This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Amid the countless roaring and wildly surging purple lightning bolts, a female cultivator with her long hair flowing freely behind her back plunged a sharp sword into the abdomen of a male cultivator. Blood filled his mouth and his eyes widened in disbelief. The female cultivator merely lowered her gaze, her expression indifferent as she looked at him, then slowly withdrew the blade.

The sky, filled with lightning, illuminated the night as if it were daytime. The male cultivator’s face appeared ghostly pale under the flickering light. “Lin Dan, it’s me……”

The female cultivator’s emotionless eyes flickered slightly and she whispered, “You…… are not just a figment of my imagination?”

That’s right, the female cultivator was undergoing a tribulation and she had thought the male cultivator was nothing more than an illusion born from her inner demons. But to her surprise, he was real. The female cultivator, Lin Dan, finally lifted her head to look at the thundercloud-filled sky, and then at the floating or sword-riding cultivators nearby. Only then did she remember that today was supposed to be her wedding day, and the man before her was her Dao companion, whom she had pursued and accompanied for thousands of years.

But what did it matter? No matter how persistent the wait, how fervent the pursuit, or how long the companionship, it all paled in comparison to a single unintended glance from that temptress. Even as the alliance was about to be forged, the moment that temptress appeared, uttering a tone that was both a laugh and a sob from her crimson lips, the man before her immediately lost all reason.

———pr


An hour earlier.

Seeing that her Dao companion was hesitant to pierce his finger and swear the oath, what else was there for Lin Dan to not understand? At that moment, as she looked deep into his eyes, full of struggle and regret, Lin Dan suddenly saw everything clearly. She tore off the red veil draped over her shoulders, removed the ornate and heavy headpiece, and without hesitation, turned and left.

The guests who had come to witness the ceremony hadn’t even had time to react nor had the elders from both sides scolded them when suddenly, the star-filled sky was swallowed by rolling dark clouds and layers of lightning. A fierce wind howled, carrying the imposing might of the heavens like steel blades slicing across the faces of the cultivators, making them all shudder. It was the clouds and lightning of a tribulation. At this moment, on such a special occasion, was someone really about to undergo a tribulation?

That someone was none other than Lin Dan. She cultivated the ‘Wuji Dao^[1]Path of Infinity’ from the Wuji Immortal Sect. The Dao is vast, with three thousand paths, each with its own mysteries. The Wuji Dao was one of the most difficult, emphasizing ‘endless Dao, a pure heart, and a body free of desires’. Only by achieving those things could one touch upon the true Dao.

Lin Dan, however, had always carried someone in her heart whom she couldn’t let go of, making it impossible to achieve freedom from desire. Despite her exceptional potential, being a rare ‘Nine Yin Body^[2]a condition in which the vascular system of the body is blocked in nine places, stopping the circulation of Qi. It is believed that curing the disease would give one the ability to master … Continue reading’ with a single heavenly root, renowned in the cultivation world as a prodigy, she had been stuck at the tribulation stage for over six hundred years.

But she wasn’t in a hurry. For reasons unknown, the Ascension Ladder in this world had been destroyed. Even if she successfully passed the tribulation, she would ultimately dissipate into the heavens and earth, equating ascension with death. She wasn’t afraid of dying but she was worried she would no longer be able to accompany that person.

She knew that person was still deeply thinking of another in his heart, but it didn’t matter. When he faced calamities, she was the one who stayed by his side, never leaving. When he was in his lowest moments, she was there with him. If his heart was like thousand-year-old ice, then she was the blazing fire of the sun, determined to melt him.

She had always believed she could eventually win his heart and his affection— until this moment……

And so, everything changed, and everything faded.

Once she let go of something she had held onto tightly but could never truly grasp, what she lost was only obsession and inner demons, but what she gained was the vastness of the world. Lin Dan gave her Dao companion back to the temptress who had rushed over, then stepped out of the grand hall and walked under the dark tribulation clouds. The emotional hurdle that had blocked her for centuries was suddenly overcome in an instant and she was ready to face her tribulation and ascend.

Her inner demons still struggled, conjuring many sweet yet poisonous illusions to hinder her steps, but she cut through them one by one with her sword. The Ascension Ladder was broken, so if she failed the tribulation, she would die, and even if she succeeded, she would still die. There was no escaping this ultimate end. But what did it matter? She no longer wished to be entangled with these people. The mortal world was too filthy, the Dao of heaven too vast. Even if she were to become a mere breeze, she would roam the skies.

But she couldn’t understand what her Dao companion was thinking, recklessly charging into the lightning tribulation, entering the illusion, and sending himself to the tip of her sword. He was also a powerful cultivator at the tribulation stage, the top sword cultivator of the Nanhua Continent. There was no reason he couldn’t avoid her attack.

“Lin Dan.” The male cultivator ignored the bleeding wound in his abdomen and tightly grasped the tip of Lin Dan’s sword, pleading, “Don’t go.”

“Don’t go?” Lin Dan slowly withdrew the sword from his palm, her voice drifting, “Where else can I go?” Yes, if not leave, where else can I go? Continue chasing your footsteps, your shadow, as before? I stumbled after you for thousands of years, only to realize now that everyone must walk their own path.

With this thought, Lin Dan discarded the sword in her hand. She casually tossed it aside and flew toward the broken Ascension Ladder. The male cultivator hurried to chase after her, but due to his severe injury, he was a step too slow. He could only watch as the sky tore open, swallowing Lin Dan and the lightning tribulation in one gulp. By the time he reached the horizon, everything was gone— the tribulation clouds, the lightning, the electric flashes, the beauty— all dissipated like bubbles.

“Lin Dan!” The male cultivator’s heart-wrenching cry echoed through the desolate night, lingering for a long time……

———pr


〖Congratulations, Host, on your return.〗 As soon as Lin Dan opened her eyes, a mechanical voice rang in her ears. 〖Host has successfully entered the S-Class world and obtained the special item [Infinity Dao Heart]. Would Host like to convert it to points now?〗

“Convert, and then open my personal space.” Lin Dan said slowly.

In the blink of an eye, she found herself in a pure white space, surrounded by smooth metal walls. In the center was a single bed, with nothing else in sight.

〖Host, you have earned a total of 9,990,000 points from this mission. I am honored to inform you that your points have reached the maximum limit. The system offers you two options: One, unbind and return to your original world. Two, unbind and migrate to a higher plane. What is your choice?〗 The cold mechanical voice echoed in Lin Dan’s mind.

After her death, Lin Dan was inexplicably bound to this auxiliary system, forced to travel through countless small worlds to complete missions. Only by accumulating a certain amount of points could she unbind and then freely choose her next destination. Lin Dan had made her plans long ago, but now she hesitated. She frowned, pondering for a moment, then murmured, “If I choose to migrate……”

〖I’m sorry, Host.〗 The system interrupted, 〖Your referrer in the last mission world has revoked his recommendation. If you wish to migrate, please choose another referrer as soon as possible.〗

So he did revoke it…… Lin Dan shook her head with a self-deprecating smile on her face.

To migrate to a higher plane, system approval alone wasn’t enough. She also needed to find a referrer from a higher plane. Lin Dan’s referrer was none other than the male cultivator she had just stabbed in the stomach. She knew nothing about him— not his true name nor his background— but she knew he came from a higher plane, with authority far beyond that of her auxiliary system and even the main system.

Constantly shuttling between small worlds, she could live eternally, which might seem like a great fortune to others. But only Lin Dan knew how painful and full of despair the journey truly was. After experiencing so much, the countless memories stored in her mind felt like hands dragging her into an abyss. There was too much love and hate, too many partings, and even more helplessness, anger, pain, and despair…… It filled her heart, gradually making her lose herself.

For a long time, she couldn’t even remember who she was or where she came from. When she was on the verge of breaking down, she encountered that man in one of the mission worlds. He pulled her out of the endless darkness, teaching her how to escape her predicament, how to defeat her enemies, and how to earn points. With his help, Lin Dan gradually found herself again and willingly became his follower, constantly chasing after him through various small worlds.

Lin Dan had initially thought that meeting him was her salvation, but in the end, she realized that it was just another futile struggle. Fortunately, the lessons she learned from him weren’t entirely in vain. She eventually learned to be strong, independent, self-respecting, and self-loving, and she also learned to see everything with detached eyes.

It was often said that falling in love with an outstanding person, even if one couldn’t win them over, would still help one become a better version of oneself. For Lin Dan, this was true. She didn’t regret her efforts and patience because, without those thousands of years of pursuit, there wouldn’t be a calm acceptance of the ebb and flow of life she now experienced.

Although the [Infinity Dao Heart] was converted for points, the insights it brought her remained in her heart. She smiled with a sense of relief and shook her head, saying, “He probably wants to be that woman’s referrer, doesn’t he?”

That woman wasn’t a task taker, yet she was equally captivating. That man had encountered her in a certain task world, and from then on, he couldn’t hold himself back, pursuing her across several worlds just as Lin Dan had pursued him. The temptress from the previous cultivation world was one of that woman’s reincarnations, which was why that man was so deeply infatuated with her, to the point of being willing to go against the entire cultivation world.

No matter where that woman reincarnated, that man could always rely on his extraordinary abilities to find her and protect her. In the end, that man was just like Lin Dan, a humble follower. Even if that woman had no memory of her previous life after reincarnation, that man was still willing to give everything for her and bring her into his world.

Lin Dan envied that woman, perhaps even feeling some jealousy, but thinking about it now, she felt nothing at all.

The system’s tone lowered slightly, sounding somewhat melancholic, 〖If Host wishes to know, I can help you check, but the other party’s authority is higher than mine, so I may not be able to find out. I’m sorry, Host, I’m just an auxiliary system, and the tasks I issue are all auxiliary tasks. I’ve made you suffer over the years.〗

Auxiliary systems were only responsible for promoting the development of small worlds and fixing bugs. The hosts they selected were merely tools, expendable when necessary. To put it bluntly, if a pot had a hole and needed a piece of scrap metal to patch it, then Lin Dan was that piece of scrap metal. Besides throwing herself into the fire and melting away, she had no other use.

Many of the tasks she received were self-sacrificing and irrational, but what could she do? If she failed a task, the system would erase her. Thus, nine out of ten task takers bound to an auxiliary system didn’t make it to the end. If they didn’t commit suicide halfway, they went insane. Lin Dan, who completed every task successfully and earned high points, was a rarity. This was thanks to that man’s help, but it was also closely related to Lin Dan’s strong and resilient nature.

Now, Lin Dan was indifferent to everything, desiring nothing, so it didn’t matter where she went. She opened the task panel and decisively said, “No need to check. Cancel the migration application and send me back to my original world.”

〖Understood, Host. I also have good news to inform you. Since you are the first auxiliary task taker to earn the highest point, the main system has decided to reward you with one hundred million points. These one hundred million points can be converted for currency in your original world at a 1:1 ratio. Would you like to convert them?〗

“Convert them all.” Lin Dan nodded without hesitation, then smiled self-deprecatingly. What ‘auxiliary task taker’? In the end, she was just a dispensable supporting character. But not anymore. From now on, she would live for herself and make her life truly remarkable.

〖Understood, Host. The system will now proceed with the conversion. Please wait a moment.〗

It took about a minute to finalize her points and funds. After the system was unbound, it activated the teleportation device to send Lin Dan back to her original world. Lin Dan thought she could finally retire peacefully this time, but unexpectedly, a massive wave of energy suddenly collided with the teleportation belt, disrupting the flow of time……

Robbin: I plan to finish this project but might take a break every other arc. The schedule might also be irregular, but for now it will be two chapters a week.