1 Perfect Timing

On the vast Qingyun Peak, there stood only the Changqing Palace. Enveloped in mist and clouds all year round, no one dared to disturb its peace.

With hair as white as snow but a face that remained youthful, the immortal wore a white robe. As he walked, his sleeves fluttered, shimmering with the light of high-grade array formations.

As the sect master of the Boundless Sect, the number one sect in the world, Immortal Lord Yanchi rarely felt flustered. Yet now, standing before Changqing Palace, he hesitated at the entrance for a long while before taking a deep breath, gathering his courage to push open the doors.

The interior of the palace was vast, filled with various rare treasures, magical artifacts, and famous swords. Even the floor tiles beneath his feet were large blocks of spirit stones, a dazzling display of sheer wealth.

Though Yanchi had visited many times and was no stranger to such sights, he still felt a twinge of envy.

To decorate one's own palace in this manner—Sword Venerable Lingye, Cui Huai, truly behaved like a wealthy landlord, utterly lacking the elegance of a cultivator. Although he knew she was human, he couldn't help but suspect she was actually a dragon, creatures naturally obsessed with hoarding wealth.

Despite his internal complaints, he dared not show a hint of it on his face. Yanchi simply lowered his eyes and waited respectfully.

After a moment, a lazy voice drifted over.

"Yanchi, what brings you here?"

Sword Venerable Lingye, Cui Huai, had arrived.

Seated above was a tall woman with delicate features and clear, bright eyes. Yet, the sharp aura she exuded left no one with the courage to admire her beauty; one could only wish to bow their head even lower.

"Venerable One, the Sumeru Realm is rich in resources. In past years, only disciples from the major sects were allowed entry. Now, the smaller sects and the Rogue Cultivator Alliance are clamoring to join the trial. Since this realm belongs to you, we request your decision."

Yanchi did not waste a single word, knowing full well that this ancestor had no patience for beating around the bush.

However, Cui Huai did not even hear those few sentences. The buzzing static that had been troubling her mind lately had finally stopped, replaced by a crisp, unfamiliar voice.

"Signal successfully connected."

Startled, Cui Huai blurted out, "Who are you?"

Hearing this, Yanchi nearly choked on his own breath in exasperation.

Back then, Cui Huai had been unwilling to manage affairs. At a mere thousand years old, she had shamelessly bestowed upon herself the title of Grand Elder and dumped the exhausting duties of the sect master onto him.

She, the "elder," spent her days practicing her sword on Qingyun Peak, refusing to take any disciples, acting purely as a mascot. Her occasional trips outside the sect were solely to pick fights.

All matters of the sect, large and small, were piled onto Yanchi. He wished he had eight hands and four heads to handle the administrative mess. Though he was only a few years older than Cui Huai, his hair had already turned completely white from stress.

He could be said to have rendered great service, yet just moments ago, Cui Huai had called him by his name, and now she had already forgotten who he was?

Even if great nobles had short memories, surely they weren't this forgetful!

Yanchi stared at Cui Huai’s lustrous, pitch-black hair, then thought of his own snow-white locks of worry. Gritting his teeth, he replied, "I am the Sect Master, Yanchi. What are your orders, Venerable One?"

Indifferent to his introduction, Cui Huai only asked, "Did you hear a sound just now? Something about 'sign-all' being connected?"

Yanchi shook his head. The fame of Sword Venerable Lingye spread far and wide; who else would dare trespass onto Qingyun Peak?

Cui Huai pursed her lips impatiently. "If you have nothing else, you may leave."

Yanchi asked, "Then how does the Venerable One decide regarding the secret realm?"

To Cui Huai, this was a trivial matter as insignificant as a speck of dust. Without much thought, she said, "Determine the slots through a tournament. Let their abilities speak for them. The Boundless Sect has enjoyed the best resources for all these years. If we have only raised a bunch of useless fools who cannot even defeat disciples of minor sects, then they have no business going to the secret realm."

"We shall proceed according to your wishes, Venerable One. The sect will also put its full effort into the tournament."

Yanchi bowed in agreement and turned to leave.

The crisp voice rang in Cui Huai's mind once more, its tone even more cheerful this time.

"Hello, Cui Huai, the female lead of *The Sword Venerable's Regrets*! I am System 003, here to help you grow your strength while finding love! Our slogan is: 'Charge forward in both love and career!' Are you ready to face the challenge, Cui Huai? Let's go, go, go!"

Cui Huai, a country bumpkin of the cultivation world who had never seen such a thing, thought that her enemy's methods had actually become powerful enough to induce hallucinations.

How terrifying!

She called out to Yanchi, who was walking out of the palace. "Did you really not hear any sound?"

Yanchi stopped his steps, eager as he was to escape Changqing Palace. After listening carefully, he said, "Indeed not."

He merely thought that Cui Huai might be losing her mind. Perhaps he should call a medical cultivator to check on her. After all, the reputation of the Boundless Sect as the number one sect in the world still relied on her formidable presence.

Cui Huai closed her eyes, sorely missing her previous peace. When she opened them again, she simply said, "I am entering seclusion. It will be for at least a century. Do not disturb me with trivial matters again."

Yanchi didn't want to see her either! In his eyes, this world-renowned number one sword cultivator had a temper like a rabid dog!

Was there really no one in the cultivation world who could put her in her place?

There really wasn't.

Mainly because no one could beat her in a fight.

With that thought, he could only swallow his anger.

Yanchi forced a smile. "For the next century, Qingyun Peak will be sealed once more. I wish you a peaceful cultivation, Venerable One."

***

After Yanchi left, the great hall returned to silence, but Cui Huai's mind felt as though a flock of spirit sparrows had nested inside, chirping non-stop.

"You are a cultivator with a lightning spiritual root, born with a spiritual body," System 003 said, attempting to show off its knowledge of the plot.

Cui Huai toyed with the tassel of her natal sword, the Tiansheng Sword, the dark threads sliding through her fair, slender fingers.

"Even the children on the streets know that. Tell me something others don't know."

"You were orphaned at a young age and suffered a great deal. But you were strong; even before entering the path of cultivation, you killed the State Preceptor of Wuyang Kingdom, who attempted to seize your body."

Cui Huai unconsciously tightened her grip on the tassel, her knuckles turning pale from the force. What 003 said was true. To know such ancient history meant it indeed possessed some ability.

003 spent the rest of the day patiently explaining and nagging, finally convincing Cui Huai that it was a product of a civilization from another world.

Having accepted this mind-boggling fact, Cui Huai immediately formed hand seals and channeled her energy, her divine sense surging rapidly, washing over every corner of her sea of consciousness.

A moment later, Cui Huai suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped the trace from her lips.

Despite such turbulence in her sea of consciousness, 003 remained lively and completely unharmed.

"Don't waste your effort hurting yourself. I am merely a consciousness. You naturally cannot find me, nor can you destroy me."

Realizing she could do nothing to it, Cui Huai bargained, "You said I am the female lead of some storybook. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I have endless resources and can guide your cultivation. Of course, there is one condition: you must pursue the male lead. When the time comes, you will have both love and career success. Isn't that wonderful?"

This was simply preposterous. In the entire cultivation world, no one dared to boast that they could guide her cultivation.

In her heart, Cui Huai labeled this self-proclaimed intelligent 003 as "delusional" and casually fished for information. "Who is this male lead you speak of?"

"The number one sword cultivator in the world, Sword Venerable Jinyan. Satisfied? I told you I wouldn't trick you. Although the journey for you two is a bit rocky, the ending is a match made in heaven."

It had been a long time since anyone dared to mention that name in front of Cui Huai. Hearing it suddenly made her daze for a moment.

Coming to her senses, she spoke in a tone one might use for a fool: "If I remember correctly, your male lead died by my sword three hundred years ago. Furthermore, humble as I am, the current number one sword cultivator in the world is me."

003 let out a burst of static, then asked in disbelief:

"What time is it now? How are you so strong? Weren't you supposed to have just entered the Qi Condensation stage?"

"Oh no, oh no! I'm actually a thousand years late! Ahhhhhh!"

"What should I do? Without the affection points between you and the male lead, my performance review will fail, and I'll be sent back to the factory for disposal!"

Cui Huai couldn't help but curl her lips. Disposal sounded great. Go on, hurry up, and let's never meet again.

"Wait, no, there's still hope! How about Immortal Lord Mingxiao? A disciple of a prestigious family with a strong background. Although he's not as strong as the male lead, he's decent. A male supporting lead taking the main spot works too!"

Cui Huai turned the storage ring on her finger, feeling even happier. It seemed killing enough people back then had accumulated good karma for her.

"Mingxiao? He died even earlier. I killed him five hundred years ago."

Hearing this "good news" from Cui Huai, 003 broke down completely. After a barrage of wailing and weeping, it vanished.

Cui Huai sighed with relief. The world had finally returned to normal. Today, she was still the ordinary, run-of-the-mill number one sword cultivator in the world.

***

A few days later, the voice she thought had vanished for good rang in her mind again.

"After careful consideration by this system, there is always a way. Although the plot of *The Sword Venerable's Regrets* is beyond saving, by my calculations, the plot of *Peak of the Great Dao*, a romance-free male-lead novel, has already begun, and it just happens to lack a female lead. Although the protagonist of this book is a growth-type character and can't protect you right from the start, there's no other way. Prepare yourself to use an alt account to go fall in love."

What was a romance-free male-lead novel? What was a growth-type character?

Cui Huai did not understand, but it did not stop her from flatly refusing such an absurd request.

"I refuse. Don't even think about it."

The system cried for another two days.

"You know, I left home at a young age, left my mother, and came to this foreign land to perform missions. Now, my host is so heartless, watching me face disposal without even lending a hand."

Cui Huai remained unmoved, finding it only annoying. Crying all day long was simply bad luck.

During these two days, she had not been idle. She tried arrays, talismans, magical treasures, sword intent, spells...

She even refined a Heaven-grade spiritual treasure and summoned a bolt of heavenly tribulation lightning.

After all that tossing and turning, she left herself covered in wounds, yet the system remained completely unscathed. Cui Huai routinely spat out a mouthful of blood, swallowed a healing pill, and realized that unless the system left or destroyed itself, she could do nothing to it.

Although this system was utterly useless, it was not bound by the rules of this world, and therefore could not be harmed by the forces of this realm. Cui Huai looked up at the sky. The Heavenly Dao governed the cultivation world; how could it allow such a thing to exist?

Just when she thought they would remain at a standstill, waiting for 003 to be disposed of after its mission failed—Cui Huai had a long life ahead of her and plenty of time to waste with it—

003 suddenly realized something on the third day.

"Wait, I don't need your consent at all! This is a notification, not a negotiation."

Why didn't it say so earlier? She had been acting so weakly. If she knew it was this powerful, she would have been a bit politer.

Before Cui Huai could adapt to the situation and negotiate further, she felt her strength rapidly regressing, her entire state reverting to that of her teenage self.

Before losing consciousness completely, she only managed to leave behind a parting curse.

"Go fuck yourself, you stupid piece of—"