"Later, if anything strange happens, just say it was me…"
Given Song Wanníng's temperament, unless the treasure was truly invaluable, she would never delay her closed-door cultivation just to wait for someone to return.
"Alright, Junior Sister, don't worry."
The three of them nodded earnestly in agreement.
Still… just from cultivation, could there really be such a big commotion?
…
Blood pooled endlessly, submerging Song Wanníng's entire dantian. Suddenly, the crimson liquid surged into her meridians like a flood.
"Pff—"
The instant it struck, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Pain tore through her body as if her muscles were being ripped out and her skin flayed open.
"Ah—"
Her low cry escaped before she could stop it. She toppled sideways, unable to maintain her seated meditation posture. Yet the tide of blood did not stop. It rushed into every acupoint in her body. Soon, blood began seeping from her pores, running across her skin in rivulets and flowing rapidly outward.
In moments, the ground around her was soaked through. She lay in a pool of scarlet, her entire body submerged.
Anyone who walked in would be stunned by the sight.
Inside her sea of consciousness, Long Ling and Shenyou Mystic Flame were both alarmed. But they knew their master—if she endured, she would grasp a great new opportunity.
So neither dared interrupt. They flew out from her sea of consciousness and hovered nearby, quietly guarding her.
Time crawled by. Song Wanníng endured the searing pain, letting the blood water scour her body. She had realized something—it was changing her very constitution.
With such a rare chance before her, she could not allow a single mistake. She held herself perfectly still, every muscle tense. Even as veins bulged across her skin, she refused to give in.
…
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, yet there was still no sign of Song Wanníng at the battle stage.
"Is Senior Sister Song not going to challenge anyone?"
"What a pity. I love watching her draw her sword—it's incredible."
"Maybe it's because the Lingxi Secret Realm is about to open. Senior Sister Song is conserving her energy. The more she reveals now, the more dangerous it will be inside."
"So that's why…"
The disciples nodded, chatting as they dispersed. If Song Wanníng wasn't coming, there was no point in them staying either.
In the crowd, Jiang Cen's expression was dark. Hearing everyone speak of "Senior Sister Song" with such admiration only made her mood worse.
Song Wanníng was just a recent ascender—what right did she have to surpass her?
She, Jiang Cen, had such a noble status, yet people still spoke ill of her behind her back…
Even the so-called prodigies looked down on her. Her lips pressed into a thin line as ambition flared in her eyes. After this secret realm expedition, all of them would become her stepping stones. They would look at her with awe. The ones who ignored her yesterday… tomorrow they wouldn't dare approach her.
Filled with fighting spirit, Jiang Cen strode forward—only to halt halfway as the sky changed. Clouds gathered and the air grew heavy with impending storm. She looked up in surprise. Through the sect's great protective array, she saw sunlight vanish behind rolling clouds. A violent wind screamed overhead.
Following the clouds' movement, she saw where they converged—Zhuiyun Peak.
"Zhuiyun Peak?"
Her brows drew together sharply. She leapt into the air, heading straight toward it.
At the same time, many other cultivators within the sect noticed the anomaly. Their faces changed, and they too rushed toward Zhuiyun Peak.
On the peak, Song Wanníng—the cause of it all—remained unaware of the disturbance outside. She was focused solely on enduring. In the courtyard, however, her companions were frantic.
"This is bad. With such a clear phenomenon, everyone will notice!"
"Junior Sister, stay inside the courtyard no matter what. We'll go cover for you."
They had thought nothing serious would happen, but the vision above was too intense. Their young martial nephew had certainly given them a shocking surprise.
"Alright, thank you, Senior Brothers and Sister."
Leng Qingzhu nodded. As an Out-of-Body cultivator, anyone who wanted to interfere would have to think twice.
But as for Wanníng…
She glanced back, pride and admiration stirring in her chest.
"Second Senior Brother, our martial nephew is no ordinary person."
Feng Xue stared at the sheets of rain battering the protective array, his brow twitching.
The black clouds above looked more like a tribulation than a simple vision.
"Indeed. Anyone who joins Zhuiyun Peak is never an average talent. Hahaha…"
Qin Ming laughed heartily. The more gifted their people were, the happier he felt.
But their smiles soon faded.
In mere moments, cultivators from all directions had gathered. Most were Out-of-Body experts, and even the sect master himself had been alerted. Before they could speak, several elders in the Divine Soul stage arrived.
"Qin Ming, what has happened here?"
The sect master strode forward, his gaze flickering darkly.
"Could it be that Martial Uncle Song is advancing in cultivation?"
With Song Jue in seclusion, such a phenomenon could very well be his doing.
At those words, the other cultivators' eyes gleamed. If Song Jue advanced, he would be the highest-ranked among the grand elders.
Sensing the tense air, Qin Ming quickly replied, "My master has not emerged from seclusion. This was caused by my junior sister—perhaps she gained some insight in cultivation."
Jiang Cen had just arrived and overheard him. Relief washed through her. So it was Leng Qingzhu. Fortunately, it wasn't Song Wanníng. She slowed, casually standing to the side.
"Oh? So it was Junior Sister Leng?"
The sect master's gaze shifted slightly. For her to return from the secret realm and stir such a commotion… she must have gained something great there.
He smiled faintly. "I see."
The rain intensified, drumming against the sky as though trying to punch holes through it.
The crowd on Zhuiyun Peak showed no sign of leaving. Everyone wanted to see the vision for themselves. After all, for heaven and earth to respond like this, it was never the work of an ordinary person.
…
Three days passed.
By now, Song Wanníng no longer felt any pain. Instead, a deep sense of lightness suffused her very soul. It was an intoxicating sensation, one that could easily make her lose herself.
She snapped back to her senses and pulled away from it, only then realizing the tremendous changes in her body. Her insides glowed crimson, energy flowing in perfect order.
Her meridians had widened, and even her bones had changed color. Once pure white, they now gleamed a translucent red with a faint sheen of light. The aura they exuded was astonishing.
In her dantian, the crimson energy pressed inward toward the Taiji diagram. The black and white yin-yang began to shift, first turning to a murky gray, then quickly staining red. Her brow furrowed as she tried to exert control.
Through sheer will, she soon reshaped the diagram—
Black, white, gray, and red, the four colors evenly distributed into a perfect circle.
In that instant, the vision above changed abruptly.