Chapter 17: Left-handed? What’s the Problem? The Exam is Coming

The person who had just transmitted a message to Shen Xuanli was none other than the sect leader of Penglai Sect, Pei Yin.

Shen Xuanli didn’t reply.

Although Shen Xuanli had guessed that his master, Pei Yin, might be watching the scene inside the Symbolism Hall via the water mirror, he had not expected Pei Yin to be like Xuan Yangzi, also considering taking on disciples.

Recalling the day the new disciples from the noble families tested their spiritual roots, he finally connected the name “Ye Qingning” with someone he knew.

Shen Xuanli focused, carefully observing Ye Qingning and confirming his master’s words were true: she had indeed already reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

It was rare for someone to skip past the Qi Refining stage and directly reach Foundation Establishment.

With her talent, if her heart pulse could be fully healed, it was hard to say how many people would compete to take her as their disciple.

No wonder Pei Yin wanted to take her in as a disciple.

At this point, the disciples in the hall began whispering amongst themselves, matching the name and face.

One male cultivator exclaimed, “I know her! She’s the adopted daughter of the Ye family, with dual spiritual roots—Thunder and Fire—yet her heart pulse is incomplete, so she couldn’t properly cultivate. But wait… How did she reach Foundation Establishment?!”

The other disciples were astonished, looking at Ye Qingning with newfound respect.

How fierce must she be? Her heart pulse incomplete, yet she dared to cultivate and even reach Foundation Establishment? Didn’t she fear that she might destroy herself in the process?

It truly seemed like the brave live longer!

Some even began to compose poems on the spot, reciting them with gusto:

“A heart filled with ambition, destiny unfolds wide. This Ye Sister is truly fierce… cough, strong! Too strong!”

Su Ruoxie’s face turned ugly. She had only wanted to humiliate the poor, sickly Ye Qingning with the talisman, but what were these people doing?

What’s the big deal about reaching Foundation Establishment? Why the exaggerated reaction?

“Aren’t you ready to start drawing the Lightness Talisman, Ye Sister?” Su Ruoxie gritted her teeth, her gaze implying that she would make Ye Qingning suffer the ridicule.

Ye Qingning stood up and, with composure, took out her talisman pen.

When Su Ruoxie saw the mid-grade Qingyu Talisman Pen, she wanted to mock her, but after just being lectured by Shen Xuanli, she could only curse inwardly and didn’t dare to say a word.

She still couldn’t believe that Ye Qingning, the poor “sickly girl,” could use a mid-grade talisman pen to draw anything of good quality, let alone a high-level talisman.

Ye Qingning held the pen, her grip relaxed. Immediately, some people noticed the difference.

“She’s left-handed? This Ye Qingning is actually a lefty?”

“Don’t say it, it really seems like she is!”

Ye Qingning didn’t mind.

What’s wrong with being left-handed?

Just wait until a left-handed person slaps you across the face; let’s see how much it stings.

The system, on the other hand, felt deeply sorry for Ye Qingning.

In its eyes, Ye Qingning wasn’t truly a lefty. The reason she habitually used her left hand was because, in her previous life, in order to save the male lead, Xie Jibai, she ventured into the Demon Cave and had her right wrist tendon severed.

For someone practicing both pill and sword cultivation, severing the tendon was like losing half of their potential. From that point on, she had no choice but to use her left hand for everything.

Since then, it had become a habit.

The system also had to remind Ye Qingning that Ye Hanyue had also been reincarnated. If anyone saw her drawing talismans with her left hand, it would definitely raise suspicions.

As the system contemplated this, Ye Qingning had already entered her state of focus, seeming almost isolated from everything around her.

On the side, Bai Wei, still nervous, couldn’t help but worry that Ye Qingning might fail at drawing the talisman.

But as the talisman brush danced in Ye Qingning’s hand, every stroke was precise, fluid, and seamless.

Soon, people began to gasp in awe.

“The talisman is complete! It’s actually a top-tier Lightness Talisman!”

“How… how is this possible?” Even Su Ruoxie, who had seen it with her own eyes, couldn’t believe it.

She had just bought the talisman pen today, and yet this poor “sickly” girl managed to complete a talisman on her first try—and it was a top-tier one!

In the end, the only one who was embarrassed was her. Why was she so embarrassed?

Shen Xuanli, upon hearing his master Pei Yin’s voice in his mind, could already imagine how Pei Yin must have been smiling at the water mirror.

He couldn’t help but admit that Ye Qingning had some talent in talisman-making.

“Drawing talismans is not something that can be perfected in a day. Only through continuous study and practice can one improve,” Shen Xuanli concluded. “That’s all for today’s class.”

Without any further words, Shen Xuanli left the Symbolism Hall.

After he left, Su Ruoxie dared to approach Ye Qingning and threaten her, “Ye Qingning, don’t get too cocky. We’ll see how things go during the trial next month!”

Ye Qingning shrugged indifferently.

In her mind, however, she was thinking: Shen Xuanli was right. She had indeed drawn a top-tier Lightness Talisman, but talisman-making wasn’t something you could master in one day.

Bai Wei had hinted that talismans might be useful in the trial’s secret realm, so for the next month, she needed to focus on drawing more talismans, just in case they came in handy!

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As the days passed, April arrived, and it was the day for the Penglai Sect’s outer sect trial.

The disciples who would participate in the trial gathered inside the trial hall.

The hall was filled with the glowing light of complex and intricate formations. Once the disciples entered the formations, they would be transported to the trial secret realm.

The people in charge of this trial were Elder Qiu from the outer sect and Daoist Tianji, an elder from the inner sect.

Standing by their side were six of the inner sect’s direct disciples. These six disciples would enter the secret realm with the others, tasked with overseeing the trial.

[Quick, look! Isn’t that Shen Xuanli and Jiang Shaoling, that “dog cultivator” duo! Turns out they’re the ones overseeing the trial!]

Ye Qingning wasn’t too surprised.

One was the sect’s top disciple, the other was the disciple of a grand elder—both were very qualified to oversee the trial.

But, as Bai Wei had mentioned, after entering the trial secret realm, everyone’s appearance would be altered randomly. The same applied to the inner sect disciples overseeing the trial. Their appearances would change, making it easier for them to monitor without being recognized.

At that point, she wouldn’t be able to identify them, but the six inner sect disciples would definitely recognize who they were.

Among the hundreds of disciples participating in the trial, she also spotted Su Ruoxie, Yun Mengyao, and Lin Yue’er.

Although Su Ruoxie and Lin Yue’er were still only outer sect disciples, they had both reached the Foundation Establishment stage, meaning they were qualified to participate in the trial.

They came from prestigious families, after all, and had been provided with special pills to aid in their Foundation Establishment. Ye Qingning had already guessed they would be part of the trial.

Seeing Su Ruoxie sneering at her, Ye Qingning responded with a mischievous smile, eager to see what would happen next.

Just then, Elder Qiu spoke up: “All disciples participating in the trial should draw their identity tokens and proceed into the formation to be transported to the secret realm.”

“The details of the trial, the rules, and the duration will be revealed once you enter the secret realm. I hereby announce that the Penglai Sect outer sect trial officially begins!”

With those words, the disciples were filled with excitement, almost as if they had been injected with a surge of energy. They lined up to draw their identity tokens.

However, even though the tokens were drawn, the information on them remained hidden for now.

According to Bai Wei, the information on the tokens would only be revealed once they entered the secret realm.

Right now, Ye Qingning could feel Bai Wei gripping her sleeve tightly, as if wanting to say something, but was hesitating. Her eyes looked anxious, hinting that the content of the trial might be similar to the last one.

Meanwhile, Qin Zhannan, the scum ex-boyfriend, was still sending signals to Bai Wei, trying to win her over with his “deep affection,” hoping that she would help him pass the trial. Last night, he had even told Bai Wei that he would alter his appearance once inside the secret realm and wear a piece of blue jade, so she would recognize him at a glance.