The female lead thought she had a "proud and arrogant" character script.

[System! I need the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator!]

[receive!]

The moment the weapon was drawn, an overwhelming pressure swept across the entire area within a ten-mile radius centered on the spirit tree!

Those who were about to make a move immediately fell silent.

He cursed his bad luck inwardly, wondering why a Nascent Soul Venerable would suddenly pass by.

No one would think that a Nascent Soul cultivator would participate in such a small treasure hunt. Let alone this fruit of unknown grade, even the Earth-grade secret manuals sealed in the small secret realm that was rumored to be opened this time would not be worth a Nascent Soul Venerable's glance.

All they could do was secretly pray that this domineering venerable one, who even used his aura to suppress others while traveling, would leave as soon as possible.

Red Bean slid down the tree trunk, clutching the spirit peach. She didn't quite understand why so many people were gathered here motionless. Looking around, she saw a long-haired person wearing a red veil, whose gender was indistinguishable, with the hem of their skirt tucked into their underpants.

The little red bean was deeply moved.

Don’t understand, but respect!

Looking over there with admiration, Hongdou carried the large pot that had been on the ground back to her back, then symbolically wiped the fruit on her clothes and held it to Luo Qingcheng's mouth, who was sweating profusely and motionless.

"Miss, eat quickly, you're sweating from hunger."

Red Bean, you're so oblivious, but there's a limit! Can't you at least see the atmosphere?

[This fruit is called the Mystic Spirit Fruit. It possesses a large amount of spiritual energy and can only be consumed whole. If it is separated before consumption, the spiritual energy will dissipate into the world.]

"You...eat." Luo Qingcheng managed to utter these two words through gritted teeth.

"But..." Miss, aren't you hungry?

"Quick, eat!" She couldn't hold on any longer!

Only by taking advantage of the borrowed Nascent Soul stage's oppressive aura before those people could react, and eating them in full view of everyone, could they be safe!

Startled by her scolding, Hongdou angrily threw the entire Xuanling Fruit into her mouth.

[Time's up.]

Luo Qingcheng collapsed to the ground.

How could a mere mortal like her easily wield the pressure of a Nascent Soul stage expert? Although the pressure was essentially hers, she was still a mortal and had to bear one percent of the burden herself when using it.

I almost collapsed under the pressure.

He finished eating the red beans, spat out the pits, burped, and his anger subsided.

The oppressive aura disappeared, and the spiritual fruit was gone again. The tacit understanding among the group crumbled, and they only dared to complain in their hearts. No one thought that the reason for the appearance of the oppressive aura was related to the two people in the center.

[System, is that core useful?] In the novels she had read before, some spiritual fruits were set up so that there was only one plant in the world, and when the previous spiritual fruit fell, its core became the seed of the next spiritual fruit.

[It's lost, but it was just a wild fruit that no one wanted a thousand years ago. It's worth fighting for now.] It's precisely because it's so ordinary that the system didn't realize it was a spiritual fruit. It was Red Bean who saw it herself.

Hongdou had already spat out the pit. She touched her stomach as she walked over and sat down next to Luo Qingcheng. As soon as she got close, Luo Qingcheng felt that the pain from the tiny cracks on his skin caused by the pressure had lessened considerably.

"Miss, I'm full. What will you do?"

"I'm not hungry." I've been hungry.

Hongdou shook her head helplessly. Miss was really willful. Only she, Hongdou, could tolerate this sick-headed and frail young lady. Sure enough, after only a few steps, the young lady collapsed to the ground again.

She'll just spoil the young lady.

Luo Qingcheng had no idea what this troublesome little maid was thinking.

[The little maid is like a funnel; the spiritual energy that goes in can't be stored and escapes through her body. If she could guide the spiritual energy, the spiritual energy from this Xuanling Fruit should have allowed her to reach the second level of Qi Refining.]

Hey.

Luo Qingcheng sighed. In the end, she still had to get her hands on that secret manual. She didn't expect so many people to be vying for it; it was almost like the civil service exam.

She is currently just a mortal, and Hongdou can only be considered to have taken a half-step onto the path of immortality. In the end, they are still mortals, so their competitiveness is very low.

That's why she didn't want to be a rogue cultivator.

High investment, high risk, low return.

Let's get through the aftereffects first and then think of a solution.

[What are the aftereffects of this?]

[...extremely low profile, lasting for seven days.]

[Huh?] Luo Qingcheng, who had been limp, suddenly regained his strength.

[Ultimately, "intimidation" refers to an "extraordinary presence," a means of demonstrating one's existence from a higher to a lower level. According to the logic of the cheat system, if you borrow an "extraordinary presence," you need to return that presence tenfold. Therefore, your ability to demonstrate your existence will become infinitely weak.]

Simply put, Luo Qingcheng is now invisible.

The cultivation world has ways to deal with truly invisible people, but she would be directly recognized as "non-existent," which is even more advantageous than ghost cultivators.

As the system explained, Luo Qingcheng's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

What does it mean when heaven never closes off all doors?

What does it mean to find a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation?

Luo Qingcheng had an idea! He had figured out a way to get them the secret manual and escape unscathed!

[System, great! Will definitely come again next time!]

[Host, just a heads-up, your body cannot withstand a second "pressure loan".]

She wasn't fully recovered to begin with; the Wuji Pill had only repaired the surface cracks. Now, the oppressive force had reopened the cracks in her skin. If this happened again, she would be doomed.

This time, there was no Wanqing, who was dedicated to studying medicine and spared no expense, to treat her wholeheartedly, nor was there a second Wuji Pill.

Luo Qingcheng nodded perfunctorily.

She has to use it when the time is right, otherwise, what can a mortal like her use to compete with those cultivators?

It's all about risking your life.

Although he couldn't absorb it, the spiritual energy emanating from Hongdou made Luo Qingcheng feel much better.

She stood up. "Red Bean, let's go."

The red beans showed no reaction at all.

"red beans?"

[Stop calling her, she can't hear you.]

Oh, I forgot to mention, the "aftereffects" have already started.

Luo Qingcheng sized up Hongdou for a while, who was gazing into the distance with a somewhat deep expression, seemingly looking at something. After considering it for a moment, he suddenly turned and left.

[You've finally gotten tired of this burden?] The system seemed somewhat surprised.

Luo Qingcheng rolled his eyes. [Fun fact: If you can't speak properly, don't speak.]

It wasn't that she didn't want to bring Hongdou along, but as things stood, according to her plan, Hongdou was indeed a burden.

[Did I say something wrong?] From its perspective, the red bean really did not have any effect on Luo Qingcheng.

Although it gave up the opportunity to become an inner disciple of the First Immortal Sect Elder for Luo Qingcheng, if asked to evaluate it, it can only be described as "foolish".

Luo Qingcheng scoffed: "These are all high-tech products now, don't you understand what initial investment and later returns mean?"

Hongdou possesses extraordinary talent that even the system acknowledges. Without any instruction or even knowing the meaning of "cultivation," she can draw energy into her body on her own in places with slightly dense spiritual energy, demonstrating the extent of her talent.

She was born without any spiritual roots, and now all the meridians in her body are shattered, or even broken, so there is basically no possibility of recovery.

Relying on this powerful cheat ability with its severe side effects is unreliable, so Red Bean is her last resort.

The system seemed to be deep in thought and remained silent.

As long as she's happy.

The secret realm wasn't far from them.

Before I even got close, I could see a crowd of people gathered in layers.

At a glance, the sect disciples and independent cultivators are clearly distinguished.

[What sect is that over there?]

[Anonymous minor faction.] The system was too lazy to check.

The group referred to by the system as the "Nameless Faction" consisted of the largest number, numbering over twenty. They were all dressed uniformly and wore black masks, and seemed vaguely familiar...

Unable to recall, Luo Qingcheng gave up.

My gaze shifted, and I suddenly noticed that there was a child inside.

Even the child was wearing a black-faced mask, but it was outlined with gold thread, so its shape was not discernible.

As she was staring at the child, the child suddenly turned his head and stared intently in her direction, as if they were meeting eyes.

But the mask obscured the view, making it difficult to see clearly.

[System, did that child see me?]

She's got a buff right now, how could that kid possibly see her?

The system looked over and saw the child Luo Qingcheng had mentioned turn his face.

[No, it must have been a coincidence. Besides, with the mask on, how did you know he was looking at you?]

Luo Qingcheng was indeed unable to confirm.

We could only remain skeptical, treating it as a coincidence, and withdraw our attention.

[The secret realm is about to open.]

A blinding beam of light shot out from the entrance, which was shrouded in a green star ring in mid-air, sucking everyone present inside.

The light is about to shrink and dissipate.

"Wait!" a woman's voice shouted, her feet moving without stopping as she ran towards the entrance of the secret realm with all her might.

Whether it heard her words or not, the light paused suspiciously for a moment, and then took her in as she rushed into the entrance area of ​​the secret realm.

The entrance spiraled and gradually shrank. A pink figure flew by at high speed, got stuck at the very end, and was slowly chewed up and swallowed by the entrance.

Secret Tip: Who understands family background?!

Luo Qingcheng landed safely in a jungle.

[position.]

Location services are enabled; the system map will continue to provide navigation.

[As expected, her luck wasn't great.] The cheat code was located in the far east, but she was randomly assigned to a corner in the southwest.

[Although there is a location, at your pace, even without sleep or rest, you won't reach the location of the secret manual in seven days.]

Tsk.

[How long will this secret realm remain open?] This is the first time this small secret realm has appeared in the world, so the duration cannot be confirmed until they enter it.

[Based on system calculations, the structure of this secret realm is relatively stable, and it is conservatively estimated that it can remain open for at least ten days.]

If she travels at her fastest pace, she might be able to reach the location of the secret manual in ten days.

Luo Qingcheng was immediately caught in a dilemma.

The invisibility buff only lasts for 7 days. She is currently traveling at full speed and has a high chance of reaching the location before the secret realm closes. However, once the buff disappears, even if she successfully obtains the manual, she will have no ability to protect herself.

[After calculation, the system suggests that the host abandon the secret manual and choose to collect other rare and precious materials.] This small secret realm is being opened for the first time, and not to mention, spiritual plants are everywhere.

[Hmm, you're right.] We can't have sesame seeds without watermelon.

[Let's go, give me directions.]

Let's pick some fruit on our way to find the secret manual.

At least sell some spirit stones.

The highest-level item in a small secret realm is only a level-one secret manual, so there is almost no danger from the realm itself.

No sooner had Luo Qingcheng said that than he was nearly tripped over by a newly awakened vine.

Having finally regained his balance, Luo Qingcheng saw a vibrant green vine swaying in the air as if showing off, and asked, "What is that?"

[The Jumping Vine, a third-tier spiritual plant, can reach fourth tier after gaining sentience. It enjoys playing pranks.]

Luo Qingcheng found it quite interesting, but the spiritual plant was not on her collection list.

Just as it was about to move forward, the vines coiled into a loop and lay down in front of Luo Qingcheng's feet, setting a trap, aiming to catch only those who were willing to take the bait.

……

[The weakness of the Jumping Vine is its range; as a vine-type spirit plant, its length almost never exceeds six feet, so you can simply avoid it.]

[How many other spiritual plants similar to the Jumping Vine are there in this secret realm?]

[Not many; nowadays, spiritual plants that can awaken intelligence are practically extinct.] It's probably because this little secret realm is opening for the first time that only one plant appeared.

oh?

In other words, this little thing must be quite valuable, right?

Luo Qingcheng thought for a moment, [Are there any precautions to take when raising this thing?]

There's no need to worry about the spiritual energy dissipating and making it unsellable if it's still alive.

[You lack spiritual power and cannot form a spiritual pact with it; you can only form a blood pact.]

[What's the difference?]

[A spiritual pact can be broken, but a blood pact cannot.]

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingcheng turned and left. Since she couldn't sell it, it was of no use to her.

Just as she lifted her foot, a bright green shadow rushed over, wrapped around her ankle, and pulled Luo Qingcheng so hard that she fell headfirst.

Because the wound that had been partially healed by the spiritual energy emanating from the red bean was torn open again by the "pressure loan," a drop of blood fell onto the vine-woven blanket beneath her.

A flash of golden light appeared.

Luo Qingcheng groggily got up and sensed a new connection between himself and the vines in front of him.

[System, have I formed a bond with this jumping vine?]

[Yes, it's a master-servant contract; it governs you and your servant.]

Luo Qingcheng nodded. Oh well, that's just how Feng Aotian is; she'll try to get all sorts of rare plants and animals onto her.

Wait! She suddenly realized something was wrong.

[What did you say?]

[A master-servant contract; it governs you and you are your servant.]

"Why?!" Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, she couldn't help but shout out in anger.

The vine seemed to know it had done something wrong, and hesitantly swam to her, suddenly bending itself into a heart shape.

Luo Qingcheng was furious and slapped him. The moment they made contact, he felt an electric shock on his hand.

She withdrew her hand, which was red from the electric shock, and glared fiercely at the green vines in front of her, even angrier.

It can neither terminate the contract nor harm it.

She can't do anything about this vine, so surely she can just leave?

Luo Qingcheng turned and left.

Take two steps, "rustling".

Stop, the sound disappears.

Take two more steps, "rustling".

The sound stopped and then disappeared.

Luo Qingcheng was speechless. He turned around and asked, "Why are you following me?"

The vines twisted and turned in the air, as if they were embarrassed.

God knows how she could discern "shyness" from a plant.

What the fuck-

Just as Luo Qingcheng was about to lose his temper, the system suddenly spoke.

[Host, the cheat code's location has changed.]

Luo Qingcheng frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

Could it be that someone has already obtained the secret manual?

[Retrieve the movement trajectory.]

The system brings up the map of the secret realm, where a yellow dot indicates the location of the secret manual and a green dot indicates their location.

You can clearly see the yellow dot moving north at an incredible speed.