“Upper energy transforms to thunder, all gods heed my command, ten directions vanquish evil, form the array!”

“Ten thousand swords unite as one, sword heart follows, go!”

…

Jian Xingzhi sat on the ground, trying one formation after another. System 666 watched from his consciousness sea, going from initial terror to finally looking at him like he was an idiot.

“Daoist,” 666 said somewhat wearily, “give up. We’re not from the same dimension. Stop wasting your effort.”

Jian Xingzhi didn’t speak. He was also somewhat tired. Resting his hands on his knees, after catching his breath, he began to ponder.

He had tried every method of exploring the consciousness sea without touching this system. Yet this system could converse with him and show him things. It mentioned “dimension”—what was a dimension? Was it a world?

Jian Xingzhi pondered deeply. System 666 yawned, utterly bored.

Hearing 666’s voice, Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment, then simply cleared his mind and focused, looking toward the direction from which 666’s voice came in his consciousness sea.

As 666 was yawning, Jian Xingzhi suddenly condensed his primordial spirit into a sword and slashed heavily toward the source of the sound!

The sword intent charged straight to the edge of his consciousness sea. This was actually very dangerous—if there was no obstruction, his consciousness sea would certainly be damaged. But after a thunderous boom, the consciousness sea remained unmoved. The yawn abruptly stopped, and the surroundings suddenly grew quiet.

Jian Xingzhi realized something. He rushed toward the direction his sword had struck, only to discover that what he thought was the “edge” was frantically retreating at a speed even faster than his.

This wasn’t the edge of his consciousness sea!

Jian Xingzhi instantly realized that this system’s so-called dimension might truly be another world. That world was connected to him in his consciousness sea. There might be a barrier between them. This barrier disguised itself as the edge of his consciousness sea. The system could see him through the barrier, but he couldn’t see the system. But as long as he split open this barrier…

Jian Xingzhi condensed his sword once more. System 666 couldn’t take it anymore and cried out: “Boss! Let’s talk this out—stop slashing!”

“What if I want to slash?”

“Boss,” 666 said tremblingly, “I’m guessing you don’t want to experience a heavenly tribulation again…”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi suddenly recalled the pain from when he stabbed at Jun Shu with that sword.

His heart trembled, but his face showed no fear: “You think I don’t dare kill you?”

“You dare,” as it spoke, a yellow avatar wearing a pink cap suddenly leaped out from the void. It dropped to its knees before Jian Xingzhi with a “thump,” raising its head to reveal teary eyes. “Who in this world would you not dare kill? But killing me is useless! If you kill me, you can never return to your original world.”

“I’m not refusing to cooperate with you,” Jian Xingzhi’s expression remained aloof, “but you can’t keep electrocuting me like this.”

“Boss, I’m just a worker,” 666 showed a pained expression. “This world has the Heavenly Dao constraining the rules, and I have a superior mainframe constraining us. We can’t act recklessly.”

“Then what use are you?”

Jian Xingzhi raised his sword. System 666 quickly covered its head, shouting loudly: “Useful! I’m useful!”

Jian Xingzhi’s sword paused. System 666 trembled: “I can help you import your data from the other world, help you legally evade the rules, help you…”

“Speak in words I can understand.” Jian Xingzhi interrupted. System 666 paused, then translated: “Basically, I can help you retrieve all your cultivation from the Immortal Realm, and also help you find ways to circumvent the rules. But as a major principle—” 666 raised its head, emphasizing, “—you still must disguise yourself as Jian Zhiyan.”

“What is a major principle?”

Jian Xingzhi frowned. System 666 quickly told him: “It means you can’t affect the main plot. People who shouldn’t die can’t die, and you can’t let people discover you’re not Jian Zhiyan.”

“Then what’s the difference from before?”

Jian Xingzhi raised his sword again. System 666 frantically shook its head: “It’s different, very different! Boss, think about it—people can’t die, but they can be maimed!”

Jian Xingzhi’s movement paused. System 666 continued explaining: “You can prevent people from discovering your true identity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do other things! When not following the plot, you’re still the boss. I’ll carefully gauge all this for you, guaranteeing the mainframe won’t send down heavenly thunder!”

Jian Xingzhi understood. He nodded with satisfaction: “Good.” As he spoke, the sword in his hand disappeared. “Then I’ll spare your life.”

“Thank you, thank you for your great kindness and virtue.”

System 666 stood up, wiping away sweat. Jian Xingzhi put his hands behind his back: “Then if I want to go up the mountain now and take Qin Wan away, what’s the most suitable approach?”

“How about you first disguise yourself as another identity and sneak back, then secretly…”

“Suggest something simpler.”

Jian Xingzhi interrupted, looking back at Wenxin Sect: “Can I just fight my way back?”

“That certainly won’t work,” 666 forced a smile. “After all, Jian Zhiyan is a mortal. You can’t use spells.”

“Only physical labor?”

Jian Xingzhi frowned. System 666 thought for a moment, speaking hesitantly: “How about…”

“How about?” Jian Xingzhi’s voice carried a warning.

“Dig…” 666’s voice trembled. “Dig a tunnel?”

Jian Xingzhi fell silent. System 666 broke out in cold sweat, stammering: “If you dig a tunnel, you can bypass the mountain protection array without using spells. It’s currently the most direct feasible plan for Jian Zhiyan’s identity to reach the mountain gate. However, digging a tunnel does take a lot of time. Ordinary people would find it very difficult to dig a tunnel from outside the mountain gate into the sect in a few days…”

“Am I an ordinary person?”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi looked at 666. System 666 quickly shook its head. Jian Xingzhi looked toward Wenxin Sect and laughed disdainfully: “A mere tunnel—watch me dig my way to Wenxin Sect in one day!”

Jian Xingzhi acted immediately. After resting briefly and using magic to restore his body, he used a spell to transform vines into a hoe and immediately began work.

As Jian Xingzhi began his magnificent tunnel project, Qin Wanwan was preparing to go to bed. Just as she got into bed, she heard the system speak coldly: “Host, you should cultivate now.”

“Huh?!”

Qin Wanwan was a bit dazed: “Cultivate?”

“Yes,” the system said very seriously. “According to the mandatory regulations of the Female Lead System, whenever you’re not executing tasks, you must cultivate for at least six hours daily. Previously your body hadn’t recovered yet. Now that you’ve recovered, you must start working hard!”

“Six hours, twelve hours?” Qin Wanwan couldn’t help wanting to curse. “You think I’m at work?”

“Work isn’t necessarily twelve hours,” the system spoke righteously. “We’re still quite humane.”

Qin Wanwan: “…”

“Hurry up,” the system urged. “If the time isn’t sufficient, there will be approximately ten thousand volts of electric shock pain…”

“I understand.” Hearing “ten thousand volts,” Qin Wanwan immediately spread out her robe, reluctantly saying: “I’ll cultivate, I’m cultivating now.”

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Qin Wanwan began recalling the cultivation methods her mother had taught her in the past that she couldn’t cultivate.

From a cultivation perspective, compared to her constitution in the Immortal Realm, Qin Wan’s constitution could be described as perfect. Though she was born with an immortal body in the Immortal Realm, she fundamentally had no spiritual roots or Golden Core. Her parents had used spiritual treasures to create a “pseudo-core,” which couldn’t compare to a real Golden Core at all.

Now, casually using an Immortal Realm cultivation method, she immediately felt the pleasure of spiritual energy rushing in.

She had never entered meditation during past sitting practices. Now, surprisingly, the moment she closed her eyes and circulated the cultivation method, she lost sense of time.

She seemed to be in a dream, vaguely hearing dragon roars again. She looked back to find herself standing on a sea island. Looking up, she saw a heavenly ladder reaching straight to the clouds. At the ladder’s end, a golden gate stood in the sky.

She stood on the sea island gazing from afar. An azure dragon suddenly emerged from the sea beside her, then leaped back into the water.

Accompanied by the dragon’s roar, a song came from the distance:

“Exquisite jade opens the immortal gate, white jade shatters, all beings suffer, where ten thousand swords rest, long awaiting those who won’t return.”

Qin Wanwan listened to the song in confusion and turned back to see the dragon’s core seemingly enlarged countless times, hanging in the sky like a giant sun, radiating azure light.

This meditation session lasted a full day and night. When night fell on the second day, a golden light suddenly shot from Qin Wanwan’s room toward the heavens. The entire Wenxin Sect shook. Song Xinian, Jun Shu, and others rushed to Qin Wanwan’s room. Song Xinian broke down the door to see Qin Wanwan covered in mud. Everyone stood frozen in place. Sensing outsiders had arrived, Qin Wanwan slowly opened her eyes.

Mud fell from Qin Wanwan’s body piece by piece. Song Xinian stood stunned for a long time before managing to speak: “Junior… junior martial sister…” He forced out a smile. “You… you established your foundation?”

Qin Wanwan had just become a waste with all cultivation lost. According to everyone’s expectations, establishing her foundation would take at least a year.

But she just meditated for one day? One day?!

And directly skipped Qi Refining to reach Foundation Establishment?!

Everyone was dumbstruck. Even Jun Shu showed some surprise. Qin Wanwan froze before realizing what had happened.

She wasn’t surprised either. After all, achieving Foundation Establishment in one day was common in the Immortal Realm.

She’d heard that Jian Xingzhi was born at Golden Core stage.

She didn’t get blindly confident either, raising her hand to scratch her head embarrassedly: “Well, one-day Foundation Establishment—” she looked up, smiling modestly, “—it’s not really a big deal, right?”

No one spoke. Everyone felt somewhat stifled.

Among those present, Jun Shu had been the fastest at Foundation Establishment, and even he had taken a full six months.

But Jun Shu quickly reacted, adjusting his expression and smiling casually: “One-day Foundation Establishment—it seems Wan’er has many secrets we don’t know about.”

“People,” Qin Wanwan generously responded, “who doesn’t have some secrets? Just like how you like Su Yueli, but Su Yueli doesn’t like you—how many people know about that?”

“You!”

Jun Shu’s expression instantly changed. Qin Wanwan immediately looked at Song Xinian, her eyes full of panic: “Senior martial brother!”

“Young Master Jun!”

Song Xinian’s threatening shout completed the perfect loop between the three.

After a moment of standoff, Jun Shu laughed coldly: “Sharp tongue. Let’s see how long you can keep smiling.”

Saying this, Jun Shu flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

After Jun Shu left, Song Xinian realized Qin Wanwan currently needed to bathe and also hurriedly departed.

After everyone left, Qin Wanwan finally stood up. The moment she moved, the filth she had expelled from her body fell to the ground with a clatter. Finding it disgusting, Qin Wanwan quickly went to the bathroom.

Immortal Realm bathtubs used water beads to automatically generate water. Qin Wanwan continuously rinsed herself in the tub. After washing through ten tubs of water, she finally cleaned herself and lay inside, beginning to enjoy the pleasure of bathing.

Meanwhile, after digging for a full day and night, Jian Xingzhi finally reached Qin Wanwan’s courtyard.

Gripping his shovel, he rested for a while, using divine consciousness to check above. After confirming no one was there, he decisively used the shovel to break through the last bit of earth and flipped into the courtyard.

At this moment, Qin Wanwan was humming a tune while bathing. Jian Xingzhi, holding a shovel and covered in dirt, looked completely inhuman.

Following the sound, he groped his way to Qin Wanwan’s window. System 666 frantically instructed him: “You must remember to maintain your image. You’re Jian Zhiyan, a male companion. Your speech must be soft, your walk must be affected. You can’t call her Qin Wan—you must call her master…”

“You’re so annoying.”

Jian Xingzhi wanted nothing more than to slap this system to death with his shovel. But thinking it wasn’t easy for the system either, to make this nagging system shut up, he finally placated it: “Fine, I know. Master—I’ll call her that.”

System 666 quit while ahead, not daring to say more.

Jian Xingzhi groped his way to Qin Wanwan’s window. With only a window between them, he knocked on the window, pinched his voice, and spoke softly: “Master~”

The moment he opened his mouth, he rolled his eyes, wanting to vomit.

Qin Wanwan was bathing when she suddenly heard a creepy “Master” from outside. Her entire body froze as various ghost stories she’d heard rushed through her mind.

She stared blankly at the window, watching it creak open slowly. A black face covered in mud suddenly appeared. Frightened, she raised her hand and slapped it, simultaneously screaming: “Ahhhhh!!”

Jian Xingzhi received that slap in a daze, seeing rippling water and jade-colored radiance.

A moment later, belatedly realizing what had happened, he heard disciples rushing in from outside. He still chose without hesitation to flip into the bathtub, covering her mouth with one hand before she could cry out again.

One hand braced against the bathtub, one hand covering her mouth, his entire person less than half a palm’s distance from her. His shadow fell over her as if his whole body pressed down.

Qin Wanwan’s heart raced frantically. She quietly formed a hand seal. Jian Xingzhi didn’t dawdle either. He lowered his head, lips against her ear, using an extremely low voice that seemed to brush her earlobe, quickly saying: “I am Jian Zhiyan.”

His voice like a clear spring striking stone, rippling across the pool of her heart.