The wind grew colder as tension crackled between the two girls. The forest, though still filled with the sounds of distant beasts and rustling leaves, seemed to hold its breath.
Li Yao, standing tall in her orange robes, narrowed her eyes.
She scoffed coldly, her gaze sharpening into a death glare that stabbed through the mocking words of the green-robed girl.
Meng Hao, still a short distance away, watched the confrontation unfold with narrowed eyes. Thoughts flickered through his mind like lightning.
"Engagement broken, a genius in the past... and Li family? Why does this give the feeling of a protagonist?"
"And since I'm in a female-dominated world, could it be… the protagonist is also female?"
His eyes twitched slightly.
"So I'm currently in the position of a jade beauty getting saved by the protagonist?!"
Before he could ponder that absurd thought further—
Ding!
A familiar tone echoed in his mind again.
[Ding! It has been detected that Host has encountered a Blue-level Daughter of Luck.]
[(Note: Daughter of Luck Levels—White, Green, Blue, Yellow, Indigo, Orange, Purple, Red, Immortal)]
[Old task canceled. New task issued.]
New Mission: Touch the "oranges" of the Daughter of Luck.
Reward: +200 Charm
Failure Penalty: Your private part will be cut.
For a moment, silence reigned in Meng Hao's mind.
He blinked slowly. Then again.
"...What the hell…" he muttered, his throat dry.
A chill ran down his spine as the gravity of the penalty set in.
"That's not a punishment—that's a death sentence…"
His gaze cautiously drifted toward Li Yao.
She was still focused entirely on the confrontation ahead, her long hair drifting in the breeze, her posture noble and heroic, her chest rising slightly beneath her robes as she drew her sword. Her aura was sharp—clear, like morning sunlight on steel.
Meng Hao coughed lightly, composing himself.
"Well… the mission isn't that bad."
A thin, strange smile curved his lips. Somewhere between fear and fascination.
While Meng Hao was tangled in a web of internal chaos, Li Yao suddenly rushed forward, her sword unsheathing with a metallic hum that echoed like thunder through the trees. As she charged, her cultivation aura surged outward—Qi Gathering Realm, Sixth Level,a clear step below the green-robed girl's level, but her confidence didn't waver.
The green-robed girl and her two companions scoffed in unison, mockery flashing in their eyes. Confidence filled their expressions,they clearly didn't take Li Yao seriously.
But what followed shocked all.
Clang!
When Li Yao's sword met her opponent's, a sudden burst of power exploded from her strange sword technique. With swift, refined movements, her blade slashed through the other girl's weapon in an instant, splitting it in two. The shattered sword barely had time to fall before her blade was already a hair's width from piercing her opponent's heart.
But just before the strike could land—Zing! a protective formation activated.
The green-robed girl's figure disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared at the trial's entrance plaza, ejected by the sect's protective array. She had been eliminated.
Seconds later, her two companions also vanished and appeared beside her—faces pale, eyes wide with disbelief.
Back in the jungle, only two people remained,Li Yao and Meng Hao.
The silence returned, broken only by the rustling of leaves overhead.
Meng Hao, quickly realizing the perfect opportunity, clutched his stomach and let out an exaggerated groan "Ahhhh!"—before collapsing theatrically onto the ground.
The sound echoed just loud enough to reach Li Yao's ears.
She turned swiftly, her sharp gaze locking onto him. Her expression shifted from cold and heroic to startled concern, and she dashed over to him, kneeling beside his body.
Her voice, for the first time, softened.
"Are you okay?"