My Host Only Marries the Strong

The Insight Academy Palace’s docks were built at the Profound Turtle’s tail. Waterfalls cascading from high mountains formed a large lake where several great ships floated.

Besides five wooden-colored vessels, the other ships were covered in dust and cobwebs, looking old and abandoned in the moonlight—clearly unused for years.

Echo scanned them and looked toward the only ship with lights on. When she landed on the deck, a charming voice called from the cabin: “Sister has finally arrived—I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

Echo spun Nine Heavens in her hand and said warmly, “You’re the human with the worst memory I’ve ever met.” I’ve said it many times—I’m your ancestor.

The cabin fell silent for a moment, then came a low laugh. Yu Xuefei pushed open the window with a smile. “Senior Sister Xi, please come in.”

Thousand Beauty Valley was renowned throughout the land. Fearing injuries on this journey, besides five Soul Transformation cultivators including Echo, they’d also brought Yu Xuefei, who was at Nascent Soul middle stage.

“The headmaster instructed beforehand that regardless of how this journey goes, everyone can enter the Insight Academy Secret Realm for two months of cultivation upon return.” said a woman Echo didn’t recognize.

“Thank you, Headmaster.” everyone replied.

Only Echo, who didn’t respond, was observing everyone.

Taiyan Sect’s Feng Zhen, Mysterious Yin Sect’s Meng Xiangfei, Unknown, and Unknown.

Yu Xuefei said quietly, “Senior Sister Xi, this is Senior Sister Du Ruixue, who supervised the Central Continent competition, and Senior Brother Ran Yunfei, who supervised the Nanyang Continent competition.”

“Hello everyone!” Echo said with a smile. “I’m Xi Lingren, also known as Lingshan Sword Venerable!”

Everyone in the cabin fell silent, showing polite smiles as they all said, “Hello, Fellow Daoist Xi.”

Meng Xiangfei, who’d suffered under Echo’s hand twice, propped her face on her hand and chuckled softly, her gaze sweeping over Echo before turning to look out the window.

Feng Zhen stood up first. Her appearance was plain, but her determined eyes carried some worry as she spoke steadily: “Everyone knows this journey’s purpose. Since the message came from my sect’s leader, I’ll steer us to Taiyan Sect. Please rest well on the ship these next few days.”

Du Ruixue, who’d supervised the Central Continent competition, said, “If Senior Sister Feng becomes tired, just let me know.”

“Sure.” Feng Zhen nodded and walked out of the cabin.

Soon the array formation at the spirit vessel’s bottom lit up, and the ship slowly took flight. Wet water transformed into a shower of rain falling from the ship’s hull.

The Profound Turtle stirred the clouds and mist, traveling in the opposite direction from the spirit vessel.

Echo thought: Urgent urgent urgent!

She hurried upstairs, and Yu Xuefei, catching sight of the graceful Meng Xiangfei from the corner of her eye, smiled as she rose and followed Echo with quick steps.

“Junior Sister Meng, there are many rooms on the ship—feel free to choose any you like.” Du Ruixue and Ran Yunfeistood up, bowed to Meng Xiangfei, and walked away at an unhurried pace to rest.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Meng Xiangfei said softly, watching their departing figures. Bored, she raised her hand.

A black spider crawled out from her sleeve, circling around her pale fingertip. Meng Xiangfei played with the venomous spider, thinking: Wen Chunshengreally did enter theInsight Academy Palace, wearing white robes daily and playing the refined gentleman. He should cultivate with these true gentlemen toward immortality. But why did he leave the competition at the last moment? What was he planning?

TheFive Continentshad been peaceful for so long—first theInsight Academy Grand Competition, now Central Continentanomalies…… Demonic cultivator uprising?

In this world, there aren’t even many decent powerful beings—where would demonic cultivators come from to cause trouble? Could this matter be related toWen Chunsheng? If it was connected toWen Chunsheng, then she—

“Swish!”

“Flutter!”

A white flash streaked through the air as silver-white threads caught a passing gray moth, wrapping the struggling creature layer by layer into a cocoon. The moth, which initially had strength to struggle, gradually stiffened and fell onto the table like a stone.

Having caught its prey, the spider casually played with the silk cocoon twice, seeming uninterested, then crawled back onto Meng Xiangfei’s hand.

The spider’s tiny claws crawling across her skin made Meng Xiangfei’s eyelid twitch as she suddenly looked toward the beautiful rivers and mountains beyond the clouds.

⁂

At Phoenix Perch Terrace, after washing up, Seraphine nestled in the soft couch and looked around the room.

With the silly thing gone, everything felt too quiet. She frowned and called, “Error?”

Only after calling did she remember that Error was at Prospect Peak—Echo had assigned her a task to complete Pine Child’s assessment and earn qualification to enter the Insight Academy Secret Realm.

“Tch, at least she has no competition.” Seraphine said quietly, running her fingers through her hair. Lying in the soft couch, Seraphine felt around and pretended to casually pull out a silver-white orb from under the cushions.

Lustrous light reflected between her snow-white fingers as Seraphine gazed almost entranced at the swirling light within the pearl.

The silver radiance resembled a star river—brilliant and boundless. In the infinite silver-white expanse, suddenly a flash of bright gold passed by. Seraphine froze, closed her eyes and looked again, but saw only the white pearl—not a trace of gold.

“?”

“Echo?” Seraphine shook the pearl and asked, “Are you there?”

She shook it again.

“Did I break it somehow?”

The light within the system core continued as before, but no pair of dark circles emerged to greet Seraphine.

Seraphine snorted inwardly, thinking about how she’d said to keep in touch, yet here it was so late with no contact. She wasn’t secretly doing something that deserved punishment again, was she?

Seraphine pursed her lips, reached up to knock on Echo’s “head” then lay back in the soft cushions and placed the orb at the hollow of her throat. Her face slightly flushed, she opened that copy of Sword Seeks Phoenix.

⁂

System Realm.

System Arts Grand Theater.

Many round systems were lining up to enter.

A golden system wearing a small hat held a microphone, watching pink systems check in as they passed.

“Love System 99, Love System 100, Love System 101—excellent! Love Systems 1 through 101 are all present!” the Main System announced loudly. “Now entering are the Matchmaker Systems. Romance Drama Systems, please prepare!”

Beside the queuing systems, a group of colorful, disgruntled systems held up small banners.

“The Quick-Transmigration Systems demand representation! We have lots of romance scenes! We strongly request entry to the main theater to guide Golden Finger Echo’s romance!”

“Please, what era is this? Which department’s systems haven’t experienced host romance? It’s just a system dating their host—we want to participate too!”

“We accuse the Main System of favoritism! Demand the Main System recognize other systems’ needs! We brought our own snacks—we want to shake hands with Golden Finger Echo too!”

Golden Finger System 08 arrived carrying a baseball bat, shouting, “You just don’t want to work! Get back to work—your hosts need you!”

The protesting systems: “No—”

They don’t need us!

Inside the theater, Golden Finger Echo glowed with silver-white light, extending matchstick limbs to shake hands with the systems before her, saying in a clear, gentle voice, “Hello, thank you for coming to help me.”

The pink system grew dizzy, raising its little paws and floating away surrounded by bubbles. Only after sitting down did it realize it held several flyers. The love system looked around in confusion.

Behind Echo, a sky-blue system secretly hid, stuffing flyers into the dizzy systems’ hands.

019 distributed flyers while producing golden coins: When friends find love, I get rich—we all have a beautiful future!

How wonderful!

After all 1,500 invited systems were seated, the Main System led Echo flying to the stage.

After leading everyone in applause, it raised the small microphone and said seriously, “Today we gather here for Golden Finger System Echo, which achieved outstanding performance and the highest score in System Realm. It has made a momentous decision—to pursue its current mission world’s host!”

All the systems: “Wow!”

Main System: “This is a groundbreaking event in our System Realm! Please, all colleagues with rich experience in love-related work, summarize your experiences and help it complete this great decision. Let’s toast to Golden Finger Echo’s happiness!”

1,500 small systems raised their little milk tea cups: “Cheers!”

Dawn broke with the first light, and birds in the phoenix tree forest chirped warily twice. Discovering that dangerous thing was absent, they began singing enthusiastically.

⁂

In the golden-brick, red-tiled palace, one person slept nestled in the soft couch, her profile radiant and beautiful enough to shame the moon and flowers. At her throat, the silver-white orb brightened, sprouting a pair of large eyes and matchstick limbs.

“……”

Having listened to reports all night, Echo nuzzled Seraphine’s chin, thinking: Respect is love’s foundation, consideration is love’s necessity, sincerity is love’s duty. You also need to occasionally create small surprises—romance is love’s embellishment.

A shy emoji appeared above Echo’s head, quickly transforming into flowers that circled around Seraphine.

How could she let Seraphine discover she’d been here and given her a surprise? Small question marks appeared above Echo’s head as she spun in a circle.

Ding!

Echo’s dark circles enlarged, lighting up with golden little bulbs.

A streak of golden dawn light slanted across the floor. Seraphine opened her eyes, dazed for a moment, remembering today she needed to go to the Insight Academy Secret Realm. She rubbed her forehead and paused: Something’s wrong.

Seraphine’s expression turned cold as she looked down, her murderous gaze sweeping across her chest.

“Hehe.”

She pulled the silver orb nestled at her chest out of her robes and squeezed it tightly in her palm.

Echo.

You’re dead.

[Author’s Note]:

Echo on the ship, buried in romance conference reports: Achoo!

Echo: “They say love needs a touch of impropriety. But I’m a proper system! How does one even… improper?” (deep in thought)

Meanwhile, hosts finally got their systems back—though they all seemed strangely flighty. Curious.

Want to see if I actually make Seraphine fall for me? 20 chapters ahead at Pxtreon➡️LoveisLove520✨