Xue Bufan stood motionless in the valley until every last shadow of another person had vanished. Only then did he slowly straighten his body and call out to his master. The spiritual consciousness flickered back into existence.

“So this is the senior sister who truly received the inheritance,” Xue Bufan said quietly. “I was wondering why Palace Lord Velka could manifest sword intent with falling snow everywhere. It turns out the real senior sister was on the ship all along—she just didn’t want to see me.”

The spiritual consciousness let out a cold laugh. “Seems like both of them find you extremely irritating. Neither wanted to meet you, and that Seraphine even had killing intent toward you earlier. Yet you can tolerate all this and still call her ‘senior sister’ with such respect.”

Xue Bufan fell silent.

Seeing him hang his head without speaking, the spiritual consciousness grew even more furious. “Look at you cowering like a quail! Don’t you have even a shred of competitive spirit?”

“I’m slow-witted,” Xue Bufan said gently. “I’m just wondering…… why doesn’t senior sister want to see me? And why did she tell me to stay away from Palace Lord Velka?”

The valley lay covered in a blanket of fresh snow, like unstained white paper. The black soul essence drifted across it like ink stains as the spiritual consciousness spoke in its hoarse voice: “Maybe those two have some dirty business between them. My eldest disciple doesn’t want to see Seraphine herself, so naturally she doesn’t want you seeing her either!”

“How could Master think such a thing?” Xue Bufan asked in surprise. “Before entering the secret realm, Palace Lord Velka and senior sister were together, as close as blood sisters.”

The spiritual consciousness scoffed dismissively. “Think about what happened to you at the Lianshan Sect. Even your own father could easily abandon you—what more brothers and sisters? Perhaps they fought each other in the secret realm over the fragments and now hold grudges!”

Seeing Xue Bufan’s shocked expression, the spiritual consciousness writhed twisted through the air. Something about the sight of this white-robed figure standing in the snow struck him as unbearably false, and inexplicable anger brewed in his heart. The spiritual consciousness gave a cold snort: “If you don’t want to believe that, there’s another possibility.”

Xue Bufan bowed his hands respectfully. “Please enlighten me, Master.”

The spiritual consciousness lowered his voice: “You had a marriage engagement with Seraphine before, which was later dissolved. So Seraphine doesn’t want to see you. But my eldest disciple has no grievances with you, yet she shows you the same cold attitude—hahaha, maybe these two women have gotten entangled with each other! They’re afraid you’ll interfere, especially since you carry the title of Seraphine’s former fiance!”

Xue Bufan stepped back in shock. “I truly cannot imagine such a thing.”

He sighed deeply. “If that’s really the case, then I should indeed be more tactful and keep my distance from both senior sisters.”

The spiritual consciousness quieted for a moment, then suddenly began floating about excitedly. “However…… nothing is absolute. If those two are indeed about to make their relationship official, then Seraphine counts as half my disciple. I should send them both a grand gift. Now that I’ve obtained the second fragment of spiritual consciousness, I only need three more fragments to restore my spiritual consciousness. I’ve already sensed the third fragment—it’s in the WestleContinent. After you pass the second round of trials, hurry to Westle Continent and retrieve that third fragment for me.”

“That fragment is also in one of my cave mansions. I’ll select gifts for them there, which will also serve as my apology for not being able to guide my eldest disciple properly.”

Xue Bufan bowed deeply with a smile. “Yes, Master.”

The spiritual consciousness spun in a circle, laughing heartily as he praised: “You’re becoming more and more obedient. Good, good. I have a gift for you as well, don’t worry.”

Xue Bufan bent even lower, saying warmly: “Thank you very much Master.”

⁂

A fire-red dragon burst from the white light, shouting excitedly: “Master?”

“Master!”

“Master—”

I grabbed onto Error’s tail and looked up ahead.

The sky here seemed veiled in gauze, tinted with a thin layer of red. We stood on a mountain cliff, with mountain after mountain stretching before us, each one deep crimson and spewing hot steam from their peaks.

The air was scorching hot, thick with the smell of sulfur.

Error was stunned: Could this be her never-before-seen homeland? What an impressive cluster of volcanoes!

She transformed into human form and took a few steps forward.

“Can you sense Seraphine?” I asked.

Error sniffed and pouted.

“No trace of Master’s spiritual energy.” Her eyes reddened, and a tear dropped with a “plink”—but it evaporated in the air before hitting the ground.

Steam bubbles rose from my head as my system interface opened wide, tears spraying like a fountain.

“Then let’s continue searching for teleportation tokens.” I said in a calm voice. I scanned the area to generate a map, circling a region. “Starting from right here—I’ll take south, you take north. We’ll do a sweep search. If anything tries to mess with you, just call for me.”

Error wiped away her tears. “Okay!”

After assigning tasks, I didn’t move immediately. I watched Error head out until she was quite far away, then retrieved the box I’d taken from Xue Bufan earlier from my storage ring.

The jade case was exquisitely crafted, embedded with many gems. In the center was carved a pattern of interlocked hands posed like a peacock’s gesture—I’d never seen this symbol before. I lifted one hand to compare.

This might contain something dangerous. Can’t let Seraphine and Error see it.

I raised my hand and crushed the jade lock sealing the box. With a “bang,” the box projected a defensive array. I looked up, my expression calm beneath long lashes, gathering spiritual energy in my palm to blast the formation.

“Boom!”

The array collapsed, its residual energy forming the same phantom image I’d seen on the box before dissipating. I lifted the lid to find an enormous box containing just one thing: a black ring.

A very familiar ring—one I’d just seen on Xue Bufan’s thumb.

“Huh?”

‘Grandpa’?

I picked up the ring and channeled spiritual energy into the storage device. Silver-white energy spread out, circling through the vast space inside, but found nothing.

The ring was completely empty.

I blinked in confusion.

Why would the protagonist give me an empty storage ring?

In the northern volcano cluster, Error in her red dress lifted her hem and searched for tokens like a locust swarm, flipping over every roadside stone. Fortunately, this volcanic area was barren as a wasteland with no vegetation, or poor Error would have had even more work!

Error kept a cold expression as she punched through a blocking boulder, thinking: When I was a dragon, I fought with my body. Now that I’m human, I can’t just use fists for everything. When I find Master, I need to ask her for a really powerful weapon. Sigh, Master, Master, where are you?

“Boom!”

Error channeled her sadness into punching power, striking the nearby mountain wall. With a “bang,” the wall cracked open into a large hole. Behind it, a pair of golden eyes suddenly opened, cold pupils meeting Error’s gaze directly.

Error: “……Roar?”

I moved aside a stone and said, “Hello.”

I split open a boulder and said, “Hello.”

I glanced at a passing fire lizard and said calmly, “Hello.”

The fire lizard scurried away on four legs, disappearing into a stone crevice with a “whoosh.”

I paused briefly, leaped into the air, and activated my scan again.

Within visible range, there were no objects similar to the tokens I’d scanned before. Still, I chose to land and check behind every stone once more.

Systems are higher-dimensional beings with excellent functionality, but even in high-dimensional worlds, many things lack absolute certainty. A 0.01% chance of error would mean a 100% chance of missing Seraphine.

Dark clouds gathered above my head as I expressionlessly thrust Nine Heavens into a boulder.

Spiritual energy flowed in, Nine Heavens glowed, and the massive stone instantly froze before crumbling into ice fragments that piled on the ground. I lowered my lashes, looking at the silver-gray powder, and said calmly: “Hello. Sorry.”

I stepped forward, walking over the debris. Scorching wind blew past, stirring up the powder and staining my blue robe, but I didn’t look back. Moving straight ahead, I split mountains and shattered stones.

A fire-red dragon excitedly flew past me, flicking its tail to drop five fragments. I collected them into my storage ring without changing expression, then swung my sword. With a resonant hum, the giant fire lizard pursuing us split in two under the sword energy.

Frost covered the fire-red ground, slowly melting in the furnace-like heat. Error swam back to collect the beast cores into her storage ring, then flashed back to her previous search area with lightning speed.

One system and one dragon worked tirelessly, quickly clearing a vast region. Everywhere we passed became like a dead sea, with any spirit beasts lucky enough to escape Error’s enticement fleeing trembling into the distance.

I shook my sword clean and looked at the tallest volcano ahead.

I stepped forward and flew up expressionlessly.

⁂

Meanwhile, at the Immortal Ascension Commerce Association’s branch office in the Twin Dragon Secret Realm, ZhaoHangyi was conducting business with an extremely beautiful woman.

“Saintess, I’ve gathered the information you wanted,” Zhao Hangyi said. “There are Candlefire Golden Lotuses in Vermillion Bird Mountain, just as you need.”

The woman nodded. “Just call me Shi Yingyue.”

Zhao Hangyi laughed heartily. “Lady Shi, given the neighboring relationship between Red Lotus Sect and Sunset Glow City, I can give you an extra piece of information for free. There’s a late-stage Nascent Soul Mysterious Fire Beast in Vermillion Bird Volcano—extremely vicious. The cultivator who discovered the Candlefire Golden Lotus nearly died to it.”

Shi Yingyue frowned. “Candlefire Golden Lotuses are rare treasures. No matter how fierce this Mysterious Fire Beast is, I must bring the lotus back!”

The Twin Dragon Secret Realm wasn’t just the location for Insight Academy Palace’s second trial—it was also a legendary secret realm filled with rare treasures. While trial participants couldn’t kill each other for loot, they never stopped searching for opportunities alongside collecting fragments.

Zhao Hangyi seized the chance to ask: “This journey is fraught with danger. Why not post a bounty? Recruit several more Nascent Soul cultivators to go together? If Lady Shi is generous with payment, I could even find you one of the two Soul Transformation cultivators who made it to the second round!”

“No need.” Shi Yingyue shook her head, afraid that staying longer would empty her pockets to this merchant. She tossed out several golden dragon fragments and left without looking back.

Zhao Hangyi looked at the fragments in his hand, then at the untouched peanuts and sunflower seeds on the table, and shrugged.

⁂

Vermillion Bird Volcano.

I slowly descended into the volcano, stepping onto a platform and leaning over the edge. Rolling lava illuminated my face in golden hues. “Hot, so hot.” I murmured softly, then lightly touched down from the platform onto a massive stone rising from the center of the lava.

This stone stood in the lava like a pillar. Its top was concave, as if something had nested there for years, pressing it into that shape. But at the edge near the wall, there was a palm-sized spring—though what flowed from it was lava, not water.

In the lava, a lotus grew freely, elegant and upright. Its round leaves spread like golden foil, and above three lotus leaves, a golden flower bloomed. I raised my hand and began counting: “One, two, three……”

On the wall above, a red bird spread its wings—head like a lizard’s, tail like a snake’s, tail feathers burning with flame. It descended like wind, landing atop the stone pillar and casting a black shadow.

Unfazed by the shadow, I counted to “twelve” and smiled with curved eyes. “I’ve never seen this type of lotus before. It’s beautiful. Seraphine would look even more beautiful wearing it.”

I turned to face the “room’s” owner and said gently: “Would you be willing to let me have it?”

The red bird sneered and spoke in human language: “Then leave your life behind.”

“I can’t do that—I need to find Seraphine.” I shook my head, then turned to look at the red bird with a smile. “I’ve never seen a bird like you either. You could come meet Seraphine with me. How would you like to travel?”

The red bird cried out in fury, spreading its wings and stirring up towering waves of fire.

⁂

“Ding.”

Wind chimes under the eaves were stirred by the breeze, waking the person on the couch.

She suddenly sat up, looking around.

“You’re awake?”

A graceful woman sitting nearby asked, setting down her embroidery and picking up a round fan from the table to fan her. “It rained all night yesterday. Today flowers are blooming throughout the city. Would you like to go see them?”

The woman’s voice was extremely gentle. She pointed her fan toward red apricot blossoms slanting outside the window, laughing softly: “A beauty like you should complement these spring flowers and lovely scenery. If you like it here, don’t think about leaving to suffer in that endless sea of bitterness.”

The person on the couch slowly blinked, then turned to lean against the low couch, tilting her head to look at the wet scenery outside.

Apricot blossoms swayed outside the window, reflecting the pink flower ornament on her forehead. A trace of confusion flashed in her eyes as she said softly: “Sister, you told me before, but I’ve forgotten again—what is this city called?”

The woman with the fan covered her lips and laughed gently, saying in a low voice: “You must remember this time—this is Brocade City.”