The cold wind rustled, the air thick with the scent of blood.
As one of the four great families in the Dongfeng Ancient Country, the Mo Family possessed countless channels of information among the various Immortal Sects. Some of the less critical Sect news was known to them in advance, even before any official announcements.
Amidst the discussions of the Mo Family members, a silver-haired woman stood quietly beside the corpse of a North Wind Wolf. She wore a silver-white silk robe embroidered with phoenixes, and a silvery, mist-like gauze skirt that trailed on the ground. Her exquisite, dark eyebrows curved like distant mountain peaks, and her silver hair seemed to carry the dense fragrance of frost and snow. Her three thousand strands of silver hair were not tied up but draped naturally behind her, adorned with a silver phoenix hair ornament. The woman's face appeared no older than sixteen, yet her figure was perfectly proportioned—truly lofty and statuesque! Even the loose, plain silk dress could not conceal her proud assets. Her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, her eyes like spring water. Her entire face was like flawless jade, possessing a breathtaking beauty with not a single blemish to be seen. However, if there was one flaw, it was that her eyes were too cold, carrying an aloofness that did not match her apparent age.
"Li Er, well done!"
Amidst the crowd's murmurs, a middle-aged man, stroking his beard with a smile in his eyes, slowly walked over to Mo Li.
Mo Li's lips curled into a slight arc as she nodded to the man.
"Father!"
Her voice was clear and indifferent, unblemished and sharp, like a jade sword washed clean of all dust.
The surrounding crowd also chimed in, shamelessly flattering the middle-aged man:
"Family Head, excellent!"
"Um, Happy New Year, Family Head."
"Have you eaten, Family Head?"
"As expected of Miss Mo Li's father, you look... exactly like her, both having two eyes and one nose! Such a resemblance!"
"Damn it, man! Can't you say something sensible?"
"..."
Mo Zhan nodded to the clan members before turning to his daughter, his face full of excitement and his eyes brimming with admiration.
On the day of Mo Li's birth, all swords in Mo City had unsheathed themselves automatically. Flying swords pierced the sky, blotting out the sun as they circled above the Mo Family's domain. Tens of thousands of flying swords converged, layer upon layer, as if paying homage to an emperor among swords!
Sword Heart, Sword Bone, Sword Body.
The Sword Three Body!
Mo Li could be said to possess a peerless physique, one not seen in ten thousand years!
Yet, after that initial display of her talent, her subsequent performance was quite mediocre. She was the type who definitely wouldn't cultivate unless urged. After returning home from the Cultivation School, she always liked to hole up in her room, grabbing a handful of sugar tangerines to eat!
But somehow, just two days ago, as if having an epiphany, she thrust a sword towards the heavens and muttered something:
"I must make you a eunuch?"
He hadn't paid close attention to exactly what she said...
But none of that was important!
After that day, Mo Li spent the entire day shut in her room. From inside, intermittent deep chuckles could be heard, along with the SCRAPE... SCRAPE... of a sword against the floor.
When she stepped out of her room again, Mo Zhan was astonished to find!
Mo Li took one great stride forward... and developed Qi Feeling in a single day!
Her next step would be to choose a Qi Refining Method and formally become a Cultivator.
And so, Mo Zhan, his face beaming, immediately flaunted this great news to his clansmen.
The North Wind Wolf that Mo Li had slain today with a single strike was, in fact, a test for her.
"Li Er, with your current talent, you could pick from any of the top ten 985 Sects in the Twenty-One Provinces."
"Your Cultivation School should have taught you all this."
"I've received word that next month, quite a few Immortal Sects will begin their once-every-fifty-years recruitment. You needn't consider those 211 Sects."
"They're not worthy of you."
"I had a 'long talk' with your mother last night, and we ultimately decided that it's still best for you to choose the Sect."
"..."
The surrounding Mo Family clanspeople also voiced their agreement:
"Exactly, only a 985 Sect is truly worthy of Miss Mo Li."
"You should know, the 985 Sects were conceptualized by the last Immortal who achieved Ascension from the Twenty-One Provinces after the Cataclysm of Ten Thousand Clans, which occurred ten thousand years ago."
"The idea was to select the ten strongest Sects from the Twenty-One Provinces, whose disciples would prepare for another potential Cataclysm of Ten Thousand Clans."
"Because that devastating Cataclysm, where the people suffered immensely, lasted for 985 years, the top ten strongest Sects of the Twenty-One Provinces are thus referred to as the [985 Sects]."
"Thereafter, every fifty years, all Sects in the Twenty-One Provinces must send their most outstanding generation of disciples to participate in the [Grand Tournament of Provinces]."
"The top ten will continue to hold the title of 985 Sects, while the next one hundred Sects inherit the title of [211 Sects]."
"Actually, for ordinary people, even joining a [211 Sect] is quite an achievement, as [211 Sects] are renowned as the top one hundred strongest Sects in the Twenty-One Provinces! That's why they're abbreviated as 211."
"Old Wang, you don't really need to explain it so thoroughly. No one here is a fool; we all know."
"Yeah, you sound a bit too deliberate, as if you're intentionally explaining it for someone's benefit."
"Hmm, so, in the Mo Family, why is your surname Wang?"
"..."
Mo Zhan squinted slightly, stroking his beard and looking at the calm and composed Mo Li, nodding to himself.
Her three thousand strands of white hair fluttered in the desolate wind, her slightly furrowed brows possessing a unique, otherworldly charm!
Indeed, she is my daughter! Even without cultivating, she already possesses a nascent Immortal quality! Such talent is truly a blessing for the Twenty-One Provinces! It's a blessing for all living beings! I must choose a good Sect for my daughter, and then pick a worthy master! After all, some people's talents are just barely sufficient, but for the sake of the 985 reputation, they still insist on choosing a 985 Sect! Wasn't that third son of Old Tan's family foolish? Just to join the [Five Roads Cultivating Artifact Sect], he ignored his family's advice and directly went to become a disciple. After joining the Sect, he found his master to be terrible, only at the Nascent Soul Divine Realm—even worse than a good master from an ordinary 211 Sect! But then again, everyone sees things differently. One cannot force such things. After all, some wish for a good master to have an easier path in the future. Others desire a prestigious Sect to broaden their connections. To each their own... But none of this has anything to do with my daughter. With talent like Mo Li's, how could she possibly take a master who's only at the Divinity Transformation Realm? Choosing from the 985 Sects would be easy; their masters should at least be at the Refining Void Realm. Mo Li isn't brainless. If she really took a Divinity Transformation Realm master, the entire Mo Family would be finished...
...
A faint, profound glint inadvertently flickered in Mo Li's eyes.
Her silver-white plain silk dress whipped about in the cold wind. Her icy, indifferent silver pupils seemed unfocused, the depths of her eyes filled with tranquility.
Master. I bet you never imagined... that I would live again! In my past life, you dug out my Sword Bone, destroyed my Sword Heart, and gouged out my Sword Body.
Mo Li lifted her gaze, thoughtfully looking at the North Wind Wolf's crotch... This life, I will definitely make you...
...
PS: Thank you to Metroid for becoming an Alliance Leader! Once the novel is pay-to-read, I'll add 5 extra chapters for you!
It's tough for new books to take off!
Thank you for your support!