Having managed to be reborn, she was absolutely determined not to let history repeat itself. This time... she would surely become the strongest! When that day came, she cared not for any Immortal Venerable, immortal maiden, member of the Demon Race, ghost, or Daughter of Fortune...
Seeing her expression, the old man finally nodded with a solemn look.
"Very well, Master agrees!"
With such a genius following him, her talent might still be somewhat buried, but... He glanced at the stern-faced senior disciple beside him, and an idea instantly formed in his mind. He chuckled inwardly...
In the Hall of Xiao Yun, inside the training room of Immortal Venerable Louyun...
"Sink your breath into your Dantian, gather your spiritual energy and concentrate your mind!"
Usually cold and aloof, Immortal Venerable Louyun frowned deeply, staring at the nervous and bewildered little girl before him with unconcealed displeasure.
As a gifted genius, Immortal Venerable Louyun clearly had no idea what it meant to have ordinary aptitude and mediocre comprehension! Even with him, an Immortal Venerable, personally teaching her, Su Xianzhi had barely stepped into the Qi Condensation Stage, failing to even reach Qi Condensation Level 1...
"Master, is Disciple too foolish? Forgive me, Master, I will surely work hard and never live up to Master's teachings!"
The little girl's proactive and eager attitude brought him a trace of satisfaction, and his furrowed brows slowly relaxed. However, two minutes later, they locked together tightly once more! He could not help but reprimand her aloud:
"Spiritual energy entering the body, not entering the bottom! The Dantian is below the abdomen, not at the navel—you are storing it in the wrong place!"
"You are supposed to sense the spiritual energy to make it serve you, not chase after it with wild, scattered thoughts!"
...
"You... Forget it! Let us end the practice here for today!"
At that moment, he truly could not help doubting whether his eyes had deceived him a few months ago. He had clearly seen the long-lost Light of Fortune around this little girl back then, making it obvious that her future was promising. Coupled with Jin Bao'er's refusal to become his disciple, he had settled for her second-best option and taken in Su Xianzhi. Alas, this girl lacked natural talent and possessed extremely poor comprehension, though she was quite glib.
Su Xianzhi turned crimson under his scolding. After all, she had already entered the Qi Condensation Stage a month ago, which could be considered quite a good talent among the new disciples. Yet she had constantly been busy pulling strings and currying favor afterward. Who would have guessed that Master would suddenly demand to teach her cultivation today, leading to the scene just now...
Watching the retreating figure of Immortal Venerable Louyun, Su Xianzhi felt only humiliation. Water spiritual roots inherently possessed weak offensive talents, and the fact that she had entered the Qi Condensation Stage so quickly was already a source of envy and jealousy for many. Who would have expected Master to have such exorbitant demands?
Another two months passed. Unsurprisingly, Jin Bao'er soon broke through to Mid Qi Condensation Level 3, and her control over her spiritual power grew increasingly proficient. Finally, the once-a-year Sect Grand Tournament arrived!
Logically speaking, since only half a year had passed, new disciples were not required to participate. Yet an extra name had somehow appeared on the roster...
Jin Bao'er?!
The surrounding disciples muttered in discussion as they looked at this unfamiliar name, and some of the new disciples were struck dumb with shock upon seeing it!
"Jin Bao'er? That girl who took first place in the entrance trials?"
"Good heavens, if I remember correctly, she has only been in the sect for five months, hasn't she? And she has already reached Qi Condensation Level 3?"
"Nonsense, anyone who can sign up for the tournament must be at least at Qi Condensation Level 3. Wow, this Junior Sister is truly extraordinary!"
Listening to the crowd's bustling exclamations regarding Jin Bao'er's speed of cultivation, the small figure who had come over to watch the excitement from the back of the crowd instantly froze...
Jin Bao'er? That girl who had refused to become Master's disciple, leaving her to pick up the windfall? Recalling those exceptionally cold eyes, Su Xianzhi felt a complicated stirring in her heart!
Had Jin Bao'er not refused Master, it probably would not have been her turn to be taken in as a disciple. Yet this also amounted to telling everyone that she was inferior to Jin Bao'er and could only take the spot the other girl discarded! She did not harbor hatred as such, but she certainly did not like Jin Bao'er.
Recalling the disappointment in Master's eyes from two months ago, panic gripped her heart. In the days that followed, she had exerted herself desperately in cultivation, and now she had attained the cultivation of Qi Condensation Level 2—making her a standout figure among the new disciples...
Yet now, looking at the glaring five characters "Mid Qi Condensation Level 3" on the roster, it felt as though her pride were being subjected to naked humiliation. How could some wild girl who never stepped foot out of Huaming Peak be stronger than her?
Fueled by this defiance, Su Xianzhi turned around and ran off. At this time, there were still half a month left before the grand tournament...
Up on Huaming Peak...
Holding a writing brush, Jin Bao'er concentrated intently as she slowly traced the patterns on the talisman paper. Her delicate little face was filled with seriousness and care. In the span of a mere half-year, her once emaciated figure had grown noticeably plump, her fair and tender face carried a touch of baby fat, and she had grown about five centimeters taller than before.
"Well written!"
Her usually cold Senior Brother glanced sideways at her handwriting, slowly suppressing the shock in his eyes, especially upon seeing the faint spiritual energy lingering on the paper. He did not skimp on praising her aloud!
At the same time, the look he directed at Jin Bao'er grew somewhat more complicated!
Who could have imagined that a girl under eleven years old could already craft talisman paper, and even manage to imbue spiritual energy into it with such calm composure, turning an ordinary piece of white paper into a talisman brimming with spiritual energy!
If word of this got out, probably no one would believe it! After all, the peerless genius Di Wusheng, who ascended using twelfth-grade talismans across the entire Immortal Cultivation Continent, had taken a whole year just to learn it! Her little junior sister had achieved such a terrifying speed in merely half a year.
Aside from innate talent, there was likely also the terrifying amount of effort she had poured into these past few months! For a little girl to push herself so hard, she must have had a very difficult life in the past.
At this thought, Bai Yileng could not help feeling a pang of heartache! Third Junior Brother was indeed right—this child was both unfortunate and hardworking!
Jin Bao'er acted as though she hadn't heard him, continuing to trace the patterns with intense focus. After a long while, until the entire piece of talisman paper was finished, she finally let out a soft breath of relief, slowly put down the brush, and slumped straight into her chair, exhausted!
At that moment, she had drained every drop of spiritual energy within her Dantian, and this was merely the strength required to write a single ordinary talisman.
It was clear that not just anyone could become a talisman master!
"Take a rest. The Sect Grand Tournament is only a dozen days away, and you will need to store up your spiritual energy."
With those words, Bai Yileng walked straight out, fearing that if he lingered any longer, he would fail to conceal the shock in his heart!
Watching his hurried retreating figure, a strange look flashed in Jin Bao'er's eyes. Why did today's Senior Brother seem almost as if he were fleeing in a panic?
Shaking her head, she could not help sighing inwardly...
Over the past half-year, her seven senior brothers and master had showered her with meticulous care. Even with her cold heart, she could not avoid changing somewhat. Yet the events of her past life left her unsure of how to respond to their concern, so she could only use the most direct things to repay them!
Such as... taking first place in the Qi Condensation Stage at the Sect Grand Tournament!
During the half-month that followed, she went straight into secluded meditation to accumulate spiritual energy, while preparing to make a single push to break through to Qi Condensation Level 4. There were five levels in total to the Qi Condensation Stage, and only after entering the fourth level would she have absolute certainty of success!