Sufang City was a square-shaped city that wasn’t particularly large among cultivation cities, but it was wealthy, built like an immortal palace.
The city had two streets: Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise, intersecting at a circular stone platform in the center where the golden lotus was placed.
There weren’t many pedestrians on the path to the golden lotus. Su Zhuyi stepped on the jade stone stairs and walked to the lotus flower’s side, looking left and right without seeing anyone. But the next moment, she felt spiritual energy surging from beneath her feet—an array formation had activated.
Su Zhuyi was prepared. She didn’t move recklessly, standing confidently with her hands clasped behind her back.
The next moment, the scenery before her eyes wavered, and she vanished from the spot in a blink. Little Skull had been following behind Su Zhuyi in a daze. Now he was completely confused, spinning in circles. Where had big sister gone? His bones stepping on the array formation produced no reaction at all. He sniffed, hugging the little dog as he chased in the direction of Su Zhuyi’s aura.
Suyue Sect wasn’t located within Sufang City. The sect was a hundred li away from Sufang City, built by the sea with Fragrant Mountain at its back.
After landing, Su Zhuyi felt the slightly salty, humid sea breeze and heard the sound of waves crashing against rocks. Looking up, a flock of seabirds flew across the sky, then flapped their wings to land on the roof eaves. Back then, from high atop the Wangtian Tree, she could also see the distant sea—azure blue like the sky, with heaven and sea forming a single line.
She had once sat at the edge of that little wooden house, feet dangling outside, telling Qin Jianglan how she envied the freedom of seabirds.
But Qin Jianglan had only told her to pull her feet back inside the room. When she refused, he grabbed her ankles and placed both feet on the wooden house floor while holding them. His sleeves were wide, but even through the fabric, she could feel the warmth of his arms.
What had he said then?
“It’s cold outside. There’s a barrier inside the room.” At that time, she had lost all her cultivation, and her injuries hadn’t healed—she couldn’t endure the cold wind for too long. Truth be told, if Qin Jianglan hadn’t used the finest spirit medicines to sustain her life, how could she have lived so long? How could she have waited for the Liuguang Mirror to repair itself…
She’d accidentally thought of him again.
Shaking her head, she began examining her surroundings.
Though she knew the Suyue Sect was wealthy and well-backed, seeing it with her own eyes still gave Su Zhuyi a small shock.
This location wasn’t particularly good in the cultivation world—after all, the blessed lands rich in spiritual energy had all been claimed by major sects. But every brick and tile here was made from crafting materials, all containing spiritual energy, combined through array formations to create an atmosphere of paradise in what was originally an ordinary place. Look at that azure seawater beneath the pavilion, scattered with countless immortal bamboo flower petals, rolling up wave by wave and retreating wave by wave—truly extravagant to the extreme.
Immortal bamboo flowers could be used to refine Spirit Concentration Pills, and they weren’t cheap.
No one came to receive her after landing, so she looked around. Since this pavilion was built over the sea with only one path ahead, Su Zhuyi wasn’t timid and walked straight along the small path. Soon she saw another golden lotus—oh, another teleportation array.
She walked directly over and was instantly transported again, this time arriving on Fragrant Mountain.
Fragrant Mountain had many red leaves and a faint fragrant aura. Su Zhuyi had heard of it before, and seeing it in person now, it was just so-so. This fragrance—she sniffed—was clearly from ground-covering grass planted on the mountain. That grass grew underground and had a faint, sweet scent. Those with little knowledge thought the mountain was fragrant because of all the beauties there, but it had nothing to do with those female cultivators—it was just the grass’s fragrance.
She belonged to the well-read type and viewed all this quite calmly, so from the moment she entered the Suyue Sect, she appeared very composed and dignified, like a child from a prestigious family.
Su Zhuyi walked a bit further and came to a courtyard. The courtyard was empty except for two polished, mirror-smooth stone surfaces. Continuing forward, she saw a red-robed female cultivator holding a jade ruler, walking over with a smile. “Little girl, are you here to register?” she asked with a sweet smile.
That jade ruler was for testing cultivation aptitude—this red-robed woman must be the person responsible for accepting new disciples.
Otherwise? Su Zhuyi thought this, but smiled sweetly on her face. “Yes, beautiful sister. Are you a disciple of the Suyue Sect?”
“I’m called Hong Qin, the senior sister who will guide you.” After speaking, Hong Qin pointed at the two stone mirror surfaces. “Come, stand before the mirrors and let’s see which path suits you.”
Hearing Hong Qin’s words, Su Zhuyi was extremely satisfied.
Look—people could enter the Suyue Sect, and Hong Qin hadn’t even mentioned spirit stones. Her face was truly reliable.
Su Zhuyi stood before the left mirror under Hong Qin’s guidance.
Seeing herself in the mirror, she was slightly stunned.
“Junior sister is so composed. When I first saw this Floating Life Mirror, I was shocked speechless.”
Su Zhuyi smiled and said, “Senior sister, I was stunned silly.”
She smiled, and the person in the mirror smiled too. That smile bloomed, making even Hong Qin, who was used to seeing beauties, pause slightly. She knew the little girl was pretty—she’d passed through the teleportation arrays without anyone charging her spirit stones—but she hadn’t expected her to be beautiful to this extent.
The person in the mirror was her adult self.
The Suyue Sect didn’t care about aptitude. What they tested first wasn’t aptitude, but appearance. Since new disciples were usually very young with undeveloped features, who knew what they’d look like when grown?
Many children who were adorably cute when young grew up crooked, not ugly, but ordinary. So Suyue Sect had created two Floating Life Mirrors. These mirrors were crafted jointly by the cultivation world’s most skilled painter of bones and flesh, the Nascent Soul stage cultivator Divine Brush Zhang Liang, and his good friend, master craftsman Sikong Yu. Named the Floating Life Mirrors, they could display a person’s appearance at their most beautiful time based on bone structure and features.
Floating life like a dream, with women in dreams preserved at their most beautiful moment.
And this little girl with hair only an inch long would grow up to be this beautiful. The left Floating Life Mirror showed red robes with an enchanting, seductive aura. The woman in the mirror smiled slightly, making Hong Qin’s heart skip, as if her soul might be hooked away by those eyes.
Su Zhuyi also looked at herself in the mirror—the self there was three parts more beautiful than in her previous life. After all, in her previous life, those early years were difficult, she was often injured with heavy murderous aura, so her beauty wasn’t this pure.
She knew what she’d look like in the future, so seeing it wasn’t surprising. Instead, she leaned closer to look again and again, asking, “This is the future me?” She widened her eyes, and the beauty in the mirror widened hers too. She made faces, and the person inside followed suit. The atmosphere became lively, and Hong Qin’s heart settled. She smiled and said, “Now come look at this side.”
Su Zhuyi followed her to stand before the right mirror.
In the right mirror, she wore white robes with a slightly cold expression. This was a different style of beauty—the former was alluring and seductive, the latter holy and noble. The former was passionate as fire, the latter like a lonely moon over mountain streams.
Su Zhuyi smiled slightly again.
The person in the mirror curved her lips faintly—snow melted, peach blossoms bloomed, hearts were stirred.
Hong Qin stood there in a daze, covering her pounding chest. Only after a long while did she look away at Su Zhuyi. “You little fairy, this is quite difficult. I don’t know how to advise you.”
Suyue Sect wasn’t large, divided into Listening Sea Pavilion and Fragrant Ridge. New disciples would choose suitable paths based on what the Floating Life Mirror showed—alluring ones went to Listening Sea Pavilion, pure ones to Fragrant Ridge. For someone like Su Zhuyi, Hong Qin truly didn’t know where she should go.
With looks like that, there was no need to test aptitude with the jade ruler. No matter how poor her aptitude, the Suyue Sect would accept her.
Thinking this, Hong Qin said, “Little junior sister, please wait here a moment. I’ll report to the sect master and see where she wants you to go.”
Su Zhuyi nodded, cupping her hands in salute. “Then thank you, senior sister.”
Before leaving, Hong Qin waved her hand and provided tables, chairs, and spirit fruits. Su Zhuyi sat waiting, thinking that this Suyue Sect really could make a living off faces—it truly suited her.
At this time, Hong Qin had already arrived at Suyue Sect Master Qu Ningsu’s chambers.
“Sect Master, this year we’ve gained an excellent prospect.”