Chapter 225

Ning Ning always felt that there was something wrong with her system.

If you called it intelligent, it would only make a ding sound when issuing a task. The plot predictions it gave were extremely unreliable, and it didn’t seem to have reasonable evaluation standards. Even if she goes astray from the plot by miles, she could still pass smoothly.

But if you called it dumb, from the few exchanges she had with the system, although it had a bad temper and was not very communicative, it definitely had some thinking ability and could communicate seamlessly with people.

However, speculating about its tricks was not the urgent matter at hand. As a conscientious person with PTSD from the system’s sound, Ning Ning froze the moment she heard the ding, quickly focusing on the words that appeared in her mind.

(T/N: post-traumatic stress disorder)

She could no longer clearly remember the specific content of the original work, only vaguely recalling the general plot.

Looking back now, even Ning Ning herself was quite surprised. This book clearly wasn’t her favorite type, yet she had managed to read every word back then.

“Sword Breaks the Sky” is a work centered around the male protagonist, where he repeats a vicious cycle of frustration, upgrading, and slapping in the face. Most of the plot takes place in the secret realm, telling how Pei Ji breaks out of the siege and ascends to become an immortal at a speed that shocks the entire cultivation world.

At this moment, what appeared in her mind was the plot after the first round of the Ten Methods Assembly ended.

According to the original plot, Pei Ji, Ning Ning’s archenemy, would not have ventured into the secret realm with her.

He always acted alone, ruthless and decisive, acquiring countless tokens in the secret realm and becoming the center of attention, attracting many elders from the immortal sects.

At such times, it was naturally her role as the vicious supporting female character to act.

The original Ning Ning had lived under the spotlight since childhood, determined to win the top prize at the Ten Method Assembly.However, she did not expect that all the limelight was snatched away by Pei Ji, and she failed to make any splash at all.

She had long held a grudge against this junior brother, and her resentment exploded today. She barged into Pei Ji’s room while he was healing, not only verbally humiliating him but also smashing the healing elixir he was using.

Her words were vicious, and her actions were fierce, like mixing arsenic with chili peppers—both poisonous and spicy.

Now she was in trouble.

The more Ning Ning read, the more terrified she became, her consciousness lingering on the last paragraph.

[The sound of the potion bottle shattering was like a blade cutting through the eardrums. Pei Ji stared at her coldly, dark eyes filled with undisguised disgust.]

Every word was suffocating. While pinching her philtrum and taking deep breaths, she heard the system’s cold prompt, like an ice cream popsicle:

[Please complete the task as soon as possible, follow the predetermined plot, recite the lines, and smash the elixir.]

Ning Ning’s hesitation was quickly noticed by Pei Ji. The young man, leaning on the bed, raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at her before dimming his gaze, reaching for the porcelain bottle of elixir on the bedside.

“If you find it inconvenient, I can apply the medicine myself—”

His voice was low, hiding all emotions as he spoke, sounding as indifferent and gloomy as usual, except for the slightly drooping tail end, which inexplicably carried a hint of disappointment.

“No, it’s not that.”

Ning Ning felt frustrated and chaotic, unable to think of a reasonable explanation. The system was still counting down in a tone like a funeral announcement. In a moment of desperation, she decided to give up and recited the first line that came to mind:

“What use is winning the first round of the Ten Method Assembly? Aren’t you still a useless piece of sh*t?”

…Hmm?

Wait, something seemed off.

In her rush, Ning Ning only had time to glance at all the lines and didn’t know the exact content of each.

Now, after reciting the first line, she suddenly remembered:

That’s not right. Since the plot is so messed up that even the original author can’t recognize it, the first place in this secret trial seems to have changed from Pei Ji to her.

So, this line… am I scolding myself?

Pei Ji, puzzled by her sudden outburst, looked at her with a mix of confusion and hesitation.

Ning Ning tried to suppress her shock, stiffly moving her consciousness to the second line: “No matter how glorious you were before, now your spiritual energy is greatly reduced, and you can’t do anything—the wound on your body must be very painful, right?”

Something was definitely off with this direction.

These lines were supposed to be extremely vicious, but once the subject changed… why did they suddenly sound like a confession from a Qiong Yao drama!!

(T/N: “Qiong Yao dramas” refer to TV series adapted from a series of books written by contemporary Taiwanese female writer Qiong Yao. Most of them are romantic dramas with graceful styles and meaningful lines.)

Especially the line, “The wound on your body must be very painful, right?”

In the original context of their enmity, these words would have been explosive, accompanied by a sarcastic laugh; it would have been a ruthless mockery, instantly attracting all of Pei Ji’s hatred.

But now… it seemed like she was berating herself for being powerless to heal him properly.