She didn't dare imagine what would happen if word got out that she had become a public enemy of Xiaoyao; there would be no place for her in the Five Continents and Four Seas.
Her master had always been good to her, and her first and second senior brothers treated her well enough.
But she didn't dare gamble. She didn't dare risk even a single "what if."
Fearing her first senior brother might say something he shouldn't, she hurriedly interrupted his scoffing laugh.
"First Senior Brother!"
Three sets of eyes fell upon her.
Realizing her tone was a bit too agitated, Gu Lianxue swallowed hard and softened her voice.
"First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and... and Third Senior Sister."
"As Master's disciples, they are all so outstanding."
"I am also Master's disciple, yet I am far inferior to them."
As she spoke, she slightly raised her watery eyes, her voice soft and delicate.
"I am your disciple as well, and I want to be as capable as my senior brothers and sister."
"It's just... perhaps my talent is too dull."
"Despite having joined the sect so many years ago, my cultivation cannot even compare to this year's new disciples."
She lightly clutched her chest, her brows furrowing. "I am incompetent, but I do not wish to let Master's painstaking efforts go to waste."
"That is why I made the firm decision to stop using the Spirit-Attuning Jade Token and devote myself entirely to cultivation."
"Xue'er, do not blame yourself."
Qingxu sat up straight. "Your inability to cultivate was because that girl Fei Bai injured you with her sword qi. What does that have to do with you?"
"Who has been gossiping in front of you? I will certainly punish them severely."
"Instead of focusing on their cultivation, they act like commoners in the marketplace, spreading idle talk."
"The disciples on the peak are all very good; it is all my fault. Master, please do not punish them."
Gu Lianxue's expression was incredibly sincere.
But Qingxu only felt a surge of anger. "Xue'er, you are just too kind. That is why they dare to bully you so."
"Hongyu, you are Xue'er's second senior brother. You go and investigate this."
"I want to see who dares to bully my disciple."
Bu Hongyu's jaw dropped as he pointed at himself. "Me?"
"If not you, then who? What, are you unwilling?"
No, that wasn't actually what he wanted to ask.
He didn't understand. Master had just casually asked why he hadn't seen their little junior sister use her Spirit-Attuning Jade Token in a while.
How did that turn into punishing the disciples on the peak?
Heaven have mercy; ever since their little junior sister arrived, the hearts of the people on Taiyi Peak had already grown discordant.
If this happened again, he was worried the disciples of Taiyi Peak might all run away.
Qingxu's face darkened, and it looked as though he was about to explode in anger.
Bu Hongyu hurriedly complied. "Yes, Master. I will investigate as soon as I return."
As for how he would investigate, if he couldn't find anyone in the end, it wouldn't be his fault.
Their little junior sister had already said the peak disciples were good. Since they were good, there would naturally be no issues to find.
Only then did Qingxu nod in satisfaction.
"Xue'er, you finally managed to recover from your injuries and regain the ability to cultivate through your family's heritage."
"You must not let these trivial matters distract you from your cultivation."
"Yes, Master."
Gu Lianxue gave a gentle smile. "I have been cultivating diligently these past few months. I successfully achieved qi induction two months ago."
"Oh?"
Qingxu swept his divine sense over Gu Lianxue, sensing the fluctuations of spirit energy.
"Hahaha! Good, good! Xue'er, you really can cultivate now. That is wonderful."
"Thank you for worrying about me all these years, Master."
"I merely directed some resources your way; it was no trouble."
"Xue'er, you have a high-grade water spirit root. Now that you have achieved qi induction, you must not waste your natural talent or become lax in your cultivation."
"If you need any resources, just ask me or your two senior brothers."
Kang Heng actually laughed. "Little Junior Sister, you say you have been diligent in your cultivation."
"You even went as far as to give up the Spirit-Attuning Jade Token to avoid distractions."
"And yet, since returning to the sect from your home, it took you a full two months just to achieve qi induction."
"Two more months have passed since then."
"You are still only at the stage of qi induction, having not even broken through to Qi Refining level one."
"Is this what you call diligent cultivation?"
"If you had five spirit roots, I could understand, but you clearly possess a high-grade water spirit root."
"Both your second senior brother and I possess high-grade dual spirit roots. It took us two days to achieve qi induction and less than a month to break through to Qi Refining level one."
"Third Senior Sister, with her high-grade wood spirit root, was even more impressive. She achieved qi induction in a single day and broke through to Qi Refining level one in twenty days."
"And you... for a high-grade single spirit root, this is your cultivation speed?"
Hearing Kang Heng speak, Gu Lianxue knew she was in trouble.
As expected, his words were immediately disadvantageous to her.
She felt a bit guilty in her heart.
During her time back at the sect, she had been wandering between the various peaks, all to show those disciples who looked down on her.
She, Gu Lianxue, was not a waste who couldn't cultivate; she was a top-tier talent with a high-grade water spirit root.
There were many peaks in the Star-Moon Sect, and it had taken her quite some time to visit them all.
It was already good enough that she had achieved qi induction; how could she have possibly broken through to Qi Refining level one?
She didn't know what was wrong with her first senior brother. He had been quite protective of her when she first joined.
Why had he been acting like he'd swallowed a firecracker these past two years, constantly finding fault with her?
Gu Lianxue's eyes darted around. Instead of answering Kang Heng, she addressed her master, Qingxu.
"First Senior Brother is right to lecture me. I am dull-witted and have brought shame upon my two senior brothers and Master."
"Kang Heng, how can you speak to your little junior sister like that?"
Qingxu glared, his beard bristling. "Your little junior sister has only just regained the ability to cultivate. What's wrong with taking a little more time to adapt?"
"If you truly care about her, why don't you offer her more guidance in her cultivation?"
He couldn't even find her on Taiyi Peak; where was he supposed to guide her?
Kang Heng was utterly speechless.
Seeing both disciples silent, Qingxu dropped the subject and brought up official business.
"I will be away for a while to attend the Penglai Dao Discussion Meeting."
"Kang Heng, you will oversee the affairs of Taiyi Peak. If there is anything you cannot decide on, send me a message."
"Hongyu, prepare yourself. In two months, we will set out along with the other elders and disciples of the sect."
The two replied in unison, "Yes, Master."
Qingxu nodded and finally looked at Gu Lianxue.
"Xue'er, cultivate well in the sect. If anything happens, go to your first senior brother."
"Master, what is this Penglai Dao Discussion Meeting you mentioned?"
"Why isn't First Senior Brother going? Why only Second Senior Brother?"
Gu Lianxue had been listening for a long time without understanding, only sensing that it must be a major event.
Qingxu explained the nature of the meeting to her.
"Each sect has a limited number of slots."
"Although our Star-Moon Sect is the foremost Daoist sect after Xiaoyao, we only took second place in the Hundred Sects Competition."
"For this Penglai Dao Discussion Meeting, our Star-Moon Sect only received forty slots."
"For low-level cultivators, even just listening in once can be profoundly beneficial."
"If one's cultivation is insufficient, listening multiple times won't yield further gains; it would simply be a waste of a slot."
"Your first senior brother attended the Xiaoyao Dao Discussion Meeting fifty years ago, so naturally, he won't be going this time."
"Fifty years ago, your second senior brother had only been in the sect for half a year. His cultivation was too shallow; he hadn't even grasped the threshold of cultivation, so going would have been useless."
"This time, he is already at the peak Foundation Establishment stage, so he was granted a slot."
It was actually a grand event where one could listen to the discussions of high-level Daoist and Buddhist cultivators from various sects!
"Master, can I go with you?"
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