I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script-Chapter 78

Xu Shulou Herding Sheep

Ji Ci brought Xu Shulou a furnace of pills—quite literally, a furnace tall enough to reach a person’s height. "Senior Sister, these are my latest batch of experimental pills. Feel free to nibble on them for fun."

Xu Shulou peeked inside. The furnace was packed to the brim with pills, enough to feed a herd of pigs. Her lips twitched. "What do they do?"

"They calm the mind and brighten the eyes. After taking one, your body will emit a faint, pleasant fragrance that lasts about half a month," Ji Ci explained. "They’re just practice pieces, but the ingredients are safe—no side effects."

Xu Shulou perked up with interest. "What kind of scents?"

"The white ones smell like freesia, the pink-white ones like moonflower. There’s also night-blooming cereus, lotus, and blue hydrangea."

Xu Shulou popped a white pill into her mouth. Moments later, she sniffed her wrist and caught the delicate fragrance of freesia—subtle yet lingering, just enough to brush her senses when she moved or swung her sword.

"Impressive! You’ve only been practicing for a few months, yet you’ve already mastered scent control so well," Xu Shulou praised her junior brother.

Ji Ci grinned. "I’ve also perfected a Crocodile Transformation Pill. Want to try some?"

"Crocodile Transformation Pill?" The name alone made Xu Shulou wary. "What does it do?"

"After taking it, your skin will grow scales like a crocodile’s back—hard enough to deflect attacks."

"That does sound interesting," Xu Shulou mused before nodding. "Alright, give me some."

Ji Ci handed her a small porcelain vial. "Don’t overdo it, though. If you take too many at once, you’ll turn into a full-blown crocodile!"

Xu Shulou examined the vial and asked earnestly, "Can you turn back?"

"..."

Before Xu Shulou could experience crocodilian life, the students of Xuan Cang Academy were granted a rare three-day break.

The break came with no restrictions—students could go wherever they pleased. But just before dismissal, their instructor reminded the excited crowd that a trial in a minor secret realm was approaching and suggested they use the break to prepare.

Whether in the mortal world or the cultivation realm, students’ love for breaks was universal. The announcement was met with collective groans.

Groans aside, preparations had to be made. While some overconfident students dismissed the need, others buried themselves in the library for information on the secret realm, while some hastily sketched defensive talismans or practiced protective spells.

As for Xu Shulou? She spent the three days raiding the mortal world for delicacies, stuffing her Qiankun Bracelet with food until every container was packed to the brim.

When the break ended, the instructors revealed the trial’s rules: no rules at all. The longer one survived in the secret realm, the higher their ranking.

"No time limit?" a student asked.

"None," the instructor confirmed.

Xu Shulou absently rubbed her Qiankun Ring. Bai Roushuang shot her a sidelong glance—without a time limit, this one could probably outlast them all.

The students lined up and entered the secret realm one by one. In theory, eliminating others was an option to secure victory, but since this was just an academy trial, no one resorted to such underhanded tactics.

The moment Xu Shulou stepped into the realm, Thirty-three noticed her and approached, inviting her to explore together.

She was surprised. After their past scuffle, she hadn’t expected him to be so magnanimous. Rarely one to agree, she nodded this time—missing the triumphant glance he exchanged with his friends. If he couldn’t take her down alone, surely a group ambush would do the trick?

Meanwhile, her fellow disciples from Bright Moon Peak all chose to go solo, insisting that relying on their senior sister would skew their true capabilities.

Xu Shulou watched their retreating backs with pride before turning to Thirty-three. "Let’s go."

The group of ten—men and women alike—were the usual arrogant bunch. Xu Shulou wasn’t close with any of them and simply followed in silence.

One female cultivator, eyeing her, sneered, "So this is our top-ranked student? Who knew a nobody could rise so high?"

Though ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍dressed in the same academy uniform, this woman had clearly put effort into the details—replacing the standard hairpiece with a white jade crown, adorning her wooden waist token with colorful spirit jade, and adding elegant silk tassels. The effect was undeniably luxurious.

Xu Shulou had been admiring her ingenuity until the sudden jab left her momentarily speechless.

She didn’t realize her daily trips to the dining hall had earned her a "nobody" label, but she wasn’t one to tolerate disrespect. Helpfully, she offered, "If you’re unhappy, I’d be glad to settle this with a fight."

The woman stiffened. "Who said anything about fighting? You’re so aggressive!"

"Because some people only learn to speak politely after a good thrashing," Xu Shulou replied calmly. "It’s a tiresome pattern."

"You—"

Thirty-three shot the woman a look, reminding her of their plan to teach this "Number One Twenty-One" a lesson. Swallowing her anger, she scoffed, "Let’s see how long your arrogance lasts."

"Wait." Xu Shulou ignored the taunt, suddenly stopping. "Something’s wrong."

"What?"

"Our shadows." She pointed at the ground. The others looked down and froze—their shadows had morphed into thick, inky blobs, something liquid-like writhing within.

No one had noticed when these things had latched onto them. A chill ran down their spines. "Run!"

They bolted, leaving the sluggish shadowy mass behind. But no matter how far they fled, the shadows kept pace.

This couldn’t go on. Thirty-three steadied the group. "Stay calm. What’s the first rule when encountering hostile, unknown creatures?"

"Observe their weaknesses while retreating," the others chorused.

"Or just stab them and see what happens," Xu Shulou suggested. At their stares, she shrugged. "Just throwing ideas out there."

One of the men scoffed. "Then you go stab them!"

"Sure." Without hesitation, she turned and charged back toward the shadows.

The group gaped after her. She was so eager to court death that their plan might be unnecessary.

Moments later, Xu Shulou returned unscathed, leading ten shadows behind her. "They don’t seem interested in attacking me."

"Stay back!" The crowd hastily retreated, only to find those shadowy figures suddenly lunging at them with gnashing teeth. Being attacked by something shaped exactly like their own shadows—especially when those shadows were rendered in such vivid detail that even the hairpins and strands of hair were visible—was an indescribable terror. The group immediately took to the skies in frantic escape.

They pushed their speed to the limit, but the shadows seemed to accelerate as well. The fleeing cultivators raced ahead, pursued closely by the swarm of shadows, while Xu Shulou trailed leisurely behind. Occasionally, other students below would glance up, utterly baffled by the spectacle.

Xu Shulou observed the shadows from the rear, calling out warnings: "Don’t scatter! Thirty-three, don’t fly east! Thirty-five, you’re about to crash into Forty-one!"

"..."

After flying for a while, Xu Shulou remarked casually, "I feel like I’m herding sheep."

"..." The group ahead was torn between terror and fury, cursing under their breath.

Another incense stick’s worth of flight later, they were too exhausted even to swear, gritting their teeth in silent desperation.

Xu Shulou frowned. "Weren’t we supposed to observe their weaknesses while escaping? What’s your plan?"

The fleeing cultivators gnashed their teeth. "And what have you figured out? Why aren’t they attacking you?"

Xu Shulou pondered. "I think the key lies in fear."

"What?"

"At first, when we weren’t aware of them, the shadows didn’t attack," she analyzed. "But the moment you noticed them and felt fear, they struck. The fact that they ignore me supports this."

"...Makes sense." The group steadied themselves. One bravely attempted a sudden halt, facing the shadows head-on—but when the inky figures lunged at him, claws outstretched, he couldn’t help but flinch and dodge, fear taking over.

Xu Shulou shook her head. These cultivators weren’t weak, but having grown up sheltered in their sects, they lacked real-world experience, leaving them timid.

Many elite disciples suffered from this flaw—coddled like delicate flowers. Take the Lingxiao Sect, for example: they wouldn’t even enter the Void Abyss Secret Realm without a hundred-person entourage. What kind of training was that?

With good intentions, Xu Shulou suggested, "I could knock you out one by one. No fear, no attacks."

A male cultivator in the group snapped, "Do you have any better ideas?"

Xu Shulou shrugged. "I could’ve left you to it. If not for our temporary alliance, I’d have walked away after herding you around for fun."

The group had their own ulterior motives—originally plotting to teach Xu Shulou a lesson in the secret realm—so they naturally distrusted her now, hesitating to respond. But Xu Shulou wanted to test the shadows’ nature and confirm her theory. If she was wrong, running into them again later would be troublesome.

She caught up to one male cultivator, who raised his arms defensively, but Xu Shulou gave him no chance. With a swift chop to the neck, she knocked him out, then dangled him in front of the shadows. "Hungry?"

"How dare you treat my junior brother like this? Release him!" The others, seeing the unconscious man surrounded by shadows, drew their weapons and charged at Xu Shulou.

"You’re too scared to fight the shadows but bold enough to attack me? What logic is that?" Reflecting on whether she’d been too lenient, Xu Shulou struck without mercy, knocking them all out one by one—even an unarmed one who begged for mercy didn’t escape her palm.

The shadows sniffed around but soon lost interest. Unwilling, they circled the unconscious cultivators a few times before their edges blurred, melting into the ground and vanishing.

Bingo. Xu Shulou looked at the haphazardly sprawled group, fetched a rope, and tied them up in a line. Dragging them back to the secret realm’s entrance, she unceremoniously tossed the whole bundle out.

Well then. First day in the secret realm, achievement unlocked: Eliminated Teammates.

The only regret? Their skills were so lacking that Xu Shulou never even noticed their supposed conspiracy against her.