Chapter Seventy-Six: Showing Off

Ning Xianyu shamelessly begged, all because she wanted to enter the Spirit Pivot Secret Realm.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan lounged lazily on the soft couch, watching her performance.

After a while, when she ran out of words and was about to give up, he finally spoke in a languid tone, "You may go."

Ning Xianyu had almost lost hope and was about to leave in frustration, only to be unexpectedly granted permission.

Her joy was overwhelming. "Ancestor, are you serious?"

Xuan Yuan Tunhan replied, "Of course I am. However, I have one condition."

"What condition?" she asked.

He spoke a sentence to her that instantly gave Ning Xianyu a whole new perspective on the great demon lord.

Could it be that the great demon lord has some peculiar hobby?

Whatever the case, as long as she could go, that was enough. Ning Xianyu happily agreed.

She went back and enjoyed a good night's sleep. Early the next morning, she raided the dining hall for a stash of food.

All the disciples scheduled to enter the secret realm as a team had arrived, standing neatly in the courtyard, waiting for her.

These were all outer sect disciples, ten in total.

Apart from Chang Qi and Ding Hong, Ning Xianyu barely knew the others.

But with a glance, she noticed their cultivation was not low at all—in fact, among outer sect disciples, they were considered advanced, all at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Outer sect disciples faced difficulties in cultivation. Their talents were mediocre, lacking guidance from renowned teachers and good resources, making progress even harder.

One could say that those who managed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage had been exceptionally diligent, putting in much more effort than inner sect disciples.

These people were once out of Ning Xianyu's reach; they wouldn't bother to associate with someone as lazy as she was.

She could only curry favor with disciples on her own level.

Birds of a feather flock together—so it goes.

Ning Xianyu called Chang Qi and Ding Hong over and whispered, "Senior brothers, you have such wide connections. Where did you find so many?"

To gather so many Foundation Establishment outer sect disciples at once was no small feat.

Chang Qi shot her a glance but said nothing.

Ding Hong was resigned. "You—ai, we should call you 'Aunt Master' now."

Seeing Ning Xianyu unconcerned, he explained further, "We didn't need to look for them. As soon as they heard a Nascent Soul stage cultivator was leading a training expedition, everyone rushed to join—almost fought over the spots. Actually, we don't know them either."

He felt that his junior sister hadn't yet realized how sought-after her Nascent Soul status was, still thinking it was like before.

Ning Xianyu truly wasn't used to it, as she had no concept of seniority or ranking.

She simply felt that now she was powerful, so naturally others wanted to curry favor. She was pleased—nothing more.

Chang Qi, looking at her with disdain, said, "With your cultivation, someone must have helped you. You have no real skills of your own."

"If we don't bring along some skilled senior brothers, we're afraid the disciples will be endangered by you."

Ding Hong quickly tugged at him to stop his reckless words.

No matter how the ability was gained, the cultivation was hers; as a Nascent Soul cultivator, even her spiritual power could overwhelm ordinary practitioners.

Besides, his junior sister was a girl—saying such things would embarrass her.

Chang Qi glanced at Ning Xianyu, only to see she didn't care at all. Instead, she agreed wholeheartedly, "Senior brother, that's exactly right."

She had only just advanced to Nascent Soul herself, with almost zero experience in the cultivation world.

Sending her to train was like a child carrying a mortar—she had the strength, but not the skill to use it.

It was wise to bring experienced and reliable companions; she could supply spiritual power, while others handled the adventure. Everyone would work together harmoniously.

Chang Qi hadn't expected her to be so self-aware, which made him feel a little awkward.

They went to meet the other senior brothers and sisters. Someone came forward and asked, "Will Senior Sister Xianyu be leading the team?"

Ning Xianyu confirmed it, but said a vice-captain should be chosen.

"Who among you has the most training experience?"

As captain, she knew nothing at all, so needed someone knowledgeable to keep things on track—otherwise, she might lead them straight into disaster.

A dignified-looking senior brother stepped forward. "I'm older than all of you, have been here the longest, and often go out to gather herbs. I suppose I have some experience."

Ning Xianyu asked his name—Lin Kaishu—and said he would be vice-captain.

Once everyone was assembled, they hurried off to the trial grounds.

The entrance to the Spirit Pivot Secret Realm was at the back mountain, already cordoned off, with several overseeing elders stationed in front and disciples queued below, waiting to enter.

Most disciples were at the Golden Core or Foundation Establishment stage—almost none at Nascent Soul.

Because, using ordinary methods, it's extremely difficult to reach Nascent Soul before two hundred years old. Ning Xianyu was considered an anomaly, as if she had a cheat.

As they approached, the crowd parted instinctively to let them pass.

But as they went by, whispers rose among the disciples.

"Is that Ning Xianyu?"

"Yes, that's her. See? She's truly a Nascent Soul cultivator now."

"Tsk tsk. I heard she was just a Qi Refining disciple a month and a half ago. Went out with the Ancestor for a month and a half, and now she's completely changed."

"Well, it's because she's so capable—able to please the Ancestor."

"I heard she can act without restraint in the Ancestor's presence, does whatever she likes, even dares to eat in his quarters."

"Wow, I tremble just looking at the Ancestor, and she dares to eat in front of him?"

Everyone stared intently at Ning Xianyu, eager to see if she had some extraordinary talents, wondering why she could act so boldly before Xuan Yuan Tunhan.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan had always been a mysterious figure in Jade Immortal Sect; everyone knew only that he had a terrible temper, killed indiscriminately, and approaching him was tantamount to courting death.

Ning Xianyu dared to approach the Ancestor—making her very unusual in their eyes.

But after much scrutiny, all they saw was that Ning Xianyu was beautiful and exceedingly clean—nothing else stood out.

And she seemed a bit simple-minded.

She lacked the shrewdness and composure of a Nascent Soul cultivator, standing there like a complete novice.

"So what if her cultivation improved? She has no experience. Entering the secret realm without it is just courting death."

"Exactly. Experience is not something you can accumulate in a short time."

With this thought, many people felt balanced—believing Ning Xianyu was nothing remarkable after all.

Ning Xianyu's perception was now astonishing; she heard all this, turned and glanced at the speaker.

Then, she suddenly rose into the air, saying to Chang Qi and the others, "I'll wait for you ahead. Hurry up."

With that, she soared away, vanishing in an instant.

Those who had been speaking sour words felt even more envious.

Only Nascent Soul cultivators and above could walk in the air—they couldn't do it.

Whatever her experience, she was already a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chang Qi looked at her showing off and was speechless.

Her cultivation had grown, but not her sense. With so many people, where were they supposed to find her?