The only hundred-person transmission array that could transport people from Donghua Borderland to Huming City in the Southern Demon Realm was located in the South Borderland.
Lin Shuang patted the large dog’s head that reached halfway up her body. She walked past the tiger-striped armored guards stationed outside the transmission array and joined the group from Shanhai Sect waiting ahead.
Canines were not allowed to enter the tiger territory within the city or places like inns to avoid provoking the tigers.
“People only guard so tightly against things they fear, Erbao,” she remarked.
Since the death of the previous nine-tailed fox king, the tiger king had been fearful and restless.
The colorful large dog’s black eyes sparkled. It proudly trotted forward, its braids swaying, and picked up the leash in its mouth, walking itself.
Lin Shuang affectionately stroked its ears.
“Ahead lies Guhu City, one of the four major cities of the tiger clan. This is where the current tiger king resides.”
Bian Bochai still remembered the sand table map from earlier. At this moment, to their left and right were short-range transmissions to the other three tiger cities—Lepard and Lion Ancient Cities.
“Senior Lin, Brother Huangpu, as previously discussed, we will part ways here,” he said.
As he spoke, the high-level disciples from Baihua Sect, holding brushes and ink, split into four groups, with three teams bidding farewell to Lin Shuang.
“Okay,” Lin Shuang smiled and waved at them.
“Stay in touch through transmission messages.”
Bian Bochai and the senior sister from the Lihua Sect remained by Lin Shuang’s side, while the others proceeded to other demon cities such as Lion and Leopard.
Additionally, some disciples from Shanhai Sect also parted ways with Lin Shuang, heading to the neutral Snake Clan’s territory.
[!]
[I thought they would stay together the whole time.]
[It feels like Lin Shuang is playing a big game!]
[Lin Shuang: Take all these down!]
[Are both Shanhai Sect and Baihua Sect following her orders?]
Disciples from Qidan Sect paired off, following respectively after Kong Miaoke and the senior brothers from Shanhai Sect.
Only one couple of spirit-formation cultivators remained with Lin Shuang.
Baiyu and Yu Gui, who had traveled with Lin Shuang all this way, also parted ways with her.
They needed to meet the Bai Fenghai Clan and the Fox Clan coming from the Western Borderland and remained to test the independent transmission formation crafted by Mingzhong Gate for their demon clans.
They parted ways.
“Farewell, everyone. Contact us through transmission if anything arises.”
Zhao Keran handed them ‘Xiao Ai’ units numbered twenty to thirty—communication talismans. These were crafted by Lin Shuang during the half-day journey, made amidst the talisman production schedule.
“Use the defensive treasure cauldron if danger arises.”
Everyone stepped into other transmission arrays and their figures vanished.
Lin Shuang and her group also hurried toward the tiger city ahead.
From three li away, they could already see the towering city walls of Huming City, with a grand gate wide enough for ten people to pass through.
Hung atop the gate made of black iron were many blood-dripping corpses.
There were boars with broken tusks, snakes with severed tails, deep-sea fish with peeled scales and missing heads… even human cultivators hanging up.
Their blood had almost dried up.
The bodies had also withered from the sun, odorless, clearly having undergone some special treatment before being displayed on the tiger city walls.
Meng Zi nearly drew his sword.
“These beasts!”
Zhao Keran sucked in a breath, “They’ve all suffered different punishments.”
The colorful large dog left deep, three-inch footprints with every step on the yellow sand.
Its braided tails almost seemed to puff up.
“All of you, look up!”
Two squads of golden-armored tiger soldiers standing at the city gate shouted loudly.
“If you violate the city laws after entering, this will be your fate!”
“Random teleportation or rushing around recklessly inside the city!”
“Nocturnal howling that disturbs the tigers’ rest!”
“Leaving your disgusting smell in the tiger residential area!”
“And not carrying your travel permit when going out!”
“Staying outside beyond the permitted time!”
“Look up! If you don’t want to lose your tail, head, or ears, don’t dare to act recklessly inside the city!”
The golden-armored soldiers threatened the several small demons carrying fresh meat entering the city.
The small demons were too scared to look up, their faces pale.
“Come over and fill in your reason for entering the city and how long you’ll stay!”
“Hurry up! I don’t have time to wait for you to tremble!”
When Lin Shuang and her group arrived, the line of small demons at the city gate had already thinned out a lot.
When it was their turn, to her surprise, the tiger soldiers who had been scolding the demons moments ago actually toned down their attitude upon seeing the human cultivators.
Especially when they saw Qidan Sect and Baihua Sect…
“Bringing new goods?”
The tiger soldier in charge at the gate grinned at them knowingly, showing his sharp tiger teeth.
“What pills? What cultivation techniques?”
He extended his somewhat furry hand, rubbing his index finger against his thumb.
Lin Shuang: “…”
The tiger clan was doomed sooner or later.
Bian Bochai and the senior brother from Qidan Sect immediately stepped forward, handing him a copy of “The Ranking of Demon Realm’s Void-Entering Beings” and a defensive cauldron embedded with a third-tier teleportation formation pattern.
The tiger soldier glanced down and his round tiger eyes immediately lit up.
Two different types of magical artifacts were quite rare. Being able to both teleport and defend oneself made this practically a life-saving tool.
Although the tiger clan had strong territorial concepts and generally disliked outsiders—strange smells from others often made them restless all day—they were much more open to human cultivators.
Because human cultivators were different!
They had refined formations, pills, magical artifacts, and cultivation manuals, all of which could be used by the tiger clan.
“Alright, go get a red lacquered merchant plaque and head directly to the Human Cultivator Street.”
The tiger soldier in charge, previously the most ferocious, became much more accommodating.
“Congratulations, honored guests! You’re really lucky today!”
“Haha, I’ll treat you to drinks during my next shift!”
Even though he was guarding the city gate and usually looked imposing, most of what passed through were people selling wild boar meat or cloth.
It was only once in a while that he encountered someone from Baihua Sect or Qidan Sect delivering goods.
Getting one or two new items to take home and show off to relatives was a real status boost!
“Let me see, how are we ranked in the Void-Entering List…”
“What’s the rush! The master hasn’t even warmed it up yet!”
“Exactly, it’s your shift now! Watch the gate properly!”
Before Lin Shuang and her group could even enter the city, they had already been handed travel permits by a few distracted soldiers—red-stringed golden plaques for the Human Cultivator Street, merchant-exclusive.
The tiger clan learned the bad habits before the good ones.
Lin Shuang shook her head in dismay.
But just as she was about to enter the city, Zhao Mingde and his wife and brother Zhao Ming, all dressed in black and wearing suspicious masks, were stopped behind her.
“What are you doing here?”
Before Bian Bochai could speak, Zhao Mingde beat him to it.
“Tiger King covers the Earth Tiger.”
He handed the soldier a large spirit stone.
Lin Shuang: “…”
The guard was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on, “Oh, also heading to the Human Cultivator Street? You’re with Oblivion Pavilion, right? Go ahead.”
Then the guard added, “Hey, how many does Oblivion Pavilion recruit this year? Any special offers left for tigers? Ten missions for a fourth-tier treasure from Rongbao Studio? That’s really gone this year?”
Lin Shuang: “…”
“Hey, answer me!” the squad leader urged impatiently.
Zhao Mingde thought for a moment and nodded from behind his shield, “Oblivion Pavilion currently has no plans to expand recruitment in Huming City this year.”
Upon hearing this, the duty officer who had already accepted the artifact secretly stuffed ten red-stringed travel permits into Zhao Mingde’s hands.
“Not a single spot left?”
“Think again.”
Zhao Mingde: “…Oh, just remembered, there’s an assassin retiring due to illness. We’ll recruit one more Ningyuan within three days.”
“Great!” The duty officer immediately brightened up. “Save me a spot later. Hey, make way, let the esteemed guest from Oblivion Pavilion go in first!”
(Note: “大人” is translated as “esteemed guest” to convey respect in this context, while “Oblivion Pavilion” is kept as a proper noun.)
Meng Zi opened his mouth.
Lin Shuang’s temple twitched.
Oblivion Pavilion had become a sought-after place even among the demon clans!
A single position was hard to come by.
Lin Shuang looked at the tiger soldiers’ massive muscles at the gate and quickly understood.
Demons had their own nature. Making them follow strict routines like human cultivators—cultivating and meditating daily within the city—would truly drive them mad.
Their hunting instincts made them love Oblivion Pavilion even more than magical treasures.
Besides, Oblivion Pavilion offered rewards for completing ten missions.
“The Zhao family really has business sense,” Lin Shuang couldn’t help but remark.
No wonder they built their fortune through the Education Pavilion.
Now daring to take on such a bold business venture that could dethrone the tiger king showed they already had significant influence among the tigers.
“Hey? Senior Sister, did you call me?” Zhao Keran was discussing itinerary details with senior brothers and sisters from Shanhai Sect and Baihua Sect heading to various locations.
Upon hearing the surname Zhao, she instinctively turned her head.
All four Oblivion Pavilion figures nearly froze.
Lin Shuang pressed her forehead with a sigh.
Sorry, I forgot you guys haven’t been exposed yet.
“Nothing, Junior. Let’s go into the city.”
“Watch your dog,” the tiger soldier reminded Lin Shuang before letting them pass.
Lin Shuang nodded and entered the city with the proud Erbao.
Inside the city, just as the sand table depicted, the terrain was simple.
In the center was a garden-style natural landscape—the noble tiger clan district.
Behind the lush grass and blooming flowers were glimpses of aristocratic mansions, with the tiger king’s area among them.
To the left were visible thatched huts, much smaller than the central gardens.
This was where ordinary tiger clan residents simulated hunting, sunbathed, or even brought their cubs for ‘tent camping’ vacations, with some wealthy tigers living there permanently.
Demons preferred wide, natural spaces.
To the right were densely packed wooden and stone houses, relatively cheap, forming the more marginal commoner area.
Human Cultivator Street was also located here.
Most tiger clan nobles couldn’t stand living in such noisy markets day and night.
The mixed smells and noise easily caused insomnia, irritability, and loss of control for them.
“Their hearing and sense of smell are much sharper than human cultivators. They easily become sleepless, irritable, and unstable in such environments,” explained the erudite Bian Bochai, fanning himself.
As he spoke, they turned right and entered Human Cultivator Street.
This street was quite similar to Liuxian Town, except there were many tiger-eared girls and boys passing by.
They didn’t find Lin Shuang and her group particularly strange.
Most human shops were concentrated here, making it the human cultivators’ residential area.
Since the time of the nine-tailed fox king, the demon clans had established prosperous trade routes with human cultivators.
This continued to the present day.
“Although there were some setbacks,” Bian Bochai explained, “there was a time when we were also barred from entering by the tiger clan, but later they still needed magical artifacts.”
“The four gates of the tiger city were also jointly built and maintained by Mingzhong Gate and tiger clan formation masters.”
Demon clan life had become inseparable from human goods.
It wasn’t something the tiger king could simply achieve by wanting to drive away human cultivators.
Even the nobles found certain human items quite useful.
“When will the second volume come out?”
Just as they reached the entrance of Baihua Sect’s shop, Lin Shuang overheard several young tigers asking.
There were even some tiger elders, seemingly servants of a certain noble family.
Lin Shuang ignored these details and followed the large dog’s lead, directly entering the designated human inn.
Instantly, the large dog disappeared into the doghouse at the inn’s entrance.
The paper figure ‘Huangpu Yuan’ beside her came to life again.
Having evaded the demon-revealing mirror, he could now move around in human form.
Upon entering the inn, Qidan Sect disciples immediately began replicating counterfeit travel permits.
Lin Shuang happily lay down.
She remained lying for three entire days.
Huangpu Yuan also seemed to vanish.
After entering Human Cultivator Street, the four assassins from Oblivion Pavilion went to their base—a general store.
Along the way, they also changed their appearances, becoming ordinary passersby, and tried to find Lin Shuang at the inn.
But they were all turned away by Zhao Keran.
“When will we act…”
Zhao Xi lowered his voice, wanting a definite time.
Zhao Keran pondered for a moment, “I don’t know, but when the crucial moment comes, time itself will tell Senior Sister it’s time to go.”
Zhao Xi: “…”
Even with his changed appearance, his expression clearly said, “My younger sister’s mind has been washed by Lin Shuang.”
In the end, the Oblivion Pavilion members had no choice but to return and wait.
Wait.
But no one knew what Lin Shuang was waiting for.
Three days later, disciples from the Yunyang Sect and the Wanseng Sect arrived in Huming City one after another.
Observing disciples could already detect through projections that the defenses within the four tiger cities were gradually becoming more severe.
The corpses hanging outside the city gates were gradually shifting from small demons of other clans and human cultivators to the bodies of lions, leopards, and even tigers…
“The latest Baihua Sect Demon Realm Void-Entering Ranking—you heard, right? Only three tigers made it into the top twenty, the rest are all lions and leopards!”
“Shh!”
“The tiger king is furious. Recently, he’s been eyeing the lions very unfavorably. Look at the ones hanging outside!”
“…That doesn’t have anything to do with the Void-Entering Ranking, right? The corpses hanging up are clearly lion traitors…”
“Ah, naive! If the king wants you dead, you’re done. Say you’re a traitor, you are one!”
“…”
“Exactly. Haven’t you seen how the latest novels from Baihua Sect are written? If the king is wary of you, you’re finished!”
“! No wonder the Baihua Sect among humans is so respected. Their novels always come true!”
“Shh! Read the book, don’t speak recklessly!”
Any disciple from the Twelve Sects walking the streets could overhear the murmurs of the tiger clan residents.
[…]
[This Void-Entering Ranking… wouldn’t happen to be the one Bian junior brother gave to the guards when entering Huming City, right?]
[Wow, the ranking list written by Bian Bochai can serve this purpose…]
The atmosphere within Huming City grew increasingly tense.
The lion and leopard clans within the city hastily departed.
Meanwhile, tiger soldiers stationed in the other three cities gradually increased.
The originally friendly encounters between lions and tigers of the same lineage turned into wary and cautious glances.
The slightest dispute could spark a fight.
“Lin Shuang, have you been waiting for this day?”
Three more days passed, but there was still no movement at the inn.
It wasn’t until the seventh day that the disciples of the Artifact Alchemy Sect’s Divine Perception Sect finally emerged from their sealed chambers, having concluded their isolation from external influences.
With unsteady steps, they arrived at Lin Shuang’s door and knocked.
They found Lin Shuang already fully prepared, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
She had packed up neatly and was ready to depart at any moment.
Smiling at the Dan Sect disciples, she said, “I calculated the timing, and I thought you’d be done soon.”
“…”
“?”
“Was she waiting for the Artifact Dan Sect to forge a pass? Originally, we could only stay outside for two hours each day, but with a pass…”
“That makes sense!”
Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, the seventh-stage Divine Perception senior disciple from the Artifact Pill Sect retrieved approximately a hundred small purple-golden boxes from a high-grade spatial pouch.
Intricate artifact patterns were carved onto these seemingly ordinary wooden boxes.
“Junior apprentice sister, these are the first batch of samples.”
“The Pear Blossom sect from Hundred Flowers verified the text.”
“They’ve been tested by the Mountain and Sea Sect and passed.”
“?”
“!”
The senior disciple of the Alchemy Sect handed the items to Lin Shuang, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly. “I worked quickly; the other disciples are still crafting them. We anticipate delivering five hundred more tomorrow.”
“The quality isn’t very high; most can only withstand attacks from Ningyuan-level opponents.”
“Defense?”
“It’s fine, it’s enough.”
Lin Shuang’s appreciative gaze almost stuck to these boxes.
“Alright, then let’s depart.”
Finally, Lin Shuang stood up.
Soon, from the projections, everyone saw Lin Shuang and Bian Bochai leave the inn, but without the big dog.
Instead, they entered the Rongbao Shop and directly presented a jade slip engraved with what seemed to be flame patterns.
The shopkeeper of the Rongbao Shop’s demon realm branch, a suspicious cat demon with a broken ear, suddenly stood up.
He made his way past the tiger aristocrats who were lavishly spending money and respectfully kowtowed before Lin Shuang—or rather, before Lin Shuang holding the flame-patterned jade slip.
The flame pattern, seemingly like fire or clouds, was actually a symbol of a nine-tailed fox’s tail.
Seeing the jade slip was like seeing the sole owner of the Rongbao Shop, the only heir of the nine-tailed fox, Huangpu Yuan.
The shopkeeper bowed respectfully.
He carefully raised his head but dared not look directly at Lin Shuang. “Lady Lin, we’ve been expecting you for quite some time.”
“!”
Lin Shuang nodded slightly.
Huangpu Yuan’s true form had already set out six days ago to search for the missing demon clan members.
Additionally, he had to seek support from the ancient Nine-Tailed Fox clan and neutral demon factions.
These were things neither she nor other sect disciples could accomplish.
Thus, according to their plan, they split their tasks.
Thinking this, Lin Shuang looked at the shopkeeper. “Rongbao Shop has partnered with the twelve sects of Donghuajing for the Qixi Festival special event, and we’re ready.”
She wore the blue outer robe of the Clear Water Sect.
“?”
As she spoke, the noble guests inside the Rongbao Shop had already turned their curious gazes toward her.
The Rongbao Shop was situated on the street where human cultivators gathered, adjacent to the Hundred Flowers Sect’s storybook store and the Artifact Alchemy Sect.
Across the street, just a hundred steps away, was the Annihilation Pavilion’s general store.
These shops occupied the most central and bustling market location frequented by the demon clans.
From the reception at the city gate, Lin Shuang had already realized that even the territorial-conscious tiger clan highly valued the resources of magical artifacts and elixirs brought by human cultivators.
Besides their high value, there was another important reason—novelty.
Unlike the Kinship Faction and the Huangpu Yuan Faction, the Southern Tiger Clan had no descendants studying in the twelve sects, which made them particularly interested in the sects, artifacts, and cultivation lives of human practitioners.
They were also more willing to be “favorable” toward human cultivators and merchants who came here for exchanges and long-term residence.
As Lin Shuang subtly scanned the interested gazes inside and outside the Rongbao Shop, she spoke with great affability.
“If it weren’t for the Rongbao Shop owner repeatedly requesting us,” she seemingly conversed with the shopkeeper, but her voice clearly reached the entire first and second floors, even outside the shop,
“The twelve sects wouldn’t have developed this cultivation game that both humans and demon clans can enjoy together.”
All the little demons and steward demons in the shop pricked up their ears.
A cultivation game?
“We have many sea clans, dog clans, winged bird clans, and others coming to study and interact with us in the twelve sects. However, there are also southern tiger clans and lion clans that have little interaction with our sects.”
The owner of Rongbao Shop believes that this cultivation game can help everyone understand us better. You are welcome to come and study cultivation in the twelve sects, fostering development between humans and the demon race.
“!”
As she spoke, Lin Shuang took out a seemingly ordinary purple-golden wooden box from her spatial pouch.
It indeed looked ordinary, for in terms of treasure quality—it wouldn’t exceed fourth-tier.
Any Divine Perception cultivator could destroy it easily.
However, when infused with spiritual energy, instantly a line of elegant and vigorous cursive script emerged.
—”Becoming Immortal, Starting from Qi Formation”
“!”
“???”
“The first batch has only a hundred sets,” Lin Shuang announced. “Each set costs a million spirit stones.”
The demon aristocrats purchased storybooks and treasures in the shop without hesitation: “!”
This price was difficult even for these young masters and misses to afford.
“Each game set allows you to cultivate from Qi Formation all the way to Tribulation Ascension…”
“And it offers 183 different professions and over a thousand unique endings for players to explore.”
The aristocrats in the shop: “!”
Their curious gazes were like searchlights fixed on this wooden box.
“The first three people to complete a hundred endings or reach the peak of six professions—”
Lin Shuang’s smiling gaze subtly swept over several tiger-eared young masters and misses wearing high-grade Hundred Flowers Sect attire.
“Shopkeeper, we’ve agreed with the Rongbao Shop owner on a reward of ten million spirit stones.”
At her words, every demon inside and outside the Rongbao Shop—including those in the storybook and artifact shops across the street—snapped their heads toward her!
Even Meng Zi behind her acted like the most genuine plant, clutching his chest and stepping back.
“What?! Ten million spirit stones! That could build a mountain!”
“Ten million spirit stones could buy an entire street!”
“Ten million spirit stones deposited at the Rongbao Shop could earn 600,000 annually!”
With each sentence he spoke, the tigers, lions, and even snakes coming to stock up nearby all had their eyes gleaming with madness.
But soon their eyes shifted from excitement and passion to restraint.
Although the reward was high, everyone knew they probably wouldn’t be that lucky.
Only three spots were available, and only a few could obtain them, while most would just spend a million for nothing.
But Lin Shuang quickly added, “The ‘Becoming Immortal, Starting from Qi Formation’ game, priced at a million per set, can accommodate three players simultaneously.”
Just like the nine thousand trials of the sect.
“Three players can cooperate internally to conquer a profession peak together, accelerating progress.”
“They can also compete against each other in the game.”
“Oh, so splitting the cost among three people, each only needs 300,000 to enjoy the full gameplay experience of ‘Becoming Immortal, Starting from Qi Formation’?”
Meng Zi, the most genuine plant.
Immediately calculated the minimum individual player cost with a finger.
With just one sentence, the noble youths inside the Rongbao Shop were deeply moved!
Hutian City was the largest and most prosperous demon city in the southern region.
The items brought here by human cultivators were far better than those elsewhere!
Normally, it wasn’t just tigers here; snakes, bears, and others would also come to play!
Even those who came here seeking the Dao.
The Human Cultivator Street was essentially a gathering place for the wealthy and powerful from all races!
They would be reluctant to spend a million spirit stones on a magic treasure toy.
But with 300,000 spirit stones, fewer would hesitate.
“Only a hundred sets?” The ear-missing shopkeeper of the Rongbao Shop appropriately showed a conflicted expression. “We have many noble guests in Hutian City.”
Lin Shuang nodded decisively. “Yes, it’s a limited release.”
“Additionally, once sold, we offer a three-year after-sales service. If there is any damage not caused by misuse or intentional human actions, we will provide free repairs.”
(Note: The original text contained the character “妖” which appears to be a typo/error. Based on context, it has been translated as “misuse” to maintain logical flow. If a different meaning was intended for this character, please provide clarification.)
“Additionally, within seven days of purchase, there’s a no-questions-asked return or exchange.”
Instantly, the atmosphere in the entire Rongbao Shop heated up!
“Is this real? Won’t you just sell and leave?”
“Three years? Are you sure about the warranty?”
Seven-day return and three-year after-sales.
Such product service standards were unheard of across all four realms, much less among demons!
The storybooks provided by the Hundred Flowers Sect would disappear if they got wet!
Lin Shuang nodded, smiling at the curious demons who were asking questions and couldn’t believe their ears.
“Yes, everyone, the game box has our developers’ unique anti-counterfeit mark.”
“Once activated, it triggers a soul-binding clause. Lying in soul-binding can kill people.”
Honesty in business!
After she finished speaking, she left.
Instantly, the young tiger girl in the yellow dress rushed to the shopkeeper, her cheeks flushed. “I want a set!”
Several young masters from different clans, with fluffy ears or tails, shouted, “Get me a set too!”
A hundred sets would be gone once sold out!
In no time, the Rongbao Shopkeeper was surrounded.
“Everyone, ‘Becoming Immortal, Starting from Qi Formation’ can be played in the small realm on the second floor of the Rongbao Shop.”
“We’ll provide free tea and spiritual food today.”
The little demon who had already bought the game had their eyes shining.
The undecided demon stepped forward eagerly. “I’ll take two sets!”
The Rongbao Shop even provided a dedicated ‘gaming area,’ no longer worrying about their storybooks being confiscated or being scolded by elders for just playing!
In an instant, the hundred sets were sold out.
Sets were bought as gifts for relatives’ children, to play with girlfriends, or even resold to other cities…
A hundred sets were simply not enough to satisfy the demand.
In no time, the surrounding shops’ businesses were boosted.
Lin Shuang, hiding her achievements and fame, went to the second floor of the Rongbao Shop.
A disciple from the Mountain and Sea Sect set up a long wooden table—Game Q&A Customer Service Area.
Meng Zi set up a square table—Game Proxy Play Area.
Bian Bochai sat down—Collect a free character bookmark card by completing specific character guides…
The naive demon: “!”
The yellow-dressed tiger girl, Yuan Ya, with light yellow ears and slightly brown pupils.
Walking to the center of the second floor, none of the other little demons dared to challenge her.
“Xiaoyuan, can I team up with you?”
“Together, I’ll protect you.”
Tiger girl Yuan Ya looked around cautiously and carefully chose two teammates.
Her eyes flashed with determination; she wanted to win the reward of ten million spirit stones!
To prove to her father that she wasn’t just a girl meant for marriage alliances.
Yuan Ya’s gaze showed firmness.
Soon, she opened the square wooden box.
Seeing the headphone talisman and the 3D sunglasses talisman inside, she was momentarily stunned, her beautiful brown eyes revealing surprise.
“!”
“…Why do I suddenly want to play too?”
“Senior apprentice sister Lin isn’t fair; she didn’t let us play this good stuff first?”
“A thousand endings, a hundred professions, I don’t want to retreat into cultivation anymore! I want to play games!”
“A reward of ten million spirit stones, Rongbao Shop… When did senior apprentice sister Lin hook up with them? No, actually, what exactly is Huangpu junior apprentice brother’s identity?”
“Although it’s interesting, what exactly is Senior Apprentice Sister Lin trying to do? Remember the trial requirements of this layer—rescue the missing little demon and the new demon king…”
But soon, as the projection text moved, everyone saw Lin Shuang on the second floor unfold a folded paper that the Rongbao Shopkeeper had secretly passed to her.
Lin Shuang looked down, and the text also appeared in the projection.
[Yellow-eared girl Yuan Ya: The beloved daughter of the eighth younger brother of the Tiger King, General Wei Zhen (Tiger King faction, four palace spies were caught three days ago, trust in the Tiger King has declined)]
[Black-clothed, black-eared boy: The legitimate grandson of the twelfth Lion King (originally a Tiger King faction member, five palace spies were caught five days ago, trust in the Tiger King has sharply declined.
Moreover, the lion hanging at the city gate today was his spy planted within the Tiger King’s ranks, who had been uncovered by the Tiger King. The relations between the two clans have recently become extremely tense.
[Bear Clan Boy Zong Wei: Son of the Bear City Lord (Neutral)]
[Snake Clan boy She Gan: Young master of the Snake Territory (Neutral, held hostage by the tigers. The Tiger King has low trust in the Snake Clan)]
…
As Lin Shuang read, she looked up at the group of eager children who had already entered the game.
She gave them a friendly smile.
“…”
“…!”
Yellow-eared girl Yuan Ya felt an inexplicable chill blowing from the back of her neck.
She couldn’t help but rub her neck.
Strange, why was it suddenly so cold?
She shook her head, put on the headphones and 3D glasses, extended her left hand to touch the wooden box, and activated the artifact pattern.
Suddenly, the game loaded her spiritual consciousness.
Exquisite game visuals unfolded…
The opening scene was a narrow, dim room resembling a human cultivator’s boudoir.
Yuan Ya was instantly captivated by the sorrowful background music playing through the headphones.
Soon, wearing the sunglasses, she saw a pale-faced, coughing tiger elder in front of her, seemingly the perspective of the “daughter” she was playing.
“The family can’t even afford to cook anymore. Forget about three taels of deer meat, even cheap human rice is almost gone.”
Yellow-eared girl Yuan Ya felt as if her heart was gently squeezed.
This was a perspective of demonic life she had never experienced before.
She had been born with everything she needed. Even though her father and uncles had conflicts with the nine-tailed fox before, she had always lived carefree in Hutian City, never experiencing poverty.
It was fresh and unique.
There was also an unprecedented sense of bitterness, anxiety, and tension.
“Father’s body needs expensive herbs, or he won’t last much longer.”
“Mother also has to take care of the younger siblings and can’t go out to earn money, so she’s constantly sewing day and night, and now her eyes are almost ruined.”
The second young master of the Shi family from the neighboring village has taken a liking to me and is willing to offer a hundred taels as a dowry. But should I marry him? They say he is ugly and already has three concubines.
Ah, he’s probably not a good match. But if I don’t marry him, what should I do? Where can I earn enough money for Father’s medicine and the food for Mother and my younger brother and sister…
Wearing headphones, listening to the sorrowful third-tier human cultivation melody, Yuan Ya’s heart was slowly gripped by sadness. This situation was almost identical to her current plight of being forced into a marriage alliance with the Shi family!
She couldn’t help but lose herself in thought.
The second floor of Rongbao Studio was exquisitely arranged.
Each tea room was separated by magical arrays, providing defensive effects.
At this moment, the small wooden box in front of Yuan Ya continuously emitted a faint bitter herbal scent that couldn’t be dispelled due to the magical array’s isolation.
She reached out and touched a piece of coarse hemp fabric that was timely delivered from the square wooden box (which contained a tiny bag).
Wearing 3D sunglasses, she felt as if she were trapped in a narrow room without seeing the bright dawn.
The bitter smell and the bleak future surrounded her with troubles and worries.
At night, her game character could only sit under the dim oil lamp, splitting thread for her mother, whose eyes were bloodshot and corners lined with wrinkles.
So tragic, so tragic!
Yuan Ya swore she had never experienced such despair in her entire life.
Even when she sneaked into the servants’ quarters as a child, it was much more comfortable than this small, airless shack!
Yuan Ya felt the air thinning.
At night, she could still hear her mother’s quiet sobs through the headphones.
And the suppressed coughs from her father’s room…
She could even smell a faint metallic, bloody scent.
[Did it come from your father’s room? Your sense of smell has always been sharp. If you smelled it, it must mean your father is coughing up blood…]
[The last time the doctor came, he said that if your father coughed up blood, he might only have three more days…]
Yuan Ya gasped in an instant.
What should she do!
No way? Is her father going to die right at the beginning of this game!
She nervously grabbed the coarse hemp fabric from the wooden box.
A line of small text appeared before her eyes again.
[Smelling the blood from the neighboring room and hearing your parents desperately trying to suppress their coughs and sobs, you have never felt such hatred toward your sharp sense of smell and hearing as you do today…]
[Now, you’re completely unable to sleep.]
[Your parents have raised and nurtured you for so many days. If it weren’t for their efforts to save you when you fell into the water back then, they wouldn’t have spent the last ten taels of silver they had.]
[So, you decide—]
1. Father can’t hold on anymore; medicine money is urgently needed. Now, go tell your parents that I will marry!
(If I agree now, maybe the second young master of the Shi family will appreciate my sincerity and offer more dowry!)
2. There are still two days left before the latest reply time for the second young master of the Shi family. Let me think some more.
(Just don’t know whether Father can hold on until that day.)
Yuan Ya took a deep breath, her fingers rapidly tapping the wooden box, her spiritual sense desperately probing the game.
But there was no third option!
It was so frustrating.
“Um… let’s delay for now?”
Yuan Ya gritted her teeth and chose option ‘2. Think for two more days.’
Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope?
Her heart pounded. She didn’t even know how she managed to endure this sleepless night in the game.
The next day, her character could finally go outside.
[Where should you go to find a solution?]
1. Work as a servant at the town’s inn (earn 30 copper coins per day)
2. Learn to sing at the theater (earn 50 copper coins per day)
3. Go fishing by the river and sell the fish to help with household expenses (earn 10 copper coins per day)
4. Think of solutions at home
Yuan Ya stared wide-eyed. This choice was obvious; she should go for the highest earnings.
She directly chose the theater. After selecting it, the scene before her changed instantly, shifting from the dilapidated small house to a path outside.
[You maturely rush to earn money, wanting to gather enough for your father’s medicine. Before dawn, you set out along the path illuminated by starlight, quickly heading toward the town.]
[You are a daughter of the mountains, always full of inexhaustible energy. Thinking of your parents now, you walk even faster.
You can’t help but recall how your parents used to joke that a cultivator once passed by your home, saying that your body and bones were extremely suitable for cultivation.]
The wooden box in front of Yuan Ya automatically released a thin mist, like morning fog, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees.
The 3D sunglasses also displayed muddy village paths.
Immersed in the game, Yuan Ya couldn’t help but feel her mood uplifted.
Cultivation…
Finally, she remembered the name of this game: “Becoming Immortal, Starting from Qi Gathering.”
Her character could actually cultivate and become an immortal!
She must not marry.
Yuan Ya realized that not choosing option ‘1. Marry immediately’ last night was a very smart and correct decision.
She couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased, experiencing a sense of achievement from the game for the first time.
But that feeling of joy only lasted a moment.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the earpiece.
A dark shadow flashed before her eyes.
With a ‘bang,’ the game box ejected a second-tier wooden staff from its contained tiny bag, striking Yuan Ya’s condensed energy at the back of her head!
Yuan Ya: “!”
Instantly, her vision turned red… she heard the sinister laughter of several men and women in her ears.
“This girl has good talent; she can fetch a good price!”
“Eating her will be very nourishing!”
Yuan Ya: “!”
She wanted to struggle, but a blood-red text flashed.
—Achieved Ending 5: Kidnapped on a Rural Night Path
[Your body possesses extraordinary cultivation talent and exceptional bones. Once you leave home, you easily attract the attention of evildoers hiding in the darkness.]
[Alas, when you are still weak, you are powerless to resist or protect yourself, making you the favorite prey of demonic cultivators.]
[You fall unconscious and never wake up again…]
[Only leaving behind a pool of blood and worn-out straw shoes by the roadside. Inside your chest is the handkerchief you secretly embroidered for your mother, planning to exchange it for a pig bone to nourish your father…]
Yuan Ya stared at the text in disbelief, her chest feeling unbearably tight.
No way, no way!
Die right after leaving home?
She shouldn’t have chosen to work at the theater!
But the ending scene wasn’t over yet. Soon, she saw her parents realizing she was missing, frantically searching, their hair turning white overnight.
Eventually, they found her belongings in the deep mountains—a single embroidered shoe.
Her father collapsed on the spot and passed away within moments.
Her mother cried until she went blind, but for the sake of the remaining children, she could only struggle to continue embroidering to earn money.
But in the end, the money earned from her embroidery was seized by village bullies.
She went to the village head to argue, only to have her family’s only food supply taken by the village chief.
When she tried to report to the authorities to find her missing daughter, she was shoved to the ground by ruthless officials.
Outside the government office were many poor and pitiful people like her.
Unless she paid ten taels of silver, she couldn’t even get in line to appeal.
Her mother could only return home in despair.
Only to discover that when she wasn’t home, the neighbor who was supposed to watch over her still non-speaking younger brother and sister had been taken away by child traffickers, stuffed into a jar on a cart, swaying off to an unknown destination.
In the end, she spent her life blind, begging along the way, searching various places for her children.
[Have you, by any chance, seen my children…?]
[Please, help me…]
The final scene lingered on her mother’s hollow and sorrowful eyes.
[Is there anyone who can help her? She keeps asking.]
[But in the end, she never found any of her children. Perhaps after death, the family can reunite…]
With the female voiceover narrating in a heavy yet elegant tone, accompanied by the sorrowful third-tier sound cultivation melody in Yuan Ya’s ears.
Under her sunglasses, tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
She gritted her teeth and wiped them away. “Play again!”
This time, she must bring a happy ending to her “parents”!
In this family, she was the only daughter who could cultivate!
She couldn’t allow such a tragic ending again.
Yuan Ya quickly operated, starting over. This time, she went to work at the inn, only to be sold to a brothel!
This time it was even worse. In the ending scene, as a brothel girl barely surviving, she tried to escape hundreds of times only to be caught and beaten by the cruel madam, her body covered in injuries. Eventually, she accepted her fate, became numb, and started smiling for customers. At the brothel’s entrance, she encountered her blind mother begging and searching for her child.
Yuan Ya felt even more suffocated this time.
“Ahhh!”
Restart again. This time, she wouldn’t go to work; she would go fishing!
But the big fish she caught was instantly snatched by two passing demonic race officers, and she still couldn’t save her father! Moreover, her younger siblings went missing again, and the ending had her and her mother embarking on a journey to find her younger brother and sister!
Yuan Ya was so furious she almost exploded.
After trying various approaches, she finally chose ‘think of solutions at home’ -> ‘go out in the morning and turn left’ -> ‘comfort an old man who lost his child’ -> ‘be noticed by a cultivator for her character and be accepted as an outer disciple’…
Finally, she entered the human cultivation sect—Qingshui Sect!
Yuan Ya almost cried.
The elderly cultivator gave her three spirit stones, worth thirty taels of silver.
With medicinal pills, she cured her parents’ illnesses and restored their eyesight. With the thirty taels of silver, she sent her younger brother and sister to school…
The elderly cultivator resolved all her family’s troubles, like a savior, taking her away from home.
“When you reach Qi Gathering Stage Seven, you can take sect missions and conveniently visit your home,” the old man said.
Yuan Ya excitedly clenched her fist!
Success! Finally, success!
[Congratulations, you have finally embarked on the cultivation path and entered Qingshui Sect.]
—Profession unlocked: Outer Disciple
—All branch rewards unlocked: Please explore as the player
With tears streaming down her face, Yuan Ya took off her headphones. Her light yellow dual pupils were filled with excitement as she asked those around her, “I entered Qingshui Sect. What about you?”
“Cursed! These child traffickers!”
“Ahhh! You kidnapped me again. Are you out of your mind?! Always targeting me!”
Yuan Ya took off her headphones and only then noticed the cries of her companions all around.
“This little soldier, you’re insane! Dare you hit my mother!”
“Ahhh! The government is useless! Not looking for lost children, yet demanding money!”
The entire second floor of Rongbao Studio echoed with the angry shouts of various aristocratic children.
“I want to enter a human cultivation sect—damn it, this cursed government dares to charge me a fee to leave the village!”
“What? My application to study at the sect is none of your business…”
“Humans are amazing! Humans are fantastic! This lion soldier snatched three fish from me, damn it! And still couldn’t track down the evil demon who took my siblings! My human master helped me find them!”
Yuan Ya’s eyes widened.
What? There were such branch paths?
She could ask her master to track down the child traffickers!
Ah, she didn’t ask earlier—otherwise, she could have avenged the tragic endings 1 to 5!
“No way, I’m restarting.”
“Which sect is good?”
Yuan Ya couldn’t help but ask the players around her.
Several of them took off their headphones and answered in unison, “Definitely don’t go to the government. The human cultivation sects are all good.”
Yuan Ya clenched her fist but couldn’t help pausing, “Isn’t this game defaming our tiger race?”
After all, she was of noble descent and had some imperial thinking.
Sensitive.
Lin Shuang couldn’t help but glance at her and smiled, explaining, “The built-in characters in this game transform based on the demon race type you selected before entering the game, with over twenty different appearance sets available.”
“We do not discriminate against any demon or human race.”
“There are also bad people among the humans.”
“If there’s any resemblance, it’s purely coincidental.”
Yuan Ya nodded, her eyes soon sparkling with excitement as she dove back into the game.
“This time, I will definitely cultivate into an immortal and send all these government people to jail!”
Listening to this ‘princess’ condemning the government, Lin Shuang nodded with satisfaction.
[…]
[The smile on Lin Shuang’s face: You have already stepped into my trap.]
[How to separate the races: Start by Lin Shuang teaching everyone to play games.]
[…]
When Yuan Ya was interrupted by a servant’s message, she removed her headphones and sunglasses, only to realize that the sky outside Rongbao Studio had already turned completely dark.
Unconsciously, she had played for four hours!
However, the surprise on Yuan Ya’s face quickly turned into a calm full of achievement.
In four hours, she had already experienced 32 horrifying endings: death, expulsion from the sect, possession by evil cultivators, and becoming offerings for evil cultivators.
Now, in the game, she was already on her 33rd attempt, becoming an elite outer disciple at Qi Gathering Stage Nine.
Soon, she would represent the sect in the twelve-sect competition in the Donghua Realm.
Winning would bring rewards, and the small ending branch of reaching the peak of the outer disciple profession would be in her grasp!
Yuan Ya had completed one-sixth of the ten million spirit stones progress.
She was currently the first on the progress leaderboard.
“Miss, it’s time to go home, or Master will scold you again.”
“Not afraid, let him scold.”
She was used to it.
Of course not.
Yuan Ya coughed lightly, a bit flustered, quickly tidied up, and let the other two companions exit the game.
Then, carrying the game box, she hurried home.
On the Human Cultivation Street at night, both humans and demon races rarely walked the streets.
The journey was almost eerily quiet.
But soon, Yuan Ya, whose hearing was as sharp as her game character’s, caught a sound carried by the wind.
“Officer, please, my little girl has been missing for seven days, and we still haven’t found her.”
“What can I do if you ask me? Without orders from above, I can’t go out looking for you!”
Yuan Ya: “!”
She lifted the curtain of her palanquin and saw a tiger race soldier with a big head, just like in the game, showing a cold, disdainful, and arrogant expression.
He even stretched out two fingers and rubbed them together.
—Asking for money!
Yuan Ya’s eyes widened instantly.
But the palanquin bearers were swift as lightning, moving at incredible speed and instantly vanishing from the spot she was gazing at.
“Wait, Uncle Mai, go check it out!” Yuan Ya immediately turned her head and ordered her servant to investigate.
‘If there’s any resemblance, it’s purely coincidental’…
Lin Shuang’s words in Rongbao Studio echoed in Yuan Ya’s ears.
Soon, her palanquin swayed and returned to the Prince’s Mansion first.
Yuan Ya tiptoed into her room, not daring to make even a sound that might disturb her father, or else he would scold her again for only knowing how to play…
But just as she held her breath, radiating the full power of her condensed core while sensing her surroundings,
She heard her father seemingly in the back garden, speaking with another elder.
“The number of missing persons cases has already reached a hundred. Just last month in Hucheng, there were this many.”
“I reported to the Tiger King, wanting some soldiers to investigate, but the Tiger King said the Deep Sea Clan is stirring and refused to weaken the defenses of Hucheng at this time for other matters.”
Yuan Ya: “!”
Game plot… entered reality!
Her heart was instantly gripped by something.
And the next moment… her neck was grabbed from behind.
“Again coming back so late! Where have you been doing? Look at the time, it’s unacceptable!”
Her father, the eighth younger brother of the Tiger King, General Weizhen, gripped her ‘little throat’.
He shook her.
A game console was shaken down— “Becoming Immortal, Starting from Qi Condensation!”
—A thousand different endings, a hundred different professions, take you to explore the wonders of human cultivation and demon cultivation!
—As long as you dare, your future knows no limits!
Weizhen, with a life span of 300 years, never seen before, General: “!”
Lin Shuang, who had long returned to the inn, stretched lazily.
“General Weizhen, entering the Tribulation realm…”
“In one night, I should be able to play out the plot points I set.”
[!]
[…]
At the same time, Zhao Keran, who was spreading a small cotton quilt beside her, glanced at the message stone.
“The four major cities of the Tiger Clan, the three neutral city territories, five hundred game consoles have been deployed.”
“Senior sister, right after midnight, seventeen people have entered the game in the Tribulation realm.”
[!]
Lin Shuang nodded, “Mm, tell Bian Bo Cai to hurry up and write the subsequent game dialogue…”
“Oh, by the way, is the game customer service from Shanhai Sect still on duty?”
“Pay attention, for those entering the game—Tribulation or Void realm cultivators—for the options regarding ‘where to find the missing younglings’ in the game plot…”
[…!]
[……….]
[!]
With a significant number of younglings missing, the Demon Clan must be similar to human cultivators, with the Heavenly Opportunity Sect having infiltrated their upper ranks.
Therefore, there must be high-ranking demons who know the Heavenly Opportunity sect’s hideouts and the location of the missing younglings.
Finding suspects and searching their divine consciousness one by one
This is difficult and consumes too much time.
How to improve efficiency? Of course, the best way is to make them reveal themselves.
While playing the game, they will subconsciously exhibit the mentality of “criminals”—on the life-sized map of the Demon Clan, their first choice is highly likely to be the “real hideout.”
First, due to habitual thinking, and second, to test whether the game creators know about the ‘hideout’ or whether the game creators are smarter than them.
After several tests…
For the sense of accomplishment in completing the game faster, they will unconsciously become reckless in the game and ‘reveal their true selves’.
“Proofread the list of suspects that Huangfu Yuan has provided in recent days, especially pay attention to the movements of those game accounts. Once specific location choices appear, inform Huangfu Yuan immediately.”
“Yes, senior sister.”
[You think you’re playing the game. No, the game is playing you.]
[No, it’s Lin Shuang who is playing you.]
[…]
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