Chapter 1

At the summit of Guanglin Mountain, the thunder had ceased, and the fierce wind was gradually calming down.

In the air, three thousand feet above, Shangguan Xuanhao was covered in blood, hanging on a massive black spear.

— How enormous was this spear? Just the tip of it had completely pierced through his chest and abdomen, leaving him utterly drained of all strength.

But at this moment, Shangguan Xuanhao did not focus on the eight-armed demon that had taken his life. Instead, he turned his head with great difficulty to look behind him.

There stood a man with a dragon-like and phoenix-like appearance, a red mark on his forehead as if carved by a knife, exuding an elegant and extraordinary aura.

Shangguan Xuanhao couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of black blood, then smiled bitterly.

"I thought earlier that these demons must have an insider helping them. But I never imagined it would be you."

"You have many things you didn't expect."

The man's expression was calm, his gaze filled with pity and mockery as he looked at Shangguan Xuanhao. "How successful you've been these past few years. I doubt you ever thought you would end up like this, right?"

"But why?"

Shangguan Xuanhao asked somewhat helplessly, "Betraying your fellow disciples and colluding with demons is a grave offense!"

"Grave offense? Xuanhao, you're wrong! Today, the one who colluded with demons and betrayed the sect is not me, but you, Shangguan Xuanhao."

The young man shook his head, his lips curling coldly. "As for why, do you remember the words I said to you five years ago?"

Shangguan Xuanhao couldn't help but frown slightly, as if lost in thought.

At this moment, the young man spoke again, "Back then, I said that everything you took from me, I would one day take back! Whether it was reputation, status, or the most precious treasure between us. I swore that even if I fell into hell, I would make sure you, Shangguan Xuanhao, would have no place to rest, and your name would be disgraced forever. Five years later, I have finally succeeded..."

At this point, he heard the eight-armed demon chuckle, "He's dead, he can't hear!"

The young man glanced indifferently at Shangguan Xuanhao's corpse and shook his head. "That was a soul separation technique. But he can't return to Rizhueshan, so he's as good as dead."

With a wave of his sleeve, the corpse exploded into powder, scattering in the wind.

***

Three years later, at noon, the sun was scorching. Zhang Xin walked up the stone steps in front of the entrance to the Tianzhu Mountain branch of the Rizhueshan Xuan Sect, feeling as if his head was about to explode, and his soul was being torn apart.

There were only a few dozen steps left ahead, but to him, they seemed like a distant horizon, unreachable. His head was dizzy, and he felt a wave of dizziness.

At the top of the steps, thousands of people were standing in the blazing sun, most of them looking down with resentful and helpless eyes, and curses could be heard from the crowd.

"If you can't come up, just roll down!"

"Stop dawdling, how much longer are you going to take?"

"You damn fool, you're going to kill me with heat!"

Not only were these people irritated and cursing, but even the Rizhueshan Xuan Sect disciples maintaining order at the gate were impatient.

"What's wrong with this guy? Why is he so slow? At this rate, when will he reach the top?"

"This weather is really hot. If this keeps up, I might die."

"Still, we have to wait! I know this person, his name is Zhang Xin, and he's not just anyone. It's only been half an hour, I wonder if he can make it?"

"Not just anyone? Is he the child of one of the 'Divine Masters'?"

"Not exactly, but he is from Guanglin Mountain."

"Guanglin Mountain? I see. It's said that three years ago, Guanglin Mountain collapsed, and out of the 297,000 households around it, only a few dozen people survived, and Zhang Xin was one of them. No wonder..."

Zhang Xin, on the steps, heard the curses from above. He ignored them, crying and wailing in his heart—What's going on? He used to climb these steps without feeling this difficult! Is this where his path as a Spirit Master will end?

The fiery sun was high in the sky, and Zhang Xin's clothes were drenched in sweat, his consciousness growing increasingly hazy.

Fortunately, there were only a few dozen steps left. Zhang Xin gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and pressed his nails into his flesh, trying to stay awake and continue climbing.

However, the spiritual pressure on the stone steps was overwhelming, and with each step, the pressure increased.

The Spirit Ascension Stairs of the Rizhueshan Xuan Sect had 999 steps and were part of the first of the three entrance exams, testing the disciples' spiritual energy and physical strength, which were crucial for a Spirit Master.

He had no problem with the latter two, as this body was quite strong. What made it difficult for Zhang Xin was the lack of spiritual energy. Under the pressure of the stairs, he could barely move. The higher he climbed, the more difficult it became. If not for his good physical strength, he would have fainted long ago.

Even so, he couldn't be sure if he could complete the stairs, despite his past near-peak achievements as a Spirit Master.

"Want to give up?"

A young man in a plain white robe, with a stern face, suddenly appeared beside him. "Your soul is damaged, and your talent is insufficient. Continuing will only harm you."

Zhang Xin didn't answer, but continued climbing a few more steps. Then he panted heavily, like a dog in the heat.

The young man frowned. "Your physical strength is decent, but your soul is too weak. You won't go far as a Spirit Master."

"Until you try, how do you know?"

Zhang Xin, after catching his breath, climbed two more steps. He thought it was good, only fifteen steps left. He even had the energy to chat with the man beside him. "Sir, are you the examiner? Is this considered interference? Sir, you should be encouraging me, not talking to me like this."

"I am Li Guanghai, the examiner for this entrance exam."

The young man's voice was calm. "You might make it to the end, but you will surely injure your soul. Why bother?"

Zhang Xin climbed five more steps. At the top, people were shouting, "Come on, faster, keep going, I believe in you, or I'll kill you, you damn fool," and the noise was intense.

Zhang Xin steadied himself, drank the last of the salt water from his water bottle, and rested for a moment. Then he gathered his strength and charged forward.

He made it to the last three steps before his momentum slowed. Each step felt like carrying a thousand pounds, as if an invisible barrier was blocking his path.

The young man, Li Guanghai, watched coldly. "After the Spirit Ascension Stairs, there are three more martial exams. You won't pass them."

Zhang Xin laughed. "A man can't stand hearing that he can't do it!"

As he spoke, Zhang Xin let out a wild roar, his muscles tensing, veins bulging. A faint sound of air bursting could be heard around him.

It was as if a wall had been broken, and Zhang Xin rushed forward three steps, finally stepping onto the last step.

But at this point, Zhang Xin was completely exhausted, collapsing on the ground, unable to move. The most unbearable thing was not the loss of strength but the pain in his head, as if a pot was boiling inside, making his vision blur with stars.

At this moment, Zhang Xin heard Li Guanghai sigh, "Why go through this?"

At the same time, a drop of liquid landed on his head, bringing a cool sensation, and his fatigue was greatly relieved.

Zhang Xin was surprised and turned his head. He remembered this fellow disciple as strict and rigid, not the type to help others.

Was this considered a violation? After the Spirit Ascension Stairs, all disciples would undergo a large amount of spiritual energy consumption before the martial exams. According to the rules, they were not allowed to take any medicine to recover today.

Zhang Xin couldn't believe that this was the Li Guanghai from the 'Disciplinary Hall,' who valued rules so much.

"It's the Dean who made an exception for you, worried you might die on Tianzhu Mountain!"

Li Guanghai's expression was calm. "In half an hour, the martial exams will begin. I won't show favoritism. If you can't pass all three, I'll send you down the mountain myself."

With that, he flicked his sleeve and walked away.

Zhang Xin was stunned, then laughed. He was most afraid of not being able to climb up, but he hadn't considered being sent down.

The other young people, led by a dozen Rizhueshan Xuan Sect disciples, had already entered the gate. But Zhang Xin still couldn't get up, lying on the ground, exposed to the scorching sun.

A moment later, Zhang Xin noticed a girl's figure in his field of vision.

She was a peculiar girl, with a face so beautiful it was indescribable. However, her attire was extremely indecent. Except for a few key points, most of her skin was exposed. She had cat ears on her head and a tail that swayed, like a combination of a cat and a girl.

"~Meow, Master, you shouldn't push yourself like this. Your brain waves have just returned to normal. If that person hadn't helped you, you would have fainted again, meow!"

Zhang Xin frowned and instinctively touched his chest. Under his clothes, a small pendant was slightly warm.

"Why did you come out now? It's not good if someone sees you."

He was speaking to her in his mind, knowing she could 'hear' him.

"Don't worry, no one can see me, it's fine!"

The girl scratched her face with a cat paw and giggled. "Before, it was a holographic projection, so others could see. This time, I'm interfering with your neural signals, creating an image directly in your brain, different from before, meow."

Zhang Xin still didn't fully understand terms like 'brain waves' and 'neural signals,' but he guessed what she meant.

Relieved, Zhang Xin said, "Can you speak properly? How many times have I told you not to add 'meow' at the end of sentences? And can't you wear more clothes? This is indecent."

"But this is the skin Master bought for Ruoruo! In summer, it can only be a cool outfit. As for the 'meow' at the end, it's a default setting for this skin, and Ruoruo is helpless, meow."

The girl scratched her head with a cat paw, puzzled. "The database says this image is the most popular, with 23.5% of terminal intelligences using this skin, saying it's super cute, meow! If Master doesn't like it, Ruoruo can change it."

Zhang Xin was about to say 'don't change' when the girl suddenly turned into a cloud of white smoke and changed her appearance. She still had furry ears and a tail, but they were now white.

— Before, she was a cat, now a dog. The key was that her clothes were still extremely revealing. The top, like a belly band, was even smaller, only covering her chest, exposing her flat stomach and navel. The bottom, which should be pants, only covered her buttocks, exposing her white, tender legs. This was simply shameless!

"Woof, does Master like Ruoruo like this? Woof woof..."

Hearing the weak, tender 'barking,' Zhang Xin shivered and said irritably, "Isn't this the same as before?"

He knew the 'skin' referred to her appearance. Over the past three years, he had seen Ruoruo in this form more than once, but he still couldn't bear it.

"Master still doesn't like it?"

Ruoruo was troubled. "I'll change again! This is the last skin, Master is too stingy, only buying Ruoruo three skins."

Another cloud of white smoke rose, and when Ruoruo appeared again, Zhang Xin's face turned pale, his mouth and tongue dry.

This was even worse! Ruoruo had changed to a fox form, which was fine, but could that be called clothes? It was just two strings, one on top and one on the bottom. Her chest, which seemed a bit larger, was even more distracting.

He felt his eyes dazzled by the pair of white, plump breasts. Not only did he feel a hot surge in his nose and mouth, but his lower body was also reacting strongly.

"I told you not to change. The cat girl form was better. Change it back..."

Zhang Xin, while enjoying the view, thought with a sigh of relief that since his body was reacting, his strength must have mostly recovered.

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