What's wrong with a snake that just wants to cultivate and transform?

It’s true what they say, you can’t wrap fire with paper; lies will eventually be exposed.

On a lazy day, after her usual diligent cultivation session, Xu Nian lounged on a chair, directing her doll attendants with her mind. Suddenly, a cheerful voice caught her attention, “Ji Shishu, I’ve finally caught you!”

Peering over, Xu Nian saw Ji Yuebai gracefully descending from her flying sword, only to be greeted by Xue Ling who had been waiting outside the cave for an unknown amount of time.

Xue Ling, clad in a tender blue dress adorned with snowflake-shaped hairpins, resembled a fresh spring blossom. She eagerly approached Ji Yuebai, her eyes shining with admiration like a fan meeting her idol.

“Ji Shishu, you haven’t visited Danjun Peak lately. There’s a sword technique I’ve been dying to ask you about. I’ve been reflecting on my own lack of diligence in cultivation and have been practicing diligently lately. Whenever I practice the Four Symbols Sword Formation, I can’t help but think of you, yet I can’t even imitate one-tenth of the essence of your skills.”

Xu Nian, observing from a distance, listened to Xue Ling’s words. Yet, Ji Yuebai’s demeanor remained cold and detached, her lips parting as if to speak. Xu Nian, sensing tension, hurried over, only to hear Ji Yuebai’s frosty response, “As a disciple of Danjun Peak, seek guidance from your Elders there. Why bother seeking far when help is near?”

Xu Nian watched as Xue Ling’s eyes shifted from anticipation to stunned disbelief, her spirits deflating like a withered eggplant. Inside, Xu Nian lamented Ji Yuebai’s lack of tact. Xue Ling was clearly a fan seeking her idol’s attention.

Xue Ling bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears, “Ji Shishu, didn’t you once praise my talent?”

Xu Nian saw Ji Yuebai’s brows furrow slightly and quickly intervened, tugging at Ji Yuebai’s sleeve and hinting with her eyes. “Exactly, you were just telling me the other day that Xue Ling here is a talented girl…”

Turning to Xue Ling, she added, “You know Ji Shishu is always straightforward. Don’t take it to heart.”

Though Xu Nian often avoided Xue Ling, she didn’t think poorly of her. Besides, Xu Nian felt partly responsible for the current misunderstanding.

Although Xue Ling was young and a bit arrogant, she was no fool. Seeing Xu Nian’s reaction, how could she not understand? Her eyes reddened instantly, and the tears she had been holding back suddenly overflowed: “I understand now. It was all just wishful thinking on my part.”

Feeling sorry for her, Xu Nian silently offered a handkerchief, but Xue Ling slapped it away, glaring resentfully. “Are you happy now, you demon? Did you foresee this scene and come especially to gloat over my misery?”

Xu Nian hesitated on how to explain herself but saw Xue Ling wiping away tears as she mounted her flying sword and departed.

Xu Nian was left speechless. She turned to Ji Yuebai with a worried expression, “What should we do? She seems to come from a powerful background. She won’t seek revenge on me, will she?”

Ji Yuebai’s slender fingers rested on her sword hilt as she gazed seriously at Xu Nian, “Don’t worry about it.”

Xu Nian fell silent, dreading the thought of Xue Ling’s potential retaliation. She had hoped for some comforting words from Ji Yuebai, maybe even some swordplay guidance for the young girl. After all, Xue Ling seemed like a sweet child. Why had Ji Yuebai bluntly refused her?

Reflecting on her first encounter with Ji Yuebai, Xu Nian remembered the icy reception. But Xue Ling was a fellow disciple, not an outsider like Xu Nian.

With that thought, Xu Nian couldn’t help but sigh.

Since that day, Xue Ling never returned to the Wushang Peak, and although Xu Nian felt a tinge of guilt and regret, she gradually let the incident slip from her mind as she immersed herself in cultivation.

Meanwhile, preparations were in full swing for the competition held every three years among the disciples of the Eight Great Sects.

The event, hosted in turn by each sect, was this time organized by the Fanyin Pavilion in the Eastern Sea. Xu Nian imagined the delights of fresh seafood and exquisite music. She was particularly excited about the competition, as Ji Yuebai’s victory would secure the transformation fruit for Xu Nian.

The competition, set to start in half a month, would last three days. The first two days were reserved for core disciples’ official ranking matches, while the last day featured exhibition and challenge matches.

As a core disciple among the core, and the champion of previous competitions, Ji Yuebai was now burdened with many related tasks and was so busy she barely touched the ground; often, she was summoned back just after returning to her cave dwelling.

Xu Nian, having reached the peak of the eighth-rank, lay leisurely in her bed, guiltily enjoying the attentive services of her two doll attendants. Their touch was indistinguishable from real humans, and as they massaged her, she felt a blissful comfort that made her tail curl in pleasure.

Speaking of which, Xu Nian hadn’t tested their combat abilities yet. Now that her cultivation was on pause, she thought it a good opportunity to test the combat power of the dolls and the difficulty of controlling them in battle—useful for future engagements. With that in mind, Xu Nian decided to act immediately, reducing the dolls to the size of peanuts with her spiritual sense, applying a talisman to conceal her presence, and stealthily made her way down the mountain.

To avoid causing too much commotion at Tian Yuan Sect and potentially bringing trouble to Ji Yuebai, Xu Nian chose a forest a few dozen kilometers away from Tian Yuan Sect. There, she released her own imposing aura to drive away the demon beasts.

This particular forest, situated near Tian Yuan Sect, had been stripped of its high-level demon beasts—either they had fled, or they had been unfortunately cleared out by Tian Yuan Sect. Only some lower-level demon beasts with strong reproductive abilities, the highest among them only at the mid-sixth rank, had remained.

As an eighth-rank demon beast, Xu Nian’s oppressive aura was like a dimension-crushing force against them. Yet, when they confronted the intruders, they found not a mighty predator, but two seemingly fragile humanoid figures, emanating only faint traces of spiritual energy.

These beasts, having claimed the mountain as their domain for a long time and having consumed many humans, had also consumed a few cultivators with faint spiritual energy, a taste they found unforgettable. The ferocity of the lion-tiger beasts was sparked by the humanoid dolls filled with sweet spiritual power. Their eyes turned blood-red as they opened their massive jaws and roared, pouncing towards the two fragile girls.

In their minds, they fantasized about piercing flesh with their fangs, the blood enriched with spiritual energy spurting into their mouths under pressure, filling their bodies with a surge of power, as saliva to aid their feasting secreted rapidly.

If anyone had been present, they would have seen the two frail and helpless girls about to be devoured by the charging lion-tiger beasts and mourned their imminent demise.

But in the next moment, a peculiar clanking sound echoed, like gears turning and weapons being unsheathed. Xu Nian, perched atop an ancient tree, observed as the two seemingly delicate girls transformed in the blink of an eye. Once graceful and beautiful, they now took on a horrifying form. From their waists and backs sprouted pairs of mechanical arms wielding blades, and their feet morphed into massive scythe-like blades. As the lion-tiger beasts pounced, the dolls switched to an efficient killing machine mode.

In just a few breaths, the sounds of flesh being sliced and chunks of meat and blood splattering ceased abruptly. The sixth-rank lion-tiger beasts didn’t even have a chance to wail before they were minced, their remains scattered around.

Xu Nian was stunned. She had not controlled the dolls directly; she had only given them instructions to attack and defend. She had not expected their capabilities to be so exceptional. She couldn’t help but think if she were to control them personally, wouldn’t that be like soaring to the heavens?

She imagined herself instantly transforming into the Sword Queen, brandishing weapons amidst a whirlwind of blood and a gust of wind, striking a cool pose.

Eager to try, Xu Nian channeled her spiritual energy into the control core of the puppets, momentarily taking over control of Yi Yi. She didn’t attempt to control both at once, recognizing her limitations in handling such a complex task.

Xu Nian, with a mere thought, gained the perspective of Yi Yi. This sensation was in a split-screen operation; she could control her own actions while simultaneously maneuvering the puppet with her mind. As she directed, Yi Yi’s arms, wielding weapons at the waist, tentatively swung, followed by a few shaky steps from its scythe-like feet on the ground.

Xu Nian felt a bit rebellious as she thought about the puppet’s performance under automatic control, which seemed almost like having a cheat code with its cool and smooth moves that easily defeated the beasts, similar to something out of a cyber-cultivation story. Yet, when she took the reins, Yi Yi appeared more like an Elder with degenerating limbs, struggling with balance and coordination. She tried to replicate the puppet’s earlier action, curling into a blade ball, spinning rapidly in the air like an elegant figure skater, but as soon as she took off, she failed to flip properly and thudded onto the ground the next second

Yi Yi, which had remained unscathed and spotless through the bloody battle with beasts, now under Xu Nian’s control, had its clean little face turned into a patchwork of smudges, looking like a kitten with spots. Witnessing this, the other puppet, Liu Liu, discreetly stepped back, while Yi Yi’s expression seemed a mix of confusion and hurt.

Embarrassed by her clumsy handling, Xu Nian tried to walk Yi Yi forward again but stumbled once more, unable to master the balance of the scythe-like feet. Liu Liu, unable to bear watching, covered its eyes with its blade arms.

Xu Nian couldn’t help but look up to the sky and wonder: Was it really a good idea to make the puppets so intelligent? Although she knew that these reactions were pre-programmed to respond to specific situations, it still pained her to watch, and she decided not to torment the two of them any longer.

She also realized that the automatic operation mode was not meant for someone like her, who had hardly ever touched a sword—a complete novice. It was more suited for those who had already maxed out their sword cultivation skills and could multitask effectively, enabling them to unleash a strength several times stronger than before.