Chapter 40

On the day when the spirit root test was to begin, Li Mengze woke up at dawn. For someone who cherished her time in bed, this was no small feat. She swiftly tidied herself, then donned the formal attire of a direct disciple of Kunlun: a long-sleeved white dress edged with gold, simple yet resplendent. Although she seldom wore it, the dress was dear to her heart. Its defenses, however, were rather ordinary—far inferior to the protective garments her parents had given her. As such, it usually stayed at the bottom of her chest, reserved for rare occasions.

Downstairs, Li Yongxin and the others were already waiting. A few light refreshments were laid out on the table; apart from him and Wang Xueru, no one seemed particularly interested. She could never quite understand it—a grown man so obsessed with snacks, especially sweets. For a dignified sword cultivator, such a predilection hardly seemed befitting.

Today, everyone was dressed in a uniform style: the attire of Kunlun’s disciples. The elite disciples’ garb was convincing enough to mislead outsiders, and the group, made up of handsome men and beautiful women, drew attention even in an inn full of cultivators.

Leisurely, Li Mengze sampled a pastry made from violet spirit yams, following it with a discreet sip of tea to cut the lingering sweetness. The pastry chef clearly had a fondness for sugary treats, which was not at all to her taste. Perhaps the sweetness was too overpowering, for the small black creature in her sleeve grew restless. Its tiny body squirmed impatiently, and when Li Mengze gave no response, it crawled out and leapt onto the table. Though this spirit beast usually put on a dignified air, it was, at heart, much like a child—more so than the others, with a marked fondness for snacks and a particular weakness for sweets and sunflower seeds. Its tiny paws and mouth were remarkably deft.

Despite its eagerness, the little creature was well-mannered. Even after climbing onto the table, it did not help itself to any treats, but gazed up at Li Mengze with shiny black eyes, waiting to be fed. Its well-fed, round little body was quite apparent, even in its plump, tender paws. Its antics were so endearing that it was impossible not to smile. Even its attempts at appearing aloof as it hopped and twitched were comical, especially when it tried to strike a dignified pose and failed.

Wang Xueru, watching the scene, remarked, “Senior Sister Li, your spirit beast is adorable! What kind is it?” If it wasn’t too rare, she thought, perhaps her senior brother could find her one as well.

Presented with a treat, the little beast stuck out its tongue to lick its lips, then turned its back to Wang Xueru, pointedly refusing her offering.

Wang Xueru was unfazed by the snub. Spirit beasts rarely accepted food from anyone but their own masters—a sign of vigilance and devotion. She stroked its silky fur, handed it a pastry to hold in its paws, and scooped it off the table into her arms. She also fished out the little white creature from her sleeve, placed the two together, and gave the white one a treat before answering.

“I found these two in a secret realm. I’m not sure what they are, but we hit it off, so I decided to keep them.”

Wang Xueru sighed in frustration. One spirit beast might not have drawn so much attention, but two of them together, nibbling away with their little mouths, were impossibly cute—no female cultivator could possibly resist.

“Senior brother, I want those two spirit beasts. Tell her to give them to me!” A clear, sudden voice piped up. Before Wang Xueru could react, a burst of energy swept in from behind, but the attack was swiftly neutralized before she needed to act.

She turned to see Lü Fang descending the stairs. Having witnessed the sneak attack against a fellow sect disciple, he had immediately intervened to defuse it.

Li Mengze and Wang Xueru, never having encountered anything like this before, were momentarily stunned. Their first, almost comical, reaction was to look down at their own robes. Had Kunlun somehow fallen from grace, that even a mere qi-refining novice dared ambush direct disciples in broad daylight?

Li Yongxin, however, was unfazed and found his junior sisters’ confusion amusing. He had seen such antics many times—always some pampered child, ignorant of the world, thinking their master or elders were the mightiest in the cultivation realm. In his experience, such arrogance was rarely found among the truly illustrious families; it was usually the smaller sects who indulged in this kind of nonsense.

Take Kunlun, for instance. Their prodigies were many. Just these two junior sisters, out today to broaden their horizons, each had powerful elders in the Nascent Soul stage to rely on, and both had achieved Foundation Establishment at a young age. Neither was overbearing: one was soft and adorable, the other gentle and elegant, but both were formidable. Unlike the brash girl before them, who looked seventeen or eighteen and was only at the fourth layer of qi refinement—hardly promising, and with such a temperament, it was a miracle she had survived this long.

Still, as a seasoned wanderer, Li Yongxin knew exactly how to handle such matters. As the de facto leader of their group, it was only fitting for him to step forward.

He rose and addressed the frowning young man beside the girl who had attacked: “Fellow Daoist, attacking from behind is rather unbecoming, don’t you think?” He was polite, noting the man’s robes marked him as a direct disciple of the Pill Cauldron Sect, one of the three great sects alongside Kunlun. Though their paths seldom crossed, there was some camaraderie between equals.

The young man clasped his hands in return. “Apologies. My junior sister only recently entered the cultivation world and is not yet familiar with its ways. Please don’t take offense. I have here a top-grade magical hairpin, suitable for a female cultivator. Please accept it as compensation on her behalf.”

Fortunately, at least one of them was reasonable—otherwise, this farce might have delayed their spirit root test.

He produced a phoenix hairpin, its design rather unique. But to Li Mengze, it was of little interest. Her storage pouch contained many such treasures; had this been her first day in the cultivation world, she might have been tempted to keep it for her collection. Now, she barely glanced at it before turning her attention back to her little spirit beasts.

Guangsha’s heart skipped a beat. He, unlike his junior sister, was not ignorant of the cultivation world. These youngsters were all dressed as Kunlun’s true disciples, their cultivation on par with his own. Clearly, they were elite disciples—people to befriend, not offend. He had hoped the valuable hairpin would suffice as reparations, but the young woman’s indifferent glance made it clear she was unimpressed.

As he pondered his next move, he failed to notice his brainless junior sister, who was just about to message their sect’s senior brother, when the girl beside him suddenly declared, “Don’t think my senior brother’s politeness means anything. Hand over those two little foxes now, or I’ll tell my master and my royal father to eradicate your entire clan!” She thrust out her chin, full of arrogant pride.

Guangsha’s mind went blank. Ruined. How could his master have taken such a clueless disciple, and worse, left her in his care? He wanted to slap himself for volunteering to take her out, just to avoid a full day of spirit root testing.

At this hour, there were quite a few cultivators dining in the inn. At first, no one paid much attention to the quarrel, but the girl’s threat—calling for the extermination of an entire clan—drew every eye. In the cultivation world, it was a cardinal rule never to endanger someone’s family, a lesson even children knew. Did this girl’s family know how foolish she was?

Instead of anger, Li Mengze burst out laughing. Since her birth in this world, no one had ever dared speak to her like that—threatening to wipe out her entire clan.

She needed no one’s intervention. With a sweep of her sleeve, she whisked the two little beasts away. Before anyone saw how it happened, the girl who had made the threat was firmly in Li Mengze’s grasp, her vital point at her throat locked in an unyielding hold, indifferent to her pain.

With a radiant smile—one that, on someone as beautiful as Li Mengze, should have been captivating, combining the allure of a woman with a girl’s innocence—the spectators instead felt a chill run down their spines. Though all were Foundation Establishment cultivators and considered themselves elites of their own sects, none had seen how Li Mengze moved. It was proof enough that, despite her youthful appearance, her cultivation was solid and hard-won—not the result of mere pills. She was not one to provoke.

So young, and already at the late stage of Foundation Establishment—her future was limitless.

Guangsha panicked and hurried forward. “Fellow Daoist, she’s just a child…” Halfway through, he realized his mistake. Up close, it was clear that Li Mengze was even younger than his own clueless junior sister, so pleading youth and innocence would only invite ridicule. He shot a glare at his now-agonized junior sister, who looked at him with tearful, pleading eyes. If he could, he would have left her to her fate, but he knew that if anything happened to her, he’d be in even deeper trouble when their senior brother returned. Resigned, he could only brace himself and step forward.