"Ah?" Little Wei froze for a moment, glancing around in confusion.
The disappearance of the secret realm wasn’t something the sect leader and elders would bother discussing with her. Thinking this, Little Wei took Duan Lingyun’s hand and led her out of the grand hall, stopping near a cliff edge. She turned to face her young disciple.
"What do you want to give me?" Little Wei asked, puzzled.
Duan Lingyun lowered her gaze and pulled out a jade token from her robe, handing it to Little Wei.
The jade was translucent and exquisite, shimmering under the sunlight like twilight stars, captivating the heart and mind.
"This is…" Little Wei looked at Duan Lingyun, a sense of foreboding creeping over her.
It couldn’t be what she was thinking, could it?
"I obtained this from the secret realm. The moment I took it, the realm vanished," Duan Lingyun said softly.
Little Wei was stunned. She probed the token with her spiritual sense but was blocked by something. After another attempt, she finally sensed a slight shift.
Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and a small bridge arched over a flowing stream—a hidden world within.
This left Little Wei utterly speechless.
She had always assumed the protagonist would be either Ye Mingtian or Cheng Yuguang, yet neither seemed to fit the role. Instead, her little disciple had become the heroine?
Was this a male-oriented or female-oriented novel?
After being here for so long, Little Wei could only deduce that this was a traditional cultivation novel with a simple world structure, lacking any overly imaginative twists—not even a so-called "system" had appeared.
Wait…
Little Wei nearly forgot something crucial.
This was a competition—where was the other transmigrator?
Well, perhaps it was pointless to dwell on that now.
The real question was, what should she do with this jade token?
Since the secret realm had already recognized its master, it made sense why her spiritual sense had been blocked earlier.
"I’ll have to consult the sect leader about this token. If possible, you should keep it," Little Wei said after some thought. She decided it was best to inform Helian Chi.
After all, this was an artifact of the Qingdao Sect. For it to fall into the hands of a disciple without explanation was questionable, but transparency was necessary.
"Alright," Duan Lingyun replied obediently.
Little Wei felt a flicker of pride.
Her disciple really did listen to her—clearly, all these years of raising her hadn’t been in vain.
"By the way, after this matter is settled, pack your favorite clothes and belongings. We’ll be going down the mountain for training soon."
Down the mountain?
Alone?
A shadow of something unreadable flickered in Duan Lingyun’s eyes.
"Why are you standing there like a fool? Let’s go, silly girl." Little Wei wanted to flick Duan Lingyun’s forehead but gave up when she realized she couldn’t reach.
Damn it, having a disciple this tall wasn’t exactly convenient.
Silly girl?
Was that how her master saw her?
Duan Lingyun couldn’t help but find it amusing.
Well, her master had always been lively. If she ever became subdued, Duan Lingyun might actually feel out of place.
Little Wei led Duan Lingyun back to the grand hall, though it took some effort.
With the disappearance of the secret realm being such a major incident, the elders couldn’t interrogate every disciple directly. Instead, each peak’s master would have to question their own disciples to see if there had been any anomalies in the realm.
The sheer number of disciples made the return journey a struggle—Little Wei practically had to squeeze her way through.
By the time they reached the grand hall, Helian Chi was staring in frustration at four shattered jade tokens in his hand. These tokens had been the only keys to the secret realm, and now that they were broken, the realm could never be reopened.
"Uncle!" Little Wei called out cheerfully, tilting her head with a bright smile.
Helian Chi startled, looking up at the girl before him.
"Why haven’t you returned yet? It’s getting late," he said, surprised.
This girl usually avoided sect affairs, preferring trivial matters instead. Normally, she would’ve left long ago.
"Hehe, Uncle, don’t worry about that for now. Take a look at this—does it seem familiar?" Little Wei handed him the jade token.
At first glance, Helian Chi was momentarily stunned by the unfamiliar object.
But he quickly took it, examining it closely. Though it differed from the broken tokens, some patterns were strikingly similar.
"Is this… the secret realm?" Helian Chi’s expression shifted as he looked at Little Wei.
"Where did you get this?" His gaze flicked to Duan Lingyun behind her, a hint of wariness in his eyes.
How could a Qi Refining disciple possibly claim ownership of the secret realm?
"You should ask her."
Little Wei turned to Duan Lingyun.
After a brief hesitation, Duan Lingyun explained what had happened in the secret realm to Helian Chi.
The sect leader stood in silence for a long moment before leading them to his residence. Inside his study, he pointed to a portrait on the wall.
"Was it this person?" Helian Chi asked, excitement creeping into his voice.
He had always known the secret realm had an owner—this was a secret passed down through generations of sect leaders. The ancient manor beneath the realm’s sea was something he had only heard fragments about.
"Yes, it was a person, but not the one in this painting."
Duan Lingyun glanced at the jade token.
"Sect Leader, I can retrieve it."
After a moment’s consideration, Helian Chi handed the token back to her.
With a thought, Duan Lingyun summoned the original painting from the ancient manor within the realm.
Though the spiritual imprint had faded, the portrait remained vivid—a young man so lifelike he seemed ready to step out of the canvas.
Little Wei hadn’t been told the full story of how Duan Lingyun obtained the token, so seeing the painting made her realize something.
If this token had been given to Duan Lingyun by her past self…
Then Duan Lingyun might very well be…
The reincarnation of her wife?
Huh?
Little Wei had never considered this possibility before.
But thinking about it now, she had indeed changed many things. In the original timeline, Duan Lingyun hadn’t been this fortunate—from her memories, the girl had ended up assigned to the spirit herb gardens, a place where inner disciples did menial labor with no chance to improve their cultivation. She would never have entered the secret realm.
Following this logic, it seemed Duan Lingyun had snatched the opportunities meant for Ye Mingtian and Cheng Yuguang.
Hmm…
That ruled out the idea of Duan Lingyun being the heroine. After all, in all the worlds she’d been to, her wife had never been the protagonist. Besides, if Duan Lingyun were the heroine, wouldn’t that mean she’d need a male lead to—ugh—cuckold her?
The mere thought made her furious.
"It seems the token has recognized you as its master," Helian Chi said, watching as Duan Lingyun effortlessly retrieved items from the realm. His expression was one of quiet awe.
"In that case, I’ll handle the elders and peak masters. Since the secret realm has chosen its master and the elders can no longer open it, you may keep it." He patted Duan Lingyun’s shoulder lightly, resignation in his tone.
"Thank you, Sect Leader." Duan Lingyun bowed deeply in gratitude.
This site is about to undergo a major upgrade, adding more books and timely chapter updates.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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?"
