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Chapter 71: Xue Lingxi is What Now? (1)
'Hmm... You have thoughts?' I was surprised at first, but then, considering how this thing had appeared inside me without me even knowing, it was not so surprising after all.
I was walking back to my house, trying to cut off my thoughts that kept replaying what had happened a little while ago by talking to the system.
'I think Sir is good for now. You are a mighty entity that even the Head Elder and the Ancestor were unable to sense, and yet someone like me is your master—when I don't even know in which part of my body you reside, Sir. And whether all of this is even real or just an illusion... or a dream.'
[Sorry, Host. I am unable to provide information on others. As stated before, I can only offer details on major antagonists or protagonists.]
I smiled as I saw the system finally using a term different from "Master." However, the word "Host" lingered at the back of my mind.
'But, Sir, what and who are these Major Antagonists and Protagonists you speak of?'
[...]
[Sorry, Host. I am unable to answer your question, as I do not have sufficient authority to reveal the plans of ◾◾◾.]
'Huh? What did you say at the end?'
[... What I mean is that, Host, my previous masters were usually aware of the terms "Major Antagonist" and "Protagonist." It is rare, but some of my past masters were unaware of these two terms, and they had to find the answers themselves.]
I halted my steps.
'W-What do you mean... by previous masters?' I asked, taken aback by those two words—"Previous Masters."
[Jiang Ren was one of my previous masters.]
What?! You don't mean that Jiang Ren, right? Who am I trying to kid? My instincts tell me that the Jiang Ren I'm thinking about and the Jiang Ren that Sir mentioned are the same person.
'A-And why... and in what type of scenarios do you switch your masters, Sir?'
[I can answer that. When someone's fate is doomed—like Jiang Ren's. His fate was sealed in stone the moment he chose to lie about you, Host. And remember, Host, the previous masters I mentioned, who were confused like you, were mostly victims of such situations, though under different contexts.]
Would Jiang Ren die? I thought to myself.
I resumed walking and soon reached the main gate of my house. Beside the gate, a thin figure was leaning against the wall, arms folded in front of their chest, seemingly waiting for me.
Ding—
[Antagonist/Rival of Daughter of Destiny Jin Meiyu Detected – Xue Lingxi]
Before I could see who it was, Sir notified me that someone new had been detected—someone in whom I could invest and receive double the returns.
'Xue Lingxi?!' I was shocked. Before I could even read what Sir's screen had displayed, Xue Lingxi's silhouette approached me. As she stepped out of the shadows and into the glow of a street lamp powered by spiritual stones and a formation, I finally saw her clearly.
After our last meeting, I hadn't expected to see her again. She had certainly changed. She no longer covered her appearance with her hair. If one ignored her face and only looked at Xue Lingxi as a whole, she was a charming lady. She lacked the seductive movements of someone like Mei Xueyin and the innate charm of a Saintess, but now, as I saw her, she carried herself with a grace no less than theirs.
She walked closer, and soon we stood facing each other, separated only by two street lamps.
Just what had happened to her in the past few days for her to change so much?
"I went to the disciplinary hall to testify that the Young Elder was the one who attacked you, but I found out that you had already been released," Xue Lingxi explained.
I didn't know why, but it felt good to hear that—out of so many disciples, at least one took the time out of her cultivation to testify against Jiang Ren.
I took out the page on my flash card that said [It's okay] and showed it to her.
Soon, Xue Lingxi's screen appeared before me.
[Name]: Xue Lingxi
[Cultivation]: Ninth Level of Qi Condensation
[Talent]: 12 Standard Meridians
[Physique]: Yin Veil Chrysalis Physique [Cocoon Phase]
Physique Description:
The Yin Veil Chrysalis Physique is a rare constitution that passively accumulates dense Yin energy from the surroundings, shrouding the wielder in a veil of cold, suppressive power. In its early stages, this physique manifests as severe afflictions—festering ulcers, frail health, and sluggish cultivation progress—making the bearer appear weak and undesirable. However, these afflictions are merely the "cocoon" phase of the physique.
Upon gradual awakening, the Yin Veil Chrysalis Physique enhances the wielder's comprehension of Yin-based arts, grants extraordinary regeneration, and amplifies their talent in techniques related to ice, darkness, and the soul. It also bestows an innate ability to shed one's old body like a chrysalis, renewing one's form and appearance through a painful, transformative process.
[Luck]: 🟢 Green
Description:
The Yin Veil Chrysalis Physique was both Xue Lingxi's greatest strength and her ultimate downfall. While it allowed her to rise from an overlooked commoner to an empress feared across the lower realms, it also became the very reason she failed to ascend.
As she stood at the threshold of immortality, the Heavenly Tribulation descended with merciless fury. Unlike others who crossed this barrier, Xue Lingxi found herself unable to endure. The Yin Veil Chrysalis, though potent in the lower realms, lacked the fundamental balance needed to withstand the tribulation's purifying flames. In the end, her body was torn apart, her meridians ruptured, and her soul thrown into chaos.
Yet, the nature of her physique was to shed the old and be reborn anew—a principle it followed even in death. Instead of allowing her soul to scatter, the latent power of the Chrysalis activated, wrapping her essence in an instinctual cocoon of Yin energy. However, unable to break through the barrier of ascension, her soul was forcibly dragged back down, finding refuge in her own body from decades past.
Thus, Xue Lingxi was reborn at an early stage of her cultivation, carrying with her the regrets of her past life and the knowledge of her former struggles. Her physique, which once shackled her to an incomplete path, now offered her a second chance—an opportunity to correct her mistakes, refine her foundation, and pursue a future where she could ascend without flaw.