When Yun Xi heard those words, she immediately understood that the rift between Wei Nanfeng and Wei Chenyin ran deep—so deep that Wei Chenyin didn't even bother to maintain basic decorum in front of a junior like her, directly ridiculing the current Wei Clan Ancestor to her face.
Still, Yun Xi was more than happy to see it. After all, Wei Nanfeng had always sided with Yun Qing, so she chimed in without hesitation.
"Senior Sister Chenyin is right. When I formed my Golden Core, Ancestor Nanfeng didn't show the slightest hint of joy. But the moment Yun Qing falsely accused me of stealing from her, he came out of seclusion just to stop me from settling the score with her. I was really hurt for a while after that."
Wei Chenyin let out a cold snort.
"In his mind, talent is everything. But he seems to have forgotten that on the path of cultivation, talent alone isn't enough. Just look at him and me. He may appear to be doing well, but his cultivation hasn't progressed in years. Eventually, his only path will be sitting in meditation until death.
But I'm different. Even though I'm only an inner sect elder, I've found my own path. I will surpass him in the end."
Yun Xi knew Wei Chenyin wasn't just boasting. She was already on the verge of breaking through, and only needed the right opportunity to reach late-stage Golden Core.
"Senior Sister Chenyin is absolutely right. That's why my second uncle already hinted to me—he wants me to refine a longevity pill for the Ancestor."
Wei Chenyin sneered with undisguised disdain.
"Hmph, what a dreamer. Shouyuan Fruits are so rare, and now he wants to dip into the clan's resources just to secure benefits for himself."
"Probably. I only agreed on the surface. If they manage to find a Shouyuan Fruit, I'll make the pill for him, but I never promised it would be a success."
Yun Xi smiled lazily, clearly unbothered by the idea of taking advantage of the situation.
Wei Chenyin chuckled. She was beginning to find this junior quite amusing.
After venting about Wei Nanfeng, the two women grew closer and shifted the topic. This time, Wei Chenyin took the initiative.
"Yun Xi, even if Wei Nanfeng's character is lacking, he's still an old-school Golden Core cultivator. He has some connections. Now that he favors Yun Qing, I'm sure he'll pour those resources into her. You mustn't let your guard down."
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. Do you have any specific concerns? That way I can prepare in advance."
Wei Chenyin thought for a moment before answering.
"Someone from the Haoran Sect must be backing him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have walked away unscathed from that incident. They should've crippled his cultivation and expelled him from the sect."
Yun Xi's eyes flickered with curiosity. She had suspected something was off when her second uncle explained the situation. Still, now wasn't the time to dig into gossip, so she asked calmly,
"Do you have any guesses as to who's supporting the Ancestor?"
"I suspect it's Zuo Qiu Zhēnjūn from the Spirit Beast Peak. But I have no proof."
"I've never heard that name before."
"He's a Nascent Soul cultivator nearing the end of his lifespan. He hasn't been seen for a long time. Some say he's entered closed-door seclusion to await death. Others say he's left the sect to seek a breakthrough opportunity. Either way, I haven't seen him within the sect in nearly a hundred years."
"Understood."
"Just because I haven't seen him doesn't mean he hasn't returned. You still need to be cautious."
"Alright. I'll remember that."
Seeing that Yun Xi had taken her warning seriously, Wei Chenyin continued.
"After the sect tournament, the new secret realm in the Baohua Mountain Range should open. The minimum requirement to enter is Golden Core stage. Do you have any plans?"
When Yun Xi heard that the secret realm would soon open, she felt lucky she had already formed her Golden Core. Otherwise, she wouldn't even qualify to enter, let alone get a taste of the opportunities inside. She responded eagerly.
"I want to go explore it. Who knows, I might find a fortuitous chance that's meant for me!"
Wei Chenyin frowned.
"This time, it won't be just cultivators from the western region entering. The other four regions will also send disciples. The competition will be fierce. I'm afraid your current cultivation might not be enough."
Her words were true, but they still stung a little. Yun Xi rubbed her cheeks and said,
"Then I'll try to break through again before it opens."
Wei Chenyin's face darkened.
"This is exactly why I told you not to rush blindly into advancing your cultivation."
"Alright. I'll listen to Senior Sister."
From there, their conversation revolved around cultivation. An hour later, Yun Xi finally left the Law Peak.
When she returned to Lingxue Peak, good news came one after another. Most of the Wei Clan disciples had passed the preliminary round and made it to the second stage of the tournament. Wei Yunqing had also passed the chaotic first round without issue.
The next day was the second elimination round. Yun Xi brought Dian Dian and Fei Xia to watch the matches of Wei Zonghao and the others.
Only Wei Yunyin was eliminated in the second round. The rest advanced smoothly to the third. Gradually, the gap between the Wei Clan siblings began to widen.
When the Wei Clan disciples who made it through the second round gathered together, they found out that Yun Xi had already formed her Golden Core. Apart from Wei Zonghao, who remained calm, the rest stared at her with their mouths agape, as if it were something out of a fairy tale.
Wei Yunyin darted to Yun Xi's side faster than she'd moved in her entire life. She grabbed Yun Xi's hand and, with a flattering grin, said,
"Wei Zhēnrén, please let me bask in your light. May your blessings help me break through this time!"
The others didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But once they heard the story of how Yun Xi achieved Golden Core, they immediately gave up the idea of copying her path.
Wei Yunting praised her with wide eyes.
"Yun Xi, you're amazing. You actually withstood nine bolts of tribulation lightning. If you'd gone a bit further, you could've directly formed your Nascent Soul."
Yun Xi spread her hands helplessly.
"Sister Yun Ting, you're giving me too much credit. That was the mortal realm. The spiritual energy was so scarce it was practically nonexistent. I only managed to form my core because my master prepared plenty of spirit stones for me.
You wouldn't believe how many spirit stones I burned through. My storage pouch was completely empty on the way back. I even had to borrow spirit stones from disciples of Baihua Tower."
What she said was half-true, half-exaggerated. As long as it didn't provoke jealousy, that was good enough.
"Guess you just have good luck."
Wei Zonghao sighed.
"Can't argue with that."
Yun Xi chuckled, then pulled out a few storage pouches from her sleeve and handed one to each person.
"These are cultivation resources the clan asked me to bring you. There are also some items your families prepared privately. I added a few trinkets I picked up on my travels too. Hope you like them.
Remember to send word to your families that you received them. Once you do, I've fulfilled my mission as a messenger."
Everyone's spirits visibly lifted once they received the pouches. They all thanked Yun Xi and promised to attend her first-round match the next day.
While Yun Xi's side was all laughter and joy, Wei Yunqing stood in the distance, grinding her teeth so hard she nearly shattered them.
"Hmph. A bunch of bootlickers. So what if she formed her Golden Core? It's not a big deal. I'm about to form mine too."
With that, she turned around and returned to Dan Peak to tend to her Enlightenment Fruit.
When Yun Xi returned to Lingxue Peak, Dian Dian popped its head out once again. It looked around sneakily, then whispered,
"Master, Dian Dian found something good."
"What's so good that you have to sneak around to tell me?"
"I found it on Wei Yunqing."
Yun Xi raised a hand and activated a formation, then grabbed Dian Dian and asked,
"Besides the spatial aura, what else did you sense?"
Dian Dian wriggled and replied,
"I smelled the scent of fruit. It was too tempting for a mouse."
"Fruit?"
Yun Xi rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then said,
"Yun Qing is known for her skill in cultivation and planting. That's how she got into the inner sect's Dan Peak. Maybe she successfully cultivated a new high-grade spiritual plant?"
Wei Zonghao had mentioned something similar before. Even Dan Yang Zhēnrén had bought a third-tier spiritual plant from Wei Yunqing.
Dian Dian twitched its nose and said,
"Probably. If only I could see that plant with my own eyes..."