Duan Lingyun stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
She steadied herself and realized she was standing on a dilapidated wooden bridge. In the distance loomed a pitch-black mansion, its plaque too faded to read.
Where was this place?
And where were those two?
Duan Lingyun glanced around but found no trace of the two who had been with her earlier.
Logically, they should have been transported to the same location. Could they have already gone inside?
What was this eerie mansion?
Just looking at its shadowy facade made her uneasy.
Yet, she steeled herself and stepped forward—there was no path to retreat anyway.
As she drew closer, she saw that it was an oddly luxurious ancient residence, filled with strangely shaped rock formations and every door firmly locked.
Duan Lingyun strained her ears, but the place was deathly silent.
Were the two not here after all?
Just as she was about to leave, she heard something clatter to the ground—from behind one of the doors.
Sword drawn, she slashed through the lock and found Cheng Yuguang and Ye Mingtian sitting cross-legged inside. A fallen, extinguished candle lay on the floor, which eased her tension slightly.
Good.
But as she moved to approach them, a rustling sound sent chills down her spine. She whirled around to see a horde of skeletal figures clawing their way toward her.
Her face paled. She kicked the door shut and braced herself against it.
"You two, get over here and help!" she shouted.
Yet Ye Mingtian and Cheng Yuguang remained deaf to her cries, as if entranced.
What was going on?
Her eyes fell on an enshrined portrait—a handsome youth leaning against a tree with a sword in hand, likely the master of this mansion.
Then it hit her.
Damn it, they were receiving an inheritance at a time like this!
Gritting her teeth, Duan Lingyun wondered if this was where she would meet her end.
The skeletons reached the door, their bony fingers scraping against the wood, sending shivers through her.
She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live—her master was still waiting for her at Zhong Lingfeng.
If she didn’t return, her master would be frantic.
A skeletal claw pierced through the door, raking across her face.
A streak of blood marred her flawless cheek. Just as she prepared to fight, the portrait on the wall stirred.
A translucent spirit appeared beside her, his gaze tender yet firm.
He took her hand.
Duan Lingyun stiffened.
"Scram," she heard him growl.
The skeletons immediately retreated, almost as if fleeing in fear.
Meanwhile, Ye Mingtian and Cheng Yuguang, forcibly interrupted from their inheritance, showed signs of awakening—until the raven-haired youth waved a hand, knocking them unconscious again.
Only then did Duan Lingyun realize their clasped hands. She quickly pulled away, flustered.
"Who are you?" she asked warily.
"Gu Wei," the youth replied plainly.
"My spirit can’t hold on much longer. I’ll take you to retrieve something." With that, he vanished with her in tow.
Little Wei had no idea that by sheer coincidence, taking Duan Lingyun as her disciple would alter countless events in this world.
Meanwhile, Little Nailuo was at a loss for words.
She knew the script of this world—Gu Wei wasn’t supposed to gift this secret realm to Duan Lingyun for protection.
"Si, do you want to go see him?" Little Nailuo asked.
"No need. He’s just a wisp of consciousness—he won’t last long," Si replied after a pause.
Gu Wei would remember everything eventually. There was no need to dwell on this fleeting warmth.
Besides, after spending so much time with Little Wei, seeing that refined face again felt jarring.
The thought of that soul whimpering made it even more dissonant.
Fortunately, Gu Wei didn’t resort to whimpering in front of Duan Lingyun—that was beneath him.
Instead, he handed her the jade token that controlled the secret realm’s core.
"This is for you."
Duan Lingyun stared at it, comprehension dawning.
"Is this… the secret realm?" she asked.
But wasn’t this too easily obtained?
"Why are you giving this to me?"
Gu Wei only ruffled her hair lightly.
"Consider it a pocket dimension—filled with spirit herbs and beasts. It’s yours now. May it keep you safe."
As he gazed at the young woman before him, he couldn’t bring himself to speak of the past.
He didn’t want to burden Si.
Little Wei hadn’t even settled into her seat in the grand hall before the secret realm closed.
The disciples teleported back stood bewildered.
How had they been ejected in less than a day?
Helian Chi’s brow furrowed deeply.
The secret realm was gone?
This was a legacy left by their ancestors—vanished in a single day. How would he explain this to the sect’s past leaders?
Meanwhile, Duan Lingyun tucked the jade token into her robes.
The sect’s secret realm was now in her hands.
Should she return it?
But the one who gave it to her was surely its rightful owner. He wouldn’t want her to tell anyone, would he?
Did "anyone" include her master?
She had already hidden one thing from her master—should she hide this too?
Back in the hall, Little Wei studied Cheng Yuguang and Ye Mingtian intently.
This wasn’t right.
Their expressions were utterly blank. Could they not be the male leads?
Usually, she spawned near the protagonists.
If these two weren’t the leads… then was the female lead nearby?
The female lead…
Little Wei’s thoughts turned to her disciple.
A cold beauty, sparing with words, once a wealthy young lady—she did fit the archetype of a xianxia novel’s heroine.
But weren’t they usually empresses or something?
Wait—maybe a reincarnated empress.
After all, Duan Lingyun’s cultivation speed was unusually fast.
Little Wei fell deep into thought.
"Master," Duan Lingyun approached and called softly.
"Mm. Since you’re back, go rest for now," Little Wei said, eyeing Helian Chi’s troubled expression. The sect would be in an uproar over this.
"Master, there’s something I need to give you," Duan Lingyun suddenly said.
This site is about to undergo a major upgrade, adding more books and timely chapter updates.
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
For the sake of his unrequited love, his ex-girlfriend abandoned him at the altar, indirectly causing the death of his parents. Just when he thought his life was plunged into darkness, a clueless yet beautiful girl unexpectedly took him in. Looking back, he realized how many hidden gems had always been by his side. A childhood friend who had secretly loved him for over a decade, a stunning but socially clueless school beauty, a mischievous and playful girl who lived for chaos... His ex, filled with regret, pleaded: "I was wrong—can we go back to how things were?" Before he could respond, the girl stepped in front of Ye Shuang and coldly declared, "If you didn’t cherish him, then he’s mine now." Also known as: "After Losing My Job, I Was Picked Up by a Hidden Gem," "The School Beauty I Raised," and "Oh No, I’m Surrounded by Rich Girls."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...