"Run! Run!!"
Xiao Yang was sprinting for his life through the dense forest, a swarm of maddened venomous bees chasing him from behind. These insects, originally no bigger than a fingernail, were now each the size of a fist, their stingers glowing an eerie blue — all mutated specimens raised by Ye Qingxuan using her "special formula."
"I only accidentally burned her herb garden..." Xiao Yang glanced back as he ran. "Does she really have to sic a whole swarm on me?!"
[Ding! Ye Qingxuan's Favorability -15]
[Current Bond Level: 35%]
[Yan Hongling's Bond Level +5% (Gloating)]
"You're laughing?! Damn you, system!" Xiao Yang raged, wanting to smash the interface.
Suddenly, the forest ahead opened up. Xiao Yang skidded to a halt, nearly crashing into a stone tablet—
[Forbidden Zone of Frostsword Pavilion]
[Trespassers Will Be Executed]
His eyes lit up. "Perfect!"
Sure enough, the bees halted at the tablet, hovering restlessly in midair.
"Hahaha! Come on, keep chasing me!" Xiao Yang mocked, making a face. "I dare you to— Ow!"
A stone flew out of nowhere and smacked him square on the back of the head.
(2)
Rubbing his head, Xiao Yang turned—and froze.
Three meters away, on a stone slab, sat a white-robed woman.
Her silver hair was loosely tied with a plain ribbon, her skin paler than the finest jade. Her sword robe hugged an elegant figure, and at her waist hung a translucent longsword. But what truly stunned him were her eyes — ice-blue irises, as if sealed in eternal frost, regarding him like a dead thing.
Frostsword Pavilion's top inner disciple — Lin Hanyi.
"Man," she spoke, her voice cold and ethereal, "you're disturbing my sword practice."
Xiao Yang instinctively stepped back. "Fairy, I—"
"Trespassing the forbidden grounds is punishable by death," Lin Hanyi rose slowly. Her sword unsheathed three inches by itself. "Will you end it yourself, or shall I do it for you?"
(3)
A flash of sword light!
Xiao Yang didn't even see her move before a chill grazed his neck. He shut his eyes in despair—
Ding!
The pain never came. Opening his eyes, he saw Lin Hanyi's sword tip trembling an inch from his throat.
"Hm?" Lin Hanyi frowned. "Burial Snow... is resisting?"
Only then did Xiao Yang notice the golden thread tied to the sword tassel — a piece of his belt that Yan Hongling had burned earlier!
[Ding! Sword Spirit Resonance Detected]
[Lin Hanyi Bond Pre-Activation]
[Current Bond Level: 5% (Alert)]
"You know Hongling?" Her tone grew dangerous.
Xiao Yang started sweating. "We've... met?"
"Hmph." Lin Hanyi suddenly sheathed her sword. "Come with me."
(4)
Frostsword Pavilion, Sword-Washing Pool.
Xiao Yang stood nervously as Lin Hanyi dipped her sword into the cold spring. Strangely, the moment the water touched that golden thread, it began to boil and emit white mist.
"Just as I thought," Lin Hanyi said icily. "Your aura contaminated my sword."
Xiao Yang: "???"
"Three months ago, Hongling borrowed Burial Snow to suppress an underground fire," she stroked the blade, "When she returned it, this was on the tassel."
Suddenly, she grabbed his collar. "Tell me. What did you do to her?"
"I really don't know!" Xiao Yang wailed. "She suddenly kissed me and—uh..."
He trailed off, noticing her other hand was already on the hilt.
(5)
[Ding! Lethal Threat Detected]
[Recommended Action: Play Dumb / Run / Confess]
Xiao Yang's mind raced. "I-I came to deliver a message! Senior Sister Hongling said... she's found a dual cultivation partner!"
Clang!
Burial Snow unsheathed fully, freezing the entire spring!
"Who?" Lin Hanyi's voice was colder than steel.
Xiao Yang pointed at himself with a stiff face. "I-It might be me..."
The air froze.
Her pupils briefly widened before returning to icy calm. She placed a hand on his dantian, and a bone-piercing chill surged through his meridians.
"Wait! I was joking! AHH—!"
[Ding! Ice Attribute Body Tempering Detected]
[Lin Hanyi Bond Activating...]
[Current Bond Level: 10%]
[Ability Gained: Frost Resistance (Beginner)]
Xiao Yang noticed his breath now crystallized into ice in the air. Even stranger, her icy energy suppressed the raging love-gu worm inside him.
"Interesting," Lin Hanyi withdrew her hand. "Your body..."
Before she could finish, a thunderous boom echoed in the distance.
BOOM—!
They turned to see a blaze rising from the direction of the Burning Heaven Valley. A lava dragon writhed among the clouds.
"Hongling..." Lin Hanyi's expression shifted.
(6)
When they arrived at Burning Heaven Valley, the sight stunned Xiao Yang—
Yan Hongling floated mid-air, wrapped in seven fiery whips, confronting the lava dragon. Her red robe was torn, exposing caramel-colored skin, but she wore an ecstatic expression.
"Come on! I'll tame you today if it kills me!"
The dragon roared, spitting a fire blast. Yan Hongling didn't dodge—instead, she opened her mouth and swallowed it!
[Ding! Yan Hongling Bond +10%]
[Current Bond: 45%]
"Reckless," Lin Hanyi snorted, her sword flying out on its own. "She can't control the core flame essence."
Xiao Yang sensed danger. "Wait, what are you doing?"
"Saving her," Lin Hanyi wrapped an arm around his waist. "Lend me your yang energy."
"Wha—? AHH—!"
The next second, they turned into a beam of sword light and shot into the sky!
(7)
Mid-air, Yan Hongling turned joyfully. "Junior Brother? Hanyi? You guys—"
"Shut up," Lin Hanyi shoved Xiao Yang between them, "Circulate your energy."
Before he could react, he was pressed between two warm bodies—one cold, one blazing. Lin Hanyi's hand on his back, Yan Hongling's on his chest—two contrasting energies surged into him!
[Warning!]
[Tri-Energy Convergence Detected]
[Love Thread System Overclocking...]
Xiao Yang felt like his meridians were exploding. Poison marks on his back, fire marks on his chest, and now ice marks spreading down his arm. The three energies clashed in his dantian, then fused into a chaotic current, bursting from his fingertip—
BOOM!!!
The beam hit the dragon. Time seemed to stop.
Then, under their stunned gazes, the lava dragon wailed and disintegrated, turning into falling fire rain. Every flame near Xiao Yang fizzled out within three meters, as if kneeling before a king.
[Ding! Bond Sync Threshold Broken]
[New Skill Acquired: Icefire Ninefold Heaven (Pseudo)]
[Effect: Next Dual Cultivation Efficiency +300%]
Xiao Yang: "..."
What kind of ridiculous skill is this?!
(8)
After the battle, the three landed on a scorched hill.
Yan Hongling's clothes were tattered, but her face was excited. "Junior Brother! That move was insane! Let's do it again!"
Lin Hanyi silently gripped her sword. "Explain yourselves. What exactly is your relationship?"
Caught between them, Xiao Yang suddenly had an idea. "Actually... I'm just here to deliver a message! Senior Sister Ye says her new poison is ready. She invites both of you to test it!"
Then he ran off, leaving an afterimage behind.
[Ding! New Title Acquired: Love Battlefield Escapee]
[Effect: +50% Speed When Fleeing from Female Aggro]
Behind him, two angry voices yelled:
"Stop right there!"
"Man, do you want to die?!"
Xiao Yang ran even faster.
(9)
That night, in the dungeon of the Ten Thousand Poisons Pit—
Xiao Yang was tied up on a torture rack, facing three very different beauties.
Ye Qingxuan twirled a poison needle. "Heard you want all three of us to test my poison together?"
Yan Hongling licked her lips. "Quite bold of you~"
Lin Hanyi wiped her sword in silence. "Which side should I slice first?"
Xiao Yang gulped. "Uh... Can I apply for euthanasia?"
[Ding! Extreme Danger Detected]
[Recommended Action: Play Dead]
Just then, the roof burst open!
A beam of green sword light slashed through the ropes. Before Xiao Yang could react, a teal ribbon wrapped around his waist and pulled him skyward.
A cold voice whispered in his ear: "He belongs to me."
Looking up, he saw eyes like a galaxy of stars—
[Ding! New Bond Target Detected]
[Feng Ling'er (Sword Spirit - Green Thread)]
[Current Bond Level: 1% (Curious)]
"Wait! I'm not ready—"
"Shut up," Feng Ling'er said emotionlessly, flying into the night sky. "You smell like my scabbard."
Xiao Yang: "???"
What the hell kind of bizarre bond is this now?!