Today's morning class was exceptionally lively.
Elder Li couldn't get away to teach the morning class, so he let the disciples cultivate on their own.
Without any supervision, the disciples relaxed considerably. Few of them actually cultivated; instead, they all gathered in small groups to chat.
The liveliest spot was, without a doubt, around Ji Yunshang.
A few days ago, after Ji Yunshang was accepted as a disciple by Immortal Venerable Yun Yi, she had voluntarily asked to cultivate together with the newly admitted disciples.
Ji Yunshang was lively and cheerful, and being the daughter of Ji Jin and his wife, she quickly got along well with all the disciples.
During every morning class break, a crowd of disciples would gather around her, as everyone liked her very much.
Just like right now—some disciples were telling Ji Yunshang stories to amuse her, while others were eagerly sharing snacks with her.
Ji Yunshang was like the darling of the group, doted on by everyone.
Meanwhile, Chi Yao, who outranked them as their Young Martial Aunt, sat in stark contrast, all alone.
She sat by herself in a corner, reading the book on Array Formations that Shen Yu had given her.
It was an advanced Array Formation book, and the formations inside were mostly used to imprison people or suppress one's Cultivation Base—exactly to Chi Yao's liking.
In order to finish the chains as soon as possible, Chi Yao had been studying these formations for the past few days.
However, the further she went, the more complicated the formations became, and Chi Yao had now hit a bottleneck. She had been studying one particular formation for several days without any progress.
Just moments ago, she had finally gotten a thread of insight and tried drawing the formation on the ground, but halfway through, the formation shattered without any warning.
A trace of disappointment flashed through Chi Yao's eyes. As she watched the formation gradually fade away, that despicable thought surfaced in her mind once more.
Perhaps she could go to her Senior Brother and ask him to teach her these formations.
The few formations he had taught her before had long since been buried among countless other formations, difficult to identify.
But these complex, advanced formations were different—they would stand out prominently among the many formations.
At that time, the moment her Senior Brother tried to struggle, he would discover these formations, and he would also realize that every formation he had taught her had been used on him.
She looked forward to seeing him angry yet utterly helpless.
"Young Martial Aunt, what are you reading? You look so focused?"
Just as Chi Yao could barely contain her excitement, Ji Jiusi's voice suddenly rang out.
She immediately composed her expression and gently shook her head.
"Nothing, just reading a book on Array Formations."
"Is it the Array Formation book that Martial Uncle Shen gave you?"
Ji Jiusi's gaze fell on the book in Chi Yao's hands, and her eyes dimmed slightly.
Chi Yao looked somewhat surprised. "How did you know it was a gift from my Senior Brother?"
"That day when Martial Uncle gave it to you, I happened to see—"
"Huh? So this is a book your Senior Brother gave you? Martial sister, could you lend it to me?"
Before Ji Jiusi could finish speaking, Ji Yunshang suddenly appeared from somewhere and, without asking, reached her hand toward the Array Formation book Chi Yao had set aside.
But before she could touch it, the book instantly returned to Chi Yao's hands.
"I haven't finished reading this one yet. There are plenty of books in the library pavilion—go read there, martial sister."
Chi Yao was actually not a stingy person. If Ji Yunshang had wanted any other book, she would have simply given it to her.
But this Array Formation book was the one exception.
She didn't even want Ji Yunshang to touch it.
She didn't want Ji Yunshang, who also admired Shen Yu, to form any closer ties with him.
"But the library pavilion is so far away, and there are so many books—it's such a hassle to look for them." Ji Yunshang's eyes darted around, then quickly lit up again. "Forget it, I'll just go find Senior Brother and have him pick out a few books for me."
Her tone carried an air of entitlement, as if her relationship with Shen Yu were so close that no matter what she wanted, he would indulge her without limit.
Sure enough, as soon as she said this, the female disciples around them cast envious glances her way, and some even praised how close she and Shen Yu were.
These words fell gratingly on Chi Yao's ears.
She felt as if the whole world were telling her that she wasn't worthy of even dreaming about Shen Yu.
But so what?
From the moment she was born, fate had never favored her—in fact, it had repeatedly tried to kill her—yet she had stubbornly survived to this day.
So even if Shen Yu didn't belong to her, she would have him all the same.
She would imprison this Heavenly Dao that had never once favored her, so that from then on, those eyes would hold no one but her.
Chi Yao's downcast gaze grew ever more resolute.
Morning lessons happened to end at that moment. Eager to seek Shen Yu's guidance on Array Formations, she paid Ji Yunshang no further attention, rose, and walked straight out of the classroom.
"Senior Sister, wait! Let's go back together!"
To her surprise, Ji Yunshang—who never usually kept Chi Yao's company—chased after her.
Perhaps spoiled by her family, Ji Yunshang subconsciously believed that everyone should bend to her will.
So without asking whether Chi Yao agreed, she simply fell into step beside her and walked out.
Chi Yao wasn't quite used to Ji Yunshang's overfamiliarity, but there was only one road back, and since Ji Yunshang insisted on walking with her, there was nothing she could do.
Ji Yunshang's quarters were in a different direction from where Chi Yao and Shen Yu lived. Strangely, when they reached the fork in the road, Ji Yunshang showed no intention of parting ways, and instead continued following her forward.
It wasn't until Chi Yao was about to head toward Shen Yu's residence that Ji Yunshang abruptly changed direction, stepping ahead onto the very path Chi Yao meant to take.
"Thank you for walking me back, Senior Sister. I'm going to find Senior Brother now—you should head back."
Ji Yunshang flashed Chi Yao an innocent smile.
As if utterly unaware that Chi Yao had also been planning to seek out Shen Yu.
Chi Yao's gaze settled on that innocent face, a hint of scrutiny creeping into her eyes.
Only now did she realize it—this Junior Sister was actually rather interesting.
"I'm also going to find Senior Brother."
Chi Yao didn't turn back just because Ji Yunshang had blocked her path with words. Instead, she walked straight around her and headed toward Shen Yu's sleeping quarters.
And behind Chi Yao's back, a flash of ruthless malice—utterly at odds with her appearance—crossed Ji Yunshang's innocent face.
The moment Chi Yao approached Shen Yu's sleeping quarters, she spotted him from a distance, sitting beneath a tree in front of the hall, brewing tea.
It was an unusual sight.
After her period of covert observation, Chi Yao knew Shen Yu's daily routine by heart—at this hour, he should normally have been reading inside his quarters.
Besides, from what she had seen, Shen Yu rarely had the leisurely inclination to brew tea.
Yet now, watching him sit beneath the tree fiddling with his tea set, Chi Yao found the sight oddly, provocatively alluring.
However, thanks to Shen Yu's flawless face, everything he did was pleasing to the eye, and his calm, leisurely manner at this moment made it impossible for Chi Yao to look away.
"Senior Brother!"
Just as Chi Yao was about to approach, a figure darted past her and ran swiftly toward Shen Yu.
Ji Yunshang arrived at the stone table and sat down without any hesitation, her tone and movements showing an easy familiarity with Shen Yu.
It made Chi Yao, who had arrived a step too late, seem rather superfluous.
The sight left Chi Yao feeling somewhat vexed—she found the smile on Ji Yunshang's face gratingly bright.
Meanwhile, Ji Yunshang glanced down at the tea set on the table, then tilted her head and asked Shen Yu with an innocent look:
"Senior Brother, are you brewing tea?"
"No." Shen Yu's brow furrowed slightly, but his hands never paused.
This answer made Ji Yunshang's expression freeze. She clearly hadn't expected Shen Yu to give her no face at all.
Anyone more tactful would have quietly taken their leave at this point, but Ji Yunshang happened to be anything but tactful.
She quickly composed herself and flashed Shen Yu another smile.
"Senior Brother, your tea smells wonderful. May I try a cup?"
As she spoke, Ji Yunshang reached for the freshly poured cup, but before her fingertips could touch it, a surge of spiritual energy struck her hand and knocked it back.
"Senior Brother?"
Ji Yunshang rubbed her stinging hand and looked at Shen Yu with a wounded expression.
"If you have nothing else, leave."
Shen Yu's face had darkened, and his voice carried a chill.
Yet hearing this, Ji Yunshang was overjoyed. She immediately pulled an Arcane Arts book out of her Storage Pouch.
"I came to ask Senior Brother for guidance on my Cultivation Technique. Senior Brother, could you teach me?"
"I am not your master, and I have no wish to teach you."
Shen Yu refused her outright, leaving Ji Yunshang with no grounds to persist.
She could only put the book away in disappointment. "Fine, then."
Ji Yunshang finally rose to leave, but as she passed Chi Yao, she warmly took her arm.
"Senior Brother is rather busy today. Senior Sister, let's not disturb him—we should head back."
Truthfully, Chi Yao didn't want to leave just yet, but since Shen Yu had already refused Ji Yunshang, if she too were refused, it would amount to humiliating herself.
She had no desire to make things so awkward for herself—especially not in front of Ji Yunshang, who loved Shen Yu just as she did.
So Chi Yao could only nod in agreement. "All right."
"Junior Sister."
Chi Yao had just turned to leave when Shen Yu's voice suddenly came from behind her.
Her heart skipped half a beat, then began pounding wildly.
When she turned around, Shen Yu had already risen to his feet, his calm eyes falling right on her.
"Senior Brother! Have you changed your mind?"
Before Chi Yao could speak, Ji Yunshang rushed joyfully toward Shen Yu, trying to link her arm affectionately with his.
But the moment she reached out, an invisible force blocked her, and Shen Yu swept right past her to stand before Chi Yao.
"Junior Sister, what did you come to see me about?"
"I… I couldn't quite work out an Array Formation and wanted to ask for your guidance. But since you're busy, I'll just—"
"I'm not busy."
Before Chi Yao could finish, Shen Yu cut her off directly.
Chi Yao immediately understood his meaning. Her eyes brightened, and her heart beat even faster.
"Then could Senior Brother explain it to me?"
"Very well."
Shen Yu's tone softened considerably, and if one listened carefully, a hint of pleasure could even be detected in it.
Ji Yunshang, standing nearby, was completely ignored. She had wanted to sidle up with a smile, using Chi Yao as an excuse to linger there.
But that invisible resistance had not vanished, preventing her from taking even half a step forward.
In the end, she could only leave, somewhat unwillingly.
Once she was far enough away, Ji Yunshang's expression turned completely gloomy, and the innocence in her eyes vanished without a trace.
"System, aren't I the female lead? Why is the male lead so cold to me?"
"Host, don't worry. Male leads are usually slow to warm up. You have to win him over gradually." A mechanical voice sounded in Ji Yunshang's mind.
This explanation eased Ji Yunshang's expression somewhat, but she quickly seemed to think of something else, and a trace of panic surfaced in her eyes.
"Then what's the deal with this Chi Yao? How did she become Shen Yu's Junior Sister? Is she going to steal Shen Yu away from me?"
"Host, rest assured. You carry the fortune of the female lead—the male lead is destined to be drawn to you."
"That's good."
Ji Yunshang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then turned to look in the direction of Shen Yu's residence, her face full of confident determination.