The Abused-Novel Female Lead Holds a Mad Brush - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Beep Beep
Yu Jiaxue wasn’t as completely indifferent as the System thought.
She was still seriously observing this place where she might live for a long time in the future.
First of all, the Xihe Sect’s geographical environment was fantastic.
Just a few brief glances were enough for Yu Jiaxue to reach a definitive conclusion.
Unlike the ancient, solemn Wushang Sect, which fussed over scale everywhere while actually radiating its true nature of sheer poverty, the Xihe Sect’s scenery was far more exquisite. A pavilion at every step, breathtaking scenery all around—not a single detail was overlooked. Even in the spot where they currently stood, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus flowers wafted gently past their noses.
Rolling mountain ranges, echoing mountain streams, soaring birds, and exotic flora—noble, refined, and refreshing to the soul.
Meticulous! This was truly a meticulous sect!
Yu Jiaxue was immensely satisfied. She felt that an elegant and meticulous person like herself belonged in a meticulous place like this!
“[…???]”
Hearing the buzzing electrical sizzle from the System, Yu Jiaxue felt slightly shocked.
“Aren’t you supposed to work overtime? Why haven’t you left yet? Doesn’t the System get its battery drained for being late?”
System: ? *Yu Jiaxue, I #@!&*…*
Internal safety settings automatically censored the System’s heartfelt cursing. Yu Jiaxue paid it no further mind, focusing her attention back on the two inner disciples on the platform.
Among them, the male disciple named Du Shuangxiao had a massive scroll floating behind him, standing on the stage like some ancient book personified.
His voice was steady and dignified: “…This trial is named the Hongmeng Scroll. The grand Dao of Hongmeng is vast and boundless, naturally fraught with hardships and perils ahead. We…”
Accompanying Du Shuangxiao’s voice, the radiance of the ancient book scroll floating behind him grew increasingly bright.
That ancient scroll consisted of yellowed, primitive Xuan paper, upon which ink-colored characters seemed to flow implicitly. Yet this ink wasn’t merely ordinary pitch-black; instead, it glittered with dazzling, iridescent light beneath the sun, captivating to the extreme.
Good grief, flexing completely invisibly!
Yu Jiaxue was incomparably thrilled.
The System was extremely pleased with Yu Jiaxue’s current country-bumpkin-style shock, feeling that it had finally won a round back.
[This is the Xihe Sect’s most famous…] Soul mark!
“This is the colorful black I’ve been looking for!”
Yu Jiaxue clapped her hands together, exclaiming in excitement: “Who said ‘there’s no such thing as iridescent black in this world’? I knew those clients were just brushing me off back then!”
In the very next second, her tone leaked a profound sense of envy: “As expected of the Xihe Sect, which specializes in producing Brush Cultivators—so professional! Hey, grand-System, your ancestor here wants to learn this too!”
System: ?
It calling her little ancestor had been a last-ditch effort out of sheer desperation, not because it actually wanted to acknowledge this ancestral relationship!
“That’s not important.” Yu Jiaxue waved her hand, her tone filled with longing. “The point is I want to learn this! It really suits me so well!”
A meticulous person, a meticulous color, a meticulous place.
—A future grand master artist as meticulous as her belonged in a meticulous sect like this!
A match made in heaven!
Yu Jiaxue’s expression was filled with boundless yearning, her eyes beaming with admiration as she grew more and more satisfied the more she looked.
The Xihe Sect was truly fantastic!
Harboring such wonderful thoughts, Yu Jiaxue pondered the contents of the first trial in her mind. Listening to the outer disciples reiterate the rules after Xi Luzhi and Du Shuangxiao finished speaking, a brimming, confident smile instantly broke across her face.
Calling it some “Hongmeng Scroll”—ha, wasn’t it just the cliché “Stairs to Immortality” from cultivation novels?
Who hadn’t fantasized while reading xianxia novels about what they would do if placed in the protagonist’s shoes? Especially this classic “Climbing the Stairs to Immortality, Seeking the Path of the Dao”—eight out of ten novels Yu Jiaxue had read before featured this exact segment.
Even though this plotline was classic to the point of being cliché, people just couldn’t resist it! Especially someone who loved grand scenes like Yu Jiaxue.
Who hadn’t thought about experiencing this trial firsthand?
Who hadn’t thought about seizing first place, overpowering the crowd, and taking the top spot in a scene like this?
Who didn’t harbor a little chuunibyou dream!
Yu Jiaxue rubbed her hands together, eager to give it a try.
The green jade staircase stretching straight to the sky unwound before their eyes. The surrounding tree branches slowly parted to both sides as the clouds dispersed and the mist dissolved. In an instant, the cry of a deer seemed to echo alongside ethereal immortal music in the open space overhead. Divine, mysterious power from heaven and earth seemed to infuse the green stone steps, causing them to shimmer with a luxurious lustre.
Faced with this scene, grand and vast, the spirits of all present disciples surged with emotion. Their faces flushed red, itching to rush up on the spot and display their skills.
Even the System felt a surge of excitement watching it: [Is the host ready?]
Yu Jiaxue couldn’t resist raising a retort: “If I say I’m not ready, can you pull those steps back and lay them out again?”
System: …Damn it.
It shouldn’t have asked that extra question!
Though her words were nonsensical, Yu Jiaxue couldn’t hide the excitement in her heart either.
This was genuine, real cultivation!
“…The grand Dao of Hongmeng plucks the moon and moves mountains.”
Xi Luzhi swept her gaze over the disciples below, smiling pleasantly.
“The first trial, the Hongmeng Scroll, has now officially begun. May all fellow Daoists overcome every obstacle and step onto a smooth path…”
As the figures of Du Shuangxiao and Xi Luzhi gradually faded, the last bit of fog cleared. Following the crisp cry of a crane, the grand Dao of Hongmeng officially unfolded before their eyes!
Almost instantly, disciples recklessly surged forward. Yu Jiaxue could feel mini whirlwinds brushing past her side one after another.
Pei Tianmin was similarly fired up by the sight, unable to wait as he rushed forward.
As he drew near Yu Jiaxue, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of this senior expert who had trained in the bitter sea of the Wushang Sect. Especially upon meeting those eyes brimming with wild arrogance and disdain, his overheated brain abruptly cooled down.
Wait!
Why was Daoist Yu so calm?
Pei Tianmin’s footsteps instinctively slowed down.
Could there be some hidden secret to this that he didn’t know about?
Could there be a trap within the Hongmeng Scroll?
Huh, Daoist Yu’s eyes had been looking upward the entire time?
A thousand different thoughts flashed through his mind, but now wasn’t a good time to speak up.
Pei Tianmin didn’t disturb Yu Jiaxue, merely rousing his alertness to the absolute maximum in secret.
Sure enough, just after he stepped onto the Hongmeng jade steps and took a few strides, he saw a figure tumbling down at extreme speed from above.
“Holy crap!” Pei Tianmin cried out in his heart, hastily dodging to the side.
Within the Hongmeng Scroll, the disciples’ spiritual energy and movement techniques were restricted, nor were they allowed to use external items like talismans or magic treasures—they could rely solely on themselves.
Thus, after dodging the disciple who came tumbling down, Pei Tianmin cast a sympathetic look at the person while feeling a wave of lingering fear in his heart.
If he hadn’t raised his caution because Daoist Yu remained motionless for so long, that collision just now—even if it didn’t knock him all the way down—would have probably left him reeling for a good while before he could move again.
Pei Tianmin’s awe of Yu Jiaxue instantly deepened.
As expected of Daoist Yu, who had trained in the bitter sea of the Supreme Sword Sect!
Terrifying beyond measure!
System 999 looked at its little ancestor from the void, its tone filled with suspicion.
[Did you say something to him?]
Yu Jiaxue: “?”
Yu Jiaxue: “You’ve been right beside me this whole time. Don’t you know whether I opened my mouth or not?”
The System was left speechless.
It truly hadn’t seen Yu Jiaxue speak, but previous incidents had left it with too much psychological trauma—so much so that now, System 999 didn’t even dare leave easily.
It was deeply afraid that the moment it stepped away, its ancestor would pull off another massive spectacle.
The System questioned coldly: [Then why are you standing right there in place, not moving for so long?]
Yu Jiaxue’s answer was even colder.
“My feet went numb.”
The System was stunned for a moment: [Your feet can go numb too?]
For a moment, it was genuinely bewildered. This host had always caused other people’s minds to go numb—could she actually suffer from numb feet like a normal human being?
Simply unbelievable!
Yu Jiaxue: “?”
Yu Jiaxue felt heartbroken: “You unfilial grandson.”
Her feet really had gone numb from standing. She rotated her stiff ankles, and upon realizing she could move again, she immediately stepped into the Hongmeng Scroll.
Truth be told, this Hongmeng Scroll indeed possessed considerable power.
Single-minded and untroubled by distraction, Yu Jiaxue actually walked faster than several disciples who had set off earlier.
However, around the three-hundredth step, Yu Jiaxue gradually felt a heaviness beneath her feet.
This sensation was different from the soreness of climbing a mountain for too long; rather, it felt as though her legs had literally been poured full of lead. It was as if something was pulling her backward, a sharp sensation of pain transmitted from the soles of her feet, while her body gradually grew numb.
It was practically like the Little Mermaid dancing on the blades of knives in The Little Mermaid.
Yu Jiaxue thought to herself quite melancholily.
The System, privy to her thoughts, opened its mouth to speak but refrained.
As Yu Jiaxue steadily ascended, the people around her grew increasingly sparse. Tragic wails and mournful cries echoed continuously from ahead; some clenched their fists with bloodshot eyes as they let out enraged roars, while other disciples even spat blood yet remained unable to control their downward fall.
Looking disheveled and miserable, each suffering their own plight.
Yu Jiaxue felt a chill watching them, bracing her spirits to maximum alertness.
She was a person who cared about making a scene; she would never allow herself to lose in such a disheveled and embarrassing manner!
One step after another.
Just as Yu Jiaxue gathered all the strength in her body to push upward, her entire surroundings suddenly turned scorching hot, as if being roasted by a blazing fire, making one wish to peel off their own skin!
Relying on her years of survival experience as a game client ordering art, Yu Jiaxue keenly sensed that something was wrong. She immediately spun around and leaned backward—almost simultaneously, a massive wave of fireballs came sweeping straight toward her face!
A sudden turn of events!
