If she hadn't remembered that she was currently in a quiet room within the Martial Inquiry Arena—with countless eyes watching outside—she would have pulled out the System wheel right then and there to pull five ten-draws just to calm herself down.
No, I can't let it get to my head. Yun Heng forced her gaze away from the panel.
“I should head back first.”
She closed the System panel and sat for a few moments longer. Once she confirmed that the spiritual power in her meridians had thoroughly settled, she stood up and walked over to the window.
The quiet room’s window was small, offering a view of a corner of the Martial Inquiry Arena outside.
Compared to when she had first entered, the crowd outside the Martial Inquiry Arena had thinned out significantly. Most of the cultivators who had gathered near the Nascent Soul area had dispersed.
Yun Heng breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Leaving now was perfect timing. She put away her Breath-Concealing Array Plate and straightened her sleeves.
The attendant was still waiting outside the door.
Upon seeing her step out, he immediately bowed. “Miss Yun, do you have any instructions?”
“I’ve finished resting,” Yun Heng said. “I’ll be leaving now.”
The attendant respectfully stepped aside. “Right this way, Miss. I shall escort you out.”
Yun Heng nodded and followed him out. The moment she stepped through the doorway, she saw Bai Yi walking toward her.
It seemed Bai Yi had been waiting for a while. Seeing her emerge, a smile instantly brightened his face.
“Fellow Cultivator Yun.”
Yun Heng paused in her tracks. “Fellow Cultivator Bai.”
Bai Yi glanced over her, and noticing that her spiritual breath was far steadier than before, his tone grew a bit lighter. “It seems you’ve recovered well.”
“Fairly well.”
Bai Yi smiled. “Fellow Cultivator Yun, your fame has spread throughout Tianque City by now. Where do you plan to head after leaving the Martial Inquiry Arena?”
“Wanbao Tower.”
Bai Yi’s eyes flickered slightly. “Ah, so Fellow Cultivator Yun is staying at Wanbao Tower.”
“Fate has brought us together today. Why don’t we exchange spiritual breath signatures?”
Yun Heng froze. Exchange what?
Having been in this world for so long, she had no real friends she could contact other than the Shadow Guards, Xuan Zheng, and the staff at Wanbao Tower. She did have the Mother-Child Sound-Transmitting Pendant, but that was something used exclusively between her and her Shadow Guards—there was no way she could share that with Bai Yi.
As for the Transmission Jade Slips ordinary cultivators used to exchange spiritual breath signatures, she truly did not possess one.
Yun Heng fell silent.
Bai Yi had brought it up casually, but seeing her remain silent, the smile on his face slowly stiffened a little.
As if hitting upon an outrageous possibility, he hesitated before asking, “Fellow Cultivator Yun... don't tell me you don't have a Transmission Jade Slip?”
Yun Heng: “...”
She didn't want to admit it, but her current reaction made the truth painfully obvious.
Seeing her expression, Bai Yi finally confirmed his suspicion.
He cleared his throat softly.
“No matter. A Transmission Jade Slip is hardly a rare commodity—they sell them at Wanbao Tower. Since you’re heading back to Wanbao Tower anyway, I shall accompany you there and exchange signatures then.”
He phrased it tactfully, which made Yun Heng feel slightly less embarrassed.
She nodded. “That works.”
The two of them left the Martial Inquiry Arena.
The streets of Tianque City remained as bustling as ever.
Compared to the flashes of blades and swords in the Martial Inquiry Arena, the East Market where Wanbao Tower stood was far more peaceful. The nine-story building stood tall at the end of the street, the golden patterns on its eaves gleaming brightly in the sunlight, visible even from afar.
The moment Yun Heng stepped into Wanbao Tower, the sharp-eyed attendant who had previously served her came rushing over.
“Miss Yun, you’ve returned!”
His tone was even warmer than before, his eyes crinkling into joyful crescents.
“Aiya, Miss Yun, your feats yesterday have already spread throughout Tianque City! Challenging two experts on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard in succession at the mid Nascent Soul stage and charging all the way to rank twenty-one! Why, guests at our Wanbao Tower were discussing it early this morning, wondering which formidable genius this Miss Yun could be!”
Yun Heng paused in her tracks. Hearing this felt even harder to handle than being stared at in the Martial Inquiry Arena.
The attendant continued enthusiastically, “You truly are extraordinary, Miss! Having arrived in Tianque City for only a short while, you’ve already secured rank twenty-one on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard. At this rate, I reckon every cultivator in Tianque City will remember your name before the Qingming Secret Realm opens!”
Yun Heng felt a bit awkward under his praise.
In her past life, she hadn't even won 'Outstanding Employee' more than a couple of times, let alone been lavished with praise like this to her face. Now, with the attendant pouring on compliment after compliment, she barely knew where to put her hands.
Being placed on a pedestal like this... how should she put it?
It felt pretty great, but it was also a little embarrassing.
Bai Yi cleared his throat gently beside her.
Yun Heng snapped back to reality, remembering her main purpose.
She looked at the attendant. “I’ve come today because I wish to buy a Transmission Jade Slip.”
Hearing this, the attendant immediately waved his hands. “Sigh, I thought it was something major! You are an honored guest of our Wanbao Pavilion, Miss. Why would you need to buy a mere Transmission Jade Slip?”
Saying so, he led her toward the counter.
“Please follow me, Miss.”
The person behind the counter heard the request and swiftly retrieved a small slip of white jade.
The jade slip was barely half a palm long, smooth and lustrous, with fine spiritual patterns etched onto its surface. The attendant handed it to Yun Heng and briefly explained how to use it.
“Miss, you only need to inject a strand of spiritual power, and the jade slip will record your spiritual breath. If you wish to send messages back and forth with someone, simply touch your jade slips together to exchange spiritual breath signatures.”
She accepted the slip. “Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome, Miss.”
Yun Heng injected her spiritual power into the jade slip.
The slip glowed faintly. Bai Yi also produced his own Transmission Jade Slip and extended it toward her.
The two jade slips lightly tapped together, and a faint flicker of spiritual light flashed between them.
A line of small characters floated up inside the jade slip in Yun Heng’s hand:
【Bai Yi.】
Bai Yi glanced at his own jade slip and smiled softly. “All set. In the future, if there’s any interesting news at the Martial Inquiry Arena, I’ll send you a transmission.”
Yun Heng stowed her jade slip away. “I’ll trouble you then.”
Bai Yi seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, “Will you be heading to the Qingming Secret Realm in a month, Fellow Cultivator Yun?”
Yun Heng looked up. “Naturally.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you in the Qingming Secret Realm.”
With that, he cupped his hands in farewell.
Yun Heng stood in place, only slowly pulling back her gaze after Bai Yi’s figure vanished into the crowd.
This Bai Yi did not seem as simple as she had initially thought.
When she first met him at the Martial Inquiry Arena, she had merely assumed he was an ordinary rogue cultivator familiar with the rules. But thinking about it now, would an ordinary rogue cultivator casually whip out a Qingming Command?
She had spent ten thousand high-grade spirit stones at the Wanbao Pavilion auction to secure hers.
It seemed that in Tianque City, very few people could be taken at face value.
This Bai Yi was likely anything but ordinary.
She didn't linger on the first floor and quickly returned to her room on the second floor.
Once the door closed behind her, Yun Heng first retrieved a Sound-Isolating Talisman and slapped it on the door.
The last time she drew cards, she hadn't been able to stop herself from crying out in surprise. With over five thousand Awe Points sitting in front of her now, who knew what she might draw later? It was better to take precautions.
As the Sound-Isolating Talisman lit up, total silence settled over the room.
Yun Heng then set up her Breath-Concealing Array Plate. Only after confirming that the spiritual glow enveloped the entire room did she sit down at her desk.
Pressing her hand against the broken jade, she summoned the System panel.
The Awe Points in the top-right corner had grown even higher than what she had seen back in the quiet room at the Martial Inquiry Arena.
【Current Awe Points: 5,500.】
Five thousand five hundred. That was enough for six 10-draws, with a hundred points left over!
However, she still planned to do five 10-draws first, saving one 10-draw for emergency needs.
This time, she could truly draw to her heart's content.
She took a deep breath and pressed her fingertip in front of the wheel.
Fifty whole cards. System, oh System, please don't disappoint me—give me plenty of good treasures!
Rate on N.U.
