Lin Xueya sat cross-legged inside the vast, shimmering expanse of her inner world. The spiritual energy was so dense it looked like rolling mist, flowing endlessly through the veins of heaven and earth. For days, she had immersed herself in learning the basics of alchemy, testing the divine cauldron's flames, and exploring herbs that should have been extinct outside.
Yet today was different. Today, she would test the gift she had almost forgotten—the three clones born from the system's reward.
> "System," she whispered in her mind. "Summon… my clones."
A crisp chime rang in her consciousness.
[Ding! Clone summoning initiated. Choose appearance and gender, or allow randomization.]
She hesitated. Appearance? Gender? She thought clones would simply mirror her exactly.
> "Random," she answered carelessly.
Light burst out in front of her, and three figures slowly took shape.
The first was tall, impossibly muscular, with skin bronzed like metal. His shoulders were so broad they could block the sun, and his chest looked like a mountain wall. He was bare-chested, wearing only pants of rough cloth.
Lin Xueya blinked. Did I just summon a walking… sculpture?
The second clone appeared in the form of a delicate woman—yet her curves were so exaggerated that even Xueya felt embarrassed. Her robes clung tightly, leaving little to imagination, and her smile carried a mischievous glint.
The third clone… was the strangest. A youth with innocent eyes, no older than seventeen, but with a face so beautiful it blurred the line between male and female. Long lashes, crimson lips, and a slender figure wrapped in white.
Lin Xueya's face flushed red.
> "System!" she hissed. "What kind of appearances are these?!"
[Ding. Clones may be customized at will by host. Current appearances are randomized.]
> "Then why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
[Host did not ask.]
She buried her face in her palms. For the first time since transmigrating, she almost laughed at her own predicament. Three clones, and they look like they walked out of three different questionable paintings.
The muscular man folded his arms and spoke with her exact voice. "Awaiting orders."
The sultry woman licked her lips and bowed low. "What does Master desire?"
The youthful beauty simply stared with pure, shining eyes, silent and serene.
"Stop! Don't talk like that," Xueya groaned. "You all sound ridiculous."
Despite her embarrassment, she tested their abilities. To her surprise, each clone moved with the same grace and cultivation as her own body. When she raised her hand to draw spiritual energy, all three did the same, synchronizing perfectly. The link between them was flawless—every flicker of qi, every perception, every thought was shared.
Even more, she realized she could channel them into different roles.
The muscular clone was perfect for combat. His body radiated explosive strength, and when he clenched his fist, the air itself shivered.
The sultry female clone was oddly suited for social interaction. She had a natural charm that could sway men and women alike, a weapon more dangerous than a sword.
The youthful beauty was ideal for observation and stealth, his aura blending with the world until even Xueya almost lost sight of him.
Three clones, three paths.
Her lips curled into a rare smile. "Not bad… perhaps I summoned exactly what I needed."
---
As she continued experimenting, Xueya noticed subtle changes in her own body. The constant bathing in spiritual energy had refined her skin until it shone like polished jade. Her black hair cascaded down her back, each strand glowing faintly. Her figure, once lean and weary from mortal suffering, now carried an ethereal grace.
Even her clones paused to look at her, as though mesmerized.
She coughed, feeling awkward. "Don't stare at me like that."
Yet she couldn't deny it—her transformation had begun. In the cultivation world, beauty was not just vanity. It was an aura, a presence, a weapon.
---
Just as she grew comfortable with her clones, a ripple stirred in the fabric of the world. Through the clone stationed at the edge of the ruins outside, Xueya felt it first. The sensation of being watched.
A group of cultivators had arrived near her destroyed residence. Their robes bore the insignia of the Azure Fang Sect, a mid-tier sect known for ruthless ambition.
"Search every corner," their leader barked. "The woman must not have escaped far. The young master's death will not go unavenged."
Xueya's heart chilled. So it wasn't just random enemies. The Azure Fang Sect… they were behind the attack on my husband.
Her clones crouched low, transmitting every sound and image directly into her mind.
For the first time, Lin Xueya understood: her struggle wasn't against nameless marauders. She was caught in the web of sect politics and vengeance.
The three clones stood before her, awaiting command.
Xueya's lips curved into a cold smile. "Very well… if the world wants me dead, I will let them dance with shadows first."
---
Lin Xueya sat cross-legged inside the vast inner valley of her small world. Streams of spiritual mist coiled around her figure, soft and luminous like silk threads. Her skin, already delicate, now glowed faintly under the dense aura, and even she herself was startled by the transformation.
> "Why… do I look like this? My body is changing too fast. This aura is shaping me."
When she glanced at the water's reflection nearby, she nearly gasped. Her face looked more youthful than when she had first entered this world, her lashes longer, lips rosier, and her aura… dangerously enchanting. Even sitting still, she exuded the air of an immortal fairy descended from the heavens.
At that exact moment, her three clones appeared beside her.
The first clone, summoned as a warrior, materialized with broad shoulders and muscles carved like stone. His bare upper body gleamed with golden light, his aura so fierce that the surrounding spiritual plants trembled.
The second clone, summoned for reconnaissance, appeared with a thin, sly frame, a pair of sharp eyes that looked like they could pierce through secrets. Unfortunately, the system had randomly decided to give him the face of a mischievous rogue—handsome but annoyingly cocky.
The third clone… was where things went awkward.
She had intended to summon a female alchemist-type clone, but the system's randomizer had produced an exaggerated beauty. Snow-white skin, waist so slender it could be wrapped by one arm, and a chest so generous it strained against the silk robe. Her sultry gaze seemed to drip with seduction.
Lin Xueya froze. "…What the hell?"
The warrior clone immediately turned his head away, as though afraid to look at either Xueya or the bombshell clone.
The scout whistled. "Oh ho, our master is really blessed. Even your clones look like they came from forbidden paintings."
"Shut up!" Xueya's cheeks flushed red, though she quickly forced her tone to be stern. "You are me. Stop acting like idiots."
But the seductress clone merely leaned forward, lips curving into a smile.
"If I am you, then this means you secretly want to look like me, don't you?"
Xueya nearly fainted. This system was ridiculous.
---
The clones, although bound by her essence, still had fragments of personality derived from her suppressed thoughts. That was why the seductress clone's teasing felt too on-point. She was, in some ways, Xueya's hidden desires given form.
The situation turned chaotic when the warrior clone, trying to stop the banter, accidentally flexed his muscles—making the valley echo with cracking sounds of bones and veins. The scout immediately clapped.
"Ha! Master, if you get bored, you can use that body as your personal guard and pillow."
Xueya snapped a medicinal herb at him, hitting his forehead.
"Behave, or I'll erase your forms for ten hours!"
The seductress clone only laughed softly, her voice like warm wine.
"Master, no matter how angry you pretend to be, your blush gives you away."
Xueya pressed her temples. "What kind of cultivation novel am I living in…?"
---
After the comedic chaos, Xueya forced her clones to sit down. She began organizing their roles.
Warrior clone → guard and front-line fighter.
Scout clone → infiltration, spying, gathering information about enemies.
Seductress clone (alchemist) → help refine pills, test the divine cauldron, maintain the herb gardens.
Despite their quirks, the clones nodded and accepted their tasks.
Suddenly, the scout clone closed his eyes, his consciousness stretching beyond the small world.
"Master, I can sense ripples outside. Not directly about your personal fate, but movements of the enemy sects. Someone is investigating the destruction of your former courtyard."
Xueya's expression hardened. She remembered how her husband's death and the attack on her dwelling were not random. If a sect was behind it, then the rabbit hole was deep.
The scout continued, "I overheard whispers… they suspect that you, the newlywed widow, are hiding. A secret invitation has been sent around the city. A banquet in three days, under the guise of 'mourning your husband'. But the truth… it's a trap. They want to see if you'll reveal yourself."
---
Lin Xueya clenched her fists.
A banquet trap, set by powerful sects, while she carried three unborn children inside her belly. The sheer cruelty made her blood boil.
But then her gaze softened. The divine cauldron pulsed within the valley, herbs swaying as if offering their strength. The clones looked at her, awaiting orders.
"Fine," she said slowly, her voice calm but sharp. "They want me to come out… I'll let them taste what it means to provoke a woman with nothing left to lose."
The seductress clone chuckled, almost like a villainess in a play.
"Master, when you step out, men will fall before your beauty and women will tremble before your aura. Shall I prepare you a dress to kill?"
Xueya rolled her eyes, but in her heart… she did not reject the idea.
Her path toward immortality was no longer just about survival—it was about reshaping power itself. And if beauty, wit, and strength were all weapons… she would wield them all.