Chapter Seventy-Three: Senior Sister Ning’s Moment of Glory

Ning Xianyu followed Xuan Yuan Tunhan toward the Jade Immortal Sect, and this time it took them more than ten days to arrive.

On the way, Ning Xianyu mentioned she wanted to pick up something to bring back.

“Ancestor, since I’m out on this trip, I can’t return empty-handed, can I?”

She was now at the Nascent Soul stage—a figure others looked up to. She had to be generous in her gestures to truly display her strength and aura.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan looked at her with a mocking expression. “Have you ever seen me give gifts to the weak?”

Now that it was said… it did seem to make sense.

“Well… Ancestor, you’re right.”

She had always been stingy by nature, and after this prod from the great demon, she decided not to give gifts either.

The great demon was right. She was now the one in a position of power; it should be others currying favor with her through gifts.

This was perfect—now when she went to eat in the dining hall, no one would dare say a word no matter how much she ate.

Ha! There would surely be plenty of handsome male disciples eager to flatter her with their delicate faces, hoping for a few pointers.

Ah, what a delightful life—just imagining it made her happy.

She was in the midst of such a daydream when Xuan Yuan Tunhan slapped her awake.

“What are you dreaming about? We’ve arrived.”

This woman, with her indecent smile—who knew what she was scheming.

Ning Xianyu clutched her head, shot him a secret glare, and then carefully looked down.

Below was the Jade Immortal Sect—the largest cultivation sect in the Six Realms of Cloud Desolation. It sprawled across vast lands, with mountain after mountain and abundant spiritual energy, home to countless disciples.

Such a marvelous place—and now she could walk with her head held high here! Just the thought of it made her giddy.

Their flying artifact had not yet touched the ground when Ning Xianyu began to feel conflicted.

She wondered if, now that she had returned, she ought to go back to the outer sect, given she was still nominally an outer disciple.

But times had changed. She was now a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Shouldn’t she have a new place to stay?

Even if they didn’t give her her own mountain, at the very least, a large courtyard and a few cooks wouldn't be too much to ask.

As she was mulling this over, Xuan Yuan Tunhan told her to make her own way back.

“Come find me again tomorrow.”

With that, he whisked himself away in a flash.

Ning Xianyu couldn’t catch up, nor did she dare to, so she simply headed back to the outer sect.

But after just a few steps, she brightened up again.

She was now a Nascent Soul cultivator—her senior brothers should be lining up to curry favor with her.

Ning Xianyu descended from the clouds in front of her modest dwelling and looked it over.

This house was simply too ordinary—not worthy of her new status.

“Ning Xianyu?”

As she was inspecting it, a familiar voice called out from behind.

She turned to see Senior Brother Chang Qi approaching, bristling with anger. “So you know to come back! Where have you been all this time? Do you have any idea, with you gone…”

He trailed off, unable to finish, because he realized he could no longer see through Ning Xianyu’s cultivation.

Just then, Senior Brother Ding Hong arrived too.

Seeing her return, he was delighted, but as he came closer, he noticed something amiss.

“Sister Xianyu?”

Why couldn’t they sense her cultivation anymore?

Ning Xianyu said with pride, “Little Chang, you still dare to shout at me? I’m a Nascent Soul cultivator now! Ha, do you still expect me to help you sweep the courtyard?”

Chang Qi muttered, “Nascent Soul?”

“How is that possible?”

She hadn’t been gone long—how could she have ascended from Qi Refining to Nascent Soul so quickly?

Ding Hong was equally incredulous. “This is too fast—Sister Xianyu, how did you do it?”

On this topic, Ning Xianyu could only be vague. “The Ancestor helped me. I don’t know exactly how it happened.”

She truly didn’t know why the great demon’s cultivation progressed so rapidly; unable to explain it and fearing persistent questions, she kept it ambiguous.

But Chang Qi and Ding Hong’s expressions both shifted—one growing furious, the other looking downcast.

Chang Qi snapped, “I always thought you were just lazy and greedy, but I didn’t expect you to be so vain, trading your body for cultivation. I misjudged you!”

With that, he stormed off in a huff.

Ning Xianyu was baffled by the scolding. “Senior Brother Chang Qi must be jealous.”

Ding Hong sighed sadly. “From the moment you left, I knew this would happen. Never mind, as long as you’re happy, Sister Xianyu.”

He wanted to pat her on the shoulder, but remembering her current power, he held back.

“Sister Xianyu, remember—even if you’ve gained something, you must cultivate diligently. Only what you earn through your own efforts truly belongs to you—no one can take that away.”

With that, he too left, looking dejected.

Ning Xianyu was left utterly confused by their comments, concluding that the two probably had a few screws loose.

She had considered giving them the spiritual fruits she’d gathered along the way as thanks for their past care, but now saw no need.

“Utterly baffling.”

Ning Xianyu pushed open the door, looked around, found her bed, and flopped down.

“It’s too hard, but it’s my bed—so comfortable.”

She fell asleep at once, planning to go to the dining hall for a meal and show off a bit once she woke.

Naturally, news of her return quickly spread throughout the outer sect. Many saw that she was back, and those with higher cultivation could tell her power had increased significantly.

Everyone was guessing how she had progressed so fast—and soon, someone hit upon the answer.

“She left with Ancestor Xuan Yuan, and returned with him. How do you think her cultivation advanced?”

“Sigh, truly enviable. We work ourselves to the bone cultivating, and might not reach the Golden Core stage even in a lifetime. She, in just over a month, reached Nascent Soul with ease.”

“Ha! Serves you right—you don’t have the face for it. Go back and ask your mother for a new reincarnation, come back as a woman.”

Most people were filled with envy and resentment, looking down on Ning Xianyu.

But what they really resented was not her shortcuts, but that such fortune hadn’t fallen on them.

When Ning Xianyu woke, she went straight to the dining hall. Every brother she met had a fawning smile.

The whole place was in an uproar, with everyone rushing over to greet and flatter her.

“Sister Ning, why come eat in person? You should have let us bring your meal to you.”

“Sister Ning, we have crispy fried fish today—would you like some?”

“Sister Ning, here you can see the scenery outside the window and don’t have to squeeze in with everyone else.”

Ning Xianyu’s vanity was thoroughly satisfied. She held her head high and nodded slightly in response to their enthusiasm.

With all this attention, she felt positively buoyant—almost as if she were floating.

Just as she was basking in her triumph, a disciple approached and asked ingratiatingly, “Sister Ning, tomorrow the sect is holding a trial. They say whoever defeats a fourth-rank demon beast will be rewarded. Would you like to give it a try?”

Suddenly, the fried fish in Ning Xianyu’s mouth lost all its flavor.

This junior brother—was he trying to get her killed?

With her half-baked skills, she could use her cultivation to show off, but as for actually killing a demon beast—she’d be walking straight to her doom.