Yanwu Peak, Hidden Water Cave.
Inside the cave, forty-nine lamps were lit, with the central one emitting a tranquil blue flame—the rare and priceless Mingxin Lamp in the cultivation world.
The forty-nine lamps were arranged in a mysterious formation around Su Luo Wei. Dressed in a white robe, she sat in the center of the formation.
—Cultivate the Dao, sever worldly ties, open the mind and attain enlightenment; only then can one form the Golden Core.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the cave, making the flames flicker, casting alternating shadows. The lamp oil burned quickly, and a faint fragrance lingered in the cave.
Su Luo Wei awakened from the void, slowly opening her eyes, a flash of purple light flickering in them.
Before her was a jade bed, with winding spiritual veins around it. The Mingxin lamps had extinguished, leaving only a faint wisp of smoke from the wicks, indicating they had once been lit.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again, letting her consciousness spread like water.
She "saw" outside the cave, where Sect Master Zhan Xuehan stood, dressed in a moon-white robe, waiting. Her brows were slightly furrowed, occasionally glancing toward the cave with a worried expression.
Sensing Su Luo Wei's consciousness, Zhan Xuehan's expression softened into a smile. She asked telepathically, "Have you formed your Golden Core?"
Su Luo Wei replied in kind, "Yes, it is done."
She opened her eyes, rose from the formation, and walked out.
After six years, she had finally formed her Golden Core and officially embarked on the long journey of immortal cultivation.
Six years to form a Golden Core—if word spread, this speed would astonish other cultivators.
But Su Luo Wei knew this was still far from enough.
On the mountain path, two young women walked hand in hand toward the cave.
Both wore the moon-white robes representing disciples of Yanmo Peak. One was lively and spirited, the other pure and sweet—it was Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao.
Su Luo Wei had been in seclusion for three years. During that time, Xie Hanzhu had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.
They had started cultivation around the same time, so this outcome was not unexpected.
But Wen Miaomiao—
Three years ago, Wen Miaomiao had joined Qingxu Sect and was accepted as an inner disciple by Zhan Xuehan. From the first day of cultivation, she showed an extraordinary talent.
In Su Luo Wei's second year of seclusion, Wen Miaomiao successfully reached Foundation Establishment.
It's worth noting that some disciples might spend their entire lives without achieving Foundation Establishment!
After that, her cultivation speed continued to soar. In just over a year, she had already perfected Foundation Establishment.
Such speed made many disciples feel ashamed.
Originally, Xie Hanzhu had been taking her time with cultivation, but seeing her youngest junior sister progress so rapidly, she finally panicked and entered seclusion for a year, only emerging recently.
During those three years, Su Luo Wei had not stepped out of the Hidden Water Cave even once. All her spirit stones and pills were delivered by either Xie Hanzhu or Wen Miaomiao.
After three years, Wen Miaomiao had become familiar with both of them.
As Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao approached, they saw the two people at the cave entrance and immediately ran over, full of excitement. "Senior Sister, you're finally out!"
They smiled brightly, curiously examining Su Luo Wei.
Xie Hanzhu, more familiar with her, teased, "Senior Sister, have you already formed your Golden Core?"
Su Luo Wei nodded, "Naturally."
Wen Miaomiao, standing beside Xie Hanzhu, observed Su Luo Wei for a moment before softly saying, "Senior Sister, after forming your Core, you seem even more ethereal, like a true immortal."
Hearing her disciple say this, Zhan Xuehan couldn't help but glance at Su Luo Wei again. Su Luo Wei, in her moon-white robe, wore no makeup or ornaments. Perhaps due to the change in her mindset after forming the Core, there was something different about her features.
She seemed even more distant.
For an immortal cultivator, such aloofness was normal. However, Su Luo Wei's detachment felt somewhat unusual.
It was as if she truly had little attachment to this world.
Zhan Xuehan was pleased with her successful Core formation but vaguely felt that this version of Su Luo Wei seemed to have lost some of her humanity.
Having just emerged from seclusion, she should be mingling more with other disciples.
The path of cultivation is long and difficult to walk alone.
After a moment of thought, Zhan Xuehan flipped her palm, producing a jade pendant inscribed with the character "Jie."
"Now that you've formed your Core, you should take on some sect responsibilities. Recently, your uncle, Bei Chen, was seriously injured during his training outside and needs three months to recuperate. The Disciplinary Hall will be temporarily under your management."
Su Luo Wei looked at the jade pendant in Zhan Xuehan's palm, noting the flowing spiritual energy on its surface—it was a magical artifact.
She accepted the pendant and heard Zhan Xuehan say, "You've just come out of seclusion; there's no rush with these matters. Rest for two days before attending to them."
After Zhan Xuehan left, Su Luo Wei and Xie Hanzhu returned to the room she hadn't seen in three years.
The room had been meticulously cleaned and was spotless.
Su Luo Wei initially thought Xie Hanzhu or Wen Miaomiao had tidied it up for her.
But upon closer inspection, she noticed that everything in the room was arranged with a particular order, reflecting someone's habits.
She realized that Meng Shuying had been the one regularly organizing the room.
The Hidden Water Cave was a forbidden area of Yanmo Peak, off-limits to all but Zhan Xuehan's trusted individuals.
Meng Shuying was already a disciple of Qionghua Peak, so Zhan Xuehan naturally wouldn't allow her to enter the Hidden Water Cave.
Thus, Su Luo Wei hadn't seen Meng Shuying for three years, only occasionally hearing about her from Xie Hanzhu.
Xie Hanzhu said that Meng Shuying's life on Qionghua Peak was decent.
She had food, clothing, and could cultivate—so it was decent.
As for the finer details—how her senior brothers and sisters treated her, her cultivation progress, when she might reach Foundation Establishment—Xie Hanzhu knew nothing.
Su Luo Wei understood that Meng Shuying was deliberately keeping her situation hidden, not even letting Xie Hanzhu know.
That child was always like this, keeping everything to herself.
She had been like this before. Only when Su Luo Wei pushed her to the limit would she reluctantly share a bit of her feelings.
After Su Luo Wei entered seclusion, Meng Shuying locked her heart away, not letting anyone glimpse a thing.
But now that Su Luo Wei had emerged, Meng Shuying should have come to see her.
That night, Su Luo Wei declined her friends' offer to celebrate her return and stayed quietly in her room, waiting for Meng Shuying to appear.
But she waited all night, from dusk until dawn, and still, Meng Shuying didn't show.
This was very unusual.
And coincidentally, in the following days, whenever Su Luo Wei visited Qionghua Peak hoping to see her, Meng Shuying was always absent.
After the third time of finding her gone, Su Luo Wei began to suspect that Meng Shuying was deliberately avoiding her.
This was strange. Before, when Su Luo Wei was in seclusion, Meng Shuying would sneak to Yanmo Peak every few days to quietly clean her room. But now that Su Luo Wei was out, she was avoiding her.
Su Luo Wei couldn't understand.
Unable to figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it.
A few more days passed, and Zhan Xuehan sent a disciple to remind Su Luo Wei not to forget her appointment at the Disciplinary Hall.
The disciple she sent was none other than Wen Miaomiao.
That day, Wen Miaomiao wore a light yellow ruqun, her long hair tied with a matching ribbon. Her small face bore clear doe-like eyes, and her lips always held a smile. She didn't look like an ethereal cultivator but more like a charming girl-next-door.
Whenever Su Luo Wei faced her, she couldn't help but soften her expression.
After all, when she read this novel in the past, she had seen Wen Miaomiao as a daughter and genuinely liked her.
Wen Miaomiao propped her hands on the windowsill, tiptoeing to stretch her neck as she called into the room, "Sister Luo Wei, Master sent me to ask when you plan to go to the Disciplinary Hall?"
Su Luo Wei stood before the mirror, calmly attaching the jade pendant to her waist, then replied, "I'll go now."
"Great! Then let me lead the way." Wen Miaomiao tilted her head with a smile, her eyes curving into crescents.
Su Luo Wei also smiled slightly, "Thank you, Miaomiao."
The Disciplinary Hall was located on Qingxu Peak, a fair distance away. Since Wen Miaomiao was still at the Foundation Establishment stage and couldn't fly on a sword, Su Luo Wei walked with her to Qingxu Peak.
Along the way, many disciples stopped upon seeing Wen Miaomiao, wanting to greet her. But when they saw Su Luo Wei beside her, their expressions changed, and they hurriedly bowed before quickly walking away.
Su Luo Wei, feeling a bit helpless, touched her face and asked Wen Miaomiao, "Do I look that scary? Why do they run away when they see me?"
Wen Miaomiao shook her head repeatedly, her voice crisp, "Sister, you're as radiant as spring and as pure as autumn; how could you be scary? They run because they feel ashamed of themselves in your presence."
She spoke so flatteringly, yet her black-and-white eyes looked earnestly at Su Luo Wei, nodding as if she believed her analysis made perfect sense.
Su Luo Wei couldn't help but laugh, lightly flicking Wen Miaomiao's forehead. "You little rascal."
"Ouch!" Wen Miaomiao covered her forehead with both hands, pretending to be hurt.
"Sister, how could you hit me?" she pouted, feigning anger, though her eyes still sparkled with mischief.
Su Luo Wei shook her head with a smile, "Enough playing around. Let's get going."
Wen Miaomiao stopped at the entrance of the Disciplinary Hall, turning to Su Luo Wei, "Sister Luo Wei, I can only take you this far."
Beyond lay the main hall, where a formation was set. If a disciple entered without the Disciplinary Hall token, their cultivation would be suppressed.
Su Luo Wei nodded, thanked her, and walked straight into the hall.
The Disciplinary Hall had a main and side hall. The main hall was for adjudications, while the side hall was where the officials worked. There were six ordinary officials and a head and deputy head for the hall.
The head was Song Beichen of Baizhan Peak, senior brother to Nie Wentian, and the deputy head position had always been vacant.
Now that Song Beichen was injured, Zhan Xuehan had discussed with the other peak masters and selected a disciple to temporarily act as deputy head.
How Zhan Xuehan convinced the other two peak masters, Su Luo Wei didn't know, but the position suddenly fell to her.
When Su Luo Wei entered the side hall, she saw two officials reviewing documents. Upon noticing her, they looked up, silently scrutinizing her before the one on the left stood up, somewhat arrogantly, "You must be Su Luo Wei from Yanwu Peak. We heard you were coming days ago, but we didn't expect you to arrive so late."
Su Luo Wei didn't know many people in the Qingxu Sect, but it so happened that she knew these two.
They were none other than Jiang Ye and Yu Qing, trusted disciples of Min Lanmeng from Qionghua Peak.
The one who spoke was Jiang Ye.
They were easy to distinguish—the more charming one was Jiang Ye. She had alluring eyes, not large but long, with upturned corners and a red mole between her brows.
Xie Hanzhu used to say that Jiang Ye looked less like a cultivator and more like a temptress from a mortal story.
The one beside her, who seemed steadier, was Yu Qing.
Yu Qing was plain in appearance, with nothing remarkable about her looks, build, or demeanor, making her easy to overlook.
Xie Hanzhu once said that Yu Qing was like Min Lanmeng's shadow, always following her and appearing whenever Min Lanmeng needed her.
Both Jiang Ye and Yu Qing were Golden Core cultivators. Although they were older than Su Luo Wei, they were from different peaks, and Su Luo Wei was the deputy head of the hall, appointed by Zhan Xuehan herself, who had said she could arrive later.
It didn't take much thought for Su Luo Wei to realize that Jiang Ye was trying to give her a hard time.
She looked at Jiang Ye, her gaze calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.
Jiang Ye felt a pang of unease and was about to speak when Su Luo Wei suddenly released her divine sense.
It pressed down on Jiang Ye like a boulder, rendering her immobile.
Though they were both Golden Core cultivators, there was a difference in the quality of their cores.
Foundation Establishment cultivates the body, while the Golden Core cultivates the spirit. Any mortal with spiritual roots can learn to draw in spiritual energy from the world and, over time, establish a foundation, which is why Foundation Establishment cultivators are common in the cultivation world.
Once the foundation is established, one can store energy within the body until the sea of energy is full. Then, by linking one's own energy with that of the heavens, one can form a Golden Core.
Foundation Establishment adds a century to one's lifespan, but if the Golden Core is not formed before one's time runs out, they will perish all the same.
The Dao is ruthless, and only one or two in a hundred can form a Golden Core on their own. After countless attempts, a shortcut was discovered—borrowing energy.
If a cultivator cannot fill their own sea of energy, they can borrow from others to do so. However, this method has a drawback: those who borrow energy to form their core will have a weaker Golden Core and will be unable to advance further in this life.
Su Luo Wei's Golden Core was a solid core she had formed through her own cultivation, while Jiang Ye's was a "borrowed energy" hollow core.
So, even though they were both Golden Core cultivators, Su Luo Wei could suppress Jiang Ye with just her divine sense.
As Jiang Ye's body trembled under Su Luo Wei's divine pressure, Yu Qing put down her document and silently extended her own divine sense to shield Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye immediately felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
However, she had been subtly resisting Su Luo Wei's divine sense and, with the sudden release of pressure, stumbled, only managing to stay upright by grabbing the table.
It was utterly humiliating.
Seeing Yu Qing intervene, Su Luo Wei withdrew her divine sense and said coolly, "I didn't arrive too late, did I?"
Yu Qing slowly stood, bowed to her, then straightened up and said, "Not late at all, right on time."
Su Luo Wei met her gaze for a moment before shifting her eyes back to Jiang Ye. Jiang Ye was glaring at her with hostility.
As Su Luo Wei returned her stare, Jiang Ye's shoulders shook twice before she turned away in frustration, refusing to look at her again.
Outwardly, Su Luo Wei showed nothing, but inwardly, she disliked Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye's personality…was a bit too much like the original Su Luo Wei—arrogant and domineering.
"You know, in the original story, Su Luo Wei and Jiang Ye got along quite well. The two of them often teamed up to make things difficult for Meng Shuying," came the voice of Xiao Ba in her mind.
"And what became of Jiang Ye?" Su Luo Wei asked.
After a pause, Xiao Ba replied, "Many disciples of Qionghua Peak, like Jiang Ye, took shortcuts in their cultivation and formed hollow cores. After Meng Shuying destroyed the Demon Seal and opened the portal between the human and demon realms, the first to fall was the weakest, Qionghua Peak…"
Su Luo Wei sighed inwardly.
Ignoring them, Su Luo Wei walked straight to the ebony table piled with documents in the center of the room. She casually picked up a document and skimmed through it. It was about recent disputes among the sect's disciples over various trivial matters that had been brought to the Disciplinary Hall for judgment.
Jiang Ye and Yu Qing had returned to their seats, with Jiang Ye constantly making eye signals at Yu Qing behind the cover of the documents. After a while, Yu Qing subtly shook her head.
Seeing her shake her head, Jiang Ye's confidence deflated. She lowered her head in frustration, staring at the patterns on her robe.
Yu Qing couldn't guarantee she could beat Su Luo Wei.
Jiang Ye pushed the documents off the table in anger, burying her head in her arms.
Could Su Luo Wei really be that powerful? She didn't believe it.
Hmph, she's just lucky to have been born into a good family.
After all, everyone in the sect knew that she was a relative of the Sect Master, who had gone to great lengths to provide her with all sorts of resources, which was why she could form her Golden Core so quickly.
And because of the Sect Master's backing, she had bypassed all six officials in the Disciplinary Hall to suddenly be appointed as deputy head.
Jiang Ye stole a glance at Yu Qing, who was engrossed in a document.
She felt even more resentment toward Su Luo Wei.
Since her transmigration, Su Luo Wei had kept a low profile, and for the past three years, she had been in seclusion, rarely appearing in public. So, aside from those who had a strong impression of her, most of the sect had little memory of her.
Jiang Ye had assumed her temperament was as gentle as the Sect Master's, which was why she had tried to gain the upper hand.
After all, in the cultivation world, without corresponding strength, a gentle nature was just an invitation to be bullied.
But if one had great strength, that gentleness would be praised as kindness.
But she hadn't expected Su Luo Wei to be so tough.
The Disciplinary Hall didn't have much daily business, with one official on duty each day while the others continued their usual cultivation within their peaks. Before Su Luo Wei's arrival, Uncle Beichen had arranged a duty roster, so even after assuming the position, there wasn't much for her to do as deputy head.
So, she contentedly only visited once every seven days.
When the distributions were handed out recently, Su Luo Wei didn't go, and Wen Miaomiao ran an errand for her, collecting her share as well.
In Qingxu Sect, Foundation Establishment disciples received 200 low-grade spirit stones annually, while Golden Core disciples received 200 mid-grade spirit stones. Spirit stones, the hard currency of the cultivation world, could be used to purchase talismans and pills or for cultivation.
In addition to the 200 mid-grade spirit stones, Su Luo Wei noticed two bottles of pills on the table. Puzzled, she looked at Wen Miaomiao and asked, "What's this?"
Wen Miaomiao chuckled, "These are your rewards, Senior Sister."
Seeing Su Luo Wei's confusion, she explained, "The head of the Disciplinary Hall receives two bottles of mid-grade pills annually. You're already in the position, how could you not know?"
She shook her head with a smile, "Senior Sister, you're really above worldly concerns."
Su Luo Wei picked up one of the bottles, feeling the smooth surface and noting the special seal on the bottle, marked with three crooked characters: Xisui Pill.
Xisui Pills were common but valuable for Foundation Establishment cultivators, helping expand their meridians and making cultivation more efficient. And since the pills were made from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, there were no side effects.
She put one bottle in her storage bag and handed the other to Wen Miaomiao, saying, "This one is for you; you're still in the Foundation Establishment stage, so it will be useful."
Wen Miaomiao quickly waved her hands, "I can't, I can't, mid-grade pills aren't cheap."
"Take it. You've worked hard during this time."
Not long after Su Luo Wei emerged from seclusion, Xie Hanzhu declared that she would also enter seclusion, even saying she wouldn't come out unless she formed her Golden Core.
Impressed by her determination, Zhan Xuehan immediately sent her into the Hidden Water Cave, along with a handful of pills.
After Xie Hanzhu entered seclusion, Wen Miaomiao eagerly volunteered to help Su Luo Wei with her daily affairs.
Su Luo Wei initially refused, but she couldn't resist Wen Miaomiao's enthusiasm and eventually agreed.
Wen Miaomiao was diligent and sweet, managing the affairs of Yanmo Peak efficiently.
Yet, for some reason, seeing her bustling about every day, Su Luo Wei still felt a vague emptiness deep inside.