Three Forces and the Quantum Key

Caixia Island, the most beautiful island in Taohuawu.

It was late spring, and thousands of peach trees on the island were in full bloom, their pink and white petals like clouds and mist, turning the entire island into a gentle ocean. A fighting arena, about ten feet high, had been erected on the flat ground in the center of the island, with spectator stands around it, which were now full of people—the villagers of Peach Blossom Village, as well as the visitors who had arrived in the village over the past three days.

Li Xian and Xiao Lingshan sat in the guest seats on the east side, while the drones were hidden in the nearby peach grove, ready to be deployed. Peng Shitao sat beside them, quietly introducing the several conspicuous groups of people on the west side of the arena.

"Look, those are our own contestants from Peach Blossom Village." She pointed to a group of young men and women in the front row. "Sister Shutao and Brother Aonan are here. According to the rules, people from the village can also participate. If they win, the first prize can be exchanged for the opportunity to enter the third floor of the library—there are complete manuscripts left by our ancestors there."

Li Xian looked over. Peng Shutao was dressed in a light blue outfit today, her long hair tied up high, a sword at her waist, her expression as cold and aloof as a frozen pool. Shen Aonan stood beside her, also dressed in blue; the two had similar temperaments, like a perfect couple. Shen Aonan, on the other hand, wore a light green robe and was chatting and laughing with several girls from the village.

"Those white-clad figures at the tables to the west are from Linghan Palace," Peng Shitao said in a low voice. "The middle-aged woman at the head of the group, they all call her 'Aunt Xiao.' Last night, the night patrol spotted them loitering around Qihuang Island. When questioned, they said they were 'enjoying the night view,' but who would believe them…"

Aunt Xiao. Li Xian carefully examined the woman. She was around forty years old, with a dignified face. Her eyebrows and eyes did indeed resemble Xiao Lingshan's by about five points, but her temperament was colder, as if covered with a layer of frost. Behind her stood four young women in white, all wearing veils, with slender figures, but their eyes were sharp as swords.

Xiao Lingshan's gaze lingered on Aunt Xiao's face for a long time, her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were recalling something.

"Those men in black on the north side only entered the village yesterday evening," Peng Shitao's voice lowered. "They claim to be 'overseas wandering knights,' but Father said their accents and gait are very similar to the remnants of the former dynasty's demonic sect..."

Li Xian's heart skipped a beat. He looked closely—there were about seven or eight men in black, and the leader was a woman. She was dressed in a black outfit with a dark red cloak over it, and her face was covered by a half-silver mask, revealing only her beautifully shaped jawline and a pair of smiling eyes. She seemed to notice Li Xian's gaze, turned her head, and gently raised the teacup in her hand across the crowd.

That posture was both languid and dangerous.

"Miss Chunmeng," Li murmured the name. It was the leader they had mentioned when interrogating the men in black at the dilapidated temple.

"What?" Xiao Lingshan didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing," Li Xian shook his head, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind. The remnants of the Demonic Sect, Linghan Palace, and the local forces of Peach Blossom Village—three forces were all heading towards the Star-Picking Island altar.

At that moment, three drumbeats sounded on the arena.

Clan Chief Peng Huaishan slowly ascended the stage. Today, he was dressed in a formal dark blue robe, embroidered with a complete picture of the seven islands of Peach Blossom Pool. Behind him followed four elderly men who appeared to be elders; they were likely the elders of Peach Blossom Village.

"Distinguished guests, fellow villagers," Peng Huaishan's booming voice echoed throughout the village, "the triennial Peach Blossom Festival officially begins today. In accordance with ancestral instructions, in addition to the traditional martial arts competitions, essay contests, and skill contests, the first-place winner of this year's festival will receive an extra reward—"

He paused, and the entire room fell silent.

"Enter the ancient altar on Star-Picking Island and meditate for three days."

As soon as he finished speaking, a buzz of discussion arose from the crowd. Most of the outsiders looked puzzled, while the villagers of Peach Blossom Village had mixed expressions—longing, awe, and worry.

"Chieftain!" A wandering swordsman stood up from the table. "May I ask what's so special about that ancient altar? Is it worthy of being the first-place reward?"

Peng Huaishan stroked his beard and said, "The altar was left by a wise man from beyond the heavens three hundred years ago. It contains the secrets of energy circulation and the opportunity for cultivation and enlightenment. But—" He changed the subject, "the altar also has risks. Those who have entered throughout the ages have either achieved sudden enlightenment and broken through to a higher realm, or suffered mental damage and lost all their cultivation. Therefore, our clan has established a rule: only the top-ranked person may enter, and only those who are willing to enter may enter."

"So, even if you win, you can choose not to go?" someone asked.

"Of course." Peng Huaishan nodded. "If the first place winner gives up, the reward will be passed on to the second place winner. But I must remind you all: the altar has powerful energy, so those with weak wills should not force themselves."

Li Xian listened silently. The administrator sneered in his mind: [Risk? That's just an excuse for lower civilizations to not fully control higher-level energy devices. I must go into that altar.]

"Are you confident?" Li asked in his mind.

[Based on current data analysis, the altar core exhibits a high-dimensional energy reaction. If fully absorbed, your energy level could exceed 100.] The administrator's voice carried an unusual urgency: [We must win at all costs.]

Li Xian sighed inwardly. The phrase "at all costs"—when spoken by a manager, always sent chills down his spine.

With the rules announced, the competition officially began. The first round was a "literary test," the question of which was to interpret an energy flow diagram left by the ancestors of Peach Blossom Village—a complex pattern carved on a stone tablet, said to be basic energy topology taught by a celestial sage.

Participants must use pen and ink to copy and annotate the operating principle of the incense before it burns out.

Li Xian did not register—the administrator's instruction was to conserve strength and focus on the martial arts test. He sat in the audience, watching the people on the stage, some intently practicing, others scratching their heads in frustration.

Xiao Lingshan said softly, "That picture... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

"What?"

"Little pine tree," she whispered, "the energy flow patterns when Boltzmann's brain created it... are similar to the diagram on the stone tablet."

Li Xian looked closely. Indeed, although the patterns on the stone tablet were complex, the core spirals were exactly the same as the energy circulation pattern inside the small pine tree.

"Could the extraterrestrial sage be Boltzmann's brain?" he murmured.

"Or... it's a kind of brain." Xiao Lingshan's voice became even softer.

The results of the written examination came out quickly. Unexpectedly, the top spot went to Aunt Xiao from Linghan Palace. Her annotation diagram was precise and concise, even Peng Huaishan nodded in approval after seeing it. The second place went to Peng Shutao, and the third place went to a scholar from elsewhere.

The martial arts test will begin in the afternoon. It will be a ring battle, one-on-one, with poison and lethal hidden weapons prohibited, and will stop when the opponent has made a move.

Li signed up first. His number was "Outer Seven," and he was in the middle of the line.

While waiting, he quietly left his seat and went to the peach grove at the edge of Rainbow Island. The drones were waiting there.

"How's it going?" he asked Superman.

"Power levels are high, combat modules are 92% restored," Superman reported. "But boss, I've found something strange."

"explain."

Superman projected a holographic image—a simulation of the energy flow between the seven islands of Peach Blossom Pool. In the image, the originally stable light blue energy network between the seven islands now showed several abnormal red nodes.

"These nodes are being infiltrated by external signals," Superman explained. "There are three signal sources: one in the 'Listening Snow Pavilion' where those people from Linghan Palace live, one in the 'Far Sail Residence' where the men in black live, and the other... inside Qihuang Island."

"Phoenix Island? Isn't that the clan leader's residence?"

"To be precise, it's underground on Phoenix Island." Superman adjusted the image to show the underground structure. "There's a secret chamber there with a very strong energy reaction. The infiltration signal is emanating from a device in that chamber—but strangely, that device itself is also being infiltrated by two other signals."

Li Xian frowned: "You mean, the three forces are secretly vying for control of the Peach Blossom Village energy network in some way?"

"It's more like hacking," Batman interjected. "My sonar picked up that those signals are encrypted quantum key exchange protocols. They're trying to crack access to the core of the energy network."

Quantum key? Li Xian was stumped. This is getting more and more like science fiction.

"Can it be intercepted or interfered with?" he asked.

"Not for now," the Dark Knight said in a deep voice. "Our computing power is insufficient. Unless... we access the database left behind by Boltzmann's brain."

Li shook his head. His brain had lost connection; although the administrators had taken over some of his intelligence, they would never do such a thing for him.

"Focus on the arena first," he concluded. "Win first place and enter the altar. That might be the core of the entire network; once you get there, you might be able to see the big picture."

When they returned to the ring, the match had progressed to its fourth round. Peng Shutao was facing off against a foreign swordsman.

Peng Shutao's swordsmanship was just like her—clear, cold, and meticulous. With each thrust, a wisp of pale blue mist rose from the tip of her sword. The mist condensed into tiny ice crystals in the air, dancing with the movement of her sword, breathtakingly beautiful, yet also suffocatingly dangerous.

After ten moves, the swordsman's blade was frozen solid and slipped from his grasp. Peng Shutao sheathed his sword and bowed, saying, "You flatter me."

Clean and neat.

"Next up, number seven, Li Xian; yes, number twelve, Gan Feilong!"

Li Xian took a deep breath and stepped onto the ring.

His opponent was a burly man, as tall as a tower, wearing a pair of dark gold metal gauntlets. The man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Kid, all soft and delicate, how many punches can you take from me?"

Li Xian didn't answer, but simply assumed the starting stance of the Northern Darkness Divine Art. Dark red energy flowed in his palm.

Gan Feilong's eyes narrowed: "Demonic sect techniques? Interesting!"

He suddenly charged forward and threw a punch! The wind from the punch howled, carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Li Xian didn't take the blow head-on, but instead dodged to the side and struck the opponent's ribs with a palm—he wanted to test the effect of the Northern Darkness Divine Art in absorbing internal energy.

The palm strike landed on his body, but Gan Feilong laughed loudly: "Trying to absorb my internal energy? Dream on!"

A flash of golden light appeared on his gauntlets, and Li Xian felt as if his suction force had hit a copper wall, causing his palms to go numb from the shock.

[The enemy has equipped themselves with an energy isolation layer.] The administrator coldly analyzed, [I suggest switching to a pure energy attack.]

Li retreated three steps, crossing his hands in front of his chest. Dark red energy condensed, transforming into three spiral-shaped energy beams—this was the "Three Powers Spiral Force" he had comprehended from Boltzmann's knowledge of the brain, specifically designed to break through protective energy.

"go!"

The energy beam shot out, drawing three strange arcs in the air, attacking Gan Feilong from three directions.

Gan Feilong's expression changed slightly. He unleashed a flurry of punches, shattering two energy beams, but was struck in the shoulder by the third. He groaned and staggered back five steps, his shoulder charred black.

"Good lad!" A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and the golden light on his gauntlets suddenly intensified. "Take this 'Vajra Subduing Demon' move!"

He clasped his fists together and charged forward like a cannonball! The force of this attack made the arena tremble.

Li Xian dared not take the attack head-on and retreated hastily. However, the arena space was limited, and he was already at the edge in the blink of an eye.

Just then, a thought flashed through his mind—he remembered the sonic attack patterns of the metal spiders in the canyon.

"Batman!" he cried out in his mind, "Give me an out-of-phase sound frequency!"

Although separated by distance, the drone maintained its connection to his consciousness. Batman responded instantly: "Frequency: 377.5 Hz, Modulation Mode: Sawtooth Wave!"

Li Xian clasped his hands together, vibrating the dark red energy at a specific frequency to simulate the characteristics of a sonic attack, and then thrust out a palm to meet Gan Feilong's punch!

There was no loud noise, only a low, almost inaudible hum.

Gan Feilong's forward momentum suddenly stopped! His expression froze, the golden light on his gauntlets flashed intensely, and then with a "crack," a crack appeared on the surface of the gauntlets!

"You..." He stared wide-eyed, wanting to say something, but his legs went weak and he knelt on one knee.

Li Xian withdrew his palms and cupped his hands, saying, "You flatter me."

There was a moment of silence from the audience, then burst into applause. Peng Shitao jumped up excitedly: "Brother Li is amazing!"

Xiao Lingshan frowned slightly—she noticed that Li Xian's eyes had turned extremely cold for a moment during his attack, as if he had become a different person.

Those are traces of management intervention and manipulation at critical moments.

Li Xian stepped off the stage, feeling his back soaked in cold sweat. At least a third of that attack had been delivered by the administrator directly controlling his body. The feeling of his body being ripped away was more terrifying than any physical injury.

"Well played." A languid female voice sounded from the side.

Li turned his head. It was the woman in black wearing a silver mask—Miss Chunmeng. She had somehow arrived at the edge of the seating area and was leaning against a peach tree, looking at him with a half-smile.

"The demonic cult's energy-absorbing magic, plus... some strange sonic techniques." She tilted her head. "Just who are you?"

"Just a hermit in the mountains," Li Xian said calmly.

"A wandering cultivator?" Miss Chunmeng chuckled. "A wandering cultivator can master the core techniques of the Demonic Sect that have been lost for a hundred years? And a wandering cultivator is accompanied by five talking and fighting mechanical creations?"

She took a step closer, lowering her voice: "I know you're from Han Family Fortress. That cave, that intelligent brain... you experienced it all, didn't you?"

Li Xian's pupils contracted slightly.

"Don't be nervous," Miss Chunmeng waved her hand. "I'm not interested in brains. I'm only interested in power. I want the things in the altar too. But—"

She paused, her eyes crinkling beneath the mask: "But I can cooperate with you. Those women in Linghan Palace are difficult to deal with, and the people of Peach Blossom Village won't genuinely help outsiders. If we join forces, our chances of victory will be much greater. We can share the contents of the altar."

Why should I believe you?

"Just because..." Miss Chunmeng suddenly raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing against Li Xian's clothes. Her movements were as fast as a ghost, and Li Xian didn't even have time to react.

When the fingertips left, a peach petal was caught in them.

On the petal, a line of words was pierced with an extremely fine needle: Be careful of Aunt Xiao, she recognizes Xiao Lingshan.

Li Xianxin was shocked.

Miss Chunmeng had already turned to leave, but after taking a few steps, she turned back and smiled sweetly: "I'll think about it. I'll send someone to find you tonight."

She disappeared into the peach grove.

Li Xian stood there, looking at the petal in his palm, his heart churning with turmoil.

Aunt Xiao recognizes Xiao Lingshan? What does that mean?

He looked up at the seats in Linghan Palace. Aunt Xiao was sitting upright, drinking tea, her expression calm. But Li Xian noticed that her gaze would occasionally drift towards Xiao Lingshan's direction, though she would quickly look away, but that gaze... carried a complex, almost painful longing.

The match on the stage continues.

Shen Aonan easily defeated her opponent, while Shen Jiaonan narrowly won by one move. A white-clad woman from Linghan Palace named "Bingwei" was ruthless, drawing blood from her opponent within ten moves, and was warned by the referee.

As the sun began to set, the first round of the martial arts test concluded. Of the thirty-two participants, half were eliminated.

Li Xian, Peng Shutao, Shen Aonan, Shen Jiaonan, Bing Wei, Gan Feilong (although he lost to Li Xian, he advanced in the subsequent revival round), several outside experts, and a black-clad swordsman under Miss Chunmeng's command, advanced to the top sixteen.

Tomorrow will be an even fiercer showdown.

As the event concluded, Peng Huaishan announced: "Tonight at 7 PM, there will be a 'Peach Blossom Banquet' on Caixia Island. All participants and distinguished guests are invited to attend. The specific rules for tomorrow's competition will be announced then."

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Li Xian and Xiao Lingshan walked side by side on the way back to Qixia Pavilion. The setting sun dyed the peach blossoms golden red, and the lake surface shimmered.

"What did that masked woman say to you?" Xiao Lingshan suddenly asked.

Li hesitated for a moment, but still handed the flower petals to her.

Xiao Lingshan's face turned slightly pale after reading the words above.

"What do you think... she means?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Li Xian shook his head, "but we need to be extra careful at tonight's Peach Blossom Banquet. Linghan Palace, the remnants of the Demonic Sect, and the undercurrents that may exist within Peach Blossom Village... this pool is deeper than we think."

Back at Qixia Inn, Li closed the door and immediately contacted the drone.

"Superman, help me find out all the information about Aunt Xiao, especially her possible relationship with Xiao Lingshan."

"We're already investigating." Superman projected an image. "According to the registration records of Peach Blossom Village, Aunt Xiao's real name is 'Xiao Ruolan,' the Third Elder of Linghan Palace, and she's forty-two years old. But... I've discovered a problem."

"explain."

"The roster of disciples in Linghan Palace has a blank period from twenty years ago. The records of disciples who entered the palace during that period were all encrypted. After I tried to decrypt it using the quantum decryption algorithm in the Boltzmann brain database, I found—" Superman paused, "I found a name: Xiao Lingyue."

"Xiao Lingyue?"

"Records show that Xiao Lingyue entered Linghan Palace at the age of eighteen, possessing exceptional talent in the wood element, but at the age of twenty-two... she betrayed her sect and her whereabouts are unknown." Superman's voice was somewhat hesitant. "And this Xiao Lingyue's registered place of origin is—Han Family Fortress."

A "boom" sounded in Li Xian's mind.

Xiao Lingshan, Xiao Lingyue... sisters?

No, the ages don't match. Xiao Lingshan is only seventeen now. If Xiao Lingyue betrayed her sect at twenty-two, that would have been at least a decade or more ago.

unless……

"What is Xiao Lingshan's mother's name?" Li asked urgently.

"Elder Xiao's wife passed away when Xiao Lingshan was three years old. Her name was..." Superman pulled up the Han Family Fort's database. "Lin Wanniang. Wait—this isn't right. The data shows signs of modification. The original record is... Xiao Wanniang? No, it's Xiao Lingyue?!"

Mr. Li felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

Xiao Lingshan's mother is Xiao Lingyue? The woman who betrayed Linghan Palace?

So Aunt Xiao recognized Xiao Lingshan—because she was her junior sister's daughter?

No, there might be more.

Li Xian recalled the way Aunt Xiao looked at Xiao Lingshan. It wasn't the look of looking at a stranger or a younger person; it was... the look of looking at the daughter of an old friend, filled with guilt and pain.

"Does Xiao Lingshan know?" he murmured.

"They probably don't know," Superman analyzed. "The data on Han Family Fortress has been deliberately modified. If it weren't for Boltzmann's brain algorithm, it would be impossible to detect."

Outside the window, dusk was settling in.

The time for the Peach Blossom Banquet is fast approaching.

Li Xian looked at the petal in his hand, then glanced at the next room—Xiao Lingshan was washing and changing.

Should he tell her?

Or... should we keep it a secret for now and wait until we find out the whole truth?

In the consciousness space, the energy monitor's pointer pulsed silently:

Energy value: 37

Remaining time: 7 days 18 hours

The administrator's voice rang out: [Personal feelings are irrelevant. Focus on the task. Win first place and enter the altar.]

Li clenched his fist.

He knew the administrators were right. But before that, he had to ensure Xiao Lingshan's safety.

Because some truths, once revealed, might hurt her.

He didn't want to see her get hurt.

Even if that means he has to face more dangers alone.