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

Lu Lingxi and her group continued along the winding path. As they ventured deeper, the surrounding mist gradually dissipated, revealing a colorless world before them.

Looking around, all that could be seen was gray and white. The flowers, trees, and fallen leaves were gray, and even the sky was gray. Here, these plants seemed to have lost their vitality and were devoid of life.

The fallen leaves on the ground no longer emitted a fresh fragrance, but rather a nauseating mixture of earthy and rotten smells.

The entire environment has a gloomy and dark feel, which is suffocating.

Su Yuwei, who was usually very timid, was immediately terrified at the sight. She followed closely behind Bei Chen Haoyu, her small hands unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes, her voice trembling slightly.

"Brother Haoyu, this place looks so scary!" Her voice was full of helplessness and dependence.

With a look of disgust, Bei Chen Haoyu forcefully pulled the hem of his clothes back from her hand, and then said unhappily, "With so many of us here, what are you afraid of!"

After speaking, Bei Chen Haoyu quickly scanned the surrounding environment, his brows furrowed, and he said with a solemn expression, "This place is very strange. We must be vigilant and be ready to fight at any time."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded, their expressions becoming even more vigilant. They cautiously continued forward, stepping on the fallen leaves. Fortunately, there were no sudden attacks from spirit beasts along the way, nor did they encounter any contestants from other countries. Everything seemed unusually calm, yet it aroused suspicion in them.

"Look, there seems to be a palace ahead," one of the people in the group suddenly said, pointing to a spot not far ahead, his voice filled with surprise and curiosity.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the palace. Although it was dilapidated, it was like a glimmer of light in the otherwise desolate place, giving them a direction.

"Let's go over and take a look!"

Bei Chen Haoyu made a decisive move and led everyone slowly toward the palace.

Upon closer inspection, the palace appeared as if it had been ravaged by war, with roof tiles scattered and the main gate teetering on the verge of collapse, the remaining door frame creaking in the wind.

All around, broken walls and ruins lie scattered, and the once magnificent buildings are now nothing but devastation and decay, which cannot help but evoke a sense of sorrow.

Just as they were about to enter the ruins, Bei Chen Haoyu caught a faint fluctuation in the air. He then gestured for everyone to quickly hide behind the remaining walls.

"Remember, our primary task is to find the Netherworld Pearl; this is a task assigned by the Crown Prince," a slightly mature-looking young man whispered a reminder.

"How many times have you said that? We're all here for the Netherworld Pearl. We even abandoned Captain Hanmo. Do you need to remind us?" A slightly immature voice retorted impatiently, its tone tinged with the impulsiveness and unruliness unique to youth.

"Don't forget, our lives, and even the safety of our families, depend on the Crown Prince's decision. We must proceed with extreme caution and avoid the slightest mistake," the mature young man emphasized again.

"Alright, alright, I know, stop nagging!" The young man was clearly impatient with what he was hearing, and his words revealed a hint of compromise.

As the two approached, Lu Lingxi released a wisp of her spiritual energy, allowing her to hear their conversation clearly. From their conversation, Lu Lingxi obtained an important piece of information—the Netherworld Pearl. She learned from their conversation that they must be contestants from the Hopeless Kingdom, and that they had deliberately broken away from the team to find the Netherworld Pearl.

But what exactly is the Netherworld Pearl? Lu Lingxi Yao wondered.

At this moment, Ling Shu's voice gently rang in her mind, "Master, this Netherworld Pearl is one of the ten ancient evil artifacts. It is the crystallization of the primordial power of the Netherworld. It has the ability to travel between the Yin and Yang realms, like a mysterious door connecting life and death, light and darkness. The holder only needs to think once to cross the boundary and touch those realms that mortals cannot reach."

"What's even more astonishing is that it can summon creatures from the underworld, whether they are underworld wolf riders or underworld ghosts, all of which can become the owner's loyal servants and serve him. These creatures, though born in darkness, possess a terrifying power that is enough to make any enemy tremble with fear."

Ling Shu's words carried a chill, causing Lu Lingxi Yao to involuntarily think of those terrifying scenes that only surfaced in her dreams at night.

Ling Shu paused, then continued, her tone becoming unusually heavy, "However, the power of the Netherworld Pearl is not without its price. It is a double-edged sword; it can become an unparalleled treasure for enhancing strength, but it can also become the source of disaster. If it falls into the hands of someone with malicious intent, its evil energy will be amplified infinitely, swallowing all justice and light like an abyss, ultimately leading to unimaginable tragedy."

"Therefore, the choice of the Netherworld Pearl is of utmost importance. It must not fall into the hands of bad people. Otherwise, the evil power originating from the Netherworld will run rampant like a wild horse, wantonly trampling on all the beauty and order in the world."

Ling Shu's words instantly made Lu Lingxi Yao realize that the Netherworld Pearl absolutely could not fall into the hands of evil people, and she had to find a way to prevent others from getting it.

Just as Ling Shu finished speaking, a voice carrying a hint of mockery and contempt came over, "Oh, aren't these the contestants from the Hopeless Kingdom? What, the entire Hopeless Kingdom only sent the two of you to make up the numbers?"

As the voice faded, three youths from Yaoguang Kingdom stepped into the palace, their eyes filled with disdain and contempt for the two youths from Wuwang Kingdom.

Faced with this sudden provocation, the younger boy from Hopeless Middle School frowned, his tone filled with resentment and indignation, "What, is Yaoguang Kingdom going to bully us because they have more people?"

Upon hearing this, a young man from Yaoguang Kingdom sneered, his eyes filled with arrogance. "Hmph, what can you two do, even if we outnumber you? This world is ruled by the strong."

Upon hearing this, a resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the younger boy from the Hopeless Kingdom. He clenched his fists and said firmly, "Then I will risk my life to fight you!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already swiftly drawn his sword.

However, the young man from Yaoguang Kingdom merely scoffed, his laughter filled with mockery and confidence. "You, a mere Spirit King, dare to compare yourself to me? What a joke."

As he spoke, he gently raised his left hand, and a surge of red spiritual energy rushed out like a tide, instantly knocking the boy from the Hopeless Kingdom to the ground.

"I will spare your lives for now," the young man from Yaoguang Kingdom said with an undeniable air of dominance, "but all the treasures in this palace will belong to the three of us. If you dare to follow us, don't blame us for being impolite and ensuring you never leave alive."

After saying this, the three of them strode off, heading arrogantly into the depths of the palace.

After the three left, the older boy from the Hopeless Kingdom quickly stepped forward to help the boy who had been knocked to the ground up, his eyes filled with worry as he asked, "Are you alright, little brother?"

Seeing the younger boy shake his head, he continued, "If we follow them, we'll definitely have another chance."

As those figures gradually faded from sight, Lu Lingxi and the others slowly emerged from the shadows. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement, and her voice carried an undisguised thrill, "Let's go take a look too!"

The group arrived at the entrance of the palace, where a deep, dark passage, like the mouth of a giant beast, swallowed all the light, appearing exceptionally eerie and terrifying.

For the team's safety, Lu Lingxi suggested, "Captain, for safety's sake and to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, Lu Xinglan and I will go ahead and scout out the place. Once we confirm it's safe, we'll immediately return to inform you, and then we'll go in together. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Bei Chen Haoyu nodded solemnly, "Alright, please be careful, safety first. If you encounter any trouble, return immediately."

"Um!",

Lu Lingxi and Lu Xinglan responded in unison. Then, as fiery red spiritual energy swirled in Lu Xinglan's left palm, a fireball leaped out. He slowly took Lu Lingxi's hand and stepped into the darkness...

Before long, an indescribable stench permeated the entire passage, a smell mixed with death and decay that made people frown.

Lu Lingxi's face was filled with confusion and wariness. She asked softly, her voice tinged with doubt, "What...what is this smell?"

Lu Xinglan's expression also turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "This smells like rotting corpses. I'm afraid we've stepped into an ominous place."

"A corpse?" Upon hearing this, Lu Lingxi Yao's eyes flashed with surprise, and she involuntarily looked down at her feet.

"Hmm," Lu Xinglan nodded, and was about to take a step forward when he suddenly stopped, the sensation under his feet making him shudder.

Lu Lingxi asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly stop?"

Lu Xinglan quickly moved the fireball in his hand downwards, and saw a severed human leg lying quietly at his feet, with fresh blood still remaining at the break, as if it had only been broken recently.

Lu Lingxi squatted down and carefully examined the severed leg. The cut was clean and smooth, clearly made by a master with a sharp weapon such as a longsword, showing that the person who did it was extremely ruthless.

She slowly stood up, gazing at the seemingly endless passage, her tone unusually serious, "There must be something terrible in this palace!"

Lu Xinglan nodded in strong agreement.

As night falls and all is quiet...

I heard death singing softly..."

Just then, a strange yet pure child's voice, as if overflowing from a crack in another world, echoed faintly at the end of the passage.

The voice was ethereal and unpredictable, sometimes clear as if it were right next to you, and sometimes so indistinct as if it had never existed, like a ghost, wandering through the endless darkness and whispering in your ear.

This melody is neither the joyful laughter of everyday life nor the desperate wails of hell; it transcends the boundaries of life and death, detached from all known emotions, carrying an indescribable strangeness and ethereal quality.

Every note seemed to be meticulously sculpted by the darkness of the night, imbued with profundity and chill. They leaped and collided, releasing a chill that struck straight to the soul, causing a strong sense of unease and panic to rise in Lu Lingxi Yao's heart.

Lu Lingxi and Lu Xinglan exchanged glances, and then they walked towards the source of the song. As they went deeper, the surrounding scenery gradually opened up.

Just then, the chilling singing suddenly stopped, and then an invisible barrier silently separated Lu Lingxi Yao and Lu Xinglan into two different worlds.

Only Lu Lingxi and Yao Yao remained in the entire hall, along with a faint candlelight.

"Hehehe~"

A chilling and eerie laugh echoed through the empty hall, as if countless invisible hands were touching every inch of space, sending a chill down one's spine.

Immediately afterwards, a ghostly light flashed past like a phantom, so fast that it was almost impossible to catch its trace, leaving only a faint chill lingering in the air.

Lu Lingxi frowned and shouted loudly at the empty hall, "Who is it? Don't try to be mysterious here, I'm not easily scared!"

"Humph, that's not fun at all."

A childish voice, tinged with displeasure, suddenly broke the silence in the hall.

Before the words were finished, a little boy of about five or six years old was seen standing in front of the dilapidated statue in the main hall. He was wearing a long black robe, the hem of which swayed gently, as if he had blended into the surrounding darkness.