I am a female swordsman.

When Alizee and Ophelia stepped out of the room, both little ones seemed a bit dazed, listless and dispirited after being too high. Strangely, they had no memory of what exactly happened to them the day before, only vaguely recalling something extremely terrifying.

After that, Alizee and Ophelia fell asleep.

To be precise, he fainted.

The next day, when they saw Huang Quan again, both of them instinctively trembled. They felt that this usually icy sister, who seemed no different from usual, had become increasingly oppressive.

Having witnessed all of this, Mitis sighed helplessly in her heart as she prepared to go to work!

Her niece underwent some less-than-pleasant changes; she became stronger but also bald—no, she became even more frightening to ordinary people. Although Midis knew this was an inevitable process, it wouldn't be easy to get through; it was up to Huang Quan's own fate.

"Alizee, Ophelia, just go buy whatever you want for lunch, don't bother Little Yellow Springs~~"

Before leaving, Mitis gave the two little ones some special instructions.

Li was well aware that, given the current situation, getting the two little ones to continue getting along well with Huang Quan was a very challenging task. Rather than forcing them to cause trouble, it would be better to create some distance; this would be better for everyone. Alizee and Ophelia naturally nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Even the mascot of the GBL cult, the octopus monster Rost, now wishes he could stay as far away from the underworld as possible.

Perhaps it's because of the culprit...

Lately, Huang Quan's strange gaze has been frequently falling near Rost's shrine, as if he's realized there might be some deeper connection between the indescribable creature with endless tentacles in the deep sea and this harmless octopus monster. This inexplicable and illogical intuition is giving Rost quite a fright!

Before he died, he suffered some misfortune and stared directly at something indescribable.

To put it bluntly, this octopus monster meant well but did something wrong, and now it's afraid that the underworld will find out and settle scores later.

………………

Intuitively, Huang Quan did sense something. However, to put it bluntly, she had never been able to fully utilize her third-tier status, and despite possessing a mountain of gold, she hadn't been able to unleash its potential.

How can we continue to become even stronger?

Huang Quan already had a general framework in mind, and had also communicated with the system. The next step was to fill in the details within that framework.

"Sword skills, life form, sword intent."

Her brushstrokes were sharp as a knife, each stroke revealing an unyielding and resolute spirit. These three words represent the three driving forces behind Huang Quan's future growth, entirely shaped by her own efforts in harnessing the gains she had made over this period.

Sword skills, to put it simply, are the various moves from the four main female Ghost Swordsman classes within the system. Many of these are exquisitely crafted, and the same goes for those with untapped potential. This is the fastest way to become stronger. With Huang Quan's gradually developing aptitude, mastering the other two classes is only a matter of time.

Furthermore, Huang Quan had also planned out the four classes of female ghost swordsmen, which were also included in the framework. This originated from the system, and naturally, it couldn't be hidden from the system.

As for the last two items, they have little to do with the system.

Life forms originate from mystical knowledge and some tricks associated with the [Demon Contractor], and were not originally part of the normal female ghost swordsman system. In order to adapt to various extreme environments and enhance combat power, artificial life forms, quantum organs, energy furnaces, output runes, materials science, etc. have become compulsory.

Huang Quan was fortunate to have obtained this wealth of knowledge.

The human body has limited output rate and output volume. Exceeding this limit and operating at overload will burn up the fragile human body. This can be confirmed in some fantasy worlds provided by the system. Dragonborn can often cast high-level spells instantly with high-powered dragon hearts without chanting. Some non-human races can also do this, but human mages find it difficult to do so in their normal human state.

The most powerful output naturally comes from the culmination of wisdom and technology: the engine.

The stronger the material, the more powerful the energy it restrains. For Huang Quan, this statement opened up a new world of understanding of power. Operating on one's own body is something to be extremely cautious about, especially when it comes to the evolution of life forms. Once the arrow is drawn, there's no turning back; this is also the most easily out of control of the three chariots.

Finally, there is sword intent.

The knowledge about the sword intent sequence comes almost entirely from Liang Yue's oral accounts and Huang Quan's own exploration. The sword intents belonging to the [Mindset] sequence—Crushing Edge and the yet-to-be-started Concealed Edge—are Huang Quan's main focus in the future. Mental power involves the light of the soul and is inseparable from rank; from a higher-dimensional perspective, it is more important than the previous two combined.

Huang Quan paused, his gaze shifting and unfocused as he looked at the three words.

She carefully picked up the white paper. It seemed that these were not just three ordinary words, but three paths leading to realms unimaginable to ordinary people.

'In the next world, let's go all out!'

Having made up his mind, the white paper in Huang Quan's hand shattered into pieces in an instant, turning into tiny scraps that drifted down.

Thinking about it this way, I'm actually filled with anticipation for the next world. This can also alleviate the melancholy and sadness of parting that will come soon. Perhaps the very existence of a time traveler is a sin.

Just as Huang Quan was squinting, resting her chin on her hand, and looking around as she pondered something, her phone on the desk buzzed twice.

SMS?

Huang Quan, who had been somewhat nonchalant, suddenly remembered something and quickly turned on his phone.

"Over there, several people wearing cloaks found Rose."

This was the first message Ba Ge had sent to Huang Quan since he started keeping watch. The person he was watching was Rose, who was mining in the mining area. Huang Quan knew that Rose was called Rose Girl by Alizee.

I was about to leave when this happened to the little girl my aunt had taken home to raise.

Do you know who they are?

I received a reply to the message shortly after I sent it.

Why don't you come and see for yourself?

"..."

Interesting. Huang Quan raised an eyebrow. This incoherent speech, yet the tone was completely from the same person. It seemed something had happened with Street Fighter. But it was also predictable; that woman called Rose, with her keen senses, was more than capable of being a bodyguard.

If she has companions, and they are all there for Alizee, then she will only be stronger!

Street thugs like Brother Ba, who have some special skills, can manage small-scale brawls, but once Qiang Long sets his sights on them, they're bound to suffer.

Chapter Fifty-Five: Meeting

The street is still the same street. The people are still the same people.

But the scene was far more desolate; the storefronts on both sides of the street looked like they had just been renovated. By "renovated," I mean the initial, dilapidated state of the renovations—patches of black and white, far from the polished look a normal storefront should have. Huang Quan could even smell a familiar scent in the air!

The smell of gunpowder!

Having frequently encountered firearms in the two worlds she had previously experienced, Huang Quan could easily distinguish the acrid stench of gunpowder smoke and blood.

Was there a gang fight here? And did they use weapons?

The people on the street were also gloomy and dejected.

He drank alcohol, smoked, and looked listless.

"You've arrived..." Huang Quan's arrival on Gray Street was so conspicuous that he was easily recognized. Not long after, Scarface appeared in front of Huang Quan, seemingly emerging from some corner.

"Ah."

His face and hands were bandaged, making him look like a wounded soldier. Huang Quan glanced at him indifferently and nodded in acknowledgment. "Tell me, what exactly happened? Where did he go?"

"The boss was taken away by those women. The brothers on the street tried to stop them, but they all..." They were all severely beaten up. Undisciplined and unruly brawlers rely on individual bravery. Once they face a more advanced violent organization, it is no surprise that they would find it difficult to fight back.

Scarface and his gang were extremely unlucky; they ran into people belonging to a violent organization.

They were exceptionally skilled, well-equipped, and each possessed heavy firearms that were explicitly prohibited from being owned by civilians under the country's laws. Dealing with such an elite group of thugs would be too much of a fuss; clearly, their target was never Brother Ba.

It's just that Street Fighter was unlucky and happened to run into this incident.

"How many people were there? What weapons were they carrying? Did they say who they were waiting for or who they were looking for?" Seeing that Scarface's questions weren't getting to the point, Huang Quan couldn't help but ask him directly. Huang Quan knew that Scarface was also involved in watching Rose, and since he hadn't disappeared, there must be some hidden story.

Sure enough, he couldn't escape Huang Quan's keen eyesight, and Scarface touched his neck with some shame.

“There were three people who came, all armed with firearms, and also a very detailed robot. Before they took the boss away, they told us that whoever asked us to keep an eye on them could come. Now that the boss has been taken away, the guys outside are all restless. Now I think only you can save the boss.”

"I see."

Huang Quan's face remained expressionless, as if she had everything under control. Her extreme calm and composure were strangely infectious, and even the slightly flustered Scarface gradually calmed down.

This terrifying woman seemed devoid of emotion, constantly asking him seemingly unrelated questions, forcing Scar to painstakingly recall the night of that horrific incident.

Fire, explosions, bloodshed... well, no deaths. Because the other side never intended to kill them; otherwise, with their firearms and skills, not a single person on the street would have survived! As Scarface recounted what had happened, Huang Quan examined the various damaged areas of the street up close.

Only two people were responsible for the sabotage.

One person, wielding heavy firearms, swept through the crowd like a savage tank, crushing all resistance with a brute force. The other person, presumably controlling a robot, looked down upon the entire scene, a fact easily discernible from the numerous houses with skylights that had been given free access.

“The boss said that if you come back, you should ask the Empress for help. Because it involves…” Scarface pointed to the sky, his words carrying a hidden meaning. “…Without the Empress, this underground emperor, intervening, we’d be doomed for offending such a noble person.”

At this point, Scarface couldn't help but glance into Huang Quan's eyes. It was this female fiend who brought all this trouble. If he had known where the people monitoring him came from, he would never have dared to take this job even if he were beaten to death.

"[Empress]?"

An unfamiliar title caught Huang Quan's attention; the gray areas of this world seemed far more complex than they appeared.

“You’re not one of us, so you don’t know. The Empress is a legend; there’s nothing she can’t do. Our boss is highly regarded by the Empress, otherwise he wouldn’t be like this, you know.” When the Empress was mentioned, Scarface’s face was filled with boundless longing and admiration. A woman who sat on the throne of the gray zone in just six months, with all the unruly underworld leaders bowing down to her.

Her methods are even more terrifying. It is said that some fearless assassins who planned to assassinate the "Empress" were almost all driven insane by fear after meeting her.

The few survivors lived in constant fear, dreading the prospect of seeing the Empress again!

"I will bring him back in my own way."

Instinctively, Huang Quan didn't want to cause any more trouble. Going to see the "Empress" meant adding many more uncontrollable factors. Those people were clearly there for Alizee, and given the close relationship between Alizee and Midis, they probably wouldn't do anything irrational afterward.

Of course, this is based on the premise that Huang Quan takes them all down, which would provide a better guarantee.

However, Scarface then said something that surprised Huang Quan.

"The Empress wants to see you, now."

………………

"You don't seem very happy to see me."

Roses, candlesticks, classical music, and a high-end Western restaurant. In the now-empty restaurant, waiters are serving dishes that Huang Quan can name or cannot name. On the long, square table, many bright red roses are deliberately placed, blooming in a riotous display, as if offering their fleeting beauty to the noble figure seated at the top of the table.

The Empress, her face flushed with a rosy blush, gracefully swirled her wine glass as she gazed at Huang Quan with her alluring crimson eyes, as if making a silent invitation.

This is a red woman, alluring yet deadly, like poison.

"I was almost killed when we first met, so I'm sure I won't be happy to see you again." A cold voice came from the last seat, where Huang Quan sat calmly, gazing at the Empress.

The Empress sipped her red wine, her gaze brazenly sweeping over Huang Quan's face and body. Her eyes were like a pair of hands provoking interest, successfully causing Huang Quan to frown.

"Your cold demeanor is what makes you so irresistible." Twisting her long, curly silver hair with her fingers, her smile grew increasingly excited, as if she were thoroughly enjoying Huang Quan's angry but speechless state.

The Empress, who is also the Sword Demon, Tiana.

The nominal, albeit cheap, mother in the underworld!!

Chapter Fifty-Six Temperament

The reunion between mother and daughter should have been a touching and joyful scene.

However, the atmosphere at that moment was not like that at all.

Huang Quan's stiff and serious expression, and Tiana's legs crossed with interest—it didn't seem like a normal scene between mother and daughter. But then again, neither of them had normal personalities, and compared to the various unpleasant situations that followed their previous meetings, being able to sit down and eat together now was quite a relief.