Chapter 6 The Secret of That Day

After waking up, Mao Song found herself inside a ball of light, which seemed to form a small space.

Aside from her, there was only an old-looking book and a single pill.

She first picked up the book, titled Chasing Power, driven by curiosity. As she opened it, the pure white light around her began to fade, revealing five aperture exits, each glowing with a different color.

After studying the book—only three pages long—she finally understood the significance of the five apertures.

The first page explained that the world's power was divided into five parts, each represented by a specific color.

It also listed the current heirs of these five forces and their final fates.

As the Saintess of the Yin Clan—one of the four hidden families—the book recorded that she died young.

The heir of the Medicine Clan, second only to the Sound Clan, would also perish in despair after being framed.

Meanwhile, the young master of the Qi Clan had a much better ending. After the Sound and Medicine Clans fell, he led the Qi Clan to rise and become the new leader among the four hidden families.

In contrast, the heirs of the royal family and the Zen Clan lived fairly ordinary lives, ultimately becoming leaders of their respective forces without much distinction.

Flipping to the third page, Mao Song found her own name mentioned:

Mao Song, who traveled here from the eleventh century, has landed in the area belonging to the heir of the Medicine Clan.

Mao Song was instantly unhappy. She thought, Since I've come here so mysteriously and even been allowed to read this book, shouldn't I be the heroine?

As the heroine, how could she end up with a useless person doomed to die in depression?

Seeking benefits and avoiding harm is human nature. When forced to choose, one should pick the best.

Among all the characters, the one she liked most was Si Dian—the future head of the four hidden families.

She wanted to continue reading, but all the pages after the third were blank.

What's going on? Mao Song was puzzled.

Just then, a mechanical voice echoed:

> "The host can choose which faction's aura to enter. However, according to the original book's setting, a woman of unknown origin must appear in the Medicine Clan heir's territory.

The host must follow this plot point before proceeding.

Additionally, the host must accurately specify the replacement identity to increase the success rate.

After completing these steps, the host must consume the pill, which will enhance their appearance and improve their offensive capabilities upon entering the book's world."

Mao Song wasn't angry.

In her original world, she was an ordinary woman with average looks and education—someone who would pass unnoticed on the streets.

With her plain appearance, it would be difficult to attract anyone in this new world.

Fortunately, luck had finally smiled on her.

Now, she not only knew parts of the plot in advance but could also gain a beautiful appearance—truly the makings of a winner.

She decided to designate the Saintess of the Sound Clan as her replacement in the Medicine Clan territory. Then, she could take the appearance-enhancing pill and beautifully enter the world.

Why choose the Saintess of the Sound Clan? Well, she had only read about her in the book. Who else could she choose?

As for the consequences of dropping the noble Saintess into another force's territory—well, that wasn't her concern.

This is fate, Mao Song comforted herself.

She reported the replacement candidate to the system. The next moment, a woman in a plain silver gauze dress appeared in the aperture.

Startled, Mao Song stared at her.

Though the woman's beauty wasn't shocking at first glance, the more one looked at her, the more enchanting she became.

Combined with her cool, ethereal demeanor, even with her eyes closed, Mao Song could imagine how breathtaking she would be once awake.

Mao Song felt a twinge of jealousy but quickly comforted herself: such a dazzling woman would now be wasted on a useless man. That thought made her feel balanced again.

Following the system's instructions, Mao Song swallowed the pill and entered the Qi Clan's aperture, while the Saintess of the Yin Clan was sent to the Yao Clan's aperture.

The memories ended there.

---

Tao Xi carefully observed Mao Song.

The heroine of the original book standing before her had every hallmark of a Mary Sue: fair skin, delicate features, innocent eyes, and a pink outfit complete with a headband that made her look soft and adorable.

Initially, Tao Xi admired her appearance.

But then she remembered how, in the original story, Mao Song had deceived the male supporting character with that same innocent facade—and her admiration instantly soured.

Thinking of the male supporting character, she grew nervous again.

After all, heroines in novels often inexplicably attracted male supporting characters, even when others met them first.

Worried, Tao Xi quietly moved closer to Qiang Yu.

Their clothes brushed together slightly, and Qiang Yu's body stiffened for a moment before relaxing again.

Mao Song, watching the two, sneered inwardly:

Short-lived ghosts, destined to become Brother Si's stepping stones.

Qi Yi was the first to break the awkward silence:

> "I've heard that the Saintess of the Sound Clan possesses a beauty like the bright moon. Now that I've seen you, I am truly amazed.

The person beside you must be the heir of the Medicine Clan.

I am Qi Yi, the second prince of the royal family. These two with me are Si Shaoqi of the Qi Clan and his adopted sister, Miss Qi."

Wow, thought Tao Xi. Truly worthy of being a "male lead" type—he hogged all the introduction lines!

But it was fine; it saved her some trouble.

As the Saintess of the Yin Clan and the organizer of the Wanlai Festival, Tao Xi couldn't pretend not to notice these prominent figures.

She forced a polite smile and replied:

> "Your Highness flatters me. I am but an insignificant figure. In terms of beauty, Master Si's sister is far superior."

Tao Xi's words were polite but carried a subtle warning: Don't neglect your own group while praising outsiders.

As expected, after hearing this, Song's disdainful glance toward Tao Xi turned into something more wary.

Si Dian, however, seemed impatient with the small talk:

> "We should hurry to Wanlai Field and match opponents as soon as possible to prepare."

Tao Xi couldn't agree more.

> "Let's not delay then."

---

Wanlai Field resembled the grand arenas Tao Xi had seen in her previous life—only even more magnificent.

The arena was surrounded by circular seating, enough to accommodate thousands.

At the front stood five luxurious seats reserved for the leaders of the five major forces.

At the entrance, two "matching points" were set up.

Contestants had to submit their entry tokens and register their names. The matchmakers would then randomly assign opponents.

Tao Xi pulled Qiang Yu toward the matching point opposite Qi Yi's group.

No way I'm letting us clash with those monsters so soon, she thought. The male supporting character isn't strong enough yet.

Fortunately, Qiang Yu understood her intentions.

Right now wasn't the time to reveal his true strength.

After Tao Xi helped him temporarily relieve the attack of cold poison last time, Qiang Yu had unexpectedly broken through to the peak of the Qing Level—a level he had long been stuck at.

The healing powers of Tao Xi's musical instrument spirit must have repaired some of his old injuries from reckless training.

Now, his true strength had reached the early Blue Level.

In his previous life, Qi Yi had only reached the initial Green Level at this point.

For this Wanlai Festival, Qiang Yu planned to suppress his cultivation to match Qi Yi's—ensuring the overall plot wasn't disturbed.

His goal was simple:

To obtain the legendary Thin Cicada Robe, a defensive garment capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Purple-Level cultivator.

Meanwhile, Tao Xi's peak Orange-Level cultivation hadn't escaped Qiang Yu's notice either.

Even so, she had somehow squeezed into the top three in her previous life's Wanlai Festival and won the third-place prize: the Niaoyin Flute—an extremely rare and powerful instrument.

In this world, musical instrument spirits were born with Sound Clan members, but physical carriers were still needed.

The stronger the carrier, the stronger the musical spirit could become.

In her past life, Tao Xi had drawn the seventh-round "bye," allowing her to secure third place without fighting the toughest battles.

There were seven rounds in total.

The first five rounds each eliminated fifty participants, leaving fifty contestants for the sixth round.

The sixth round eliminated forty more, and the final ten battled for the top three places.

The age limit for Wanlai Festival participants was twenty-five, and most contestants' cultivation was around the Orange Level.

Those who reached Green Level before twenty-five were considered rare talents.

After submitting their tokens, Qiang Yu and Tao Xi received their first-round opponents.

Qiang Yu had drawn an opponent from the Zen Clan—an initial Yellow-Level cultivator.

Tao Xi's opponent was... Qi Rongrong, the spoiled sixth princess of the royal family, who, like Tao Xi, was at the peak of the Orange Level.

Why did this troublesome princess have to show up? Tao Xi thought, remembering her bizarre deeds in the original novel and feeling a headache coming on.

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