I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

"Wait a minute... I haven't even kept up! Anna has been eyeing me?"

Wei Ran was slow to realize what was happening, his head still reeling from Qi Mingxuan's words. He stammered out the question, wanting to confirm that he hadn't misheard.

Having witnessed everything, An Xin couldn't bear to see her naive third senior brother kept in the dark, so she explained the situation in detail.

Overwhelmed with grief, her face deathly pale, Wei Ran felt like crying after learning the truth. She bowed deeply to An Xin and Qi Mingxuan, saying, "Thank you for your steadfastness in preserving my virginity, cultivation, and chastity! I have no way to repay you..."

"No need!" Qi Mingxuan interrupted first, afraid that he would say he would repay her with his body. "Xinxin won't mind. We have a bond of camaraderie."

"Yes! Third Senior Brother, don't worry about it, it was just something I did on the spur of the moment."

Seeing the little girl nod, Qi Mingxuan had achieved his goal, so he asked Xie Zian, "Now that we know the mastermind, the purpose, and the methods, what does the World Lord want to do? And how can we help you?"

"No rush. I want to see how Kwon Yuri, Kwon So-hwa, and Anna's story unfolds, and whether they can make good use of Anna to create conflict and make that idiot Kwon Yuri bite back at Wei Jun."

At this moment, apart from An Xin who could see the cold glint in Xie Zi'an's eyes, everyone and beasts lowered their heads and closed their eyes. The scene was filled with both the unpredictable twists of conspiracy and the bizarre and peculiar nature of the situation.

In this strange atmosphere, the group discussed for a long time. They decided to first develop the spirit liquid business, collect spirit stones while keeping an eye on the city lord's movements, and finally, under Xie Zian's strong disdain and demands, they made a rule: except for beasts, all men must reach the advanced stage of Foundation Establishment, and the ghost generals also need to strengthen their training and be reborn as soon as possible.

Fu Mochen will temporarily garrison Linyou City.

The world's ruler was banished back to the capital—yes, by a collective vote. After even shamelessness and blatant dishonesty failed, he slunk back to his lair.

But his tasks were no less demanding: to find trusted confidants to keep an eye on Wei Jun, the lord of the North City, to collect spirit stones, to find a way to reclaim the new world, and to find a way to preserve the space and the ghosts.

Everyone split up and got to work. An Xin felt the long-lost atmosphere of hard work! Was this the start of another exciting event?

Now that Fu Mochen knows the relationship between the group and the master, they seem to have become one of his own. He occasionally sneaks into An Xin's suite, sometimes gives the ghost generals some guidance, and sometimes gets a taste of the spiritual liquid. Life has become quite enjoyable, lively, and full of anticipation.

With Fu Mochen's addition, the team gained guidance.

Condensing the Soul, Refining the Spirit, and Tempering the Body—though these are cultivation stages for ghost cultivators—An Xin overheard Fu Mochen teaching the Ghost General their mysteries and key points one day. It was as if she had been struck by lightning, her understanding suddenly clear. After meditating in her room for a day, when she reappeared, she felt her soul solidify, her divine sense expand and strengthen, and it was closely connected to her physical body, boosting her agility and improving all her physical indicators.

Fu Mochen greatly admired the girl's comprehension and humbly sought her guidance. An Xin then shared her insights and experiences with everyone. In this virtuous cycle, their cultivation levels gradually increased, and their souls and divine senses also became much stronger.

In An Xin's wildly imaginative descriptions, things like possession and soul extraction become mere fantasies.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Kwon Yuri and Kwon So-hwa remained tight-lipped about what happened that day, each busy with their own affairs, their outward appearance unchanged. However, their already fragile relationship teetered on the brink of collapse amidst the torrent of power and intrigue. Anna, meanwhile, became a pawn in this absurd affair…

As an object of venting and a tool for draining life force, her cultivation level and usefulness both diminished. Kwon Yuri finally declared that if she couldn't complete the mission within a month, she, with her pure Yin constitution, would be sent to the Soul-Bound Pavilion to become a human for ghosts to toy with!

Anna gritted her teeth.

Because she angered Kwon Yuri, he excessively drained her energy, and she finally learned about the third method of the dual cultivation technique.

Fully understanding her role as a furnace cauldron did not extinguish her ambition. She knew her own value and knew that she could use her body to store energy, so why should she hand over the initiative to others?

Kwon Yuri wanted her to go find the World Lord, right? She'll go. Even if she doesn't succeed with the World Lord in a month, there are still so many nobles and so many ghost cultivators. As long as they know her wonders, why should she worry about not regaining her cultivation or not advancing in rank?

—Once I get everything back, Kwon Yuri and Kwon So-hwa will be kneeling before me.

………………

Throughout the month, the effects of the elixir became increasingly known to the ghosts and monsters.

Despite purchase restrictions and strict requirements on buyer identity, the Jade Bottle Elixir is still extremely difficult to obtain.

Even the glass bottle of the elixir became an extremely rare and valuable item.

Within An Xin's space, the number of colored spirit stones increased. However, she only dared to use a small portion for practicing the connection between the five elements.

"Little Jiu, besides the cultivation techniques I'm currently practicing, what cultivation techniques or abilities don't have realm-limited advancement restrictions?" Lying on the bed, hands supporting her head, legs bent and swinging back and forth, she continued, "I haven't broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm yet, but I can clearly feel that the spiritual fluid in my body has been compressed to its limit. I can truly control the five elements—water, wood, and lightning—with ease, and I've mastered their cultivation techniques. My swordsmanship only needs to be enhanced with spiritual power. I'm also learning array formations and talismans every day. I'm nearing the end of the Marrow Refining realm and need to be tempered by heavenly lightning... Tell me, what else should I cultivate?"

"Why don't we take a look at the scroll and see if there are any martial arts techniques or weapons inside?"

"Okay!" Boredom made An Xin feel unreal. Seeing the men bustling around, she felt even more embarrassed to lie there like a couch potato. "Let's look around... why haven't we found anyone suitable yet!"

"Don't rush. The available cultivation techniques are applicable to those above the Golden Core stage. Your current situation is indeed quite awkward. What weapons might be available? ... Ah, silver needles? Acupuncture needles?" Di Ting tilted his head in confusion.

"That's great! I've learned about acupuncture points from Master Chen, but I haven't tried acupuncture needle manipulation yet. Silver needles can be used for acupuncture treatment, and if imbued with spiritual energy, they can also be used as concealed weapons." An Xin rubbed her hands together, already considering who to use for the trial...

The men gathered in the living room all shivered at that moment...

She exchanged the silver needles and also picked up "Needling Techniques," "Treatise on Difficult and Miscellaneous Diseases," and "Acupuncture and Massage." Thus began her journey into traditional Chinese medicine.

"Starting today, everyone will receive acupuncture and herbal bath once a day. I will compare the effects of the acupuncture." An Xin had just finished reading a thick book on acupuncture techniques and urgently needed someone to practice on. She wasn't worried about anyone being ruined by the practice, since they were all people with a certain level of physical training.

"Xinxin, are you sure? I remember you only finished learning about human meridians and acupoints, and you've never actually performed acupuncture." Gu Shuohan and Qi Mingxuan knew this best, because they had been envious of An Xin's photographic memory back then.

"I just finished reading 'The Art of Acupuncture.' If you think my acupuncture techniques are unreliable, why don't you try it yourself?" An Xin looked at Gu Shuohan with a sinister gaze; her intentions were as clear as day.

"Xinxin, your senior brother has experience in acupuncture, and I can guide you." Li Qingchuan nodded gently to An Xin, his eyes full of doting affection, as if to say: Go ahead and do whatever you want, your senior brother will cover for you!

Feeling completely safe, An Xin became even more confident. She spread out the sterilized silver needles on the table and beckoned to Gu Shuohan with her finger.

"Xinxin, you can't play like this! I'm the weakest, something bad will happen." Gu Shuohan pitifully feigned weakness.

Wei Ran, always eager for a good show, patted him on the shoulder and said, "You know you're the weakest, right? That's why you need to work even harder. Come on, a real man shouldn't be so wishy-washy."

As she spoke, she grabbed his arm, lifted him up, and dragged him to an empty chair in front of An Xin.

"Don't worry, I'll be doing the most basic acupuncture today, without any extra treatments!"

"Wh...what do you mean?" Feeling An Xin's cool fingers pressing on his body, Gu Shuohan was so nervous that he stammered. Due to the physical suppression of his senior brothers, he dared not move and could only talk to distract himself.

Following her memory and the sensation in her fingertips, An Xin had already inserted the silver needle: "This won't work, Ahan. Relax, don't resist. You're about to break through the Tendon Refining stage in your Body Tempering, and I can help you better broaden your meridians and strengthen your bones and muscles. Right now, your skin and flesh are too taut, so I can only add spiritual power or lightning to make the silver needle easier to enter your body. Originally, this kind of experience was reserved for the senior brothers who have reached the Bone Refining stage. If you don't cooperate, hehe, then I don't mind doing it now..."

"Xinxin, okay Xinxin, I know, it's just about relaxing, wait a minute..." Before An Xin could finish speaking, Gu Shuohan had already adjusted himself, "Okay, continue!"

"Mmm, much better, good girl!" An Xin said humbly, asking Li Qingchuan for advice while receiving acupuncture. And so, Gu Shuohan truly experienced what it felt like to be "Ziwei"!

From that day on, the men all consciously or unconsciously avoided An Xin... because she now gave off a strong "Grandma Rong" vibe.

However, after a brutal round of acupuncture trials, An Xin figured out the optimal amounts of spiritual energy and electrical energy to add during acupuncture. She learned how to help the body's spiritual energy circulate, how much electricity to add to induce unconsciousness, and even the precise timing. Most terrifyingly, she applied this knowledge to other situations, combining acupuncture with spiritual energy, and mimicking the creation of puppets to develop puppet needles that act directly on the human body.

According to her, she could even use the finest and smallest needles to silently enter the human body, controlling the flow and timing of the needles to pierce the brain or heart, causing death without a trace.

Everyone admired her exceptional intellect and talent, and witnessed her terrifying strength, but they also felt sorry for her. If she were still in the New World, she would surely have surpassed Master Zou by now.

Everyone was also very fortunate that An Xin never abused her abilities, but instead did everything possible to help them improve. After she performed acupuncture on them every day, their physical training speed did indeed improve significantly.

………………

Meanwhile, the Lord's Mansion of Linyou City

"Is everything ready?" Kwon Yuri asked the ghost kneeling on the ground, sipping her spiritual liquid as she sat behind her desk.

"Lord City Lord, we are only lacking the power of the soul..." The ghost servant lowered his head even further.

"Useless!" He slammed the table so hard that the surface cracked, but he didn't care at all, his anger only fueling his rage. "If those human Taoists had been captured back then, this would have been resolved long ago. Now Xie Zi'an is acting strangely; what if he knows my plan... Damn woman, I still haven't dealt with him! And Quan Shaohua! He dares to touch my things, thinking that calling me father and the young city lord gives him the right to covet them? What a piece of trash..."

He vented his frustration and anger without restraint. The kneeling ghost servant grew increasingly panicked as he listened, his soul trembling with terror, on the verge of exploding.

"Go and keep an eye on Quan Shaohua. If he does anything unusual, report to me immediately!"

"Yes, sir." The ghost servant knew the city lord's thoughts. He thought he would be destroyed by him, but he didn't expect to survive and even receive a mission. He couldn't help but feel relieved.

Just as he got up to leave, Kwon Yuri curled her lips into a wicked smile, waved her right hand, and a burst of spiritual energy shot out, causing a ripple in the air inside the room. The ghost servant then vanished without a trace.

"Hmph, knowing too much, how could I possibly let you live?" He chuckled lightly. "Ghost, come in!"

"Master! What are your orders?" A dark figure suddenly appeared and knelt on one knee.

What has Quan Shaohua been up to lately?

"Reporting to Master, the young city lord has been making frequent external contacts recently, and has even been in contact with the city lord of the North City."

Upon hearing this, Kwon Yuri's face turned ashen, and she gritted her teeth: "That Kwon Shao-hua, he's an ungrateful wretch! Keep an eye on them, I need to know what they're talking about!"

"Yes, Master," Ghost Shadow replied respectfully.

"Also, how is that woman? It's been 20 days, hasn't it?"

"Yes, but..."

"Say!"

“Miss Anna is completely unable to get close to the World Lord. She is currently mingling among a few old nobles... and seems to have recovered her cultivation level.”

"Bang—" The glass was smashed hard on the ground, shards flying everywhere.

"Slut! Slut! She said before that it was because she seduced Xie Zi'an and used the sleeping potion that caused that incident... Now! She's just a slut!" Kwon Yuri's face was contorted, and her hands clenched the table, making a creaking sound.

"Go, kill this slut! Kill her! How dare she defy me with my things!"