"You're still young, but your vision isn't bad. You might just be qualified to become my disciple!" Qiao Chu rarely laughed so heartily: "I'll be waiting to accept my first disciple in six months, so you'd better prepare well and not let me down!"

This statement tacitly acknowledged Zhang Yiyi's earlier guess, but no further details were mentioned.

Zhang Yiyi, however, was extremely excited.

It seemed that within at most forty years, she would have a powerful master at the Transformation Realm.

Moreover, she would also gain a prestigious master who would reach the Great Ascension within a thousand years!

Such a formidable background was enough to make her happy for three days and nights just thinking about it.

As for Qiao Chu's condition to be at the top of the rankings, Zhang Yiyi simply ignored it. Before leaving, Qiao Chu benevolently gave the first piece of roasted spirit beast meat to the future disciple, who had been craving it for a long time. He even kindly reminded her that it was a Tier 5 spirit beast and advised her not to eat too much at once to avoid absorption issues.

Zhang Yiyi found this reminder unnecessary; she wasn't so greedy as to forget basic common sense.

However, seeing that Qiao Chu seemed to be stepping into the role of a mentor in advance, she decided to let it go.

Before heading back, she stopped by the Mission Hall on the way.

The mission token she received three days ago had not yet been submitted, and the nineteen five-colored deer in her storage ring hadn't been exchanged for spirit stones.

Upon entering the Mission Hall, she encountered the rare sight of her cousin Zhang Tongtong, whom she hadn't seen in four years.

Eighteen-year-old Zhang Tongtong had blossomed into an extraordinary beauty with a remarkable aura.

Two years ago, she had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage at sixteen. Then, by a great stroke of luck, she became the master of a ten-thousand-year-old ice essence. Tongtong had become the top female cultivator of the Yunxian Sect's new generation, and her remarkable status made her the object of admiration for many male cultivators.

Zhang Yiyi felt no envy or jealousy. It was best that they each had their own opportunities and paths.

This time, Zhang Tongtong and several senior brothers and sisters had completed a challenging trial mission and turned in several rare spirit herbs and minerals to the sect, gaining considerable rewards.

As she was about to leave, she happened to see her younger cousin Zhang Yiyi entering. "Yiyi?"

After four years, her younger cousin had grown into a young lady with cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Condensation. At first glance, Zhang Tongtong almost didn't recognize her.

"Cousin, it's been a long time."

Since they hadn't avoided each other, Zhang Yiyi greeted Zhang Tongtong straightforwardly. "Yiyi has grown up. How have you been these years? Have you come to take or submit a mission today?"

Perhaps because Zhang Tongtong's own status had surpassed her younger cousin's, she was no longer fixated on the fact that Zhang Yiyi had once outperformed her on the Heart Trial Path.

"I'm fine, just..."

Zhang Yiyi intended to exchange a few pleasantries and then part ways, but she was interrupted. "Are you Zhang Yiyi? The one who outperformed Brother Fu and Sister Zhang on the Heart Trial Path four years ago?"

Jiang Lishui, dressed in red, looked down at Zhang Yiyi with a contemptuous expression: "It's been four years, and you're still only at the seventh level of Qi Condensation. Three spiritual roots are still three spiritual roots. No wonder you could top the Heart Trial Path but still can't enter the inner sect!"

The naked mockery was blatant and made many bystanders uncomfortable.

Most outer sect disciples had three spiritual roots or even worse, so Jiang Lishui's criticism was far from trivial.

Yet, no one spoke up to counter her; on one hand, inner sect disciples were not to be provoked, and on the other, Jiang Lishui's real target was not them. They could tolerate this bit of inexplicable anger without much fuss.

Zhang Yiyi was naturally displeased by the public mockery but wasn't about to confront her over such a minor issue.

"Cousin, I have other matters to attend to after submitting the mission. I'll be leaving first." She ignored the woman in red and nodded toward Zhang Tongtong, preparing to leave.

"Stop!"

Jiang Lishui stepped forward to block Zhang Yiyi, scolding, "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me talking to you?"

"May I ask what this senior has to say?" Zhang Yiyi raised her eyebrows, looking at the other person with neither servility nor arrogance.

In the cultivation world, ranks were often determined by cultivation level. Although Zhang Yiyi and Jiang Lishui entered the sect in the same year, Jiang Lishui was now at the Foundation Establishment stage, so addressing her as 'senior' was not wrong.

It was clear, however, that Jiang Lishui was looking for trouble, and Zhang Yiyi had no idea when she had provoked her.

"This senior? You don't recognize me?"

Jiang Lishui glared at Zhang Yiyi with sarcasm: "Hmph, I, Jiang Lishui, don't deserve your respect? Someone like you, arrogant and ignorant, must be looking up to someone like Master Qiao. Otherwise, why would you always be so lucky, getting saved by Master Qiao every time?" These words were truly heart-wrenching, almost directly accusing Zhang Yiyi of shamelessly trying to associate herself with the sect's Nascent Soul ancestor.

Even though the cultivation world didn't emphasize reputation as much as the secular world, once this spread, it would still make it hard for her to establish herself in the sect.

Zhang Yiyi's face darkened immediately. Being provoked was one thing, but being slandered was another. This was something she could not tolerate.

"So it's Senior Jiang."

She looked coldly at Jiang Lishui: "Has Senior Jiang become so famous that everyone in Yunxian Sect must know you? So, is it a crime that I, one of the countless outer sect disciples, don't recognize you? Or do you harbor ill intentions towards Master Qiao, which is why you resort to slandering and cursing out a mere disciple he once helped?"

"Impudent!"

Jiang Lishui was enraged, never expecting that an outer sect disciple would publicly slap her face with such accusations: "You, Zhang Yiyi, dare to spread rumors and nonsense. Just wait and see..."

She was still cursing when Zhang Yiyi directly interrupted her.

"Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself. Senior Jiang, as a key inner sect disciple, should understand such principles."

Zhang Yiyi said word by word: "Though I do not know why Senior Jiang is unjustly targeting and slandering me, I, Zhang Yiyi, am someone who sticks to principles. If anyone else dares to speak ill of me and smear my reputation, even if they are a celestial being, I will fight to the death to bite off a piece of flesh from them!"

Her calm yet harsh words not only startled Jiang Lishui but also made Zhang Tongtong and the others around her feel a pang of unease.

Even Fu Jin, who had remained silent, looked at Zhang Yiyi thoughtfully.

At that moment, he indeed sensed the invisible pressure emanating from Zhang Yiyi, which could almost be called a form of spiritual pressure.

Despite being a Foundation Establishment cultivator himself, he was momentarily intimidated by someone of a lower cultivation level.

Even that brief moment was enough for Fu Jin to view the girl who had shone brightly on the Heart Trial Path four years ago in a new light.

Jiang Lishui quickly came to her senses.

Realizing that she had been affected by Zhang Yiyi's threatening words, she became even more enraged and, without thinking, raised her hand to slap Zhang Yiyi as a form of punishment.