The perspective shifts back half a minute earlier.
The soul-crushing question from this Nascent Soul grand cultivator had everyone’s hearts leaping into their throats.
While all attention was focused on Lin Bufan, Su Ji quietly leaned in close to Su Jiu’s ear.
"Junior Sister, do me a favor—disguise me as Wang San."
Su Jiu turned her head slightly, her delicate face filled with confusion.
"Wang San? Who’s that?"
Su Ji: "..."
Just how pathetically obscure was Third Brother that he didn’t even have name recognition?
But on second thought, it made sense.
Back when Wang San had stormed in with Elder Liu in tow, Su Jiu had been hiding under a bathtub, enduring humiliation. It was no surprise she had no impression of him.
Su Ji closed his eyes, sensing the faint spark mark he’d left on Wang San’s robe earlier.
Hah, he really was nearby.
Who would’ve thought this guy had also found a way to sneak into the cave abode?
But...
Su Ji followed the mark’s signal and looked over.
In a corner of the crowd, a cultivator was clumsily wiping blood from his nose, his face still bearing four or five distinct shoe prints. The size-44 footprints nearly covered half his face.
Su Ji instantly pieced together the scene.
Wang San had copied his idea of hitching a ride, only to run into a hot-tempered male cultivator who kicked him repeatedly. Yet, Wang San had stubbornly clung to the flying sword, enduring the stomps to force his way in.
In a way, that was some impressive tenacity.
Truly, imitation may lead to survival, but blind copying leads to death.
Did he even understand what he was copying?
Su Ji pointed at the unlucky fellow still wiping his nose.
"That pig-faced guy over there—see him? Quick, cast an illusion to make me look like him. But keep his original face."
Su Jiu followed his finger and blinked.
"You want to turn into a pig-face too?"
Su Ji kept it brief. "Original face."
Su Jiu’s expression turned complicated.
"You do realize you’re asking a lot here..."
Despite her words, she still moved her fingers, weaving a simple spell.
A barely perceptible ripple spread over Su Ji’s body.
"There are no Golden Core cultivators here. As long as no one gets too close, you shouldn’t be exposed," Su Jiu said, her voice tinged with resignation. "But what exactly are you planning?"
Su Ji had figured it out—this junior sister was all sharp words but obedient actions.
What was he planning?
Simple.
When traveling the world, you forge your own identity.
The next moment, his booming voice echoed through the vast hall.
"Senior! They’re lying! They’re here to dig up your grave!"
"Only I’m different—I genuinely admire you!"
"Look at me—just Qi Refinement fifth layer! I can barely even get through the door!"
"What kind of evil intentions could I possibly have?"
"Think about it—even if there really are treasures or legacies here, with over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators present, I wouldn’t even get a turn if we lined up!"
In an instant, over a hundred gazes—filled with fury and killing intent—locked onto Su Ji.
The most helpless feeling in the world is knowing someone is spouting nonsense yet having no way to refute it.
Wait...
Actually, it wasn’t entirely nonsense.
They really were here to dig up a grave.
But you don’t say that to the ‘bereaved’—no, the senior’s face!
Especially Lin Bufan of the Blazing Sun Holy Land, whose face had turned ashen, his eyes screaming: Shut up, brat!
Su Ji wasn’t fazed. He glared right back.
"What are you staring at?"
"This young master is an outer disciple of the Love-Longing Sect, future sect master in the making! I am Wang San, unashamed of my name!"
Wang San: "???"
In the corner, the real Wang San—still struggling to stop his nosebleed—froze.
He gaped at the brazen impostor, his mind blank.
If you’re Wang San, then who am I?
But he couldn’t be bothered to refute it.
Did Su Ji really think others were idiots?
Did he expect to frame Wang San just by wearing his face?
Truly, the mind of a former menial worker wasn’t up to par.
The ethereal woman’s voice sounded again, this time with a hint of amusement.
"Oh? Wang San?"
"How interesting."
"You’re certainly more honest than the rest."
Her voice paused briefly.
"But there’s no need for flattery."
"I care not for such things."
Su Ji wasn’t surprised.
The woman truly didn’t care.
All she cared about was seizing a suitable body for her rebirth.
"Since you’ve all come for my legacy, I shall grant you an opportunity."
As her words faded, the blood-red array diagram at the hall’s center—previously faded—flared to life once more.
This time, however, a three-foot stone platform slowly rose from its center.
"Who dares step forward?"
Upon the platform, light swirled as if carrying the rise and fall of an era.
The woman’s voice echoed again, now tinged with the melancholy of a hero’s twilight.
"This wisp of my remnant will is fading."
"I cannot bear to see my life’s work vanish with me."
"That would be too great a pity."
"But my legacy is not for just any stray dog or cat to inherit."
Her soft words silenced the hall once more.
"You must prove yourselves worthy of my teachings."
Lin Bufan of the Blazing Sun Holy Land—true to his name, which meant "Uncommon"—found his courage again.
"Senior, how must we prove ourselves?"
The woman’s voice remained calm. "Step onto this platform and name the opponent you wish to challenge."
As she spoke, five faint humanoid silhouettes materialized above the platform, each labeled in the local script:
"Mediocrity, Talent, Elite, Genius, Heaven’s Chosen."
"If any among you can defeat a Heaven’s Chosen of your own realm, my legacy shall be yours."
The crowd collectively gasped.
Defeat a Heaven’s Chosen of the same realm?
Though many had been flattered by juniors as "geniuses" or "Heaven’s Chosen," a Nascent Soul expert’s definition of "Heaven’s Chosen" was undoubtedly different from theirs.
A Heaven’s Chosen was, by definition, invincible within their realm.
Yet, an even fiercer ambition ignited in every heart.
This was the complete legacy of a Nascent Soul expert!
With it, even the severed path to Nascent Soul might be reopened.
Faced with such temptation, the seemingly impossible condition only stoked their desires further.
Hidden in the crowd, Su Ji listened and muttered under his breath:
"Not just your legacy—they’ll take your memories too, heh heh heh."
. 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!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
