"Hiss…"
Yu Xiaotang sucked in a sharp breath. Her fingers trembled as she pulled a single silver-white strand from her hair. She set it on the table without expression, where more than a dozen identical strands were already gathered.
This was the price of her deal with the system—ten years of lifespan.
Just as Xie Zhaolin had guessed, every so-called piece of evidence was fabricated by the system. But since she didn't have enough points, Yu Xiaotang had no choice but to trade ten years of her life.
She stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. Losing ten years wasn't too devastating. Foundation Establishment cultivators usually lived more than two hundred years, and there were longevity pills to extend that span. It was a price she could still accept.
And though the cost wasn't small, the benefits were worth it.
Thanks to the evidence she'd pulled out, several sects had to admit their fault. The fragments of artifacts marked with demonic seals and the recording stones proved there really were black-robed figures moving in the shadows, impersonating Hehuan Sect disciples.
Xunyang Sword Sect, Medicine King Valley, and the others couldn't refute the evidence. In the end, they had no choice but to acknowledge they'd wronged Yu Xiaotang. What's more, because their mistake had cost Hehuan Sect the chance to seize resources inside the secret realm, the major sects were forced to compensate. Most of those resources ended up in her hands.
Even better, Yuan Yingqi's favorability toward her, which had dropped to 1, jumped straight to 24 after the truth came out. And when she spoke with lofty righteousness, claiming she didn't mind being hunted for the sake of the human race, his favorability climbed to 30—three points higher than before entering the secret realm.
A glint of satisfaction flickered in her eyes.
The price had been steep, but at least she'd turned the tables.
She rose, walking to the window to gaze at the endless mountain ranges. In her heart, she calculated her next move. As for the identity of the one who had attacked her, she already had a strong suspicion. That strike had been too ruthless. The attacker knew Hehuan Sect techniques inside out, could mimic her aura and even her escape routes perfectly…
Who else could it be but her dear Senior Sister Yun Qingyue?
"Yun Qingyue…" Yu Xiaotang murmured, her fingers curling tightly.
She should've thought of it earlier. Only Yun Qingyue hated her that much, and only she could imitate her so flawlessly. Not to mention, Yun Qingyue knew Hehuan Sect like the back of her hand. After all… she had once been its chief disciple.
Yu Xiaotang's gaze sharpened.
That Senior Sister of hers was alive. Not only alive, but stronger and more dangerous than ever.
"System, query Yun Qingyue's current status."
[Target Query: Yun Qingyue]
[Status: Dead]
[Location: Unknown]
Yu Xiaotang's brows furrowed as irritation welled up.
At critical moments, this damned system was useless! That person was clearly Yun Qingyue, yet the system only listed her as dead? It hadn't even finished transferring her Luck, and it still dared to claim she'd died?
She rubbed her temples, suppressing her frustration, and checked her points balance.
[Current Points: 837]
Most of those points had come from Yuan Yingqi and others raising their favorability toward her. Thinking of Yuan Yingqi, her mood eased a little. At least the young sect master of Xunyang Sword Sect wasn't like those other men who only liked fragile, delicate girls. She opened the system mall and scrolled to the tracking functions.
[Cultivation Realm Global Positioning System: Requires 10,000 Points]
[Function Description: Can locate any target's exact position within the cultivation realm, ignoring distance and barrier restrictions]
Her brows furrowed.
This function was powerful. Being able to track anyone or anything across the cultivation realm was no small thing, and the price wasn't unreasonable.
But she'd already drained her savings dry in the Fusang Secret Realm. The compensation she got afterward didn't even cover half the value of the Purple Cloud Ginseng she'd lost. It was like pouring everything straight down the drain.
Still, Yun Qingyue's whereabouts couldn't be ignored. Only by erasing her completely could she rest easy. Which meant she'd have to keep doing those nauseating "romance quests," faking affection to rack up points.
The thought of those men made disgust flash in her eyes.
They always liked the fragile, helpless type, forcing her to put on that simpering, artificial act. It wasted her cultivation time, and she had to swallow her pride just to farm points.
But… Yuan Yingqi seemed to prefer stronger women. That at least made farming his favorability less irritating.
"System, is there any other way to quickly earn points?" she asked hopefully.
[Killing beasts: 10–300 points]
[Discovering spirit plants: 50–200 points]
[Breaking ancient ruins: 200–500 points]
Yu Xiaotang frowned harder. Too risky, too slow, or too time-consuming. None of them worked. She let out a quiet sigh. Looked like she'd have to keep relying on romance quests. Annoying as they were, they were safer and more stable than anything else.
"List current romance quests," she ordered, her voice tinged with helplessness.
[Available Romance Quests]
[Raise Yuan Yingqi's favorability to 50, reward 200 points]
[Establish connection with Medicine King Valley's young valley master, reward 50 points]
[Raise Mingguang Sect's Fózǐ favorability to 20, reward 250 points]
Yu Xiaotang scanned the list, impatience flickering in her gaze. She drew in a slow breath, forcing herself to calm down. As irritating as these quests were, they weren't completely useless. Once someone's favorability grew high enough, she could gain resources from them.
That Medicine King Valley heir whose favorability had hit 90 often sent her cultivation pills. The current quest targets had even more resources in their hands. So, maybe it wasn't a total loss. But for now, stabilizing her foundation came first.
This last trip had drained her, and trading away ten years of lifespan had already shaken her core. If she didn't retreat soon, it might damage her future cultivation.
"I'll go into seclusion first. After my strength improves, I'll handle the quests," she decided firmly.
What she didn't know was that far away in Qingxi Sect, Xie Zhaolin was already watching her every move.
"Master, Yu Xiaotang's entered seclusion," Mo Yan reported respectfully. "They say it'll be at least three months."
A cold smile curved Xie Zhaolin's lips. "Seclusion? Looks like the price she paid was heavier than I thought."
She tapped the table lightly, her eyes glinting with thought. "Keep watching. The moment she comes out, I want to know."
"Yes." Mo Yan bowed, then added, "Also, there's been movement on Alchemy Peak."