[Brain Storage Area – leave your brain here before reading. ૮₍ ˶•ᴗ•˶₎ა ]
"So… you're saying none of you are multi-element spirit mages?"
"???"
"And you weren't born with a bound spirit artifact?"
"???"
"And sword cultivators can't make their swords… give birth to more swords?"
"???"
"Well then controlling several flying swords at once must be pretty common, right?"
"…Are you stupid?"
This was the ninth time Ning Ruan had been called an idiot.
"…."
Ning Ruan wasn't stupid.
She was just someone who wanted to be a healer.
Unfortunately, the old men in her village had brainwashed her for fifteen straight years, turning her into a six-element spirit mage who practiced sword cultivation.
Their manipulation skills were terrifying.
Back on her old world—Blue Star—they would have made legendary pyramid-scheme leaders. The kind who'd get ten years in prison minimum.
They told her things like:
Outside the village, geniuses are everywhere.
Powerhouses are as common as stray dogs.
Someone like her—a six-element spirit mage who could only control two flying swords—would be crushed the moment she left the village.
Ning Ruan believed them.
Ever since she had transmigrated into this world at birth, she had trained like a maniac under the "guidance" of the village elders.
Day and night.
All because she was terrified that the moment she stepped outside the village…
someone would kill her.
But now that she had actually left the village—
She finally realized how badly she'd been fooled.
Taking a deep breath, the girl in a simple green robe calmly tightened the straps of the massive sword case on her back—so large it nearly covered her entire body.
Under several bewildered stares that looked at her like she was mentally challenged, Ning Ruan stepped forward.
Just like everyone else, she raised her right hand and placed it on the towering stone pillar before her.
Today was the final day of recruitment for the Crimson Heaven Sect, one of the seven great sects of Azure Cloud Province.
The elder responsible for testing the applicants had very little hope for today's candidates.
Anyone with real talent would never wait until the last day to show up.
But the moment Ning Ruan's hand touched the pillar—
A blinding beam of pure light burst from the stone.
The elder's eyes widened in shock.
"Bone age fifteen… Light—"
He stuttered.
"L-Light element… Third Realm Spirit Mage… Affinity… n-ninety-six?!"
Ning Ruan withdrew her hand.
Her clear, calm eyes looked toward the stunned elder.
The man finally snapped out of it and hurriedly handed her a plain jade token, his voice suddenly far more enthusiastic.
The elder handed her a jade token.
"This is your testing token. Take it to the reception platform ahead. From there you'll be guided to the Thousand-Step Stairway."
"The stairway has nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. The stronger your cultivation, the greater the resistance."
"If you can't continue, rest where you are and circulate your energy. Don't force it."
"For light-element spirit mages, reaching one hundred and fifty steps counts as passing the entrance test."
Ning Ruan nodded.
She didn't bother asking why something called the Thousand-Step Stairway only had nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.
Right now, she just needed to finish the climb and complete the sect entry process.
If she moved fast enough…
She might still make it in time for lunch.
Yes—her reason for joining the Crimson Heaven Sect wasn't because the sect was powerful.
It was because the sect raised Wind Rabbits.
And she liked eating them.
"Interesting… Not many people are that eager to climb the stairway."
The testing elder stroked his beard while watching the girl in green silently walk away.
"Shame she's a light-element mage, though…"
Then his eyes drifted to the massive black sword case on her back—almost half her height.
His expression turned strange.
"…Wait a minute."
"Why is a light mage carrying a sword case?"
He wasn't the only one who found it bizarre.
Just then—
Someone suddenly shouted.
"Look! A Crimson Heaven Sect core disciple flying on a sword!"
Sword flight was a privilege reserved for sword cultivators.
And only those at Third Realm or higher could do it.
If you weren't a sword cultivator and didn't possess a flying artifact, you'd need to be at least Fourth Realm to fly—and it would drain an enormous amount of spiritual energy.
"White robes… red sash… they really are core disciples."
"Wait… they're flying this way."
"You're right. Are they… looking for someone?"
"..."
The group descending rapidly from the sky was indeed looking for someone.
And when a streak of dark light suddenly landed squarely on Ning Ruan's head—
She became almost certain of one thing.
They were probably here…for her.
"It's her! The Soul-Lock Compass never gets it wrong—it's her!"
Four people had arrived.
Three men. One woman.
The one speaking was the young woman standing in the center, protected by the three sword cultivators beside her.
Her eyes were red from crying, rage and hatred burning beneath the tears.
With a trembling hand, she pointed her sword at Ning Ruan, who had just been about to step onto the reception platform.
"You're the one who killed my mother and crippled my father's dantian… aren't you?!"
"Not me," Ning Ruan replied calmly.
Her tone was slow and steady.
Around them, the disciples who had been waiting to climb the stairway quietly backed away.
Clearly—
everyone wanted a better view of the drama.
"You're lying!" the girl cried. "The Soul-Lock Compass can't be wrong! You killed my mother!"
Her small body trembled violently, grief and fury mixing in every word.
"Oh."
Ning Ruan pursed her lips and nodded casually.
"Well… if you say so."
"Then I guess it was me."
The girl froze.
Apparently she hadn't expected such an easy admission.
For a moment she simply stared, tears hanging in her eyes before the hatred returned.
"How could you… My parents had no grudge against you! How could you do such a thing?!"
One of the sword cultivators beside her stepped forward.
"Junior Sister, why waste words with her?"
"If she killed someone, we'll just capture her."
Another sneered.
"A vile person like this doesn't deserve to live. And she even tried to join the Crimson Heaven Sect? What a joke."
A third chuckled coldly.
"If our junior sister sheds a few tears…"
"I'll make a few holes in her body to compensate."
The three men raised their swords and stared at Ning Ruan like predators.
The commotion at the reception platform quickly drew attention.
Even the applicants lining up for testing in the distance began drifting closer.
Several testing elders hurried over and landed in front of Ning Ruan.
One of them—the slightly chubby elder who had tested her earlier—looked extremely puzzled.
"Nephew Li," he said carefully to the crying girl, "could there be some misunderstanding here?"
"We heard about what happened to the Li family yesterday.
"But if I recall correctly, your father is a Fifth-Realm fire mage, and your mother a Fourth-Realm light mage."
He glanced at Ning Ruan.
"And this young lady is only Third Realm."
"How could a Third-Realm light mage possibly kill one and seriously injure the other?"
"…That sounds a little unbelievable."
But the girl—Li Yu—kept staring at Ning Ruan with bloodshot eyes.
"No."
"It has to be her!"
"The Soul-Lock Compass never makes mistakes!"
"She killed my mother!"
Her voice broke.
"The hatred of killing one's mother cannot be shared with the same sky!"
"Today… I will take her life with my own hands!"
Ning Ruan looked at the crying girl in front of her.
The girl who was shouting about revenge while sobbing uncontrollably.
Then she raised her eyes lazily.
"Your surname is Li, huh…"
"Then that checks out."
"Yes."
"I did kill your mother."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Ning Ruan tilted her head slightly, her expression calm and serious.
"Fifteen years ago…"
"Your mother killed mine."
"Fifteen years later…"
"I killed her."
She shrugged.
"Seems fair, doesn't it?"
Li Yu's eyes widened in disbelief.
After several seconds, she finally shouted in fury:
"You're lying!"
"My mother was kind and righteous! She saved countless cultivators!"
"How could she ever kill someone?!"
"And even if she did—"
Her voice rose hysterically.
"Then your mother must have deserved it!"
"Kind and righteous?" Ning Ruan clicked her tongue.
"That's… surprising."
She casually tapped the storage jade belt at her waist.
A moment later, she took out a small black mirror, barely the size of her palm.
Ning Ruan smiled faintly as she poured spiritual energy into it.
"Your mother was truly kind."
"Stealing someone else's husband."
"And even trying to kill a pregnant woman."
She looked up, voice light and mocking.
"Honestly, your parents were perfect for each other."
"Trash paired with garbage."
"A match made in heaven."
Ning Ruan honestly felt that the girl in front of her—
her supposed half-sister—
had something seriously wrong with her.
If she wanted revenge, why not just attack?
Instead she kept talking and crying, like she was trying to claim the moral high ground.
Unfortunately for her—
Ning Ruan could claim that ground too.
The projection from the recording mirror expanded in midair.
Large enough that the surrounding spectators could see clearly.
After all—
if people were going to watch the drama,
they might as well enjoy a good show.
The moment the mirror projected its massive image into the air—
The crowd below immediately exploded into discussion.
"Whoa… how many recording stones did it take to make a mirror like that?"
"Seriously. Look at the size of that projection! "
"And it's so clear you can even see the grass on the ground…"
Someone squinted at the image.
"Wait… is that someone running for their life?"
Another person frowned.
"Could the recording stone have been tampered with?"
"But didn't the elder mention the Li family just now? If I remember correctly, the second master of the Li family and Madam Qingwu were attacked on their way back to the capital yesterday."
"If that's really them… how could Madam Qingwu possibly be killing innocent people?"
A disciple nearby shook his head immediately.
"That's impossible."
"Recording stones capture the truth. No one can tamper with them."
He crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced.
"Besides, Madam Qingwu and Second Master Li are famously devoted to each other. Everyone knows they're inseparable."
"For them to murder some pregnant woman?"
He scoffed.
"I don't believe it."
"Unless that woman was some kind of evil cultivator to begin with."
"..."