When Gu Fuyou woke up, she felt a stiffness in her neck. It was as if her head had been hanging down for too long, causing pain all the way to the back of her head.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw a yellow cushion beneath her knees.
It seemed she had fainted while still kneeling, maintaining a straight posture.
This was utterly inhumane. They made her kneel even after she passed out.
Had she been too reckless, making the Xuan Miao Sect members reluctant to let her off the hook easily? Maybe they were thinking of delivering some form of divine retribution right on the spot.
Looking around, she noticed someone kneeling next to her. If it wasn't Yuan Changsui, who else could it be?
In front of her, there was a golden statue. The statue was about two meters high, stretching to the ceiling. Incense smoke curled up from an altar, surrounded by lit candles. On both sides, there were colorful statues, about half a person's height, each different in appearance and stretching all the way to the back of the hall.
Gu Fuyou pondered in her heart. This should be the ancestral hall of Xuan Miao Sect, enshrining the colorful statues of the sect leaders throughout the generations. The statue in front of her should be the founding patriarch of Xuan Miao Sect.
Yuan Changsui noticed that Gu Fuyou had woken up. The prolonged kneeling was torturous and boring, but now he had some entertainment. He mockingly laughed at her.
He rambled on, and Gu Fuyou pieced together from his words that after she fainted, due to the commotion at the entrance ceremony, both she and Yuan Changsui were thrown into this ancestral hall to kneel as punishment.
She hadn't been expelled from the sect, nor had she been executed on the spot.
It felt like she had suffered for no good reason.
Yuan Changsui couldn't resist poking fun, "Third Gu, you really have guts! Do you even realize who you went after? That's our generation's Senior Sister! You've barely stepped into the Xuan Miao Sect, and you're already stirring the pot. You embarrassed her in public, irritated her, and even attempted a surprise attack. I wonder how you'll survive in the Xuan Miao Sect in the future!"
Gu Fuyou rolled her eyes, thinking, "We both caused trouble. What's there for you to be so pleased about?"
In front of her floated a wooden plaque, emanating a blue glow. It was a disciplinary plaque, and Yuan Changsui had one in front of him too.
This plaque was the reason why, even after fainting, she still had to kneel upright. With this disciplinary plaque in place, they had to kneel straight for twenty-four hours. Only when the disciplinary order was lifted could they stand up.
Thus, there were no disciples supervising them here. There was no fear that they might slack off and escape their punishment.
This disciplinary plaque contained a formation, which was how it had such an effect.
After inspecting it for a while, Gu Fuyou had an idea. She was well-versed in such matters; these types of formations were merely restrictive and not too difficult to break.
With a flick of her finger, she channeled a strand of spiritual energy.
The blue glow from the disciplinary plaque in front of her faded, and it swiftly fell to the ground.
Yuan Changsui glanced at it and contemptuously raised his head, snorting through his nose, "Little trick."
He remembered that it was through such "little trick" that Gu Fuyou was admitted into the Xuan Miao Sect. He was quite resentful and said in a low voice, "Third Gu, you don't deserve to be in the Xuan Miao Sect."
Gu Fuyou seemed as if she hadn't heard anything. She stood up, feeling a faint pain in her knees, and her body felt very stiff. Stretching lazily, she could hear her joints popping.
She groaned softly and thought to herself, "How magnanimous Xuan Miao Sect is to not kick me out."
Had it been the Four Immortals Sect today, she would certainly have been driven out of the sect with a beating. The Four Immortals Sect would never tolerate any disciple being disrespectful and acting recklessly, especially those who haven't officially joined.
However, the Four Immortals Sects wouldn't accept her anyway.
Noticing it was nighttime, with the sky bearing a cold crab-shell blue hue, she wondered how long she had been kneeling.
As she was about to leave, Yuan Changsui called out, "Hey, Third Gu! If you don't complete the twelve-hour kneeling punishment and leave without permission, you'll be punished!"
Gu Fuyou couldn't be bothered with him and kept walking.
Yuan Changsui called out again, "Third Gu, wait! Undo the disciplinary plaque for me too!"
Still, Gu Fuyou didn't stop. She stepped over the threshold of the ancestral hall, descended the steps, passed through the stone gates, and moved away from the ancestral hall, away from Yuan Changsui's voice.
Two figures leaned against the stone gate. Seeing her come out, they approached her.
Gu Fuyou was taken aback and said, "What are you two doing standing here? Hiding in the shadows, you both look like ghosts."
Gu Huaiyou handed over Gu Fuyou's sect attire and identity token, shoving them into her arms, "I told you not to cause trouble, but you just don't listen. You not only fight others, but you also make a big fuss and provoke a Golden Core stage senior sister. You never give anyone a moment's peace."
"She was asking for it." Si Miao handed over a bottle of medicinal pills, "This will repair your meridians and improve circulation. You can't withstand the spiritual power of a Golden Core stage cultivator. Be careful and recuperate properly."
Gu Fuyou accepted it, showing her clean white teeth in a smile, "Thanks."
The three of them walked side by side in the night. Gu Fuyou asked, "What were you two doing here?"
Si Miao replied, "He was worried about you, but ordinary disciples can't enter the ancestral hall, so he waited for you outside."
Gu Huaiyou added, "Ah Man, luckily the Xuan Miao Sect didn't look into this matter deeply and didn't expel you. But don't cause trouble again, thinking of using this to return to Xiaoyao City and give Father and Eldest Brother trouble."
Gu Fuyou curled the corner of her mouth and didn't respond.
Gu Huaiyou pressed, "Did you hear me?"
"I heard, I heard. Gu Huaiyou, you're so naggy." She was slightly irritated by his words.
Regardless, she had already joined the sect. What's done was done. She had to reassure herself, 'since I'm here, I'll make do'. If she had left straightforwardly, she would now feel a lingering regret.
In the world of cultivation, Xuan Miao Sect stood proudly as the fifth leading immortal sect. The sect leader Ji Chaoling was at the peak of the Hallow Void stage, just one step away from Soul Splitting Stage. The sect boasted gifted disciples who had made impressive strides in diverse cultivation techniques. Their library was a trove of treasures, setting them apart from the smaller sects.
As Gu Huaiyou had said, joining Xuan Miao was all gains and no losses.
Initially, every hair on Gu Fuyou's body resisted coming to Xuan Miao. But once she joined, and decided to stay for a while, she intended to study diligently.
But the heavens were determined to annoy her. She was assigned to the same class as Yuan Changsui.
Every day during lessons, she had to see him, which annoyed her.
The only consolation was that she shared accommodation with Si Miao. The two lived in a room with two beds and wardrobes taking up most of the space. Si Miao even placed her alchemy furnace in the center, making the room feel crowded.
…
That afternoon, Gu Fuyou attended a class with other disciples in the eastern plaza.
The teaching master was Elder Jiu Yuan from the Beast Taming Hall. He had a slightly plump figure, a ruddy complexion, and his shiny black hair was tied into a bun. He stood in the center, explaining the ways of beast taming to the disciples.
Gu Fuyou sat under the shade of a big banyan tree on a stone stool, her face in her hands, watching the gathering of students.
Some had already started practicing. Gu Fuyou remembered that one of them was probably named Hua Xi.
She saw Hua Xi forming hand signs in the air, using her spiritual power to form a formation. A flash of white light, and a two-winged skeletal lion appeared out of thin air. Even though it was a young beast, it looked majestic.
Elder Jiu Yuan stroked his beard with a smile on his face, as if saying, "This young one can be taught."
"Good, make a cut on your ring finger and drop the blood from the fingertip onto its forehead."
Hua Xi did as instructed. The skeletal lion struggled momentarily, but couldn't break free from the formation beneath it. Nevertheless, the drop of blood landed on its forehead.
Elder Jiu Yuan spoke slowly with a smile, "Now, the first word you say will be its name. In the future, when the formation is dispelled, call its name and it will respond."
After pondering for a while, Hua Xi decided on a name and voiced it.
The fresh blood transformed into a red light and penetrated the skeletal lion's forehead. The lion let out a low roar, revealing a black pattern on the fur of its back.
Elder Jiu Yuan said, "With the appearance of the beast's pattern, the contract is formed. From now on, it will be your spirit beast, accompanying you throughout your life. It will respond whenever called, unless it's dead or severely injured and in a deep slumber."
Hua Xi stroked the skeletal lion's mane, feeling very pleased.
Not many of the disciples could summon spirit beasts. Most who saw this were intrigued, rushing over to try it out.
As soon as one spirit light dissipated, another appeared. Various spirit beasts were summoned: those that flew in the sky, ran on land, or swam in the water.
The type of spirit beast one could summon depended on the summoner's strength. Novice disciples couldn't possibly summon beasts stronger than their own cultivation level. If they did, they wouldn't be able to control the beast and establish a contract, so these disciples could only summon young beasts.
The quality and future strength of these young beasts were linked to the innate talents of their master.
This was the reason Gu Fuyou, who understood the formations, had been hesitant to summon a spirit beast.
Summoning a weak beast when one is already weak would mean neither could rely on the other. The mere thought was heartbreaking.
The young beasts on the field had just formed contracts and were still in a state of panic, howling and chirping, making Gu Fuyou's head ache.
She hung her head, covering her ears with both hands, feeling exasperated.
Yuan Changsui saw her in the crowd. He picked up a small stone and flicked it at Gu Fuyou's head.
Gu Fuyou felt the pain and hissed, covering her head as she raised it.
Yuan Changsui elbowed someone beside him, tilting his chin towards Gu Fuyou.
That person understood, approached Gu Fuyou, cleared his throat, and chuckled, "Junior Sister Gu, I've heard your father's spirit beast, the Golden Peng, can reach the Nascent Soul stage. Like father, not like daughter. I'm sure the spirit beast summoned by Junior Sister Gu won't be inferior."
Gu Fuyou glanced at Yuan Changsui, seeing him with arms folded and a playful grin, she realized it was his idea.
Everyone's attention was drawn by this voice, and they all looked over.
Elder Jiu Yuan sized up Gu Fuyou. He had heard of the commotion she caused when she first joined. With a stern face, he called out to her, "If you lack innate talent, you must work even harder. Your cultivation doesn't just grow on its own, and yet you slack off. Come here! Practice the summoning formation!"
Gu Fuyou had no choice but to go over, not only having to summon, but also under the watchful eyes of everyone. She was deeply familiar with the formation. With a casual wave of her hand, she formed the seals and activated the formation.
Elder Jiu Yuan nodded in approval. Everyone's eyes were on the center of the formation, curious about what would appear.
But after a long wait with no sign of activity, someone in the crowd chuckled, "She can't even summon the lowest level young beast."
Everyone had heard of Gu Fuyou's mediocrity.
Contrasting her mediocrity were the famous reputations of her father, Gu Wanpeng, known for 'soaring to great heights', and her eldest brother, Gu Shuangqing, renowned as the 'Rising Star and Tiger Son of a Prestigious Family'.
Hearing was not as good as seeing. Now that they had witnessed it with their own eyes, she wasn't just mediocre, but simply useless.
Laughing at her words, everyone burst into laughter.
But at that moment, the formation suddenly overflowed with white light, and mist spread across the ground. The laughter turned into exclamations of surprise.
From within the formation, a figure appeared, dressed in white robes with black hair cascading down to the shoulders.
Everyone thought Gu Fuyou had summoned a spirit beast, but it wasn't a beast at all. It was clearly a person.
The field fell silent. Gu Fuyou didn't expect this. Although she had made a small modification to the formation, it was still a summoning formation.
A summoning formation should only be able to call forth spirit beasts. No matter how outrageous, it should never be able to summon a human.
Yet, how could this…
The more she looked at this figure, the more familiar it seemed. She stared at the bamboo-green jade hairpin in the figure's hair for a long moment before suddenly recognizing who it was.
At that moment, Zhong Michu also slowly turned around, holding a scroll in her hand. There was a hint of bewilderment in her eyes, seemingly unexpected to find herself suddenly here.
Gu Fuyou's gaze collided directly with Zhong Michu's. Still so beautiful that it made her heart tremble. There was a saying that the love for beauty was common to all. Just looking at such beauty was enough to make one feel refreshed.
The color of Zhong Michu's eyes was slightly lighter, and perhaps because of the setting sun, Gu Fuyou thought she saw a golden shimmer in them, making her expression seem less cold.
Gu Fuyou approached her, and on a whim, she extended her ring finger, pressing it against Zhong Michu's forehead before she could react.
Elder Jiu Yuan finally recovered from his shock, his beard bristling in alarm, "You can't! She's your Senior Sister!"
Although the pact with a spirit beast doesn't work on humans, the fact that the summoning formation had summoned a person went against the norm. Elder Jiu Yuan didn't have time to think it through and rushed over to intervene.
However, it was too late. There was already one strange event, and now there was a second.
Gu Fuyou whispered, "Nanzhu Jun." The blood from her ring finger transformed into a red light, diving into Zhong Michu's head.
The pact was formed.