When Yun Heng woke up, her ears were filled with a hubbub of voices.
“Is she the one who stole Junior Sister Su's things?”
“You can't judge a book by its cover. She looks delicate, but her character...”
“Could there be some misunderstanding?”
“Junior Sister Su has a Heaven-grade Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root. Why would she make trouble for her for no reason? It must be because she's jealous of Junior Sister Su's high talent.”
“Today is the Sect Grand Selection. If a theft really happened, the Xuanxiao Sect can't just pretend they didn't see it.”
The murmurs drifted through the crowd, coming in fits and starts.
Yun Heng opened her eyes, first seeing a high platform paved with white stone. Sunlight beat down on the surface, making her vision swim with a blinding glare. It took her a moment to recover before she realized she was standing in the center of the high platform, with a dense crowd gathered below.
Countless eyes were fixed on her.
Yun Heng looked down at herself.
She wore a dusty gray linen dress and old cloth shoes. Tied to her waist was a greenish-white broken jade. Threaded with an old string, the broken jade was missing a corner and rested against her side.
This body did not belong to her.
The moment this thought arose, a sharp pain shot through her head. A chaotic flood of unfamiliar memories rushed in, and terms like “Xuanxiao Sect,” “Sect Grand Selection,” “Heart-Interrogation Platform,” and “Su Mingyuan” surfaced one after another. Yun Heng held onto the broken jade at her waist, slowly sorting through the memories.
Oh my god. She had actually transmigrated into a cultivation novel she had read before.
This body was also named Yun Heng. She had grown up with her adoptive mother in a border city on the Taiyan Continent. After her adoptive mother passed away, she took this broken jade and traveled all the way to participate in the Xuanxiao Sect's decennial Sect Grand Selection.
In the original book, Yun Heng was just a minor character mentioned briefly at the very beginning.
On the day of the Sect Grand Selection, Su Mingyuan was tested and revealed to have a Heaven-grade Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root, shocking the Xuanxiao Sect. Immediately afterward, she accused Yun Heng of stealing her jade. The original owner could not explain the origin of the broken jade, nor did she have anyone to testify for her. In the end, she was expelled from the selection and died in the dense forest outside the mountain gate.
The memories came to an abrupt halt there.
Yun Heng had just been working overtime in her office a moment ago, only remembering collapsing onto her desk as her consciousness faded. But now, it seemed she was dead. To make matters worse, she had miserably transmigrated into a cannon fodder in the cultivation world.
Pulling her thoughts back, she pressed her hand against the broken jade, her fingertips brushing over the chipped edge.
She searched her memories and recalled that this object had been with the original owner since childhood. Her adoptive mother had warned her never to lose the broken jade. As for where it came from, her adoptive mother had never said.
Several Xuanxiao Sect elders sat directly in front of the high platform.
The gray-robed old man in the center had half-white hair and sat in a position higher than the rest. The surrounding disciples kept their heads bowed when looking at him. Yun Heng quickly recognized his identity from her memories.
The Grand Elder of the Xuanxiao Sect, He Lansong.
He Lansong looked at Yun Heng and said, “Su Mingyuan says that the broken jade on your person is the item she lost today. Since this occurred during the Sect Grand Selection, we cannot be careless in front of the Heart-Interrogation Platform. Yun Heng, do you admit to this?”
His voice was not loud, but the murmurs below the platform gradually died down.
Yun Heng raised her head. “I do not.”
Only a fool would admit to it. If she admitted the item belonged to Su Mingyuan now, she would only repeat the original book's ending, and before long, not even her bones would remain.
He Lansong did not speak immediately.
On the other side of the high platform, a young girl in white stood beside several disciples. She was about the same age as Yun Heng, holding a handkerchief in her hand, her eyes slightly red. Hearing Yun Heng's denial, she looked up briefly before quickly lowering her gaze again.
That was Su Mingyuan. Yun Heng turned her head to look at her; she indeed had the appearance of a delicate little white flower, looking utterly pitiable.
At today's Sect Grand Selection, she had just been tested and revealed to have a Heaven-grade Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root. Such talent was a rare sight in the Xuanxiao Sect once in a century. Every word she spoke carried a different weight than anyone else's.
He Lansong said, “Su Mingyuan, recount the matter once more.”
Su Mingyuan took half a step forward and bowed to He Lansong.
“Elder, that jade is a relic left behind by my mother. The chip on the edge was caused by me accidentally dropping it when I was a child. Before the spirit-testing today, the jade was still on my person, but later, for some reason, it went missing.”
Saying this, her gaze fell upon Yun Heng's waist.
“I did not see Miss Yun take the jade with my own eyes. It is just that the one on her person is simply too similar to the one I lost. In my anxiety, I had no choice but to ask the Elder to uphold justice.”
Yun Heng sneered inwardly. Although Su Mingyuan did not directly accuse Yun Heng of theft, she had clearly detailed the chip on the broken jade, its status as a relic, and the timing of its loss. What else could the people below the platform think?
In the original book, Su Mingyuan had utilized this point to perfection, gaining the admiration of many men and numerous opportunities.
Soon, a disciple spoke up, “It's Junior Sister Su's mother's relic. It's not surprising she would recognize it.”
Another lowered their voice, saying, “If Yun Heng really didn't take it, she should at least be able to explain the jade's origin.”
He Lansong did not stop these discussions, only looking at Yun Heng.
Yun Heng glanced at her. “Miss Su, you say this jade is yours, and your only proof is a single chipped corner?”
“That is my mother's relic. I have carried it with me since childhood. I could not possibly mistake it.”
“I have also carried it since childhood,” Yun Heng said, looking at her. “You couldn't possibly mistake it, but I could?”
Su Mingyuan's expression stiffened slightly.
The young man beside her frowned and said, “Given Junior Sister Su's status, why would she falsely accuse you over a mere broken jade?”
“Heh, if status could serve as proof, why set up this Heart-Interrogation Platform today?”
The Heart-Interrogation Platform was located in front of the Xuanxiao Sect's mountain gate, opened once every ten years specifically for the Sect Grand Selection. All selected candidates had to pass through the Heart-Interrogation Platform first to verify their identities and record their spiritual breath, preventing demonic cultivators and monsters from slipping in. If any incidents of theft, assault, or impersonation occurred during the selection, the elder on duty would also hold inquiries and record evidence here.
Choked by her words, the young man's expression turned ugly.
He Lansong raised his hand, and the voices below the platform quieted down accordingly.
“Yun Heng, since you claim this jade belongs to you, do you have any proof?”
Yun Heng gripped the broken jade.
The original owner's memories regarding the broken jade were incomplete. She could be certain the broken jade had never left her side, but she could not explain its earlier origins. Her adoptive mother had already passed away, and her old residence in the border city had been destroyed by a forest fire before she came to the Xuanxiao Sect. The people and objects that could testify for her were nowhere to be found.
She could only reply vaguely, “This is an heirloom of my family.”
“Elder, if Miss Yun cannot explain it clearly, there is no need to push things to extremes today. Perhaps she simply took it by mistake. If she is willing to return it, I will not pursue the matter.”
Yun Heng rolled her eyes hard in her mind. You really know how to say all the right things.
He Lansong pondered for a moment and said, “Yun Heng, this jade's origin is unclear, and it matches the item Su Mingyuan lost. If you have no other proof, this seat must temporarily confiscate this jade and handle it after the matter is investigated.”
But Yun Heng knew clearly that she could not let the broken jade leave her person. In the original book, it was from the moment the original owner handed over the broken jade that she never got another chance to defend herself.
Yun Heng remained silent, merely holding the broken jade while racking her brain for a solution.
The young man beside Su Mingyuan spoke up again, “You keep claiming you didn't steal it, yet you refuse to hand it over for inspection. Isn't that just a guilty conscience?”
Yun Heng said, “I won't hand it over simply because it is mine.”
The young man was about to speak further when Su Mingyuan gently tugged at his sleeve.
“Senior Brother Zhou, say no more.”
Senior Brother Zhou? Zhou Chen? So he was Su Mingyuan's lapdog from the original book. But he had ordinary looks and mediocre talent, so Su Mingyuan was destined to look down on him; right now, he was merely being used as a tool to deal with Yun Heng.
She looked at Yun Heng, her voice softening slightly. “Miss Yun, why must you push things to this point? I only wish to retrieve my mother's relic.”
What should she do? She had already hit a dead end. Why hadn't a miracle occurred yet? System? She called out in her mind. Wasn't that a standard transmigrator package?
As if really hearing her call, the jade surface she was pressing down on trembled slightly.
Yun Heng's fingertips froze.
The vibration was very faint, yet undeniably real. She could feel a thread of coolness passing from her fingertips into her palm, then sinking into her sea of consciousness.
The next moment, a cold voice rang out in her mind.
【Abnormal situation detected.】
Yun Heng gasped inwardly, though her face remained impassive.
Upon the high platform, He Lansong was still looking at her. The whispers below had not stopped. Su Mingyuan stood not far away, waiting for Yun Heng to hand over the broken jade.
The voice continued to ring.
【Binding...】
【Binding complete.】
【Starter Pack has been distributed.】
Yun Heng's hand, hidden within her sleeve, slowly clenched.
A new line of text appeared in her mind.
【Open the Starter Pack?】
The corners of Yun Heng's mouth curled up slightly. She raised her eyes and looked up at He Lansong on the high platform.
“Elder.”
He Lansong said, “What else do you have to say?”
Yun Heng said, “I can prove that this jade has always been on my person.”
At the same time, she responded to the voice in her mind.
Open.
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