Deeper within Qingyun Terrace lay a secluded valley.
No trees or grass grew in the valley; there was only a ten-zhang square pond. The water was crystal clear, yet it showed no reflections.
Bai Qingxue stood by the edge and looked down. She saw layers of clouds, mountain ranges, and snowy peaks, but she did not see her own face.
This was the Mirroring Heart Pond.
According to Elder Han, this pond had been refined by the founding ancestor of the Xuantian Sect using great supernatural powers. It could reflect the deepest “Dao image” within a cultivator’s heart.
There was no hierarchy of high or low for a Dao image, only a distinction between clarity and blurriness. The clearer it was, the purer the heart; the blurrier it was, the more cluttered the heart.
“The third stage: the Mirroring Heart Pond.” Elder Han stood by the pond, his expression even more solemn than during the previous two stages.
“Step forward one by one and touch the surface of the water with your fingertip. The pond will reflect your Dao image, which will be judged by the various peak masters. The person with the highest overall score from all three stages will have the priority to choose which peak they wish to join.”
A commotion immediately broke out among the participants at these words.
After all, having the priority to choose meant they could bypass the selection process of the various peak elders and go directly where they wanted.
Bai Qingxue’s eyes flickered slightly; this was exactly what she needed.
“Begin,” Elder Han commanded.
The participants stepped forward in sequence.
The first was the young man in black. The moment his fingertip touched the water, a black sword was reflected in the pond. The blade was ancient and simple, its sharpness restrained.
Several peak masters discussed in low voices and made a note in the register.
The second was a young woman in green. A bamboo forest was reflected in the pond, the bamboo swaying in the wind, quiet and ethereal.
The third, the fourth... various Dao images appeared one after another: mountains, rivers, beasts, weapons, and some that were just a blurry mess without a discernible shape.
Ye Qingyao was ahead of Bai Qingxue in the queue and stepped forward first.
She took a deep breath, crouched down, and lightly touched the water with her fingertip.
Ripples spread across the pond. After a moment, a patch of sky was reflected—not a clear sky, but a sky just beginning to clear after a rain. A gap had opened in the clouds, and celestial light poured through, illuminating the damp earth.
“A wind Dao image, clouds parting after rain,” one peak master nodded. “Quite clear.”
Ye Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up and retreated to the side, but she did not go far, instead waiting nearby.
She was waiting for Bai Qingxue.
“Number thirty-seven.”
Bai Qingxue stepped forward.
Without hesitation, she crouched down and dipped her fingertip into the water.
An icy sensation traveled from her fingertip—colder than the water of a mountain spring, so cold it seemed to seep into her bones.
But she did not withdraw her hand, allowing the chill to spread up through her finger.
The pond began to change.
Ripples radiated outward, faster and more frequent, until the reflection beneath the surface began to distort.
Then, everything returned to silence.
A mountain was reflected in the pond.
A solitary peak.
Ten thousand zhang high, piercing straight into the clouds.
There was only ice and snow upon the mountain; no waterfalls, no birds, no traces of beasts.
The summit was hidden within the clouds, impossible to see clearly, leaving only a vast, boundless white.
Nothing else existed; all was silent.
There was only that solitary peak, standing silently between heaven and earth.
The entire area fell silent.
Everyone felt an instinctive loss for words, the kind that came when facing something absolute.
The peak masters looked at each other, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Finally, it was Elder Han who broke the silence. He turned to look at an old man with white hair and a beard standing beside him. This was Chen Daoyuan, an inner sect elder of the Xuantian Sect who had come specifically to observe the third stage.
Chen Daoyuan stared at the solitary peak in the pond for a long time before slowly speaking. His voice was not loud, but it was crystal clear:
“A solitary peak at the world's end, an icy heart untainted by dust. A Natural Dao Seed.”
These words carried immense weight as they fell upon the clearing.
“Natural Dao Seed”—this evaluation had only been given twice by the Xuantian Sect in the last hundred years.
The last person to receive this evaluation was now a Golden Core master.
The peak masters exchanged looks, all seeing the same thought in each other's eyes: they had to have this Bai Qingxue.
Bai Qingxue withdrew her hand and stood up.
The pond gradually settled, and the reflection of the solitary peak slowly dissipated, returning to the clear, reflectionless water it had been before.
Her expression remained as usual as she stepped back and waited for the judgment.
Elder Han wrote a few notes in the register, then looked up to announce: “Number thirty-seven, Bai Qingxue. Overall evaluation for the three stages: Grade A-plus.”
Grade A-plus.
This was the highest score among this year's new disciples.
A low murmur of discussion rose from the crowd. Some were envious, some were unconvinced, but no one was surprised.
A top-tier Heavenly Spiritual Root in the first stage, completing the Path of Inquiry in less than half a stick of incense in the second, and reflecting a Natural Dao Seed level Dao image in the third—with these three results combined, a Grade A-plus was well-deserved.
Bai Qingxue turned and walked toward the rest area.
Her pace was still steady and her expression remained calm, but if someone who knew her well were to observe closely, they would find that her features were slightly more relaxed than usual.
At this moment, Bai Qingxue was indeed in a good mood.
Ye Qingyao stood at the edge of the crowd, watching Bai Qingxue walk over from the pond.
She had seen the reflection of that solitary peak clearly.
Ten thousand zhang of ice and snow, where nothing else existed.
What kind of loneliness was that?
It wasn't the loneliness of being isolated by others, or the loneliness of having no company. It was as if nothing in this world could enter her heart, and she didn't need anything to enter it.
Ye Qingyao suddenly remembered that night on the flying boat, when she had leaned against the window and seen the silhouette in Bai Qingxue’s cabin.
Sitting there alone... wasn't it lonely?
Now she knew.
It wasn't.
Because that person had never considered being alone to be a problem.
Yet as she looked at that solitary peak, a strange pang of heartache surged in her heart.
It wasn't pity; a person like Bai Qingxue didn't need anyone's pity.
If she had to put a name to it, it was probably heartache...
A kind of heartache that surged up uncontrollably, even though she knew the other person didn't need it.
Ye Qingyao bit her lip and hurried to catch up.
“Sister Bai.”
Bai Qingxue’s steps paused slightly as she glanced sideways at her.
This time, she didn't just give a single glance before withdrawing her gaze, likely because she was indeed in a good mood.
“Congratulations, Sister Bai,” Ye Qingyao said softly but earnestly. “Grade A-plus for all three stages, the number one new disciple.”
Bai Qingxue looked at her and gave a response:
“Mm.”
It was only a single word.
But Ye Qingyao’s eyes lit up.
This was the first time Bai Qingxue had responded to her attempt at conversation.
Whether it was bringing lotus seed soup or osmanthus cakes, chatting on the deck, or standing side by side during the second stage, Bai Qingxue had never responded to her “initiative.”
It was as if whatever she said or did never reached that person's ears.
But this time, she had heard her.
A simple “Mm.”
Ye Qingyao smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, as if she had received some magnificent reward.
“Then, has Sister Bai decided which peak she wants to join?” she asked.
Bai Qingxue didn't answer, turning to continue toward the rest area.
Ye Qingyao wasn't upset either, following behind her while maintaining a distance of two steps.
Bai Qingxue did not drive her away.
After the third stage concluded, Elder Han announced the final results.
Over four hundred people had participated in this year's Xuantian Sect entrance trials, and ultimately sixty were accepted. Bai Qingxue, with a Grade A-plus across all three stages, stood at the head of the new disciples.
“Gather at Qingyun Terrace tomorrow at the hour of the Dragon. The elders of the various peaks will come to select disciples,” Elder Han said, scanning the crowd. “Those who are chosen will follow their elder to their peak. Those who are not chosen will be assigned to the outer sect; there will still be opportunities in the future.”
The participants dispersed in small groups.
As Bai Qingxue walked out of Qingyun Terrace, the mountain wind brushed against her face.
She stood on the stone steps, gazing at the distant, continuous mountain ranges. Her heart was a bit lighter than when she had arrived. A Grade A-plus across all three stages and the top rank among the new disciples.
This result was enough to give her a significant say in choosing her peak.
However, she still needed to confirm one thing before tomorrow: whether Liu Ningshuang would take the initiative to ask for her.
If she did, then everything would follow naturally.
If she didn't, she would need to use her “priority selection right” to choose Xueji Peak directly.
But the latter method was too conspicuous and could easily attract unnecessary attention. It would be best if Xueji Peak spoke up first.
Bai Qingxue thought about it and felt it shouldn't be much of a problem.
After all, with an ice-attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root and the solitary peak Dao image from the Mirroring Heart Pond, if Xueji Peak wasn't interested, it wouldn't be Xueji Peak.
She pulled back her thoughts and began to walk down the mountain.
By the time she returned to the inn, the sky had already darkened.
Song Yun and Zhao Ping were waiting in the courtyard. Seeing Bai Qingxue return, they hurried forward to meet her.
“Miss, how was the result?” Song Yun asked.
“Grade A-plus for all three stages, number one among the new disciples.”
Song Yun and Zhao Ping exchanged looks, both seeing the pleasant surprise in each other's eyes.
“That's wonderful!” Song Yun managed a rare smile. “The Clan Head and Madame will surely be very happy when they find out.”
Bai Qingxue nodded and walked into her room.
She closed the door and sat cross-legged on the couch, but she didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, she closed her eyes and reflected on the day's experiences.
She had seen the solitary peak reflected in the Mirroring Heart Pond herself.
To be honest, that image had surprised her a little. She had originally thought her “Dao image” would be something from her past life's memories, but instead, it was a solitary peak.
But on second thought, it wasn't strange.
She was an outsider in this world, without any ties. There was no one she had to protect, nothing she had to guard, not even a mission she had to complete.
All she wanted was power, freedom, and to control her own fate.
For such a person, what else could be reflected if not a solitary peak?
Bai Qingxue opened her eyes, her gaze calm. Lonely? Perhaps.
But she didn't need pity, and she didn't need company.
Bai Qingxue closed her eyes and circulated the 《Cold Jade Art》.
The stinging pain was still there, but tonight, it seemed a bit lighter than before.
Perhaps it was because she was in a good mood.
Outside the window, the moonlight was cold.
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