【Ding — Host has checked in for 116 consecutive days.
Reward: Mystery Gift. Redeem? Yes/No】
Early that morning, Ning Ying was awakened by the system prompt in her mind.
She’d had a bit of morning crankiness, thinking the system was too noisy every day, but upon hearing [Mystery Gift], she instantly sat up and said amiably: “Yes, redeem.”
She’d been checking in continuously for half a month recently without getting anything good—aside from spirit stones, just pills and magical tools for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage newbies.
Since she had no use for them herself, she made a habit of visiting Bixu Peak whenever she had free time, packing up these items and delivering them to Junior Brother Chu.
At first, Chu Shuo was a bit resistant and embarrassed, but after her persistent persuasion, he had no choice but to accept the gifts and gradually came under her influence.
The mighty proud son of heaven male lead had now become her little fanboy, hanging on her every word.
The system initially had some reservations, but then it reconsidered. In the book, Chu Shuo had also been deceived by the vicious female supporting character Ning Ying in the early stages, developing deep feelings for her. Little did he know, she only wanted to use him. During an expedition to a secret realm, she pushed him off a cliff to claim the treasure for herself.
However, Chu Shuo didn’t die from falling off the cliff. Instead, he found a cultivation manual and obtained a precious inheritance there, becoming a proud son of heaven from then on, and starting his satisfying story of revenge and triumph.
As for Ning Ying, who nearly caused the male lead’s death, her ultimate fate was to die a miserable death.
“Aren’t I supposed to be the vicious female supporting character who gaslights the male lead?” Ning Ying said lazily. “The goal is achieved, so the process doesn’t really matter, right?”
System: “…”
Fine, whatever you say.
“So, what’s this mysterious gift?” Ning Ying asked.
“The mysterious gift needs to be redeemed by the host at a designated location,” the system said mysteriously.
“Alright then,” Ning Ying got up from the bed, quickly changed her clothes, and cast a cleansing spell as her version of washing up. “Where do I go to redeem it?”
“This system will navigate for you,” the system said in its cold electronic voice. “Ten steps forward, open the door.”
Ning Ying stretched lazily and slowly opened the door, leaving her cave dwelling. “And then?”
“Fly on your sword.” The system continued. “Fly one kilometer forward and left, circle around the peak then turn right for eight hundred meters, avoid obstacles, fly two thousand nine hundred meters forward, then diagonally upward…”
Flying along, Ning Ying found the scenery around her somewhat familiar. Wasn’t this… the sect’s main peak?
Today was the Sword Trial Conference. Though it hadn’t officially started yet, quite a few disciples had already gathered in the main peak square, and the competition platforms had been set up.
“Turn left, the third window diagonally upward…”
Ning Ying: “!!!”
She glanced at the open window, didn’t think much of it, assuming it was a room the system had prepared, and flew straight in through the window.
However—
Just as Ning Ying burst into the room and jumped off her sword, she came face to face with a pair of slightly puzzled, cool eyes.
Yun Qingyuan looked at his suddenly appearing disciple, then quickly concealed the confusion in his eyes, nodded, and said calmly: “You’re here. Your master was just about to look for you.”
Ning Ying felt a bit embarrassed. When she’d flown through the window, she seemed to have accidentally scraped Master’s curtain. Last time she’d noticed, that curtain was made of mermaid silk—definitely worth a lot of spirit stones…
“Master,” Ning Ying said timidly, “how many spirit stones is this curtain worth? I, I’ll pay you back…”
“Silly child, how could I take your spirit stones.” A trace of gentle smile appeared in Yun Qingyuan’s eyes. “Come here.”
Ning Ying obediently walked over. Remembering Master said he’d been looking for her, she asked, “Master, what did you need me for?”
Yun Qingyuan took out bottle after bottle of pills from his robes and placed them in her hands.
“These are healing pills, blood-activating pills, pills for restoring magical power…” Yun Qingyuan looked into her eyes, his cool voice carrying a hint of gentleness. “All personally refined by your master.”
A flash of surprise crossed Ning Ying’s eyes.
Pills personally refined by Master were truly priceless treasures. Not because they were worth much—she wasn’t lacking spirit stones anyway—but because of the sentiment behind them.
Moreover, Senior Brother Gu and Senior Sister Sang didn’t have any; only she did.
Though this was partly because they were too old to participate in the Sword Trial Conference, she still felt specially treated by Master.
Just as she took the pill bottles, the system’s cheerful voice sounded in her mind: “Congratulations, host! [Mystery Gift] successfully redeemed!“
Ning Ying: “???”
What’s going on?
This damn system was getting better and better at word games. This was clearly something Master had given her, and the system actually thought it was its own doing!
If her master weren’t here, she would really want to curse out the system to vent her frustration.
“A Ying, what’s wrong?” Seeing the twisted expression on her face, Yun Qingyuan asked with concern.
Ning Ying shook her head and said with a bitter look, “Thank you, Master.”
“No need to thank me,” Yun Qingyuan said gently. “These past few days, I’ve been urging you to practice swordsmanship, and I’ve seen your progress. Just do your best and don’t hurt yourself.”
Ning Ying’s heart warmed. “Thank you for your concern, Master.”
“Go on.” Yun Qingyuan lightly patted her back, encouraging her. “In my eyes, you’ll always be the best.”
Ning Ying flew down from the high pavilion on her sword, descending through the ethereal clouds onto the bustling square.
She immediately spotted Senior Brother Gu and Senior Sister Sang.
The two were… struggling to pull something like a banner? The combination of bright red and fluorescent green was simply too eye-catching.
The Sword Trial Conference was held to select the most outstanding young talents from various sects, and only cultivators under the age of twenty could participate. Sang Jinse, as Yaoyue Sect’s senior sister, was past the age limit. Gu Qi’s true identity was the Demon Lord, a contemporary of Yun Qingyuan and Ye Juan, and he had been undercover in the immortal sect for several years. Both his actual age and his disguised age were well over twenty.
So, the two of them, bored out of their minds, decided to make a banner to cheer for their junior sister.
This was somewhat of a Yaoyue Sect tradition. At the Sword Trial Conference, it wasn’t uncommon for senior siblings to cheer for their juniors, and banners did appear—just none as eye-catching as the one Gu Qi and Sang Jinse had customized.
Gu Qi spotted Ning Ying and waved to her: “Junior Sister, over here!”
Ning Ying walked over and looked at the red-and-green cheering banner, saying sincerely: “Senior Brother, Senior Sister, you’re so thoughtful. Thank you.”
“Thank us for what?” Sang Jinse grabbed Ning Ying’s hand. “Junior Sister, I chose this color scheme. It even glows at night—guaranteed to make you the brightest person in the crowd. How about it? Like it?”
Ning Ying: “…Like it!”
“Oh, and the copy was written by your Senior Brother Gu. Nothing to do with me,” Sang Jinse added.
Just then, Gu Qi had moved to the other side and fully unfurled the banner, allowing Ning Ying to see the flamboyant handwriting.
[Junior Sister Ning, go for it! Win first place at the Sword Trial Conference, marry the master, and reach the pinnacle of life.]
Ning Ying: “???”
Ning Ying: “!!!”
This slogan is way too ahead of its time.
The corner of her eye twitched slightly as she whispered, “This… won’t Master be angry if he sees it?”
Sang Jinse quietly pointed at the judges’ table in the distance. Master and several Supreme Elders were sitting there, all looking over in their direction at the same time.
At the judges’ stand.
“All you uncle-masters being willing to come out of seclusion and participate in the Sword Trial Conference is truly a blessing for our sect, and an honor for these children.” Yun Qingyuan, in white robes, was clear as wind and bright as moon, his voice calm and reserved.
“Oh, not at all, not at all. The Sword Trial Conference is a decade-annual event for the sect; of course we would come out of seclusion.”
“Indeed. We also want to see if there are any good seedlings for cultivation—perhaps we might make an exception and take them as disciples.”
“Nephew Yun, for the sake of eliminating demons and guarding the sect, you chose not to ascend. We’re only coming out of seclusion; a few days of delayed cultivation is nothing.”
“Yes, this old man gets bored in seclusion all day. Need to feel some youthful vitality!”
The Supreme Elders began their mutual praise.
That Yaoyue Sect could become the number one sect under heaven owed much to Yun Qingyuan’s leadership as sect leader.
Though the Supreme Elders had higher seniority, they hadn’t yet become immortals, stuck at the Grand Ascension stage for a long time. If it actually came to a fight, they’d be no match for Yun Qingyuan.
In the midst of this pleasant, harmonious atmosphere, one Supreme Elder suddenly noticed: “What’s written on that red-and-green strip of cloth over there?”
Another Supreme Elder read it out loud: “‘Junior Sister Ning, go for it! Win first place at the Sword Trial Conference, marry the master…?'”
“‘Marry the master???’ Could it be that this defiant disciple wants to do unspeakable things to her own master?”
“Young people these days are so full of vitality. Heh heh, it seems us old bones have fallen behind the times.”
“I, old as I am, don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea. It’s not like our era anymore; boldly pursuing love is something to be encouraged. If that ‘Junior Sister Ning’ really takes first place, I’ll make the decision for her and let her and her master achieve their happy ending. I imagine her master is some junior as well—I have the authority to make such a decision.”
“Oh, by the way, who is Junior Ning’s master?”
Dead silence.