Ch. 2
"Prodigy Comparison… system?"
Xuan Civilization's culture and technology tree is similar to Earth's, with many types of fantasy literature, some of which mention this "system".
It was just that Bai Ningxue hadn't expected such a fantastical creation to truly exist, and that one day, it would fall upon her.
"The Universe is vast and boundless. Even to this day, there are many mysteries yet to be explored. Perhaps this is also a form of manifestation of some unknown power..."
Thinking this, Xu Anyan quickly calmed down and took the initiative to ask:
"What functions do you have?"
[Host, This System is a Prodigy Comparison System. Its function is simple: every period of time, it will compare the strength between the host and the bound prodigy.]
[If the host's strength is greater than the bound party, you will receive a large amount of resource rewards.]
[If the host's strength is weaker than the bound party, the [Simp Trials] will be activated.]
[If the adventure challenge fails, all of the host's strength will be confiscated, you will be unable to continue to Cultivate, and the System will be unbound.]
[Note: You are not allowed to disclose any information about this System, otherwise it will be considered a failed adventure challenge.]
"Comparison function..."
"As long as my strength exceeds the other party during the assessment, I can receive a large amount of resource rewards?"
Bai Ningxue's heart stirred as she read the details. Rebirth of a lifetime, her experience and memories were her greatest reliance.
Cultivation techniques and battle skills, she lacked nothing; the only thing she lacked was Cultivation resources. Now with this system even the resources are covered!
With this System, her growth speed could be greatly improved.
As for the situation of failure—
Honestly, she hadn't even considered it. Because she would not lose.
Therefore, the function of this System was greatly simplified.
All she had to do was collect the System's resource rewards every time the comparison happens.
"Right. Since it is a Comparison System, then, do I choose the comparison target, or?"
[Host, the system will automatically register a prodigy in the prodigy list when they are in range!]
[The host can then choose the prodigy they want to compare to from the list.]
[Only after the bound prodigy has been defeated can the host choose a new prodigy from the prodigy list.]
[There are no current suitable prodigies within range.]
[First prodigy comparison— 310 days]
Bai Ningxue looked at the calendar, 310 days is exactly 10 days after the awakening ceremony.
She was not in a hurry. Her own talent would not awaken until she turned eighteen. Until then, all she could do was temper her body, hone her mind, and lay the strongest possible foundation for the path ahead.
As for the system's inability to detect any prodigies...
She was neither concerned nor surprised.
After all, the Xuan Civilization was only a newborn civilization.
It had undergone its Spiritual Awakening barely a thousand years ago. Compared to the ancient civilizations that had flourished for millions—or even billions—of years, its foundation was laughably shallow.
The truly terrifying prodigies did not remain within the confines of fledgling civilizations.
They emerged from the boundless starry sky.
From immortal Legacies that had stood since antiquity.
From supreme clans whose bloodlines had been tempered across countless epochs.
From ancient races whose descendants began cultivating before they had even drawn their first breath.
If the system intended to compare her against them...
A faint smile appeared on Bai Ningxue's lips.
"Then it seems… I'll have plenty to look forward to."
…
"Xue'er, come down and eat."
A gentle, melodious voice drifted up from downstairs.
It was warm and soothing, like a spring breeze brushing across a tranquil lake, carrying the quiet comfort of home.
To anyone else, it was simply the affectionate call of a loving mother.
Yet Bai Ningxue's pupils shook ever so slightly.
Her mother—Bai Qingluo.
She was as gentle as the spring breeze and as warm as the morning sun.
No matter how difficult life became, she always wore the same tender smile, as though nothing in the world could steal the kindness from her heart.
While she had always wondered about the father she had never met, Bai Ningxue's childhood had been filled with warmth. Bai Qingluo had devoted herself entirely to her daughter, doing everything she could to give her a happy and carefree life.
Yet...
The warmth in Bai Ningxue's eyes slowly dimmed.
In her previous life, after awakening her talent, she had left the Xuan Civilization after reaching her twenties to pursue the boundless Martial Dao among the stars.
The path of cultivation is boundless, the great dao is long and arduous. Time passes like flowing water, never to return.
When she finally returned to the Xuan Civilization after establishing her name in the starry sky, fifty years had already slipped away.
She had not been worried.
The path to immortality was not so narrow within the Xuan Civilization. As long as one possessed sufficient talent and diligence, reaching the Nascent Soul Realm was far from impossible. Cultivators at that realm enjoyed lifespans stretching for several thousand years.
Her mother had long since stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm.
At the time, Bai Ningxue had simply assumed that the terrifying talent she herself possessed had been inherited from her mother.
After all, cultivating from an ordinary mortal to the Nascent Soul Realm within the Xuan Civilization was no small feat.
She had often wondered just how monstrous Bai Qingluo's aptitude had been in her youth…
But when she returned she found only her mother's grave. Someone had killed Bai Qinglou 5 years after she left!
At first, Bai Ningxue believed it to be nothing more than a feud between cultivators.
She swore vengeance and began searching for the murderer.
Yet as her cultivation continued to rise and her horizons broadened, the truth became increasingly blurred.
Only much later, after entering the Inner Universe and following the scattered traces of her mother's past, did Bai Ningxue realize…
Her mother was never from Xuan city, nor the Xuan civilization, her background was incredibly deep. An unimaginably ancient background, one that reached far beyond the tiny civilization in which Bai Ningxue had been raised.
She even discovered fragments of information regarding the father she had never met.
But those clues were incomplete, as though someone had deliberately erased every trace of their existence.
Even after ascending to the Emperor Realm.
Even after becoming one of the Ten Zeniths, whose names shook the Myriad Realms...
Until the day she fell, Bai Ningxue never uncovered the truth about her parents...
Nor did she discover the identity of the force that had murdered her mother.
A sharp glint flashed across her amber eyes. In this life…
"Ningxue! Are you coming down, or should I come up there?" Bai Qingluo's voice rang out once more, carrying a hint of helplessness beneath its usual gentleness.
Bai Ningxue blinked, suddenly realizing how long she had been lost in thought.
The icy resolve in her eyes instantly melted away, replaced by a warmth she had not felt in centuries.
"I'm coming, Mom!"
She hurried toward the door, the corners of her lips unconsciously lifting into a faint smile.
This ordinary scene...
It was something she had once believed she would never experience again.