Chapter 53: Bug and Correction

The woman seated at the table wore a white dress, her face partially obscured by a sheer veil. Yet even with her features hidden, her graceful outline alone was enough to reveal her breathtaking beauty.

But when one’s gaze landed upon her eyes above the veil—those cold, sword-like eyes—it felt as though they could pierce through all pretense and see straight into the depths of one’s soul.

Almost instinctively, the Xuanhuang Merit Fire ignited from within Lu Yan’s soul, shielding his spirit in its protective flames.

“Merit-based Divine Power? Interesting.”

The cold indifference in the woman’s expression faded significantly. A trace of curiosity seemed to rise within her.

Only then did Lu Yan manage to break free from the pressure of her gaze.

He rubbed his temples lightly, doing his best to suppress the erupting Xuanhuang Merit Fire, then smiled and cupped his hands respectfully toward the stunning woman in front of him.

“Lu Yan greets Senior Sister Ji.”

This woman was none other than the Jade-Carving Immortal, Ji Xingyao, a true disciple of the Qingwu Sect!

Their first encounter was nothing more than a brief glimpse back in the bamboo market. This marked the second time Lu Yan had seen her—and more importantly, the second time he had encountered someone across different versions.

The last cross-version encounter had been with Shopkeeper Chu, whom Lu Yan had beaten to death with a flurry of blows.

But facing Ji Xingyao of the Xianxia version, Lu Yan no longer felt the ease he once held during the urban version.

Back then, Ji Xingyao was merely a washed-up online celebrity, while Lu Yan had been the sole cultivator in that world.

Now, in the Xianxia version, she stood high above as a true disciple of a great sect, while Lu Yan was just a mid-stage Qi Refining rogue cultivator.

Their roles had been completely reversed—and more crucially, so had their levels of power.

Ji Xingyao had entered his cave without a sound. If she hadn’t deliberately revealed herself, Lu Yan wouldn’t have even noticed. Her strength was far beyond anything he had ever encountered. If she wished him harm, he likely wouldn’t even have time to summon his Hundred Soul Banner.

And even if he managed to bring it out, Lu Yan seriously doubted he could stand a chance against her.

The Hundred Soul Banner might allow him to kill across realms, but Ji Xingyao, as a true disciple of Qingwu Sect, was not someone ordinary methods could contend with.

Since fighting wasn’t an option, he could only fall back on sentiment.

He hadn’t forgotten that back in the urban version, he’d raised his favorability with Ji Xingyao a fair bit. Though he wasn’t sure how the version mirroring affected that, it might still prove useful.

Ji Xingyao looked over him and did not object to being addressed as “Senior Sister.” Instead, she spoke with mild intrigue:

“I couldn’t see through you back at the Bamboo Market. I didn’t expect your cultivation to be just mid-stage Qi Refining. Your divine power’s not bad, but your realm is too low to unleash its full potential.”

Lu Yan’s heart clenched.

Her words sharply revealed a key detail about version updates—namely, that his Qi Refining First Layer cultivation in the urban version had not been reflected in her memories. No one in that version could cultivate, so naturally, no one could see through his level. In her mind, he had always remained mysterious and unfathomable—not some lowly Qi Refining nobody.

That misperception wouldn’t be corrected unless she encountered him again in this current version.

“This could be a useful trait in future version transitions.”

The thought flashed through Lu Yan’s mind, but he maintained his smile outwardly as he asked politely:

“Thank you for the praise, Senior Sister. May I ask why you’ve come?”

Ji Xingyao gave him a faint look, clearly unimpressed by his attempt to play dumb.

“No need to act. I arrived at Qinggu Market before the inspections even began. I know you used my name to bluff Xie Yun—but I won’t bother holding that against you.”

As she spoke, she extended her smooth, jade-like hand toward Lu Yan.

“Hand it over.”

“What… what do you mean?” Lu Yan tried to play innocent.

“The thing you showed Xie Yun.”

Lu Yan’s face immediately twisted with pain.

With a reluctant sigh, he pulled out the storage pouch containing the Spirit Marrow Ore.

He had stolen the ore, but its value in future urban version developments was immeasurable.

But Ji Xingyao had already come to his doorstep to personally demand it. Not handing it over now would be pushing his luck.

Frankly, he was already thankful that the bit of favorability he’d built was enough to prevent her from striking him down immediately. He didn’t dare hope she was truly soft-hearted.

Ji Xingyao accepted the pouch, glanced at the contents… then tossed it back without a care, as if thousands of spirit stones meant nothing to her.

“Not this.”

Lu Yan’s joy from retrieving the ore froze on his face.

He immediately realized—Ji Xingyao didn’t want the ore. She wanted the photo he had shown Xie Yun.

That photo came from the urban version and was preserved across versions due to Lu Yan’s “Immutable” trait.

He had managed to bring supplies from the apocalyptic version only because the timeline and world settings were similar enough. So long as he erased manufacturing dates and such, the items wouldn’t be too out of place.

But a photograph—this was something that absolutely did not belong in a Xianxia world.

He had only used it to bluff Xie Yun into believing in his connection to Ji Xingyao. The move had been a desperate gamble.

Xie Yun had never actually touched the photo, so he couldn’t tell what it was made of or how it had been created. He assumed it was some kind of special illusion talisman.

But Ji Xingyao?

If she took it, she would immediately see that the photo was a mortal item—with herself as the subject. She had no memories of ever being a fallen online celebrity from the urban version. Faced with such a foreign version of herself…

What would her reaction be?

Would the clash between two Ji Xingyaos trigger unforeseen world changes?

Lu Yan fell into silence.

A deep sense of foreboding swelled in his chest.

Still, Ji Xingyao said nothing more. She simply watched him quietly—no rush, no threats.

After a long pause, Lu Yan slowly reached into his storage pouch… and handed her the photograph.

Ji Xingyao took it.

Her gaze fell upon the image—and for the first time, the icy façade on her face shifted.

“…This is…”

An immense aura suddenly erupted from her body, a sword-like pressure soaring into the sky, fierce and unmatched. The sharp sword intent seemed as though it could tear through the heavens, even shattering the market’s Second-Grade protective formation in an instant.

Even with the protection of Xuanhuang Merit Fire, Lu Yan’s eyes stung from the pressure, tears flowing involuntarily.

Outside Qinggu Market, where he was interrogating rogue cultivators, Xie Yun’s expression changed drastically.

“She’s… in the market?!”

“What were those inner disciples doing?!”

Without hesitation, Xie Yun abandoned everyone present and fled as a streak of light.

The other outer disciples scattered in panic. Only the bewildered rogue cultivators remained behind, staring at each other in confusion.

Inside the cave, Lu Yan locked his gaze on Ji Xingyao’s figure.

Even with the Merit Fire shielding him, her sword intent was so sharp it still hurt him physically.

In the next moment, the photo vanished from Ji Xingyao’s hand.

It was as if an omnipotent force had reached down to erase the object entirely—its information, its cause and effect, even its conceptual existence… gone.

Search the past, the future—it no longer existed.

Then, a prompt appeared before Lu Yan’s eyes:

[Version Alteration Value: 1%]

(End of Chapter)