Chapter 2: An Unexpected Surprise

The first to break the silence was, unexpectedly, Lord Yuheng, the master of the Spiritual Medicine Peak. It was impossible to tell the age of a cultivator by their appearance; even though Lord Yuheng was over three hundred years old and had reached the Nascent Soul stage, he looked no older than a young man in his twenties. When he spoke, Hansu felt a small thrill of excitement—this was the famous master of the lucky supporting character, Lu Tanxian, in the novel! A true celebrity! He had established his Foundation at twenty, reached Golden Core at ninety, and at two hundred and thirty-four became the seventh Nascent Soul cultivator in the Yaohua Sect, taking charge of a whole peak. With a heavenly fire spiritual root, he excelled at alchemy and was the sect’s only seventh-grade alchemist. Not to mention, he was strikingly handsome, without a Dao companion or any scandals—an idol in the hearts of countless young women.

In the novel, when the supporting female character dazzled everyone at a sect competition and sought a master, Hansu’s father, Lanhe, and Lord Yuheng both intended to take her as their disciple, considering their matching spiritual roots. However, Lu Tanxian politely refused and insisted on apprenticing under Lord Yuheng, hoping to use her spatial spiritual herbs to help her master reach eighth or even ninth-grade in alchemy, and perhaps develop a closer relationship by proximity. Hansu suddenly realized that she was now three years old; in five years, the sect competition would take place, and the supporting character would make her entrance! Meanwhile, the heroine had just been reborn, determined to turn her fate around—focusing on cultivation, strengthening family bonds, building connections with other second-generation cultivators, and striding confidently down her high-end path! The chaos was about to begin! Hansu’s little heart thumped wildly in anticipation.

Lord Yuheng glanced at Hansu, who was clearly lost in thought, and for the first time, his usually serene mind wavered slightly. He felt a touch of sympathy for the Lanhe couple—such a talented child, yet without a suitable cultivation method, and seemingly a little slow... Her future path would be full of worries, undoubtedly affecting her cultivation. This was why one should never seek Dao companions or have children. Wait, that was thinking too far ahead. Hansu was unaware that, unknowingly, she had just set a major obstacle in Lu Tanxian’s future path to pursuing her master. At this moment, she was wholly focused on Lord Yuheng, who was elegantly producing bottle after bottle of elixirs. He placed the bottles on a tray held by a nearby attendant and said, “A bottle of Essence Purifying Pills for my niece, to cleanse her marrow. Three bottles each of Superior Clarity and Spirit Accumulation Pills, and three bottles of Superior Sacred Spirit Pills. One Barrier-Breaking Pill. Let her enjoy them.”

The others were astonished. Superior Clarity and Spirit Accumulation Pills were already rare, but not impossible to find. However, the Superior Sacred Spirit Pills and Barrier-Breaking Pill—were these really just for entertainment? Clarity and Spirit Accumulation Pills were essential for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even inner disciples only received ten inferior-grade pills per month. The Sacred Spirit Pill could boost the success rate of advancing to the next realm by thirty percent, especially the superior grade, which fetched up to a thousand mid-grade spirit stones on the black market. The Barrier-Breaking Pill was even rarer; while the Sacred Spirit Pill helped with minor breakthroughs, the Barrier-Breaking Pill could be used by cultivators up to the Nascent Soul stage to advance to a higher realm, increasing the chance of progressing from mid to late Golden Core by at least thirty percent. Lord Yuheng’s gift was truly generous.

Jiang Tong led Hansu forward to express their thanks. The sect leader, Lord Tujin, cleared his throat and said, “Hansu’s aptitude is extraordinary. Tomorrow, I will order the disciples to search for the ‘Ice and Fire Core Consolidation Art.’ A few days ago, I found a heaven-grade cultivation manual, the ‘Mysterious Ice Yang Divine Art,’ in the scripture tower. Though not as good as the ‘Ice and Fire Core Consolidation Art,’ it still suits Hansu’s spiritual roots. She can practice it for now, and if we find the other manual in the future, there will be no conflict in switching.”

Hansu blinked at him, thinking, “So you’re not spending your own money at all—the scripture tower belongs to the sect, right? How stingy…” Whether or not he understood the meaning in her clear eyes, the sect leader smiled awkwardly and then produced a smooth white egg. “This is the egg of a Profound Fire Spirit Beast. Nurture it well, and it will greatly aid your cultivation in the future.” He handed it to Hansu himself, looking pained. Lord Lanhe hurried forward to decline. “Is this the legendary Profound Fire Spirit Beast egg that breathes fire for cultivation? You’ve kept it for centuries, haven’t you? Please, take it back.” “Yes, it’s been kept for centuries—yet it’s never hatched. Still, with Hansu’s exceptional talent, perhaps it will break its shell soon.” He finished with a few awkward laughs. Hansu couldn’t help rolling her eyes inwardly—a centuries-old egg, who knows if it’s even still viable? Truly stingy, just like in the novel!

After the formal thanks, the long-awaited parents of the heroine finally appeared!

The heroine, a true second-generation cultivator, was far more formidable than Hansu. Her father, Lord Tuzhan, was a great Nascent Soul cultivator with a heavenly metal spiritual root and master of the second largest peak, Lingyin Peak. If the sect leader’s Lingyun Peak was ranked first only because of the number of disciples, then Lingyin Peak was undoubtedly first in strength. With a metal spiritual root, Lord Tuzhan held a natural advantage in attack. Even more, the heroine’s mother, who specialized in crafting magic tools, had also recently reached the Nascent Soul stage. Their peak was awash with magical artifacts and spiritual tools, making them the best-equipped in the sect and providing a solid foundation for individual strength. Thus, almost no one dared provoke these ‘treasure immortals’ unless absolutely necessary.

As mentioned, the heroine’s father was so powerful that few at his level were his match, and he often triumphed even against stronger opponents, earning him a reputation as a battle maniac. Many direct disciples under his tutelage were renowned for their rich combat experience and formidable strength. At this point, you might wonder—with such perfect timing, resources, and support, how could the heroine’s previous life have been so tragic?