Cloudsea Immortal Pavilion, Mountain Gate.
Mist swirled and spiritual energy gathered, so dense that any ordinary person who looked up at this moment could catch a glimpse of immortals riding the clouds within the pavilion.
Once every three years, the pavilion recruited disciples from far and wide.
Countless young men and women pressed in before the mountain gate, each hoping to test their fate and see if they possessed a connection to immortality.
Gu Ze stood at the rear side of the crowd, arms folded, ever watchful of any change among the gathered people.
Welcoming new disciples was a lucrative position. Some wealthy families in the mortal realm would offer up family treasures passed down for centuries just for a chance at a spot.
Not to mention gold, silver, other riches, and sometimes even women from the mortal world.
If one was particularly good-looking, gaining a beautiful and youthful Dao companion wasn’t out of reach.
At this moment, a few young women in the crowd who had yet to be accepted into the sect were batting their eyes at Gu Ze, but he remained utterly indifferent.
Gu Ze had joined the sect three years ago, his cultivation stagnating at Qi Refinement Third Layer, with no real strength or background.
Calling him a nobody—a cannon fodder nobody noticed—wasn’t an exaggeration.
But he was not merely cannon fodder; he was cannon fodder who had transmigrated into this world three years ago…
This was a world inside a novel, telling the story of a pitiful young girl who stepped onto the immortal path, rising against all odds.
It even seemed to have some yuri plotlines as a selling point, though Gu Ze hardly cared about that.
He had tested his fate and joined the Cloudsea Immortal Pavilion for three years, but his cultivation barely progressed. Clearly, someone in this world would rise to prominence, but that person was not him.
He had endured three years, waiting for a chance to turn his own fate around.
According to the novel’s timeline, the female protagonist would join the sect today.
Gu Ze had spent over half of his savings from the past three years to secure this position as the disciple welcomer—just to meet the protagonist first.
His vision focused, and before him appeared a panel only he could see.
【Gu Ze】
【Ren Race】
【Age: 17】
【Cultivation: Qi Refinement Third Layer】
【Cultivation Technique: Heart-Nourishing Art】
【Divine Abilities: None】
【Magical Treasures: None】
【Destiny Binding Target: None】
What Gu Ze cared about most was the last line: Destiny Binding Target.
He could do without divine abilities or magical treasures, but as a cannon fodder not even named in the novel, he had to find a way to latch onto someone strong!
The heroine of the novel, Li Xunmiao, was the perfect target.
“I only want to survive. Don’t blame me in the future for using you,” Gu Ze sighed softly, muttering to himself.
He felt nothing for these novel characters. With such meager cultivation, surviving on a bowl of rice at the Cloudsea Immortal Pavilion was the highest priority.
In fact, Gu Ze was even curious how his terrible talent had ever passed the selection at the pavilion.
Could it be that he had some wealth in the mortal world and his family paved a backdoor for him?
As for this body, with a name and appearance exactly the same as before he transmigrated, Gu Ze honestly hadn’t looked into it much.
Suddenly, a commotion in the crowd snapped him out of his thoughts.
“You filthy beggar! How dare you steal my magical treasure?!” A shrill, piercing shriek stung the ears.
Gu Ze’s eyes flashed, and he immediately turned, clasping hands in salute to a few senior brothers nearby.
“Senior brothers, please be at ease. Allow your junior to see what the mortals are quarrelling over.”
Though Gu Ze had few connections in the pavilion, his mind was slick and shrewd thanks to memories from his previous life.
Cultivators of the pavilion cared most about status. Though these youths outside the gate might become junior disciples one day, until they joined, they were still mortals.
Women.
An immortal interfering in mortal affairs was beneath their dignity. The senior brothers by Gu Ze’s side had no interest in this farce.
With the lowest cultivation, Gu Ze intervening would also maintain the pavilion’s dignity.
And, more importantly, preserve their own dignity.
Gu Ze slipped into the crowd, eyes lighting up as he saw a young girl in a rough, gray robe sitting on the ground.
Li Xunmiao! Fourteen-year-old Li Xunmiao.
Red lips, white teeth, long ink-black hair, and brown eyes full of a chilly composure, holding a calm far beyond her years.
Even with her face smudged from the dispute, it couldn’t hide her beauty.
Li Xunmiao’s gaze swept the surroundings and finally settled on the arrogant woman before her.
In her hand, that woman gripped the jade pendant Li Xunmiao had cherished at her chest.
Such arrogance, combined with the cold, mocking looks of the bystanders—Li Xunmiao had seen it all too many times before.
“I didn’t steal your magical treasure. That jade pendant is clearly mine.” Word by word, the girl climbed to her feet, staring deathly at the dignified black-haired woman in front.
“Give it back to me.”
“How laughable! How could a beggar like you have such a treasure? Clearly you snatched it from my waist when I wasn’t looking! Caught red-handed, and still you won’t admit it? A petty thief dares knock on the immortal gate?” The woman’s eyes were sharp and aggressive.
Li Xunmiao pressed her lips tight, not good with words and unable to prove her innocence.
Besides, with her tattered clothes, she certainly didn’t look like someone who owned a treasure.
Yet that jade pendant had special meaning to her. No matter what, she had to find a way to get it back today.
More and more people gathered to watch the commotion. Gu Ze picked the perfect time to step in beside the two girls.
Though only at Qi Refinement Third Layer, his movements were already beyond any mortal’s.
The black-haired woman suddenly felt her hand lighten—the pendant was gone.
Somehow, a tall and handsome young man had appeared at her side, radiating a presence that inspired awe in all mortals.
A disciple of the Cloudsea Immortal Pavilion! The protagonist narrowed her eyes slightly, lowering her hand and not daring to snatch the pendant back from Gu Ze.
“Quite the treasure,” Gu Ze flipped the pendant, gaze sweeping across the two girls. “Framing someone and turning the blame for the sake of such an item… That’s not surprising, I suppose.”
The people around, seeing Gu Ze clad in the pavilion’s standard Yun Pattern White Robe, immediately quieted their chatter.
Even the most ordinary disciple of the pavilion was high above the masses in their eyes.
At the very least, should any of them enter in the future, they’d have to call him senior brother.
The woman nervously swallowed and, after two seconds of silence, forced a flattering smile.
“This immortal, I am Bai Yazhi. May I know your honorable name? If you like this pendant, you may have it. Let’s become friends! When I join the sect, please look after me, Senior Brother.”
First addressing Gu Ze as “immortal,” then switching to “senior brother” to draw closer, Gu Ze only sneered to himself.
This Bai Yazhi was cannon fodder in the early part of the novel.
From snatching Li Xunmiao’s pendant onwards, the two were always at odds after entering the sect.
It seemed her only purpose was to make Li Xunmiao’s life harder.
In the original work, not a single pavilion disciple stepped in, and Bai Yazhi successfully took the pendant.
Only after Li Xunmiao reached Foundation Establishment and revealed her prodigious talent did she snatch it back.
But now, Gu Ze had intervened on purpose—to help this girl out.
Not just to leave a good impression on Li Xunmiao for easier destiny binding.
But also because, though Gu Ze had spent three years cultivating, his heart was still that of a passionate human.
Even though most cultivators had little desire or affection, Gu Ze couldn’t stand by and watch such injustice.
If he didn’t help Li Xunmiao today, he’d never be at peace with himself.
Why should fate single out the protagonist for suffering? If not for hardship, would she need to rise against the odds?
More unfair was Gu Ze’s own fate. No talent, no background, and he didn’t even dare to take the protagonist’s opportunity ahead of time for fear it would spell disaster.
Gu Ze ignored Bai Yazhi’s attempts to curry favor, a faint smile lifting his lips.
Bai Yazhi thought he was accepting her offer, just about to flatter him further, when Gu Ze turned without hesitation to face the girl still kneeling in plain robes.
Li Xunmiao, having grown up wandering, was mature but lonely at heart.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.