Outside Wuya Hall on Jianfeng of the Jianyue Sect, An Jin stood hesitantly with a jar of tea cradled in her arms.
She lingered outside for quite a while, unable to decide whether she should enter.
Inside the hall was her master, Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing.
Five hundred years ago, Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing had become famous throughout the cultivation world with a single strike. He severely wounded the Demon Lord, forcing the demon race to retreat to Lidu beyond the Nine Provinces. That battle had also cemented the Jianyue Sect’s position as the number one sect in the cultivation world.
Everyone believed that Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing was the person most likely to ascend to immortality in this age.
Yet no one knew that he himself had suffered grave injuries in that battle. Ever since, he had lived in seclusion atop Jianfeng, where snow fell all year round.
Ten years ago, the Master of the Tianji Sect, Guan Hen, who controlled the Star Compass and was said to understand the will of Heaven, predicted that the demons would one day return and plunge the cultivation world into ruin.
The only hope lay in Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing’s personal disciple, Jian Fei’er.
Unfortunately, she was destined to encounter a life-threatening calamity.
And An Jin was now Chu Ning, Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing’s youngest disciple.
Although Chu Ning was also his disciple, he had never taught her any techniques or cultivation methods.
Her only purpose was to serve as a substitute and bear Jian Fei’er’s tribulation in her place.
The original Chu Ning had first been abandoned by the master she revered.
Later, she was forcibly taken to Lidu by the Demon Lord and used as a cultivation furnace.
When she discovered she was carrying a demon child, she chose suicide, hoping to kill it before it could be born.
What she never expected was that the demon fetus had possessed consciousness from the very beginning.
Although the mother died, the child survived.
And it grew at a horrifying speed.
Even before birth, the child had sensed its mother’s desire to kill it.
After it was born, the Demon Lord coldly tossed it into the Demon Pit.
Already deprived of love and guidance, the child’s twisted mind became even more distorted.
Eventually, he devoured every demon within the pit, personally slew his own father, and became the new Demon Lord.
Without anyone to teach him right from wrong, he committed countless atrocities.
The Nine Provinces fell, and the entire cultivation world was plunged beneath the shadow of the demon race.
He was also An Jin’s second mission target.
In truth, this mission wasn’t particularly difficult.
Nor was it simple.
As long as she didn’t commit suicide and properly raised the little villain, preventing him from becoming a calamity to the cultivation world, the mission would be completed.
The biggest uncertainty lay with the Demon Lord.
The original Chu Ning had only been abducted because of her physique as a cultivation furnace.
The Demon Lord never loved either her or their child.
That was why he had mercilessly thrown the infant into the Demon Pit.
“Don’t loiter outside the hall if you have no business here.”
A cold voice suddenly came from within, interrupting An Jin’s thoughts.
Her grip on the tea jar tightened.
She had almost forgotten why she had come to Wuya Hall.
Inside the jar was Black Spirit Tea.
The original Chu Ning had painstakingly cultivated it over many years, intending to present it to her master.
Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing had long since transcended the need for food and drink, but he was particularly fond of tea.
In the original story, however, Chu Ning never even got to meet him.
Jian Fei’er casually knocked over the tea, and Chu Ning was humiliated for no reason.
An Jin had initially planned to throw it away.
But she felt she had no right to make decisions for the original owner.
She had still been debating when Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing sensed her presence.
Now that she’d been discovered, An Jin bit her lower lip.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the doors and slowly entered the hall.
The man stood quietly within.
Dressed in white, he seemed like an immortal descended from heaven.
His eyes carried the chill of eternal frost, making others instinctively fear him and keep their distance.
The moment An Jin saw him, an overwhelming sadness rose in her heart.
Chu Ning had been brought to Jianfeng when she was very young.
Though her master had never favored her, she had admired and revered him deeply.
Yet in the end, it was this very man who had pushed her into the abyss.
In terms of talent, she possessed dual spiritual roots, inferior to the single-root prodigies of the inner sect.
Her Water and Wood spiritual roots weren’t even suitable for sword cultivation.
Yet somehow, she had become one of Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing’s only two personal disciples.
Even Chu Ning herself had never understood why.
Her master had accepted her as his disciple but refused to teach her.
Sometimes, she would only see him a few times in an entire year.
Still, she worshipped him.
She admired him.
She exhausted herself trying to please him.
Even when she and Jian Fei’er were both captured by the Demon Lord, and her master chose to save Jian Fei’er without hesitation, she harbored no resentment.
But when she learned that he had only accepted her to shield Jian Fei’er from disaster…
She completely broke down.
From An Jin’s perspective, she understood that Xi Qing protected Jian Fei’er because she carried the destiny to save the world.
She was the sole hope during the war between immortals and demons.
But Chu Ning didn’t know that.
In her eyes, the master she loved had accepted her merely to sacrifice her for another disciple.
Years of faith collapsed in an instant.
And ultimately, despair drove her to suicide.
An Jin found it difficult to judge this master.
He had always placed the world and its people above everything else.
He had lived up to everyone.
Except Chu Ning.
Toward her, he had been cruel to the extreme.
Her spiritual roots were unsuited for sword cultivation, and Xi Qing rarely guided her.
Left to figure everything out on her own, her cultivation naturally lagged behind that of her peers.
She wasn’t even as capable as many outer disciples.
Thus, she became the laughingstock of the sect.
Being Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing’s disciple brought her no benefits.
Instead, it only invited ridicule and hostility.
Taking a deep breath, An Jin suppressed the lingering emotions left behind by Chu Ning.
Standing respectfully below the hall, she lowered her eyes.
“Master, this is the Black Spirit Tea I cultivated for you.”
Since it represented the original Chu Ning’s feelings, she would leave it to him to decide what to do with it.
Xi Qing’s expression remained unchanged.
His voice was as cold as ever.
“The Hundred Sects Tournament is approaching. Don’t waste your time on meaningless things.”
The Hundred Sects Tournament was a grand event held once every twenty years.
As the foremost sect, the Jianyue Sect hosted each gathering.
Though called a gathering for discussing the Dao, it was essentially a competition among disciples and a showcase of each sect’s strength.
Countless prodigies had become famous through it.
Most importantly, the overall champion would claim the top spot on the Elegance Rankings.
Compiled by the Tianji Sect, the rankings were updated after every Hundred Sects Tournament.
To have one’s name on the list and become renowned throughout the Nine Provinces was the dream of countless cultivators.
In the original story, many troubles arose during this event.
Chu Ning had been provoked by people with ill intentions into joining.
In the end, she failed to even place among the top hundred, becoming the laughingstock of the cultivation world.
Even her fellow disciples blamed her for tarnishing Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing’s reputation.
Therefore, An Jin had no desire to participate.
She had arrived in this world early.
Her only plan was to quietly wait until the Demon Lord attacked the Jianyue Sect and abducted her.
Then she would focus on raising the little villain and completing her mission.
She didn’t wish to involve herself in anything else.
Lowering her head, she hid the emotions in her eyes beneath her long lashes.
“Master, Senior Sister alone is enough to represent Jianfeng. I don’t intend to participate.”
“As you wish.”
Xi Qing didn’t ask for her reasons.
It was as though nothing concerning her mattered in the slightest.
An Jin quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then this disciple will take her leave.”
Before departing, she placed the tea jar inside the hall.
Whether her master accepted it or not no longer concerned her.
…
Soon, the day of the Hundred Sects Tournament arrived.
Talented cultivators from across the Nine Provinces gathered at the Jianyue Sect.
The event consisted of three stages.
The first stage was the most boring, lectures and discussions on the Dao, allowing disciples from various sects to exchange ideas.
The second stage took place in the Chaohu Secret Realm, opened by the Jianyue Sect.
Participants hunted demonic beasts and earned points based on the beasts’ ranks.
They could fight alone or in teams.
Only the top one hundred would advance.
The third stage was the arena tournament.
Unlike the second stage, which relied partly on luck and teamwork, the final stage depended entirely on individual strength.
Although An Jin hadn’t registered, she still had to attend the opening ceremony.
Even the reclusive Master of the Tianji Sect and the ever-isolated Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing had appeared for such an important occasion.
The Ten Directions Platform was occupied not only by the Jianyue Sect elders but also by elders from other sects who had accompanied their disciples.
Since An Jin arrived late, the area below the platform was already crowded.
Disciples from every sect stood together in their respective uniforms.
Yet amidst the sea of people, she immediately spotted Jian Fei’er.
Not because of anything else.
Everyone wore their sect robes.
Everyone except Jian Fei’er.
She stood out brilliantly in flowing red, dazzling and radiant.
Her status and importance were obvious.
Standing at the front of the crowd, she was accompanied by the sect leader’s personal disciple and the Jianyue Sect’s chief disciple, Xiao Jiang.
The young man stood tall and elegant, as straight as a pine tree.
His jade crown secured his hair, and his demeanor was extraordinary.
An Jin found herself looking at him a moment longer.
He was one of the greatest prodigies of the new generation.
In the original story, he would become champion of the Hundred Sects Tournament and rank first on the Elegance Rankings.
Yet at the height of his glory, he would foolishly attempt to save Chu Ning.
And he would be killed by the Demon Lord.
His body and soul would perish completely.
Suddenly, An Jin felt grateful that she had arrived early.
At least none of those tragedies had happened yet.
According to custom, as a fellow disciple under Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing, she should have stood behind her senior brother and Jian Fei’er.
But she had arrived late and didn’t wish to attract attention.
So she quietly took her place at the very back.
On the Ten Directions Platform, the sect leader delivered the same old tedious speech about cultivation.
Naturally, the younger disciples below became restless.
“I didn’t expect the Master of the Tianji Sect to be so handsome. His bearing is extraordinary.”
Because she stood far away from the platform, An Jin was surrounded mostly by disciples from smaller sects.
Their discussions grew increasingly bold.
Legend had it that Guan Hen could perceive the decrees of Heaven and possessed unfathomable cultivation.
But he rarely appeared in public and his whereabouts were mysterious.
Even obtaining a single divination from him was nearly impossible.
Half the disciples attending the ceremony had come to see Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing.
The other half had come to see Guan Hen.
Hearing their conversation, An Jin looked up toward the platform.
The sect leader stood in the center.
Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing sat on his right, dressed in white as always.
Beside Xi Qing sat a man in black.
If Xi Qing resembled a solitary swan soaring through cold skies, distant and untouchable…
Then Guan Hen was like the endless sea, deep and unfathomable.
Actually, Chu Ning had met him before.
He was the one who had personally brought her from the mortal world and delivered her to Jianfeng.
Considering the original owner’s tragic fate…
Guan Hen bore considerable responsibility.
After all, Chu Ning had indeed shielded Jian Fei’er from disaster.
Yet the cultivation world had still failed to escape the invasion of the demon race.
An Jin secretly thought to herself.
It seemed the Tianji Sect Master’s predictions weren’t all that accurate.
Perhaps her gaze lingered too long.
Guan Hen suddenly sensed it.
Across layers of people, his eyes locked onto An Jin.
Her heart skipped.
She hurriedly lowered her head, avoiding those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.
“The one at the front must be Xiao Jiang, right? I heard he’s already reached the Core Formation stage. Truly the number one among our generation.”
“The woman in red beside him must be Venerable Swordmaster Xi Qing’s disciple. She’s so beautiful. No wonder everyone calls her the number one beauty. The two of them look perfect together.”
“Hmph. Wearing red so gaudily and being called the number one beauty? I suppose the cultivation world has no standards left.”
An Jin was slightly stunned.
Jian Fei’er possessed extraordinary talent, the destiny to save the world, and the backing of the leader of the righteous path.
She was loved and admired by everyone.
Like Heaven’s favored daughter.
This was the first time An Jin had encountered someone who looked down on Jian Fei’er.
Following the voice, she saw a young man around seventeen or eighteen.
She couldn’t tell which sect he belonged to.
He wasn’t even wearing a sect uniform.
Instead, he too wore red.
Such a vibrant color paired with his rather ordinary appearance looked strangely mismatched.
Combined with his arrogant expression, he appeared somewhat ridiculous.
The female cultivator beside him laughed.
“If Jian Fei’er doesn’t look good in red, do you?”
“Of course I do.”
The youth spoke confidently.
“But I think she’d look even better in it.”
Suddenly being pointed at, An Jin looked up in surprise.
And met a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes.