After realizing that no matter how hard she tried to blend into the background, she could not avoid the female lead’s targeted hostility, Bai Xiaoxiao’s mindset became thoroughly peaceful. Perhaps it was the power of the plot; she and the female lead were simply bound to never get along peacefully.
Thinking about the even greater conflicts awaiting her in the future, Bai Xiaoxiao felt a wave of mental exhaustion. Just take it one step at a time for now and figure it out when the time comes.
By the time she took the long, winding mountain path from the foot of the mountain and finally reached the peak, Bai Xiaoxiao was gasping for air. Every breath she took drew in cold mountain air, the icy chill penetrating her lungs caused her to instinctively slow down her breathing, only relaxing after a long moment.
Only about twenty days had passed since she started training. There was progress, but not much.
Wangyue Peak was simply too high. She gritted her teeth and persevered for so long, yet she could barely manage a single round trip, needing to rest midway. If this were back in modern society, she would never have been able to pull this off. Perhaps because her current body was not human after all, her endurance was considerably higher.
However, for a spirit beast, her physical body’s strength was exceedingly poor, she didn’t know why that was.
After resting for a long while, Bai Xiaoxiao straightened her back again and dragged her heavy, stumbling feet back into the small building.
Shen Zhiyue was meditating and only opened her eyes upon hearing the sound.
“You took longer today than yesterday. Did you slack off?”
Bai Xiaoxiao shook her head frantically. “No, no! It’s just that on my way up the mountain, I bumped into Fellow Daoist Ming… She thought I was an intruder, so we spoke briefly. As soon as she left, I resumed immediately.”
“Jingqiu?”
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly. “Mhm.”
Shen Zhiyue looked at her, scrutinizing her as if gauging whether she was lying.
Bai Xiaoxiao nervously allowed herself to be scrutinized, feeling a little guilty inside.
In truth, she really had secretly slacked off today, she just hadn’t expected Shen Zhiyue to be so sharp.
Fortunately, Shen Zhiyue didn’t pursue the matter in the end, merely nodding to show she understood.
“The effect of your training… is fairly decent. After taking today’s medicine, you may resume your cultivation starting tomorrow.”
Hearing the reluctance in Shen Zhiyue’s tone, Bai Xiaoxiao smiled somewhat embarrassed. But upon hearing the second half of her words, she froze slightly, hesitating to speak.
The problem was… she didn’t seem to know how to cultivate at all, not even the absolute basics.
The two worlds operated on completely different systems. Although she currently possessed a Foundation Establishment cultivation base, she was genuinely a complete novice.
Bai Xiaoxiao was still hesitating whether she should ask.
Yet Shen Zhiyue seemed to see through her hesitation and spoke again. “Your foundation is far too weak. Qiuzhi Peak has established a disciple academy. Starting tomorrow, go to Qiuzhi Peak to study.”
Bai Xiaoxiao was stunned. “Me? Go to Qiuzhi Peak?” She hesitated for a moment. “But I’m not a disciple of the Sword Sect. Going to Qiuzhi Peak might be inappropriate.”
She was a spirit beast. Even if she had taken human form, she was fundamentally different from those disciples. Could she really go?
Shen Zhiyue looked at her quietly without saying a word.
Bai Xiaoxiao suddenly came to a realization. What did it matter if she wasn’t a Sword Sect disciple? Everything was just a matter of a single word from Shen Zhiyue.
The words “Well-Connected Privilege” flashed across her mind. Bai Xiaoxiao felt a bit dazed, but she still obediently nodded. “Alright, I understand.”
Although it was only going to Qiuzhi Peak to study, at least she could go out. She just didn’t know what model the academy at Qiuzhi Peak followed, would it be grouped by age like in modern society?
If it really was divided by age, then she…
Bai Xiaoxiao showed a look of hesitation.
Um… how old was this little snake of hers again?
Before she could figure out her age, Shen Zhiyue’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Qiuzhi Peak establishes different classrooms based on the disciples’ cultivation levels. Most disciples who newly enter the Sword Sect have not yet entered the Dao and are unified in the Qi Refining classroom. Although you are already at Foundation Establishment, the cultivation systems of spirit beasts and humans are different. As of now, you have only just entered the Dao. The Foundation Establishment classroom is still too early for you.”
Bai Xiaoxiao froze. “Then I…”
Shen Zhiyue’s expression remained unchanged, but a trace of a smile seemed to flash in her eyes.
“Naturally, the Qi Refining classroom, to build a solid foundation.”
Bai Xiaoxiao: “…”
Very reasonable.
However, if she remembered correctly, when the Sword Sect recruited disciples, the age limit for those in Qi Refining or those with talent who had not yet entered the Dao was under ten years old…
In other words, if she enrolled, she would be studying alongside a group of little kids.
Bai Xiaoxiao hesitated for two seconds before her brows suddenly smoothed out.
Actually, taking classes with little kids wasn’t bad at all.
Seeing her willingly accept it, Shen Zhiyue raised her brow slightly. “Qiuzhi Peak is quite far from here. It so happens that Jingqiu has returned, so she will take you to school.”
Bai Xiaoxiao was only briefly taken aback before agreeing, “Yes, thank you, Venerated One.”
She didn’t know how to ride a sword. If she relied on her two legs, she wouldn’t arrive even by nightfall. Meanwhile, Rong Qingqing didn’t get along with her. Looking at it this way, Ming Jingqiu really was the only choice left.
Looking at the exceedingly obedient woman, Shen Zhiyue lowered her eyes, concealing the deep thoughts beneath.
Regarding Bai Xiaoxiao’s background, she had searched through a great deal of information over the past month and finally found a lead.
From the information obtained so far, this little snake closely matched the records in a damaged ancient text she had found by chance. The other party was extremely likely to be an ancient spirit beast, a Mirage Snake.
The Mirage Snake clan was favored by the Heavenly Dao, they were born able to shapeshift, and their hearts were like glazed crystal, capable of keeping cultivators safe from inner demons. Apart from that, whether used for cultivation or crafting artifacts, they were an extraordinarily rare material.
Precisely because of this, a wave of hunting targeted at the Mirage Snake clan arose during the ancient era.
The hunting lasted for over a century, causing less than one in ten of the clan to survive, nearly bringing them to extinction. Later, it was said that a major event occurred, many cultivators fell into demon hood for no apparent reason, resulting in utter chaos for a time.
When everything ended, the Mirage Snake clan had vanished without a trace, no one knew whether they had been wiped out or had gone into hiding.
To this day, only meager records remained regarding the Mirage Snake clan.
If Bai Xiaoxiao truly was from the ancient Mirage Snake clan, why had she appeared now?
A scene suddenly flashed through her mind, and Shen Zhiyue’s gaze narrowed.
At first, she thought Bai Xiaoxiao had been possessed. But a month’s time was enough for her to investigate clearly. Bai Xiaoxiao was not suppressed by the Heavenly Dao, the spiritual energy in her body was still present, and she would even unconsciously mobilize it at times, she simply didn’t know how to use it.
Compared to before, the original little snake was like an empty shell devoid of consciousness, whereas now her intellect had returned.
No, to be precise, her intellect had returned right when she appeared before the core barrier of Wuxu Valley.
If so, Bai Xiaoxiao’s purpose wasn’t hard to guess, she was likely here for the Yin-Yang Lifespan Lamp.
It seemed the Mirage Snake clan had encountered trouble. Shen Zhiyue glanced at the little snake immersed in her own world and slowly closed her eyes.
The legends truly did not lie, the Mirage Snake clan is indeed on the brink of extinction. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent such a foolish one to steal an immortal artifact.
The night passed with the usual intimate entanglement, with Bai Xiaoxiao completely unaware of what the person holding her was thinking. Early the next morning, a ray of spiritual light suddenly descended upon the peak of Wangyue Peak, it was Ming Jingqiu, coming to drop her off.
Bai Xiaoxiao wore a thick cloak, her small face full of melancholy. Looking closely, one could even spot a deep seated resistance to going to school in her eyes.
Even after transmigrating into the cultivation world, I still can’t escape the fate of going to school.
Bai Xiaoxiao sighed drearily.
The System asked in confusion, Host, didn’t you spend even longer attending school in modern times? You should be used to it by now.
Bai Xiaoxiao looked soul-less. “Used to it? My entire life was only 22 years long, and going to school took up 13 of those years. I finally graduated with great difficulty, only to transmigrate and start school all over again from kindergarten!”
The System comforted softly, My condolences.
Bai Xiaoxiao let out a gentle sigh.
Oh well. Since I can’t refuse it, I’ll just take it one step at a time.
“Fellow Daoist Ming, I’m really troubling you.”
Looking at Ming Jingqiu, who stood as tall and straight as a young poplar tree after landing, Bai Xiaoxiao greeted her with a smile.
Ming Jingqiu nodded slightly, her gaze falling directly onto the woman in front of her.
She hadn’t expected yesterday’s chance encounter to lead to such an interaction. As for trouble, it wasn’t really a bother, it was just along the way.
It was just that regarding Bai Xiaoxiao’s enrollment at Qiuzhi Peak and specifically going to the Qi Refining classroom. Ming Jingqiu temporarily didn’t know how to react.
Bai Xiaoxiao noticed her expression, but thoughtfully stayed silent, feeling incredibly fascinated by the upcoming experience of being taken on a flying sword by Ming Jingqiu.
Yesterday she had been envious of sword flight, today she got to experience it.
However, the moment she was about to step onto it, Bai Xiaoxiao hesitated.
The long sword suspended low in the air was paper thin. Ming Jingqiu stood on it effortlessly, but looking at it, Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t know where to place her feet. Although the sword had been enlarged somewhat, it was still very narrow. Would she really not fall off if she stood on it?
Perhaps noticing her hesitation, Ming Jingqiu softened her voice and said, “Fellow Daoist Bai, do not be afraid. I will not let you fall.”
With that guarantee, even though Bai Xiaoxiao still felt nervous inside, she couldn’t delay any longer. She took a deep breath and tremblingly stepped onto the sword.
Ming Jingqiu waited patiently for her to adjust. A moment later, Bai Xiaoxiao’s tense body gradually relaxed, and she let out a soft sigh of relief.
With a flick of her hand sign, Ming Jingqiu sent the long sword soaring smoothly off the ground, zipping out with a whoosh.
Bai Xiaoxiao’s face turned pale. She quickly grabbed onto Ming Jingqiu’s clothes, keeping her eyes shut the entire time, not daring to look down.
Beneath the sword body were rolling, endless mountain ranges. They were flying so fast that it felt like they might crash into a mountain peak if she wasn’t careful. Unable to adapt to it for the time being, Bai Xiaoxiao simply kept her eyes shut tight.
Fortunately, they arrived at Qiuzhi Peak very quickly. Upon landing, Ming Jingqiu realized that Bai Xiaoxiao behind her had turned deathly pale.
She froze for a moment. “Did I fly too fast?”
Bai Xiaoxiao waved her hand speechlessly, calming herself down. “It has nothing to do with you, Fellow Daoist Ming. I’m just not used to sword flying. Pardon my embarrassment.”
Ming Jingqiu’s expression went blank for a moment, she never expected that to be the reason.
As Sword Sect disciples, they would start learning how to fly on swords during the Qi Refining stage. However, because their cultivation base was too low to sustain flight, the elders would only teach them unified sword flight once they reached Foundation Establishment.
If they were traveling far, such as for disciple trials or sect tournaments, the Sword Sect would arrange flying vessels for transport. As for other cultivators, they had various magical items for transportation, which came in all sorts of strange forms and were mostly forged by the Artifact Sect, needing only spiritual power to control.
However, Bai Xiaoxiao was not a sword cultivator. Although her cultivation had reached Foundation Establishment, she had to start from the Qi Refining classroom today. It was evident that her Foundation Establishment cultivation was in name only, so it was reasonable that she wasn’t used to it.
Ming Jingqiu relaxed her expression and nodded. “Then I will pick you up after class ends.”
She pointed in a direction. “Walking straight inward from that direction leads to the Qi Refining classroom.”
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded.
Bidding farewell to Ming Jingqiu, she walked toward the classroom by herself at a sluggish pace. Since it was peak morning arrival time, there were many disciples along the way. Bai Xiaoxiao could feel many gazes focusing on her.
Some were amazed, some were surprised, and even more were puzzled.
Bai Xiaoxiao looked straight ahead with a deadpan face, pretending not to notice those dense gazes. She quickened her pace to cross that stretch of path and finally arrived before the classroom.
Before she could catch her breath, as soon as she stepped into the classroom, a room full of little kids turned their heads simultaneously to look at her.
In the midst of the silence, someone yelled out in a loud voice.
“Huh? Is that the new teaching elder?”
That single sentence left Bai Xiaoxiao frozen in place with awkwardness, caught in a dilemma of whether to advance or retreat. It also shattered the silence, instantly turning the room noisy.
“Ah? Sister Xiaoxiao, why are you here?”
Bai Xiaoxiao sharply caught a familiar voice. Looking up, it was indeed Fushui, the little girl who had delivered medicine to her. She was actually taking classes in the Qi Refining classroom as well!
Relieved inside, Bai Xiaoxiao walked in following the voice, bypassing the little kids who were staring at her with sparkling eyes, and sat down in the empty seat beside Fushui.
“What a coincidence, Little Fushui. You’re taking classes too?”
Fushui blinked her large eyes. “Sister, so you came to take classes as well?”
Bai Xiaoxiao tapped her nose. “Ye-yeah.”
As an adult mixing into a classroom of little kids, it really did seem a bit inappropriate. Fortunately, a familiar face like Little Fushui was around.
Fushui immediately puffed out her chest. “Don’t be scared, Sister! Fushui will cover for you!”
She patted her little chest with her tiny hands, putting on the air of a little boss.
Bai Xiaoxiao felt like laughing, her eyes could hardly hold back a curved smile but she restrained herself and nodded obediently. “Alright, Boss Fushui. I’ll rely on you to cover for me then.”
Being called “Boss” for the first time, Fushui became visibly overjoyed.
The other little kids made no effort to hide their curious gazes, staring at Bai Xiaoxiao while whispering among themselves from time to time.
However, Bai Xiaoxiao was much calmer now. She let the little kids stare, occasionally offering a smile in return.
The little kids gasped together, and the classroom went quiet for a moment.
The child sitting beside Fushui pulled her over and asked in a whisper, “Fushui, is she that sister you said looked like a fairy tale demon sprite?”
Fushui nodded with reserved pride. “Yes, yes! She’s Sister Xiaoxiao.”
The little kid cupped her own face, her eyes filled with excitement. “She really is as pretty as you said! I want to grow up looking like that too.”
Fushui turned around, looked at her carefully, and said earnestly, “But you look very pretty right now too! Besides, there’s only one Sister Xiaoxiao, and there’s only one of you. It’s better not to look the same, or I won’t be able to tell you apart!”
The little kid pouted. “No way, you can’t be unable to tell us apart. Then I don’t want to grow up looking like her anymore.”
The two of them whispered back and forth. Because they were sitting so close, Bai Xiaoxiao found that she could actually hear every single word. Hearing the content of their chat, a smile filled her eyes.
Listening to kids chat is pretty fun. Resting her head on one hand, she listened with great interest. However, after listening for a while, she inexplicably felt a creepy, skin pricking sensation. But before she could carefully sense where it came from, the teaching elder walked in.
The little kids instantly quieted down.
It seems being afraid of teachers is the same no matter where you go.
The position Fushui sat in wasn’t near the front, under normal circumstances, the elder wouldn’t notice this area.
But today was clearly an abnormal situation.
With Bai Xiaoxiao sitting next to Little Fushui, she stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens, simply too conspicuous.
Whenever the elder thought of her identity, his mouth twitched. In the end, he simply looked away to keep it out of sight and out of mind.
Class officially began.
Bai Xiaoxiao no longer had time to worry about the strange sensation from earlier. Listening to the lecture left her dizzy and disoriented; her mind was flooded with concepts like “introspective vision of the Dantian” and “embracing unity to preserve the spirit.”
The knowledge went into her head, but she didn’t understand any of it. Even when the elder demonstrated in person to teach them how to sense the surrounding spiritual energy, Bai Xiaoxiao saw nothing but pitch black darkness whenever she closed her eyes.
She couldn’t help but fall into silence.
“So this is what it feels like to be an academic failure.”
The System seemed to let out a chuckle: Host, don’t be discouraged, you can do it. In fact, you can occasionally mobilize spiritual energy in your daily life. You just need to find that feeling.
Bai Xiaoxiao let out a long sigh, taking it as a challenge as she started a second attempt.
This time, she tried hard to quiet her mind. Following the sequence explained by the elder, she slowly closed her eyes first, then strived to sense the spiritual energy around her within the darkness, striving…
Host, relax a bit. The more forced you are, the harder it is.
And so, Bai Xiaoxiao gradually smoothed her furrowed brows.
At first, there was no change around her. But after a moment, she noticed tiny stars lighting up within the pitch black void, which then turned into glowing orbs of light. Suddenly, her vision underwent a dramatic transformation, she saw numerous light orbs floating around her, some large and some small.
Not only were they in the air, but the little kids also emitted glows from their bodies, except some were brighter while others were dimmer.
Bai Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment before coming to a sudden realization. It seems the brightness of that light corresponds to their cultivation level!
Then what about me…?
Bai Xiaoxiao shifted her gaze onto herself. Her consciousness suddenly blurred, and the surrounding scene transformed once again.
At this moment, she found herself in a bright space. However, this space didn’t seem very large, crammed around her were the light orbs she had seen earlier, looking somewhat loose and scattered.
This is your Dantian. Congratulations Host, you have learned the introspective vision of the Dantian.
Bai Xiaoxiao curiously observed her own Dantian. “So these floating things are spiritual energy?”
To be precise, it’s spiritual power after conversion and absorption. Host is at the Foundation Establishment stage, so the Dantian is just a small lake. As you improve step by step, the small lake will turn into a large lake, which will then condense into a Golden Core when you step into the Golden Core stage.
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded, gradually gaining a clearer understanding of cultivation.
However, the light orbs inside her Dantian were really quite loose, like buying a defective padded coat filled with sparse, clumpy cotton.
That’s because Host’s current realm is only early Foundation Establishment. As you cultivate slowly, it will gradually increase.
Looking at the magical scene, Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes were filled with emotion.
How could a modern person like me ever have experienced something like this?
However, according to the System, cultivating should mean absorbing the sensed spiritual energy orbs, right?
Following her intent, Bai Xiaoxiao’s vision leaped out from her body, and she tentatively hooked a passing orb of spiritual energy.
Before she could even think about how to absorb it, the spiritual energy orb was automatically drawn into her body as it approached her.
However, after entering her body, the spiritual energy orb didn’t travel straight to her Dantian. Instead, it began moving along her meridians. Bai Xiaoxiao felt like she couldn’t control it, yet her intuition told her she mustn’t relax. Gritting her teeth, she endured it until the spiritual energy orb transformed into a tiny, refined strand and entered her Dantian, whereupon she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Xiaoxiao hurriedly withdrew from her cultivation state. Before she could react, she realized that gazes were pressed upon her from all around once more, making her hesitate immediately.
Did I accidentally do something conspicuous?
Silence spread through the classroom.
After a long while, the little kids disappointedly withdrew their gazes, and Fushui leaned over to say, “Sister, you’re so amazing! The elder said you’re at Foundation Establishment and that you just entered a cultivation state, so he had us watch your cultivation to help us find the feeling of Qi condensation!”
Bai Xiaoxiao: “…”
Ah? Watch me cultivate?
Bai Xiaoxiao darted a quick glance at the elder, feeling guilty inside as she listened to Fushui’s words.
Honestly, I feel like you don’t have to listen to everything the elder says, lest you be led astray…
A single class for Qi Refining contained quite a bit of knowledge. By the time it finished, Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes were unfocused. Even when the elder announced the end of class, she still looked like her soul had drifted away.
In a state of lightheaded confusion, Bai Xiaoxiao stood up with unsteady steps and was crowded by a group of little kids, chattering noisy circles around her as they left the classroom. She didn’t even notice where she had been escorted to.
It wasn’t until she snapped out of her daze, looking at the huge open ground before her, that she slowly fell into silence.
From the bits and pieces of the little kids’ chatter, she derived one piece of information, her current location was a martial arts branch field of the Sword Sect.
And their next lesson was, Basic Swordplay.