She cautiously stole a glance at Yu Tingchao's expression, but he looked as composed as ever.
[Iceberg Lu isn't even as broad-minded as my junior brother!]
Ning Xiang took another swipe at Lu Qingchen.
Yu Tingchao: he was only this calm because he had already braced himself, okay!
Xie Feihong, that lovable dimwit, still hadn't noticed anything amiss. "Junior brother, you absolutely have to read the book I recommended!" He patted Yu Tingchao's shoulder, his face full of earnest anticipation.
Enough, you two...
While the two were talking, Ning Xiang quietly slipped into the courtyard and activated the formation, shutting them outside.
The two: "..."
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, the day of their departure for Thousand Calamities Valley arrived.
Thousand Calamities Valley opened once every ten years. Each of the five great sects sent several Foundation Establishment Realm disciples to form small teams and train in the valley.
It sounded like an elementary school field trip, but it was actually a test of each sect's teaching quality.
Ten years ago, for instance, Ning Xiang had gone to Thousand Calamities Valley with Su Lang.
The day before their departure, the acting sect leader summoned the ten Foundation Establishment Realm disciples being sent by the Profound Heaven Sect, along with Ning Xiang and Su Lang, for a pep talk.
First came the customary reassurance: they needn't be too nervous, they should perform as usual, and they mustn't disgrace the Profound Heaven Sect.
Then he tactfully indicated that, although friendship came first and competition second, if they settled for second place, they needn't bother coming back.
Finally, he dangled a pie in the sky before them: once they returned victorious, the best-performing disciple would have a chance to have their portrait posted on the Profound Heaven Sect's honor roll for their fellow disciples to admire.
Ning Xiang: [Ha, as stingy as ever! Ten years ago, when I took second place, they at least rewarded me with a bottle of pills. This time, they're offering no reward at all.]
Ning Xiang glanced at the tall, elegant Su Lang beside her and felt considerably better.
[Back then, eldest senior brother even took first place and got nothing. Instead, they gave him the chance to hold an open challenge, where every Foundation Establishment Realm disciple in the Profound Heaven Sect could fight him. In just five days, he was challenged over a hundred and seventy times. He'd have been better off not winning.]
Su Lang: "..."
After pumping the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators full of fighting spirit, the acting sect leader began instructing Ning Xiang and Su Lang to protect their junior brothers and sisters, and not let disciples from the other four sects hurt their little fledglings.
The next day, everyone assembled at the mountain gate.
This time, the Profound Heaven Sect's leader was True Lord Shaowei of Vibrant Bell Peak. He was around a hundred and thirty, only a little over ten years older than Lu Qingchen, but he sported a handsome, flowing beard. He greeted everyone with a smile and was exceedingly affable.
The instant True Lord Shaowei saw Ning Xiang, his smile stiffened.
"Hehe, Xiangxiang, it's you."
"Senior uncle, long time no see! I didn't expect you to be leading us this time. It's a long journey, so we can catch up and spend some quality time together."
True Lord Shaowei smiled cheerfully on the outside, but inwardly, he wanted no part of it.
Originally, the Profound Heaven Sect had assigned True Lord Fuming to lead the group. However, after a quarrel with his wife, True Lord Fuming had thrown down his tools and refused to do it, leaving Shaowei to fill in.
Had he known Ning Xiang would be coming along, he would never have accepted this assignment!
Shaowei and Ning Xiang's father were fellow disciples, and he had watched Ning Xiang grow up.
As a child, Ning Xiang had been as delicately lovely as carved jade dusted with rouge, with two little buns in her hair and big, fluttering eyes. She was especially adorable. Inevitably, Shaowei had melted before the little girl's cuteness too, and would occasionally scoop her up to tease her.
Little Ning Xiang had been teased to tears by Shaowei countless times, yet he only found it increasingly amusing, without the slightest shame over bullying a child.
Until...
At five, Ning Xiang had her spiritual root tested and was found to possess an exceptionally pure fire spiritual root. From then on, she embarked on the path of cultivation.
When she first began practicing fire control, little Ning Xiang inevitably made mistakes.
Except... whenever she slipped up, it was Shaowei's beard that suffered!
Shaowei had counted: Ning Xiang had burned his beard a total of a hundred and thirty-two times. So, even after all these years, with Ning Xiang's fire techniques already honed to blazing perfection, True Lord Shaowei still felt an uncontrollable urge to flee whenever he saw her. Truly tragic.
Ning Xiang glanced at True Lord Shaowei's beard and offered a sincere compliment. "Senior uncle, you've taken such good care of your beard. It's glossy and lustrous-it must be even more resistant to burning than before."
True Lord Shaowei's smile was strained. "Xiangxiang, you're just as witty as ever."
The journey to Thousand Calamities Valley was long, but the Profound Heaven Sect was so stingy that it provided no flying magical artifacts. The cultivators had to fly there themselves.
Ning Xiang inwardly spat on the Profound Heaven Sect. A company that made its employees arrange their own transportation for team-building trips deserved contempt anywhere!
Just as Ning Xiang was debating whether to ride the Chongming Bird she hadn't favored in ages or fly on her sword, Yu Tingchao's voice rang out overhead.
He stood aboard an extravagantly luxurious flying boat suspended in midair and called down to the cultivators below, "Come on up! I'll give you a ride!"
Everyone: wow, being rich was wonderful!
Once aboard the flying boat, the cultivators thanked him and began introducing themselves.
Hmm... Ning Xiang didn't remember any of them anyway.
Among these junior brothers and sisters, Ning Xiang knew only one female cultivator: her mother's youngest disciple, Wen Maimai.
A month earlier, her mother had sent her a message asking her to look after Maimai during this trip to Thousand Calamities Valley.
Wen Maimai was an especially endearing girl who had loved sticking to Ning Xiang since childhood. She was as pretty and fair as jade and snow, just a little short. She firmly believed she would still grow taller.
Ning Xiang hadn't had the heart to burst her bubble. You're already nineteen. You're not getting any taller!
The flying boat traveled swiftly, reaching Thousand Calamities Valley in less than half a day.
During those hours, while the other cultivators' hearts surged with excitement as they rubbed their fists and flexed their palms, imagining how they would slay plenty of demonic beasts in the secret realm and win glory for their sects, Ning Xiang was sharing things with Wen Maimai. More precisely, Ning Xiang was doing all the giving.
"This is sunscreen I just made. I even added pearl powder. Put it on your face, and you won't get roasted into a little black egg."
"These are dumplings and wontons I made. If you get hungry inside the secret realm, just cook some."
"This is a tent. A girl shouldn't sleep on the bare ground. It's far too unseemly."
"This is..."
Wen Maimai was moved beyond words. "Boohoo, Sister Xiangxiang, you really do treat me best!"
Everyone: did these two think Thousand Calamities Valley was a vacation resort?
Yu Tingchao: "Sob, am I still senior sister's favorite? Why didn't you think of me when you had nice things to share?"
The five great sects had sent forty-eight disciples in total. According to the rules, these disciples would be mixed across sects and divided into five teams, then transported to different parts of Thousand Calamities Valley. The teams would hunt demonic beasts and extract their cores, with first place determined by the number of cores collected. The top three individuals would then be selected based on their performance inside the secret realm.
Before that, the ten Core Formation Realm cultivators were divided into five pairs. Ning Xiang was lucky enough to be paired with Su Lang.
[Wow, I'm so lucky! I actually got the most dependable eldest senior brother!]
Ning Xiang practically bounced with delight, all but writing the word "happy" across her face.
The Nascent Soul cultivator leading the Luo River Sect gave a puzzled "Huh?" She had clearly used a little spell to pair her eldest disciple with Su Lang. Why hadn't it worked?
With his hands behind his back, Su Lang quietly crushed a little jade-green puppet, then turned his head slightly to look at Ning Xiang. Her lips curved in a smile and her eyes shone, spirited and unabashed. His mood unconsciously lifted too.
Next came the grouping of the little Foundation Establishment Realm darlings.
Ning Xiang watched as Yu Tingchao was assigned to the neighboring team.
He gazed at Ning Xiang resentfully. He hadn't been placed with his senior sister, and he was unhappy!
Ning Xiang soothed his ruffled feathers. "There, there, be good. If we run into each other in the secret realm, I'll definitely go easy on you."
[Iceberg Lu wanted me to look after the little black lotus. That plan backfired, didn't it!]
A female disciple from the Luo River Sect was assigned to Ning Xiang's team.
[Wow, an ethereal, aloof beauty! Let's snuggle!]
Another female disciple from the Luo River Sect was assigned to Ning Xiang's team.
[Wow, the delicate, soft-bodied type! Let's snuggle!]
Yet another female disciple from the Luo River Sect...
Ning Xiang sensed something was off.
[Hmm? Did I poke a nest of Luo River Sect disciples?]
After four female Luo River Sect disciples in a row, they finally received one female disciple from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, two from the Pill Sect, and one from the Beast Taming Sect.
The last to join their team was Wen Maimai.
Ning Xiang looked at the nine pretty young girls. They were a feast for the eyes, but this was more than she could handle!
[Good grief, there are fourteen female disciples competing, and nine ended up on our team. Eldest senior brother's luck with women is really something.]
She looked sympathetically at Wen Maimai. "Junior sister, thanks in advance for all your hard work this time."
Wen Maimai's eyes brimmed with tears. "Sister Xiangxiang, is it too late for me to withdraw?"
Of their nine team members, six were healers and only three were damage dealers. One of those three even specialized in area attacks that barely did any damage...
Under the competition rules, Core Formation Realm cultivators were only responsible for protecting the contestants-in simple terms, they were lifeguards. They couldn't help fight monsters. It was easy to imagine just how arduous things would be for this team.
Before you continue