Chapter 4

After careful questioning, Xue Chengyu finally learned the whole story from Gongyi Lang.

He and Gongyi Lang had been inseparable since they were three years old. The Pingchuan Gongyi Estate was practically his second home, and he was familiar with all of Gongyi Lang’s siblings.

The twelve-year-old boy laughed unceremoniously and patted Gongyi Lang on the shoulder:

“No way! You must have been tricked by Gongyi Peng. She’s only five—how could she be some kind of formidable figure? Besides, I remember your little sister was tested and found to have the Celestial Deficiency Physique when she was three. Even if her Spirit Root is pure, she’ll hardly make any progress on the Path to Immortality. Did you forget?”

Only then did Gongyi Lang vaguely recall that he had indeed heard about someone in their family being unlucky enough to have the Celestial Deficiency Physique.

At first glance, this physique sounded impressive, but in reality, it meant the cultivator was born with a frail constitution. Not only was it difficult to cultivate, but their lifespan would also be shorter than that of an ordinary person. In a Cultivation Family like the Gongyi Estate, where everyone could pursue immortality, having the Celestial Deficiency Physique was tantamount to being a waste.

But when he thought of the confident smirk on her face that day, Gongyi Lang couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild:

“No, doesn’t that sound exactly like the underdog-turned-hero trope from those cultivation novels…?”

More importantly—

If Gongyi Peng was really just bluffing, then didn’t that mean he, the one who fell for it, was an idiot?!

He was absolutely not an idiot! Gongyi Peng had to be a formidable figure!

The rest of the Gongyi family shook their heads and chuckled at the sight, dismissing Gongyi Lang’s words without a second thought.

“—The Immortal Masters are here!”

From the crowd, someone was the first to notice and pointed at the sky with a loud shout.

Everyone at the foot of the mountain looked up in unison. Under the bright sky, several figures emerged through the layers of drifting clouds.

Some rode flying swords, others soared on clouds or cranes, one stepped on a pipa, and another reclined on a magical artifact gourd, dozing with eyes closed.

The cultivators, each dressed in distinctive robes according to their sects, wore flowing silks and gauzes, ethereal and transcendent. From afar, they truly resembled immortals descending to the mortal realm, filling the hearts of ordinary people with boundless yearning.

The inexperienced Peng Peng gasped in awe:

“So many people—how many sects are there?”

Ji Shu’s gaze lingered on a group clad in deep blue among the cultivators as she calmly explained:

“Only the Nine Sects, Three Schools, and Four Saints from the Hundred Immortal Sects are qualified to select disciples at the Ascension to Immortality Assembly. The Nine Sects each have their own strengths, the Three Schools their own roles, and the Four Saints—they are the four most powerful sects in the entire Soaring Void Realm: Kunlun Ruins, Supreme Clarity Capital, Penglai Island, and Celestial Music Twelve Palaces. If you wish to walk the Path to Immortality smoothly, you should aim to join one of the Four Saints.”

Peng Peng nodded, though only half-understanding.

The senior disciple from Kunlun Ruins, presiding over the ceremony, stood atop the long steps of Changliu Mountain’s gate and recited the rules of the Ascension to Immortality Assembly in a monotone voice. These included prohibitions against carrying any Communication Jade Slips or using Magical Item Talismans improperly, among other detailed regulations.

Once the recitation was over, the Ascension to Immortality Assembly officially began.

The crowd around them filed in one after another, but Peng Peng didn’t rush to enter. Instead, she turned back, clutching Ji Shu’s sleeve with a solemn expression:

“Then, Sister, you have to wait for me to come back. Don’t sneak away on your own, okay?”

The wind rustled the treetops. The blue-robed youth stood silently under the dappled shadows of the tree, watching her for a long moment.

Compared to her initial gaunt and bony appearance, Peng Peng now looked much healthier after the marrow cleansing and bone tempering. Though she was still quite thin, she finally resembled a normal little girl.

Once she joined a sect in the future and was properly nourished, she would likely grow into a healthy and perhaps even beautiful young woman.

“Hmm, that won’t happen.”

—Of course, this was a lie.

He had already confirmed the presence of spiritual power within her.

Though he lacked a Spirit Measuring Plate to determine the number and purity of her Spirit Roots, as long as she had them, she wouldn’t struggle to find a sect willing to take her in. Even as an Outer Sect Disciple, with diligent cultivation, she could secure food and clothing—far better than her current situation in the Gongyi household.

Having done this much, Ji Shu couldn’t think of any oversights.

The Ascension to Immortality Assembly would last three days. After one last glance at Peng Peng’s retreating figure, Ji Shu politely declined the enthusiastic auntie’s invitation to stroll around and kill time. Just as he prepared to leave with the crowd, a gaze abruptly settled on him.

Sensing the intensifying murderous intent, Ji Shu’s steps faltered.

Tch.

He’d been discovered after all.

The first round of the examination took place halfway up Changliu Mountain.

Uncertain of what awaited her, Peng Peng remained remarkably relaxed. Amid the tense crowd, she even had the leisure to look around, admiring the distant sea of rolling clouds.

It wasn’t until the senior disciples leading the group stopped at a flat clearing in the forest and handed out brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones that Peng Peng began to feel something was amiss.

—Since when did immortal cultivation involve exams!?

“Don’t worry, Young Mistress!”

Qiuqiu hurriedly comforted the ashen-faced Peng Peng.

“Qiuqiu can secretly peek at others’ papers and relay the answers to you…”

Before she could finish, someone pinched the little bird’s beak shut.

“A barrier will be set up during the exam. Any spiritual fluctuations will immediately trigger an alarm and disqualify you,” the senior disciple in pink robes said with a smile as she whisked Qiuqiu away. “I’ll be taking custody of this Spirit Demon for now.”

Damn, they’re this strict? Even the college entrance exam wasn’t this rigorous!

…Wait, what was the college entrance exam again?

Peng Peng’s not-so-sharp mind stalled again, failing to notice Gongyi Lang quietly taking a seat behind her.

Gongyi Lang glared at Peng Peng’s back as if facing a formidable enemy.

—Show me what you’ve got! Let’s see just how capable you are!

The exam papers for the first round were quickly distributed. With no desks or chairs, the candidates sat cross-legged in rows, their papers and writing tools floating midair—a fittingly immortal touch.

Gongyi Lang skimmed through his paper, half of the weight in his chest lifting.

Three years ago, his father had hired a renowned tutor to drill him specifically on the first round’s philosophical questions. These were all too familiar to him.

Just wait—he would be the first to finish!

Rustle—

Not long after he began writing, the sound of a page turning reached his ears. Gongyi Lang wasn’t the only one who looked up; several others in the exam hall did the same.

Peng Peng was unhurriedly flipping to the next page. Though her grip on the brush was awkward, it didn’t stop her from adopting the solemn air of an emperor reviewing memorials as she meticulously answered the next set of questions.

Gongyi Lang was stunned.

How could this be?

Even though he found the questions simple, they still required some time to think through. Could it be that Gongyi Peng was composing her answers faster than him?

…Perhaps she was just scribbling nonsense?

No, the Ascension to Immortality Assembly was far too important for anyone to mess around during the exam—especially Gongyi Peng, who had confidently provoked him earlier!

Which meant—

She really was that strong!

Gongyi Lang stared at the figure in front of him, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Peng Peng had no idea what kind of demon lord persona Gongyi Lang had mentally assigned to her.

In reality, she could recognize every character on the exam paper, but when strung together, they made no sense to her at all.

For example, one question asked:

[How do you interpret “The Dao begets the Limitless, and the Limitless begets the Supreme Ultimate”?]

Peng Peng scrutinized it for a long time before finally writing down in careful, deliberate strokes:

[I don’t understand.]

Everyone around could clearly hear the sound of Peng Peng flipping through the pages. If she were just skimming randomly, she still seemed to be writing answers—but if she were seriously answering, her speed was alarmingly fast.

Regardless, the constant rustling of paper gradually ratcheted up the tension in the exam hall. Even the other Gongyi clan members couldn’t help casting puzzled glances at Peng Peng.

…Could this usually unremarkable little good-for-nothing actually have been hiding her skills?

Gongyi Lang grew more nervous and fearful the longer he thought about it. The idea of losing to a distant relative he had once looked down on—especially after his earlier brazen provocation—filled him with the crushing embarrassment of having his arrogance thrown back in his face.

When the exam finally ended, Gongyi Lang stumbled out in a daze. By chance, his eyes swept over Peng Peng’s answer sheet—

What the hell?!

She really was a genuine idiot!!!

Spring blossoms covered the mountain ridge, their petals fluttering down in the breeze, catching in the dark hair of the person beneath the tree.

A senior disciple overseeing the Ascension to Immortality Assembly stared dazedly at the woman under the tree, clearly captivated by her beauty.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally mustered the courage to approach and ask softly:

“Might I ask which sect the fair immortal belongs to? Could you perhaps—”

“What, never seen an older examinee before?”

Despite her delicate, flower-like beauty, her voice was unexpectedly deep when she spoke.

The senior disciple jumped in surprise, then quickly realized the implications of her words. Flustered, he stammered an apology and scurried away like a rat fleeing a cat.

The woman beneath the peach tree scowled even harder.

Indeed, this woman who had just been hit on was none other than Ji Shu, disguised in women’s clothing to shake off the assassins.

At the time, the situation had been urgent—Ji Shu neither wanted to kill nor be killed. The question was how to lose his pursuers without leaving a trace.

When the idea of cross-dressing first popped into his head, even Ji Shu was shocked by himself.

But what shocked him even more was how easily his senior brother’s carefully trained assassins had been fooled.

…They probably never expected the usually disciplined and proper Ji Shu of the Supreme Clarity Capital to pull such a stunt.

Now, the examinees who had completed the first round of tests were gathered around the camp, resting and preparing for the second round the next day.

Ji Shu scanned the area and quickly spotted Peng Peng with the twin siblings.

Over there, Peng Peng showed no signs of having performed disastrously in the first round of the exam. She was still engrossed in fiddling with the jingling, clattering “treasures” on her person.

Sang Yue crouched beside her, watching curiously:

“What are you doing? I thought you’d be upset about doing poorly on the exam.”

“Failing the first round doesn’t matter! That’s because my magical artifacts can’t help with written exams. The second round won’t be a test, right? Once my treasures absorb the essence of the sun and moon, they’ll definitely awaken at a critical moment!”

The siblings Sang Chuan and Sang Yue weren’t fools—they could tell whether an object was a genuine magical artifact or not.

After a brief silence, Sang Chuan tentatively asked:

“But… what if they don’t awaken in the second round either?”

Peng Peng’s expression froze for a second before she firmly declared:

“N-no problem! Then it’ll be a comeback from 0-2! In the third round, I’ll definitely turn the tables!”

“……”

The siblings exchanged a glance and tacitly chose not to comment.

Reality was too cruel—better not shatter the little girl’s hopes.

“—That’s the one, right?”

Not far from Peng Peng’s campsite, several twelve- or thirteen-year-old boys lurked behind a large rock, secretly observing the five-year-old girl intently performing her “rituals.”

Ji Shu, who had been feigning sleep against a peach blossom tree, slightly lifted his eyelids.

“Correct. That’s Gongyi Peng.”

“She doesn’t seem particularly cunning?”

“I overheard it this morning—Gongyi Lang seems quite wary of his little sister. And I heard she finished the first round’s debate exam early. There might really be something unusual about her.”

“Who cares? We’ll find out by testing her, won’t we?”

These boys were at that universally detestable age. Coming from prestigious families, they were accustomed to running rampant in Pingchuan City—they’d even dare confront Gongyi Lang head-on. Bullying a minor young lady from the Gongyi family who wasn’t particularly valued? They didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

Meanwhile, seeing Peng Peng so seriously handling her “magical artifacts,” Sang Chuan couldn’t resist picking one up for closer inspection:

“How does this little bell of yours work?”

Peng Peng explained with great solemnity:

“This is a miraculous defensive treasure. Just channel spiritual energy into it and shout ‘reflect,’ and it can bounce an enemy’s attack right back!”

At that moment, the boys snickered and threw a spirit-infused rock toward Peng Peng—only for it to rebound the next second, hitting the thrower square in the forehead!

Everyone: !!!!!

Ji Shu adjusted his posture, hiding the hand he’d just used to cast the counter-spell.

“A-a coincidence! Must be a coincidence! My family’s from Pingchuan City’s foremost magical artifact lineage—that thing of hers is obviously just a broken old bell!”

“Move aside, let me try.”

One skeptic rolled up his sleeves, pulled a bottle of itching powder from his Mustard Seed Pouch, formed hand seals to summon a gust of wind, and blew the powder toward Peng Peng.

Meanwhile, Sang Chuan happened to point at a small fan and ask:

“And what does this fan do?”

Peng Peng proudly exclaimed:

“This one’s even more impressive! It’s Princess Iron Fan’s Banana Leaf Fan—can extinguish any fire, can grow or shrink, and when enlarged, a single gentle wave creates a mighty gale!”

(Who’s Princess Iron Fan?)

Half-doubting, Sang Yue took the fan and gave it an experimental wave.

…This clearly looks like nothing more than a child’s small palm-leaf fan!

Yet, as Sang Yue casually waved the fan, the itching powder seemed to be swept up by the breeze, suddenly changing direction midair and hurtling straight toward the person who had scattered it.

At this point, the boys no longer dared to doubt its power.

Hiding behind the rocks, they leaped three feet into the air and bolted without hesitation, their screams drawing bewildered glances and murmurs from everyone around.

Under the peach blossom tree, Ji Shu sneered coldly before closing his eyes as if none of this concerned him.

Kids these days simply have too much imagination.

Even in the path of immortal cultivation, there are fundamental principles. Even if the powerful magical artifacts Peng Peng imagined truly existed, they would never end up in the hands of a little girl like her—let alone her believing she possessed so many of them.

Peng Peng was briefly distracted by the screams, but soon lowered her head again, carefully adjusting the positions of her scrap metal. She still needed to ensure they absorbed enough of the world’s essence tonight to help her shine tomorrow.

However, in a careless moment, Peng Peng’s finger was nicked by the sharp edge of a jade pendant.

“Ouch,” Peng Peng gasped softly.

Hearing this, Sang Yue turned around and immediately rushed over upon seeing the blood:

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

Peng Peng stared blankly at Sang Yue, who was searching for something to bandage the wound, then obediently shook her head and said it didn’t hurt.

No one noticed.

As Sang Yue lifted Peng Peng’s hand to examine it, a drop of blood fell onto the old ring on Peng Peng’s left thumb.

The moment the blood touched the ring, it silently seeped into it, vanishing without a trace.

…

The fleeing boys hadn’t gone far when they ran into Gongyi Lang, who was storming toward them in a rage.

Gongyi Lang was still fuming over being fooled by Peng Peng. His brows furrowed, but before he could speak, the boys cried out in terror:

“Gongyi Lang! Tell us the truth—what kind of person is your sister?! Is she some kind of secret weapon your family’s been training?!”

The Gongyi family was renowned as the wealthiest in the Soaring Void Realm, so it wasn’t entirely impossible for a little girl to wield a collection of bizarre magical artifacts.

But since they all lived in Pingchuan City, where families often sparred and competed, how could the Gongyi clan have kept such a figure hidden? This was downright deceitful and cunning—what kind of sinister scheme were they plotting?!

Gongyi Lang froze.

Soon, as if struck by a realization, his face flushed red, and his pointing finger trembled with fury:

“Even you… you’re mocking me now, aren’t you?!”

They must be sarcastically teasing him for mistaking an idiot for a master—and even spreading the word as if it were some grand threat!

Damn it!

Gongyi Peng! Just you wait!