Chapter 5: Reversal Tactics

The second trial had officially ended, and Qu Wanwan was now at the top of the leaderboard, her name lighting up among the immortals.

“Come one, come all, don’t miss out! The third trial—beast-slaying—has begun! The new rising star Qu Wanwan is your golden ticket, bet on her and win big! Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance!”

Hearing the shouting from afar, many young immortals gathered around.
“I’ll bet 200 years of spiritual power.”
“I’ll go with 50 years.”
“I’ll bet…”

Hearing the commotion, Qu Wanwan approached out of curiosity and was taken aback—these folks were seriously betting on her!
“If I were to throw the match and bet on Yun Yi winning instead, wouldn’t that be a massive profit? Kekekekeke…” she mused, giggling at her own thoughts.

A young immortal nearby frowned. “Hey, you look familiar. Are you betting or not? Don’t hold up my operations here.”

“Of course I am,” Qu Wanwan responded. “I’ll bet 500 years of spiritual power.”

The young immortal perked up instantly. “And who are you betting on? Qu Wanwan?”

“I’m betting on Yun Yi!” she declared.

The crowd buzzed with intrigue.
“Someone’s betting on Yun Yi?”
“Isn’t she, like, super weak?”
“Hahaha, giving away free spiritual power, I see.”

“Yes, I’m betting on Yun Yi. She’s definitely taking first place!” Qu Wanwan announced with confidence.

“She must be out of her mind.”
“Let’s keep going, I need to place more bets. Can’t put all my eggs in one basket.”
“I’m going for the sisters Zhi Shan and Zhi Tong, 100 years on them…”

“Leave a name so I can tally up winnings later,” the bookmaker asked.

“Yun Yi!” Qu Wanwan cheekily used Yun Yi’s name.

“Got it, you’re all set,” the bookmaker said.

“Thanks!” she replied, then drifted away with a flick of her sleeves, vanishing without leaving a trace.

To be honest, Qu Wanwan was still a little nervous. She’d only ever seen beast-slaying in novels and TV shows—this was her first real experience. Even with her arsenal of skills like the Ice Art, Breeze Art, Phoenix Divine Fire, and Vitality Technique, she wasn’t entirely confident. After all, there’s always someone stronger out there, and she was still just a dainty, helpless little immortal girl!

Ah, this damned, uncontainable charm of hers!

As always, a senior immortal announced the rules:
“This third trial focuses on slaying beasts. The secret realm you’ll enter was formed by a divine maiden during her tribulation ages ago. The beasts vary in strength. Protect your lives. Each of you will receive a teleportation talisman. If you’re in danger, tear it to escape. The trial lasts three days. The more high-grade beasts you kill, the higher your score. After evaluation, the top three from all trials combined will ascend to Upper Immortal. Understood?”

“Understood!”
“Understood!”…

Qu Wanwan and Yun Yi exchanged a glance and nodded. Hand in hand, they entered the secret realm.

The space inside was vast—so vast that the end wasn’t even visible. One could only imagine how powerful the divine maiden must have been to create such a realm.

They stepped into a world of white. Snow blanketed the ground and mountains stretched endlessly, as if heaven and earth had been swallowed by the snow.

Thanks to her Ice Art, Qu Wanwan had a tolerance for the cold, and the discomfort soon faded. She cast a protective barrier around Yun Yi, and the two began their beast-hunting journey.

The first creature they encountered was a snow wolf. Neither of them attacked—such beasts were usually pack animals. Unless one could kill them all in an instant, it was best not to provoke them.

But someone reckless charged in—Zhi Tong. Seeing the two of them standing idle, she took the initiative and launched a spirit slash at the snow wolf. The attack failed to kill it instantly, and the wolf let out a dying howl. She followed up with another strike, and only then did it die.

“This is bad. That wolf just sent out a signal!” Yun Yi warned.

In no time, a flood of snow wolves emerged from the surroundings—so many that it made their scalps tingle!

“Idiot! We were waiting and observing! You just had to stir up trouble—was the last lesson not enough for you?” Qu Wanwan snapped.

Zhi Tong shuddered at her words. She summoned her phantom spirit sword and rushed into the fray. Better to be mauled by beasts than share the screen with Qu Wanwan—someone save her!

The three were quickly surrounded. Strangely, only Zhi Tong had appeared. Where was her sister Zhi Shan? Had that useless one failed the second trial?

Yun Yi and Qu Wanwan braced themselves. Qu Wanwan activated her Phoenix Divine Fire, forcing the wolves to stay at bay. True Phoenix Fire was unextinguishable—any wolf that dared come close was instantly reduced to ashes. Qu Wanwan didn’t expect it to be so easy.

With Qu Wanwan holding the line, Yun Yi swept through the pack, scattering them in all directions. Their score instantly skyrocketed.

Meanwhile, Zhi Tong was wounded in several places, her wrist bitten down to the bone. Qu Wanwan didn’t spare her a glance, let alone heal her.

The Vitality Technique was a wood-based spell, symbolizing how life springs eternal like grass that regrows in spring. It couldn’t resurrect people, but it could rapidly heal wounds and restore strength. Clearly, offending your party’s healer came at a price!

Leaving Zhi Tong behind, the two parted ways and ventured onward. Qu Wanwan discovered a mountain cave with signs of past habitation, though the traces were nearly faded. They decided to rest there.

Yun Yi used a cleansing spell and gathered some straw for bedding, motioning for Qu Wanwan to sit.

Sitting shoulder to shoulder, Qu Wanwan used the Vitality Technique on Yun Yi. Within moments, her HP and MP were full. After a quiet pause, the two began to chat.

“Pretty girl Yi Yi, before the match started, I saw people placing bets. A lot of them were betting on me,” Qu Wanwan said proudly.

“Well, Wanwan’s amazing,” the beauty said softly.

“I placed a bet too. Wanna guess who I bet on?” Qu Wanwan asked excitedly.

“You bet on me, right?” As soon as she said it, Yun Yi blushed.

“Ahahaha, yes, I bet on you. I bet on you!” Qu Wanwan laughed heartily.

Blushing, Yun Yi suddenly turned serious. “I must win first place in this trial. The reward is the Kongtong Mirror—it’s a divine treasure that can reveal the past and the future!”

Meeting her earnest gaze, Qu Wanwan solemnly replied, “I’ll help you, no matter what!”

Qu Wanwan’s inner monologue: She must be trying to find out about her past. She’s starting to notice something’s wrong…

After tidying up, they continued their journey.

Along the way, Yun Yi carefully marked their path so they could return to the cave to rest.

They encountered small groups of snow bears and snow leopards, all of which they dispatched with ease.

But eventually, they entered a vast stretch of white nothingness.

Something felt off. Even if the beasts were few, it was impossible to go this far without seeing a single one. That meant—a high-level beast was nearby. Qu Wanwan grabbed Yun Yi and urgently turned back.

The stillness of the snowy field was eerie—like everything had died. Suddenly, a monstrous beast charged toward them. It looked like a tiger but had dog-like fur, a long mane, a vaguely human face, tiger-like legs, a wild boar’s fangs, and a tail eight feet long!

“Host! That’s a Taowu! You two can’t handle it! Run!” the system warned.

“A Taowu?! Damn it! What’s that doing here?!” Qu Wanwan panicked, yanking Yun Yi along as they fled, launching spells behind her. But none had any effect. Even the Phoenix Divine Fire barely scratched it. Desperate, she tried the Ice Art—still nothing. Her other spells were mostly support-based.

They had no choice but to use the Breeze Art to escape. After all, wasn’t this art created by someone who’d once had to run from both enemies and beasts?

“It’s that cave! The entrance is small—its body’s too big to get in!” Qu Wanwan yelled.

She turned on a dime and, as the Taowu closed in, leapt up—left leg kicking, right leg hooking around its neck—and vaulted onto its back. She summoned the Phoenix Fire and aimed for its eyes, while casting the Ice Art to freeze its head.

The beast let out a furious howl, temporarily blinded and frozen, but it broke free within three seconds!

Still on its back, Qu Wanwan fought to spread the ice further, but was struck by its claws and sent flying over ten meters.

Yun Yi rushed over and caught her, dragging her toward the cave.

If only I were stronger, I could’ve defeated that beast and protected Wanwan.

If only my spiritual power were higher, I wouldn’t be running on foot—I could’ve flown her to safety!

If I hadn’t wanted to grow stronger, I wouldn’t have entered this trial… I wouldn’t have put Wanwan in danger.

Hot liquid began to trickle from Yun Yi’s hand as she held Qu Wanwan close…