Elder Willow didn’t answer. He just stared into Luo Jinxiu’s eyes, lost in thought.
Luo Jinxiu felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze and quickly lowered her head, no longer able to meet his eyes. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his eyes were like ancient wells that could see into her past and present lives, even though it was just an illusion.
Finally, Elder Willow spoke, “Yes, in the early stages of the Golden Elixir Realm.
Golden Elixir Realm! That was her cultivation level in her previous life. This meant that she hadn’t come to this world as an empty soul, nor had she lost her cultivation. Somehow, it had just been hidden all this time.
“But your energy channels are in a state of chaos, and your spiritual energy doesn’t seem to be of the same origin. In all my years, this is the first time I’ve seen something so strange,” Elder Willow continued slowly. “Could it be a lucky coincidence that has given you divine help?”
Luo Jinxiu was almost overwhelmed with joy, but when she heard Elder Willow’s words, she suddenly calmed down. Elder Willow was right, a person who had recently attained Spiritual Meridians and possessed the early stage of the Golden Elixir Realm was not normal. It wasn’t surprising that he had warned her to keep it hidden.
Sensing that Luo Jinxiu was hiding something, Elder Willow suddenly turned around and looked away from her. “Enough of this. I don’t care about these details. Just remember my words – even though our sect’s door is small, it encompasses all aspects of cultivation. Even immortals are not all good people. Remember to watch out for others.
Upon hearing Elder Willow’s admonition, Luo Jinxiu straightened up and bowed respectfully. “Thank you for your guidance, Master.”
“You are quite obedient,” Elder Willow seemed quite pleased, and with a wave of her hand, a green light enveloped Luo Jinxiu and dissolved into the air.
“This is a secret technique. It prevents others from perceiving your true cultivation level,” Elder Willow said before turning and leaving, quietly closing the gate in front of Luo Jinxiu.
Luo Jinxiu looked at her hands again, which were trembling slightly at first, then she suddenly smiled and burst out laughing.
She hadn’t felt this excited in a long time. Finding something after losing it is the most joyful thing in life.
“Early stage of the Golden Elixir Realm,” she muttered to herself. The silvery-white light gathered in her palm and almost solidified, but it continued to flow and seemed endless, as if it was being gathered endlessly and inexhaustibly.
The cultivation levels are divided into several levels, such as Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Core Formation, Golden Elixir, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, and Tribulation Passage. Each level is further divided into three stages, each more difficult than the last.
The Tribulation Passage stage is the most dangerous; many people either quit or lose their lives during this stage. It is rare to meet people who have passed this stage, and some have even entered the realm of transcendence. Luo Jinxiu had never met many people at this level.
Her attainment of the early stage of the Golden Elixir Realm had reached a level that people of her age rarely reached.
The female demon, on the other hand, seemed to be at the Nascent Soul stage. If she were to advance two more levels, she would reach the Tribulation Passage level. Given her susceptibility to falling into evil, if she were to…
Luo Jinxiu suddenly shook her head. At this moment, she had no reason to think about the female demon. She was simply too excited.
To prevent herself from becoming too complacent, she often stayed isolated in a corner for the next few days, even when she attended classes with others like Lu Fanzhi. The material taught by the teacher was boring and mostly something she had already mastered. As a result, in the eyes of others, she looked like someone who not only didn’t practice, but also didn’t attend the most basic classes.
This led to a lot of gossip about her. Some said that she had already given up, while others claimed that Regretless Gate was about to expel her. Even as she ate her early morning meal, people would whisper behind her back, expressing either regret or gloating.
Luo Jinxiu saw and heard everything, but didn’t bother to pay attention.
One day, while she was having dinner with Lu Fanzhi, she heard a group of people approaching loudly from a distance.
The dining room wasn’t large, resembling an ice house, with light blue jade stones surrounding it and several large shiny stones arranged as tables in the middle.
It is said that the sect leader personally built it. There’s a legend that the leader built it for her beloved, a person of low cultivation but great love for food. The leader loved her very much, so she went to the distant Changli region to dig up the jade stones filled with spiritual energy. The place was extremely cold, with snow all year round. After several trips, the sect leader finally built this stone icehouse.
From then on, the beloved person could cultivate while eating.
When Luo Jinxiu heard this story for the first time, she laughed out loud, but Lu Fanzhi kept sighing. Curious, Luo Jinxiu asked her why.
Lu Fanzhi told her the end of the story. Later, in a big battle, the woman died trying to save the sect leader. The leader sat motionless on the battlefield for three days, and then climbed the Southern Dipper Peak alone, never to come down again.
People said that the leader of the Regretless Gate sect sacrificed herself for love, and the South Dipper Peak became forbidden to the Regretless Gate, and no one was allowed to enter.
Luo Jinxiu’s laughter stopped after hearing this story, and she fell silent for a while, muttering that love was indeed foolish in the human world.
She was currently eating, and the crowd had gathered around her. The leader was at the forefront, with a peacock perched on her left shoulder, its head held high with an arrogant air.
In the past few days, Luo Jinxiu had tried to avoid confrontation with others, but despite her attempts to avoid conflict, she couldn’t avoid a confrontation. She abruptly left after putting down her chopsticks, but was unexpectedly intercepted by someone on the way.
“Hey, useless waste. When are you going to leave Regretful Gate, or do you want to end up unconscious and dragged out on the day of the test?” Yan Ying’s voice was full of sarcasm, causing a wave of laughter.
Lu Fanzhi, who was sitting nearby, threw down her bowl and stood up to confront them. She warned them, “You can’t fight with each other inside the Unforgiven Gate. If you dare to do anything, you will be the one to be thrown out!”
“Who do you think you are to touch her?” Yan Ying, who touched the peacock on her shoulder, looked at Luo Jinxiu scornfully.
“What are you trying to do?” Luo Jinxiu turned around and spoke coldly.
As Yan Ying was about to speak, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew in, swirling around Luo Jinxiu, and then a burst of light appeared, sweeping away everyone blocking it, creating a scene of chaos.
Luo Ning appeared behind them, striding forward with determination. She reached out and pulled Lu Fanzhi back, standing in front of Yan Ying herself. She was wearing a light yellow dress with white ribbons tied around the cuffs, giving her a fresh and elegant appearance.
Her face was usually bright and gentle, and even now that her eyebrows were furrowed, there was no hint of hostility.
Yan Ying’s eyes glinted imperceptibly, but quickly returned to contempt. Looking down at her from her elevated position, she said, “Oh, it’s you. Why is that? Protecting your useless sister again?”
Luo Ning drew a sword and pointed it directly at Yan Ying’s throat, sternly saying, “If you can’t stand me, then come after me. Bullying my sister is unforgivable!” Watching the familiar yet antagonistic exchange between the two, Luo Jinxiu finally understood the long-standing enmity between Yan Ying and her.
Yan Ying opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, and just as the tension reached its peak, someone intervened. The voice was calm and serene, yet it instantly made everyone tense, as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing down on them, impossible to ignore.
Luo Jinxiu turned around and met Qu Weiying’s eyes. Qu Weiying only glanced at Luo Jinxiu for a moment before passing by.
As her faint scent wafted past, Luo Jinxiu couldn’t help but hold her breath. By the time she could react, Qu Weiying had already arrived in the middle of the group, her gaze sweeping over them one by one.
“This bickering has no place here,” Qu Weiying said in a calm and indifferent tone. Yan Ying immediately fell silent, and the others also meekly lowered their heads. Only Luo Ning still glared at Yan Ying with resentment.
“Tell Senior Uncle Qu what happened. She bullied my sister,” Luo Ning put down her sword and pointed at Yan Ying with a desperate look.
“That’s not true, I didn’t!” Yan Ying hastily defended herself, but under Qu Weiying’s gaze, her protests quickly withered away. For some reason, she had never been afraid of anything, but in the presence of Qu Weiying, she felt real uneasiness and fear.
“Causing trouble and seeking conflict will result in three days of confinement. Think about your actions. As for the rest of you, if anyone causes trouble again, you will be removed from the competition,” Qu Weiying warned, casting a warning glance at Yan Ying. “Now disperse.”
Upon hearing this, the crowd scattered like startled birds. Yan Ying, wearing an expression of sorrow, shot a hateful glance at Luo Ning before storming off.
“Sister, don’t pay any attention to her. Since our feud began, she has been unable to retaliate against me, so she took it out on you. It’s despicable,” Luo Ning stuck out her tongue at Yan Ying before turning around to comfort Luo Jinxiu.
Luo Jinxiu shook her head and smiled at Luo Ning. She didn’t want to be bothered by such trivial matters.
As Luo Jinxiu was about to thank Qu Weiying, she noticed that Qu Weiying was staring at her waist. She looked down to see the pouch she had used to carry her sword the last time. She found it quite exquisite and too precious to throw away, so she had hung it on her belt to use as a pouch.
“This is…” Qu Weiying stared at it for a moment, then spoke slowly.
“This is the pouch Senior Uncle Qu gave me when she gave me the sword. Thank you, Senior Uncle Qu,” Luo Jinxiu patted the pouch and smiled softly, her eyes sparkling.
Qu Weiying didn’t know whether she was being thanked for the sword or the bag, so she nodded absently, her face blank and her thoughts confused.
She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, “That bag, I bought it when I went down the mountain.
Luo Jinxiu was stunned by her unexpected remark, her eyes blinking in confusion.
“It’s beautiful,” she said innocently. “I really like it.”
“Yes,” Qu Weiying nodded, still fixated on the bag with the bright hibiscus flower. The delicate design seemed to complement the pale blue dress perfectly.
She wanted to explain that it was just a random purchase, not particularly valuable, but the words caught in her throat.
Qu Weiying suddenly felt a blush creep up her cheeks. The girl’s smile seemed to cloud her vision, and she couldn’t help but feel a hint of annoyance, even though she couldn’t quite understand why she felt that way.
Then she scolded herself, embarrassed that she, who had lived for thousands of years, would be affected by something so trivial.
“It’s nothing. I have a class to teach,” Qu Weiying said and turned to leave, leaving Luo Jinxiu standing there, scratching her head.
“Wait, Senior Uncle Qu!” Luo Jinxiu suddenly shouted and ran up to block Qu Weiying’s path. “Senior Uncle Qu, this is for you.”
She pulled out another bag from the bag and handed it to Qu Weiying. It had a crooked smiley face embroidered on it.
“I sewed this a few days ago. Since you accepted your sword back and I have nothing else to offer, please consider this a small token of my appreciation,” Luo Jinxiu said, feeling a bit worried that Qu Weiying might not want such a token of appreciation.
Qu Weiying was stunned for a moment, then took the bag with a disdainful tone, “It’s quite ugly.
Nevertheless, she tucked it into her hip and abruptly disappeared.
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