"If I'm fortunate enough to conceive a child, I can promise to let the child take your surname. That way, your line will live on."
The cold yet melodious voice seemed to pluck a string deep within Yun Che's heart, jolting his eyes open.
Before him lay a flawless sight that set his blood racing, leaving him briefly stunned.
He recognized the woman. She was Qin Keyi, the foremost she-devil featured in the promotional trailer for Divine Martial.
What was going on? Hadn't the developers said they lacked funding and were shutting Divine Martial down indefinitely?
As confusion gripped him, countless fragments of memory flooded his mind. Yun Che's pupils contracted, disbelief written across his face.
He had actually transmigrated into the world of the much-anticipated game Divine Martial, becoming Yun Che, the second son of the viscount's Yun Family. Worse still, he had taken his elder brother Yun Jin's place as a live-in son-in-law at the Qin Prince's Residence.
Had that been all, he could have accepted it. He rather wanted to experience the freedom of roaming the martial world with a sword, repaying kindness and settling grudges as he pleased.
But according to the game's plot, Yun Che, the Yun Family's second son, was a tragic character whose life force would soon be drained dry by the she-devil Qin, leaving him to die a gruesome death.
At that thought, Yun Che's already pale face grew even more ashen.
He could seemingly feel the she-devil before him devouring his life force.
An unmistakable weakness rapidly spread through his entire body.
Sensing the man beneath her struggling, Qin Keyi's exquisite face flashed with coldness. "I know you aren't Yun Jin," she said in a low voice. "You seem to love and respect your elder brother very much. That's why you took his place as a live-in son-in-law at my Qin Prince's Residence, becoming a sacrifice traded for benefits."
"But I don't care who marries into the family. In a few more minutes, your soul will dissipate, and you'll be dead for good. Still, you can rest assured. I, Qin Keyi, may not be a good person, but I always keep my promises."
"If I break through to the innate realm this time, I will ensure your Yun Family lives out its days in peace. I'll even recommend your elder brother Yun Jin for further training at Falling Moon Academy."
With that, Qin Keyi accelerated the circulation of her dual cultivation technique. Within just three to five breaths, Yun Che felt his flesh rapidly withering. His consciousness blurred, as though he might die at any moment, his soul departing this world.
Damn it! Did I transmigrate here just to become this she-devil's sacrifice and help her achieve greatness?
Unwilling to accept his fate, Yun Che wanted to escape, but his weakened body could not move an inch. Even twitching a finger was agonizingly difficult.
Just then, the system notification sound unique to Divine Martial rang out in his mind.
"Ding! SSS-rank talent, Divine Hand, issued. Automatically embedded in player Yun Che's soul." [Divine Hand (Unique): Lock onto a visible target to randomly seize one thing from them. Note: Each use consumes five points of Spirit Power. The farther away the target, the greater the Spirit Power consumption.]
Yun Che froze, then delight spread across his face.
He had been ecstatic when he drew this talent, only for the developers to announce the game's indefinite shutdown a second later. He had been so furious that his insides ached.
To think this SSS-rank talent had followed him into the virtual game world of Divine Martial! He was about to soar!
Yun Che did not hesitate, nor did he dare to. Whatever he seized would do. He just wanted to live!
His gaze swiftly locked onto the peerless beauty before him, and his fingers curled slightly.
SSS-rank talent!
Divine Hand!
Activate!
A wisp of golden light, visible only to Yun Che, swiftly peeled away from Qin Keyi, followed by a pleasant notification chime.
"Ding! Successful seizure. Congratulations on obtaining the Top-Grade Technique, Soul Secret Manual." [Soul Secret Manual: A profound dual cultivation method that merges souls to help practitioners enter a state of enlightenment, increasing their chances of breaking through. Note: Those who have not cultivated this method cannot withstand the damage it inflicts on their souls and bodies, and will wither to death.]
"Just what I'd expect from the future strongest she-devil on the Divine Martial Continent!"
A sharp, vicious glint flashed through Yun Che's eyes. His instinct was to interrupt Qin Keyi's cultivation, severely injuring her or even sending her into cultivation deviation.
But unable to move, he soon realized something else: he, too, now possessed the Soul Secret Manual. This was a rare opportunity to cultivate. Why not use her to improve his own cultivation?
With that thought, Yun Che closed his eyes. Maintaining his current position, he began circulating the Soul Secret Manual and entered a state of cultivation.
Qin Keyi, who was striving to break through the bottleneck to the innate realm, frowned slightly. She instinctively sensed that the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to have diminished, but she was at a critical juncture and had no time to investigate.
At the Yun Family residence, a handsome, refined young man sat restless, his fists lightly clenched. He was Yun Che's elder brother, Yun Jin.
Yun Jin and Yun Che looked remarkably alike. Though not twins, they could easily have passed for them.
Yet there were still differences between them. As a swordsman, Yun Jin exuded a keen, cutting aura, while Yun Che was merely a frail scholar.
A moment later, Yun Jin glanced at the crimson pill in his hand. It was one of the betrothal gifts the Qin Prince's Residence had sent the Yun Family-a second-grade Meridian-Opening Pill.
He sighed softly and murmured to himself, "Little brother, I'm a born martial genius with a brilliant future ahead of me. I cannot die! But you're just a scholar with poor aptitude and bleak prospects. The Great Yuan Empire values martial prowess over scholarship. Even a lifetime of studying wouldn't compare to my killing ten enemies. Go in peace! I'll remember you for the rest of my life. After all, you made this sacrifice for me."
At around ten the next morning, Qin Keyi finally broke through to the early innate realm. At only eighteen, her achievement was nothing short of extraordinary. A captivating smile touched her lips, and she was undoubtedly in excellent spirits.
But when Qin Keyi's gaze fell on Yun Che, she froze in astonishment.
"What's going on? Shouldn't he have become a dried-up corpse by now?"
Qin Keyi checked repeatedly. Yun Che was not dead. His breathing was steady, his vitality abundant. He was even healthier than before he entered the Qin Prince's Residence.
Her beautiful eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly, as though she could scarcely believe Yun Che had survived the cultivation process.
Should I kill him? Qin Keyi stared at Yun Che, who still appeared unconscious, a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
If she spared him, he would become the Qin Prince's Residence's live-in son-in-law. But she had already resolved to leave the residence and join a major sect to pursue the pinnacle of the martial path. There was no way she would spend the rest of her life with him.
After weighing it over, Qin Keyi sighed softly and got off Yun Che. He had helped her break through, so she owed him a debt of gratitude. She would spare his life!
Hearing her departing footsteps, Yun Che finally breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He had awakened long before, but had not dared open his eyes, afraid the she-devil might lash out in shame and anger and kill him with a single palm strike.
Though a night of cultivation had carried him through the body tempering realm and into the early acquired realm, he was still woefully inexperienced before an innate realm expert, unable to withstand even a single blow.
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