“No need.” Elder Ling Heng waved his hand casually, his expression as calm as drifting clouds and flowing water. He didn’t want the child to get any ideas and bring trouble upon him.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Is there anything you want to ask me? Any cultivation techniques or magical treasures you’d like? Apart from Xuanqing, has anyone else bullied you?”
He added, “As for the criminals who destroyed your hometown, I’ll send my disciples to investigate. I absolutely won’t let them get away.”
Now that the child had taken him as her master, he could not allow her state of mind to remain flawed.
Besides, her enemies should not be difficult to track down.
Half the mortals in Little Swallow Village had been caught up in the disaster and died. That had to have been caused by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Qi Refinement cultivators would not have possessed such high cultivation, while a battle between Golden Core cultivators would have sent shock waves through the area and flattened the entire village.
They only needed to question all the Foundation Establishment disciples who had gone out to gain experience in recent years, and the suspects would become clear.
If the culprits had not returned, then they could investigate among the disciples who had failed to come back. And if they did not dare return to the sect, the sect could issue wanted notices for them.
They were only two Foundation Establishment disciples. They could not possibly get far.
“There’s nothing I really want,” Nangong Yu said. “Just give me some of the magical treasures you don’t need anymore—the ones you’ve already replaced.”
The corner of Elder Ling Heng’s mouth twitched.
Come to think of it, there really was some old junk in his storage ring from his younger days.
Over the years, he had given some of it to juniors he took a liking to, while the rest had been tucked away at the bottom of his collection. He sent his divine sense into the storage ring and rummaged around.
Not bad. They weren’t particularly shabby. Quite a few of them were suitable for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.
As for Qi Refinement items, they had long since disappeared. He was over a thousand years old, after all. Those things had been ancient history for ages.
“Take them.” Elder Ling Heng sorted through the items, put them into a storage bag, and tossed it to her.
Talismans, pills, spirit stones, magical treasures—he had casually gathered up just a little of each, yet it was already a fortune that a Golden Core cultivator could not accumulate over an entire lifetime.
Nangong Yu accepted the bag. When she saw that it also contained a spirit boat, she said, “Master, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to pilot a spirit boat around the sect. Give me a flying magical treasure instead.”
He had already given her so much. One more item wouldn’t hurt.
The corner of Elder Ling Heng’s mouth twitched again. “You really don’t regard me as an outsider.”
Although he sounded annoyed, he still selected a flying magical treasure for her.
It was one of his favorite possessions, a treasure that had saved his life several times in the past. It was called the Star River Flowing Light Robe.
Made primarily from Star River Sand, divine silkworm silk, and spatial stone, along with dozens of supplementary materials, the magical treasure combined concealment with spatial travel.
After he had reached the Deity Transformation Realm, he no longer had any use for it. Even so, he had never given it away and had kept it in his collection all this time.
Now that this child had asked for it, he thought perhaps everything was guided by fate.
“Thank you, Master!” Nangong Yu accepted it happily. “You really are a good master!”
An NPC who gave out items was a good NPC.
An NPC who gave out item after item was a super-good NPC!
Bosses sometimes fattened up players before eating them in one bite. Nangong Yu had seen it happen before.
Judging by all the items Elder Ling Heng had given her, he definitely would not make a move against her anytime soon. If anyone else tried to harm her, he would probably be the one getting anxious.
She was safe!
“Does Master have anything else to do? If not, I’m going back to cultivate.” After putting everything away, Nangong Yu prepared to leave.
She had not responded to the matter of “the vengeance for your family’s murder.” But for the sake of this super-good NPC, Nangong Yu thought for a moment, then turned back and said, “Master.”
“If those two disciples are caught, how will the sect punish them?”
Killing mortals without cause was a crime, whether it had been intentional or accidental. Elder Ling Heng had handled cases like this before, so he answered, “Their cultivation will be sealed, and they’ll be imprisoned in the Profound Ice Cliff for a hundred years.”
Foundation Establishment cultivators lived for two hundred years. With their cultivation sealed and a hundred years spent in prison, it was practically no different from being locked up until death.
Which was more satisfying—killing them with one slash, or torturing them for a hundred years before letting them die?
If Nangong Yu were asked, neither would be satisfying. Even if Zhou Yun and Zhao Yun died a thousand times over, the innocent NPCs would still not return.
“Oh.” She nodded. “Then I have nothing else to ask. I’m leaving?”
Elder Ling Heng nodded at her.
However, the moment she stepped out of the Sword Hut, he suddenly called after her. “Little Yu.”
“Hmm?” Nangong Yu looked back.
“What did you experience in the Heart-Questioning Illusion?” Elder Ling Heng asked slowly.
This little disciple was both bold and quick-witted, completely unafraid of offending anyone.
It wasn’t that she acted boldly because she did not know who other people were. She knew perfectly well that they were elders of the sect and powerful cultivators, yet she remained fearless.
So what had happened in the Heart-Questioning Illusion to make her break down?
Elder Ling Heng watched her, patiently waiting for an answer. But when Nangong Yu met his gaze, a fierce hostility suddenly rose within her.
She did not want to answer that question.
Inside her dantian, three towering trees swayed in the breeze. The braised chicken feet, sesame cakes, and watermelons hanging from their branches swayed gently as well.
The lake, which had been on the verge of rippling into waves, was smoothed by that faint breeze. Her hostility was suppressed, and she answered, “I don’t want to tell you right now.”
Elder Ling Heng sighed inwardly. Before she had even spoken, he had already guessed the answer from her expression.
“All right.” He nodded and did not press her further.
However, he still did not let her leave.
His expression was one of hesitation, as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to.
“Does Master have something else to say?” Nangong Yu asked.
Elder Ling Heng was not one to hem and haw. He quickly spoke up. “My cultivation has also been stagnant for more than two hundred years. In your opinion, where does my bottleneck lie?”
She had already helped several cultivators break through. Could he become one of them as well?
Nangong Yu blinked. “Master, how would I know? This is only the second time I’ve met you.”
Elder Ling Heng snorted, dissatisfied. “Last time, you had only met the sect master for the first time too!”
Which of the cultivators she had helped break through had not been stuck for a long time?
“Oh.” Nangong Yu scratched her head and said sincerely, “I think it was just a coincidence. Really, Master, you don’t think I’m brushing you off, do you?”
She was extraordinarily earnest. “How could I? I might brush other people off, but I wouldn’t brush you off! You gave me so many things, didn’t you?”
She was not the sort of person who pretended to be above worldly concerns. If she accepted something, she would certainly do her part.
Unless she was incapable of doing it.
“Give it a try.” Elder Ling Heng could only coax her. “Didn’t you feel your way through the sect master’s breakthrough last time?”
Nangong Yu understood.
She would not be able to leave the Sword Hut until she got through this trial.
Even a super-good NPC was still a monster. There was no way one of them would make things easy for a player.
Recalling what she had bluffed to Elder Xie Jinyue and the others before—things like not meddling in mortal affairs, keeping one’s feet on the ground, not envying others, and learning to be content—she remembered that Elder Ling Heng had been present when she had rambled on to the sect master last time.
He had shown no reaction then, so those words would not work on him.
“Hmm… Do you want to break through, Master?” she asked, racking her brain to steer the conversation.
“How could I not?” Elder Ling Heng sighed. “What cultivator in this world doesn’t?”
“Master, do you really want to?” Nangong Yu stared into his eyes with utmost seriousness.
That question left Elder Ling Heng slightly stunned.
“Master, if you truly want it, then you will definitely succeed,” Nangong Yu said with certainty. “The Heavenly Dao will never fail anyone who is sincere!”
And if it did, then she would defy the Heavenly Dao.
The moment her words fell, a strand of Elder Ling Heng’s long hair lifted from his shoulder, as if a breeze had blown from behind him.
“Is that so?” he murmured.
Nangong Yu answered firmly, “It is!”
The answer is that you simply didn’t want it badly enough! As long as you truly want something—want it badly enough—you can definitely do it!
“I understand.” Elder Ling Heng nodded. The long hair drifting over his shoulders seemed to have grown even more abundant. “You may go back now.”
A gust of wind swept over them, and Nangong Yu’s body was sent flying uncontrollably. In the blink of an eye, she was outside the Sword Hut.
Looking back in, the place was clearly right before her eyes, yet it seemed to be separated from her by thousands upon thousands of miles—so distant that she might never be able to enter.
The NPC who had been sitting beside the stone table now seemed to be sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion in an empty great hall. His eyes were closed, his bearing otherworldly and his features refined, his entire presence ethereal and serene.
Nangong Yu’s heart began pounding violently.
It had actually worked?
She had only tossed out a few random remarks.
Could there be some invisible switch on her? Did the NPCs have to come to her to receive their qualification certificates? Once she nodded, would they be able to break through?
This cheat was way too powerful. Nangong Yu amused herself with the thought and burst out laughing.
But soon, she couldn’t laugh anymore.
Such an incredible cheat, and yet she didn’t have one!
She glanced into the Sword Hut a few more times, then shook out the Starry River Flowing-Light Robe and put it on.
Before it was worn, the robe was white as clouds and thin as cicada wings, with silver stardust flowing around it.
After she put it on, it became transparent. Nangong Yu looked down at herself, but all she could see was the white-and-purple disciple uniform beneath it.
She focused her mind and said, “Conceal.”
A strange, profound sensation swept over her. When she looked at herself again, her body was gone. She had become completely invisible.
“Isn’t this just an upgraded version of an Invisibility Talisman?!” Her eyes lit up.
Wearing the Starry River Flowing-Light Robe, she found a puddle of water, crouched down, and looked at her reflection. She couldn’t see so much as a single strand of hair.
Although the robe had no hood, it could conceal her entire body!
*
A transmission flew out from Hengxu Peak.
“What?” The Sect Master frowned. “That quickly?”
He had only just arranged for Elder Ling Heng to go to the Tianyan Sect. Hadn’t even half a day passed? Elder Ling Heng had said his state of mind had loosened and that he was about to break through!
A trace of jealousy rose in the Sect Master’s heart.
He shouldn’t have yielded just now. A heaven-appointed disciple like that should have been his!
But the decision had already been made.
He sighed helplessly and summoned his eldest disciple. “Go to the Tianyan Sect…”
*
Chen Zhi was cultivating in his cave abode when he suddenly heard knocking from outside.
Once, then again and again, as if someone were calling for him.
“Who is it?”
However, when he left the cave abode, there was no one outside. There were only a few small stones at the entrance.
He looked around, frowning, then returned to the cave abode.
Clang.
Ding-dong.
More sounds came from outside. Chen Zhi went out again and stared at the empty area outside his cave.
With a helpless sigh, he said, “Great-grand-aunt Nangong Yu.”
The only person who could come up with such a childish prank was Nangong Yu.
A moment later, Nangong Yu appeared. “Huh? How did you know it was me?”
“Because I don’t have any friends.” Chen Zhi pressed his lips together. “No one plays with me.”
“What?!” Nangong Yu was shocked. “Then I won’t play with you anymore, either!”
Whoosh.
She vanished.
Chen Zhi: “…”
What he meant was that he had no childish friends who would play such a childish game with him.
He shook his head with a quiet laugh and returned to his cave abode. This time, no sounds came from outside for a long while.
He settled his mind and began cultivating.
Meanwhile, Nangong Yu flew back to Hengxu Peak while wearing the Starry River Flowing-Light Robe.
After testing it out, she discovered that the robe was incredibly easy to use. Becoming invisible required only a thought, and flying consumed no spiritual energy either.
At least during her trip between Hengxu Peak and Luowu Peak, she had barely felt any decrease in the spiritual energy circulating through her meridians.
It could fly fast or slow, consumed no spiritual energy, and could make her invisible. Nangong Yu absolutely loved this magical treasure.
“This is so freaking awesome~~”
Humming a tune, she returned to her cave abode.
After activating the restrictions, she took off the Starry River Flowing-Light Robe, put it into her storage pouch, and lay down on the massage chair with her eyes closed.
The taut strings in her mind finally relaxed all at once.
She let out a long breath.
First, she had dealt with a group of low-level monsters on Disciple Peak.
Then Elder Xuanqing had abducted her. She had been just about to leave the mountain when she suddenly found herself unable to speak. Immediately afterward, a mass of golden light wrapped around her. She had waved at Chen Zhi, yet Chen Zhi had acted as if he couldn’t see her.
After being released, she had faced the trial of the Heart-Questioning Stone.
And she had won the gamble.
The Heart-Questioning Stone—whose heart did it question? Why was it called the Heart-Questioning Stone instead of the Guilt-Questioning Stone?
Standing before the Heart-Questioning Stone, Nangong Yu had considered the following scenario: what if someone had committed a crime but then lost their memory and forgot all about it?
If that person were asked before the Heart-Questioning Stone, “Did you kill someone?” and answered, “No,” would that count as the truth or a lie?
She had come up with two possibilities.
The first was that the Heart-Questioning Stone was actually a Guilt-Questioning Stone capable of revealing the sins a person carried.
But if that were the case, why require the suspect to confess? Wouldn’t it be enough simply to examine them with the stone?
Therefore, she leaned toward the second possibility: the Heart-Questioning Stone was a lie detector capable of determining a person’s true thoughts.
But even if neither theory was correct, it didn’t matter. Her second statement—“I’m sixteen years old”—had been a trap for the Heart-Questioning Stone.
Her appearance had remained unchanged for countless years, frozen at the age of sixteen, when she had entered the infinite-flow world.
But she had also truly experienced countless things and lived for a very long time in that world. So how old was she, exactly?
Even she herself wasn’t certain. How could the Heart-Questioning Stone verify it?
And finally, even if the Heart-Questioning Stone could see through everything and her actions on Taixuan Peak were exposed, so what?
“It was me.” She could simply admit it. “I just didn’t like him. What are you going to do about it?”
How had she done it? She had hired someone.
Who had she hired? That was none of their business.
There had been twists, gains, and the thrilling excitement of a player’s day.
Nangong Yu opened her eyes again and sat down beside the table. She took out food and drink from her spatial storage and sorted through everything she had gained that day.
First, there was a stack of IOUs.
She set those aside.
Then there was the jade pendant Elder Luo Qingyuan had given her. It contained three uses of her strongest attack.
Nangong Yu found a cord, threaded it through the pendant, and hung it from her waist.
The pink jade pendant was shaped like a paper bird. She had to admit, it was rather pretty.
Next was the box of Heart-Clearing Tea from the Sect Master.
Then there was the small sphere containing the sword art that represented the main peak’s goodwill. Nangong Yu tied a cord around that one as well, wrapped it up, and hung it on the other side of her waist.
And then there was the pile of junk her NPC master had given her.
She rubbed her hands together excitedly and began organizing her storage pouch.
There was actually a small mountain of spirit stones inside. There had to be at least several hundred thousand of them. This was liquid capital!
The pills and talismans were easy to organize, since their names were written on them. But she didn’t recognize some of the rare natural treasures stored in jade boxes, jade bottles, and jade cases.
Nangong Yu decided that she would go to the Scripture Repository and borrow a copy of The Complete Guide to Rare Natural Treasures.
Once she had decided, she acted immediately.
After tidying up the table, Nangong Yu left her cave abode and summoned a spirit crane.
She could fly by herself, but she wasn’t short on spirit stones anymore, was she?
“Junior Sister.”
“Greetings, Junior Sister.”
Along the way, several cultivators greeted her. Noticing that their eyes had fallen on the sphere at her waist, Nangong Yu smiled sweetly and returned their greetings.
“Greetings, Senior Brother.”
“Greetings, Senior Sister.”
These were disciples of the main peak. They recognized the Sect Master’s sword art and knew that she was one of their own.
Soon, she arrived at the Scripture Repository.
Nangong Yu returned the original copies of The Great Rejuvenation Art and the Immortal-Burying Art, then collected the hundred contribution points she had put down as a deposit.
She then borrowed The Complete Guide to Spirit Plants, Record of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, The Complete Compendium of Ores, The Complete Guide to Artifact Refining Materials, and more than a dozen other books.
These reference books were inexpensive and were neither unique, rare, nor out-of-print editions. To her surprise, the sect did not even require a deposit, so Nangong Yu borrowed all the original copies and took them back with her.
Now that she had become a cultivator, she did not get tired easily. After circulating her energy through several meditation cycles, she felt refreshed, her mind clear and alert.
She stayed up all night scanning the books, copying both the text and the images into her optical brain.
[Scanning… This is a Lunar Pan Peach. It grows in Shuozhou and originated in the frigid ancient lands. Rich in spiritual power, it possesses a special effect: consuming it can improve one’s constitution and make one impervious to the cold.]
Nice!
[Scanning… This is a Primordial Harmony Flower. It can harmonize the yin and yang energies within the body and eliminate the drawbacks caused by conflicting spiritual roots. Whether one possesses dual water-and-fire attributes or a chaotic five-element constitution, it can fully harmonize them. A supreme treasure for a constitution found only once in ten thousand.]
??
Her master, NPC Elder Ling Heng, actually had something this good?
But Elder Ling Heng had a single spiritual root, as did all his disciples. Such a treasure was completely useless to them, so he had long since forgotten about it.
When Nangong Yu asked for it today, he did not even bother to look. He simply rummaged through his collection, pulled out everything, and stuffed it into a storage bag.
Nangong Yu thought for a moment, then decided not to consume it. Instead, she put it into her personal space.
She continued rummaging through the jade boxes.
[Scanning… This item is…]
She did not stop until dawn broke. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Then a voice came from outside. “Little Yu, my disciple? Come out quickly. Your Second Master is here.”
Nangong Yu recognized Elder Luo Qingyuan’s voice. Reluctantly, she put away the jade boxes and opened the restriction.
“Elder Luo.” She invited her inside. “My master said I’m not allowed to acknowledge anyone else as my master.”
Elder Luo Qingyuan entered her cave dwelling with a beaming smile. “That was merely a joke. You and I have not bowed to Heaven and Earth or borne witness before the sun and moon, so how could we be considered master and disciple? It was just a term of endearment.”
Nangong Yu thought to herself that she and Elder Ling Heng had not bowed to Heaven and Earth or borne witness before the sun and moon either.
“Did Elder Luo come here for something?” She took out a teapot, brought out the Heart-Clearing Tea given to her by the sect master, and began brewing it.
Elder Luo Qingyuan sat down gracefully. With a sweep of her palm across the tabletop, plates of spirit fruits suddenly appeared.
“I noticed you didn’t go to class and was a little worried, so I came to check on you.”
Nangong Yu asked, “I only went to class yesterday. Doesn’t our Class B have lessons once every three days?”
“But you’ve already met the requirements to enter Class A.” Elder Luo Qingyuan smiled brightly. “Of course, if you don’t want to go, I can come to Hengxu Peak and teach you every day. It’s all the same.”
Nangong Yu’s legs nearly gave out from under her. “N-No, there’s no need!”
Being targeted by a boss was never a good thing.
“I’ll go to class!” She remembered that she still had an IOU to collect. “I’ll leave right now!”
Elder Luo Qingyuan smiled. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
With that, she flicked her sleeve, wrapped Nangong Yu in it, and flew toward the Disciples’ Peak.
“Elder, I can climb up myself!” Nangong Yu hurriedly said when they were about to reach the peak.
New disciples were supposed to climb the mountain every day and were forbidden from using external assistance. That was one of the rules of the Disciples’ Peak.
Seeing how insistent she was, Elder Luo Qingyuan smiled and set her down at the foot of the Disciples’ Peak.
“Hurry up, then. I’ll wait for you at the top.”
After saying that, she flew upward and soon disappeared from sight.
Nangong Yu stood at the foot of the mountain and thought, That was close.
Rules were more frightening than minor monsters. Once a minor monster was killed, that was the end of it. But if one violated a rule, the dungeon might not even issue a warning. Instead, it could accumulate the violations until a certain number had been reached and then punish the player outright.
After calming herself, Nangong Yu began climbing the Disciples’ Peak.
When she was halfway up, someone came down from above. The moment he saw Nangong Yu, he called out, “Why are you only getting here now?”
“Hurry up! We’ve been waiting for you forever!”
Nangong Yu shot him a glance. “Waiting for me so you can beat me up?”
The man snapped, “Isn’t it because I’m here to repay your debt?”
“Then repay it now.” Nangong Yu continued climbing at an unhurried pace. “Why do I have to go up there? What’s waiting for me at the top?”
The man was rendered speechless and began stammering.
“Oh?” Nangong Yu glanced at him. “There really is a surprise waiting for me up there?”
“That’s not it!” he quickly denied.
Nangong Yu curled her lips and ignored him, continuing up the mountain at a leisurely pace.
At some point, the figure above disappeared. It was not until Nangong Yu reached the summit that she saw him again.
He was hiding behind an unfamiliar cultivator.
Judging by the spiritual pressure she sensed as an Essence Refinement cultivator, the newcomer’s cultivation was quite profound. He was at least a Golden Core cultivator.
“You’re the one who—ah!!”
The Golden Core cultivator had just taken one step forward and had not even finished speaking when he suddenly let out a horrible scream and covered his eyes.
The other disciples were shocked.
“Senior Brother Yu?!”
“Senior Brother Yu, what’s wrong?!”
“Nangong Yu, what did you do to Senior Brother Yu—ah!!”
“Ah!!”
“My eyes!!”
One scream after another rang out. Nearly half the disciples collapsed, clutching their eyes and crying out in agony.
A few disciples were unharmed because they had not had time to look at Nangong Yu. Now they stood there dumbfounded and helpless.
“What happened, Elder?”
“We don’t know either…”
“Senior Brother Yu came to stand up for us. He had just started speaking when this suddenly happened!”
“My eyes! It hurts so much! Ah—Elder, save me!”
“It’s Nangong Yu! It must have been her! She used some trick to do this to us!”
Their eyes were tightly shut, but when they heard that the elders had arrived, their hearts settled despite the unbearable pain.
One after another, they shouted furiously, “Elders, don’t let her escape!”
Nangong Yu curled her lips.
“Hm?” Elder Baihe sent several strands of spiritual energy flying, allowing them to land on several disciples at random. After examining them, he found that none of their injuries were particularly serious.
A closer inspection revealed abnormalities around their eyes, but they were not severe.
So why were they in so much pain? They were acting like ordinary mortals, crying out at the slightest discomfort. Elder Baihe was rather displeased.
He suspected they were putting on an exaggerated performance to frame Nangong Yu. Otherwise, why was Yu Shuo able to endure it?
“Does anyone have Rejuvenation Pills?” Elder Baihe snorted.
Some of the disciples had pills, while others did not. Elder Baihe tossed one to each of those who lacked them.
Before long, the disciples’ pain eased, and their groans grew much quieter.
“Nangong Yu, why did you harm us?” one person demanded, forcing his eyes open despite the lingering pain and pointing at Nangong Yu.
“Exactly. We might have offended you yesterday, but we didn’t do anything to you today.”
“You’ve gone too far!”
Amid the crowd, one figure looked distinctly uneasy, his gaze darting around evasively.
It was the person who had gone down the mountain to find Nangong Yu—the one whose behavior had led her to guess that someone was plotting trouble at the summit.
“Who hurt you?” Nangong Yu refused to admit anything. “I’d just climbed up here and hadn’t said a word when you suddenly started crying out in pain and rolling around.”
She frowned deeply. “That’s a pretty clumsy way to frame someone.”
“Who’s framing you?!” The disciple, still reeling from the excruciating pain, was furious. “Nangong Yu, how dare you turn around and accuse us!”
