Isn't That What You're Here For?

Li Muyang walked with Little Wild Grass along the deserted mountain path. But once they entered the hills, he didn't take the main trail. Instead, he led Little Wild Grass into the rugged, hard-to-traverse woods.

Little Wild Grass was utterly confused.

"Big Brother, where are we going? Weren't we supposed to go to the Blood Chamber and find Steward Wu?"

From Little Wild Grass's perspective, Big Brother had just promised Granny Gu he would kill Steward Wu, but after leaving the stronghold, he'd headed straight for the woods... Was he planning to run away?

Li Muyang shook his head. "Just follow me for now. Let's look around in these woods."

There might be some kind of story clue in here.

Steward Wu's attitude today had been too strange. His temper had been far too explosive.

There were no story clues to be found in the cave or the stronghold, so Li Muyang could only try his luck out in the wilderness.

Without a game guide, this was how it went: he had to use the process of elimination, ruling out the wrong choices one by one.

The two of them made their way through the dense, rugged mountain forest, leaving behind the path that led to the limestone cave.

Then a faint scent of blood drifted through the air.

Little Wild Grass blinked in surprise.

"That smell is so familiar... Big Brother, what's up ahead?"

The girl's face was full of curiosity.

Big Brother seemed to know something. The moment they'd left the stronghold, he had led her straight into the woods.

But after she asked, Li Muyang didn't answer. He simply kept his head down and walked on.

A system prompt appeared in his field of vision.

[I've smelled a strange, pungent scent. It feels so familiar, so close to me... Should I go deeper into the woods and take a look? I really want to know what this smell of blood is.]

[A strange, pungent scent seems to be calling to me... But I can't go. I have to see Steward Wu. If I keep him waiting, he'll definitely fly into a rage.]

The system choices that appeared before him gave Li Muyang a slight thrill.

He'd finally found it!

This was exactly what he'd been looking for: a story clue!

This smell of blood really was a story clue.

Without hesitation, Li Muyang chose the first option and continued following the scent.

But he wandered through the woods with Little Wild Grass for a long time and still couldn't find where the smell of blood was coming from.

The strange scent of blood seemed to fill the entire forest. It was everywhere, yet he couldn't find its source.

Li Muyang was getting a headache. The scent was clearly a story clue, but without finding its source, he couldn't trigger the next part of the story.

Just then, Steward Wu's gloomy figure appeared among the trees.

He stared coldly at Li Muyang and Little Wild Grass in the forest and said, "Jiang Xiaoyu, what are you doing here? Why aren't you going to the Blood Chamber to draw blood?"

Steward Wu's gaze was icy. It seemed he might spring up and kill them at any moment.

Two choices appeared in Li Muyang's field of vision.

[(Apologize to Steward Wu, then leave obediently.)]

[(Tell Steward Wu the truth: a familiar and comforting scent of blood brought me here.)]

When the two choices appeared, Li Muyang saved his progress, then chose the second.

After hearing Li Muyang's explanation, Steward Wu's gaze remained icy.

But he didn't leap up to kill him. Instead, he said with clear hostility, "What does the scent of blood in these mountains have to do with you? Hurry up and take the Soul-Lost One back to the Blood Chamber to draw blood!"

Steward Wu hadn't killed Li Muyang. Instead, he was driving him away.

This was the first time Li Muyang had encountered him without dying on the spot.

Li Muyang blinked, obediently did as he was told, and left with Little Wild Grass.

But he made sure to remember the scent of blood in those woods.

A game player's keen instincts told him at once that this was definitely an important clue for the third phase of the story.

After leaving Little Wild Grass and the woods behind, they returned to the mountain path that ran through the forest. Li Muyang safely accompanied Little Wild Grass to the Blood Chamber to finish drawing blood, then returned to Black Cloud Stronghold.

A night passed. Steward Wu didn't come to kill him, and Granny Gu didn't kill him either.

Clearly, he'd safely made it through the first day of the story.

So what was the scent of blood in the woods?

Why had Steward Wu's attitude softened so much when he saw Li Muyang in the woods? He hadn't even killed him...

Curiosity filled Li Muyang as he prepared to keep unraveling the mystery.

But just then, he heard his adopted younger sister Li Yuechan's voice beside him.

"Brother, it's time to eat."

At the sound of her voice, Li Muyang opened his eyes and saw the young woman standing prettily by the field ridge, carrying a food box.

Today, Li Yuechan was wearing a pale blue dress patterned with tiny flowers. She looked sweet and fresh-faced, like the girl next door.

She looked at Li Muyang curiously. "Brother, why do you lie here and sleep every day?"

"Usually, when the sky's clear, you can lie here and sunbathe. But it's overcast today, and it's about to rain, yet you're still lying under this tree... Aren't you afraid of getting soaked?"

Li Muyang looked up at the sky. Sure enough, it was thick with clouds, and rain was on the way.

He got up and said, "Don't worry. You'll come call me, won't you? If it rains tomorrow, I just won't sleep here."

The old tiled house was sealed on all four sides, with no glass in its windows. It was dark and cold inside, and Li Muyang hated staying in an old-fashioned house like that. It always made him feel stifled and oppressed.

So most of the time, he stayed outdoors and played games.

But after hearing Li Muyang's answer, Li Yuechan shook her head.

"Tomorrow you won't be able to sleep anywhere, Brother. I think you've forgotten: tomorrow is the sect's grand selection. All newly recruited outer-sect disciples have to take part in the assessment and have their aptitude tested."

"We have to go out tomorrow."

Li Yuechan reminded him.

It was one of the biggest events in the entire outer sect, and only Li Muyang would forget about it.

With the sect's grand selection approaching, countless newly recruited outer-sect disciples were tossing and turning at night, too anxious to sleep.

Even Li Yuechan wanted to enter the inner sect, despite having that senior's guidance.

She wasn't lacking in guidance from powerful people, but joining the inner sect would transform her status and standing. Even her uncle and aunt, far away in Jiuyuan City, would benefit.

It was the old saying: when one person attained the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascended to heaven. Li Yuechan hoped her uncle and aunt could live better lives.

But Li Muyang didn't care about the sect's grand selection at all.

Seeing the nervousness in his adopted younger sister's eyes, Li Muyang hesitated, but decided he should still give her a warning.

"You don't need to worry too much about the sect's grand selection. I've already asked around. Among new disciples like us, only a handful can get promoted straight into the inner sect based on their aptitude and talent."

Most outer-sect disciples had only one route into the inner sect: reach the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm through cultivation within ten years. Only then would they be eligible to join the inner sect as disciples.

If they took longer than ten years, then even if they reached the required cultivation level, the inner sect of the Demon Refining Sect wouldn't accept them.

Anyone who couldn't reach the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm in ten years was basically useless in terms of aptitude.

Such disciples had two options: find a way to stay in the outer sect as a steward, or return to their hometowns and become minor officials.

Tomorrow's sect selection was basically just a formality, something to watch for entertainment.

Its main purpose was to show off the inner-sect disciples of the Demon Refining Sect and give these outer-sect laborers from the countryside a glimpse of their strength, giving them something to aspire to.

It was also a warning to the newcomers: be careful, and don't go causing trouble on the Demon Sect's turf.