With that topic concluded, Wen Jingshu pulled out another stone and said, “Junior Sister Wang possesses an ice spiritual root. I believe this stone will be of great use to her.”
The moment the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Rhythm Stone was brought out, the temperature of the entire hall plummeted.
Xu Haoguang took the stone and praised, “A Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Rhythm Stone? It is large and of excellent quality—truly a fine item. Rest assured, the Wang family and I will prepare a return gift of equal value for you.”
This was precisely why people with higher starting points could go much further.
If Wang Wanting had been a cultivator of ordinary birth, she naturally would not have had Wen Jingshu presenting her with such an opportunity, nor would she have had her master and family to help repay this favor...
After settling these minor matters, Wen Jingshu immediately went into closed-door cultivation on Little Spirit Peak for nearly half a year.
During this time, Tang Shaorong delivered the gravity rings Wen Jingshu had requested, and Luo Yunting made contact with Bai Han, indeed sensing that something was amiss with him.
“Mistress, this Senior Brother Bai of yours... the Heavenly Dao aura on him seems unusually dense.”
An aura was not the same as destiny; it was more like an identity marker.
The aura on Yun Xiange was different from this world's, meaning she had come from an otherworldly realm.
If the aura on Bai Han had doubled, did that mean...
He was someone whose body had been possessed?
As if guessing Wen Jingshu's thoughts, Luo Yunting continued, “There is no Heavenly Dao aura of another person on him.”
Wen Jingshu could easily understand an external soul, but this extra aura—could it be the art of rebirth, a technique that reversed time and space?
Yet, if it truly were a mighty figure defying the laws to be reborn, then Bai Han's performance was far too mediocre.
That left only one possibility: Bai Han had been reborn by sheer coincidence.
Having roughly grasped the secrets of the two, Wen Jingshu felt much more confident when facing them.
Wen Jingshu was still keeping the Xuanyuan Tripod in mind. Before descending the mountain, she gave Luo Yunting some cultivation resources and a jade box: “Nurture this well. Whether it survives or not will depend on your own luck.”
When she dug up the Supreme Spirit-Transforming Grass, she had noticed a few young sprouts remaining in that area. Realizing that Luo Yunting also needed something to improve her spiritual root, she had dug up a few on a whim. Afterward, she buried a supreme-grade spirit stone nearby to serve as nourishment for the remaining sprouts.
She gave one sprout to Luo Yunting and planted the rest inside the Shengsheng Bead.
Luo Yunting accepted it calmly and watched Wen Jingshu depart.
Upon returning to her residence, Luo Yunting finally opened the jade box.
Inside lay a translucent and beautiful spiritual plant. Although it was only a young sprout, she could feel an extremely dense spiritual rhythm of heaven and earth radiating from it.
Her intuition told her that this item would be of immense benefit to her spiritual root!
Wen Jingshu was indeed the greatest opportunity on her path of cultivation!
She had to properly repay Wen Jingshu for this life-altering favor!
Before leaving the sect, Wen Jingshu paid another visit to Sect Master Peak. Xu Haoguang was busy with some matters and did not show herself.
Seeing Wen Jingshu arrive, Wang Wanting welcomed her with a bright smile.
It was well known that ice spiritual root cultivators grew colder in temperament as they cultivated. For Wang Wanting, who possessed a perfect mutated ice spiritual root, to smile so brilliantly, she must have encountered some joyous event.
“Senior Sister Wen, thank you for the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Rhythm Stone! My cultivation is low, and I haven't encountered any opportunities of my own yet, so I could only get some items from my family to repay you.”
As Wang Wanting spoke, she produced a jade box covered in dense sealing inscriptions. A faint purple luster could be seen flickering within.
“I know Senior Sister has a lightning spiritual root, so I hope you can make use of this Lightning Source Essence.”
Hearing this, Wen Jingshu's eyes lit up.
She had previously mentioned wanting to temper her two spiritual roots again, and now, what she desired had practically dropped into her lap.
“And this is a thank-you gift from Master.”
The item Xu Haoguang had given was equally sincere: a piece of Thousand-Year Dragon Dark Iron, which was highly suitable for upgrading the quality of a sword.
“Thank you. I am in great need of both of these items.”
Seeing that Wen Jingshu was satisfied, Wang Wanting breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I'm glad you like them, Senior Sister.”
“This is a guest elder token of my Wang family. Our clan head asked me to hand it over to you in a personal capacity. If anything happens to you within the Wang family's territory in the future, you can seek assistance from us.”
Perhaps Xu Haoguang had informed Wang Wanting of her identity, or perhaps the Wang family independently suspected there was more to Wen Jingshu's background. In any case, through Wang Wanting, the Wang family had a very favorable impression of Wen Jingshu and was more than willing to forge a good relationship with her.
Wen Jingshu did not stand on ceremony either. Accepting the token, she said, “In that case, I shall accept it.”
“I also have some connections in the Pill Sect. If you face any difficulties in the future, Junior Sister Wang, feel free to use my name.”
That Wen Jingshu had a brother who was a Second-Grade Alchemist was no secret in the Qingyun Sect. Seeing Wen Jingshu's serious expression, Wang Wanting inexplicably agreed.
Since Senior Sister Wen had said so, there must be a reason for it!
Lin Yunan had always been concerned about the relationship between his junior siblings. Hearing that Wen Jingshu had emerged from her seclusion, he hurried over to find her.
Unfortunately, he was a step too late; Wen Jingshu had already left.
Thinking of Beili's advice to let nature take its course, Lin Yunan felt a bit dejected.
He truly wished for harmony within their master's lineage...
Could his two junior sisters not just live in peace? If even one of them were willing to take a step back, things wouldn't have become so strained...
As for Wen Jingshu, she had just stepped out of the Qingyun Sect when Zhou Yuanshen rushed over in a panic.
“Little Junior Sister, wait a moment!”
Panting as he reached her, Zhou Yuanshen handed her a storage ring. “The old man knew you wouldn't be able to stay idle in the sect, so he had me give these to you. Inside is his apprenticeship gift to you, along with the greeting gift I owe you, and his talisman notes. The old man wants to make sure you don't forget to practice drawing talismans while you're out.”
Wen Jingshu nodded in response. Even if Zhou Fantong had not mentioned it, she would not forget to draw talismans.
“Also, regarding the matter between you and Daoist Lord Beili, the old man originally wanted to stand up for you. However, before he could even leave Talisman Peak, he was stopped by the Sect Master. The Sect Master was worried that if the relationship between Talisman Peak and Hidden Star Peak became too strained, it would cause friction among the other disciples of both peaks... That's why the old man didn't show his face...”
Having said this, Zhou Yuanshen added with a trace of jealousy, “Junior Sister, I've never seen the old man value someone so highly. I feel like I'm just an accident, and you're his actual biological daughter!”
Looking at Zhou Yuanshen's expression, Wen Jingshu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
No wonder.
No wonder the Sect Master had explicitly told her that day that if she couldn't resolve it, she should go to her—yet moments later, the Sect Master had arrived with others to back her up.
It turned out her second master had been making a fuss behind the scenes.
“Senior Brother, I understand.”
Too many interests were entangled within a sect, and Wen Jingshu did not want to drag more and more people into their personal grudges.
Indeed, loose cultivators had their own freedom, while sects had their own dilemmas!
Rate on N.U.
