A sweet, cloying voice interrupted Qin Zhizhi's thoughts as Qin Jiaojiao walked over with a face full of hypocritical concern. "Is something the matter with your cultivation?"
Qin Zhizhi gave her a cold look and said nothing. Ever since the last banquet, Qin Jiaojiao and Lin Wan had been even more hostile toward her, tripping her up both openly and secretly in an attempt to completely destroy her foothold in the Qin Family.
"Sister, you don't need to worry too much," Qin Jiaojiao said with a chuckle behind her hand. "After all, given your talent, how could breaking through be that easy? It's just that—"
Lin Wan chimed in from the side with a sarcastic sneer, "Some people, even with the help of a System, might not amount to much."
Their words were like sharp daggers, fiercely piercing Qin Zhizhi's heart. She clenched her fists tightly, her fingernails digging deep into her flesh, yet she felt not a shred of pain. Were they telling the truth? Was she truly just good-for-nothing, unable to change her destiny even with the System?
No, she didn't believe it! Qin Zhizhi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She could not be defeated by the immediate predicament; she would prove to everyone that she, Qin Zhizhi, was not some good-for-nothing to be pushed around at will!
Over the next few days, Qin Zhizhi seemed like a changed person. No longer obsessed solely with cultivation, she spent more time learning family affairs and socializing with others. Seeing this, Qin Jiaojiao and Lin Wan felt secretly smug, assuming she had finally faced reality and decided to give up the struggle.
However, what they didn't know was that Qin Zhizhi was conducting all of this in secret. Whenever the dead of night arrived, she would quietly sneak into the family's scripture pavilion, browsing through various ancient texts in search of a way to break through her bottleneck.
Late one night, as Qin Zhizhi sat in the scripture pavilion racking her brain, her gaze was suddenly caught by an unadorned book in the corner. The book looked extremely old; there were no characters on the cover, only a few profound runes emitting a faint spiritual light. Her heart stirred, and as if guided by some unseen force, she stepped forward and gently opened the book.
A powerful surge of energy instantly burst from the book, enveloping her within it.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in a military camp, Yin Sichen was suddenly struck by an intuition and snapped his eyes open. He looked in the direction of the Qin Family, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Qin Zhizhi, what on earth are you doing?" he muttered under his breath, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.
Ever since the last banquet, Yin Sichen had been keeping a covert watch on Qin Zhizhi's movements. He knew her situation in the Qin Family was not easy, and he understood that given his current status, it was inconvenient for him to directly interfere in the family's affairs.
However, he would never sit by and watch Qin Zhizhi suffer injustices. He had already sent people to protect her safety in secret and helped her resolve a few troubles behind the scenes. Yet this time, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease. The energy fluctuations emanating from Qin Zhizhi gave him a feeling that was both familiar and strange.
"I hope you aren't doing anything foolish," Yin Sichen said softly, a look of resolute determination flashing in his eyes.
If Qin Zhizhi truly ran into any danger, he would protect her at all costs.
At that moment, Qin Zhizhi had no idea she had been drawn into an even greater storm. She was completely immersed in the contents of the ancient book, unable to pull herself away. The ancient text turned out to be a long-lost Immortal Cultivation Manual, which recorded many profound cultivation methods and secret arts, and even contained accounts of ancient secrets from the Immortal Cultivation World.
Qin Zhizhi felt like she had found a priceless treasure. She greedily devoured every single word, trying to find the opportunity to break through her bottleneck within them.
However, as she gained a deeper understanding of the book's contents, she discovered that this volume was not as simple as it appeared on the surface... The cultivation methods recorded in the ancient book differed vastly from the Cultivation Manual taught by the System, and in some places were entirely contradictory. This left her struggling to decide which path was the correct one. Moreover, many of the cultivation techniques in the book were extremely perilous; a moment of carelessness could lead to a deviation into the Inner Demon, or even endanger her life.
"Could this be the key to a breakthrough?" Qin Zhizhi looked at the ancient book in her hand, her heart filled with doubt and anxiety.
Even so, she decided to give it a try. She trusted her intuition, and she believed this ancient book had not appeared before her for no reason.
Thus, Qin Zhizhi began to cultivate cautiously, following the methods recorded in the manual. Yet the process of cultivation proved far more difficult than she had imagined. The techniques described in the book required not only powerful mental strength and self-control from the practitioner, but also an exceptionally high comprehension of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
For Qin Zhizhi, who had only recently been introduced to immortal cultivation, these demands were undoubtedly enormous challenges.
Day after day passed, but Qin Zhizhi's cultivation made no significant progress. She was like a traveler lost in a desert, unable to see hope and finding no way out.
"Am I truly unsuited for cultivation?"
Failure after failure caused Qin Zhizhi to begin doubting herself. Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly recalled what Jiutian Xuannü had said: "To conquer your Inner Demon, you must find what your heart desires most deeply."
"What is it that my heart desires most deeply?" Qin Zhizhi murmured, falling into deep thought.
Is it revenge? No, she had already let go of past hatreds.
Is it romance? No, she had no mind to consider such things right now.
Then what on earth was it that she desired most deep within her heart?
Just then, a thought flashed through Qin Zhizhi's mind: She wanted to grow stronger! She wanted to protect herself and the people she cared about, and never be controlled by others again!
"Yes, this is what I want!" Qin Zhizhi's gaze gradually grew firm.
She opened the ancient book once more. This time, she was neither lost nor afraid. She would become stronger—for herself, and for those who cared about her!
Late at night, Qin Zhizhi went alone to the backyard and began cultivating a Cultivation Manual recorded in the ancient book called the Star-Moon Formula.
In the night sky, stars twinkled like dots while moonlight poured down like water, enveloping Qin Zhizhi's figure in a layer of silvery radiance. As the Cultivation Manual operated, the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to stir, surging continuously into her body.
Yet at that very moment, a chilling aura suddenly struck from behind, carrying a fierce killing intent straight for Qin Zhizhi's heart!
"Who?!"
Qin Zhizhi was startled and whipped around, only to see a dark figure standing not far behind her, holding a dagger that gleamed with a cold light...