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!"

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!

villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)

+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!

u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.