The two hid behind a stone pillar, silently watching the bursts of blood mist exploding at the center of the grand hall.
Su Jiu hadn’t dispelled the illusion cloaking them.
If the white-robed woman hadn’t noticed them, that would naturally be the best outcome.
"Junior Sister, what exactly are the ‘failures’?" Su Ji’s voice was soft.
Su Jiu glanced at him and countered, "You don’t know? You truly understand nothing, and your family just threw you into this trial?"
Su Ji chose silence.
Did she actually believe him?
Such an outrageous lie, and she bought it?
This junior sister of his—her temper wasn’t exactly generous, and her brain seemed to flicker on and off at random.
Su Jiu took his silence as confirmation and slowly began to explain, "To be precise, all cultivators of Great Xia are failures."
"It’s just that this history has been buried for too long, and only my clan retains some scattered records."
"During Great Xia’s most prosperous era..."
Her slightly fox-like eyes flicked toward Su Ji...
Su Ji met her gaze...
Wait a second?
What was going on?
Because she was a fox spirit?
Had she evolved after indulging in carnal desires?
Had her bloodline been awakened by him?
"...there was even a ‘Sacrificial Dao’ realm powerhouse."
"In that era, Golden Core cultivators were as common as dogs, and Nascent Soul experts roamed everywhere."
"But... what exactly happened, even our ancestors weren’t qualified to know."
"In short, that ‘Sacrificial Dao’ powerhouse fell."
"And the imperial clan he led—where every member could decipher ‘Ancient Divine Scripts’—was reduced to dust in a single ‘cataclysm.’"
"Thus, Great Xia began its decline."
"Occasionally, descendants of that imperial clan who could still read ‘Ancient Divine Scripts’ would emerge in Great Xia..."
Here, Su Jiu’s words trailed off.
Her gaze at Su Ji suddenly grew complicated.
"But without exception, none of them lived past Foundation Establishment."
Her voice carried a note of uncertainty. "Because... at Foundation Establishment, they would face heavenly tribulation."
"And in secret realms, they’d be relentlessly targeted, unable to take a single step forward."
"Rejected by the realms, unable to establish their foundation, perishing with their Dao..."
Past memories surged through Su Jiu’s mind like a tide.
"Junior Sister, let me ask you something—when I reach Foundation Establishment, will I need to endure a lightning tribulation?"
"That’s a copy of the Ancient Divine Scripts... No one can read it. Don’t recklessly practice it."
"I’m actually the direct descendant of a major clan from the Upper Realm. I was sent to this godforsaken Great Xia for training because of a competition for the position of Young Clan Head. As long as I outperform everyone else, my clan will send someone to bring me back."
All the clues connected in her mind at this moment.
Su Ji... was actually a pure-blooded "Great Xia native"?
A descendant of that imperial clan, long lost to history?
The moment this thought surfaced, Su Jiu felt an inexplicable tremor deep in her bloodline.
An overwhelming urge to confess all her secrets to Su Ji surged forth, impossible to suppress.
Records from her clan’s ancient texts flashed in her mind.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox clan had once signed a pact of eternal friendship with the "Great Xia Imperial Clan."
In that glorious era, powerful spirit beasts were also a key measure of a cultivator’s strength.
And the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox was the most beloved by the "Great Xia Imperial Clan"—bar none.
The ancient texts recorded many tales of Nine-Tailed Heavenly Foxes growing alongside "Great Xia natives," eventually becoming dual powerhouses and even marrying.
In fact, many young foxes would be "reserved" by "Great Xia natives" as soon as they learned to shapeshift.
To secure a high-potential young fox, those imperial descendants would fight fiercely, and the losers had to settle for lesser contracts—like "Nine-Lives Spirit Cats" or "Pure-Blooded True Dragons."
No wonder...
No wonder she had lowered her standards for him again and again, agreeing to his absurd demands.
Even after drinking that medicinal concoction, she had almost convinced herself she’d fallen for Su Ji.
Thankfully, thankfully.
It was just the ancient racial pact at work.
With this realization, the strange discomfort and shame in Su Jiu’s heart vanished, replaced by an odd sense of closeness.
When she looked back at Wang San—the one chosen by the white-robed woman in the arena—her eyes held only pure disgust.
"Senior Brother, let’s discuss the ‘failures’ in detail later," Su Jiu said softly. "They’ve noticed us."
---
Meanwhile.
Wang San felt his mind go blank as the ethereal figure of the white-robed woman materialized before him again.
He was about to ask why the inheritance hadn’t started yet.
But the woman didn’t even glance at him. Her indifferent eyes swept across the ruined hall before settling on the stone pillar where Su Ji and Su Jiu were hiding.
"You two hiding there—you’ve watched long enough. Isn’t it time to come out?"
Her voice was light.
Su Jiu’s heart sank.
They’d been discovered after all.
---
Meanwhile.
Wang San felt his mind go blank again as the stunning figure reappeared before him.
Her expression now seemed even more disdainful than before.
A chill ran down his spine, and he hurriedly spoke, "Senior, my inheritance—"
"Wait."
She cut him off coldly, then turned her gaze to a corner of the hall.
"There are still two rats over there."
Wang San immediately understood.
So that was it.
Not everyone had been killed yet.
She was worried about interruptions during the inheritance.
The senior was truly considerate of him.
His last trace of doubt dissipated.
As the white-robed woman’s words faded, the illusion shrouding the stone pillar in the corner silently unraveled.
Su Ji and Su Jiu stepped out from the shadows.
When Wang San saw the two, his expression first twisted in shock, then morphed into uncontrollable fury.
The corner...
Behind the pillar...
Even an idiot could guess what had just happened.
While he’d fought tooth and nail on the arena, nearly losing his life to seize this heaven-defying opportunity...
Su Ji had been hiding in the shadows, enjoying himself with his fairy-like junior sister?
Even a saint would snap!
But Wang San forcibly reined in his rage, even forcing what he thought was a friendly smile.
"Senior, hold your hand!"
He turned to the white-robed woman and cupped his hands respectfully.
"Those two are my senior brother and junior sister. Let me go persuade them—no need to dirty your hands."
With that, he straightened his back and strode toward Su Ji and Su Jiu.
"Senior Brother, it’s me, Wang San!"
His face was all warmth, as if genuinely greeting long-lost sect siblings.
"I was lucky enough to secure the inheritance here."
Su Ji, meanwhile, wore an exaggerated look of relief and terror, rushing forward to meet him.
"Sanzi! My dear junior brother!"
His voice trembled with faux emotion, his acting perfectly over-the-top.
"Watching those Foundation Establishment experts explode into blood mist scared me half to death... I’m a coward, so I dragged Junior Sister to the corner to comfort me."
"Who’d have thought you’d be the one to seize the opportunity?"
"Truly, never judge a book by its cover!"
Wang San's smile was on the verge of cracking.
What did they say about judging a book by its cover?
Who was he mocking with that sarcastic tone?
Did he mean Wang San was too ugly to deserve such fortune?
He had already crossed the line—marked for death!
But Wang San held back. The distance between them was now less than ten meters.
A sense of superiority, like a cat toying with a mouse, surged within him.
"Elder Brother, you jest," he said, waving his hand with an air of effortless grace.
"I’ve already persuaded our senior to spare your lives."
"Once we return, you’d better treat me to a proper drink!"
As he spoke, the two drew even closer.
Both wore amiable smiles.
The only difference was—Su Ji’s expression was one of pure innocence,
while Wang San’s eyes hid a bone-chilling frost.
A moment later, they spoke in unison, their voices dripping with "brotherly affection."
"Of course, of course, Junior Brother, rest assured, I’ll treat you later…"
"Let’s go, Elder Brother, I’ll see you off right here…"
Step by step, the gap narrowed.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Then—suddenly!
Wang San’s smile twisted into one of cruelty and brutality.
"Let me send you off—to the afterlife!"
The ground beneath Su Ji’s feet erupted as an eerie blue ice-plant burst forth, its vines weaving into an inescapable net, lunging straight for him!
At the same instant, the terror on Su Ji’s face vanished, replaced by icy detachment.
The spear in his hand transformed into a white dragon, striking first.
"Let me send you off—to hell!"
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..."
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
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)
host is extracting the Celestial Bone of the Destiny's Female Lead! The Destiny's Great Villain System has successfully bound!] Mo Tianxiao: "Destiny's Great Villain? Me?" Looking at the radiant Celestial Bone in his hand and the beautiful woman lying on the bed, Mo Tianxiao felt somewhat confused. How could he, a law-abiding citizen, become a villain? Mo Tianxiao: "Fine, villain it is then. With the system here, even a Chosen One isn't unbeatable." [Ding! Detected 18,653 Chosen Ones in this world. Please seize the destiny of all protagonists to become the true Destiny's Great Villain!] Mo Tianxiao: "Seize how many?! What kind of lousy great villain is this? I'm a perfectly good citizen!"
