Chapter 1: Dream

Yiyuan Sect, Xuefeng Mountain.

A sound-transmitting crane soared through the protective formation, heading straight for the summit of the snow-capped peak.

Xuefeng Mountain remained cloaked in snow year-round. At its pinnacle lay a pool of water, its surface exuding a bone-chilling cold. The white mist that enveloped it turned anything that touched it into ice, yet curiously, the water in the cold pool showed no signs of freezing.

Amidst this frigid atmosphere, a figure could be seen soaking in the icy waters.

She was a woman of striking beauty, her eyes closed, her expression devoid of sorrow or joy.

The white mist coalesced above her brows, forming tiny droplets that clung to her eyelashes. Looking down, her fair and rosy complexion was faintly flushed from the heat of her exertion.

She appeared reserved and introverted, yet also delicate.

In this state, no one could have imagined that she was enveloped by a bone-chilling cold pond formed from a hundred-thousand-year-old ice, capable of stripping flesh from bone—a place even Golden Elixir cultivators would not dare to enter.

Suddenly, a disturbance in the formation echoed from outside the cold pond, causing the woman submerged in the icy water to open her eyes.

Upon confirming her surroundings, Wen Xi’s gaze settled, and she began to reflect on her recent experiences.

Recalling the inexplicable surge of emotion she had just felt and the pair of eyes she had glimpsed at the last moment, a flicker of confusion crossed Wen Xi’s features.

Once a cultivator enters the path of cultivation, sleep becomes unnecessary unless chosen for personal preference. A cultivator as adept as Wen Xi had long forsaken sleep, replacing it with meditation.

Without sleep, dreams naturally do not occur.

Yet, for reasons unknown, since half a year ago, Wen Xi had frequently found herself drifting into dreams during meditation.

What she witnessed in these dreams was even more peculiar. The protagonist was not herself, but her junior brother Ji Yun, with whom she shared little closeness, along with his many confidantes.

Since being brought back to the sect by her master, Wen Xi had resided on Xuefeng Mountain year-round due to her physical condition. She rarely ventured out and had only encountered her junior fellow apprentice a handful of times.

Moreover, as Wen Xi practiced the ruthless way, her emotional indifference deepened with her cultivation. Even her master, Yu Xuan Zhenren, who had nurtured her since childhood, showed little concern for her, let alone a distant junior brother.

The first time she fell asleep, Wen Xi was momentarily taken aback.

After several attempts to discern the cause and find a solution, she found no answers. Concluding that this matter did not significantly impact her cultivation, she gradually relinquished her concerns and allowed it to unfold.

Today, however, was entirely different.

In her previous awakenings, she had felt no emotion at all, but today her heart was inexplicably stirred. Though it lasted only a fleeting moment, it was enough to astonish Wen Xi.

Pressing her hand against her heart, which had finally settled, Wen Xi’s thoughts drifted back to those eyes.

Those eyes held a multitude of emotions, stirring her previously calm heart.

She cared deeply.

This was not how it should be. She had already renounced love and affection; the emotions of others were irrelevant to her.

The person those eyes had seen through the layers of dreams was her.

This was even more perplexing. She had never encountered that person before and did not even know her name.

Wen Xi began to feel a sense of doubt and unease.

Yet, her nature dictated that she would not voice these feelings. Instead, she would suppress them and address them later.

The spiritual crane had arrived outside the cold pond, persistently tapping against the formation with its body. The vibrations of the formation resonated with the owner of this place.

It was her Master.

Wen Xi recognized the familiar pulse of spiritual energy, stood up, and emerged from the cold pond. She changed into fresh robes and opened the formation to allow the sound-transmitting crane to enter.

The pink crane flew before Wen Xi, making no sound, but circling around her twice. It accidentally brushed against the mist, shivered, and finally landed in Wen Xi’s palm, trembling as if frozen.

“Master, please stop playing.”

These words, though tinged with helplessness, emerged from Wen Xi’s lips as dry as reciting a text, devoid of much emotion.

The little crane lowered its head and pecked Wen Xi’s palm in annoyance, then formed two lines of words in the air.

“The Secret Realm of the Little Netherworld is about to open. Please come to Zhengyang Palace at the si hour in three days.”

At the mention of the Little Netherworld Secret Realm, Wen Xi’s expressionless eyelashes trembled slightly.

Two years ago, her cultivation had already reached the pinnacle of Foundation Building, and she could have formed a pill long ago. However, due to her physical condition, she had been suppressing it, waiting for the Little Netherworld Secret Realm to open.

Finally, the opportunity to form a pill had arrived. Even though Wen Xi usually maintained her indifference, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of joy in her heart.

Having soaked in the cold pond long enough for the day, she decided to walk toward the mountainside.

The mountainside was blanketed in ice and snow like the peak, but the temperature was much warmer than at the summit. Wen Xi’s cave was also located here.

In the vast expanse of white snow, two bright red silks fluttered in the wind. Following the red silks, Wen Xi soon found her cave.

Just as she reached the entrance, she heard a voice calling from behind her, “Xixi, wait for me!”

The voice sounded like that of a girl of five or six years old, but it turned out to be a black rabbit.

The black rabbit skillfully leaped into Wen Xi’s arms and asked curiously, “Xixi, why did you come back so early today?”

Wen Xi had found this black rabbit by chance in the snowy mountains and named her Wen Xue.

Wen Xue was a snow rabbit who had reached the demon pill stage since birth. She should have been a cherished genius in her tribe, but because her fur color differed from that of her kin, she was shunned by the others. In a fit of rage, she had run away from her tribe and was injured in a fight with other demon beasts. Fortunately, she encountered Wen Xi.

At that time, Wen Xue had been lying in the snow, making tiny cries that Wen Xi heard as she passed by, leading to her rescue.

Thus, Wen Xi named her Wen Xue, meaning “heard in the snow-capped mountains.”

Reaching out to catch the rabbit that had jumped over, Wen Xi’s cold demeanor finally softened a bit.

“Going to the zoo again?” she asked, as was her custom.

Wen Xue had made a friend at the zoo some time ago and had been visiting frequently.

As they spoke, Wen Xue turned in a different direction, heading toward the place where she usually practiced swordplay.

“Yeah,” Wen Xue nodded, then said mysteriously, “Xixi, I just learned a shocking secret. Do you want to hear it?”

Wen Xi feigned disinterest in the secret and hummed nonchalantly.

Fortunately, Wen Xue didn’t mind and continued to enthusiastically share her thoughts.

Upon arriving at their destination, Wen Xi placed the black rabbit on a bluestone nearby, then took out an iron sword and began her daily practice of basic sword swings.

Recently, her training regimen had increased to twenty thousand swings a day.

They had descended the mountain early today, and by the time she finished, the sun was setting. Wen Xue, undeterred by fatigue, continued to chatter about the gossip she had heard.

Wen Xi had not paid much attention to the earlier conversation, but when she heard a familiar name, she raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, “Ji Yun?”

“Yes, it’s Junior Brother Ji Yun,” Wen Xue confirmed, nodding. “Xixi, are you interested? Let me tell you again. Yesterday, Zhong Yingying from Shuiyang Peak and Junior Brother Ji Yun’s childhood sweetheart, Xiao Zhu, had an argument over him. They even ignored the sect rules and started fighting on the spot. In the end, both were taken away by the Law Enforcement Hall. Tsk, if you ask me, it’s Junior Brother Ji Yun’s fault. It only took two people to start a fire in the backyard. If it were me, I would definitely handle it better. I could take on ten or eight people without a problem.”

Wen Xi had heard the names Zhong Yingying and Xiao Zhu in her dreams, but she didn’t care much about them. The only thing that stirred her was the owner of those eyes.

However, at that moment, she didn’t even know who that person was and had no way to investigate, so she let it go for now, aside from Wen Xue’s chatter.

The first sentence made sense, but the second one was…

Wen Xi put away her sword, picked up Wen Xue, and walked toward the cave while instructing her, “It’s not good for him to act like that. Don’t learn from him.”

Wen Xue replied dismissively, “I don’t want to learn.”

Wen Xi could see that Wen Xue wasn’t really listening. Considering Wen Xue’s lively personality, she couldn’t help but worry that no one would keep her in check after she left, and she would inevitably get into trouble.

Should she hand Wen Xue over to her master?

Absolutely not. Given her master’s personality, he would only make her more unruly.

What about Senior Brother Ke?

No, he spoiled Wen Xue even more than the master did.

But apart from these two, Wen Xi had no other good friends in the sect, which troubled her.

Who should she entrust Wen Xue to?

Wen Xi racked her brain, trying to recall her limited life experiences, and finally thought of one place—the Zongmen Academy.

When she was young, her master had sent her to school there, where she learned to read and understand.

If Wen Xue’s age were converted into human years, she should be going to school, making it a suitable place for her.

Wen Xi made up her mind: “I will take you to the outer gate tomorrow.”

“Ah? Okay. But what are we going to do outside the gate?” Wen Xue asked, puzzled.

“Let’s go check on the school,” Wen Xi explained patiently. “I’m going out in three days and won’t be back for about two months. During this time, you can study at ease in the school.”

“I don’t…” Wen Xue began to refuse, but then realized something else Wen Xi had said. “Wait, Xixi, are you going out?”

Wen Xi nodded. “Yes, we are going to the secret realm.”

“Secret realm? Xixi, you can finally leave the sect?” Wen Xue exclaimed, then asked excitedly, “What secret realm? Where is it? When do we go? I’ll go with you, we…”

“No,” Wen Xi interrupted her. “The Little Netherworld Secret Realm. We will set off in three days. I can’t take you this time. The Little Netherworld Secret Realm only allows cultivators below the Golden Core Stage to enter. Your cultivation level is too high, so you can’t.”

Wen Xue’s ears drooped in disappointment at not being able to go. “Okay.”

However, her optimistic nature soon kicked in. After a moment, she set aside her disappointment and began to bargain with Wen Xi. “If I don’t want to go to the secret realm, then I won’t go, but I don’t want to go to the academy either. Xixi, I’m a great demon now. The academy outside the sect is for little kids. Is it appropriate for a great demon like me to mingle with a bunch of children?”

Wen Xi walked into the cave, set Wen Xue down, and said, “You are also a little kid.”

“Xixi, how can you compare me to those kids whose hair hasn’t even grown out yet? I clearly…” Wen Xue fell silent.

Although she was born precocious, the growth cycle of the demon race is long, and when her age is converted into human years, she seems to be just a little baby.

“Then I don’t need to go to the academy. I learned everything the elders taught me eight hundred years ago.”

Wen Xi heard this and replied calmly, “Rules.”

“…”

Wen Xue truly didn’t know how to argue this point, and even if she did, she wouldn’t want to follow any rules. As a great demon, she felt she shouldn’t have to adhere to such constraints.

Wen Xue wanted to fight for her freedom, but Wen Xi didn’t give her a chance: “It’s decided. I’ll take you to school tomorrow.”

Wen Xi kept her word. The next morning, she really took Wen Xue to the outer gate and personally handed her over to Elder Qin Shu, who was in charge of the academy.

Elder Qin Shu was a very serious and responsible person. Wen Xi believed that with him looking after her, Wen Xue would not get into any major trouble while she was away.