Chapter 16: Shoveling Sister Goes Wild for Traffic

As the hour arrived, a wave of commotion rippled through the Symbolism Hall.

To be precise, it was the succession of high-pitched screams, comparable to a concert scene.

And then, the system’s voice piped up.

System: “Ning Ning, Ning Ning! It’s Shen Xuanli! Truly, our big male lead is on another level! Just look at all these outer disciples swooning over him!”

Ye Qingning’s lips twitched as she dutifully played the background role.

Amidst the cheers, a tall figure entered the hall. His flowing robes stirred, exuding an air of unapproachable coolness. The deep blue robe only accentuated his solitary, aloof presence.

Ye Qingning suddenly understood the appeal of the “true-born” female protagonist. Who could even think of winning over someone like him? If she were tasked with targeting Shen Xuanli as her goal in her past life, she’d lose her mind instantly—there’d be no way to approach him.

As Shen Xuanli reached the podium, the previously noisy hall fell into utter silence.

Without any unnecessary words, he began his lecture, his voice clear, calm, and magnetic. It had a noble quality that made it irresistible—a voice that would easily make anyone want to fall for him over the internet.

The only downside was her thighs were hurting because White Wei, sitting beside her, was enthusiastically holding onto her in excitement.

If her expression could be summarized, it would be something like: “Mom, I’m in love again!”

She had forgotten that she still had a scumbag fiancé in the wings.

But that was a good thing, perhaps White Wei could finally get over her past heartbreak through Shen Xuanli’s good looks.

Ye Qingning snapped back to reality and focused on the class. She took out the beginner’s symbol handbook that Xuan Yangzi had given her for reference.

Shen Xuanli continued, “The art of drawing symbols requires a perfect unity of heart and mind, steady hand movements, and no hesitation. The speed should be moderate—not too hasty, but not too slow either. Let me demonstrate the method for drawing a Lightness Symbol.”

He didn’t just explain, but also demonstrated the drawing of the symbol himself.

The ink-black pen hovered over the paper, and his strokes were smooth and deliberate, almost as though the brush and the heavenly spirit energy were in perfect resonance.

In her past life, though Ye Qingning wasn’t a symbolist, she still knew that the pinnacle of drawing symbols was to channel the heavenly energy. The most impressive skill involved bringing down the favor of the heavens.

With the blessing of the heavens, the power of the symbol would be tremendously stronger.

“One stroke, and the symbol is complete! It’s a high-quality Lightness Symbol!” One male disciple exclaimed, sounding even more excited than the female disciples. Another male fan added to the group.

As the name suggests, the Lightness Symbol could make the user’s body lighter, improving their speed and agility. It was useful for anything—from climbing mountains, battling enemies, or escaping danger.

Of course, for speed comparable to a “whoosh,” you’d need a Swift Movement Symbol.

But the Swift Movement Symbol was not a beginner’s tool, and its drawing was far more complicated than the Lightness Symbol.

In addition, one could only use a flying sword after reaching the Foundation Building stage. Before that, the Lightness Symbol was what most disciples would use.

Ye Qingning recalled her previous struggles, where one mountain climb took her hours. If she’d had a Lightness Symbol back then, she wouldn’t have had to run two hours for a single hill.

Soon after, more disciples eagerly stepped forward to try.

Su Ruoxi was among them.

Though she wasn’t chosen by Shen Xuanli, she couldn’t resist getting up to volunteer after seeing a male disciple attempt to draw the symbol.

She was clearly trying to be the eager-to-learn student.

When Su Ruoxi stood up to demonstrate her learning progress, Shen Xuanli didn’t speak a word but briefly glanced at the illusory-tailed pen she was holding, his gaze lingering for just a second.

That one second made Su Ruoxi dizzy with excitement, and she thought, for a moment, that Shen Xuanli was looking at her.

This made it all the more difficult for her to focus as she began drawing the Lightness Symbol. Her movements were sluggish, as if she were wrapped in cotton, unable to concentrate.

Unable to focus was the cardinal sin in the art of drawing symbols.

Soon, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her hand holding the pen was shaking uncontrollably. The lines on the paper twisted and turned, and the red ink smudged the yellow paper with an ugly blotch.

Without a doubt, she had failed.

The murmurs around her shifted from “Wow, this exquisite pen is incredible!” to disappointed whispers.

Some male disciples openly mocked her, “Ugh, how could a disciple of a prestigious family fail so badly at drawing a symbol? Who gave her the courage to volunteer?”

The system couldn’t help but laugh:

System: “I thought she was impressive at first, but now it’s clear—she’s a zero at this! Someone send her back to factory work or better yet—shoveling poop!”

Su Ruoxi turned redder than a boiled shrimp in shame.

She quickly stammered, “I… I didn’t fail because I can’t do it, it’s just that I got nervous…”

Shen Xuanli spoke up, “The art of drawing symbols is not solely about the quality of the pen. Even with a low-quality pen, one may still draw a powerful symbol. A high-quality pen will only help you make the process smoother, but remember, the art of symbols relies not just on the pen, but on the person’s own skill.”

His words made the entire hall fall into silence.

Countless disciples now idolized him even more, their admiration reaching new heights.

Ye Qingning took those words to heart: “If you’re bad at it, just practice more; a good pen won’t make up for a lack of skill.”

Su Ruoxi bit down on her nails, regretting buying the illusory-tailed pen. She now hated Ye Qingning.

If it weren’t for Ye Qingning, Su Ruoxi thought she would never have bought the pen, and would have never been scolded by Shen Xuanli.

Now that she was being reprimanded, she couldn’t let Ye Qingning off easy.

“Master Xuanli’s words are truly wise. I’ve learned so much! I’ll make sure to practice hard and perfect the Lightness Symbol.”

“I heard that Ye Qingning is proficient in symbol drawing. Master Xuanli, could you allow her to demonstrate how to draw the Lightness Symbol? That way, we could all learn from her too.”

The words “Ye Qingning” left Su Ruoxi’s lips through gritted teeth.

If it weren’t for the rules that required all outer disciples to address others as ‘senior brother’ or ‘senior sister,’ Su Ruoxi swore she wouldn’t have called someone like Ye Qingning a ‘sister.’

But as she turned her gaze to Ye Qingning, the eyes of all the disciples in the hall followed suit.

Many of the disciples had no idea who Ye Qingning was and began whispering among themselves, curious about her background.

Ye Qingning was just enjoying the drama until, unexpectedly, all eyes were on her.

This was not the kind of attention she wanted, but she had to admit—it was unexpected.

“Seems like Shoveling Sister here isn’t content with her role as a background character and wants some spotlight. Let’s see what she does next…”

She didn’t expect to be pulled into this scene, but now that she was, she might as well ride the wave for some traffic. Maybe she’d even become a new online sensation in the cultivation world.

And perhaps, later on, she’d even start selling pills with her photos on the Ling Jade slips, offering services to help people through their tribulations, making money from the resulting sales!

Shen Xuanli frowned slightly. His memory didn’t seem to recognize this Ye Qingning, though she was certainly quite a beauty.

Just then, a voice transmitted directly into his mind.

“Xuanli, she is the one the Supreme Elder mentioned—the rare dual-spirited cultivation prodigy. Though her heart pulse was incomplete when she arrived, she managed to skip past the Qi Refining stage and directly enter Foundation Building. She may have real potential.”

“If she joins the Inner Sect and ascends to the Sect Leader’s hall, would you consider taking her as your disciple?”