The woman’s white robes outshone the snow, her slender waist as graceful as jade. Her expression was ice-cold, carrying an aura of frost.
The woman descended on her sword before Feng Qingran, her beautiful eyes filled with apology. “Little Junior Sister, I’m sorry for being late.”
“Third Senior Sister, I’m alright,” Feng Qingran forced a smile.
Qin Hanyan handed a medicinal pill to Feng Qingran.
“Thank you, Third Senior Sister.” Feng Qingran took the pill and swallowed it. The wounds on her skin visibly healed at a rapid pace.
The earlier cracks slowly mended, and the color returned to Feng Qingran’s lips, now a soft pink.
Qin Hanyan patted Feng Qingran’s shoulder. “Don’t push yourself too hard, Little Junior Sister. We are here for you.”
Though Qin Hanyan did not know Feng Qingran’s past, she could clearly see her determination to grow stronger at all costs.
Feng Qingran’s almond-shaped eyes sparkled with resolve as she nodded.
To secure a place in the top fifty four years from now, relying solely on Golden Core cultivation would not be enough.
——————
After breaking through to the Golden Core stage, Feng Qingran returned to the Tenth Peak to continue her secluded cultivation.
Thanks to the centuries she had spent within the Ten Directions Realm, her breakthrough to Golden Core did not leave her mind unstable. Instead, she could feel her divine sense expanding even further.
When she last observed her sea of consciousness, it was an endless, boundless ocean.
Now, looking again, though still a vast sea, she could perceive its edges.
Feng Qingran settled her mind and entered a state of deep cultivation.
Winter turned to spring, and time flew by.
Three more years passed in the blink of an eye. Several major events occurred in Qingyun Province during this time.
“How does the Clear River Pavilion always have so many rare and curious items? Just this Voice Transmission Talisman—I could play with it for years! The ‘Chronicles of the Nine Provinces’ on it is absolutely fascinating…”
“Thanks to this Voice Transmission Talisman, we get to learn about so many secrets…”
“Who would have thought? It was revealed here that the Nine Provinces hold a Spirit Combat Tournament every century. We ordinary folk never knew about it! If not for the Chronicles of the Nine Provinces exposing it… who knows how many more years we would have remained in the dark?”
“The Spirit Combat Tournament determines resource allocation. How could they let ordinary cultivators like us participate? It’s always been controlled by the noble families and major sects…”
“This time is different. It seems any cultivator who meets the requirements can register. As long as you pass the selection trials, you can participate in the tournament.”
“I also heard that because of these trials, our own sect’s grand competition has been canceled…”
“Only the Clear River Pavilion would dare publish such things. If any other power did, they’d likely face a terrible fate.”
“Speaking of which, what is the origin of this Clear River Pavilion? In just six short years, they’ve managed to push the Jade Support Artifact Pavilion out of the top three. The three major powers of our Qingyun Province are facing a reshuffling…”
“Shh! Can we even talk about this? The Jade Support Artifact Pavilion is a starved camel still bigger than a horse. It’s not something we ordinary folk can meddle with…”
“Do you remember that Heaven Origin Fruit that caused all that bloodshed? The Fire Cloud Sect is offering it as the prize for first place in the selection trials…”
“I know about that. Apparently, the Fire Cloud Sect couldn’t withstand the pressure and had to put it up. What a pity—they bought it for several hundred million top-grade spirit stones, and now they’re just giving it away.”
…………
In a courtyard within the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Crack!—
Crack!—
Crack!—
The sounds of a whip cracked through the air, followed by successive screams of a woman.
“Tengshe! I am your master! How dare you treat me like this? Aren’t you afraid of heavenly retribution?”
“Master? Ha! Su Yanran, are you worthy? If Baili Yuanmo hadn’t mercifully spared me back then, would I even be alive now?” Sheng Shike held a bone whip, glaring coldly at Su Yanran.
Even as a divine beast, she could never be as cold-blooded as Su Yanran.
She truly never imagined that Su Yanran would sell her out to someone else for the sake of a mere iron rod.
She would never forget the pain of having her divine core ripped out!
And all of it was thanks to Su Yanran.
She almost lost her life at that auction. Fortunately, as a divine beast, her soul was resilient and her body possessed powerful regenerative abilities. Otherwise, having her divine core extracted alive would have been certain death.
After Baili Yuanmo let her go, it took a long period of quiet recuperation to recover. Thus, she was determined to take revenge on Su Yanran.
She confined Su Yanran to this courtyard and would return periodically to torment her.
But over the years of torturing Su Yanran, Sheng Shike had discovered a terrifying secret.
Su Yanran possessed an incredibly powerful regenerative ability, even surpassing that of a divine beast.
Even if Sheng Shike ripped out Su Yanran’s spiritual root, she would quickly grow a new one!
These discoveries sent an alarming signal to Sheng Shike.
Such a heaven-defying person was either an emissary of the Heavenly Dao or its enemy.
Clearly, Su Yanran belonged to the former.
Given enough time to grow, Su Yanran would inevitably soar to unimaginable heights, unmatched by anyone.
Sheng Shike truly wanted to kill Su Yanran, but she was also deeply curious about the secrets hidden within her…
“Tengshe! How dare you bring that up? Why did you go to that person for help? You clearly knew he was my enemy! Why conspire with him? No wonder you’ve fallen to this state…” Su Yanran’s eyes were filled with venomous resentment. The thought of Mo Jinghong’s appearance made her feel even worse.
Every time Su Yanran awoke from a midnight dream, she felt that everything should not have turned out this way.
Sheng Shike raised the bone whip once more, this time aiming for Su Yanran’s face.
“Su Yanran, you are no longer my master. From now on, you will only be my dog…” Sheng Shike sneered.
Then she burst into laughter. “Hahaha… How ironic! The top-ranked newcomer to the sect eight years ago has now fallen into such obscurity, forgotten by all…”
Sheng Shike gradually grew more manic. She hated Su Yanran for dragging her into this hell.
If she hadn’t sworn allegiance to Su Yanran as her master!
She wouldn’t have become this monstrous creature, neither human nor ghost!
She could no longer tell whether she was the divine beast Tengshe or the cultivator Sheng Shike.
Unbeknownst to Sheng Shike, several figures were approaching the courtyard.
