When they first entered the sect, the two women were equal in strength. Now, however, Song Nianchu had broken through, putting her slightly ahead of Liu Rushuang.
In Liu Rushuang’s mind, Song Nianchu was nothing but a fool. In every respect, she felt herself to be superior. This was precisely why, even after receiving so many benefits from the Song family, Liu Rushuang still wanted Song Nianchu dead; she felt that a fool like Song Nianchu was unworthy of such a wonderful family.
It was this very resentment that caused Liu Rushuang’s cultivation base to nearly destabilize as she recited the basic mental cultivation method. Had Teacher Cai not discovered this and intervened in time, Liu Rushuang might have suffered a cultivation deviation.
"Liu Rushuang, what on earth are you doing?" Teacher Cai’s expression was grim. He had never seen anyone nearly suffer a cultivation deviation while reciting a basic mental cultivation method. What was wrong with today? First one student had a breakthrough, and now another had nearly gone off the rails. These were situations he had never encountered before.
"Teacher Cai, I’m sorry." Realizing what had just happened, Liu Rushuang felt a wave of anxiety, her eyes turning red.
Teacher Cai looked at her coldly. "This is the basic mental cultivation method. Even if you aren't capable of leveling up like Song Nianchu, you certainly shouldn't be putting yourself at risk of a cultivation deviation."
Liu Rushuang already detested Song Nianchu. She knew full well that her reaction had been triggered by anger at the thought of Song Nianchu’s breakthrough. Hearing Teacher Cai’s words, her expression darkened further.
The other disciples had not expected such a situation either. After all, a cultivation method like this shouldn't lead to such a state. Even the other direct disciples who had joined this time were, at worst, merely distracted, resulting in the recitation having no effect.
"Teacher Cai, Junior Sister Liu is perhaps just not used to the sect yet," one of the disciples ventured, his heart going out to her as he saw her pale, strained face.
"Then why don't you go keep her company?" Teacher Cai replied coldly.
The direct disciple was about to agree, but upon catching Teacher Cai’s icy gaze, he swallowed his words. Seeing this, Liu Rushuang felt even more humiliated. She hadn't expected these people to be so cowardly.
The scene immediately brought Song Nianchu to mind—or rather, the old Song Nianchu. No matter what happened, the old Song Nianchu would always move heaven and earth to help her. Liu Rushuang subconsciously looked toward Song Nianchu, only to see her sitting before the scroll with her eyes closed, completely absorbed in her state of meditation.
Liu Rushuang gripped her hands tight. "Teacher Cai, I will continue reciting the cultivation method." If Song Nianchu could level up, she could too. She was determined to make everyone look at her with new eyes.
Unfortunately, while her ideals were grand, reality was harsh. In the hour that followed, no one else had a breakthrough. Liu Rushuang could hardly accept this, nor did she want the fame of such an achievement to spread to other disciples.
"Nianchu, did you only start reciting the mental cultivation method because you were about to level up anyway?" As soon as Liu Rushuang asked this, Song Nianchu knew exactly what she was trying to do. She was more than happy to play along. "How did you know?"
Liu Rushuang felt a sense of relief and offered a faint smile. "I just felt it was such a coincidence that you sat down and immediately leveled up."
"So, that’s it—you were already due for a breakthrough and just happened to be reciting the cultivation method at the time," one of the direct disciples chimed in. "I was just thinking, I’ve never heard of anyone leveling up just by reciting the basic mental cultivation method."
The other disciples, not wanting Song Nianchu to stand out in such a way that made them look incompetent, immediately agreed. "I’ve never heard of it either. If that were possible, we would have surely broken through ourselves."
Song Nianchu was quite satisfied with this. The breakthrough during the recitation had been too sudden. She had tried to suppress it, but she lacked the capability, so she had been forced to advance. If these people wanted to help her craft a narrative, why would she object?
However, Teacher Cai saw through the direct disciples’ comments, and a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. Was it really so difficult to acknowledge the excellence of others? He could already foresee that these direct disciples, who were being sent back to re-recite the method, would likely be demoted to Inner Disciples next time. Their vision was limited, and their hearts were narrow.
Because these people didn't want the news of Song Nianchu’s breakthrough to spread, they collectively stopped talking about it. Except for two direct disciples who had joined at the same time as Song Nianchu; they looked toward her, lost in thought. They had been present during the sect entrance test and knew that the "three-attribute" result was accurate. But now, seeing this, they knew something was different.
Still, they weren't fools. They saw that Song Nianchu seemed to be deliberately playing along with Liu Rushuang. With that thought, the two disciples silently took a few steps back, putting some distance between themselves and Liu Rushuang and the others.
"The next hour is a break. You may go to the sect’s cafeteria to eat," Teacher Cai said, knowing they had not yet reached Foundation Establishment and required three regular meals a day. With that, he left.
As the group walked out of the mental cultivation chamber, the two direct disciples who had entered with Song Nianchu approached her. "Junior Sister Song, congratulations on your breakthrough," they said with genuine warmth.
Song Nianchu replied calmly, "Thank you."
"Junior Sister Song, my name is Fu Wenxiu. May we cultivate together in the future?" one of the direct disciples asked openly.
The other, not to be outdone, added, "And me, Junior Sister Song! I’m Zhuang Yue."
"If there’s an opportunity, that’s fine," Song Nianchu replied, observing them. Their gazes were clear, and they didn't seem like bad people. As for their true character, she would wait and see.
"Hey, you two had better think clearly," a disciple interrupted, clearly annoyed by their attempts to curry favor with Song Nianchu. "When Song Nianchu was at the Treasure Pavilion, she picked up a useless stone, which shows her luck is quite poor. If you get too close to her and get dragged down, don't blame us for not warning you."
"Thanks, but we don't see a problem. After all, we were there too," Zhuang Yue replied. He felt that anyone capable of entering the Treasure Pavilion couldn't be a fool who picked up junk. Perhaps the stone had a use that their limited vision simply couldn't grasp.
As he thought about this, Zhuang Yue glanced at Liu Rushuang. He suspected that this whole situation was Liu Rushuang’s doing. No one else had claimed the stone lacked energy or that it was a sign of bad luck—only Liu Rushuang had said so. Remembering the accusations Song Nianchu had leveled against Liu Rushuang during the test, he began to understand why Liu Rushuang would behave this way. Song Nianchu’s talent was better than hers. Nobody wanted a rival with better talent in the same sect; it was too easy to be overshadowed.
Thinking of the rumors about Song Nianchu that had circulated since yesterday, and linking them to the senior brother named Huo Wen, Zhuang Yue suspected that all these rumors were related to him. After all—he looked at Liu Rushuang again—she was indeed beautiful, so it was no wonder Huo Wen would help her.
"Is class over?" A cool, aloof voice sounded, and the speaker’s eyes fell upon Song Nianchu.
Before Song Nianchu could answer, a direct disciple from a previous batch spoke up: "Senior Sister Lin Chan, what brings you here?"
Lin Chan? Liu Rushuang looked at her in surprise. She had heard Huo Wen mention that Lin Chan was the Sect Master’s daughter. Recognizing her status, Liu Rushuang felt a surge of excitement and said fawningly, "Greetings, Senior Sister Lin Chan. I am a new direct disciple named Liu Rushuang."