◎I wonder if Miss Lin Qi is looking for a sworn younger sister?◎
Nangong Yu’s jaw nearly hit the floor. This cultivation world seemed to be… a little twisted.
Senior and junior sisters dug out each other’s golden cores, with their master joining in.
A sword cultivator who cultivated the Ruthless Dao married a mortal woman, then slaughtered an entire minor sect.
A core disciple of a prestigious orthodox sect maintained an intimate relationship with a member of the demon race and, driven mad by love, killed innocent fellow disciples—yet was merely confined for a while as punishment.
And in some random alley by the roadside, there was even a mysterious person who knew a secret technique for replacing spiritual roots…
But then again, considering this was an infinite-flow dungeon, perhaps none of it was all that strange.
“Look, it’s the Lin Family!”
Someone suddenly cried out.
The chatter in the teahouse stopped at once, and everyone turned to look outside.
A splendid procession of cultivators was making its way down the street.
At the head were two men dressed in white robes embroidered with gold patterns. Their hair was bound beneath golden crowns, and they carried themselves with a noble, imposing air that sharply contrasted with the casually dressed cultivators filling the street.
“They’re the Lin Family’s Second Young Master and Fourth Young Master,” someone recognized them.
Behind the two young masters followed more than a dozen cultivators, both men and women. Some appeared middle-aged, while others looked quite young, but without exception, all were dressed in finery.
“They just returned from the Secret Sea Forest,” someone said. “I heard they went deep into the forest to retrieve Blazing Gold and have a bonded magic weapon made for Miss Lin Qi.”
The crowd collectively drew in a breath.
“Blazing Gold!”
Nangong Yu had no idea what Blazing Gold was, so she asked the young man dressed like a wandering cultivator across from her, “Fellow Daoist, may I ask what Blazing Gold is?”
Nangong Yu had been camped out in the teahouse for the past few days. Since she was alone, people often came over to share her table.
However, she carried no aura of a cultivator, and most people had no interest in speaking with her. The young man, however, seemed to have a decent temper. Hearing her question, he replied, “It’s an associated ore produced alongside a Blazing Flame Wyrm. It’s extremely rare.”
Others at nearby tables began discussing it as well.
“That’s the fifth-ranked ore among all fire-attribute materials!”
“A dream material for fire-attribute cultivators.”
“My great-grandmother is fire-aligned too. Why has no one ever brought me some?”
Fifth-ranked? Then it really was an exceptionally rare treasure.
Nangong Yu looked at the young man and said politely, “Thank you, Fellow Daoist.”
The young man gave a slight nod and said no more. After sitting for a while, he left.
“Miss Lin Qi is truly something. Her talent may not be outstanding, but who can compare with her when it comes to being born into the right family? I heard Head of the Lin Family even petitioned Daojun Xuanfeng of Wuwang Sect on her behalf.”
“What? Wuwang Sect?!”
The crowd erupted.
“Is Wuwang Sect really that powerful?” Nangong Yu hurriedly asked the newcomer sitting across from her.
Business at the teahouse was booming. One customer had just left, and two more had arrived.
They sat to Nangong Yu’s left and across from her—a man and a woman who appeared to be traveling companions.
Hearing her question, the male cultivator glanced at her, then looked away, clearly uninterested. The female cultivator gave her a once-over before lifting her chin. “Listen.”
The teahouse had already exploded with excitement.
“That’s Wuwang Sect!”
“One of the five great sects and eight major schools—Wuwang Sect!”
“Daojun Xuanfeng attained the Divine Transformation realm eight hundred years ago. In his youth, he overwhelmed all his peers. He was a genius among geniuses!”
“Miss Lin Qi actually became his disciple? Her future is limitless!”
Shock, envy, jealousy, resentment—the many emotions mingled together throughout the teahouse.
Nangong Yu listened in silence.
The Canglan Realm consisted of nine provinces. The Central Province had the richest spiritual energy, and every sect that could establish itself there was a top-tier power.
Take the Ziyang Sect, for example. Three thousand years ago, it had also been a major sect in the Central Province. Later, it declined and moved its headquarters to Taihua Province—a place in decline, starved of resources, and depleted of talent.
The Lin Family, however, had managed to send their daughter to the Central Province and have her accepted as the disciple of a renowned Daojun of Wuwang Sect. Their methods were undeniably astonishing.
“I’m more talented than she is, aren’t I?” someone said sourly. “At her age, I had already reached Foundation Establishment.”
“Who told you that you weren’t born into the right family?” someone else replied mockingly. It was unclear whether they were sneering at the first speaker or at themselves.
The Lin Family’s procession had long since disappeared into the distance.
But the topic it had sparked in the teahouse continued to ripple outward like waves stirred by a massive stone.
Nangong Yu sipped her tea while calculating her options.
She wondered whether Miss Lin Qi might be looking for a sworn younger sister.
A maidservant would work too.
She wanted to follow her to Wuwang Sect. It sounded like a place with a very promising future.
“Head of the Lin Family gave a priceless treasure when Miss Lin Qi joined Wuwang Sect.”
“What kind of treasure?”
“Blazing Gold ranks fifth among fire-attribute materials, and it’s only enough to forge Miss Lin Qi’s bonded magic weapon. Can’t you guess what rank the treasure given to Daojun Xuanfeng must be?”
“I haven’t heard anything about the Lin Family making a move recently.”
Whenever a heavenly treasure appeared, it was usually accompanied by tumult. The higher the treasure’s rank, the greater the commotion it caused. Sect disciples, heirs of cultivation families, and wandering cultivators alike would all rush over at the news, fighting to claim it.
Yet in recent years, Taihua Province had been calm and uneventful. No one had heard of any treasure appearing there.
“Hmph! My young mistress is a heaven-blessed genius, born with Dao resonance. The moment Daojun Xuanfeng saw her, he recognized her talent and accepted her as his final disciple. You lot are nothing but insignificant minnows, jealous of her!”
A haughty voice came from the entrance of the teahouse.
A figure dressed as a young servant strode inside, chin held high.
The character “Lin” was embroidered on his clothing, making it obvious at a glance that he was a servant of the Lin Family.
The teahouse instantly fell silent.
Someone put on a false smile. “Indeed. Miss Lin Qi is a heaven-blessed genius, which is why Wuwang Sect accepted her as a disciple.”
The servant snorted through his nose. He walked to the counter, flashed the Lin Family’s token, collected a pot of tea and several plates of refreshments, then left with his chin held even higher.
“Why didn’t you teach him a lesson?” Nangong Yu asked curiously. “He called you all insignificant minnows.”
The teahouse fell silent once more.
“Hmph!”
Someone glared at Nangong Yu and gave a heavy snort. An oppressive aura spread through the room.
How dare a mere mortal act insolently in front of cultivators?
Nangong Yu had already slapped a defensive talisman onto herself. In her hand, she was also clutching a handful of explosive talismans, fire talismans, immobilizing talismans, illusion talismans, faction-change talismans, and more…
At that moment, the female cultivator across from her swung out an arm, blocking the invisible pressure.
“To attack a mortal? What admirable composure, Fellow Daoist.”
When his attack failed, the cultivator’s expression turned displeased. But after he studied the female cultivator for a moment, apparently noticing something, he actually swallowed his anger.
“Thank you, Big Sister.”
Nangong Yu smiled sweetly, dimples appearing in her cheeks. “Big Sister, you’re such a good cultivator.”
She had saved Nangong Yu a talisman. Wasn’t that practically the same as giving her one for free?
The woman shook her head. “Be more careful next time.”
A mortal who dared to act insolently in front of cultivators might have someone protecting her this time, but there was no guarantee she would be so lucky next time.
Nangong Yu had encountered an NPC with a friendly disposition, and her mood improved considerably. She waved over a server.
“Bring this Big Sister two plates of refreshments—the same kind they just gave Miss Lin.”
The server looked at her in surprise, then nodded. “Certainly, honored guest.”
He did not look down on Nangong Yu for being a mortal.
This mortal girl had been sitting in the teahouse for three days, and it was not the first time she had invited someone to tea and refreshments.
At first, he had assumed she really was a mortal. But when she took out a spirit stone to pay the bill, it had clearly appeared from thin air—a method that could only belong to a cultivator.
“You’re quite generous,” the female cultivator said, looking at her in surprise.
Nangong Yu spun a whole story without missing a beat. “Big Sis, I’m only young and still a mortal. That doesn’t mean I don’t have powerful backing.”
The male cultivator sharing their table glanced over as well.
“I’m about to take a master,” Nangong Yu continued. “My family intends to find me the best sect there is. At first, they said it would be the Ziyang Sect, but after I left home, I learned that the Ziyang Sect is only the best sect in Taihua Prefecture.”
“The Wuwang Sect is in the Central Province. Is the Central Province very far away?” she asked innocently, her expression pure and her tone childlike.
The female cultivator replied meaningfully, “Little girl, the Central Province is filled with geniuses among geniuses. It may not be the right place for you.”
Even geniuses who went to the Central Province were considered mediocre there.
Only the very best among geniuses could stand out.
“How talented do you have to be?” Nangong Yu asked curiously.
This time, the male cultivator answered her. “Forming a Golden Core before the age of twenty is the bare minimum. How old are you?”
Nangong Yu looked sixteen on the outside.
As for her bone age, who knew?
Damn that infinite-flow game. Who knew what tricks it had played?
“I’m sixteen,” she said calmly, without the slightest trace of unease.
The male cultivator let out a mocking laugh. “Within four years, you’ll have to draw qi into your body, reach Qi Condensation, establish your foundation, and form a Golden Core. Do you really think you can manage that?”
Nangong Yu blinked, then said sympathetically, “Big Brother, you didn’t manage it, did you? Don’t be sad. Lots of people are just like you.”
The male cultivator fell silent.
Beside him, the female cultivator let out a “pfft.” “Why are you provoking her?”
This child was still a mortal, yet she had dared to stir up trouble and send a group of rogue cultivators to slap the Lin Family in the face.
The fact that she had survived to the age of sixteen without being beaten to death meant that she was certainly no ordinary person.
“Don’t be angry, Big Brother. I’ll treat you to some spirit fruit.” Smiling sweetly, Nangong Yu pushed the plate of spirit fruit a little to the left.
The male cultivator also felt that losing his temper with a child—especially a mortal child—would make him seem petty. He took a fruit, stuffed it into his mouth, and said nothing more.
With the table falling silent, the sounds from the teahouse seemed much louder.
“Hmph. Dao resonance surrounding her? What kind of Dao resonance is that?” someone said indignantly.
“Exactly. She didn’t even establish her foundation until she was seventeen. How does that make her a genius?”
“If we’re talking about geniuses, even that one who formed a Golden Core at sixteen wouldn’t dare call herself a genius in front of her.”
“Could you be referring to that talisman-cultivation prodigy who formed a Golden Core at fifteen—and had twin Golden Cores?”
Nangong Yu’s eyes flew wide open. “Twin Golden Cores?!”
She had grown tired of hearing about geniuses. Every one of them formed a Golden Core in their teens, as if Golden Cores were being sold wholesale like cabbages. But twin Golden Cores?
The female cultivator sitting across from her nodded solemnly. “Yes. There was indeed such a prodigious senior.”
“But she ruined her own future,” the male cultivator sneered, his voice full of contempt. “What an ignorant fool! She wasted her talent!”
