Chapter 12
Chapter 12: The “Right” Answer
Shao Heng’s right index finger landed on the parchment and brushed over the line as if she needed to convince herself it was real.
When the same divine ability appeared on different cultivators, it could vary from person to person, producing greater or lesser effects. Those variations were also a sign of a divine ability’s potential.
The higher the ranking, the stronger the potential—and the fewer words were used to describe it.
Azure Emperor, which Shao Heng possessed, had only eight short words. Its power and mysteries could not be defined by language.
Divine abilities further down the list changed less, so their introductions became longer and more detailed.
Just like this one.
“Nine thousand one hundred twenty-third: Heart-Bewitching Eye. Its pupils glow purple. When activated, it can restrain illusions, and when cultivating mind-bewitching techniques it can also provide a boost.
“As long as a being’s soul level is not far higher than the owner’s, it will be influenced by this divine ability without realizing it and develop an uncontrollable natural fondness for the owner.
“If a being’s soul level is vastly higher than the owner’s, the owner can still forcibly control its mind.”
A sigil sat beside the entry.
A six-pointed shape—matching the hazy pattern Shao Heng had once glimpsed deep in Yun Jiang’s eyes when their gazes locked.
Something in Shao Heng’s mind clicked.
Then everything snapped into alignment.
Why had the brothers she had lived with for more than ten years gradually shifted their care from her to Yun Jiang?
Why, even when she threatened people with what mattered most to her, did those she arranged still betray her at the crucial moment and stab her in the back?
Because Yun Jiang possessed the divine ability Heart-Bewitching Eye.
Even without meaning to, even without lifting a finger, she could quietly tilt hearts. Lu Yuan. Jiang Yun. Lu Shao Jia. The affection and favor that should have stayed steady had been pulled, little by little, toward her.
And if someone’s soul power was far weaker?
Then perhaps it was not only affection. Perhaps it was control.
Shao Heng had an innate divine ability. She trusted her own soul would not be weaker than Yun Jiang’s. That was why this divine ability had never touched her mind, never coaxed out that strange fondness.
When she saw Yun Jiang reach for what was hers, she had struck back without mercy—
Shao Heng’s lips pressed into a thin line. Both hands clenched the edges of the scroll. The parchment was tough; if it had been fragile, it would have torn.
“It feels like this is the answer,” she said quietly.
When her parents began favoring an adopted daughter with no blood ties, Shao Heng had even wondered if she had stumbled into some ridiculous farce.
But her face carried the best traits of Lu Yuan and Jiang Yun. No one could deny she was the true bloodline of the Marquis of Pacifying the South’s manor.
Back then, she could not understand it. Why did her parents grow colder and colder? Why did her brother keep telling her to give up good things? Why did the brother who used to protect her begin treating her with sharp rebellion? Why did Yan Ning, who had laughed and played with her since childhood, begin to drift away?
Now every thread could be tied to the same knot.
Yun Jiang had been influencing their minds.
It was an almost perfectly fitting answer.
And yet—if an answer could smooth away old pain, why did the fire in Shao Heng’s chest burn hotter instead of fading?
—
The next morning, with fifteen minutes left before the Chen hour, dawn broke. The breeze was soft and cool.
New outer sect disciples arrived at the Wondrous Dharma Tower one after another. They looked tired, but their faces were bright with excitement.
On the fourth floor, the lecture hall was immense. A lectern stood at the front. Behind it, hundreds of meditation cushions were arranged in orderly rows, each with a desk placed before it.
Shao Heng arrived early and took the best seat in the first row, closest to the lectern.
The teaching elder had not arrived yet, so she flipped through the booklet placed on her desk.
It was thin—only thirty-four pages—but it contained twenty-seven spells.
Dust-Cleansing Technique. Soundproof Charm. Immobilizing Spell. Sound-Transmitting Charm. Rejuvenation Spell. Wood-Binding Charm. Water-Avoidance Charm. Escape-Light Spell. Gold-Transmutation Spell…
Shao Heng read each page carefully. By the time she closed the booklet, the incantations and hand seals were already fixed in her mind.
From what she had read the night before, she could judge these were all low-level immortal arts—useful, common, and foundational.
Footsteps climbed onto the lectern.
Shao Heng lifted her chin.
“It’s Elder Zhao Tang?”
Elder Zhao Tang wore a wide brown robe and carried a long staff. Her expression was solemn. The moment she stepped onto the platform, the murmuring in the hall died as if someone had cut a thread.
Elder Zhao Tang’s divine sense swept outward. She counted everyone present in a breath.
“This year, three hundred seventy-eight outer sect disciples were recruited,” she said. “Many come from cultivation clans. Since childhood, they entered the Qi Induction Realm and learned the essentials from elders.”
Her gaze moved across the crowd as she spoke.
“Only sixty-three were recruited from regions with poor spiritual qi. Remember this: blessed lands do not produce outstanding people by accident. Environment matters. Foundation matters. And effort matters most of all.”
She paused, letting the words settle.
“Put away the spell booklet on your desks. Without entering the Qi Induction Realm, you have no spiritual power. You cannot cast these.
“For the next three months of teaching, the first half-month will focus on the essentials of entering the Qi Induction Realm and the movement traits of the five elemental energies. Hurry and enter the Qi Induction Realm.
“After that—whether you have succeeded or not—I will begin explaining the Origin-Nourishing Qi-Raising Art bestowed by the sect, and I will weave in spell instruction.”
Only then did Shao Heng remember the green jade slip in her storage ring.
The spiritual power cultivated by Origin-Nourishing Qi-Raising Art was not particularly strong, but it was pure, and it suited most disciples’ roots and aptitude, avoiding dangerous conflicts.
In a small sect, such an art might only be shared with core disciples. In the One Yuan Sect, it was distributed to outer sect disciples without hesitation.
Shao Heng lowered her lashes.
[Once Elder Zhao finishes the lesson, I’ll go back and study Origin-Nourishing Qi-Raising Art.]
But another thought followed, sharp and sour.
Like immortal arts, cultivation arts were divided into three grades—lower, middle, and upper—and Origin-Nourishing Qi-Raising Art was only lower-grade.
Inner sect disciples like Yun Jiang would have better choices: middle-grade, or even upper-grade.
Shao Heng did not deny her own flaws. In everything, she wanted to be first. In everything, she wanted the best.
That competitiveness lived in her bones.
Yet she understood something even more clearly: only by seizing every chip she could hold could she win, step by step, to the end.
[A cultivation art is crucial. It purifies spiritual power and increases cultivation speed. If I keep delaying, I’m only hurting myself for nothing.]
Her decision settled.