Qingyun Sect.
Jiang Yishu’s blue and white robes stirred without any wind, surrounded by a misty haze of water vapor. Only when she withdrew her aura and opened her eyes did the mist dissipate.
Jiang Yishu formed a hand seal, gazing at her reflection in the water mirror, tears streaming down her face.
Her eyes were not blind, the scar that once spanned half her face no longer existed—her face was intact.
The Water Spiritual Root within her remained, aside from the scar left when her Supreme Ice Spiritual Root was extracted by her master and exchanged with Jiang Yijun’s Inferior Water Spiritual Root upon entering the sect, all the later-added scars had vanished.
The hands scorched beyond recovery while helping her second senior brother retrieve the Exotic Flame were now smooth as before, even her Golden Core had not been removed, her limbs were strong and vigorous—she was still a whole person.
She had actually been reborn, reborn on this day when the Inferior Water Spiritual Root had been nurtured into a Supreme Water Spiritual Root, with water elements around eagerly seeking to approach her.
Recalling all she endured in her previous life, Jiang Yishu was nearly consumed by regret, the pain of countless ants gnawing at her heart seemed still present.
She was the personal disciple of Qingyun Sect’s leader Xiao Yan, her clumsy speech never made her as pleasing as her younger sister Jiang Yijun.
She only clumsily tried to please everyone, yet all her efforts could not compare to her younger sister’s attentive care.
Everyone said she was the elder sister, should yield to the younger sister, habitually obedient in her attempts to please—the Ice Spiritual Root her sister wanted, she gave it.
The Spirit Pet with Divine Beast Bloodline her sister wanted, she gave it.
The senior brother she liked, her sister wanted, she gave it.
But they grew increasingly greedy, not only demanding resources and Spiritual Artifacts, even treating her like a captive Monster Beast, waiting only for her Spiritual Root to be nurtured to Supreme grade before extracting it for those who needed it.
The heart-piercing, bone-eroding pain of extracting the Spiritual Root, and the tearing sensation of forcibly accepting others’ impure or inferior Spiritual Roots repeated time after time.
Jiang Yishu regretted ever joining Qingyun Sect.
Monster Cores still required refinement, but the Spiritual Root she nurtured exhausting her essence blood could be directly used by others.
When her last shred of value was drained, no longer able to nourish the Spiritual Root, they attempted to dismember her, unraveling the mysteries of her body.
Only when they discovered the bracelet always worn on her wrist could not be removed, they cut off her hand, unexpectedly those cultivators transplanted with her nurtured Spiritual Roots suffered backlash, their Dao hearts shattered.
Jiang Yishu finally expelled that foul breath, letting her life dissipate.
Reborn, aside from her Supreme Ice Spiritual Root being extracted, the Inferior Water Spiritual Root belonging to Jiang Yijun within her had been nurtured into a Supreme Water Spiritual Root, yet not extracted.
Jiang Yishu felt immense relief, looking at the dull bracelet on her wrist—in her previous life, after staining with blood, it transformed into a golden intricate Enamel Bracelet.
Jiang Yishu condensed a Water Sword to cut her palm, dripping blood onto it, indeed as she guessed, the Enamel Bracelet turned golden, but only one-third changed.
Jiang Yishu lowered her eyelashes, withdrawing her thoughts.
Her recent action nurturing the Supreme Water Spiritual Root would likely be noticed by her master soon, summoning her.
Jiang Yishu recalled in her previous life seeking her master for techniques to report her joy, only seeing her master pile techniques into mounds letting her younger sister choose, casually tossing one to dismiss her, then coaxing her younger sister to learn more skills.
Jiang Yishu decisively struck her chest with a palm, seeing cracks appear on the Water Spiritual Root, intending another strike when a voice came from outside.
“Junior sister, Master summons you to Qingyun Peak, come quickly with me.”
Jiang Yishu wiped the blood from her lips: “Understood.”
The journey was silent. As Jiang Yishu arrived at the door of Sect Leader Xiao Yan’s residence, she heard a cooing voice from inside.
“Master, I’m so tired from studying. With you and the senior brothers protecting me, I don’t need to work so hard.”
“Junjun, be good. We’ll pick the easy things to learn; you don’t need to be too strong, but you must learn how to escape and hold out until Master comes to save you.”
“But my legs are sore from studying! Master, look, my calves have gotten thicker!”
Jiang Yishu had no interest in listening to their deep master-disciple affection. She bowed her head and saluted: “Greetings, Master.”
As soon she spoke, the door swung open.
In her memory, her cold and aloof master was using those hands he was reluctant to extend even during instruction, gently kneading her junior sister’s calves.
And the junior sister lay limp and boneless in Xiao Yan’s embrace.
“Has your Spiritual Root mutated?”
Jiang Yishu raised her head quickly, catching Xiao Yan’s obscure gaze.
“Master, although the grade of my Water Spiritual Root has risen, perhaps due to forced enhancement, it is now covered with cracks. Even simple Water Ball Technique is difficult for me now. In the future, I fear I will be unable to serve Qingyun Peak.”
Xiao Yan stared intently at Jiang Yishu’s facial expression, finding no signs of deceit, then used his spiritual sense to scan her thoroughly from head to toe.
The pressure of the Divine Transformation Stage was unabashedly released. With only Golden Core cultivation, she was almost instantly forced to kneel.
In contrast, Jiang Yijun was unaffected at all.
Only after Xiao Yan withdrew his spiritual sense did Jiang Yishu manage to wipe away the bloodstain from her lips.
It was indeed the same again—showing affection for Jiang Yijun while suppressing her.
In her previous life, this had caused her to develop inner demons, remaining at the Golden Core Stage until death. Meanwhile, Jiang Yijun, relying on everyone’s favor and the Supreme Ice and Water Dual Spiritual Roots dug out from her body, reached the Nascent Soul Stage early.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Xiao Yan’s eyes: “It truly has no possibility of repair… Enough, you may leave.”
She had gambled correctly.
The bracelet could indeed conceal her Spiritual Root as she had hoped.
Jiang Yishu did not miss the fleeting regret in Xiao Yan’s eyes and the tenderness when he looked at Jiang Yijun.
So Xiao Yan had already been thinking of her junior sister at the moment she cultivated the Supreme Water Spiritual Root.
In her previous life, she had treasured even a low-grade water-based cultivation manual as a precious gem, and personally retrieved the Hundred Fusion Grass that later made her regretful.
Now, knowing that the Water Spiritual Root she had nurtured could not be utilized, he didn’t even bother pretending.
Jiang Yishu lowered her gaze, knelt again, and took out her disciple token.
“Master, I am now useless and do not wish to burden the sect further. I only ask Master to permit me to leave the sect.”
Xiao Yan was astonished. Jiang Yishu and Jiang Yijun were both disciples he had brought back from the mortal world.
Even though he had not personally raised Jiang Yishu over these years, she shouldn’t have developed thoughts of trying to leave.
Unless he expelled her, where would his authority stand?
“Jiang Yishu, do you know what you are saying?”
“I know, Master. I only ask Master to permit me to leave the sect.”
Staying in Qingyun Sect offered no path except being drained and exploited. Even becoming a Rogue Cultivator would be more free and joyful than remaining here.
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, Jiang Yijun quickly clung to Xiao Yan and cooed.
“Master, Sister just made a mistake in cultivation, her Spiritual Root cracked, so she’s speaking nonsense. Don’t act impulsively and let Sister leave Qingyun Sect.”
After she left, who would find resources for her? Who could provide her amusement?
Only by keeping Jiang Yishu suppressed beside her, seeing Jiang Yishu live worse than a Monster Beast, could she feel truly satisfied.
Jiang Yijun concealed the malice in her eyes, maneuvering with a delicate and harmless demeanor.
“Sister, quickly apologize to Master. How will you survive if you leave Qingyun Sect?”
While pretending to be concerned, Jiang Yijun secretly crushed Jiang Yishu’s fingers behind her back.
Jiang Yijun harbored the greatest malice toward Jiang Yishu.
Jiang Yishu couldn’t understand why her sister, born from the same mother, treated her this way.
With both parents deceased, shouldn’t they rely on each other even more?
Almost instantly as Jiang Yijun crushed her fingers, Jiang Yishu forcefully pushed her away. Before she could retaliate, Jiang Yijun fell to the ground like a falling flower petal.
“Ah… Sister… I was kindly advising you, why do you treat me like this?”
Jiang Yijun was promptly embraced by Xiao Yan, who then struck Jiang Yishu with a backhanded slap.
“Jiang Yishu, you have disappointed me greatly as your master. Junjun was showing goodwill, yet not only did you refuse to accept it, you even dared to harm her! Want to leave Qingyun Sect? Then follow the Sect Departure Rules!”