Only after mastering the ruthless path can the fairy conquest system be implemented.

Chapter 84 How come you even have a "favorability rating" on your head?!

Zhou Yuan has always been meticulous and cautious in his actions.

Moreover, even the sect leader said that there must be something fishy about Zuowang Xuege.

He walked forward with the spirit stone in his hand, probing for any unusual auras that might exist in the surroundings.

A moment later, Zhou Yuan arrived at the deepest part of the Zuowang Snow Pavilion, in front of which was the "forbidden area" where the holy maidens of all generations cultivated.

Apart from the Holy Maiden, no disciple has ever entered this place.

Standing at the door now, even someone as calm as Zhou Yuan felt a bit nervous.

Seeing that Gu Yunshu did not stop him, he finally mustered up his courage and went inside.

The legendary forbidden area is unbelievably simple; there's nothing special about it. It's a small place, mostly occupied by a huge ice pool.

Zhou Yuan stopped at the edge of the huge ice pool.

There was no wind in the forbidden area, and not a ripple was stirred on the icy pool.

The water was radiating a chill, so calm it seemed to stand still.

Within this forbidden area, everything seemed to stand still, including time itself.

Zhou Yuan held his breath and concentrated.

He stopped paying attention to the strange phenomena and instead stood by the pool, raising the spirit stone in his hand high.

At the same time, he even closed his eyes and released his divine sense, which was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and scanned the entire secret room back and forth three times.

However, under the dual detection of his divine sense and the specially made spirit stone, he did not find anything unusual in the surroundings except for the pure ice-type magic power that the Zuowang Snow Pavilion already possessed.

Gu Yunshu stood quietly at the stone doorway of the secret chamber.

She stood with her hands behind her back, coldly watching Zhou Yuan struggle inside. Her aloof and beautiful face showed no sign of tension or panic, as if she truly had no secrets.

But in reality, only she knew that huge secret.

Thinking about this, Gu Yunshu found herself somewhat ridiculous.

She cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, and long ago she was able to remain unmoved even if a mountain collapsed in front of her.

Unexpectedly, this ability was ultimately used to lie.

From the moment Zhou Yuan arrived at Zuowangxue Pavilion, she was certain that she hadn't revealed any flaws.

As for Cheng Xiao...

He is actually still in the forbidden area, but it's impossible for anyone to find him.

Unless the sect leader comes in person.

At this moment, Cheng Xiao was actually quietly sitting five feet below the surface of the icy pool.

His back was against the stone wall, and he looked very relaxed.

This icy pool would be deadly to ordinary cultivators, but he felt as if he were taking a bath inside it.

He didn't do anything; it was all thanks to Gu Yunshu.

After sensing that the enforcement team was approaching, the saintess knew she couldn't hide it any longer, so she personally hid him in this most dangerous yet safest place.

In order to evade the detection of the spirit stones from the Law Enforcement Hall, Cheng Xiao's body was currently covered by a layer of strange, semi-transparent energy restriction.

This barrier doesn't have any violent defensive capabilities, but it possesses an extremely powerful effect.

By utilizing the properties of the ice pool itself, Cheng Xiao's body temperature, breathing rhythm, and even the flow of every bit of blood and qi within his body can be perfectly integrated with the surrounding ice pool.

This special restriction was personally set up for him by Gu Yunshu using her own original cultivation method.

The icy pool was crystal clear, and Cheng Xiao quietly watched Zhou Yuan pacing back and forth on the shore.

He could see him, but he couldn't see him.

With his abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to make these law enforcement officers disappear without a trace.

However, looking at Gu Yunshu above the water, who, despite looking somewhat guilty, was still stubbornly holding up the situation for him, Cheng Xiao ultimately suppressed his urge to take action.

He focused all his attention, allowing his body to be hidden in the icy pool under the influence of the restriction.

Zhou Yuan held the spirit stone and fiddled around the ice pool for a full quarter of an hour.

No matter how much he activated his magic, the light on the "Spiritual Essence Tester" remained a basic pale blue.

After confirming that there were no signs of fighting or any external presence, Zhou Yuan still had some doubts, but faced with the Holy Maiden standing coldly outside the door, he really couldn't find a reason to stay any longer.

In the end, Zhou Yuan could only turn around, put the spirit stone back into his pocket, and bow to Gu Yunshu again: "Senior Sister Gu, I apologize for disturbing you. There is indeed nothing unusual here. I will leave with my men now."

After saying that, he led the group of law enforcement disciples in black robes who were guarding outside and quickly left along the road they had come from.

Being allowed to come in and investigate is already thanks to the sect leader's influence.

If they push their luck any further, and the Holy Maiden really attacks them, none of those present will survive.

Even in the end, the sect will not hold the Holy Maiden accountable for their sake.

Killing is killing.

Zhou Yuan understood the reasoning behind this, so he had no choice but to leave quickly and report the situation to the sect leader.

After the people from the Enforcement Hall left, the Zuowang Xuege Pavilion returned to silence once again.

After Gu Yunshu felt that everyone had completely gone far away, she finally relaxed a little, and her previously tense shoulders slumped down.

Without any delay, she quickly walked back to the secret chamber and arrived at the edge of the icy pool.

Then she stretched out her slightly trembling, snow-white hands and plunged them directly into the clear water.

The spiritual energy transformed into invisible hands, which forcefully pulled Cheng Xiao up from the bottom of the water, which was a full five feet deep.

Cheng Xiao leaped out of the water with the help of Gu Yunshu and landed steadily on the ground.

His clothes were completely soaked by the water in the icy pool, and water droplets were still dripping from them.

Gu Yunshu looked down at him.

Her eyes were always so calm, but now they seemed to show some fluctuation.

The water at the bottom of this icy pool is extremely cold; it is the melted water of mysterious ice that has accumulated over tens of thousands of years.

Let alone someone like Cheng Xiao, who is outwardly "severely injured and only at the Foundation Establishment stage" in terms of cultivation.

Even if it were some inner sect Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage cultivators, if they were soaked underwater for so long without any precautions, their meridians would be frozen and necrotic instantly.

She was genuinely afraid that Cheng Xiao would die silently within the underwater barrier she had personally set up before his injuries had fully healed.

Then all the price she paid last night has truly become a meaningless joke.

Gu Yunshu watched as Cheng Xiao shook off the frost from his body, and after confirming that he was not in any danger, she slowly withdrew her hands.

"The people searching outside have all left now, and the situation on the main peak is still somewhat chaotic. As the person in charge of Zuowang Xuege, I must leave immediately and go to the outer sect and the main peak to cooperate with the sect's upcoming all-round mountain search operation. Only in this way will the elders on the main peak stop staring at me with suspicion." She said softly.

Gu Yunshu is always like this—she comes quickly and leaves quickly.

It's as if being alone with Cheng Xiao is some kind of terrifying thing.

Before leaving, she pointed to the tightly closed door of the secret chamber and gave her final instructions: "You should continue to stay in this forbidden area and heal your wounds. This place has been personally investigated by the Law Enforcement Hall, and there will definitely be no second group of people coming to disturb you in the short term. Once the turmoil outside has subsided a bit, I will come back to give you the next steps."

After explaining everything that needed to be said, Gu Yunshu took one last look at Cheng Xiao.

She then straightened her slightly disheveled white dress, turned around, and quickly walked out of the secret chamber, closing the heavy stone door behind her.

Once again, Cheng Xiao was left alone in the secret room.

Cheng Xiao stood there, looking at the tightly closed stone door, without immediately sitting back down to continue meditating and healing.

He walked to the edge of the icy pool again and looked down into the bottomless depths.

During his lurking, Cheng Xiao vaguely discovered a place emanating from a law-based fluctuation in a narrow crevice at the very bottom of the stone wall.

The architecture there is completely different from the surrounding naturally formed stalactite walls, vaguely showing signs of artificial excavation and deliberate sealing.

Cheng Xiao recalled the latest top-secret mission that Yi Er Yu Huai from the Paradise Gate had conveyed to him earlier today through the black jade pendant.

Seize the opportunity to sneak into the Forget-Me-Not Pavilion, make a copy of and send out the original complete mental cultivation manual of "Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions," which was kept or hidden by the holy maidens of each generation.

Cheng Xiao has cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness for many years and is now at the Great Ascension stage of perfection. He has long since comprehended the power of the laws within it.

He was all too familiar with that power; it was by no means an ordinary ice-based technique.

Perhaps the complete version of the "Supreme Forgetfulness" mental cultivation method that the Bliss Sect desires is right here, perfectly hidden at the deepest part of this icy pool.

Cheng Xiao was not in a hurry to go down and find out what was going on.

After all, Otsuji's mission wasn't important; he just needed this identity.

If he's wrong about the truth, and the underwater content isn't the original "Supreme Forgetfulness" at all, he can simply hand over his cultivation method.

Anyway, the Blissful Gate has never seen what the real "Supreme Forgetfulness" looks like.

If he says yes, then that is it.

Cheng Xiao sat on the ground, releasing his divine soul.

There is something more important to deal with now.

That huge variable has arrived.

Cheng Xiao's soul floated in the air and appeared above the plantation in a few breaths.

With a thought, he entered the puppet and began to control it.

Now the doll looks like him, and its soul is also his soul, so it is no different from him.

Cheng Xiao moved his joints a bit, since the doll's body was still a little stiff.

Just as they were getting ready, Shen Qingci's voice rang out from outside: "The people searching the mountain have finally left. It was so tense today, I didn't even get to see the excitement."

The familiar complaints greeted me as soon as I entered.

Every time Shen Qingci comes here, she has to complain about something; she's practically using the plantation as her confessional.

Cheng Xiao lay back in his recliner as usual and replied casually, "The things up there are not for us ordinary people to concern ourselves with. I heard that everyone in the Heavenly Sword Pavilion is dead, so they've got something to do."

Shen Qingci wore a light pink dress today, looking radiant and beautiful, and even added some small accessories.

They had probably been looking forward to the sect's grand ceremony and dressed up specially, only to be met with a search of the mountain in the end.

As soon as she came in, she lay down on another recliner, and yawned as soon as she lay down.

Shen Qingci tilted her head and said, "I thought you didn't care about any gossip, that you just stayed in your vegetable garden all day and never went anywhere else."

Cheng Xiao chuckled twice and replied, "There's no way around it, this matter is just too big; it's hard for me not to know about it."

After all, he was the one who did it, and no one knows the details better than him.

Shen Qingci turned around and closed her eyes, seemingly accepting the reason.

"I thought the sect ceremony would be very lively, but it's all ruined now." Her tone was full of frustration.

Cheng Xiao replied, "Although there was no sect ceremony, today was indeed very lively."

Shen Qingci stretched and yawned: "Yeah, it's only a little quieter here."

After saying this, the two remained silent for a long time.

Just when Cheng Xiao thought Shen Qingci had fallen asleep, the other person suddenly sat up straight from the recliner: "Oh right, I forgot that I came here today to talk to you about serious business."

I don't know if I really forgot, or if I just organized my thoughts.

Cheng Xiao remained lying down, quietly waiting for the other party to continue.

Shen Qingci said, "The sect competition is coming up soon. What are your plans for the future? You can't just stay here watching over the vegetable garden for the rest of your life, can you?"

Cheng Xiao found memories related to the "Sect Grand Competition" in his mind.

This is a selection process for outer disciples. Inner disciples will be chosen through a competition. Those who rank higher will have priority, and those who perform well will also have a chance to be selected.

In short, most of the outer disciples were looking forward to this competition, as it was one of the few opportunities to enter the inner sect.

Before Cheng Xiao could answer, Shen Qingci continued, "I have an extra Foundation Establishment Pill here. You should reach Foundation Establishment first, and then participate in the selection. This year's examiner for Tian Shu Peak is my uncle. I can put in a good word for him and have him choose you. Then we can both enter the inner sect together."

Shen Qingci gripped the hem of her skirt with both hands, looking somewhat flustered.

She is usually carefree and lively, so this is the first time she has ever been in such a state.

Cheng Xiao never expected that someone would offer to open a back door for him, a menial disciple who was originally not allowed to enter the inner sect.

I don't know if that Foundation Establishment Pill was really unnecessary, or if it was specially reserved for him.

After all, Foundation Establishment Pills are rare treasures in the hands of low-level cultivators.

Unfortunately, he didn't need it at all.

"I won't trouble you to pull strings, and I'll owe you a favor. I'll try it myself and see if any inner disciples value me." Cheng Xiao also sat up straight and released his spiritual power.

Shen Qingci clearly sensed that this was spiritual power at the Foundation Establishment stage!

"When did you reach the Foundation Establishment stage?" she asked in surprise.

In her memory, Cheng Xiao was not very talented, only at the late stage of Qi Refining, and still some distance away from Foundation Establishment.

This distance may seem short, but many people are stuck on it their entire lives.

"Just a few days ago, I had a sudden inspiration and broke through," Cheng Xiao casually lied. "So I thought I'd try it myself and not trouble you with your favor."

He couldn't actually join Tian Shu Peak; he had to directly reject Shen Qingci here to avoid any unforeseen complications.

"Then I can tell my uncle, after all..."

Shen Qingci wanted to say something, since the competition was difficult, but before she could finish, Cheng Xiao interrupted her: "Really, there's no need. I want to try it myself. If it really doesn't work, then I'll wait for the next opportunity."

After Cheng Xiao finished speaking, the two fell silent once again.

At this moment, the two of them were looking at each other, neither of them looking away.

After a long silence, Shen Qingci finally spoke: "Cheng Xiao, why... why do I always feel like you're acting a little different than usual?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere became subtly tense.

Cheng Xiao's first reaction was that he had been exposed, but he quickly calmed down and began to consider whether he should secretly eliminate this variable to avoid exposing himself.

But before he could answer, he discovered something extraordinary.

At first he thought he was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, the thing really did exist!

A pink progress bar suddenly appeared above Shen Qingci's head. The progress bar was particularly glaring, but Cheng Xiao was very familiar with it, after all, he had seen it too many times.

Three words were written next to the progress bar.

"Favorability".

The numbers above are...

60.