Ying Xuanji: If You're Doing It, Do It Best
The steam from the tea rose gently before the silver-haired girl's lowered eyelashes, and half a vermilion fruit floated in the glazed, crackled teacup.
"If you feel that the Star Lord's status is not worthy of your attention..."
Ying Xuanji's fingertips unconsciously traced the star pattern on the rim of the cup, her pale purple pupils reflected in the amber tea, like two flickering candle flames.
Her voice carried a hint of weakness. "Then please, Your Highness, choose someone of higher rank to accompany us."
"I... am willing but unable."
Compared to his usual aloof and unapproachable demeanor, this Seventh Star Lord now exuded an indescribable sense of darkness.
This makes the feeling of "keep away" even stronger.
It's just completely different from the previous one.
Hearing Ying Xuanji's words, Tian Qingwu seemed somewhat helpless. "Xuanji, what are you saying?"
"... Every word I said came from the bottom of my heart."
Ying Xuanji looked at her reflection in the tea, her pale purple eyes flickering slightly, and said with a complicated expression.
Originally, under the title of [the strongest prodigy of the Ziwei Hall], she only needed to cultivate constantly every day, slowly pushing her realm towards the Creation Realm. As she got closer to the goal of "stabilizing the situation in the Divine Continent", her mood became more and more cheerful.
Practicing spiritual cultivation naturally brings no sense of guilt; on the contrary, it yields twice the results with half the effort.
But on the other hand... this also made her value the responsibilities on her shoulders and her talent in Martial Dao cultivation even more.
However, Ying Xuanji didn't think there was anything wrong with this at the time. On the contrary, she felt that focusing on cultivation and ignoring everything else was the best way to make Shenzhou strong on its ancestral star as soon as possible.
It wasn't until she traveled to the Eastern Continent and met the newly appointed Elder Ye that things changed.
This idea immediately suffered a huge shock, Ying Xuanji's mentality underwent a complete 180-degree turn.
She even began to feel like a parasite wasting resources in the Ziwei Hall, which made her appear somewhat sullen.
"The problem arises precisely because this is your honest opinion..."
Tian Qingwu was both amused and exasperated; she truly hadn't expected this.
The former strongest prodigy of the Ziwei Hall was actually defeated by Ye Li and reduced to this state.
At this moment, Ying Xuanji's Dao Heart was still relatively stable, but her spirit of "[ In the Ziwei Palace, who else but me]" had been greatly diminished.
In fact, in the history of the Supreme Pure Divine Continent, there have been beings with even greater talent than her.
But those people don't exist in the present moment, so they can't have the impact they deserve on the person involved.
Ying Xuanji, hailed as "the greatest prodigy in China today," could only truly understand the gap between herself and such an unparalleled genius after witnessing firsthand the brilliance of a prodigy like Ye Li.
However, it is a good thing to know early on that there are always people more capable than you and that there is always something beyond your understanding.
However, the force should not be too great; everyone understands the principle that excessive rigidity leads to breakage.
That's enough.
Tian Qingwu immediately decided to be more explicit. "Listen carefully, Elder Ye's Martial Dao talent is now a top secret of utmost importance in our Divine Continent."
"Therefore, for safety's sake, I have decided not to reveal the birth of the Ninth Star Lord to the public for the time being."
"But since Elder Ye plans to go to the Western Continent on business, we must give him as much autonomy as possible without affecting his schedule."
She looked at the silent Ying Xuanji and smiled, "From now on, even if your cultivation level is slightly inferior to his, as long as the people from the Four Continents Heavenly Supervision Department see that you are the one accompanying him, they will not dare to disobey Elder Ye."
If someone is followed by the Seventh Star Lord of the Ziwei Hall, then regardless of their relationship, it is enough to say a lot.
Tian Qingwu just wanted to find a suitable foil for Ye Li.
Ying Xuanji is a very suitable candidate.
As expected, the person involved was visibly moved upon hearing this.
"Yes, sometimes helping others involves more than just physical assistance; the support we provide in daily operations is equally important."
Ying Xuanji thought to herself, "Just like how everyone used to prioritize my cultivation, they would help me with the preliminary work beforehand, whether it was for some Treasure Medicine or to ward off some Demonic Calamity."
"Then could I take the initiative to help Fellow Daoist Ye complete many preparatory tasks ahead of time, so that he can directly reap the benefits... Perhaps this would even help him break through to the Creation Realm sooner!"
Just thinking that she was paving the way for even more outstanding talents, Ying Xuanji felt that long-lost, yet incredibly familiar, heavy sense of responsibility weighing on her shoulders once again.
This feeling was not only so familiar that it brought her a sense of peace, but it also carried a heavier weight than before.
Because her goal was to help Shenzhou completely stabilize the situation, while that fellow Daoist Ye's goal was clearly to enable Taiqing Shenzhou to achieve a leap in level, directly ascending to the kind of hegemonic existence that could effortlessly wield great power on the ancestral star!
"So, a better prodigy deserves a better assistant."
"No one says Star Lord can't be Maid, right?"
"Moreover, I have personally experienced having my path paved for me, so I would be quite adept at helping Fellow Daoist Ye with this kind of need..."
With this in mind, Ying Xuanji finally made up her mind and slowly raised her eyes to look at the other person.
"You're right, Hall Master Tian."
She sat upright, as if she had transformed back into the Seventh Star Lord, bearing a heavy responsibility, and said calmly:
"This matter concerns the fate of the entire Divine Continent. Looking across the entire Ziwei Hall, I'm afraid we can't find a more suitable candidate. I will do my best to fulfill this responsibility."
"..."
Tian Qingwu opened his mouth, but no words came out.
She was somewhat shocked by the speed of the other person's change.
But the outcome was good, so she didn't say much more.
The words may be rough, but the principle is sound.
It might seem that any Star Lord randomly pulled from the Ziwei Hall could do the job, but in reality, the results would be far worse than Ying Xuanji's.
First, she knew Ye Li's specific situation.
If it's replaced by a different Star Lord, then we'll inevitably have to use some excuses to persuade that Star Lord, and who knows what kind of trouble might arise then.
Secondly, Ying Xuanji not only comes from a prestigious family in the Central Continent, but also enjoys considerable prestige within the Heavenly Supervision Department of the Four Continents.
It will definitely help Ye Li keep those indecisive high-ranking Heavenly Supervision Department in check.
After a moment of silence, Tian Qingwu broke the silence by speaking:
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Ying Xuanji nodded slightly, then drank the tea in one gulp, put down the teacup, stood up, and cupped her hands in greeting:
Leave it to me.
Having said that, she rose from her seat and quickly walked out of the mansion.
He walked directly toward the archives section of the Royal City Heavenly Supervision Department.
As she walked, Ying Xuanji pondered the rest of her journey.
"The distance from the royal city to the four continents is quite far; even with a top-grade flying shuttle, it would take at least three to five days."
"We could prepare some snacks for the journey. I remember the Royal City Heavenly Supervision Department has been sending him meals these past few days. Could we deduce his preferences by observing how much of each dish he eats?"