In the fourth year of her closed-door cultivation, Yun Xi began to feel restless. She decided it was time to come out.
She had already aligned her combat ability with her cultivation level. Through the use of Interstellar Body Refining Technique, her physical strength now rivaled that of a Golden Core cultivator, enough to bear the power of her formidable soul.
Thanks to this body refining technique, she hadn't stopped growing after forming her foundation. At present, Yun Xi stood at 1.72 meters tall—the same height she had been before transmigrating. She was quite pleased with this development.
Her cultivation had steadily climbed to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, approaching its peak. Yet no matter how she trained, she couldn't push past that bottleneck. Yun Xi suspected the issue lay in her lack of an ice-element cultivation technique. So, she decided to go out and take a look around.
The first thing she did after emerging from seclusion was to send out transmission talismans to inform her siblings of her whereabouts. She then replied to the messages from Qin Tongshuang, Long Daoyu, Mu Ningzhu, and others, leaving Sheng Yuhong's message for last.
Yun Xi curled her lip after reading Sheng Yuhong's transmission. After replying with a simple message, she adjusted her cultivation aura back down to the peak of mid-stage Foundation Establishment. She planned to head over to the Inner Sect Mission Hall, with the intention of making a trip back to Kunyu City.
However, before she could even leave the Inner Five Peaks, she was intercepted by Sheng Yuhong.
"Junior Sister Wei, you've come out of seclusion?"
Sheng Yuhong gave Yun Xi a quick once-over and immediately noticed her cultivation had advanced again. Her features had shed the softness of youth, now appearing even more refined and charming.
Yun Xi responded with a perfectly polite smile and cupped her fists in greeting. "Senior Brother Sheng, I have just emerged from seclusion. May I ask what urgent matter brings you here?"
Returning the salute, Sheng Yuhong got straight to the point. "Junior Sister Wei, please come with me to see the Sect Master."
Yun Xi raised a delicate brow, clearly surprised. "Senior Brother Sheng, have I committed some mistake? If so, please let me know in advance so I may be prepared."
Sheng Yuhong waved a hand. "You misunderstand. You've done nothing wrong. The Sect Master merely wishes to ask you about the demonic formation you helped break in Shuangshan City."
Yun Xi frowned slightly. She didn't see why her presence was necessary. It had been four years since that incident—surely every detail had already been investigated thoroughly. What more was there for her to add?
Sheng Yuhong didn't give her time to voice further doubts and urged her onward to see the Sect Master.
Though inwardly cursing him with every step, Yun Xi kept a calm expression as she followed Sheng Yuhong to Haoran Peak, where the Sect Master resided.
Yun Xi was brought to a side hall, where she met Yu Geng Zhēnjūn.
Upon seeing the Sect Master, dressed in a robe edged in violet and blue, Yun Xi bowed respectfully. "Inner Sect disciple Wei Yunxi greets the Sect Master."
Yu Geng Zhēnjūn lifted his hand gently, a soft spiritual force raising her to her feet. He smiled. "So you're Wei Yunxi."
"I am," she replied.
"Yuhong has praised you highly—says you're bold yet meticulous. You used your spirit beast's breakthrough to destroy a demonic formation and saved many cultivators in the process."
Yun Xi barely managed to keep her expression steady. The last thing she wanted was to be praised by Sheng Yuhong. She quickly cupped her hands and said, "Sect Master Zhēnjūn, those words are far too generous. I did not achieve it alone. City Lord Li's assault from outside the formation created an opening. I simply took that opportunity to trigger my spirit beast's advancement, which drew down the tribulation lightning."
"But you were brave enough to take the chance and act," Yu Geng Zhēnjūn said with approval.
Clearly satisfied, he smiled and asked, "Wei Yunxi, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
This truly startled Yun Xi. She looked up in astonishment, though her thoughts were in complete turmoil. Why could she never escape the fate of becoming Sheng Yuhong's junior sister?
Seeing her stunned silence, Yu Geng Zhēnjūn chuckled. "What's wrong? You're unwilling?"
Yun Xi adopted a look of flustered humility. "I'm just surprised. I have only a three-spirit-root aptitude. I never imagined I would be worthy of becoming the Sect Master's disciple."
"With your cultivation reaching the peak of mid-stage Foundation Establishment at only fifteen years of bone age, you are already a prodigy. Of course you're qualified."
Yun Xi began to feel anxious. She was racking her brain for a way to politely decline without offending the Sect Master. One thing was certain: she had no desire to become his disciple.
Sheng Yuhong, standing off to the side, grew a little impatient and interjected, "Junior Sister Wei, our master only has three disciples. Besides myself, there are two younger Junior Brother. If you join us, you would be the only Junior Sister."
The unspoken message was clear: as the sole junior sister, she would be the most doted upon.
Yun Xi shot him a look, inwardly cursing him to the heavens. Just then, a gust of cold wind swept through the hall. Snowflakes drifted down, and in the next instant, a figure dressed in white appeared before her.
The sudden arrival interrupted the Sect Master's attempt to take a disciple. Yu Geng Zhēnjūn looked at the cold, ethereal man before him and said with exasperation, "Senior Brother, why have you left Lingxue Peak? Weren't you preparing to break through to Divine Transformation?"
The man wore a snow-white robe embroidered with subtle patterns, flawless and untainted. Even his hair was silver, tied loosely with a wooden hairpin. Apart from a black bracelet on his wrist, he wore no other adornments. His striking features and aloof presence made everything else seem superfluous.
His voice was just as cold. He glanced at Yun Xi, then said, "I sensed the presence of my one destined disciple."
Yu Geng Zhēnjūn straightened, giving Yun Xi a quick glance before sending a voice transmission."You want this girl too?"
"Yes."
"Can't you pick someone else?"
"No. It has to be her."
"She's that one..."
"Yes and no. You'll understand in time."
Then Leng Ruohan swept his sleeve and whisked Yun Xi away, vanishing from Haoran Peak's side hall.
In the blink of an eye, Sheng Yuhong saw that Wei Yunxi was gone. His master looked thoughtful. Sheng Yuhong immediately bowed and asked, "Master, what just happened?"
Yu Geng Zhēnjūn sighed. "That girl didn't actually want to become my disciple, so your Martial Uncle Leng took her."
Sheng Yuhong's heart sank. He forced out, "How could this be? She clearly—"
Yu Geng Zhēnjūn waved him off. "Yuhong, perhaps the moment you didn't bring her to me four years ago, I already missed my best chance to take her as a disciple."
Still unwilling to give up, Sheng Yuhong protested, "Master, Martial Uncle Leng is about to attempt a breakthrough to Divine Transformation. How could he have time to teach a disciple?"
"No need for you to worry about that. You'll still have chances to interact with her."
Not wishing to explain further, Yu Geng Zhēnjūn dismissed his eldest disciple.
Though reluctant, Sheng Yuhong had no choice. He could only look toward Lingxue Peak, hoping for the chance to see Wei Yunxi again.
Leng Ruohan brought Yun Xi directly to the main hall atop Lingxue Peak. Once there, he released her and asked, "I am Leng Ruohan. I possess an ice-element single spiritual root and am the Peak Master of Lingxue Peak. My cultivation is at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Are you willing to take me as your master?"
Yun Xi immediately dropped to her knees and kowtowed, afraid this opportunity to avoid the Sect Master's tutelage might slip away. And honestly, just for Leng Zhēnjūn's face and ice spiritual root alone, she felt it was more than worth it.
"Master, please accept the bow of your disciple Wei Yunxi!"
"Rise."
Leng Ruohan waved his sleeve, and Yun Xi was lifted to her feet by an invisible force.
Her smile was sincere and bright—finally, she felt like luck was on her side again.