Chapter 221: A Wake-Up Call for the Players
Song Jiulai just smiled.
’If Fu Lanze knew I don’t actually know the Old Sect Master at all, and that I basically stole this identity, she probably wouldn’t be thinking this way.’
Fortunately, Fu Lanze had no intention of reminiscing with Song Jiulai.
She raised her hand, and an object appeared in her palm.
It was a small pocket embroidered with a single blade of grass.
The pocket’s fabric was coarse, however, and the stitching was crooked, as if it had been embroidered by a novice.
Moreover, this was the kind of pocket a Cultivator wouldn’t normally carry; it looked like something a mortal would embroider.
Fu Lanze said softly, "This was originally given to me by him. Now, I suppose I have fulfilled his request."
Song Jiulai was a little confused. "Senior, you mean?"
"Your Old Sect Master originally gave this to me and asked me to find someone for him. I have now found a clue to that person’s whereabouts, so naturally, this item must be returned to the Longevity Sect."
Song Jiulai: "..."
’But what am I supposed to do with it?’
’What good is giving it to me?!’
While she was reeling in confusion, Fu Lanze explained, "For many years, your Old Sect Master was searching for his family. He didn’t arrive at the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect through normal means; he emerged from a Secret Realm and could never find his way back. I later met him by chance, and he gave me this when I was about to set off on my travels. The person he was looking for is now in the Extreme Saint Sect."
Seeing that Song Jiulai still seemed unaware, Fu Lanze added, "His sister. Your Old Sect Master’s sister."
’His sister?’
Song Jiulai was still at a loss.
’So he has a sister. And?’
Fu Lanze then revealed her true purpose. "I am about to return to Qianling Pool and will not emerge for the next hundred years. Perhaps, if you carry this pocket with you, you can give it to the Old Sect Master’s sister if you should one day meet her."
Qianling Pool. That was the territory of the Spirit God Sect.
’So she’s just dumping this on me.’
The crucial part was that Song Jiulai couldn’t refuse.
Because this was a relic of the Old Sect Master.
Having inherited the Longevity Sect, she was fated to be tied to his karma. Refusing to accept this karmic tie would be detrimental to her cultivation path.
It was just like when Mu Qiu accepted Xue Ru’s last belongings.
Song Jiulai reached out and took it, not refusing. "Senior, where in the Extreme Saint Sect is the Old Sect Master’s sister?"
For Fu Lanze to have located someone in a place like that, she was clearly no ordinary Cultivator.
"I was only able to find out that she is in the Extreme Saint Sect. As for where exactly, I do not know. Her name is Liao Shilan."
’Liao Shilan?’
Song Jiulai committed the name to memory.
Having delivered the item, Fu Lanze clearly had no intention of lingering. "The item has been returned. I must be leaving now."
Song Jiulai maintained her ethereal persona, smiling at Fu Lanze. "Senior, thank you for bringing the Old Sect Master’s memento. Please take care."
Fu Lanze nodded, but just before leaving, she gave Song Jiulai a strange look.
She felt that Song Jiulai’s aura was very weak.
It wasn’t what she had imagined.
If Song Jiulai was that weak, how could she possibly have become the Sect Master of the Longevity Sect?
But Fu Lanze didn’t press the issue.
Only after Fu Lanze had left did Song Jiulai realize she hadn’t even asked for the woman’s name.
Nor had she introduced herself.
Not that she cared. She carefully examined the pocket.
Then she put it in the Sect’s warehouse.
’It’s pretty important, after all. Can’t go losing it carelessly.’
She was just a little puzzled. "The Old Sect Master had a sister who was also a Cultivator? What a pity they didn’t see each other for so many years."
System: "Looks like you’ll have to make a trip to the Extreme Saint Sect sooner or later."
Song Jiulai sighed. "Well, I’ll start making puppets then. Once this batch of puppets is done, I have to go to the Demon Cave—"
After a moment’s hesitation, she suddenly said, "Or maybe I should just go to the Dragon Frost Swamp? The Ten Thousand Immortals Sect’s disciple selection tournament is only half a year away. A trip to the Dragon Frost Swamp would let me see the outside world, which should be good for my cultivation."
System: "You’re going with the players?"
Song Jiulai shrugged. "It’s just a matter of changing my face. Last time I was Wang Abei. This time... this time I’ll be Li Agou."
System: "You don’t have to call yourself that. You’re already a real dog."
Song Jiulai: "..."
’Damn you, System!’
While Song Jiulai started working overtime making puppets, both inside and outside the game, excitement was building over the new player slots.
Meanwhile, Zhou Nvzi, having spent a few days practicing Alchemy after leaving the Secret Realm, discovered she had quite a talent for it.
Upon exiting the Secret Realm, she threw herself into the Pill Workshop, eagerly rubbing her hands together in preparation for the new players who would appear in a week.
Xue Yao, Shuang Xiahuai, and the others set up an Artifact Refining Workshop. As for Beast Taming, no one had joined yet due to a lack of space, but it was already in the planning stages.
Only Han Tian’s group had been taught a harsh lesson.
Han Tian had a Purple Spirit Root; his innate talent wasn’t bad.
Relying on his system-provided cheat, his advancement path had been quite smooth.
Unfortunately, he had suffered no real hardships on his way to the Late-stage Qi Refining realm.
In fact, he had only just entered the Late Stage!
His opponent also had a Purple Spirit Root.
He managed to win a few duels, but was ultimately put in his place by people from other Sects.
When the results of the competition came in, the three of them had bought Magic Treasures but hadn’t even qualified for the matches against the Sea View Sect disciples.
The players were completely dumbfounded.
This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go at all!
’Isn’t this competition supposed to be a training dungeon for us?’
’Damn it!’
’How did all three of them get wiped out in the preliminaries?’
The key thing was, it wasn’t an inexplicable loss for Han Tian and the others. The fact that he couldn’t even defeat Mu Qiu should have been a sign of things to come...
They lost purely due to their lack of combat experience.
Fighting demon beasts all the time was one thing; demon beasts were stupid, not nearly as flexible as a person.
These disciples had all been training in Yunzhou for over a decade. Their combat experience was far beyond what the players could match.
And since they couldn’t cheat by chugging potions, their loss was thoroughly deserved.
Han Tian did a little better; at least he won two rounds.
An Xiu won one round.
Honghuang and Zhang Sheng were in the same boat—both eliminated in the first round.
Honghuang was so angry he was hopping mad. "So the Magic Treasures were a complete waste of money."
"What’s the use of having good Magic Treasures if you can’t beat anyone?!"
He felt incredibly frustrated. "When have I ever suffered like this in a game?! This crappy game!"
An Xiu said, "Maybe you should just quit the game, then."
Honghuang: "...I was just kidding. Can’t a guy vent a little?"
An Xiu shot him a sideways glance. "Didn’t you just say it’s a crappy game?"
Honghuang gave a sheepish grin and started making excuses for the game again. "Well, it is 100% realistic, and our Spirit Roots are only average..."
Although they both had Purple Spirit Roots, they had barely scraped by to get them.
They couldn’t even compare to Han Tian.
The main reason they’d succeeded before was their boldness and willingness to fight.
Han Tian was even more miserable. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It’s a good thing I turned off the livestream at the end."
Losing the match was one thing, but if the netizens saw him being mocked by two disciples from the Fierce Eagle Sect, he’d want to die from embarrassment.
And the Fierce Eagle Sect disciples’ mockery wasn’t entirely baseless. Afraid of a disastrous failure, Han Tian had actually been holding back during his match.
The moment Han Tian’s group lost, the booing started.
It was enough to make his blood boil!