VAP - Chapter 88
Chapter 88: Flawless Cold Bone, The Peerless Sword Venerable (12)
“Beep—”
“Welcome to the customer service communications line. I am Q.”
The moment she heard the voice, Yue Du knew it was the same customer service agent she had connected with last time—the exceptionally timid one.
So she got straight to the point: “Yue Du, number 0996, requesting activation of the host version of the System Store.”
Customer Service: “…” It’s you again!
As if recalling some terrible experience, the agent fell silent for a moment before whispering, “P-please wait a moment.”
Yue Du waited calmly. After about half a minute, the agent’s voice returned. “Permission has been granted. Please note, this permission is only valid in the Qianhong small world.”
“Thank you for using our communication service. We wish you all the best. Goodbye!”
Before Yue Du could say anything else, the agent immediately disconnected the call. The speed was so fast it almost made Yue Du think she was some kind of dangerous individual…
Regardless, the goal was achieved.
Yue Du looked at the store interface with satisfaction.
She had long ago taken stock of the items available for redemption in the System Store, so she knew that the store open to systems didn't have any special data that would be useful.
And the store that was only open to hosts had been closed—to the very second—after Yue Du achieved the accomplishment of following her host.
Yue Du would be the first to disbelieve that the Main System hadn’t had a hand in it.
Just like right now.
Even though the store was open to her, a portion of the item icons from Xianxia and cultivation-type worlds had turned gray, meaning they were unavailable for redemption.
Yue Du sneered inwardly and sent her regards to the Main System’s entire family before navigating straight to the technology section.
Before the massive virtual display screen, her gaze swept over countless icons of various shapes, finally landing on a cold gray mechanical symbol.
Silent Watcher:
From the Mist Star System 001 Small World. A fixed, high-grade mechanical reconnaissance device with a detection range of 2,514,700 star-miles. It utilizes the small world’s most advanced visual-sensory detection technology and is not a strong AI (Note: The core is transferable).
This was just a brief introduction. Yue Du clicked on the detailed description, and after confirming its functions were complete, she chose to redeem it.
This was the one.
Although the points required for redemption were quite high, it was a cost-effective choice when considering the current situation and future needs.
The item was redeemed, but it could only be stored in her system space, as an object not of this world could not be taken out in front of the host. Yue Du sighed and turned to say, “Ah Jiu, I’m going back to my room first.”
Yun Yijiu lowered her eyes. “Mm.”
Yue Du couldn’t hint at her plans, and Yun Yijiu didn’t ask any further questions. They had a mutual understanding.
According to Yue Du’s plan, the Silent Watcher was already sufficient to observe and get results.
After all, for top-tier small worlds, whether they were fantasy-based or technology-based, the ultimate level of development they could achieve was roughly the same.
It was just that one relied on the power of the flesh, while the other relied more on external objects.
But when she actually got her hands on the device and read the user manual, a much bolder idea suddenly sprouted in Yue Du’s mind.
The Silent Watcher itself was not a strong AI, but its design allowed a strong AI to take control to achieve greater effectiveness.
The “core is transferable” note in the description referred to this.
In that case, what about a system?
Could a system, constructed from data, retaining a human thought model, and able to freely access the virtual world, take over and control the Watcher?
Yue Du pondered for a moment, then reached out a hand, eager to try.
When it came to things like this, if you weren’t sure, you should try first. Anyway… even if it didn’t work, it wouldn’t cause any losses, right?
As it turned out, Yue Du’s attempt was a success.
The Watcher was dismantled until only its technological core remained. Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be just a piece of metal shimmering with a silver-white luster. No one could know the intricate structure hidden within.
Yue Du established a data link with this metal block. After confirming a perfect connection and effective control, she embedded it in a chain.
The metal cube on the chain looked quiet and harmless, much like an ordinary ornament. Moreover, it lacked this world’s spiritual energy, so no one would ever take it seriously.
Sharing the Watcher’s senses, she could see another side of this small world.
Countless spots of colored light and strangely shaped substances danced in the surrounding space. Some of them even followed certain patterns of movement, silently rotating and flowing, like brilliant, glowing orbits.
Yue Du unconsciously held her breath, captivated by this calm yet magnificent scene.
After watching for a while, she reluctantly disconnected the data link and reapplied her normal system senses.
Before her was the same familiar yet strange world.
Yue Du subconsciously rubbed the corner of her eye and finally broke into a smile, flicking the metal cube lightly.
“I’m counting on you.”
This was what she needed now: absolute observation.
The next day, the elite disciples arrived before the hall on time.
It seemed to be just an ordinary day.
A young disciple executed a few simple sword flourishes and stepped forward first to practice the new sword moves he had comprehended the night before, seeking guidance from the Wushuang Sword Venerable.
Mu Xingluo, watching from the back, suddenly sensed something and frowned.
“Senior Sister, do you feel like someone is watching us?”
The woman beside her was startled at first. She closed her eyes and focused her senses for a moment before saying, looking puzzled, “I don’t feel anything. The two Venerables on the dais are watching, but other than that, there’s nothing.”
Mu Xingluo shook her head. “No, not that kind of watching. It feels like… like I’m being seen right through… Huh? It’s gone now.”
Seeing Junior Sister Mu’s confused expression, the woman chuckled. “Alright, don’t overthink it. If someone were really spying on us, how could they possibly hide it from the Venerables?”
“…” Mu Xingluo was silent.
That was true.
Taking a huge step back, even if some prying gaze could escape the Wushuang Sword Venerable’s notice, it wasn’t something she could deal with just by being vigilant here. What was the point of thinking so much?
Mu Xingluo was already a rather carefree person, and she quickly pushed the matter to the back of her mind. She would never know that the intense feeling of being watched had come from one of the two Tribulation Transcendence Stage Venerables on the dais.
Yue Du thoughtfully retracted her gaze.
The data link had already automatically disconnected, but the scene from just now was stored in her database, being compared with the images she had seen before with her system senses.
There were a total of seventeen new special points. After matching the origins of these points to the plot, five remained of unknown origin.
After eliminating two more whose nature could be roughly analyzed, only three were left—or, to be precise, only one type.
They appeared as three rice-grain-sized rings glowing with a white halo, located respectively at Mu Xingluo’s glabella, heart chamber, and dantian. They didn’t look conspicuous, yet they possessed an unspeakably eerie quality.
Yue Du was certain that none of the other disciples had this trait.
But… Yun Yijiu did.
Rings of the same shape, in the same locations. The only difference was the color of the rings; Yun Yijiu’s were a dull, deep black.
What was this thing?
Was it exclusive to those with a Single Gold Spirit Root? Or a mark of exceptionally talented individuals?
Yue Du’s intuition told her it was neither.
In a flash, an idea suddenly surfaced and grew clearer and clearer.
It was common knowledge that Yun Yijiu could not ascend.
But why couldn’t she ascend…?
Previously, influenced by the insane actions of the “Yun Yijiu” in the original timeline, Yue Du had subconsciously focused on the ascension itself, but she had overlooked the cause that led to this result.
It was definitely not because of a flaw in her aptitude.
And those rings were definitely not naturally formed.
But if one were to assume that the rings were related to the inability to ascend, why did the Mu Xingluo from the original plot ascend successfully?
Was it because of the color?
Too many questions flooded her system’s data processing in an instant.
Yue Du gritted her teeth and started to rise.
She sent a voice transmission: “Ah Jiu, you watch them. I’m going to the Library Pavilion.”
Yun Yijiu stared at her but shook her head gently. “Wait.”
Yue Du’s speech quickened. “I can’t wait. I’ve discovered something very important, about why you can’t—”
Yun Yijiu grasped her hand and repeated, “Wait.”
Yue Du felt as if her right hand was shackled, unable to move at all. She wanted to say more, but she met her host’s pure black eyes.
Those eyes were utterly still and profoundly deep. Gazing into them, Yue Du slowly let out a breath and regained some of her rationality.
“I lost my composure,” she said.
Yun Yijiu said, “Your emotions were off just now.”
“I know. I’ve mostly recovered now.” Yue Du paused and muttered softly, “I don’t actually get agitated that easily…”
She was naturally a calm person. Simply discovering that her host might have been plotted against shouldn’t have made her lose her composure like that.
But that thing… it gave her a very bad feeling.
Her concern was clouding her judgment. If she allowed her state of mind to continue like that, it would likely disrupt her mental state and affect her cultivation.
If Yue Du herself were a true demonic cultivator, she wouldn’t need to fear this. The more turbulent the emotions, the faster one’s cultivation would advance.
The problem was that she wasn’t cultivating the demonic path, but a heart-method from another world. A disturbed state of mind was naturally improper…
Yun Yijiu understood this point.
Yue Du had never hidden it from her.
Their hands remained clasped as they sat quietly for a while.
When she felt it was alright, Yun Yijiu slowly released her hand. “You can go.”
“Mm, I’ll explain in detail when I get back.”
Yue Du gave her host a deep look, then turned and headed in the direction of the Library Pavilion.
They had indeed searched through every book in the Library Pavilion related to ascension and even the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, but there was one category of books they hadn’t touched.
Before, they had thought them unimportant, but now, these books were the most important clues.
Yue Du stopped in front of a certain bookshelf, paused for a moment, and pulled out an ancient tome that was a good four fingers thick.
Lingtian Sword Sect: Sect History Volume.
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