Chapter Ten: The Arrival of the Goddess and Tales from the Elevator

Amid the chorus of voices, the seven other brothers in the dorm occasionally slipped in mocking remarks about Lin Yi, ridiculing him for being a well-fed man oblivious to the hunger of the less fortunate.

If that childhood friend really happened to be a beauty, he ought to confess soon, so everyone could establish a connection with her, follow the trail, gather phone numbers of her circle, get acquainted, and then head to a hotel.

Don’t overthink it—going to a hotel was just for collective spiritual meditation or practicing martial arts techniques together.

But who would believe such a claim?

Lin Yi suspected even these beasts themselves didn’t believe it.

The dorm was noisy and rambunctious, when suddenly the door was knocked urgently.

A tall but extremely thin fellow stormed in, his face brimming with anger, leaving Lin Yi and the others bewildered.

The newcomer’s name was Zhou Quan—a fitting name, for he seemed to lack nothing except nutrition. He ate voraciously, but whatever he ate seemed immediately lost; he was as thin as a bamboo stick.

Once inside, Zhou Quan shouted furiously, fixing an indignant gaze upon Lin Yi, leaving him dumbfounded.

Feigning outrage, Zhou Quan declared, “Lin Yi, you usually keep such a low profile, but you actually managed to win over my goddess, An Miaoyi. You… you… you… you owe me my goddess, quick, give her back!”

Zhou Quan’s words sent the seven others into a frenzy.

“You sly dog, still claiming you drank with your childhood friend yesterday—come clean, is that friend our goddess An Miaoyi?”

“An Miaoyi, she’s our goddess! I’ve spent years staring at her portrait, writing ‘I love you’ on paper with my hand… Don’t get any weird ideas—I mean writing with a pen!”

“This won’t do! Unless you treat us to a feast, you can’t heal our wounded hearts!”

…

While the uproar continued inside, the corridor outside was equally lively, with a crowd indignantly discussing Lin Yi.

Though everyone seemed furious, it was clearly all in jest.

Lin Yi, though from a modest background, had been taught by his grandfather to be generous and helpful—not exactly a saint, but certainly kind. His relationships with classmates were excellent.

So despite the banter, none truly bore him any ill will.

Suddenly, silence swept through the group.

As if conjured by their words, An Miaoyi herself ascended the stairs.

At the sight of her, the usually rowdy bunch transformed; where they would normally become wolves under the moon at the sight of a beauty, now they instantly adopted gentlemanly smiles.

Some, previously bare-chested, scrambled to change into their most stylish clothes. Others surreptitiously applied hair gel.

Those acquainted with An Miaoyi greeted her, and she nodded politely in response.

Then, she headed straight for Dormitory 520 and addressed Lin Yi, “Come with me.”

Lin Yi nodded.

After yesterday’s incident with the weasel seeking a reward, Lin Yi knew his fate was entwined with An Miaoyi—she wasn’t likely to let him go.

Indeed, she came looking for him early in the morning.

Seeing Lin Yi’s assent, An Miaoyi turned to leave.

The dorm mates gave him threatening looks, but after Lin Yi promised a lavish meal, they finally released him.

Lin Yi followed An Miaoyi, subjected to curious glances all the way.

When they finally reached the ground floor, the real nightmare began.

In the boys’ dorm, Lin Yi’s reputation was good, so things weren’t too bad.

But on the first floor, strangers eyed him with hostility.

Outside the dormitory, hostile looks multiplied.

“I’ve never heard of An Miaoyi being close with any male classmates. Who is this guy?”

“Who cares who he is? Humph! Anyone daring to approach my goddess An Miaoyi is courting death!”

…

Lin Yi and An Miaoyi entered a teaching building together.

Lin Yi frowned—where exactly was An Miaoyi taking him?

Moreover, she said nothing, leaving Lin Yi anxious.

He cleared his throat and asked, “Goddess, where are we headed? And, goddess, you’ve made quite a stir today…”

Before he could finish, he sensed something was off.

Though it was the weekend, there were usually some students and teachers in the building.

Yet, as An Miaoyi led him in, the entire place was eerily quiet.

Recalling the walk, Lin Yi realized there hadn’t been any foot traffic outside either.

The quiet was unnaturally profound.

Strange.

As Lin Yi paused, An Miaoyi turned and smiled at him, “Stop pretending.”

“…?”

Lin Yi was perplexed—what did she mean by ‘stop pretending’?

An Miaoyi replied with a simple, “Heh.”

She continued forward.

Lin Yi glanced around, wary that An Miaoyi might be setting some trap for him.

He had thwarted the weasel yesterday—could An Miaoyi now wish to silence him, keeping the incident secret?

But Lin Yi dismissed the idea.

During the reward-seeking incident, An Miaoyi had always acted with a sense of duty; harming him seemed unlikely.

No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t fathom her motives.

While Lin Yi was lost in thought, they entered the elevator.

Suddenly, Lin Yi felt a haze of mist enveloping them.

As he and An Miaoyi stepped into the elevator, a dripping sound grew louder and louder—the steady rhythm of water, echoing incessantly.

The elevator lights flickered.

Dripping water transformed into mist!

Like smoke!

Having experienced the supernatural before, Lin Yi instantly realized something eerie was afoot.

Sure enough, as the lights flickered, the elevator grew colder, and Lin Yi saw the water flow intensify.

Soon, it seemed as if water was surging inside, not leaking out but threatening to fill the elevator.

Lin Yi panicked.

Though he possessed the energy condensed from yesterday’s Body-Tempering Pill—immense strength, capable of blasting open the elevator doors with a single punch—and had cultivated the “Great Cavern Canon,” learning to channel this energy and even master martial arts techniques, Lin Yi also knew how to deal with fierce spirits.

The problem was, with An Miaoyi present, if Lin Yi revealed his abilities, he’d expose himself.

He instinctively looked at An Miaoyi.

Strangely… she seemed unchanged, as if oblivious to everything!

This perplexed Lin Yi even more… Then a smile crept onto his lips—he understood now, that “stop pretending” was An Miaoyi’s way of probing him.

She was testing him!

Lin Yi guessed right.

Yesterday, after separating from Lin Yi’s grandfather and the others, An Miaoyi grew increasingly suspicious. Though she verbally credited nearby masters for the incident, she also harbored doubts about Lin Yi.

During the weasel’s reward-seeking, all was reinforced with illusions. A normal person, affected by such a creature, would never remain unperturbed. Yet Lin Yi was acutely aware, ultimately defeating the weasel.

Her grandfather had told her—the weasel possessed a century’s cultivation.

A century’s cultivation… The illusions it conjured would overwhelm any ordinary person.

Yet Lin Yi endured.

Clearly, he had a master behind him—and he himself possessed ability.

Especially considering the events at her small inn, An Miaoyi resolved to test Lin Yi!

She was determined to expose his strength and begin her grand drama of nomination!

Hmph, she refused to believe she couldn’t uncover his secrets!

The water roared louder, the elevator became a watery cave; in the blink of an eye, water rose past their knees, waist, then quickly up to their necks.

The water, inexplicably, was bone-chilling, making one shiver.

But Lin Yi was only pretending to shiver, for the heat from his cultivation of the “Great Cavern Canon” automatically surged through him.

Evil retreated, cold subsided.

Lin Yi feigned shivering because he noticed An Miaoyi’s eyes frequently glanced at him—not directly, but through reflections in the elevator and on the water’s surface.

“Still pretending!” An Miaoyi thought, watching Lin Yi act frightened, wondering if he’d soon say, “I’m scared, I’m scared…” or perhaps, “Help me, goddess, save me…”

The elevator was not large, and An Miaoyi and Lin Yi were close together; Lin Yi was now pretending to paddle desperately.

Lin Yi wondered whether An Miaoyi, seeing his act, would stop probing.

An Miaoyi frowned, her gaze growing more uncertain.

Could it be that Lin Yi truly possessed no abilities?

Though An Miaoyi wished to test him, she would never allow real harm to come to him.

She knew the water around them was entirely an illusion—there was no real water.

Yet, despite its illusory nature, it could still suffocate and drown a person.

Because this was a harmful illusion conjured by a ghost!

The next moment, An Miaoyi produced a quaint little wooden box, atop which rested an ancient sword.

When she opened the box, a surge of energy radiated from the sword.

It seemed the box was a seal, and as the lid was lifted, the ancient sword burst forth menacingly.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the illusion, water surged and roared, and Lin Yi, emboldened, seemed to latch onto her in the chaos.

Wait—where exactly was he grabbing?