Zhu Lan sneered.
“If I were serious, he would be dead.”
These words were both pretentious and overbearing, and Zhu Lan was quite satisfied with herself.
Regardless of how others viewed her, she nonchalantly finished her tea before returning to her room to continue her cultivation.
In four days, she had already stepped onto the Immortal Path.
There were countless cultivators in the world, and the path of the Immortal Path was nearly identical for all.
First came Qi Condensation, then Foundation Establishment, followed by Core Formation.
After that came Nascent Soul, then Deity Transformation, and finally the legendary realms of Integration and Great Ascension.
Perhaps because she was practicing an ancient secret art, Zhu Lan skipped directly to the second level of Qi Condensation as soon as she stepped onto the Immortal Path, which left her highly satisfied.
It also strengthened her resolve to snatch the male lead’s opportunities.
There was no reason she couldn’t be the protagonist of a power fantasy novel.
Aborigines of this alternate world, prepare yourselves for the baptism of a high-dimensional civilization!
After finishing her self-indulgent moment, Zhu Lan contentedly packed her luggage and prepared to check out.
Over the past few days, at least two groups of people had inspected her room. However, once she took off her bamboo hat and put on the clothes she had prepared, no one would ever associate her with a beggar.
Now that she had officially stepped onto the Immortal Path, she realized the Seven Killing Arts were obscure and difficult to grasp, making it impossible to master them in a short time.
For now, she needed to focus her sights on the upcoming opportunities.
The male lead’s “ring grandpa” was obtained by chance within his family’s secret treasury, so she couldn’t steal that.
Calculating the time, once the male lead emerged from his secluded meditation, she would prepare to seize the next opportunity.
The Ancient Secret Realm.
It was the grotto-heaven of an ancient Integration Stage powerhouse who had created a separate world to leave behind his inheritance.
In the original story, the male lead failed his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, turning from a genius held aloft by the masses into a piece of trash despised by all overnight.
However, any reader familiar with online power fantasies knew that this was merely because a powerful entity within the male lead’s body was unconsciously devouring spiritual energy in order to awaken.
Then came the classic plot of “thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.”
The male lead would counterattack all the way, slapping faces while pretending to be weak, playing the pig to eat the tiger.
Every place he visited, the most beautiful woman there would inevitably fall for him.
Eventually, the consciousness of the powerhouse within him would awaken, becoming a massive boon to the male lead and allowing him to obtain supreme opportunities.
To be honest, the male lead had too many opportunities, and some were far too difficult to snatch.
Zhu Lan pondered as she took out the parchment where she had transcribed the male lead’s future gains, circling and underlining a few specific locations with more force.
The Ancient Secret Realm, and the Ancient Emperor Weapon—the Lin Yuan Sword.
Why did every powerful item have the prefix “Ancient”?
Don’t ask.
If you must know, it was because spiritual energy had withered in this Dharma-Ending Age.
During the ancient era, Golden Cores were everywhere and Nascent Souls were as common as dogs.
In the current world, anyone who broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and manifested the unique Avatar of Heaven and Earth could occupy a prime territory and establish their own sect.
“Shopkeeper, I’m checking out.”
Zhu Lan packed her belongings into a small bundle and vacated the room.
Leaving the city, she waited quietly for the big event to occur.
…
“Extra! Extra! Ye Feng, the former young master of Yulong Manor, has failed his Foundation Establishment breakthrough and has been expelled from the manor!”
“Shocking news! Ye Feng, the former young master of Yulong Manor, was swept out of the house overnight! Is this a lapse in morality or…”
The people drinking in the tavern were discussing the news with great fervor.
“That Ye Feng really is pitiful. He spent four whole years building a foundation for his breakthrough. Everyone thought reaching Foundation Establishment would be as easy as drinking water for him, but who would have thought? Now, the entirety of Liangzhou is laughing at him.”
A middle-aged man, already tipsy, laughed wantonly at Ye Feng’s expense.
To go from the monstrously talented young master of Liangzhou City’s leading family to a piece of trash overnight was quite the fall.
Most people watched with a mindset of enjoying the spectacle, and the city was buzzing with gossip.
“In my opinion, Young Master Ye was sabotaged by someone with ill intentions! Whether he is a genius or not, I think you all have the answer in your hearts. He reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation at age twelve. Who wouldn’t gasp at such talent!”
Amidst the mockery in the tavern, a voice of rebuttal was particularly conspicuous and piercing.
The crowd turned in dissatisfaction, only to find two veiled women.
“Don’t you two, mistress and servant, understand the logic yet? A genius who falls early is no longer a genius.”
A young man huffed with disdain.
“No, it’s impossible. Brother Ye Feng must have just encountered an accident. His talent is extraordinary; he can’t possibly be the ‘trash’ you’re talking about.”
The woman was visibly unsettled, muttering to herself as she refused to believe it.
Someone in the crowd recognized her identity and kindly advised, “Miss Nalan, do not hang yourself on a single tree.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell into an uproar.
So this was Miss Nalan of the Nalan family, Ye Feng’s fiancée.
The crowd’s voices lowered slightly as they began to whisper.
“Miss Nalan, the current Ye Feng is no longer the Ye Feng of the past. I advise you to think carefully and choose a better branch to perch on.”
A young gentleman fanning himself spoke before departing.
The woman addressed as Miss Nalan realized the situation and left the tavern shortly after.
…
“Young Master Ye—oh, wait, I should call you Trash Ye.”
A young man accompanied by several servants surrounded Ye Feng, grinning with ill intent.
“The boys and I have been a bit short on cash lately. Since you were once the young master, you should have a decent inheritance. Why don’t you lend us some to spend?”
Being surrounded, Ye Feng showed not a hint of panic.
If Zhu Lan were present, she would have been greatly shocked.
At this moment, Ye Feng lacked that righteous aura he usually displayed.
His deep eyes held a soul-shuddering malice.
If one looked closely, they would see that his right eye weirdly displayed a double pupil.
“One at the third level of Qi Condensation, three at the first level.”
Ye Feng’s voice carried a tone of contempt.
“Your father is standing right here. If you have the guts, come take your father’s life.”
“You! Stop acting tough! Get him! I’ll take responsibility for crippling him!”
Ye Qing was both shocked and enraged.
He hadn’t expected Ye Feng to be so defiant when disaster was imminent.
“You brought this on yourself!”
The men swarmed forward.
However, after a short while, all sound ceased.
A moment later, Ye Feng straightened his clothes as the eerie light in his pupils slowly faded.
“Old man, follow me to the south of the city. We leave the city as soon as we grab the goods. Since Ye Qing died by my hand, his old man is definitely going to cause a scene at the Ye family home.”
Ye Feng had disposed of several people as if it were nothing, as if he had merely swatted a few flies.
“Kid, you…”
The phantom of an old man appearing beside Ye Feng spoke with a hint of worry.
He felt that after failing this Foundation Establishment breakthrough, Ye Feng seemed to have become a completely different person.
As if knowing what the old man wanted to say, Ye Feng’s lips curled slightly.
He didn’t answer, but instead sped toward the south of the city.
The cultivation world… it really was pleasant holding the script of a power fantasy protagonist.
Dying from reading novels all night didn’t seem so embarrassing anymore.
In seven days, the Ancient Secret Realm would open.
The inheritance of a powerhouse, the Nine Yang Profound Emperor Scripture, and the Lin Yuan Sword would appear.
He had to rely on his advantage of knowing the plot to firmly grasp the script of the power fantasy protagonist.
…
Seven days later, a sudden change occurred in the sky.
Stars appeared in broad daylight, and seven planets aligned.
An Ancient Secret Realm hidden in the void quietly manifested, drawing countless cultivators to race toward it.
However, after ten thousand years of erosion, the space within the secret realm was extremely unstable.
It could only accommodate cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage.
If anyone at the Foundation Establishment stage or higher entered, the realm would collapse and disintegrate.
Following the first law of power fantasy secret realms, the various cultivation sects only sent their outstanding juniors to search for opportunities.
Unnoticed by anyone, an unremarkable man in a bamboo hat followed the crowd into the secret realm.
And behind the man in the bamboo hat, a woman in a bamboo hat followed as well.