Zhu Mingyan became Li Xiushan’s disciple when she was six years old.
Her master taught her very strictly. He often made her study in the Scripture Library and regularly tested her on what she had read.
Because of this, she learned to read and study very quickly.
After reading through the manual for a while, she understood the basics.
Changing the appearance of a spiritual tool was not difficult. The process was just somewhat complicated.
From what she could tell, the flashy crystal was the core that powered the collar, so it could not be removed easily.
But that was not the most important thing right now.
She frowned.
Compared to changing its appearance, testing whether the collar actually worked was more important.
She hurried back to Mingxi Forest.
From a distance, she saw a black figure lying behind the barrier.
Every now and then, it would slam itself against the red wall of light.
The moment Fuchuan saw her return, he became excited and started wagging his tail.
Just as he was about to pounce on her, Zhu Mingyan instinctively raised the collar she was holding.
Fuchuan immediately stopped.
He stared at the collar with great caution and looked extremely wary.
So he really doesn’t like it.
Zhu Mingyan sighed inwardly.
Putting on a gentle smile, she held out the most normal-looking collar.
“Fuchuan, this is a gift from me. Why don’t you try wearing it?”
Fuchuan showed no appreciation whatsoever.
He even took a few steps back and assumed an attacking stance.
“You hate it that much?”
Zhu Mingyan looked at the collar and rubbed her nose.
Then she cautiously said,
“How about this? I’ll change it into something nicer.”
As she spoke, she sent a strand of spiritual energy into the collar and cast a disguise spell.
The flashy collar instantly turned into a simple black one.
She carefully tried to put it around Fuchuan’s neck.
This time it worked.
Fuchuan struggled a little but eventually allowed her to put it on.
Zhu Mingyan was quite satisfied.
She immediately used her spiritual energy to tighten the collar, eager to test its effects.
Fuchuan instantly realized what was happening.
He clawed furiously at the tightening collar around his neck.
He even tilted his head and tried to bite it off.
Zhu Mingyan continued testing the limits of what she could control.
She increased the flow of spiritual energy and tried directing Fuchuan’s movements.
Fuchuan struggled even harder.
However, despite his resistance, he was still forced to move clumsily in the direction she specified.
The pink crystal on the collar seemed capable of amplifying her spiritual energy.
Otherwise, with her current cultivation, she would never be able to achieve this level of control.
Now she understood.
Satisfied, she stopped wasting spiritual energy and removed the collar.
Fuchuan finally stopped struggling.
However, he still held a grudge and barked angrily at the collar in her hand.
Zhu Mingyan casually created a few Palm Flames and offered them to him.
The troublesome dog immediately quieted down.
She silently calculated her next steps.
The disguise spell would not last very long.
Once it wore off, or whenever she actually used the collar, Fuchuan would throw a tantrum.
That meant she would need to spend more spiritual energy operating the tool.
It seemed she really needed to find time to modify the collar properly.
As she thought about this, she absentmindedly played with the collar in her hand.
Suddenly, her gaze froze.
Before, all her attention had been drawn to the large and flashy crystal.
It was so eye-catching that she had completely missed the faint glow coming from inside the collar itself.
Confused, she narrowed her eyes and looked more carefully.
Her brows slowly knitted together.
Why is that inside the collar?
A complicated expression appeared on her face.
She closed her eyes and thought quietly for a moment.
Then she stood up and patted Fuchuan’s head.
“Fuchuan, I’m going back now.”
“I’ll make this thing look better as soon as possible.”
“When that happens, you’d better wear it obediently.”
Fuchuan gave a soft bark.
He followed behind her until they reached the barrier.
Only then did he reluctantly stop.
To vent his frustration, he bit and rammed into the barrier several times.
Each attempt ended with him being bounced back.
Zhu Mingyan could not help laughing.
“Fuchuan, go back.”
“I’ll definitely come see you tomorrow.”
The black figure finally stopped struggling.
His two golden eyes glowed quietly in the darkness, as though he were watching her leave.
Unable to resist, Zhu Mingyan ran back and rubbed his head a few more times.
Then, while Fuchuan barked excitedly, she quickly turned around and ran away.
Only one thought filled her mind:
How could anyone resist petting him?!
Nothing happened during the night.
…
Early the next morning, Zhu Mingyan was shaken awake.
She opened her eyes in confusion and stared at the person in front of her.
It was a girl about the same age as her.
The girl wore her hair in twin buns, with two ponytails hanging down and several small braids tied with red ribbons.
Her round almond-shaped eyes were wide with annoyance.
“Qiubai?”
Zhu Mingyan immediately woke up.
She grabbed the girl’s hand.
When she was young, she became the Sect Master’s disciple and did not attend regular classes with other disciples.
She only appeared during the sect competitions each year.
Most ordinary disciples were too intimidated by her status to approach her.
As a result, she had very few friends.
Ning Qiubai was the same age as her and was one of the closest friends she had.
Back when Zhu Mingyan was falsely accused of theft, Ning Qiubai was the only person who stood up for her.
Unfortunately, Ning Qiubai had little influence.
Her own master was merely an elder of the Alchemy Hall and held little authority within the sect.
In the end, she could not change the outcome.
When Zhu Mingyan was forced to leave the sect, Ning Qiubai secretly gave her several medicinal pills.
Although they could not control the spiritual fire, they greatly reduced her pain and suffering.
Seeing Ning Qiubai again, Zhu Mingyan felt overwhelmed with emotion.
Tears instantly filled her eyes.
She almost started crying.
Ning Qiubai was shocked.
She hurriedly leaned closer and awkwardly patted Zhu Mingyan’s shoulder.
“Why are you crying?”
“I was only a little fierce. I’m not actually angry at you!”
Then her tone changed.
She grabbed Zhu Mingyan’s arm and pulled her up.
“I haven’t even settled the score with you yet!”
“We agreed to meet at the Garden of Ignorance. Why did you stand me up?”
“Huh?”
Zhu Mingyan stared blankly at her.
Somewhat embarrassed, she asked,
“What exactly did I promise to do with you?”
Ning Qiubai’s face visibly darkened.
Seeing that her friend was about to get angry, Zhu Mingyan quickly acted pitiful.
“Qiubai, I was seriously injured yesterday and spent the whole day in bed.”
“My brain still isn’t working properly.”
“I really don’t remember.”
As expected, Ning Qiubai’s anger disappeared immediately.
“You were injured?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I have lots of healing pills too!”
“My master came back yesterday and treated most of my injuries.”
“I’m mostly recovered now.”
“My memory is just a little fuzzy.”
Zhu Mingyan smiled.
“So tell me, what did we arrange?”
Ning Qiubai sighed.
Then she spoke indignantly.
“The Burning Heart Secret Realm will open in a few days.”
“All inner disciples are required to participate.”
“You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”
Zhu Mingyan blinked.
Then she nodded.
“I remember.”
So this is the point in time where I was reborn.