Xiao Feng heard the sounds of battle coming from the east. “Did you hear that, Xiao Li?” he asked.
Xiao Li nodded. “Let’s go see.” They then started running toward the source of the noise.
A couple hundred meters away—
“Hahaha, this is the end for you, Miss Ma! Now be a good girl and do me the favor of dying.” A muscular, giant man shouted as he swung his sword.
“Clank!”
“Young Miss, run away while I hold off these bastards!” A female knight, her body covered in bruises and blood, urged the young woman, who was barely holding her ground against four opponents.
“Damn it, Yue! I already told you—we live or die together! Stop worrying about me and focus!” the young woman yelled, slicing a man in two.
The remaining three attackers coordinated their strikes, preventing the young woman from moving freely.
“If you’re only after our treasures, we’ll give them to you! Just stop this and let the Young Miss go, Bai Zhan!” the knight, Yue, pleaded as she fought the towering man before her.
Bai Zhan scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Yue. You’ve known me for years, so you must know I don’t like leaving future troubles behind. I always cut them down without a second thought.” He grinned devilishly. “Don’t worry, though. To honor the time we spent working together, I’ll make sure to give you the most painful, torturous death possible.”
“You sick bastard!” Yue spat in disgust.
The battle soon reached its climax. The young woman fell to her knees, panting.
“Damn it…! My body refuses to move when I need it most! I’m not this weak—stand up…! Get up…!” she willed herself, but her body wouldn’t listen.
“Boss, what should we do with her? She can’t fight anymore,” one of the men asked Bai Zhan.
“Do you even need to ask?” Bai Zhan sneered, his gaze shifting to Yue. Her eyes were filled with despair. Then, with a twisted smile, he said, “Torture her to death, obviously.”
Yue’s body shuddered at his words. A surge of killing intent exploded from her as she lunged at Bai Zhan, aiming for his throat.
But Bai Zhan merely smiled. He crouched, swung his sword’s hilt, and struck Yue’s wrist, making her drop her weapon. “You finally let down your guard, Yue. As expected of the Ma family’s genius. You know what time it is now, right? It’s torture ti—”
Before he could finish, a powerful force sent him flying, crashing into a tree. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he barely registered what had happened.
His blurry vision cleared just enough to see an ethereal beauty standing beside Yue, staring at him with a disgusted, furious expression.
It was Xiao Li.
Meanwhile, Xiao Feng swiftly incapacitated the men surrounding the young woman.
Xiao Li turned to Yue. “Hey, are you alright?” she asked, concerned.
Yue nodded before speaking. “I thank you, benefactors, for saving the Young Miss and me. I express my utmost gratitude.” She then dropped to one knee, lowering her head.
“So formal,” Xiao Li chuckled. “C’mon, don’t be like that. Stand up—you still have a duty to fulfill, don’t you?” She turned to Bai Zhan, who was gritting his teeth in rage.
“Who the hell are you?! How dare you attack someone from the Ma family? Do you have any idea what the consequences of your actions will be?!” Bai Zhan threatened.
“Heah. And who exactly would tell your Ma family about this?” Xiao Li shot back, glancing at Yue before refocusing on Bai Zhan. “The people you tried to kill? Do you think they’ll help you?”
Bai Zhan’s eyes flickered toward Yue. “Yue, you know I would never harm you or the Young Miss! I attacked you both to teach you a valuable much needed lesson. You were too inexperienced—I wanted to show you the reality of the world so that you’d be more cautious in the future!” he pleaded.
Xiao Li couldn’t believe he could lie with such a straight face. Just as she was about to speak—
“A mere servant dares to teach his master? I wonder where you found the audacity to spew such blatant lies after drugging our comrades last night!” The Young Miss’s voice was laced with fury. “If Yue and I hadn’t fallen asleep early due to training, we would have died, too.” She gritted her teeth, fists clenched. “One of our most trusted men… killed dozens of his own comrades. And I was powerless to stop it.”
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She took a deep breath before issuing an order. “Knight Yue, I command you to behead the traitor. Let our fallen comrades rest in peace.”
“Yes, Young Miss.” Yue stepped toward Bai Zhan, her face emotionless.
“Wait, Yue! I did it for you! For the Young Miss! Think about the loyalty I have shown all these years—spare me just this once! I promise I won’t ever do this again!” Bai Zhan begged.
Yue looked down at him and muttered, “You disgust me.”
With one swift motion, she beheaded him.
Memories of how he had guided her when she first joined the Ma family flashed through her mind. But she did not shed a tear. He didn’t deserve it after what he did.
Xiao Feng and Xiao Li watched in silence, slightly disturbed. This was their first time witnessing someone kill a person. But they understood—this world belonged to the strong. The weak could only suffer.
The Young Miss looked at the dozen of corpses with a sorrowful expression. Then, turning to Xiao Feng and Xiao Li, she spoke. “I thank you, benefactors, for everything. As a token of gratitude, please accept the treasures in our carriage.” She lowered her head.
“That isn’t necessary,” Xiao Feng replied. “We didn’t do this for a reward. We did it because it was the right thing to do.” He turned to Xiao Li. “Right?”
“Of course.” Xiao Li smiled. “Besides, we watched the situation before stepping in. It was clear you were betrayed. Instead of treasures, we’d prefer something else—If you are heading towards a city, take us with you to the city you’re heading to. We’ve been stuck in this forest for too long.”
The Young Miss was slightly taken aback by their friendliness but soon smiled. “Of course. We have no issue with that.” She then turned to Yue. “Prepare the carriage for departure. Take care of those three men and bury our fallen comrades first.”
“Yes, Young Miss.” Yue left to carry out her orders.
The Young Miss then introduced herself. “I am Ma Shanguan from the Ma family of the Middle Continent. You may call me Shanguan. The knight beside me is Ning Yue, my personal bodyguard. We were traveling here to sell treasures at an upcoming auction in Mystic City. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“My name is Xiao Feng, and this is my sister, Xiao Li. We are wandering travelers, exploring the world together. It’s nice to meet you,” Xiao Feng replied.
After some time, Yue returned. “Young Miss, the carriage is ready. We can depart at any time.”
Shanguan nodded, and the trio boarded the carriage while Yue took the reins, guiding the horse-drawn vehicle down the road.
Inside the carriage, Shanguan retrieved five rings and handed them to Xiao Feng and Xiao Li. “These are the spatial rings of the men who tried to kill us. These should be rightfully yours, please accept it.”
Xiao Li furrowed her brows as she examined the rings. “What is this? Why are you giving us these strange rings?”
Shanguan raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know about spatial rings?”
The duo shook their heads simultaneously.
‘Just where did they come from?’ she wondered before explaining, “These are called spatial rings. They are convenient storage items that create a unique dimension where anything placed inside is kept safe. Only the wearer of the ring can access its storage space. Try it for yourselves—it’s pretty easy.”
The siblings exchanged glances before following her instructions. They each focused on their rings and, to their amazement, pulled out swords. After inspecting them briefly, they placed the swords back inside.
“What a miraculous item! This will make our lives so much easier,” Xiao Feng said in awe as he studied the ring. Xiao Li nodded excitedly in agreement.
Shanguan, still bewildered, couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer. “You’ve never used spatial rings before? Just where did you come from?”
“As we said, we’re wandering travelers,” Xiao Feng replied. “We spent most of our lives in the forest, so we don’t know much about the world. Actually, we know almost nothing.”
Shanguan was stunned. For a moment, she simply stared at them, unable to comprehend how two people with such limited knowledge had survived, let alone become this strong.
“Sister Shanguan, can you tell us which continent we’re on and a little about it?” Xiao Li asked.
Shanguan gave Xiao Li a long, perplexed look before sighing and answering anyway. “This is the Middle Continent. It is divided into three areas—Outer, Inner, and Core. We are currently in the Outer Area, where the strongest monsters are generally only at the Foundation Soul Stage. The deeper you go, the stronger the monsters become, reaching far higher cultivation stages. The city we are heading to is also located in the Outer Area.”
“What are the different cultivation stages?” Xiao Feng asked curiously.
“Well, we are in the lower realms, so the highest stage attainable here is the Grand Mastered Soul Stage. The progression goes as follows: Foundation Soul, Tempered Soul, Advanced Soul, Mastered Soul, and finally, Grand Mastered Soul. Each major stage consists of nine minor stages. According to my father, higher realms exist beyond this one, with even greater cultivation levels.”
Shanguan paused for a moment before adding, “Oh, by the way, that gigantic bastard you fought was already at the 1st Tempered Soul Stage, while you are only at the 3rd Foundation Soul Stage. How were you able to defeat him despite such a vast gap in cultivation? Both Yue and I are considered geniuses, capable of fighting opponents four minor stages above us, and we are both at the 6th Foundation Soul Stage—yet even we wouldn’t have been able to beat him.”
Xiao Li thought for a moment before responding, “Hmm… I think it’s because of my physique.”
Shanguan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh? You must have quite a high-ranked physique, then.” Not wanting to pry further, she decided to leave the matter alone.
After some travel, they finally reached their first city in the game—Mystic City
At the city gate, the duo had their entrance fare paid by Shanguan. After entering, they looked around- Before them stretched a magnificent, wide road paved with polished stone, gleaming under the afternoon sun. On either side, vibrant stalls overflowed with exotic goods—silken robes embroidered with gold thread, mystical trinkets pulsing with faint energy, steaming skewers of meat sizzling on open grills, and toys that whirred and danced as if alive. The city pulsed with excitement, a grand spectacle of colors, scents, and sounds.
“All this crowd is because of the auction that will begin in three days. Many merchants come here during this time, hoping to sell their goods,” Shanguan explained.
Xiao Feng and Xiao Li looked around in awe at all the amazing things around them. They made their way to an inn, where they received two separate rooms, also paid for by Shanguan.
“Sister Shanguan, thank you very much for covering our expenses. We’ll be heading out to explore the city after resting for a bit. You should rest too—I bet it’s been tough on you,” Xiao Li said.
Shanguan nodded before bowing slightly and saying, “Thank you for everything. It’s only because of you that Yue and I are alive.” She then took out two spatial rings and handed them to the duo. “The rings I gave you before belonged to those bastards, but these are my way of expressing gratitude. Each ring contains 100 gold coins, a set of the best armor we have, and food for ten days. Ah, don’t worry—the food won’t rot inside a spatial ring.”
“Since you insist so much, we’ll accept it.” The duo each took a ring and wore it on their index fingers.
“Good. This will be our primary ring, and we’ll store all the other rings and our stuff inside it,” Xiao Li said with a bright smile.
Shanguan also smiled upon hearing this. Then, she said, “I’ll be busy preparing my items for the auction, so we won’t be able to meet for a while. If you’d like, you’re welcome to attend the auction.” She then took out a platinum token from her spacial ring and handed it to Xiao Feng. “Show this to the guards if you want to enter. They’ll let you in directly.”
“Alright, we’ll definitely come. See you soon, then. Take care Sister Shanguan,” Xiao Li said before she and Xiao Feng entered their respective rooms.
After they left, Shanguan turned to Yue in her room. “Yue, what do you think about those two?”
“They seem like good people, Young Miss. I didn’t sense any ill intent from them, and they didn’t appear to be after our treasures. I think we can trust them,” Yue replied.
“I told you to call me Shanguan when we’re alone. Officially, you’re my bodyguard, but first and foremost you’re my friend. Don’t speak so formally when it’s just us,” Shanguan lectured, pouting in mild frustration.
Yue smiled upon seeing this. “Yes, yes, Shanguan. Stop whining. Come on, get cleaned up and rest a little. A lot has happened, and you need rest.”
Shanguan stared at Yue in shock and defended. “I am not whining, okay? And what’s up with this sudden change of tone? Hmph, forget it.” She stomped toward the washroom, her frustration evident.
‘*Sigh*... I wonder what will happen now. So many people in her group were killed, and all the blame will fall on her. With the existing pressure and problems, she already faces... I can only hope for the best,’ Yue thought inwardly, concerned.
In Xiao Feng’s and Xiao Li’s room-
“Brother, we’ve been playing for almost six hours. We already skipped breakfast, and its lunchtime now. Get off the game so I can clean you up and feed you lunch,” Xiao Li said.
“Alright,” Xiao Feng answered.
They both logged off the game.
As their consciousness returned to their real bodies, Xiao Feng, unlike in the game, once again felt nothing—just as always, he couldn’t see, sense his body or surroundings at all.
Xiao Li then entered his room and—