"Not leaving now?" Mu Nanxue's steps faltered, her face falling with disappointment. The sudden dashed expectation and plan ignited her suppressed bad temper.
She released Gu Junshi and turned around in a huff, her eyes blazing with anger. "Why? You begged me to take you to find him. Are you going back on your word? You, you don't want to acknowledge him—"
When her fiery eyes met Gu Junshi's deep, sea-like gaze, they were instantly extinguished as if doused with water.
No matter how great the flame, it would be submerged in the sea.
Gu Junshi said calmly, "Mu Nanxue, you lost the Rookie Ranking. You should go and meet with your sect members now to explain the situation. Actions should have a beginning and an end. If your identity is questioned, leaving now will still bring endless trouble."
Mu Nanxue was rendered speechless by her words.
It was true that she was a bit impulsive, but she wasn't brainless.
"I understand," she said in a muffled voice, her head lowered.
Like a pitiable little animal that had been abandoned.
Having delivered a blow, it was time to offer a sweet.
Gu Junshi reached out and touched her head. "I have something else to attend to. After this Rookie Ranking, I will leave with you."
Feeling her gentle comfort, Mu Nanxue was a little flustered. She clenched her fingertips, a blush spreading to her earlobes. "Mm... What's your name?"
She suddenly remembered she hadn't asked her name.
"Gu Junshi."
Mu Nanxue repeated it silently a few times.
Her sister had picked a domineering name.
Mu Nanxue agreed, but she still felt a little unconvinced, grumbling, "Didn't you come for me? What else do you have to do?"
Gu Junshi saw her outward compliance but inner resistance, her small, dark face puffed up with anger, clearly daring not to speak her mind.
This little firecracker was indeed as fiery and impulsive as in the original plot, with an extremely low tolerance for frustration.
She also realized that siblings, whether brothers or sisters, were creatures that would admit fault when you were fierce, but would cling to you and become more affectionate when you softened your demeanor.
"Mu Nanxue, before you go back, make sure your story is convincing. Don't mess it up."
She was supposed to be teleported to the Void Sect's training ground after admitting defeat, but having disappeared for such a long time, she would need a believable excuse.
Meeting Gu Junshi's suddenly stern gaze, Mu Nanxue immediately straightened her back.
"I'm not that stupid. I know what to say."
Despite Mu Nanxue's desire to get closer to Gu Junshi, it seemed like a cat and a mouse, or natural enemies on the food chain; she also seemed quite afraid of her getting angry.
"Go."
Two simple words, once again like a scumbag who had used someone and couldn't be bothered to coax them anymore.
Mu Nanxue didn't leave. She stood rooted to the spot, fidgeting for a long time before gruffly saying, "How, how will I find you? If... if I can't find you after the Rookie Ranking barrier... what then?"
Gu Junshi put on her hooded hat and said, "No matter where you are, I will find you."
She carried a strand of Gu Junshi's soul thread. Unless her soul was utterly destroyed and she ceased to exist, Gu Junshi would be able to find her wherever she was.
Most people would feel scared or think the other person was boasting upon hearing this. However, Mu Nanxue felt that her 'cheap sister' was incredibly powerful and majestic, much like Gu Ritian.
With her promise secured, Mu Nanxue no longer lingered. After Gu Junshi left, she transformed into a wisp of black mist and returned to her true form.
Atop the Nine Peaks, Gu Junshi's eyes fluttered open just as she heard an announcement from above one of the peaks: "Cheng Hong of Maha Zen Temple receives ten points."
"Liu Jiang Fushu of Great Evolution Sect receives ten points."
"Tan Ya of Great Evolution Sect receives ten points."
"Ru Lan of Peerless Realm receives ten points."
"Yan Tianjiao of Flowing Bright Sect receives ten points."
...
It seemed that the participants for the "minor competition" had been mostly decided. The next step would be to contend for who could accumulate the most points to advance to the finals.
In the original plot, the "Rookie Ranking" would be won by the protagonist, the Dragon-Blooded Heavenly King, but the details of this process were unknown.
As more disciples were eliminated, as long as he didn't stop, he would eventually encounter the top ten contestants. She didn't know about the others, but Cheng Hong was not an easy opponent.
He was a Golden Body Buddha, destined to become a saint in the future.
She wondered who would emerge victorious in this life: the Son of Heaven's Will or the Son of Buddhism.
Putting her thoughts aside, Gu Junshi's priority now was to quickly mend the disrupted original plot and set everything back on course.
Since she had abducted a half-demon, she needed to provide Xiao Chenmu with a demon character to complete the male supporting role's storyline.
She entered her spiritual consciousness space and opened the "Yellow Springs Gate." A chilling coldness, an aura that could devour spirits, emanated from it.
This movement caused Gu Er, who was cultivating, to open his eyes. He felt as if his face were being scraped by knives and shivered uncontrollably, yet the inhaled air was strangely alluring, prompting him to take deeper breaths—
But in the next moment, he felt an intense, terrifying pain, as if air had entered his blood vessels, and his entire body felt as if it were about to explode.
"Calm your mind and focus on one point. Restrain your breath and disperse the gathered energy."
A voice, like lightning striking dark mist, sounded, bringing him back to his senses. He immediately followed the instructions, slowly recovering from the previous crisis.
"Idiot, you dare to be greedy for anything. With your current body, you dare to directly absorb the death energy of the Yellow Springs Gate."
Gu Er was scolded by his sister but felt no anger. Instead, he pouted and leaned closer, not daring to act recklessly again.
"Sister, what are you doing?"
Gu Junshi opened the "Yellow Springs Gate," which could accommodate one person. After searching, she drew out a skeleton from the River of Forgetfulness.
She said faintly, "I need a temporary puppet to use."
Gu Er nodded as if he understood, but in reality, though he understood the words, he had no idea what she was doing.
A skeleton flew out of the "Yellow Springs Gate." Its frame was slender, and its bones were not the color of human bone, but rather a deep purple, resembling bamboo, with a powerful, crystalline sheen.
"Sister, why does this skeleton look so strange?" Gu Er exclaimed in surprise.
"This is a demon's body. She must have cultivated a special technique that refined her bones into this lustrous hardness, impervious to fire and water."
"Demon?"
Gu Er was stunned. What kind of world lay beyond this gate, even burying demon corpses?
"Sister, why are you using a demon's skeleton as a puppet?"
Gu Er had been in the cultivation world for some time. How could he not know the enmity between the cultivation world and the demon realm? Using a demon's skeleton as a puppet would likely cause a lot of trouble.
Gu Junshi, finding him noisy, ignored him.
She gathered immense death energy in her hand and enveloped the demon skeleton, forming a black sphere. Under the nourishment of the death energy, the skeleton slowly grew flesh, skin, and hair... finally reborn, transforming from a frame into a brand-new corpse.