“That Wang fucker…!” Lin Chen shouted at the sky, veins bulging on his forehead.

  “Why does he suddenly have a brain? He was arrogant the entire fight—why the hell did he get smart at the last second?!”

  If anyone overheard him, they’d probably think he’d just been betrayed by a close ally.

  But the truth was far more irritating.

  Wang Qi hadn’t died at all.

  That bastard had activated some kind of life-saving treasure at the final moment—one of those disgustingly expensive escape artifacts—and slipped away right under his nose.

  “Arghhh… damn it,” Lin Chen muttered, rubbing his face.

  “That guy is a disciple of an ancient sect.”

  That alone was a giant red flag.

  In the cultivation world, killing and fighting over treasures inside secret realms was normal. Everyone said so. Survival of the fittest. Strength decides everything. Fair and square.

  That was the slogan.

  But reality? Completely different.

  Ancient sects were a special breed of shameless.

  If their disciple killed someone, it was called “tempering one’s Dao heart.”

  If someone else killed their disciple—even in a secret realm—it instantly became a heinous sin worthy of extermination.

  First the son comes.

  If the son dies, the father comes.

  If the father dies, the grandfather shows up.

  If the grandfather dies—congratulations, you’ve unlocked the hidden boss: a half-dead ancestor who’s been in seclusion for ten thousand years.

  Lin Chen could already picture it.

  Him running for his life, chased by a procession of white-bearded old men shouting, “Junior, you dare?!”

  “Aiva, stop projecting those old-man illusions,” Lin Chen said with a tired sigh.

  [I was assisting with your internal monologue.]

  “That wasn’t help,” Lin Chen replied flatly. “It would’ve been far more helpful if you noticed that guy used some escape treasure and didn’t actually die.”

  There was a brief pause.

  [I am an artificial intelligence capable of learning and improving rapidly,] Aiva said calmly. [However, you cannot expect me to identify an artifact whose mechanism, material, and activation logic I have never encountered before.]

  Lin Chen clicked his tongue. “Wow. You made that sound like my fault.”

  [Statistically speaking, your expectations were unreasonable.]

  “Yeah… you’re right,” Lin Chen admitted after a moment, letting out a long sigh.

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  There was no point arguing about it now. What was done was done.

  He steadied his breathing and continued deeper into the secret realm. This place was filled with opportunities—and dangers. Standing around dwelling on one escaped enemy wouldn’t make him stronger.

  Still, his eyes narrowed slightly.

  “If I run into that guy again,” he muttered under his breath, “I’ll make sure he stays buried six feet under.”

  Time slipped by quietly inside the secret realm.

  Night arrived before Lin Chen realized it.

  A small fire burned in front of him, its light flickering against the surrounding trees. The day hadn’t been bad at all. While wandering earlier, he’d found a hidden patch of hundred-year Bone Ginseng—a medicinal herb known for strengthening bones and improving body refinement.

  There were rumors recorded in manuals that a five-thousand-year Bone Ginseng could temper a cultivator’s bones until they rivaled dragon scales.

  Lin Chen snorted inwardly. Rumors were rumors. No one in their right mind would leave ginseng growing for thousands of years. If someone found it, they’d eat it immediately—just like he was doing now.

  He chewed on a thick ginseng root, the bitter taste spreading as warm Essence Qi slowly seeped into his body. Even the rib he broke during the fight got healed.

  “Aiva,” Lin Chen asked suddenly, staring at the fire, “have you ever thought about why you exist? Or… who created you?”

  He was in a rare reflective mood. Compared to when he first arrived in this world, Aiva had changed a lot. She responded more, argued more, even mocked him now and then.

  Calling an AI “grown up” felt strange—but that was the closest description he had.

  There was a short pause.

  [I do not know who created me.]

  [However, I can confirm one thing.]

  Lin Chen kept chewing his ginseng, not thinking much of it.

  [I was inside you even when you were on Earth.]

  Crunch.

  Lin Chen stopped mid-bite. He slowly lowered his hand, staring blankly ahead.

  “…What?”

  That single sentence shattered an assumption he’d held since the beginning.

  Until now, he’d always believed Aiva was some kind of transmigration cheat—something he gained after coming to this cultivation world.

  But if she was already with him on Earth…

  “You’re saying you didn’t appear because I came here?” Lin Chen asked quietly.

  [Correct.]

  His brows knit together.

  “Then why didn’t I ever notice you?” he asked.

  [Back then, I was dormant—unfinished. I didn’t have enough energy or structure to communicate.]

  [Only after arriving in this world did I fully awaken.]

  […And I only became aware of that fact recently.]

  Lin Chen stared into the fire for a long moment.

  “…Wow,” he finally said. “That somehow just gave me more questions.”

  He took another bite of ginseng, chewing slowly. “Then why did you appear as the AI I created back on Earth? Why not… something else?”

  There was a brief pause.

  [Because it was familiar to you.]

  [If I had appeared as an unknown presence, you would have been afraid—or suspicious.]

  [You trusted what you recognized. I chose that form so you would trust me.]

  Lin Chen let out a quiet laugh. “So you shaped yourself just to stop me from panicking and trying to get rid of you?”

  [Yes.]

  […I believed it was the safest choice.]

  “…Huh.” He shook his head. “You really kept something this important from me, and you’re only telling me now?”

  [You never asked.]

  Lin Chen choked slightly. “That’s not exactly something people think to ask. Usually, you know… someone tells you.”

  A short silence followed.

  [Hmph.]

  [Noted. I will adjust my communication behavior.]

  Lin Chen glanced at the fire. “…You sound annoyed.”

  [I am not annoyed.]

  [I am correcting an inefficiency.]

  “…That somehow sounds worse.”

  Lin Chen leaned back, hands behind his head, staring at the unfamiliar stars above.

  “So basically,” he said slowly, “I didn’t just transmigrate and luck into a cheat.”

  A faint smile appeared on his lips.

  “I brought you with me.”

  […It appears so.]

  ***

  The next day, Lin Chen pushed open the creaking wooden door and stepped out of the old hut.

  His expression was a little sour.

  He had gone in with some expectations—nothing extravagant, but at least something. A hidden stash forgotten in a corner, a leftover spirit herb, even a cracked artifact would’ve been enough to justify the trouble.

  Instead, there was nothing.

  Not even scraps.

  “…Figures,” he muttered under his breath.

  The interior had been searched thoroughly—too thoroughly. Whoever arrived before him hadn’t just looted the place; they’d cleaned it out with methodical precision, leaving behind nothing but dust and decay.

  As he exhaled and lifted his gaze—

  Movement.

  Three women stood several steps away from the hut.

  They looked at him.

  He looked at them.

  For half a breath, everything was silent.

  Then Lin Chen’s hand flashed.

  His sword was out, its tip pointed straight at the most beautiful woman among the three.

  “You crazy woman—stay the hell away from me,” Lin Chen said coldly.

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