This scene immediately drew gasps of surprise: "It moved! The Heart-Questioning Sword moved!"
"Heavens! Is she really that heaven-defying?"
"It seems the Heart-Questioning Sword is destined for her!"
"Could it be that she is the Daughter of Destiny?"
Amidst the crowd's discussion, Miao Miaomiao exerted more force, and with a "clank~," the sword was half drawn.
Everyone held their breath, watching her every move, afraid to miss a single detail.
At this moment, Miao Miaomiao was covered in sweat, the veins on her forehead throbbing intensely. But the remaining half of the sword remained utterly still in the stone. She gritted her teeth, placed her right hand on it as well, braced both feet against the stone, and exerted force with all four limbs.
"Strength brings miracles, come on... come out!!!"
Accompanied by a roar, Miao Miaomiao put all her strength into it, and finally, her efforts paid off—her hand slipped, and she tumbled backward.
With a "thud~," she unfortunately hit the back of her head right on the millstone, causing blood to stream down instantly.
And the Heart-Questioning Sword automatically returned to its original position, as if nothing had happened just now.
"What a pity, such a pity!"
"Indeed! She was so close!"
Miao Miaomiao opened her mouth wide, wanting to say something, but no words came out. Her consciousness gradually blurred. In a daze, she seemed to see a pure white figure effortlessly drawing out the sword amidst a chorus of gasps...
Who was it? I can't see clearly, so tired... I'll sleep first, Makka Pakka~
After absorbing her blood, the millstone emitted a strange black glow, which then vanished directly into her body.
"Alas~ Sect... Sect Master, she... she doesn't seem to have any breath left! Her heartbeat has stopped too!" A kind female disciple, intending to help her up, was horrified to find Miao Miaomiao looked completely dead.
"Don't panic!" Mo Changfeng was not worried at all. "She might just be playing possum. I'll take her back first; you all choose freely."
*
After an unknown amount of time...
A familiar voice sounded near Miao Miaomiao's ear: "Hey, Old Six, wake up quickly!"
"Mmm~" Miao Miaomiao looked up and saw Old Jin staring at her anxiously. She sat up, a flicker of confusion in her eyes, "Old Jin? What happened to me...?"
Old Jin shook his head helplessly: "You, you fainted from injury! The Sect Master brought you back. You child, trying to pull a sword and you cracked your head open—what am I supposed to say about you?"
"Injured? But why can't I feel any pain?"
"Nonsense! You can't feel the pain because you haven't woken up yet. Otherwise, how could I talk to you?"
"Oh, right, I remember now!" Miao Miaomiao suddenly recalled that she had used too much force while drawing the sword, slipped, and hit her head on something.
She instinctively touched the back of her head, "Then I need to wake up quickly, I haven't chosen my Natal Artifact yet~"
"No, it has already been chosen."
"What do you mean?" A bad premonition welled up in Miao Miaomiao's heart.
"Look over there."
Following the direction Old Jin pointed, Miao Miaomiao's vision instantly darkened, and she felt like crying but had no tears: "No... why is it that one?"
That lump was the millstone she had seen earlier.
"Sigh!" Old Jin sighed, "I don't know whether to call you lucky or unlucky."
"What do you mean by that? Could this thing have some history?"
"Mmm~" Old Jin nodded slightly: "Speaking of which, this millstone is even older than the Heart-Questioning Sword! Based on my guess, this is probably not its true form. As for what exactly it is and how powerful it is, I'm not sure; you'll have to discover that yourself."
Hearing him say that, Miao Miaomiao's mood improved slightly, but worry still creased her face: "But how am I supposed to use this thing?"
She truly couldn't imagine the sight of a delicate girl carrying a several-hundred-pound millstone out to fight...
"Uh... it doesn't look very easy to use. It's fine, you'll get used to it slowly later. For a Magic Tool, you can't just look at its appearance; practicality is the most important thing."
Old Jin didn't know how to comfort her for a moment, so he changed the subject: "I remembered the Cultivation Method I told you about last night; it's buried in the middle of that maple forest on the Back Mountain of the Main Peak. You can find time to dig it up yourself."
"Also, there is a defensive Magic Tool buried in the pine forest on the other side. Dig them both up when you go, to keep for self-defense."
"I don't understand, why did you bury them when they were perfectly fine?" Miao Miaomiao asked sullenly. She always felt Old Jin had some peculiar hobby.
"Don't you think it adds more mystery this way?"
Miao Miaomiao shook her head blankly: "I just think it's a bit redundant."
"Alright, remember to find time to dig them up. Oh, and the Sect Master asked me to tell you to remember to go to the Pill Hall tomorrow for lessons. Professional Skill training is a required course and cannot be skipped."
"Got it," Miao Miaomiao replied, returning to reality.
Looking at the millstone before her, she sighed helplessly and waved her hand, storing it in her Space.
A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky. Calculating with her fingers, she decided today was not suitable for going out; it wouldn't be too late to dig them up another day.
She then hummed a tune and headed to the Back Kitchen to start researching the new version of Dark Cuisine.
Smelling the aroma, Old Jin shuddered: Yellow Square Bad! I forgot to tell her not to make that underworld food and cause a Disaster! Yellow Square
Before long, a pot of bubbling, greenish, unidentifiable food was placed in front of Old Jin.
Miao Miaomiao seemed possessed by Gargamel, stirring it with a spoon while smiling as she approached: "Old Jin, you must be starving! Here, let me feed you! I know you eat a lot, so I specially cooked a bit extra this time!"
Hearing this, Old Jin felt a pang in his heart: Yellow Square Old Six! You are so considerate, does your family know? Yellow Square
The moment the foreign object entered his throat, sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and spicy flavors simultaneously assaulted Old Jin's fragile taste buds, causing clear tears to stream uncontrollably from his eyes.
This was even more potent than yesterday's pot! He really wanted to know how she managed to create such Eccentric person food?
After finishing the entire pot, Old Jin felt like he had been dancing back and forth at the gates of the underworld.
Although the Spiritual Sense Imprisonment had loosened a tiny bit more, this was truly suffering!
He worried that he might be sent away before the Spiritual Sense Imprisonment even disappeared.
He secretly resolved that he must explain things clearly to her tomorrow!
*
The next morning.
Miao Miaomiao remembered Old Jin's instructions and strolled to the Pill Hall.
The vast Pill Hall was already crowded with people. The teaching Elder had not yet arrived, and the Pill Hall was noisy, resembling a vegetable market.
Miao Miaomiao casually found a spot in a corner and sat down. Overhearing the conversation of a few Close friends in front of her, she immediately forced her way into the group chat: "Brothers, do you know who took the Heart-Questioning Sword yesterday?"
"I heard it was the granddaughter of Elder Shi from the Seventh Peak, named Shi Wanyue."
"Who did you say!?" The moment she heard those three words, Miao Miaomiao slammed the table and stood up abruptly.