What did “satisfaction” mean?
Tantai Yue was a revered elder of the Tianyong Immortal Manor and the master of the Tianyong disciples’ Transmission Hall. Not only was her cultivation profound, but her status and position were also highly esteemed.
When she revealed a look of satisfaction toward Jiang Xuezhi, it meant she had known Jiang Xuezhi would come and was genuinely pleased that she had actually arrived.
This was definitely not an illusion, for soon after, Tantai Yue announced that everyone had arrived, and the examination officially began.
She had noticed Jiang Xuezhi but showed no intention of apprehending her.
Wu Shuang was completely stunned. For a moment, she even forgot her innate fear of Tianyong’s powerful figures and impulsively exclaimed, “Why is Jiang Xuezhi here? She killed my senior brother! She is a traitor to the Xuantian Sect, a person burdened with grave sins! Someone like her could never obtain Tianyong’s Golden Token! What is the meaning of her presence here?”
Almost the moment she spoke, Tantai Yue’s gaze fixed firmly on her.
When she looked at Jiang Xuezhi, Jiang Xuezhi remained open and composed, utterly calm.
But when she looked at Wu Shuang, Wu Shuang instantly froze, her legs trembling as she lowered her head.
Tantai Yue narrowed her eyes slightly, discerning the stark contrast between these two juniors.
She glanced at the other disciples present and, seeing their silent demeanor, understood that everyone sought an explanation.
In truth, no explanation was necessary.
Tianyong Immortal Manor never needed to justify its actions.
However…
“You are a disciple of the Xuantian Sect?” Tantai Yue observed her disciple robes and spoke calmly. “The Xuantian Sect has long-standing grievances with Jiang Xuezhi, so it’s understandable that you would hold such opinions.”
Hearing these words, Wu Shuang breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Summoning her courage, she lifted her head and, with difficulty, addressed Tantai Yue, “Thank you for your understanding, Hall Master. Jiang Xuezhi bears deep enmity with my sect. Seeing her, I momentarily lost control of myself and acted disrespectfully toward you. I beg for your forgiveness.”
Her subsequent attitude was acceptable, and since Tantai Yue had no intention of blaming her to begin with, the matter was entirely set aside.
She spoke slowly, “I believe it’s not only this Xuantian Sect disciple but also others who wish to know why Jiang Xuezhi is here.”
Tantai Yue’s gaze shifted toward Jiang Xuezhi. Jiang Xuezhi stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a young man who attempted to shield her from the scrutiny, but she casually pulled him behind her.
Jiang Xuezhi met Tantai Yue’s gaze directly. Clad in red robes with dark hair and carrying a gleaming silver spear, her presence was imposing and extraordinary.
Truly worthy of being a junior esteemed by the Immortal Venerable.
Tantai Yue nodded inwardly before delivering a response that brought no joy to Wu Shuang or the others.
“Since this Xuantian Sect disciple also understands that a person burdened with grave sins cannot obtain Tianyong’s Golden Token, it proves Jiang Xuezhi is not such a person,” Tantai Yue said coolly, her gaze resting on Wu Shuang as she smiled faintly. “Do you truly wish to confront Jiang Xuezhi here and now?”
Wu Shuang immediately tensed up at these words.
Abruptly, she turned to look at Lin Wanwan beside her. Lin Wanwan had already appeared uneasy earlier, but now her face was deathly pale.
Lin Nuannuan stood with the twins of the Murong family, eyeing this “sister” who had stolen her title as the Lin family’s eldest young lady, forcing her to settle for being the “second” young lady all these years. She felt nothing but disdain and resentment.
Her parents were deeply in love. If not for Lin Wanwan’s existence, they would have been the perfect family.
Every time this person returned, she would stir up trouble at home. Three years ago, when Lin Wannian heard she had died, she was overjoyed for quite some time. Who would have thought she would come back alive and even come here to compete for the spot?
If Lin Wanwan got in today while she didn’t, wouldn’t it be utterly humiliating to go back?
Lin Nuannuan frowned and couldn’t help saying, “From the Hall Master’s words, it seems there might be some issues within the Xuantian Sect? The rumors outside paint Jiang Xuezhi as utterly wicked, could they all be false? The Tianyong Sect surely wouldn’t misjudge someone, so the fault must lie with the Xuantian Sect.”
Lin Nuan seized the key point: “Why does this Jiang Xuezhi look so much like the other selected disciple from the Xuantian Sect?”
She had no intention of publicly revealing her relationship with Lin Wanwan, referring to her only as “the other selected disciple.”
Once Lin Wanwan was singled out, her striking resemblance to Jiang Xuezhi instantly drew everyone’s attention, even startling Ling Zhao.
If Lin Nuannuan hadn’t pointed it out, he wouldn’t have noticed. But now that she mentioned it, upon closer inspection, Lin Wanwan did bear a strong resemblance to Jiang Xuezhi.
However, their temperaments and personalities were entirely different, making it difficult to connect the two at first glance.
“I heard that a disciple from the Xuantian Sect died in an incident three years ago, and today it seems this disciple has returned from the dead. What exactly has the Xuantian Sect been scheming behind the scenes?”
Lin Nuannuan’s insinuations almost touched upon part of the truth.
Wu Shuang hoped neither Jiang Xuezhi nor Lin Wanwan would be selected, it would be best if both were kicked out.
But if the Xuantian Sect were to be criticized, as a disciple of the sect, she would also suffer the consequences.
So, she couldn’t let the truth come out.
She couldn’t allow the conversation to continue.
She immediately stepped forward and said, “Hall Master, personal grievances should not disrupt the auspicious timing of the Tianyong selection. It was my fault for speaking impulsively and delaying the proceedings.”
Wu Shuang bowed respectfully. “The hour is growing late. Let us proceed with the examination first. Everything else is trivial.”
Just moments ago, she had been aggressively demanding answers, but now she was evading the issue, even calling it trivial, clearly, there was something amiss.
No one present was a fool; they immediately understood that there were problems within the Xuantian Sect.
Lin Nuan smirked, unwilling to let them off so easily.
She opened her mouth to say something, but time was truly running out.
Tantai Yue had no intention of postponing the examination and disrupting the entire process. She temporarily accepted Wu Shuang’s suggestion and announced the start of the test.
Lin Nuannuan felt as if a bone were stuck in her throat. She glared resentfully at Lin Wanwan before stepping forward with the Murong twins.
Wu Shuang was also agitated. She had no intention of waiting for Lin Wanwan and pushed her way to the front alone.
Lin Wanwan allowed the crowd to pass her by, standing alone in place, her gaze fixed on Jiang Xuezhi, her expression deeply troubled.
After a long while, she finally mustered the courage to take a step, not toward the first examination but toward Jiang Xuezhi.
Jiang Xuezhi hadn’t moved either. She stood with Ling Zhao, who was chattering excitedly in her ear.
“I knew you weren’t the kind of person the rumors made you out to be.”
Ling Zhao was overly excited.
Jiang Xuezhi’s sudden appearance had overwhelmed him, and he seemed as if he had taken the wrong pill.
If he were a peacock, his tail feathers would have fanned out to the heavens.
Jiang Xuezhi rubbed her ears, slightly annoyed by his noise, but she had no desire to join the commotion at the front just yet.
She had come expecting to be eliminated and wasn’t particularly eager to take the exam.
Let others say whatever they want; if I can avoid being selected, that would be the greatest help.
Noticing Lin Wanwan approaching, Jiang Xuezi gave her a calm glance. Lin Wanwan trembled unconsciously under that gaze.
Biting her lip, she stood firmly before Jiang Xuezi and shot a meaningful glance at Ling Zhao from the corner of her eye.
But Ling Zhao acted as if he hadn’t seen it, refusing to move an inch.
Lin Wanwan couldn’t help but say, “Aren’t you going to take the exam, Young City Lord? The first test measures spiritual roots. Foundation Establishment is the stepping stone to enter Tianyong, while spiritual roots determine eligibility. Only those with single or dual spiritual roots can pass the initial screening and proceed to the second test.”
Ling Zhao crossed his arms, looking down at Lin Wanwan from his height. The ends of his ponytail bounced as energetically as he did.
“What’s the rush? You’re still here, so why should I go? You haven’t gone either, have you?”
Lin Wanwan felt a headache coming on.
He simply didn’t understand human language, there was no way to communicate with him.
In the end, she gave up trying to talk to Ling Zhao and turned directly to Jiang Xuezi.
Their eyes met, and she couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart, only murmuring vaguely, “Aren’t you going to speak up? The opportunity just now was once in a lifetime.”
Once in a lifetime?
Indeed, it was.
A once-in-a-lifetime excuse to avoid entering Tianyong.
At this point, Tianyong had already cleared Jiang Xuezi’s name.
Even without a thorough explanation, everyone knew she was innocent.
From now on, even if others were interested in her, they wouldn’t dare to openly hunt her down.
If the Xuantian Sect didn’t want to humiliate itself, it would promptly revoke the bounty on her, unless it intended to oppose Tianyong Immortal Manor outright.
Having already gained an advantage, Jiang Xuezi decided to make the most of the situation.
Let them stir up enough trouble so she wouldn’t have to take the exam.
Once she was free from Tianyong, she would reveal everything.
That Wu Shuang was quite eloquent, speaking with such passion and conviction, she was quite a talent. After Jiang Xuezi left, she would capture her and have her handle this matter. Just as Wu Shuang had accused her today, she would make sure everything was clarified in the same way.
But she had no intention of telling Lin Wanwan any of this.
Jiang Xuezi tossed the branch in her hand and walked past Lin Wanwan, carrying Pojun on her back.
“I’m not in the habit of being watched by others,” she said indifferently, as if answering, yet not quite.
Lin Wanwan listened in surprise, noticing Jiang Xuezi’s departure, and unconsciously followed behind her.
Jiang Xuezi was tall, much taller than Lin Wanwan, whose figure was almost entirely enveloped by her shadow.
A strange sense of security washed over Lin Wanwan, making her feel at ease for the first time in days.
She stared blankly at Jiang Xuezi’s back when exclamations erupted from ahead.
Several young nobles from prominent families had finished testing their spiritual roots, and the crowd was marveling at the results.
All of them possessed pure single spiritual roots, rare treasures in the cultivation world, yet here in Tianyong, they seemed as common as dirt.
The twins from the Murong family and Lin Nuannuan basked in the crowd’s envious gazes before quickly stepping aside.
“Everyone, please proceed,” Murong Xi said politely.
Soon, a young woman in purple stepped forward, pushing the pretentious Murong Xi aside, and placed her hand on the spiritual root testing orb.
Murong Xi shot her a sidelong glance, displeased but refraining from acting out, only because she was also a young lady from one of the three great clans of the Upper Realms, the Nangong family of Tianxuan Province.
The Nangong clan was a lineage of sword cultivators, known for their rigid traditions and strict discipline. They maintained close ties with the Shen family, the clan of the alliance leader of the Tianxuan Continent’s Immortal Alliance, making them one of the most prestigious and influential noble families.
Nangong Sheng, the cherished young lady of the Nangong family, was someone Murong Xi dared not argue with.
As soon as Nangong Sheng placed her hand on the spirit pearl, it emitted a dazzling light. Tantai Yue, seeing this, smiled with satisfaction and invited her to stand at the front.
Nangong Sheng walked away without a sideways glance. After her, it was the turn of the Baili clan from the Lingxu Continent to test their spiritual roots.
The Baili clan and the Lin family both resided in the Lingxu Continent and had always maintained good relations. Lin Nuannuan had been eagerly anticipating the chance to see Baili Wujiang, the young master of the Baili clan, her long-admired crush.
Baili Wujiang wore a robe of celestial blue silk, his face as flawless as jade, his demeanor unparalleled.
Though Lin Nuan Nuan’s gaze never left him, he did not spare her a single glance. Instead, his attention lingered several times on Lin Wanwan, who stood behind Jiang Xuezhi.
Others might have assumed he was curious about why Lin Wanwan and Jiang Xuezhi looked so alike, standing together strangely despite what seemed like unresolved tension. In reality, Jiang Xuezhi knew Baili Wujiang was simply missing Lin Wanwan.
After all, he was one of Lin Wanwan’s admirers in the original story.
Jiang Xuezhi shifted slightly to give Baili Wujiang a clearer view.
Baili Wujiang paused, then subtly withdrew his gaze, tested his spiritual roots, and stepped down.
Unsurprisingly, he also possessed a single spiritual root.
With him, the line of single spiritual root geniuses came to an end. The remaining candidates all had dual spiritual roots.
This made Wu Shuang, a triple spiritual root holder, extremely nervous.
Would she be the only one with triple spiritual roots among everyone?
Her eyes involuntarily drifted toward Jiang Xuezhi and Lin Wanwan. Seeing them getting along so harmoniously only fueled her frustration.
She blamed her unease and annoyance on the two of them, hesitating and dragging her feet, unwilling to test her spiritual roots.
After everyone else had finished, only the three of them remained. Unable to hold back, she asked, “Aren’t you two going to test?”
Ling Zhao had just removed his hand from the spirit pearl. With fire and wood dual spiritual roots and cultivation nearing the Golden Core stage, he was exceptionally talented.
“What’s it to you? Why do you talk so much?”
Before Jiang Xuezhi could respond, Ling Zhao retorted impatiently.
Intimidated by his strength and family background, Wu Shuang dared not say more.
She turned to urge Lin Wanwan, “Little junior sister, aren’t you going to test your spiritual roots?”
It was indeed time.
But seeing Jiang Xuezhi remain still, Lin Wanwan didn’t move either.
She didn’t know why she was waiting for her, but she simply stayed put.
Wu Shuang’s pointed glances only made Lin Wanwan more reluctant to move.
This person had once pushed her into danger. Though she hadn’t had time to deal with it yet, it didn’t mean she trusted her now.
Knowing Wu Shuang had ill intentions, Lin Wanwan responded coldly, “Go if you want to. Don’t meddle in others’ affairs.”
Wu Shuang, rebuffed again, turned pale with anger.
Noticing the surrounding gazes fixed on them, all waiting for their results, she dreaded the attention her triple spiritual roots would draw.
So, she pressured Lin Wanwan, “Our master tasked me with taking care of you and assisting you, little junior sister. You should test first.”
Lin Wanwan, aware that Wu Shuang had triple spiritual roots, knew exactly what she feared.
She replied nonchalantly, “Can you delay it for a moment and hide it for a lifetime? Senior Sister Wu Shuang, your triple spiritual roots will be revealed sooner or later.”
Her casual remark exposing Wu Shuang’s spiritual roots drew a wave of laughter from the onlookers.
“How could someone with three spiritual roots even get a golden token? Is the Xuantian Sect that desperate?”
Lin Nuannuan couldn’t help but tease Murong Xi: “Is your Penglai that pathetic? The Xuantian Sect is considered a decent sect in Penglai, and they actually sent someone with three spiritual roots to participate?”
Murong Xi’s expression shifted unpredictably, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
Wu Shuang was put on the spot, humiliated and wishing she could die.
But since things had already come to this, she might as well get it over with quickly.
Although her spiritual roots were inferior to others’, they were still better than those of ordinary people. Besides, Tian Yong had never explicitly stated that those with three spiritual roots were unacceptable. Since she was already here, what was there to fear?
Wu Shuang braced herself and hurriedly stepped forward to test her spiritual roots. Sure enough, she had three.
When the treasure pearl glowed, the crowd burst into laughter again.
Tantai Yue silently noted the disciples who had mocked Wu Shuang. Regardless of whether Wu Shuang would be selected or what her character was like, those who ridiculed others solely because of inferior spiritual roots were already lacking in integrity.
She raised her hand and shook the bell, silently urging the remaining candidates to proceed.
Only Lin Wanwan and Jiang Xuezhi were left.
Lin Wanwan noticed that Jiang Xuezhi wasn’t moving and understood that she was being asked to go first.
She had no particular opinion of Jiang Xuezhi and obediently stepped forward.
Placing her palm on the treasure pearl, the colors of her spiritual roots appeared, seemingly two, yet somehow one.
It turned out she had advanced from dual spiritual roots to a single spiritual root through later cultivation. Such talent was truly exceptional, and her opportunities must have been extraordinary.
Tantai Yue straightened her back slightly and nodded at Lin Wanwan.
Lin Wanwan pursed her lips, clenched her fists, and instinctively lowered her head as she returned to Jiang Xuezhi’s side.
Jiang Xuezhi: “?”
Why was she back here?
Lin Wanwan glanced at her but said nothing, continuing to keep her head down.
Jiang Xuezhi noticed a girl glaring resentfully at them from a distance and returned the gaze calmly.
Lin Nuanuan was glaring indignantly at Lin Wanwan, who had stolen the spotlight, when she suddenly met a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.
After locking gazes with that person, she shuddered involuntarily.
It was Jiang Xuezhi.
The Jiang Xuezhi whose reputation had spread far and wide, the one whom Tianyong had defended even at the cost of confronting the Xuantian Sect.
Lin Nuannuan held her breath and unconsciously took a step back.
Jiang Xuezhi indifferently averted her gaze. She wasn’t standing up for anyone, she simply disliked others directing such looks at her. Even if it was just toward someone near her, if it affected her in the slightest, it was unacceptable.
“Jiang Xuezhi, hurry up!”
Ling Zhao had already finished testing and had been waiting for Jiang Xuezhi.
Jiang Xuezhi had gained Tianyong’s recognition, and Tian Yong had cleared her name, which proved that Tianyong acknowledged her strength.
She would undoubtedly pass this selection, Ling Zhao was full of confidence in her.
But was that really the case?
Jiang Xuezhi slowly walked up to the treasure pearl. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she raised her hand toward the radiant orb.
Her spiritual roots had long been corroded by Xie Wang’s poison.
Even after recovering a third of them, they remained patched up and fragile.
So many people were waiting to see her spiritual roots, to witness what she was capable of. She couldn’t disappoint them.
Jiang Xuezhi struggled to control herself.
To keep herself from laughing out loud.
Being eliminated in the first round would be absolutely perfect.
It would save so much time. She could go back to grinding dungeons while these prodigies were busy at Tianyong. She could clear three or four more in the meantime.
Jiang Xuezhi raised her hand, calm and composed, ready to place it on the treasure pearl.
Just then, a voice came, stopping her test.
“She doesn’t need to test.”
With just four simple words, the command was absolute, directly forcing Jiang Xuezhi’s hand away from the spirit pearl.