LAVW – Chapter 23 A Heartbeat

Brother Qian’s gaze made Wang Lianzhi feel a bit guilty.

Could it be that spirit beasts also don’t like being called fat?

Realizing she might have been insensitive, Wang Lianzhi immediately took out a tiny magical robe she had prepared in advance.

It was an extra-small vest, custom-sized for Shi Qian.

The small garment was inscribed with miniature formation patterns and dozens of talismans, designed to protect the wearer in unexpected situations—hence, it was called a “magical robe.” The same principle applied to magical artifacts.

The beautiful young lady presented her gift with sweet words: “If you wear this, you won’t look fat anymore! Not wearing it doesn’t count.”

“Thank you,” Long Ye glanced at the robe and recognized it as a well-crafted, thoughtful gift. He took the initiative to thank her on behalf of the little spirit beast and placed Shi Qian in his hand, holding him up so Wang Lianzhi could help him put it on.

Shi Qian cooperated by raising his tiny arms.

His gaze toward Wang Lianzhi became obedient once again.

Alright, you’re forgiven!

Who could stay mad at such a pretty and generous big sister?

Meanwhile, Wang Xingzhi quietly retreated.

He stole a glance at his sister, and upon seeing that she hadn’t noticed his escape, he let out a sigh of relief.

As an elder brother, he had no desire to be forced into wearing tiny outfits and miniature accessories again. It would completely ruin the calm and composed image he had worked so hard to maintain.

Once Shi Qian was dressed in the tiny vest, he immediately felt much safer.

On top of that, Wang Lianzhi had excellent taste. The vest was well-tailored—both functional and stylish.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she eagerly looked ahead. “Brother Qian, I’ll make you more magical robes in the future!”

Overcome with enthusiasm, she snatched Shi Qian right out of Long Ye’s hands.

Held in her soft, jade-white hands, Shi Qian suddenly felt a little unsteady, as if his feet couldn’t find solid ground.

He wasn’t used to this.

“How can you be so cute?” Wang Lianzhi praised Shi Qian while smiling and leaning closer. “Can Sister Lianzhi give you a kiss?”

Shi Qian: ?

Time to run!

Although he knew she was joking, Shi Qian wasted no time turning around. With a swift leap, he jumped onto Long Ye and parkoured his way into the large pocket at the front of Long Ye’s robe.

Only daring to poke his head out, Shi Qian let out a small sound: “Squeak.”

Be careful when entering the secret realm.

By now, Long Ye was a well-trained message relay tool. He instinctively translated: “Brother Qian wants you to be cautious once you enter the secret realm. Stay alert and pay attention to safety.”

“You too,” Wang Lianzhi said seriously, taking on the tone of an older sister as she instructed Long Ye, “If possible, try to stay with us.”

In the cultivation world, those who were clear-headed always remembered—no matter how great an opportunity was, safety came first. If one lost their life, what use were treasures?

Long Ye nodded solemnly, indicating he understood.

As they spoke, the spiritual energy outside Jiutian Peak had thickened even further—signaling that the secret realm’s entrance was expanding.

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the air. A massive fissure split open in the middle of the mountain, sending enormous chunks of rock tumbling down into the half-filled lake below. Water splashed high as the heavy impact resounded like the beating of a giant drum.

Everyone halted their movements and conversation, turning in unison to stare at the gaping crack in Jiutian Peak.

The deafening noise stirred restlessness among the gathered cultivators. The eyes of over a thousand people burned like thousands of torches, fiercely locking onto Jiutian Peak, ready to ignite at any moment.

The four great families of Fucheng exchanged subtle glances.

Wang Chunping instructed, “Xingzhi, lead them in.”

“Yes, Father.”

Wang Xingzhi nodded, his usually solemn little face taking on an even sterner expression as he waved his small hand with swift precision.

The Wang family disciples stepped forward in teams of eleven. Moving in sync with them were the other three major families.

The four great families of Fucheng made the first move, sending their younger generation into the secret realm under the protection of their Golden Core cultivators.

But the deterrence didn’t last long—the rest of the crowd grew increasingly restless.

The smaller families, unwilling to wait any longer, feared being left behind and becoming helpless prey. They rushed forward, trying to follow closely behind the four great families’ disciples.

Chaos erupted in an instant.

At the entrance, people were ambushed the moment they stepped into the secret realm, replaced by those who attacked them. Some never even made it to the entrance before vanishing entirely…

Those who were attacked fell helplessly, much like the shattered rocks from the mountain’s fissure.

Shi Qian observed these people and thought they resembled half-dried scarecrows tumbling downward.

Life, in the end, was as insignificant as grass.

Once chaos broke out, not even the great families could fully maintain order. After all, if one family had a Golden Core cultivator, so did others.

Among them, the Wang family remained the most unshakable.

Wang Xingzhi alone took down a Golden Core elder in just three moves. His overwhelming strength made others hesitant to provoke the Wang family, forcing them to avoid direct confrontations.

Whenever the chaos became too intense, he would strike again, reasserting his dominance. Again and again.

Long Ye stood with Wang Lianzhi and the others—nineteen people in total.

As they watched the ongoing bloodshed, they felt tense but not afraid.

Because leading their team was none other than Wang Xingzhi, whose display of power had silenced all opposition.

Shi Qian looked at Wang Xingzhi with envy and sighed, “Squeak Squeak.”

If I were this strong, I wouldn’t even need to grow up.

Long Ye glanced down at Shi Qian, whose ears, with their soft white-to-gray gradient, twitched slightly.

He knew someone as talented as Wang Xingzhi must have had a solid reason for his confidence. But still, he reassured Shi Qian, “You will. Brother Qian, you’ll get stronger, and you’ll grow up too.”

Shi Qian Squeaked happily, “Squeak Squeak”

Of course! Who knows, maybe after this secret realm trip, we’ll be much stronger!

Long Ye thought to himself—That would be a little too fast.

But sometimes, optimism was all that mattered, especially when preparing for something dangerous. Smiling, he said, “Yes! When we come out, who knows? You might be a Golden Core cultivator, and I’ll be at Foundation Establishment!”

Shi Qian thought they could aim even higher.

However, seeing that it was almost their turn to enter, he cast a glance at the now-bloodied lake and returned to a serious tone. “Squeak Squeak Squeak!”

Caution is key. The dangers inside are worse than outside. Stay vigilant at all times!

The truth was, in both cultivation and experience, Long Ye lagged behind many others.

Feeling a bit nervous, Long Ye—without hesitation—placed Shi Qian on top of his head.

He recalled a speculative note in one of the books he’d read:

“It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, Treasure-Seeking Mice were not only skilled at finding treasure but also had an innate ability to evade danger. However, since modern Treasure-Seeking Mice never exhibited such abilities, this claim was dismissed as mere legend.”

Shi Qian: …

No need to be that nervous.

He patted Long Ye’s hair bun. “Squeak Squeak.”

Don’t worry. If things go south, Brother Qian will take you with him when he runs.

Long Ye: …”Isn’t that a little ominous?”

The tense pre-departure atmosphere completely collapsed thanks to this one-man-one-mouse exchange.

It was a testament to the power of companionship.

Just then, Wang Xingzhi’s voice rang out, “Get on.”

Without waiting for them to react, he waved his hand, instantly lifting everyone onto his flying sword.

Then, with his sword leading the way, he charged straight into the secret realm’s entrance.

Flanking him were his father, Wang Chunping, and another senior Golden Core expert of the Wang family.

Three Golden Core cultivators escorting them personally—a lavish display of power!

The other cultivators were baffled.

“What is Wang Xingzhi doing?”

“Does he plan to go in himself? He’s personally sending people inside!”

Some of the smaller families felt a bit humiliated at the sight, but upon reconsidering, they saw merit in the approach.

Just as they were about to follow suit, they witnessed something astonishing—

Wang Xingzhi crashed through the entrance, then swallowed a pill. Instantly, his Golden Core aura plummeted, dropping him to the Foundation Establishment stage.

And just like that, he successfully entered the secret realm!

“How did he do that?”

“He wouldn’t have really crippled his own Golden Core, would he? There must be another method!”

“Why didn’t our family think of this?!”

“How old are the Golden Core elders in our family?”

“…”

In short—there was no way for them to replicate it.

Wang Chunping, watching his children safely enter the secret realm, withdrew from the commotion, ready to spectate as the remaining cultivators tore each other apart.

But before long, the most powerful families had all sent their disciples inside, leaving the rest to fight amongst themselves.

After a quarter of an hour, the lake finally calmed down, and as the spiritual energy surged, the entrance to the secret realm vanished and closed.

Meanwhile, the 710 people who had entered the secret realm now stood together in a mist-covered region.

Shi Qian stuck his head out and first saw uneven human heads scattered around. Beyond them was a vast expanse of white mist, and no one could step out of it as an invisible force confined the area.

The only notable features were two enormous, rough stone pillars, thick enough that five or six adult men could barely encircle them.

A massive stone beam spanned across the two stone pillars, on which a single, imposing character was carved: “Zhan Zong” (War Sect).

Of course, Shi Qian couldn’t read, but he recognized the words from the sound of people around him.

From within the surrounding mist, a coarse male voice suddenly rang out, clearly reaching everyone’s ears:— “All who come to my War Sect are honored guests. Please step onto the Life-and-Death Platforms.”

The next moment, Shi Qian, along with Long Ye, found himself standing atop a high platform.

There were eighteen such platforms, each randomly containing forty people.

From their vantage point, they could see the other platforms—tall, reddish-brown pillars rising into the mist, and below, an unknown depth of white fog.

A few people standing at the edge of the platform attempted to stretch their hands beyond it, only to encounter an invisible, powerful barrier.

“We can’t get out!”

It was clear that besides the platform, there was nowhere else to go. Once fighting started, there would be no way to escape.

The ground beneath their feet was reddish-brown, faintly emitting an unusual mix of fragrance and a metallic scent. Given the name Life-and-Death Platform, everyone instinctively felt an ominous premonition.

Shi Qian warned Long Ye: “Squeak Squeak.”

— Since it’s called the Life-and-Death Platform, it probably means life-and-death combat.

Long Ye nodded, his gaze swiftly scanning those around him on the same platform.

He spotted two Wang family disciples he recognized, but they were on the opposite side of the platform—too far to join up. And even then, they were merely acquaintances.

It seemed like most people here were in a similar situation. No one had instantly formed groups, aside from a few pairs standing close together. Most were alone.

Not too bad.

While the forty people on Long Ye’s platform were still hesitating and sizing each other up, a fight had already broken out on a neighboring platform.

A man took advantage of an old grudge and sneak-attacked another person, successfully killing them.

At that moment, a seven-colored divine light descended from the sky and enveloped the killer.

His eyes lit up with excitement, and without hesitation, he rushed toward the platform’s edge.

With the divine light surrounding him, he passed through the barrier and slowly descended into the mist below.

For a brief moment, the mist parted, revealing a lush medicinal garden teeming with ancient spiritual herbs. Just a glimpse showed their astonishing age and quality. The mist quickly closed again, but his ecstatic laughter echoed up to the platforms.

A sect of unknown origin could either be completely obscure or simply too ancient to be recorded.

Judging by the mystical abilities they had witnessed so far, this sect was clearly the latter.

Thus, the slaughter began.

The first rule became apparent: Only the victors who kill can leave the platform.

And the second rule was soon discovered—by Long Ye.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator had targeted a weaker opponent, preparing to strike, when another Foundation Establishment cultivator tried to interfere and take advantage.

Shi Qian immediately warned Long Ye.

At the same time, Long Ye observed that on another platform, a group had surrounded a single cultivator, killing them together—but none of them received the seven-colored divine light.

Seizing the moment, Long Ye shouted, “Group attacks don’t count! It has to be one-on-one!”

Shi Qian, who had planned to carefully reveal this information: …Brother Ye, respect.

Elsewhere, someone quickly confirmed, “It’s true! If two people kill the same target, neither of them gets the divine light!”

Back on Long Ye’s platform, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had tried to steal a kill halted in frustration and turned to find a new target.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator fighting Long Ye, seeing this, scoffed and turned back toward him, his eyes full of disdain. “A mere Qi Condensation stage… how did you even get in here?”

With that, he channeled his sword technique, surging spiritual energy around him as he lunged forward.

Fiery red flames flared from his sword, forming a massive serpent-like blaze that lunged toward Long Ye.

Faced with an all-out attack, Long Ye had no choice but to counter with his most familiar technique—Dragon Subduing Claw—to disperse the flames.

But unexpectedly, the scattered flames still posed a threat, and a fireball shot toward him. His face turned pale as he swiftly dodged aside.

Though weaker in cultivation, Long Ye’s agility far surpassed his opponent’s. He twisted to the side and struck back with a lightning-fast sword attack.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator prepared to counter when, suddenly, a chilling killing intent struck from behind.

The ambusher was using at least a Profound-grade magical weapon.

With a formidable Qi Condensation opponent in front and a powerful hidden attacker behind, the Foundation Establishment cultivator had no choice but to redirect his energy and turn around to face the rear threat.

The moment he showed signs of turning, Shi Qian vanished.

And Long Ye, sensing the opportunity, gritted his teeth and poured all his strength into his attack.

At the exact moment Shi Qian darted away, Long Ye seized his chance.

Ignoring his worries, he executed his strongest move, seamlessly merging Dragon Subduing Claw into his sword strike and driving it directly into his opponent’s exposed back.

Pffft— The first sound was fabric tearing.

Then came the muffled squelch of steel piercing flesh.

The devastating energy severed the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s meridians, cutting off his flow of spiritual energy. With a look of disbelief, he collapsed forward—his back facing Long Ye.

He couldn’t understand.

Because he had never seen the attacker behind him.

Not even a trace.

His blurred vision failed to catch the lone snow-white strand of fur drifting in the air.

Shi Qian could have answered his confusion.

Double teaming wasn’t allowed for humans… but he was just a little chinchilla who had a contract with a human cultivator.

Doesn’t count as human.

Moreover, Shi Qian had been extremely careful—his move was just a feint, not even grazing the opponent’s skin. No matter how one counted, the kill belonged to Long Ye.

A seven-colored divine light descended upon Long Ye, and Shi Qian quickly burrowed back into the pocket on his chest.

“Squeak.”

Let’s go.

Long Ye wrapped his hand around Shi Qian through the fabric, securing him, and took a leap off the massive reddish-brown platform.

The Life-and-Death Platform’s rules clearly didn’t count Shi Qian as a person, allowing them both to descend successfully.

However, as they fell into the endless mist, Shi Qian once again failed to hear Long Ye’s heartbeat.

Nervously, he asked, “Squeak Squeak?!”

Long Ye, you’re not dead, right?!

Long Ye: “Not dead.”

But you nearly scared me to death.

Shi Qian politely inquired, “Squeak Squeak?”

Then… would you mind letting your heart beat a little?

A heart that doesn’t beat is kind of scary… for a chinchilla.