Someone Eavesdrops

The voice fell silent for a moment. Then Song Zhizhi heard a crisp crack as the illusion shattered.

Song Zhizhi looked around. It was still shrouded in mist, but the mountain gate at the finish line was close at hand.

Song Zhizhi stepped past the mountain gate, and the view before her suddenly opened up.

Song Zhizhi felt several gazes settle on her. There was no day or night on the Questioning Heart Road. Looking around, she saw that aside from herself, only two people in Sword Sect disciple uniforms remained by the mountain gate.

There was no distinction between day and night on the Questioning Heart Road, so Song Zhizhi had no idea how long had passed. But seeing that she was the only outsider left, her heart gave a thump. Could it already have been more than two days?

She looked at one of the disciples beside her. "Um, may I ask what time it is now? Did I pass?"

Someone Eavesdrops

The Sword Sect disciple stationed at the finish line looked at Song Zhizhi with a complicated expression. "Well, you were the first to reach the summit. From now on, we'll be fellow disciples. I'm Meng Ping. May I ask how I should address you, Junior Sister?"

Song Zhizhi had already passed the Questioning Heart Road. Entering the Sword Sect was as certain as a nail driven into a board, so she deserved that "Junior Sister."

"Me? The first to reach the summit?" Song Zhizhi's eyes widened in surprise. That wasn't right. In the original novel, Song Miaomiao had been the first to reach the summit. Had she accidentally changed the plot?

But this wasn't an important plot point, so it probably wouldn't have much impact... right?

After registering her information with Meng Ping, Song Zhizhi found a quiet spot to sit in meditation and cultivate.

Idle hands were idle hands, and there were no phones in the cultivation world. In this unfamiliar place, there was nothing Song Zhizhi could do besides cultivate.

Song Zhizhi did not know that every move she made was being watched by the various peak masters of the Sword Sect who were preparing to accept disciples this time.

"This first-place winner has a good temperament. She won first place without becoming arrogant or complacent, and she even knows to seize every spare moment to cultivate. She has strong self-discipline—a fine prospect for sword cultivation."

"That wasn't what you said when you saw her sleeping on the Questioning Heart Road yesterday."

"Can what the first-place winner did be called sleeping? That was called resting and recuperating—balancing work and rest!"

"As long as her spiritual root isn't too poor, I'd be willing to accept her as a disciple. She is fated with my Wind-Soothing Sword Art."

"Hey! You say that every time. How many disciples have you snatched away with that excuse over the years? That's downright shameless."

"Stop arguing. If you want to argue, wait until the spiritual roots are tested in three days. There's no use fighting over this now."

Not long after Song Zhizhi reached the summit, Song Miaomiao also completed the Questioning Heart Road.

As soon as she emerged from the Questioning Heart Road and registered her information with Meng Ping, she saw Song Zhizhi meditating nearby. Her expression immediately turned somewhat surprised.

After she and Song Zhizhi had gone their separate ways a month ago, Song Miaomiao had put what happened that day behind her. She had thought that after going through that incident, Song Zhizhi would give up on the idea of seeking a master at the Sword Sect.

She had not expected to see Song Zhizhi again under such circumstances.

Father had been right. Cultivation was like rowing a boat against the current: if one did not advance, one retreated. It seemed that she had slackened over the past month, allowing Song Zhizhi to take one step ahead of her on the Questioning Heart Road.

After taking a master, she would have to cultivate twice as hard. She could not let others leave her behind.

A resolute glint flashed through Song Miaomiao's eyes. She then found a spot where she and Song Zhizhi would not disturb one another, sat down cross-legged, and began cultivating, racing against time.

When those who came later saw Song Zhizhi and Song Miaomiao working so fiercely, they immediately felt a sense of crisis and began cultivating nearby as well.

Thus, when Song Zhizhi judged that the time was about right and opened her eyes, she saw over a hundred people sitting cross-legged around her, with her at the center of the circle.

Song Miaomiao was seated less than three meters away from her. Looking at Song Miaomiao's cold, moon-goddess-like face, then recalling what the original host had once done to her, Song Zhizhi guiltily shifted a little to the side.

The moment Song Zhizhi moved, Song Miaomiao seemed to sense something. She opened her eyes and looked at Song Zhizhi.

In the original novel, the author had used nearly a thousand characters to describe Song Miaomiao's beauty. Song Zhizhi had not remembered all of it because there were too many words, only a few key descriptions: skin like congealed cream, eyes like the bright moon, brows like fresh willow branches, beautiful and cold, surpassing even a fairy maiden from the Moon Palace.

That day, she had been tormented by medicine and had not gotten a clear look at Song Miaomiao's face. When Song Zhizhi read the novel, she had thought the author was exaggerating—how could anyone in reality look like that? But now, upon looking closely—this author truly had not exaggerated. Song Miaomiao was fucking gorgeous!

Song Zhizhi admitted that she was a face-con. She had also stayed up all night to finish that novel because she liked Song Miaomiao's personality.

Under the beauty's gaze, Song Zhizhi helplessly blushed. She raised a hand to greet Song Miaomiao and smiled brightly. "Hi! What a coincidence."

Song Miaomiao frowned. Why did Song Zhizhi feel different from before? Something was a little strange.

Remembering Song Zhizhi's past actions, she quietly retreated several steps.

"Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, congratulations on successfully reaching the summit of the Questioning Heart Road," Meng Ping's voice rang beside everyone's ears. With his hands clasped behind his back, he faced away from Song Zhizhi and the others, raising his head toward a black, iron-like stone standing by the mountain gate. "That is the Sword Sect's Heart-Trial Stone. Anyone who passes the Heart-Trial Stone's test within three days may obtain the qualifications to enter the inner sect."

"However, let me put the ugly words first. The trials within the Heart-Trial Stone carry a certain degree of danger. In severe cases, they may even injure your divine consciousness. Therefore, this stage is voluntary. Those unwilling to take the risk may give up this opportunity and follow me to settle in the outer sect."

"Senior Brother Meng, you jest," someone said with cupped hands, smiling at Meng Ping. "Cultivation itself is an act of defying heaven. If one shrinks back at the slightest difficulty, one might as well go home and farm."

"Brother Li is right. If we fail after giving it our all, we will accept it. But if we give up without even trying, it may harm our Dao hearts."

"Senior Brother Meng, we will not give up."

Song Zhizhi silently withdrew the foot she had taken half a step forward. People tended to follow the crowd. If she acted conspicuously different at this moment, she would inevitably be isolated.

Song Zhizhi was not afraid of being isolated, but she did not want to cause trouble either. She only wanted to quietly lie low in the Sword Sect, preferably without drawing anyone's attention.

Ranking List

|

Transmigrated into a Book

Sweet Romance

Time Travel Rebirth Romance

Tu Yanyan

Amnesia Trope