"That is correct. Failure will result in a punishment game."
The System's emotionless voice echoed within her mind.
"From the moment you bound yourself to the System, you swore upon your Dao Heart to abide by its rules. If you fail to carry out the punishment game, your Dao Heart will suffer severe damage."
"At best, cracks will form within it."
"At worst, it will shatter completely."
Xia Ningbing's delicate brows furrowed slightly before gradually relaxing.
For a cultivator, the Dao Heart was the foundation of everything.
Once damaged, cultivation would stagnate or even regress. Repairing a fractured Dao Heart was often more difficult than ascending to the heavens themselves.
She understood this better than anyone.
As a former Immortal Emperor, she had witnessed countless geniuses fall because of flaws in their Dao Hearts.
Naturally, she would never gamble with her own path.
But so what?
A faint trace of confidence flashed through her eyes.
How could she possibly lose?
She was Xia Ningbing.
The Supreme Immortal Emperor who had once dominated an entire era.
The unrivaled sovereign who had stood above countless worlds.
And Mo Yu?
Though his talent was extraordinary, he was still merely her Junior Brother.
The outcome had already been decided from the very beginning.
Defeat?
That word simply did not exist in her dictionary.
Slowly, she closed her eyes once more, concealing those deep violet pupils that seemed capable of reflecting the heavens themselves.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi surged toward her like countless rivers returning to the sea.
Her black robes fluttered gently in the wind.
Her aura became increasingly profound and unfathomable.
In this lifetime, she intended to temper every Realm to absolute perfection.
Every foundation would be flawless.
Every breakthrough would be immaculate.
She would leave behind no regrets.
Only by walking the most perfect path could she surpass the limits of her previous life.
Only then could she step beyond the Immortal Realm and enter that supreme Domain that even she had never reached before.
The Domain that stood above all Immortal Emperors.
The Domain that countless ancient powerhouses had pursued throughout their entire lives.
The Domain that seemed both within reach and impossibly distant.
The wind howled softly atop Verdant Mist Peak.
Clouds drifted across the sky.
The entire mountain seemed to sink into silence.
Only Xia Ningbing sat quietly upon the bluestone, cultivating without distraction.
Her figure was solitary.
Yet it carried the imposing majesty of an emperor who sought to challenge the heavens themselves.
Far below the mountain, Mo Yu was completely unaware that his Third Senior Sister had already regarded him as her greatest stepping stone on the path to the pinnacle.
Nor did he know that, in the eyes of the once-supreme Immortal Emperor, his defeat was already a foregone conclusion.
The next comparison would begin in one month.
And Xia Ningbing had never once considered the possibility that she might lose.
.....
Mo Yu held the petite Su Meier in his arms as he slowly made his way down the mountain.
No wonder Third Senior Sister was always so cold and aloof.
It turned out she was the reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor.
"Hahaha! Little Yu!"
A hearty laugh suddenly rang out, interrupting Mo Yu's thoughts.
This voice...
Sect Master Sheng Xuzi?
Mo Yu stopped and looked toward the source of the sound.
An old man dressed in a black Daoist robe floated over leisurely through the clouds.
It was indeed Sheng Xuzi.
He had a kind face, bright and spirited eyes, and the immortal bearing of a transcendent expert—the very image of a righteous sect leader.
Beside him stood a young girl.
She carried herself gracefully and was currently observing Mo Yu with a pair of lively, curious eyes.
Before Mo Yu could greet him, Sheng Xuzi spoke first.
"Little Yu, come take a look! This is the disciple I recently accepted—Lingluo."
His face was brimming with pride.
"She is only twenty-eight years old and has already reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Compared to that Sword Prodigy from the Sword Sect, she is only slightly behind."
As he spoke, Sheng Xuzi turned toward the young girl beside him.
"Lingluo, this is your Junior Martial Uncle Mo Yu, the current Saint of our Heavenly Profound Holy Land."
The girl immediately stepped forward and gave a respectful bow.
"Lingluo greets Junior Martial Uncle."
Her voice was crisp and pleasant.
Mo Yu's gaze landed on her.
She wore a simple yet elegant dress that accentuated her graceful figure.
Her appearance was pure and refined, like a lotus emerging unstained from clear waters.
Her large, bright eyes were crystal clear, as if untouched by worldly dust, giving her the approachable charm of a girl next door.
Mo Yu nodded slightly and returned the greeting.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on accepting such an outstanding disciple."
Sheng Xuzi stroked his beard and laughed.
"I intend to establish her as the next Saintess and nurture her as the future Sect Master of the Holy Land."
Mo Yu smiled.
"Senior Brother has finally found a successor. This is truly a joyous occasion."
A trace of regret suddenly appeared on Sheng Xuzi's face.
"Although you won't be able to inherit the position of Sect Master in the future, don't be discouraged..."
Halfway through his sentence, he froze.
His eyes widened.
"Little Yu... y-you..."
His voice rose involuntarily.
"You've actually reached the eighth layer of the Golden Core Realm?"
The shock on his face was impossible to conceal.
"I happened to obtain some opportunities during this journey."
Mo Yu answered casually.
"No, that's not the point!"
Sheng Xuzi looked as though he had seen a ghost.
"I only entered seclusion for a short period, and you went from having no cultivation for three years to reaching the eighth layer of the Golden Core Realm?"
"You're only twenty-four years old!"
His face was filled with disbelief.
Even the current number one Nascent Soul cultivator—the Sword Prodigy of the Sword Sect—had begun cultivating from birth and only stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm at twenty-four.
Meanwhile, Mo Yu had started cultivating at the age of four, reached the Golden Core Realm at fourteen, lost his cultivation for three years, and then returned to the eighth layer of Golden Core within only seven years.
What kind of monstrous talent was this?
Wasn't this enough to make him the greatest genius the Tianyuan Continent had seen in ten million years?
Of course, his terrifying Senior Sisters were excluded.
After all, nobody knew their true ages.
However, judging from their cultivation speed alone, even they might not compare to Mo Yu.
Sheng Xuzi forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart.
Perhaps Mo Yu had simply encountered some heaven-defying opportunity.
As long as Lingluo was nurtured properly within the Holy Land, she might still be able to rival—or even surpass—him in the future.
Besides, Mo Yu's personality was too reckless.
He was never the ideal candidate for Sect Master anyway.
Silently comforting himself, Sheng Xuzi gradually calmed down.
Meanwhile, Mo Yu was observing Lingluo with interest.
Lingluo showed no intention of avoiding his gaze.
Their eyes met directly.
This time, the System did not identify her as a Daughter of Luck.
That meant she wasn't connected to a Child of Destiny.
Curious, Mo Yu opened her status panel.
[Name: Ye Lingluo]
[Luck: Purple]
[Profile: Saintess of the Demon Sect. Ordered to infiltrate the Heavenly Profound Holy Land. Skilled in disguise. Possesses the Thousand-Change Demon Body. Not a high-quality Cauldron, but roleplay has its own unique charm.]
"Cough!"
Mo Yu nearly choked on his own saliva.
What kind of absurd description was that?
"Little Yu, what's wrong?"
Sheng Xuzi asked in confusion.
"Nothing... nothing at all."
Mo Yu shook his head.
His gaze toward Sheng Xuzi became somewhat sympathetic.
Poor Senior Brother.
Instead of searching everywhere for a successor, he might as well have focused on producing one himself.
Mo Yu glanced at Ye Lingluo without drawing attention.
The disguise was truly flawless.
Without the System's notification, even he would never have discovered her identity.
Meanwhile, Ye Lingluo was also observing him carefully.
So this is the legendary number one genius of the younger generation?
Apart from being ridiculously handsome, she couldn't see anything particularly special.
In her opinion, the true number one genius should be herself.
Although she appeared slightly inferior to the Sword Prodigy on the surface, she had always believed she was superior.
After all, she had yet to reveal the Demon Sect's cultivation methods.
Once she did, her cultivation speed would become even more terrifying.
Her gaze shifted toward the sleeping white fox in Mo Yu's arms.
A member of the Yao Race.
Mo Yu's Fourth Senior Sister, Su Meier.
Her exact strength was unknown.
But judging by how lazily she slept all day, she probably wasn't much of a threat.
"Alright, Little Yu. We should be going."
Sheng Xuzi interrupted their silent exchange.
With a wave of his sleeve, a gentle radiance enveloped Ye Lingluo.
The next moment, both figures transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the distance.
Mo Yu watched them leave, deep in thought.
Perhaps he should give the Demon Sect a pleasant surprise one day.
Unfortunately, he still didn't know which faction Ye Lingluo belonged to.
After considering it briefly, he decided to set the matter aside.
His top priority right now was cultivation.
After that, he needed to deal with the Qin Family.
The Qin Family was highly likely connected to evil cultivators.
As the saying went:
Among ten demonic cultivators, perhaps two were innocent.
Among ten evil cultivators, even if you killed all ten, some guilty ones would still escape.