I’m So Excited

For some reason, Gu Caihe felt a sense of foreboding after hearing Qin Gou’s words. Could she have underestimated him? That was absurd—this guy was just a sneaky, early-stage Hidden Artifact Realm cultivator who relied on tricks and surprise tactics. Sending Jiang Qiu, a half-step Forging Realm genius, to deal with him was already more than generous. Especially now, with Qin Gou’s spiritual energy heavily depleted, he was practically out of options.

“Enough talk. Let’s finish this quickly,” Jiang Qiu said arrogantly. A massive silver shield, taller than herself, appeared before her. Despite her petite frame, she moved with immense strength, the ground cracking like a spiderweb beneath her feet as she charged at Qin Gou like a raging beast.

Qin Gou smiled and nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.” With a tap on his spatial ring, a stone puppet identical to himself appeared. Without hesitation, Qin Gou inserted a high-grade spirit stone into the puppet’s back and shouted, “Go!”

The puppet’s lifeless eyes showed no emotion, but it moved instantly at Qin Gou’s command. Its fist shot forward with the force of a thousand pounds, slamming directly into Jiang Qiu’s massive shield.

A deafening boom echoed, sending shockwaves in all directions.

The puppet staggered back two steps, completely unharmed. In contrast, Jiang Qiu’s shield shattered like glass, and her petite body was flung through the air like a broken kite. She spat out a mouthful of blood as she hit the ground, her face pale as paper. For the first time, her cold, arrogant eyes showed shock and fear—fear that reached her very soul.

That single punch had consumed a precious high-grade spirit stone, but Qin Gou didn’t seem to mind. He calmly stored the puppet away and glanced at Gu Caihe. “Another half-hour in the Rebirth Tower. Don’t forget to mark it down, Little Box.”

With that, Qin Gou and Chen Keshua walked away, the female disciples parting to make way for them.

Gu Caihe stared at Qin Gou’s retreating figure, her face dark with anger. She wanted to accuse him of using external tools to cheat, but her own mocking words earlier—telling him to use all his tricks—stuck in her throat. She was left fuming, her face turning an unhealthy shade of green.

—

Back in the male disciples’ quarters, Qin Gou told Chen Keshua to return to his cave while he went to meet Chi Yu.

“Brother Qin, be careful. I heard from Chi Yu that her brother seems to have… unusual feelings for you,” Chen Keshua said, struggling to hold back laughter. “And after seeing that bizarre life-bound spiritual tool during the fight with Yan Huixue, I’m not sure even you could handle him if things got weird.”

Qin Gou glared at him. “Shut up, you idiot. I wasn’t scared before, but now you’ve got me worried!”

—

At Chi Yu’s cave, Qin Gou hesitated for a moment before politely knocking on the door.

“Who is it?” came a voice from inside, a strange mix of male and female tones, as if deliberately altered.

“It’s me, Qin.”

“Brother Qin, you’re alive! Come in!” The door swung open, revealing Chi Yuchao, now in control of the body. The teenage girl beamed as she welcomed Qin Gou inside.

—

On the table inside was a diary, the primary means of communication between Chi Yu and Chi Yuchao.

As soon as Qin Gou stepped in, Chi Yuchao moved to give him a warm hug. Qin Gou recoiled as if avoiding a venomous snake, stepping back hurriedly. “Brother Chi Yuchao, let me make one thing clear: I am absolutely not into men. Not even a little. Whether it’s a man on the outside or the inside.”

Chi Yuchao shrugged, looking puzzled. “Why would you even say that? I hate those kinds of people too. Especially the ones who judge me by my looks and think I’m a woman. I always beat them up when I meet them.”

“Really?” Qin Gou asked, skeptical.

Chi Yuchao blinked in disbelief. “What are you implying? Do you think I have feelings for you beyond friendship? Are you kidding me?”

Qin Gou frowned. “That’s what your sister said. She told me you wrote thousands of words mourning me when you thought I was dead, saying how much you missed me.”

Chi Yuchao’s eyes widened in outrage. “That damn girl! She’s slandering her own brother! I only did that because I, Chi Yuchao, believe in repaying kindness tenfold. The Taiyi Calamity Pill you gave me saved my life. How could I not be grateful?”

“Is that really all it is?”

“What else could it be?!” Chi Yuchao thumped his chest dramatically, his small but firm chest bouncing with each impact. The sight made Qin Gou’s skin crawl.

“Alright, alright! I believe you! Stop that before you hurt yourself. If you damage anything, Chi Yu will blame me,” Qin Gou said quickly.

Chi Yuchao sighed, finally lowering his hands. “That girl is such a handful. Because she uses my appearance to live her life, she’s always attracting trouble. She’s been corrupted by those loose-tongued male disciples.”

—

Qin Gou thought for a moment. “When did you take control of the body? Did you expose yourself to any of the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples?”

Chi Yuchao shook his head and picked up the diary. “I woke up here in the cave. But that reckless girl did something crazy before I took over—she went to the Rebirth Tower out of boredom and barely made it past the second level after half an hour!”

Qin Gou’s interest was piqued. “The Rebirth Tower is that difficult? Even Chi Yu needed half an hour for the second level?”

“I’ve never been there myself, but according to the diary, the tower doesn’t test combat ability or natural talent. It tests a cultivator’s knowledge and experience—alchemy, formations, even the essence of each cultivation realm. It’s absurd! We’re only at the early stage of the Hidden Artifact Realm, and the third level expects insights into the Forging Realm. How is that possible?”

Chi Yuchao scowled. “Honestly, trying to change your innate talent through external means is defying the heavens. The Rebirth Tower isn’t much help. If someone’s talent is bad, they’re already struggling with cultivation. How would they have time to become a scholar? Even if they manage to comprehend higher realms, what’s the point? They’re still stuck in their current realm.”

—

Hearing this, Qin Gou turned to leave. Chi Yuchao grabbed his arm, confused. “Brother Qin, where are you going?”

“To the Rebirth Tower!” Qin Gou’s eyes burned with excitement. “I’m so pumped!”