After returning to Lingjian Peak, Wen Jiayin received the cultivation technique and sword style that Xinyun had picked out for her.
The sword style didn’t have a name, because Xinyun had created it herself, combining what she’d learned with Wen Jiayin’s physical condition.
She hadn’t had time to name it yet.
The cultivation technique was called “Huntian Yuanhuo Jue.” Xinyun gave her two things: one was a pitiful, half-torn scroll that looked pretty old, and the other was a magical memory tool from the cultivation world—a jade slip.
As long as you sent your spiritual sense into it, you could instantly absorb everything recorded inside, and it would be etched into your mind, almost impossible to forget.
If I’d had something this magical back when I was in school, why would I have stayed up cramming until 2 a.m.
every night? Wen Jiayin wiped away imaginary tears.
But this technique’s name looked kind of familiar… Wen Jiayin rubbed her chin, feeling like she’d seen it somewhere before.
Hmm… It must have shown up in the original novel, but since she couldn’t remember, it probably wasn’t important.
Anyway, if the main character gave her this technique, it couldn’t be bad.
She’d just practice it!
That very day, Wen Jiayin started practicing with it, and then she ran into a really awkward problem… She couldn’t recognize all the characters on it!
The writing in this world looked a bit like the ancient seal script from Wen Jiayin’s previous life.
She could recognize some of it, but not all.
And even if she could read some sentences out loud, she still had no idea what they actually meant when put together.
It was like a bolt from the blue—she’d at least graduated with a master’s degree in her last life, and now she was basically half-illiterate…
Wen Jiayin had been so happy when she brought the book back to her room, but now she was just as dejected as she knocked on Xinyun’s door again.
When Xinyun heard why she’d come, she was clearly stunned.
She’d never known that A Yin couldn’t even read all the characters when she first joined.
So back then… how did she learn to read?
“Um… I was raised by my grandpa as a beggar, so I never went to school.
There was a tavern next to where we begged, and a scholar who liked to drink there would sometimes teach me a couple of characters when he was in a good mood, so I know a few, but not all…” Wen Jiayin’s tongue almost got tied up lying to Xinyun’s face.
Otherwise, she really couldn’t explain how she knew the other half of the characters.
How could a kid raised as a beggar know how to read?
But if she told the truth, Wen Jiayin was afraid her master would slap her to death for being some kind of body-snatching evil cultivator.
“It’s fine, I’ll teach you,” Xinyun said, just patting her head as Wen Jiayin looked uneasy.
How could she not know… The answer was obvious, really.
In her last life, she’d never cared about A Yin during this time.
With that cold, stiff attitude, who would want to get close? Xinyun buried the bitterness in her heart.
She used to resent fate for being unfair, but now she was just grateful to the heavens for giving her a chance to make up for it.
Warm sunlight poured into Xinyun’s room through the open window.
The two of them sat at the desk by the window, Wen Jiayin holding the half-torn scroll and asking about every word.
Xinyun had read this technique more than once and knew it by heart, so she could answer every question in detail.
The phrase “peaceful years” fit the two of them perfectly in this moment—no war, no suspicion, no life-or-death partings.
This was what Xinyun longed for but could never have.
This fragile happiness was built on a harsh reality, threatened from within and without.
Either side could shatter it at any moment.
Xinyun just wished for a little more time, just a bit more, at least enough to see A Yin’s future path to immortality open up before her.
“Keep dreaming.” The heart demon always had to ruin the mood at times like this.
Even if it could only pop out to say a word or two, it wouldn’t let Xinyun have any peace.
Xinyun’s expression didn’t change.
She just ignored it.
Outside the wooden house, an invisible barrier rose up.
Even if there was the slightest chance, Xinyun would never let word of this technique leak out.
Even a heaven-grade technique could wipe out a small sect, and this one was beyond heaven-grade, something found in the tomb of a fallen deity.
It would make countless people risk being hunted by a tribulation-crossing cultivator just to steal it.
She couldn’t guarantee she could always protect A Yin, so this technique had to be hidden.
“Jiayin, if anyone ever asks about your technique, just say you’re practicing ‘Changhuo Xingque Jue.’ Never mention the real name, got it?” “Changhuo Xingque Jue” was a heaven-grade technique the sect leader had, and it was what Wen Jiayin had practiced in her last life.
If she gave that name, Xinyun was sure her senior brother would cover for her.
“Why?” Wen Jiayin still had no idea the technique in her hands was a treasure that could cause a bloodbath.
“Having a treasure is a crime,” Xinyun said softly.
“Got it.” Wen Jiayin covered her mouth.
“I’ll never tell anyone!”
“Good girl.”
After finishing the first scroll with Xinyun, Wen Jiayin started practicing according to the technique.
She sat cross-legged on her bed, spread the half-torn scroll beside her, closed her eyes, and began absorbing the fire spiritual energy around her, circulating it as the technique described.
Wen Jiayin didn’t see it, but as soon as she started cultivating, the scroll beside her began to emit a faint firelight.
Completely focused on her cultivation, Wen Jiayin was trying to catch the lively fire spiritual energy outside, when suddenly—she tumbled and landed on a giant leaf.
“What the hell!” Wen Jiayin looked up at the hazy surroundings.
Since when did cultivation come with a 5D immersive experience?
Suddenly, the leaf she was sitting on started shaking violently—no, the whole ground was shaking! In the distance, through the mist, it looked like a giant figure was standing up.
“Heh!” A deep male voice echoed through the space, making Wen Jiayin’s heart tremble.
“Crack!” A flash of silver light shot by, as if something had been chopped apart.
The sound was so loud it almost deafened Wen Jiayin.
In the faint light, Wen Jiayin thought she saw the giant holding what looked like an axe, and the axe split something apart, sending out dark sparks.
But instead of scattering, those sparks were drawn together by some mysterious force, gathering into a ball, and then… flying straight at her!
Before Wen Jiayin could dodge, a slender, fair hand reached out and caught the flame.
“Ah!!!”
At some point, a tall woman had appeared next to Wen Jiayin.
In this horror-movie-like atmosphere, someone showing up silently right beside you was really scary—especially when you couldn’t even see her face, like it was covered in fog!
“Lady, are you a person or a ghost? Just so you know, I haven’t done anything bad, so if you’ve got a grudge, it’s got nothing to do with me!”
The woman probably hadn’t expected Wen Jiayin’s first words to be that, and she was silent for a long time before finally saying, “If I’m a ghost, then so are you.”
Wen Jiayin: “…” She’d never seen anyone so willing to hurt themselves just to win an argument.
“This is the first fire born between heaven and earth, containing the power of Pangu and chaos.
It can burn the sky, scorch the earth, and consume all things.” The woman pressed the flame she was holding onto Wen Jiayin’s head, right as Wen Jiayin stared in shock and tried to struggle.
“It’s yours now.”
Lady, that’s fire! Wen Jiayin’s eyes snapped open and she quickly felt her head.
Thank goodness, it was still intact.
Wouldn’t slapping someone’s head with a ball of fire burn their face off?!
So weird.
Why did she have such a bizarre dream? Wen Jiayin took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself.
It was still dark outside, and diligent little Wen had to keep cultivating.
But this time, when she sank into her sea of consciousness again, there was a flame in the center, mixed with all sorts of dark matter, trying hard to make its presence known.
Oh, so it wasn’t a dream after all…
“Master!!!!” Some weird lady just slapped a fire into my head!
