I will be the one to 'take charge', and when the time comes, I will feign compliance while acting contrary, and deceive everyone.

"Root Protector it is, then."

The only downside was that he might never be able to look at the term "Dao Protector" the same way again.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on titles.

He turned to Su Jiu.

"So, that rule about 'only one victor'... you have a way around it, right?"

Su Jiu removed the fox mask from her face and casually hooked it at her waist.

Her delicate features carried an indescribable charm.

She fell silent for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words.

Finally, she murmured softly,

"Probably... we just have to wait."

Su Ji felt his scalp tingle.

"Wait? That’s your plan?"

Su Jiu shook her head, her beautiful eyes flickering with hesitation.

"This Heavenly Dao Secret Realm... it doesn’t feel like a being with self-awareness to me."

"It’s more like a pre-programmed mechanism—cold, rigid, bound by fixed rules."

"And I... might be able to exploit a loophole in that system."

Su Ji wasn’t slow on the uptake—otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved such heights in his "future."

With Su Jiu’s hint, he quickly caught on.

Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox.

Not human?

So, in this system’s judgment, she didn’t count as a "person"?

Wasn’t this loophole... a bit too glaring?

Exploiting bugs in games was one thing, but doing it in cultivation?

"Then... we wait?"

Of course, Su Ji had another option.

Shouting: "I choose you, other me!"

And letting the shadowy figure behind him attempt to obliterate this secret realm.

But Su Ji doubted that would work.

Even though this was a simulation of his "peak strength," he suspected his true "peak" had already surpassed the upper limits of this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. It simply couldn’t be fully replicated.

The phantom behind him could only barely simulate power comparable to the Heavenly Dao.

And so, the two of them chatted idly.

After roughly the time it took for two and a half incense sticks to burn—

The same emotionless voice echoed once more from the heavens above.

[Heavenly Dao Secret Realm trial concluded.]

[Final survivor: Su Ji.]

It worked!

Su Ji glanced at Su Jiu, who also visibly relaxed.

This Heavenly Dao really wasn’t the brightest.

[Commencing reward distribution...]

[Customizing destiny for ‘Su Ji’...]

[Destiny generation complete.]

Before Su Ji’s eyes, a brand-new destiny slowly materialized.

[Destiny: Jade-Like Beauty, Dragon-Like Spear]

[Grade: Red]

[Effect: Requires manual binding to a female target. The higher the target’s ‘Jade’ attribute, the greater the ‘Spear’ attribute boost you receive, with a chance to comprehend the target’s ‘Divine Ability.’]

Su Ji: "..."

This destiny... how should he put it?

It was strong. Practical.

But both the name and the effect carried an indescribable... weirdness.

If someone told him now that he’d fallen into an eroge world, he’d believe it.

However, before Su Ji could ponder further—

A crimson light also manifested before Su Jiu.

[Destiny: Wishes Adrift to the Unknown]

[Grade: Red]

[Effect: Greatly accelerates the revival of Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox bloodline. Unlocks partial divine abilities.]

The two exchanged glances.

Though neither knew the specifics of the other’s reward, a red-grade destiny was undoubtedly powerful.

This Heavenly Dao wasn’t just dim-witted—it was also absurdly generous.

The next moment, the surrounding scenery rapidly faded and disintegrated.

Su Ji felt a force envelop him as the world spun before his eyes.

When his feet touched solid ground again, he was back in his own dilapidated wooden hut.

The world-shaking power within him, along with the terrifying phantom behind him, had vanished without a trace.

He was once again just a minor cultivator who had barely broken through to Qi Refining.

Su Jiu, too, had reverted to her original cultivation level, standing gracefully before him.

Only the newly added beauty mark beneath her eye proved that everything that had transpired wasn’t just a dream.

The atmosphere in the room grew subtly awkward.

Without the bolstering of their future strength, the dynamic between them felt... strangely strained.

It was Su Jiu who broke the silence first.

Whether bound by the Heavenly Fox Oath or simply because she was a woman of her word—

"Perhaps... we should discuss how to protect your... spiritual root now."

She pointed at Su Ji’s lower half, her expression deadly serious.

Su Ji coughed dryly, forcing his own expression to match hers.

Right, right.

What kind of cultivator would he be without his ‘spiritual root’?

"Any bright ideas?"

"A direct approach won’t work," Su Jiu explained. "Though I have some tricks up my sleeve, I’m still just a disciple now. I can’t openly defy the Love-Longing Sect’s rules."

Su Ji proposed what he thought was a reasonable plan: "Then what? Can you get a mountain exit token? We’ll sneak away tonight."

"The Love-Longing Sect wouldn’t go all-out to hunt down a mere outer disciple like me, right?"

Su Jiu dismissed it outright: "Getting an exit token is easy, but taking you out would require you to first receive your outer disciple identity token."

"And before that, you’d have to..."

Su Ji’s face fell instantly.

"The only solution I can think of for now," Su Jiu mused, "is to follow the procedure—tomorrow, you go for the spiritual root removal."

Su Ji’s face turned ashen.

Su Jiu shot him a look. "I mean, we follow it on the surface."

"Sect rules state that for male outer disciples undergoing ‘spiritual root removal,’ it must be performed by either one Foundation Establishment cultivator or two late-stage Qi Refining disciples, as a precaution."

"And the executor... can be requested."

A lightbulb went off in Su Ji’s head.

"You mean..."

"Exactly." Su Jiu’s lips curled slightly, like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

"I’ll be the one ‘wielding the knife.’"

"I’ll take on the task."

"Then, we’ll feign compliance while secretly subverting it."

"With a bit of illusion magic and your cooperation—just act like you’re in agony—we can pull it off."

The plan sounded... plausible?

But Su Ji still had concerns, given what was at stake: "What if we’re caught?"

"Relax." Su Jiu’s tone brimmed with confidence. "Though my bloodline awakening isn’t complete, my illusions can’t be seen through by fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"As for Golden Core experts, they’re unlikely to bother with such trivial matters."

"As for you..."

She gave Su Ji a once-over.

"You just need to... scream convincingly. Make it sound real."

Su Ji quickly spotted a flaw: "What about the ‘removed’ spiritual root? Don’t you need to submit proof of completion?"

Su Jiu’s expression turned slightly awkward. "That... would be necessary."

"But like I said, my illusions can’t be seen through by peers. We’ll just slip a piece of wood into the ‘proof bag’ and hand it in."

Su Ji remained uneasy: "I think... for the act to be flawless..."

Su Jiu frowned. "Then what part of my plan do you see as flawed?"

Su Ji spoke up: "What if someone accidentally saw my spiritual root while I was relieving myself?"

Su Jiu was speechless and retorted, "Who would be so bored as to take note of that...?"

Su Ji clearly wasn’t convinced. "The future. The Demon Sovereign. The Banner of Ten Thousand Souls. The oath."

Su Jiu sighed in defeat. "You mean you want me to replicate it exactly..."

Su Ji nodded slowly.

"But I didn’t even see it..."

Su Ji continued nodding slowly.

Everything was left unsaid.

Su Jiu wore an expression of reluctant coercion, shooting Su Ji a disgusted look. "Is this really necessary...?"

Su Ji said nothing, only letting out a sinister chuckle—"Heh heh heh."

Su Jiu closed her eyes, tilting her head back as she suppressed the urge to hit someone.

Taking a deep breath, she muttered to the heavens, "Fine..."