Jiang Ke’er settled into a small bamboo hut where the air was clear and fresh.
The door of the hut faced a flowing stream, while the window at the back offered a sweeping view of more than half of Taiming Mountain.
From time to time, a Crane would poke its head in at the door, looking for food, but unfortunately Jiang Ke’er hadn’t brought any snacks this time and could only wait until next time to feed them.
The small bed was layered with thick, soft blankets, and there was also a Meditation Mat for sitting in meditation.
On the desk, little doodles left behind by a previous Senior Sister were carved, and in the drawer, there was some fragrant dew she hadn’t finished using, with a neat little note attached that read, “For the next Junior Sister.”
Jiang Ke’er lay on the bed, savoring the intoxicating leisure and comfort of Lingyin Valley…
This place is truly wonderful.
“Remember to get up at the Crane’s call tomorrow morning, and go to the summit for morning class. Think about what musical instrument you’d like to learn tonight.” Mushuang glanced at the time, her face paling, “Oh no, I have to run, I’ll be late for Pharmacology… Bye, Qing Yi Junior Sister~”
“Bye~”
Jiang Ke’er waved to see Mushuang off, and immediately felt as if the whole world had quieted down.
Medicine, Music.
Jiang Ke’er instinctively felt a bit resistant; after all, these things couldn’t provide real combat power, and she was afraid learning them would waste her energy.
However, considering that she had the tenfold time acceleration of the Nebula System Space, learning a few more crafts wouldn’t hurt.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do; for now, she’d study earnestly…
Now that her environment had stabilized for the time being, Jiang Ke’er entered the Nebula System Space once again for some self-abuse.
Although being beaten mercilessly was frustrating, Jiang Ke’er could feel herself truly getting stronger.
Getting stronger was always good; her time was pressing, and what she had to face was terrifying to the extreme… so she had to seize every second to improve herself.
If even the System Dummy could defeat her, then it meant she still wasn’t strong enough, not qualified to face all those strong opponents and sudden changes.
Useless trash, Jiang Ke’er! You have to work hard!
After a night of deadly battles, Jiang Ke’er still couldn’t defeat the System Dummy at the Three Talents Stage.
However, during the fight, she did discover something strange.
It turned out that the appearance of the Nine-tailed Fox woman behind her was exactly the same as that of the System Dummy!
The System Dummy didn’t reveal the characteristics of a Nine-tailed Fox, so Jiang Ke’er hadn’t recognized her right away, but during the fight, as their forms reflected off each other, she immediately noticed the connection between the two.
Could it be that the System Dummy wasn’t just a fictional sparring partner conjured by the System, but actually had a real prototype somewhere?
According to the System, the Dummy possessed two millionths of the original’s computing power… which meant there really was a fully powered prototype?
And she—was actually one of Jiang Ke’er’s strange Faxiang?
Emmm… I’m actually fighting with my own Faxiang.
Jiang Ke’er smiled. Though she didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, the thought that this Faxiang had a real, living prototype gave her a goal to strive for.
Bit by bit, she would become a powerhouse like her.
A Crane’s cry startled Jiang Ke’er awake, and she hurriedly scrambled to put on the standard attire of a Lingyin Valley Disciple.
The outfit was a pink long dress, with a snowy white sash that highlighted the wearer’s graceful and shapely figure. A light gauze scarf gently supported the chest, making her curves even more pronounced.
Two silk ribbons were tied around her arms, exposing her snow-white shoulders and alluring collarbone.
It was obvious that the Lingyin Valley outfits were exquisitely designed, letting the female cultivators of the valley proudly display their most beautiful, enchanting side.
But Jiang Ke’er wasn’t quite used to it.
She was accustomed to hiding her head and covering her face, always tightly wrapped up—either in a neat training suit, or in an assassin-like hooded black robe… Though Qiao Xiaoxian would sometimes force her to dress up, those times were rare.
Suddenly switching to such an outfit, brimming with youthful charm and feminine allure, made Jiang Ke’er feel nothing but shame.
Caught in a tangle of shyness and embarrassment, Jiang Ke’er walked out the door in her crookedly worn clothes.
At the summit, quite a few Lingyin Valley Disciples had already gathered.
The crowd, originally bustling and noisy, suddenly fell silent the moment Jiang Ke’er arrived.
Jiang Ke’er felt a little uneasy—she’d experienced this kind of scene before. Back on Hanye Island, she always felt as if she carried some foul odor, making the atmosphere turn cold wherever she went.
As expected, no matter where you are, human cultivators are always the same.
“So! Cute!”
No one knew who exclaimed first, but immediately, the dense crowd surged forward.
Jiang Ke’er was squished in the middle by a bunch of soft orbs, feeling dozens of hands groping and rubbing all over her body, her face instantly turning crimson.
“Uhh—no—Senior Sisters, don’t—help! I can’t breathe—” Jiang Ke’er struggled to stretch out a hand for help, but being too short, she was completely buried in the crowd.
“No! Uwah! Don’t touch the tail—stop stroking it, you jerks!”
“Help! Not the ears either!”
By the time Yiqin Shifu arrived, the situation had already devolved into utter chaos, hardly fit for anyone to witness.
Jiang Ke’er’s whole body was rubbed bright red, her clothes disheveled, eyes brimming with tears.
“Just look at you! Not a bit of decorum! What if you scare the little Junior Sister?” Yiqin Shifu scolded sternly.
As she spoke, Yiqin Shifu gently helped Jiang Ke’er straighten her clothes… then gave her tail a firm squeeze!
Jiang Ke’er: “???”
“Ah-hem,” Yiqin Shifu reveled as she rubbed her palms together, then put on a stern face and said, “As your Master, I know the new little Junior Sister is adorable, but you must show restraint! Think about her feelings!”
Saying this, Yiqin Shifu placed her hand on Jiang Ke’er’s head, gently smoothing her hair, kneading with her fingers as she squinted her eyes in pleasure, “Does everyone understand? To protect Junior Sister’s personal safety, from today onwards, during morning class, your Qing Yi Junior Sister will stay by my side. You lot are just too unreliable.”
The disciples: “…”
The disciples, full of resentment but not daring to speak, could only obediently attend morning class. After all, there was always tomorrow.
Jiang Ke’er began to worry about her own future.
The morning class was mainly about reviewing the properties of medicines and the fundamentals of musical theory.
Though Jiang Ke’er had never attended such classes before, she recited along carefully, and after just one lesson had memorized a fair amount of knowledge.
“These theories, I know you’ve all memorized them inside out, but memorizing isn’t enough—you must learn to apply them…”
Yiqin Shifu, like all teachers, tirelessly repeated the big truths that bored the disciples to death.
Jiang Ke’er really enjoyed the atmosphere—if only Yiqin Shifu would stop rubbing her head while lecturing.
“Qing Yi, since you’ve come to Lingyin Valley, you naturally must choose a craft to study.”
After morning class, Yiqin Shifu called Jiang Ke’er aside for a private talk.
“Our Lingyin Valley excels at medicine and music. You can choose to study both, or specialize in just one…”
“Both,” Jiang Ke’er said decisively.
Yiqin Shifu smiled, “The young are always so proud. Very well, if you tire of it and wish to focus on just one later, you can always regret it then… As for music, there are bells, xun, drums, guqin, se, pipa, hu, sheng, xiao, and flute.”
Jiang Ke’er fell into thought.
“You can choose to study all of them eventually, but as a beginner, you’ll have to pick just one for now… which will you choose?”