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Ning Ning squinted against the light and saw the ever-smiling young man wave at her.

Though she didn't want to admit it, this Sword Cultivator who looked every bit like a carefree, spoiled young master was her master.

That's right. The ethereal-looking one beside him was her Senior Brother, Meng Jue.

You could tell from the wildly arrogant title "Tian Xianzi" alone that their master had always done whatever he pleased.

He was something of a marvel in the Xuanxu Sword Sect. To learn every sword style under heaven, he spent three hundred out of every 365 days traveling far and wide. He rarely attended gatherings, big or small. Either he was away and nowhere to be found, or he was hard at work practicing some new sword move.

On top of that, he was a bona fide sword fanatic. Whenever he saw a sword he liked, he couldn't wait to buy it. Despite being several hundred years old, he was still broke by the end of every month.

According to the original story, Tian Xianzi had just returned to the sect when he heard that Ning Ning had lost to an Outer Sect Disciple. A man who especially loved a good spectacle, he immediately rode his sword to the dueling platform, where he saw Pei Ji fighting Chen Zhao with all his might.

Then he slapped his forehead and, entirely in character, decided: This is a genius! He'll be my disciple from now on.

And so Pei Ji rose from being an Outer Sect Disciple to become Elder Tianxian's personal disciple in a single leap. His life was turned upside down from that moment on, and he was no longer left to suffer anyone's bullying.

A heavy thud rang out as the giant sword hit the platform. Chen Zhao finally lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. Beside him, the black-clad youth breathed in shallow gasps, his thin chest rising and falling gently.

Blood streamed from beneath his clothes. A slash from Sword Qi had opened his cheek, spreading a wash of red across his profile. Against his black hair and pale skin, it was breathtaking.

Though Pei Ji was in a sorry state, his back remained ramrod straight. As if sensing something, he lifted his murky, pitch-black eyes.

His gaze met Tian Xianzi's as the latter rode his sword through the air.

Ning Ning knew it was done.

"Not bad."

The young man standing on the sword had a naturally smiling mouth. With the slightest lift of his brows, he seemed to bring a breeze of spring and melt the snow, his tone as irreverent as ever. "Want to be my disciple?"

At that moment, he was the very picture of an immortal—elegant and otherworldly. His new disciple was sure to remember that strikingly handsome face forever, and make "My master is the best under heaven" his catchphrase.

Unfortunately, just as the words "Want to" left his mouth, Pei Ji ran out of strength and knelt on one knee, leaning on his sword.

His eyes even closed.

Tian Xianzi: ...

Give me a chance to look cool, bro.

The dueling platform erupted. An unknown Outer Sect Disciple had just been taken on as a personal disciple at a single word from an elder.

What was an Outer Sect Disciple? Someone with a little spiritual energy but average talent, not even qualified to join the Inner Sect. For someone like that, getting to speak with an elder even once in their life was a stroke of luck.

And now, after just one match, he'd leaped straight into becoming a personal disciple?

It was simply unbelievable.

Pei Ji had lost consciousness. Intrigued by the immense Sword Qi within him, Tian Xianzi eagerly followed him to the infirmary on Tianhe Peak.

Seeing that everything had settled, Ning Ning was about to return to her little courtyard and rest when she suddenly noticed a figure in white beside her.

It was her Senior Brother, Meng Jue.

When it came to the Sword Dao, her senior brother's mastery was sublime. When it came to real combat, he had gone years without a defeat. He was unquestionably the sect's foremost disciple.

Compared to Tian Xianzi, who never acted like a proper adult, Meng Jue's calm and gentle nature made him seem more like a master.

They said he was as clear and bright as the moon, with a smile always playing at his lips. Only Ning Ning knew he was a thoroughly black-hearted lotus.

Before entering the immortal sect, Meng Jue had been the only son of a wealthy merchant family. When he was twelve, his parents were betrayed by a villain they had trusted, and his family was slaughtered. His father's most trusted friend seized all their wealth.

Only because Meng Jue's mother gave her life to buy him time could a loyal servant spirit him out of the estate, allowing him to find a slim chance of survival amid nine deaths and one life.

From then on, Meng Jue trusted no one.

He was polite and proper with everyone, but never gave them his heart. An intangible, untouchable distance always separated him from others.

The more warmly he smiled and chatted with you, the more decisive and composed he would be when he discovered you had betrayed him—ending your life with a single sword strike.

It went without saying that, by the later parts of the original story, he had come to loathe the original Ning Ning, who kept digging her own grave.

Ning Ning glanced at his smiling eyes, put those thoughts aside, and called, "Senior Brother."

They hadn't interacted much yet. Meng Jue saw her as nothing more than a spoiled, overbearing Junior Sister. He didn't like her, but he didn't hate her either.

So he returned her smile. "Junior Sister Ning Ning. Before Master left, he asked me to tell you that you must train hard and strive to improve your swordsmanship soon."

He was talking about her loss to the Outer Sect Disciple.

Ning Ning obediently nodded. She figured it was time for her to cause trouble again, and sure enough, a ding rang in her mind.

[Ding-dong!]

[Meng Jue's swordsmanship is superb, and he has achieved great mastery. Though you know he dislikes your unruly, willful nature, there's nothing you can do about it. Why not use a beauty trap? Once he falls for you, secret techniques and magical treasures will be yours for the taking.]

[Please say the following lines to Meng Jue.]

Then came a string of black-and-white text too embarrassing to look at. Ning Ning wanted to cover her eyes and shout, "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Original Ning Ning, this isn't a good way to think.

Why are you always trying to get something out of other people? You've got two arms and two legs, and you're a sword prodigy everyone looks up to. Why insist on clinging to someone else's coattails?

If you really can't stand them, wouldn't it feel much better to study and train hard, then beat them all until they're licking the floor?

Ning Ning couldn't understand.

But the system didn't care whether she understood. She had to say the lines.

"Senior Brother."

She was supposed to look delicate and sorrowful while delivering this speech, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She stood there completely expressionless and motionless the whole time, like a machine reciting lines. "I'm so heartbroken that I lost to Pei Ji."

Meng Jue: "Mm."

"Now even Master wants to take him as his disciple. I have no one else to rely on. Only you can help me, Senior Brother."

Meng Jue fell silent.