A Journey Through the Martial World After Transforming into a Loli

Lin Xueyi's words left Ge Xinyao puzzled. She couldn't understand why the two of them, who had been debating so intensely and seemed to be thinking about the future of Youming Ghost Valley, had become someone with malicious intentions in Lin Xueyi's eyes.

Seeing Ge Xinyao's confusion, Lin Xueyi crossed her arms and looked disdainfully at the spot where the departing people had just stood before speaking to Ge Xinyao.

"Of course they have ulterior motives, Sister Xinyao. You don't really think they are worried about the future of this Netherworld Ghost Valley, do you? They just want to create divisions in the people's minds. You could even say they want the students here to choose sides."

Ge Xinyao frowned slightly, which naturally caught Lin Xueyi's eye. She knew that she couldn't explain it clearly, and Ge Xinyao certainly wouldn't understand these things.

"One side advocates prioritizing domestic affairs and closing the country off, while the other advocates developing externally and expanding continuously. Which one do you think is right?"

After listening to Lin Xueyi's words, Ge Xinyao thought about it carefully, but still couldn't come up with a suitable answer. "Both of them have their own reasons, and I think they both make sense."

"Ha, both of them make sense?"

In fact, Lin Xueyi knew that Ge Xinyao would definitely not have an answer, because in this world, there was no precedent for the harm caused by isolationism and territorial expansion. Therefore, in her eyes, both answers made sense.

However, Lin Xueyi was not a native of this world; at least her soul had traveled from here.

"Isolating oneself from the world and losing all external resources, relying solely on this small Ghost Valley and the surrounding islands to ensure one's safety is simply wishful thinking. Don't forget, the relationship between good and evil is not a peaceful one of 'if you don't come, I won't go.'"

In this life-or-death struggle, how can you compete with those who constantly travel the world and grow through battles if you try to develop your own power behind closed doors?

As this generation grows old, will these hothouse flowers, raised in such a peaceful place without any crisis, be able to withstand the attacks of the battle-hardened righteous alliance outside? That would truly be the end of the Netherworld Ghost Valley.

After putting forward her thoughts, Ge Xinyao thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true. Without the experience gained outside, relying solely on local resources would probably cause the strength of the Netherworld Ghost Valley to decline.

"If that's the case, then the other claim—that we need to occupy some territory—is also valid, right?"

Blinking, Lin Xueyi didn't answer directly, but instead asked Ge Xinyao a question in return.

"Aside from some evil forces that have submitted to the Netherworld Ghost Valley, their sphere of influence is limited to a few docks along the coast. They haven't expanded any further into the interior."

Lin Xueyi's words were fine, and Ge Xinyao nodded in agreement. Many people who had traveled in the martial arts world knew about the power of the Netherworld Ghost Valley, after all, it was the largest evil force, and they needed to have some understanding of it.

But what does this have to do with what was just said? This question was answered in Lin Xueyi's next sentence.

"The leaders of the Netherworld Ghost Valley are very clever. They are not overly greedy. They keep their power within the acceptable range for the righteous path and do not go any further. At the same time, they also give them a certain amount of defensive space."

"A certain amount of defensive space, I guess that refers to those shipyards," Ge Xinyao thought to herself, before continuing to listen to Lin Xueyi's explanation.

"If the people of Youming Ghost Valley expand further inward, it will inevitably arouse the vigilance of other righteous forces, and at the same time, it will affect the vested interests of other righteous forces. So, will they obediently choose to leave, or choose to resist?"

Putting themselves in their shoes, they would probably choose to leave immediately, after all, the other side is the number one force of the evil path, not something that ordinary small forces can handle. However, even if they retreat, they will have to seek help from other forces allied with them, since no one knows what these evil people will do next.

"That's right, they will choose to ask for help. And if they ask for help, does the Netherworld Ghost Valley think they will obediently retreat, or do they think they will choose to counterattack?"

This is self-evident. No one will see this as a retreat; more likely, they'll believe the enemy will counterattack, and they'll be on guard, perhaps even...

"The best course of action is to strike first. When the time comes, the Netherworld Ghost Valley will choose to strike directly and crush the allied forces. Once the allied forces are attacked, the situation will continue to escalate until neither side can stop. At that time, both the righteous and the evil paths will suffer heavy losses. Sister Xinyao, do you think that at that time, it will still be possible for them to achieve their original goals?"

It's impossible now. Whether the righteous path wins or the evil path wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory in the end. The loss of a large number of disciples will make it difficult for either side to develop back to its current scale for decades to come.

"That's why I said those two are harboring malicious intentions."

But what does this have to do with harboring malicious intentions? Is there something wrong with normal debate between the two sides?

"They were probably bribed, or rather, they overheard someone deliberately mentioning it in front of them and thought it made sense, which is why they're debating here. Didn't you notice that even after they left, the other students who heard their argument started discussing it as well?"

It seems that it really is true. Just now, she overheard two students passing by discussing who was right. But according to Lin Xueyi's analysis, neither answer was correct and both could cause unpredictable harm.

"It seems there's a mastermind behind this. A direct confrontation wouldn't work, so they've chosen a flanking maneuver, first planting seeds of discord among the lowest-level managers, and then finding their own people and turning them into their subordinates."

Looking at Lin Xueyi's smiling face, Ge Xinyao shivered for no reason. It was the first time she had ever seen this little girl smile like that.

Main Text: Chapter 248 Mo Ningyan in Busyness

Lin Xueyi's words reached Ge Xinyao's ears, making her realize that this seemingly young girl was actually very capable; at least, she saw much more than she did in some matters.

If Lin Xueyi knew what Ge Xinyao was thinking, she would proudly tell her that in another world, she possessed a vast and ancient history to give her ample resources—resources that, even in that world, were a gift many desired but could not obtain. A gift from the very core of one's being.

However, they didn't say any of this. Instead, a burst of applause interrupted their thoughts and made them turn their heads to look in the direction from which the applause was coming from.

Unlike Ge Xinyao's surprise, Lin Xueyi's face remained calm, as if she had known about Luo Qing's arrival all along. Indeed, she knew he was coming as soon as he appeared around the corner.

Luo Qing, however, was surprised by Lin Xueyi's words. If Ge Xinyao had said these words, he might not have been so surprised, but it was Lin Xueyi, a girl much younger than himself, who spoke.

This fueled his desire to win over the girl. This time, it wasn't just her looks, but more importantly, her abilities. If he could take her in, he might go further in management and have more support on the road to fulfilling his family's ambitions.

"I never expected our Xiaoxue to have such insight; she really has impressed me. Hahaha."

The seemingly teasing remark made Luo Qing laugh a few times, and he saw Lin Xueyi's face quickly turn red. She stomped her foot shyly at him before speaking.

"Brother Luo always teases me. What's so great about me? It's just that what those two said was obviously wrong."

Is there obviously a problem? Luo Qing looked at the little girl with amusement, trying his best to make his eyes full of smiles. But after all, this was something he had led the way in, and he felt a little embarrassed to be spoken of so harshly by a little girl.

Fortunately, she didn't know much about these things, otherwise he would have considered taking action to silence her. To be honest, he was a little reluctant to harm her like this, and it would have been better to keep her.

"Little girl, you're already very clever to have noticed so much. Didn't you see that none of the other brothers noticed? I suppose those two just acted impulsively and made a fool of themselves."

He had no choice but to swallow his pride and bear it, but Luo Qing didn't see that Ge Xinyao was looking at him with pity.

Even the most naive person could guess that Lin Xueyi was definitely suspicious of this man, and could even be certain that he was the one behind all this. Yet, she still put on an innocent face to get this man to personally slander these things. Isn't this like letting someone scold you and then praising the person who tricked you for being clever?

"Hmm, our little Xue is so smart. Alright, how about I take you to see some other places first? I just heard that after you two came out, you didn't look for me, but instead started wandering around on your own."

They quickly changed the subject; if they continued, they'd really be suffering internal injuries from holding it in. So Luo Qing quickly offered to take them for a tour of the academy.

"There's no need for that. Brother, you still have classes to attend. When we came out earlier, we specifically asked that gentleman, and he said you had classes, so we didn't feel comfortable going to find you."

That's a very strong reason. At least Luo Qing wouldn't dare say it now. He'd never attended a class before, so he could only awkwardly rub his nose before speaking to Lin Xueyi.

"With such a cute little sister here, waiting for me to take her to the academy, how can I concentrate on my studies?"

Lin Xueyi didn't know how to react to these words, but Ge Xinyao felt a surge of hot blood rushing to her head. She felt that if a hole were punched in her head right then and there, she would definitely spit out a lot of blood. A curse silently escaped her lips.

However, Lin Xueyi seemed very happy at this moment, as if Luo Qing's praise made her extremely pleased. She nodded repeatedly.

"Right, right? I'm sure I'm right, sister. Look, even Brother Luo Qing thinks I'm right. Those two are so naive."

Luo Qing, outwardly smiling but inwardly... looked at Lin Xueyi's radiant smile. Although she looked extremely cute, his heart was not moved by her adorable smile; instead, it was filled with gloom.

But verbally, she said, "Yes, our Xiaoxue is the smartest child. Much smarter than any I've ever met before."

After hearing Luo Qing's words, Ge Xinyao suddenly felt that this man might not have made her so angry, because he was the one who suffered the most. Lin Xueyi's words were clearly cursing him, but he still praised Xueyi.

As he spoke, Luo Qing planned to take his two prey to his hunting grounds to familiarize them with everything, as this would be their future battlefield.

Meanwhile, Mo Ningyan also encountered some problems. During her absence, some areas of the Netherworld Ghost Valley had experienced oversights by lower-level managers. In particular, after auditing the accounts, it was discovered that many places had deficits of varying sizes.

In some places, the situation has reached an unbelievable level, with numerous cases of missing persons occurring without any official reporting. This demonstrates that in some areas, the management has rotted to the core.

Looking at the intelligence information piled up on the table once again, Mo Ningyan just wanted to smash the head of the culprit. Meanwhile, inside the headquarters, she also sensed an undercurrent brewing silently. It seemed that someone felt they were living too well and eating too much.

Gu Youyue sat to the side, looking at her angry senior sister, and didn't know what to say for a moment. After all, this matter was also her fault. She hadn't managed things here well, which led to so much trouble.

"I'm so angry! There are so many things to do. Who is this disgusting person? I haven't even shown her the gift I prepared for my Xueyi yet."

Gu Youyue sighed softly, "Senior sister, the reason you didn't bring her back in the first place was because of these things. I think that at least after you've resolved this matter, you can explain it to Xueyi. That would be a reasonable excuse for your previous irresponsible behavior."

Letting out a long sigh, Mo Ningyan could only helplessly continue looking at the intelligence reports. However, she didn't see Gu Youyue's strange expression or the slip of paper clutched tightly in her hand. It contained information about Lin Xueyi's current situation.

Main Text: Chapter 249 The Conspiracy in Progress

Lianfeng City, a city with an extremely renowned reputation in the martial arts world, was as bustling as ever with people coming and going. Many merchants from all over the world came here to transport goods from the mainland, while others came to buy supplies here, intending to transport them back to the mainland to make huge profits.

The sky was clear and blue as always, the sky was high and the clouds were light, just like today was a beautiful day. However, in a somewhat secluded courtyard, several women dressed in blue robes were sitting around a round table, seemingly discussing something.

However, what they were discussing was already known when a long, dark shadow appeared in the lobby, and an aged voice reached the women's ears.

"Gentlemen, I never expected you to be hiding here."

"Oh? I didn't expect it to be Elder Luo from the Netherworld Ghost Valley. What brings you here today?"

The group, who had been somewhat tense, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing their leader's words, as if the newcomer was someone she knew or was acquainted with.

However, the old man just chuckled and didn't press further, but his tone wasn't exactly relaxed. He stared intently at them and said, "The entire Netherworld Ghost Valley is investigating what happened recently. Although I don't know what you need so many people for, you can't continue to do things so openly."

As if ignoring the old man's words, the woman at the head of the group simply ran her slender fingers lightly across her full, rosy lips.

A tiny tongue peeked out from between her lips, her alluring expression causing her to momentarily freeze before returning to normal, even though she was already quite old.

"Elder Luo, what's there to worry about? I know what you're afraid of. But isn't Gu Youyue and Gu Jin's wedding in a few days? On that day, all the high-ranking officials will probably gather together. At that time, you will naturally be able to seize the throne. Once you become the Valley Master of Youming Ghost Valley, what is there to worry about?"

Hearing the woman's suggestion, the old man was not attracted by her promises, but instead calmly spoke up.

"Hmph, without a Grandmaster, the Netherworld Ghost Valley would never have reached its current scale. Without Mo Ningyan, it would lose its deterrent to other forces. When that time comes, can you find me a Grandmaster?"

The woman chuckled softly. Although she was surprised by the old man's words, she was at a disadvantage and continued to speak.

"That's not the case. We didn't say we wanted to kill Mo Ningyan. After all, it's not easy to find a Grandmaster. We've brought quite a few experts this time, including some Grandmasters. If necessary, we will naturally take down Mo Ningyan."

The suggestion to capture Mo Ningyan is not just funny, it's downright ridiculous. If a Grandmaster really wanted to escape, who could stop her? Putting aside everything else, even a Grandmaster couldn't do it.

Elder Luo's sneer was noticed, but the woman could understand it. After all, how strong a Grandmaster was was something that ordinary martial artists might only imagine in their minds, but they, having witnessed the battles of Grandmasters, could naturally have an accurate understanding.

"There were once five masters in the martial arts world known as the Five Emperors, the strongest of whom was a master with the title of Netherworld Emperor. It is said that she was able to achieve a higher level of cultivation and greater destructive power than Lin Xueyi is rumored to have now."

The mention of Lin Xueyi surprised Elder Luo, as Lin Xueyi was the girl Mo Ningyan liked. Just how powerful she was was only known from the current rumors.

With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a thousand swords, intimidating both the righteous and the evil, defeating the second-best expert, Xuanzong, and becoming the second-best expert in the world. In the Central Plains, he was even more remarkable, beheading the Grandmaster Sea Emperor and killing Meng Chuanying, the Grandmaster of the Dragon Slaying Gang, right before everyone's eyes.

As for the other battles, those that weren't at the Grandmaster level, it would be an insult to the young girl to even mention them. How could the Underworld Emperor be stronger than her?

In fact, Meng Chuanying was killed by a mysterious girl. Although those people saw it, they still attributed the victory to Lin Xueyi. As for why, it goes without saying. Didn't they see who the other spectators were leading? One was an older sister, and the other was a husband. At this time, instead of supporting their own people, were they going to support that unknown person who fought with Lin Xueyi?

So, over time, the rumor spread that Meng Chuanying had died at Lin Xueyi's hands. As for the woman in green and the others, even their leader wasn't entirely clear on the matter.

"What do you think the Underworld Emperor is? Although he was known as one of the Five Emperors, he was the strongest in the martial arts world. If it weren't for the other four people who coveted the Four Spirit Pendants that the Underworld Emperor possessed and joined forces to defeat him and imprison him in the mountains of Qingzhou, the martial arts world would probably not be in such chaos now."

The Four Spirits Pendant? Elder Luo pondered this question carefully but found nothing. Finally, he glanced at the woman before speaking.

"So, did you invite one of the Four Emperors or the Underworld Emperor this time?"

Upon hearing that the Four Emperors and the Underworld Emperor were at odds, it was clear that the two sides would never unite. However, since they were so determined to help him capture Mo Ningyan alive, they would definitely invite helpers.

"Naturally, it's the third of the Four Emperors. Don't worry, with the Three Emperors here, there won't be any problems."

"Three of the Four Emperors? They really seem to be giving Mo Ningyan face. But since three of them have come, why not send one more? If all four are here, wouldn't the chances be much better?"

Hearing Elder Luo's words, the woman's expression was somewhat complicated, but she still smiled and said confidently, "Three people are enough. One person can hold her back, and two people can take action. We are guaranteed to capture Mo Ningyan. Once we capture her, the rest of the people will be no threat."

Elder Luo nodded in agreement. What he said was true. Gu Youyue and Gu Jin's cultivation was not yet at the level of half-step Grandmaster. At most, they were at the Innate Realm. The other person from Youming Ghost Valley, who was Mo Ningyan's other junior sister, was not in the valley at the moment. Instead, she was patrolling outside to inspect the forces that had submitted to Youming Ghost Valley in other places.

In this situation, as long as Mo Ningyan is captured, it will be equivalent to conquering the Netherworld Ghost Valley. As for the other experts, he has already won over a large portion of them. At that time, they don't need to help him take action; he only needs to remain neutral.