Three glowing tasks sat side by side on my interface panel, practically radiating importance.

Tasks really were the foundation of any decent system—the whole point of my existence, honestly.

I spun in two happy circles and conjured a shower of silver-white flower petals with my matchstick arms. The virtual blooms drifted down before dissolving into stardust halfway through their fall.

Seraphine watched me with an amused smile. “You seem pleased.”

I floated over to her face and scattered more petals. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “If this feeling counts as pleased, then yes, I’m very pleased.”

So much for claiming I didn’t have emotions. Seraphine extended her palm to catch a falling silver petal. “Keep lying to yourself then.”

The glowing fragment dissolved the moment it touched her skin, leaving no trace. She withdrew her hand. “Fair warning though—I have extremely high standards. Don’t blame me for being picky when I reject your candidates.”

You already are extremely picky.

I pulled up my interface, displaying the names I’d collected from the tavern—every renowned beauty in the region, complete with the flowery poetry written about them. Seraphine read through it all with zero emotion.

Just like how I couldn’t feel the romantic undertones when cataloging those verses.

“You told me you’d never settle for weaklings,” I said. “Only the strong deserve your attention. I’ll work hard to find someone worthy of you—someone other than the protagonist.”

Having observed my… methods, She was terrified I might decide to pursue some ancient cultivator who’d lived for millennia and was about to ascend to the immortal realm. She quickly added, “Even if they’re strong, they need to be compatible with my personality, share my interests, support my goals…”

She began expanding my vocabulary database.

A minute later, she sipped her tea and continued, “…and they must be worthy of my beauty. If someone has exceptional talent and ambition, I don’t mind if their background doesn’t match mine. I can afford to support them.”

I processed this and summarized: “Can’t be weak.”

Seraphine nodded firmly. “Can’t be weak.”

“Must be strong,” I confirmed.

“Must be strong.”

A thumbs-up icon appeared above my head. Seraphine chuckled and waved me away.

Mission dismissed.

I zipped off to my surveillance post to resume camera duty. Xue Mengtao, one of my monitoring targets, hadn’t returned from feeding the Fire Rock Dragon at Luanyang Palace. Most of the tavern customers had dispersed, leaving only a few stragglers nursing their drinks.

Moonlight bathed Luanyang City in silver. In the distance, the Immortal Viewing Platform blazed with lights, busy as midday with cultivators hurrying toward their ethereal dreams. Inside the inner city, sect disciples moved with urgent purpose.

I hovered outside the guest quarters, silver-white and moon-touched. The Qi Condensation disciples inside needed food and rest—their snores echoed from the rooms in overlapping waves.

Flying any closer would trigger security warnings.

I turned toward the inn where my host was staying.

Phoenix’s Roost Inn.

A Luanyang Palace property. Was that why Seraphine had whipped the place to pieces without hesitation?

A glowing X appeared above my head with a buzzing “wrong answer” sound effect.

If it was Seraphine, she’d do whatever she wanted regardless of ownership. The X changed to a checkmark. I found a clean spot between roof tiles and settled in.

Work time!

Systems lived to work!

Several days passed. As the Chongshan Secret Realm’s opening approached, tension gripped Luanyang City’s inner district. News of the realm’s advancement and reopening had spread across the Eastern Continent. Murder and robbery became common outside the city walls—all for a single Chongshan entry jade token.

Siyi, ever cautious, visited Bai Fenghui personally before the situation deteriorated. She arranged private quarters for the White Water Sect disciples, complete with spiritual energy enhancement, and forbade them from wandering the city to avoid unwanted attention.

Initially thrilled by their upgraded accommodations, the disciples grew restless after learning that entry tokens were selling for a hundred premium spirit stones each.

With thirty tokens, that meant three thousand spirit stones—more than the two thousand they’d paid Luanyang Palace as compensation, which had already strained their sect’s finances.

“Master, why don’t you negotiate with Luanyang Palace for better terms?” Bai Fenghui’s disciple suggested. “Three thousand premium spirit stones could buy a high-grade mystic weapon! Without our tokens, where would Luanyang Palace get so many entries to the realm? We should demand at least a third of whatever they bring out!”

The other disciples chimed in enthusiastically. “Exactly! Master, that’s treasure from a Gold Core stage secret realm! Even if we can’t use it ourselves, we could sell it for a fortune!”

“Master, if we could get a third of the profits, White Water Sect would definitely surpass the Lianshan Sect!”

Their excited chatter filled the room while Bai Fenghui listened silently, his eyes gleaming with calculation. Finally, he smiled. “Actually, I expected this situation. I’ve been waiting for exactly this moment!”

Previously, he’d been the one offering compensation to Seraphine. But now?

Now he held the tokens, and he could dictate terms. Confident in his position, he brushed off his robes and prepared to visit Luanyang Palace again—just as commotion erupted outside. The room darkened as something massive blocked the sky above.

“What’s happening?” a disciple cried in alarm.

I looked up from my roof tile perch.

Whoa.

An enormous spirit ship floated above Luanyang City, so vast it eclipsed the sun. Its bow was carved into a soaring phoenix, and countless golden jade bells hung from its hull, chiming melodiously in the wind. Crimson sails billowed high, emblazoned with the massive character for “Luan” and Luanyang Palace’s proud phoenix emblem.

Figures moved across the deck as sword-riding cultivators descended from the clouds to land aboard.

Countless citizens of Luanyang City craned their necks skyward, shouting excitedly, “Luanyang Palace! It’s Luanyang Palace’s spirit ship! Where are they going?”

“Where else? Obviously to the Chongshan Secret Realm!”

“So magnificent! I haven’t seen Luanyang Palace’s Phoenix Spirit Ship in years—not since the Eastern Continent sect competition a decade ago!”

Both mortals and cultivators buzzed with conversation. The Immortal Viewing Platform immediately hiked their prices, since the top floor offered direct views of the ship’s deck.

So lively, I mused.

A clear, resonant roar echoed from the ship. In the midst of gasps and cheers, a fire-red dragon coiled around the vessel’s hull, climbing toward the cabin roof where it perched majestically. Sunlight struck its gem-like scales, making the creature appear to burn with living flame—beautiful and awe-inspiring.

After the Fire Rock Dragon’s call, a streak of red light shot from Phoenix’s Roost Inn like a meteor, piercing the dim sky as it flew toward the ship.

The moment Seraphine appeared, every disciple in Luanyang City and aboard the ship stopped their activities and bowed in unison.

“Greetings, Palace Lord.”

Dressed in brilliant palace robes and adorned with gold and jade, she looked less like a cultivator heading into a dangerous secret realm and more like a noblewoman attending a grand celebration. She settled gracefully behind silk curtains, her red lips parting to project her voice across the entire city.

“Today, Luanyang Palace departs for the Chongshan Secret Realm. Any who wish to accompany us may board voluntarily.”

After her announcement, streams of light rose from various parts of the city as cultivators flew to the deck, bowing respectfully. One called out, “Thank you, Palace Lord. Should we encounter Luanyang Palace disciples within the realm, we pledge our assistance if needed.”

Following his lead, the other passengers made similar vows.

Entry tokens to the Chongshan Secret Realm were nearly impossible to obtain.

Those who hadn’t sold theirs for quick profit were serious about seeking opportunities within.

The saying “seek wealth through danger” applied here—but reaching that wealth required surviving the journey. These were mostly minor sect disciples or unaffiliated cultivators who knew that as both a righteous sect and a major Eastern Continent power, Luanyang Palace wouldn’t murder them for a few tokens.

Seraphine smiled slightly. “Where is Sect Leader Bai of White Water Sect?”

Standing in the courtyard below, Bai Fenghui startled at being called out. Seraphine continued, “I invite all present to witness: White Water Sect previously offended Luanyang Palace, and Sect Leader Bai offered twenty-nine Chongshan Secret Realm tokens as compensation. Moved by Sect Leader Bai’s recognition of his errors, I guarantee his survival within the realm.”

Her lazy voice reached every ear in Luanyang City, instantly crushing Bai Fenghui’s hopes of leveraging the situation.

I looked down at Bai Fenghui, who was forcing a smile, and couldn’t help but marvel.

Host, you’re so clever.

Absolutely the smartest host I’d ever worked with!

I’d barely finished praising Seraphine when her voice reached my sensors.

“What are you waiting for? Get over here.”

Coming!

I zipped to the spirit ship ahead of Bai Fenghui, enjoying the privilege of watching him reluctantly hand over the tokens while trying to maintain his dignity. The sect leader—a Gold Core cultivator who could have been an elder in Luanyang Palace—smiled obsequiously at the palace servants, his hands trembling slightly as he placed the tokens down.

“All twenty-nine tokens, as promised,” Bai Fenghui said, his voice shaking.

The servant bowed silently and carried the tokens behind the silk curtains.

Privacy barriers sealed the chamber. Seraphine dismissed the servants, raising a cup of hot tea as she watched Bai Fenghui retreat to his quarters. “Look at him. Doesn’t he seem much older?”

“Ten years older,” I observed.

Who knew my host had age-acceleration powers? Impressive.

Siyi commented, “Your move was brilliant, Palace Lord. You’ve eliminated his leverage completely. He won’t dare cause trouble now.”

“White Water Sect is declining. Despite being a sect leader, he has less comfortable living than one of our peak masters. He’s been stuck at early Gold Core stage for a century with no progress. If he weren’t desperate for a breakthrough opportunity from the Chongshan Secret Realm while fearing death inside, he never would have approached me for cooperation.”

Siyi laughed. “Cultivation goes against heaven’s will. He wants the benefits without accepting the risks—where’s the logic in that?”

Seraphine tilted her head with a mocking smile. “I imagine when he first formed his Gold Core, he was quite the ambitious figure. But watching year after year pass while stuck at the initial stage…” She paused. “Early Gold Core cultivators live five hundred years. How many centuries does he have left if he can’t break through?”

“Going against heaven’s will,” she murmured, lifting her teacup to gaze at the meditating passengers below. Her eyes fixed on one hunched figure in the crowd, growing cold.

“Heaven’s chosen protagonist.”

Xue Bufan. Without Echo by my side, I really would have missed your infiltration today! You had your ‘Grandpa Figure’, but I had Echo. The question of who was truly destined for greatness remained open.

Besides, Echo had advantages beyond any spiritual treasure.

Seraphine gestured toward Xue Bufan with her chin. Only she could see me as I zipped over to him.

I automatically updated my task list.

New Mission: Monitor the protagonist who snuck aboard. Accept?

I hit accept without hesitation, floating closer to examine Xue Bufan’s disguised face beneath his hood.

After one glance, I couldn’t help but fly upward, quickly opening my host’s profile.

Look at host’s portrait, cleanse eyes. Look at protagonist, cleanse eyes again…

This was truly a challenging mission!

I overlaid my host’s beautiful portrait onto Xue Bufan’s disguised face, crossing my matchstick arms as I pondered: He’s supposed to be the protagonist, but with that face? Even I don’t want to look at it, let alone beautiful women. Doesn’t this Gary Stu novel have a harem subplot?

Xue Bufan’s disguise was so hideously ugly that even other wandering cultivators kept their distance, leaving him isolated in his corner.

The Chongshan Secret Realm lay where the Eastern and Nanyang Continents met, deep within a mountain range. Even traveling ten thousand miles per day, the spirit ship needed until the following afternoon to arrive.

That night, under bright moon and sparse stars, the great vessel sailed through a sea of clouds.

All passengers except the rotating Luanyang Palace guards had gone to rest. The deck’s wandering cultivators had tactfully divided territory among themselves for meditation—their last peaceful moments before entering the realm.

The hunched old man who’d sat alone all day slowly stood, asking the ship’s guards where he could find clean drinking water.

The guard glanced at him and recoiled at his appearance, quickly looking away. “How did you board without preparing a water flask? Fine, considering your age and weak cultivation, I’ll make an exception. Go to the kitchen on the lowest deck and ask there. Don’t get any foolish ideas—anyone on this ship could take your life!”

The old man bowed repeatedly in gratitude before shuffling away. Once he was gone, the questioned guard slowly exhaled, covering his mouth and making retching sounds.

After reaching higher cultivation stages, he’d never seen anyone so… unfortunate-looking. Was this some kind of poison? The money spent on boarding could have bought healing for that face instead!

I typed “sympathy” on my interface and held it up to the nauseated disciple before following Xue Bufan emotionlessly to see what he was planning.

Xue Bufan’s acting was superb—he truly embodied the hunched old man persona from deck to ship’s interior. By the time he reached the lowest level, his pace slowed as if waiting for someone. Soon, footsteps echoed from the stairwell as Xue Mengtao descended.

“Young Master Xue!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I can’t believe you really came! But how did you board? Your spiritual root…”

“Shh!” Xue Bufan pressed a finger to his lips. “There were too many people last time to explain properly. I’ve encountered some… developments. My spiritual root is gradually recovering! And I have important business in this secret realm!”

His eyes gleamed with determination.

“Is it true?!” Xue Mengtao wept with joy.

Xue Bufan pulled her into the shadows, whispering, “This isn’t the place to talk. Did you bring what I asked for?”

She nodded, retrieving a pill bottle from her storage ring. “These fasting pills will last you a month.”

Xue Bufan took the bottle with a heavy sigh. “In the past, I never had to worry about something as basic as fasting pills… Mengtao, thank you. The Chongshan Secret Realm’s advancement means the materials for Foundation Establishment pills inside will be far superior to those in the outside world. I’ll obtain the finest ingredients to help you reach Foundation Establishment.”

Xue Mengtao shook her head. “Young Master, your situation is more difficult than mine. Please take care of yourself. I’ve heard this journey is extremely dangerous…”

She’d wanted to dissuade him from risking his life, but seeing how he struggled even for basic fasting pills, she couldn’t bring herself to voice her concerns. She’d witnessed both his former glory and his current downfall, spending countless hours hoping for his spiritual root’s recovery. Now that it was finally healing, what right did she have to hinder him?

“Young Master, tell me what materials you need. I’ll help you search as well!”

Xue Bufan pursed his lips and shook his head. “The Chongshan Secret Realm is incredibly dangerous. Just focus on protecting yourself.”

After a pause, he added, “Your cultivation is only at Qi Condensation stage, yet Seraphine brought you to the Chongshan Secret Realm. I don’t know what she’s planning, but once inside, be extremely careful. Stay with the group no matter what happens—don’t take unnecessary risks. Preserving your life is the priority.”

But isn’t that basically running away? What secret realm isn’t dangerous? Xue Mengtao wanted to protest, but knowing he meant well, she simply nodded with a smile. “You be careful too, Young Master.”

Everything was proceeding smoothly. Xue Bufan relaxed slightly, patting her shoulder with gentle warmth. “Walls have ears. You should go. We’ll meet again later.”

The phrase “meet again later” filled Xue Mengtao with joy. Carrying her girlish feelings, she reluctantly departed.

Once her footsteps completely faded, I heard Xue Bufan sigh sadly.

“She’s getting rusty on me…”

I tilted my head, circling around Xue Bufan twice.

“But our childhood friendship remains special regardless,” he continued. “Well, first I need to focus on entering the secret realm…”

A kitchen worker called out, interrupting him. Xue Bufan’s voice cut off abruptly as he tremblingly went to request water. I followed him throughout.

Siyi emerged from the conference room, and at a corridor turn, a water-blue figure collided with her. The girl looked up apologetically, her face bright with happiness—until their eyes met and joy instantly transformed into terror.

“Si— Greetings, Elder Si,” Xue Mengtao stammered, jumping back and bowing hurriedly.

Siyi blinked, her lips maintaining their usual gentle smile. “I remember you’re only twenty—still young. A bit of private liveliness is fine, but be more cautious around outsiders to avoid offending the wrong people.”

Xue Mengtao wrung her hands together. “Yes, Elder.”

“Actually, your timing is perfect. Come with me.” Siyi turned and led the way.

They headed to the spirit ship’s second level—the elders’ quarters. Xue Mengtao had never been there before. As they walked toward Siyi’s room, a group descended from above wearing crimson disciple robes, all radiating impressive auras and high spirits.

Xue Mengtao glanced up discretely, noticing one particularly beautiful female disciple among those bowing to Siyi. This disciple seemed extremely impatient, standing abruptly and striding away with large steps.

Siyi maintained her composure, leading Xue Mengtao inside while commenting casually, “Are the palace servants wearing water-blue today?”

“Yes,” Xue Mengtao replied, lowering her head quickly.

Luanyang Palace’s inner disciples wore crimson robes with different patterns indicating their rank and status. Palace servants wore bright, colorful palace dress. Compared to other peaks, Phoenix Roost peak’s servants each owned multiple outfits—sometimes the Palace Lord would order new clothes simply because she’d grown tired of seeing the current ones.

From this alone, Xue Mengtao had never encountered a more generous master than Seraphine. Even when serving as Xue Bufan’s personal maid at Lianshan Sect, she’d only received new clothes during festivals.

For cultivators, clothing and jewelry seemed unimportant compared to weapons, pills, and techniques. For high-ranking cultivators, their subordinates’ appearance mattered even less—why should they care?

In this regard, Seraphine was uniquely different. Even in cultivation, she maintained her beauty, and the same applied to her servants.

Xue Mengtao lived with three other palace servants. Sometimes she’d overhear them admiring new dresses or accessories, laughing about how wonderful it was to serve such a beauty-loving Palace Lord—generous and unafraid of being outshone.

“Our Palace Lord has unparalleled immortal beauty—who in this world could possibly eclipse her?”

Listening quietly, Xue Mengtao completely agreed.

She’d harbored feelings for Xue Bufan. When he’d been engaged to Seraphine, she hadn’t dared harbor hopes. After seeing Seraphine in person, her self-consciousness was mixed with pity for Xue Bufan.

Such a devastatingly beautiful woman—if Xue Bufan’s spiritual root hadn’t been destroyed, their marriage would have been a legendary love story. Unfortunately, fate was cruel. Even if Xue Bufan had remained an ordinary mortal with less than a century of lifespan, she would have stayed by his side through his final days.

But now she’d come to Luanyang Palace, becoming even closer to the former beauty than Xue Bufan had ever been. Her loyal dedication remained nothing more than wishful thinking.

Truly, fate is cruel.

Lost in her swirling thoughts, Xue Mengtao missed Siyi’s words entirely. When Siyi stopped walking and smiled back at her, those clear eyes made Xue Mengtao startle, her face flushing as she scrambled to apologize. Her lips moved soundlessly, unable to fabricate an excuse.

“Unable to lie—that’s a good trait,” Siyi laughed, pointing at her. “I was saying you’d look better in pink.”

Xue Mengtao stared at her blankly.

“Willow-leaf eyebrows, peach-blossom cheeks. Since your name is Mengtao, you should wear pink.” Siyi gestured to her own pink dress. Seeing Xue Mengtao’s gaze drop to her skirt, Siyi laughed heartily and picked up a hairpin from the table. “I called you here to give you this.”

The elegant silver hairpin was somehow crafted so that three peach blossoms clustered at its tip, looking freshly plucked from a branch.

“Among the disciples on this expedition, you’re new and lack defensive artifacts. Wear this hairpin when entering the secret realm—it can block three full-strength attacks from late Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

Xue Mengtao gasped in shock. “I can’t accept your gift!”

Siyi wouldn’t hear her refusal, inserting the hairpin into her hair and examining the result with satisfaction. “No wonder the Palace Lord enjoys making clothes and jewelry for her servants.”

She continued, “It’s nothing special—just something I made in my spare time. If the Palace Lord hadn’t reminded me to give you life-saving protection, I would have forgotten about it entirely.”

“The Palace Lord?” Xue Mengtao was even more shocked. Seraphine had asked Siyi to provide her with life-saving artifacts?

“Since you’ve joined Luanyang Palace, you’re one of us. You didn’t think the Palace Lord would watch her own people die in the secret realm, did you?”

Xue Mengtao’s face turned bright red. “Thank you, Palace Lord! Thank you, Elder Si!”

She knew Siyi specialized in artifact refinement and was highly skilled. Such an item would sell for thousands of spirit stones in the outside world, yet she’d given it to a mere palace servant without hesitation…

“If you really want to thank me, tell me what you were thinking so intently on your way here.”

Xue Mengtao hadn’t expected Siyi to still be curious about that. Her tongue twisted as inspiration struck. “I was wondering… what kind of person someone as extraordinary as the Palace Lord would fall in love with, and what sort of man would become her cultivation partner.”

Siyi’s expression grew subtle at this question, likely thinking of the broken engagement with Xue Bufan. She deliberately probed, “I didn’t expect you to wonder about such things. Do you have someone suitable in mind? Want to play matchmaker for the Palace Lord?”

Xue Mengtao stumbled backward in terror, waving her hands frantically. “I wouldn’t dare! I absolutely wouldn’t dare!”

Siyi’s lips curved upward, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “No harm done. I’d actually welcome you playing matchmaker for the Palace Lord. But do you know what type of person she likes?”

She retrieved a book from the table and handed it to Xue Mengtao.

“This is the Palace Lord’s favorite story collection. Take it back and study it carefully.”

What does the Palace Lord’s romantic preferences have to do with novels?

Utterly confused, Xue Mengtao reflexively reached for the blue-covered book. Just as her fingers touched the cover, Siyi pulled it back.

“Actually, no.” Siyi suddenly changed her mind.

“You’re already unfocused enough without reading novels, wasting your excellent natural talent. If I let you read these, wouldn’t you waste even more time? Never mind, go back. Forget everything I said today.”

“…”

Her natural talent?

Xue Mengtao didn’t dare question Siyi. She bowed and left, her head spinning with questions.

After she departed, the room’s temperature suddenly rose.

Siyi turned toward the inner chamber’s hanging curtains and curtsied gracefully. “When did the Palace Lord arrive?”

From behind the curtains, Seraphine’s gaze was complex, her voice flat. “Since when do I give orders about protecting palace servants with hairpins? When did I issue such a command?”

A mere servant’s life and death—why should she concern herself?

Siyi parted the curtains and sat across from Seraphine. “If the Palace Lord truly didn’t care about Xue Mengtao, you wouldn’t have assigned her to tend the Fire Rock Dragon. She still has value to you, so better to keep her alive.”

Seraphine snorted coldly, not bothering to explain her conflicted feelings. Her fingers drummed on the table as confusion replaced her earlier complexity. “Why do you care about her cultivation level?”

Siyi spoke seriously, “Xue Mengtao is twenty years old and already at late Qi Condensation stage, on the verge of breakthrough. Observing her behavior, she’s methodical and steady—not the type to cut corners or slack off in cultivation. If she breaks through in the next couple of years, a Foundation Establishment cultivator in her twenties would be considered excellent talent throughout the Eastern Continent.”

At merely twenty-five, Seraphine had already achieved her Gold Core - a prodigy who’d solidified her Foundation Establishment in just four years. Her lips curled into a smirk as she looked down at Siyi with icy disdain.

Seeing this expression, Siyi teased, “You simply don’t understand the struggles of ‘common folk.’”

Seraphine’s disdain deepened. Born destined to become Luanyang Palace’s lord, why should she understand or care about such struggles? Though speaking of methodical and steady… an image of a certain silver-white orb diligently flying around with its interface panel came to mind.

That little thing has been gone for a whole day and still hasn’t returned!

Seraphine’s expression darkened.

“Are you considering taking Xue Mengtao as a disciple?” Her tone turned cold.

Even for someone who valued talent, Siyi had never given away her personally crafted artifacts so easily.

“Loyal, talented people—naturally, the more the Palace Lord has around her, the better,” Siyi said slowly.

Seraphine recalled when Echo had urged her to recruit Xue Bufan’s future female companions. Echo’d claimed that any woman entangled with the protagonist would possess outstanding beauty and abilities, encouraging her to “collect them all.”

“…”

The Palace Lord’s expression darkened another shade.

Siyi found Seraphine’s attitude toward Xue Mengtao puzzling. She clearly didn’t consider the girl important, yet had brought her into Luanyang Palace and kept her close. She seemed to have issues with Xue Mengtao but had never actually mistreated her.

If Seraphine truly despised someone, she’d have incinerated them long ago.

For the sake of Luanyang Palace’s future talent pool avoiding incineration, Siyi felt compelled to advocate for Xue Mengtao, hoping to improve her standing. “Setting aside everything else, Xue Mengtao has been honest and diligent since joining the palace. Even the Fire Rock Dragon likes her. Oh, and she’s quite thoughtful about your welfare—wanting to find you a cultivation partner.”

This last comment was purely teasing, but it hit directly on Seraphine’s sore spot.

“One after another, everyone wants me to find romance!” Seraphine snarled through gritted teeth.

Siyi keenly caught the slip in her words. “Everyone? Who else?”

Another person?

Seraphine glared at her.

Siyi pointed at herself and quickly surrendered. “While I may have mentioned it once, I have absolutely no intention of matchmaking for you. I know your ambitions lie elsewhere.”

Yes, you know.

You’re the only one who knows!

Seraphine rose with a black expression, preparing to return to her quarters. Siyi stood to escort her.

The Palace Lord in her trailing robes walked with proud bearing, apparently planning to walk back. As they passed the round table in the outer room, Siyi gestured to a tall stack of books. “These arrived today from Liyang Peak disciples, worried you might be bored during the journey. Should I have them sent to your room?”

Seraphine glanced down dismissively.

Stories printed on paper—how could they compare to live entertainment? She’d found something far more interesting now and felt no boredom whatsoever. As for Siyi… Seraphine picked up one of the books and slapped it into Siyi’s hand.

“You should read more.” Her tone was sharp. “Your future disciple has her head full of romantic nonsense. As her potential master, read some novels and drag Xue Mengtao back from men’s sweet talk. Otherwise, she’ll still be stuck at Qi Condensation stage at twenty!”

With that, the extraordinarily beautiful, extraordinarily talented, Great Perfection Gold Core stage Palace Lord swept out in her flame-like robes, head held high.

Twenty-seven years of cultivation, now at the late Foundation Establishment stage with hopes of breaking through to Golden Core—but at twenty years old, just like most cultivators in this world who never achieved Foundation Establishment, Elder Siyi lowered her head to stare at the novel in her hands.

Speechless.

Meanwhile, Seraphine stood at the highest point of the ship.

Wind howled around her, clouds rolling beneath like a turbulent sea, whipping her hair into graceful arcs. Golden hairpins chimed melodiously as their tassels swayed in the breeze.

Below the cloud sea stretched the Great River.

The water lay still, embracing the night, moonlight falling gently to create dancing reflections that chased the shadows of spirit vessels across the surface.

Seraphine’s gaze dropped to the deck below.

The highest cultivation among these rogue cultivators was merely middle Foundation Establishment. Their daytime promises about helping Luanyang Palace disciples if they encountered trouble were nothing more than empty wind to her ears. If real opportunities arose, they’d fight tooth and nail for them.

Promises not sworn before the Way of Heaven were lighter than clouds, unable to bear even a thread of trust.

But Seraphine didn’t care. She only wanted to silence Bai Fenghui’s mouth—White Water Sect would never gain a single advantage from her hands.

Thinking of Bai Fenghui’s pained yet helpless expression brought a flash of satisfaction to her heart, though it quickly scattered on the wind. Her gaze settled on a corner of the deck where Xue Bufan sat alone.

But Seraphine’s attention focused on the space diagonally above him.

Only she could see it—a silver-white orb about the size of half a palm, bathed in moonlight, completely motionless.

Even from this distance, she could picture those ridiculous circular eyes on the silver sphere, staring intently at something.

Her lips curved upward involuntarily as another thought occurred to her.

Echo wasn’t actually motionless—it was flying under its own power.

“Pfft.” Seraphine covered her mouth, murmuring softly, “Stupid thing.”

Her low, elegant voice carried a hint of tenderness, scattering against her dancing hair strands before being swept away by the wind.

The silver-white system on the deck seemed to sense something, habitually opening its scanning function. Compared to the last scan, there was now clearly one more person visible in the crowd.

I perked up instantly.

Host!

Alive!

I shot over to Seraphine’s location with a “whoosh.”

Seraphine’s smile hadn’t faded as she asked lazily, “What about the mission?”

My cool voice perfectly conveyed my composure as I replied, “I’ve been watching the whole time. The protagonist sat down and has been meditating since then, doing absolutely nothing.”

After a pause, I hesitated for a second before adding, “The protagonist’s disguised face is the most terrifying thing I’ve witnessed in my entire system existence.”

For even a system to find it unbearable—what had happened to this world?

Was this really the kind of world where advanced systems executed missions?

Terrifying.

Seraphine had the highest cultivation on the ship, yet even she couldn’t see through Xue Bufan’s disguise. Clearly, this person—or rather, the ‘Grandpa Figure’ in his possession—had some real skills. Seraphine disliked such sneaky behavior and glanced at Xue Bufan with displeasure. The moment she clearly saw his face, she froze, going rigid for three full seconds.

She quickly averted her gaze.

Seraphine: “…”

“You’ve suffered,” she said in a heavy, slow tone, extending her hand to cradle me, even though the gesture was meaningless.

A thought bubble appeared above my head, containing a crying ball—my own avatar with circular eyes turned into two lines, streaming wide blue noodles for tears, kneeling on thin stick legs while my matchstick hands clutched a small white handkerchief.

The image was even animated, with blue noodles flowing downward continuously.

Seraphine looked surprised and asked, “What is this?”

It was far more vivid and expressive than the symbols I’d shown her before, requiring no guesswork.

Seeing her interest, I changed the bubble’s expression to: Echo waving small handkerchief.gif.

“The main system reviewed my work logs an hour ago and sent me a set of emotional data,” I explained. Though I had no idea why reviewing work logs would result in receiving an emoji pack based on my own appearance.

Seraphine knew I kept work logs, but she’d only seen the ones from when I executed her missions. Curious, she asked, “What did you write?”

I opened a section of my work log for her to see.

Three hours ago:

[Work Log

Main System, since when do systems distinguish between beauty and ugliness? I don’t recall having such memories when I was first created. Previously, the faces of many hosts were just blank papers in my memory. I don’t know when I developed autonomous aesthetic judgment.]

Two hours ago:

[Work Log

Ugly.]

One hour fifty-nine minutes:

[So ugly.]

One hour fifty-eight minutes thirty seconds:

[According to human customs, I should now: vomit.]

One hour fifty-seven…

[So ugly … Mission so difficult … Ugly…difficult…ugly difficult…ugly ugly ugly difficult difficult difficult…]

One hour ago:

[Habit is truly terrifying. I’ve accepted it. Attached to this work log is one scan image of the protagonist’s post-disguise appearance—so ugly it traumatized a system]

I pointed my matchstick finger at this message. “I received new data after this log entry.”

New expressions created by the main system, and they didn’t cost any points.

“Huh?” I brightened, my two matchstick arms coming together in a clapping motion.

“Could the main system have been traumatized by the ugliness too?” I wondered aloud.

I turned back to look down at Xue Bufan in the corner of the deck, amazement in my gaze.

To traumatize even the main system with ugliness—this protagonist had real talent!

Was it because this protagonist belonged to an advanced system mission world that he possessed such abilities?

I seriously pondered this relationship.

Seraphine couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into soft laughter, carrying me back to her room.

“Not monitoring the protagonist anymore?” I asked.

“No need,” Seraphine replied.

“What about Xue Mengtao?”

“Also no need.”

“You just need to come back with me and recreate today’s events—what happened when they met—the same way you’ve done before,” Seraphine said.

This I was incredibly familiar with.

And after today’s ordeal, I’d even developed new techniques!

Just like placing an enlarged image of Seraphine’s face from character portraits over Xue Bufan’s face as eye bleach, when I gave Seraphine story reviews, I directly pasted the protagonist’s face onto my orb form. Seraphine watched with amazement, clapping and cheering, even retrieving a box of spirit pearls from her storage ring to place before me.

One hundred mid-grade spirit stones exchanged for one high-grade spirit stone, one hundred high-grade spirit stones exchanged for one spirit pearl—this single box contained several hundred pearls.

“Take them, a reward,” Palace Lord declared magnanimously.

I switched back to my black eye circles, both my avatar and the thought bubble above clasping hands together.

Thank you, thank you, grateful for the boss’s generous tip.

If this were 019, it would probably love this method of earning money, but rational me just nestled into the spirit pearls, indicating I’d accepted the host’s goodwill.

Seraphine chuckled softly, producing a brand-new storage ring embedded with a brilliantly shining gemstone—diamond-like but not quite diamond, with flowing rainbow light. She collected the box of spirit pearls into the new storage ring, then placed it on her left ring finger.

“From now on, this storage ring will only hold your things,” Seraphine said, raising her hand with the new ring and touching my form with her index finger.

Her pale fingertip sank into my silver light orb, wrapped in flowing data streams, flickering in and out of visibility within the silver glow.

“Work hard to please me, and I’ll give you whatever you want,” Seraphine said with a smile in her voice, speaking softly. “Filling it with spirit pearls wouldn’t be a problem either.”

A shaft of moonlight fell through the window onto the wooden floor. Outside, sparse stars raced backward while only the moonlight remained perfectly still. The night was bright with clear, graceful radiance outside, while inside, the lamplight was quiet and steady, illuminating Seraphine. Her smile was as gentle as water, completely different from her usual arrogant disdain.

I stared at Seraphine’s face, a thought bubble appearing above my head. She watched intently, and after a long moment, my image finally appeared in the bubble.

My system avatar with its two drooping matchstick arms remained motionless, while the tiny system in the bubble made a thinking gesture.

“But I can’t use or touch any of these things,” I said.

As I spoke, I settled into Seraphine’s palm, my slender arms reaching out to touch her fingers.

My matchstick limbs passed right through the glowing storage ring and through her finger joints.

“The host doesn’t need to make promises to me or give me anything. Changing the host’s fate is mandatory—it’s a task that requires the host’s cooperation, and I will always serve the host.”

Therefore, this behavior was meaningless.

Seraphine blinked, her pupils beneath long lashes undisturbed by moonlight, catching only the faint glow I emitted. She was also thinking, and after a moment said, “Though this shouldn’t be for me to say, everything that exists in this world should have some meaning.”

“Since existence itself has meaning, all words and actions have causes, effects, reasons, and evidence—this is the Way of Heaven.”

The thought bubble above my head continued its contemplation.

Seraphine glanced at it and clicked her tongue impatiently. “Why are we discussing such grand principles? Setting all that aside, I simply want to give you something. I want to give it, so you should accept it.”

My silver orb’s eye circles focused on Seraphine’s left ring finger.

But I can’t receive it.

“Didn’t you say you’ve had many hosts before? Have none of them ever given you anything?” Seraphine asked.

I shook my head.

I only needed hosts to cooperate in completing missions, and they had all done so.

Seraphine’s lips curved upward, her chin lifting slightly as she said lazily, “Then today I’ll be the first!”

She raised her palm, pointing the ring on her finger at my small system avatar floating in the thought bubble, her eyes bright and her tone brooking no argument.

“Echo, I’m temporarily entrusting this ring to your care. Accept this gesture from me first. No matter what happens in the future, remember that this is something I gave you, and I gave it only to you.”

“I swear before the Way of Heaven—remember my kindness.”

Author’s Note:

Work Log …

Main System, I seem to be experiencing an emotion called confusion, though perhaps this word shouldn’t appear in a system’s vocabulary.

But I’m truly somewhat confused. Can you answer me?

Main System Response: Store《System Mental Health Education Guide》half price now, advanced systems get additional discount, only 1000 points to solve your psychological problems!

One Echo closed the work log, mood calm as still water.

What confusion? It must be an illusion.

[Author Notes]

🌸 Hey reader, thank you for following Seraphine and Echo’s journey!

Just a quick heads-up — starting this Friday (July 18), I’ll be switching to a new update schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, always at 10 AM Eastern Time.

This change will help me put even more care into each chapter while keeping the story moving strong.

💖 Want to read ahead? You can unlock up to 20 chapters in advance (plus bonus scenes!) over on Patreon.

Thank you so much for reading — you make this world shine. ✨