Now back in the present, Le Gui looked down at her swollen foot, then at Li Xingqiao, who was dutifully pulling the board along. She let out yet another sigh.

Hearing her sigh, Li Xingqiao grew embarrassed. “Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist. I’ll pick up the pace. Maybe we can even arrive a day early.”

He felt guilty. It was his miscalculation that had caused her injury.

Le Gui glanced at the diligent young man who had been working tirelessly for the past two days and patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Even a day early won’t be enough. Just drop me off somewhere ahead. I’m not going anymore.”

“Why not?” Li Xingqiao was shocked. “The Trial Tournament lasts nearly a month. Even if we arrive late, you’ll still gain a lot of valuable experience.”

Le Gui shot him a lifeless look. “Registration closes in two hours. What’s the point of me going?”

Li Xingqiao froze, then suddenly realized something. “You… were planning to register?”

“Uh-huh.”

“But registration requires a jade token. Without one, you can’t sign up.” He reminded her cautiously.

Le Gui replied nonchalantly, “I have one.”

“You? Have one?” Li Xingqiao was dumbfounded. “Jade tokens are only given to the top ten immortal sects, and each sect receives only a limited number, reserved for their most elite disciples. But you said… you’re a mortal?”

Le Gui remained calm.

Watching her unbothered expression, realization dawned upon Li Xingqiao. He sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re actually a hidden expert, aren’t you?”

“…You’re overthinking it. If I weren’t a mortal, do you think my foot would still be sprained?” Le Gui remained unenthusiastic.

Li Xingqiao considered her words and found them reasonable. But then another question arose. “If you’re a mortal, how did you even obtain a jade token?”

This question was inevitable. Le Gui sighed inwardly before giving the prepared response. “Well… I had a stroke of luck.”

In fantasy novels, “fortuitous encounters” explained everything. And everyone generally agreed that asking further would be impolite.

Sure enough, Li Xingqiao nodded in sudden understanding and refrained from probing further.

Although the Trial Tournament was reserved for the most outstanding cultivators from both the Immortal and Mortal Realms, the event itself welcomed spectators. Many young disciples, including Li Xingqiao, attended just to learn from the experience. He had assumed Le Gui was one of them. But now he realized she had a jade token. She was an official participant.

“The Trial Tournament gathers the most talented disciples from both the immortal and mortal realms. It is said that regardless of one’s cultivation level, simply participating guarantees some form of enlightenment. This is an extremely rare opportunity…” As Li Xingqiao spoke, his expression grew increasingly solemn. The handsome young man furrowed his brows, forming deep creases like mountains on his forehead.

Le Gui sighed. “Why do you sound like you’re offering condolences?”

It felt like he was about to bow three times in mourning.

“Fellow Daoist, this is all my fault. Because of me, you missed the registration deadline.” Li Xingqiao looked as if he was about to cry from guilt.

Only then did Le Gui realize what he was upset about. She quickly reassured him, “It’s fine, really. I’m just a mortal. Even if I hadn’t twisted my ankle, there’s no way I could have traveled six hundred miles in two days. So it’s not your fault that I missed the deadline… Ah, since I can’t make it, why don’t you take my jade token and enter instead? I heard the tournament values camaraderie over competition, and even with just a foundation establishment cultivation, you won’t be in any real danger. You might as well give it a try.”

[And if you happen to gain sudden enlightenment and become a great cultivator, don’t forget to build me a Wuliangdu.]

“You’re giving me your jade token even after I caused you to miss the tournament?” Li Xingqiao was utterly stunned. His bright eyes were filled with disbelief.

Le Gui took out the jade token. “Take it. I can’t use it anymore anyway.”

[Now, my top priority is finding a good escape route.]

Li Xingqiao instinctively took a step back. “I can’t accept this!”

“The jade token is already engraved with your name. No one else can use it unless you die and it rebinds to a new owner,” Seer Mirror interjected with a hint of schadenfreude. “You just handed it over so easily. Aren’t you afraid he’ll kill you to claim it? Even the weakest cultivator in the Qi Refining stage is stronger than a mortal like you.”

Le Gui rolled her eyes. “Not everyone is like you.”

Li Xingqiao blinked. “Huh?”

“Nothing. I wasn’t talking about you.” Le Gui quickly put the jade token away. “I just remembered that it already has my name on it, so I can’t give it to you.”

“That’s good. Keep it safe. I’ll find a way to get you there before the deadline.” Li Xingqiao’s eyes turned red again. “We only just met, yet you were willing to give me something so valuable. I have to make sure you get there in time.”

“This fool doesn’t even think about killing you for it? Does he not know that before registration closes, the rules allow cultivators to steal jade tokens? All he has to do is kill you, and it’s his,” Seer Mirror said in disbelief.

[Not everyone is as ruthless as you. This is the protagonist—he still has a kind heart, even after turning to demonic cultivation.]

Ignoring the mirror, Le Gui became curious. “How exactly do you plan to get me there?”

Fifteen minutes later, Le Gui watched in stunned silence as Li Xingqiao grabbed a rope and started sprinting ahead, dragging her along.

[Wait… his brilliant idea is to go from walking to running?]

“This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen,” Seer Mirror muttered in despair.

Le Gui was speechless, but her shock didn’t last long. The protagonist’s halo soon kicked in.

In the middle of nowhere, he actually ran into a few senior disciples from his sect who had also come to watch the tournament.

Li Xingqiao’s eyes lit up. He quickly ran over and greeted them with a respectful bow.

The senior disciples exchanged glances before eyeing him sternly. “Have you finished your assigned tasks? Why did you leave without permission?”

“I have completed everything,” Li Xingqiao answered politely. “I only came because I had some free time. I wouldn’t dare neglect my duties.”

“Just because you finished doesn’t mean you can wander off,” one of the seniors scolded. “If everyone only did their assigned work and nothing more, how would our sect ever prosper?”

[…This is the most absurd work ethic I’ve ever heard.]

The original novel didn’t delve much into the protagonist’s early life, but even in a few brief mentions, it was clear that his time in Jingyue Sect had been miserable. He was forced to do exhausting labor every day, received no guidance in cultivation, and was constantly looked down upon. Even his flying artifact was just a discarded leftover.

After reaching the Qi Refining stage, he spent decades unable to advance to foundation establishment. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to stumble upon a Rejuvenation Pill at age twenty-seven—which halted his aging for a long time—by the time the main story began a century later, he probably would have been nothing more than a shriveled old man.

The senior disciples continued reprimanding him, and Li Xingqiao kept his head down, enduring it in silence. Occasionally, he would glance at Le Gui, subtly signaling that they’d be able to leave soon.

Le Gui sighed. [He really is a little sunshine boy. Even in this situation, he’s still worried about me.]

After scolding him for a while longer, the senior disciples finally seemed to notice Le Gui—or rather, they pretended to notice her just then, since they had obviously been deliberately ignoring her.

“And who is this?” Though they couldn’t sense any spiritual energy from her, they hesitated upon seeing her wearing high-grade robes, adjusting their tone to be more respectful.

Le Gui knew that saying too much would only lead to trouble, so she simply smiled gently at them.

Her calm expression made her seem even more mysterious. The senior disciples exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to proceed.

The tension was broken when Li Xingqiao stepped in. “She’s a fellow Daoist I recently met. She ran into some trouble and is currently unable to use her spiritual energy. Would you be willing to help us get to our destination?”

Though the protagonist was overly trusting, at least he had some sense—he didn’t outright reveal that Le Gui was a mortal, nor did he mention the jade token.

As disciples of a proper sect, they had been raised with some sense of duty. As long as it didn’t involve great personal cost, lending a hand wasn’t too much to ask. After throwing a few more reprimands at Li Xingqiao, they finally agreed.

Before Le Gui could even react, they had already tied the “surfboard” to their own flying artifact and shot into the sky.

The sudden acceleration nearly sent her tumbling off, but fortunately, Li Xingqiao caught her in time. Once the flight steadied, they both sat down properly.

“At this pace, we should reach Miaomang Mountain in half an hour,” Li Xingqiao finally smiled, revealing a set of neat and bright teeth. “Fellow Daoist, we are right on time.”

Seeing his smile, Le Gui could not help but smile as well.

At just sixteen years old, the male lead was even younger than her by a few years. If converted to the real world, he would be a high school freshman at most. Though he wore coarse fabric clothing, and his hair was tied up carelessly, there was an undeniable youthful energy in his features. He looked like a lively and handsome boy-next-door.

[Completely different from that scoundrel Di Jiang!]

“Are you falling for someone else?” Seer Mirror suddenly asked.

[Fall for your damn self.]

With Li Xingqiao right in front of her, Le Gui could not speak to the mirror openly, so she could only curse in her heart.

The overly sensitive mirror muttered, “Did you just insult me?”

Le Gui put on her most innocent expression.

The flying artifact of these outer disciples from Jingyue Sect was nothing remarkable, but compared to Li Xingqiao’s broken board, it was like night and day. In less than half an hour, they covered the remaining distance and landed at the foot of Miaomang Mountain.

There was only fifteen minutes left before the registration closed. The disciples responsible for recording names were already packing up to leave. Li Xingqiao wasted no time speaking to his senior brothers and carried Le Gui straight to the registration point. The senior brothers were confused by his actions, but when Le Gui handed over the jade token, their expressions changed.

This woman… actually had a jade token!

She actually possessed a jade token!

Thinking back to how she had been unable to use any spiritual power earlier—how they could have easily taken the jade token from her—expressions darkened across the group.

Le Gui and Li Xingqiao had barely begun to celebrate when one of the disciples spoke coldly, “Alright, you’ve made it. Now stop standing around like fools and go join the rest of our sect.”

In an unfamiliar environment, people naturally sought out those they knew. Even if they had not traveled together, in the end, disciples from the same sect would stick together.

Hearing this, Li Xingqiao immediately turned to leave with them.

Le Gui quickly grabbed his sleeve and, while keeping an eye on those outer disciples, whispered, “Are you sure you want to go with them?”

The male lead had hidden the fact that she had a jade token, causing them to miss their chance at snatching it. She worried they might retaliate against him.

Li Xingqiao, however, had not thought that far. He simply looked at her apologetically. “Your foot is still injured. By right, I should stay with you, but…”

He cast a troubled glance at his senior brothers.

“I have rested for two days and can walk just fine now.” Le Gui rolled her ankle to demonstrate. “I am more worried about you. What if they try to get back at you?”

Li Xingqiao understood her concern but only smiled even more brightly. “I acted out of righteousness. My senior brothers will understand.”

[…Alright then. This kid has yet to experience the cruelty of the world and still thinks people are inherently good.]

Le Gui sighed inwardly, then deliberately raised her voice, “I must thank you and your senior brothers for your great kindness today. My sect has always valued repaying favors. Once I meet my master, I will make sure to express my gratitude with a generous reward.”

“Fellow Daoist, there is no need for such formalities—”

Before Li Xingqiao could finish, his senior brothers, who had been fuming just moments ago, suddenly perked up at the mention of a generous reward. They surrounded them at once.

“How do you plan to repay us?” They were all outer disciples with neither talent nor resources. Even the artifacts in their hands were leftovers discarded by inner disciples. If nothing changed, they would spend their entire lives surviving off scraps. At the mention of a hefty reward, they immediately forgot about settling any score with Li Xingqiao.

Le Gui remained composed. “Of course, it will be a grand reward. However, I do not have it with me at the moment. I will need to meet my master first.”

“Fellow Daoist, you are far too kind.” The leader of the group forced a laugh but quickly asked, “Would we be fortunate enough to meet your esteemed master?”

Li Xingqiao frowned at his obvious greed.

Le Gui glanced at the man, then imitated Di Jiang’s usual air of indifference. Her gaze alone sent a chill down his spine.

“Li Xingqiao, we shall meet again if fate allows.” Ignoring the outer disciples, Le Gui smiled at him.

Li Xingqiao gave her an apologetic smile and was just about to say that no reward was necessary when his senior brothers, who knew him all too well, hurriedly found an excuse to drag him away.

“The Trial Tournament lasts for a whole month. Fellow Daoist, we are bound to meet again!” one of them called out urgently as they left.

Li Xingqiao protested, “Wait—”

“Wait for what? We need to join the rest of our sect.” The disciple cut him off impatiently.

Watching Li Xingqiao’s figure being forcibly taken away, Le Gui suddenly remembered how, later in the novel, he had risen to become the strongest cultivator across the three realms. By then, these people had either long been reincarnated or were not even worthy of carrying his shoes.

For a moment, she could not help but feel a little sentimental.

[People really have no idea who might rise to greatness in the future.]