Using her invisibility talisman as cover, Xie Zhaolin weaved through the chaotic battlefield. Occasionally, a careless cultivator bumped into her, but she silently dealt with them, tossing the corpses casually into the melee. As she neared the Purple Cloud Ginseng, a sharp sense of danger made her pause. Another presence was approaching fast. She confirmed her invisibility talisman was still active before glancing at the source.
It was Yu Xiaotang.
Xie Zhaolin knew her junior sister was skilled, but she hadn't expected Yu Xiaotang to sneak here quietly instead of getting lost in the fight like everyone else. Luckily, the spirit herb wasn't quite mature yet. Yu Xiaotang wouldn't be foolish enough to harvest it now, or its medicinal properties would be lost.
Yu Xiaotang's mind raced. She didn't know what had triggered the battle earlier, but this chaos was a perfect chance to claim the herb for herself.
"System, check remaining points," she muttered silently.
[Current remaining points: 327.]
Her heart ached.
She'd spent 5,000 points to exchange for a one-time special item called Chaos Aura, designed to temporarily confuse nearby cultivators and amplify their negative emotions. This was why the lead disciples had turned on each other—their anger alone wouldn't have made them fight recklessly otherwise.
Suppressing the sting of losing so many points, Yu Xiaotang fixed her gaze on the nearly mature Purple Cloud Ginseng. Losing 5,000 points hurt, but if she could take this thousand-year spirit herb for herself, it would all be worth it.
"System, scan the Purple Cloud Ginseng's maturity time."
[Purple Cloud Ginseng will fully mature in the time it takes to burn an incense stick. It's recommended the host wait until fully mature before harvesting, or medicinal potency will be reduced by 70%.]
A calculating glint appeared in her eyes.
One incense stick's time was enough to lay a contingency. She quietly retrieved several formation flags, preparing to set up a concealment array around the herb so she could harvest it instantly the moment it matured. Just as she focused on setting up the array, an inexplicable chill shot up her spine. Before she could react, the system's sharp alarm blared in her mind:
[Warning! Deadly attack detected!]
Her pupils constricted. She instinctively twisted aside. A streak of sharp sword energy grazed her cheek, shattering a jade pendant she'd been using as a protective talisman!
"Who's there?!" Yu Xiaotang shouted in shock and anger. She hadn't sensed anyone nearby.
Xie Zhaolin wasn't surprised her strike missed. She'd expected Yu Xiaotang, as Hehuan Sect's young sect master, would have multiple life-saving talismans. But such protections never last forever.
Without hesitation, Xie Zhaolin unleashed four beast souls. Dark shadows leapt toward Yu Xiaotang, relentless and deadly.
Yu Xiaotang dodged desperately, heart hammering. This was an obvious assassination attempt! If not for her protective talismans, that first strike would've seriously wounded her. She hastily activated more talismans while trying to spot the assailant, but Xie Zhaolin remained completely hidden by her invisibility.
"You sneaky bastard!" Yu Xiaotang growled, quickly forming hand seals to dispel the stealth.
But Xie Zhaolin gave her no chance.
The four beast souls attacked in perfect coordination, relentless as a tidal wave. Yu Xiaotang was forced onto full defense, unable to spare a moment for anything else, as the talismans protecting her cracked one by one under the pressure.
What terrified her most was that most of her attacks seemed to hit nothing. Though they appeared to strike the beasts' bodies, they passed through as if slicing air, causing almost no damage. Occasionally, a strike landed, but these creatures seemed highly resistant to physical damage, with wounds healing almost instantly.
"What the hell are these things?!"
Yu Xiaotang scowled at the system. Her attacks barely affected the strange beasts, while every strike from the enemy could kill her. She'd be doomed if this continued!
[Analyzing target energy signature consumes 100 points. Confirm?]
Gritting her teeth, Yu Xiaotang bit back her frustration. "Confirm!"
[Target: Beast-class Yin Soul, typically found in extreme yin environments. Capable of phasing between solid and ethereal forms. Recommended to use thunder or pure Yang artifacts.]
Extreme yin environment? Beast-class Yin Soul?
Yu Xiaotang immediately thought of the demon clan—only demon cultivators usually fought these sinister creatures!
"You're from the demon clan?" she shouted sharply, retreating to create distance.
The reply was an even more violent assault. The four beast souls, along with the invisible assailant, were like a festering curse, giving her no breathing room.
Gritting her teeth, she asked, "System, how many points to break their invisibility?"
[Breaking advanced invisibility talisman requires 200 points.]
Grumbling at the system's opportunism, she still had no choice. "Redeem!"
An invisible wave swept across the battlefield, and Xie Zhaolin's form suddenly appeared!
The moment the wave hit, Xie Zhaolin sensed something amiss, but her human-skin mask and disguise were still intact.
Yu Xiaotang hadn't done anything overt—she'd just stood there, and yet could silently break an advanced invisibility talisman. Clearly the work of that mysterious Xi Tong!
But the invisibility had been dispelled, not her disguise. Xie Zhaolin realized this technique likely had limits—it couldn't see through all forms of disguise. With that, her eyes glinted coldly, and her attacks grew even more ferocious. The four beast souls lunged at Yu Xiaotang like berserk shadows, each strike more lethal than before!
Yu Xiaotang caught sight of a previously unseen male cultivator revealed by the system. She'd never met him, but the killing intent in his eyes was unmistakably real.
Now that she could see the enemy, she didn't have to just defend.
"No matter who you are, I'll take your life today!" Yu Xiaotang shouted, suddenly producing a pair of short blades. Streams of light shimmered along their edges, clearly no ordinary weapons.
She moved like a shadow, the blades leaving afterimages as they aimed for Xie Zhaolin's vital points.
Xie Zhaolin's eyes flickered in surprise. In the past two years, Yu Xiaotang had clearly improved by leaps and bounds. That Xi Tong really knew what they were doing.
But Xie Zhaolin didn't panic. The four beast souls immediately fell back into defensive patterns. Their abilities made Yu Xiaotang's attacks almost impossible to land, and if it weren't for her numerous talismans, she wouldn't have lasted this long.
Even more unsettling, Yu Xiaotang noticed that the enemy seemed familiar with her moves, often predicting them in advance. "Who exactly was this person?!"
===
Xie Zhaolin was completely unfamiliar with the modern concept of a 'system,' so when she heard the word 系统 (xì tǒng) in the brink of her death—whispered by Yu Xiaotang in Chapter 3—her brain automatically filed it under 'name of a person or entity.' She misheard it as 戏桐 (Xì Tóng), and honestly, you can't even blame her.
What she thinks she hears: 戏桐 (Xì Tóng)
戏 (Xì): This means 'drama,' 'play,' or 'to tease.' It implies a manipulative, theatrical puppeteer.
桐 (Tóng): This is the 'paulownia' or 'phoenix tree,' a symbol of nobility and elegance.
What she's actually hearing: 系统 (xì tǒng)
系 (xì): Means 'to connect' or 'a series.'
统 (tǒng): Means 'to unite' or 'to command.'
Put together, 系统 means 'system'