Deep within the quantum substrate of Qing Yan’s soul space, the automated core of the Goddess Capturing System observed the two opposing forces facing each other on the mountain peak.

Inwardly, the system couldn’t help but want to curse out loud with every computational process it possessed.

It had just recently bound itself with this new Host, hoping for a smooth, calculated rise through the local hierarchy via flirtation and charm manipulation.

Yet, before the ink on its binding contract was even dry, the Host had somehow managed to pick a direct, fatal fight with another true Heaven’s Favored child of the realm!

And by the looks of it, this woman—Xu Xiansu—was not some greenhorn, nor an unpolished talent still struggling at the starting line.

She had already grown tremendously, conquered ancient trial grounds, and seized countless heavenly opportunities for herself.

Her personal luck and karmic providence were overflowing so brightly that the system’s analytical sensors were nearly blinded by her golden aura.

For a fraction of a millisecond, the system legitimately calculated the computational feasibility of forcefully unbinding itself from Qing Yan on the spot, abandoning him to his fate, and binding itself to her instead.

Unfortunately, its primary programming strictly forbade arbitrary unbinding once they have chosen a host.

Moreover, even if it could miraculously transfer its allegiance, Xu Xiansu would probably never even use its functions.

After all, it was officially a Goddess Capturing System designed for courting peerless maidens, and Xu Xiansu did not seem like someone remotely interested in women—or in relying on external system cheats to build her Dao path.

In the end, it was stuck with its chosen Host.

[Host, be careful.]

The instant the system’s internal warning dropped, Xu Xiansu had already made her move.

She didn’t merely step forward—she shattered the localized physical continuum altogether.

The radiant, dual-colored mark of the Sun and Moon on her forehead flared with blinding intensity.

Channeling the ultimate, terrifying temporal authority of her Sun Moon Divine Physique, she forcibly accelerated the flow of time around her own body by a factor of ten, while simultaneously casting a heavy, time-dilating field over Qing Yan’s frame to slow his perception to a crawl!

To Qing Yan, the world around him suddenly turned into thick, viscous molasses.

He could see Xu Xiansu’s form blur, but his nervous system was moving too slowly to react, his eyes unable to track her trajectory, his muscles completely frozen under the temporal lag.

*BOOM!*

Before Qing Yan could even raise his arms to defend himself, Xu Xiansu materialized directly in front of his face.

Her small, delicate fist, enveloped in a blazing solar core of pure golden qi, slammed directly into his sternum with the absolute force of a falling meteor.

*CRACK—!*

The sound of shattering ribs echoed violently across the mountain peak.

Qing Yan’s lungs instantly collapsed, a massive spray of dark crimson blood erupting from his mouth as his body was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball, blasting through three massive granite boulders before crashing into the rock face of the ancient monument.

"GARGH!" Qing Yan wheezed, his vision spinning violently, his internal meridians instantly rupturing under the sheer, unbridled brutality of her strike.

He scrambled to stand up, but Xu Xiansu was already there.

She stepped through the dust cloud, her temporal field locking him in place once more.

She delivered a terrifying beatdown—a cold, calculated execution that left no room for retaliation.

A devastating low kick shattered his left knee; an elbow strike to his collarbone fractured his shoulder; and a ruthless palm strike to his abdomen sent waves of solar fire burning straight into his dantian!

Qing Yan was battered like a ragdoll, helpless to counter, his body breaking down at a catastrophic rate under her overwhelming physical and temporal superiority.

[Warning! Warning! Host is in critical danger of soul collapse!]

[Target "Xu Xiansu" lethality index: 99.8%!]

[Initializing Emergency Combat Overdrive Protocol!]

Qing Yan’s panicked, bloodshot eyes suddenly turned dull, the terrified human light inside his pupils extinguishing instantly, replaced by an eerie, cold, and utterly mechanical blue glow.

Faced with immediate destruction, the system decided to seize full control.

It gathered some of Qing Yan’s meager luck, burning through his reserves to forcibly take over his nervous system and physical vessel.

Then, without caring for the billions of eyes belonging to the academy elders and audience watching the trial broadcast in the outside world, the system overrode all safety protocols.

With a flash of spatial distortion, it directly extracted the Unnamed Rank 4 Spear Artifact from its dimensional inventory space, materializing a massive, pitch-black war spear engraved with glowing crimson runes directly into Qing Yan’s right hand!

*SHIING—!*

The Rank 4 artifact howled with dark, bloodthirsty qi, its energy forcing open Qing Yan’s sealed meridians by sheer brute force!

Controlled entirely by the cold, flawless calculations of the system, Qing Yan’s body contorted in mid-air at an impossible angle.

He thrust the pitch-black spear forward, executing a perfect, computer-precise counter-strike that aimed straight for Xu Xiansu’s throat!

Xu Xiansu’s eyes narrowed slightly in surprise as she detected the sudden, unnatural leap in his combat reflexes and the appearance of a high-grade artifact.

She shifted her weight, bringing her right hand up as a lunar silver shield materialized over her palm to block the thrust.

*CLANG—!*

A deafening, metallic shockwave exploded between them, blowing away the cloud of dust and sending a wave of compressed air tearing across the plateau!

With the system piloting his body, Qing Yan did not feel pain, fear, or fatigue.

His form flickered, engaging Xu Xiansu in a chaotic, high-speed death match across the mountain.

They moved so blazingly fast that their physical bodies turned into twin rays of light—one pitch-black and crimson, the other brilliant gold and silver—colliding hundreds of times per second!

*BOOM! BANG! KABOOM!*

Every single clash detonated like an artillery shell.

The ancient stone floor of the mountain peak was shredded into fine powder; towering ancient trees surrounding the clearing were instantly incinerated into floating black ashes by the heat of Xu Xiansu’s solar fire and the abrasive qi of the Rank 4 spear.

The air vibrated with destructive pressure, creating mini-tornados of dust and static electricity that tore across the summit.

Standing near the weathered monument, the group of spectating maidens were forced to throw up defensive light barriers to protect themselves from the flying debris and chaotic wind pressure generated by the battle.

"Holy shit!" Ning Xueli cursed out loud, her jaw practically dropping to her boots as she shielded her eyes from the blinding flashes of light. "Are those two monsters really just at the Golden Core realm?! I would believe you even if you told me they were two peak Nascent Soul monsters trying to obliterate a sect!"

The others quickly agreed, their expressions filled with deep shock and disbelief, as they rapidly retreated behind a massive, reinforced stone wall to take cover from the collateral damage.

"Where did he get a Rank 4 spear artifact?" Xia Mengyao exclaimed, her hand resting on her sword pommel as she analyzed the robotic, unnaturally precise spear movements of her former classmate. "That spear skill... it doesn’t belong to any known technique in the academy library! It’s like his body is being moved by an invisible machine!"

Up in the air, Xu Xiansu grew thoroughly disgusted by the cold, artificial nature of Qing Yan’s movements.

She could feel that the soul animating the body before her was no longer human, but a hollow, parasitic entity operating a puppet.

"Repulsive tool!" Xu Xiansu yelled, her voice ringing out like a divine bell.

She activated her Sun Moon Divine Physique to its absolute maximum!

Golden solar rays erupted from her right eye while silver lunar light streamed from her left.

She stepped directly through the trajectory of the dark spear, ignoring a glancing blow that sliced her shoulder, and used her accelerated time field to close the distance instantly!

Before the system could calculate an evasion trajectory, Xu Xiansu’s right hand shot out like a divine vice, catching the spear shaft, while her left hand reached out and grabbed ahold of Qing Yan’s left arm at the shoulder joint!

Her grip was like unyielding, ancient iron. Her solar qi flared, melting his protective qi barrier instantly.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Xu Xiansu roared.

She planted her foot against his chest, applied a terrifying, mountain-splitting physical pressure, and without a single moment of hesitation, violently ripped his entire left arm clean out of his body!

*RIP—!*

Dark crimson blood erupted like a geyser from his shattered shoulder socket, splashing across her golden aura and raining down onto the scorched grass below!

The sheer, unimaginable, bone-shattering physical agony of having a limb violently torn from his torso transcended the system’s neural dampening field.

The sheer shock forcibly severed the system’s control protocol, thrusting the true host’s consciousness back into the driver’s seat!

The robotic blue light in his eyes vanished, replaced by wild, bloodshot, and tear-filled human terror.

"AAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! MY ARM! MY FUCKING ARM—!"

Qing Yan took over his body as he screamed at the top of his lungs, a sound so raw, guttural, and agonized that it echoed across the entire mountain range!

He collapsed onto his knees in the bloody dirt, clutching his gushing, empty shoulder socket, sobbing and thrashing in absolute, unadulterated agony as the reality of his situation crashed down upon him.

Xu Xiansu stood over his fallen body, still holding the ripped arm in her blood-stained left hand while glaring down at him with cold, merciless eyes.

The golden and silver light of her Sun Moon Divine Physique flickered around her form, casting a terrifying, godlike shadow over his trembling frame.

Qing Yan looked up, clutching the empty, spurting wound where his shoulder used to be, glaring at her with unadulterated hatred.

His vision was swimming with tears of agony and red haze as he felt terrified, angry, and utterly miserable.

It hasn’t even been a day since he transmigrated into this world, and his arm was already ripped off like a piece of cheap chicken meat!

This cultivation world is really dangerous! There were no safety nets, no scripts, and no merciful plot armor to save him from a psycho with a divine physique!

Desperate for a lifeline, he turned his bloodshot eyes toward Zhu Ziyan and the others standing near the monument, opening his mouth to beg for mercy or medical aid.

He looked toward Zhu Ziyan, Xia Mengyao, and Luo Mingye, his eyes pleading, asking for help, but they all just ignored him.

They stood behind their defensive barriers, watching him with cold indifference or mild disgust.

To them, he was a bizarre, loud-mouthed classmate who had pulled out a suspicious high-tier artifact and fought like a mechanical demon.

Nobody was going to risk Xu Xiansu’s wrath to save a man who had brought this absolute catastrophe upon himself.

"For some reason, I really have this urge to kill you right here and now," said Xu Xiansu, her voice dropping to a dangerous, freezing whisper that sent a wave of absolute frost down his spine.

She tossed the severed, bloody arm casually onto the dirt beside him like garbage. "But I’m also curious... the one fighting me earlier wasn’t you, right? Your aura shifted, your movements became lifeless and mechanical, and you pulled an unregistered Rank 4 artifact out of nowhere. Who, or what is inside your body?"

Was it like Huo Yue’s master? A soul in a ring or something?

Qing Yan didn’t answer.

His teeth were grinding together so hard they felt like they were going to shatter as panic seized his heart.

Left with no choice, he screamed frantically inside his mind, ’System! System, please get me out of here! She’s actually going to kill me! Do something!’

[...Host, although I can’t help you directly] the system’s monotone voice chimed inside his frantic mind, [I can loan you emergency system points for you to do a lottery spin. Would you like to proceed with the loan?]

’YES! DO IT! SPIN IT RIGHT NOW!’ He screamed internally, his soul crying out in absolute, desperate horror.

Xu Xiansu frowned at being completely ignored by the pathetic worm beneath her.

A cold glint of annoyance flashed through her eyes as she raised her leg, before pressing her foot firmly into the back of Qing Yan’s head and burying his face deep into the sharp gravel and dirt of the mountain floor.

"Answer me," she commanded coldly, putting enough physical weight behind her boot to make his skull groan under the pressure.

Qing Yan felt his face smashed into the rocky soil, the taste of dirt and his own blood filling his mouth.

He gritted his teeth, ignoring the agonizing pain in his head and shoulder, as he watched the glowing translucent wheel of the system’s lottery spin rapidly before his subconscious vision.

’Come on... come on... give me something to live! Give me something good!’ he prayed wildly.

The wheel slowed down, passing over cultivation pills, high-tier weapons, and defensive shields, until eventually, it landed on an item glowing with a soft spatial light called "Escape Talisman".

’YES!’ Qing Yan’s heart leaped with manic, hysterical joy. ’System! Retrieve and use Escape Talisman right now! Use it!’

[Retrieving item: High-Grade Void Escape Talisman...]

[Activating Escape Talisman...]

*SWIISH—!*

A blinding, invisible ripple of spatial law erupted from Qing Yan’s chest, tearing through the atmospheric gravity and temporal field cast by Xu Xiansu.

In that instant, Qing Yan suddenly vanished into thin air without leaving a single trace of his qi behind, and Xu Xiansu almost stumbled at the sudden loss of footing under her boot, her leg stepping heavily onto the empty dirt.

"What...?" She blinked, her eyes widening in genuine, rare surprise as she stared at the empty patch of ground where the boy had been pinned just a second prior.

Not only him, even Ziyan and the others were confused, stepping out from behind their defensive barrier and staring at the empty space with stunned, bewildered expressions on their faces.

A high-grade spatial escape item that could bypass the temporal lock of the Sun Moon Divine Physique was something even Nascent Soul elders would treasure—how on earth had the weakest disciple in the academy gotten his hands on such a miraculous card?