Did you go deaf

Su Ji suddenly snapped back to reality.

His back was already drenched in cold sweat.

He felt like he might have learned too much...

The chosen one of the previous era...

The schemes of the Heavenly Dao...

The deception behind ascension...

Su Jiu believed the 'elixir' could help her break through...

Was this the kind of information a mere Qi Refining cultivator like him should be hearing?

Oh, scratch that last one.

That part was actually relevant to him.

After all, he was somewhat involved.

"Senior Brother? Senior Brother, what's wrong? You look terrible."

Wang San's voice rang in his ears.

Su Ji looked up, meeting Wang San's "concerned" face, but his heart was a storm of shock and dread.

"It's nothing."

He forced down the tempest in his chest and plastered on his usual simpleton's smile.

"It's just... my first time seeing so many important figures. I'm a little nervous."

At that moment—

The massive floating gate ahead suddenly erupted with a dazzling radiance!

"It's open! The cave abode is open!"

The crowd erupted into chatter.

"Senior Brother, let's go!"

Wang San grew impatient.

Hundreds of cultivators transformed into streaks of light, charging toward the gate as if afraid of being left behind.

The foremost group, with the strongest cultivation bases, moved the fastest, reaching the gate in the blink of an eye.

Yet, something bizarre happened.

They crashed into an invisible barrier, repelled by a gentle but unyielding force.

One after another, they tumbled back, disheveled and humiliated.

What was going on?

The entire peak of Mysterious Yellow Mountain fell silent.

Every face was etched with bewilderment.

Just as the crowd teetered between doubt and fear, two words slowly materialized on the shimmering surface of the gate:

Do Not Enter.

Su Ji's expression froze for the briefest instant.

Because those words... were written in Chinese characters.

What the hell?

An ancient cave abode left by a Nascent Soul mighty one...

Was this a friendly warning from a fellow transmigrator?

Su Ji's mind raced.

But then, his peripheral vision caught Wang San beside him.

Wang San was staring at those two words, eyes bulging, mouth slightly agape—utterly stunned.

This wasn’t the confusion of not understanding; it was the shock of recognition.

Su Ji’s heart lurched.

A terrifying realization exploded in his mind:

Wang San could read them too.

He was also a transmigrator!

This discovery made Su Ji’s hair stand on end.

No wonder!

No wonder this guy, despite also being a lowly servant, knew all sorts of secrets about the cultivation world.

No wonder he, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, had no fear of Su Ji despite being at the same level.

He’d boldly schemed against Su Ji, setting up a death trap.

And then there was that move—[Blue Ice Grass Entanglement]—that had even disrupted Su Jiu’s attack during [Fate’s Glimpse].

Suddenly, Su Ji realized Wang San wasn’t some stray mutt to be casually put down.

The other cultivators, of course, couldn’t read the words.

After a brief silence, the clamor resumed.

"Superstitious nonsense! The old bastard’s already dead, yet he’s still afraid of grave robbers?"

"It’s just a weak barrier! Everyone, attack together and smash it!"

A hot-tempered Foundation Establishment cultivator roared, summoning his magic tool and leading the assault.

Instantly, a torrent of spiritual light surged skyward as hundreds of attacks converged on the thin, shimmering barrier.

Logically, a barrier set by a Nascent Soul expert shouldn’t budge even under the combined might of Foundation Establishment cultivators—even Golden Core elders would struggle to break it.

But reality defied expectations.

The barrier shattered like a bubble under sunlight, vanishing without so much as a sound.

Its only purpose, it seemed, had been to display those two words.

With the barrier gone, madness reclaimed the crowd.

Hundreds of cultivators stampeded through the massive gate like a swarm of fish, terrified of missing out on treasures.

"Senior Brother... maybe we should skip this one. Let’s not go."

Wang San’s voice trembled slightly as he snapped out of his daze.

Su Ji patted his shoulder, feigning nonchalance.

"What’s wrong? Scared?"

A nearly imperceptible wisp of flame flickered from his palm onto Wang San’s robe, vanishing instantly.

It was a marking technique from [Flickering Flame Art].

At Su Ji’s current level, he’d sense Wang San’s presence within a ten-mile radius.

Killing Wang San would have to wait.

Think about it.

Su Ji, as a transmigrator, currently had two colored fates and one black—though one of the "blue" ones could unleash colored-tier power.

Surely Wang San had a similar setup, right?

Three colors wouldn’t be excessive.

And look—this "fellow transmigrator" had somehow pushed a map with a Golden Core limit all the way to Nascent Soul.

Su Ji had been confident before.

Now? Not so much.

If they fought now, the odds might be fifty-fifty.

No need to take that risk.

Better to help Su Jiu survive this crisis first, then track Wang San down for a righteous two-on-one beatdown.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Su Jiu appeared in Su Ji’s line of sight.

She hadn’t joined the earlier rush, only emerging after the barrier shattered.

Her delicate bare feet took a few steps midair before her figure silently merged into the gate.

Opportunities to kill Wang San were plentiful.

But if Su Jiu died, his walking encyclopedia of cultivation knowledge would be gone for good.

"Senior Brother, with so many peak Foundation Establishment cultivators inside, what can we—mere Qi Refining ants—possibly gain?"

"I know of another opportunity. Less rewarding, but safer. How about we—"

Hearing this, Su Ji understood completely.

Wang San had definitely read those words.

The guy was scared shitless by their "fellow transmigrator’s" warning.

Su Ji stopped walking and turned to face him.

He didn’t speak, just stared silently.

"Senior Brother... why are you looking at me like that?"

Su Ji smiled.

"Junior Brother, didn’t you say there’s a [Nine Revolutions Revival Pill] inside that can propel someone straight to peak Foundation Establishment?"

"Didn’t you say the more people, the murkier the waters—and the better our chances to fish in them?"

"So why back out before even stepping in?"

"If you won’t go, I will."

With that, Su Ji sprinted toward the cave abode’s entrance.

Wang San cursed under his breath. "Dumbass."

Su Ji ignored the insult.

He charged straight for the floating gate of the Nascent Soul cave abode.

Then came the first problem.

The gate was in the sky.

He was on the ground.

As a Qi Refining cultivator, he couldn’t fly.

Su Ji slowed to a stop, tilting his head to watch figures vanish into the luminous gate. He rubbed his chin.

This was... problematic.

But not impossible.

Just then, a streak of cyan light shot past him, stirring a gust of wind.

A sword-riding cultivator—at least late-stage Foundation Establishment—was soaring upward.

Opportunity had arrived.

Su Ji didn’t hesitate.

Just as the female cultivator was about to fly past him, Su Ji suddenly pushed off the ground with both legs, launching himself high into the air.

His body swung forward, and his right hand firmly grasped the hilt of the flying sword.

"!"

Mid-air, the originally steady figure of the Foundation Establishment female cultivator suddenly swayed, nearly sending both her and her sword plummeting.

She let out a muffled grunt, her spiritual energy surging chaotically as she barely managed to regain her balance in the air.

Turning her head downward, her face was filled with fury.

There, a male cultivator was gripping the hilt of her magic weapon with his right hand, while his left held a spear.

He dangled from her life-bound weapon like a deadweight.

"Let go!"

Her cold voice barely suppressed her rising anger.

Su Ji looked up at the sound.

At that moment, he froze.

Holy crap… Do cultivators dress this lightly nowadays?

A short cyan skirt accentuated her long legs perfectly—and that was about it…

Don’t look at what shouldn’t be seen, don’t look at what shouldn’t be seen!

With a hint of inquiry in his tone, Su Ji asked, "Mind giving me a lift?"

The female cultivator’s delicate face paled with rage.

"If you don’t let go right now, I’ll kill you."

[Dialogue with Gu Ranran initiated. Target meets aesthetic preferences. Romance option triggered.]

[Option 1: I said give me a lift, are you deaf? (Reward: Unknown)]

[Option 2: Fellow Daoist, why are you dressed so lightly? (Reward: A foot to the face, kicked off the flying sword)]

[Option 3: I’ll pay five spirit stones for a ride. (Reward: Lose five spirit stones, successfully enter the Nascent Soul cave abode)]

[Permanent Option: Offer your insignificant life as tribute to my supreme sword path! (Current kill count: 0)]

Su Ji quickly scanned the three options.

Option two was pure suicide.

Option three was the safest—pay to avoid disaster—but Su Ji felt it was a bit of a rip-off.

He only had five spirit stones left in his pocket, and this would clean him out completely.

That left only option one.

An unknown reward usually meant a pleasant surprise.

Or a terrifying one.

But Su Ji had always liked to gamble.

Still, he didn’t make his choice immediately.

Instead, he raised his head, met the female cultivator’s murderous gaze, and grinned.

"Keep talking, and I’ll kill you instead."

"Don’t doubt my methods."

At first, the female cultivator had been bold because Su Ji was only at Qi Refining.

But after hearing those words…

She realized Su Ji was even bolder.

She wavered…

If someone dared to say something like that, they were either confident in their power or completely insane.

Her instincts told her…

He really did have the means to kill her.

"I said give me a lift, are you deaf?"