Lin Zhiyue only had six regular gacha tickets saved up in her hand right now. Deducting five was practically the death of her.
“Is there something wrong with your system?” she hissed in a low voice. “I'm a little trash who hasn't even reached the Qi Refining Stage, and you want me to show off my earrings in front of a bunch of Golden Core and Nascent Soul experts? Are you trying to get me killed faster?”
The system replied sweetly, “Please rest assured, Host! Purple-quality items are considered upper-middle-tier spiritual tools in the cultivation world. As long as you maintain an air of unfathomable mystery, no one will easily try to snatch them from you. The cultivation world values elegance and decorum, after all!”
Standing at the entrance of Qingxia Town, Lin Zhiyue looked at the colorful banners fluttering on the high platform in the distance and the dense crowd of heads below. She felt her future was even bleaker than the original owner's corpse.
But she still went.
The testing ground was set up in the martial arts arena at the center of town. Spectator stands had been erected all around. Rogue cultivators crowded outside the railings to watch, while disciples from minor sects occupied the inner circle. Lin Zhiyue blended into the crowd, listening to the chatter of the people nearby.
“I heard that the eldest martial brother of the Qingling Sect is personally presiding over the preliminary test this year. He's a Nascent Soul powerhouse!”
“That's not all. The young martial sister from the Piaoyin Sect is here too. Word is she's here to pick a few good-looking disciples to take back...”
“Hmph, no matter how good-looking they are, can they beat that one? Look at who's sitting on the platform—Senior Sister Lin of the Biluo Immortal Sect. She's a genius who created her own sword style during the Foundation Establishment Stage, and she's only twenty-five this year!”
Lin Zhiyue followed everyone's gaze. Sitting in the main seat of the high platform was a woman in white. Her expression was cold, and the aura around her was as frozen as frost and snow, giving her a truly extraordinary bearing. Beside her sat several young people wearing the uniforms of various sects, likely the representatives sent to invigilate the test.
The competition on the stage had already begun. Two rogue cultivators of the Qi Refining Stage were fighting fiercely back and forth, their sword qi flying everywhere, drawing constant cheers from the stands. Lin Zhiyue had no concept of this level of combat; she only felt that the flashing sword light made her eyes hurt.
“Host, it is detected that the current crowd exceeds two hundred people, meeting the quest conditions. Please showcase your purple-quality fashion item as soon as possible!” The system's voice bounced with excitement. “It is highly recommended that you showcase the 'Mist-shrouded Verdure' Gilded Jade Earring. The effect will be outstanding!”
Lin Zhiyue touched the earring on her left ear, her fingertips feeling a faint, warm flow of spiritual energy. This item could indeed store things, but pulling items out of it right now might look a bit too abrupt.
The fight on the stage ended. The victorious rogue cultivator proudly cupped his hands to the crowd before stepping aside. The loser looked dejected, silently sheathing his sword and slipping back into the crowd.
However, she had no interest in watching any of this.
Having participated in countless academic conferences and thesis defenses in her past life, she knew one thing above all else—to catch the attention of the entire room, you didn't need to shout at the top of your lungs. You only needed to make the most critical person look at you first.
The people below were incredibly shrewd. Wherever the gaze of those in high positions fell, everyone else's eyes would naturally follow.
Lin Zhiyue tilted her head slightly, her gaze passing over the shifting heads to land on the woman in white in the main seat of the high platform. She subtly adjusted her stance, positioning her left ear to face the afternoon sun angling down from above.
The surface of the gilded jade earring was as smooth as a mirror. The tiny flowing golden bead against the jade-green base caught the sunlight, reflecting a thin, brilliant beam of light.
Using her peripheral vision, Lin Zhiyue precisely adjusted the angle. Like a golden needle, the beam of light pierced through the air above the stands and landed gently in the eyes of Senior Sister Lin from the Biluo Immortal Sect.
The woman in white was watching the match below when her brow suddenly furrowed slightly, and she tilted her head.
The beam of light flashed across her eyelashes. It wasn't blinding, but it was clear enough.
She instinctively looked toward the source of the light. Her gaze cut through the crowd and locked onto Lin Zhiyue—and the earring on her ear, which was swirling with jade-green light under the sun.
Right then, Senior Sister Lin of the Biluo Immortal Sect suddenly stood up. Her sharp gaze swept across the crowd below, finally locking onto Lin Zhiyue's position.
“That young lady,” her voice was as cold as ice, “could you lend me the earring you are wearing to take a look?”
The entire arena fell dead silent.
Every single eye instantly turned to Lin Zhiyue. Standing in the middle of the crowd, she wore a faded, washed-out coarse cloth dress, her hair loosely tied in a simple bun. The only thing of any worth on her entire body was that jade-green earring.
Being stared at by over two hundred pairs of eyes at this moment made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
“Don't panic, Host! Evaluating showcase quest... Evaluation successful! Advanced Gacha Ticket ×3 has been distributed!” the system announced jubilantly.
You're happy, Lin Zhiyue thought, but how am I supposed to wrap this up?
But on the outside, she remained completely composed.
The presentation and defense skills she had honed in her past life allowed her to maintain perfect control over her facial expression, even under the scrutiny of so many eyes.
She raised her chin slightly, adopting the same 'your questions are far too naive' look her former professors used to give, and calmly met the gaze of the woman in white on the platform.
“Senior Sister Lin has a keen eye,” her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silence. “However, this earring of mine has recognized its master. Others cannot touch it.”
The system had urgently fed her these words in her mind. It was true that most purple-quality spiritual tools required blood recognition to bind to their masters, and anyone else who tried to force a touch would suffer a backlash. Lin Zhiyue didn't know if this was true for her earring, but she could only steel herself and play along.
The woman in white on the platform narrowed her eyes slightly, seemingly about to speak, but the eldest martial brother of the Qingling Sect beside her suddenly pressed her arm and whispered something. The woman's expression shifted slightly, and she sat back down.
“I was too forward,” she said, her tone softening a bit. “The spiritual energy in your earring is restrained, and its patterns are natural, carrying an ancient style. Might I ask where you obtained it?”
Lin Zhiyue's heart skipped a beat. An ancient style? The system hadn't mentioned any historical lore attached to this thing!
The system urgently flashed a subtitle: 【Make it up! Hurry, make it up! Say it's an heirloom!】
“It is an heirloom,” Lin Zhiyue said expressionlessly. “My ancestors happened to obtain it in a secret realm. By the time it was passed down to my generation, this is the only decent object left.”
She kept her explanation intentionally vague, neither denying its connection to a secret realm nor admitting it was anything truly extraordinary. The cultivation world fell hardest for this trick—the more ambiguous you were, the more unfathomable people assumed you to be.
Sure enough, several sect representatives on the platform exchanged glances. The young martial sister from the Piaoyin Sect even sat up straighter, studying her with great interest.
“May I ask who your master is, young lady?” the eldest martial brother of the Qingling Sect spoke up. His voice was gentle, but the question was anything but.
Lin Zhiyue remained silent for two seconds.
“I have no sect or faction,” she said. “I am just traveling around to see the world.”
As soon as she said this, a wave of whispers rippled through the crowd below.
Rogue cultivators were at the very bottom of the cultivation world. With no resources, no inheritance, and no backing, they were looked down upon wherever they went.
Yet, Lin Zhiyue spoke with such flat indifference, as if she were merely commenting on the fine weather, that it made people unable to tell whether she truly didn't care or was hiding something.
The eldest martial brother smiled, pressing no further, and turned to announce the start of the next match.
Lin Zhiyue slowly retreated through the crowd. Her heart was pounding like a war drum, but her steps remained steady. She even noticed that the young martial sister from the Hehuan Sect was watching her departure, her gaze thoughtful.
Leaving the martial arts arena, she ducked into a small alleyway. Pressing her back against the cold stone wall, she let out a long, heavy breath.
“System,” her voice trembled slightly, “next time you give me a quest like this, can you provide a script beforehand?”
“Understood, Host! Performance rating for this quest: A! You exceeded the showcase expectations. Extra reward: Limited-time Gacha Single-Pull Ticket ×1!”
Rate on N.U.
