"30 million words, 8,000 chapters."
After learning this, Huo Yuhao was filled with confusion and hurriedly asked the system.
"System, Peerless Tang Sect—are you sure that's the title?"
"And wasn't the normal version only about five million words and 700 chapters? How did it end up with 8,000 chapters?"
[Ding! It was originally going to be called Peerless Tang Sect. The version you usually read is the censored, official version.]
Huo Yuhao was still suspicious, and pressed on. "Are you saying the version on Biquge is pirated or original?"
[System: This 30-million-word version is the authentic original, showing off a certain author's writing style (with erotica as its main focus).]
As the system spoke, another line of information appeared beneath the book's original version.
In 2014, Sanshao, riding the influence of being the number one webnovel author, actively called for the elimination of erotica. To give children a comfortable reading experience, a massive online literature purification campaign began...
Sanshao claimed that his books were clean and uplifting, and recommended them as the best reading material for young people...
To that end, Sanshao had specially revised the endings of Qindi, Thirteen Zodiacs, Water and Fire Magic Chef, and 28 other works in advance.
But Peerless Tang Sect had been written in 2012, and was still being serialized in 2014.
Over those two years, Sanshao had painstakingly crafted more than 23 million words, drawing on his skill as the number one webnovel author to create an enormous number of astonishingly wild plotlines.
The Qiankun Asking Love Valley alone took up more than 500 chapters and a million words.
Every detail was exquisite, making it the ultimate instrument for shattering readers' values.
In short, nobody could have seen it coming.
But in 2014, for reasons unknown, he called for an online literature purification campaign, and those 23 million words were forcibly suppressed.
Still, it was a real shame.
But nothing stayed secret forever.
Biquge hired a second-rate hacker to break into Sanshao's computer and unearth this original, out-of-print version.
Huo Yuhao read it, the corner of his mouth twitching. For a while, he had no idea what to say.
But he quickly came around and immediately addressed the system.
"Hey, system, is this world based on the original version with more than 80 million words, or the censored official version?"
[System: Ding! It is based on the original version.]
Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched.
Wouldn't that mean his values were about to be shattered all over again?
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao looked at the original version's price. It cost only 20 points.
That wasn't too expensive.
Huo Yuhao immediately selected it for purchase.
The book then appeared in a corner of his system space.
After a moment's thought, Huo Yuhao sent his consciousness into the system space and flipped to a random page.
At once, Huo Yuhao saw the "Haodong Three Ultimates."
Sidong Fist, thoughts surging like a spring.
Niandong Sword, thoughts that never fade.
Haodong Palm, through life after life...
Huo Yuhao cringed. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
A moment later, Huo Yuhao shook his spiritual body and immediately returned to reality.
Just then, the system spoke again.
[Ding! An exceptionally talented individual has been detected 300 li southwest. Would you like to try recruiting her into the Endless Fire Territory?]
Huo Yuhao's heart leaped, and he blurted out, "Who?"
[Ding! System scanning...] [Recruitment target: Jiang Nannan (Note: Backdoor countdown, 7 days)] [Age: 14] [Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit] [Recruitment requirement: Save her mother]
Huo Yuhao's heart leaped when he heard this.
"Hey, system, you said she hasn't been broken in yet. Does the timeline match?"
[Ding! Timeline analysis follows.] [Xu Sanshi awakened his Martial Soul at age 15, as explicitly recorded in the original.] [That year, the entrance ceremony was held three months before the start of term.] [Huo Yuhao joined Shrek Academy that same year. Under the normal course of events, he first met the host while haggling over grilled fish, more than three months after the backdoor incident. For details, see the original's preface, chapter 28.]
After hearing the system's explanation, Huo Yuhao suddenly understood.
He also remembered something: Xu Sanshi was indeed a year older than Jiang Nannan. He was 15 when he awakened his Martial Soul.
As for Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan's relationship...
It was a little twisted, to say the least.
The original also explained that at first, Xu Sanshi didn't feel much love for Jiang Nannan.
As for why, that was simply how the original described it. It was the original, so readers would have to ask Sanshao.
It was only after entering the backdoor that he gradually came to enjoy that kind of feeling...
The original explicitly stated that Xu Sanshi knew Jiang Nannan was the one who would undergo the ceremony.
Aside from that, with Xu Sanshi's Martial Soul awakening, they would ideally find someone suitable for a political marriage.
At the very least, they needed to be of equal status.
The interests of the sects had to be considered. Xu Sanshi was young, but there was no way his elders would be so foolish.
But Huo Yuhao soon came to terms with it. In Peerless Tang Sect, there was basically no such thing as normal love.
Almost every relationship had at least a touch of perversity and distortion.
But Huo Yuhao quickly pulled his mind back to the matter at hand.
He thought it over briefly, then set the backdoor incident aside and said, "Accept the mission."
[System: Ding! Mission accepted. Navigation activated. The host must complete the recruitment within seven days.] [Reward 1: Low-tier Yellow Rank Dou Technique, Xizhang] [Reward 2: Soul Power Level increased by three levels.] [Reward 3: Great Thousand World Minor Divine Art—Yin Yang Ghost Eye fragment, weakened version (Note: One-tenth. For every talented individual recruited into the Endless Fire Territory, the host will receive one-tenth of a Yin Yang Ghost Eye fragment.)] [Reward 4: 6,000 points.]
Huo Yuhao's heart leaped. "System, why are there treasures from the Great Thousand World too?"
[System: Ding! The system has been updated to include certain treasures from the Great Thousand World.]
Huo Yuhao thought it over, then continued, "But I've never heard of the Great Thousand World having the Yin Yang Ghost Eye."
[System: Ding! The Great Thousand World is vast. Some things aren't mentioned in books, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.]
Huo Yuhao nodded at that and stopped dwelling on it. Since it was a minor divine art, even a weakened version was sure to be incredibly powerful. It would probably leave the Purple Demon Eye thousands of miles behind.
"By the way, system, what can the Yin Yang Ghost Eye do?"
[System: Ding! The host will find out upon completing the mission.]
Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched, but then he realized he could simply recruit ten people and find out.
Next...
Huo Yuhao glanced at the horizon. It was completely dark now, so traveling was clearly out of the question.
Huo Yuhao also felt a pang of hunger.
Just then, Xiao Wu spoke up. "Yuhao, should we find something to eat?"
Huo Yuhao heard her and looked at her. Xiao Wu was covered in dust, and he was in the same state.
After considering the situation, Huo Yuhao spent two points in the system space to buy two bags of Dezhou Braised Chicken.
"Xiao Wu, let's eat this. We can make something else later."
Xiao Wu looked at the food that had suddenly appeared in Huo Yuhao's hands, a little puzzled, but obediently nodded.
Then Huo Yuhao and Xiao Wu opened the packages and started eating, one chicken each.
"Then what, Yuhao?"
Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Wu and suddenly grinned mischievously. "A bath, of course. I've also got clothes ready for you. After that, I have some Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid here. We'll use it to strengthen our bodies."
As soon as Huo Yuhao finished speaking, he bought a bathtub from the points shop. It came with some warm water in it.
The warm water had cost him points too, making the corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitch.
But he didn't mind. It had only cost two points in total.
Before you continue