With one sentence from Shaoyang Zhenren, Zanxing became Xuan Lingzi’s direct disciple.

The sect had many procedures. The formal ceremony would be arranged by Zhao Mayi through divination to select an auspicious day, held before all disciples of the Taiyan Sect. According to previous rules, since Zanxing had won first place in this inner sect examination, she should also receive the first place reward.

After Shaoyang Zhenren left, Xuan Lingzi walked over to Zanxing with a smile, carrying a box from behind the hall. He handed the box to Zanxing and said, “Zanxing, although you won the championship in this inner sect examination, you also suffered quite a bit. Fortunately, this prize isn’t bad, so you haven’t lost out.” He patted Zanxing’s shoulder with a gratified expression: “Your cultivation is still shallow now and can’t compare to those with exceptional talent, but Master has confidence in you. From now on, our Miaokong Hall can be considered to have worthy successors.”

Zanxing thanked Xuan Lingzi, bid farewell to all the martial uncles, and walked out of Miaokong Hall. Zi Luo accompanied her to collect the direct disciple supplies, while eyeing the box in Zanxing’s hands curiously: “I wonder what the first place reward is?”

Zanxing looked down at the box in her hands. It was just an ordinary black wooden box with some greasy fingerprints on it, probably from Xuan Lingzi handling it without washing his hands after eating roasted chicken. Zanxing thought for a moment and opened the box. Inside was lined with yellow velvet, and lying on the velvet was a lingzhi mushroom glowing with azure light.

“It’s Xianyu Lingzhi,” Zi Luo said in surprise: “Shopkeeper Jin was generous this time.”

Zanxing: “Xianyu Lingzhi?”

“It’s a type of natural spiritual herb. If ordinary people consume it, it can refine their muscles and bones, allowing them to enter the cultivation path. If cultivators consume it, it can naturally increase their cultivation. Junior Sister Zanxing,” Zi Luo advised her: “You should carefully preserve this item. When you’re approaching a breakthrough later, consuming this lingzhi will give you twice the result with half the effort.”

Zanxing was stunned. She remembered that in the original story, Mu Cengxiao had shone brilliantly in the inner sect examination and thoroughly face-slapped Hua Yue. This was partly because Hua Yue courted his destruction, and partly because Mu Cengxiao cultivated desperately for the first-place reward—the Xianyu Lingzhi.

For ordinary people, Xianyu Lingzhi could refine muscles and bones, and it could strengthen the body. Mu Cengxiao’s childhood friend Liu Yunxin had been physically weak since childhood with congenital deficiencies. The reason Mu Cengxiao participated in Taiyan Sect’s selection was to enter the sect and obtain medicinal materials to treat Liu Yunxin’s illness.

Now, the Xianyu Lingzhi had ended up in Zanxing’s hands.

Seeing Zanxing remain silent, Zi Luo asked puzzledly: “What’s wrong, Junior Sister Zanxing? Don’t you like this reward?”

Zanxing looked at her: “Senior Sister, what are the second and third place rewards?”

“You mean Junior Brother Mu and Junior Brother Tian’s rewards? When you weren’t here earlier, Sixth Martial Uncle gave them theirs. I saw them—Junior Brother Mu’s reward is the Tianji Magical Robe, which can resist some magical attacks. Junior Brother Tian’s reward is a Fire Wolf Fang, which can assist in practicing fire-type spells.” Zi Luo answered: “These are certainly not bad either, but they’re still far less precious than the Xianyu Lingzhi in your hands, Junior Sister Zanxing.”

Zanxing understood and said, “Thank you, Senior Sister. I understand now.”

Zi Luo continued walking forward with Zanxing, saying as they walked: “Junior Sister, your performance in the inner sect examination was truly surprising. Although Sect Master didn’t say anything, I could see he was quite satisfied with you. If you cultivate well in the sect from now on, you’ll have a place in the cultivation world.”

Zanxing wasn’t as blindly optimistic as Zi Luo and changed the subject: “Senior Sister, Sect Master appears quite young. Is he young, or does he have techniques to maintain his appearance?”

Hearing this, Zi Luo laughed with a “puchi” sound: “Eight out of ten newly entered female disciples ask this when they see Sect Master. Sect Master is already over a hundred years old now, he just happens to look young.”

“It’s not just ‘a bit’ young,” Zanxing muttered: “If not for his white hair, I would have thought he was some young senior brother.”

Zi Luo smiled: “Sect Master and Qinghua Xianzi were fellow disciples. During the great war between humans and demons, Qinghua Xianzi killed the Demon Lord but was also injured herself. It seems that to heal Qinghua Xianzi… Sect Master expended a great deal of Yuanli, and his hair turned white overnight. He still frequently goes into seclusion to heal his injuries.”

Zanxing thought to herself that it might not be the case. A handsome and otherworldly senior brother, a peerlessly beautiful junior sister, both equally talented—yet the junior sister gave her heart to another. It was hard not to wonder whether Shaoyang Zhenren’s white hair was caused by heartbreak or loss of Yuanli.

Thinking about it was somewhat heartbreaking.

Zi Luo stopped in front of the small wooden building and looked at Zanxing: “Junior Sister, I’ll see you off here. You should pack your things first. Starting tomorrow, you, Junior Brother Mu, and Junior Brother Tian will move into Miaokong Hall together. Don’t bring unnecessary items, and remember to keep the Xianyu Lingzhi safe.”

Zanxing nodded: “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

After Zi Luo gave a few more instructions, she left. Zanxing returned to the small wooden building where Mimi was sleeping on the bed. Seeing her enter, the cat lazily lifted its eyelids to glance at her before going back to sleep.

She walked to sit down in front of the low table. The tea on the table had gone cold. Zanxing took a sip and shivered from the cold, which also jolted her chaotic thoughts into some clarity.

She had lied to Shaoyang Zhenren in Jinhua Hall.

In the Xumi Jiezi Map, after Zanxing killed the Tomb of the Dead, she turned around and encountered the black-clothed Mo Sha. Since her exit talisman was destroyed, Zanxing couldn’t voluntarily exit and had no choice but to draw her iron staff to face it. Xuan Lingzi had specifically instructed before that if they encountered Mo Sha, they shouldn’t fight and should directly exit voluntarily, showing just how fierce Mo Sha was—disciples entering the examination weren’t Mo Sha’s match. So Zanxing had planned to just fight casually for a bit before being killed by the Mo Sha.

But when she gripped her iron staff to face it, and the Mo Sha also raised his blade, the Xiaoyuan Pearl at her chest suddenly trembled violently. Then that black-clothed Mo Sha seemed to have pressure points pressed, becoming motionless.

When Zanxing’s iron staff struck his body, it left no trace of injury, yet the Mo Sha hesitated for a moment before slowly kneeling.

He knelt before Zanxing.

Zanxing was dumbfounded. In that instant, her palm exploded with severe pain, making her cry out involuntarily. Then her vision went black, she fainted, and when she woke up, she was already in Miaokong Hall in front of Tian Fangfang.

That Mo Sha wasn’t defeated by Zanxing—or rather, he didn’t attack Zanxing at all before kneeling. As if awed by something.

Zanxing touched her chest. Was it because of the Xiaoyuan Pearl?

But in the original story, even though Mu Cengxiao possessed the Xiaoyuan Pearl, when he defeated opponents, it was always elaborate and flashy, never this simple and brutal. Although the plot had already gone off like a runaway horse that nine oxen couldn’t pull back, this kind of chaotic development made Zanxing feel particularly uneasy.

She looked down at her palm. The mark there had already turned distinctly red, and the flower shape was becoming more complete. It seemed that each time she changed the main plot, the red mark on her palm deepened, like some kind of warning.

Last time it was just severe pain—what about next time?

Zanxing stared at her palm for a while, then her gaze fell on the black box containing the Xianyu Lingzhi on the table. She paused at first, then thought of something. Her gaze hesitated for a moment before she finally stood up, picked up the black box, and walked out of the small wooden building.