When Su Luowei arrived at the Abandoned Sword Grave, she indeed found Wen Miaomiao and the other disciples of Yanmo Peak waiting for her.
She dispelled the invisibility charm and approached them. Wen Miaomiao, who had been resting on the ground, immediately sprang to her feet with a bright smile upon seeing Su Luowei. "Senior Sister, you're finally here! We've been waiting for you for so long."
Su Luowei quickly counted the disciples, relieved to see that all ten of them were present. It seemed that only she had been separated during the teleportation into the Ten Directions Blessed Land.
The other disciples gathered around her, chattering excitedly. "Senior Sister, you have no idea! As soon as we arrived, we saw a huge snake beast, and when we realized you weren't with us, we were terrified!"
"Fortunately, the snake beast was asleep, so we managed to leave without any trouble."
"This place is nothing like what the senior brothers and sisters said—it's full of dangers. Luckily, Miaomiao was smart and helped us avoid a lot of them."
One of the younger disciples put on a pitiful face, pretending to be sad. "Otherwise, we might not have survived for you to find us!"
As the only Golden Core cultivator in the group, Su Luowei was supposed to be with them, protecting them from danger. Although getting separated wasn't her fault, she still felt guilty facing her junior brothers and sisters.
"Alright, stop trying to get pity from Senior Sister," Wen Miaomiao said, waving her arms to shoo away the disciples crowding around Su Luowei. "Senior Sister, don't listen to their whining. They've been eating well and sleeping soundly these past few days. They're just pretending to be pitiful because they know you're soft-hearted."
Knowing that Wen Miaomiao was trying to comfort her, Su Luowei nodded and said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work."
Wen Miaomiao shook her head quickly. "It wasn't hard at all. Senior Sister trusted me enough to give me the map, and I'm just glad I didn't let you down."
The Yanmo Peak disciples had been resting at the Abandoned Sword Grave for a day, fully recovering their spiritual energy, and were ready to set off as soon as Su Luowei arrived.
When they first arrived, they had encountered the disciples of Baizhan Peak who were also resting there. However, an hour before Su Luowei appeared, the Baizhan Peak disciples had finished resting and moved on.
Everyone knew that the next destination was the Beast Hall, and the sooner they got there, the better their chances of capturing a spirit beast. Now that Su Luowei had returned, one of the eager disciples suggested they depart immediately.
Su Luowei had promised Meng Shuying that she would wait for her at the Abandoned Sword Grave. But now, seeing the expectant looks in the eyes of her junior brothers and sisters, she felt torn.
On one hand were the disciples of Yanmo Peak, and on the other was Meng Shuying.
How could she make a decision without disappointing one side?
Fortunately, Wen Miaomiao noticed her dilemma and considerately suggested, "Senior Sister has just returned and must be tired. How about we rest here for a while before setting off? We're already behind, so a little more delay won't make much difference."
After spending the past few days with Wen Miaomiao, the Yanmo Peak disciples had grown to respect and trust her. Now that she had spoken, they had no objections.
Moreover, the Yanmo Peak disciples were known for their kindness. They couldn't bear the thought of making their Senior Sister travel while she was exhausted. One of them immediately brought over a cushion for Su Luowei to sit on and rest. Another disciple offered her a spirit stone, asking if she needed it.
Normally, Su Luowei didn't interact much with these disciples and wasn't very familiar with them. But after witnessing the scheming and infighting at Qionghua Peak, she couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions when faced with the sincerity of these disciples.
If Meng Shuying had been accepted into Yanmo Peak…
Perhaps her life wouldn't have been so difficult.
Meanwhile, back at Qionghua Peak, Meng Shuying, of course, didn't mention that she had already dealt with the snake beast.
Facing the mysterious little girl who had appeared out of nowhere, Meng Shuying instinctively felt a sense of danger. She subtly stepped back, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared her keen instincts.
One of the disciples who had reached the entrance crouched down, trying to tease the girl. "Little sister, this place is dangerous. You shouldn't be here. Where are your guardians?"
"My guardians are long dead," the girl in green replied nonchalantly. She then gave the disciple a look as if they were an idiot. "Otherwise, how do you think you all got in here so easily?"
"You!"
Angered by her words, the disciple reached out to push her away, but the little girl easily dodged.
She leaped onto the top of the stone tablet and looked down at them, her expression serious. "You should leave before I get angry."
Her voice was soft, and she looked small and delicate, but there was an undeniable aura of power around her that made the disciples hesitate.
However, Jiang Ye was proud and couldn't tolerate being threatened by a child in front of her junior brothers and sisters. Her temper flared, and she coldly drew her sword, pointing it at the girl. "And what if we insist on going in?"
The girl frowned, a flash of ferocity crossing her eyes.
"Then don't blame me for being rude!"
Just as the tension was about to erupt, a loud eagle cry echoed from afar, drawing everyone's attention.
The girl turned her gaze northward, her expression changing drastically as she spotted a dark figure soaring through the sky. She let out a startled cry, "This is bad!"
Without another word, she hurriedly left, leaving the Qionghua Peak disciples behind, bewildered.
With the girl gone and nothing blocking their way, the Qionghua Peak disciples easily pushed open the gates of the Beast Hall.
Inside, the first thing they saw was a large pond.
The pond's water was a murky green, with algae and floating plants covering the surface, obscuring its depths. Near the shore, a path of smooth pebbles led from the water to the land, as if someone had deliberately constructed a pathway.
Once inside the Beast Hall, the Qionghua Peak disciples spread out, each searching for their own fortune. Even Jiang Ye, who had been so stern earlier, left with great enthusiasm.
Having no interest in spirit beasts, Meng Shuying stayed near the entrance to keep watch.
Suddenly, she heard a noise from the water. Alert, she watched the pond warily until she saw a deep green shadow slowly rising from the depths, crawling along the pebble path.
Not knowing what it was, Meng Shuying narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her sword.
It took a while, but eventually, the green shadow emerged from the water, making its way to the shore.
It turned out to be a large Jingteng Bi Turtle.
Jingteng Bi Turtles were common spirit beasts in the cultivation world, often found lurking in mountains and lakes. However, they were known for their gentle nature and low attack power, with longevity being their only notable trait, making them of little interest to most cultivators.
This Jingteng Bi Turtle was enormous, with a shell as large as a millstone. Its thick, greenish claws showed no signs of spiritual energy leaking, indicating that it was very old and likely had a high level of cultivation.
The turtle climbed onto the shore and lazily rested on the stones, lifting one eyelid to observe Meng Shuying. After a long inspection, it slowly opened its mouth and spoke in a deep, elderly voice.
"I see why you didn't go in. You already have a spirit beast."
The turtle's sudden speech didn't surprise Meng Shuying, but what it said piqued her curiosity.
"Are you referring to... it?" she asked, moving her finger slightly. A small Xuanfeng bird appeared out of thin air, its plump body fluttering as it landed on her finger, chirping twice as if annoyed at having its nap disturbed.
After establishing her Foundation, Meng Shuying had noticed a subtle connection with Xuanfeng. Much like the bond described between cultivators and their contracted spirit beasts, a tattoo of a spirit bird had appeared on her right arm. When not summoned, Xuanfeng would return to this tattoo to rest. Meng Shuying could call it forth whenever she wished.
She had already guessed that Xuanfeng wasn't an ordinary bird, but a spirit beast. However, Xuanfeng's lazy and gluttonous nature left her at a loss for what kind of spirit beast it could be.
The Jingteng Bi Turtle's wise, ancient eyes showed a hint of amusement as it observed the lively little Xuanfeng.
"It seems you've been taking good care of it."
That was a relief.
The two little ones entrusted to it by an old friend had grown well. One, though unable to leave the Ten Directions Blessed Land for now, had become strong and lively, while the other, though still young, had found a good and caring master.
It had fulfilled its promise.
As Meng Shuying gently soothed Xuanfeng's irritation, she asked curiously, "So it really is a spirit beast?"
Unlike the fierce-looking spirit beasts she had encountered, Xuanfeng seemed more like... a spirit beast's prey.
Now comfortably perched on her finger, Xuanfeng rubbed its head against her hand, making contented cooing sounds. It seemed too innocent and harmless to be a spirit beast.
"Of course it's a spirit beast," the turtle replied. "It's just that it's still young, its mind not fully matured. With proper care, it will grow into a top-tier spirit beast."
Once fully awake, Xuanfeng noticed the big, interesting creature not far away. It spread its wings and flew over, landing directly on the turtle's head.
Xuanfeng was so small that it wasn't even as big as the turtle's eye, making for a comical sight as it stood atop the turtle's head.
The Jingteng Bi Turtle wasn't bothered by Xuanfeng's antics. It had lived so long that seeing such a lively little creature brought it joy.
Its eyes softened with kindness, and a moment later, Xuanfeng, who had been preening its feathers, noticed a pile of brightly colored spirit beast cores appear before it.
A feast!
Without hesitation, Xuanfeng opened its beak and gobbled down all the spirit beast cores, stuffing its cheeks and belly until it was even rounder than before.
Chirp, chirp, chirp! It was so happy—such a long time since it had eaten so much!
Thrilled, Xuanfeng flew around Meng Shuying in circles, showing off. See, I ate all those cores, and I'm not giving you any!
Although Xuanfeng couldn't speak, Meng Shuying understood its meaning.
She had no regrets. "That core was for Senior Sister. How could I give it to you?"
Xuanfeng knew that in its master's heart, Senior Sister always came first, above all else. But it didn't mind because it also liked the fragrant Senior Sister who always gave it food.
It chirped twice more at Meng Shuying, probably saying, "This time, I'll let it slide for Senior Sister's sake."
Then, unable to resist the drowsiness that came after a big meal, it landed on Meng Shuying, transformed into a spirit bird tattoo, and fell into a deep sleep.
Once Xuanfeng was resting, the Jingteng Bi Turtle also turned around and slowly made its way back to the pond, as if it had come up just to deliver those items to Xuanfeng.
Knowing that her spirit pet had received such a gift, Meng Shuying respectfully bowed to the turtle as it departed.
Before the turtle's figure disappeared beneath the water, it left her with a final warning. "Don't go to the Spirit Grass Garden; it's not safe there right now."