Genius in the whole system: The useless young lady dominates the world

Lu Lingxi and her group quickly traversed the intricate streets of Youlan Medicine Market, with the black-robed cultivators relentlessly pursuing them like maggots clinging to their bones, impossible to shake off.

As night deepened, the hustle and bustle of the medicine market was gradually swallowed by darkness, leaving only the sound of hurried footsteps and whistling wind echoing in the ears.

"Master, they're chasing us too closely. If this continues, we'll be caught sooner or later."

As Zhuque ran, she spoke anxiously. Looking back, she saw the figures of the black-robed cultivators appearing and disappearing in the night, like ghosts.

“I know.” Lu Lingxi frowned, her mind racing as she considered a way to escape. “We have to find a way to shake them off.”

“But we’re not familiar with the streets of Youlan Medicine Market, and it’s easy for us to get lost,” Huan Yue said, her voice tinged with worry.

"I have a way." Lu Lingxi suddenly stopped. She closed her eyes and slowly released her wood-type spiritual power to communicate with the surrounding plants.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, a flash of understanding in them. "Come with me, I know a secret passage."

Lu Lingxi led everyone to a huge ancient tree. This ancient tree was lush and thick, requiring at least ten people to encircle it. Lu Lingxi placed her palm on the trunk, and wood-type spiritual energy was continuously poured into it.

“This ancient tree is the guardian tree of Youlan Medicine Market. It has existed for thousands of years and has witnessed the rise and fall of the medicine market.” Lu Lingxi explained to everyone while communicating with the ancient tree. “It knows every corner of the medicine market, including those unknown secret passages.”

As Lu Lingxi Yao infused her spiritual power, a tree hole slowly appeared on the trunk of the ancient tree. The inside of the tree hole was pitch black, and its destination was unknown.

"Master, where...where is this?" Suzaku asked curiously.

“This is a secret passage leading to the underground of the medicine market,” Lu Lingxi said. “The ancient tree told me that there are multiple layers of space underground in the medicine market, where many unknown secrets are hidden.”

"An underground space?" Huan Yue's eyes widened in surprise. "Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous?"

"Danger and opportunity coexist," Lu Lingxi said. "We have no other choice but to take the risk."

She entered the tree hollow first, followed closely by Zhuque, Huanyue, and Huanying. The tree hollow was pitch black, so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. Only the Flying Snow Sword in Lu Lingxiyao's hand emitted a faint glow, illuminating the path ahead.

"Master, what else did the ancient tree tell you?" Zhuque asked, filled with curiosity about the secrets beneath the medicine market.

“The ancient tree says that on the first day of every month, a group of masked men will transport jade boxes engraved with the Hundred Herbs Seal into the underground,” Lu Lingxi Yao said. “Moreover, three days ago, a cultivator named ‘Wuxin Zen Master’ suddenly passed away while appraising a spiritual herb called ‘Yellow Spring Root’, and flowers of the other shore grew on his body.”

“Zen Master Wuxin? Root of the Underworld? Flower of the Other Shore?” Huan Yue repeated these keywords, her eyes gleaming with contemplation. “These pieces of information all seem to be related to demonic energy.”

“That’s right.” Lu Lingxi Yao nodded. “The ancient tree also said that there is a dry well in the southeast corner of the medicine market. The vibration frequency coming from that dry well is the same as the ancient swamp jade I obtained before.”

"Ancient jade from the swamp?" Zhuque recalled what had happened in the swamp before. "Could this Orchid Medicine Market also be related to that mysterious organization?"

“Very likely,” Lu Lingxi said. “We must find out the truth as soon as possible.”

Just then, the phantom, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Master, I... I feel a little unwell."

"What's wrong?" Lu Lingxi asked with concern.

“I feel… the power within me is somewhat restless,” Phantom said, his face pale.

"Is it because of the demonic energy here?" Lu Lingxi Yao recalled the previous incident where the phantom merged with the other shore vine.

“Perhaps,” Phantom said. “I feel a force calling to me here, a force that feels both familiar and terrifying.”

“Phantom, you must control yourself,” Lu Lingxi said. “We don’t know what’s going on underground yet, so you absolutely must not let that force control you.”

“I will, Master.” Phantom nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to calm the restless power within him.

The group continued forward, and the passage inside the tree hole became narrower and narrower, while the surrounding air became increasingly oppressive. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble slightly, and streams of black liquid seeped from the ground, emitting a nauseating odor.

"This is... black blood?" Suzaku exclaimed, recognizing the liquid.

“That’s right, this is black blood,” Lu Lingxi said. “Moreover, the pattern formed by this black blood is the same as the detection array I built before, both showing a ‘heartbeat’ frequency.”

“Heart rate?” Huan Yue repeated. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” Lu Lingxi shook her head. “But one thing is certain: there must be a huge secret hidden beneath the Youlan Medicine Market.”

Just then, Suzaku suddenly suggested, "Master, why don't we explore that dry well at night? Perhaps we can find something."

Lu Lingxi looked at Huanying, only to find him unusually silent, even taking a few steps back. "Huanying, what do you think?" Lu Lingxi asked.

Phantom's eyes darted around, and he said in a low voice, "Master, I... I think it's better if we don't go there."

"Why?" Lu Lingxi asked, puzzled. "Do you know something?"

The phantom's body trembled slightly; he seemed to be afraid of something.