A’Ling walked down the mountain path from Glazed Mountain. The feeling of her feet firmly on the ground was something she hadn’t experienced in many, many years. As she continued, she even started running, filled with a newfound wonder.
She ran all the way down to the base of the mountain, wind rushing past her. Although she was panting and her mortal body grew tired from the short distance, A’Ling was still incredibly happy.
She couldn’t say why; she simply felt happy.
Perhaps it was because she had come back from the dead, or maybe it was due to not having seen such scorching sunlight in a long time.
It could also be that she had been reborn and tossed Shi Qingqian into a pit.
Feeling utterly refreshed, A’Ling put her hands on her hips, tilted her head back, and took deep breaths, sensing the spiritual energy within her body grow lighter with each inhale.
After falling to the demonic path, every breath she took brought demonic energy into her body. That sensation was difficult for anyone who hadn’t experienced it to truly understand.
If forced to describe it, it was as if the inhaled air would materialize upon entering her nasal cavity, feeling very fine and tangled. Imagine someone breathing in not just air, but strands of hair – what would that feel like?
This was the price of falling to the demonic path: despite possessing spiritual power comparable to cultivators, she suffered agony day and night.
As long as she lived and needed to breathe, the pain was inescapable.
For nearly a century, A’Ling’s greatest desire, day and night, had been to escape this suffering. She had heard a saying circulating in the Demon Realm: only when one’s cultivation reached the Immortal-Demon Realm, and their demonic energy became pure, could breathing feel as comfortable as a mortal’s.
To rid herself of this painful breathing as soon as possible, A’Ling cultivated day and night. However, after reaching the Divine-Demon Realm, her progress stalled, and she was unable to break through.
Thus, upon learning that dual cultivation with a Soul Transformation stage cultivator could help her absorb cultivation to aid her breakthrough, Shi Qingqian was the first person A’Ling thought of.
Shi Qingqian owed her so much; what was a little cultivation in return?
Thinking of that failed dual cultivation, which not only prevented her breakthrough but also caused her body to explode, A’Ling wanted to rush back and beat Shi Qingqian up again.
“A’Ling… A’Ling… wait for me… why are you running so fast?” Zhao Diqing walked toward A’Ling with difficulty, hands on her hips, her face pale and forehead covered in sweat.
A’Ling turned to glance at this traitor from her previous life, then scoffed, thinking of Shi Qingqian in the pit.
When Zhao Diqing came closer, A’Ling’s face hardened as she warned her, “I have something to do and need to go home. If you dare to secretly go save Shi Qingqian behind my back, I’ll throw you in that pit — and bury you alive!”
A’Ling emphasized the last two words, and the cold glint in her eyes made Zhao Diqing shiver.
“A’Ling, what’s, what’s wrong with you today?” This was the first time Zhao Diqing had seen such a cold look in A’Ling’s eyes, and her gaze upon A’Ling was also complex.
Could it be? Did A’Ling find out something?
Zhao Diqing silently shook her head inwardly. Impossible. How could A’Ling know? With that brain of hers, all she thought about day in and day out was how to make trouble for Shi Qingqian.
It must be that A’Ling was simply furious earlier, and she had angered her by saying she would pull Shi Qingqian out.
A’Ling truly didn’t want to see Zhao Diqing’s feigning face right now. “Just remember what I said.”
With that, she didn’t look at her again and walked towards the small town.
Longyin Town was a small town surrounded by mountains. Such a geographical location should have originally been a desolate, forgotten place.
However, because it bordered Mystic Crane Mountain, it had become a bustling, lively town.
Furthermore, since Mystic Crane Mountain had an alternative name—the Inner Sect of Cultivation—Longyin Town naturally became the ‘Outer Sect’.
Mystic Crane Mountain was a sacred land for cultivators. The spiritual energy here was abundant, and there were many immortal flowers and spiritual herbs. Legend had it that in ancient times, the first human cultivator successfully passed their tribulation and ascended to immortality here.
She left behind numerous cultivation insights, techniques, divine elixirs, wondrous medicines, and immortal arts, which were collected by other cultivators and passed down through generations. Gradually, cultivation evolved from individual practice into a sect system.
However, not all cultivators could enter Mystic Crane Mountain to cultivate. Mystic Crane Mountain had an immortal gate, guarded by a Frosty White Crane.
The world did not know its origin, only that it had existed for tens of thousands of years. It was also unknown whether Mystic Crane Mountain was named after this mystical crane, or if the mystical crane appeared after Mystic Crane Mountain existed.
Cultivators respectfully referred to this crane as Immortal Ice Crane.
This crane typically remained in the form of an ice sculpture, only awakening once every five years, shedding its frost to become a vibrant white crane.
And whenever it awoke, Mystic Crane Mountain’s Crane Gate would also open. Outer sect cultivators could only participate in the selection process for the inner sect during this period.
Only cultivators who passed the inner sect assessment could enter Mystic Crane Mountain to cultivate.
A’Ling thought, If I truly did return to when I was eighteen, then this year, Shi Qingqian would pass the assessment and enter the inner sect.
As for herself, in her previous life, she only passed the assessment ten years later. By the time she entered the inner sect, Shi Qingqian had already gone to Winter Snow Peak, one of the three peaks.
Shi Qingqian’s cultivation path was smooth, and her cultivation advancement speed was incredibly fast, something A’Ling couldn’t hope to match even if she rode a horse. Consumed by jealousy, A’Ling had targeted Shi Qingqian frequently in her previous life, but ultimately, she was the one who suffered.
Later, a single misstep caused her to fall to the demonic path.
Looking back at her past life, A’Ling truly sighed with regret for herself. Before she knew it, she had already passed through Longyin Town’s most bustling commercial street.
The small town was a place where mortals, cultivators, and even some low-level demonic beings lived together. Everything was sold there, and both mortal silver and cultivation world spirit stones could be used.
The exchange rate was one to one: one spirit stone for one tael of silver.
The Huo family’s money house not only provided such exchange services but also offered deposit and loan services.
Cultivators also needed to descend the mountains for training, and when they reached human territories, there were always places where they needed to spend silver. Moreover, there were many rogue cultivators in the human world who, wanting to refine some pills, needed spirit stones to purchase spiritual herbs.
The Huo family itself was originally a cultivation family. By Huo Zhen’s generation, A’Ling’s biological father, Huo Zhen, was a man without great ambition.
He had originally passed the assessment and entered the inner sect to cultivate, but the inner sect was full of talented cultivators. While he was a notable figure in the outer sect, he was nobody there.
The huge disparity, coupled with the arduous nature of cultivation, made him voluntarily give up. The moment the Crane Gate opened after five years, he automatically returned to the outer sect.
Huo Zhen preferred to be a prominent figure in the outer sect rather than an unremarkable one in the inner sect.
After he gave up cultivation, he started a money house business in Longyin Town. His business flourished, and because he possessed Core Formation stage cultivation, he was considered a notable figure in the outer sect as well.
The Huo family’s residence was located on the east side of the town. With auspicious purple energy supposedly coming from the east, this area was where all the prominent outer sect families resided.
A’Ling looked up at the residence before her. The stone steps at the entrance were entirely paved with auspicious cloud marble. Four dark black, gold-carved doors were tightly closed, and behind them, the towering house was grand and magnificent. Even the roof tiles were expensive green glazed tiles, with every detail showcasing wealth.
Her gaze followed the glazed tiles, landing on a small residence with white walls and black tiles, just a wall away.
While not a dilapidated house, its simple appearance made it seem somewhat out of place on East Street.
If an unknowing person passed by, they would likely never guess that this was also a Huo family residence, and that its young lady lived there.
A’Ling stepped into this residence where she had lived for five or six years in her previous life.
The layout of the first courtyard was clear at a glance: a three-bay main house at the front, east and west wing rooms on either side, and two rooms on each side by the gate acting as inverted rooms, with one serving as the kitchen and the other as the dining hall.
From the kitchen on the left, Sun Juhao emerged, hearing the commotion. Seeing A’Ling, her face darkened. “Why are you back so early again? Are you skipping classes again?”
She quickly walked over to A’Ling and began the same lecture she had given countless times, never seeming to find new words. A’Ling could recite it herself, even after a century.
“If you don’t cultivate properly, how will your father ever like you?”
“Skipping classes every day—when will you ever reach Core Formation?”
“If you don’t reach Core Formation, how can you pass the inner sect selection? By then, your elder sister will be in the inner sect, and you’ll have no one to cry to.”
Every time Aunt Sun reached this point, A’Ling would retort with sarcasm, mocking Shi Qingqian about what kind of elder sister she was, calling her a little bastard who didn’t even know who her father was.
But today, seeing Aunt Sun again and hearing her utter the same words as in her previous life, A’Ling felt a strange urge to cry.
Sun Juhao was prepared for A’Ling’s usual rebuttal. Instead, after her entire speech, A’Ling didn’t say a word, only stared at her with reddened eyes.
“What’s wrong, child? Are you feeling unwell?” Sun Juhao asked anxiously, her face filled with worry.
A’Ling felt that her previous self had been too much of a troublemaker, uncomfortable if she didn’t provoke someone a little.
Aunt Sun was one of the few people in the Huo family who treated her well, yet in her previous life, A’Ling had never given her a kind look.
“Thank you, I’m fine.” A’Ling smiled. She actually wanted to cry, but she found that her body, which couldn’t cry, remained the same even after restarting her life.
Sun Juhao was startled by her unusual demeanor. A’Ling actually said thank you to someone; this was the first time in two years that she had heard A’Ling say thank you in the Huo family.
Seeing that her single “thank you” had stunned someone, A’Ling felt a little awkward. She dropped a quick “I’ll go back to my room to change” and returned to the main house.
This main room originally belonged to Shi Qingqian, but A’Ling had taken it from her. Given Shi Qingqian’s cold and aloof nature, her room was as bland as she was.
Aside from essential furniture, there was nothing else in the room.
A’Ling headed straight for the study on the east side. On the desk, there was nothing but a calendar stone.
She had rushed back precisely for this calendar stone.
The smooth side of the calendar stone displayed the exact date through its patterns.
That date wasn’t from the mortal world’s perpetual calendar, but rather the unique dating system of the cultivation world—the Immortal Sundial Calendar.
Brown patterns glowed faintly, showing today’s date: Immortal Sundial Hundred Flames Era, Year 776.
A’Ling’s gaze flickered with the faint glow on the calendar stone. She knew that the Immortal Sundial Calendar, as the cultivation world’s annual calendar, could not be changed.
So, it was true! She had really returned to the past, to the year she was eighteen!
Although A’Ling had been guessing all along that she had been reborn, only at this moment did she fully confirm it, and her hanging heart finally settled.
Even so, she still didn’t understand why she would be reborn at eighteen after her body exploded.
But who cared? She was reborn!!
She actually had a chance to start over!
A’Ling suddenly thought of something, quickly stood up, and walked towards the bedroom partitioned off with teak wood on the west side. There, she had a human-sized glazed mirror.
She cautiously approached the mirror, looking at her reflection.
So this was what she looked like at eighteen: a standard oval face, apricot eyes, and peachy cheeks. Her features weren’t striking but were gentle and refined.
Only the fierceness in her eyes made her seem difficult to approach.
A’Ling touched her smooth forehead, where there was no purple scar from her injuries in the Demon Realm. She tilted her neck and touched the side of her right ear, where there was also no scar from when she had dug into her flesh with her finger, unable to bear the pain during her advancement.
She wanted to cry again.
A’Ling smiled. Why was it that, after getting a second chance, she felt the urge to cry so many times instead?
How wonderful. So this was what she had once looked like. She reached out and touched her reflection in the mirror.
This was excellent! Everything was still salvageable now. This time, she would surely live a different life.
In her previous life, it was only after she fell to the demonic path that she realized how foolish she had been to focus all her energy on Shi Qingqian. She clearly had considerable talent herself; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to cultivate to the Divine-Demon Realm in just a few decades in the Demon Realm.
This time, she decided. She would cultivate diligently, cultivate fiercely, and stomp Shi Qingqian under her feet.
She would show everyone that what Shi Qingqian could do, she, A’Ling, could also do.
Even what Shi Qingqian couldn’t do, she, A’Ling, could still accomplish.
In her previous life, Shi Qingqian had failed to pass her tribulation and ascend to immortality. This time, A’Ling was determined to become an immortal.
A’Ling grinned at her reflection in the mirror, and the person in the mirror returned a radiant smile.
A “rumble, rumble” sound escaped, and the person in the mirror suddenly clutched her stomach.
A’Ling laughed aloud. How novel! After being reborn at eighteen, not only had she felt the urge to cry multiple times, but now she was also experiencing the sensation of hunger.
She couldn’t be blamed for it; she was still just a mere mortal who hadn’t yet achieved inedia, so she genuinely couldn’t endure hunger.
A’Ling composed herself and went to the kitchen, calling for Aunt Sun to serve dinner.
“Qingqian isn’t back yet. We’ll eat when she returns.”
A’Ling frowned. Although Aunt Sun was good to her, the person she truly favored most in her heart was still Shi Qingqian.
“She’s not coming back to eat. She’s achieved inedia. Oh, and she wanted me to tell you that she’ll be cultivating at the academy for the next six days and won’t be returning,” A’Ling casually lied.
She then grumbled inwardly, Back then, I was trapped for three days, starving for three whole days!
This time, she planned to have someone retrieve Shi Qingqian after six days. Giving Shi Qingqian double the suffering was her act of kindness.
“Aunt Sun, let’s eat.”
Just as A’Ling was about to instruct Aunt Sun to serve dinner again, she suddenly heard a clear, graceful female voice from the dining hall doorway, also announcing that it was time to eat.
The voice was somewhat familiar. A’Ling frowned and looked over. The dining hall doorway wasn’t tall, and the person, upon entering, stood silhouetted against the light, their entire form shrouded in shadow.
A’Ling couldn’t make out her expression, but she still recognized her: the person who had arrived was her most hated Shi Qingqian.
Never mind that she was in shadow; even if she were buried in the dirt and turned to ash, A’Ling could still smell that detestable scent.
Shi Qingqian stood quietly in the doorway, watching A’Ling, motionless and silent. A’Ling guessed she was surely brewing some mischief.
Bro where’s the spacing