Could the Grand Ancestor Be Wrong?

The Pill Peak Master simply chose to ignore him.

He had heard those same words more times than he could count.

Every time Huang Tianqi wanted to foist someone onto Pill Peak, he used that exact excuse.

At first, the Pill Peak Master had been so furious that he pinned Huang Tianqi down and beat him.

But even if he beat Huang Tianqi to death, the man would never change. He was utterly insubordinate.

In the end, the Pill Peak Master could only ignore him.

Speaking of Ye Ningshuang, though, the Pill Peak Master did have something to attend to.

"Someone, come here!"

The moment he called out, a disciple hurried over and bowed.

The Pill Peak Master took a box from his spatial ring and handed it to the disciple.

"Deliver this to the master of Sword Peak!"

The disciple nodded. "I will see it done!"

The Pill Peak Master waved a hand.

The disciple slowly withdrew from the hall, then flew away on his sword.

After some thought, the Pill Peak Master headed back into his Alchemy Room.

He needed to prepare Bone-Strengthening Pills and Spirit-Breaking Pills for Ye Ningshuang, and they had to be the very best.

There were also the Recovery Pills Ye Ningshuang would need.

The other peaks were making similar preparations!

Ever since Lü Qingyi had brought Ye Ningshuang back, she had taken a hands-off approach.

Although those above had already decided that Ye Ningshuang would be her disciple, she would not interfere too much while Ye Ningshuang was still an Outer Disciple.

Not even if Ye Ningshuang was the Child of Prophecy, the bearer of the heavenly mandate.

Even with that status, Lü Qingyi would not give Ye Ningshuang special treatment.

If she needed others to support her throughout her cultivation journey, what use was such a bearer of the heavenly mandate?

If they boosted Ye Ningshuang's cultivation now by showering her with assistance...

Would they then have to keep helping Ye Ningshuang for the sake of the world?

Would they, for instance, have to sacrifice themselves so that Ye Ningshuang alone could achieve greatness?

If so, what was the point of having such a bearer of the heavenly mandate?

More importantly, Lü Qingyi read storybooks too, and many stories told from a woman's perspective followed that very pattern.

The heroine talked about independence and self-reliance, but in reality, someone was always stepping in to help her. Then, when the time came to fight the final villain, everyone connected to her had to be sacrificed.

Lü Qingyi despised that sort of thing.

She herself had fought her way up entirely through her own efforts.

As a fellow woman, she could not stand women being written as self-reliant in words but utterly useless in practice.

So, in Lü Qingyi's view, rather than pouring everything into helping her, it was better to offer help when she truly needed it.

Support her at the right moment, but let her walk her own path the rest of the time. That was how a bearer of the heavenly mandate should grow.

Of course, although Lü Qingyi would not intervene while she was in the outer sect, she had never stopped watching.

Lately, she had been keeping a close eye on Ye Ningshuang.

But Ye Ningshuang's behavior had not particularly pleased Lü Qingyi.

She was so delicate and pitiful that disciples came to help her with practically everything.

Ye Ningshuang had barely ever fetched water or chopped firewood herself.

And the disciples surrounding her were all acting like fucking simps.

"She has the destined fate of a bearer of the heavenly mandate, but she doesn't meet my standards for one!"

Lü Qingyi's expression was cold as she spoke.

Tong Xinran, who was also visiting Sword Peak, lounged in a seductive pose as she ate a spirit fruit.

Hearing Lü Qingyi's assessment, Tong Xinran smiled. "Oh, come now. A bearer of the heavenly mandate as beautiful as her is bound to have followers!"

"Besides, once she enters the inner sect, she'll end up under your tutelage anyway. You can straighten her out then!"

"And the Grand Ancestor is never wrong!"

Lü Qingyi remained silent.

Just then, a disciple came to report.

"Peak Master, a disciple from Pill Peak requests an audience!"

Lü Qingyi nodded.

Before long, the disciple from Pill Peak was brought in.

"My peak master ordered me to deliver this to you, Peak Master Lü!"

Lü Qingyi raised her hand slightly, and the small box flew into it.

With the delivery complete, the Pill Peak disciple promptly took his leave.

Lü Qingyi opened the box, saw the Bone-Strengthening Pill inside, and released a burst of spiritual energy, crushing both the little box and the top-grade Bone-Strengthening Pill.

Tong Xinran's mouth fell open.

Lü Qingyi remained expressionless. "She can earn a Bone-Strengthening Pill herself. If she can't even get past this hurdle, there's no point leaving her in the outer sect. We might as well take her straight into the small world and raise her as a pretty ornament!"

Tong Xinran wanted to say something.

But when she remembered Lü Qingyi's own circumstances, she decided to keep quiet.

After all, Lü Qingyi really had fought her way up.

Although the sect had wanted to give Lü Qingyi preferential treatment back then, she had scorned it.

With nothing but the sword in her hand, she had fought her way up, step by step.

That was also why everyone in the sect had agreed that Ye Ningshuang should become Lü Qingyi's disciple.

No one was better suited than Lü Qingyi to teach a bearer of the heavenly mandate.

Still, Tong Xinran said, "You could give her a little help. After all, you experienced life in the outer sect yourself. Without any support, it's hard to say whether Ningshuang can reach meridian opening within three years!"

"Not everyone is you!"

Lü Qingyi said nothing.

Just then, she suddenly thought of Ying Huaixu.

"What is that boy doing?"

Light flashed in Lü Qingyi's eyes again, revealing Ying Huaixu's current situation.

But the instant she saw Ying Huaixu, Lü Qingyi froze.

"The... the Body Tempering Fifth Layer!"

Lü Qingyi said instinctively.

Tong Xinran was utterly baffled.

"What do you mean, the Body Tempering Fifth Layer?"

Lü Qingyi did not answer. She took out her token and sank her spiritual sense into it.

She wanted to check Ying Huaixu's activity logs from the past few days.

The more she read, the more colorful Lü Qingyi's expression became.

"On his first day in the sect, Ying Huaixu helped Huang Tianqi without a single unnecessary word, then selected two unremarkable Spell Techniques!"

"On his second day in the sect, Ying Huaixu helped Huang Tianqi, again without a single unnecessary word, then worked in the Pill Room all day, stopping only to eat!"

"On his third day in the sect... Ying Huaixu qualified as a Second-Rank Alchemist and refined two hundred Bone-Strengthening Pills for the sect, then even exchanged them all for spirit stones!"

Three days after entering the sect, he had reached the Body Tempering Fifth Layer. Without anyone's help, he had already secured all the Bone-Strengthening Pills and spirit stones he could want?

What kind of miraculous Outer Disciple was this?

Lü Qingyi could not help wondering, Who exactly is the bearer of the heavenly mandate here?

Lü Qingyi opened the prophecy left behind by the Grand Ancestor once again.

She searched it from beginning to end, but found no trace of Ying Huaixu.

"Could the Grand Ancestor really never be wrong?"

Lü Qingyi voiced the question.

Tong Xinran nodded beside her. "Of course. Third Senior Brother is proof. He didn't believe the Grand Ancestor, but everything he did ended up fulfilling the Grand Ancestor's words!"

"The Grand Ancestor even predicted that he would act that way!"

Lü Qingyi suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"Since the Pill Room has had several furnace explosions in a row, close it for a day tomorrow for sect inspections and repairs!"

"Also, have the Hunting Hall issue an urgent Bandit-Suppression Mission. Raise the rewards-ideally enough to attract every Outer Disciple!"

Lü Qingyi issued the orders directly through her token.

Meanwhile, anticipation gleamed in her eyes!