Shen Lingxi and Gu Ming spent a wonderful one week together.
During this one week, Shen Lingxi and Gu Ming visited many fun places, bought many things, and ate delicacies they had never tasted before.
Shen Lingxi was happy.
But happy days are always short-lived. The one week slipped by quietly, and in the blink of an eye, the time for the Saintess Inheritance arrived.
On that day, Gu Ming personally escorted Shen Lingxi to the location of the inheritance.
Many people had already gathered here. There were disciples maintaining order, Holy Maiden Candidates who were to receive the Saintess Inheritance alongside Shen Lingxi, and Elders who usually remained hidden from the public eye.
Besides them, the Great Elder, who rarely made appearances, was also present.
It could be said that almost all the core figures of Saintess Mountain had gathered.
They were there only to witness the birth of the Second Generation Saintess.
However, many Elders still did not think highly of Shen Lingxi. After all, there had been a precedent. Another Holy Maiden Candidate with Heavenly Grade Aptitude had failed in the past, hadn’t she?
Therefore, this inheritance ceremony was almost no different from previous ones, with a group of Holy Maiden Candidates participating together.
But unlike before, this Saintess Inheritance ceremony featured several heavyweight figures.
For instance, the Great Elder.
Shen Lingxi stood within a formation along with the other Holy Maiden Candidates. Outside the formation, three Elders stood at different positions.
Once the three Elders activated the formation together, Shen Lingxi and the other Holy Maiden Candidates would be teleported to a Secret Realm.
After entering the Secret Realm, the Holy Maiden Candidates would receive guidance and arrive before a Towering Tree that reached into the clouds. Then, they simply had to sit before the tree and naturally enter a state of meditation.
Entering meditation signaled the start of the inheritance.
As for when the inheritance would end, no one knew. Aside from the First Generation Saintess, no one had ever walked out.
To be more precise, since the time of the First Generation Saintess, no one had ever emerged from the Secret Realm.
Because of this, the outside world questioned the Truth of the Saintess Inheritance. At one point, a storm of conspiracy theories even erupted. However, that storm was suppressed by the major powers of the Righteous Path Alliance.
Amidst the weathered voices of doubt, Saintess Mountain welcomed its hope for the first time —
Shen Lingxi.
Shen Lingxi was somewhat nervous.
It was her first time seeing so many people and her first time meeting peers who were also Holy Maiden Candidates.
Everyone looked pale and nervous, their eyes filled with uncontrollable panic.
Their emotions began to affect Shen Lingxi as well.
Before coming here, Shen Lingxi had been full of pride and determination, but when she actually had to face it, she felt like shrinking back.
However, seeing Gu Ming among the crowd below, Shen Lingxi’s heart settled quite a bit. Images of their parting involuntarily surfaced in her mind —
“Take me out to play when I get out.”
“Okay.”
“Take me on a shopping spree when I get out. You’re paying.”
“Alright, no problem.”
“When I get out, you have to take me to meet your parents.”
“Okay… wait, what?”
The first two requests were quite normal, but by the third one, Gu Ming was a bit dazed.
He blinked, doubting he had heard correctly, and specifically asked her back:
“Meet my parents?”
“Is that a problem?”
“It’s not that…”
“Then it means I’m not worthy!”
“…I didn’t say that.”
Gu Ming felt a bit embarrassed. After a moment of silence, he nodded and promised.
“Fine, I promise everything.”
“Pinky swear.” Shen Lingxi stuck out her pinky finger.
“Pinky swear.” Gu Ming also extended his pinky and gently hooked it with hers.
The corners of Shen Lingxi’s lips curled up slightly, her heart feeling warm.
Not long after, Shen Lingxi’s thoughts were interrupted.
“Everyone, get ready. The teleportation formation is about to activate.”
Shortly after the Elder’s voice rang out, blue particles began to emerge within the formation.
The particles began to stretch and elongate. Then, the previously scattered particles gathered into a pillar of light that shot into the sky.
Shen Lingxi felt the scenery before her begin to accelerate, then accelerate further. Gradually, the speed slowed down, and the outlines of her surroundings became visible until they were finally clear.
She was astonished to find herself standing on the surface of a lake.
The lake reflected her figure.
However, she did not sink.
There seemed to be an invisible layer of air between her and the water.
She tried taking a few steps, and ripples quickly spread across the surface of the lake.
‘A lake?’
Shen Lingxi was extremely confused.
According to what the Elders had told her, she should have been teleported into a forest and then guided by the Secret Realm to a Towering Tree that reached the clouds.
Instead, she had appeared on a lake.
In that case, where was the so-called guidance?
Just as Shen Lingxi felt perplexed, an ethereal voice rang out.
“Welcome to the land of inheritance, my master.”
Shen Lingxi was startled and looked toward the source of the sound. She saw a beautiful woman wearing a light, gauzy dress appear out of thin air.
She had a flawless face, as exquisite as a porcelain doll. Her 3,000 black strands of hair fell like a waterfall, and her lively eyes were deep and beautiful.
She was stunning.
The moment Shen Lingxi first saw her, that thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
“Who are you?” Shen Lingxi asked, puzzled.
“The Inheritance,” the woman replied.
The Inheritance?
Shen Lingxi tilted her head, unable to understand the words for a moment, but she quickly reacted.
“Are you saying you are the personification of the inheritance?” Shen Lingxi was very surprised.
“Yes. I am the Inheritance, and the Inheritance is me,” the woman replied.
“Then what is that Towering Tree about?” Shen Lingxi couldn’t help but ask.
“A container for my stored power,” the woman replied again.
‘A container?!!’
Shen Lingxi’s eyes widened as a terrifying thought surfaced in her mind.
She hurriedly asked, “Do you mean those who were chosen as Holy Maiden Candidates were all turned into power and stored away?!!!”
“Yes.”
It was still a response devoid of any emotion.
How could this be?
Wasn’t this a complete scam?
Shen Lingxi suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness. Her shoulders slumped, and she sat down on the surface of the lake.
Watching the ripples on the water, Shen Lingxi’s thoughts were entirely elsewhere.
In other words, the Saintess Heart Scripture they practiced was merely to better convert them into power for the Saintess Inheritance.
But —
“Why me?” Shen Lingxi asked in a low voice.
“Because you are Heaven-Grade.”
“Heaven-Grade?” Shen Lingxi remembered what Gu Ming had mentioned before and questioned, “There was another Heaven-Grade candidate before. Why didn’t they become the Saintess in the end?”
“Though that person was Heaven-Grade, my container was not yet full. The time had not yet come.”
So that was it!
It turned out the power of the Saintess Inheritance originated from the nourishment provided by Holy Maiden Candidates at the cost of their lives.
Could such an inheritance still be qualified to be called the Saintess Inheritance?
“So, that Heaven-Grade candidate also became part of your power?” Shen Lingxi asked mockingly.
“Yes.”