She came from a minor family.

Although she was talented, she was insignificant compared to the prestigious family.

The spirit’s family was displeased that he had abandoned a powerful family’s marriage alliance for a minor family’s daughter.

Thus, they were not very kind to the female cultivator, frequently undermining her and claiming she wasn’t worthy of the Respected One.

But the Female Cultivator was a prominent figure at the Grand Assembly of the Hundred Clans!

How could she not be worthy?

Ideally, the spirit, as her partner, should have stood up for her and addressed these issues, as she was from his own family.

But he didn’t.

He was indeed a significant figure, often required to fight in the Ruins.

Moreover, the old fellow felt guilty.

He liked the young fairy but felt guilty because she resembled his former beloved.

…He felt guilty towards his former beloved.

Guilty for betraying the vows he had made with her.

So he was often distant with the female cultivator, sometimes affectionate and sometimes cold.

Qin Ruqing was clenching her fists by now, thinking, “The former beloved was unfortunate, but the female cultivator being treated as a replacement is even more tragic! How can he not feel guilty!”

He was undermining her and using emotional neglect!

Even so, the Female Cultivstor could endure, as she loved him and had chosen this marriage herself.

But then, the clichéd drama of a replacement plot unfolded.

A busybody, perhaps a former admirer of the spirit or a clan member who disliked the Female Cultivstor, told her the truth.

They informed her that the spirit had a former beloved who resembled her, and that she was just a replacement…

The Female Cultivator, once a proud figure, fell into despair, feeling like she was being humiliated and suppressed…

Relying on a tiny bit of affection, Qin Ruqing was now told that even that small bit of love was fake.

The Female Cultivator went to question the vengeful spirit.

After the spirit’s deceit was exposed by her, he became enraged and said some hurtful words.

Later, the vengeful spirit sighed with complexity, “Actually, those were just angry words. I don’t know why she got so worked up.”

Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but curse in her heart: “Nonsense! Greasy, disgusting man!”

The Female Cultivstor had a strong personality and didn’t separate from the vengeful spirit.

Instead, she unilaterally ended the relationship and publicly declared that she was disgusted by such a repulsive man, admitting she had been blind.

After breaking up, the Female Cultivator realized her past suffering was due to her own poor judgment.

She had wasted her time being a substitute instead of nurturing her talent.

Determined to focus on her career, the Female Cultivator plunged into the battlefield of the Void Realm, fighting fiercely.

Perhaps due to her natural talent or her strong resolve, she unexpectedly obtained an ancient legacy within the Void Realm.

The Void Realm was both a battlefield and a burial ground, where many powerful beings were buried without their remains.

It was entirely reasonable for the little fairy to gain a legacy there.

She rose to prominence and became a figure of Immortal level.

The glowing Female Cultivator, with both beauty and a successful career, made the vengeful spirit regret his actions.

He realized that he had been misled by his clan members and that he had long forgotten his old love.

He truly loved the Female Cultivator.

So, he started a desperate chase to win her back.

At this point, Qin Ruqing snorted. “Desperate chase? What a joke!”

The Female Cultivator wasn’t swayed by his attempts.

When the vengeful spirit failed to win her back, something happened that changed his view.

Both were major figures in the Cultivatio world and had to work together to fend off beast tides or stabilize the Void Realm.

Naturally, they had to collaborate sometimes.

Once, when the vengeful spirit was in danger, the now-Immortal Master Female Cultivator saved him.

This rekindled the vengeful spirit’s hope.

“She still cares about me! She still loves me!”

But the Female Cultivator scorned him, saying, “Saving you is to make you live in regret forever. Death would be too easy for you.”

The vengeful spirit didn’t believe her.

He thought she was just saying angry words.

He planned another grand chase to remind her of their past happiness and intended to confess that he no longer loved his old lover and truly loved her.

But before he could speak, the Female Cultivator fell in battle against the Beast King.

When the vengeful spirit recounted this, he became emotional, and his spirit fluctuated.

“She must have been mortally wounded from saving me, leading to her defeat by the Beast King and her accidental death!”

Qin Ruqing almost rolled her eyes.

Wasn’t it possible that the Female Cultivator died in battle against the Beast King simply because that was a risk of the fight, and had nothing to do with him?

Couldn’t it be that when she saved him, she really wanted him to live forever in regret, without any love?

Stop being so self-centered!

By the time Qin Ruqing reached this point in the story.

Qin Ruqing was relieved she had asked more questions.

If she had accepted the task and taken the Soul Source Stone, tainted with the resentment of a flawed man, to find Fuyou Xianzun, she felt she might have been killed by her out of anger.

As for the spirit, in Qin Ruqing’s view, he had dropped from a respected elder to just an ordinary, unreliable man.

Don’t be too overconfident.

Someone like him wasn’t even fit to be the protagonist in a story set in a crematorium; he would be criticized by readers!

The spirit, still lost in his past emotions, finally said:

“When you reach the Immortal Tomb and meet her, ask her if she still resents me. There’s some regret I never had the chance to express. Please tell her and see how she reacts.”

She would probably tell you to leave.

Qin Ruqing’s expression twitched, but she kept silent.

The spirit continued, “Actually, there’s a simpler way. Ask the current organizer of this assembly if they can move me back to the Ruins. If I return to the Ruins, I can find her myself.”

Wait a minute, Qin Ruqing suddenly realized something and asked, “Senior, do you know the surname of this Fuyou Xianzun?”

Don’t let it be what I think it is!

The spirit, though puzzled, answered, “Her surname is Feng, and her full name is Feng Fuyou.”

What?!

It really is!

This assembly is organized by Feng family!

No wonder they specifically took you out from the Ruins and placed you here!

It turns out they didn’t want you to disturb their ancestor!

Returning to the Ruins to be buried with their ancestor?

Don’t dream about it.

Qin Ruqing’s mouth twitched.

To protect herself, she politely declined, “The Grand Assembly has its own procedures. Now that you are at the test site, how could the Celestial family allow you to leave?”

Upon hearing this, the spirit fell silent and finally said, “Then please pass on my message.”

To be safe, Qin Ruqing asked another question:

“Will your Soul Source Stone’s separation cause harm to yourself?”

The spirit answered calmly, “Without a new Soul Source Stone to replace it, with my cultivation level, I can last a few more days at most.”

Alright, it’s fine if you die.

But since he had tampered with the crystal, she couldn’t be too careful.

After receiving the “side quest” from the spirit, he no longer screamed but transformed into his true spirit form, floating there.

It was clear that maintaining a human form required energy.

Without the Soul Source Stone to protect him, he needed to conserve energy to slow down his soul’s dissipation.

After putting away the crystal, Qin Ruqing ignored him and walked over to Qirong.

She glanced at the sleeping Xiao Fenhua beside him.

After moving her aside, Qin Ruqing touched Qirong’s forehead with a glowing gold light.

Actually, she was using green energy to purify Qirong.

The spirit had used a large amount of resentment to invade their minds in a short time.

Though it wouldn’t cause significant harm, prolonged exposure could be detrimental.

—They might end up as irresponsible, ordinary men like him.

Qirong couldn’t afford that.

After cleansing Qirong’s mind thoroughly, he slowly woke up, looking around in confusion with swollen eyes.

“Sister, where are we, and why do my eyes still hurt…” Qirong rubbed his eyes, puzzled.

“Because you were crying,” Qin Ruqing said with a slight smile, pulling him up.

“Isn’t this…”

Qin Ruqing and Qirong made their way quickly to the outer area of the Heart Soul Cave.

Once there, Qin Ruqing explained everything in detail to Qirong.

Qirong was astonished, “He actually gave you his Soul Source Stone?” He couldn’t believe it. “And now, do we really need to find this Female Cultivator?”

Remembering the stone tainted with the spirit’s resentment, Qin Ruqing didn’t speak directly but instead communicated through voice transmission:

“Since we need to go to the Ruins anyway, it’s convenient to do this on the way. Once we’re there, we’ll decide how to proceed based on the situation.”

She knew she couldn’t mention exactly what the spirit had said; doing so could get her killed by the powerful woman.

Nonetheless, this trip wasn’t a waste—the fist-sized top-quality Soul Source Stone was worth the effort, even if it was a bit of a challenge to handle.

Qin Ruqing hoped to find someone who could help remove the spirit’s residual energy from the stone.

Fuyou Xianzun, Feng Fuyou, and the Feng family. Maybe…

“Do we still need to continue the assessment?”

Qin Ruqing replied, “Why not continue? We haven’t finished dealing with the spirits in the inner area yet. But there’s no need to stay too long.”

The two exchanged glances, determined to quickly finish their tasks in the inner area and then leave.

In a secret chamber, Director Feng Qinyue was clenching her fists, her anger palpable.

The monitoring sphere provided clear audio, unlike the subpar external equipment, so the conversation between the spirit and Qin Ruqing was fully heard by the four directors.

The bald director and the large-footed director were embarrassed, not expecting to overhear such sensitive information while overseeing the exam.

Director Feng Qinyue, known for her beauty, was furious. “That shameless scoundrel! He actually wants to disturb our ancestor!”

Didn’t he realize why he was pulled out of the Ruins?

After gritting her teeth and making a decision, she was about to leave, but the large-footed director stopped her, frowning:

“You’re going to take that Soul Source Stone from Qin’s girl? She’s currently in the exam, and outsiders cannot disturb her!”

The stone was enormous.

Though the method of acquisition was somewhat peculiar, it was earned by Qin’s efforts, and it counted toward her score.

If Feng Qinxue wanted to retrieve the stone, it would mean interfering with the exam and breaking the rules!

Feng Qinyue’s director rolled her eyes and revealed a similar-sized Soul Source Stone from her palm, sneering:

“Who said I’m going to find that girl? I’m going after that annoying spirit! Even in death, he’s restless!”

“Our ancestor saved him so he would regret his actions for life. He’s supposed to regret it while alive and in death.”

“Stuff this stone back at him and make him wail in the Heart Soul Cave!”

“Thinking he can escape his fate? Not so easy!”

With a flash of white light, she vanished from sight.