"You don't seem to belong to any sect, nor do you wear the robes of a major clan. A rogue cultivator?" she mused.
Victor only smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying it.
Lady Li Yang tapped her slender fingers against the wooden armrest beside her.
"Young master Fang, is there anything you desire as a reward for your assistance?" she questioned.
Victor paused. 'Oh the favour from the Li Clan reward... hmm...'
He had no idea what to ask for.
Wealth?
He had no need for it right now.
Techniques?
She might not even have anything that suited his path of cultivation.
"Nothing cos to mind right now..."
He suddenly paused upon recalling sothing; "Actually… I just need directions," he admitted. "I've been traveling and… I need to find the Devil Forest."
Lady Li Yang's brows raised slightly in amusent.
"What a coincidence," she said. "I have business in the Devil Forest as well."
Victor was surprised. "Really?"
She nodded. "If you wish, you may travel with us. I have no issue offering protection."
Victor wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Traveling with a noble lady ant dealing with her guards, following her pace, and possibly getting tangled in whatever 'business' she had in the Devil Forest. But at the sa ti… it was an opportunity.
The Devil Forest was dangerous, and if she had people protecting her, then it might make his own journey easier since they most likely knew the place better than him.
After a mont, he nodded. "Then I will humbly accept."
Lady Li Yang smiled. "Good. Then rest while you can. The journey is still long."
Victor sat back, allowing himself to relax for the first ti in a while.
He had a feeling that traveling with her wouldn't be simple.
But it couldn't hurt, right?
...
...
The carriage continued its journey for hours, rolling smoothly along mountain paths and rough terrain.
The sound of wheels crunching over gravel blended with the distant cries of spiritual birds circling the high cliffs. The the scent of pine from the patches of trees growing along the precarious ledges occasionally wafted through the air.
Inside the carriage, Victor sat comfortably, yet this felt like a dream. It had been so long since he'd played Ascendant Realms, yet now, after his return, he was suddenly traveling with a noble lady from a prestigious sect—sothing that felt like a turning point in his journey.
Lady Li Yang occasionally glanced at him with curiosity as they journeyed.
After so ti, she finally, she broke the silence.
"You're… a Foundation Establishnt Realm cultivator already?" she questioned with a tone of confusion. "If I may ask, how old are you?"
Victor blinked awkwardly.
"Sixteen," he responded.
Lady Li Yang's eyes widened slightly as a rare mont of surprise broke her composed deanor.
"…Sixteen?" she echoed while looking him over with renewed interest.
Victor nodded, unsure why she seed so shocked.
After a mont of contemplation, she sighed and shook her head.
"You must be a once-in-a-hundred-thousand-year genius," she crossed her arms as she leaned back into the cushioned seat. "Only a heavenly prodigy could reach the Foundation Establishnt Realm at such a young age."
Victor chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I don't know about that…"
Lady Li Yang, however, didn't seem to be joking.
"The only exception to this kind of rapid cultivation is if one is a transmigrator," she added while watching him carefully.
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Transmigrator?"
Lady Li Yang's gaze sharpened.
"You truly don't know?" she asked. "I suppose not many common cultivators would have encountered one."
Victor shrugged. "Enlighten ."
She studied him for a mont, then continued.
"Transmigrators are… different. They look like us, speak our language, wear our clothes, and even cultivate like us, yet they are not from this world."
Victor's breathing slowed.
Lady Li Yang voice lowered slightly as she continued as if revealing a forbidden secret.
"They co from another realm entirely—a place no one knows, and yet, their talent in cultivation is… unparalleled."
Victor's mind buzzed. 'Another realm… could she be talking about… players?'
But before he could say anything, Lady Li Yang went on.
"They bend the rules of cultivation in ways that defy logic," she stated. "Even death does not claim them. Their physical bodies return whenever they are slain."
Victor's stomach tightened. 'Holy shit… she's definitely talking about players.'
Lady Li Yang sighed.
"I once t one," her crimson eyes turned distant. "He was… marvelous. Incomprehensible, yet magnificent."
Victor hesitated for a mont, wondering if he should reveal his own status.
'Maybe I should just say it… If she t one before, she probably won't react badly.'
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But before he could speak, Lady Li Yang's tone turned dark.
"However, not all cultivators see them as wonders."
Victor froze.
"There are those who hunt them," she lowered her voice even further. "To so… a transmigrator is a treasure trove of endless power."
Victor gulped.
"Refining a transmigrator's soul is said to be equivalent to cultivating for hundreds of thousands of years—even millions."
Victor's blood ran cold.
'...Maybe I should just keep my status hidden. Who knows what will happen if I run into such cultivators? What if it ends up affecting my physical body?'
Lady Li Yang sighed, unaware of the turmoil going on in Victor's head.
"I suspect that most high-level sects and powerful cultivators are aware of transmigrators," she mused. "But only a few have ever t one, and even fewer understand their nature."
Victor nodded slowly.
'Hmm at least this confirms that there are other players. I almost started wondering if I was the only person playing this ga... when I et one, I gotta ask if they can also use cultivation techniques in reality...'
A strange sense of relief washed over him.
Since other players have been confird to be in this world, that ant he wasn't alone.
And if he ever reached the city Bai Xue recomnded beyond the Devil Forest, then maybe… just maybe, he'd find them.
Lady Li Yang glanced at him again.
"You seem deep in thought," she noted.
Victor shook himself out of it. "It's just… interesting. I've never heard of such beings before."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied with his response.
"Indeed," she said. "They are rare, but unforgettable."
There was a brief silence before Victor decided to change the subject.
"So," he said, "what about you? Why are you traveling to the Devil Forest?"
Lady Li Yang's expression softened.
"I am searching for an elixir ingredient," she admitted.
Victor raised an eyebrow. "An ingredient?"
She nodded.
"My mother is… afflicted with a rare condition," she voiced with a sorrowful tone. "She has been paralyzed for many years now."
Victor's curiosity piqued. "What kind of condition?"
"A curse-born illness that slowly crippled her... unfortunately its growing and soon it will cripple her heart and stop it from beating, forever..." Lady Li Yang explained. "The only cure is an elixir… one that requires a component found only in the Pond of Dragon Tears, deep within the Devil Forest."
Victor frowned. "Pond of Dragon Tears?"
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