The Abused-Novel Female Lead Holds a Mad Brush - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Beep Beep Beep Beep
After confirming that all the disciples had stepped off the Hongmeng Scroll, Du Shuangxiao stood on the highest step, raised his hand, gathered his sleeves, and assumed a solemn expression.
“The Hongmeng Scroll trial is concluded.”
His voice was not particularly loud, yet every disciple present heard it with utmost clarity, as if the declaration was spoken right beside their ears.
Having finally passed the trial, these disciples had originally found it hard to conceal their excitement.
Watching the immortal-like techniques displayed by inner disciples like Xi Luzhi had inevitably made them restless.
Yet at this moment, they all involuntarily quieted down, fixing their eyes on the leading disciple.
Standing among the crowd, Yu Jiaxue looked down from her vantage point.
The endless Hongmeng Grand Way suddenly burst into dazzling golden light. In the blink of an eye, it rolled upward at lightning speed from the bottom. As a few long, drawn-out crane cries echoed in the air, the Grand Way rose against the light, hovering high above. It shrunk and rolled inward continuously, revealing glimpses of steep mountains, treacherous paths, water, fire, and stars within.
In the end, the Hongmeng Grand Way—once filled with hardships and tribulations—steadily settled into the palm of Du Shuangxiao at the front, looking just like an ordinary scroll.
A few uncontrollable exclamations of awe broke out across the grounds.
Yu Jiaxue suddenly experienced a moment of insight.
The “Hongmeng Grand Way” they had just traversed was likely just a tiny corner within this scroll.
Du Shuangxiao cast a sideways glance, satisfied to see the awe and yearning in the eyes of the disciples below.
He spoke up, “The Hongmeng Scroll is the supreme treasure of our Yuge Peak’s Peak Master. This trial was set up by Master Yiyao, the Peak Master of Poshang Peak.”
He paused, pronouncing the words “Poshang Peak” with particular vigor and emphasis.
Unsure if it was just her imagination, Yu Jiaxue felt that this eldest inner disciple had looked at her for an extra couple of seconds.
Yu Jiaxue marveled inwardly: Tell me, in those thirty seconds, was this senior brother thinking of showing off his Yuge Peak’s supreme treasure, or was he subtly complaining about how full of loopholes that Poshang Peak elder’s questions were?
You couldn’t blame Yu Jiaxue; the name “Poshang Peak” (Peak of Broken Wounds) simply invited too many jabs.
[I don’t think it’s either.]
System 999’s electronic voice sounded exceptionally weary: [According to this system’s internal computational program, when Du Shuangxiao looked at you, he was thinking: ‘None of this has anything to do with Yuge Peak. If you want to crawl, go crawl at Poshang Peak.’]
Yu Jiaxue: “…”
She fell silent for a few seconds, remarkably refraining from bickering with the system.
[Oh, right. Earlier you asked me about that Long Aotian—ptui ptui ptui, I mean Xuan Yeyang!]
[Speaking of which, it really is strange. According to the progression in the original work, he shouldn’t be here. As the most outstanding disciple of the Xuan family’s current generation, high hopes were placed on him from birth, believing he could contend with Ye Jingtian. By common logic, he should be at the Wushang Sect right now…]
Yu Jiaxue asked curiously, “Then why didn’t he go?”
[…]
[…………]
Expending its few remaining reserves of battery to investigate the cause, System 999 felt as if struck by lightning upon discovering the truth.
Why were other people’s systems electrocuting their hosts, while it had to be crashed over and over again every day by its host’s outrageously unhinged antics?!
[…Why didn’t he go? Do you really not have the slightest clue in that head of yours, my ancestor?!]
Damn it!
If you hadn’t spread that absurd rumor that struck the entire cultivation realm with silent tears and utter shock for eight hundred years, would Xuan Yeyang have been scared into coming here?!
It wasn’t that the Xuan family, being an established clan in the cultivation world, genuinely believed that ridiculous rumor based on a few casual words—
The key was that Xuan Yeyang was also present that day!!!
Not only did he smell the scent, but he also miraculously overheard some vague, muffled dialogue.
System 999 shed a tear of sympathy for Ye Jingtian in its heart.
There was simply no way to explain this away anymore.
“Alright, enough chatter.”
High up on the platform, Xi Luzhi—adorned in a light-yellow, simple-hearted immortal gown—smiled gently.
As her sleeves fluttered, she looked as if she were about to ascend to immortality.
“For this entrance trial, we can only escort you all this far.”
“The Hongmeng Scroll ends; the Floating Life Dream begins. May you all hold fast to your true hearts. Amidst the ten thousand grand paths, you and I shall eventually meet again.”
As her voice fell, a whirlwind rose, bringing a sudden gust of sweet osmanthus fragrance. The two figures on the high platform were nowhere to be seen.
Yu Jiaxue narrowed her eyes, trying to get a clear view of the figures on the high platform. But before she could move, the scent of osmanthus in her nose grew intensely thick. It was no longer like the refreshing, heart-cleansing fragrance of the Osmanthus Fall tea earlier; instead, it suffocated people with overwhelming drowsiness.
Alarm bells instantly went off in Yu Jiaxue’s mind!
As everyone knows, as a Party A, the thing she feared most was losing consciousness!
You have to know that at a business dinner table, losing your senses is equivalent to handing your vulnerabilities straight over to the other party!
[…So in essence, Xuan Yeyang really does count as a Long Aotian archetype, and he was even one of the original female lead Yu Xue’s suitors. It’s just a pity that when faced with a fatal choice, he hesitated and didn’t choose the female lead Yu Xue, causing her to be thoroughly disheartened and leading to his complete elimination…]
Yu Jiaxue paid no further attention to what the system was saying.
Or rather, she had no time to digest the system’s words right now.
Yu Jiaxue grit her teeth tightly and clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. She tried hard to open her eyes wide to see the situation clearly, but at that exact moment, an even greater gale swirled around her, rendering her unable to move another inch!
[…Wait, my little ancestor, stop struggling.]
The system took a moment to scan the scene and instantly found itself speechless.
Why was its ancestor always so unyieldingly stubborn in the strangest situations?
[This is just the method to enter the second trial, the ‘Floating Life Dream’.]
Motherfucker, why didn’t you say so earlier.
Yu Jiaxue rolled her eyes, gave up all resistance, and instantly fainted.
—
Before the Water-Moon Mirror
This trial, the “Floating Life Dream,” utilized the magic artifact “Floating Life Gourd” provided by Sect Master Xihe-jun.
Disciples of Yuge Peak—who excelled at writing—threw the story scripts they had composed into it.
Finally, Poshang Peak, Wangshu Peak, and Chilun Peak each sent a disciple to blend in, taking on roles similar to Du Shuangxiao and Xi Luzhi to guide the new disciples and control the direction of events in a timely manner.
As for what plot they would encounter, it depended entirely on the temperament and luck of the new disciples.
A world of passion, a thousand forms of romance.
A floating dream bewilders the heart; all luxurious illusions turn to void.
Unlike the extensive preparations before entering the Hongmeng Scroll, the key feature of the “Floating Life Dream” was its suddenness.
Only by falling into a dream unexpectedly could the stray thoughts in a disciple’s heart be magnified to the extreme, thereby achieving the goal of “observing the heart through the floating life.”
However, no one present—neither elders nor disciples—expected that anyone would possess such a sharp willpower, refusing to let down her guard even at the cost of her life.
Even Du Shuangxiao and Xi Luzhi, who had used this opportunity to return before the Water-Moon Mirror, were rendered speechless.
The two took their respective positions behind their masters.
Before they could even exchange transmission messages, a loud shout of praise rang out from the right!
“Brilliant!”
Master Wanren stared with burning eyes at Yu Jiaxue’s steadfast figure on the water mirror. Among the surrounding disciples lying scattered every which way, she was uniquely striking.
This vibrant energy and distinct character—practically leaping out of the water mirror—were dazzling, temporarily overshadowing even her ethereal beauty.
All the disciples present felt a shock in their hearts.
Amidst the desolation, only one person refused to fall even while gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, displaying a desperate resolve akin to guarding a lonely city by oneself.
No matter the era, such a scene was eternally moving.
An unyielding spirit defying the frost, noble and solitary.
How does one depict a sword with a brush?
It must possess the strike of thunder, the momentum of cold righteousness, and unpredictable variations in technique.
Yet none of these were the most crucial.
The most important thing was that this sword must have a sword bone!
As the saying goes, “It is easy to paint the skin, but hard to paint the bone.”
The most vital part of a sword was its bone!
Otherwise, it would end up like that disciple from Wangshu Peak, whose soul mark cracked!
Yu Jiaxue’s current state was the best possible depiction of a sword bone!
Though tens of thousands stand in my way, I shall charge forward regardless!
Master Wanren felt an itch in his heart he couldn’t resist, praising her enthusiastically in his excitement.
“This disciple’s character is resolute—she would rather break than bend! If she enters my Xihe Sect, her soul mark will surely be a sword!”
As everyone knew, Master Wanren’s own soul mark was a sword.
Most disciples of Chanjuan Peak were adept at using brushes to paint swords—sharp, piercing, and invincible.
“Oh?”
Sect Master Xihe-jun gently flicked his horsetail whisk.
He had always enjoyed watching a show.
He turned his gaze and deliberately glanced at Shen Xuezhu, making sure the other party noticed his look before opening his mouth with an intentional smile.
“The Chanjuan Peak Master didn’t seem to think so just a moment ago,” Xihe-jun said unhurriedly.
“It seems Master Wanren now intends to take her under his own wing?”
The scene instantly fell dead silent.
