Half a Year

Although Bai Lan did not wish to strike a woman, this princess truly needed a lesson. Her abilities were abysmal, and her personality was exceptionally vile.

Despite possessing a cultivation at the third level of Qi Refining, she utterly failed to grasp how to utilize it, a genuine waste of her spiritual power.

“I’ve tolerated you for far too long, do you know that? A princess of your standing, with such poor upbringing, only knows how to bully others,” Bai Lan asked coldly. “You possess a cultivation realm you can’t even properly use. Tell me, now that you’re in my hands, what do you think I should do with you?”

At that moment, Chen Xuan was struggling desperately.

As she thrashed, the power within her body instinctively surged forth, amplifying her efforts to break free.

“You—you commoner! You let go of me!” Chen Xuan gasped with difficulty.

However, Bai Lan was also intensifying her grip, suppressing Chen Xuan’s strength. The two were clearly not on the same level; the cultivation technique Bai Lan practiced was far beyond anything Chen Xuan could compare to.

Thus, despite Chen Xuan’s vigorous struggles, she remained unable to break free from Bai Lan’s grasp. Soon, her eyes began to roll back. If this continued, Chen Xuan would undoubtedly be strangled to death.

Just then, Xue Linglong rushed over, whispering to Bai Lan.

“Sister, please stop. Let her go,” Xue Linglong pleaded. “Any longer, and she’ll lose her life.”

Hearing Xue Linglong’s voice, Bai Lan glanced briefly at Chen Xuan. The six guards and Chen Xuan’s surrounding attendants were all terrified to their core.

Fortunately, Bai Lan was not so foolish. Chen Xuan’s identity was not ordinary; killing her would lead to immense trouble, making it a loss rather than a gain.

Therefore, at the last possible moment, Bai Lan released Chen Xuan.

Suddenly able to breathe fresh air again, Chen Xuan quickly regained her senses. Once alert, she sat on the ground, gasping and panting heavily.

She no longer shrieked. The aura of death from moments before had almost completely enveloped her. Sitting on the ground, Chen Xuan gazed at the person before her with a hint of fear.

Could she really have killed me? It was terrifying. That feeling just now was utterly dreadful; a terror I’ve never experienced before, Chen Xuan thought, feeling as if Bai Lan before her had transformed into an oppressive mountain.

Such is human nature: once a shadow of fear takes root in one’s heart towards someone, they instinctively dread that individual.

“What are you staring at? If it weren’t for the sake of the sect elders, I would have strangled you to death just now, saving myself future trouble from you,” Bai Lan snapped, glaring at Chen Xuan and then at the surrounding disciples who had gathered to watch the spectacle. “Now scram! All of you, what’s there to see? Get out!”

Bai Lan detested these onlookers, for their presence only amplified the pressure on others. It was akin to her previous life, where people who jumped from buildings often weren’t truly suicidal but were inadvertently incited by the crowd.

Regardless of gender, everyone possessed a sense of pride. When a crowd gathered to watch, it felt like they were urging you to leap, much like how the chattering onlookers had fueled Chen Xuan’s escalating fury moments ago.

This was precisely why Bai Lan was so irritated by these gawking disciples. Why stare at something that had nothing to do with them? Were they not afraid of being implicated themselves?

Having witnessed Bai Lan’s prowess, the disciples quickly dispersed upon hearing her reprimand. As for the six royal guards, they no longer dared to attack Bai Lan.

The six of them were not so ignorant as to be ungrateful. If Bai Lan had truly killed Chen Xuan just now, they would have certainly faced death. Therefore, Bai Lan sparing Chen Xuan’s life had, in essence, saved theirs as well.

“Princess, let’s go.” The six guards, seeing Bai Lan clear the path, rushed forward. They helped the still-dazed Chen Xuan to her feet, and together, they finally departed.

Chen Xuan did not continue her shouting, likely genuinely terrified. However, whether she would seek trouble again once she fully recovered her composure remained another matter entirely.

Nevertheless, from this day forward, Bai Lan was certainly destined to be thoroughly famous within the outer sect.

“Sister, you didn’t really intend to kill that princess just now, did you?” Xue Linglong asked, looking at Bai Lan’s stern face.

“I don’t know,” Bai Lan replied, shaking her head. “Perhaps I might have.”

To put it simply, she was, after all, someone who had transmigrated from Earth. Killing remained a taboo in her heart. Yet, reason dictated that in this world, she couldn’t show mercy to every enemy she encountered, for how could she be certain they wouldn’t repay kindness with malice if she spared them?

After this incident, many in the outer sect became considerably more subdued. Chen Xuan, perhaps stimulated by the encounter, no longer paraded through the market, instead beginning to cultivate diligently.

Following the incident with Bai Lan, she had finally understood: if she encountered danger and her subordinates couldn’t protect her immediately, she would be nothing more than a target.

A dignified cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, almost killed by someone at the first level. Wouldn’t you say that was a significant blow to her?

Naturally, news of this incident immediately reached Chen Xiangning. However, the woman said little, not even intervening on Chen Xuan’s behalf, for she understood her grand-niece’s character all too well, or rather, she understood the temperament of those within the royal family.

As long as no lives were lost, Chen Xiangning considered it a good thing for Chen Xuan to suffer a little. People were bound to experience failure. Having been pampered since childhood and living amidst luxury, how could Chen Xuan possibly comprehend the dangers of the outside world, let alone those of the cultivation realm?

Approximately seven days after Bai Lan and Chen Xuan’s confrontation, Li Yunxi finally became a Qi Refining cultivator.

As the number of Qi Refining cultivators in the outer sect grew, so did the factions. Led primarily by Chen Xuan and other royalty from the Seven Kingdoms, seven major factions emerged. Indeed, Chen Xuan was not the only princess among this batch of outer sect disciples. However, due to the Luoshen Sect’s excellent relationship with the Chen Kingdom, Chen Xuan held the most prominent reputation among the princesses.

The other princesses, in contrast, maintained a very low profile. However, once their respective forces expanded, that would be an entirely different matter.

As for Bai Lan and her two companions, they largely kept out of these affairs. They focused on their cultivation. Bai Lan had no intention of undertaking missions, as she lacked nothing essential.

Xue Linglong and Li Yunxi, however, did have needs. Thus, they frequently accepted missions to earn sect contributions.

Bai Lan, on the other hand, appeared quite reclusive. She rarely ventured onto Eternal Blossom Island, or rather, she seldom left her dwelling. At most, she would move within a radius of about three hundred meters around her residence.

In a span of merely three months, the outer sect disciples had almost forgotten about Bai Lan.

Half a year passed in a flash. In that time, Bai Lan advanced from the first level of Qi Refining to the fourth. This cultivation speed was likely only rivaled by Xue Linglong, who, relying solely on her comprehension, had already cultivated the Hundred Flowers Technique to its fourth level.

Truly, Bai Lan seemed to have an unfair advantage, while Xue Linglong simply possessed astonishing talent.

Each time Bai Lan broke through a cultivation level, Yun Yao allowed her to choose a reward. These rewards for minor breakthroughs primarily consisted of spirit stones and pills, a choice between the two, both beneficial for cultivation. This was precisely why Bai Lan saw no need to undertake missions.

Of course, Bai Lan’s reluctance to meet people primarily stemmed from her change in gender. In just half a year, the mere twelve-year-old now appeared indistinguishable from a woman in her late teens.

This was, of course, quite normal. All underage cultivators, upon becoming true cultivators, would experience rapid physical growth. This accelerated development was because true cultivation could only truly begin once the body had fully matured.