A hundred years.

Lara Simmons had been stuck here for a whole century.

Even the guard dog, Blackie, who arrived the same time she did, managed to ascend with that young disciple just last month. But her—as the senior-most “Little Ancestor” in Xuantian Temple—she hadn’t felt even a speck of insight close to ascension.

Ugh…

She’d been sitting around since noon, and now, with the sun sinking behind the mountains, Lara finally pushed herself up, clenched her fists, and decided she'd had enough of this slump. Time to hit the ancestral hall and offer incense to Eldon Morris—maybe he’d bless her with some breakthrough vibes.

She lit a stick of incense, bowed deeply, and began mumbling her plea. Midway through, as she was laying her hopes out to him, the ancestor’s plaque—usually sitting nice and steady—suddenly crashed down.

“Ouch!”

“Lara Simmons, you come from another world. Your mortal ties aren’t settled yet. If you want to ascend, you must first return and deal with your worldly messes. Only then will you glimpse the true path.”

Lara rubbed the sore spot where the plaque smacked her, then looked up to see a white-bearded old man suddenly standing there.

“W-Wait... Eldon Morris? Did I piss you off so bad you came back from the dead?”

Eldon Morris: “…”

He honestly couldn’t believe this half-witted girl was one of theirs from Xuantian Temple.“Get lost! I was living the high life up there as an immortal, about to get promoted! Why the hell would I want to come back? Kid, stop jinxing me already!”

Lara Simmons: “...”

How long has Eldon Morris been up there after ascending?

Still no promotion?

Guess it's not all sunshine and rainbows in the heavens either…

Noticing Lara giving him a weird look, Eldon quickly realized he’d just lost his cool. He cleared his throat, smoothed out his face, and tried to slip back into that wise, lofty vibe he always faked.

“Kid, I know you’re desperate to ascend. I came down this time to show you the right path…”

“…”

Nope.

She wasn’t desperate at all.

She just felt kinda awkward that even little Blackie had made it, and she was still stuck back here at Xuantianguan. Bit of a blow to her master’s reputation.

Though to be fair, not like it was her face getting slapped, so whatever.

“Your ties to the mortal world aren’t cut yet—it’ll mess with your mind. Even if you try to get insights now, odds are you’ll fail. So, I’m sending you back to the other world to wrap up your unfinished business and get ready to–”

Eldon stroked his beard, trying to look all mystical again, as if he hadn’t almost flubbed his lines. “Uh, I mean, to help you ‘ascend sooner’!”

Lara Simmons: “Wait…”

Hold up.

Just like that? You're sending her back without even asking? Couldn’t he at least check if she was cool with it first?It was like Eldon Morris could read Lara Simmons’ mind. He snapped, “I’m risking violating heavenly rules by showing up, and here you are acting all ungrateful. Don’t be that person who bites the hand that feeds them, alright?”

“...”

Uh, excuse me?

Who’s the dog here?

Little Black is the dog. Literally. A big ol’ black dog!

Eldon kept grumbling, “Back in the lower realm, Xuantian Sect’s name still carries weight. Everyone knows us. But up here? Sigh... More and more disciples are ascending, and there's barely room left for them…”

Lara twitched at the corner of her mouth.

That kind of tone shift? Never a good sign.

And sure enough…

“Here’s the deal, kid. Besides tying up your loose ends down there, I need you to sort out a more pressing issue—build Xuantian Sect a new HQ! Make it grand. I'm talking massive, shiny, luxurious—go all out!”

Lara: “…”

Eldon’s voice faded into a ghostly echo, “Alright, time’s up. No need to chatter on. Just remember, you've got duties now. No more slacking off like before!”

Lara: “…”

So basically, helping her ascend was just a cover.

The real goal? Free labor for a construction project?Just as Lara Simmons was mentally grumbling, she suddenly felt a kick on her backside. The next second, she was falling into nothingness, a blinding flash of white flooding her vision. Instinctively, she threw her arm up to block her eyes.

A black sports car came to an abrupt stop, tires screeching at the zebra crossing.

At this hour, forget people—even cars were barely around. Damien Knight, known for his steady driving, had scanned the road carefully before turning...

But the girl had appeared as if out of nowhere.

Taking a breath to steady himself, Damien unbuckled and got out of the car.

Dressed in a fitted black shirt and slacks, his naturally tall build looked even leaner, and his sharp features stood out strikingly in the night. Handsome didn’t even begin to cover it—he looked like he’d stepped out of a dream.

But that gray-white hair of his gave off an odd sense of melancholy.

The girl sitting on the ground didn’t hide a single bit of her expression. That split-second shift from confusion to... was that concern?—caught Damien off guard.

“Are you hurt?” His voice was low, a bit cold, with just the right amount of distance—but oddly soothing.

Lara’s eyes lit up.

Whoa, not bad.

It had been a while since she’d seen a man who looked better than her junior martial brother~

“I’m good, really!” Lara stood up in one smooth motion, brushing the dust off her clothes. “Sorry about that—popped up a little sudden, probably gave you a scare, huh~”

Damien: “…”

He’d almost run her over.She actually apologized to him?

"You... are you sure you're okay?" Damien pointed at Lara, then tapped his own temple.

Lara didn’t seem to notice the weird look in his eyes. She bounced on the spot a few times right in front of him. "Totally fine. See for yourself..."

She had popped out of nowhere and almost gave the guy a heart attack.

But instead of freaking out, he was more worried she might be hurt.

What a genuinely good guy~

Damien: "..."

Well, she did look alright.

Still, he frowned slightly, uneasy for no clear reason.

He turned back to his car and pulled out a card with his private number, handing it to her. "I’ll be staying in Nanshi for a while. If anything feels off, contact me right away."

"I’ll take responsibility."

Lara took the card and flashed a smile. "I’ll be fine. You, on the other hand… that innate baleful energy of yours? If you don’t do something about it soon, you might not even see thirty."

Baleful… energy?

Damien’s eyes sharpened, narrowing on her face. His tone turned cold. "Who are you? Why are you trying to get close to me? What are you after?"

He’d been born with silvery hair, and anything he touched—be it plant or animal—would wither to ash in seconds. Even people around him couldn’t escape the misfortune that clung to his presence.If it weren’t for that talisman master from the xuanmen who traded his life to seal the power inside him, the whole Knight family probably would’ve wiped him out long ago.

The master told him—it’s an innate dark force, the kind regular folks can’t handle. Even he could only keep it suppressed for thirty years.

Damien Knight is now twenty-five.

Five years left on the clock.

This whole thing... it’s top-secret, known only to a few in the Knight family. And yet, this tiny girl—she didn’t look a day over sixteen—how the hell did she know?

His deep eyes flickered with something cold and sharp. Danger.

Lara Simmons blinked, then suddenly got a little pissed. “Hey! Could you not give me that weirdly suspicious look? I’m the highest-ranking elder in the xuanmen—seriously, you can call me ‘Grandmaster.’ Seeing through your little situation? Piece of cake!”