The moment I materialized, Seraphine’s eyes went ice-cold. She barked out a sharp “Who’s there?” and thrust her palm forward, sending a streak of crimson flame shooting straight at me—

Right at me.

Through me.

And off into the distance beyond.

I looked left. Looked right. Even did a little spin for good measure, question marks practically floating above my nonexistent head.

Huh. Did something just fly past me?

Seraphine: “…”

What the hell is this thing?

Her elegant eyes narrowed to cold slits as she stared at me hovering in the air. I was about the width of her index finger—a pale, silvery orb that wasn’t quite white, wasn’t quite metallic. Like condensed light with data streams flowing beneath the surface.

No face, but somehow I could speak. Fascinating design choice, really.

A dozen names of people who’d crossed her flashed through Seraphine’s mind—enemies who’d mysteriously vanished after she’d reached Golden Core. But this thing had somehow deflected her attack, and she couldn’t sense any spiritual energy from me at all…

“Who sent you?” she demanded, one hand raised defensively while the other concealed a thread of golden-red flame within her sleeve.

Who sent me…

I answered honestly: “Main System.”

Seraphine’s brow furrowed. She’d never heard that name before. The surname “Main” was incredibly rare—none of the major sects or famous cultivators she knew had ever used it.

Was it an alias?

Her expression suddenly shifted, and she lowered her hand, offering me a smile.

The silvery-white orb floating in the air pulsed with soft light, then sparked with a hint of brilliant gold. Seraphine filed away this change without letting it show on her face.

This thing didn’t seem intent on harming her. Perhaps someone wanted to collaborate with Luanyang Palace and was showing off their capabilities as a demonstration. She decided to wait and see.

“What did Main System send you to do? What did you mean by what you said earlier?”

Finally! The part I was familiar with!

A tiny flicker of excitement bubbled up in my calm processing core, like a wave in the ocean that dispersed almost instantly. Just like I’d done thousands of times before, I pulled up a data stream.

From Seraphine’s perspective, thread-thin silver light emerged from my core, materializing into the shape of a book in front of her. The book slowly turned its pages before stopping on one particular spread, and images began to form on the surface.

It was the recent scene from the great hall.

The open pages showed a split view: on the left, Xue Bufan stood with downcast eyes in that golden, magnificent hall while various onlookers gazed up at him with mixed expressions.

On the right was her.

Seraphine’s eyes narrowed slightly.

There she was on that golden throne—spirited and proud, her smile cutting and sarcastic, yet somehow not off-putting. The image was actually quite beautiful.

I had no idea how this thing managed it, but the left side of the image was tinted with gray, making that jade and gold hall look as plain as common brick and tile buildings. Meanwhile, the right side with her… the golden trim around her portion of the image seemed deliberately deepened. Anyone looking would immediately recognize this woman resting her chin on her hand with that cold smile as someone of noble status who could spend fortunes without blinking.

“…”

Seraphine felt confused about the intentions behind this display, but whoever could observe the hall so clearly and record it in such detail without her noticing had to possess unfathomable cultivation. This “Main System” person was dangerously powerful.

A chill ran down her spine. The clouds flowing around Wangshan Pavilion suddenly seemed like prowling tigers, and she was just a sparrow trapped in the mountains with nowhere to escape.

The danger made her shiver. “Did Main System do this?” she asked quietly.

I was still busy fine-tuning the image colors when she spoke. “It was me,” I replied naturally.

Why would Main System interfere with my assignment?

Seraphine looked startled. “You?”

She examined this hairless silver orb again—it spoke in perfectly flat tones without a hint of emotion, its voice clearly artificial, yet it seemed highly intelligent.

Could it be a spiritual artifact that had gained sentience?

Seraphine speculated while glancing at her increasingly golden-tinted portrait. “Do you… does Main System have many spiritual entities like you?” she asked casually.

“I’m not a spiritual entity. I’m a Golden Finger System,” I corrected, holding the book up toward her face. “I’m an employee of Main System. Every system works under Main System after being created. Currently, there are 9,365 of us.”

I had no idea why Seraphine was so interested in our world, but I answered her questions thoroughly, completely unaware that my casual statement had just set off a tsunami in her mind. I continued with the standard procedure.

“As the host can see, the world you live in is a book, and you have countless connections to the protagonist within it. I’m here to assist you in changing your predetermined fate in this story!”

The shock Seraphine had been suppressing gradually showed on her face. After hearing my explanation, she couldn’t hold back anymore and snapped, “Ridiculous!”

“Among the ancient-setting hosts I’ve assisted, 25 have said those exact words,” I replied calmly.

“You expect me to believe I’m a character in some… story?” Seraphine’s smile turned even more mocking. “And not even the protagonist? Then tell me—who is the protagonist?”

“Xue Bufan.” The cold mechanical voice stated it plainly.

The expression on Seraphine’s face froze at that name, her smile slowly fading. “Xue Bufan? But his spiritual roots were destroyed.”

“Snap.”

I closed the floating virtual book with a satisfying sound effect and displayed the cover for Seraphine to see.

The semi-transparent cover showed Xue Bufan holding a sword as he stood on a peak gazing into the distance. Four bold brushstroke characters appeared across the top:

“Sword Pointing to the Heavens”

“As the host can see, Xue Bufan is this book’s protagonist. Based on my experience, after returning home, he’ll encounter a fortunate opportunity. Not only will his destroyed spiritual roots regenerate, they’ll become even more talented than before. From then on, he’ll cheat his way to the top in a meteoric rise. We generally call this type of story ‘Gary Stu’ fiction, and Xue Bufan is the Gary Stu of ‘Sword Pointing to the Heavens.’”

As I spoke, the title on the book changed to “Gary Stu Chronicles.”

Seraphine found it utterly absurd. “His spiritual roots have already been destroyed!”

“There will be a ‘Grandpa Figure’ to help him. The grandpa figure isn’t necessarily a specific person,” I explained. “Oh, and stories like this often include broken engagements at the beginning to set up future face-slapping scenes. The host will likely encounter the male lead again later. Based on my experience, you might fall in love with him again and become part of his harem—the size depends entirely on the author’s preferences. Or you might just become a supporting character who gets face-slapped, but supporting characters don’t usually fare well in these plots.”

Whether it was falling for Xue Bufan again or meeting a bad end, Seraphine couldn’t accept either option. She pressed her hand to her forehead, took a breath, and let out a sound that was almost a laugh. “Ha…”

“Ridiculous!”

Both I and Seraphine said it at the same time—the difference being one was filled with emotion, the other cold and flat.

Under Seraphine’s furious glare, I put away the book and explained: “Of the 25 hosts I’ve worked with, 23 said exactly that after hearing my explanation. The other two…”

“Absolutely ridiculous!” I tried to imitate their tone, but it had no effect whatsoever and only made Seraphine’s expression grow colder.

Seraphine rubbed her forehead, her brows tightly furrowed. She absolutely didn’t want to believe my words—that Xue Bufan would become a Gary Stu among men again, and that he’d build a massive harem. Xue Bufan? A harem? An Gary Stu?

But this ghostly thing couldn’t have come all this way just to mess with her!

Seraphine lowered her hand and looked at me. After careful observation, her brow relaxed slightly.

This thing really didn’t seem like it belonged to this world. But to just believe it outright would be rather foolish.

“I understand,” she said. “In that case, how do you want to help me… change my fate?”

Her tone sounded somewhat like she was gritting her teeth by the end.

My mood improved considerably. Although this assignment had gotten off to a rocky start, it was proceeding according to my familiar protocol now that we’d gotten past the greeting phase. I should have said hello earlier—Main System was right that taking initiative creates opportunities.

With this sense of security, I floated backward and opened my Golden Finger interface.

Instantly, countless transparent panels spread out from me in all directions, layer upon layer, covering the entire mountain peak and continuing to extend higher and farther into the distance.

Seraphine suddenly found herself speechless, looking up at the sky.

The transparent panels wove between the clouds, floated in the rain, stretched across the sunlight, yet didn’t disturb the flowing clouds, the falling rain, or the shining light at all. They existed without interference, truly like visitors from beyond this world with no earthly attachments.

“…”

While the host remained silent, I worked with enthusiastic efficiency, showing off my capabilities to Seraphine: “What would the host like? I’ll work harder than any Grandpa Figure. I’m the top-performing Golden Finger System in the Transmigration Department!”

“My current recommendation is to ascend to immortality faster than the male lead. Among the hosts I’ve assisted, 90% chose this same option. I can provide the host with the best cultivation methods, the finest pills, and the most powerful weapons!”

“My shop has everything you could want!”

“Shop?” Seraphine caught onto that detail immediately.

“After the host makes a choice, I’ll generate related missions designed to motivate the host and provide rewards upon completion,” I explained.

“What if they’re not completed?” Seraphine asked.

“Under my assistance, no host has ever failed a mission. Please rest assured—we’ll definitely complete our tasks successfully this time too,” I said. “Would the host like to set rapid ascension to immortality as your choice for changing fate?”

She hadn’t told her what happened if missions failed.

Seraphine said nothing, looking up at the sky full of panels.

Each panel represented a benefit. Even someone who’d seen the finest things in the world would find it hard not to be tempted by the contents of the panels closest to her.

Seeing that Seraphine hadn’t responded, I floated closer to her.

Seraphine refocused, her flame-like eyes beneath long lashes meeting my gaze.

She suddenly broke into a smile. “But I already possess the most suitable cultivation methods and have my own natal weapon. I rule over Luanyang Palace with countless heavenly treasures at my disposal. Any pills, weapons, or protective gear I desire—I need only speak a word and cultivators throughout the world will rush to fulfill my wishes.”

“I began cultivating at six, established my Foundation Establishment at ten, and achieved Great Perfection Golden Core at twenty-five. This speed is unmatched in the world. I have absolutely unparalleled talent. If I still needed your assistance to become an immortal under these circumstances, wouldn’t that make me seem utterly incompetent?”

Her tone was proud, her bright eyes fixed on me as if flames were burning in their depths.

The data streams flowing around me paused for a moment—a very brief time, perhaps only 0.001 seconds—before the flowing silver light resumed its gentle shimmer.

“Would the host prefer to make a different choice?” I asked and answered myself. “Of course. We also have successful experience from the other 10% of hosts who chose alternative approaches.”

As I spoke, the floating panels transformed into streams of light that flowed back into my body, returning me to my original size.

I opened my mission panel and stared at the task description thoughtfully. Soon, the lightbulb above my head lit up with another “ding.”

I looked toward Seraphine.

“Esteemed host, to avoid future entanglements with the male lead, the most convenient method is to become entangled with someone else instead. You just need to be careful that you don’t both get face-slapped by the male lead together.”

I put away the panel and looked at Seraphine.

“So, what are your thoughts on matchmaking?”