Su Ji's lips twitched slightly after hearing this.
Come to think of it, that made sense.
He wasn’t some eunuch entering the palace who could buy back his "treasured roots" after retiring.
Just as Su Ji was pondering his next move, Su Jiu, who had been keeping her head turned away, suddenly asked a baffling question.
"Can you really learn that cultivation technique?"
Su Ji froze, his heart instantly sounding alarm bells.
He stared at Su Jiu in shock. "So you were using me as a lab rat?"
Ignoring his accusation, Su Jiu merely sized him up, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she muttered under her breath, so quietly only she could hear.
"How strange… That shouldn’t be possible…"
Her expression made Su Ji even more uneasy.
But he didn’t plan to press the issue—this woman was an enigma, and no amount of questioning would get him a straight answer.
Right now, there were more important matters.
"Can you get me some spear techniques or spell formulas?"
"That fat, useless steward was only two minor realms above me, and I was already sweating bullets just fighting him. Meanwhile, real geniuses can leap realms to kill enemies as easily as drinking water!"
At the moment, his only means of combat were the [Fallen Dragon’s Desolation Art] and the surprise "Flashstone" blinding effect—his arsenal was far too limited.
Su Jiu finally deigned to look at him properly, though her gaze was filled with the kind of disdain one might reserve for a delusional fool.
"Do you think I’m Doraemon? That I can just pull out whatever you want?"
Those words hit Su Ji like a thunderbolt to the skull.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body, a chill shooting from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Hesitantly, he ventured,
"...Fellow traveler?"
Su Jiu looked at him in confusion, her clear eyes brimming with bewilderment.
"I’m from the Pure Fox lineage. How could I be your fellow traveler? Flattery won’t work."
Su Ji scrutinized her expression—the puzzlement seemed genuine.
His heart sank as he pressed further, "Then where did you hear the term 'Doraemon'?"
"It’s recorded in my clan’s ancient texts," Su Jiu replied matter-of-factly, as if stating common knowledge. "A great figure once described a mythical beast with a pouch on its belly that could produce all manner of treasures according to the seeker’s needs. Extremely wondrous—though whether it truly existed remains unknown."
Su Ji’s mind went blank with a deafening buzz.
Oh no.
It wasn’t just the Love-Longing Sect that was messed up—this so-called Great Xia Kingdom itself was deeply problematic!
He had thought he was the only one of his kind.
But now it seemed that countless "fellow travelers" had come to this land before him, leaving such indelible marks that even "Doraemon" had been enshrined in history as an ancient mythical beast.
The waters here ran far deeper than he’d imagined.
Seeing Su Ji remain silent for so long, Su Jiu seemed to lose patience.
"Isn’t there a technique repository in the sect? Can’t you go look for yourself?"
With that, she turned to leave.
Just as her cloth-shoed foot stepped over the threshold, she suddenly glanced back. "I’ll come find you in three days. Don’t wander off, and try not to let anyone see us together."
The way she said it…
Made it sound like they were sneaking around doing something illicit…
[Conversation with Su Jiu meets aesthetic standards. Romance options triggered.]
[Option 1: "Junior Sister, wait! I’m very interested in that ancient text." (Reward: None)]
[Option 2: "Junior Sister, why are you wearing shoes?" (Triggers special event.)]
[Option 3: "See you in three days." (Reward: Su Jiu’s favorability changes to 'Friendly.')]
[Permanent Option: "Offer your measly life as tribute to my peerless sword path!" (Current kill count: 0)]
Seriously?
Su Ji hadn’t realized he was held in such low esteem by Su Jiu.
Not even a "Friendly" rating?
"Then I’ll see you in three days."
Having gotten his answer, Su Jiu didn’t linger…
"Junior Sister, wait! I’m really curious about that ancient text—can you show it to me?"
Su Jiu didn’t turn around. "No."
She took two more steps before Su Ji called out again, "Junior Sister, why are you wearing shoes today?"
"None of your business."
And with that, she vanished from Su Ji’s sight.
Su Ji: "…"
Bug exploit failed.
No special event triggered.
Seems this "destiny" of mine doesn’t allow me to spam all options at once.
Only the first response counts for rewards.
Shaking his head, he pushed aside these distractions.
Right now, the priority wasn’t investigating that "Doraemon" text.
It was strength.
Even with Su Jiu as his "root protector," Su Ji couldn’t bring himself to entrust his life entirely to someone else.
He needed to boost his combat power quickly—to prepare more trump cards.
Pushing the door open, he headed straight for the technique repository Su Jiu had mentioned.
The repository stood in a secluded corner of the outer sect—a plain-looking three-story building with pitch-black walls, constructed from some unknown type of wood.
Out front, sprawled on a bamboo recliner, was a disheveled, white-haired old man snoring thunderously, his chest rising and falling with each breath.
Su Ji lightened his footsteps, intending to slip past him into the building.
"Sect rules are posted on the jade wall inside."
The old man’s eyes remained shut, his snoring uninterrupted, yet his words came out clear.
"Read them yourself. I don’t want to have to clean up your corpse later."
Su Ji paused, a chill running down his spine.
He bowed respectfully toward the old man before stepping inside.
The first floor was empty save for a massive jade wall at its center, identical to those in the Contribution Hall and Personnel Hall.
Su Ji noted that these jade walls appeared with abnormal frequency throughout the Love-Longing Sect.
What kind of craftsmanship could create objects capable of storing such vast amounts of information while allowing real-time updates and interaction?
Approaching the wall, he extended his spiritual sense toward it.
A cool sensation spread as lines of text materialized in his mind.
[Su Ji]
[Status: Outer Sect Disciple]
[Contribution Points: 18]
[Access: Eligible for free acquisition of Love-Longing Art (Qi Refining Chapter) and one Yellow-rank low-grade technique.]
The contribution points were leftovers from his refund after giving Su Jiu a bad review in the Contribution Hall.
Love-Longing Art?
Might as well take it.
He was curious to see how the foundational art of the Love-Longing Sect compared to his [Fallen Dragon’s Desolation Art].
Better safe than sorry.
With a thought, he selected the acquisition.
Instantly, a torrent of dense, esoteric knowledge flooded his mind through his spiritual sense.
Su Ji’s head spun.
This so-called Love-Longing Art was incomprehensibly abstruse!
Gritting his teeth, he tried to parse even the simplest incantation—only to feel like he was reading celestial script, utterly lost.
This was a world of difference from the smooth, effortless mastery he experienced while cultivating the [Fallen Dragon's Desolate Ruin Art]!
Could it be that the technique itself was so advanced that it embodied the principle of "the Great Dao is deceptively simple"?
Wait...
Su Ji suddenly realized something.
He froze in place, as if struck by lightning.
A detail his subconscious had overlooked...
Only now, after encountering this world's "original" cultivation technique, did the truth dawn on him.
Su Ji closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into his sea of thought as he recalled the general principles of the [Fallen Dragon's Desolate Ruin Art].
Those familiar, block-shaped characters with clearly defined strokes—
Chinese characters!
The entire manual was actually written in Chinese!
Could this "Great Xia Kingdom"... be nothing more than a thoroughly exploited "server" by fellow "transmigrators"?

. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"

ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!

for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."