Chapter Nine: This Heaven-Defying Golden Finger

The sealed stone gate of the temple weighed thousands of pounds, its surface carved with mysterious patterns. Off to the side, in the lower right corner, stood a stone pedestal about half the height of a person, thickly coated with dust. Through the grime, one could faintly discern characters, strung together like a cryptic inscription.

Su Li reached out and brushed away the dust. Suddenly, her finger was pricked. There, embedded in the stone plate, stood a slender, sharp stone nail. Beneath it was a groove, roughly the size of a fingernail, descending deep into the slab.

She scrutinized the characters etched upon the stone, a phrase inexplicably flashing through her mind: “Only the acknowledged master may enter.”

The temple’s master was indeed capricious and direct. Su Li recalled the words of the Armored Octopus, her heart stirred. She seized Shen Luo’s finger and, under his bewildered gaze, sliced open a small wound, squeezing a few drops of blood into the groove, watching as they seeped in.

A second passed.

Then another.

…

Neither the stone pillar nor the gate reacted.

Had she guessed wrong? Su Li was baffled. She looked up, meeting Shen Luo’s puzzled gaze, and briefly recounted the inscription and her theory.

“The acknowledged one?” Shen Luo thought of his desolate decade, feeling nothing but irony.

He glanced at the inscription, then at his bleeding finger, growing contemplative. Truthfully, he couldn’t decipher the characters, and his curiosity about the girl’s origins only deepened.

Su Li, watching his expression, felt a surge of guilt as her gaze fell upon his injured finger. Taking his hand, she gently sucked the blood from the wound, then spat it out, and said sincerely, “I’m sorry. In a moment of urgency, I acted without your permission.”

“It’s... it’s fine.” Shen Luo hurriedly averted his eyes, a blush creeping behind his ears.

Suddenly, the stone gate trembled violently, sending clouds of dust billowing.

Su Li quickly pulled Shen Luo a yard away, still coughing as the dust stung her eyes.

Next came the clattering sound of chains as the gate was drawn open from either side, a rush of dense spiritual energy sweeping over them, invigorating their senses.

Su Li noticed that, as the gate opened, the stone pedestal in the lower right corner slowly sank into the ground. As it disappeared, the gate halted its movement.

“I won’t go in!” The Armored Octopus peered in with terror, cowering. “A thousand years ago, the creature inside awakened once—earthquakes shook the land, and beasts fled for miles. Only after it slumbered for centuries did this little world regain its vitality.”

This sixth-tier Armored Octopus was on the verge of transformation; whatever could frighten it was likely of imperial beast caliber.

Su Li’s brows knitted, sensing trouble. Encountering such a beast meant certain defeat. Yet, having come so far, she couldn’t bear to turn back.

“Good luck to you.” Though coveting the treasures within, the Armored Octopus valued its life more, and fled without another word.

When Shen Luo heard the rustling and looked back, he saw the creature’s panicked retreat, utterly perplexed. “Why did it run away?”

After a brief discussion, the two resolved to enter the temple in search of treasure.

As soon as they stepped inside, Su Li felt enveloped by a rich aura, sighing with pleasure as all her fatigue vanished.

She glanced around in surprise: the hall was spacious and dim, its pillars set with premium black crystal stones. Time had rendered these crystals a dull amber.

Looking up, she saw the dome adorned with scenes—a dignified elder clad in brocade, a jade gourd at his waist, accompanied by a majestic white tiger. Though only the back was visible, the brushwork hinted at the celestial elegance of the master.

At the far end stood a white jade sculpture of a tiger, lifelike and proud, as if poised to leap. Su Li gazed into its eyes and her heart trembled—the fleeting fragments that flashed through her mind were too swift to grasp.

The hall was empty, nothing hidden.

They rested against a pillar.

“There must be a hidden mechanism here,” Shen Luo speculated, laying his hand on a crystal. At the click of a sound, the floor beneath them vanished, and they fell.

Beneath the temple lay another sanctuary. As they landed, torches along the walls ignited, stretching into the depths.

The air brimmed with danger.

“Don’t be afraid,” came a clear voice beside her.

Su Li turned, meeting Shen Luo’s forced smile.

“I’ll lead. Just follow closely,” he promised, thumping his chest.

For some reason, she felt reassured.

But only for a moment. Su Li glanced at his frail frame with undisguised disdain, then strode ahead, leaving the boy frustrated.

Fortunately, nothing happened as they proceeded. They reached another stone gate, identical to the last, even the wall patterns unchanged.

Their eyes met.

Shen Luo walked to the pedestal, cut another finger, and let his blood fall into the groove.

Astonishingly, the gate slowly opened.

Such a miraculous ability!

For the first time, Su Li thought being the male lead’s contract beast wasn’t so bad.

Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly sensed an intense gaze. She looked back to find Shen Luo, cheeks flushed, holding his wounded finger and staring at her.

On impulse, Su Li leaned over and took his finger into her mouth; the salty taste made her mind go blank.

Transformed into a popular beast, she wondered if she was being domesticated—what now?

The atmosphere grew subtly awkward.

Unfazed, she tore a strip from her robe and wrapped Shen Luo’s injured finger, calmly declaring, “Let’s go inside.”

The boy’s expression darkened with disappointment.

Standing outside, they observed for a while, seeing nothing amiss. Yet Su Li did not dare relax. Her beastly intuition warned that the terrifying being the Armored Octopus spoke of was likely within.

Just as she prepared to enter, Shen Luo charged ahead.

Su Li hurried after him, and as she crossed the threshold, the scenery shifted. The hall vanished, replaced by an endless plain. In its center lay a colossal creature.

A white tiger, its body snowy and gleaming, five-clawed paws, golden eyes—more a legendary divine beast than a mere monster.

No, this was but a fragment of the ancient divine white tiger’s true soul.

Suddenly, it opened its eyes.

“Roar!”

A tiger’s roar pierced the sky; the earth shook, winds howled, clouds churned.

Su Li was utterly terrified.

A mighty, overwhelming aura crashed down—under such pressure, the weak could only submit.

Yet Su Li felt no discomfort whatsoever.

The two beasts stared at each other.

“Roar!” The tiger soul howled again, thunder crackling overhead, lightning scorching the sky—terrifying beyond measure.

And still, Su Li was unharmed.

Large eyes met small ones.

Astonished, Su Li mused: Truly, as the most popular beast, she was the greatest anomaly in the story—the male lead’s ultimate golden finger!