"It's all because of that guy! Otherwise, how would I be in such a mess? He'll definitely laugh at me this time…"

As Gu Yueyan fell into the water, the first thought that surfaced was a mix of indignant frustration and wounded pride. To her, being embarrassed was one thing, but being embarrassed in front of Ren Suo was even more mortifying.

Gu Yueyan was well aware of how many times she had mocked Ren Suo. The thought of him ridiculing her once she surfaced made her wish she could sink to the bottom of the lake instead.

Maybe that guy has already taken out his phone, ready to capture my embarrassing moment, she judged, projecting her own habits onto him.

"Luckily, I still have my phone. At least this trip wasn't a waste…"

When Gu Yueyan saw tourists boating on the lake from the Ferris wheel, she immediately recognized the perfect opportunity. You might end up on opposite sides of a Ferris wheel car, but a small boat only has two seats. Being in such an 'open yet private setting' practically defined intimacy!

Thus, with a mix of reluctance, anger, relaxation, and tension, Gu Yueyan slowly sank into the lake.

She immediately struggled to rise to the surface. But as she turned her head, she saw a streak of radiance flashing from the bottom of the lake.

At that moment, the Qi Cyclone within Gu Yueyan began to rotate faintly.

The light seemed completely swallowed by the lake water, and all sound was blocked. In the pitch-black view, she could only see the outline of the Holy Grail at the bottom of the lake.

The Qi Cyclone inside her rotated slowly and elegantly. Gu Yueyan's gaze was fixed, unable to tear away from the Holy Grail—every pore, every cell, every sense in her body was leaping and cheering.

A whisper echoed in her mind: Touch it, and you will find happiness.

Touch it, and those who should exist will always be by your side; those who shouldn't will vanish forever.

Touch it, and life will be as you wish.

As a high school girl about to enter her final year, Gu Yueyan's intense emotions and fixations made her more susceptible to the whirlpools of desire and temptation—a spring coiled too tightly rebounds with greater force.

Just as a normally placid person can be terrifying when enraged, the action-oriented Gu Yueyan, once bewitched, almost instantly lost herself, swiftly sinking into the abyss in a daze.

It wasn't until a pair of hands grasped her waist, and she sensed the distinct aura of another Qi Cyclone, that Gu Yueyan awakened from her trance.

Although Gu Yueyan immediately held her breath, she had already swallowed too much water; her airways were almost entirely filled with liquid.

In a blurry haze, all she knew was that she seemed to be pulled upwards. Her arms and legs clung on instinctively, but this reaction couldn't last long. Gu Yueyan felt her strength fading, and she began to lose consciousness from suffocation.

Is this how I die…?

There was no life flashing before her eyes, no profound final thoughts. Gu Yueyan only felt immense pain. Suffocation, combined with the irritation of lake water in her airways, made her nose and throat feel as if they were being pierced by searing pokers. Intense physiological reactions relentlessly stimulated her brain.

Dying so painfully was completely unexpected for Gu Yueyan. She had always been competitive, never yielding to anyone, whether it was her highly talented brother or her peers, boys and girls alike.

Her journey from being the top of her class to the top of her grade represented countless hours of her effort. Gu Yueyan didn't idolize the strong, but she revered those who tirelessly strived for their goals, especially women. She was proud of her own drive and ability to take action.

If you want to change something, if you want to achieve something, you have to strive for it yourself; nothing just falls into your lap.

Gu Yueyan believed in fighting for what you loved. That way, even if you failed, you could blame the world rather than resent your own inaction.

She had always thought she was destined for a brilliant and fulfilling life. Now, she realized she was about to meet her end here, turning into a cold, lonely, ugly corpse.

Resentment? Regret? No matter how strong Gu Yueyan was, facing the fear of death, ripples of emotion stirred within her heart.

In a daze, Gu Yueyan thought she saw Ren Suo's face. It was still the same: ordinary features, droopy eyebrows that exuded a "Salted Fish" kind of laziness. Overall, he was only moderately good-looking, a complete mismatch for the strong and beautiful Teacher Dong.

If… maybe…

Gu Yueyan closed her eyes. But at that moment, she felt her tightly closed lips being pried open, and a flow of air, potent enough to dispel the pain, poured into her throat—

The experience of being snatched back from the brink of death tensed Gu Yueyan's entire body. The Qi Cyclone inside her accelerated, and her Inner Spiritual Qi surged along her ethereal meridians, spreading throughout her body!

Ren Suo held Gu Yueyan, his left hand reaching under her armpit to cover her mouth and prevent the air inside from escaping. He then quickly used this time to continue ascending.

Although he had dived only about ten meters, the surface seemed a hundred meters away as he ascended.

Moreover, Ren Suo faintly sensed something in the lake spying on him. This wasn't just a hunch; the Goddess Jade Pendant in his right hand suddenly began to emit heat. Although Ren Suo had never tested it personally, he guessed this was likely the Goddess Jade Pendant's ability to detect Demons and Ghosts.

Ren Suo glanced to the side and caught a flicker of Light and Shadow in the darkness:

Within the Light and Shadow was an abandoned water pool.

The First Stage is materializing!

Although he didn't know how much longer it would be before it fully manifested on Earth, it was already subtly intertwining with their world. Ren Suo was sure that if he couldn't surface, he would drag Gu Yueyan into the First Stage with him!

Ren Suo didn't think he could defeat the Demon inside. If they really went in, their only hope would be for the Magician he controlled in the game to successfully clear the sanctum and allow them to return to reality.

However, setting aside whether he and Gu Yueyan would starve to death by then, Ren Suo had never played this save file. He doubted the Magician would look out for him and Gu Yueyan, two uninvited guests. It would be perfectly normal for them to be killed by the shockwaves during a boss fight.

With "Unlimited Energy" at his disposal, even though the water felt as heavy as a swamp, Ren Suo still forced his way upwards!

This was the hardest swim of his life!

After struggling for a dozen seconds, just as he was about to break free from the darkness, Gu Yueyan started blowing bubbles again. Her body seemed to subconsciously cling tighter to Ren Suo, her strength almost completely gone.

Familiar with the routine now, Ren Suo pinched her chin and gave her air again!

However, at that instant, Ren Suo noticed another flicker of Light and Shadow out of the corner of his eye.

It was the wall of the Monastery!

A chill suddenly gripped Ren Suo's heart. Although the water was heavy, he had been swimming for so long that he should have definitely surpassed the distance he'd dived. If I'm not under an Illusion Technique, then that means… the distance between us and the surface has actually increased!

Adding these flickering curtains of light to the equation, Ren Suo naturally arrived at one conclusion: the Holy Grail was using the space of the First Stage to trap them.

Is there any point in continuing to swim up?

Just as Ren Suo began to doubt himself, the voice of the Holy Grail echoed deep within his heart again: "You no longer need to try so hard…"

"Effort might not be pleasant, but giving up is definitely exhilarating…"

"Living is already so difficult. Why make yourself suffer even more?…"

Ren Suo, his resolve wavering from the voice's pull, suddenly felt a sharp pain on his lower lip.

It turned out Gu Yueyan had regained consciousness and bitten his lower lip fiercely!

Their eyes met. Ren Suo saw anger, shyness, and confidence in Gu Yueyan's gaze, but no Fear.

The next instant, light suddenly blazed up from the dark lakebed—

Dazzling, pristine, and enchanting. Though silver-white, it brought a cool sense of reassurance.

The Holy Grail, the darkness, the illusory images of the Monastery—all were instantly dispersed.

The obstacles preventing their ascent seemed to have been completely pierced by this beam of silver light!

"HAH—"

"HAH—"

Two heads broke the surface, and they greedily gasped the sweet, fresh air. Even Ren Suo did so. Underwater, he hadn't been breathing with his nose and mouth; the Goddess Jade Pendant didn't give him gills but directly converted water into air within his body.

Ren Suo raised his head and looked up. In the twilight sky, still tinged with a hint of blue before night fully fell, the Silver Moon hung high, so dazzlingly bright that one couldn't look away.

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