Voices sounded outside the door. Chu Mingbei had arrived.
“Huh? Eldest Senior Sister doesn’t want to be disturbed? Since when do I count as a ‘disturbance’? If anything, she’s probably been waiting for me! I’ve just returned from my mission and came straight here to see her. She’ll be thrilled. Now, out of the way, Ah Hong!”
Ah Hong’s timid voice followed immediately after.
“Senior Brother Bei, please don’t make this harder for me. Eldest Senior Sister’s orders were absolute. Even Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Sister Yun were sent away earlier today.”
“Huh? That can’t be right. I just came from Yun’er’s place, and she didn’t mention anything of the sort.”
Sweeping her Divine Sense[1]a cultivator’s metaphysical ‘sixth sense’ that projects their consciousness outward, allowing them to perceive their surroundings, scan through solid objects, and detect … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1752190_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1752190_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); across the entrance, Chu Mingyao saw Ah Hong standing firm at the threshold. Outside, Chu Mingbei had been restlessly pacing, trying to wheedle his way in. But the moment those last words left his lips, he froze. He clamped a hand over his mouth, his eyes widening in sudden panic as he realized he had slipped up.
Ah Hong had already made it clear that Chu Mingyao was awake.
With her level of cultivation, there was no way the conversation outside had escaped her ears.
Chu Mingbei’s own words had just tripped him up, and he had walked straight into a blatant contradiction.
Inside the room, Chu Mingyao’s lips curled slightly as a chill settled in her heart.
The reason Chu Mingbei hadn’t joined the others to see Chu Mingyao the moment she woke was that he had indeed been down the mountain on a sect mission.
And just as it had been in her nightmare, the timing was identical. Chu Mingbei arrived only after Chu Mingdong and the rest had already departed.
Of course, in the dream, Xiang Qingyun had also cried endlessly after Chu Mingyao woke. Chu Mingdong had demanded an apology, but while Chu Mingyao refused, she hadn’t driven them away. Instead, Xiang Qingyun apologized herself and ran off in tears, prompting Chu Mingdong and the others to chase after her.
Only then did Chu Mingbei arrive, claiming he had come to see her the very moment he returned.
They had chatted for a while about his mission before he shifted the subject, asking why Chu Mingdong and the others weren’t there. He even claimed he was going to confront them, indignantly questioning how they could fail to visit when something as significant as her awakening had occurred.
Though she hadn’t planned to speak of it, Chu Mingbei’s display of concern prompted her to recount her grievance, telling him how Chu Mingdong had pressured her to apologize to Xiang Qingyun.
Chu Mingbei had joined her in complaining about Chu Mingdong, offering her comfort while echoing her grievances.
Looking back now, Chu Mingyao remembered clearly that Chu Mingbei hadn’t uttered a single word against Xiang Qingyun. Instead, he had subtly guided her to yield for the sake of ‘sect harmony’, urging her not to let things get ugly between fellow disciples.
Because of his influence, although Chu Mingyao never apologized, she went out of her way to look after Xiang Qingyun. Her support was always practical, primarily manifesting as extra guidance in Xiang Qingyun’s cultivation.
Yet, ironically, it was that very care that convinced others in the sect that Chu Mingyao truly harbored a grudge against Xiang Qingyun.
Later, Chu Mingyao accidentally discovered that when Chu Mingbei returned from the mission that day, he had gone to see Xiang Qingyun first. Only after learning what had happened when she woke did he come to her, speaking those words by design.
On the surface, he had been comforting her. In truth, his main purpose had been to help Xiang Qingyun.
As Chu Mingyao revisited the contents of her nightmare, Chu Mingbei released his hand and coughed twice in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.
“Well, um…… I actually ran into Yun’er on my way over. She seemed desperate to see Eldest Senior Sister, but she was crying so hard she could barely move, so I just stopped to ask her what was wrong.”
As he spoke, Chu Mingbei raised his voice, shouting toward the room, “Eldest Senior Sister, I’m serious! I truly was away on a mission. I rushed back the moment I finished just to see you. Won’t you let me in? We’ve been senior and junior siblings for so many years. Have I ever lied to you?”
Chu Mingyao fell silent.
It was those words that chilled her heart the most.
The Chu Mingbei of the past had truly never lied to her.
Though there were many young disciples in the Sword Sect, only the five of them had grown up together within its walls, sharing a bond deeper than all others.
Chu Mingbei was the youngest, and since his talent was weaker than the rest, he often took the fall for the mischievous Chu Mingxi. Chu Mingyao had frequently comforted and secretly looked after him, doting on him like a true younger brother. Because of that bond, there were many things Chu Mingbei wouldn’t tell anyone else, choosing instead to confide only in her.
Before Xiang Qingyun’s arrival, Chu Mingyao and Chu Mingbei had truly been closer to one another than to anyone else.
But now, the experiences from that nightmare remained vivid, the sting of betrayal still fresh. She realized that even here, in reality, Chu Mingbei was deceiving her for Xiang Qingyun’s sake.
What was she supposed to do now?
Chu Mingyao pressed her lips together, her expression hardening.
She raised her hand and cast a barrier toward the door.
This was her answer.
As streams of light from the barrier rippled across the door, Chu Mingbei’s voice on the other side was instantly cut off.
Chu Mingyao nodded in satisfaction, forcing herself to suppress the urge to listen any further.
Enough.
Hadn’t her previous life ended precisely because she had softened her heart time and time again?
In this life, she had to be decisive.
What needed to be severed had to be cut away now. She would not wait for these distractions to ruin her path to immortality before she allowed herself to feel regret.
Between the warning of the nightmare and the words Xiang Qingyun had uttered, a vague understanding began to take root in Chu Mingyao’s mind.
The Child of Fate? Xiang Qingyun?
Perhaps.
Otherwise, how else could she explain why, in that nightmare, the entire world seemed to revolve around Xiang Qingyun? Anyone who didn’t side with Xiang Qingyun wholeheartedly would, without fail, meet with some kind of accident.
It was just like the incident at the Hundred Flowers Palace. A few female disciples had remarked that Xiang Qingyun seemed to understand the art of seduction even better than their own disciples, who specialized in dual cultivation. Not long after, every one of those women met with tragedy— either losing their lives or having their cultivation foundations utterly destroyed.
And Chu Mingyao herself had been the one who refused to revolve around Xiang Qingyun— the one who had failed to offer up her own resources as tribute.
Any surplus resources she had were first given to Chu Mingdong, a strategic move to ensure he— not she— would become the next sect master. If anything remained, she divided it among Chu Mingbei and her other two junior brothers. She barely spared a thought for Xiang Qingyun, who was already being showered with extra care by so many others.
Thus, until her death, she had never faced an obvious calamity. Yet, she had been unable to complete even a single proper seclusion. Her cultivation progress was constantly sabotaged by interruptions— and for a cultivator, that alone was a grave misfortune.
Furthermore, Xiang Qingyun had taken a liking to Chu Mingdong and eventually became his Dao companion. Because Chu Mingyao had supported Chu Mingdong with resources— simply to avoid the burden of becoming the sect master— that act was twisted into proof that she harbored secret feelings for him. Even before she had lifted a finger against Xiang Qingyun, the world already believed she was a woman driven by petty, malicious jealousy.
If Xiang Qingyun weren’t a so-called Child of Fate, Chu Mingyao truly couldn’t find any other way to explain why everyone had lost their minds. It was the only reason their thoughts would be so warped.
Chu Mingyao was clearly the one who had sacrificed everything only to gain nothing in return. Why, then, was she accused of harboring ill intentions? Why was it claimed that all her grueling efforts were merely what was expected of her?
Chu Mingyao’s stray thoughts gradually faded into silence. Soon, only a semi-transparent, illusory small sword remained, suspended in the center of her sea of consciousness, spinning in an endless, rhythmic cycle.
The speed of its rotation grew faster and faster, a blur of light within her mind.
This was the Sword Dao she cultivated— the Path of the Swift Sword!
Among all techniques, only speed remained invincible.
Within the Dao of the Sword, speed reigned supreme. To her, the Path of the Swift Sword was the ultimate path!
Though the sword was small and not yet fully formed, it already held the collective weight of every insight Chu Mingyao had gained since the very beginning of her path.
Initially, Chu Mingyao had only sought to calm her turbulent heart through meditation.
But without realizing it, she slipped into a state of sudden enlightenment, her mind stripping away all worldly concerns.
Now, in her heart and in her mind’s eye, only her sword remained.
Speed! More speed!
She reached for a strike of ultimate velocity— a single, blinding flash of steel fast enough to sever everything in existence in one heart-stopping instant.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted within her sea of consciousness.
The miniature sword, which had been a blur of high-speed rotation, came to a dead halt— then lunged forward in a single, devastating strike.
Wherever that sword energy passed, everything was cleaved asunder!
Naturally, since she was in the midst of cultivation, this ‘cleaving’ did not shatter her mind. Instead, it carved out a vast, new expanse, expanding her sea of consciousness to a far greater scale than ever before.
Her Divine Sense, which had previously been anchored to her late Golden Core cultivation, surged forward in a single breath, leaping all the way to the early Nascent Soul stage.
The miniature sword drifted back to the absolute center of her sea of consciousness. It continued to hover and rotate, but its movements were now slow and rhythmic.
Chu Mingyao sat in the silence, silently gauging the newfound depth of her strength.
Before long, she opened her eyes.
A trace of sword light flickered in the depths of her gaze as she smiled faintly.
The feeling of gaining such power was truly magnificent.
Looking back, how had the version of her in that nightmare been so foolish? She had squandered chance after chance to grow stronger, all for the sake of people who never deserved her sacrifice.
When she entered the Jiujue Secret Realm, she hadn’t bothered to explore the areas that would have benefited her own path. Instead, she had spent the entire time acting as Chu Mingbei’s bodyguard while he hunted for treasures, then exhausted herself helping Perfected Ziqiong harvest Sword Heart Grass.
Time she should have spent cultivating, she had wasted teaching others. Resources that were rightfully hers, she had squandered supporting them…….
She really had been stupid. Truly stupid.
If they had felt even a shred of gratitude, perhaps it could be forgiven.
But they saw her kindness as a hidden motive and her sacrifices as a basic duty. No one cared about her needs. They simply expected the strong to carry the weak.
Ridiculous— utterly ridiculous!
Setting the nightmare aside, even her real memories felt pitifully foolish now.
Why had she ever believed that proving herself stronger than Chu Mingdong meant she was destined to be the sect master?
Once she attained true power, would the sect even have the courage to force her hand? If Chu Mingdong took the role and failed to command respect because he was the weaker one, was that her burden to carry? Was his inadequacy her responsibility?
Obviously not!
Why, then, had she allowed Perfected Ziqiong to manipulate her so completely? She had yielded to Chu Mingdong at every turn, funneling him resources just to ensure the gap between their strengths never became too wide.
Why had she hidden her light? Why hadn’t she simply declared her intent to reach the peak of cultivation, regardless of who she eclipsed?
Even in that nightmare, she had forged her own path with little help from the sect.
If they truly tried to chain her— if they pushed her too far— what was stopping her from simply walking away?
As the shackles of her emotions finally shattered, the world before her seemed to expand. She realized that nothing could truly bind her.
And if anything ever dared to try, she would simply grow stronger— and sever it with a single strike of her blade!
She would return only as much affection as the sect showed her— not a drop more.
Let the so-called Child of Fate try her worst. She wanted to see if schemes still held weight against a heart and a blade sharpened by singular, unwavering purpose.
With her heart suddenly unburdened, Chu Mingyao felt a wave of joy as her Divine Sense continued its steady, upward climb.
Suddenly, the smile on her face froze.
Perfected Ziqiong……
Her master— the man who had taken her in, raised her, and guided her path. Why had he treated her with even less regard than he gave to Chu Mingdong?
Chu Mingdong was the sect master’s own flesh and blood. Chu Mingnan and Chu Mingxi were disciples the sect master had personally handpicked. Both were years older than her, firmly established as his disciples long before Perfected Ziqiong ever took her in. Even their names had been gifts bestowed by the sect master himself.
After taking her in, Perfected Ziqiong had explained that, by seniority, she belonged to the same generation as Chu Mingdong and the others. He insisted she follow their naming convention to reflect that— and that was how she had been branded with her current name.
Perfected Ziqiong was the grand elder of the Sword Sect. He typically kept to his own mountain peak, maintaining a distant relationship with the sect master’s peak and rarely offering Chu Mingdong any personal guidance.
Yet, she was the one who had grown up in Perfected Ziqiong’s courtyard since her earliest years, receiving his personal initiation into the path of cultivation. It wasn’t until she was six or seven that she even began playing with Chu Mingdong and the others.
She had remained by Perfected Ziqiong’s side for years, only departing to this modest courtyard once she reached her coming of age by mortal standards.
When she did the math, that transition had occurred only three years ago.
So why had her master never shown her a shred of special favor, yet secretly lavished so much care on Chu Mingdong?
If Perfected Ziqiong hadn’t constantly hammered those things into her mind, Chu Mingdong would never have held the title of Eldest Senior Brother. Given the gap in their abilities, calling him ‘Second Senior Brother’ would have already been a mercy.
Chu Mingyao even suspected that if she had not listened to Perfected Ziqiong and constantly helped Chu Mingdong, he might well have been surpassed by Chu Mingxi long ago.
Although Chu Mingyao deeply disliked Chu Mingxi’s frivolous nature— since, even as children, he had been mischievous and fond of shifting blame onto Chu Mingbei— his talent was truly no worse than Chu Mingdong’s. He was more than qualified to challenge Chu Mingdong’s position.
In Chu Mingyao’s nightmare, Perfected Ziqiong’s favoritism had been even more blatant.
It was crystal clear. He had dispatched her to the perilous Jiujue Secret Realm specifically to fetch Sword Heart Grass, deliberately sending her away only so she could bring opportunities back for Chu Mingdong. Upon her return, Perfected Ziqiong had handed every single blade of the herb to Chu Mingdong, leaving not a single stalk for anyone else— not even for her.
Because she didn’t need it?
Chu Mingyao no longer swallowed that lie.
It was favoritism, plain and simple. He was prioritizing the sect master’s son over his own direct disciple— the one he had raised with his own hands.
But why?
No matter how she racked her brain, Chu Mingyao could not find the answer.
She had always been his most obedient disciple, following every word Perfected Ziqiong uttered. There was no possible way she could have offended him, right?
Even if she truly had provoked his anger, couldn’t he have simply punished her? A beating or a harsh scolding would have been easier to bear. Why must he instead express his displeasure through this silent favoritism, by constantly elevating others at her expense?
Unable to find an answer, Chu Mingyao shook her head, forcing herself to stop circling the drain of her own thoughts.
When her strength grew…… perhaps not all questions would receive answers, but she was confident she would no longer need to pursue them.
When one was weak, answers were a necessity— tools to navigate danger, make better choices, and avoid disaster.
But once powerful, regardless of the circumstances, one could simply shatter any obstacle with sheer force. In the face of absolute strength, why bother insisting on answers at all?
She only needed to confirm that Perfected Ziqiong had not treated her as well as she once imagined. That single realization was enough.
Chu Mingyao took out a bottle of cultivation-assisting pills from her storage ring and swallowed one.
Cultivate!
Her Divine Sense had already reached the Nascent Soul stage. How could she allow her spiritual power to lag behind?
Once she broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and entered the Dao Discussion Assembly, she was certain that no matter how unreliable or incompetent her teammates were, they would still seize first place in the team competition.
The rewards were quite generous, and with even more resources in hand, she could raise her strength further. How wonderful!
Besides, she had not forgotten the inexplicable ambush that had occurred on the return journey.
If she wanted to escape unscathed this time— or better yet, turn the tables and kill her attackers— raising her cultivation wasn’t just an option, but a necessity.
Chu Mingyao threw herself into her cultivation, tuning out the rest of the world entirely.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed.
Outside her room, Chu Mingbei sat on the corridor railing with an utter disregard for his image. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the door, which was still shimmering with the flowing light of her protective barrier.
The mere act of sealing her door was a message in itself, one Chu Mingyao had delivered with unmistakable clarity. Understanding her intent all too well, Chu Mingbei didn’t dare attempt any other way to force his way in.
Since Chu Mingyao hadn’t completely isolated the room, Chu Mingbei could still feel the rhythmic fluctuations of spiritual power radiating from within.
From the moment Chu Mingyao sealed the door, after a brief initial shock, Chu Mingbei had taken up his post as a guard.
That vigil had now lasted five full days.
Had it not been for the memory of his own slip of the tongue— and the desperate need to get back in her good graces while the iron was still hot— he truly wouldn’t have been able to endure it a moment longer.
The problem was his own stupidity that day. He had claimed he’d come straight to see his eldest senior sister the moment he returned to the sect, only to admit in the same breath that he had already been to Xiang Qingyun’s place!
Now, trapped by his own lie, he didn’t dare leave.
No matter how long it took, he would make Chu Mingyao see his sincerity!
Since he refused to leave, Ah Hong didn’t dare budge either, forced to keep standing guard outside her door.
Just then, two figures appeared in the distance, walking toward them.
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