Chapter 005

Chapter 5: Mutated Spiritual Root

Wei Yun Xi’s eyes lit up, and she gazed expectantly at Feng Jia Qing. Her cheap maternal uncle smiled gently and said, “Yun Xi, place your hand on the sphere in the center of the spirit-testing disk. Maternal uncle will check your spiritual roots for you.”

Wei Yun Xi nodded eagerly, quickly placing her little palm on the sphere. In the blink of an eye, three dazzling pillars of light soared upwards from the spirit-testing disk. Feng Jia Qing instinctively waved his hand, activating the defensive formation of Soul Lantern Hall to conceal the violet, cyan, and blue beams.

Wei Yun Xi stared at the three pillars, astonished. [If I remember correctly, the book’s supporting character, Wei Yun Xi, had a mutated lightning spiritual root. But now two more spiritual roots have appeared. What does this mean?]

Feng Jia Qing spoke excitedly, “Yun Xi, you have wind, lightning, and ice—three mutated spiritual roots! Each one is at full strength, truly peerless quality!”

Wei Yun Xi joined him in smiling brightly, though inwardly her heart tossed like waves on the sea. [What exactly is going on here?]

In the novel, Wei Yun Xi only had a single lightning spiritual root, which was why the Wei family sent her, along with Wei Yun Qing, to the Grand Righteous Sect. Besides seeking powerful backing, it was also because the sect had a greater variety of cultivation techniques suitable for them.

But now she had tested with three spiritual roots: wind, lightning, and ice. Was this due to her transmigration changing the supporting character’s talent? Or had the original Wei Yun Xi always possessed these three spiritual roots, only to be hidden or suppressed by the Wei family?

This could explain why Wei Yun Qing eventually tried to steal Wei Yun Xi’s spiritual roots. Wei Yun Qing had dual spiritual roots of water and wood. With a special chance, these two could mutate into ice and wind roots. If Wei Yun Qing extracted these two roots from Wei Yun Xi, she could improve her talent without arousing suspicion.

Wei Yun Xi suddenly felt chills running down her spine. [Just how deep do the conspiracies against Wei Yun Xi go? If I hadn’t come to the Feng Clan with maternal uncle, perhaps I’d have remained ignorant, just like the original character.]

Even when cultivating only the single lightning spiritual root, the original Wei Yun Xi had managed to match Wei Yun Qing’s cultivation. This demonstrated her incredible natural talent. No wonder Wei Yun Qing couldn’t tolerate her presence, constantly finding subtle ways to exclude this younger sister.

Looking back, the clues were always there. It was just that the Wei Yun Xi in the book was only five years old, too young and naive to recognize such schemes. Driven by instinct, she had cultivated diligently, but her diligence only put her in greater danger, making her the stepping stone for the female lead.

These thoughts flashed quickly through Wei Yun Xi’s mind. Regardless, she refused to become the heroine’s stepping stone. She had already begun to make changes and understood well that even a tiny misstep could lead to disaster. She must proceed with care.

Feng Jia Qing stored away the spirit-testing disk, smiling as he picked up Wei Yun Xi and asked gently, “Yun Xi, can we keep your spiritual roots test a secret from your father for now?”

Wei Yun Xi tilted her little head, asking innocently, “Maternal uncle, why? Isn’t this good news? Yun Xi can finally cultivate.”

Feng Jia Qing sighed softly. He wasn’t sure how to explain to a five-year-old child the principle of “the tallest tree attracts the strongest wind,” especially now that she had no mother to protect her.

Wei Ling Yue clearly didn’t favor this second daughter much; otherwise, he wouldn’t have quickly taken away the items Jia Yun had left for Yun Xi. Thankfully, he and his sister had made prior arrangements. The items left openly were expendable; only the box concealed beneath a slab of stone—shielded by spiritual-sense-blocking ore and marked by a secret symbol known only to the siblings—held genuine treasures.

To open that delicate white jade box, only his niece’s blood would do. If it fell into Wei Ling Yue’s hands, extracting Yun Xi’s blood would be simple enough, allowing that hypocrite to steal its contents.

Though Wei Yun Xi was physically just a child, her mind was mature. She knew Feng Jia Qing spoke out of concern, so she obediently replied, “Maternal uncle, mother instructed me to always listen to you. Yun Xi knows maternal uncle only wants what’s best for me.”

Feng Jia Qing’s expression softened into a warm smile. After carrying Wei Yun Xi to her temporary courtyard, he instructed the maids to care for her well before heading off to see the ancestor.

Wei Yun Xi had a tiring day. After the four maids served her dinner, she washed up and climbed into bed early.

As she lay there, she once again tried to enter the wooden talisman with her consciousness. Last time, she’d been completely unable to move inside, and her awareness had been abruptly expelled at a crucial moment.

Though unexpected, this had allowed her enough time to handle Wei Yun Qing’s sudden attempt to steal her chance. At the time, she’d inwardly shouted, [That was too close!] Nearly discovered by Wei Yun Qing, she’d swiftly diverted the other girl’s attention with a hairpin used to prick her finger. Even if Wei Yun Qing eventually schemed to obtain the pin, it was no real loss to her.

Now, when Wei Yun Xi’s consciousness entered the wooden talisman again, it was just like before—she felt stuck, unable to move at all. Just as she tried harder, she was again forcefully pushed out.

As she was expelled, the wooden talisman conveyed a single message: she could only enter once she started cultivating.

Wei Yun Xi rolled over in bed, murmuring softly to herself. After a moment of reflection, she began to outline an initial plan. No matter what, she must begin cultivation first. Only through her own strength could she resist all plots and traps.

Since transmigrating, she’d felt deeply anxious. Though having read the novel gave her certain advantages, she’d transmigrated before the story was finished, meaning the future was still uncertain.

In just two short days, she’d discovered both striking similarities and profound differences between her experiences and the novel. As she made different choices, events shifted accordingly.

At least this proved that the future could be changed. She wasn’t living inside a novel but in a real, breathing world. The book was written from Wei Yun Qing’s perspective, leaving little detail about Wei Yun Xi—the mere supporting character whose wealth and chances benefited others—thus creating potential variables.

Wei Yun Xi’s eyes shone brightly in the darkness. She liked the word “variable” very much. Perhaps her arrival itself was a significant “variable,” allowing her to influence and reshape the storyline.

This realization gave Wei Yun Xi renewed courage to survive in the cultivation world. Calmed by these reassuring thoughts, she soon drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, Feng Jia Qing sought out the Feng Clan Ancestor—Feng Feng, an early Golden Core cultivator.

Feng Clan Ancestor appeared to be a middle-aged man with similar features to Feng Jia Qing. He smiled gently at him, saying, “Qingqing, how rare for you to visit this old man.”

Feng Jia Qing’s mouth twitched slightly, replying reluctantly, “Ancestor, I’m already the patriarch now. Can you please not call me by my childhood nickname?”

“Haha! I gave you that nickname myself—I quite like it!”

Feng Jia Qing gave up resisting, his face turning serious as he bowed, “Ancestor, I brought Jia Yun’s child home for a short stay. Earlier, I took that little girl to Soul Lantern Hall and added a drop of her blood to the soul lamp. Its flame has grown stronger; this should help younger sister’s spirit endure longer.”