When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 74

The barrier in front of the Peony Garden melts away like melting snow, revealing a cobblestone street.

Everyone has a look of disbelief on their faces. The ones who encountered the apprentice named Wei Zi earlier have almost already figured out the truth, but they missed it by a hair! Looking back now, their task is to find Wei Zi and investigate the theft of the peony… but the task prompt never mentioned that Wei Zi was the peony, did it? They’ve searched for so long, only to be fooled by such a simple trap!

Shen Lingshu’s expression is complicated as he mutters, “Sometimes, intelligence backfires.”

They assumed that the Wei Zi mentioned in the task referred to a type of valuable peony, and thus concluded that Wei Zi was the lost valuable peony. They scoured the Peony Garden and failed to find Wei Zi peony, thinking that the task was more complex than they thought. Now, upon reflection, they realize that it isn’t as difficult as it seemed. It’s simple because, if the little island master hadn’t asked about it, no one would have thought to ask the apprentice’s name, and they instinctively assumed that the missing peony had nothing to do with him, discarding an important clue.

From start to finish, they overthought the mission in the Peony Garden.

Everyone feels down, realizing they’ve been tricked by the owner of the Peony Garden.

The golden light prompt on the floating order slowly turns into a small, palm-sized package, floating in front of the heart demon, signaling that the reward is ready to be claimed.

The heart demon glances at Jiang Zhibai and Li Jianming. “So, I can leave now?”

Li Jianming hesitates. “I guess… Little Island Master probably already knew all along.”

The heart demon asks, “What?”

Seeing the confused look on the little island master’s face, Jiang Zhibai quickly guesses that he likely passed the challenge by accident. He smiles and says, “It seems it was just an accident. The little island master is more innocent and simpler than we thought.”

It’s this unique and simple way of thinking that leads him to succeed in the Peony Garden.

Everyone is speechless.

The heart demon doesn’t care what they think and casually replies, “Is that so?” He then eagerly opens the small package, and a purple peony in full bloom floats out of it.

The petals are a deep mix of purple and red, shaped like a lotus.

When everyone sees it, their eyes go wide in shock.

“Wei Zi!”

This purple peony floats in front of the heart demon. It’s the reward the heart demon has received, and also the Wei Zi peony that everyone has been searching for.

It turns out there’s no real Wei Zi peony in the peony garden. The peony is only the reward for completing the task.

Everyone feels a bit frustrated, wanting to confront the owner of the Peony Garden and see if they dare to play games with them again.

The reward is this peony, but the heart demon isn’t interested. The peony radiates a faint aura, and it doesn’t look particularly tasty. He stares at it for a while, but it doesn’t transform into any other reward. Sighing in disappointment, he mutters, “It’s not as beautiful as the flowers I picked for my brother. I don’t want it.”

The path outside the peony garden is open, and the heart demon tosses the package aside, preparing to leave the garden.

Under the envious and shocked gazes of the others, Jiang Zhibai quickly grabs the little island master and advises, “It’s a reward after all, you should keep it! Maybe it’ll be useful for something else when you leave!”

Jiang Zhibai has always been kind to Yun Zhuoran and is one of his few friends. He also has some affection for the little island master.

After hearing his advice, the heart demon reluctantly accepts the flower, though he does so with disdain.

Everyone’s expressions grow more complicated. They wish they could accept the peony on the little island master’s behalf.

After all, it’s a reward. Whether it’s useful or not, they would have gladly accepted it!

Unfortunately, the task that unlocked the Peony Garden icon has already been completed by the little island master.

Everyone is helpless, but after the little island master leaves the Peony Garden with joy, the road outside the garden doesn’t disappear, and the barrier in front of the door doesn’t rise again. Everyone looks at each other and decides to follow the little island master out.

The Peony Garden mission is a group task. If one person completes it, everyone can leave.

When they walk out of the Peony Garden and stand on the dim avenue in front of the gate, they’re all shocked. They look at the red-clad boy hesitating at the fork in the three paths ahead. How could they still feel dissatisfied? If it weren’t for the little island master’s good luck, they’d still be wandering around in the Peony Garden, clueless.

However, this doesn’t include Gu Jinping, who is still secretly glaring at Weiran’s back.

Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai exchange meaningful glances and walk toward the little island master together.

Li Jianming asks, “Little Island Master, where do you plan to go?”

The heart demon looks at the floating city map on the floating order, calculating how far the Moon Viewing Tower he and his brother passed is. As he counts, the joy on his face slowly fades, and he frowns. “It’s so far.”

Jiang Zhibai notices and thinks for a moment before comforting him, “Though the distance isn’t short, Junior Brother Yun should have seen the news that the little island master just passed the level. I think he will come to find you.”

The heart demon smiles again. “Really?”

Jiang Zhibai’s expression softens unconsciously. “I’ve heard that Junior Brother Yun treats you very well.”

The heart demon takes this as confirmation that Yun Zhuoran will indeed come to find him.

He narrows his eyes and says proudly, “Of course! My brother likes me the most!”

Shen Lingshu, who has been silently passing by, hears the voice and looks over, only to see the red-clad boy smiling brightly, his face as beautiful as peach blossoms. Shen Lingshu knows he should stay away, but can’t tear his gaze away.

The people who came out of the Peony Garden disperse, heading toward the three paths. They’re all cautious and don’t enter the gate at the end. Finally, they all return and decide to share information with one another — the Peony Garden is located at the western edge of the floating city map. After lighting up the icon, only the three paths in front of the gate are unlocked. At the end of each path is a vermilion gate, shrouded in black mist and illuminated by dim lanterns. It looks very much like the gate of the Peony Garden they saw when they first arrived.

Obviously, those gates should also be checkpoints, similar to the Peony Garden.

Except for the heart demon, most of the people here are at the Golden Core Stage in their cultivation. To reach this level, about 80% of them have ventured into secret realms, but none have encountered a relic like the Floating City, which requires clearing levels to unlock the map. The ultimate goal of lighting up the map is to unlock the Floating City, and within it, there are countless large and small checkpoints. It doesn’t offer clear rewards, yet it has already trapped everyone inside.

After leaving the Peony Garden, the group understands that the only way to leave the Floating City is to face the challenges. This feels rather like being forced to go through the challenges, and the Floating City is quite different from what they’ve heard about. They can’t help but regret getting on this “pirate ship,” yet at the same time, they begin to look forward to the upcoming levels.

Most of them have a competitive mindset and want to be the first. They aim to surpass Yun Zhuoran, the first to clear a level, and become the one who truly unlocks the Floating City. The strange and novel rules of the Floating City give them the perfect opportunity.

After choosing their routes, the heart demon heads left, aiming toward the north of the Floating City. Among the three roads, all of them are wide, straight avenues made of blue bricks. Everyone has to follow their designated paths. The heart demon can only go north for one section, then head to the center for another. At the end of each section, there will be a new level.

The heart demon sets off with Li Jianming, Jiang Zhibai, and the others. He doesn’t invite anyone to join him, but Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai, worried about him, decide to follow. The heart demon doesn’t refuse them.

Along with the three of them, Shen Lingshu and Gu Jinping, who have been following closely behind, also decide to go with them. As for the others who came out of the Peony Garden, Sister Fei, a good friend of Jiang Zhibai, and two disciples of Li Jianming go down the road ahead, while a rather unsociable casual cultivator takes the last path.

After the heart demon passes, the Floating City map lights up for many others, all of them near the edge. Names begin appearing one by one, including the Buddhist Son of the Tianqing Sect, Ji Wuwang from the Demon Palace, and many top-tier figures who have entered the Floating City this time. However, each level only shows the name of the first person to pass, and only that person receives the reward.

Sister Fei and the others choose their own paths after seeing the notification.

The heart demon doesn’t expect Shen Lingshu and Gu Jinping to pick the same path as him. It is truly annoying to have these two bothersome figures following him!

When they reach the end of the avenue, Li Jianming turns to ask for opinions from the others. When no one objects, he pushes open the vermilion door, and bright sunlight streams out from behind it.

Inside is bright and clear! The door leads to a screen wall adorned with colorful paintings of fish leaping among lotus leaves, lifelike in detail.

Li Jianming, holding his sword, walks ahead, while Jiang Zhibai and the Heart Demon walk side by side behind him. When they feel that Shen Lingshu and Gu Jinping, who are trailing behind, have also entered, the door closes on its own. The group looks back to see the large doors have sealed shut.

No one is surprised anymore. They simply walk carefully around the screen wall to enter.

As they pass the screen wall, the sound of water reaches their ears. It turns out there is a real lotus pond behind the wall, and beyond it lies a wide hall with futons and tables on both sides. Countless paintings hang in the hall, and each table is set with pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, faintly exuding the scent of books.

The grand hall is quiet, empty of people. Outside the hall, three words are engraved on the high door plaque: 

Ruyi Pavilion.

The group enters the hall one by one, searching around. Suddenly, they hear voices from the backyard.

Three scholars in plain clothes enter through a side door at the back of the hall, each carrying scrolls and books in their hands, conversing as they walk.

“I hear something went missing from the kitchen again. It’s strange. Since the tenth day of last month, every time the kitchen buys meat, it disappears overnight. Seems like a weasel is stealing it.”

Another scholar mutters angrily, “The cook blamed us for not being clean when copying books, but we ran into a weasel that night. Now we’ve found the real culprit, so please stop slandering us.”

The first scholar shakes his head. “It hasn’t been caught yet. I hear the owner of the pavilion will be back from the capital soon. If the weasel isn’t dealt with by then, everyone in Ruyi Pavilion might be punished.”

The scholar with the sad expression sighs. “In the past half-month, the manager invited many people to catch the weasel. I never thought it was a spirit and insisted on staying here. Huang Banxian at the city gate couldn’t do anything about it. If it keeps causing trouble, we might not be able to copy books here anymore. Without that income, I fear we’ll starve next month. Alas, I hope a capable immortal comes to take care of this beast that’s causing harm as soon as possible.”

At that, the three scholars stop talking and find seats to continue copying books.

Meanwhile, the group inside Ruyi Pavilion notices a dark circle on the floating order, which is now hanging in the air. Unlike a map that can be pulled out when needed and hidden away when not, this circle remains visible.

When they see the circle, they recall that when the little island master completed the task in the Peony Garden, a similar circle had appeared on the floating order in his hand. However, after completing the task, that circle had turned bright red.

So, this is a new task?

Everyone seems to understand.

They notice that the three scholars in the distance completely ignore them. Li Jianming, not giving up, asks them, but the scholars either focus on copying books or just repeat what they had said earlier. Eventually, they confirm this is indeed a new task.

Jiang Zhibai suggests, “Should we check the kitchen?”

Li Jianming nods, and Weiran, curling his lips, reluctantly stands up from the mat.

Ruyi Pavilion is vast, but apart from the three scholars they have just seen, they haven’t encountered anyone else. Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai lead Weiran as they explore, and after some time, they find the back kitchen.

There is no one in the kitchen, but there are many neatly arranged vegetables and meats on the table, with a whole roasted lamb placed among them.

Everyone is cultivators, so they merely glance at the food without paying much attention. However, when the heart demon smells the aroma of the roasted lamb, he silently pulls out a demon core from his storage bracelet and begins chewing on it.

Indeed, the Heart Demon can eat any food that humans can, regardless of whether it contains spiritual energy. He can even smell the fragrance, but despite that, he doesn’t particularly enjoy the taste. He prefers the energy from wicked magical creatures instead.

After a few crunches, the crisp and unsettling sound of chewing echoes in the kitchen.

Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai shudder and turn around suddenly, only to see the heart demon sucking in the demon energy from the demon core. He glances up at them, and a trace of scarlet flashes in his dark eyes.

A chill runs down their spines.

Jiang Zhibai’s Adam’s apple bobs nervously as he stammers, “What are you eating?”

The heart demon raises the half-eaten demon core in his hand and shakes it. “Demon core.”

Both Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai have already sensed the demonic energy and spiritual energy emanating from the demon core. Hearing the little island master confirm it, they are at a loss for words.

The heart demon asks, “Do you want to eat it?”

The two quickly shake their heads like rattles.

They are both human cultivators—how could they eat a Demon core raw? For them, Demon cores are simply tools used to enhance magical items and are considered supplements for demonic cultivators or demon beasts.

“Oh.” The heart demon shrugs indifferently and then turns to look outside the kitchen door. “What about you?”

Hearing this, Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai realize that Shen Lingshu and Gu Jinping have somehow arrived at the back kitchen. The two are standing at the door, seemingly stunned by the sight of the heart demon eating the Demon core raw.

Gu Jinping screams, “You’re a monster!”

“Monster?” The heart demon blinks and walks out slowly. “Do you want to eat it too?”

With that, he takes another bite of the Demon core, crunching it loudly.

Seeing him approach like that, Gu Jinping suddenly fears that she, too, will be devoured by this fair and beautiful little monster just like the Demon core. She turns pale, screams, and flees.

It was just a Demon core, what’s the big deal?

Watching Gu Jinping run off, the heart demon casually tosses the remaining piece of the Demon core into his mouth, chewing it and walking toward Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai. From the sound of it, the Demon core is indeed crunchy.

Li Jianming, slightly unnerved, silently gives the heart demon a thumbs-up. “Good teeth.”

The heart demon doesn’t reply but instead asks, “What’s the mission this time?”

Seeing that the heart demon is as unbothered as ever, Jiang Zhibai hesitates for a moment before voicing his thoughts.

“Catch the weasel?”

Li Jianming adds, “But the weasel seems to appear at night.”

The heart demon scratches his head. “It’s still daytime now.”

In other words, they will have to wait until nightfall to carry out the task.

The heart demon sighs and doesn’t want to waste any more time in the kitchen. He turns and walks out, passing Shen Lingshu, who glances at him curiously. The heart demon doesn’t care and makes his way back to the main hall.

That place is perfect for sleeping.

It’s just that my brother isn’t here, so I can’t sleep well. The heart demon sighs again, missing his brother dearly.

He leaves happily, but no one knows what turmoil is stirring in the hearts of the others. Let’s focus on Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai first. They were initially shocked, but slowly accept the situation. They had originally thought the little island master was a spiritual pet or a puppet raised by Yun Zhuoran. Now that they know the little island master is a monster, it doesn’t seem that strange.

Many cultivators raise small monsters as spiritual pets in the cultivation world, especially among those in the righteous sects.

The two of them decide to catch up with the little island master.

Meanwhile, Shen Lingshu stands frozen at the kitchen door for a long time, his gaze distant, as though lost in thought. Suddenly, he notices a corner of a skirt near the archway diagonally opposite. His brows furrow, and he quickly walks away.

By the time Gu Jinping returns, the people in the kitchen have already left. She is angry and regretful, unable to explain why she had been so frightened by the little island master that she ran away. After all, he’s just a little monster, right?

With that thought, Gu Jinping makes her way to the main hall. Inside, the heart demon is peacefully sleeping in the chief seat, while Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai sit beside him, speaking in low voices.

Seeing the two of them ready to protect the little island master, Gu Jinping, who had originally intended to start trouble, hesitates and quietly withdraws from the hall. She can’t help but curse Jiang Zhibai and Li Jianming as fools for protecting a little demon just so it can sleep peacefully. Gu Jinping sneers inwardly, but now that she’s alone, she knows she won’t be able to take on the two of them together, so she decides to find another opportunity.

Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai meditate in the hall for an hour, and as they notice the sky outside suddenly darkening, they realize it’s almost dusk. They hurriedly try to wake the little island master, but he’s deeply asleep, his face buried in his arms, ignoring them completely. Left with no choice, they decide to head to the kitchen first.

The sky in Ruyi Pavilion is strangely rapid in its transformation. Darkness swallows it at a speed visible to the eye, and in the blink of an eye, it’s night.

Li Jianming feels a vague sense of unease. As he and Jiang Zhibai reach the back kitchen door, they hear the sound of fighting from inside. A strong demonic aura is spilling out. Sensing that the situation isn’t good, they rush into the yard and see Shen Lingshu battling a massive weasel, about three people tall. Gu Jinping is also there.

Gu Jinping is clearly assisting Shen Lingshu. Since Shen Lingshu is only at the foundation-building stage and has no other help, Gu Jinping sees an opportunity to show her loyalty in hopes of earning Shen Lingshu’s forgiveness.

But the weasel is immensely powerful, and Gu Jinping is no match for it. Shen Lingshu, injured, stands in a corner, swallowing a pill to recover. The group of them—fellow travelers—exchange glances, and with swords drawn, Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai rush in to help.

The two sword cultivators’ intervention gives Gu Jinping a chance to catch her breath. With their combined efforts, they manage to wound the weasel, but soon realize that as the weasel’s blood spills from its dark brown fur, it only grows stronger.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of Ruyi Pavilion, the candles in four corners are quietly lit, and the hall is almost as bright as day.

When the heart demon wakes from his nap, he sits on the futon in a daze for a moment, slowly remembering that he has heard Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai calling him to wake up during his sleep. Seeing the darkness outside the hall, he yawns and staggers toward the kitchen in the backyard.

Just as he is halfway there, he runs into Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai, who look pale and are clearly injured. Li Jianming’s simple robe is stained with blood, and behind them, Gu Jinping and Shen Lingshu seem to have lighter wounds. The heart demon, sensing blood in the air, immediately notices something is off, and his eyes brighten.

There’s demonic energy!

Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai are both exhausted, leaning on each other for support as they make their way. Upon seeing the heart demon, they quickly rush over, still out of breath, and urgently shout, “Little Island Master, don’t go to the kitchen!”

The heart demon nods. “I was just going there.”

Li Jianming freezes, unable to speak. Wasn’t he just trying to tell the little island master not to go?

Jiang Zhibai, realizing the situation, quickly says, “Little Island Master, don’t rush! Listen to us! The yellow weasel demon has indeed appeared in the kitchen, but it’s too powerful! It actually gets stronger when faced with stronger opponents, and we’re no match for it!”

When they first entered Ruyi Pavilion, they assumed the mission would be simple. They easily obtained the clues and confirmed that the task would be completed once they dealt with the weasel monster.

It sounds so simple, right?

But they never anticipated how strong the weasel monster was. Regardless of their cultivation level or combat power, the weasel monster only grows stronger when it meets a formidable opponent and continues to overpower them!

This time, there is no need to overthink—only absolute force can solve the problem.

It is just a monster with a single abnormal attribute.

Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai have suffered and don’t want to risk the little island master’s safety.

However, hearing their warning, the heart demon’s eyes light up with excitement. “Really? Let me see!”

Li Jianming and Jiang Zhibai scramble to stop him, but the heart demon is too fast, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Even Shen Lingshu and the others are startled when they notice a red shadow flash past. They stand frozen, realizing that the little island master doesn’t seem so weak after all.

Even if he isn’t weak, they can’t forget the weasel monster’s abnormal attribute—its power increases when facing stronger opponents.

Gu Jinping watches the direction of the kitchen and silently sneers, already imagining the little demon’s face, more beautiful than hers, being bruised and battered in defeat.

Li Jianming hesitates for a moment, then grits his teeth and grabs his sword hilt. “I’m going to check it out. If we can’t win, at least we can try to take the little island master and run!”

That’s how they had escaped earlier—fortunately, the yellow weasel demon hadn’t followed them out, but now, as he makes up his mind to return, only Jiang Zhibai follows.

Gu Jinping watches the two men’s resolute backs and sneers at them again.

At that moment, a white shadow flashes before her, and it’s Shen Lingshu following them.

Gu Jinping is startled and can’t help feeling jealous. But she quickly catches up, worried.

“Brother Shen, wait for me!”

It is dark in Ruyi Pavilion, and a few ominous crows cry out into the night.

As the heart demon approaches the kitchen, he hears this strange sound. At the same time, a strong demonic aura wafts from the kitchen. The heart demon immediately rolls up his sleeves and hurries into the yard, rubbing his hands.

The weasel demon is still in the kitchen. What Li Jianming and his companions don’t know is that the injuries they have inflicted on the weasel demon with all their strength completely vanish as soon as they step out of the kitchen door. Even the mess in the yard has been restored to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened.

When the heart demon enters the kitchen, he sees a half-human-high weasel squatting on the table, gnawing on a leg of lamb. Even when it notices the heart demon, it merely glances at him coldly and continues to gnaw on the lamb. The heart demon catches a hint of contempt in the weasel’s gaze.

He tilts his head and walks slowly toward it until he stands opposite the weasel. The weasel puts down the lamb bone, which has been gnawed clean, wipes its mouth with its claws, and says in a low male voice, “If you want to fight, hurry up. I still want to eat.”

The heart demon blinks. “Is that so?”

The weasel demon doesn’t resume eating the leftover meat but instead sits back on the counter, waiting for the heart demon to make a move.

Under the weasel’s expectant gaze, the heart demon slowly extends his hand and then suddenly grabs the weasel’s furry tail.

The weasel reacts quickly, leaping away like lightning. In the blink of an eye, a dark brown ball flies out of the kitchen and transforms into a massive monster, three people tall, roaring to the sky. Its demonic power shakes the grass and trees in the yard.

The heart demon watches in awe as the weasel grows larger, his eyes widening. He trots to the kitchen door.

“Wow, you can transform too!”

The weasel, perhaps eager to return to its meal after the fight, doesn’t hear him clearly. It lashes out with its claws, expecting the heart demon to dodge or be flattened. However, the heart demon isn’t there. The weasel slaps nothing but air. Stunned, it slowly raises its claws. There is no one on the stone steps, only a wisp of black mist.

Where did he go?

The weasel’s blood-red eyes widen in panic, and it spins around.

A large, blurry black shadow looms behind it, and as soon as the weasel turns, it is attacked!

The weasel suddenly remembers the heart demon’s earlier words: “You can transform too?”

Too?

When Li Jianming and the others rush to the kitchen, the scene returns to its original tranquility.

The weasel is no longer in the kitchen, and the little Penglai Island master they have been searching for is also gone!

Jiang Zhibai speaks urgently, “Go find him!”

Meanwhile, to the north of the city, on Xinglan Bridge.

Yun Zhuoran has already crossed half the length of the Xinglan Bridge.

As he expects, the Xinglan Bridge, which spans over several checkpoints, isn’t easy to cross. In fact, the bridge itself has seven smaller checkpoints, each corresponding to one of the Seven Sorrows of Buddhism: birth, aging, illness, death, the suffering of separation from loved ones, the suffering of unfulfilled desires, and the suffering of having to meet a bitter end. Each checkpoint creates an illusion that places one right into its experience, guarded by many demons, and as one passes through each checkpoint, they are affected by the rules of the bridge.

From the first checkpoint, where he reverts to a child, he has slowly been aging.

Now, having passed the fifth checkpoint, Yun Zhuoran’s hair has strands of silver.

Meanwhile, Cheng Ruyi, traveling with him, has become an old man, his white beard and hair, his face full of wrinkles.

Cheng Ruyi slumps on the bridge, too exhausted to continue.

“I’ve only passed the fifth level, and I’m already this old…” Cheng Ruyi’s voice has become hoarse and aged, and he says weakly, “I’m afraid I won’t make it through the next level before my life span runs out…”

Yun Zhuoran, however, still looks delicate and youthful, unaffected by the passage of time.

He silently observes Cheng Ruyi, who is near collapse, and shows no sign of urgency to continue.

The difficulty of crossing the Xinglan Bridge is considerable. The biggest challenge is the constant drain on one’s lifespan and the accelerated aging along the way. Cheng Ruyi has fallen to such a state, but Yun Zhuoran appears unchanged, making Cheng Ruyi envious.

“Am I seeing things? The Young Island Master seems younger than when we passed the last checkpoint…”

Since passing the third level, both of them have aged rapidly, but Yun Zhuoran’s hair has gone white by the fourth level, only for him to appear younger after passing the fifth.

To Cheng Ruyi, it seems that Yun Zhuoran is defying aging, as if he is reversing time. It seems that he will never see Yun Zhuoran grow old and ugly.

Yun Zhuoran shakes his head but says nothing. He has vaguely figured out the time rules of the Xinglan Bridge—rules that can only be understood, not explained. Seeing Cheng Ruyi in such a bad condition, he decides it won’t hurt to rest here.

Noticing that Cheng Ruyi seems more comfortable lying down, he too sits down, but instead of meditating to regain his strength, he pulls out the floating order.

The floating order has lit up several times during their journey, indicating that someone has passed a level. Yun Zhuoran knows this means another has advanced. Flipping through the messages, he sees the names of Tong Ye and Ji Wuwang—top cultivators who have entered the Floating City this time.

Now, on the floating city map, the icons around the edges light up one by one, but no one has passed further into the center. Yun Zhuoran guesses the difficulty will increase as they near the center.

The floating order lights up again, and golden light condenses into a line of small characters. After Yun Zhuoran reads it clearly, his cold eyes pause in surprise:

“Penglai Island Master Yun Weiran has lit up the Ruyi Pavilion in Floating City. No reward!”

“Warning: Penglai Little Island Master Yun Weiran, do not consume the monsters in the city! If this happens again, you will be kicked out of Floating  City by the City Master!”

Yun Zhuoran: “?!”

“Consuming the monsters in the city?” Yun Zhuoran can’t help but worry. Is Little Weiran really starving?

It seems they haven’t prepared enough Demon cores for the heart demon before heading to the Floating City…

To the west of the city, at Ruyi Pavilion.

The heart demon, having also received the warning from the Floating City Lord, wipes his mouth nonchalantly and stuffs the floating order into his chest. He walks out of the weasel demon’s lair and directly enters the kitchen of the Ruyi Pavilion.

“If they don’t want to reward me, then fine. I don’t need it. Anyway, I already got the weasel to tell me there’s a checkpoint nearby with a teleportation array that leads straight to where my brother is!”

Such a huge reward—it seems far more practical than the fake flowers given by the Floating City.

“If they don’t want me to eat it, I won’t,” the heart demon thinks. “I didn’t expect the Floating City Lord to be so stingy. Fortunately, I just ate the weasel’s entire family of 30.”

He has hit the jackpot!