The Handsome, Powerful, and Tragic Master Has Been Reborn [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Jun Lianyi had no idea when he had eventually drifted off, but by the time he blinked his eyes open, the cloud boat had already carried them to the edge of the Deep Sea Secret Realm: the Border Sea.

According to long-standing tradition, when disciples entered a secret realm for the first time, they were permitted to choose partners to guard against unforeseen dangers. In the original novel, the host’s designated teammate was none other than his “White Moonlight,” Rong Yu.

Jun Lianyi had absolutely no intention of following the script regarding the host and his childhood sweetheart. Consequently, after disembarking from the cloud boat, he stood off to the side cradling his fox, fully intending to go solo.

To his surprise, someone approached him regardless.

“Eldest Senior Brother.” The speaker was the third senior brother of their sect, Zuo Ze.

Zuo Ze was a disciple of the Dao Branch, possessing an elegant, refined appearance and a mild temperament that made him exceptionally easy to get along with. He walked up to Jun Lianyi, but instead of mentioning a partnership directly, he looked down at the fox in Jun Lianyi’s arms with curiosity. “Is this your spirit beast? Its cultivation is actually at the late stage of the Golden Core!”

At the mention of the fox, a sweetness bubbled up in Jun Lianyi’s heart, and he couldn’t resist a bit of showing off. “No, Shizun was worried I might face danger entering the realm alone, so he gave it to me as a gift.”

“Immortal Venerable Jiyue is truly good to you…” Zuo Ze said with a smile, his eyes shining with clear envy.

He reached out to stroke the fox’s fur, and after a few moments of feigned small talk, he finally got to the point. “I wonder if Senior Brother has a preferred teammate in mind?”

“No.” Jun Lianyi didn’t even look up, appearing entirely indifferent as he continued to scratch the little fox. He asked casually, “Do you have one, Junior Brother?”

“I don’t either.” Zuo Ze’s eyes brightened as he seized the opening. “Since neither of us has a partner, why don’t we team up?”

Jun Lianyi’s hand paused on the fox. He finally looked up at Zuo Ze, then glanced around to realize that nearly everyone was stealing glances in his direction. It dawned on him that as the Eldest Senior Brother with cultivation superior to the rest, he was a “prized catch” in the eyes of his juniors, whether he wanted to be or not.

Would it be better to just pick someone?

After a brief thought, Jun Lianyi rejected the idea. He shook his head at Zuo Ze. “A-Li is already at the Golden Core stage; his strength is comparable to a human cultivator. If I teamed up with someone else on top of that, it would be unfair to the others. Second Junior Brother, please find someone else.”

“I see…” The light in Zuo Ze’s eyes instantly vanished. He gave a formal bow. “Then… I won’t disturb Senior Brother further.”

Jun Lianyi watched him walk away with an apologetic gaze, silently sighing in relief. Even though Zuo Ze had been rebuffed, others still tried their luck, but Jun Lianyi turned them all down until the entrance to the realm finally opened.

The lead Elder instructed them to swallow their Fish Pills before giving a solemn warning: “Once this realm closes, the entrance will not open again for three months. When it does reopen, it will only stay active for three days. You must remember: three months from now, regardless of success or failure, you must return within those three days. Do you hear me?”

Mingling with the crowd, Jun Lianyi joined the chorus of disciples: “We hear you!”

With that, the realm opened. As the Eldest Senior Brother, Jun Lianyi didn’t wait for an invitation; he was the first to step forward, crossing the ethereal barrier and plunging into the secret realm.

******

Jun Lianyi didn’t know how to swim; the number of times he’d even been in the water in his previous life could be counted on one hand. To be able to breathe underwater and dive ten thousand miles deep was something he never could have imagined before transmigrating.

Now, faced with a seabed that looked nothing like the “underwater worlds” he’d seen on TV, he was filled with curiosity. He spotted a palm-sized fish with a human face and four legs swimming lazily past him as if he were invisible. He couldn’t resist reaching out to poke it.

The fish jumped as if electrified, looking around wildly. The moment its eyes met Jun Lianyi’s, its pupils dilated comically, and it began paddling away with all four limbs. It was incredibly fast, zipping ten meters away in a heartbeat.

Finding it delightful, Jun Lianyi thought of Yue Wuji. His eyes curved into crescents as he used his spiritual energy to give chase. No matter how fast it was, the creature was only a minor demon beast. Within moments, Jun Lianyi had caught up.

He formed a hand seal to trap the strange fish in a small spiritual cage, then popped it into a jar. “I was worried about what to bring back as a gift for Shizun. This seems perfect.”

He shook the jar with a grin. Looking back, he saw a five-pointed star emitting a kaleidoscope of colors and immediately gave chase again…

By the time Jun Lianyi had filled his pocket dimension to the brim, he suddenly realized he had strayed quite far from his original path.

Every secret realm had a standard “strategy.” The demon beasts in this trial were arranged from weakest to strongest. After defeating a trial beast, one would obtain its core; by purifying the core and using it for cultivation, a disciple’s power would surge, making the next level much easier.

Jun Lianyi had originally intended to follow the book’s advice, heading straight east to find the weakest beast, but he had gotten distracted.

Rubbing his forehead, he sighed. “I guess I have to turn back.”

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Yueqing Villa, Yue Wuji sat silently watching these eccentric behaviors through his water mirror. His gaze shifted from cold to bewildered as he followed Jun Lianyi’s every move, but eventually, it settled into a haunting calm.

******

Following the route described in the novel, Jun Lianyi soon found his target: the first demon beast. It was a fish-demon with a human head and a fish tail, possessing a hideous face.

The moment it detected an intruder in its territory, it lashed its tail and lunged. Although this was technically Jun Lianyi’s first real battle, his months of sparring with Yue Wuji had prepared him well. He didn’t panic. He calmly summoned his Natal Sword and, as the tail swept toward him, unleashed a wave of sword qi that sliced through the water.

A bloody gash appeared on the demon’s tail.

“Aooo—!”

The fish-demon let out a pained shriek and grew even more enraged. It whipped its tail to stir the surrounding water into a massive vortex, then hurled the whirlpool at Jun Lianyi. With a few quick slashes, Jun Lianyi tore the vortex apart, returning the water to a state of stillness.

The demon seemed stunned that its ultimate move was countered so easily. It grew frantic, throwing every bit of its spiritual power into its attacks. However, Jun Lianyi parried them with ease, eventually thrusting his blade straight through the demon’s chest.

The fish-demon died with a look of pure disbelief. Jun Lianyi didn’t spare it a second glance. He calmly withdrew his sword and used his spiritual power to extract the core.

It was a small, pearl-white orb that emitted a glow bright enough to light up the dark ocean like daytime. Unfortunately, its spiritual energy was too meager to be of much use to someone of Jun Lianyi’s level.

“I can take this back to light up Shizun’s room!” he whispered to himself. Just as he was about to pocket the core, a soft voice drifted from behind him.

“A-Lian…”

In this entire world, there was only one person who called the host “A-Lian.”

Jun Lianyi froze. A swirl of complex emotions rushed through him, and after a long moment, he slowly turned around.

The newcomer was a youth who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen. He was exceptionally handsome, though his face carried a sickly pallor that wasn’t quite human. His features were soft, and a gentle smile played on his lips as he tilted his head to look at Jun Lianyi. He looked exactly like a pure, untainted white lotus; clean, beautiful, and untouched by the world’s grime.

This was the scum gong’s White Moonlight: Rong Yu.

Rong Yu’s smile widened when he saw Jun Lianyi’s face. “I saw someone fighting a demon beast here,” he said softly. “The silhouette looked so much like yours that I had to come check. I didn’t expect it to actually be you.”

Jun Lianyi was momentarily struck by his beauty, but reality quickly set in, bringing a wave of awkwardness. He gave a somewhat forced smile. “What a coincidence. Junior Brother Rong found this place as well? Sadly, you’re a bit late; the beast has already been dealt with.”

The address “Junior Brother Rong” caused a flicker of distance in Rong Yu’s heart, but he didn’t let it show. He opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden itch in his throat forced him to swallow his words. He covered his mouth and began to cough.

It was a deep, wracking cough that seemed to pull at his very lungs, turning his face a flushed red. He struggled for breath, yet the coughing fit wouldn’t subside.

Jun Lianyi watched with a conflicted expression until he could no longer stand to be a bystander. He stepped forward and lightly patted the boy’s back to help him catch his breath. “Your health is this poor, yet you still came to the Deep Sea Realm? Why don’t you take better care of yourself?”

Rong Yu looked at him apologetically, appearing exhausted from the fit. He leaned slightly against Jun Lianyi for support. Once the coughing finally stopped, he whispered, “I’m sorry. I’ve become a burden to you.”

Jun Lianyi couldn’t very well push him away, so he offered his arm to keep the boy from falling. Seeing him so frail, Jun Lianyi couldn’t bring himself to just leave. After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out the demon core he had just obtained and held it to Rong Yu’s lips.

“The level of this beast is too low for me; the core won’t do much for my cultivation. You take it. It’ll be much more useful for you.”

The beast had cultivated for a hundred years, which put it roughly at the Foundation Establishment stage, the same stage Rong Yu was currently at. It was the perfect supplement for him. Rong Yu looked like he wanted to refuse, but Jun Lianyi didn’t give him the chance.

He waited for Rong Yu to open his mouth to speak and popped the core inside. “We’re childhood friends, aren’t we? Don’t be so polite with me.”

Rong Yu had no choice but to swallow it.

In that moment, their eyes were only on each other. Neither noticed the fox squatting by Jun Lianyi’s feet, whose eyes had suddenly filled with a bone-chilling frost.

Back at the villa, Yue Wuji watched the scene, his hands clenched so tightly that his nails drew blood. After a long while, he let out a low, hollow laugh.

“I shouldn’t have harbored any illusions,” he whispered to the empty room. “It seems it was only ever me… bothering myself with false hopes.”

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