A woman had arrived.
A woman stood outside the door, looking down at her. The woman had fair skin, a face as delicate and refined as fine embroidery, smooth and warm, with a pair of amorous peach-blossom eyes that were nevertheless not overly seductive.
Meng Luoluo looked somewhat surprised. "Good morning, Elder Sister. Did you happen to come to the wrong place?"
Hearing this, the woman simply smiled, her expression unchanged. Holding a food box, she led Meng Luoluo into the room.
"I didn't come to the wrong place. I am your Fourth Senior Sister, Shangguan Qingzhu. Our master has a total of five disciples, and now, counting you, we have six. You are number six."
Meng Luoluo said, "Greetings, Fourth Senior Sister."
"Good, good, good, what a good girl. Eldest Senior Sister is away on a mission and hasn't returned yet, and Fifth Junior Brother hasn't come back either—he accepted a sect mission. I just returned to the sect today, and Master told me he had taken in a little junior sister, and asked me to bring some food over early. I almost forgot; I hope I didn't starve you, little bun."
Shangguan Qingzhu took out various pastries from the food box one by one and arranged them neatly on the table.
Meng Luoluo didn't think much of it. After washing up, she began to eat. As she ate, it suddenly dawned on her: Shangguan Qingzhu, of the Zhouzhou aristocratic family—Shangguan Qingzhu, what relation did she have to Shangguan Qingsi from the later part of the book?
No, it couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?
If it really was, then what the book said—that ten people went out and only one returned—wouldn't that come true?
What was even more infuriating was that in the later stages, Shangguan Qingsi was turned into a puppet by the protagonist, and Shangguan Qingzhu never even got to see her sister before she died.
No wonder she said she had just returned today and hadn't mentioned what she went to do. Perhaps this matter was not meant to be spoken of outside.
Watching Meng Luoluo eat as her expression grew increasingly complicated, Shangguan Qingzhu mistakenly thought the taste wasn't to her liking, so she picked up a piece herself to taste.
The flavor was quite good. "What's wrong, Little Junior Sister? Doesn't it taste good? If you don't like it, I can take you down the mountain to eat."
Only then did Meng Luoluo realize her facial expressions had gotten out of hand, exposing emotions unsuited for a ten-year-old child.
She immediately changed her expression and smiled at Shangguan Qingzhu.
Meng Luoluo said, "No, it's delicious. Thank you, Senior Sister."
Meng Luoluo thought to herself that this person had to be saved. Doing so would allow her to forge good relations with an ancient clan and also sever the female protagonist's destiny.
Ah, she regretted taking on a mission on the very first day. Someone who just wanted to farm and live a peaceful life had been forced out to do missions. She silently raised her middle finger to the heavens.
Far away in the ten-thousand-mile void, Li Hunyuan sneezed. "...Who's thinking of me?"
Recalling all this, Meng Luoluo said, "Senior Sister, take me to see Master in a bit, okay? I want to cultivate and improve myself."
Shangguan Qingzhu replied, "No rush, no rush. You're still young, eat slowly. Senior Sister will take you to see Master later."
Meng Luoluo said, "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Shangguan Qingzhu didn't reply, merely smiling at Meng Luoluo. Meng Luoluo didn't dwell on it and continued eating.
***
Fan Peak Main Hall.
"You truly wish to begin cultivating? It is very bitter, you know. Actually, there's no need to be in such a hurry; a few more days would be fine."
"Perhaps I could also let you play for two years. Two years from now, there will be a disciple-recruitment grand ceremony, and you can cultivate alongside the new disciples who enter then."
Meng Luoluo said, "It's fine, I can do it."
"Very well. In a moment, we'll go to Main Peak to test your Spiritual Root. Have you ever used any cultivation manuals before?"
Different spiritual roots required different cultivation manuals. Basic manuals didn't matter much, though they weren't optimal; the choice of a manual would affect one's future cultivation progress.
Meng Luoluo said, "Ah, I've never cultivated before."
Just then, Peak Master Shen's other two male disciples walked in from outside and happened to hear this conversation.
The three disciples: "..."
Yan Bei asked, "Then how did you reach the sixth layer of the Qi Condensation Stage?"
Meng Luoluo spread her hands. "I don't know."
Peak Master Shen said, "Never mind. Do you two have business here?"
Xu Songshan answered, "We saw Fourth Junior Sister bringing the little junior sister to the main hall, so we came specifically to take a look."
Peak Master Shen said, "Since nothing is wrong, come with me to Main Peak's Spirit-Testing Monument."
The two said, "Yes, Master."
A group of five set off imposingly toward Main Peak's Spirit-Testing Monument.
...
Main Peak Spirit-Testing Monument.
Peak Master Shen instructed, "Just place your hand on it."
Meng Luoluo said, "Yes."
Meng Luoluo stepped forward and slowly placed her hand on the Spirit-Testing Monument. The monument emitted five colors of light, all of middle grade in quality, but five colored phantom images shot straight to the top, reaching ultimate grade.
Peak Master Shen hurriedly stepped forward to pull Meng Luoluo's hand away, casting a glance around their surroundings.
"Chaos Spiritual Root, middle grade."
Yan Bei was about to speak when Peak Master Shen cut him off with a glance and a surge of pressure. Seeing this, Yan Bei said nothing more, deciding to ask once they returned to their peak.
Since it was a Chaos Spiritual Root, there was no need to go to the Scripture Pavilion. Fan Peak possessed cultivation manuals suitable for the Chaos Spiritual Root. Thus, the Master of Fan Peak once again led the group imposingly back to Fan Peak.
Returning to the Fan Peak Main Hall, Peak Master Shen retrieved a manual directly from the bookshelf, with "Fusion Manual" written upon it.
"This manual is the most suitable for the Chaos Spiritual Root. Read it first, and ask if there is anything you don't understand."
"From this day onward, you are my sixth personal disciple."
With that, a Storage Bag flew over.
"These are some small gifts from your master for a new disciple; take them and use them. If it's not enough, you can ask your senior brothers and senior sister, or come to me."
Meng Luoluo said, "Many thanks, Master."
Seeing this, the senior brother and senior sister also successively produced their own small gifts, handing them to the little junior sister.
Xu Songshan said, "Hello, Little Junior Sister. I was a bit surprised when I first saw you. My name is Xu Songshan, your Third Senior Brother. You can also call me Third Brother."
Yan Bei glanced at him sideways and said, "I am your Second Senior Brother, Yan Bei."
Meng Luoluo said, "Thank you, Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother."
"Qingzhu, take your little junior sister back. By the way, teach her how to cultivate. As it happens, since you've returned this time, you should rest for a while as well. Set your mind at ease."
Shangguan Qingzhu said, "Yes, Master, this disciple understands."
After Shangguan Qingzhu and Meng Luoluo left, Peak Master Shen looked at Yan Bei. "Speak, what is it you want to ask?"
Yan Bei was stunned.
"Just now in front of the Spirit-Testing Monument, didn't you have something you wanted to ask?"
Yan Bei indeed had some uncertainties, but he hadn't expected Master to bring it up so quickly.
Yan Bei said, "Little Junior Sister's spiritual root has problems."
Peak Master Shen asked, "Is that what you wanted to ask?"
Yan Bei answered, "Yes."
Peak Master Shen said, "Forget it, you are forbidden to spread this outside."
Yan Bei said, "This disciple understands."
Peak Master Shen stated, "Presently it is a middle-grade Chaos Spiritual Root, but her spiritual root can grow, and eventually it will become an ultimate-grade Chaos Spiritual Root."
Hearing this, Yan Bei was greatly shocked: five ultimate-grade spiritual roots! If her talent was even slightly better, and she didn't suffer an untimely demise, ascending to the Upper Realm would ultimately make her a god.
Seeing his disciple's expression, Peak Master Shen understood his thoughts, yet still instructed once more, "The two of you must not leak this."
Yan Bei and Xu Songshan said, "Yes, disciples understand."
***
Meng Luoluo finally remembered her little courtyard. Having not yet begun reading the manual, she naturally had no difficult questions. Bidding farewell to her senior sister, she stepped alone into her courtyard, carefully inspecting the first yard of her own that she'd had in two lifetimes.
The courtyard was roughly two mu in size and could be divided into three sections. In the back-center stood her own house, while both sides were empty plots of land—clearly meant to be built upon as needed.
On one side of the center was a pond, where lotus flowers bloomed and fish swam. The water was clear to the bottom, and the lotuses flourished, showing that the water must have been channeled from the spiritual springs of Fan Peak's back mountain.
On the other side of the center grew a lush cherry blossom tree, occasionally dropping petals to create a most picturesque scene. A stone table and stone stools were placed beneath the tree.
Not bad; the stone stools could be replaced with a reclining chair later. Time to start living the retired life! The life she could never attain in her past life was hers from the very beginning of this one, Meng Luoluo thought to herself.
Returning to her room, Meng Luoluo began her cultivation, opening the manual and studying it earnestly.
Meng Luoluo complained that she had never been this serious even in her past life. She thought she was retiring, but it turned out she had just changed locations to go to work.
Very soon, Meng Luoluo... fell asleep.
Yet what Meng Luoluo did not know was that it wasn't she who wanted to sleep, but the inheritance playing tricks.
The inheritance: "That's right, it was me. What kind of grade manual is this, trying to lord over a master like me?"
***
Fan Peak Main Hall.
Peak Master Shen put down his book and looked outside.
Although the phenomenon was not large, there were only a few children on the peak. Indeed, this child Number Six was no simple character—so he moved to conceal the phenomenon.
Stepping out of the main hall, he flew toward Meng Luoluo's courtyard.
He had expected to see a child meditating, but upon opening the door, all he found was a little brat slumped over the table drooling, sleeping with the cultivation manual covering her head.
***
SYSTEMS:
Cultivation Realms: Qi Condensation Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Source Gathering Stage, Soul Gathering Stage, Fusion Stage, Soul Formation Stage, Dao Integration Stage, Grotto-Heaven Stage, Peak Seeking Stage, Mahayana Stage.
Each stage is divided into 1-9 layers; upon reaching the ninth layer, one can break through to the next stage.
Sword (Sabre) Dao: Foundation, Subtle, Entering the Realm, Proximity, Intent, Tongming, Thread-weaving, Myriad Laws, Perfection, Sword (Sabre) Sovereign, Creating Momentum.
Alchemy, Talismans: Grades 1-9. Grades 7, 8, and 9 trigger heavenly lightning, consisting of 3, 6, and 9 bolts respectively.
Artifacts: Low, Middle, High, Ultimate.
Formations (Discs): Grades 1-9.
Cultivation Techniques: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow.
Monster Beasts: Ranks 1-9.