.


    The rat ate away those life sources through the flames.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glinted. Monster. It lived up to its name as a monster.


    "Don''t let it eat all the flames!" Cheng Xiu shouted at San Zhe as she pulled out her Red Carp Sword.


    The sword vibrated in her hand, almost like it was echoing the feelings that she was experiencing herself.


    Yaksha''s eyes went to the sword for a brief moment. That must have a conscious soul in it.


    Cheng Xiu was agitated.


    San Zhe heard the panic in Cheng Xiu''s voice. Though he did not know the exact reason for it, he realised that he could not let the monster eat even a single flame more.


    San Zhe attacked the rat vigorously.


    The rat tried to eat the fourth flame despite the obstruction.


    Cheng Xiu sent out a sword copy.


    Yaksha frowned. "He said-"


    "I don''t care," she said through gritted teeth.


    "What happened?" He asked her.


    "I¡­don''t know. We can''t let him eat the flames though. Everything would be bad if we do!"


    Yaksha nodded. He realised that Cheng Xiu''s instincts were at here and that it might be related to the missing memories. Though he could not participate in this game according to San Zhe because of the promise that he made to them, he could still guide them.


    "Release all the Flames in storage except for the three at the spikes," he said to San Zhe.


    San Zhe realised what the expert wanted. It was not that he had not thought of this solution before. It was just that¡­


    "It is too risky," San Zhe said as he was barely able to get away from a overhead shot by the rat.


    The fourth flame was consumed. There were only three left.


    "These are the most important," the Rat counsellor said with a laugh, his eyes locked onto the place at Cheng Xiu''s feet. At the three objects who hid behind her legs.


    "Do it now!" Cheng Xiu said, creating the Ghost Flame in her palm for a just in case kind of a situation.


    Whatever the cause, she would not let even a one more flame to be consumed.


    San Zhe sent Qi into five of the stones simultaneously and attacked the creature.


    The flame that was created seemed to resemble the hell''s inferno that they would see in movies and pictures.


    The rat started to scream in pain and it used its jets on itself to extinguish the fire, which was hard to do and there was no result at all.


    And that was the biggest drawback of the borrowed power of the Rat Counsellor. It did not allow for flexibility.


    San Zhe ran to the opposite wall and catapulted himself to the other side of the room. The trident aimed at the heart of the beast.


    He activated the three stones at the spikes of the trident.


    The entire trident became something made of fire, the metal under it becoming invisible.


    San Zhe''s hands started to blister but he did not give it any mind as the trident pierced into the heart of the Rat Counsellor.


    Fire burst out from the mouth, ears and nose of the creature, burning a bit of San Zhe''s side as well.


    The flame dissipated after a while.


    San Zhe fell to his knees, groaning at the pain that he felt. His pain setting was at 60%, which was already higher than most people and he still felt too much pain from the burns.


    "Brother San," Cheng Xiu called, panic and concern in her voice.


    San Zhe let out a pain filled chuckle. "I am fine. Really."


    He took out a bottle of blue liquid from his storage ring.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened in understanding. She had seen this bottle once before. It was his stash of Healing Potion!


    San Zhe took it in a gulp.


    The body glowed and the wounds were healed.


    Cheng Xiu sighed in relief. "How are you feeling?"


    San Zhe shrugged, not showing the after effect that the pain of being burnt had left him in. "Fine."


    "We are Free!" a voice cried from behind them.


    Cheng Xiu looked over to see the little silver Fork jump towards them in exitement.


    "You!" the Fork said, its spikes pointed to San Zhe. "Thank you! Really!"


    San Zhe was confused. What did he do? "Was that Rat Counsellor a really corrupt one?"


    The Fork''s spikes went up and down in an imitation of a nod.


    "Then I am glad that I could help you?"


    [Ding]


    The three players looked up subconsciously.


    [Congratulations, Player Selafia Veritas, for defeating Rat Counsellor 3/5. One A Grade Monster Core added to the Player''s inventory.]


    [Congratulations, Player San Zhe, for defeating Rat Counsellor 4/5. One A Grade Monster Core added to the Player''s inventory.]


    [Ding!]


    [Players San Zhe and Selafia have defeated the Double monsters before they could consume all the life flames. Players get +3000 fame.]


    [Players have cleared the Dimensional Drift Dungeon.


    Personification Ended.]


    Cheng Xiu looked the three objects by her side at the word ''Personification.''


    Sure enough, the Red Flame disappeared and reappeared near the three objects.


    They started to back away.


    "Don''t run," Cheng Xiu said to them. "They are your ticket to freedom."


    The Fork started to jump towards the flame in front of it at her words but was stopped by the Spoon who stood in front of it.


    "Brother?"


    "You are too stupid," the Spoon said to it. "Always being too bold and provoking things. Then you will come crying to me to fix it for you. So let us just skip that step today. I will go first."


    Cheng Xiu smirked behind the mask. She guessed that the Spoon just wanted to make sure that it was safe before the Fork was hurt.


    The Spoon jumped into the Red Flame in front of it before the Fork could object.


    The fire flared and rose to the ceiling of the room.


    The fire started to take the shape of a human.


    When the flames disappeared, a boy stood in front of them. He had white hair, and grey eyes and looked to be about 15 years old. He wore a silver old western style military uniform, with a shield in his hand.


    The Fork got excited at seeing the Transformation and jumped into the fire of its own.


    The effects were the exact same as the first boy''s and another boy stood in the place of the fire. This time, he looked no more than 12 years old at most. He did not seemed to have even entered Adolescence yet. He too wore a silver white military uniform, and held a trident in his hand. His Grey eyes held warmth and excitement and he let out a warm laugh that would make any one who heard it want to laugh with him.


    "Thank you, big Brother!" the little boy said to San Zhe. He raised his own silver trident. "Look! I have a trident in my hand too! I will be even better than you buy the time that I am your age!"


    San Zhe sweatdropped. This weird child was really overly excited.


    There was a burst of flame next to the little boy, scaring him. He hid behind the 15 year old, and peeked at the Wooden Torch who was slowly transforming.


    A girl in a brown dress stood in front of them. She had an ordinary countenance, but the eyes that looked at them all were hard and confident. She looked to be about 14 years.


    "Thank you for your help," she said. Her tone was even and proud.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. Out of all of them, this little girl was the only one that contradicted the image she had in her mind. She was expecting a shy girl with a naughty smile on her face, not the confident child in front of them.


    "We will help you recover your memories," the girl declared.


    The boys nodded. "Yes.. We will."

 Chapter 203 - Perverted Storyline (I Swear I Am Not Perverted.)

    "Thank you," Cheng Xiu said to them.


    "Aren''t you supposed to say no thanks?" the Fork said in a surprised tone. "Why are you changing the way that you are supposed to respond?"


    "Does that mean that you did not want to help us recover our memories?" Cheng Xiu asked the little boy. "And what is your name?"


    "Spike Moon!" the little boy said in a happy tone.


    Spike? His name is spike? Wasn''t that too literal.


    San Zhe and Cheng Xiu exchanged glances. Very creative.


    "I am Shield Moon," the elder boy said. "Eldest brother in the Moon Clan of the Vermin Empire."


    Shield. Okay. And an introduction into the Rat family. Nice. Cheng Xiu tried to not be too judgmental.


    Cheng Xiu guessed that these children were named too literally or they decided to take on Weaponry that suited their name.


    "Do you want me to introduce myself too?" The personified girl asked, her eyes looking at Cheng Xiu curiously.


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    "I am Fiona Fire," the girl said. "My clan specialised in fire elemental manipulations."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding. Finally a normal name. "About helping us¡­there is no need to. Kids should stay out of such conflicts."


    Fiona tilted her head to the side. "In that case, we can only give you clues in exchange for saving our lives."


    "Those are enough," Cheng Xiu said with a smile.


    The girl looked into the Phoenix eyes that were staring at her with at most sincerity and felt her cheeks burn. Her eyes lowered as she avoided the eye-contact.


    "The Queens have put many children of the Empire in the same situation that we were in," Shield said when it saw that Fiona was not in a condition to speak anymore.


    Cheng Xiu''s heart jumped at his words.


    San Zhe gasped in shock.


    Yaksha looked towards the young man with a curious glint in his eyes.


    "Why children?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Because they are not strong enough to climb the walls yet," Fiona said in a low voice.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as she heard that. "Why is she doing this? What is her story?"


    Fiona hesitated. She looked towards the brothers who looked confused at the human cultivator''s question.


    "Story? What story?" little Spike asked in confusion.


    Shield shrugged. He looked at Fiona curiously.


    Fiona fidgeted. "It is the reason why I was turned into a Torch. Because I knew something that I was not supposed to know."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Her thoughts went to the siblings Da Hua and Xiao Hua. They seemed to know a lot too.


    Cheng Xiu shared her thoughts with the others.


    Fiona shook her head. "What they know is only a part of the story¡­"


    "Can you say the complete version?" Cheng Xiu asked her. "You don''t have to if it will put you in danger."


    Fiona shook her head. "It is fine¡­even I don''t know the full version though."


    "That is fine," Cheng Xiu said to her.


    Fiona narrated a the tale of the Rat Queens which left the rest of the people who heard it in a sense of shock.


    The Rat King, after his wife died due to a Goblin attack was in search of a wife. He searched the entire Kingdom and finally fell for a village girl who was hunting in the forest. The King abducted her and kept her captive.


    He forced her to marry him on that same day, using a spell to control her entire person and she was not even able to protest or talk about her opinion No one came to know about the fact that the girl was being forced into the situation at that time. It was only found the next day due to an unforeseen obstacle.


    The girl was not a girl.


    It was a young boy of 15. He had worn a female clothing due to a bet with a bunch of friends who said that you can not hunt in a female clothing. He was a promising mage of the Vermin Academy and had come back to the village for the vacation.


    The King refused to let the boy leave even after knowing the boy''s gender, just saying that the Queen is the Queen because the king married her and that there was no escape for the boy.


    It a bid to escape the King''s persuasion, the young boy used some unknown spell to create a Shadow of himself. A female this time.


    The shadow girl was just as intelligent as the original boy and just as skilled. She regarded the boy as her master, her father, and her sibling, wanting to make him happy at all times.


    She started to serve the King.


    What the boy did not expect was to actually care for this shadow self. He ended up thinking of the Shadow as his sister after some incident that no one really knew about and then he tried to set the shadow girl free.


    But she refused and continued to serve the King.


    Everything seemed to go well until the boy fell in love with someone outside the Vermin Empire. Who that person was, nobody knew.


    The boy wanted to escape and tried to as well. But somehow he couldn''t. Though it was not known what happened, but after that both the boy and the shadow girl started to serve the King, and the King''s perverted thoughts started to escalate.


    Cheng Xiu''s face was stiff after hearing the story that Fiona said. She was not supposed to judge, she knew that. Human morals were not something that these rats would care about but¡­really¡­a threesome of this kind was just¡­


    She finally realised that hearing the story brought back a few memories that she was sure she could not remember before. Almost like she had met some kind of an invisible condition to get access to them. The memories returned to her as though they were always there, it was her who did not pay attention to it before.


    Cheng Xiu compiled the datas she had about the dungeon until now and understood why Xiao Hua said that One of the Queens was a female. She also knew why the first set of twins had scoffed when she asked if the Queens were like them. They were not.


    The Queens were not actual twins. They were Literal shadows of one another. And one was a boy and the other was a girl.


    It also slightly confirmed her theory that the Queens liked each other unlike the first set of twins who were hated one another.


    Cheng Xiu also thought about the reason as to why the Boy in the story did not escape in the end. Her mind went to Xiao Hua and Da Hua. The brother stepped forwards to sacrifice his life for a chance for his sister to live longer.


    Cheng Xiu could not help wondering if the Queens also did something of that nature. From the way that Fiona said the story she thought that it had a greater probability¡­


    But would the first pair of twins be only so useful to give out clues?


    "I never thought I would say this," San Zhe finally said after a moment of silence, "The Devs of this game are such perverted people."


    Cheng Xiu''s lips twitched. Wasn''t that the truth. Then she thought of the games she had played so far. Capturing the beauties. Pets that turned into scantly clade beauties as they got upgraded¡­


    She came to a conclusion.


    "All game developers are perverted."


    San Zhe looked at her in surprise. "Huh?"


    "And the reason is that those are the kind of people who play their games," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    "I am not that kind of a person!"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. She did not know this senior enough to know that. "If you say so."


    "I really am not."


    "The most important thing right now is to get our memories back," Cheng Xiu said. If her having just these memories have already made her able to guess so much about the plot, then she suspected that if she had her complete memories she would have been able to finish this dungeon even faster.


    "Then we have to kill the lady at that counter?" Spike asked her.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Not you."


    "But-"


    "Children should play in the sun and study hard," she said, "let us human cultivators to do our job."


    "Fine."


    The boy stood behind his brother with a pout on his lips.


    "We will see you soon I hope," Shield said to them.


    "I hope you all succeed," Fiona said.


    She took out a small spell book.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. She was about to ask the girl about it when the three disappeared before their eyes.


    "What is it?" Yaksha asked her.


    Cheng Xiu stared at the place that the three stood in some time ago. "How did the little girl know that story?"


    San Zhe frowned. "Um¡­"


    "What have theorized?" Yaksha asked her.


    "That girl¡­she¡­we might see her again?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    Yaksha thought for a moment and then nodded.


    "As a friend or a foe?"


    "I am unsure myself. This dungeon seems to be a lot more story driven than the others that I have been to."


    "I see," Cheng Xiu said as she walked towards the blank wall. "I hope that she knows she was wrong to have done the things that she did before when she was supporting the Queens."


    "We still don''t know why the Queens want to climb the tower," San Zhe said with a sigh. "I am guessing if we know that, we can, maybe, clear the dungeon."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes flashed. She already had a guess in her heart but it was too dramatic and operaish. She hoped it was not that.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 204 - A Search Begins And Another Ends

    The three players walked out through the door that San Zhe accessed through the blank door.


    They looked around and found that the woman at the counter was still there, writing something on her instrument.


    The three looked at each other.


    "So¡­" San Zhe started. "What should we do? Just attack?"


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment. "How many Rat Counsellors were there?"


    "Five," San Zhe answered.


    "How many were killed?"


    "Four," he looked confused. "Why are you asking this?"


    "Do you think this woman is a part of a sub-plot or is she the fifth Counsellor?"


    "What?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "We have established that the woman is the reason that we lost our memories. That means that she is an opponent. In this dungeon, the only NPCs who can be the opponents are those that belong to the Sub-Plot or they are the main targets themselves correct? So is the woman someone of the sub-plot or someone who belongs to the Main task? If it is the Main task¡­we only have 3 targets left. The last Rat Counsellor and the two queens. And we can''t meet the queens first before we kill the Rat Counsellor¡­so¡­"


    San Zhe frowned. "I would say¡­Sub-Plot."


    "Why?"


    "Well¡­" San Zhe gave his reasoning some more thoughts but he could not see where he could be wrong. "The trend has been that we kill main targets, get a sub-plot, kill another target, get another sub-plot¡­so why would things change now?"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow in question, almost like she was asking him if he would really ask such a simple question. "Because this is the last Rat Counsellor. As the rule goes, if there is something that you want to change in a dungeon setting the best part to do that is to make the changes on the last target. Hence, we might not need any other sub-plots."


    San Zhe sighed. Right. He had forgotten the basic formula of games.


    "Then the chances of this being the main task has higher percent than this being a Sub-plot."


    "Exactly," Cheng Xiu said with a smile.


    "Then let us go and attack her?" he asked.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "There is one thing that we haven''t discussed yet. Maybe I am just ignorant and I don''t know this, but what are the chances that we all will not forget each other and our mission goal again?"


    San Zhe blinked his eyes. That¡­he did not think of that¡­


    "The chances are high," Yaksha said to her.


    San Zhe felt despair. "We can''t leave the target and we can''t approach the target¡­this is just too much."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. San Zhe seemed to complain a lot instead of thinking of a solution at the moment. She hoped that he was not always like this.


    "We can investigate the area around here," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    San Zhe blinked. "You mean that since this is the lair of the Rat then it will have something to help us as well."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Exactly."


    At least he was quick on the uptakes of the suggestions that she gave.


    "What do you guys think?" Cheng Xiu asked the two men.


    "You are also asking me this?" Yaksha said in surprise.


    "Now we are in a situation where even your memories are tampered with. We have to all cooperate."


    Yaksha nodded in understanding. His heart felt lighter. If this really was Little Sela, then she had changed for the better. At least now she knew when to ask for help. Or maybe she was always like this and it was their hostile relationship that made her unable to ask for his help all those times. It had made him bow his head instead and he ended up asking her to cooperate with him. It had to led to too many Player debts that he owed her. He wondered how many more he still had to repay briefly.


    "Then let us work hard to make sure that we get out of this alive," San Zhe said when he realised that the expert was not going to respond to Cheng Xiu''s words. "Where do we start?"


    Cheng Xiu frowned and thought for a moment. "That back door near the woman should be the key place but the chances of us reaching there is less likely. The reason we lost our memory probably had to do with that."


    "You mean¡­the memory loss is a way to make sure that the teams who come to attack the dungeon will be so confused that they will leave the woman alone?"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "And if you want to take things a step further¡­the reason this place of the woman is the Nest is perhaps to make the players think that it is nothing more than a Nest."


    "Is this even a Qi Sensing Dungeon anymore?" San Zhe asked in confusion.


    "It is," Yaksha said to him. "But it is an S-ranked one."


    San Zhe blinked up at the expert. "Does that mean something? Even if it was at S rank, it still should not be so complicated, right?"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "What do guys mean? Is this complexity not normal for S Rank?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "Though I have not played S rank before, I am pretty sure that the game should not be so hard."


    "There is a condition for it," Yaksha said.


    San Zhe looked towards him, expectant.


    Yaksha kept silent.


    San Zhe felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    "What is the condition?" Cheng Xiu asked, leaning towards him, her Phoenix eyes sparkling like the starry night sky.


    "The Clock Tower of the Viridian Forest is one of the oldest Clock Tower in the continent," Yaksha said to her, his eyes never leaving hers. "It meant that, the Clock Tower difficulty was always above that of the other Clock Towers all over the world. Now that the Clock Tower area has been upgraded to Level S, the difficulty is amped even further."


    San Zhe ducked his heed, his eyes on the black combat boots of the expert. Sure enough. The expert answered Cheng Xiu instead. And even the conversation was familiar.


    It really was d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Or maybe he time travelled without realising it.


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding. "So we have to find any clues we can around here before we reach the counter. Otherwise, we will be caught off guard. Also, we have to make sure that we have a way to protect our mind from mental attacks like that so that we can approach the woman without the fear of loosing our memories."


    San Zhe nodded. "So where do we start?"


    Cheng Xiu looked around for a moment. "Brother San, you can check the barrels of alcohol. Lord Yaksha, you can do what ever that you want to. I will go check the Red Fires here. There might be a way to extinguish the fires and save the rest of those children. Maybe that could be a condition for us to get into the back room."


    "Why did I get only the alcohol?" San Zhe asked her. Did she not think that he was capable enough?


    Cheng Xiu let out an awkward laugh. "It was only a suggestion. You can do whatever you want to, Brother San. We are a team but we don''t really have a team leader after all."


    San Zhe sighed. He had too much of an imagination it would seem. Cheng Xiu was focused on the task at hand. Would she still have the moment to spare and think about whether he was weak or strong? San Zhe shook his head at his own naivety.


    He left the group first to check on the barrels. After all, there was not much else that he could check.


    Yaksha walked towards the other end of the room that held a few sacks in front of him. He squatted down on the ground and began to inspect the outer covering.


    If Luther could see what his young master was doing at that moment the man would have had a heart attack. Thankfully, the man was currently following a bunch of idiots in the real world, and was unaware of it.


    Cheng Xiu moved towards the floating Torch lights and observed the holders and the blood in it for a long time, inspecting each one of it, as though she was looking of something specific.


    In the real world, a group of officials stood in a corner discussing.


    A man with brown hair and green eyes walked towards them in even steps. "Hello. What are you all huddled together for?"


    The group of white coats looked up.


    "Dr Mead!" an old man in the group called. "We were discussing the new subject!"


    The man tilted his head. "New subject?"


    A man next to the old man laughed. "Right! Young Joseph took leave, correct? You wouldn''t know! We have an Awakened Qiless in our hands!"


    Joseph Mead froze. His eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?"


    The man laughed. "It is all thanks to young Dr Fennings. He tracked him down."


    Joseph smiled a strained smile. "Is that so? Then I should go talk to the Dean before talking to you guys!"


    The group of men laughed.


    Joseph left them and looked towards one of the closed cabins with a cold look in his eyes. That man got to one before he did.


    He walked towards the room in an even stride.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 205 - What Is Your Opinion

    Joseph walked into the room to find a tall man with silver hair and spectacles talking to another man with brown skin and deep set brown eyes, both wore white coats.


    Hearing the even footsteps of Joseph, the two looked up from the medical records that they were browsing.


    "I heard congratulations are in order," Joseph said as he stopped in front of the man with the brown skin. "Ravi, what are you doing here? Weren''t you going back to your native place this week?"


    Ravi shrugged. "Weddings of distant relatives can wait. There is something more exciting going on in the lab! How can I stay away? Besides, doctor Jennings over here was just about to announce to the world his great discoveries. I had to witness history with my own eyes."


    Joseph''s shoulders tensed at the words of his collegue.


    Dr Jennings rolled his eyes. "Please, I have told you Ravi, there is no guarantee that the Qi Awakening is real or not. And besides, it is up to the Minister who has to reveal such information to the public, not me."


    "But you will be there when it is going to be announced, Cyrus!"


    "You make it seem like it was my discovery," Dr Jennings sneered.


    "You didn''t?"


    The silver haired man rolled his eyes again, helplessness rooting into his pale features. "Uncle George contacted me because he was worried whether it would have any impact on his health going forwards, and he knew I majored in Qi Theories, so he automatically thought of me. That was it."


    "George?" Joseph asked. "You Uncle is the one to awaken?"


    Cyrus Jennings looked towards the brown haired man. "That is right. He is at least 85 years old, so he was worried. There doesn''t seem to be much issues in the Initial testings though. In fact, his vitals have improved. Aunt Lucy was worried all day long about his weak heart, now she would can at least sleep better."


    "What are your thoughts on this?" Joseph asked, concealing the anxiety that was in his mind.


    "About his Uncle''s health? I think it is great. One less funeral to attend to anytime soon," Ravi said to him.


    Cyrus glared at the man.


    "What? You should try having multiple relatives, all the weddings and funerals and naming ceremonies that you have to attend!" Ravi said with a sigh. "It is so exhausting to talk to people as it is, and then you have to be even more friendly to people at that time."


    "Can you be serious for at least some moments?" Joseph asked with a glare.


    Ravi raised his hand in surrender.


    "I was talking about the Qi Awakening of the Qiless in general. What are your thoughts on it?" Joseph asked Cyrus.


    The man with the silver hair blinked in confusion. "I guess this is good? I mean¡­what is really so special about it? Don''t people Awaken all the time. There was just a time delay at this time for my uncle."


    "There is something special about it!" Ravi said. "It is like a woman in her 90s having her period for the first time. It is not very useful. I mean, it could be seen as a good thing if you want to, but still, what is the real use of it at that point?"


    Joseph frowned. "Don''t you think that it is¡­different?"


    Ravi tilted his head. "You think that there were outside forces that stimulated this in the subject and that there might be a deeper purpose to this than just a bunch of powerless people getting access to the Qi in them?"


    Joseph pursed his lips in thought. He did not believe that the Qiless had any Qi in them but he could not say that out loud to these people.


    "Something like that," Joseph said in a non-committal tone.


    Cyrus sighed. "I have thought of it, but I am not sure what malicious purpose those people could have."


    "Become incubators for alien species," Ravi guessed.


    Cyrus shivered. "Would you stop watching weird stuff again? Or at least stop sharing them with other people? With the Beasts and monsters attacking even more fiercely than it was before, I would think that we are not too far from that reality."


    Joseph realised that the two men were going off topic again. "Can I see the subject?"


    "No," Cyrus answered without turning to him.


    Ravi sighed. "I have been trying to get him to show me the uncle, but he wouldn''t. Nice try though, Jose."


    "Had to give it a shot," Joseph said with a strained smile. "Did you find anything though?"


    Cyrus cast him a suspicious look but still shook his head. "Not yet. Uncle has given us a few details but there is nothing conclusive yet?"


    "Conclusive?" Joseph gave his words a few seconds of thought and then nodded. "Keep me updated then. I would like to know how this miracle came about."


    "And then force all the Qiless to do it too," Ravi said with emotions, "and then there would be no more Qiless people, and then no more break outs of attacks in the world based on Qi."


    Cyrus snorted. "You can''t force everyone to make that choice. The Alliance would not allow that. And besides, there would still be people out there who are proud of their Qiless status and would not want to join the other side."


    Ravi sighed. "Let me dream."


    "So you know that it can only be a dream," Joseph scolded. His heart was cold at that mere thought. The number of abominations would far exceed their control if that happened.


    Ravi shrugged. "People are d*cks. They will find all kind of reasons just to hate on people. As long as the Qi awakened news gets out, I am sure that the very hour there will be an organization against it, calling it an abomination and against nature and stuff. You know, the usual routine. Can''t use VR Pods, has the devil''s power in it, can''t use Treatment cabins, it is against the natural order of things."


    Joseph and Cyrus sighed. Here the man went on his tirade again.


    "I am telling you," Ravi pointed towards them, "These are the same people who would protest that people are wearing less cloths and stuff. Really. Clothing is unnatural too, why wear it then?"


    Cyrus started to walk away.


    "Where are you going?" Ravi called to him.


    "Away."


    Ravi sighed and turned to Joseph to find that there was not even a shadow of the man.


    "Dr Ghosh?" a woman called.


    Ravi looked at her.


    "Subject 478 is showing positive results to the Qi insertion to the cavity."


    Ravi grinned. "Really? Subject 478 is the Qiless woman from Arizona, right?"


    The woman smiled back. "Yes. Her nerve damages are already showing improvements."


    Ravi walked away with a skip to his step.


    On the other side of the facility, Joseph walked into his office and closed the door. He had the AI system installed in the room deny access to all personals and stop recording the happenings of the office room.


    Once the area around him had a dim blue hue to it, he opened his fold.


    "Sir," the man called out as soon as the video call connected.


    "What is it? Is this your office at the lab? You have contacted me outside the jurisdiction? What happened?"


    "There is a problem."


    "What?"


    "The Lab has gotten hold of a live specimen."


    There was silence in the room.


    "How?" the gruff voice asked.


    "The specimen got into contact with Dr Jennings of the Branch A of the Qi Research department directly," Joseph said, his green eyes locked onto the file on the desk.


    "What is his leanings?"


    "The specimen is his uncle," Joseph said with a sneer. "And he sees the Qi Awakening feature of the Qiless as a late blooming."


    "How old is the specimen?"


    "Above 80."


    There was pause again.


    Joseph knew what was going through the man''s head at that moment. All the specimens that they collected were in the range of 20 to 25. The first Above 50 specimen to be found and it was in the hands of those do-gooders who thought that everything should be peaceful and all should be accepted.


    Joseph felt unwilling and he was sure the boss was even more unwilling than him.


    "Keep the specimen results in check," the man said at last. "If there is any problem¡­eliminate the Head Doctor and take his position."


    Joseph nodded, the heaviness of his heart settling. And that was how it should be done. Eliminate the things that were not appealing to their cause.


    Joseph wanted to laugh at himself. He was so upset over something so simple.


    "Thank you," he said to the boss in an earnest voice.


    The call was cut off from the other side.


    Joseph leaned back on his chair, his eyes on the file in front of him. "Why do I have to wait for the man to not co-operate for me to eliminate the man? Why not get it over with beforehand?"


    With that, he made another call.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 206 - Bags Of Goods That Need Good Luck

    In the VR game of the other world, Cheng Xiu inspected the last Red Fire holder and still had not found anything.


    It was either that there was nothing there or she had not met the right conditions to unlock this part of the dungeon. Maybe she needed to meet some key figures or needed to have some key items in her hand to find out the way.


    She walked away from them towards San Zhe. He was still inspecting the fourth Barrel.


    The Red Flames behind her flared briefly, extending their tendrils to touch the tip of a few of her hair. The retracted as soon as she turned back to look at them.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Her instincts had just went on high-alert, like there was something behind her.


    She stared for a few moments. She was sure that she did not feel wrong, but decided not to give the matter more attention at this time as she had some other things that she needed to attend to.


    "How is it?" she asked San Zhe after reaching his end of the room.


    San Zhe let out a sigh in distress. "I can''t find anything yet."


    "Why is it taking you so long to examine them though?"


    San Zhe blinked and looked at the various torches in the room. There were 20 of them at most and all of them had most of their features for others to see anyway. His eyes then went to the large containers with alcohol in front of him. There were twenty of those as well but is it the same thing?


    Cheng Xiu looked at his expression and guessed his thoughts. "I meant that I was sure that you would have finished at least 10 of these. After all, they are large structures with more exposed area. All you have to do is look under it and lift the lid and check those."


    "What if there are some engraved symbols that are not visible to the naked eyes because of some kind of optical illusion?"


    "Then just swipe your had over that place. It is optical right?"


    San Zhe blushed. He felt like he was not worthy of standing in the room all of a sudden.


    "I am not trying to discourage you¡­I didn''t find anything on the Red Torches either," Cheng Xiu said. "In fact, I think I should check it too. Maybe swipe my hands over the surface once more to see if there is something that I missed."


    Cheng Xiu quickly escaped from the area.


    She had really wanted to help San Zhe but her words might have been too blunt and impolite at that moment and if she said she would help him check after that, he might think that she thought he was unreliable. She did not know him enough to know if his ego was that fragile but she knew she would have felt annoyed at that kind of a behaviour.


    She did not want to stay to see if that was the truth.


    Just as she reached the torches again, someone called her name.


    Cheng Xiu looked to the side and realised that Yaksha was calling them both.


    She hurried over.


    The Red Fires curled their tendrils like the legs of octopuses.


    "What is it?" Cheng Xiu asked Yaksha in excitement. "Did you find something valuable?"


    Yaksha pointed towards the sacks in front of him. "There are 21 bags here."


    Cheng Xi blinked. She thought back to what she had thought of before. "20 Torches, 20 Wine Barrels but there are 21 bags¡­we have to find the extra bag."


    "What do you think is in the bag?"


    "Maybe a trap or maybe a clue. Who knows."


    "Do you want me to open it?" Yaksha asked them.


    "You did not open it?" Cheng Xiu asked in surprise.


    "Isn''t this mission yours? What ever I do with the sack has to be because the two of you told me to do it. It is basic etiquette."


    "If you say so," Cheng Xiu said. "Open them then. Let us see if there is something that can help us."


    Yaksha nodded and took out a dagger from his storage space and tore through the bag.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe took a step back automatically.


    The two looked at each other and reached a tactical understanding. They were low level Qiless players and Yaksha was a high level Expert of the game. There was no way that anything in that bag could hurt the man unlike them. They would be easily dealt with.


    "Oh," Yaksha said, and kept staring at the contents inside the sack.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe looked at each other, ecouraging each other to go and peak into the sack with the expert.


    After a few seconds of stalling, Cheng Xiu sighed in defeat and walked forwards. They were wasting time by being cowardly.


    She peeked over Yaksha''s shoulder.


    Inside the sack was a mountain of hair and wigs.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head in ocnfusion.


    "They are Witchcraft materials," Yaksha explained to her. "And the wigs and stuff must be something that the rats trade with the other monsters of the Tower, getting resources from each other."


    Cheng Xiu looked at the sack in wonder. "So that is how they make profit?"


    Yaksha nodded. "And entire Empire can not be built of solely these factors but yes, this must be the main sources of income for the people of this dungeon."


    "Should we burn it?" San Zhe asked Yaksha.


    "Why would we burn it?" Cheng Xiu asked him.


    "No, we will not burn it," Yaksha said to him. "There is no value in doing that."


    "But-"


    "Besides," Cheng Xiu said in a low voice, "The rats also seem to be like normal people. Good, Bad, greedy, kind. Everything. We should not let our egoes make us forget that we are still people living in a modern, rule-bound society."


    San Zhe blinked. "Um¡­"


    Yaksha chuckled. "You seem to have become emotionally attached to the Rat NPCs."


    "They are still living beings."


    "If you say so."


    Cheng Xiu stared at him for a few moments and then went back to look at the sacks. "Check out the rest of the bags as well. I am sure that not all of them are furs and wigs."


    Yaksha took out two blades from his storage ring and handed it to the two of them.


    The Two Qiless people looked at him, dumbfounded.


    "What?..." San Zhe subconsciously asked.


    "Happy cooperation, my comrades," Yaksha said to them with a ''Sincere'' tone of voice that was full of mockery.


    Cheng Xiu was sure this was a retaliation from the man for her trying to order him around.


    Cheng Xiu turned to San Zhe and muttered a sorry before taking the weapon and taking out a sack from the back that did not look as heavy as the others. She had a guess that the objects that could help them get to the counter without injury would be something that was light weight in comparison.


    Her sorry to San Zhe was because he had to suffer with her because she could not help her bossy attitude form coming to the forefront again. It was a real problem but she was not sure how she should handle herself.


    San Zhe stared at Cheng Xiu''s back in confusion. Why did that woman say sorry to him just now?


    Yaksha was not aware of the shadows that his words created in the hearts of the two people. After all, he was only teasing them.


    The second sack was full of masks.


    San Zhe opened a sack as well and found that it was filled with different types of pickled eyes.


    Yaksha took out a bag of metal meshes.


    Cheng Xiu got a bag full of rotten animal feet.


    San Zhe got a sack full of jars of intestines.


    Yaksha picked out a bag of dress shirts from it.


    After two more rounds, San Zhe and Cheng Xiu came to one conclusion.


    Yaksha''s Luck: At 100 % efficiency.


    San Zhe + Cheng Xiu''s Luck : Less than 40% efficiency.


    Really. This was why the two of them were Qiless and Low-levels.


    Damned Qi users always had the luck around them.


    In another part of the VR World, a few official looking people sat in a cabinet setting, each reading a collection of papers.


    A woman in golden martial robes walked onto the podium, a large phoenix symbol floating above her head. She cleared her throat as she looked around at the people who stared at her.


    One seat was empty.


    "Where is Yaksha?" the woman asked.


    Everyone started to murmur.


    ***


    Author''s Theater:


    Red Fire: Want to touch the hair of the FL.


    Yaksha: let me call her away before you occupy her mind.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 207 - Entering And Leaving Meetings Dramatically

    The woman in the golden robes let out a sigh. She had not thought this would be the first thing that she would have to deal with when she declared the meeting.


    "What about his little NPC assistant?" She asked, even though she had no hope for it.


    "Last I heard, she was managing the Ghostly voids in his stead," a woman with clear brown skin and exquisite features said, her eyes tracking the wine swirling in her glass. She wore a bright pink dress that had large golden peacocks embroidered on it.


    The woman in the golden robes sighed. "Kavya, please declare the meeting."


    The woman in the pink dress raised her eyebrows. "Are we not going to wait for him?"


    "Is there any use in doing that?" a man in black pants asked. His upper body was exposed and decorated with jewellery.


    "Brother Lightning," called to him, "Is that even a question? We have to have Yaksha to know the specifics about this project. Don''t forget that this was his idea from the start. And we need the Ghost Spirit access."


    The woman in the Golden robe sighed. "Kavya."


    The woman in the pink robe started to get up reluctantly and took out a list. She looked at the people around her with deep brown eyes and then closed them. When she opened them again they were the exact pink colour of her robes and the iris was the golden colour of her robes.


    "The Twentieth Summit of the Elite Primordials is underway," she said, a bored look on her face. "The absentees are Lord Yaksha, Primordial Lord of the Ghostly Realms and Lord Yu, the Master of the Prism Clam of the Vampire Empire."


    "Huh? Even Yu is not here?" a man with a pot belly asked, his clothe was a simple white shirt and fluttery pants. "And here I thought he would be here. Isn''t this meeting invalid then? Aren''t the two topics we are supposed to discuss today about the Ghost Realm and the Vampire Empire? Lady Lucia, let me tell you! I may not be as famous as those two but my time is also valuable!"


    The woman in the Golden Robe nodded, not looking at the man. "I know, Lord Sage. I was not trying to make it seem like you were a less important person. It is just that...I did not expect both of them to abandon the meeting in this manner."


    "It is obvious, isn''t it?" a man with pitch black skin and curly hair suggested with a calm voice. His robes were a deep red and purple colours, "they don''t think that this group is important enough than what they are doing right now."


    Lucia frowned. Just as she was about to refute those words, one of the teleportation circles in the room flashed. A figure clad in royal blue robes walked towards them, wearing a matching mask and a NPC woman clad in tiger clothes walking behind him in a servile manner.


    "Am I late?" the man asked.


    "Lord Yu!" Lucia exclaimed, a pleasant look on her face. "You came."


    Otherwise?" the man said with a laugh. "This is an interesting meeting after all. So which issue are we discussing first? Mine or Yaksha''s?" The man looked around the table. "Oh? Where is the Lord of the Ghost Realm?"


    "He is not here yet," Lucia said with a sigh. "I have tried to contact the NPC with him but there is no response. Even the Ghost calls are not going through."


    Lord Yu hmmed. "It would seem that either he is offline or he is in a dungeon."


    "Ghost calls can go through dungeons!" Lightning Simp said.


    "And I know for a fact that he is online," Lucia said in frustration. "His Ghostly Spirit is still hovering over my territories."


    Lord Yu shook his head. "Then he doesn''t put us in his eyes at all. That could be the only reason."


    Everyone in the room agreed to his words.


    Kavya glared at the man who was sowing discord where there was no reason. "Actually, if the dungeon has is above Level B then the Ghost call will not go through."


    Lord Yu blinked. His face blanked for a moment at the words of the woman and then smiled, his thin lips, the only visible feature of his face, tilted to one side in a subtle smirk. "I see. I did not know that. Does that mean that he is in a Level A dungeon?"


    Kavya stared at him.


    "How sure are you though?" the man continued to ask, there was a not-so-hidden mockery in his voice.


    Kavya snorted. "Whatever. Believe me or not. It is not up to me to convince you about it."


    "I did not mean that. I am not doubting your words. I am doubting Yaksha being in such a dungeon."


    "He is in an S Ranked Dungeon in the Viridian Forest," a calm voice said.


    Everyone turned towards the sound.


    A man in a genie-like outfit sat with his legs on the table, his eyes closed.


    "And how do you know that, Ryne?" Sage asked him.


    The man opened one of his eyes to look at the other and then closed it again. "He messaged me."


    "Then why didn''t you tell it before!" a timid childish voice shouted at him.


    The man looked towards the sound. A young lady who was about 14 years old was glaring at him. "My dear dear Esther, I forgot."


    The woman glared, her emerald robes gleaming as she stood up. "Ryne Freser. Don''t mock us!"


    The man sighed and then looked towards Lord Yu with a tired expression. "I was doing computing all day yesterday. I did not even remember about this meeting, let alone what Yaksha said to me. Little Yu, try to make them understand."


    Lord Yu stared at the man with hateful eyes. He could hear the teasing tone in the man''s voice. "You don''t sound like that. You sound like someone who hid crucial information to see how the members would react to the absence of Yaksha."


    Ryne smiled. "Am I such a vicious person in your heart, my dear Vampire Brother?"


    Lucia sighed. "So he is in a dungeon. I guess we can only move onto other things for now."


    Lord Yu glared at Ryne.


    "Let us begin then," Lucia said with a sigh. "Kavya."


    "The issue with the Ghost Realm will be discussed at a later date. Today''s meeting is about the Vampire Empire."


    "Thank you, Kavya," Lucia said. "We are going to talk about the issue of the death of Twenty three noble men of the Azure state at the hands of the Vampires of the Crown Clan."


    "They belong to the Crown clan," Lord Yu said as a way of explanation. Everyone glared at him. "And they were Newborns."


    "Newborns?" Sage asked with a sneer. "We are not gullible NPCs, Lord Yu, nor are we low level players. We are the Primordials of the Other World. You should know what that means! Are you going to tell us that a bunch of Newborns were the once to kill the Lords of the Azure Castle and open the gates for the slaughtering of the commoners? And really, Lucia? Are the nobles the only ones who matter? What about the over hundred Commoner NPCs that were slaughtered? What was the purpose of that kind of Violence?"


    "You are behaving like I did this kind of thing to actual people," Lord Yu mocked, "and I did not have any knowledge of the happenings."


    "Preposterous!" Sage shouted. "You are going to use such excuses. Are you even trying to hide your terrible deeds?"


    And if I am not?"


    "What?"


    "What if I am not trying to hide my, as you call it, ''dirty deeds''?"


    Sage looked at the shameless man in front of him in shock. "Hundreds are dead."


    "Hundreds of NPCs. There are millions of those anyway and the system can create more. I don''t see the problem."


    Sage stared at Lord Yu in shock.


    The others also had grim expression on their faces. They had known that Yu was a cruel man but ths was just¡­


    "If this is the attitude that you have for this issue," Ryne said, "then there is no need for this meeting at all. We can have another meeting when Yaksha is back."


    Lord Yu frowned. "Are we not going to discuss this?"


    "Why should I?" Ryne asked. "Am I so idle that I will spend a good day I can just play and rest to argue with a man who has already made a dicision before coming here and the only reason he is here is to sow chaos? No thank you. Bye."


    The man directly flashed away.


    Everyone else looked at each other in confusion. What should they do? Follow Ryne?


    ***


    Sage: You monster.


    Lord Yu: Thank you. Yes I am.


    Sage: ¡­shameless.


    Lord Yu: I agree. I am.


    Ryne: You made a decision.


    Lord Yu: I am going to watch you all squirm!


    Ryne: (Went offline)


    Lord Yu:¡­that was not in my script.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 208 - Keep Calm And Question Things

    In the dungeon of the Clock Tower, in a room highlighted by Red Flames in wooden torches, a woman clad in Red and white Martial Arts Robe and a intricately designed White mask stared at the piece of Petal in her hand intently.


    Cheng Xiu started to search her bag deeper to find more.


    "What is that?" San Zhe asked her.


    Cheng Xiu handed it to him and then shook the contents of the bag onto the floor.


    San Zhe blinked at the velvety texture that he felt and looked down. It was a red rose petal.


    "Where did you get this?"


    "In the bag."


    San Zhe looked at her. "Is this it? Are we supposed to search for this?"


    "I don''t know, but it is good to give it a try."


    "What are we supposed to do with it exactly?" San Zhe asked her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked and then turned to Yaksha. "Do you know? If not, can you guess?"


    Yaksha stared at the Rose petal for a moment. "Perhaps there are more in the other bags. We can try to find them all."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "That is a logical solution."


    The three people went back to searching. It took some more time before they found 20 flower petals.


    "Twenty Flames, twenty alcohols and twenty flower petals," Cheng Xiu muttered. "What could it mean?"


    San Zhe connected the ends of the petals and tried to recreate the flower it was before with the use of a talisman but there was no effect. "It would seem that this item can''t be reused¡­but there might be another thing that we are not taking into consideration."


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe shared a glance and then turned to the sacks of items that they had found.


    "You are thinking too simply," Yaksha said to them.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Is it what I think it is?"


    Yaksha smiled. "What do you think it is?"


    "That¡­are these things supposed to be used together?" she asked.


    Yaksha laughed. "There is more than one ways of clearing dungeons."


    "But what would happen if we approach this mission the way the Nest was intended."


    "It could be dangerous¡­or it could be very benificial¡­or even both."


    "That was a very ambiguous answer," Cheng Xiu deadpanned.


    "I am sorry that you think so."


    "What are you two talking about?" San Zhe finally could not hold back and asked.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "That there must be some kind of ritual or spell that we have to do to make the memories erasing spell to be deactivated."


    San Zhe stared at her for a moment. Use these items to create a ritual?


    "How do we do that?" San Zhe asked, "The only person in our group who might have some luck at Spell casting is Lord Yaksha. What would have happened if we had no one who knew that kind of stuff then? Isn''t this beginner''s Dungeon a bit too Beginner unfriendly?"


    Cheng Xiu gave his words some thought and grimaced. "Maybe there is not even a need for you to be or have a witch. Maybe these things are enough for us to break the spell."


    "Is it that simple?" San Zhe asked her in surprise.


    "How is it simple? Everything needs a power source¡­where do you think that the power to create that kind of a ritual will come from when the person who activates the ritual is not a witch?"


    San Zhe stared. "Um¡­"


    Yaksha looked at the various torches that surrounded them.


    San Zhe saw his action and seemed to have realised a horrible truth. "The Torches! They can be used as a source, the way that the Rat counsellor used before!"


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Exactly. And you know what that means?"


    "Killing of innocent NPCs," San Zhe said with a sigh. "Well¡­we all knew that the Clock Tower dungeons were cruel to the monsters as well. It is just a bit of pity I guess."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "No. This is more than that. The queens are unnecessarily cruel to her subjects. Almost like she is not doing this to raise the dungeon itself but rather to achieve a personal vendetta. Besides, we can''t let the ritual to take place just because it is the obvious solution. We have to make sure that it will indeed stop the spell and not enhance it."


    The two men thought over her words and nodded. That did make sense.


    "So¡­what now? I feel like we are overthinking these things though," San Zhe said to her.


    "Not overthinking," Yaksha said to him, "But rather thinking in terms of farsightedness."


    And that made the two Qiless look at him in confusion.


    "Most dungeon games are like chain quests. According to the general setting and the assigned algorithm, each of the player''s actions have consequences to the game around them¡­but these consequences are in levels. You kill a Zombie here at level 1 and meet another Zombie of Level 1 that evolved into level 2 and so on, means that there are not only Level 1 to infinite Zombies but also that many of them have the capability to evolve. The game then reveals a cure, how to procure the cure etc. If you fail the missions you get a certain ending and if you fail you get another¡­.with me so far?"


    The two nodded.


    "What Little Sela is talking about is not in terms of Level 1 to 5 though¡­she is talking about the consequences of her actions as though this is a high level mission. And it is. We might stop or trigger hidden conditions that will either help the NPCs to climb faster or slow them down."


    The two looked at him with a gaze full of admiration.


    "That makes so much sense," San Zhe said in a daze.


    So¡­to do it or not?" San Zhe asked.


    Yaksha shrugged.


    The other two looked at him with a deadpanned expression. If your final answer was going to be a shrug why did you bother giving the great explanation? Wasn''t that just a waste of time?


    "Find a book or scrolls or something that can give us information," Cheng Xiu concluded. "Look of anything that mentions blood sacrifices, torches, Red Flames, weird assortment of clothes and accessories and rose petals. Collect them all if there is more than one."


    San Zhe nodded and immediately started to sweep through the contents in the twenty bags again, trying to find the few scrolls that he had thown away after he had thought that they were useless.


    Cheng Xiu followed after him.


    Yaksha stared at the two people for a long time before he joined them as well.


    Soon they collected around ten scrolls with the key words.


    Cheng Xiu and Yaksha scanned through the materials and figured out which ones were more important.


    Seeing their fast moving actions and their almost silent communications, San Zhe sat to the side and just stared.


    He knew, intellectually, that Cheng Xiu was a S Ranked genius¡­but that did not help smooth the slight jealousy that rose in his heart. He could kind of understand Gu Shu in that moment. When you have a friend who has shown to be the ''ideal genius,'' it was a bit hard. The insecurities that it could bring and the jealousy that you would feel at their success. Though, Gu Shu''s self-centered attitude did make him realise that perhaps she might not have an insecurity but rather a privileged vaunt of view.


    If you had an S Rank genius as your best friend and they would not see you get wronged and would always be loyal to you¡­would you start to think that you were great yourself and that was the only reason that the person was good to you?


    San Zhe shivered at that thought. That was a dangerous mentality to have. Though self-confidence was good, it would be bad if you take someone''s loyalty and kindness for granted because of it.


    And Gu Shu had the signs. Her expecting Cheng Xiu to just forgive her for not even making a call to check on her because of a boy issue showed that she did not value Cheng Xiu''s friendship the way that Cheng Xiu valued hers. Perhaps that would change with his own presence though¡­


    His eyes went to Yaksha.


    The greatest players of all time in the Other World. He knew that there would always be great people in the game and that the elites of the game would and must be extremely talented people but the way that Yaksha was able to communicate with Cheng Xiu and analyse things with her made San Zhe realise that Lord Yaksha was an S ranked blessed himself. He was very surprised at that. If that was the case, and if Lord Yaksha was only a few years older¡­then why was there no news about any man of their age having the S ranked potential? What was going on?


    "So that is how it is," Cheng Xiu whispered in the end after Yaksha had finished explaining his understanding of the ritual details.


    San Zhe looked over curiously.


    ***


    Cheng Xiu and Yaksha talks.


    San Zhe: Wow! They are such experts. Let me praise them to earth and heaven.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 209 - Fire, Fire, Fire. Burn, Burn, Burn

    In the scroll laid out for them all to see was a long list of names and characters. San Zhe recognised them as the ancient writings that the Other World used. There were some people who were so obsessed with the game that they would spend their life to learn it, and communicate with the locals with it. He had not thought that Lord Yaksha was one of them though.


    "What does it say?" he asked Yaksha.


    "Burn the things around us," Yaksha answered.


    "What?" San Zhe asked in confusion.


    "It does make sense," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    "Does it?" San Zhe sent her a skeptical look. He always felt that when Lord Yaksha talked, Cheng Xiu just agreed without even thinking about it.


    "If we take into consideration of the fact that there is no witch here, there is no one who knows how to read the words in this book, then what would you do if you have twenty barrels of alcohol and lit Troches with you?"


    San Zhe stared at her for a while. "Um¡­"


    "You will try to create a fire¡­the reason for the fire could be many. To call away the attention of the NPC to walk into the backroom, to destroy the Nest and thus destroying the things that are removing their memories, or even someone who is a pyromaniac. No matter what the situation, in a room filled with Alcohol and Fire, anyone who can reach this level will be able to create the fire."


    San Zhe stared at Cheng Xiu for some moments. What she said made sense¡­but it also brought something unpleasant to his mind. "So we spent finding clues for something that even a brainless person could have thought of¡­"


    Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. "There is a difference, Senior San, the others would be doing guess works, we are sure of it."


    "The end result is the same though."


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. "I would always try to be logical in any situation. If there is a chance that we can find clues for what we should be doing instead of just using guess work, I will find the clues. Being Reckless will not help us. And besides, who cares about the end process at this point? Isn''t the main point that our guess was right and that there were clues on how to escape the Nest?"


    San Zhe blinked. Right. That was the most important point. "Sorry. I just¡­I did not think that things are so obvious and-"


    "You were upset that you did not think of this directly."


    San Zhe froze for a moment. "That¡­yes."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes glimmered. "I know how that feels. I feel like that a bit too at times¡­when you put so much effort into something and then you find out that there were other methods that were simpler to use. But that doesn''t matter. In the end, this is a game. It makes sense that there are multiple ways to clear the same game. After all, every player has his or her own specialty, what they are good at."


    "You are far too logical at times," San Zhe said with a helpless sigh.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Not always. I can be emotional too. But it is rare for me. If there is a chance for me to not be emotional, then the chances are, that is the method that I will choose."


    "That is not a very healthy way of doing things," Yaksha commented.


    Cheng Xiu shrugged.


    "Let''s go do the ritual then!" San Zhe suggested.


    Cheng Xiu and Yaksha nodded and collected the sacks of items.


    "So how do we arrange this?" San Zhe asked.


    "By placing a barrel of alcohol and a sack of items in front of each of the torches," Cheng Xiu answered.


    "But how do we know which sack should go to which torch?"


    Yaksha shook his head and grabbed a empty bag. He started to fill the sack with different items. Only the petals were kept separately.


    "Are we not giving a sack each?" San Zhe asked.


    "We are, but the items have to be divided so that each torch can get one of each items," Cheng Xiu explained to him. "Except for the rose petals. Those will not be burnt with the sack."


    "What will we do with those then?" San Zhe asked her.


    Cheng Xiu chuckled. "Wait and see."


    The three arranged the sacks after that and placed each sack in front of each of the floating Red Flame Torches.


    Cheng Xiu stood in the middle, San Zhe was placed at the far right end of the line and Yaksha was placed at the far left.


    "One the count of three, we will each burn the sack in front of us," Yaksha said to them.


    San Zhe gave him a solemn nod.


    "And be ready at that moment," Cheng Xiu warned.


    "Why?"


    "If this is the way that the memories are being erased and if this is the way that the rats are getting their energy then what do you think the lady at the counter will do when we burn the sacks and do the counter ritual?"


    San Zhe stared at her for a moment and then realised what she was implying.


    If this was the final Rat Counsellor and the counsellor knew that they were stopping the ritual from happening, they would stop pretending to be an innocent by-stander.


    The had to be ready for an attack.


    San Zhe gave her a stiff nod, the corners of his eyes tensing and his muscles recoiled into the fight or flight mode.


    Cheng Xiu smiled as she realised that San Zhe had understood the situation that they were facing.


    Yaksha raised his hand and counted. "Three, two¡­one!"


    The three people threw a barrel of alcohol onto the sack in front of them.


    There was a screeching sound from behind as the woman at the counter transformed into a humanoid rat and jumped over the desk towards them.


    The three players took hold of the torch in front of them and threw it at the sack.


    The sack burst into red flame and exploded.


    San Zhe stepped back.


    "Don''t stop!" Cheng Xiu screamed as she grabbed another barrel.


    San Zhe and Yaksha followed suit.


    The rat barrelled into Cheng Xiu''s back.


    "Sister Xiu!" San Zhe screamed, turning to run towards her.


    "Don''t stop!" She screamed in return as she kicked the rat away and grabbed the Torch from the wall.


    The rat screeched at her, and slashed at her madly.


    Cheng Xiu dodged and threw the torch at the sack. Red Flame flared into the ceiling of the room.


    Cheng Xiu dodged the attacks of the rat again and again, as she used her sheathed sword to keep its talons away from her.


    Yaksha grabbed a fourth barrel of Alcohol quickly.


    The rat screeched at him and dashed towards him to attack the black robed man.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe grabbed their fourth Alcohol as well.


    Yaksha burned the sack first.


    The rat went into a killing frenzy at him, attacking him with slashes after slashes.


    San Zhe stared at the happenings and realised something. "Sister Xiu, that Rat is¡­"


    "Yes," Cheng Xiu said, "It attacks the player who does the most damage at this point. Let Expert Yaksha deal with the fifth wave of its attack as well."


    San Zhe knew enough about Cheng Xiu to know that there was a plan that she had. "Why is that?"


    She burnt her fourth sack just as Yaksha grabbed the fifth barrel of alcohol.


    "Because then it would mean that there are only five torches left," Cheng Xiu said, "A new wave of attacks should begin at that point."


    Yaksha burnt his fifth sack.


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe grabbed the barrels of alcohol at that moment.


    San Zhe had an intuitive understanding at that moment. Before Cheng Xiu could react, San Zhe threw not only the alcohol but the entire barrel at the torch.


    The barrel hit the wall and the alcohol caught fire in the mid air, burning down onto the ground.


    Cheng Xiu stilled for a fraction of a second at the sudden aggressive behaviour from the senior she had thought was a weak man.


    The rat screeched at San Zhe and attacked him with its Talons as well.


    Cheng Xiu burnt her fifth sack as well.


    The rat kept attacking San Zhe.


    There was no other changes in the environment, until Yaksha took his sixth Barrel and San Zhe followed to suit.


    The rat went to attack him instead.


    Cheng Xiu thought for a moment and looked to either side of her.


    The distance between her and the two men were very little. The rat could hop from this place to that very easily.


    She thought of the many things that happened so far as the red flames burned brighter and stronger in the room.


    The temperature had risen, and they were an sweating.


    But Cheng Xiu backed away from the line of sacks.


    Yaksha looked at her curiously but still kept fighting and burning. He thought that perhaps Cheng Xiu was tired, though she had never shown to care about such facts before.


    Cheng Xiu grabbed something from the floor and counted and then put it into the 21st sack and walked away.


    San Zhe and Yaksha burned the 19th and 20th sacks respectively.


    "That was difficult," San Zhe said to Yaksha.


    Yaksha did not turn to him, instead he tried to hit the rat that was desperately trying to go behind them.


    San Zhe felt a coldness in his heart and looked behind to find Cheng Xiu burning a sack with the first fire that they had created.


    "No!" the female rat screamed as its talons sharpened and aimed at Cheng Xiu''s head.


    Cheng Xiu looked towards the creature with cold black eyes. They were calculating and seemed vicious at that moment.


    San Zhe shivered. He had never seen such a blank look in her face before.


    Cheng Xiu raised her sword and blocked the attacks of the rat as it tried to tear her apart and get to the sack that she burned.


    Red petals were exposed as the outerskin of the sack was burnt away.


    On seeing the red velvety surface, the creature went into a deeper frenzy.


    Cheng Xiu blocked it away from the goal with a blank expression.


    The Red Fire blazed around them and smoke filled the air.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 210 - Friends Like These

    The fire burnt the first rose petal.


    [Ding!]


    [Player Selafia has released the Rat Queens'' curse. Players in the dungeon must withstand 20 barrages of rat minion attacks for the ritual to be completely broken.]


    As the words of the system can to an end, the blazing of the rose even more to the ceiling.


    The rat screamed at her. The voice echoed in the room.


    The sound of fire crackling echoed around them as the smoke in the Nest increased.


    There was flashes of red everywhere and rats fell to the ground out of them.


    Cheng Xiu looked at them blankly.


    The rats stood in a single line for a moment.


    The female rat screamed at them.


    The rats squeaked and squealed as they attacked Cheng Xiu and the others.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hand. "Ghost Flame."


    The black flame burst out of her palm like a hungry ghost and attacked the incoming humanoid creatures.


    The flame covered the creatures completely, eating away at their flesh at a fast rate. There were screams of pain.


    "You!" the female rat screamed at her as the death toll of the rats increased every second.


    San Zhe stood at a distant, killing those creatures that were lucky enough to escape Cheng Xiu''s vicious attacks.


    Cheng Xiu closed her eyes for a brief moment, consuming the Qi that the Ghost Flame brought her. Her mind was blank and a sense of satisfaction rose in her heart.


    She sent out a second wave of Ghost Flame.


    Yaksha stared at her attacks, his thoughts elsewhere. After so many years, he had seen that technique again. He was not sure what kind of feelings that seeing the attack had caused him last time, but this time, he felt a sense of awe and happiness.


    When they had played Primordials online, Cheng Xiu was known as an Elementalist because of her control of the elements. But Yaksha knew the truth. She was a master of the Fire. She had used the technique, Heavenly fires against multiple opponents.


    The technique was so OP, that the System created the Ghost Flame as a way to counter that technique. And now here she was using the same flame that was once considered a weakness of hers. His own brother was using the Heavenly Fires at the moment, though he was sure that said brother would not be able to reach a proficiency in the technique that she had reached.


    In fact, if his brother and Cheng Xiu fought he was sure that Cheng Xiu would win, after all, she knew the techniques more than even him.


    And she did have the Ghost Flame now.


    There was once a time where she had tried to give up her Heavenly fire to obtain the Ghost Flame.


    The system had ruthlessly denied her.


    And looking at the devastation that the flame caused in her hands, he knew why it was.


    The Ghost Flame, in the hands of even an ordinary person was dangerous, let alone a person like Cheng Xiu who had a strong will and would have better control over her emotions.


    As she burned away the last of the rats in the line, San Zhe and Yaksha looked at her with fear and admiration each.


    The Female rat screamed again.


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes.


    There was a row of flashing lights and rats fell to the ground again. These were larger, had a more fluid motion.


    Cheng Xiu raised her hands again.


    San Zhe looked away knowing what was about to happen.


    Sure enough, the sounds of screams of pain reached his ears soon.


    He turned towards her. "Sister Xiu..."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him, her hand never moving from its position of attacking the rats.


    "I always thought that you had a sense of...empathy for the NPCs," he said to her.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "You think I am being cruel."


    "Aren''t you?"


    "They are soldiers," Cheng Xiu said as she killed them again and again, "It is a soldier''s duty to either kill the enemy or to die in battle once they enter the battlefield. This is their honour and this is what they have trained for."


    "But-"


    "I have an obligation towards people like Da Hua and Xiao Hua, and those NPCs like Spike and Spoon," she said. Her long ponytailed her fluttered in the wind of the burning flames. "And so if it means that I am helping the NPCs and completing the mission, why shouldn''t I?"


    San Zhe backed down when her heard her words. He was surprised by her factual tone but he had started to realise that Cheng Xiu could be really cruel when she had to be, and she would not hesitate to kill someone if it meant peaceful for her even if what she have to do was something as cruel as killing others. Or maybe it was because they were NPCs, though he was sceptical about that. She did not seem to distinguish between a Player or an NPC most of the time, so why would this be different?


    The last rat of the second barrage died.


    There was silence around them.


    The red flames started to consume the bodies of the rats that San Zhe and Yaksha killed. There was not even a dust of ash from the ones that Cheng Xiu killed.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Female Rat that stared at the burning bodies in a daze. The creature was confused that such powerful attacks of it was not able to bring the Human cultivators donw.


    The rat scowled and opened its mouth to holler to its other minions.


    It was only its heightened awareness that made it close its mouth and duck away.


    A ball of black flame flew past its pointed ears and hit the wall opposite it, creating a scorched surface.


    Cheng Xiu attacked it with her sword next.


    The rat stepped away from the attacks and screamed.


    The third wave began.


    Cheng Xiu scowled and attacked the rat fiercely.


    San Zhe stared at her actions for a moment. He realised that Cheng Xiu was not going to attack the third barrage. Rather, she was hell bent on killing the Female Rat.


    "Sister Xiu-"


    There was a tap on his shoulder.


    Yaksha motioned towards Cheng Xiu with his chin. "She is attacking the source to see if there is any way that would stop these attacks, why don''t we attack the rat barrages?"


    San Zhe blinked. So that was what she was doing!


    San Zhe sent Cheng Xiu an admiring look. Here he was, worried about the twenty barrages, and there Cheng Xiu was, trying to kill of the source.


    It showed how aware Cheng Xiu was of the situation around them and how much San Zhe actually missed about a dungeon.


    It made him wonder if that was why he always died and returned to the starting place again and again.


    Not just the Medusa curse, but also his own unawareness.


    San Zhe and Yaksha attacked them. San Zhe with his trident and Yaksha with his black blade.


    San Zhe did so because he really did not have any other attack power and Yaksha did not attack because he was only supposed to assist them if they asked for it.


    The three worked hard for a few moments until San Zhe started to get hit by the passing talons.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in concern as she pushed the rat away from her person with the flat side of her sword.


    "I am fine," San Zhe said to her.


    Cheng Xiu kicked the rat away.


    She stared at the creature that was trying to get back to its feet and then at the rat wave that was seemed to be overwhelming San Zhe already.


    "Brother San!" she called to him.


    "Huh?" San Zhe said and then hissed at the sharp bite that he received from one of the creatures.


    "Swap with me!" she screamed.


    Before he could react, San Zhe found himself blocking the attacks of the Female Rat Counsellor, and Cheng Xiu had taken his place to fight against the rat wave.


    Yaksha too got serious.


    Cheng Xiu used Ghost Flame again.


    The number of rats that escaped the attack was even lesser than the last two times.


    Yaksha did not have as many rats to kill as before. Sure enough, an experienced player is still an experienced player. Even though it seemed like all she did was cast a single spell, real masters could see the precision and strategic ways that Cheng Xiu burned these creatures.


    It was obvious to him that she was deliberately letting go of the weakest to let him handle them while she burned the actual dangerous ones so that they would not even have a chance to attack her.


    There was a sense of pride and some other mellow emotion in his heart at that moment when he looked at Cheng Xiu.


    ***


    Author: I wish I had a friend like that, who would die in my place. It is so amazing.


    Maya: [Maybe you can be that friend.]


    Author: No thank you.


    Maya: [Why?]


    Author: I am too much of a coward, and am too selfish to do something like that.


    Maya: *Flashes away in disdain.*


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 211 - "Log Out."

    Cheng Xiu and Yaksha kept attacking the Rat Barrage in the hopes that San Zhe would be able to kill the Rat Counsellor. Soon it was the Tenth barrage.


    San Zhe stepped back to escape from the slash of the talons.


    He looked at the rat woman with narrowed eyes. The woman seemed become more and more of a rat with each passing barrage.


    His eyes went towards Cheng Xiu and Yaksha.


    While the expert did not look like he was super powerful and invincible as he dealt with the rats, Cheng Xiu looked terrible.


    Her long red and white martial robes were slashed at various places, and torn at the midriff. He averted his eyes from the expansion of white that was visible through the torn clothing.


    Her white mask was stained with blood and smoke marks.


    Though he was not sure why, he felt at that moment, the most dangerous person was Cheng Xiu.


    The Ghost Flames were thrown one after the other, killing of the enemies who dared to get close.


    She was littered with cuts, shallow and deep. And there were even winding wounds around her ankles thanks to a rat that had a poisonous tale and it used the tail to wrap it around her leg.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes did not register the state that she was physically in and just attacked at a fast pace.


    San Zhe stepped away from the attack of the rat counsellor again, his steps and pace steady.


    Yaksha looked at Cheng Xiu who was attacking the rats with a one-track mind and at San Zhe who was taking his sweet time to fight.


    He scowled. "Hurry up."


    San Zhe was surprised by the words that the expert said to him.


    And then he observed why he was urging him.


    Cheng Xiu was fighting the rats with blank eyes. Her entire motion seemed to have become telegraphed as she burned away the rats.


    San Zhe could still hear the screams of pain and horror that the rats let out whenever they died. He wondered if Cheng Xiu could still hear it or had she become numb to it?


    San Zhe did not know the answer and he was not sure if he wanted to know.


    San Zhe doubled his attacks, desperate to finish it off because he finally realised that killing the Counsellor would not only help with the Rat Barrages but also their quest. He was not sure that Cheng Xiu would be in the right mind after all this.


    There was reason that many people avoided VR games that imitated Reality to this extent. Because in the end, they would witness the pain and suffering of these people up close and personal. And not many wanted that.


    In that regard, the Other World was special. Because its gameplay allowed a player to just enjoy the scenery and not the pain and suffering that many players would go out of their way to witness.


    San Zhe summoned the Crimson Talisman.


    Cheng Xiu felt a flash of red in the corner of her eyes from San Zhe''s eyes. Her heart trembled for a moment before she allowed herself to look towards him.


    Her eyes fell on the talisman that he was holding as he fought with the Rat counsellor with his one hand and sent Qi into the Talisman using the other.


    Cheng Xiu recognised it was the "Elemental Confiment" that Yaksha had talked about before.


    There was a flash of fire and the rubes decorated the trident again. The fire in each of the gems flared.


    He released the first and second rubies immediately to kill the rat creature.


    The rat counsellor stepped back in fright and used a bunch of the Soldier Rats to block the way for him.


    The fire of the trident set the creatures ablaze.


    The smell of burnt flesh assaulted his senses.


    San Zhe then understood why Cheng Xiu was so agitated. She must be repeatedly smelling it.


    He looked to the side and found a great visual. The red flames surrounded the bodies around Cheng Xiu and consumed them as she threw the black Ghost Flames one after the other. The sea of red fire was even more jarring with the contrast of the black flame.


    San Zhe''s orange flame added to the mix, and the entire colour pallet was the most alluring violent colours that he had ever seen.


    The trident finally hit the creature''s skin.


    San Zhe was surprised by the small gash that his attack left.


    The hope in his heart rose and San Zhe used the trident even more viciously.


    When the creature hit right, he too turned to the right and escaped the attack fluidly.


    After a row of bouts, the Trident flared again. Multiple columns of fire formed at the spikes and burst out.


    The fire engulfed the entire person of the Rat Counsellor and burnt the creature in to a crisp.


    [Ding!]


    [Congratulations, player San Zhe for killing the Rat Counsellor x 1. One A+ ranked Beast Core rewarded.]


    [Ding!]


    [Players Selafia and San Zhe have completed the kill the Counsellors x5. Counsellor Chapter will come to a close only after the final Barrage is completed, and rewards will be distributed evenly between the two players.]


    San Zhe fell to his knees and heaved. His eyes were bloodshot and he was sweating profusely. There were dark spots in his eyes.


    His Qi Capacity was at an all time low.


    Had it not been for sheer determination to not let Cheng Xiu and Yaksha down, he would have fallen to the side already.


    He was not sure if meeting the two had made him braver or if he had always had this personality but he did not know it before because nobody relied on him like this before. He suspected it was a combination of the two.


    San Zhe slowly got up.


    The sound of the screams and the crackle of fire burning still echoed around them


    San Zhe stared blankly at the floor for a moment.


    Nothing changed.


    While killing the Counsellor had led to Mission Progress, there was no other change.


    Cheng Xiu still had to burn down the enemies.


    San Zhe stared at her for a moment.


    Her frame was straight and vigilant. Her shoulders were tense and the flames that she thew out were far stronger than before.


    San Zhe suspected that her ability to use that skill had gone up a notch or two. He was happy for her in that regard, but he could not help looking at the White mask that adorned her face. What would her expression be at that moment? Was it blank? Was it frowning? Was she smiling?


    He wanted to know. Because he hoped it was none of those. No expression could solve the fact that they were killing things. These rats might have been NPCs but to Cheng Xiu they were not that. They were just like the players, and sometimes more precious than the players.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She could feel the gaze that San Zhe was throwing at her.


    Even though she was not sure what it was about, since he was staring at her since the system announcement, she could guess his thoughts.


    "It is alright, Brother San," she reassured him. "I had actually guessed it would be something like that. After all, the system said that we had to wait for all 20 rat waves to pass before the ritual is actually successful. You did a good job."


    San Zhe blinked. She was concerned about him?


    He thought for a moment and decided to let it be. She was already so awkward. There was no reason for him to agitate her.


    "Thank you," he said to her.


    "Take rest."


    "But-"


    "You have been fighting for too long," Cheng Xiu said to him. "You reserve is low. I can see it on your face. Our next opponents are the queens themselves. We better prepare for that."


    San Zhe nodded. He sat down to the ground and stared at Cheng Xiu.


    "How many waves has it been?" he asked Yaksha, when the expert was closer.


    "16," the man answered.


    The waves continued. Each wave was larger than the last and their attacking methods were different but Cheng Xiu''s Ghost Flame killed them all.


    After the 20th wave was over, there was another announcement from the system.


    [Ding!]


    [Congratulations, Players San Zhe, Selafia Veritas, and Lord of the Ghost Realm, Yaksha. You have released all twenty souls that were captured. In the final battle, all the players will get one chance to summon all twenty of the NPCs to fight for you.]


    Cheng Xiu just nodded. "Log Out."


    San Zhe was surprised. "Why?"


    Cheng Xiu stared at him and then pointed towards her nose.


    San Zhe looked at it but did not find anything weird there. It was long and clear.


    "Yours," Cheng Xiu said.


    San Zhe touched his nose.


    There was something sticky and wet on his fingers following that action.


    San Zhe looked down.


    Blood.


    "Log Out," Cheng Xiu said to him.


    There was a flash and she was gone.


    Yaksha stared at the blood stained fingers and then he too logged out.


    San Zhe stared at the place and then Logged out with a sigh.


    This was unexpected.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 212 - Possibility Of Qi Awakening

    Cheng Xiu removed the headgear, grabbed her purse from the table and dashed out of her dorm room.


    She slipped past a few girls who were huddled in a corner with what looked like weed between them.


    Cheng Xiu did not mind them as she dashed out of the dormitory.


    It was already night time. She thought that she stayed for about 8 to 10 hours of in the game but looking at the dark sky she must have stayed for 8 hours in the real world time and that meant she had already spent 16 hours in the game.


    Cheng Xiu frowned for a bit. That timeline exceeded her initial estimate by a bit. The quest was taking far longer to fulfil than she had thought possible, even for a Qiless, it was a bit too much.


    Cheng Xiu ran off until she reached a tall white building.


    She approached the ID scanner at the wall and showed her student ID to the screen.


    There was a beeping sound and the large wall opened to reveal a large well lit hallway.


    There were a bunch of boys sitting at a couch, discussing their projects, and writing notes. When the door opened they looked and stared.


    "Is that a girl?" one of the boys asked in disbelief.


    Cheng Xiu heard the voice and looked towards them.


    The boy who had spoken was startled. He looked away in fear.


    Cheng Xiu walked towards them.


    "Great going, idiot," one his friends hissed to him.


    The young man curled to the side like a wounded beast. How was he to know that the girl would actually hear his words and come over?


    "Which year?" she asked, her fair face slightly flushed from her run and her voice a little hoarse.


    The young man looked towards his friends for help.


    They turned their faces away from him.


    With a sigh, he decided to confront the unknown creature called as a woman with honesty. "Third years."


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened. "Then do you guys know senior brother San Zhe? He is of the mathematics department and will be graduating in a year."


    The young man gaped. So this little sister was hear to dig out information on her crush? He had seen many girls do that hear of course so he was not surprised that she would come here but¡­out of all the people in the world, why was she asking about San Zhe? Though the guy was smart, that was the only thing that was going for him and looking at the beautiful belle in front of him, the man was obviously not worthy of being in her shadows.


    Forget it.


    Girls were obviously crazy creatures and the prettier they were the crazier they would be.


    "Junior Sister," the young man called, "What do you want to know? I know that Senior, I can put in a word for you."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "Take me to his room."


    The boys gasped.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She knew her words would be seen in a different light but she was not in the mood to correct them. "Please."


    "sure!" the young man said.


    His friends hissed at him. It was already a bit painful that the girl was asking for San Zhe but did this idiot have to deliver the girl to the door?


    The young man got up before his friends could stop him and escorted Cheng Xiu up the stairs.


    His friends decided to follow after the two. After all, a girl walked into the Dormitory and was going to confess to a peer. They had to curse their relationship to fail while the girl confessed so that the guy wouldn''t be happy.


    "Can you hurry?" Cheng Xiu said to the man as he walked up the stairs at a slow pace. "I need to see him!"


    The young man looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "I am Wang XiaoFu."


    "Then hurry, brother Wang."


    The two ran up the stairs.


    He took out a red card and swiped it at the wall that the stairs lead to.


    It revealed a corridor that was forked to four sides.


    This was the reason why Cheng Xiu had to get the help of the boy. They needed a building ID to access the residential corridor. Her student pass would only give her access to the lobby.


    "He is in 404."


    What an unlucky number, she thought in her mind.


    She ran towards the direction that the man had pointed towards.


    The boys ran after her. They had to witness it with their eyes.


    She stood in front of 404 and stared at the door for a few minutes.


    She knocked on the door.


    There was no response.


    She knocked a few times more but still there was no response.


    "Brother San!" she called. "Brother San, it''s me! Cheng Xiu! Open the door! Are you okay? Brother San?"


    The group of boys behind her looked at one another. They knew each other already?


    "Brother San? Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.


    "He must have confessed to her through a message," a chubby man guessed.


    "She must have rejected him," the thin boy next to him said.


    "So he threatened to hurt himself," Wang XiaoFu said at last.


    "Brother San!" Cheng Xiu stood still for a moment after that. She turned to the boys behind her. "Please call the Warden."


    Wang XiaoFu nodded and turned to run off.


    The door was pulled open with great force.


    Everyone looked towards the man that came out of the room with worry in their eyes. While they did want to see all the people around them remain single, they did not want them to be hurt in any other way.


    "Brother San!" Cheng Xiu called out.


    San Zhe started, his heavy body not reacting as well to his movements. "Sister Xiu? What are you doing here?"


    "Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" she asked instead.


    San Zhe stared at her for a few seconds and then burst out into laughter. "Sister Xiu, it was a nosebleed in the game. The character could not handle the backlash. It had nothing to do with me."


    Cheng Xiu stilled. She stared at him with a dazed expression.


    "Don''t believe me?" San Zhe asked her.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head, her expression was conflicted.


    San Zhe stared at her and then sighed. "Sister Xiu, the game character was too stressed out. That was it. I am fine."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. "Yaksha ge logged out with us though?"


    San Zhe raised his eyebrow. "You have your memories back?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "I would be only affected in the game."


    San Zhe nodded. "Exactly. And the same thing is true for my nosebleed. We could only log out then because otherwise I would have to create a new character or force the character into a rebirth sequence."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "I see. So you are okay?"


    San Zhe nodded.


    "Then we should complete the game first?" she asked.


    San Zhe shook his head. "Let us rest first. We will get back into the game later tomorrow."


    Cheng Xiu stared at him and then nodded. "Then I will leave?"


    San Zhe nodded.


    Cheng Xiu hesitated and then left.


    The boys who witnessed it all were about to comment to San Zhe but he closed the door on their faces.


    They all scoffed and walked away.


    Wang XiaoFu stared at the door for a moment until he was dragged away by his friends.


    In the room, San Zhe sat on the bed. He stared at the tissues stained with blood that was stuffed into the dustbin.


    He fell back on his pillow and let out a sigh.


    He had lied just then.


    He looked at the Fold that laid by his hand.


    A message had come in just as Cheng Xiu had started to beat on the door.


    Lord Expert: [Okay?]


    Yaksha had inquired about him.


    San Zhe let out another sigh. He touched his fold and accessed the interface of the Other World.


    It connected to the AI system of the game.


    He looked at the data that the system had compiled for his character.


    0.1% Deep Dive.


    San Zhe felt the warmth in his core area go down.


    San Zhe''s eyes seemed to glow in the dark as he felt the Qi in the air circulate around him.


    He went into Deep Dive. Nothing as crazy as Cheng Xiu did but he had also gone in and it had hurt his body. He had got the warning that he would go into Deep Dive if he used a bit more force but San Zhe had not really cared at that moment. Because the Qi in his body felt real at that moment and now he could feel the Qi around him in the real world.


    San Zhe''s heart trembled. Did he have Qi now?


    Almost as an answer to his question. The feeling of Qi disappeared.


    San Zhe looked at the data of character that the Other World showed.


    [Possibility of Qi Awakening has reached 50%.]


    San Zhe''s hands shook.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 213 - Sweet Words (Or Not. Icant Write A Sweet Chapter)

    Cheng Xiu returned to her place and laid on the bed. She knew, logically, that what San Zhe said was right. The character got hurt but that did not mean that the player was hurt too. But¡­


    Her instincts were screaming at her at that time that he was in danger. There was something familiar about it as well though she could not pinpoint to what it was.


    There was a flash on her fold mobile.


    Cheng Xiu picked it up and blinked.


    [Lord Yaksha has sent you a friend request.] There was a message attached to it that read [Recommended by San Zhe.]


    Cheng Xiu looked at it for some moments. After some hesitation, she accepted it. There was really no reason to not accept it but Cheng Xiu was still hesitant. He was a top player of the game while she was a newbie of the field. She felt weird that she was someone so powerful. She felt like there was nothing she could contribute to their friendship.


    And that was the crux of the matter.


    Her friendship with Gu Shu was the point where Cheng Xiu would act as her restraint, her voice of reason. That was the why she could be friends with Gu Shu without feeling out of place about it. She came from a poorer background and she was a Qiless. Cheng Xiu would have felt a bit too much of insecurity if she was not contributing to their relationship.


    Her friendship with San Zhe, in her eyes, was a more stable relationship. They were both Qiless people with ambitions to be big. Regardless of everything else, that was enough reason for her. But she did have that insecurity occasionally, which made her become a mother hen towards him.


    But her friendship with Yaksha¡­


    She was not sure she could bring anything to their friendship.


    But maybe in the future she could.


    She knew that friendship was not measured with how valuable friends were to you but she could not help having such thoughts.


    Cheng Xiu turned to her stomach and let out a sigh.


    Why did she overthink things? It was just a simple friend request and she was already making essays in her head about it to justify herself.


    Ding!


    Cheng Xiu looked at the Fold again.


    Yaksha had sent her a message on the Other World interface.


    Cheng Xiu opened the interface and then blinked.


    There was a voice message in her inbox in the game. She looked at the game interface curiously. She was so busy playing the VR version that she did not give the Fold much attention but now she found it to be interesting. She would have to explore it more after talking to the Expert. She would be able to learn a lot about the game through its mobile version.


    Cheng Xiu hit play. [San Zhe sent me the link to your profile. Thank you for accepting me.]


    She stared at the Fold for a moment. The voice that came out was similar to the deep voice that she had heard of his before but¡­she thought it was more alluring than before. He had a voice that made her eager to see him.


    She shook her head out of such thoughts. That was a horrible way to think about her newest friend. She would not be that person.


    Cheng Xiu hesitated for a few moments. [No problem. When did he share it?]


    [Last Week. I just did not think that it was appropriate to send the request suddenly.]


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. She would not know whether he had the link a long time ago. Only he and San Zhe knew about it. It was sudden for her regardless. But she decided against saying that to him. No need to insult the expert. She had to give him that respect.


    [How is he?] Yaksha asked her.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She sent him a voice message back. [Fine¡­it think¡­at least, he said he was fine.]


    The response was almost immediate.


    [Then I am sure he will be fine. He doesn''t seem like you.]


    Cheng Xiu scowled. [And what do you mean by that?]


    There was a brief pause.


    [Someone who would be reckless as to keep fighting in a Deep Dive despite getting a warning that you are reaching your physical limit.]


    Cheng Xiu felt her brow twitch. Damned man!


    She sighed. He was an expert of the game and she should give him that respect though. She sent him a simple message. [I see¡­I am sorry that I gave you that impression, Lord Yaksha.]


    There was a pause.


    Ding!


    Cheng Xiu stared at the message notification for a moment and then played it.


    [Little Sela, don''t be angry, ba. I was just teasing you to get you out of the funk you seemed to be in.]


    Cheng Xiu blushed. There was a coaxing nature to his voice, that seemed almost indulgent. Cheng Xiu sighed.


    This was one of the reasons why she did not make friends with extremely attractive men. She could not help developing a certain bias towards them.


    [I am not angry.] she sent to him.


    [You sounded angry. Don''t be angry, ba¡­]


    Cheng Xiu huffed. [Don''t say ba.]


    [Why not?]


    Cheng Xiu''s cheeks burned. [Just don''t.]


    She decided to say something else just in case he had something more to say about it. [Do you really think that Brother San is okay?]


    [Yes. He is, I am sure.]


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. [But I feel this instinctive fear that there is something that is going on with him.]


    [Your voice sounds nice. Really beautiful.]


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She briefly wondered if he was drunk or if his account was hacked before she guessed the real reason for the sudden complement. [Flattery will not get you anywhere near me. Stop trying to distract me.]


    [And here I thought I was being subtle. But really, you worry too much.]


    Cheng Xiu nodded. She knew she could overthink things and worry over the silliest of details.


    [So, what do you do for a living?] she asked him after it seemed like forever.


    [Wouldn''t you like to know.]


    [I would actually.]


    [I am a¡­Freelance Writer and Editor.]


    Cheng Xiu raised her eyebrow. [And here I thought that you were in some science field. You seem the type.]


    [Don''t stereotype people, comrade.]


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. [sorry.]


    [It''s okay.]


    The two started to talk about some personal things. She learnt that Yaksha wrote articles, blogs and theory papers when he had time but he also took care of his family business when his brothers dragged him to it.


    That had made her smile. She had thought that Yaksha was the serious type but his words made him sound like a fun person.


    She learnt that he had a large family and that it was his dream to be a big name writer. He did not want to get into the family business and that was creating conflicts in the family.


    Cheng Xiu was surprised that he would share these things with her. [I am surprised that you would share this with someone you have only met a few times and went to dungeon with once.]


    On another part of the universe, a man sat leaning against his white leather chair. He wore a silver square spectacle and a simple white buttoned up shirt and black pants.


    Thick dark brows rose as he heard the words of the other side.


    "A stranger¡­" he whispered. How was she a stranger? She was his rival. The one person in this world who knew how his mind worked and openly antagonised him. She was his most trusted friend at one point.


    The man chuckled to himself. It really was a sorry thing when a 16 year old boy''s most trusted friend is his rival.


    And even now, he would trust her enough to say the things he did.


    "There you are!" a young voice called.


    He blinked and looked up. "Yue."


    The girl had deep black hair held in twin ponytails and white streaks along it. She wore a puffy, deep pink frock dress.


    "Brother!" the girl called in coquettish voice, "Big Brother won''t take me shopping! You take me!"


    "No."


    The girl pouted. "You have to or else I will tell all your readers that you are writing those kind of stories!"


    The man''s face stiffened. "Doesn''t matter."


    The girl glared and then she sent him a sweet smile. "I will tell grandma that you are writing stories."


    The man''s fingers stiffened. "Shopping is it? Let us go."


    The girl let out a loud, crazed laughter. "My brother is the best!"


    The man gave her a stiff smile. "My little sister is so capable."


    "That I am," the girl said with a smile, her chin jutted out.


    The two went out of the door.


    When they reached downstairs, it was in time to witness a woman in a black dress shoot a bot in the head.


    The two stopped at the steps.


    The woman looked up at them, her eyes blood red. "Little Xing and Little Yue. Dinner will be served soon."


    "Okay grandma," the girl said with a laughing voice.


    She nudged her brother when he kept quiet.


    "Fine," he mumbled at last.


    As they left the girl scolded him.


    The man''s eyes were deep set and dark, hiding the hidden viciousness from the girl.

 Chapter 214 - Plan Approval

    Cheng Xiu had her dinner and laid on her bed. She had contacted San Zhe and the three of them decided to go into the game again the next day after classes. After checking their schedules, the time was set to 6: 30 in the evening.


    Though reluctant to, Cheng Xiu still got up and got ready for another day of classes.


    Gu Shu had decided not to come to college because she was sick apparently. Or as Cheng Xiu interpreted it, the girl was lazy and did not want to attend the classes.


    She could never understand why Gu Shu would lie she was sick though. She could just site some other problems or functions after all. But Gu Shu''s go to excuse remained being Sick.


    She had her classes and it was announced that they would only have classes till the afternoon because of the debate competition that was going to start afternoon.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the watch on her hand. 12:05 PM.


    She let out a sigh. It was time.


    A siren rang and everyone hurried out the door.


    This was their chance to see the person who would be selected to go to the Alliance Seminar! And to many, it was their only chance to participate in the said Seminar.


    Cheng Xiu cleaned her desk and tried to dash out the door. After all, she was just as excited to join this like the others.


    She had just reached the threshold, dreaming about her bright future, only for someone to call her from behind.


    She turned around.


    It was the Calculus teacher.


    The woman came towards Cheng Xiu with a smile. "Ms Cheng, I would like to have a few words with you."


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    "I read your papers and submitted it to the authorities already," the woman said without much preamble. "I think that your work will be a good project to be sent to the F Level sites already."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "I am sorry ma''am, but which papers are you talking about? The assignment that you gave us? Was that supposed to be some kind of a entrance test?"


    The woman laughed. "Nothing of that sort. I was talking about the Qi Utilization theory that you submitted to the Western Alliance two months back."


    Cheng Xiu fidgeted.


    "I belong to the judging committee of that competition and I think your proposal of Qi Energy Utilization can be implemented in the Lower Testing Centers, all we need is your approval as it was your paper that suggested the test centers."


    "But¡­the theory has a lot of errors," Cheng Xiu said to her, "There are also the risks that would be involved in it. The Qi Utilization would have to first think of what to do and how to dispose of the Waste material that comes with the Energy usage¡­how can it be used so soon? Was there a method to dispose of the toxics of the Qi already?"


    The woman''s friendly face started to crack at her questioning. "Miss Cheng, you are a First Year scholarship student who has entered the Semester only three months back. You should be seazing this opportunity given the terms. It is a rare opportunity for someone like you."


    Cheng Xiu heard the words that the woman wanted to say. A Qiless like you.


    She suppressed the mocking smile that wanted to climb her face and kept it blank. That somehow gave her a cold and hostile aura instead.


    "It might be an opportunity to me," Cheng Xiu said and paused. She knew that the woman was just trying to be helpful to a student that she thought was poor and "needed a hand." And so, she could not be too hostile in her tone or her words. She had to study in this college for the next four years after all.


    "but we can not forget that the testing fecilities of this city are not equipped with the Detoxification unit that most of the other places have. That was the reason that I wanted to withdraw the papers that I submitted. But the committee said that I can not withdraw the paper for something like that. Unless the work was plagirized or a copy of an already existing Theoritical paper I could not withdraw."


    The woman stared at her. "But the theory is very detailed. I especially was impressed by the test design of the Energy Equipment."


    Cheng Xiu fidgeted. "It was a model modification of Dr Vincent''s Energy Plant."


    The woman gave her an indulgent smile. "Yes, but to modify such a complex structure is also a talent."


    Cheng Xiu just smiled. She knew when someone was trying to butter her up. The Vincent Plant was a bit on the complex Structure but a student who has studied at least a month in advance in their first year of College would be able to understand and modify the structure. What she did was not that great of a planning and yet this woman was showering praises on her.


    The teacher wanted her to approve of the project at all costs.


    And Cheng Xiu could guess the reason. If a student of their College was able to have their projects approved, that would not only raise the prestige of the College but also the teacher who was in the committee.


    And there was nothing wrong with that.


    But¡­


    "I am sorry ma''am," she said again, "But without the presence of atleast a Level G Detoxification unit, I can''t approve of the practical planning."


    The woman scowled. "Are you sure about that? There is a 5 Million reward for the person whose project is being implemented."


    Cheng Xiu''s heart wavered a little when she heard the sum. With that much money, her father would not need to keep worrying about her spending money for the next four years at least. And by then she would get a job and be able to support herself fully.


    It took a lot of effort on her part to make her own heart understand that she could not harm others'' life for money''s sake.


    And she felt shame for that bit of hesitation of hers.


    The teacher could see in the way that the girl''s expression was, that she was a bit convinced. She just needed a bit more of a push.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 215 - For Your Future

    "Think about all the benefits that this could bring to you as well," the woman continued. "You will have a practical project already in place and in the future, when you are looking for a job, this will be a part of your credentials. It will show the interviewers how talented and valuable you are."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head and smiled. "Thank you ma''am but I think it is better for the project not to be put forwards in its present format."


    The woman thought for a moment. Her eyes lit up as she thought of something.


    "Do you have a solution to the Detoxing plant?" she asked in excitement. The student had said Present Format! That meant that she was planning on modifying the current format to include the Detoxification Unit!


    "I don''t," she said with a sigh. "I tried to but my understanding of the subject is not deep enough for it, ma''am. And I think that the current plan can not be modified to the extent that it needs to be to add a Detoxification Unit without the entire system collapsing on the workers."


    The teacher frowned. "Can''t you try some more?"


    Cheng Xiu stared at the teacher for a moment. "Teacher¡­I don''t have enough knowledge about it."


    "Then read into the subject ahead," the woman said with a tone that indicated that the answer was so obvious. "The Project approval should be done by October 10th. I am sure that you will be able to make it to the deadline if you try hard enough.


    Cheng Xiu''s brows twitched. It was the 1st of October that day. She only had 9 more days to modify a Level F project to include a Detoxification Unit that is at least a high-Level G for it to run smoothly. As the current plan was too unstable, she would have to design an entirely new plan to include the new Unit and that too in 9 days.


    She might be a genius but she was not some kind of a robot. She did not enough familiarity with the Qi Detoxification theories or the plans involved in it to make sure that she would not get accused of plagiarism when she submitted it.


    9 days to do learn a new subject, understand its fundamentals and advanced concepts, knew the inside and outside of the machines involved and evoled by that theory and to create an entirely new theory and a practical plan based on that.


    She looked at the teacher before her. This woman was overestimating the power of a S Rank.


    But she could not tell that to her. Because the woman would just use that as a clue that it was because she was a Qiless that she couldn''t do it. Nevermind that she was still a student herself.


    "But I still have my year''s assignments and projects to look into," she said instead. "I also have the Seminar debate to prepare for. I will not have the time until december at the latest."


    "The seminar debate? Why would you need to prepare for that?" the woman asked.


    Cheng Xiu looked at her in disbelief. What did she mean by that?


    "The debate is a chance to represent the College in the Alliance Seminar that will take place the next month," Cheng Xiu tried to explain. She was a teacher, she should know the importance of it. "Though I don''t think I would win the debate, it would be a great learning experience, so-"


    "Since you already know you can''t win, why bother," the woman said instead.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Teacher Yin, it is a chance to participate in-"


    "This project is more important to you right now," the woman argued.


    Cheng Xiu tried to suppress the sharp words she wanted to say at that moment to the woman''s face. But she knew the woman was a teacher and someone who had a say in her future, she needed to control her words¡­but¡­


    She could not control it at all.


    "I decide what is important to me," Cheng Xiu said to the woman. That had teacher step back in shock. "I appreciate you thinking of my future for me but please refrain from doing so in the future. I would rather not have to-"


    "Miss Cheng," A voice called from outside.


    Cheng Xiu cringed at the familiar voice. Of all the people to hear those words¡­it had to be the painted devil.


    The clicking of the heels made her sigh.


    "Teacher Bo!" Teacher Yin said with a sigh. "Thank you for being here. I was trying to make Student Cheng Xiu understand that she should submit her approval for the Qi Utilization in the Testing Center."


    Miss Bo, with her red dress, red heels and red lipstick stood between the teacher and Cheng Xiu and looked between the two. There was something in her eyes that Cheng Xiu was not able to decipher faster.


    "Her plan was selected?" Miss Bo asked in shock. "I hadn''t realised¡­"


    There was a pause.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Didn''t realise what?


    "It was," Teacher Yin said. "And the reward is 5 Million. But she is not approving."


    Miss Bo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that?"


    "Silliness," Teacher Yin complained.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "The plan needs a Detoxification Unit. I need to modify it or make a new one. There is not enough time and I don''t have enough knowledge on the subject. 9 days is not enough for me to reach the level I need to remake the plan. And I have other obligations that for the time being I am unwilling to compromise on."


    "I mean well," Teacher Yin said with a frown. "This is important for your future, considering your situation."


    Cheng Xiu glared. "I know better than you what my situation is. There is no need for you to interfere in it."


    "Watch your tone!" Teacher Yin scolded.


    Miss Bo looked between the teacher and student in a daze. She seemed to be realising something.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 216 - The Teachers Are Too Opinionated

    A sigh broke the intense atmosphere a bit by taking away the aggro between the teacher and the student.


    Miss Bo looked at Cheng Xiu and then at Teacher Yin.


    "I do not know the capabilities of Miss Cheng," the woman told Teacher Yin. The rotund teacher was about to speak but Miss Bo cut off her words by raising her hand in a stop sign. "But what I do know, is that learning a subject like Detoxification of Qi and its machinery construction is something that not everyone can learn. Let me explain. Miss Cheng has to have the capabilty to withstand a 4% Qi Wave to be able to learn things at the speed that you want her to learn. And let us not forget, that Miss Cheng, despite her genius status, is an Eighteen Year Old."


    Teacher Yin huffed. "I am only looking out for her!"


    "I understand," Miss Bo said to her. "But there are students out there who will not that. There are always people who don''t want others to give advice to them."


    Cheng Xiu frowned. In Miss Bo''s words, she was being painted as an ungrateful brat.


    "There are consequences-"


    Cheng Xiu was cut off in the middle of her explanation by a raise of Miss Bo''s hand.


    "Did I speak to you?"


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. "No Ma''am."


    "Then do not disturb when your teachers are talking."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She was not sure what she should do at this point. One was a teacher who was pushing her to do something that she did not want to do because she thought it would be better for her career. The other was a literal racist.


    And both their reactions were because she was a Qiless.


    She just did not have luck with teachers.


    "But that being said," Miss Bo said, "I would like to talk to Miss Cheng about the Seminar Events. If you do not mind, Miss Yin?"


    Teacher Yin looked at Ms Bo and then at Cheng Xiu who did not have much of an opinion on what was going on.


    "Then teacher Bo, please do try to make her understand the importance of the project!" Teacher Yin said to her colleague. "With her Qiless status it will give her the necessary edge when they are recruiting her."


    Miss Bo just looked Teacher Yin and the woman withdrew slowly.


    There was an awkward silence between Cheng Xiu and Miss Bo after that.


    The two stared at each other.


    "I will not advice you on what you should do on your project," the teacher said at last.


    Cheng Xiu frowned in confusion.


    "I am not your Homeroom teacher, I am not your guardian and I am not even from your department. I don''t have that authority. If I did, you would not be handling any part of the events."


    Cheng Xiu relaxed a bit.


    Miss Bo stared at her lose posture for a moment and then sighed. "I did not see you at the meeting right now and that was the reason why I personally came to fetch you. I wanted to see what was keeping you so long. I wanted to make an example out of you but now think it won''t be necessary."


    "Meeting?" Cheng Xiu frowned. "I am still the Representative?"


    The woman scoffed. "Were you not expecting this?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I have been out of school due to the health issues for more than two weeks now. I was expecting someone else to have take my place."


    "And they have," the woman said to her.


    Cheng Xiu cocked her head to the side.


    "But as the reason was a medical condition, your HOD has not removed you from the Representative position. You will just not have the responsibilities that the title brings."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She had feared something like this might have happened. After all, there were many people who would be eyeing her spot and this was the perfect excuse to insert in a Qi user.


    "I understand," Cheng Xiu said.


    "Your initial duties will be performed by Zhang Yui from the fourth year."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. "That is¡­the most appropriate thing to do."


    The woman snorted at her ambiguous words. "So come on then, we will make the placements official and then we will arrange for the Debate that will take place at 2."


    Cheng Xiu nodded and followed after the woman as she turned away.


    "Can I ask you something?" Cheng Xiu said.


    "Mmm," the woman sounded.


    "Why did you come directly to say this to me though? I mean, you could have just sent a memo or something like that."


    Miss Bo stopped walking.


    Cheng Xiu barely stopped in time to prevent herself from crashing into the woman.


    Miss Bo did not turn around. "I believe that is simple. Because, it is discourteous to do so. And your HOD kept emphasising that point to me all week."


    Cheng Xiu understood. The HOD forced her to do this.


    She was not sure she liked that though. Sure, in one perspective, it was an arrogant woman being forced to compromise her ego but on the other hand, it was a teacher and an elder who was being made to show this side of theirs to a student.


    And that was what irritated her.


    She was sure that this would look even worse on her.


    A Qi user being made to be humble in front of a Qiless. People would not care about the fact that it was another Qi user who made it happen. She would be the one to gain the hate comments.


    Because in the end, it was the Qiless Faction that treated the Qi users as abominations and monsters in the beginning. And she was not sure she would ever be able to escape from the clutches of that stigma.


    Perhaps in another lifetime.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 217 - Arguments And Debates

    Zhang Yui was declared as the new Co-ordinator of the Debate and the Seminar Events.


    Cheng Xiu was declared as a First Year Main Representative as compensation.


    Nobody was shocked.


    And in fact, many were even gloating over the fact that the Qiless had lost the position.


    Ren Yin was the happiest of them all.


    And then a new person came in.


    Cheng Xiu forced herself not to tense up in the newcomer''s presence.


    Black hair and cold brown eyes looked over at the students in the room.


    Cheng Xiu felt the eyes linger on her figure more than it did on anyone else.


    "She is Xiu Xue," Miss Bo said with an excited voice. "She belongs to the Xiu Family of Gyana, of the AS45 Galaxy and she is here as the Student Teacher Representative of GateKeep Academy."


    There were murmurs all around after that introduction.


    Their reaction was not surprising though.


    Any of the information that the woman said would in and of itself make of the headline, let alone all of them together.


    The power of the Xiu family was known to almost all the Human societies in the universe. That alone was enough to make everyone breath in surprise.


    The family had multiple branches in almost all the planets of course, but the Main Family of the Xiu were from Gyana, an Earth-like planet that had even more of landmass than the Earth. The fact that she was form the Main Family Branch was even more of a shocker. And then there was the name of her academy.


    GateKeep Academy. Hard to get into and a highly sofisticated College.


    It was the only Gyana Represented College on Earth from where students could go in an exchange programme to the planet. Situated in the UK, it was the symbol of corporation between the powerhouses of Gyana and the powerhouses of Earth.


    In fact, all the human occupied Planets had their Represented College on Earth.


    GateKeep was Gyana''s.


    "Wow," one of the boys said.


    Wow indeed, Cheng Xiu thought.


    She raised her hand.


    Miss Bo saw it and wanted to sigh. Of course the Qiless girl would have a question.


    "Yes? Student Cheng?" Miss Bo said in a weak voice.


    She did not want to pay attention to the girl. And she wouldn''t have, had it not been for the fact that the GateKeep Representative was with them.


    She could not show a bias against the Qiless in front of her because it would look bad for the school.


    If Cheng Xiu could here her thoughts, she would have mocked the woman already. So you do know that what you have expressed is a distasteful and horrible opinion and that it was something that would even affect the reputation of the college.


    Nice.


    As Cheng Xiu did not, her attention was completely on Xiu Xue or Immortal Frost as she is known as.


    "Why is the representative present already?" she asked the teacher. "There is a month left for the Seminar to begin and even then, GateKeep is only 3rd in the Itinerary. Which means they have a further two weeks to prepare. What is the intention of the College to send the Representative, and that too the Student Teacher Representative, to the Venue so early?"


    Miss Bo blinked. Her first thought was, this girl was extremely paranoid, thought everyone was out to get her, was too full of herself and that she would need to be punished to not have a repeat of this scene. And her next thought was, the girl was right. Why was the representative here already?


    She turned to the woman next to her in confusion.


    Xiu Xue stared at Cheng Xiu for a few moments and then let out a sweet smile.


    Many of the boys and few girls whistled. Really, beautiful!


    "My Paternal Uncle came to Earth for some business related issues, I came with him," the woman said in an even tone. "And then I talked to the Principal of the College and was given the okay to observe the classes and practices of the students here."


    Cheng Xiu stared at her for a moment and then nodded.


    If even the authorities are not worried about it, why should she, a student who will leave the college after a few years care?


    She let the matter go.


    Miss Bo saw that Cheng Xiu had settled down and had the students arrange the props for the debate immediately.


    With the help of the Qi Users and the two Auto Robos that were assigned by Miss Bo, the arrangements were complete Five minutes before the 2 O''Clock gathering.


    The doors to the auditorium was opened and students started to trickle in.


    It was actually 2: 20 PM when the last of the teachers and students came in.


    The Debate began with the First Year Mathematics Department and there were only two of them participating.


    There were no representatives for the Botany and Zoology in the first years.


    There were 5 students from the Chemistry department and a whopping 10 from the Physics Department.


    By then, the students from the Mathematics Department were eliminated because the students of the other departments were able to give better performances.


    Cheng Xiu stayed as a Voluntary Monitor of the Venue, making sure that there was no students that were trying to take off school grounds while the event was going on.


    Or she should, but she was mostly busy listening to the debates. They were each amazing and she gained insight on subjects that were different from hers in a way that she would not have otherwise.


    Gu Shu actually called her during the time but she was not allowed to take out her Fold unless it was an emergency and after reading the text that she sent a second later, it was not an emergency.


    [My Guest is a Jackass who keeps praising his Niece. Help me kill him.]


    Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes. She would not touch that issue if she did not need to.


    The debate was postponed after the Physics Department had their debate though as the schedule was off as it was already 4:30PM by then.


    The debate competition would continue from 8:45 AM the next day.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 218 - The Importance Of Being A Good Person

    Cheng Xiu fell down onto the bed and closed her eyes.


    She thought the day over.


    The Debate Meet was over for the day but there were other arrangements that they had to do, like prepare the venue for the next day because the Event was going to start in the morning unlike today, which was in the afternoon.


    They noted down the names of the students who would want to participate in the Debate the next day and everyone were given only 10 minutes. Which turned the entire competition into a race against time.


    But it was understandable of course. Zhang Yui had thought that there would not be that many people interested in such events and Miss Bo had agreed. That was why the Debate was arranged in the afternoon and everything turned so wacky.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She wished she was there when they made that decision. She could have told them the truth: Almost everyone in St Andre''s only joined it to become the best. Why else would people pay absurd amount of money to go to the college? Why would there be so many honour students in it? Why would so many in their country try to get into it?


    Everyone wants to be the best.


    And most of the people in the college would want to join the fun.


    The only reason why there were not many people that day was because the departments that were participating were not that interested in the innovation sides.


    But from the next day onwards things would be even more hectic than it already was. Because St Andre''s did not have the Bachelors of Sciences as its biggest focus. Its main attraction was its various Engineering departments. And the next day onwards they would start along with the senior years of the BSc Batch.


    Cheng Xiu''s heart started to thump hard against her rib-cage.


    She held the clothes in that area and suppressed a giggle. It was going to be so much fun!


    She sighed and got up. She tried to pace around the room but her restlessness did not go away.


    It was only after taking a bath that she returned to a calmer mindset.


    She laid back down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.


    There were no thoughts going through her mind, just a simple flow of fleeting emotions.


    She felt like she was resting her mind after far too long.


    The constant gaming was taking a lot of thought process on her part but Cheng Xiu still could not give it up. In fact, she seemed to have become even more addicted to it for the strain it put her thoughts and emotions in.


    She sighed again and took out her Fold Device. It was only 5:45 PM. She still had 45 minutes. She did not put down the Fold again and simply sat properly on her desk to look into the gaming mechanisms of the Other World and everything associated with it.


    It was the best way to spend time when she did not want to study.


    Cheng Xiu read many of the articles that were associated with the game and the various copyrights that the game company had bought so that they could use them in the game.


    The Reptile carts were small elements of the Game. There were also touring areas in the Game called as Pocket Dungeons that were used to go sight-seeing.


    Pocket Dungeons were basically areas that were basically recreated scenes from movies and books. It was one of the reasons that the game could become so popular. It had something for even the Non-gamers. All they had to do was use real world currency to buy the virtual tickets and they could see and interact with their favourite scenes in books, moives, stories and series.


    Cheng Xiu looked over at the myriad list of names of books and movies that were bought by the gaming company.


    She had a question: where did all the money to buy these things come from?


    Cheng Xiu had briefly speculated that the AI of the game was self-aware to the extent that she should probably not be and that it was the only one who was controlling the game or that if there were humans, those humans were only in-charge of smaller details. The AI would control everything else. but if that was the case, then why would it need so much of real world money? What would an AI need to build that-


    Cheng Xiu frowned. Could the AI also build its own server? Is that even possible? If that was so, then it meant the AI had the power to change its server location right? Or was she thinking too much again?


    She let out a sigh. She was thinking like those conspiracy at the moment.


    She was about close the Fold when something fell into her sight.


    [The (Financial) History of The Other World.]


    Cheng Xiu clicked on it.


    There were not much details on it. Just something about the creator of the game, the game''s beta version and some miscellaneous facts like the works that the game had bought.


    Cheng Xiu shook her head.


    She started to explore the articles and sites related to the game again.


    At 6:15 PM, San Zhe called saying that Miss Bo had called him out and he would not be able to join the game soon. He would message her once he gets back.


    Cheng Xiu frowned at that. She was not sure what she should say to him. There did not seem to be anything she could say to him that would make him feel better at that moment.


    At 6:25 PM, Yaksha sent that he would not be free until 8:45 PM in the evening.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. She was not expecting that they would bail out on her like that.


    Cheng Xiu looked at collection of texts, notebooks and her sheaf of papers that held her self-made notes and then at the Fold in her hand.


    She looked between the two side for a few more times.


    "Just for ten minutes," she said to her, "and then I will start to read the books."


    Cheng Xiu put down an alarm on her phone and started to look into the details of the game some more, this time focusing on the top players of the game.


    She had just finished looking into the Ten Immortals when her alarm rang.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the alarm with an unwillingness.


    She looked at the article that was displayed and then at her books. The articles could be even more important!


    She out another alarm on her alarm, this time to 15 minutes later and then guiltily went to read the article.


    She read down to the half-way point when she reached something she never thought she would see.


    The Elites.


    People who played the Primordials to the 90-99 Levels.


    Cheng Xiu read through it some more. The Primordial Elites were the 7 people who reached the 98th Level of the game Primordials Online. Each of them were special, they all had powers unique to their status. All of them had prominent identities in the game that were given by the system.


    Cheng Xiu''s fingers shook. She hadn''t realised that there was such a group of people.


    She quickly scrolled through the article to read something. To find a name and a Level. There weren''t any.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes stinged. Why was he not here?


    Xing, her begrudging and grumpy friend and rival who hated the fact that he lost to a girl and would keep challenging her again and again. There were matches that he would win and yet he would return for a rematch, saying that he would let her fight to win back her honour and when she would fight and win against him, he would stomp away and then return to fight for his honour in turn.


    It was a vicious circle for them thanks to his stubborn mind.


    And then they started to race with each other to see which one of them would be able to reach the next level first.


    They were always neck and neck.


    He was the first one to pass the 99th Level.


    She followed him a day later.


    And then they had raced again to the 100th level. And she won.


    And that was it.


    She was guilty of leaving him behind in her selfishness. She wanted to thank him for his companionship if she could.


    When she had learned about the Elites, she had hoped¡­


    But now, it seemed he was not there.


    She looked at the 7 Primordial Elites of the game with a dull eyes until one of their images started to seem familiar to her.


    Cheng Xiu frowned.


    "Yu?" she said as she looked at that familiar facial shape and eyes. Though the face and features were grown up, the fundamentals were still the same.


    She clicked his name in a daze.


    And when she read through the details of the person, the daze faded to that of anger and disappointment.


    Lord Yu was not her friend Yu. They were different. Yu was the scaredy-cat brat that always whined to her.


    Lord Yu was the stereotypical indulgent bastard that treated the NPCs as existences that should be used for his pleasure and nothing more.


    That was not her Little Yu.


    But if it was? A treacherous part of her asked.


    If he was?...


    Nothing. She would not do anything. She would not be his friend, his acquaintance, and she would not even look at him.


    But what must have happened for him to be this way? Another part of her asked.


    Cheng Xiu did not know, nor did she want to. She knew she could be judgmental and at that moment she was fine with it. She would not treat Lord Yu the way that she treated Little Yu. She did not need someone like that in her life.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 219 - Sinister Mind

    The alarm rang once more but Cheng Xiu instinctively cut it off and returned to reading the article.


    She learned about the terrains of the game, the important NPCs and many more. It was through this article that she realised that the most powerful continent of the game, The Central, was actually not the richest. That was the Eastern Continent.


    She was intrigued by the world and the titles that the players had in the game, she was curious about the various painful realities that a lot of people had to face in the game.


    She explored the sites related to the game even more rigorously.


    And that was how she came across a special site. The Awakened. And there was a catchphrase in there #Qiless. There seemed to be something mysterious about the site as even though it was an open site that was launched a few days back, it seemed to be getting a lot of traction, though there were no interactions in it. Her thoughts went to something special that she had experienced before.


    That sense of Awakening that a lot of Blessed people talked about.


    She clicked on the log-in tab.


    The page opened to the log-in page with the usual ''Forgot password?'' and ''New User'' interfaces displayed on it.


    Cheng Xiu decided to register.


    She stopped at the information page. She blinked and then looked at the Fold watch in her hand. Could she use her Player Account instead of her real account? She did not feel that secure using her real information. And even though the game account was made with her DNA Registration Account, it was secured by the firewall of the AI of the game and the DNA registration.


    Cheng Xiu could not explain the suspicion in her heart and the chill that went down her spine at the mere thought of sending an unprotected account into this server.


    She knew she was a paranoid person at times that looked at things with a negative perspective. But this time, it was more than a paranoia. Her instincts were sure.


    She plugged the Fold Watch to the Fold Mobile and then switched the Watch on.


    The watch automatically scanned the device it was connected to and then the screen of her mobile phone seemed to go through a blue filter.


    She touched the part where they were asking for her E-mail ID. The screen froze.


    Cheng Xiu looked at it curiously as a text box appeared on screen.


    [New Device Connected. Would you like to use the ****4444 profile to open an account in the present server?]


    Cheng Xiu smiled and clicked ''Yes''.


    The Blue filter suddenly went red and then the site showed a few codes and the words ''Site Crashed due to client Interruption'' instead.


    Cheng Xiu sighed in disappointment. She had not even began to fill in the information when the site actually crashed.


    She shook her head and went to a different site with similar tags.


    In another side of the globe, a man cursed as he threw away his headphone.


    He looked at the text box on his computer screen in disbelief.


    [Sorry For The Inconvinience, but your server does not have permission to access this account and hence, the security Bot Maya will do a Filtering. Should Information Violations are found, the site will be banned and similar sites will be monitored by the Bot in the future.]


    "Damn it!" he screamed, his red hair flying in the wind.


    "What happened?" a calm voice asked from behind him.


    The man let out a sigh and then turned to the visitor.


    "Joseph."


    The brown haired man nodded. "What happened?"


    "I got the site to catch those abominations up a few days ago and there was some responses."


    "And?"


    The redhead collapsed onto the chair. "And then that fricking AI Maya somehow hacked into the server."


    Joseph raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"


    "And I don''t know how it happened!"


    Joseph laughed. "You did not think you would be able keep that AI away from your site did you, Stevie?"


    Stevie snorted. "I know programming. I can guess at what happened."


    "You just said that you did not know?"


    "I don''t. But I can make an educated guess."


    "What happened then?"


    "Someone used the gaming account to get into the server instead of their other accounts. That is the only loophole that the AI could use."


    Joseph sipped on the red wine in his hand. "That means that your site is not safe enough for some people."


    Stevie rubbed his eyebrows. "I can''t believe I am saying this, but we have to consider the fact that those people have the instincts like the usual Blessed."


    Joseph froze. "What did you say?"


    Stevie shrugged. "Technically they are late Awakened people¡­"


    "But only after all the procedures that declared them as Qiless," Joseph said as he put the glass down to the table with a loud thud. "There is a few theories floating around in the organization that the Awakened Qiless are people who have found the way to steal Qi Cores from the Blessed."


    Stevie shuddered. The Blessed people already had a body used to Qi flow since birth, and even more so after their Initiation. He could not even imagine the pain and suffering that a person might have went through due the sudden lose of Energy Supply.


    He hoped that was not the case.


    "We need to find these abominations and eliminate them. If them stealing the cores is the truth then we should stop them as soon as possible."


    "And if they are not?"


    Joseph snorted. "Who cares. Death is the only end for those creatures. They were born as imperfect, punished to bear the pain of never feeling the connection that we do. And so, Imperfect that they should remain."


    Stevie nodded and then turned to the computer again. "I am going to see if I can salvage this situation."


    Joseph nodded. "You do that."


    He left the room.


    He was on his way back to his lab when he was stopped in the way by Dr Ravi Ghosh.


    "Dr Ghosh, what is it?"


    The brown skinned man sighed. "My girlfriend brokeup with me. Want to get some drinks."


    "Can''t. Have some lab works to do," Joseph said. "Oh! By the way, where is Cyrus? I wanted to know how¡­his uncle was doing?"


    Ravi gave it a thought. "I think it''s as good as it could get. The Qi in his body is still at the developing stage, from what Cyrus was talking about. But then again, that is a good thing. Even if he would not have any special powers, at least his physique would have improved, right?"


    Those who heard his words in passing nodded at him.


    Joseph laughed. "Right. I asked where was Cyrus too."


    Ravi blushed, his dark skin becoming darker. "Don''t know. Probably smoking somewhere."


    Joseph made a sound of understanding. "Smoking huh? Does that cigarette include the an addictive ingredient called as the Dean''s Daughter?"


    Ravi let out a nervous laughter. "I did not say anything.2


    Joseph made a zipping his lips kind of motion and then chuckled.


    "Oh!" Ravi said as an obvious method of changing the topic. "My Qi Insertion is showing signs of above 80% success."


    Joseph gave him a strained smile. "The one of the Qiless Subjects?"


    "That is correct!" Ravi said, "I need to go! Bye!"


    Joseph watched the man walk away, hatred in his eyes. The Qiless were only one step above the Abominations and Joseph did not like the fact that Blessed Commodities like Qi was being used to cure them!


    It took all of his self-control to walk away without hurting anyone and close the door behind him.


    He stared at the table in front of him.


    He let out a sigh. He could not go on today. He had to do something that would relax his mind.


    He took out his Fold Device and made a call.


    "Boss?" a gruff voice said from the other side.


    "I need a specimen for tonight. The None-cored kind."


    There was a pause. "Purpose? To kill or to raise?"


    "Kill of course," Joseph said, "If I wanted to raise, I already have a better quality specimen in mind."


    "Any specification?" the other side asked.


    Joseph''s mind went to Ravi.


    "Male, ideally of the Indian Acestory."


    "Age?"


    Joseph hmmed. "Any is fine, but they should look like an adult."


    "Okay," the other side said and then hanged up.


    A sinister smile rose on his lips. He could feel his mouth watering at the thought of what was waiting his lab stretcher that evening.


    In the woman''s dormitory of St Andre''s Academy, Cheng Xiu was finally dragged out of her internet surfing with a call from San Zhe.


    It was time to return to the game.


    She let out a smile and rushed to the game helmet.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 220 - Let Your Memories Grow Stronger

    Cheng Xiu blinked her eyes open to see that she was back in the dungeon with the rock-cut style of architecture.


    The red tinge that the dungeon had permeated disappeared with the torches of Red flame. The dungeon looked like any other dingy old dungeon. Cracked floors, cool breeze, cold floors, and dark and gloomy.


    The counter of the female Rat Counsellor had disappeared and the only thing in its place was the single back door that was hidden behind a screen.


    There was a flash on her side and when she turned, she found San Zhe next to her.


    She gave him a onceover.


    "Sister Xiu, I am fine," San Zhe said to her.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. She looked around her. "Where is Yaksha?"


    San Zhe frowned. "I am not sure¡­"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "Do you think that he lost his memories again?"


    San Zhe looked at her wearily. "Do you remember everything now?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "No. I remember my interactions with you while we were going offline and our time in the real world though."


    San Zhe sighed. "But didn''t we already-"


    There was a burning effect in front of them.


    The two released their weapons and stood at ready to attack whoever it was.


    A person wearing a black mask came out of the flames. "Well¡­this is a rude welcoming."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Where were you?"


    Yaksha tilted his head. "I was at my Safe Zone."


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She had to admit that she was confused for a moment before she remembered that normal players would return to their safe zones to log-out while Qiless Players could log-out anywhere.


    There was a belief in the newer player base that Normal players could only log-out at the safe Zone. But in her readings, Cheng Xiu had discovered that everyone could log-out from anywhere that they wanted. It was just that, unlike the other players, those of the Qiless faction had an extra layer of protection from the system.


    Some veteran players would call this The Dome. The Characters of the Qiless Faction would disappear from the place when the players disappeared. But for the others, their Characters would stay in the physical state that they logged out at. This meant that the chances of Offline Healing were nil for them. So the normal players would not log-out outside the safe zone.


    Now what was considered a safe zone? Cities, Towns, villages¡­basically anywhere that is not a dungeon or Wild Instances.


    "Do you have your memories now, Lord Yaksha?" San Zhe asked the man in the black mask.


    Yaksha shook his head. "No. In fact, I had it until I entered this dungeon but lost it the minute I entered this space."


    "I see," Cheng Xiu said, "then that''s it. We need to kill the Queen as well?"


    San Zhe shook his head. "All we have to do is destroy the mechanization that is keeping our memories away from us."


    "That''s better," Cheng Xiu said with a smile. "Oh! I heard that players can not return to the safe zone in between dungeon runs!"


    Yaksha chuckled. "That is true, but you see, I am different. I have the title of Lord in the game, so I can go to my safe zones. It just costs a bit of Gold coins."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Okay. The thing that took our memories away should be in the backroom, right?"


    "Yup," San Zhe said, "Although¡­I want to ask¡­why didn''t we get our memories back once we cleared the ritual? I thought that was the entire point of the ritual."


    "The ritual was done to counter the one that took our memories away," Yaksha said to him, "meaning it stopped the device from taking away our memories any further. Now, we can destroy the device and get the memories back."


    Cheng Xiu nodded.


    The three decided to just go and look at the device first. Yaksha was the one in the middle while Cheng Xiu and San Zhe flaked his sides.


    Yaksha did not mind them and strode into the backroom.


    Calling it a room was a bit much. There was only enough room for a person to stand straight. There was also a single cabinet that sat on the opposite wall of the door.


    Yaksha opened the cabinet door and took out a brass hourglass from inside.


    "Is that it?" Cheng Xiu asked curiously.


    Yaksha looked at her and then nodded. "It is a Dwarf made item called Memorized Time. Basically, it locks the memories of the people about other people."


    Cheng Xiu nodded as she stretched her neck to see past his broad shoulders to the device. She never thought she would find attractive shoulders annoying in her lifetime.


    Yaksha turned to Cheng Xiu. "Use your sword to break it."


    Cheng Xiu blinked.


    Yaksha had the hourglass in his hand.


    "That¡­your hand¡­"


    "Its fine. Just cut it off."


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in confusion and then rose the blade of her sword.


    She looked at Yaksha once again to conform that this was what he really wanted her to do.


    Yaksha nodded.


    San Zhe looked away from the scene. He did not want to see the top expert of the game lose his arms just like that.


    There was a sound of metal hitting some kind of a glass structure and then the ting of metal meeting metal.


    There was a gasp of disbelief from Cheng Xiu.


    Curious, San Zhe turned to look and stared at the scene in front of him.


    Cheng Xiu''s sword had neatly broken the hourglass and struck the hands of Lord Yaksha.


    The only thing is¡­is did not seem to have cut him at all?


    "You hand sounded like¡­" Cheng Xiu said and then stared at his hand, mystified.


    "Metal?" Yaksha finished for her.


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Like metal."


    "That is the reason why those of Level 60 and above at treated as the masters of the game."


    "You mean¡­" Cheng Xiu stopped to think about what her thoughts were at the moment, "This is a skill that everyone will get after they reach Level 60?"


    Yaksha laughed. "It is not a skill."


    Cheng Xiu made a questioning sound.


    "Rather, Level 60 onwards is called the Immortal Body level. Your body can not be hurt by any weapon that is below level 60."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "I see."


    "Now San Zhe," Yaksha called.


    "Huh?"


    "It is your turn to break the glass."


    "But I did not lose my memory?"


    "Do it."


    "Oh."


    With that, San Zhe was coerced into stabing the bronze hourglass with his trident.


    There was the sound of glass breaking again and the hourglass broke again.


    Yaksha took a talisman from his storage ring and brunt it with Qi.


    The fire engulfed the talisman and spread to the hourglass.


    There was another cracking noise and the hourglass and the flames disappeared from Yaksha''s hands.


    Cheng Xiu had to say that she was really impressed by the fact that Yaksha had not even flinched at the fire that was caught in his hand. That required too much of a strong Psyche that Cheng Xiu was unsure that she would have.


    [Ding!]


    [Players Selafia, San Zhe, and Lord Yaksha have destroyed the weapon called Memorised Time. Players who were affected by the hourglass in the last 24 hours of the game, in-game time will have their memories restored. The players who were the direct cause of the destruction of the device will have their memories taken by the device restored completely.]


    Cheng Xiu had a flood of informations that floated into her mind and allowed her to remember the things of the game that she did not question before.


    [Ding!]


    Cheng Xiu and the others looked up at that. There was more?


    [Players Selafia, San Zhe and Lord Yaksha have garnered the attention of the Queens themselves. 60% chance of gaining aggro from the Queens when in their presence. If all three are present, then the person who attacked the hourglass first would be the enemy of the Queens.]


    Cheng Xiu looked at the description and then glared at Yaksha. "You were the one who asked me to attack the hourglass first!"


    "Apologies," Yaksha said with a chuckle.


    Cheng Xiu felt like she wanted to tear something with her fingers. Preferably, Yaksha''s face.


    "You could have warned me!" she hissed. "I would have understood!"


    "Yes¡­I could have, couldn''t I?" Yaskha said, "Don''t worry! I will tell you next time."


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth.


    "Besides," Yaksha said, "Isn''t this your dungeon run? Please continue to work hard. That was the only reason that I let you do it first. You seemed so eager to be the first one in these kinds of situation."


    Cheng Xiu''s face is red under the mask as she suppressed her anger.


    "Jackass," she called him.


    "If you say so," he said nonchalantly.


    San Zhe looked the two of them in exasperation.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 221 - God Quests? I Am Too Cursed For Those.

    The warm atmosphere between the three players was interrupted by the sudden wind that came out of nowhere.


    It pushed the three of them out of the backroom and back to the center.


    Cheng Xiu looked around her in confusion. What had happened?


    The wind died down.


    Black fluid seeped through the walls and coated the surface with its slimy texture. A rotten odor wafted towards their senses.


    Cheng Xiu gagged at the sudden onslaught of putrid smell.


    "The Nest is closing," San Zhe said to her when he saw her expression.


    "Why?" she asked him.


    "The Hourglass was the stabilizer in the Nest. It acted as a stand-in for the witch, who in this case are the Queens," Yaksha explained. "By destroying the Hourglass, the nest does not have the presence of the Witch in it and so it will collapse. Let us go!"


    Cheng Xiu and San Zhe nodded and the three ran out of the room.


    And just in time as well because the room was filled with the black fluid.


    "Why black fluid?" Cheng Xiu asked the two boys with her.


    San Zhe shrugged.


    "It is the sign of a failed necromancy," Yaksha said.


    Cheng Xiu waited for him to explain to her a bit more but it seemed Yaksha had no such plans. She even asked him to explain and he turned a deaf ear to her nagging.


    San Zhe stood behind the two and watched as they acted like old couples who are very used to each other. Though he was sure that it was not the case. Maybe for Cheng Xiu but definitely not the expert. Who were Low Level players like them in front of Lord Yaksha.


    "Right," San Zhe said with a smile. "Let''s find the Queens!"


    Cheng Xiu smiled back at him and nodded.


    "But where?" he asked her.


    Cheng Xiu blinked at his question and the smile on her lips slowly disappeared. That was right, where?


    She turned to Yaksha. "Do you have any idea?"


    Yaksha tilted his head. "Doesn''t this count as me helping you though? Didn''t you want to experience and learn to play this game by yourselves?"


    Cheng Xiu stared at him through the mask.


    He stared back.


    San Zhe looked between the two of them as they stood at the opposite ends with a black, and a white mask each. They looked like they were in some kind of a fashion shooting and had to look thematically good.


    San Zhe sighed. "How about just going in the opposite direction that we came from?"


    Cheng Xiu blinked and looked at him. "Huh?"


    "You know," San Zhe said awkwardly, "Go to west if you came from east and go to east if you came from west."


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "And which direction did we come from? East or West?"


    San Zhe stared at her and then looked towards his right and left. Each side had a passage. "Um¡­east? Didn''t we walk towards east?"


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "Why are you so sure that we were walking towards the east? And how are you so sure where east is? Is there a device for it?"


    San Zhe stared at her for a moment. "Um¡­I have always been good at directions?"


    "So good? Even in the real world?"


    San Zhe stared at her. "No..I meant in the game. I have always been good at telling directions in the game."


    Cheng Xiu stared at him for a moment. She thought about it. "Does it have something to do with your Trident?"


    San Zhe stared at her. "Why would you think that?"


    Cheng Xiu shrugged. "Just guessing."


    San Zhe smiled behind the mask. "Actually, it was a passive skill that I received when I first started to play the Other World. I completed a few chain quests and got the ''blessings'' of the Gods of the Winds."


    "Gods?" Cheng Xiu asked. "I thought missions involving gods would be something that we can only get somewhere at level 20 and above."


    San Zhe smiled. "There are people who think that but it is not the truth. The truth is that you can access the Quests related to the gods by visiting their temples and doing some quests there. Although¡­"


    "Although?"


    "There are far too little temples in the Southern Continent."


    Cheng Xiu let out a snort. Of course. The continent she chose was so good that she could not even access good missions properly.


    Cheng Xiu tried not to let that fact get to her. She had known about it from the beginning of the game after all. Though she had only known about the Village she started at, Cheng Xiu was not surprised that even the continent was trash.


    "This is the one that is based on the Chinese Folklores," San Zhe said, "But not in Vixia. You have to visit the other countries for it. If you want to have God missions, your best bet is the Eastern Continent. That one has Hinduism, Christianity and other such religions. It is called as the Religious Continent For that reason. The North is more Astec and Egyptian primarily. The West is the Greek, the Roman and the Scandinavian."


    "What about the Central Continent?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "All of the above," San Zhe said with a shrug. "Honestly, even I was surprised by how diverse those of the central were. Those closer to the other continents would show the characteristics of that continent but¡­well¡­it is bastardised  to an extent. If fact, there are many people who got so offending by the way that the Central people twisted the myths to relate to their land and beliefs that many rage quit the game. It took a far too much of time for people to accept the Central''s Modes Operandi. There are people who would rather die than acknowledge that a place like the Central even exists."


    Cheng Xiu was surprised when she heard his words. "Isn''t this game too risky? Are they not afraid?"


    San Zhe shrugged. "What is new about it though? We have seen all the religions be twisted so that they can be entertaining. It is not a novel concept that the game has a twisted version in the game. There are too many games with those themes!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "But not as blatant as this though. And definitely not as complicated."


    San Zhe sighed. "Yeah."


    "So," Yaksha said seeing that the two people had come to an of their conversation. "East or West?"


    San Zhe blinked. He was surprised that the expert was not glaring at him for hogging Cheng Xiu''s attention for so long.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in surprise. She was glad that she was wearing a mask at that moment. She had forgotten all about him.


    "So which is it?" Yaksha asked.


    Something about his tone made Cheng Xiu think that he was upset. Did he feel like he was left out of their conversation? No way, right? He was an Expert! A Level 70 Expert of the Other World! The man that was too legendary in the game. There was no way that he would have that kind of a mindset, right?


    Cheng Xiu knew that experts of any game were not actual gods. They were human like the rest of the players, just more capable.


    But considering Yaksha''s cold disposition that he constantly had, she was sure that he considered himself above such human emotions. Even the occasional emotional outburst that he had made it even more evident. He did not realise that he was being emotional. And not emotional in the way that dramatically cry or laugh, rather it was more like he was more human. Relaxed. Willing to work with them.


    She considered him too good to have the feeling of being let out.


    ***


    [Small Theater]


    ML: I will just wait for them to finish. *stays quiet.*


    MC: Talks a lot.


    SZ: Talks a lot.


    MC: So Cool


    SZ: Yup.


    ML: Are they ignoring me? Hmph! I wont talk at all, they have to notice me then!


    MC and SZ talked on and on.


    ML: Hey! I am here!


    SZ: Wow. He did not kill me for talking to her?


    MC: Oh. You are still here? I forgot.


    ML: Cries in lost memories.


    ***


    This is a special survey that I am really curious about:


    How is the story so far?


    Who is your favorite caracter/s? May I ask Why?


    Which part of my writing to do think I can really improve on?


    Which character do you want to see screen time with?


    What do you think about the relationship between Cheng Xiu and the people around her so far?


    And the true question: What do you think of the male lead?


    Though I know that we haven''t really gotten too much of detail about his character, but what is your impression of him?


    I know that there are a lot of people who don''t like the childhood sweethearts trope. I did not want to write it but in this context, I felt that was the best at the time. I do wonder what would have happened if I followed my original intent of the ML and MC not knowing each other before, I hope that it does not deter you too much.


    So please do tell me!


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 222 - Blast From The Past

    "East," San Zhe said to them.


    Yaksha and Cheng Xiu nodded.


    The three walked towards the direction that he pointed.


    Just after they took three steps, there was a flash of light in front of them and a woman appeared out of it.


    San Zhe and Cheng Xiu had their weapons at the ready immediately to wait for an attack.


    She wore deep green robes and a soft smile. "Hello. I am Fiona, nice to meet you!"


    Cheng Xiu blinked. She looked at the woman in front of her closely. This woman looked nothing like the NPC Torch who turned into a mage. Sure, they might have the same ancestry but that was the only common thing about this woman in front of her and the real Fiona.


    "You don''t believe me, do you?" she asked in a disappointed voice. "I used a spell to hide my face before!"


    "Why would you need to do that?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    "Were you someone who did bad things too them?" San Zhe followed up. "Did you steal from them? Kill a loved one? What did you do that you had to change your entire face?"


    The woman smiled gently at him, like he was a foolish child who said the stupidest thing that she had ever heard but she indulged in his words and ideas because she found his foolishness cute.


    San Zhe gritted his teeth. He felt that he was reading too much into this simple action of the NPC.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She did not think there would be any side quests at this stage. They had too many sub-plots to help them already and no game would be so darn helpful, Newbies or not!


    "Are you one of the Queens?" Cheng Xiu asked.


    The woman smiled at her. "What makes you say that?"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "That is the most clich¨¦d answer that you could have given. We only have the Queens to meet at this point. Anyway, why are you not with your sibling? Aren''t twins supposed to attack us together?"


    The woman sighed. "I came here before my brother would."


    Cheng Xiu waited.


    The Queen smiled at her.


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "Why?"


    "Because I wanted to warn you. To give you a chance to save yourself."


    Cheng Xiu smiled. "Thank you for your concern. May I ask why you would say that?"


    "Isn''t that obvious?" the Queen asked. "You are not going to be able to stop my brother. He is stronger than the people you have met so far, and I am giving Lord Yaksha by saying this."


    Cheng Xiu looked at Yaksha in surprise. The two knew each other?


    "Actually," the woman said, "He is the reason that those Rat Puppets attacked you at the stairwell. He wanted to see your fighting potential and asked me to attack you with it. Who knew that both you and the boy would manage to attack so well. I had to see how far I could go after that. Sorry about that."


    Cheng Xiu felt her eyebrows twitch. Did this woman mean that they lost a lot of fighting time because of Yaksha?


    She looked back at the man with a glare.


    He looked at her with a pair of calm eyes.


    "Are you not going to defend yourself?"


    "I did it."


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. "Why would you do that?"


    "I told you, I wanted to see how well you fought, what your potential was."


    Cheng Xiu glared. "Really? Are you telling me that making us fight with those creatures was the best way to see how strong we are?"


    "You told me not to help you in the missions."


    "So you decided to conspire against us?"


    "There are only two ways that I could understand my enemy," he explained. "One, as your comrade, and two, as your enemy."


    "Or three, a by stander," Cheng Xiu said with gritted teeth.


    "I am a bystander," Yaksha said to her. "I am not participating myself. I just instigated you to participate and gleaned some results. Would you like to know my evaluation of you?"


    "No!" Cheng Xiu spit out. The absolute moron! Did she seem like she was in the mood to listen to his evaluation?


    The Queen looked between the Human Cultivator and the Lord of the Ghost Realm. They were a really interesting pair.


    San Zhe, who stood at the side, seemed to want to escape from the place so that he did not have to witness this. Though he did empathise with Cheng Xiu''s words and also had a few things that he wanted to say, he did not have the courage to actually say those things.


    "I will tell it to you anyways," Yaksha said. "You seem like an intelligent person-"


    "Seem?"


    Behind the black mask, Yaksha smiled. "Yes. Seemed and there are times that I believe that is the truth but¡­"


    His deep-set eyes looked at Cheng Xiu''s Phoenix eyes, watching the myriad of emotions dashing through them.


    "You are too emotional at times," he said to her.


    Cheng Xiu scoffed. She turned to the Queen. "I am not willing to listen to this non-sense. Let us just fight, Fake Fiona."


    The Queen glared at her for the name-calling. "But I want to listen to the rest of his evaluation too."


    "The NPCs of this game are too sentient," Cheng Xiu said. She turned to the NPC fully. "Are you going to attack yet?"


    "That is her second problem," Yaksha said to San Zhe. The man looked absolutely confused. Cheng Xiu heard his words and turned to glare at him. "She is too reckless when her emotions are running high and then there is her mood swings."


    San Zhe blinked. Mood swings?


    "Have you not noticed that she easily changes her mind according to the situation?" Yaksha asked him, "Especially that time when she was fighting with that pair of brother and Sister."


    San Zhe nodded. He had also noticed that she was contradictory in most cases.


    Cheng Xiu looked at him in disbelief. Even he was against her now?


    "Do you think it is schizophrenia?" San Zhe asked him.


    Yaksha looked at Cheng Xiu''s agitated form. "No. I think it is arrogance at her own intelligence and that she is too¡­pragmatic or easily swayed."


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She knew that Yaksha was just trying to get a reaction out of her, and she should be the better person. The intelligent thing to do at the moment was to not give the two idiotic companion of hers anymore chance to diss her and concentrate on the matter at hand.


    "Thank you for informing me," Cheng Xiu said to the Rat Queen. "But right now, the only thing I care about is getting out of this dungeon in this round. There is no way that I want to keep fighting in this dungeon forever. Thank you very much."


    The woman realised that Cheng Xiu had entered a different mindset than she was in before.


    "I can see what they mean by mood swings," the NPC said with an awed expression. "But in the end, a changing mood is not going to help you with anything."


    Cheng Xiu smiled behind the pristine white mask. "Perhaps. But I think the mindset that you have when you are entering a fight has a big impact on the way that the fight would turn up too."


    "Mindset," the NPC muttered. She sent Cheng Xiu a sweet smile. "Yes. The mindset does have an impact, doesn''t it. In that case¡­isn''t it good to see what you would do when you are facing an old enemy with a different thought process yourself?"


    Cheng Xiu had a bad premonition.


    Sure enough, the woman took out a Spell Book. It looked no different from the leather bound spell books of the other NPCs, but Cheng Xiu guessed that this NPC might be able to use the book freely without the presence of her brother.


    There was a flash of light and suddenly something jumped out of the rock floor.


    San Zhe stepped back in reflex as fear gripped his heart.


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth.


    Yaksha walked to the side and leaned against the wall, looking at the proceedings with curiousity in his eyes.


    A humanoid rat that was about a head taller than Yaksha stood before them on its hind legs. It held a pickaxe twice its height against its shoulder. The rat was burly and rugged. It had single piece of red loincloth to cover its private part. The creature''s eyes glowed with inner light and drool seeped past its mouth as it revealed jagged teeth towards them.


    "An Old aquintance," the Queen said to them, "But stronger than before. Let us see how you fair, shall we?"


    San Zhe stared at the creature in shock, unmoving.


    Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and rat towards the creature with her sword unsheathed.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 223 - A Cut-Scene

    The creature roared at her and ran towards her.


    Cheng Xiu smiled, and sheathed her sword at the last minute.


    The Queen''s eyes widened. She guessed what the next step of actions from the girl would be. That damned fire!


    "Ghost Flame!" Cheng Xiu screamed, her palm extended towards the creature.


    The black flame burst out of her hand and engulfed the creature.


    The beast roared in pain. What was left of it was ashes on the ground.


    She turned her head towards the Queen. "I killed it."


    The queen stared at her and then at the creature that was nothing more than grey ashes in discontent. She thought of the spells and things that she could do to counter act against the girl.


    "There is something that I really hate about humans like you," the Woman said, "you are too resourceful."


    Cheng Xiu bowed her head. "Thank you."


    She raised her hand threw the Ghost Flame that was still in her hand at the woman.


    The woman laughed.


    She dodged to the side.


    The flame hit the wall of the corridor and disappeared.


    The green robed Queen looked at the wall with a curious gaze. "You flame¡­it is limited to things that contain Qi."


    Cheng Xiu pursed her lips. She guessed that the woman might have already guessed what her weakness was.


    "And it is the specific Qi that exists in living things," the Queen continued, "it will not consume the Qi in the air or even the Qi of spells."


    Cheng Xiu tried to keep her face neutral.


    "And every time you use the spell," the Queen continued to say, "Every time you use it, you are sacrificing a large portion of your power to create it. If it kills things, you get Qi in return, otherwise, you loose a large portion of your Qi for nothing!"


    San Zhe stared at the woman and then at Cheng Xiu. From the near non-reaction that Cheng Xiu was giving, it really seemed to be the case.


    The woman let out a delighted laugh. "It is not a skill, is it? It is a creature!"


    Cheng Xiu frowned. "What?"


    "How can there be such a great skill?" the woman asked. "It is a creature! And that too from the Chasm! That is the only place that I can think of, where this creature could come from!"


    Cheng Xiu narrowed her eyes.


    San Zhe frowned. Though he was curious about the girl''s powers and its sources, he worked out that they needed to finish the mission in a timely manner.


    San Zhe tried to attack the Queen while her attention was on Cheng Xiu.


    There was a flash of crimson and a burst of flames.


    Cheng Xiu blinked in surprise to see that San Zhe attacked the Queen.


    The side of her cheekbones were singed.


    Cheng Xiu jumped forwards, using the moment that the NPC was screaming in pain to attack her side with her sword.


    The creature jumped to the other side, only to be met with San Zhe''s trident again.


    She screamed again. "Why! I even gave you a chance to leave safely!"


    Cheng Xiu shook her head. "I told you before. We have a mission to complete and I have a curse to break."


    "I-I can! I c-can remove that Hua sibling''s curse!"


    Cheng Xiu stilled for a moment.


    That was enough for the Queen to dash away.


    Cheng Xiu cursed and ran after her.


    San Zhe and Yaksha followed her moments.


    "What if she is telling the truth?" San Zhe asked.


    "What are the chances that she has that kind of means?" Cheng Xiu asked instead of giving him a direct rebutal.


    San Zhe nodded. That was right. Why would the curse even exist if the Queen could just remove it at will? And even if the woman could, What if there was some other price to pay for doing that kind of a favor though? What if the price to pay is something even worse than the Loophole curse that Xiao Hua put on the girl?


    "It was a trap?" San Zhe asked her.


    "Bingo," Cheng Xiu said. "Now run faster!"


    "You don''t want her to meet up with her brother," he said with a gasp.


    "We have seen how powerful these twins are together," Cheng Xiu said to him, "The chances of the two killing us with a snap increases with them meeting each other. We have seen it with the first set of twins and Da Hua and Xiao Hua. Apart, they are manageable, together, they are on hard mode."


    "You want to make the difficulty of the mission be low."


    "Mmm."


    "I think it is low already," San Zhe commented.


    Cheng Xiu gave him a side glance. "Brother San, she is a witch and someone who knows our fighting style to some extent. That reminds me, hey! You!"


    San Zhe looked on in fear as Cheng Xiu called Yaksha with a disrespectful tone. Then again, she did find out that she had to fight some great monster at her weakened state because of his meddling.


    "I want to ask you," Cheng Xiu said in a strained voice. "Would the Queens have observed us as she did if it was not for you?"


    Yaksha thought about it for a moment. "No. They would not have known about you until you have killed the three Rat Counsellors. But the reason that woman contacted you now is not because of me. It is because you released those Red Flames."


    Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth. "So this chase was inevitable?"


    "It should be a scenario," San Zhe said to her.


    "A Cut-Scene?" She asked.


    He nodded.


    Cut Scenes were special scenes that were created to develop the storyline of the game, to reveal clues or even to just connect the mission targets in various ways. It meant that, anyone who killed the last Rat Counsellor would meet this woman. She would also leave them and join her Brother to attack them later if they refuse to leave.


    Cheng Xiu understood and sighed. "So it wasn''t your fault."


    "The Pickaxe wielding Rat might be though," Yaksha said to her, "she only used that puppet under my insistance because they are a lot more controllable than actual NPCs."


    "So the Cut-Scene can also be modified?" Cheng Xiu asked in surprise.


    "Otherwise?" he asked her. "You must remember one thing about the Other World: There is no constant. Every NPC can change the way that they act towards a player according to the player''s actions. While in olden games there were only one or two ways that an NPC would react...or even how the NPCs of other contemporary games react, even though they have more than 10 ways that they can go, the other world has 20 ways. Twice as many. No player would get the same reaction out of the same NPCs. It all depends on the missions that you have taken, and your overall experience in the game."


    Cheng Xiu nodded in understanding. This was something that she had gathered a bit of from the comments that the players had put in the blogs and vlogs of the game articles, but she was still surprised.


    "So I guess the NPC meeting her brother is inevitable," San Zhe said with a sigh.


    "Not necessarily," Yaksha said. "After all, what applies to the NPCs and Cut-scenes must also apply to the dungeons themselves and the game world itself."


    San Zhe frowned. "You mean¡­the game will modify the dungeon?"


    "Why does this game seem so unstable?" Cheng Xiu asked. "For a game that is five years of age, it seems too¡­flexible."


    "And that makes it interesting," Yaksha said to her.


    "I suppose."


    "Lets see if you can catch up to the NPC then," Yaksha said with a laugh. "I believe that see is almost there!"


    Cheng Xiu gasped and ran forward, increasing the speed.


    San Zhe looked at her as she ran faster and faster, ahead of him. Her skin had started to have a luster to it.


    He realised what she was doing. She was imitating Qi Burst to increase her physique.


    San Zhe ran after her desparately.


    Behind the two, Yaksha ran a bit faster, when he saw that he almost reached San Zhe''s back, he pulled back a bit. It took a few seconds for him to adjust his pacing and run in tune with San Zhe, maintaining the distance.


    That was correct. Yaksha was going at a much slower pace than he was used to so that he could stay behind the two of them. And he found it so difficult to do it without gaining the two players'' attention to it.


    The green silhouette of the Queen became visible to the three of them as they took a corner.


    "Stop right there!" Cheng Xiu said. She knew that was a useless thing to say but she was fine with it. If it worked it worked.


    San Zhe ran after her and was surprised by her words. But what he was surprised the most about was the fact that the woman actually stopped. Did the brother come in search of his sister? Did the other twin come already? Would they have to fight with the two of them now?


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 224 - Support

    The truth of the gameplay of the Other World was heavily based on human behaviours. While some eccentricities would be added in every few moments, in the end they showed the predictability of the human nature.


    And that was the exact logic that made the NPC Queen stop when Cheng Xiu called out. The only person who ever dared to talk to her in that tone was either her brother or the king, basically people who had that kind of authority over her. And so, when someone used that tone to command her, her instinctual reaction was to stop. Because the only reason that someone would use that tone towards her was if they had the authority to.


    In another space, the AI known as Maya felt pain in her database as the interpretation of the command was made by that part of the AI System. She was truly sorry that the original data was so vague that she had to stop at that kind of disrespectful call.


    She was also impressed by Cheng Xiu''s rather blatant words. A remarkable player. No wonder she was called as the most impulsive player in the other games that she had played.


    In the Rat dungeon of the Clock Tower, Cheng Xiu skidded to a halt just behind the Rat Queen.


    The Green robed woman spun around, the distance between the two only a few centimeters away.


    "You have guts, Human," the Queen said with a snarl.


    Cheng Xiu attacked her with the sword. "Thanks."


    The Queen threw something towards the Sword''s blade. They were seeds. A thin vein started to cover the thing completely.


    Cheng Xiu saw her take another batch out of her storage ring. Without much guessing she knew that this one was aimed at her.


    "Ghost Flame!" she shouted.


    The flame covered the blade in her hand, burning away the dark veins.


    The Queen looked at the flame wielding sword with curiosity. The information she had gathered said that the Ghost Flame was a creature that would consume the Qi around it to sustain itself. So why was it not consuming the Qi in the sword. Did the sword not have any? No. That was impossible. Any weapon that was used by a cultivator would have the Qi Sword. So what else could it be?


    She was unable to guess.


    The truth was that Cheng Xiu would coat the sword with a thin layer of her own Qi and that was what the flame consumed when she coated the blade with the black flame. This meant that, she was consuming even more Qi than she usually when she was coating her weapon with the flame.


    Of course, there was the fact that, she was able to consume the Qi stored in the flame when it ''eats'' the enemies. And it was more economical. After all, she did not have to worry about missing her target or that they would escape. Not that she had much worry over it to begin with.


    The Rat Queen dodged again and again, barely able to dodge the woman''s incessant attacks.


    The Human Cultivator had clearly improved a lot from back when she was attacking the Rat Puppets at the stairwell.


    She wondered how much she had improved in other aspects.


    The Queen whipped out her Spell book and muttered a spell in it without opening it. She did not need to look at the spells in the book to activate them but she needed the book in her hand if she wished to remember that she knew such a spell.


    Cheng Xiu frowned as the woman dodged all of her attack. She felt frustrated and angry at the continued battle. Why was she even doing this? She could be reading many books at this time, but here she was playing kill the Rat with her College senior and a Random stranger who wants to ''Test'' her. Seriously though, why? What would he gain by that? Did he really want her as his enemy? Well! She did not want him!


    She glared at Yaksha for a brief moment.


    The Queen''s lips tilted to the side subtly.


    "Sister Xiu?" San Zhe called at that moment, "What''s wrong? Do you want me to help you?"


    "Do I look like I need your help?"


    San Zhe was taken aback by her words. "I¡­guess not."


    Cheng Xiu blinked as she turned to the Rat Queen. Her eyes widened and then it glinted.


    She closed her eyes and examined her Qi. There it was again. The Invasive Qi that gave her a sense of otherness. This time, she was able to throw it away easily.


    The queen glared at the human cultivator even as the fact that the girl was able to so easily get out of her hold surprised her a bit. Such a strong rate of improvement was unnatural and also dangerous. She needed this woman destroyed before she gained more experience! No wonder the Clock Tower sent her to fight them at this crucial hour just as their race was surpassing the Level Cap to the Upper Floor! It was because she was so capable!


    San Zhe stepped forward when he saw the glint from the side of the Queen.


    He raised his Trident and blocked the incoming Pickaxe.


    The Bulky puppet rat roared at him in anger as its target was rescued.


    Cheng Xiu gave them a flitting glance. "Brother San, thank you!"


    San Zhe nodded a bit and then kicked the beast in the guts.


    The creature doubled over, the axe in its grip hitting the floor with a thud.


    San Zhe was surprised that that simple attack was able to hurt the creature so much that it lost its weapon for a second.


    He then looked at the constantly fighting Cheng Xiu and the Rat Queen. That must be the reason! Cheng Xiu''s fight was making the Queen lose control of the spell, weakening its effects. Granted, he did not know much about Witchy spells, but he knew that some spells required the caster to constantly supply energy or instructions to it to keep it alive.


    The Rat jumped to feet again.


    San Zhe kicked it once more while grabbing its pickaxe from the ground.


    He tested the wieght of the weapon and how it felt in his hand. It was a bit like the trident in length but the weight was different and the distribution of the weight was very different. In fact, he had to say that this one strained his arm in a different way than his Trident did. Though he had known there would be differences between the weapons considering the fact that they are two very different family of weapons, he was still surprised by how much of his center of gravity he had to be aware of just to keep the Pickaxe upright.


    Shaking off his contemplation of Weapon Wielding, San Zhe stored the weapon into his storage ring. It had been a long time since he had collected weapons from the beasts of the game and it felt nice to return to an old occupation for a brief moment.


    He then ran towards the creature with his trident aimed at its heart.


    The Rat tried to block it.


    San Zhe dodged its hold at the last moment and stabbed it in the throat so hard, that the sharp spikes of the trident pierced through the thick muscular neck to the back of its skull at an angle.


    By just watching the scene, San Zhe was thankful that there was a blood filter on his gameplay graphics. Otherwise he would have had to suffer through nightmare inducing visuals. Not that the current look was better but it still would not give him much nightmares.


    On the other side of the room, Both Cheng Xiu and the Rat Queen saw the Bulky Rat Puppet turn to dust from the corner of their eyes.


    Cheng Xiu smiled as she intensified her attacks on the rat Queen. San Zhe had done his part in looking after her, despite her shitty attitude and she had to repay him by ending this game sooner. He was still weak, she was sure. This was all the help that she could currently think of doing.


    The rat Queen''s response was different. She read out another Spell from the book. She realised that she would not be able to handle both of them. And if Yaksha decides to join, she would be in great trouble.


    She needed backup.


    She was scared of asking for help before because she did not want her brother to know that she tried to negotiate with the Tower Missioners, but now¡­she had no other choice. She had to ask for help.


    She was not dumb enough as to fight with people that showed that she could be handled easily when they worked together. They were not the only people who knew how to fight alongside others. And The Rat Queen had to say, she fought better than these Humans.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work.. Please don''t support theft.

 Chapter 225 - An Easy Win?

    There was a flash of red and a man in intricate red and gold designed robe appeared before them. His hair fluttered despite the fact that the passage was a place that did not have wind.


    Cheng Xiu stopped in her tracks. The others followed suit.


    The man blinked his eyes open and looked at the people in the area with green eyes. His eyes darted to the female Queen.


    "Brother," the woman called out.


    The man nodded. He looked at Cheng Xiu and the rest of the trio.


    "And who are these?" the man asked. His voice was deep and alluring.


    Cheng Xiu tilted her head. In which part of the world would this man be mistaken for a female? Even as a youngster, the man should have a strong masculine presence.


    "They are the Invaders, Brother," the queen said to the man, "They are the people who are assigned by the Clock Tower to stop you."


    The man tilted his head as he sent the three people an assessing look. His face was blank, not giving a clue to what he might be thinking.


    "Hello," the man said, a charming smile forming on his lips. "I am Henrik."


    Cheng Xiu nodded. "Selafia."


    "San Zhe."


    Yaksha just kept quiet.


    Henrik looked at the man in silence.


    Cheng Xiu jabbed him in the side.


    "I am¡­Yaksha," he confessed.


    "Lord of the Ghost Realm," Henrik muttered. "Should I say that I am honoured? Should I just give up now that such a great man has come personally to stop me?"


    "You have heard of me," Yaksha said. "I was not aware that I was so famous."


    The NPC laughed. "No. I suppose not. How could you have been aware. I am a fan of your accomplishments."


    Yaksha nodded.


    "But that does not mean that I am going to stop my plans for you," the man said, "You see, I seem to have misplaced some of my counsellors and the Power Storages that I had saved in my Nest. Which is strange. Anyway, that means that I can not stop this plan unless I want the entire Vermin Empire to fall down and crash."


    Cheng Xiu sighed. "You want to fight still."


    "It is not what I want, and what I don''t want. It is about what is the right thing to do."


    "Attacking those children and turning them into batteries for you to use is the right thing to do?" Cheng Xiu asked in disbelief.


    "And there is our culprit, sister," the man said to the woman next to her. "Did you not try to stop them?"


    "I did. But they double teamed me and their prowess is¡­high."


    "Were you hurt, Fiona?"


    Cheng Xiu was surprised. So her name really was Fiona?


    "They tried but no, brother," Fiona said.


    "Mm," the man took out his spell book. "There is only one way this can go then."


    The woman opened hers.


    He started to mutter a string of Latin words.


    Cheng Xiu was sure that they were just meaningless words that were strung together, but she had to be cautious as she was not sure how this would go.


    "Aquis Artus!" the two shouted at the same time.


    Cheng Xiu''s eyes widened at the familiar words. Was this not the same words that was spoken by the first set of twins? Was it their most common spell, so everyone learnt it?


    Cheng Xiu was not aware but that was the exact case. As complicated as this quest had seemed, it truly only had one objective. To kill the final boss. All the other things that they found in the Mission dungeon was to train them and to ensure that they would be able to defeat the enemy when the time comes.


    The twins of both times of the sub-plot especially. The quest of the counsellors would give them more insight into the world itself with the introduction of the Chasm, and the creatures in it. And over all, the combat effectiveness of the players would be high as it was to get a sweeping victory.


    As the arms made of water rose from the blue geometric design under their feet, Cheng Xiu and San Zhe jumped away. They already knew how to take care of these threats.


    Just like before, Yaksha was spared from the NPC attacks.


    Cheng Xiu created the sword copies and had them destroy the diagram on the ground, destroying it completely.


    She smiled as she watched the swords move under her command. She had truly missed using this skill set. In fact, it gave her a satisfaction that she did not get from using the Ghost Flame.


    The water arms disappeared.


    She sent the sword copies to the second diagram as well, doing the exact same thing.


    The twins glared. They knew that these people must have found a way to escape the spell in the first place. That was the only way that they would be able to reach this part of the dungeon. But still, the fact that the method was so¡­crude was something neither had taken into account for. After all, given the temperament that the three seemed to have, none of them seemed to be the overly demented type. Yet now¡­it seemed to be the case.


    What kind of a person would have the mindset to destroy the spell construction itself?


    As for Fiona. She had kept an eye on the two but that did not mean she was there personally. She just looked at the reports that her minions sent. And yet¡­now it seemed she should have read the report deeper.


    Cheng Xiu looked at the two Rat Queens. And yes, she did consider the man as the Rat Queen as well. It was what the mission called him and he seemed to not mind the label, though considering the story she heard¡­it might be that he just did not care enough about the title.


    She knew that they were powerful people. The only way to kill them is to get close enough as to be able to assassinate them before they had the chance to counter attack.


    The second round of spell began.


    Cheng Xiu saw the red glow of the new diagram.


    Fire?


    Cheng Xiu thought of the first Counsellor man to die. He seemed to have that power.


    Cheng Xiu sent the swords out again.


    There was something satisfying to see the swords do their weaving in the air.


    San Zhe used the Crimson Flame that was in his trident to destroy the second Diagram.


    The next should be earth? That was the nest counsellor to die. And San Zhe was the one to kill him.


    And her guess was right on the mark.


    Two yellow diagrams appeared. Just like before, the diagram was destroyed.


    Cheng Xiu could not help but think¡­.this seemed to easy?


    She looked at the anthropomorphized rats.


    They had created a barrier around them at some point in time.


    Cheng Xiu frowned. She knew what that meant. Even if they could not attack Cheng Xiu and San Zhe as the two players could destroy the diagrams before they formed, the players also could not attack the NPCs recklessly because they had barriers to protect them.


    She then remembered the way that she destroyed the first set of barriers.


    Could she do that again?


    Almost as though reading her thoughts, Fiona called her brother.


    "That human girl has a Chasm flame that consumes anything with Qi. Could it consume the Qi in the barrier and destroy it?"


    The man seemed to have thought of something. "Get to the next step."


    Fiona''s eyes widened. Could her brother be thinking of getting rid of the human cultivators using the female Counsellor''s way of attacking?


    The NPCs read another spell.


    A pink diagram formed under their feet.


    Cheng Xiu destroyed these as well, her attention on what the twins were doing.


    And it was a smart thing too as the two seemed to have already guessed that she would destroy this one too and had started on another one, this one under their own feet.


    Cheng Xiu had a premonition. She had thought until then that the rat Queens would go through all the spells and skills they had encountered until now. But she had forgotten one thing. The adaptability of the NPCs.


    And the siblings, realising that Cheng Xiu and San Zhe were able to put a stop to the spells before they even began just because the diagrams could be destroyed. That meant, to deal with them, such spells that are created under the players'' feet could not be used.


    The diagram should be on their side.


    The diagram was pink in colour.


    There was a flash of bright pink and then creatures emerged from the ground.


    They were bulky, tall, and held pickaxes and hammers and stood in three rows.


    Each row contained seven of them.


    The two players cursed their bad luck. Things just got real bad.


    ***


    This work is being serialized in Webnovel. If you are not reading it there, then please know that you are reading stolen work. Please don''t support theft.


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