The Villain Fox's Sickly Beauty Master - Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Naturally, It’s Me
In the past thousand years, the Canglan Immortal Sect has produced truly few disciples with a single Spiritual Root. Out of the three thousand inner-sect disciples, there are barely a hundred with a single Spiritual Root. Furthermore, Spiritual Root Purity is divided into fifteen levels; the higher the level, the faster the person can absorb pure spiritual energy from the heavens and earth. A purity of Level 12 is a rarity throughout the entire continent.
As for mutated Spiritual Roots, these are special roots evolved from a single Spiritual Root, often proving more formidable than ordinary single Spiritual Roots.
The Elder from the Law Enforcement Hall, who had just announced the result from the Spiritual Root Testing Platform, subconsciously glanced at Jiang Jinheng, who had been observing the platform’s activity.
Such a highly-gifted person, now only one remained in the sect—her.
The founding Patriarch found her in the Arctic Ice Fields. Upon returning to the sect and testing her spiritual root, it was a Level 14 mutated Ice Spiritual Root.
When the Patriarch learned this news, her mouth was stretched wide in a smile, and she only wished to cultivate Jiang Jinheng as her successor.
Unfortunately, Immortal Venerable Luanqiu was frail and had a temperament that disliked handling affairs, so the matter was eventually dropped.
Fu Yi’s Spiritual Root test result caused an uproar among the masses. Even the Peak Masters sitting composedly on the high seats showed various expressions and, after a brief silence, began to argue.
The first to speak was Cang Yu, the Peak Master of Xiujin Peak, the sect’s main artifact-forging peak. He was twice as wide as anyone else there, with a muscular build. His armor clattered with every movement. The armaments on his waist, sleeves, and even the hairpin in his hair were regarded as rare magic treasures by those who knew their worth. He pointed at the center of the platform, his tone filled with a sense of certainty.
“A Fire-mutated Thunder Spiritual Root disciple! Truly the daughter of Martial Aunt Queyun, ha ha ha ha, this girl is most suitable for our Xiujin Peak!”
“Not so, not so.”
No sooner had he finished his sentence than an elderly man of an immortal and scholarly appearance, standing on the other side, gently stroked his long, straight white beard and calmly refuted him.
“You artifact-forgers all emphasize the element of Metal in destiny, but this girl has a pure Fire Spiritual Root mutated with Thunder Spiritual Root. My Pill Peak is the one that truly needs such talent.”
“Martial Uncle Danyi makes a good point, but likewise, I heard that a cultivator without a Wood Spiritual Root is not well-suited for pill refinement. Furthermore, a cultivator with such talent should focus more on her own strength. Xiujin Peak has plenty of spiritual artifacts, and Pill Peak has plenty of elixirs. We are all one sect; why distinguish between ‘yours’ and ‘mine’? Today, you can both send all the best spiritual artifacts and elixirs to my Tianhuo Peak. I believe this young lady is best suited to come to my Tianhuo Peak to learn swordsmanship.”
The speaker was Yuan Yi, the Peak Master of Tianhuo Peak. She wore a dark-colored robe but held a fan in her hand. She was delicately featured, and with her hair tied up, she looked, at first glance, like a handsome young man, yet she was a woman. Even when speaking with a smiling expression, she could not conceal the aura of lethality that surrounded her.
After all, many people had witnessed her wielding her divine weapon on the battlefield of immortals and demons, fighting a thousand foes alone. If one had to describe her, she was a living God of Slaughter.
Despite this, none of the people present were pushovers. They instantly began to argue, trading barbs, either casting aspersions on the other or having one cast upon themselves. The argument quickly reverted to the old conflicts between the Peaks, becoming utterly irreconcilable.
Several groups of people below, participating in the spiritual root test, had come and gone, yet these people were still loud and aggressive, giving Jiang Jinheng a headache. She couldn’t help but finally snap, “Stop making a ruckus, all of you.”
Although she was young, her seniority was high, her talent was exceptional, and she was the previous Sect Master’s most beloved personal disciple. Since Xuan Mingzi was not present for this Spiritual Root Testing ceremony, she had the most authority among the remaining individuals.
As soon as Jiang Jinheng spoke, the arguing immediately stopped. However, the silence lasted only a moment before Yuan Yi shifted over to her side, grabbing her cyan sleeve with both hands. The fan was now tucked into her waist. She spoke in an almost pleading tone: “Little Martial Aunt, you be the judge. Tell me, can you bear to let such a pretty girl follow Martial Uncle Danyi and risk burning her eyebrows next to a pill furnace?”
The moment Yuan Yi said this, the formerly kind old man immediately puffed out his beard and glared. If Jiang Jinheng hadn’t been standing beside her, the two would have started fighting again.
Seeing that her tactic worked, Yuan Yi immediately turned her attention to Cang Yu, who was standing on the other side.
“And, if she follows Senior Brother Cang Yu to Xiujin Peak, she’ll spend every day dealing with rocks, profound iron, and materials with names you can’t even pronounce. Besides being covered in dirt all day, wouldn’t it be terribly dull?”
Hearing this, Cang Yu clenched his fists in anger. If Danyi hadn’t held him back, he might have dragged Yuan Yi into a fight.
“We forge artifacts at Xiujin Peak, we don’t dig for coal, you sword cultivator! Who are you insulting!”
Hearing his protest, Yuan Yi muttered under her breath: “Isn’t it all the same?”
When she finished speaking, Danyi could barely restrain Cang Yu. Yuan Yi was quick, however, and swiftly hid behind Jiang Jinheng, making it impossible for Cang Yu to reach her.
“Little Martial Aunt, she insults me like this, and you still protect her?”
Cang Yu, who was one and a half times the size of an average man, stood before Jiang Jinheng, his arms veined with anger. Jiang Jinheng looked back at Yuan Yi, who was sticking her tongue out to provoke Cang Yu a moment ago. The next second, when Jiang Jinheng turned her head back, Yuan Yi looked like a dog with its ears drooping, feigning pitifulness.
This little trick, of course, couldn’t fool Jiang Jinheng, but she merely chuckled lightly and pushed Cang Yu aside with one hand. It seemed effortless, but it made him stagger two steps.
“Don’t block my view.” Then, she added, “Besides, I think what she said is quite true.”
As soon as Jiang Jinheng’s words fell, the faces of the two who had been “slandered” darkened several degrees. Yuan Yi, standing behind her, smiled triumphantly and clung tightly to her arm.
“I knew Little Martial Aunt cares for me the most.”
The other two were instantly annoyed to see this, but in the next second, Jiang Jinheng helped them vent their anger.
“However, I think letting her follow you, with all the hacking and killing every day, doesn’t seem right either.”
This time, Yuan Yi’s eyes widened. The other two also let out a cold snort. What Jiang Jinheng said seemed to reflect their true feelings.
“Then… who else is more suitable than me…”
Before Yuan Yi could finish her sentence, Jiang Jinheng interrupted her, sealing her mouth with a Rest Symbol.
“Naturally, it’s me.”
Yuan Yi’s eyes grew wider, but she couldn’t speak due to the effect of the Rest Symbol and could only gesticulate wildly, so anxious that tears were about to come out. Yet, Jiang Jinheng understood exactly what she meant.
“What? Can’t your Little Martial Aunt take a disciple? Furthermore, which is it that I can’t do—refining pills, forging artifacts, practicing swordsmanship, or drawing talismans?”
Jiang Jinheng’s words were completely true. Although she possessed an Ice Spiritual Root, she encountered a legacy in the Divine Wind Secret Realm in the Arctic region years ago and obtained the thousand-year-vanished Ghost Fire, the Cold Star Flame. This strange flame was bitterly cold upon approach but hotter than ordinary fire upon contact. If used against people, it could even silently infiltrate the meridians, causing a bone-eating, heart-burning pain that only stopped when the body and soul were utterly destroyed.
To control the Cold Star Flame, one first had to endure this pain. When Jiang Jinheng subdued the Cold Star Flame back then, no one was there to protect her, and she was scolded by the Patriarch for a long time after returning to the sect. Fortunately, this flame was best suited for Ice Spiritual Root cultivators and could constantly temper the body, greatly benefiting the frail Jiang Jinheng. For both alchemists and artifact-forgers, the stability and temperature of the flame are key to preventing the furnace from exploding and controlling the impurity level of the spiritual artifact. A spiritual flame can control these factors much better than an ordinary pill fire, and the Cold Star Flame has a significant advantage in controlling the latter compared to other spiritual flames. It was for this reason that Jiang Jinheng also mastered artifact-forging and pill refinement. For a period, she even stayed in the pill room every day, ignoring her main focus, music cultivation.
Due to this, if the opponent was her, the other two had no intention of arguing any further. But Yuan Yi’s eyes clearly became brighter, and her emotions grew more agitated. Jiang Jinheng hadn’t expected the fussiness of this martial niece to be comparable to 007. Even with her mouth sealed, her body language was so rich. Helplessly, Jiang Jinheng had no choice but to remove the spell from her. As soon as she was able to speak, the girl’s eyes were twinkling as she looked between the hall in front and Jiang Jinheng, acting as if she had uncovered some shocking news.
“Little Martial Aunt, you are actually taking a disciple! I thought your Xuan Yun Palace wouldn’t see a second person ascend to it until you ascended to the upper realm.”
Unlike Yuan Yi, Danyi on the side looked somewhat strange: “But I heard from the Sect Master that you mentioned you would only take one disciple this time, and you said you would only take the surviving boy from the Mo family, regardless of his spiritual roots.”
Danyi’s words made Jiang Jinheng briefly unsure how to respond, but since the words were already out, and she had no intention of taking Mo Tong as a disciple, it was better to clarify the situation.
“Senior Brother Danyi, regarding that, I believe you misheard.” Jiang Jinheng felt her brain was about to smoke from trying to figure out what to say next, as she couldn’t remember her original words. But at this moment, the familiar voice of 007 sounded in her Sea of Consciousness again.
It seemed that because of their binding relationship, the system could perceive her thoughts and reported her exact words at the time. She didn’t have time to thank it and quickly responded to Danyi.
“I did mention to the Sect Master my intention to take a disciple, but it was only because I divined that one of the disciples this session had a deep destiny with me. I did not specify that person was Mo Tong.”
Seeing Danyi about to ask further questions, Jiang Jinheng quickly interjected: “Perhaps I mentioned the Mo family’s demise and requested the Sect Master to ensure Mo Tong be accepted as an inner-sect disciple no matter what, causing the Sect Master to misunderstand my meaning. I will explain it to him carefully when we meet later.”
Since Jiang Jinheng had spoken in this manner, it was inappropriate for others to press the matter. However, Cang Yu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: “Little Martial Aunt, since you are already planning to take a disciple, one or two makes little difference. Why not take him under your wing as well? It would offer some solace to Martial Uncle Mo in the afterlife.”
The Martial Uncle Mo he referred to was the previous Peak Master of Xiujin Peak and the former head of the Mo family, who died fifteen years ago in the great war between immortals and demons. However, hearing him say this now, Jiang Jinheng felt surprised. After all, what significant connection did a major family patriarch have with a relatively minor, unvalued family member, to bring it up now for the sake of sentiment?
“Perhaps it’s due to the halo. I only said the halo wouldn’t affect you, not that it wouldn’t affect those who haven’t awakened.”
Jiang Jinheng seemed to understand. But just as she was about to refuse, Yuan Yi, who had been clinging to her side, suddenly stepped forward and blocked her.
“Hey, big guy, what do you mean by ‘one or two makes little difference’? Little Martial Aunt said she only wants to take one disciple, and that means she only wants one. If you want to take disciples, take them yourself! Don’t tire out my Little Martial Aunt!”