Chapter 4: The Anping Ring

“This senior is really interesting, always hiding in the shadows.”

Xu Lingqing chuckled, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

But she soon underestimated the ‘senior’s’ methods. After the world-ending immortal fire dissipated, the sky returned to a wisp of azure blue.

The next second, the clouds roiled and surged, and waves of fire spread out, raining down a sky full of immortal flames like a braised cloud covering the heavens.

Chen Anping’s eyes widened. Staring at the screen full of flames, he swallowed hard. “This Immortal Fire Talisman is actually this powerful?”

“Annihilating them completely? Senior is so meticulous!”

Although they had only just met, the shock ‘Senior’ had given Xu Lingqing was not small.

In her two years at Jialan Academy, she had never heard of anyone whose severed meridians could be fully repaired.

The Great Elder’s grandson had gone out to hunt an exotic beast and had his meridians torn apart by its claws.

Despite spending countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, they only managed to reconnect his meridians, and his cultivation stagnated.

From that moment on, his own grandson was no longer treated as such.

At Jialan Academy, several elders stood outside an observatory, their gazes fixed on the north. A streak of fiery light tore through the sky, and they all trembled in fear.

“What kind of mighty figure is fighting to cause such repeated celestial phenomena!”

“After the battle a hundred years ago where ten thousand people besieged the peerless empress, the continent has been quiet for too long…”

“Great Elder, could it be that a mighty figure discovered an exotic beast in Stillness Ridge and is fighting to take its inner core?”

“Alas, with the Academy Dean in seclusion, it’s best for us to be on high alert!”

“Look, quickly! The great battle is still ongoing!”

Boom, boom, boom…

After the second round of immortal fire fell, the third round followed immediately, with less than a breath’s interval between them.

The earth-shattering immortal fire burned for a full five shichen.

For an entire night, the elders and sect masters of countless large and small factions near Stillness Ridge were terrified, fearing that the immortal fire would turn and descend upon their clans.

Fortunately, the immortal fire fell entirely on Stillness Ridge and nowhere else, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

After the immortal fire burned, the air of Stillness Ridge, originally filled with an aura of death, now held an almost imperceptible trace of immortal qi.

Xu Lingqing sat cross-legged all night, witnessing the might of the immortal fire with her own eyes, her mind gradually going blank.

“When will I ever possess such power? Then I could avenge my parents…”

Chen Anping had fallen asleep on the park bench. The night, which should have been cold, didn’t feel so cold anymore.

The next morning, at dawn.

The first warm rays of sunlight shone on Chen Anping.

He rubbed his drowsy eyes, feeling as if he had had a very long dream. In the dream, he was old, enjoying a happy life with his partner.

Chen Anping couldn’t help but shake his head. Could he even live that long?

“Heh, nine days left. Might as well live it up!”

E-girlfriend, activate!

[Daily Sign-in Gift Pack.]

Chen Anping tapped open the pop-up.

[Sign-in successful. Reward: Raging Fire Talisman x5, Yellow-rank Iron Sword x1, Low-grade Spatial Ring x1, Low-grade Spirit Stones x10.]

Looking at these items, a cunning smile touched the corners of Chen Anping’s mouth.

“Take them, a reward from your big bro!”

Xu Lingqing hadn’t slept all night, sitting in meditation with her broken pipa in her arms.

She kept feeling a pair of eyes watching her in the dark, making her feel uneasy all over.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of spiritual energy wash over her, startling her into closing her eyes.

When she opened them again, an ancient bronze-colored ring was on her middle finger, radiating a faint spatial fluctuation.

Xu Lingqing cried out in astonishment, “Senior! Is this a spatial ring you’ve given me?”

“Take it, take it. It’s just a newbie gift from the sign-in. Is it really worth getting so excited over?” Chen Anping thought with a small, satisfied smile.

This thought, however, was transmitted into the game as:

[A mere trifle. Do not be so courteous!]

Xu Lingqing remembered that only the elders of Jialan Academy were qualified to possess a spatial ring!

Her heart pounded with excitement. She placed the broken pipa behind her, raised her head to the east, and looked directly at the sun, praying sincerely.

“Senior is like a second parent to me. If I ever have the chance to repay you, I will climb a mountain of blades and plunge into a sea of fire without hesitation!”

Chen Anping looked at the game’s pop-up and unconsciously stroked the non-existent beard on his chin.

“A Goose Factory product is a guaranteed masterpiece!”

After finishing her prayer, Xu Lingqing tried to merge a wisp of her consciousness into the spatial ring.

The next second, a backlash from the ring sent her stumbling back several steps. Xu Lingqing said dejectedly.

“Senior… I…”

It was her first time using a spatial ring; she had no idea how to activate it.

[Drip your essence blood on the ring!]

Xu Lingqing bit her finger and let the purest drop of her blood merge into the spatial ring.

The spatial ring trembled slightly for a few moments, then emitted a faint glow.

[Name it!]

Xu Lingqing’s consciousness entered a completely blank space. Here, a huge screen of light seemed to be guiding something.

She bowed towards the sky, bit her lip, her body tense.

“May I be so bold as to ask for Senior’s name?”

Chen Anping chuckled. “This user experience is really something else, no wonder I can’t resist paying. My name is Chen Anping!”

[My name is Chen Anping!]

As the powerful voice fell, Xu Lingqing didn’t even dare to lift her head, afraid of displeasing the senior.

“I can use Senior’s prestigious name to claim ownership of the spatial ring.”

Just as Xu Lingqing finished speaking, she shook her head violently and explained nervously.

“That’s not what I meant. I just don’t want to forget Senior’s help, to remember your prestigious name for all eternity.”

It’s just a game, yet it’s more sentimental than my so-called ‘friends and family.’

Isn’t it just a name?

In ten days, who will even remember me?

Chen Anping closed his eyes bitterly and pursed his lips.

“Use it, go ahead! No need to be so polite with me.”

[Permitted!]

After receiving the affirmative answer, Xu Lingqing nearly jumped for joy. She instantly poured all of her consciousness into the spatial ring.

The process of claiming ownership and engraving the name was far more difficult than she had imagined.

With her dantian shattered, she couldn’t use spiritual rhyme to form a writing brush like others. She could only use her own consciousness as the brush.

Each stroke required her to pour all of her consciousness into it. The slightest mistake, and everything she had carved would dissipate, all her efforts wasted.

Xu Lingqing bit her tongue hard, using the intense pain to help her consciousness coalesce into a green brush.

A horizontal stroke…

The green brush forcefully wrote a horizontal line on the light screen, then immediately a vertical one, followed by another horizontal one.

Just three strokes seemed to exhaust all of Xu Lingqing’s strength. Her whole body went limp and collapsed to the ground.

“Wuuu…”

“Why am I so weak? I can’t even engrave Senior’s name. How can I be worthy of his help?”

Xu Lingqing wiped away her tears with her sleeve, her fingers clenching into a fist, nails digging into the flesh of her palm.

She took a deep breath, pouring all her strength into this engraving.

“Ah!”

A hysterical scream.

Horizontal, vertical, horizontal, dot, dot…

The complete character for ‘Ping’ was carved onto the light screen. Xu Lingqing bit her tongue again, enduring the pain to carve the remaining character ‘An’ above it.

Anping Ring!

By this time, she was already drenched in sweat, collapsed on the ground, yet a faint smile touched her lips.

“Senior, Lingqing will not disappoint your expectations.”

The light gradually receded, and the spatial ring returned to its calm state, completely merged with her.

[Warning!! A pack of Heavenly Demon Wolves is approaching. Top up ¥6 to lead the wolf pack elsewhere. Using a Raging Fire Talisman can eliminate this pack of Heavenly Demon Wolves, but may attract other things.]

[End of Chapter]