Before turning twelve, Wen Shuangbai actually had a warm and loving family. Though they were poor, her parents were simple, honest people who treated her well. When she was ten, her parents used their hard-earned savings to build a house in their village.
Because of this, Wen Shuangbai had a rough idea of how construction worked.
She began by sorting through the pile of debris in front of her, keeping what was usable and discarding the rest. For materials she lacked, she gathered them from the surroundings—the outer peaks were full of wood and stone.
By her calculations, the whole process would cost almost nothing!
Moreover, Wen Shuangbai had just advanced to the sixth layer of the Spirit Initiation Realm. Through hauling debris, chopping wood, and laying the foundation, she quickly adapted to her new level.
At first, she genuinely believed her breakthrough was due to her diligent crafting over the past few days.
But upon reflection, that didn’t quite add up.
Xie Ziyin might be an idiot, but his medical skills were undeniably good.
He had suggested she must have eaten something unusual.
These past few days, she’d eaten the same meals as her junior sister—except for the sunflower seeds given to her by that elderly woman from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.
Fortunately, Wen Shuangbai hadn’t thrown away the shells. But when she examined them closely, she found nothing unusual. They looked like perfectly ordinary sunflower seed shells—no hidden flowers or secrets.
After a moment’s thought, she decided not to waste any more mental energy on it. Carefully, she tucked the shells into her storage pouch, planning to ask the old woman about them later.
When Senior Brother Yin Xuan woke up, he came to help as well.
Yawning, his silver hair even messier than usual, he asked Junior Sister Wen Xin, "Where’s Shifu?"
Wen Xin shook her head. "I don’t know. He didn’t tell me."
Senior Brother Yin then turned to Wen Shuangbai, his eyes questioning.
Wen Shuangbai was busy using her hand like a saw, cutting logs into evenly sized support beams. Without looking up, she answered calmly, "I don’t know either."
But she did know.
She just wasn’t telling.
Right now, Wen Feng was being held captive by his creditors, forced into hard labor, suffering daily.
If she revealed this, Senior Brother Yin would undoubtedly rush to his rescue—no matter how much of a scoundrel Wen Feng was, he had once saved Yin Xuan’s life.
That debt would shackle Senior Brother Yin for the rest of his days.
Wen Shuangbai wasn’t foolish enough to say a word.
Yin Xuan scratched his increasingly disheveled silver hair and sighed. "...Alright."
Wen Shuangbai changed the subject. "Senior Brother, are you participating in the sect competition?"
The competition was only open to disciples aged fifteen to twenty. She remembered Yin Xuan was nineteen this year—well within the range.
Yin Xuan tilted his head. "The sect competition is coming up?"
"Yes," Wen Shuangbai said. "The sect sent out a notice."
"Oh..." Yin Xuan nodded as if suddenly enlightened, then smiled gently. "Notices are so long. I never read them."
Wen Shuangbai: "..."
Yin Xuan added, "And I can’t be bothered to join."
Wen Shuangbai: "......"
So this was why Senior Brother hadn’t participated in the original story’s plot!
He was a first-grade Fire Spirit Bone!
Generally, a second-grade Spirit Bone was already considered genius-level talent. Wen Shuangbai herself had a third-grade Spirit Bone, making her a minor genius. A first-grade was on an entirely different level.
On the Xuantian Continent, first-grade Spirit Bones were one in ten thousand.
Qingling Mountain, ruling over Qingzhou as one of the seven great sects, had only four first-grade Spirit Bones on record.
One was the sect leader’s daughter. Another was Bai Lijue from their Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion. The third was that undefeated prodigy from the Sky-Questioning Pavilion.
The last was Senior Brother Yin Xuan—though he had long been abandoned by the sect, so no one ever mentioned him.
Unofficially, there were two more.
One was the female protagonist, Yu Xiaoxiao. The other was her scumbag fiancé, Xie Ziyin.
Both actually had first-grade Spirit Bones, but due to certain circumstances, they had been misclassified as third-grade.
Only Wen Shuangbai, the villainess, was a genuine third-grade.
So if she wanted to win first place, she’d have to rely on the original plot’s developments and scheme a little.
"I’m participating," Wen Shuangbai said casually. "If I take first place in the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, I’ll get a reward of thirty thousand spirit stones."
"Mm. Good luck, Junior Sister." Yin Xuan, still looking half-asleep, used his spiritual energy to bind a bundle of trimmed pine logs and carried them toward the foundation.
His steps were so slow and heavy, he looked like a burdened turtle.
One step, two steps... seven steps in, he suddenly stopped. Turning his head, he finally processed her words. "...How many spirit stones?"
Wen Shuangbai smiled. "Thirty thousand."
"But that’s just the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion’s reward." Knowing Senior Brother was a sword cultivator who had transferred to the Sword Arts Pavilion years ago, she added, "For the Sword Arts Pavilion, the top three all get rewards. First place is seventy thousand, second is fifty thousand, and third is thirty thousand."
"Seventy thousand..." Yin Xuan murmured. "Why wasn’t that written in the first line of the notice...?"
He almost missed it. How irresponsible.
When siblings worked together, nothing was impossible.
Three days later, with the combined efforts of the three junior siblings, a brand-new courtyard rose from the ground.
Wen Shuangbai clasped her hands behind her back, admiring the two-story house that had cost almost nothing. Before she could voice her satisfaction, Junior Sister Wen Xin cheered, "Now my flowerpots can finally just hold flowers!"
Yin Xuan, who had actually combed his hair for once, patted her head affectionately. "In that case, I’ll head down the mountain now."
As he spoke, he took out a storage pouch and handed it to Wen Xin.
But after a moment’s thought, he glanced at Wen Shuangbai and added, "Give half to your senior sister."
Wen Xin: "Okay!"
"No need," Wen Shuangbai declined with a smile. "I have my own spirit stones. If Junior Sister ever runs short, just ask me. I can earn money through crafting now."
Once she repaid the hundred thousand spirit stones the original owner owed, she’d take on the responsibility of caring for her junior sister.
For now, though, she could barely support herself—no need to pretend otherwise.
After all, the pouch Senior Brother gave probably held around five thousand stones, far more than the measly seven hundred in her own pocket.
"Ah, Senior Brother," Wen Shuangbai called out just as Yin Xuan was about to fly away. She grabbed his sleeve. "The first round of the competition is in a month. Make sure you come back on time—don’t miss it!"
"Mm." Yin Xuan nodded, yawned so hard his eyes watered, then closed them as he mounted his sword and flew off.
Wen Shuangbai watched the silver-haired man wobble precariously in the sky, nearly falling several times. She couldn’t help but worry—this didn’t seem very reliable.
As it turned out, her concerns were entirely justified.
A month later, on the morning of the competition, Yin Xuan still hadn’t returned.
Wen Shuangbai nibbled on a plain steamed bun, her face creased with worry as she crouched outside the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion’s examination hall. She used the Mystic Heaven Mirror to contact Wen Xin, who was waiting outside the Sword Tower.
[Wen Shuangbai: Junior Sister, has Senior Brother returned?
Wen Xin: Not yet.]
Wen Shuangbai wanted to cry.
[Wen Xin: But Senior Sister, the Sword Arts Pavilion’s elder just put up a notice. The competition lasts seven days this time—as long as participants arrive within that period, no matter how late, they can still join!]
Almost the moment she received this message, the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion’s elder announced the same rule.
The disciples waiting nearby immediately buzzed with discussion.
"This year’s competition is so accommodating!"
"They said the rules were temporarily changed because some disciples couldn't return in time from their trials outside the mountain."
"Hahaha, you guys don’t know the real reason, do you? These rule changes weren’t made for the likes of us."
"What do you mean?"
The disciple who clearly had insider information spoke indignantly: "Haven’t you heard? Senior Brother Bai Lijue still hasn’t returned from Ningyuan Mountain. And it’s not just him—Senior Brother Yin and Junior Sister Yu from the Sword Arts Pavilion, Senior Brothers Lu and Shen from the Sky-Questioning Pavilion, and Senior Brother Fang from the Medical Pavilion are all still there. If the rules weren’t changed, these prodigies wouldn’t be able to participate in the competition. And this time, it’s not just an ordinary sect competition!"
The others grew curious and wanted to ask more, but the disciple clearly didn’t want to elaborate. He shut his mouth and walked away.
Wen Shuangbai frowned, realizing the plot had already begun to spiral out of control.
In the original story, the main group hadn’t been late—they had withdrawn from Ningyuan Mountain in time and returned to the sect for the competition. Though they had been injured to varying degrees, they hadn’t achieved ideal rankings in the first round. It was only in the second round that they staged a stunning comeback, shocking the entire sect.
But now, they were all delayed.
There was only one variable: Shen Hefeng, the troublemaker she had sent to Ningyuan Mountain.
And there was something else strange.
For the past month, Wen Shuangbai had been busy preparing for the competition and hadn’t visited the medical hall or inquired about Xie Ziyin. She had assumed Xie Ziyin followed Yu Xiaoxiao to Ningyuan Mountain.
But instead, the medical disciple who went was Senior Brother Fang?
Xie Ziyin didn’t follow Yu Xiaoxiao?
A man so obsessed with the female lead that he bordered on madness—even if they’d had a falling out, he wouldn’t just stand by and let Yu Xiaoxiao walk into danger without helping, would he?
Too strange.
Wen Shuangbai shook her head, deciding to investigate after the competition. Something about this didn’t sit right with her.
Right now, the most important thing was Senior Brother Yin Xuan.
Even though the rules had changed to allow latecomers to participate, Wen Shuangbai still couldn’t feel happy about it.
Given the female lead’s protagonist aura, she believed Yu Xiaoxiao and the others would return within seven days.
But Senior Brother Yin Xuan? That was another story. He was practically forsaken by fate.
Wen Shuangbai sighed, watching the other disciples frantically memorizing texts. She stood up to stretch, circulating the "Radiant Spirit Heart Technique" to strengthen her body.
Over the past month, she had memorized the "Hundred Weapons Compendium" and refined her forging skills to near mastery.
As someone with extensive experience in exam-oriented education, she knew placing in the top three of the first round was unlikely—the gap was too wide to close in just a month.
But the top ten? That was doable.
If she could secure a top-ten spot in the first round and strategize well for the second, there was still a sliver of hope for her to claim first place in the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.
As the competition was about to begin, Wen Shuangbai prepared to enter the venue.
She steadied herself, sent one last message to her junior sister, handed over the Mystic Heaven Mirror, and strode confidently into the examination hall!
Wen Shuangbai: "Junior Sister, don’t wait for me. Go back first. When I’m done, I’ll treat you to something delicious!"
Wen Xin stood outside the Sword Tower, but she didn’t leave after receiving the message.
She kept looking around, waiting for Senior Brother Yin Xuan’s arrival.
This year’s Sword Arts Pavilion competition was a Sword Tower challenge—ranking would be determined by how many levels each disciple cleared within seven days.
At the first strike of the gong, all Sword Arts Pavilion disciples had already rushed into the tower.
At the second strike, the area around the Sword Tower was nearly deserted, leaving only Wen Xin and the elders.
At the third strike—thud!—a sword plummeted from the sky, followed by a figure crashing to the ground, leaving a human-shaped crater.
Wen Xin’s jaw dropped as she recognized the disheveled, unmistakable silver hair. She hurried over. "Senior Brother!"
Yin Xuan, covered in dirt as if he’d just crawled out of a trash heap, stood up and gave her a reassuring smile. Using his sword as a cane, he limped toward the elders and asked politely, "I’m just a little late—can I still go in?"
The elder pointed to a nearby notice board. "Yes, go ahead."
Yin Xuan looked over, read the notice, and immediately slumped in defeat.
Wait, since when were the rules changed?
If latecomers were allowed, why hadn’t anyone told him?!
He had been rushing back nonstop—sleeping while moving, eating while moving—just to make it at the last possible moment!
