“This, this, this……… the Dengtianti is the sect’s greatest treasure. How can it be given away so casually? Even if you were to gift it, it shouldn’t be given to a mere girl who just joined.”
“How old is she? At her age, how could she possibly handle such a powerful artifact? Isn’t this just setting her up for disaster!”
“I’m different. I’m older, my cultivation is higher—I’m the one best suited to wield it. Why didn’t the old ancestor look at me more? Ah, the old ancestor is so confused!!”
Tian Laokou quickly snapped out of his shock, patting his thigh and wailing repeatedly, as if he had just lost a billion Ling Stones.
His voice drew everyone’s attention back. The other Peak Masters and Elders, who had been shocked moments before, were left speechless after hearing Tian Laokou’s shameless lament.
Shui Yaoguang sat back in her seat, resting her hand on the armrest, giving the fat old man a sidelong glance from her phoenix-shaped eyes.
“Save your breath. The old ancestor has already passed into immortality. No matter how much you want to say, she can no longer hear you.”
The crowd fell into silence once more.
The last trace of the spirit dissipated; the Windchant Patriarch had completely vanished into the world.
On the other side, those who understood the implication of Tian Laokou’s words—Huo Xin and the others—were all shocked, especially Guan Dahai and Gao Zhu.
Good heavens, they had just been worrying about Yun Miao’s safety, and now not only had she suddenly awakened, but that eccentric old ancestor actually gifted her the Dengtianti?!
Previously, Yun Miao had earned a thousand Ling Stones by selling a tattered piece of paper on the ship, traded a wilted wildflower with the aloof senior sister for a wolf cub, and, with just a few words, helped Tan Xiaobai break through, gaining all his Ling Stones as a reward.
They could barely understand all that, but now they truly couldn’t wrap their heads around this.
That’s the Dengtianti!
Though their knowledge was limited and they didn’t fully understand how precious the Dengtianti was, they knew for sure it was no ordinary treasure.
This time, Yun Miao really hit the jackpot.
“Those who made promises said to keep your feet on the ground. You can’t always count on lucky breaks, can you? Master Yun, do you think this situation is reasonable?”
The few other new disciples were also stunned, their pupils dilating in disbelief.
One girl swallowed hard, unconsciously fiddling with the large golden Jin Chan Pendant hanging from her waist.
“Is there really such good fortune in this world?”
She was a new disciple too, thinking, “Old ancestor, you should share the blessings a bit more and care for her as well!”
***
“Ding-ling-ling~”
Yun Miao was jolted awake by the ringing of her phone.
But when she opened her eyes, everything was pitch black.
She was stunned for a moment before realizing that last night, while playing games, she had been so tired she fell asleep without even taking off her full-sensory helmet, sitting on the sofa all night.
Like any other gaming addict, a fleeting wave of guilt and regret for wasting time rose in her heart.
She quickly removed the helmet and stood up to stretch.
Surprisingly, her limbs were neither numb nor sore; instead, she felt refreshed and comfortable all over.
Strange. How was she feeling so good?
Could it be that her late-night gaming had scrambled her brain, messed up her nerves, or disrupted her hormones?
So, like every cautious, life-loving college student who tries to survive late nights carefully, Yun Miao picked up her phone with a serious expression and began an online medical consultation.
‘What are the dangers of sleeping while wearing a full-sensory helmet?’
‘Sleeping all night on the sofa with a full-sensory helmet—why do I feel good the next day?’
‘Does wearing a full-sensory helmet while sleeping cause brain damage?’
‘Can wearing a full-sensory helmet all night be fatal?’
Answer: Since Miaomiao Group developed the first-generation basic chips for full-sensory helmets, various brands have emerged like mushrooms after rain.
Currently, all full-sensory helmets on the market use chips produced by a Miaomiao Group subsidiary.
These helmets feature a sleep mode; wearing them while sleeping does not harm the brain and may even improve sleep quality.
Yun Miao looked surprised and picked up the helmet on the sofa, tapping the touchscreen.
After fingerprint unlocking, the dark screen lit up, flashing a bronze-green simplified pattern briefly—very similar to the Bronze Armillary Sphere in the login animation of Wen Dao Three Thousand.
This was the Miaomiao Group’s brand logo. Wen Dao Three Thousand is a game developed by a gaming company under Miaomiao Group.
The full-sensory helmet given as an official lottery prize for Wen Dao Three Thousand was also produced by a full-sensory helmet development company under the same group, hence the shared logo.
Yun Miao ignored the icon out of habit, tapped the touchscreen a few times, and quickly found the record from last night:
‘System detected you have entered sleep mode, automatically switched to sleep mode.’
She was amazed:
“There really is a sleep mode. Technology nowadays is incredible. If this keeps advancing, one day I won’t even be surprised if someone flies past my window on a jet-powered flying sword.”
An hour later, after finishing washing up and breakfast, Yun Miao put the full-sensory helmet back on, pushing aside her intermittent guilt and regret.
It was summer vacation anyway; studying wasn’t as important as successfully joining the Xuantian Sect.
When her Dao was complete, she’d sneak back to school and cancel all her early classes. Heh heh heh!
***
As soon as she logged back in and opened her eyes, Yun Miao found herself sitting atop a mist-covered mountain peak, with a sheer cliff just a step away.
Looking down the cliff, she saw that the mountain was suspended high in the air, directly above the vast lake she had seen before, wrapped by dragon veins.
Beneath her feet was an enormous platform that covered nearly half the mountaintop.
The platform’s surface looked like a single slab of flawless white marble, with no discoloration or any trace of seams.
Nine tall stone pillars stood on it, each engraved with wild cursive script.
The clouds at the cliff’s edge flowed softly over the platform’s marble tiles, then slowly descended along the white marble steps.
Standing on the platform felt like standing amidst the clouds.
At that moment, a series of system notifications rapidly appeared before her eyes.
【Player has successfully absorbed Qi into the body, breaking through to Qi Refining Stage, Level One.】
【Player has bound the Dengtianti treasure, automatically equipped.】
【Player broke through to Qi Refining Stage, Level Two.】
【Player broke through to Qi Refining Stage, Level Three.】
【Player…………】
【Player broke through to Qi Refining Stage, Level Seven.】
Yun Miao was startled.
Before sleeping, she was clearly trapped inside the Dengtianti.
Why did she wake up as a Qi Refining Stage, Level Seven cultivator—her cultivation skipping from mortal directly to that level?
And the Dengtianti was already hers?
Is this a bug?
The notification boxes flashed so quickly that they vanished instantly.
Just as the last notification disappeared, she suddenly felt a breeze on her face.
The next moment, a white-bearded old man stood before her.
His beard and hair were pure white, his hair tied into a Daoist bun with a wooden pin.
He wore a yellow Daoist robe decorated with large talismanic symbols.
His smile, stroking his beard in the wind, exuded the aura of an immortal.
“Good disciple, congratulations on passing the trial.
Your master and all the Peak Masters and Elders have been waiting for you for a long time.
Come with me into the hall.”
Yun Miao blinked in confusion and stood up.
“Where is this?”
Sect Master Chang: “On the Cloudview Platform of Xuantian Sect’s main peak.”
Yun Miao: “Who is the disciple?”
Sect Master Chang: “Naturally, it is you.”
Yun Miao: “Then who is my master?”
Sect Master Chang stroked his white beard.
“Of course, I am.”
Yun Miao was even more bewildered.
“When did I pass the trial? When did I become your disciple? I don’t remember any of this.”
“Don’t remember? Then do you remember what you said to the old ancestor?”
Sect Master Chang briefly recounted Yun Miao’s three days and nights of meditation inside the Dengtianti.
He also revealed the identity of the Windchant Patriarch and the gift she bestowed upon Yun Miao.
“You should know the Dengtianti has always been kept by each Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect.
Now that the Dengtianti has fallen into your hands, this means……”
Yun Miao interrupted seriously, “It means I’ve become the next Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect?”
“You misunderstood, disciple.
The Sect Master has the right and responsibility to keep the Dengtianti, but possessing the Dengtianti doesn’t mean you must be the Sect Master.
Also… I have no intention of stepping down anytime soon.”
Sect Master Chang gazed thoughtfully at the young woman in blue before him.
“Originally, after your senior brother Qi Shubai, I had no plans to accept another disciple.
I never expected this master-disciple bond to come, unstoppable.”
“Once you formally become my disciple and a Changmen’s Direct Disciple, even if others know the Dengtianti is in your hands, they won’t dare say a word.
Besides, I will have a prodigy disciple with excellent character and comprehension, who had a sudden breakthrough directly from mortal to Qi Refining Stage, Level Seven—truly marvelous! Marvelous!”
He grew more and more delighted, finally bursting into laughter, stroking his beard.
He seemed to already see himself parading his genius disciple around, making certain old unyielding fellows jealous and envious.
But Yun Miao cut through his fantasy in an instant.
“What benefits do I get from becoming your disciple?”
“What?”
Sect Master Chang thought he heard wrong.
Yun Miao calmly repeated her question, adding, “That elder on the immortal ship said that if I became her disciple, she would secretly teach me the secret techniques of you and the other Peak Masters and Elders.”
Sect Master Chang:
Meanwhile, Tian Laokou and the others, who had been eavesdropping with their spiritual senses in the hall, quietly turned to look at Ge Yan.
Tian Laokou gloomily: [Yan’er, aren’t you going to explain this?]
Ge Yan lowered her head, seriously studying the patterns on the chair’s armrest, pretending not to hear Tian Laokou.
At the same time, Sect Master Chang adjusted his robes and snorted lightly.
“I’m the Sect Master. Do you know what that means? It means I’m everyone’s boss.
My junior sister can only secretly steal the secret techniques from each peak and then teach you.
I’m different—I can steal them in front of everyone for you.”
“If you get into trouble, I’ll cover for you.
If you’re bullied, I’ll back you up.
As long as you hold the title of a Changmen’s Direct Disciple, everyone will give you face and show some respect.
If you perform well, there’s even a chance to run for the next Sect Master position.”
“There are too many benefits to list in just a few words.
In short, one sentence: as long as you become my disciple, you can walk through the Xuantian Sect like you own the place!”