She wasn’t sure if this was due to her beast transformation ability or the succubus influence.

After all, she was currently in a dual-ability state.

Though she planned to showcase beast transformation publicly, she couldn’t ignore the succubus aspect entirely—just keep it secondary.

So she’d given Ling Mo a preventive injection. Otherwise, who knew what he’d think if a weapon suddenly sprouted from her tail tip?

Best to reveal this form upfront and say it was part of her beast transformation. Simple.

Ling Mo noticed her tail swaying slightly behind her and froze for a moment. “What’s… on the tip of your tail?”

“Probably a weapon,” Xia Xinyan replied casually. Her tail swung gently between them. “Want to test its sharpness?”

Ling Mo took a quick step back. “Nah. Looks sharp enough.”

He still wasn’t sure if the game had pain sensation outside dungeons anyway.

Xia Xinyan didn’t push it. The topic faded smoothly. “Start matching now? Or get familiar with your abilities first?”

Ling Mo shook his head. “Match directly. I’ll learn the abilities inside the dungeon.”

“Got it.” Without hesitation, Xia Xinyan formed a team with him and launched the match.

Almost instantly, a private message popped before her—

Murong Yue: “Fine, I’ll be blunt. Do I even have a choice?”

She’d likely just exited a dungeon—replying only now to Xia Xinyan’s earlier message.

Xia Xinyan had reason to believe she’d been grinding nonstop for a full day.

After a brief pause:

Xia Xinyan: “No.”

Murong Yue: “…Not even a little flexibility? A quarter?”

Xia Xinyan: “No.”

Murong Yue: “Come on, sis. We never signed anything, right? If I block you now, what can you do?”

Xia Xinyan: “Try it.”

A silence.

Murong Yue: “If I do… what then?”

Xia Xinyan: “I’ll kill you every time I see you.”

Murong Yue: “…”

Murong Yue: “Transferring 2000 game points.”

A faint smile touched Xia Xinyan’s lips as the points arrived.

Xia Xinyan: “Queue for a dungeon together?”

Murong Yue: “Nah. Played all day. Logging off.”

The message sent. Offline.

—Or maybe just invisible.

Xia Xinyan didn’t dwell on it. She dumped all 2000 points straight into her physical attributes—zero left.

Ling Mo sat nearby, gazing at the sea while waiting.

“Minutes already… no match? Is no one playing?”

Xia Xinyan shook her head. “Not many cleared the first dungeon yet. The system’s finding players at our level.”

The game hadn’t fully rolled out. Few stayed in the battle zone after feeling its pain sensation. Even fewer cleared Dungeon One. Slow matching was normal.

Early-game battle zone dungeons matched similar-strength players. Everyone was weak; carrying others barely helped. Too big a gap? Dungeon balance broke—especially between awakened and non-awakened players. Two different worlds.

Later, the system would encourage strong players to carry weak ones, raising the overall floor. Late-game dungeons would punish stragglers. That’s why Xia Xinyan had to push Ling Mo into the top tier—now.

Ten minutes later, they entered the preparation hall.

Same white lounge. Eight players total—including a familiar face: Murong Yue.

As Xia Xinyan sat beside her, Murong Yue’s expression stiffened for a heartbeat.

“What a coincidence,” Xia Xinyan smiled. “Thought you logged off.”

Ling Mo glanced at Murong Yue, then sat on Xia Xinyan’s other side, silent.

Murong Yue shifted slightly away. “Game points are sent. Nothing else, right?”

“Just saying hi,” Xia Xinyan said warmly. “Ran into you twice now. Friends?”

Murong Yue: “…”

She did *not* consider “I’ll kill you every time I see you” friendship material.

And she was certain Xia Xinyan hadn’t been joking.

While they spoke, someone approached Ling Mo.

“Old Ling?”

Ling Mo turned. Before him stood… Fatty.

Not fat—just pleasantly round. Same build as Hao Nan, but without Hao Nan’s street-hardened aura. This guy had an endearing, approachable warmth.

And Ling Mo recognized him.

“Dari? Really you?”

“Yep! It’s me, Zhang Dari!” Fatty grinned, plopping down and clapping Ling Mo’s shoulder. “Surprised? Damn, I survived. Should’ve listened—picked a better major…”

“Regret it?” Ling Mo raised an eyebrow.

Zhang Dari—his high school buddy. Lost touch after different universities. Civil engineering major. Ling Mo had called him a “brave soul” back then.

Never imagined reuniting inside a game.

And he was using his real appearance too.

“Don’t remind me,” Fatty waved a hand. “Graduate, pack up, leave. Then go home and raise pigs.”

He glanced past Ling Mo at Xia Xinyan. “Wait… your girlfriend?”

“Uh…” Ling Mo hesitated.

Xia Xinyan nodded smoothly. “Mm. We’re official. I’m Xia Xinyan.”

“Xia Xinyan?” Fatty’s eyes lit up. “Hey—the Xia Group heiress is named Xia Xinyan! Sis, same name? You’ve got that—”

Silence dropped like ice.

His face shifted from teasing to horrified in a second. “You’re not actually…”

“Coincidence,” Xia Xinyan smiled, shaking her head. “Think—the Xia Clan’s young mistress? Playing games?”

Fatty exhaled sharply. “Right… right. Almost thought I met a big shot.”

Ling Mo: “…”