Below the stage, infatuated male disciples were already shouting: “Senior Sister Meng Ying, look here! Look here!”

The white-robed young woman turned her head, revealing her countenance.

Instantly, the new disciples around who had never seen the world all had their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Zanxing also sighed in admiration in her heart—how beautiful!

Unlike Liu Yunxin’s delicate, gentle beauty that evoked pity, Meng Ying’s beauty was indeed as described in the original work—a kind of beauty that could be admired from afar but not profaned. Between her brows, like the woman beside her, was dotted a grain of cinnabar, yet she was not as rigid and dignified as the woman beside her. With her peach-blossom jade face and immortal bearing, standing there like the Divine Maiden of Mount Wu, one truly didn’t know what words to use to describe her.

However, she was not merely beautiful, for at her waist hung a long black sword. The sword abruptly shattered the ethereal air about her, yet added several points of murderous aura to this beauty.

Zanxing thought, yes, yes, this was Meng Ying.

In the original work, Meng Ying was the pride of heaven of the Taiyan Sect, raised as the future sect leader. Who would have known that the male protagonist Mu Cengxiao would shine brilliantly in the sect assessment, attracting the attention of various elders and senior uncles. Later, he was even personally praised by the sect leader. Meng Ying felt disdainful in her heart, thinking that Mu Cengxiao had merely had good luck. It wasn’t until later, when she ventured into a secret realm with Mu Cengxiao and was saved by him in that realm, that she gradually changed her opinion of him. Combined with later incidents where other sects repeatedly provoked the Taiyan Sect and Mu Cengxiao represented the sect in delivering satisfying and resounding face-slaps, she went from initial disdain to later changed opinion, then to secret admiration in her heart, and was finally taken into the harem by Mu Cengxiao.

The emotional storyline between Meng Ying and Mu Cengxiao was already considered quite complete in the original work compared to his other wives. Even so, Zanxing still found it painful to watch. Especially now, seeing how beautiful Meng Ying was, she felt even more regretful in her heart—such a fairy-like woman had one-eighth of a romance, truly outrageous to both gods and mortals.

Calculating the time, it shouldn’t be long before the male protagonist Mu Cengxiao would officially catch Meng Ying’s attention. After this inner sect assessment, when Mu Cengxiao amazed everyone and dazzled their eyes, Meng Ying would begin to embark on the first stop of their “ice-melting journey” with him.

However… Zanxing looked at the red mark on her palm, pondering deeply. The plot line had already begun to spiral into chaos—would Mu Cengxiao still shine brilliantly in this inner sect assessment?

“Zanxing Junior Sister!” A loud greeting rang out beside her ear. The next moment, Tian Fangfang’s arm was draped over Zanxing’s shoulder as she smiled familiarly: “So you’re here… Wow! Who is this fairy sister? Stunning!”

Zanxing’s shoulder ached from her pat. She had just moved her arm away when she looked up and met Meng Ying’s gaze, looking over.

Whether it was Zanxing’s imagination or not, she always felt that gaze carried several points of scrutiny. However, very quickly, she shifted her gaze away, said something to the older woman beside her, and the two left together.

All the new disciples watched them depart. Tian Fangfang asked the senior brothers nearby: “Hey, brothers, who were those two just now?”

“That’s Senior Uncle Yueqin and her disciple, Senior Sister Meng Ying.” That little disciple’s face was red, speaking with a face full of longing: “Senior Sister Meng Ying is a fairy, right? Even fairies probably aren’t as beautiful as her. Did you see? She seemed to glance at me just now…”

“Nonsense! She was looking at me!”

“Was she looking at you? She was glaring at you!”

Zanxing: “…”

She didn’t say anything, but always felt that Meng Ying’s final gaze made her somewhat concerned.

…

On the other side, Meng Ying followed Yueqin beside her toward the Frost Moon Hall.

The white-robed young woman spoke in a light voice: “Master, I just saw Yang Zanxing.”

Yueqin paused and asked: “You mean the female disciple who found the ‘Qing E Nian Hua Gun’?”

Meng Ying nodded, then looked toward the distance again, her voice ethereal: “After all these years, I’ve been to the martial arts hall many times, but I’ve never found that ‘Qing E Nian Hua Gun’.”

“Ying’er,” Yueqin stopped in her tracks, looking at the young woman beside her with disapproval: “You cultivate sword techniques. Even if you found the ‘Qing E Nian Hua Gun’, it would be different from your cultivation method. Now that you’ve broken through to the Yuan Ying stage, why are you still obsessed with this?”

Meng Ying was silent for a moment. After a while, she slowly spoke: “Master, the sect leader once told me that the future of the Taiyan Sect would be handed over to me, and I must work hard.”

In the Duzhou cultivation world, the rumor that the future sect leader of the Taiyan Sect would be this generation’s Meng Ying was not false. Since childhood, she had indeed been cultivated as the successor to the sect leader position.

“The sect leader said that if Qinghua Xianzi hadn’t met with misfortune back then, the sect leader position should have been hers.” She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes like butterfly wings, startlingly beautiful. Meng Ying said, “I think perhaps only by finding that ‘Qing E Nian Hua Gun’ and gaining Qinghua Xianzi’s recognition can I be qualified to shoulder the heavy burden of the Taiyan Sect.”

“And now…” She sighed: “Qinghua Xianzi chose Yang Zanxing. Yang Zanxing is the one who…”

“Impossible.” Yueqin sternly interrupted Meng Ying’s words. Seeming to realize her attitude was somewhat harsh, after a moment, she softened her voice: “I’ve asked Xuan Lingzi and learned about Yang Zanxing. She may have had some fortuitous encounters, but she only entered the early Qi Refining stage at seventeen, already delaying many years. Recently, her sect coursework has also shown nothing exceptional. Qinghua Xianzi chooses her may have her intentions, but you cannot doubt yourself because of this.”

“Ying’er,” Yueqin looked at her, “Since the great war between humans and demons, our Taiyan Sect has been severely injured and is not what it once was. Now the Chihua Gate, Yinfeng Sect, and other sects are watching us covetously… The sect leader’s health is also increasingly… In any case, the future of the Taiyan Sect still needs you to lead the disciples forward. Now that you’ve broken through to the Yuan Ying stage, it’s a good thing. Given time, you may not be unable to surpass Qinghua Xianzi.” She patted Meng Ying’s shoulder: “I know the burden in your heart is heavy, and you often overthink. Sometimes this master hopes you understand the gravity of the situation and cultivate diligently. Sometimes this master hopes you don’t know, and only wishes you could live more easily.”

This woman’s eyes showed a trace of guilt and reluctance, which made Meng Ying feel somewhat ashamed upon seeing it. She quickly said, “What Master said, Meng Ying has remembered. I will no longer belittle myself. After the inner sect assessment, this disciple will go to the Li’er Kingdom secret realm together with junior brothers and sisters. After the sword trial, I will cultivate with dedication and strive to break through as soon as possible.”

Yueqin smiled and nodded. Looking at the white-robed young woman before her, she couldn’t help but feel a trace of bitterness in her heart.

If the Taiyan Sect weren’t in its current situation, with Meng Ying’s qualifications, she should have been a talent that major sects would compete for, not in her current circumstances.

Speaking of it, it was still because their sect was incompetent and couldn’t compare to its past glories.