Stuck in a Chinese novel

Wei Jun pulled up in the driveway of the Ruan mansion. He wasn't looking forward to this meeting but he'd rather get this over with and then go back to his cultivation than waste his time entertaining the old man later.

"He's waiting for you in his study." Lin Ruan informed Wei Jun who nodded and made his way to the study where Sun Ruan was waiting for him.

"Good morning." Wei Jun said. It was still eleven so it was technically morning. Sun Ruan nodded and pointed at the cushion on the other side of the table.

"Tea?" Sun Ruan asked Wei Jun while pouring his cup anyway. Wei Jun stared at his actions and said, "Sure, why not."

Once again, he was being told to stay within his limits and not to think that he was in any way in charge of this conversation.

Sun Ruan pushed the cup gently in Wei Jun's direction before he said, "I know it is very difficult for you to understand what happened to you but I need you to explain in detail about what transpired inside that gate and what and how you did everything in there."

Straight to the point, Sun Ruan's question was about how Wei Jun survived inside that gate. Wei Jun could tell what the underlying meaning was. The old man at the magic academy was also surprised by the fact that Wei Jun managed to clear the gate where even a six-star aura master couldn't do much.

Sun Ruan was also trying to find out where his limits were. Whether Wei Jun was someone who could be controlled or not. Whether or not he would have to take the nice or hard approach with Wei Jun.

Keeping these questions in mind, Sun Ruan treated Wei Jun more amicably than last time. Last time, coming to him was an order. This time it was a request. Of course, he had to set a certain hierarchy so he made sure to subtly Wei Jun know that he was the alpha among them.

A leader, in the end, was a leader. No matter how accommodating or easygoing he was. Disrespecting that leader has consequences and Wei Jun knew what that meant.

Wei Jun nodded and began, "I was teleported somehow to the gate…" and recounted all the events that happened during his time at the gate.

Of course, he kept many aspects out. Many of the details like anything to do with the system or the corpses of the monsters he got or the meat of the Direhound that granted him power.

He strictly kept it to the battle viewpoint where he defeated the Barghests slowly over the course of a few days and after that, he fought the Direhound with Natasha and Melissa and only then he could win.

The details after that were the same as many of the witnesses.

"Why didn't you take the core of the monster? You were the one who killed it. It would have benefitted you greatly." Sun Ruan questioned.

Wei Jun knew such a question would come up and for that, he had the perfect explanation prepared.

"I did it to score a point with Melissa. I saved her life and gave her a precious treasure. She's got to be thankful to me for that. Maybe enough to do something personal as well." Wei Jun replied. Of course, he had no interest in Melissa but she was a good excuse to give Sun Ruan since Sun Ruan had already told him to seduce her.

Sun Ruan looked at Wei Jun for a while, deep in thought as if he didn't know how to counter that explanation. It was, after all, himself who asked Wei Jun to seduce Melissa.

Although Wei Jun foolishly gave away a precious treasure, the worth of Melissa was far more than a treasure Sun Ruan could easily afford.

He nodded and said, "Very well. But see to it doesn't happen again. Such treasures are too precious to give away. Make sure you use them for yourself or for your family."

Wei Jun internally scoffed but he didn't let it show in his expression. Sun Ruan was asking Wei Jun to use the treasure for himself to show that he trusted Wei Jun but he was also subtly mentioning family, saying that it belonged to him as well.

[This old man sure is greedy]

'He's a cu**.' Wei Jun cursed inwardly. He knew the kind of these people. They were the ones who were using the mission of protecting the family or something else as a cover to cover their own interests.

Wei Jun knew how to deal with such cunning people but the circumstances were different from usual.

If before Wei Jun encountered such a man, he would break into his house at night and slit his throat in his sleep but Sun Ruan had something called power and not the kind Wei Jun could easily overlook.

"Of course." Wei Jun replied respectfully.

Sun Ruan nodded and said, "Also, the report that arrived from England shows that you showed your other personality again. You might want to have it checked."

Wei Jun nodded and said, "Sure. I will keep it in mind."

"Very well. You're free to go now but don't forget, we have a sect ceremony in three days. You will be entering a gate so be prepared." Sun Ruan said.

Wei Jun nodded and left. He met Lin Ruan outside. "What did he say?"

"He asked me to be ready to enter a gate." Wei Jun said.

"Yeah, I got the notice too. It's strange though." Lin Ruan said.

"What is?" Wei Jun asked.

"That they're letting us enter a gate. Usually, the elders don't let disciples get a gate because it's so rare. The treasures inside aren't something they're willing to let disciples have it. Not even their own." Lin Ruan replied.

Wei Jun nodded. He figured Lin Ruan didn't know about the sudden increment in gates. Still, Wei Jun didn't care. He was getting something he needed so what did he have to complain about?

Although he would have wanted to go in there alone to monopolize the treasures inside, especially beast corpses, he couldn't just do whatever he wanted right now.

Wei Jun was in his car when he asked the system, 'What are gates? You didn't tell me anything about them before.'

[Prisons]

The system straightforwardly replied but didn't launch into an explanation.

'Meaning?' So, in the end, Wei Jun had to ask.

[For now, all I can tell you is that this world didn't use to be what it is now]

[Humans came together and fought something]

[They couldn't defeat it so they imprisoned it]

[Any more information is unavailable to you at the moment]

[Gates are those prisons]

[Smaller ones anyway]

'How are you sure they're smaller ones?' Wei Jun asked. Although he had more questions, this one intrigued him the most, and the system might not answer the rest anyway.

[If they were the bigger ones]

[Then with the current level of this world where a Qi master is made a sect elder]

[Then the world would have been destroyed long ago]

Wei Jun did find it strange as well. Qi master was the fifth level of cultivation. If someone at that stage was considered powerful, then someone at the level of the Qi grandmaster was considered unrivaled.

The Direhound Wei Jun fought was a weak monster according to the system yet he was sure that not even a Qi manifestation realm user could have fought against it easily.

So when the system said they were easier ones, Wei Jun believed it.

He just had one more question which he was hoping the system would answer.

'How strong was the thing that leads them all?' Wei Jun asked.

[…]

There was no reply. No answer came for a while before finally, Wei Jun thought that the system wasn't going to answer.

But it was then that it did.

[Take a Qi spiritualist]

[The final realm of cultivation]

[And multiply it by twenty]

[Even then, three thousand people, the strongest in their respective field, went down trying to defeat that monster]

[And only four survived]

Wei Jun couldn't believe what the system was saying. It was one thing to be strong. But to be so strong that even the experts in a field couldn't kill you? Just what kind of power would an existence like this have?

~~

In a cave, somewhere unknown, a man was sitting cross-legged, his eyes closed. An ethereal glow was emitting from the man as if he were the purest man on the earth.

Looks wise, he seemed to be just over thirty. But in reality, his age was anything but thirty. It wasn't even thirty multiplied by ten but more than that.

He was sitting with his eyes closed when they suddenly opened, a piercing white glow in his eyes.

He looked outside the cave where he could see a giant mountain and said, "The time is near. They would be here soon. I need to prepare."

"I have two, but I need three more."

"I just hope he kills them soon."

And then, as if he was just talking to himself, he again closed his eyes but there was something that changed when he closed his eyes.

The glow around him disappeared, giving him an ordinary aura once again.

As if everything was just an illusion.