My System, My Wife Feng Aotian [Transmigration] - Chapter 32.1

As the Feng Jue had said, the Ladder to Immortality tested the cultivator’s patience.

The ladder stretched endlessly upward, its end invisible, as if symbolizing the immortal cultivator’s entire lifetime. This towering Heavenly Ladder leading to Chongshan Immortal Palace could only be climbed step by step; any attempt to use a spell to shorten the distance would instantly teleport the climber back to the starting point.

Since embarking on the path of immortal cultivation, Feng Jue had never considered giving up. With her mind focused solely on her goal, she circulated her internal Spiritual Veins while climbing, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy to cultivate.

As for 03—what difficulty could climbing a mountain pose for a small system?

Apart from scanning the surroundings to update its map, the system simply held Feng Jue’s hand and climbed alongside her.

From sunset to sunrise, when the golden sun leaped from the nearby mountaintop, bathing Feng Jue and the system in its radiant glow, the focused woman lowered her head and calmly looked up at the sky.

Feng Jue’s lips curved slightly. “We’re here.”

A majestic mountain gate stood before them, its snow-white doors painted with a rich golden hue by the rising sun. The four characters “Chongshan Immortal Palace” were inscribed above the gate, their elegant, bold strokes perfectly complementing the solemn grandeur of the Immortal Palace behind it.

03 was still processing the map when Feng Jue remarked, “This calligraphy… it differs from the previous trials. It possesses a unique grandeur and magnanimity.”

Feng Jue didn’t know the details of Chongshan Immortal Venerable’s ascension, but since he had cultivated to the pinnacle of cultivation, the essence of the path he followed was infused in the brushstrokes he left behind.

The characters on the mountain gate had been inscribed with a sword as a brush by Chongshan Immortal Venerable. Simply standing before the gate, one would be overwhelmed by the bold and vigorous sword intent radiating from it, making it difficult to look directly at it.

Feng Jue broke out in a cold sweat, immediately lowering her gaze and stepping through the mountain gate.

Beyond the gate lay an expansive platform paved with massive stones, wide enough to accommodate thousands of disciples practicing swordsmanship or morning cultivation. The platform’s surface, adorned only with neatly carved patterns, offered an unobstructed view of the grand hall opposite the mountain gate.

03 remarked, puzzled, “I don’t see the protagonist.”

Xue Bufan had left earlier than them, but he was nowhere to be found on the platform or the Ladder to Immortality. They wondered if he had encountered some opportunity or perhaps skipped ahead.

Feng Jue frowned and drew her Natal Magic Weapon.

A crimson whip, shimmering with molten lava hues, settled at the hem of her skirt. Mimicking her, 03 retrieved the sword from her backpack.

Silver and scarlet, large and small, the two weapons stood in stark contrast.

The splendidly attired female cultivator, clad in crimson robes and adorned with golden jade, exuded a cold and fierce aura. Beside her, the round, silver System, glowing with motivational bubbles, presented a stark contrast to the austere beauty.

Two large eyes stared straight ahead, giving the creature an inanimate, almost lifeless aura. Two long, thin black lines hung at its sides, one slightly longer than the other, and a small silver sword glinted brightly.

It looked somewhat comical.

But when it raised that tiny sword, barely longer than a human’s fingernail, a sudden surge of chilling sword energy radiated outward, startling the guardian beast of this realm.

ROAR!

The roar echoed from the depths of the grand hall, reverberating through the heavens. Anyone with a weak constitution would likely have been terrified by this thunderous roar.

Feng Jue, however, remained unfazed, raising an eyebrow.

03: How could anyone possibly discern an expression on a blob of black circles?

The System (Companion), represented by a bubble with a toothpick for a mouth, floated nearby, emitting a curious question mark.

After the roar, thousands of layers of thunderclouds gathered above the grand hall. Violet lightning crackled wildly, a bolt striking the hall’s peak before surging downward like a flash of lightning and materializing on the platform in its true form.

Feng Jue’s pupils constricted.

Xue Bufan had said the second trial was a Thunder Beast, but this was no ordinary Thunder Beast—it was unmistakably a Thunder Qilin!

The massive, violet divine beast dominated the entire platform, its majestic presence overwhelming. Its eyes blazed like torches, the electric energy crackling across its scales suppressing the sunlight. As it breathed, clouds roiled around it, each exhalation accompanied by thunderous roars that exploded in their ears.

Throughout the Chongshan Secret Realm, the surviving cultivators could see the Immortal Palace looming above them.

The palace, which had previously been shrouded in misty clouds, had cleared its veil the previous day, revealing its majestic and resplendent exterior. The golden tiles and jade stones glistened brilliantly in the sunlight, inspiring awe and stirring the imagination as to the treasures that might lie within.

Experienced cultivators took this as a sign that the Immortal Palace was opening, and they streamed toward it from all directions within the Secret Realm.

Meanwhile, the cultivators who had escaped the Illusionary Realm—unaware that they had already been eliminated in the first trial—now gathered outside the palace. They stared in shock at the Immortal Palace, now enveloped in thunderous clouds and radiating an overwhelming aura of danger.

Such terrifying pressure!

Xue Mengtao clasped her hands together behind Siyi and murmured, “May the Palace Master be safe.” And may Young Master Xue be safe as well. May we all return home unharmed.

Siyi tilted her head and smiled at her, then produced an astrolabe and tossed several jade stones onto it. The Lanyang Palace disciples nearby immediately recognized that Elder Siyi was divining. Although her primary expertise lay in artificing, she had dabbled in various other skills.

Although “dabbled” was a modest term that Elder Siyi herself had used.

The jade stones clattered onto the astrolabe. Siyi glanced at them, her expression shifting to surprise. She divined Feng Jue twice, but both readings proved indecipherable.

Siyi cast another divination, this time to determine if they could enter Lanyang Palace. The jade pieces clattered and jumped across the astrolabe, forming an even more indecipherable pattern than before.

“Could it be that my cultivation is insufficient?” Siyi muttered, her voice tinged with anguish and bewilderment.

Though the pattern remained cryptic, it was far less ominous than the previous one. Relieved, Siyi stowed away the astrolabe and her Natal Magic Weapon under the curious gazes of the other disciples. “Since fate has denied us entry,” she announced, “let us disperse. There’s still time before the Secret Realm closes. We’ll proceed with our original training plan.”

The Lanyang Palace disciples bowed their heads in assent and silently departed. Even Gu Yuqing, who harbored resentment toward Siyi, reluctantly left, her heart filled with bitter frustration.

Siyi glanced up at the dark Immortal Palace and smiled faintly before leading Xue Mengtao away.

The Immortal Palace loomed above them, seemingly within easy reach. Among the cultivators who had rushed from all directions, those chosen disciples had explained the situation to their fellow sect members. Yet undeterred, the persistent crowd relentlessly tried to breach the barrier, only to be repelled by both the magical barrier and vine-like projections from Nascent Soul cultivators that materialized out of nowhere, hurling any who dared attempt to fly into the palace back down.

Human flesh “dumplings” rained from the sky, each screaming in terror.

Now, no one dared to make another attempt.

The thunderous roars shook the heavens, like a tantalizingly fragrant meat pie visible to all but unattainable, stirring complex emotions—jealousy and frustration mingling in their hearts.

In the shadows, someone whispered, “I heard the Palace Master of Lanyang Palace was chosen… I don’t know about the others, but I saw the Head Disciple of the Fengxue Sect outside. With his exceptional cultivation talent, how could he not be chosen?”

“Feng Jue has a Supreme Thunder Spiritual Root and has even reached the Great Perfection Golden Core stage! Even if the Fengxue Sect’s Head Disciple has outstanding talent, he’s still two streets behind her! This Immortal Palace is far too picky, leaving no chance for any of us!”

Jealousy spread, giving birth to dark thoughts.

This was an opportunity left behind by an ascended Immortal! Who knew how many heavenly treasures were at stake? How could anyone resign themselves to giving up?

Throughout the Immortal Palace, countless ambushes were set, waiting for Feng Jue—or whoever else emerged victorious—to kill them and seize their treasures.

Sect Leader Bai Fenghui of the Baishui Sect stood high above, observing the turbulent scene. He tilted his head back to gaze at the Immortal Palace, now engulfed by thunderous clouds. The dense, roiling clouds seemed to settle in his eyes, while the booming lightning twisted into sinister purple streaks across his face.

He was one of those struck down by the vines, and among the group, he had been the highest in cultivation. Yet he hadn’t even had a chance to be captured and dragged into the Underground Palace, let alone experience the Illusionary Realm. This filled Bai Fenghui with boundless fury.

After a long moment, he let out a cold laugh and, with a sweep of his sleeve, strode in the exact opposite direction of the Immortal Palace.

Invisible storm clouds enveloped the visible ones, shrouding heaven and earth.

But even the cultivators who had been “lucky” enough to be dragged into the Dungeon and plunged into the Illusionary Realm remained unaware of the true reason they had been thrown out of the choice. It was because a Small System, no larger than half a palm and easily held in the palm of a hand, had shattered the first barrier with a single sword strike.

Without the first barrier, how could they progress to the second?

The one who had meticulously set up these layered barriers likely never imagined such a method of breaking through them. In any case, the Troublemaking System now stood before the Thunder Qilin alongside its host.

The Thunder Qilin was no physical entity, merely a Spiritual Consciousness (Remnant Spirit). Yet even this consciousness alone could alter the very fabric of heaven and earth, terrifying the Fire Rock Jiao Dragon into clinging tightly to Feng Jue’s arm.

The lightning-tinged Qilin lowered its head, its gaze shifting from Feng Jue to the peculiar object beside her.

The massive golden eyes instantly crossed, becoming cross-eyed.

“I see,” Thunder Qilin said without moving its lips, its thunderous voice resonating in the ears of Feng Jue and the Small System. “This little thing killed Shen and disrupted my master’s arrangements.”

Feng Jue narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on her Natal Magic Weapon. She slightly raised her hand, letting her wide sleeve fall to cover the Small System, which floated as if nothing had happened.

“So what?” Feng Jue said slowly. Despite her calm tone, her body tensed, ready for Thunder Qilin’s sudden attack.

Thunder Qilin made no move. It slowly swiveled its head, as if trying to glimpse the strange silver object beneath Feng Jue’s sleeve. After a prolonged silence, its sluggish Spiritual Consciousness (remnant spirit) finally spoke: “She was bewitched, betraying my master. Her death means nothing.”

Bewitched?

Feng Jue frowned, wanting to ask, but Thunder Qilin’s next words drew her attention.

“You are the second human to reach the Immortal Palace,” Thunder Qilin declared.

Tsk.

Xue Bufan had beaten her here. Feng Jue’s displeasure flared, the flames on her Natal Magic Weapon surging dramatically.

Feng Jue rolled up her sleeves, straightened her clothes, and tilted her head back to look at the Qilin.

It was enormous.

The Thunder Qilin had also noticed her, and the colossal beast locked eyes with the diminutive figure.

“You successfully climbed the Ladder to Immortality,” the Thunder Qilin said. “I will now open the gate to the second trial for you.”

With a thunderous roar, a bolt of lightning erupted from the Thunder Qilin’s body, materializing into the shape of a massive gate before Feng Jue.

Having completed its task, the colossal spirit beast continued to stare at 03. “You wield a sword.”

03 raised her small blade.

See? A sword.

“The master also used a sword,” the Thunder Qilin continued. “You were the one who killed the Shen. As fellow spirit beasts, you are worthy.” The Thunder Qilin expressed its approval.

Feng Jue pressed her lips together, but 03 said, “I’m not a spirit beast.”

“Nor am I a spirit pet.”

The Fire Rock Jiao Dragon, trembling in Feng Jue’s sleeve, nudged her sleeve with the tip of its tail to assert its presence.

It’s me! It’s me!

The Thunder Qilin tilted its head, scanning Feng Jue and 03 with its spiritual power. Suddenly, it understood. “There’s no contract between you. You haven’t deceived me.”

Yet Feng Jue was alarmed by the probing spiritual power. This Qilin’s spiritual consciousness cultivation is already at the Deity Transformation Stage!

No wonder the Chongshan Secret Realm could ascend to a higher level. To think such a terrifying creature was hidden within, yet the Secret Realm hadn’t collapsed! This was merely its Spiritual Consciousness; if the Qilin’s true form still resided within the realm, it would be an existence beyond imagination!

To have contracted with a legendary divine beast, the Chongshan Immortal Venerable must have been an extraordinary figure. For such a person’s failed ascension to result in their scattered Spiritual Consciousness becoming Xue Bufan’s Master…

Feng Jue frowned, recalling that 03 had mentioned this was a book. If this was deliberately contrived to give the protagonist an impressive Master… then the Chongshan Immortal Venerable was truly pitiable.

Unaware of Feng Jue’s thoughts and failing to detect the contract between her and 03, the Thunder Qilin spat out another bolt of lightning.

The lightning formed a tiny door before 03, just large enough for a ball to pass through, its even the surrounding sparks were miniature, giving it a surprisingly adorable appearance.

The Thunder Qilin grumbled, “No contract, not a human spirit beast… You have passed the trial. Beads, you may enter the second stage.”

03 remained motionless. After a moment of surprise, Feng Jue hastily lifted her sleeve and released 03. Looking up earnestly, 03 said, “I cannot leave Feng Jue’s hundred-meter range.”

“Hmm?”

The Thunder Qilin pondered intently, looking like an old, worn-out machine with a flicker of intelligence. After processing 03’s words, the intertwined lightning arcs before the girl and her Companion merged into… an unchanged door.

“Very well, you may enter together,” the Thunder Qilin said. “But the challenge inside will be even more difficult than the Shen you slew. If you fear death, you may still leave.”

Feng Jue’s expression remained stoic as she scoffed, “What’s there to fear in death?”

Hearing this, 03 shot up with a whoosh, blocking Feng Jue’s mouth. “The Host must not die,” it declared. “I will protect you.”

Clutching its little sword, 03 addressed the Thunder Qilin, which had been waiting for them to enter. “It doesn’t matter. Even if it’s you, I will slay you.”

With that, 03 flew effortlessly to Feng Jue’s side, gripped her fingers, pointed the little sword at the door, and, with a surge of energy—its bubble-like body trembling with excitement—cried out, “Charge!”

“Roar!!!”

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