"Can't understand human speech? Then go get your ears treated first. I have no interest in repeating myself." Bai Lan's gaze swept over the group, her voice icy.
"You! How arrogant! You're nothing but a menial disciple, yet you dare speak to us like this? Just you wait. You've offended Jade Purity Peak—your days in the sect won't be easy from now on!" The woman was so furious her lovely face went pale, yet she did not dare make a move against Bai Lan and could only keep spouting threats.
With Azure Origin Sect's rules hanging over them, these people only dared lord their status over her. They could not actually lay a hand on her.
The others quickly echoed her. "That's right! Just you wait!"
"Little Martial Aunt is now True Person Qing Xuan's personal disciple. You've offended her—let's see who in the sect will dare befriend you in the future!"
"I dare!" A clear female voice rang out from behind the crowd. Nan Xianshi, dressed in pink, emerged from among them at some point.
She pointed at Bai Lan, then raised her chin and snorted. "She's one of mine. Bai Ling is True Person Qing Xuan's disciple, and so am I. Let me see who here dares touch her!"
Bai Lan: "..."
Sure enough, Nan Xianshi had ultimately become Qing Xuan's disciple and the female lead's senior sister.
But what was going on with this scene?
Nan Xianshi was standing in front of her, protecting her?
Something was off. Very off!
Things seemed to be developing in a strange direction. Why had Nan Xianshi ended up on the same side as her?
Girl, think this through. Becoming friends with her meant becoming enemies with the Destined Female Lead Bai Ling and the Destined Male Lead Long Aotian!
Bai Ling had a whole string of male Romantic Interests behind her, and Long Aotian was no less impressive!
Bai Lan could not even count on her fingers all the people and factions that might become her enemies in the future.
After driving off the female lead's little pack of followers, Nan Xianshi turned to Bai Lan. "Hmph, don't misunderstand. I didn't come to save you. I only wanted to make things difficult for Bai Ling."
"...I understand. You came specifically to save me. Thank you." Bai Lan thanked her sincerely.
Though Bai Lan had not actually needed Nan Xianshi to rescue her from the situation. Of course, she did not say that aloud.
"I did not!! I was just passing by!" Nan Xianshi corrected her.
"Mm-hm, mm-hm, sure, sure. Right, just passing by."
"That little vixen Bai Ling actually became Master's personal disciple. Damn it! One day, I'll become Master's personal disciple too! Master will favor me more than Bai Ling!" Nan Xianshi gritted out.
Sure enough, just as the plot had predicted, Nan Xianshi had begun competing with the female lead for True Person Qing Xuan's favor.
But after interacting with her twice, Bai Lan had also gotten a rough grasp of Nan Xianshi's personality.
Perhaps she was not particularly attached to True Person Qing Xuan himself. She simply wanted to surpass Bai Ling, whether in cultivation or status.
Bai Lan sighed. "Rather than that, perhaps you should focus on something more important."
"Something more important?" Nan Xianshi asked in confusion.
"Isn't a cultivator's entire life spent pursuing Ascension to Immortality, Cultivating Supreme Great Dao, and attaining longevity?" Bai Lan smiled lightly. "If you seek the Great Dao and longevity, then a hundred years from now, whether it's True Person Qing Xuan or Bai Ling, they will be nothing more than a trace of memory upon the road to eternal life."
"If you waste your heart and mind on them instead, neglecting cultivation in the process, that would be truly not worth it."
Nan Xianshi paused.
"I believe... Princess, having come from the Southern Kingdom, you are the only person in the Southern Kingdom's royal household to possess a spiritual root in the past hundred years. Now that you have entered the cultivation world, His Majesty and Her Majesty must have placed great expectations upon your path of cultivation." Bai Lan spoke slowly, her tone calm, yet every word pierced Nan Xianshi's heart.
What she said seemed to make some sense.
Nan Xianshi fell into thought. Had she been paying too much attention to Bai Ling?
It was truly strange. At first, she had merely disliked Bai Ling's identity.
She had even chosen the same master as that little vixen because of a momentary rivalry.
She had only wanted to compete with her.
She possessed water and lightning spiritual roots. Lingxia Peak had clearly been more suitable for her.
Regret suddenly rose in her heart, but Nan Xianshi's nature doomed her never to reveal such regret on her face.
She gave a light snort. "Hmph, I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm leaving first."
"Tsk." Bai Lan shook her head. "Tsundere has already fallen out of the meta."
The system drifted over and asked in confusion, "So strange, Host. How did Nan Xianshi get mixed up with you? And the way she looked just now was strange too..."
"It was nothing. I merely saw that she was too deeply trapped in obsession and in a poor state of mind, so I gave her a little guidance." Bai Lan smiled.
The system was shocked. "Host actually knows how to do that too!"
"When I was little, I was deeply obsessed with fried chicken, burgers, and snacks. Whenever I threw a tantrum demanding them, Master would fool... ah, guide me the same way."
The system fell into deep thought.
He seemed to understand why his host was like this now. It was because her master was an old fellow who loved fooling his disciples. Neither master nor disciple was particularly proper!
Jade Purity Peak—
On her way back to Jade Purity Peak, Nan Xianshi kept thinking about Bai Lan's words. Recalling the matter of taking a master now, the more she thought about it, the more she regretted it.
Especially when True Person Qing Xuan personally taught Bai Ling Qi Induction, yet tossed her to Eldest Senior Brother, while Eldest Senior Brother spent all day clinging to Little Junior Sister.
That feeling of regret only grew stronger.
She had even figured out the basics of Qi Induction by herself.
Taking this master seemed no different from not taking one at all. True Person Qing Xuan was elusive as a divine dragon, forever showing only his head and never his tail. His face was always cold, and he never spoke more than five words at a time.
But just as Bai Lan had said, had she not entered the cultivation world to cultivate into an immortal and Cultivate Supreme Great Dao?
Why did she have to obsess over gaining Master's favor?
Especially when that Qing Xuan Master, who cared about nothing, was less useful than Bai Lan's words of guidance just now...
Nan Xianshi gradually fell silent.
"Why is Little Junior Sister unhappy?"
"Could someone have made you unhappy? Senior Brother will go teach him a lesson for you!"
"Don't worry. Once you've entered Jade Purity Peak, no one like those people from the Bai Family will bully you again."
"I bet she's tired from practicing swordsmanship. Master really is something else—why is Little Junior Sister's coursework so heavy?"
The chattering voices of several senior brothers surrounding Bai Ling rang in her ears. Nan Xianshi looked over, her brows knitting slightly as she helplessly pressed at her forehead.
She increasingly felt that the choice she had made when taking a master had been stupid beyond belief.
From Master at the top to senior brothers below, everyone on Jade Purity Peak seemed to have been put under a spell, all of them adoring Little Junior Sister. She was like a transparent person.
"..."
Was it still too late to change masters? She wanted the kind of master who could teach, impart knowledge, resolve doubts, and not play favorites!
Nan Xianshi sighed.
Outer Sect, Menial Peak—
Bai Lan closed her eyes and sat cross-legged, her five centers facing heaven. The Five Elements Spiritual Energy within her dantian circulated slowly, gradually dividing into yin and yang states, generating and harmonizing with one another.
Yin Wood, Yang Wood, Yin Metal, Yang Metal, Yin Water, Yang Water...
And so on. Each of the Five Elements was divided into yin and yang, and every yin and yang had its counterpart.
If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author—it may have simply been renamed!
Before you continue