One Day, She Would Outwork the Entire Cultivation World to Death!

At that moment, Lin Qi suddenly felt a fierce surge of desire.

She wanted to become immortal!

She wanted to break free from the so-called fate of a female supporting character!

If talent could not help her surpass Lin Yun, then she would make up for it with hard work, racing against time with the life ticking down on her countdown.

One day, she would outwork the entire Cultivation World to death!

After Lin Qi opened her eyes, her first reaction was to keep climbing upward.

But the moment she turned over, she discovered that the ground before her was flat.

When she looked up, she realized she was lying in a vast, level plaza, with a towering, majestic palace not far away.

The three grand, imposing characters—Qingyun Palace—came into view.

"Awake?" True Monarch Qingyun approached her with a faint smile.

Lin Qi's eyes widened. Though her reaction was half a beat slow, she had not forgotten what truly mattered.

"I'm the Senior Sister!"

True Monarch Qingyun's smile paused, then deepened. Her voice was warm and gentle. "Yes, you are the Senior Sister."

She helped Lin Qi to her feet, then took a jade token from Feng Ling and tied it around Lin Qi's waist.

"From today onward, you are a disciple of my Zonglei Peak. I hope you will cultivate diligently and treat your fellow disciples with friendship in the future."

After fastening it, True Monarch Qingyun lightly tapped Lin Qi between the brows, planting a mark within her.

"As your master, I bestow upon you a soul imprint. Should you encounter danger, it can keep you safe."

Lin Qi touched her forehead, then felt the jade token at her waist, carved with thunderbolts and drifting clouds.

A pale blue Phoenix Feather hung from the token, much like the one her mother, Gong Shaojun, had given True Monarch Qingyun.

Unable to hide the delight on her face, Lin Qi respectfully bowed to True Monarch Qingyun.

"This disciple will faithfully heed Master's teachings!"

True Monarch Qingyun raised a hand. A female cultivator of around eleven or twelve, with gentle and pretty features, stepped out from her side.

"This is Yuan Xi, your eldest Senior Sister. By the order in which you entered my sect, you rank second."

Lin Qi's clear black-and-white eyes met Yuan Xi's bright, smiling starry gaze, and the two girls smiled at the same time.

"Greetings, Eldest Senior Sister. Please take good care of me from now on at Zonglei Peak." Lin Qi eagerly greeted her.

Yuan Xi blinked, then returned the bow with elegant poise. Her voice was soft. "Greetings, Junior Sister. We will look after one another from now on."

After the introductions, Lin Qi's gaze followed everyone else's toward the projection hanging in midair.

Luo Ci was climbing the stairs, drenched in sweat and looking terribly restless.

From his perspective, Zonglei Peak was still so high that its summit could not be seen. He had no idea when he would finally reach the top.

True Monarch Qingyun sighed and shook her head. "Luo Ci is too impatient. I fear he will not be able to climb Zonglei Peak today."

She then instructed Yuan Xi, "Yuan Xi, the sect's disciple recruitment assembly should have ended by now. Take Little Qi and let her familiarize herself with the sect."

"Yes, Master."

Though Lin Qi was brimming with questions, she obediently followed behind her Eldest Senior Sister.

When she saw the Stone Steps they had come up by, Lin Qi's face instantly turned pale. "Senior Sister, are we going down by this path?!"

Yuan Xi smiled, her eyes narrowing as she gently patted Lin Qi's little head.

"Second Junior Sister, I regret to inform you that Zonglei Peak has only this one path for going up and down. Before you learn sword flight, whenever you go down the mountain, you must take this route."

Lin Qi felt as if darkness had fallen before her eyes, and the road ahead was gray and bleak.

Yuan Xi suddenly softened her tone. "You do not need to be so afraid. The Stone Steps are not actually as long as you imagine. Master deliberately added an illusion array to them in order to test you."

Lin Qi stood there in a daze.

"An illusion array?!"

"That's right. Otherwise, how could Master be so certain that Third Junior Brother would not make it up today?"

Yuan Xi patiently explained to Lin Qi, "The Stone Steps are actually an enhanced version of the Immortal Ascension Ladder. They test both one's physique and one's temperament."

"Third Junior Brother has a hasty temper and is always affected by his surroundings. Master wants to temper his disposition. You will probably see this sort of thing often in the future."

Lin Qi felt a chill sweep across the back of her neck.

Beneath True Monarch Qingyun's gentle and kind exterior might lie a heart bubbling with black water. As expected, Lin Qi's experience was far too shallow.

Lin Qi's eyes rolled, and she hugged Yuan Xi's arm. "Senior Sister, going down like this... I'm scared."

With a smile on her lips, Yuan Xi lightly tapped Lin Qi's Identity Jade Token.

"Do not worry. Although Master wishes to temper us, she would never place us in true danger."

Lin Qi held her jade token and examined it curiously.

"As long as we are within Zonglei Peak's territory, the token will release a protective barrier. Even if we fall from the Stone Steps, we will not be hurt."

Lin Qi secretly glanced at the bottomless cliff and forced out a smile. "Master... really thought of everything."

Had True Monarch Qingyun never considered that someone might not be scared to death by a fall, but frightened to death instead?

As they spoke, Yuan Xi took out a yellow talisman paper and folded it into a paper crane. With her fingers forming hand seals, the paper crane abruptly grew larger and landed on the ground.

She leaped lightly onto the paper crane's back and extended a hand toward Lin Qi.

"Junior Sister, come aboard! This is a Talisman Crane. Pour in a little spiritual energy, and it can carry us down the mountain."

Lin Qi's eyes lit up. She hurriedly climbed onto the Talisman Crane's back and proactively hugged Yuan Xi around the waist.

She could not help it—she was scared!

As Yuan Xi controlled the Talisman Crane, she explained some of the sect's rules to Lin Qi.

"The reason Zonglei Peak keeps only one Stone Steps path is actually because Master wants to temper us.

These Stone Steps are made of specially crafted immortal stone. Walking up and down them once does more to strengthen the body than practicing a sword technique set, and it also helps with controlling spiritual energy. Once you undergo Qi Induction, you will be able to sense their benefits."

Lin Qi nodded as if she understood, quietly committing this to memory.

"Senior Sister, so you normally do not use Talisman Cranes?"

"Silly girl, a Talisman Crane is quite expensive. Rather than spending Spirit Stones on one, it is better to save them for cultivation. Once you reach Foundation Establishment sooner and can fly on a sword, why would you fear mere Stone Steps?"

"Once you have stayed in the sect longer, you will understand just how precious Spirit Stones are."

"Although we are Master's personal disciples, before passing Master's assessment, we are registered in the sect as inner disciples. Each month, we can only receive thirty low-grade Spirit Stones."

"There's an assessment too?" Lin Qi thought. Being a Nascent Soul True Lord's disciple really was not easy.

Yuan Xi answered with certainty, "Of course!"

"We did not climb the Ascension Ladder to enter under Master, so naturally we have several more layers of assessment than others.

If we did not undergo assessment, what right would we have to enter beneath a Nascent Soul True Lord and enjoy the sect's resources and support? If we cannot display sufficient strength, the disciples of the other peaks would not be convinced either."

"Senior Sister is right! I will definitely work hard!" Lin Qi turned into a praise machine, nodding wildly.

"You do not need to be afraid either. You are still young. There is no need to rush when improving your strength."

Lin Qi silently said to herself that she was in a hurry—very much so.

If she did not hurry, she might not even be able to keep her Golden Core!

Though she did not have a Golden Core yet...