Leng Ruohan tossed a jade bracelet to Yun Xi and said,
"This is your formal disciple gift. Inside the storage bracelet are resources suited for your cultivation. Choose a spot on Lingxue Peak and build your own residence. Then take my Peak Master token and register for a new identity jade plaque."
"Yes, Master!"
Yun Xi responded without hesitation.
Leng Ruohan slid a white jade token across to her, continuing calmly,
"Once your new identity plaque is processed and your residence is settled, come to the main hall at the peak tomorrow to see me."
"Understood, Master."
Having given all necessary instructions, Leng Ruohan waved his sleeve and sent Yun Xi out of the main hall at the peak.
Gripping the Peak Master's token in her hand, Yun Xi grinned from ear to ear. Without wasting a moment, she dashed toward the Inner Sect's Disciple Hall. Her status as Leng Zhēnjūn's personal disciple had to be officially confirmed—this was the key to escaping her miserable fate.
On the road down from Lingxue Peak, Yun Xi noticed that there were few cultivators around. The mountain was covered in snow year-round, and it felt rather desolate.
She moved confidently through the familiar paths, entered the Disciple Hall, and found the disciple on duty. She handed over the Peak Master token and explained her purpose.
The on-duty disciple was clearly stunned by her request. After asking her to wait for a moment, he hurried off to find the Inner Sect steward. Processing the identity jade plaque for a personal disciple required a Golden Core elder.
Han Zhēnrén appeared in a flash after hearing the report. With a warm smile, he greeted her,
"Please give me the Peak Master token and your current identity jade plaque. I'll handle the procedure personally."
"Yes, Elder."
Yun Xi could tell at a glance that this was a Golden Core elder. She promptly handed over both items.
After receiving them, Han Zhēnrén tapped on the Peak Master token and immediately saw Leng Zhēnjūn's message. His expression remained friendly as he quickly processed a new identity plaque for Yun Xi. This time, the jade plaque was made of white jade, resembling the Peak Master's token in both color and texture.
When he returned the Peak Master token and the new identity plaque, Han Zhēnrén also handed her a storage pouch and said with courteous warmth,
"Junior Sister Wei, this contains your new robes as a personal disciple, along with cultivation resources for the coming year. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time."
Yun Xi accepted the items with a smile. The two exchanged communication jade slips before she turned and left.
After she was gone, the inner sect disciples in the hall finally began whispering among themselves.
"Who was that just now? Which Zhēnjūn did she apprentice under? I've never heard of her."
"She looked unfamiliar, but her cultivation's already at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Strange that we don't know her."
"Maybe she just came out of a long secluded cultivation?"
Naturally, someone with a curious streak went to ask the on-duty disciple.
The disciple didn't see a need to keep it secret and simply said,
"That young Martial Uncle just now has apprenticed under Peak Master Leng. She's been in the Inner Sect for four years. Her name is Wei Yunxi. It's my first time seeing her too."
Someone immediately muttered,
"Wei Yunxi… that name sounds familiar."
"Isn't she somehow related to what happened in Shuangshan City?"
"You mean the city where that evil array appeared?"
"Yeah. I heard City Lord Li stepped down to cover for his son. No one's seen him since."
"You think it was revenge?"
"Hard to say."
Though the topic started drifting, the news of Wei Yunxi becoming Leng Zhēnjūn's personal disciple was slowly spreading throughout the sect.
Elsewhere, Sheng Yuhong, sulking in silence, unknowingly wandered up the slopes of the Inner Sect's Dan Peak. The Peak Master of Dan Peak was his master's biological brother, so he called Yuhuo Zhēnjūn 'Uncle.'
In fact, while the Sect Master was often occupied with sect affairs, it was Yuhuo Zhēnjūn who usually guided Sheng Yuhong's cultivation. He was practically a half-master to him.
As Sheng Yuhong reached halfway up Dan Peak, he was intercepted by Wei Yunqing, who had heard the news and rushed over.
Four years of cultivation had transformed Wei Yunqing into a graceful young maiden. Her features were nearly identical to her mother, Du Ruolan, though she still carried the youthful innocence of her age, unlike her mother's mature allure.
The moment she spotted Sheng Yuhong, Wei Yunqing beamed and called out,
"Senior Brother, what brings you to Dan Peak today? Are you in need of some pills? I've just finished cultivating a third-rank spiritual plant. Soon I'll be able to refine Golden Core Pills!"
Sheng Yuhong smiled and praised her,
"Junior Sister Wei, your skills in nurturing spirit plants keep improving. Congratulations."
Flushed with delight at her crush's compliment, Wei Yunqing smiled shyly, cheeks tinted red.
"You flatter me, Senior Brother. That's the only thing I'm good at. Without it, I wouldn't have even made it as Master's registered disciple."
During the four years while Wei Yunxi was in seclusion, Wei Yunqing hadn't been idle either. With the help of Foundation Establishment Pills, she successfully advanced and joined the Inner Sect, entering Dan Peak alongside Ye Shaotian.
With her dual spiritual roots, Wei Yunqing pushed hard to become a disciple under the Dan Peak Master himself. She didn't even consider the other elders, believing herself worthy of apprenticing under a Zhēnjūn.
But without Wei Yunxi's 'treasure boy' presence, she had no access to the Feng family's alchemy methods. Lacking that foundation, her qualifications as a disciple were diminished.
On top of that, influenced by Ye Shaotian, Wei Yunqing shifted her focus to cultivating spiritual plants. So after entering Dan Peak, instead of rushing into alchemy tests to become a pill apprentice, she nurtured three third-rank plants and made a name for herself before the Peak Master.
Only then did she begin learning alchemy, leveraging her identity as Wei Yunxi's younger cousin to form a connection with Sheng Yuhong. Eventually, she became a registered disciple of Yuhuo Zhēnjūn.
Everything was progressing just as Wei Yunqing had hoped. In fact, she was already looking forward to meeting Wei Yunxi again, intending to use her registered disciple status to make things difficult for her.
Of course, Wei Yunqing would never reveal these thoughts to anyone.
After some small talk, Sheng Yuhong finally found the right moment and said,
"Junior Sister Wei, have you heard that Wei Yunxi has taken a master?"
Wei Yunqing blinked in surprise and frowned.
"She came out of seclusion? Why didn't she contact me? When did she take a master? I didn't hear anything. Is she avoiding me?"
As she spoke, her eyes began to redden.
Sheng Yuhong instinctively frowned and replied,
"She was accepted by Peak Master Leng this morning. I'm guessing she didn't have time to inform anyone yet. Martial Uncle has always disliked fanfare and prefers to keep things quiet, even when accepting disciples."
Wei Yunqing heard every word clearly, but putting them together made her mind refuse to understand.
Her face twitched for a moment, but she quickly caught herself. With Sheng Yuhong still in front of her, she forced a look of surprise and joy.
"Senior Brother, is that true? My cousin is so lucky to be accepted by a Nascent Soul Zhēnjūn. I'll send the news to everyone right away. This is something that must be shared."
"I thought I'd be the first to take a master. Guess my cousin beat me to it. How silly of me."
Her voice carried a touch of regret.
She quickly collected herself, took out a message talisman from her storage pouch, and prepared to notify the rest of the Wei family about Wei Yunxi's new status.
Just then, a message talisman flew toward her and landed in front of her.
Wei Yunqing tapped it lightly, and Yun Xi's voice came through:
"Wei Yunqing, I've become the personal disciple of the Peak Master of Lingxue Peak. Once I finish handling some affairs, I'll invite you to visit. Make sure you don't leave the sect anytime soon."
===
New novel on work "Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log". You can find it on my webnovel profile.
Lan Jin thought she knew how the apocalypse would end—struggling to survive for two long years, only to be betrayed and murdered by her cheating ex-husband and his mistress. But fate gives her a second chance. Reborn three months before the world collapses, she's armed with a space ability, a burning desire for revenge, and one unwavering goal: protect her child at all costs.
This time, she won't be naive. Armed with a space that keeps her supplies fresh and a burning desire to never be a victim again, she's ready. She's stockpiling food, securing shelter, and building a small but loyal team—including a tough-as-nails gym instructor, teenager who should be in college but ditched it for a gap year, a no-nonsense trainer with her elderly grandmother, and, of course, a very good dog.
But the apocalypse isn't just about surviving disasters. Earth itself seems determined to wipe humanity out in the cruelest, most unpredictable ways. And when the final catastrophe hits? No one could have seen it coming.