Chapter 18: Ye Feng Still Gets Suppressed

Seeing Chu Huaizhou’s glum mood, Bai Li used her nine tails to massage his shoulders, comforting him.
“There, there, human, don’t be sad. There’s definitely a way to restore your cultivation and memories. No rush, meow.”
“Just trust me. I’ll protect you, meow. I might not be great at fighting, but when it comes to escaping, I’m unmatched, meow!”

“You’re right. I’ll count on you then.”
Chu Huaizhou had to admit, Bai Li was a sweetheart. A few words from her, and his foul mood lifted considerably.

Just then, with the combined boost of the Nine Luminaries Mysterious Abyss Ring and Bai Li’s auxiliary spell, his perception range expanded several times over. He sensed many people below staring at him.
The sect was livelier than usual, as if some event was underway.
Everyone seemed so cheerful—truly, one person’s joy couldn’t bridge another’s sorrow.
“Sigh, Bai Li, why’s the sect so bustling today?”

“Hm… where? Let me check, meow.”
Bai Li extended her divine sense, a gentle aura enveloping half the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect.
Most cultivators didn’t notice, but those above Spirit Transformation, like the Artifact Hall or Enforcement Hall masters, faintly sensed something amiss.
“Oh, I got it!”
Bai Li took in the sect’s activity, then exclaimed, “It’s the Sword Knocks at Heaven’s Origin recruitment day, meow! Why not check it out, human? It’ll lift your mood!”

The recruitment ceremony…
Still a bit down, Chu Huaizhou nodded, then his eyes widened as it hit him.
Wait—recruitment ceremony?!
He froze. If he hadn’t miscalculated, based on his memories from three hundred years ago, today was the day the game’s protagonist arrived at Heavenly Origin Sword Sect.

Black Abyss, a groundbreaking open-world pixel game, naturally had a player-controlled “protagonist.”
But Chu Huaizhou had transmigrated so early that the protagonist’s great-great-grandfather wasn’t even born yet.
Back then, he hadn’t thought to seek out the protagonist to latch onto their coattails.
Now, he was the biggest coattail!

In the game’s original plot, Heavenly Origin Sword Sect was propped up by a single Body Integration cultivator, its status as one of the seven immortal sects shaky, soon to be replaced.
The player-controlled protagonist, Ye Feng, joined the sect intending to cultivate diligently and save it from ruin.
But the sect was rotten, ruled by corrupt old-timers who suppressed new talent.
Despite joining as the top recruit, Ye Feng wasn’t celebrated but was constantly undermined, eventually rising up to join other sects in branding Heavenly Origin as a demonic cult and destroying it.

That was the original story.
Now, Ye Feng faced a thriving, upright Heavenly Origin Sword Sect, the world’s strongest.
Those corrupt old-timers? Chu Huaizhou figured his pre-amnesia self had dealt with them.
As for the entrance exam, the classic face-slapping plot probably wouldn’t happen… right?
No, he had to check.
He couldn’t let the sect suppress Ye Feng again. He had no time to deal with a future backstabbing protagonist.
Better to win him over early, foster a sense of belonging, and ensure he wouldn’t betray the sect—at least not join others to stab them in the back.

As a loyal Black Abyss player, though only clearing the first playthrough, Chu Huaizhou felt obliged to meet Ye Feng.
After all, his foreknowledge let him snatch many of Ye Feng’s destined opportunities, likely causing the protagonist plenty of hardship.
He felt a twinge of guilt.
Plus, the protagonist likely had a “ring grandpa”—a guide and utility NPC in the game, a former immortal realm powerhouse somehow stuck in a ring.
Such a figure might know why he lost his memories and cultivation.

Alright, he’d go see. Elders would be at the gate, so he could ask about the Great Vehicle demon too.
“Bai Li, what part of the recruitment ceremony is happening now?”

“Uh, meow, I don’t know, but I see lots of people at the gate with mixed auras. They’re probably all there, meow.”
“Alright, to the gate then.”

With Bai Li’s escape expertise, they reached the gate in a flash.
Chu Huaizhou’s aura, amplified by Bai Li, was too potent and might disrupt the candidates, so he had her stop the simulation and cast an illusion to disguise him as a random deacon blending into the crowd.
Partly, it felt awkward to appear as sect leader; partly, he wanted to observe the protagonist’s performance from afar.

But soon, he noticed something off.
A group in varied robes surrounded a handsome youth in plain white, wielding a sheathless iron sword, his sharp brows and starry eyes striking.
An elder with four black-and-white sword stripes on his robe watched smugly, not intervening.
Wait a second!
That youth’s attire… it was Ye Feng!
And that elder—fat, round-bellied, with a kindly facade—wasn’t he the game’s early boss?!
So, Ye Feng was still being suppressed?!

Ye Feng, surrounded by the crowd, grew pale, lips pursed, eyes blazing with defiance.
What the hell? Heavenly Origin Sword Sect’s a scam!
“Home of sword cultivators, warm as spring,” my ass! Why’re they slapping a cheating label on me?
Is this a setup? An immortal scam?
Fine, Heavenly Origin, you win!

Facing the Nascent Soul elder’s accusations, Ye Feng wanted to explain he was a natural sword seed with early Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Clearing the Ascension Ladder so fast was pure skill—he didn’t need cheating artifacts.
But the elder’s Nascent Soul pressure crushed him like a tidal wave, making speech impossible. Every breath was a struggle; resisting collapse took all his strength.

More people arrived at the gate, saw the scene, and after asking around, hurled insults without care.
“Yo, no wonder this broke kid climbed faster than a monkey! He’s cheating!”
“No skills, no game. You look pretty—maybe the Body Refining Sect’ll take you?”
“Why do people like you even try? No strength, just go to another sect instead of stirring trouble here!”

The jeers echoed in Ye Feng’s ears, his fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his sword hilt. Through gritted teeth, he forced out, “I… didn’t… cheat!”