They encountered a band of ignorant, low-level cultivators on the road who mistook the Golden Suanni for a common, Qi Condensation-stage Gale Lion. The result was that the Golden Suanni sent most of them scrambling for their lives with just a few swipes of its claws. Too lazy to give chase, the Golden Suanni dismissed them as mere pests; had it not been for the dignity of its status, it would have slaughtered them all on the spot. Throughout the ordeal, Feng Xi simply poked her head out to take a look before tucking herself back in for a nap.
Before long, rumors began to circulate. "Have you heard? A vicious monster beast has appeared in the Northern Territory. It looks just like a Gale Lion, but it has two heads—one lion’s head and one human head! They say it can even speak human language!"
"I heard that too! People are calling it the 'Man-faced Lion,' and it’s being ranked as the number-one beast in the Northern Territory!"
"Quite a few people are petitioning the Four Great Sects to hunt it down. The thing is far too arrogant; it’s out there making a scene in broad daylight."
Feng Xi was naturally unaware of this. At that moment, she was giving the Golden Suanni a "thought-education" lesson. "Little Jin, don't say I didn't warn you. The other three sects, especially the Hunyuan Sect, have plenty of female spirit beasts waiting to mate. You’d better be careful when the time comes—don't let yourself be captured and used as a breeding tool!"
"Furthermore, you are the Guardian Beast of the Xuantian Sect. Do you know what that means? You are the sect's greatest trump card and ultimate means of self-defense. You are the backbone and the pride of the Xuantian Sect. Don't be a fool—watch out for 'beauty traps'..."
The Golden Suanni felt a surge of heroic passion at Feng Xi’s words; it seemed the burden on its shoulders was quite significant indeed! As for the female spirit beasts Feng Xi mentioned, it scoffed. Did those gaudy, cheap creatures really think they could covet it? It would rather live its whole life a bachelor than let them succeed!
Still, Feng Xi remained uneasy. The Golden Suanni was, after all, a beast, and its self-control was limited. She wondered if the jade slips in her divine sense contained a technique like the "Sunflower Manual." If so, she could present a copy to the Golden Suanni, with the first page reading: *To master this art, one must first castrate oneself.*
The Golden Suanni suddenly felt a chill and glanced around, but sensing no immediate danger, it continued on its way. Of course, Feng Xi didn't actually intend to do it; she still possessed a shred of conscience.
Aside from those small-time thieves, the journey went smoothly. Whenever they encountered mountains or rivers, Jun Wen would take the initiative to bring Feng Xi onto his flying sword so she wouldn't have to suffer the rough trek with the Golden Suanni.
By now, the other three sects had already arrived at the Tianlv Secret Realm. In addition to the three major sects, many small and medium-sized factions and rogue cultivators had gathered to watch the spectacle. The clearing in front of the Tianlv Secret Realm was buzzing with noise and excitement.
Shen Zhilan smiled radiantly as she spoke to her second senior brother, Lu Xiuhan. "Second Senior Brother, you have the highest cultivation level of anyone here for this trial. I’m certain our Hunyuan Sect will take first place again."
Lu Xiuhan’s expression was arrogant. "Naturally! The Wanjian Sect and the Beast Taming Sect can only fight for second. As for those losers from the Xuantian Sect, they aren't even worth considering."
When Shen Zhilan heard him mention the Xuantian Sect, her smile faltered. "Second Senior Brother, I wonder if Feng Xi will come this time? If she does, I must explain everything to her. It was all a misunderstanding; I don't want her to harbor resentment toward us or the Hunyuan Sect."
Lu Xiuhan let out a cold snort. "Why bother explaining anything to her? She was only jealous of you, which is why she slandered you. Xiao Baidao is a senile old fool for taking her as a core disciple. But even being a core disciple doesn't change the fact that she’s a piece of trash. All that nonsense about her ambushing Xue Tianjue or discovering a high-grade Spirit Stone mine—it’s just Xiao Baidao trying to gild her reputation. She probably won't show up; she’s a total waste of space, and she wouldn't be able to enter the realm anyway. She’d better stay away from the Xuantian Sect forever, or I’ll be the one to end her!"
Shen Zhilan frowned slightly. "Second Senior Brother, although Feng Xi disgraced you, me, and the Hunyuan Sect at the recruitment ceremony, she is still a human life. Let's just let it go!"
The mention of the recruitment ceremony only fueled Lu Xiuhan’s hatred for Feng Xi even more. "Junior Sister, don't worry about it. I have my own plans."
Shen Zhilan’s eyes flickered, and she dropped the subject to talk about something else.
***
Just as they were speaking, Xing Wu from the Beast Taming Sect came over to greet them. Xing Wu was the closing disciple of the sect leader, Hu Wankui, and was highly regarded, usually behaving with great arrogance. However, he was remarkably polite in front of Shen Zhilan, and the two were soon laughing and chatting.
Lu Xiuhan’s expression turned sour, but since he couldn't say anything, he simply called over the other core disciples participating in the trial. Between her top-tier water Spiritual Root and the speed at which her cultivation had soared to Foundation Establishment Level 3 less than two months after reaching Foundation Establishment, Shen Zhilan was destined to be the center of attention.
She was thoroughly enjoying the spotlight, until a cry of alarm rang out!
"The Man-faced Lion!"
"The Man-faced Lion is here!"
The crowd panicked, clearing a path as a beast resembling a Gale Lion strode forward. Suddenly, the beast roared at the sky. Those with lower cultivation were left dizzy, and some even fainted. Shen Zhilan and the others were also deafened by the roar and hurriedly summoned their flying swords.
Just as they braced themselves for battle, a small figure poked its head out from the beast's back and stood up. She waved.
"Yo, everyone’s here! Everything going well? Let me introduce myself: I am Feng Xi of the Xuantian Sect, and this is our Guardian Beast, the Golden Suanni. It’s bad manners to arrive empty-handed for a first meeting, so I just brought you all a little gift. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the 'Suanni's Roar'? The sound of a Suanni has the effect of clearing the mind and refreshing the spirit. Anyone with a righteous heart will be able to feel the benefits of it."
Feng Xi pointed at a man at random. "What about you, big brother? Did you feel it?"
The man quickly replied, "I felt it, I felt it! I was feeling so groggy, but now my head is crystal clear! It’s even better than a Mind-Awakening Pill!"
Feng Xi asked a few more people, and they all gave affirmative answers, praising the Xuantian Sect to the skies. After all, if they said they didn't feel it, wouldn't that imply they lacked a righteous heart? Only a fool would admit that.
Feng Xi continued, "Our Xuantian Sect has always taken the elimination of demons and the defense of the righteous as our mission. We simply do more and say less, which is why everyone doesn't know much about us. Take me, for example: not long ago, I risked my life, facing the possibility of a shattered dantian, to ambush the old demon lord Xue Tianjue. By rights, such a heroic feat should be well-advertised, but our Xuantian Sect is as low-key as ever and has never mentioned it. 'After the deed is done, brush off the clothes; hide one's fame and merit.' That is the true reflection of our Xuantian Sect. I don't mean anything by this, I just want everyone to know us better. If you’re looking to join a sect, you might want to consider our Xuantian Sect..."
Listening to Feng Xi, the crowd remembered little else besides her ambush on Xue Tianjue. Between the misunderstanding about the Man-faced Lion and Feng Xi’s "warmhearted" gift of the Suanni's Roar, she had made quite the impression. Not to mention the courage and accountability it took to ambush Xue Tianjue!
Feng Xi’s reputation skyrocketed, and the prestige of the Xuantian Sect climbed to a new level alongside it.
Shen Zhilan never moved her gaze from Feng Xi’s face, her eyes filled with shock and suspicion. Beside her, Lu Xiuhan gritted his teeth. "This Feng Xi is a compulsive liar. I’ve never heard of any 'Suanni's Roar' in my life! She’s definitely full of it! Junior Sister, you didn't feel your mind being cleared or refreshed, did you?"
Shen Zhilan: "..."
*You idiot! How am I supposed to answer that? If I say no, but the Suanni's Roar turns out to be real, won't I be shooting myself in the foot?*
Her eyes flickered. "Second Senior Brother, I just took a Mind-Awakening Pill, so I cannot be certain if what she said was true."
Lu Xiuhan then asked Xing Wu and the others, "What about you?"
Xing Wu and the group answered in unison, "We also just took Mind-Awakening Pills." Then, they scattered like birds. That Lu Xiuhan clearly had a screw loose; it was better to keep their distance.
At that moment, the Xuantian Sect delegation arrived on their swords. Xiao Baidao was privately blaming his young disciple; he had warned her repeatedly not to run off too far with the Golden Suanni, just in case he couldn't reach her in time if danger arose. Yet, in the blink of an eye, these two had rushed ahead. He’d have to have a word with her later.
As he was thinking this, he heard his disciple’s crisp voice ring out: "Look everyone, our Xuantian Sect’s team is here!"
With that, Feng Xi began to clap. Once she started, others followed, and soon more people joined in. People had a herd mentality, after all. Besides, the Xuantian Sect was one of the Four Great Sects; they were worthy of applause—especially after just bestowing the gift of the "Suanni's Roar." Suddenly, applause thundered.
Xiao Baidao nearly fell off his flying sword! What had happened before he arrived? However, he was a seasoned veteran. After a moment of shock, he smoothed his expression and assumed a dignified air, nodding slightly at the crowd with a perfectly measured smile. The rest of the Xuantian Sect members followed suit, cupping their hands in greeting.
Jun Wen was dying of curiosity. *What on earth did the Junior Sister do?*
The leaders of the other three sects, however, didn't look quite as pleased. None of them had ever enjoyed such a reception; why should the weakest sect, Xuantian, be any different? Baili Muchen immediately whispered a few words to Lu Zhenkuan of the Wanjian Sect and Hu Wankui of the Beast Taming Sect. The two glanced at each other and nodded. Why not enjoy the show and reap some benefits while they were at it?
A while later, Xiao Baidao walked over with a confident stride. Baili Muchen said in surprise, "You... you’ve advanced?"
Seeing Xiao Baidao nod, the three leaders felt a surge of jealousy, especially Lu Zhenkuan and Hu Wankui. Originally, only Baili Muchen was at Divinity Transformation Level 3, while the other three were at Level 2. Now, Xiao Baidao had reached Level 3 as well. That old man had been having too much luck lately! Not only had he found a high-grade Spirit Stone mine, but he had also broken through!
After offering some insincere congratulations, Baili Muchen said, "Sect Leader Xiao, when Feng Xi was in trouble, you begged our Hunyuan Sect to send an elder skilled in formations to help. Out of moral duty, I agreed. The condition I set was that you would relinquish most of your spots for the Tianlv Secret Realm, and you agreed. Although Feng Xi managed to get out on her own, our elder wasted time and energy returning, so you owe me an explanation. How about this: you give up twenty spots this time, how about that?"
Xiao Baidao was shocked and enraged. It hadn't even been an hour since Feng Xi got out when he sent the message to Baili Muchen—they called that "wasted time"? And he had the nerve to ask for twenty spots? This was daylight robbery!
Just as Lu Zhenkuan and Hu Wankui cleared their throats, preparing to chime in to help Baili Muchen, Feng Xi trotted over.
***
Feng Xi first bowed respectfully to the three sect leaders, then said with a look of utmost sincerity, "Sect Leader Baili, I really didn't expect you to agree to send people to save me. It seems I misunderstood you before. You are truly worthy of being the leader of the Hunyuan Sect—so magnanimous and with such a broad perspective. The talk about secret realm spots you mentioned earlier must be a joke. Our Four Great Sects are like branches from the same tree; we should look out for each other. Especially our core disciples—they are the treasures of their sects. If any one of them is in danger, no one from the other sects would just sit by and watch. Otherwise, if we had to negotiate terms for everything, who would be willing to send their disciples to fight the Demons in the future? What do you think, Sect Leader Hu?"
Hu Wankui: "..." *Well, um... that does make sense.* They had been so focused on calculating the gains that they hadn't considered that. If the Hunyuan Sect successfully took advantage of the situation now, what would happen if their own disciples were in danger later? Would the other sects hold them for ransom too?
Feng Xi turned to Wanjian Sect’s Lu Zhenkuan. "Sect Leader Lu, what do you think?"
Lu Zhenkuan held the same concerns as Hu Wankui, so he nodded. "You have a point. The Four Great Sects should look out for one another; we shouldn't be bargaining for terms."
Baili Muchen: "..." *That’s not what you said a moment ago! A pair of spineless fence-sitters!*
With the other two undermining him, Baili Muchen couldn't continue his act, so he chuckled and said, "Sect Leader Xiao, look at that—even you aren't as clever as this little girl. She realized I was joking, yet you took it seriously!"
Xiao Baidao knew exactly what was going on, but he didn't want to burn bridges, so he offered a few perfunctory laughs.
On the other side, Shen Zhilan walked up to Jun Wen, her lips parting softly. "You must be Senior Brother Jun Wen, right? I am Shen Zhilan of the Hunyuan Sect. I’ve heard you are a genius of the sword and would love to exchange insights. Why don't we exchange transmission talismans to keep in touch?"
She was sure Jun Wen would agree, and eagerly so. However, to her absolute shock, Jun Wen covered his mouth and ran away.
He ran away.
*Away.*
Lu Xiuhan had been watching Shen Zhilan’s every move and hurried over when he saw this, sneering, "Junior Sister, why bother with him?! That so-called 'sword genius' title is just a gimmick. His cultivation is only Foundation Establishment Level 3; I could beat him with one hand."
A flicker of impatience crossed Shen Zhilan’s eyes, but she smiled as she explained, "Second Senior Brother, he is naturally no match for you. I just wanted to see the sword techniques of the Xuantian Sect."
Lu Xiuhan’s face lit up with joy. "Junior Sister, that’s easy. Once we enter the secret realm, we’ll specifically target the Xuantian Sect’s disciples; you’ll get to see their techniques soon enough."
Shen Zhilan nodded, her gaze drifting toward Feng Xi not far away. Feng Xi was currently busy acting cute in front of the four sect leaders; as long as no one chased her off, she was thick-skinned enough to linger. Lu Xiuhan noticed Shen Zhilan’s gaze and sneered, "Let her jump around for a few more days; I’ll kill her eventually! It’s a pity she won't be entering the secret realm, or I could finish her off this time."
Shen Zhilan seemed distracted and didn't respond.
Elsewhere, Feng Xi continued to shamelessly hover around the four sect leaders. She was doing it for the audience; seeing her stay with the heads of the four great sects would surely make others think she was someone of importance. It was excellent for building her reputation.
Besides, there was one more big thing to take care of! She gave Xiao Baidao a wink, and he finally remembered that he still needed to... solicit donations. To be honest, he was ashamed to open his mouth, but when he thought of all those Spirit Stones, the old man steeled himself.
"Sect Leader Baili, I must thank you. If not for you, I wouldn't have found a good disciple like Little Xi. You might not know this, but I owe my recent epiphany to her. This young girl may be young, but her insights into cultivation are profound. And she is brave and resourceful—she faced Xue Tianjue without fear and even dared to ambush him. Truly, a newborn calf isn't afraid of the tiger! Oh, and she discovered a high-grade Spirit Stone mine too. Her luck is simply extraordinary..."
Baili Muchen felt as if he were burning with jealousy! He said with a tight-lipped smile, "Little Feng Xi is indeed impressive, but we cultivators should let our cultivation speak for itself. Look at Zhilan—she’s already at Foundation Establishment Level 3 just over a month after reaching Foundation Establishment. With time, her future will be limitless."
Xiao Baidao wasn't about to be outdone. "Feng Xi’s aptitude isn't bad either. Once her dantian heals, she’ll definitely soar! I forgot to tell you, she was badly injured when she ambushed Xue Tianjue, but I fed her a Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill, and her dantian has already begun to recover."
As soon as Xiao Baidao said this, Baili Muchen and the others were stunned! Xiao Baidao actually possessed a Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill? He was hiding it well! Such pills were rare and impossible to buy with mere Spirit Stones; many lived their entire lives without ever seeing one. Not only did he have one, but he was willing to give it to Feng Xi? Was that little girl, who had just entered his sect, really worth so much to him?
Xiao Baidao seemed not to notice their astonishment and continued, "Once my disciple’s dantian is healed, she will definitely shine with brilliance! Sect Leader Baili, it’s not that I want to criticize you, but you’re just too impatient. You held a recruitment ceremony as soon as you took Shen Zhilan in; you should have waited until she had achieved some results! I’m different. Although Little Xi has already done several earth-shattering things, I still feel the timing isn't right. It won't be too late to hold a ceremony after she makes a bigger name for herself..."
Baili Muchen couldn't stand it anymore and sneered, "Don't act so high and mighty. I think you just don't have the money to hold a ceremony!"
Xiao Baidao’s face stiffened. "Who says I don't have the money? I’m just waiting for the right time..."
Baili Muchen felt he had hit a sore spot and raised his voice, "If you have the money, hold it! Oh, that’s right—didn't you just dig up a high-grade Spirit Stone mine? You could use that to fund the ceremony. Come to think of it, none of our sects have ever dined at your Xuantian Sect's table..."
Xiao Baidao’s expression was grim, the veins on his forehead bulging. Hu Wankui and Lu Zhenkuan watched the show with grins; *fight, fight! The harder they fight, the better!*