I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script
Chapter 105

Many diverging paths, where do they lead now?

In a classroom of Xuancang Academy, students were hunched over their desks, writing furiously. Bai Roushuang glanced up at the sandalwood timer and sighed before returning to her examination on the Essentials of Spiritual Energy Conversion.

The memory of her senior sister’s resolute departure the day before flashed in her mind. She gnawed irritably on the end of her brush—this time, no amount of coaxing would work! Not even cherry-flavored ice cream pudding could smooth things over now.

The instructors at Xuancang Academy never spared their students’ dignity when crafting exams—the harder the questions, the better. Fortunately, Bai Roushuang had a solid foundation. Even after missing classes for a while, she could still make sense of the test.

After painstakingly filling several sheets of paper, the sandalwood timer finally burned out. Bai Roushuang lined up to hand in her exam and let out a small sigh of relief—only for the instructor to announce, "Good, this quiz is over. Tomorrow, another instructor will administer a small test. Everyone, rest early tonight and conserve your energy."

"..."

A chorus of groans erupted in the classroom. Xuancang Academy was excellent in every way—except for its relentless barrage of quizzes.

Too drained to catch up with classmates she hadn’t seen in days, Bai Roushuang ate a quick meal and trudged back to her dormitory.

She spent two hours reviewing spellbooks before lighting a soothing incense in a bronze burner to help her sleep. Curled up in bed, she flipped through a romance novel borrowed from her senior sister and soon drifted off, waving a hand to extinguish the candles with a gentle breeze.

She slept deeply, but when she woke, it was still dark outside. Pushing open the window, she saw a full moon hanging high in the sky, its silver light mingling with the glittering stars. Stretching lazily, she was about to return to bed when—

Wait.

Bai Roushuang bolted upright and stuck her head out the window again. A full moon? Last night, it had been a slender crescent—how could it change so quickly?

Realization struck—this must be part of the exam. The instructors at Xuancang Academy loved catching students off guard.

After a quick wash, she pushed open her door to find a girl in the academy’s standard white robes standing outside, seemingly waiting for her.

She recognized that figure instantly. "Senior Sister? You’re back?"

"Mn."

Bai Roushuang’s temper flared. Of course, her senior sister vanished during written exams but reappeared for the practical ones. She knew the academy’s testing schedule inside out—yet hadn’t bothered to give her junior sister a heads-up.

Still, since she had waited outside her door… Bai Roushuang wrinkled her nose. Maybe she could forgive her—just this once.

Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms and waited expectantly for her senior sister to produce the promised ice cream pudding. She had already rehearsed how to gracefully accept the peace offering—except her senior sister made no move to offer one, simply nodding and saying, "Let’s go."

"..." Bai Roushuang could only sulkily follow.

They walked in silence for a while, Bai Roushuang scanning the academy for changes. "Senior Sister, do you know what this exam is about?"

"No."

She couldn’t help grumbling, "This has to be Master Zhou’s idea. He loves being cryptic."

"Mn."

Her senior sister seemed unusually distant today. "Are you upset? Did something happen after we parted?"

"No. Just worried about the test."

"Oh."

"..."

"I wonder if the dining hall is still open," Bai Roushuang rubbed her stomach. "Do you want breakfast, Senior Sister?"

"No need."

After a few more attempts at conversation fell flat, Bai Roushuang gave up. The night was eerily quiet, save for occasional distant screams—an unsettling atmosphere.

"Senior Sister, that sounded like a classmate screaming. Should we check?"

"Focus on yourself."

"Fine."

Cultivators had keen senses, and Bai Roushuang soon noticed something amiss. "S-Senior Sister, what’s that shadowy mass moving on the path?"

"..."

"Shadow creatures! We fought them in the minor realm's trial!" Before her senior sister could answer, Bai Roushuang recognized them. "But they’re much bigger now. Are they more aggressive at night?"

Once she identified the threat, her nerves steadied. She had faced these alone before and was ready to strike—until her senior sister yanked her back. "Run!"

"Huh?" Bai Roushuang stumbled after her, chastened. Clearly, her senior sister had noticed these shadows were far stronger than the ones they’d encountered before. She had been overconfident.

After sprinting a distance, they nearly collided with a female classmate fleeing her own pursuers—more shadow creatures. "Run!" the girl warned. "Don’t let them bite you, or you’ll turn into one!"

"Turn into one?" Bai Roushuang eyed the inky figures. "You mean… our classmates are inside those things?"

"Yes! Classmate 210 was bitten, and she started turning black from the hand until she became… this." The girl pointed desperately. "The slimmer one chasing me is her!"

Bai Roushuang glanced back but couldn’t distinguish any "slimmer" shadow amidst the writhing darkness. Still, she frowned. "This is just an academy test. The instructors wouldn’t let us get hurt—"

"Look out!" Her senior sister jerked her aside mid-sentence. Bai Roushuang turned—the shadow was still far away. Was her senior sister just being overly protective? Before she could ponder it, she asked, "Where do we go?"

"Follow me. I know a safe place." Trusting her, Bai Roushuang dragged the other girl along. They reached a brightly lit classroom—no shadows in sight.

The girl slumped against the wall in relief, but Bai Roushuang felt uneasy. The academy was shrouded in darkness—this lone beacon of light felt like a… target.

Before she could voice her concern, her senior sister leveled her sword at the girl’s throat. "You’ve been bitten too."

Bai Roushuang froze. The girl shook her head vehemently. "No, I haven’t!"

"Your palm is black."

Bai Roushuang’s brow furrowed. "If you want our help, tell the truth."

Cornered, the girl slowly unclenched her left fist, revealing a spreading black stain that had nearly reached her fingertips.

"This…" Bai Roushuang hesitated, looking to her senior sister for guidance.

"Kill her."

"What?"

"You heard her say it yourself—she'll soon turn into one of those monsters and become a threat to us."

"..."

Seeing Bai Roushuang hesitate, she drew her sword and lunged at the female cultivator herself.

The woman's face twisted in terror. "No, please—!"

A metallic clang rang out as two blades collided before her. Unexpectedly, one of them was Bai Roushuang's spiritual weapon, "Crossroads."

Crossroads was a finely crafted sword by a renowned master, its name inspired by the phrase, "Many paths diverge—where lies the true way?" When Bai Roushuang had first chosen her sword, she felt an instant resonance with it the moment she laid eyes on Crossroads.

Now, under the moonlight, the blade gleamed—but not as brightly as the resolve in Bai Roushuang's eyes. She stared at the woman before her and enunciated each word clearly: "You are not my senior sister. Who are you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Bai Roushuang studied her, then suddenly sheathed her sword. Instead, she pulled out a fluffy cloak adorned with pom-poms, fastened the hood—complete with little tiger ears—over her head, and deliberately shook her head, making the ears flop.

"...What are you doing?"

"You really aren’t my senior sister," Bai Roushuang scoffed. "My real senior sister would never resist ruffling my head!"

Her grave tone contrasted absurdly with the ridiculous display, leaving the other two in stunned silence.

"Hmph! My senior sister would never slaughter innocents. Not only is this fellow disciple not yet a monster," Bai Roushuang scrutinized the imposter, "but even if she were, my senior sister would dig her out from the depths of hell if she had to!"

"...When did you start suspecting me?"

"The moment you refused breakfast," Bai Roushuang tightened her grip on Crossroads. "My senior sister is famously a glutton—she never turns down a meal!"

"..."

"And she’s a notorious pushover. She’d never ignore a fellow disciple’s screams."

The imposter suddenly laughed, the sound twisting her borrowed face into something grotesque. "Pity you realized too late."

She clapped her hands, and from beneath tables, chairs, lanterns—anywhere shadows lurked—inky black masses slithered out, converging into a towering, monstrous giant.

"You lured us here as bait? Why? The ones outside..." Bai Roushuang raised Crossroads defensively, cursing her delayed realization. "The shadow creatures outside weren’t actually dangerous, were they? You knew I could handle them, so you stopped me from fighting to lead me to this thing instead."

"Enough talk," the fake Xu Shulou lunged. "Let’s see if you can bring yourself to strike your beloved senior sister."

Bai Roushuang faltered momentarily at the sight of that familiar face.

The other female cultivator rushed to Bai Roushuang’s aid, weapon in hand. The imposter sneered, "You’ll join us soon enough. Why bother helping her?"

"Spare me your lies!"

"Fool."

"Don’t you dare make that face with my senior sister’s features!" Bai Roushuang feinted a thrust at her chest, then barked at the woman behind her, "Run!"

Her attack was a diversion—she propelled herself toward the window, crashing through it. The academy might hold more traps; retreat was wiser.

Landing outside, Bai Roushuang froze. The school was encircled by shadow creatures, their inky forms standing motionless in the night like a grotesque fence.

She grimaced. Of course the brightly lit academy had been a beacon.

The female cultivator beside her whispered, "I’m beyond saving. What about you?"

"What else? Fight." Bai Roushuang felt her senior sister’s recklessness coursing through her veins. She swung at the nearest shadow creature—weaklings, really, only dangerous when they lunged unexpectedly. Prepared now, she carved through them.

The imposter leapt down after her, sword flashing. Bai Roushuang gritted her teeth, dodging with a swift Swallow’s Return to strike at her back. "You can’t possibly mimic my senior sister’s skills. Let’s end this!"

True enough—had the imposter possessed Xu Shulou’s prowess, she wouldn’t have needed deception.

Their blades clashed in a flurry, Bai Roushuang confident she could win one-on-one. But the giant shadow hurled the unconscious female cultivator aside and lumbered toward her, while the smaller creatures seized the chance to snap at her legs.

Bai Roushuang ignored the biting shadows, focusing solely on the imposter.

The fake Xu Shulou grinned grotesquely as Bai Roushuang’s sword pierced her heart—just as jagged teeth aimed for Bai Roushuang’s arm.

Pain never came. Instead, another clang—this time, the sound of fangs shattering against steel.

Bai Roushuang’s eyes widened. Before her stood another Xu Shulou, trailed by a group of fellow disciples.

Tentatively, she whispered, "Senior sister... is it really you?"

Xu Shulou smiled, and Bai Roushuang’s tension melted.

The same face, yet radiating an entirely different presence.

The fierce warrior of moments ago now wilted into a pout. "Senior sister, that monster pretended to be you! My heart ached—you can’t imagine how it felt to raise my sword against you. I couldn’t bear—"

"I understand. I’ve already cut down three versions of you along the way."

"..." Well, that’s... efficient. Bai Roushuang’s outstretched arms dropped limply to her sides.

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