Chapter 16: The Cultivator's Crisis and the Rickroll of Destiny part- 1
World 5: The World of Cultivation (Xianxia/Wuxia Universe)
Ethan Hunt felt the familiar, nauseating lurch of inter-dimensional travel. The futuristic skyline of Vought City dissolved into a swirl of colors, replaced by the smell of burning incense, ozone, and mountain air.
He opened his sensors. He was sitting in a lotus position on a hard stone floor. The room was sparse, decorated only by a single calligraphy scroll that read "Perseverance" and a wooden table holding a cracked teapot.
[Initialization Complete.][World Designation: The Azure Dragon Continent.][Host: Ye Tian.][Age: 21 (Senior Disciple).][Cultivation Level: Qi Condensation Realm, 3rd Stage (Stuck for five years).][Status: Known as the "Trash of the Spirit Sword Sect".][Relationship Status: Engaged to Lin Xue (The Sect's Holy Maiden).]
(Ah, the classics,) Ethan thought, feeling a wave of nostalgia. (The Trash Protagonist narrative. Let me guess, everyone mocks him, his fiancée is too good for him, and there is a Young Master trying to steal her?)
[Correct. Villain Identity: Zhao Feng (Transmigrator).][Villain Title: The Alchemy Emperor.][Villain Ability: "The Supreme Potion System". Can brew aphrodisiacs and mind-control pills that are undetectable by normal means.][Current Situation: Zhao Feng is hosting a "Moonlight Banquet" tonight at the Cloud Pavilion. He has invited Lin Xue. He plans to serve her the "Seven Nights of Ecstasy" wine, which will strip away her inhibitions and make her enslaved to the first man she sees.]
Ethan's metaphorical blood boiled. (Drugging the girl? That is the lowest of the low. In the superhero world, at least they used lasers. This is just sleazy. Alright, Ye Tian, wake up!)
Ethan shouted into the host's mind.
Ye Tian jolted out of his meditation. He was a handsome young man, though his face was pale from malnutrition and overwork. He grabbed the rusty iron sword by his side.
"Who is there?" Ye Tian demanded, looking around the empty stone hut. "Is it a heart demon? Have I finally gone mad from stagnation?"
(I am not a heart demon,) Ethan projected, using a voice that sounded like an ancient, thunderous immortal. (I am your... Ancestral Spirit. The Guardian of your bloodline. And I am here to tell you that while you are sitting here breathing in dust, your fiancée is about to walk into a trap.)
Ye Tian frowned. "Lin Xue? She is at the Moonlight Banquet. Senior Brother Zhao Feng invited her to discuss alchemy. He said he might have a cure for my blocked meridians."
(Oh, you sweet, naive summer child,) Ethan sighed. (He doesn't want to cure your meridians. He wants to explore hers. He is a snake, Ye Tian. He has spiked the wine. If she drinks it, she is gone. You will lose her forever.)
Ye Tian's grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles turned white. "Spiked the wine? Senior Brother Zhao? But he is the genius of the Alchemy Hall..."
(Geniuses can be predators too. Do you trust me? Or do you want to risk it?)
Ye Tian stood up. His eyes, usually filled with resignation, burned with a sudden fire. "I will not risk Lin Xue. Even if I am trash, I will die before I let anyone harm her."
(Good answer. Now, let us go crash a party. But first, we need to do something about your outfit. You look like a beggar who got into a fight with a lawnmower.)
Ye Tian looked down at his patched grey robes. "This is all I have."
(Leave it to me. System Shop, open. Buying Item: "The Illusionary Robes of the Peerless Immortal". Cost: 200 Points. It doesn't give you stats, but it makes you look like you are wearing the most expensive silk in the universe. It also adds a passive "Cool Wind" effect that blows your hair dramatically.)
In a shimmer of light, Ye Tian's ragged clothes were overlaid with an illusion of flowing white and gold robes. He looked regal. He looked powerful.
"This..." Ye Tian gasped, touching the fabric that wasn't really there. "This is illusion magic?"
(It is style, kid. Now, grab your sword. We have a mountain to climb.)
.........
Location: The Cloud Pavilion, Spirit Sword Sect.
The pavilion was floating on a small island of rock, suspended in the sky by ancient formations. It was a scene of opulence. Glowing spirit lanterns drifted in the air, and beautiful female disciples danced to the sound of zithers.
At the head table sat Zhao Feng. He was a Transmigrator who had fully embraced the "Arrogant Young Master" persona. He wore crimson robes, fanned himself with a golden fan, and had a smirk that could curdle milk.
Sitting across from him was Lin Xue. She was stunning—the definition of a "Jade Beauty," with skin like porcelain and cold, intelligent eyes. However, she looked uncomfortable.
"Come, Junior Sister Lin," Zhao Feng purred, pouring a cup of wine from a jade decanter. The liquid shimmered with a faint pink hue. "This is the 'Thousand Year Peach Blossom' wine. I brewed it myself. It is said to relax the mind and open the spirit."
Lin Xue hesitated. "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhao. But I should not drink. Ye Tian is waiting for me to bring back news about the cure."
Zhao Feng's eye twitched at the mention of Ye Tian. (That waste,) he thought. (He is the only thing standing between me and this top-tier dual cultivation partner. Once she drinks this, the "System" guarantees she will forget all about that loser.)
"One cup won't hurt," Zhao Feng pressed, pushing the cup toward her. "Think of it as a toast to Ye Tian's future recovery."
Lin Xue sighed. She couldn't refuse a toast to her fiancé's health without being rude. She reached for the cup.
(Now!) Ethan screamed in Ye Tian's mind. (Kick the door open!)
BANG!
The heavy wooden doors of the pavilion flew off their hinges. They didn't just open; they disintegrated into splinters (thanks to a small telekinetic shove from Ethan).
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