"I..." Looking at her aging father's face, etched with the weathering of time, Yan Xiaoyi felt a myriad of grievances churn within her, yet she could utter none of them.
Clearly, the original owner of this body had committed all these misdeeds, yet she was the one stuck carrying the blame!
What kind of bad karma had she accumulated to deserve enduring all this?
Yan Dahu said earnestly, "This is your last chance! At the family council a few days ago, the elders unanimously decided that if you fail to mend your ways, you will be cast out of the Yan Clan! Furthermore, all the resources you squandered will be reclaimed..."
Cast out of the Yan Clan, and stripped of her resources?
Wouldn't that transform her directly from a wealthy second-generation heir into a debt-ridden one?
Before Yan Xiaoyi could reply, the System's voice chimed in: "Ding-dong! Quest received: [Join the Cold Moon Sect]. Reward: Two hundred years of lifespan, plus a mysterious gift pack!"
Two hundred years of lifespan! Yan Xiaoyi's eyes instantly lit up.
As for the mysterious gift pack... well, a chuckle would suffice.
Heaven only knew what kind of bizarre junk she might pull out of it.
Seeing that she stayed silent for so long, Yan Dahu sighed helplessly, "If you truly don't want to go..."
"I'll go!" Yan Xiaoyi's voice rang out, resolute and forceful.
She had already died so many times anyway, what did it matter? Besides, she just had to check out this female protagonist, Leng Qingxue, to see if she was as ridiculously overpowered as the book described!
Furthermore, there was still a score to settle between them!
Life and death meant nothing; if you aren't convinced, fight it out!
"Are you serious?"
Seeing her nod in agreement, Yan Dahu was overjoyed.
"Yes!" Yan Xiaoyi clenched her fists. "Don't worry, Dad. This time... I won't let you down again!"
"Ha ha, good! That's my obedient darling! Someone, bring wine! Today, I'm going to have a proper drink!"
Yan Xiaoyi gave him a shy smile. "Dad, drink less, your health comes first! I'm going back to my room to change my clothes."
Watching her retreating figure, Yan Dahu fell into a brief daze, muttering to himself, "She really seems a bit different now..."
***
With less than ten days until the Cold Moon Sect's entrance trials, they would be setting out tomorrow.
That night, lying in bed, Yan Xiaoyi found herself completely unable to sleep.
Thinking that since she was going to lock swords with the female protagonist, she simply had to grind hard!
She immediately assumed a lotus position and began absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
A moment later, she called out to the System with a look of utter bewilderment: "What is going on? Why is my body like a leaky watering pot? The moment spiritual energy gathers, it just dissipates!"
To this, the System replied: "Because your foundation was previously damaged by Leng Qingxue, you are temporarily unable to gather spiritual energy. Whatever spiritual power you currently have in your body will only decrease with every use."
"Damn it! That's too harsh!" Yan Xiaoyi slammed her fist against the bed. "Then how can I recover? Can I take pills?"
"Taking pills won't work, dear!"
"Then what should I do?"
"As for that... perhaps you can find a solution in the Cold Moon Sect." Without offering any further explanation, the good-for-nothing System shut down and went silent.
Helpless, Yan Xiaoyi had to temporarily abandon the thought of cultivating and began rummaging through the inheritance left behind by the original owner.
As the daughter of a wealthy family, she naturally possessed plenty of money and luxury items.
"What is this?" Inside the Storage Bag, she found the broken half of a rather exquisite-looking sword hilt that emitted an ancient aura, though she had no idea what its purpose was.
Yan Xiaoyi didn't throw it away; since the original owner had kept it like a precious treasure, it naturally had to have some reason.
After a thorough search of the room, she discovered a secret compartment by the head of her bed.
"I knew it, there's a major treasure in here!" Overjoyed, Yan Xiaoyi opened the secret compartment and reached her hand inside.
Her fingers brushed against something ice-cold, and just as she was feeling puzzled, she heard a crisp "snap!" sound.
"Mom!" Yan Xiaoyi's face instantly flushed red, and she slapped on the mask of pure agony.
Clamped onto her right hand was a mousetrap.
"I give up!" Fuming, she managed to pry off the trap and flung it far away, shaking her hand as she grumbled, "This original owner was absolutely mental! Why on earth would she hide a mousetrap in there? Ah... my hand!"
After a short pause to recover, she calmed down. This time, growing wiser, she grabbed a small stick and used it to fish out whatever else was inside the secret compartment.
It was a package wrapped layer upon layer in cloth; judging by the feel, it seemed to contain books.
"Could it be some kind of secret manual?"
Filled with curiosity, she unwound the seals, layer upon layer. Sure enough, it was an exquisitely packaged book, with several golden characters emblazoned across the cover: *The Plum in the Golden Vase*.
"Why does this title sound like 'study materials'?"
Yan Xiaoyi's eyelashes fluttered. The moment she flipped it open, what met her eyes was a blood-pumping illustration!
She slammed the book shut with a jolt, her expression turning dead serious: "What kind of decent person looks at this sort of thing? I only read the *Spring and Autumn Annals*!"
The next second... Thank goodness I'm not a decent person!
Good stuff, love it! I'm reading this all night!
***
Before she knew it, night had passed, and Yan Xiaoyi drifted into a deep sleep with the study materials covering her face.
"Young Miss! Young Miss, it's time to wake up..."
The moment she heard that soul-reaping demonic sound, Yan Xiaoyi bolted upright. "No way, not again?"
Fortunately, what awaited her this time was not a vicious white-haired old man, but her cheap father with a kindly expression.
"My darling, are you all packed? We're setting off now."
"Oh..." Yan Xiaoyi drooped her eyelids and nodded mechanically.
She had studied way too late, leaving her completely devoid of energy.
After a grueling journey, seven days later, they finally arrived at the borders of the Cold Moon Sect.
"Darling, Dad can only take you this far. If you ever need anything in the future, just send a message home anytime..." As he spoke, Yan Dahu shoved several Storage Bags into her hands, his eyes brimming with reluctance to part.
"Yes, you must take care of your health too!"
After a tearful farewell, Yan Xiaoyi slowly faded from Yan Dahu's sight.
"No matter what others think of you, in your old man's heart, you'll always be my good girl." With that, he turned and left.
Half an hour later.
Yan Xiaoyi arrived outside the mountain gates of the Cold Moon Sect. Looking at the towering stone tablet carved with the three large characters "Cold Moon Sect," she puffed out her chest and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air: "Cold Moon Sect, Leng Qingxue! I have arrived!"
People were trickling past her one after another, running their mouths incessantly:
"Did you hear? The difficulty of this entrance trial is more than doubled compared to previous years!"
"You're telling me! Sigh~ I guess I'm done for this time!"
"Same here!"
They increased the difficulty? Could it be because of me?
Yan Xiaoyi furrowed her brows, caught up to the group, and forcibly joined the chat: "Big brothers, if I may ask, what exactly do these trials test?"
The man glanced at her with disdain. "You don't even know that?"
"Heh, I'm from the countryside," Yan Xiaoyi replied with a smile, putting on the image of an obedient girl next door.
"There are three trials in total. The first is a theoretical test, the second is a combat trial, and the third is..." A flicker of dread crossed the man's eyes, "Climbing the Cloud-Climbing Ladder!"
"Cloud-Climbing Ladder?"
"You really are a country bumpkin! You don't even know about the Cloud-Climbing Ladder?" The man continued educating her. "The Cloud-Climbing Ladder has a hundred steps. Because of the spiritual pressure, every single step you climb forces your body and soul to endure even greater agony!
Usually, managing to climb fifteen or twenty steps is already pretty good! Go any higher without being able to withstand the pain, and you'll either end up dead or insane!"
"Word has it, though, that during the last generation, someone named Leng Qingxue climbed ninety-five steps in one go! It shocked the entire sect, and in the end, the Sect Master took her in as a Direct Disciple. Truly terrifying!"
"Sigh! Comparing yourself to others just makes you want to die! If I had even half her talent, I could easily land a spot as an inner disciple!"
To this, Yan Xiaoyi merely smiled it off.
After all, the girl was the author's biological daughter; climbing over ninety steps was completely normal.
"Hiss—wait! Why do you look kind of familiar?" The man suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows knitting together into a deep frown. "The more I look at you, the more you look like that person!"
"Who?"
"The tumor of the Cultivation World, Yan Xiaoyi!"
Aha! It seems I really have made a resounding name for myself! Yan Xiaoyi's eyes curved into crescents, and she cupped her fists with a small bow: "Good eye, brother, I am indeed she!"