Cloud Expanse Sect, Congealed Fat Peak.
The mountains blazed like torches, the waves roared like fury, and a thick sea of clouds covered the sky and sun.
At a glance, it seemed as if the heavens were about to collapse, held aloft only by this towering mountain.
On the peak, mist rose in billows, the scent of pills filled the air, spiritual plants flourished, and precious herbs carpeted the ground.
In such a secret realm, there was not a single soul to be seen.
Only atop the summit, inside a simple and unadorned Taoist temple, could a slender figure be glimpsed.
This figure sat cross-legged before a Danfurnace, clad in white robes with a thin veil covering her face.
Her black hair flowed like silk, cascading along her slender waist.
The Danfurnace emitted thick Dandelicacy, transforming into white mist that partially obscured her form, resembling a serene and peaceful ink painting.
Yet the full, inviting curves beneath added a lingering allure to the tranquil scene.
Though her face was hidden beneath the veil, her sharp and delicate nose was exposed.
Whenever a wisp of pill fragrance rose, her nose twitched slightly. Invisible spiritual energy in the air captured the scent, drawing it into her nostrils.
Then, beneath the veil, her jade-like face would reveal a faint smile.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
A hurried knocking interrupted Luozhilan’s moment of savoring the pill aroma.
“Master, there is urgent news to report inside.”
She frowned deeply, the expression beneath the veil hardening with displeasure.
Coldly, she said to the person outside, “Come in!”
With a creak, the wooden door opened.
A tall figure stepped inside but dared not approach Luozhilan near the Danfurnace.
Instead, he bowed deeply at the door and said, “Master, the Headmaster has sent a secret order. Interrupting your pill refinement is truly unavoidable. Please forgive me.”
This man was tall and handsome.
Though dressed in shabby cloth robes, his sharp sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes lent him the aura of a fallen wandering swordsman.
He kept his head lowered, unwilling to meet Luozhilan’s gaze amidst the swirling pill mist, maintaining an extremely humble posture, his expression growing ever more respectful.
But despite this, Luozhilan looked at him as though he were trash, her eyes full of disdain and disgust.
She drew back her proud nose beneath the veil and slowed her breathing, as if unwilling to inhale even a trace of his presence.
However, Limuqun did not see any of this.
He was envious of the rich Dandelicacy in this place of cultivation and secretly grateful that his master hadn’t driven him away immediately.
“What urgent matter do you bring? Speak quickly.”
Another cold voice came forth, and Limuqun hurriedly relayed the secret order he had just received from the mountain base: “The Headmaster’s new secret order states that the Demon Sect has been unusually active today. Several major demon lords are increasingly rampant in the martial world, seemingly linked to the impending emergence of the fabled Demoness. All major sects must heighten their defenses and strictly supervise their disciples. No trouble is to be provoked.”
“That’s all?”
Limuqun blinked in surprise before quickly answering, “The rest are trivial matters. I can handle them myself. No need for you to worry, Master.”
“Then leave.”
“Master, I…”
Seeing he was dismissed, Limuqun opened his mouth to say more, but Luozhilan snorted coldly.
The snort transformed into an invisible gust of wind that pushed open the door, sweeping Limuqun outside.
The wind whipped repeatedly over his standing spot, as if unwilling to leave even a trace of his scent.
“Don’t come to see me again. You reek so badly, it ruins the Mountain Guardian Formation of Dandelicacy I have here.”
Her words, filled with disdain and carried on that breath, expelled Limuqun from the temple and shattered the pride he had clung to.
Damn it.
Outside the temple, Limuqun steadied himself, clenching his fists so tightly his nails bit into his palms, drawing thin lines of blood.
Since his transmigration more than ten years ago, after learning about the existence of cultivation, he abandoned the mundane world and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Way.
He cultivated daily without slack, eventually entering the Cloud Expanse Sect among the Three Sects and Nine Schools.
Due to his extraordinary talent and sharp mind, he was exceptionally chosen to serve as a Founding Disciple on Congealed Fat Peak.
The mountain master of Congealed Fat Peak, Luozhilan, was a Great Alchemist renowned across the Three Sects and Nine Schools, with unfathomable Pill Path mastery and godlike skill in sensing pill qi.
With such honor, Limuqun had thought himself blessed by proximity to such greatness.
Surely his pill refinement would be plentiful, his immortal path smooth and unimpeded.
But events unfolded far beyond his expectations.
Upon arrival, Limuqun was immersed in a medicinal bath for a full ninety-one days.
At first, he believed it to be a method to enhance cultivation, but gradually he sensed something amiss.
The herbs added daily to the bath were nothing but the same spices used by mountain folk to make sachets, no other medicinal ingredients.
It turned out his master disliked the scent carried by his mortal body.
This was understandable. Focused on the Dao, Limuqun paid no mind to such trifles.
They were here to cultivate, not to court.
So after joining Congealed Fat Peak, Limuqun cultivated diligently and managed sect affairs flawlessly, all to secure more resources for the immortal path.
Yet whenever he stumbled in cultivation and sought guidance or to visit, Luozhilan always refused him under the pretext of pill refinement, never letting him in.
As for pill treasures, he had never even heard a whisper.
Long exposure revealed the true nature of this so-called “Pill Aroma Immortal.”
Her coldness to strangers and keeping people a thousand miles away was less a mere attitude and more an ingrained disdain toward all men.
Facing slightly stronger cultivators, she might barely treat them as people, but someone like Limuqun, a lowly cultivator, was no better than livestock in her eyes.
More than a Founding Disciple, Limuqun felt like an old slave who gave everything yet endured endless humiliation!
If not for the Headmaster frequently sending pill medicine and cultivation techniques, Limuqun would have long since left the sect to seek another path.
Today, after receiving the Headmaster’s secret order, Limuqun had even bathed and changed clothes, burned incense and calmed his heart, repeatedly confirming there was not even a trace of sweat on him—only a faint, clean fragrance—before ascending Congealed Fat Peak to knock on his master’s door.
He secretly hoped to use this opportunity to soften their relationship and ease future cultivation.
But Luozhilan’s humiliating words shattered his pride once again.
Even with a heart full of resentment, what could Limuqun do?
His master was a Golden Core Great Alchemist, one of the best in the world. With a flick of her finger, she could crush him like a bug. As a lone, weak cultivator with no background, retaliation was impossible.
Should he fantasize about her form when his blood surged at night?
No, there was another way!
A flicker of dark resolve flashed in his deep eyes.
“System!”
An invisible script appeared before him.
“Interest Entry Modification System.”
“Detect others’ interests and modify their entries.”
“Hint 1: Each person can only be modified once.”
“Hint 2: Once modified, the change is irreversible.”
“Hint 3: Entries cannot be added or deleted arbitrarily.”
“Hint 4: Verbs cannot be modified, only nouns.”
“Hint 5: Replacement nouns must be the host’s own name.”
“Hint 6: Consequences are unpredictable; all responsibility lies with the host and not with the system.”
Indeed, after transmigrating to this world, Limuqun had the typical golden finger of a transmigrator.
Only this golden finger was rather useless and offered no help in cultivation. It sounded dubious, so Limuqun had never used it.
But now, there was no better test subject.
“Check Luozhilan of Cloud Expanse Sect’s interest entries.”
With his inner voice, the text in his eyes shifted:
“Luozhilan”
Interest 1: Pill refinement.
Interest 2: The scent of [Pill Medicine].
Interest 3: Disgust toward all males.
Staring at the words on the panel, Limuqun hesitated for a moment, but recalling his miserable treatment, his last shred of doubt vanished.
There was only one choice!
“System, modify the noun of interest 2!”
“Modification complete. Interest 2: The scent of [Pill Medicine] → The scent of [Limuqun].”
As the subtitles faded, the scene before his eyes returned to the green mountains and waters of Congealed Fat Peak, as if nothing had happened.
Was that it?
Limuqun swallowed nervously and looked toward the temple. Summoning his courage, he knocked on the door once more.
“Master, I just remembered there is still something I haven’t reported.”
Unexpectedly, what greeted him was a shout as sharp as a reprimand.
“Get lost! Don’t come up the mountain without my order!”
A surge of strong spiritual power struck him, and Limuqun felt the world spin. When he regained his senses, he was already at the foot of the mountain.
What system? What entry modification? All useless!
Having now thoroughly offended Luozhilan, his path ahead in cultivation would only grow more difficult.
“Oh, why is my system so terrible?”
Tears welled in his eyes as he gazed at Congealed Fat Peak.
What he didn’t see was that inside the temple on the mountain peak, beneath the thin veil, the jade-like face had turned fiery red.
Her sharp and delicate nose unconsciously, greedily sniffed the faint lingering scent outside the door.
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