Although a portion of the site collapsed during the excavation, the majority remained intact.
Xiao Baidao’s heart, however, turned icy cold. The reason was simple: they had not discovered the top-grade Spirit Stones Feng Xi had mentioned. Nevertheless, due to Feng Xi’s repeated insistence, Xiao Baidao continued to organize the digging.
On this day, they made a breakthrough. While excavating horizontally, they discovered a vein of Heavy Rock. Heavy Rock possesses a unique property: it blocks spiritual energy. As soon as they stripped the rock away, they were greeted by an intense rush of spiritual energy.
It truly was a top-grade Spirit Stone mine! The entire Xuantian Sect was ecstatic. It was said that on the scene, two of the four Peak Masters fainted from sheer joy! Only Xiao Baidao remained composed, his expression betraying no abnormality. Everyone admired their Sect Leader deeply, thinking, *This is why he is our leader—he has a vast mind, unmoved by any waves.*
They were unaware that Xiao Baidao was actually struggling to believe his own eyes. *Is it really a top-grade Spirit Stone mine? Did a pie really fall from the sky?*
***
### Chapter 19: Not Even a Dog Is as Devious as She Is
The news that the Xuantian Sect had discovered a top-grade Spirit Stone mine reached the other sects. It was said that Baili Muchen, the Sect Leader of the Hunyuan Sect, was so furious he didn’t eat for days. The leaders of the other two sects were also green with envy.
However, the top-grade Spirit Stone mine discovered by the Xuantian Sect was merely a secondary deposit, and much of it had already been consumed by Xue Tianjue, leaving only tens of thousands of stones remaining. Converted to low-grade Spirit Stones, that amounted to roughly one hundred million. To the other three sects, especially the Hunyuan Sect, this was not a particularly staggering amount.
Regardless of what they thought, the people of the Xuantian Sect felt they had struck a windfall, and they were all beaming with joy. For a time, Feng Xi’s reputation in the Xuantian Sect was unmatched! Whether it was her desperate ambush of Xue Tianjue or the discovery of the clues leading to the Spirit Stone mine, any one of those feats would have been enough to make Feng Xi shine.
If it were anyone else, they would have let it go to their heads. Feng Xi, however, remained unchanged; she still got up early to make breakfast for Xiao Baidao and was exceptionally polite whenever she met her fellow disciples. The entire Xuantian Sect held Feng Xi in high regard, with the only flaw being her cultivation. Since she couldn’t cultivate, she was destined not to go far—or even live for many more years.
Xiao Baidao often worried himself sick over this, and privately said to Feng Xi, "Disciple, from now on, you must never risk using spells again. This time you were lucky and suffered no major harm, but if your Dantian were to shatter, you... you would have no path to survival."
Feng Xi obediently agreed at first, then said, "Master, I don’t know if it’s because I consumed the Ziqiao Exquisite Fruit, but I... I seem to have grown a Fire Spiritual Root."
Xiao Baidao: "..."
*Nonsense!* Spiritual Roots are fixed; he had never heard of one growing out of nowhere halfway through life! Then, he saw a small flame bloom on Feng Xi’s fingertip.
Xiao Baidao: "..."
"Master, not only did I grow a Fire Spiritual Root, but my Dantian injury seems to have healed a bit too. The Ziqiao Exquisite Fruit really is a good thing!"
In fact, when Xiao Baidao had examined her injuries before, he had noticed they were better than before, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. Hearing this now, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Disciple, when you were unconscious earlier, I fed you a Nine-Turn Soul Returning Pill. It is a rare Heavenly-grade pill. Perhaps that pill inadvertently eased the damage to your Dantian. As for the Fire Spiritual Root, perhaps you were always a Three-Spiritual-Root user, and there was just an oversight during your entrance test at the Hunyuan Sect. Take that Shen Zhilan, for instance; she tested as a Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Root upon entry, but later it was discovered she had a top-grade Water Spiritual Root. Unfortunately, the Nine-Turn Soul Returning Pill is impossible to find; I only obtained that one by pure chance. Otherwise, if you could take a few more, your Dantian injury might be completely cured."
Feng Xi smiled and chimed in, silently giving herself a thumbs-up! With Xiao Baidao providing this explanation, she would have a believable reason for her Dantian to fully recover in the future. She really was a little genius!
That day, Feng Xi counted on her fingers and realized that in six days, the Tianlv Secret Realm would open. She needed to finalize her transport. She strolled over to the stables. The Golden Suanni stared at her with its large eyes, its expression complex. Even it had heard many of her glorious deeds lately—they had praised her to the skies. The Golden Suanni felt it was the only one in the entire Xuantian Sect who was clear-headed—the only one who knew her true colors: devious, cunning, and shameless!
Feng Xi held her hands behind her back and tilted her chin up. "Little Gold, have you considered it? Are you coming with me, or are you going to keep rotting away as a useless old beast?"
Golden Suanni: "..." *You’re the useless old beast! Your whole family is!*
Feng Xi yawned. "I’m in a hurry to go back for my nap. Just give me a signal! If you’re going, make some noise; if not, keep your mouth shut. Actually, look at the bright side: even if your cultivation has regressed, it’s no big deal. You are the Xuantian Sect’s guardian beast; even if you really became a useless old beast, they wouldn’t kill you for meat. But to maximize your remaining value, they might rent you out to the Hunyuan Sect for breeding, or pluck your fur and draw your blood now and then..."
The Golden Suanni roared in anger.
Feng Xi snapped her fingers. "Since you agree, it’s settled! I’ll go tell my master, and you can serve as my mount."
With that, she scurried away faster than a rabbit.
Golden Suanni: "..." *I didn’t agree! I was just expressing my discontent!*
However, upon second thought, the brat was always acting mysterious; she might actually have some powerful technique. Following her might not be a bad idea. Besides, it hadn't been outside in ages; it might as well take this opportunity for a stroll.
Feng Xi had already met with Xiao Baidao. "Master, I’ve talked it over with the guardian beast, and it’s going to carry me to the Tianlv Secret Realm."
*Cough! Cough!* Xiao Baidao nearly choked to death on his tea! "What did you say?"
"You know how the guardian beast and I are on good terms. It felt that the journey to the Tianlv Secret Realm is too long and was worried my frail frame couldn't handle it, so it proactively offered to carry me. I didn't dare agree right away, so I came to ask for your opinion."
Xiao Baidao: "..." *Is the 'guardian beast' in your mouth that living ancestor in the stables? It wants to be your mount? And it offered voluntarily? How can I possibly believe that!*
Consequently, Xiao Baidao brought Feng Xi to the stables. The Golden Suanni’s eyes darted around, feeling a bit ashamed. However, when faced with Xiao Baidao’s inquiry, it still gave an affirmative answer. Under Feng Xi’s suggestive gaze, it even indicated that if it wasn’t allowed to be Feng Xi’s temporary mount, it would go on a hunger strike! It would rather starve to death!
Of course, Xiao Baidao couldn't understand the Golden Suanni’s roars, so Elder Mu helped translate. Elder Mu had a slack-jawed expression the entire time. He even suspected the Golden Suanni had been possessed by something—perhaps a mangy dog?
Xiao Baidao had no choice but to call a meeting with the higher-ups to discuss the matter. If it had been when Feng Xi first joined the sect, everyone would surely have disagreed. But Feng Xi’s reputation was too good now: she was brave, resourceful, and insightful—and most importantly, she could bring in wealth. What a great child! Last time, when the sect wanted to reward her for discovering the top-grade Spirit Stones, she refused repeatedly and only accepted the reward reluctantly. Such a good disciple deserved every treatment! Even riding the guardian beast wasn't too much to ask. Besides, if they didn't agree, who knew what kind of trouble that living ancestor would cause? Just let her go!
In their view, the Golden Suanni was only serving as a mount because it wanted to go for a stroll, and Feng Xi was being used by it. If the Golden Suanni knew their thoughts, it would have spat in their faces! *You foolish humans! You’ve all been deceived by that devious Feng Xi! Not even a dog is as dog-like as she is!*
***
### Chapter 20: The Moment of Glory Approaches
After receiving confirmation, Feng Xi hopped over to show off to Jun Wen. "Fifth Senior Brother, the Tianlv Secret Realm is about to open. How are you getting there?"
Jun Wen curled his lips. "How else? By flying sword, of course! The other three sects will go by flying ship, but our master is a miser; he’d never be willing to spend the money!" Even though the Xuantian Sect had just dug up a top-grade Spirit Stone mine, they had too many past debts to cover, so their situation had only improved a tiny bit. A flying ship was out of the question.
Hearing this, Feng Xi sighed. "True, our Xuantian Sect is still too poor! Fifth Senior Brother, take me with you when you go!"
Jun Wen looked troubled. "Little Junior Sister, my cultivation is limited. A short trip would be fine, but the Tianlv Secret Realm is three days away from our sect. It’s already taxing for me to travel alone, let alone carry you. How about I find a few people to take turns carrying you?"
Feng Xi looked at him with a look of "I am disappointed in you." "Fifth Senior Brother, you’re still too weak! You must cultivate diligently, otherwise the gap between you and me will only grow!"
Jun Wen: "..." *Could you please have a clear and accurate self-awareness? I’m already at the Foundation Establishment Level 3, and you’re still at the Qi Condensation stage where you can’t easily use spiritual power. Where do you get the courage to say that?*
As Jun Wen was grumbling to himself, Feng Xi sighed again. "Fine, I originally wanted to hitch a ride on your sword to the Tianlv Secret Realm. Since you’re too weak to carry me, I’ll reluctantly let the Golden Suanni carry me instead!"
Jun Wen’s first reaction was that Feng Xi was talking nonsense. The Golden Suanni hated her guts; it would be a miracle if it didn’t stomp her to death, let alone serve as her mount! Besides, that living ancestor held a transcendent position in the sect; forget being a mount, them not causing trouble was something to be grateful for!
Feng Xi guessed his thoughts and clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her chin up. "You think I’m bragging? If you don’t believe me, ask Master."
Jun Wen asked, and then he fell into a state of bewilderment. *It was actually true? How is it that his Little Junior Sister, clearly a weakling, can always accomplish such jaw-dropping things?*
Feng Xi said with disdain, "Actually, I didn't want Little Gold to be my mount at all. It’s not just ugly; it’s not very bright, either. Having it as a mount lowers my class. But it kept begging me, and I’m soft-hearted, so I had to agree..."
Jun Wen: "..." *Can you die if you don't show off?!*
Feng Xi boasted for a while before getting to the main point. "Fifth Senior Brother, the secret realm is about to open, why haven't the Eldest Senior Brother and the others returned yet?"
Jun Wen explained, "The Tianlv Secret Realm is only open to cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage, and everyone only gets one chance to enter. The Eldest Senior Brother and the others have already been there."
At this, Jun Wen’s tone turned lonely. "The disciples newly admitted to our Xuantian Sect in recent years have mediocre talent. There aren't many Foundation Establishment disciples who meet the requirements, so the remaining spots have to be given to Qi Condensation disciples. I reckon our Xuantian Sect will be at the bottom of the rankings again this time. The year the Eldest Senior Brother participated was our best performance—we took third place. It’s a pity I missed out on that..."
Feng Xi interrupted, "Fifth Senior Brother, after talking so much, what exactly is the Tianlv Secret Realm?"
"Legend has it that the Tianlv Secret Realm was transformed from the boot of a great power. The spiritual energy inside is extremely dense, and it grows many rare spiritual plants. During the competition, scores are ranked based on the quantity and grade of the plants collected..."
After Jun Wen finished, Feng Xi asked curiously, "Fifth Senior Brother, who is the 'great power' you mentioned?"
In the cultivation world, people with extraordinary strength are called 'great powers.' Jun Wen shook his head. "I don't know that. But it must have been an incredibly remarkable person."
Feng Xi just asked casually, and seeing that Jun Wen didn't know, she didn't pursue the topic. As the two chatted, the conversation drifted to the Hunyuan Sect. Feng Xi sighed, "Fifth Senior Brother, we’ll definitely encounter people from the Hunyuan Sect at the secret realm. If they make things difficult for me, you must help me!"
Jun Wen glared at her. "Isn't that obvious? You’re my junior sister; if I don't help you, am I going to help the Hunyuan Sect people?!"
Feng Xi thought to herself that you couldn't be sure; after all, if the 'sycophant' attribute were activated, anything could happen. Therefore, she had to nip it in the bud. "Fifth Senior Brother, Shen Zhilan is so beautiful, I’m afraid you'll be captivated by her."
Jun Wen was so angry he laughed! "Am I that shallow of a person?"
Feng Xi nodded. "You are."
Jun Wen: "..."
"Fifth Senior Brother, I know you’re curious about Shen Zhilan, so I drew her portrait for you. Take a look!"
Jun Wen said he didn't want to see it, but he took the drawing Feng Xi handed him anyway. It depicted a young girl in a white dress. She was beautiful, yes, but Jun Wen couldn't feel the slightest interest because she was... picking at her toenails. For someone like him with a slight case of mysophobia, it was impossible to feel any affection.
Feng Xi handed him another one. "Fifth Senior Brother, this one is even better."
Jun Wen took it and saw the girl in white was... picking her nose. Jun Wen felt disgusted and nearly threw up. Ever since that day, whenever Jun Wen saw Shen Zhilan, he couldn't help but think of toenail-picking or nose-picking. Let alone admiration—he just wanted to vomit.
Seeing the effect was good, Feng Xi left, satisfied. There is no such thing as love at first sight; it’s just lust at first sight. She hummed a little tune as she walked to her courtyard. Near the courtyard, she saw a wooden sword. Perhaps the person who carved it wasn't very skilled; the edge of the blade had several nicks.
Feng Xi curled her lips. "Who has such a lack of public morality? Why litter everywhere? Forget it, I’ll take it to the kitchen to burn as firewood tomorrow morning when I get breakfast!"
Muttering to herself, Feng Xi picked up the wooden sword and put it into her storage ring. This storage ring was given to her by Xiao Baidao; while its grade wasn't very high, it was far better than her previous storage pouch. However, the next day when she went to the kitchen, she forgot all about it. In the following days, she was busy preparing for their departure, and the matter was completely forgotten.
Soon, the day of departure arrived. Xiao Baidao was both expectant and worried. He was expectant because he hoped to carry out his 'empty-handed wolf' plan as his precious disciple had suggested—even though they had just dug up a top-grade Spirit Stone mine, they were still short on money! He was worried because, in all likelihood, they would once again rank last among the Four Great Sects based on pure strength. For someone as face-conscious as him, this was torture.
There was someone else—or rather, a beast—whose mood was similar. That was the Golden Suanni. On one hand, it felt it was beneath its dignity to be a mount for a little girl; on the other, it looked forward to seeing the outside world again.
Feng Xi was full of energy and extremely happy! Because her moment of glory was about to arrive! Although she couldn't wait to jump onto the Golden Suanni’s back, for the sake of her 'docile and sensible' persona, she proactively suggested waiting until they were outside the gate.
She waited and waited, and finally, they reached the gate. Feng Xi stepped over the high threshold of the mountain gate with a heart full of excitement, and then... *plop*, she fell flat on her face!
***
### Chapter 21: That Little Girl Feng Xi Is Quite Good
*The campaign ended before it began, leaving heroes to soak their sleeves with tears.* Feng Xi now had a profound understanding of this saying. She had originally wanted to show off and be flashy, but now—having tripped and fallen flat on her face right outside the gate—what was there left to show off?
If it were anyone else, they would be mortified and dying to find a hole to crawl into. But Feng Xi was only confused for a split second before her eyes rolled and she had an idea. She took the opportunity to bow her head to the plaque above the gate and said with a devout expression:
"Grandmaster above, disciple Feng Xi bows to you! Please bless our Xuantian Sect to be the best, to take first place, to win the championship, to claim the laurel in the Tianlv Secret Realm this time..."
Everyone: ...The Grandmaster surely wouldn't manifest this time. Forget first place—even third would be difficult!
However, regardless, the little girl Feng Xi was quite good! Even though she hadn't been in the sect for long, she had a strong sense of sect honor and was very respectful to the Grandmaster. At this point, Xiao Baidao mentioned how Feng Xi had also knelt to the Grandmaster when she first joined. Everyone sighed even more, touched that Feng Xi had such a pure heart and was a good child.
The Golden Suanni stared with its large eyes, not bothering to hide the contempt on its face. *She clearly just tripped by accident, okay? You actually believe her nonsense? Truly a bunch of foolish humans!*
At this moment, Feng Xi stood up and said to Jun Wen, "Fifth Senior Brother, please help me up onto the guardian beast’s back."
Jun Wen immediately complied, letting Feng Xi stand on his flying sword before hopping onto the Golden Suanni’s back. Jun Wen tentatively asked the Golden Suanni, "Um, can I hop on and sit for a bit?"
The Golden Suanni spat a mouthful of saliva all over him.
Jun Wen: ...Never mind, I didn't say anything.
With a command from Xiao Baidao, everyone took to their flying swords. The Suanni pawed at the ground and then *whoosh*, it bolted. It started running on the ground at full tilt. Feng Xi was caught off guard and got a mouthful of the northwest wind!
Feng Xi: "...No, why aren't you flying?"
The Suanni let out a few roars. *Are you blind? Do you see wings on me?!*
Although Feng Xi couldn't understand it, she guessed the gist of it. She felt terrible! *I’m here to look cool, not to get windblown!*
The only thing that comforted her was that the Golden Suanni was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, it had already overtaken Xiao Baidao and the others in the sky. Feng Xi consoled herself: *Running on the ground is fine, at least I don't have to worry about falling off and dying.* She told the Golden Suanni to slow down a bit to avoid getting too far ahead of the main group. Otherwise, if they encountered danger, they would be in trouble: one was a little weakling, the other a 'useless old beast' with regressed cultivation. Of course, Feng Xi was just being cautious; even if the Golden Suanni’s cultivation wasn't what it used to be, it was still at the Nascent Soul stage and could handle most situations.
At first, Feng Xi sat upright, but later she simply lay on the Golden Suanni’s back, hiding herself in its long fur for a good nap whenever she got sleepy.