Sleeping for so long, Meng Luoluo had no idea how much time had passed outside. All she knew was that in her dream, she had seen a place with quite pleasant scenery.
It was an endless sea, and she was walking aimlessly across its surface. The sea was calm and peaceful, without the slightest ripple, and from time to time, giant whales swam past.
Even though it was daytime, the sky was filled with extremely bright, brilliantly colored stars. She knew she was dreaming, yet she could not wake up.
After walking for who knows how long, she encountered a vague, wispy figure. The figure waved at her, tossed her a book, and then vanished.
Meng Luoluo jolted awake from her dream.
Brain booting up.
It took her a long time to finally realize that this was no longer a dream—she was right here in her room in the Fan Peak small courtyard.
A woman sitting at the table drinking tea saw that Meng Luoluo was completely awake and walked straight over to sit on the edge of the bed.
Only then did Meng Luoluo notice that there was actually an outsider in the room. She hadn't been on guard at all; if someone had come to assassinate her, wouldn't she be dead by now? But this woman bore no ill intent.
Meng Luoluo looked at the newcomer. The woman's face was expressionless, yet her eyes held a trace of a slight smile. She looked aloof, with sharp facial features and an extremely proud, formidable aura.
Seeing Meng Luoluo staring like this, the woman reached out and pinched her cheek while using her other hand to continue taking her pulse.
Though she looked aloof, the moment she smiled, it was like the spring breeze thawing frozen ground, and her gaze softened considerably.
Meng Luoluo had been too busy admiring the beauty and only reacted when her cheek was pinched.
She hurriedly got dressed and climbed down from the bed. "Elder sister, you are... Eldest Senior Sister?"
Wang Shiyao replied, "I am your Eldest Senior Sister, Wang Shiyao. I've been back for a few days now. Counting from the day Master specified, you have been asleep for seven days."
"Your cultivation has advanced from Qi Condensation Level 6 to Qi Condensation Level 7. Your meridians are completely fine, but your mental cultivation method doesn't seem to be a fusion technique."
Wang Shiyao pointed to the food box on the table. "Eat first. Once you're full, I'll take you to see Master."
Meng Luoluo nodded in acknowledgment.
Wang Shiyao took Meng Luoluo by the hand and led her out of the courtyard. Parked on the grass outside the gate was a carriage drawn by two divine fire-birds.
The canopy of the carriage was wide, and the fire-birds were casually preening their spiritual feathers. Beside Meng Luoluo, Wang Shiyao was dressed in a gradient red robe.
Meng Luoluo thought to herself that probably only Eldest Senior Sister had the nerve to ride in such a high-profile carriage; without a sufficiently flamboyant temperament, anyone else riding it would just look like a coachman.
With a clear cry from the fire-bird, they spread their wings and took flight, the carriage lifting into the air and soaring away.
Fan Peak Main Hall.
"Awake?"
Meng Luoluo replied, "Yes, Master."
"Tell me about your cultivation method, or rather, what exactly happened?"
Meng Luoluo thought, *...Oh no, we're done for. Have I been exposed this fast? Am I going to die and have to start over?*
Seeing her little disciple's expression, Peak Master Shen asked, "What are you thinking about? Speak boldly if you have something to say. You're just a child; it's not like I'm going to do anything to you."
Meng Luoluo had no choice but to recount everything that happened in the dream in detail. However, the moment she mentioned the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Art, the clear sky instantly rumbled with thunder, and her nose began to bleed.
Immediately following that, a massive bell appeared, covering her before she could even react, and she passed out.
At the very last moment before fainting, Meng Luoluo stubbornly raised her middle finger toward the heavens.
Everyone: "..."
Seeing her junior sister's nose bleeding, Wang Shiyao rushed forward to support her, only to see her junior sister covered by a massive bell. As Wang Shiyao stepped closer, the bell was struck.
*Dong...*
The shockwave forced her back a few steps. She hurriedly tried to step forward again, but was stopped by the Peak Master. Wang Shiyao had no choice but to obey, though she still pulled out a small quilt and handed it to the front of the bell.
Seeing that the bell didn't ring, she reassuringly draped the quilt over her junior sister and stepped back.
...
Once again, it was that vast ocean, the sky blanketed in brilliant, colorful stars, and that same figure.
"This move is called the Immortal Heart Bell. It is my defensive technique and part of my legacy. Right now, it triggers passively to prevent injury. Once your cultivation is sufficient, you can trigger it actively or prevent it from triggering at all."
With that, the figure retreated. Before withdrawing, the figure swept a palm toward Meng Luoluo and said, "You'd better learn some illusion arts," striking Meng Luoluo right back into reality.
The very first thing Meng Luoluo did upon waking up was to raise her middle finger to the heavens. Then she heard a loud *rumble...* and hurriedly pulled her hand back, pretending as though nothing had happened.
Eldest and Fourth, standing off to the side: "..."
Peak Master Shen: *...What is wrong with this child? Provoking the Heavenly Dao. I wonder if it's viable to use this kid whenever I need lightning.*
Shangguan Qingzhu looked at Master, then looked at Senior Sister, and finally let out a "Cough, cough."
Meng Luoluo: "..."
Social death and embarrassment. Just bury me now; don't remember me.
Peak Master Shen remained utterly calm, exuding the demeanor of an expert—provided one ignored the slightly uptight corners of her mouth.
"Can't speak of it?"
Luoluo nodded in acknowledgment.
"Have you thought about what you want to learn? The sword, talismans, pills, spellcraft..."
"I'll learn the sword," Meng Luoluo replied without a moment's hesitation.
"Wang Shiyao."
"Yes, Master."
Wang Shiyao escorted Meng Luoluo back to her small courtyard, instructing her before leaving, "Tomorrow I will teach you swordsmanship. Wake up at the Hour of Mao; do not sleep until the sun is high in the sky."
Meng Luoluo nodded in acknowledgment and walked into her dwelling.
The moment she pushed open the door, a woman holding a longsword thrust straight toward her face. With a *dong*, the longsword bounced off, and the woman took several steps back, preparing to strike again.
Meng Luoluo hurriedly stopped her: "You can't break my life-saving shield! Have I ever met you? I'm just a child, what use is killing me?"
The woman didn't relax her guard by even a fraction and asked bluntly, "Are you Kong Qianqian?"
Meng Luoluo: "The hell?"
Kong Qianqian? Wasn't that the female protagonist of the book? She enters the sect during the disciple recruitment ceremony—what does that have to do with me?
Wait, no. Regardless of whether there's enmity or grace, nobody should even know of this person at this point. There's only one possibility: a reincarnator.
Meng Luoluo almost wanted to curse Li Hunyuan out loud in her mind.
Li Hunyuan's voice echoed in her head: "This person is connected to the upper realm and retains memories from her past life. She's an ally, on our side."
Fine, someone from the upper realm again.
Meng Luoluo sat straight down on the edge of the bed, putting on a pose of calculating with her fingers while actually reciting the plot from the book: "A reincarnator. My name is Meng Luoluo; we are friends, not enemies. Kong Qianqian will enter the sect during the recruitment ceremony in two years. The people above have given her great destiny, so we can't kill her directly."
Though she didn't quite understand what a "reincarnator" meant, she understood the concept of rebirth, seeing as she had been reborn herself.
The woman sheathed her sword. "My name is He Manting."
Hearing this, how could Meng Luoluo not understand? The He Family of the ancient clans was eventually wiped out by the female protagonist using all sorts of methods, and the protagonist plundered plenty of good treasures from them.
*Befriend them, definitely befriend them.* As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is a friend—time to hug a thigh. But to make the other party completely trust you, you have to act the part.
Thus, Meng Luoluo gathered her emotions, threw her arms around He Manting, and burst out crying.
Between sobs, she wailed, "I don't even know who I am! I woke up right here, and then they told me to solve troubles, told me to cultivate—I don't know how to do any of it!"
He Manting: "..."
The child was fine just a moment ago—why is she crying? I've never had to coax a kid in all my life... Oh well.
He Manting softened her tone. "There, there, don't cry, don't cry. I'll accompany you in your cultivation, and the two of us will solve it together."
Seeing this, Meng Luoluo achieved her goal. Crying any more would be impolite, and she couldn't squeeze out any more tears anyway.
Meng Luoluo wiped away her tears and threw herself smiling into He Manting's embrace.
He Manting: "..."
She always felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what.
That evening, the two of them finished dinner. Meng Luoluo pointed toward the adjacent room before entering her own quarters to rest.
...
The next morning.
Just past the Hour of Chen, Meng Luoluo bolted upright in her dreams—oh no, she was late!
She splashed some water on her face, got dressed, and stepped outside to see two women sitting opposite each other at the stone table beneath the tree.
Eldest Senior Sister was holding a teacup in her left hand while stroking her sword scabbard with her right, while He Manting held a book scroll in her left hand and similarly stroked her sword scabbard with her right. The atmosphere was thick with tension.
Meng Luoluo inwardly thought she was in trouble—she had forgotten to report in yesterday.
After a great deal of effort, she finally managed to clear up the misunderstanding, leaving Meng Luoluo drenched in sweat. Those two had nearly come to blows. If they wanted to fight, they should take it outside; she didn't want them tearing her courtyard apart.
He Manting said, "So it's Eldest Senior Sister. Pardon my offense, pardon my offense. Then you go ahead and teach Junior Sister swordsmanship. I'll take my leave."
With that, He Manting walked back into her room, leaving only the two martial sisters behind.
"Come here, step closer."
Meng Luoluo asked, "Doesn't Eldest Senior Sister want to teach me swordsmanship?"
"I recall saying the Hour of Mao. Being late calls for punishment. Considering this is your first offense, I'll let it slide this time. Today, practice sword-swings ten thousand times."