The moment the doors opened, Lin Xiaoyu realized something was terribly wrong.
The memorial hall before her looked nothing like the one from the comic.
Nothing.
Her footsteps slowed instinctively as her eyes widened beneath lowered lashes.
This—
This wasn't the Hei Ming Memorial Hall she had spent years imagining while obsessively reading Chronicles of the Heavenly Path.
In the comic, the hall was dark and oppressive, built almost entirely from black stone with crimson banners hanging heavily from the ceiling like dried blood. The atmosphere had always been described as cold enough to suffocate people.
But the hall before her now was completely different.
Golden lanterns illuminated the enormous chamber with warm light.
Ancient white jade pillars towered proudly toward the ceiling, each carved with dragons so lifelike they almost seemed capable of movement.
Rows of silver incense burners lined both sides of the hall while faint sandalwood smoke drifted gently through the air.
Even the banners were different.
Instead of crimson, they were deep black embroidered with elegant silver patterns.
The entire place looked refined.
Noble.
Almost sacred.
Not at all like the sinister villain headquarters described in the comic.
Xiaoyu's heartbeat quickened.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
For the first time since transmigrating, genuine panic gripped her chest.
Is this really the same story?
Her fingers tightened slightly beneath her sleeves.
Did I transmigrate into the wrong world?
Or...
A colder thought surfaced.
Was the comic itself wrong from the beginning?
"All rise for Young Master Xie Yuchen!"
The powerful announcement echoed across the hall.
Instantly, hundreds of people stood.
The movement alone nearly terrified Xiaoyu into turning around and running away.
Rows upon rows of disciples, elders, guards, and servants lowered their heads respectfully.
The pressure inside the hall was overwhelming.
Every gaze seemed focused on her.
Or rather—
On Xie Yuchen.
Xiaoyu immediately forced herself to calm down.
No.
Panicking now would only get her killed.
If she wanted to survive, she needed to blend in.
At least until she understood what exactly was happening.
Taking a slow breath, she straightened her posture and walked forward with measured steps.
Cold.
Elegant.
Untouchable.
At least externally.
Internally?
She was one heartbeat away from collapse.
An elderly man dressed in dark ceremonial robes approached respectfully and bowed.
"This old servant greets Young Master."
Xiaoyu recognized him immediately.
Elder Qian.
The master of ceremonial rites within the Hei Ming Sect.
Thankfully, the comic had described enough important figures for her to recognize some faces.
Otherwise, she would already be dead.
"This way, Young Master."
The elderly man gestured respectfully toward the center of the hall.
Xiaoyu nodded calmly before following him.
As she walked, her eyes subtly scanned the surroundings.
And then—
She saw them.
Xie Tianyu.
Xie Yuchen's elder brother.
Seated at the far end of the right row.
Even among countless sect members, his presence stood out immediately.
Tall.
Sharp-featured.
Elegant.
His dark robes carried an oppressive dignity that made the surrounding disciples lower their gazes instinctively.
But what unsettled Xiaoyu most...
Was the way he was looking at her.
No.
Staring at her.
His expression remained calm.
Perfectly calm.
Yet for some reason, a chill crawled down Xiaoyu's spine the moment their eyes met.
She couldn't explain it.
There was no visible hatred.
No anger.
No obvious hostility.
And yet—
Something about his gaze felt deeply wrong.
Dangerously wrong.
Almost as though he could see straight through her.
Xiaoyu immediately looked away.
Her heart pounded violently inside her chest.
Why does he look at Yuchen like that?
According to the comic, the brothers should already dislike each other by now.
But this—
This felt more complicated than simple hostility.
Then Xiaoyu noticed another familiar figure.
Near the left side of the hall, seated closer to the entrance, a young man smiled warmly toward her.
Xie Zichen.
The younger brother.
Unlike Tianyu's cold elegance, Zichen appeared gentle and approachable.
His smile looked harmless.
Friendly even.
But instead of relaxing, Xiaoyu became even more uneasy.
Because she remembered the comic too well.
Xie Zichen always smiled.
Even during the darkest moments.
Even during betrayal.
Even while manipulating others.
Readers used to call him "the smiling snake" in the comment sections.
Looking at him now, Xiaoyu couldn't stop herself from wondering—
Is that smile fake too?
Her stomach twisted slightly.
Years of obsessively following the comic had practically burned every important character into her memory.
Even among the hundreds of people inside the hall, Xiaoyu could already recognize several important sect elders and inner disciples.
And standing beside the throne-like seat prepared for her—
Was Elder Gu Liang.
The old man smiled warmly the moment she approached.
The sight almost made Xiaoyu stop walking entirely.
That smile...
It looked kind.
Proud even.
Yet instead of comfort, it filled her with unease.
Because according to the comic, this man hated Xie Yuchen.
No—
More than hatred.
The comic portrayed Gu Liang as Yuchen's greatest political enemy.
The one elder who constantly opposed him.
The one man Yuchen would eventually kill.
So why was he smiling like a proud grandfather watching his favorite grandson succeed?
Every instinct in Xiaoyu screamed that something wasn't right.
Fake.
The thought appeared instantly.
This smile is fake.
But then another thought followed immediately after.
...Or maybe the comic lied.
The possibility made her chest tighten.
As Xiaoyu approached, Gu Liang stepped forward personally.
"Yuchen."
His aged voice carried surprising gentleness.
"You have returned safely."
Xiaoyu nearly froze.
Returned safely?
Not:
"Where have you been?"
Not:
"Explain yourself."
Not even anger.
Only relief.
Again.
Nothing matched the comic.
Xiaoyu forced herself to nod calmly.
"This disciple greets Elder Gu."
Gu Liang smiled faintly.
Then, to Xiaoyu's shock, the old man lightly patted her shoulder.
A simple gesture.
Yet it stunned the entire hall into silence for a brief second.
Even Xiaoyu noticed several disciples looking shocked.
As though Gu Liang rarely behaved this way.
The elder lowered his voice slightly.
"Your father would have been proud today."
Xiaoyu's eyes widened slightly.
Father?
Before she could process the statement, Elder Qian's voice echoed throughout the hall once more.
"The coronation ceremony shall begin!"
Instantly, the atmosphere changed.
The hall became deathly silent.
Even breathing seemed louder.
Xiaoyu slowly walked toward the enormous seat positioned at the center platform.
The future Sect Master's throne.
Each step felt unbearably heavy.
Her robes dragged softly across the polished floor while countless eyes followed her every movement.
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyu had only one thought—
Please let me survive today.
That was all.
She didn't care about becoming Sect Master.
She didn't care about power.
She didn't care about conspiracies.
She just wanted to survive long enough to understand what kind of world she had entered.
Because this world was clearly not the same one from the comic.
And that terrified her more than anything else.
Xiaoyu carefully sat down.
The instant she did, ceremonial bells rang throughout the memorial hall.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The sound echoed like thunder.
Disciples immediately lowered themselves to one knee.
Elders bowed their heads solemnly.
The pressure in the room became suffocating.
Xiaoyu secretly swallowed hard.
This was insane.
She suddenly understood why the original Xie Yuchen ran away.
Anyone would run.
Meanwhile, Elder Qian began reading ancient ceremonial scriptures in a loud voice while servants lit incense around the hall.
The ceremony had officially begun.
But Xiaoyu could barely focus.
Her eyes constantly scanned the crowd.
Watching.
Observing.
Waiting.
Because according to everything she knew about political succession stories—
Today should be dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Too many people stood to gain from Xie Yuchen's death.
Too many hidden enemies existed inside this sect.
Too many smiles looked false.
And if assassins suddenly appeared right now...
Honestly?
Xiaoyu wouldn't even be surprised.
Still—
As the ceremony continued peacefully, she slowly began wondering if she had been overthinking everything.
Maybe her fears were unnecessary.
Maybe—
BOOM!
A violent explosion suddenly shook the memorial hall.
Screams erupted instantly.
The enormous doors burst apart.
And before Xiaoyu could even react—
Several masked figures rushed into the hall with swords drawn.
Her blood turned cold.
...Never mind.