After Being Reborn, He And Senior Sister Qingleng He - Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Yan Tian (II)
“Are you Song Qingtang’s Junior Sister?”
…
However, since today was about observing the performance of the new disciples, now was clearly not the time to discuss this matter.
Therefore, when the disciples entered the illusory realm for the trial, everyone tacitly dropped the subject, focusing only on the disciples’ performance through their spiritual consciousness.
The illusory realm was constructed from the aura of a mythical clam (shèn bèi), where everything seen and heard was an illusion, making it perfect for trials.
Song Qingtang had already explained the process to Chi Wanyin before she entered the illusory realm, so she stepped into the gate with composure.
A flash of white light transformed the scene, placing her inside an inverted tower, with only layers of downward stairs that seemed endless.
Not many new disciples were teleported here, indicating that the illusory realm randomly sent people into a certain illusion. Chi Wanyin analyzed the principles of the illusion while descending the stairs step by step.
She guessed that the new disciple trial wouldn’t be this simple. Sure enough, those walking with her became increasingly terrified as they went further down. This was likely the mind-disturbing effect of the illusory realm.
Some of them had already snapped out of it and were silently reciting the Qing Xin Zhou (Heart Cleansing Spell), and indeed, they felt much better immediately.
Chi Wanyin was unfazed by this. She continued to walk down as before, until she reached the last step of the stairs and pushed open a wooden door.
She saw the bloody scene on the ground and Song Qingtang’s face stained with her bl00d. “Junior Sister, why put yourself through this?” The low whisper and sigh were like a curse.
“Wake up.” This was the first sound that poured into Chi Wanyin’s ears. She opened her eyes and looked at the person in front of her.
It was presumably a fellow disciple participating in the trial. She was still standing in front of the wooden door, as if the previous scene was merely an illusion. Examining the person in front of her, she looked like a girl of a similar age, but quite a bit taller.
“You scared me. You suddenly fainted in front of this wooden door.” The girl patted her chest. “Since you’re awake, let’s go out together.”
Chi Wanyin frowned. She usually couldn’t easily accept kindness from others, but she still asked, “What is your name?”
“Xu Yunting,” the girl answered quickly and cleanly. “Since I told you, you should tell me your name too.”
Xu Yunting’s tone gave Chi Wanyin a strange sense of familiarity. “My name is Chi Wanyin.”
Xu Yunting pulled her up from the ground. “Then let’s go, Wanyin.”
Exiting the wooden door, the two found themselves in a hall. The other disciples who passed the trial were also gathered here. The four walls of the hall were completely sealed, with only an ink-wash screen placed in the center, on which a vividly drawn ink dragon coiled. Everyone was trapped for the moment.
Xu Yunting was also stumped. Remembering that Chi Wanyin was the first to reach the wooden door, she couldn’t help but ask, “Wanyin, do you have any ideas?”
Chi Wanyin didn’t reply. She walked straight to the screen and touched it with her hand. The scene instantly changed, and Chi Wanyin transformed into a figure on the screen as well, albeit one made of ink.
Once inside the painting, she used her hand as a brush to draw an ink sword and began to fight the ink dragon. With her initiating, everyone else followed suit, entering the painting one by one. At this point, perhaps only by defeating the ink dragon could they exit, so everyone worked together in unison.
“Very keen, indeed.” Ye Tinghe casually commented from the viewing platform. “But, is this year’s trial a bit too difficult?” In her memory, that ink dragon required at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator to defeat. It was too much for a group of disciples who hadn’t even started cultivating.
Lu Qiyue, who was always at odds with her, naturally had to retort. “This is good. It was boring to watch in previous years. If they can’t overcome even this small setback, how can they achieve the Great Dao?”
As the two spoke, the situation on the screen had changed. The ink dragon’s scales were extremely hard, rendering many attacks ineffective. However, Chi Wanyin, though she didn’t strike easily, consistently targeted the ink dragon’s vitals, seemingly quite at ease.
In the end, there was strength in numbers, and Chi Wanyin knew its weak points. The ink dragon quickly fell from the air, turning back into the landscape painting on the screen. Everyone left the screen and exited the hall.
Xu Yunting’s eyes were full of admiration. “Wanyin, you’re amazing.”
Chi Wanyin dusted off the marks from the battle on her clothes. “It’s just an entrance trial, it’s nothing.” Besides, this was the second time she had gone through it.
The two left the illusory realm together. Suddenly, Xu Yunting’s voice disappeared from her ears, indicating that they were likely teleported to different places.
But she spotted her Senior Sister right away. Chi Wanyin knew that her Senior Sister was different from others just by standing there, but she couldn’t articulate exactly how.
At this moment, a clear smile was on her lips. “Junior Sister, well done.”
Chi Wanyin couldn’t help but recall the past. Her Senior Sister was always generous with her praise, but unfortunately… So Chi Wanyin replied with a hint of pleasure, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”
Song Qingtang paused before saying, “Rest well. Come with me to see Master tomorrow.”
Chi Wanyin was not surprised. It was expected that Realist Huai Yu would want to see her.
Moreover, it was the same in the previous life: passing the trial and being summoned by the Sect Master. At that time, she had fantasized about her boundless immortal journey.
Now, her expression was calm. “I understand.” Having experienced it again, she could maintain a calm heart.
Drifting Cloud Peak, a mountain peak suspended in the air. At the very top was a small courtyard. Chi Wanyin was currently standing at the bottom of the peak, looking up.
An immortal crane by the spirit spring was enjoying the spirit fish it had caught today. Song Qingtang moved her finger slightly and summoned the largest crane, which had long feathers and a slender neck.
The crane saw Song Qingtang and affectionately rubbed the back of her hand. Song Qingtang took out a spirit stone from her storage pouch and explained to Chi Wanyin, “Master’s residence is at the peak. You don’t know how to fly with a sword yet, so this crane is just right to carry you up.”
The crane opened its mouth and swallowed the spirit stone, then allowed Chi Wanyin to sit securely on its back before spreading its wings and flying.
When they reached the peak, Chi Wanyin dismounted the crane and stroked its feathers before it flew away.
Looking at the small courtyard with its black bricks and dark tiles, it looked more like a mortal’s residence than an immortal’s dwelling.
A huge, towering pear tree was the first thing Chi Wanyin saw upon entering the courtyard.
The tree’s petals were falling heavily. When the wind blew, it was like a swirl of snow.
Realist Huai Yu stood with her hands clasped behind her back, watching the petals drift down, until Chi Wanyin approached. Only then did she speak, “I wish to take you as my disciple. Are you willing?”
Being taken as a disciple by the Sect Master should be something countless people yearned for, yet Realist Huai Yu’s tone was one of inquiry. Chi Wanyin vaguely remembered her past self, who would have been ecstatic and agreed instantly. But this time was different.
“What are the benefits of being your disciple?” Chi Wanyin asked seriously.
Realist Huai Yu looked at her. “I can teach you divination. This art can make a person infallible.”
Chi Wanyin shook her head. “Divination involves prying into the secrets of heaven and is performed by sacrificing one’s lifespan. The more detailed the divination, the easier it is to suffer backlash.”
Realist Huai Yu looked somewhat surprised. “Then what do you want to learn?”
“I want to learn swordsmanship and become a sword cultivator,” Chi Wanyin’s expression was firm.
Realist Huai Yu couldn’t help but shake her head. “Alas, it seems the art of divination will not be passed down. You are truly cut from the same cloth as your Senior Sister. She also told me the same thing back then.”
Chi Wanyin smiled, with a touch of the unique cunning of a young girl. “Even so, Realist Sect Master still wants to take me as your disciple?”
Realist Huai Yu nodded. Her white Daoist robe almost merged with the falling flowers. “Yes, perhaps this is the guidance of the Heavenly Dao.”
Chi Wanyin caught a falling petal. Heavenly Dao, is it…
When she walked out of the small courtyard, Chi Wanyin saw Song Qingtang still waiting outside, so she called out, “Senior Sister.”
Song Qingtang seemed unsurprised. She just asked, “How did it go?”
A shy smile hung on Chi Wanyin’s face. “Realist Sect Master has agreed to take me as her disciple.”
Upon hearing this, Song Qingtang’s lips curved slightly. “Junior Sister.”
Chi Wanyin naturally responded, but then heard her continue, “You should settle down these few days. Since Master is the Sect Master, the apprenticeship ceremony will naturally take a few days to prepare. Today, I’ll take you to familiarize yourself with the sect.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister,” Chi Wanyin said, her lips curved in a smile.
Song Qingtang looked at her thin frame. “We will be fellow disciples from now on, Junior Sister, don’t be so polite.”
With that said, Song Qingtang took Chi Wanyin to the dining hall first, perhaps remembering what she had said earlier.
Not many people came to the dining hall. After all, one could stop eating mortal food after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, and even those who hadn’t reached it would mostly take Grain-avoidance Pills.
Song Qingtang explained, “Junior Sister probably doesn’t like the taste of Grain-avoidance Pills. Besides, you’re at a growing age, and eating more will do you good.”
Chi Wanyin was silent for a moment before saying, “Senior Sister actually remembers what I said so clearly.”
Next, Song Qingtang took her to a few more places. Finally, the two returned to Drifting Cloud Peak. Song Qingtang pointed to a bamboo forest not far away. “Junior Sister will temporarily live there. There is a bamboo house there. I also lived there before I entered the Dao.”
Song Qingtang personally escorted Chi Wanyin to the bamboo house, feeling that she had been a rather competent Senior Sister.
However, the next day when Chi Wanyin came out of the bamboo house, she saw a female cultivator in a green robe leaning against an old bamboo tree. When the woman saw her come out, she asked with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, “You are Song Qingtang’s Junior Sister?”
Chi Wanyin frowned slightly. “How can this Senior Sister call the Eldest Senior Sister by her given name?”
The woman in green only smiled. “She only entered the sect a few days before me. Why can’t I call her by her given name?”
Chi Wanyin looked closely at the woman’s face. In the Yan Tian Sect before, she hadn’t paid attention to these things and was solely focused on cultivation, so she couldn’t recall the woman’s name.
“May I ask, Senior Sister, what brings you here this time?” Chi Wanyin asked directly. Since she wasn’t in front of Song Qingtang right now, she didn’t need to pretend.
The woman in green also spoke directly. “My surname is Liu. You can just call me Senior Sister Liu. As for why I’m here, it’s not a sudden intrusion. Song Qingtang couldn’t get away right now, so she asked me to take you on a tour of the sect.”
Chi Wanyin’s heart trembled. She had remembered who this person was. After all, when she escaped from the Yan Tian Sect, she almost died several times at the hands of this Senior Sister Liu Qianhe.
And all of this was because Liu Qianhe was close to Song Qingtang, and Chi Wanyin’s sword strike had almost killed her best friend.
At that time, Liu Qianhe had just returned from outside the sect. Seeing her close friend so severely injured, she was naturally furious and swore to hunt Chi Wanyin to the ends of the earth.
“Junior Sister.” Liu Qianhe waved her hand in front of her. Chi Wanyin regained her composure. “So it’s Senior Sister Liu. In that case, please lead the way, Senior Sister Liu.”
Liu Qianhe felt something very strange. This new Junior Sister’s gaze towards her was awkward. So she stopped, forcing Chi Wanyin to stop as well. “Junior Sister Wanyin, is something bothering you?”
Chi Wanyin looked at the gentle and harmless Senior Sister Liu in front of her. It was hard to connect this person with the Liu Qianhe who chased her and used silver needles and poison.
But she still pretended to hesitate. “Senior Sister Liu, is Senior Sister preparing for the apprenticeship ceremony?”
Liu Qianhe breathed a sigh of relief. So she was just worried about Song Qingtang. “That’s right. Don’t worry, your lineage only had Song Qingtang before. Since her seniority is high, yours will naturally rise with it. No one would dare to bully you.”
Chi Wanyin saw Liu Qianhe almost patting her chest to guarantee it, and couldn’t help but cover her lips with a smile.
Liu Qianhe was satisfied to see her smile. “That’s right. Why are you so tense, little one?”
For the next few days, Liu Qianhe accompanied Chi Wanyin. The two almost toured the entire Yan Tian Sect, and only then did the apprenticeship ceremony officially begin.
An ordinary elder taking a disciple wouldn’t require such a grand ceremony, but since Realist Huai Yu was the Sect Master of the Yan Tian Sect, these formalities were necessary.
Aside from the time spent with Liu Qianhe, Chi Wanyin also began attempting to draw spiritual energy into her body. However, she didn’t look at the cultivation method Liu Qianhe gave her at all. Since she already knew how to do it, she naturally didn’t need it.
When cultivating in a righteous sect, one needed to circulate the spiritual root to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, otherwise, there was a risk of spiritual energy stagnation. Demonic cultivators, however, didn’t adhere to these rules, which is why Chi Wanyin chose the demonic path after her spiritual root was removed in her previous life.
She hadn’t tested her spiritual root yet. According to her memory from the previous life, it should be on the day of the apprenticeship ceremony. However, she also knew the result: although it was decent, it couldn’t compare to Song Qingtang’s.
“How could the Sect Master take such a mediocre disciple?”
“Exactly. The Sect Master only took Eldest Senior Sister as a disciple before. This one she’s taking now is nothing special.”
Chi Wanyin still remembered those whispers from below the stage. It was from then on that she felt inferior to her Senior Sister in every way.
As for what happened later… why things turned out that way, she didn’t know. She only remembered the frustration in her heart, coupled with the fact that the Shi Shui sword chose her Senior Sister and not herself, which made her seem like a different person afterward.
On the day of the apprenticeship ceremony, to add to the festive atmosphere, Song Qingtang specially instructed an immortal attendant to send a set of red clothes to Chi Wanyin, which Chi Wanyin naturally changed into.
Looking at Chi Wanyin in the red dress, Song Qingtang felt that she seemed to have grown a little taller, and perhaps because she no longer had to go hungry in the Yan Tian Sect, her cheeks had also plumped up a bit.
Liu Qianhe naturally saw her outfit and shot Chi Wanyin a look that said, How about that? Isn’t your Senior Sister’s fashion sense pretty good?
This made Chi Wanyin unable to help but smile. Seeing the two of them like this, Song Qingtang knew they must have gotten along well.
“Let’s go. The ceremony should be starting soon,” Song Qingtang reminded them.
Chi Wanyin obediently said yes, and the three walked together to the plaza where the ceremony was held.
Due to the Sect Master Realist Huai Yu taking a disciple, the inner and outer disciples had completely surrounded the area.
Not long after the three arrived, they heard the cry of a crane. Realist Huai Yu and the four great elders were all present. The foremost seat naturally belonged to Realist Huai Yu, and the remaining four elders’ seats were arranged equally.
A stone tablet for testing spiritual roots was placed in the center of the area. Chi Wanyin stepped forward and lightly touched it with her hand. The stone tablet immediately displayed the words: Wood Spirit Root.
But following that were the words: Mid-Grade. It was already a great fortune for an ordinary mortal to have a spiritual root, even a Low-Grade one counted as having an immortal connection, and a Mid-Grade was considered decent aptitude in the Yan Tian Sect. However, it was not enough to be the true disciple of Realist Huai Yu.
After all, the Eldest Senior Sister had an High-Grade Ice Spirit Root when she entered the sect.
Chi Wanyin’s heart was very calm. Since she had already experienced this in her previous life, she naturally wouldn’t feel dejected over this small matter.
After the spiritual root test, the apprenticeship ceremony officially began. Chi Wanyin first bowed to Realist Huai Yu, and then, following mortal customs, offered the apprenticeship tea.
Realist Huai Yu naturally accepted it. Chi Wanyin heard her say, “Since you have entered my Yan Tian Sect today, you are a disciple of the Yan Tian Sect from now on. You must cultivate diligently and never stray into the wrong path.”
“This disciple will keep it in mind,” Chi Wanyin replied respectfully.
Ye Tinghe, who was seated beside them, transmitted a message to the four others with her spiritual consciousness. “I think this little girl is good. She’s neither servile nor overbearing, and she wasn’t discouraged just now even though her aptitude is only Mid-Grade. To have this kind of temperament at such a young age is rare.”
This time, Lu Qiyue surprisingly didn’t refute Ye Tinghe. “The path of cultivation does not only value aptitude; temperament is also a crucial part. It’s indeed good that she handles things with such composure at a young age.”
The remaining two elders, Ling Yuyang and Su Yin, did not transmit a message but seemed to tacitly agree.
Realist Huai Yu merely smiled slightly upon hearing their thoughts. “Seeing her makes me realize that perhaps we are truly getting old. It’s time this cultivation world had some fresh bl00d.”