"Phew... that felt better." Su Lan exclaimed as she beat some dust from her hand.
On the ground lies Xu Meihua who was beaten down to a pulp. Her face was buried deep into the ground while her ass was facing up toward the heavens. Every part of her body was covered in dust and bruises serving as memories of her pain and suffering just a moment ago.
"Masphhr... mm fowwy...(Master... I'm sorry...)" Xu Meihua mumbled incoherently from the dirt.
Su Lan stared at her disciple for a while before heaving a deep sigh. This disciple of hers really doesn't have a change in personality after all.
"In the end, you are still as annoying as ever... you must fix this bad behavior of yours during your time as an outer disciple!" Su Lan said sternly toward Xu Meihua.
She then stretched her hand as an invisible force suddenly lifted Xu Meihua out of the ground, before putting her in a standing position beside her master. Her eyes were somewhat red from crying, and her face and hair were covered in dirt.
Su Lan saw this and nodded. It seems like this is enough to teach her disciple to act better in the future.
With a snap of Su Lan's fingers, every dirt and bruises magically disappeared, as if it never existed in the first place. Her whole body became as clean as a blank slate, and Xu Meihua also felt strength coursing through her body as if she has rested for a whole day.
"Woah..." Xu Meihua said as took a look at herself in marvel.
Su Lan then walked towards the edge as Xu Meihua quietly followed behind her. She then looked deeply into the horizon and noticed that the sun was already starting to set. It was time for her to part with her disciple.
Su Lan placed her hand on Xu Meihua's shoulder as the gentle smile slowly returned to her face. The orange hue of the setting sun shone across Su Lan's beautiful face that burned deeply into Xu Meihua's heart and memory. For some reason, this one moment alone feels very special to Xu Meihua as her heart felt heavy for a moment.
"Meihua, it is time for us to part."
"Yes, master..." Xu Meihua replied as a frown subconsciously appeared on her face.
"We will not see each other again for a long time after this, due to me being a grand elder and I have many other duties that I will be busy with. Remember to train and cultivate diligently every day even when I'm not there with you!"
"Yes, master..."
Su Lan noticed that her disciple was slightly depressed. Unlike the last time, the frown on Xu Meihua's face now feels really genuine. It was more than evident that parting with her took quite a toll on her disciple...
'This cheeky girl...'
"Now come here..." Su Lan said as she opened her hands wide open, indicating a hug.
Upon hearing these words, Xu Meihua's gaze shifted upward to meet Su Lan. Her gesture was more than enough to get Xu Meihua's emotions fired up. Without much thought, she rushed toward her master before being enveloped in a warm hug.
'Master... I guess you were kind after all...'
This scene went on for a whole minute before they part reluctantly. But this one hug is more than enough to make her feel slightly better.
Now, it was finally time to part.
"Goodbye, my disciple!"
"Goodbye, master!"
With a deep breath, Xu Meihua turned around and leaped high into the sky, before dashing with all her might. Her eyes shone brightly as she awaited a new adventure in this magical world!
"..."
However, she immediately stopped herself halfway through the dash and went back to Su Lan,
"Um, where is the exit?"
Well, this is awkward.
"It's right over there." Su Lan answered casually, pointing towards the edge of the island.
When Xu Meihua heard this, she blanked out a little trying her hardest to process her master's words. The edge that her master was pointing at was barren with nothing on it.
"Master, are you sure? There's no portal or flying boats over there," asked Xu Meihua curiously as she glanced back toward Su Lan.
"No, I'm not joking around. It is over there." Su Lan replied casually as she approached the edge and stood still in front of it.
At this moment, Su Lan pointed downwards toward the boundless sky below the floating island. When Xu Meihua saw this, her face turns ashen as she finally understood what her master was trying to say.
The exit was to jump out of the floating island!
'Is she being serious? Of course I know going that is the way out of the floating island, but it won't take me to the main sect!!! It would take me straight to heaven!!' Xu Meihua screamed in her mind.
She then shifted her gaze back and forth between Su Lan and the scary edge with uncertainty, and Su Lan laughed when she saw this,
"I put an invisible array over there quite recently, so you might not have known about it. It creates a barrier around your body that will protect you from fall damage. You can take a look at it yourself!" Su Lan continued cheerfully.
Xu Meihua tilted her head sideways in confusion. Well, if her master said so, then it should be safe, right?
She then slowly walked toward the edge as the wind blew across her trembling feet. Her huge fear of heights made every single step toward the edge a terrifying experience for her.
Soon, she stood right before the edge and looked down.
She couldn't even see the ground due to how high this floating island is. If she could estimate it, this floating island should be around ten kilometers high in the sky.
Gulp...
Just one glance was enough to send shivers down her spine. Before even a moment, she immediately wanted to turn around and run straight back to complain to her master. It was simply too scary for her.
"Master, I-I still don't think I can jump ou-" Xu Meihua began to complain, intending to retreat. But before she could even finish her sentence, she felt a sudden push from behind.
Push.
'Huh?'
Caught off guard by the unexpected shove, Xu Meihua's mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Before she knew it, she was hurtling downward, free-falling from the floating island.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Xu Meihua's scream reverberated from the depths of her being.
In the nick of time, she managed to twist her body around to catch a glimpse of the bewildering turn of events. To her astonishment, she saw her master, Su Lan, standing on the edge right where she had been moments ago. Su Lan wore a mischievous smile, and one of her feet was raised in the air.
Realization struck Xu Meihua like a bolt of lightning.
"M-MASTER!! Y-YOU KICKED ME!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing throughout the surroundings.
"Bye-bye ~" Su Lan playfully waved her hand toward Xu Meihua's descending figure.
Xu Meihua could only cry at her master's response. Now that she was already falling like this there was nothing to do other than trust in her master's so-called 'invisible array' to protect her.
Sure enough, a tingling sound was heard all around her as a bright green light surrounds her entire body. It seems like there really was a protection array here!
'But still... this is simply too much!!' Xu Meihua continued to scream.
Her body still flailed about in panic as her mind was overwhelmed by instinctive terror. The rushing wind contorted her mouth into an 'O' shape, and her waist-length white hair billowed in the gusts as the afternoon sun cast its glow.
After a few minutes of continuous falling, she was greeted by a thick layer of clouds in front of her.
'O-Oh no!'
Bash!
Xu Meihua collided hard with the thick layer of cloud as her mouth was shoved with some kind of cloudy matter. Her body wasn't spared either as those cloudy matters went into every nook and cranny of her clothing.
"MMPHH! Pteu!" Xu Meihua immediately spat those cloudy matters away.
She also tried to wiggle these cloudy matters out of her clothes but to no avail. Even when some of them managed to get out of her clothes, it was still stuck on her body like glue.
To make matters worse, Xu Meihua realized that her skirt had lifted, exposing her plain white panties.
"N-NO!! Master... I'll get you back for this!!" Xu Meihua raised her fist high in the sky as she screamed in anger. However, her gaze shifted after thinking things through as this seems to be impossible to begin with.
"...IN THE FUTURE!" She continued after a brief moment. Yes of course, in the future!
...
...
...
...
...
Meanwhile at the main gate of Flowing Sword Sect,
Two guards were chilling around at the top of the gate tower, sitting on a chair while leisurely enjoying some fine spirit wine. They were both supposed to be watching the surroundings for incoming threats or something.
However, such things rarely ever happened and even if it does, they would probably just be a random wanderer who got lost or some weak beasts that have strayed from the forest.
In other words, it wasn't that big of a deal. Thus for them, this job is like a freebie. Getting paid without doing anything.
"Senior brother, what are we supposed to do up here? There's no way those higher-ups are going to let us slack like this, right?" the younger guard asked with a look of concern on his face.
However, the older guard simply waved his hands, dismissing the other's thoughts casually,
"I'm sure it will be fine. In my ten years living as a guard, I have never been punished by them for something like this. I don't know what was going on in their heads, but I won't complain! Come on, little brother, the wine is going to get cold! I paid a fortune to buy this!" the older guard said cheerfully while toasting his glass of wine.
"Alright, alright..." the younger guard reluctantly agreed, toasting back with his own glass.
And throughout the day, both of them enjoyed their wine as they watched the sunset on the horizon.
Well, that is until one of them saw something falling from the sky.
"S-Senior brother..." said the younger guard as he nudged the other with his hand.
"Again, what is it?" replied the other in annoyance.
However, the younger guard still stared up at the sky with a perplexed expression as he was having a hard time believing his own sight. He blinked repeatedly, rubbed his eyes, and looked once more, yet the sight before him remained unchanged.
As his brain finally processed what that thing was, his eyes went wide in astonishment...
"What in the world is that?!" the younger guard screamed as he pointed high in the sky.
"I'm sure it's just some giant birds or something. Don't worry they are harmless~"
"No, it's a person. It's a girl!"
"What did you just say?" replied the older guard in confusion.
The older guard then got up and stared at the black dot that his little brother was pointing at. The black dot grew wider as time goes, signifying that it was slowly heading toward the Flowing Sword Sect. He swiftly took out a binocular from the nearby rack and aimed it toward the black dot.
However, the distance was simply too far and the binocular alone failed to provide him with a clear view. Realizing this, he then channeled some Qi into his eyes to enhance his vision and squinted until he finally saw what that black dot really was.
'What in the world...'
He saw a stunningly beautiful girl wearing a loose white robe, free-falling from the sky. Her silverish-white hair danced with the wind as her sharp jade-green eyes stared at the ground without any emotion. Clouds surround her body like a veil of fine silk while the light of dawn casts an ethereal glow around her, like a divine aura.
The beautiful scene he was seeing looked as if it came straight out of a painting. Now he gets what his junior brother was talking about.
"I-It's a fairy... A fairy sent by the heavens!" he muttered slowly as he was hypnotized by this sight.
"A fairy has descended into our sect!" followed the younger guard.
Not only the guards atop the gate tower but also the people throughout the outer and main circles of the Flowing Sword Sect, witnessed the unfolding spectacle. Disciples, guards, merchants, and people from all walks of life were captivated by the breathtaking sight of Xu Meihua suspended in the sky.
Whispers spread through the crowd as they beheld her ethereal beauty...
"Who is she? I've never seen such grace."
"Such radiance! She is like a celestial being."
"Is she headed towards our sect? What could this mean?"
"Truly a sight to behold! I must capture this moment on canvas. Junior brother, fetch my brush!"
The news of the mysterious girl's descent permeated the bustling market as well, drawing even more onlookers...
"Have you seen her? She's like a goddess!"
"I can't believe my eyes. This is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle."
"Quick, someone paint her! I will pay twenty spirit stones for the one who has the best painting!"
The allure of Xu Meihua's presence prompted both awe and artistic inspiration among those who bore witness to the enchanting scene. They were all captivated by this and eventually one of the witnesses muttered,
"She shone brightly within the light of dawn, descending to this mortal world with a beauty that leaves even the prettiest of women to shame! She shall be the Fairy of the Dawn!" cried a wise-looking man from the street.
The crowd nods in agreement as rumors spread around, referring to Xu Meihua as the 'Fairy of the Dawn'.
...
...
"So she's the one, huh?" muttered a tall figure in a black robe standing in a dark room somewhere in the inner circle.
He was staring out of the window at Xu Meihua, who was still free-falling in the sky. While all of his features are hidden under his dark robe, it still doesn't hide the sinister smile on his face.
"The spy didn't lie about a child in the Flowing Sword Sect having the Longevity Holy Physique. If we can get our hands on her, then our Demonic Sect's plan will be guaranteed to succeed and every sect on this continent will no longer be a match to ours..." he muttered slowly under his breath.
At this moment, he clutched his hand as a black aura came out of it. If Xu Meihua was in the room with him, she would notice that the aura was as powerful as Su Lan's if not higher. When it dissipated, a small worm came out of his fist. It was unbelievably small and its presence was very hard to detect.
At this moment he smiled,
"Sadly I cannot lay my hands on her now since there are many eyes around here. But I should just mark her for now..."
SCREEECHH!!
A piercing screech filled the air as the worm convulsed in his grasp. Nonchalantly, he flung it in Xu Meihua's direction, his smile growing ever more malevolent.
Then the worm suddenly went invisible on his command and flew at the speed of light toward Xu Meihua who was still falling down from the sky. Not a single person in the entire sect managed to notice it as it continued to fly toward Xu Meihua. Then when it came to contact with her, it went through her protection barrier and slithered inside her ear.
Weird enough, even Xu Meihua herself didn't notice anything happening as the worm slowly went inside her ear and disappeared.
Seeing the worm successfully infiltrate her, the man in a black robe chuckled quietly as he slowly disappeared into the background, as if he was never there in the first place...
...
...
...
"Ugh, my ear feels itchy all of a sudden..."
Meanwhile, Xu Meihua was still falling high in the air, unaware of what was happening below her. She wore a blank expression on her face as she accepted her incoming doom, of hitting the ground with a painful thud. Even though she has a protection array around her body, she was not confident that it would completely protect her from falling this high.
Suddenly, a system panel showed up in front of her face.
Ding!
[ A new title has been obtained! ]
[ Fairy of the Dawn
Player Xu Meihua has become famous and will now be easily recognized whenever she goes around in public places! Receives an additional 30 charm and 30 Qi ]
Xu Meihua's still stared at the screen with a blank face. Her brain has somewhat dulled down due to continuous exposure to fear, especially as someone who has a fear of heights. But now, life returned back to her eyes as she stared at the panel quietly...
'What the hell...? Fairy of the Dawn? Famous? Me?'
Xu Meihua had led a secluded life on her master's floating island ever since she transmigrated into this world. Her days were filled with intensive training and immersing herself in books. Not only that, the only interactions with people she had were only with her master, who was insistent on keeping her anonymous. How did she become famous when she hadn't even touched the ground of the main sect?
'But hey, I'll take some free stats!' she thought as she closed the system panel.
And now, she continued to glance at the amazing view of the main sect as she continued to fall. The speed of her descent seemed to have capped at some point along the way, thus making her descent feels a little slower.
And with so, a couple of seconds passed and she could now see where she was going to land. After squinting her eyes into a slit, she could see a large building that stretched by hundreds of meters. It was made out of wood and she could see some teenagers wearing what appears to be outer disciple uniforms sitting around near there.
Wait a minute...
'It sure looks like an apartment... Wait!! This is the outer disciple's dormitory!! I'm going to crash into someone!!'
Xu Meihua jolted back into reality as she realized what was happening.
She tried to use her footwork technique, Cloud Steps, but she still doesn't manage to do much. She could only dodge the major rooms and headed towards the secluded one at the corner.
'OH NO!'
Without any other way, she crashed into the building at the edge of the dorm!
BOOOM!
The wooden rooftop couldn't handle Xu Meihua as it shattered into pieces, allowing her to crash through and collide with the wooden floor below. The impact caused a large earthquake to be heard throughout the whole dormitory as a large hole was formed.
"O-Ouch!! Ouch! Ugh... my ankles... they cracked..." Xu Meihua muttered as she slowly climbed out of the hole.
"...w-what the..." muttered someone across the room.
When her head popped out of the hole, she noticed a girl who seems to be the owner of the room, staring at her with wide eyes. She was sitting on her bed in the corner of the room covered in blankets, locking eyes with her.
She has a long black her that extended all the way to her waist and her bright blue eyes left a sharp contrast to her. Her smooth fair skin appeared untouched by the trials of battle, reflecting a delicate and pristine complexion. It was Song Qiang, the beautiful girl who helped her on her first day in this world.
Song Qiang slowly pointed her shaky finger toward Xu Meihua as she struggled to form a sentence,
"It's you! The girl from the forest!" she screamed as she stared at Xu Meihua with mixed emotions.