On the second floor of Yunlai Inn, in a room.
Ye Chen lay with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling, too excited to sleep.
He asked the ring, "Old Shi, when you spoke of an opportunity, did you mean I'll meet a benefactor on my way to the Qinglan Sect tomorrow?"
"No need to wait until tomorrow. Tonight should be fine!" an aged voice echoed from the ring.
"Huh? Tonight? You're saying it's too..."
Ye Chen's heart leaped, and he instinctively looked out the window.
The night was as dark as ink. A lonely crescent moon cast a cold, eerie luminescence, creating an indescribably bizarre atmosphere.
"No, this is bad! Nine Turns of Life Wheel, a narrow crescent moon in the sky! Little friend, your opportunity... there's a problem! It could be..."
As he spoke, the ring trembled slightly, and the voice grew alarmed, "Quick... run! Leave the Qinglan territory!"
"Run?"
A corner of Ye Chen's mouth twitched into a cold smirk. "Old Shi, you know me. In this life, I, Ye Chen, refuse to be weaker than anyone. Once I make a decision, I never turn back!"
"From the Great Zhou Emperor City to this Eastern Region, how many powerful enemies have I defeated along the way? How many times have I been reborn from desperate straits? When have I ever backed down, huh?"
The young man's eyes blazed with determination, his handsome face radiating the awe-inspiring aura of a peerless expert who defied heaven and earth!
This was not blind self-confidence. It was mostly because his luck had always been exceptionally good. After picking up the ring containing the remnant soul of a mysterious old man at age eight, his power soared, and he crushed countless geniuses of his generation. Every time he encountered danger, he always managed to turn the tables, killing his enemies and seizing their treasures. Sometimes, he even felt... as if the world revolved around him! He was the legendary Son of Destiny! This undoubtedly made him arrogant. That being said, as the Son of Destiny, with the world itself making way for him, shouldn't he be able to walk with impunity?!
"Who's there?!" Ye Chen shouted, noticing movement outside.
BANG!
A stream of high-temperature flames burst forth, howling through the night sky toward him!
"Hmph, seeking death!"
"Eight Extremes Annihilation Fire Palm!"
An icy glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. A powerful aura erupted from his body as he clapped his palms together and struck out!
The Son of Destiny, why should he retreat? Just do it!
At that moment, Old Shi's panicked voice came from the ring again, "Don't do it! There's no need!"
BOOM!
The moment his palm struck, its power abruptly vanished! Yet, the flames before him grew even more ferocious!
Ye Chen's pupils shrank! Only then did he realize! This flame was actually a Foundation Establishment Stage Spiritual Beast! Furthermore, its Beast Tamer had cultivated some terrifyingly powerful Ancient Five Elements Sacred Beast Secret!
"Little Mink, save me!"
This time, Ye Chen could no longer care about his image as the Son of Destiny and cried out for help.
It was strange! It was the first time in his eighteen years that he had felt fear during a battle! It felt like the touch of Death itself! He had a strong premonition that if he was too arrogant, he would die here tonight, his legendary life cut short! One must understand! Even when he faced the Innate Demonic Cultivators sent by the Empress of Great Zhou, he had never felt such despair!
BOOM! CRACKLE!
The instant he cried out, a plume of purple netherflame tore through the night sky, hurtling over!
The crimson and purple flames collided, unleashing a terrifying pressure that lit up the night sky!
"Little Mink, don't be afraid! We're master and servant—let's work together and kill this vile creature!" Ye Chen bellowed, drew the massive black sword from his back, and charged forward!
"MEEOW~~"
A beast's roar echoed through the night.
Sensing it was outmatched, the 'crimson flame' voluntarily retreated to one side, revealing its true form.
It had an endearingly foolish-looking lion's head and a pair of enormous, flapping wings.
"It's a Lion Hawk Beast that has just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage!" Old Shi's voice came from the ring. "Strange! Lion Hawk Beasts are typically gentle. Why would it suddenly attack a human? Could it have been frightened?"
Just as Old Shi finished speaking, a delicate silhouette materialized in the distant sky.
It was a beautiful young girl, around fifteen or sixteen years old!
"Hmph! So you are..."
Ye Chen, currently suffering from internal injuries, was about to try and intimidate the newcomer. But upon seeing the girl's face, his expression instantly changed.
"Miss, your Spiritual Beast seems a bit unruly."
"Fortunately, I've helped you tame it." Ye Chen, half-reclining on the eaves, rubbed his nose, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.
"This pretentious act is truly sickening!" Lu Yingying thought with disgust. "The 'me' in the script must have been blind to develop feelings for such trash! He's not even worth one of Eldest Senior Brother's toes!"
However, she knew Ye Chen was not fated to die tonight, so she approached, carefully concealing her emotions.
"My... my apologies, Young Master. I am Lu Yingying, a disciple of Divine Phoenix Peak in the Qinglan Sect!" She desperately suppressed the killing intent in her eyes, feigning a flustered and shy demeanor.
Exactly as it had happened at this very moment in her previous life.
"Ah, so it's a Fairy from the Qinglan Sect." Ye Chen smiled nonchalantly. "This Lion Hawk Beast..."
PTOO!
Before he could finish, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood!
It turned out he had suffered a severe internal injury!
Seeing this, Lu Yingying felt a surge of satisfaction, but she feigned concern. "Young Master, are you alright? Is it serious?"
"Hahaha, I'm fine, just teasing you. Fairy Lu, I, this Princely Heir, have some skill in Beast Taming. A mere Foundation Establishment Stage Spiritual Beast is nothing to me." Ye Chen gritted his teeth against the intense pain and forced a smile.
「Meanwhile.」
On the stone path beside the mountain gate.
Lin Xiao, observing everything through the Extreme Seeing Water Mirror, was amused:
"Tsk tsk, just like the protagonist in an old-school male-oriented web novel, he becomes utterly captivated the moment he sees a beautiful woman. This vibe is so strong, it's a total nostalgia trip! However... isn't it my turn next to 'accidentally' encounter Fourth Junior Sister and Ye Chen on their way up the mountain, then become jealous and angrily reprimand them?"
With this in mind, he began to get into character, ready for his performance!
Is there a villain in this world more dedicated than him? Absolutely not!
DING!
"Detected Host has successfully entered the second plot point!"
"You have received a random reward: Endowment +3, Insight +10, proficiency in all cultivation techniques +1 level."
"?????" This works too?
Lin Xiao was stunned.
On the mountain path to the Qinglan Sect, a young man and woman walked side-by-side beneath the moonlight, each followed by their Spiritual Beast.
"Miss Yingying, do you know? In my life, I, this Princely Heir, have met countless beauties, but you are the most unique among them," Ye Chen said gently.
However, he hadn't expected...
To his surprise, the latter looked at him warily and even retreated a few steps, a hint of aversion on her face!
"This..." "You're seriously taking a step back?"
Ye Chen's hand froze awkwardly in mid-air; he was mortified!
No, more than embarrassment, he felt indignation and fury! He, a debonair and handsome young man of noble birth and unparalleled talent! Every beauty he'd met had either thrown herself at him or, at the very least, secretly admired him! When had he ever encountered a woman so repulsed by him?
"Fairy Lu, do you despise me, this Princely Heir, so much?" Ye Chen gritted his teeth.
Lu Yingying pretended not to hear, saying instead, "Young Master Ye, are you certain you wish to join my Qinglan Sect? Tomorrow happens to be our sect's Triennial Disciple Acceptance Ceremony. I wonder, which Peak Master does Young Master Ye intend to study under?"
She had to confirm now if Ye Chen would, as per the script, choose to enter Divine Phoenix Peak! Only then would she have the chance to get close to Ye Chen, torture him to death, and protect her Eldest Senior Brother—so outwardly cold, yet inwardly pure and kind!
"About that..." Ye Chen was about to consult with Old Shi in the ring.
Suddenly, a harsh shout came from up ahead:
"Yingying! Who is this boy with you? How dare you bring him up the mountain without permission!? Hmph! And acting so intimately with him—do you even respect me, your Eldest Senior Brother?"
Ye Chen frowned and looked up.
He saw a strikingly handsome young man in white robes, hovering in the air on his sword. With an arrogant demeanor, hands clasped behind his back, he resembled a coolly detached Fallen Immortal.
Correct. It was the universally detested villain, Eldest Senior Brother of Divine Phoenix Peak, making his entrance! It turned out Lin Xiao had been observing from the shadows all along. According to the original plot, this Ye Chen fellow should be unable to resist making an inappropriate move on Lu Yingying. And right at that moment—he, the villainous Eldest Senior Brother, would charge out righteously and loudly reprimand them!
"Eldest Senior Brother, just as the script foretold, you've appeared at this very moment..." Seeing this flawlessly handsome man, who seemed like a celestial being, Lu Yingying's heart skipped a beat! Her Eldest Senior Brother truly was always so handsome and imposing. The 'her' in the script was an utter fool to fall for a scumbag like Ye Chen and ignore such an extraordinary man right beside her! A wave of fear washed over her at the thought!
"What is she doing? Why is she looking at me like that?" Lin Xiao's eyelid twitched. "Isn't she supposed to shield Ye Chen and immediately start arguing with me?" He had a distinct feeling the plot was deviating slightly! Could it be that, like Third Junior Sister, this Fourth Junior Sister's character settings were also malfunctioning?
Just as his mind reeled, something happened that made his breath catch!
"Eldest Senior Brother!"
Overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions, Lu Yingying could no longer contain herself. She cried out, tears welling in her eyes as she rushed forward!
THUD—
She plunged headfirst into Lin Xiao's embrace!
Lin Xiao: (⊙_⊙)
Ye Chen: !!!!!