My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

The two's main quest progress is naturally 5%, since they've only completed the quest once before.

This means that if the two of them fail in this main mission, there will be no guarantee for them in the future. If they encounter any more difficult missions, they will have to go back to their hometown to be reincarnated.

Ruan Chayan & Luo Hanying: My mother tongue is speechless.

What can we do? Let's get started.

Luo Hanying tentatively asked, "This secret realm is so vast, shouldn't you give us a little hint, telling us where to start investigating?"

Xian Ge looked at the two of them speechlessly.

Xian Ge's attitude surprised Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying.

Ruan Chayan exclaimed "Huh?" and said, "[Seriously? As a system, shouldn't you be playing the role of a guide? You didn't even tell me which way to go?]"

Finally, Xiange uttered a statement that left the two of them completely baffled: "It makes no difference to you which way you go."

Xiange's cryptic remarks on this matter amused Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying.

Since it didn't matter which way they went, the two of them decided to just consider it an adventure in this secret realm.

The two immediately flew eastward on their swords, passing through dense forests and valleys along the way, watching as the silent mountains and fields gradually filled with human voices.

While resting by a stream one day, discussing whether they should spend time killing monsters to collect monster hides and inner linings, the Jingyao Shrew suddenly let out an urgent warning.

Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying immediately drew their swords and stood up. Ruan Chayan said, "Huajiao said that a demonic beast and two humans are approaching!"

Sichuan pepper is the name of Jingyao shrew. Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying came up with many names along the way, but in the end, he chose this catchy name himself.

Luo Hanying secretly mocked Jing Yaoshou for not knowing that the Chinese pepper grass and Sichuan pepper were similar. She jokingly said that Jing Yaoshou chose "Sichuan pepper" as his name to warn himself of the humiliation of the Chinese pepper grass.

However, he never mentioned these words to Jingyao the shrew. The little thing could understand human speech and was so vengeful. If Jingyao knew about this, who knows how he would secretly take revenge later.

Sure enough, not long after Ruan Chayan finished speaking, two male cultivators hurriedly rushed towards them on their magical artifacts, followed by a tiger-striped beast at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

"Fairy! Two fairies! No! Senior! Please save us!" one of the long-faced cultivators shouted at Ruan Chayan.

Luo Hanying frowned as she felt the overwhelming pressure: "Damn, their cultivation is higher than mine?"

Aren't tiger-striped beasts the most common monsters in this secret realm? Why are these two running away in such a panic?

Xian Ge spoke up at the opportune moment to remind them: "The demon beast is in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and the two cultivators are one at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage and the other in the late-stage of the Golden Core stage."

Ruan Chayan figured she and Luo Hanying could escape, so she decided to try fighting first: [“I thought the two of us were useless enough, how come even these bumpkins only know how to run?”]

As Luo Hanying took to the air on her sword, she said, "Don't underestimate yourselves, I think we're pretty much capable!"

Luo Hanying's cultivation level was lower than Ruan Chayan's, and Ruan Chayan's water spiritual root was not as powerful as Luo Hanying's wood and fire spiritual roots. However, they believed that the other party would not take each other's lives lightly, so they attacked without reservation.

Luo Hanying flicked out talismans held between her fingertips, and vines rose from the ground to entangle the tiger-striped beast's limbs and head.

The talisman was of a low level, only able to control the tiger-striped beast in the early Nascent Soul stage for a few breaths, but Luo Hanying kept tripping up the tiger-striped beast during those few breaths.

It might be struck by lightning, entangled by vines, or struck by a rising earthen wall that was about to open its mouth.

Luo Hanying's fingers, which were forming a hand seal, left afterimages.

The tiger-striped beast wanted to swat the little insects in the sky, but it couldn't lift its front paws properly.

Taking advantage of the few moments when the tiger-striped beast was under control, Ruan Chayan slid in with her sword and slashed vertically into the beast's belly. Then, she rolled aside to avoid the beast's tail as it swung, and at the same time, she activated the array plate and threw it out.

The array plate exploded with a "boom" and lightning.

The abdomen is the tiger-striped beast's weak point.

The tiger-striped beast's belly fur was singed beyond recognition. Enraged by Ruan Chayan, it spewed thick black smoke from its mouth and prepared to unleash flames.

Luo Hanying's hand speed slowed down considerably due to the pressure from the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. A faint taste of blood rose in her mouth, and her meridians throbbed with pain. Cold sweat was about to drip from her forehead, but she didn't dare to wipe it away.

A gap of a great realm cannot be bridged so easily.

Sichuan peppercorns are timid. They quickly climbed up the tree and hid themselves in the canopy. When they saw Ruan Chayan risking her life, they immediately stretched out their necks and let out a sharp cry.

Provoked by the roar, the tiger-striped beast shook its head and roared, flames shooting straight into the sky. The two male cultivators hiding to the side covered their ears in pain.

Luo Hanying was surprised for a moment that she was not affected. Then she leaped up and attached a layer of fire spirit energy to her spirit sword, and attacked Ruan Chayan from both sides.

Her attempts to harass the tiger-striped beast from a distance are no longer effective. Even the dumbest tiger-striped beast can avoid her once it gets used to it. So she might as well use herself as bait and set up a sword formation with Ruan Chayan to fight a tacit battle.

The tacit understanding they had developed in past battles allowed them to know each other's thoughts with just a tilt of their heads.

Ruan Chayan flew away on her sword, quickly making hand seals and chanting incantations to attract the tiger-striped beast's attention;

Luo Hanying used her sword to create an array with spiritual energy, then cleaved out a fiery red array with both hands.

The tiger-striped beast disregarded the formation rushing towards it, and it didn't take the weak Luo Hanying seriously. It raised its forepaw to try to break through it with force, but was instead cut open by the sharp sword energy.

The two had barely taken their positions and exchanged two attacks when a giant wooden hand, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, sent the tiger-striped beast flying. A green figure darted toward the beast at a speed imperceptible to the human eye, and amidst the powerful and sweeping sword energy, the tiger-striped beast was disemboweled.

The wooden figure, as tall as a three-story building, shrank in the light.

Luo Hanying retreated repeatedly to avoid being accidentally injured: [“What the heck?! What’s going on?!”]

Ruan Chayan took out a defensive magic artifact and stood in front of Luo Hanying: ["I don't know if it's for the sake of the demon beast or an act of chivalry."]

Just as Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying were stunned, a flamboyant teasing voice descended from the sky: "I wonder if the two fairies are injured?"

"It was truly my rudeness that allowed the fairies to kill a demon beast beyond their level. The two fairies must have been quite alarmed."

Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying looked up in confusion and saw a male cultivator dressed in purple robes sitting on a floating wooden kite with one leg bent. He was looking at them with a charming smile and tender eyes, while he was playing with an exquisite mechanical wooden figure in his hand.

Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying looked at each other in bewilderment.

Ruan Chayan hesitated, then said, "This man..."

Luo Hanying, quick-witted and outspoken: [“This guy is so slutty.”]