Snow Jade Breastplate

Bai Lan felt her eyes play tricks on her. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined seeing the kind of alluring figures she’d admired in her past life now manifest on her own body.

There was no longer any need to gaze at other beautiful women; her own reflection sufficed. Bai Lan felt an immediate, profound sense of social mortification, as if she had utterly embarrassed herself, even if, to anyone else, it was entirely unremarkable.

Despite the crushing embarrassment, she had to admit, once she put the garment on, the disconcerting swaying sensation vanished. A newfound sense of security settled over her, both physically and mentally.

It’s truly over, Bai Lan lamented inwardly. I once believed that becoming a woman wouldn’t alter my masculine way of life, but now, that thought seems incredibly naive.

Even with the undergarment in place, Bai Lan instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, a clear indication of her reluctance to be observed.

“Alright, alright, Sister,” Xue Linglong said, gently pressing down Bai Lan’s hands that shielded her chest. “You can stop covering yourself now. The Luoshen Sect is entirely comprised of women. While your chest might be a bit more pronounced, no one will genuinely pay it any mind. Just try to relax.” Xue Linglong had, by now, completely fathomed Bai Lan’s current state of mind.

To Xue Linglong, Bai Lan’s discomfort with a normal female physique was irrelevant. As long as Bai Lan intended to remain within the Luoshen Sect, this issue was one she absolutely had to conquer. If Bai Lan proved unable to overcome it on her own, then Xue Linglong, as her sister, was resolved to help her do so.

“Please, just give me some time,” Bai Lan pleaded, her voice tinged with an unprecedented awkwardness. “I have my reasons, but it’s just not convenient to explain them to you.”

She felt an overwhelming urge to burrow into the earth.

Seeing Bai Lan’s reaction, Xue Linglong refrained from pressing the matter further. Yet, her resolve remained: Bai Lan would adapt.

“Alright then,” Xue Linglong conceded. “It’s almost time for me to return to my cultivation. Oh, and tomorrow, why don’t you join Sister Yunxi and me on a mission? You truly need to interact with others. Once you do, you’ll realize that no one is actually focused on your figure.”

Bai Lan remained deeply resistant, her reluctance palpable. However, her inherent masculine rationality reminded her that evasion solved nothing. She couldn’t remove the burgeoning curves on her chest, nor could she revert to being a man. Her only recourse was to try and adapt, even to something she previously believed impossible.

“Congratulations, Bai Lan,” Yun Yao’s voice resonated, startling her as she reluctantly accepted her new reality. “You have successfully overcome your first psychological barrier in this life. As a reward, you receive a Snow Jade Chest Guard. Conquering these ‘firsts’ is an essential part of your growth journey. May you continue to strive for more.”

This particular reward nearly made Bai Lan erupt in a fit of rage, threatening to make her spit blood. Yet, with Xue Linglong still present, she suppressed her outburst. Only after Xue Linglong had departed did Bai Lan close the door and unleash her frustrations upon Yun Yao.

“Hey!” Bai Lan exclaimed, a flush of anger and embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You know perfectly well I’m in a foul mood, yet you pull a stunt like this! Who asked you to give me a reward?”

Yun Yao’s reward, in Bai Lan’s estimation, was simply beyond the pale.

Yun Yao, however, remained unfazed by Bai Lan’s grievances. This reward, she explained, had been designated by the Heavenly Dao’s primary consciousness, and she was merely adhering to the established rules for its distribution. The reason for a direct item reward, rather than mere experience points, was the significant psychological challenge this particular event posed for Bai Lan, thus warranting an additional boon.

“Bai Lan,” Yun Yao explained, her voice devoid of emotion, “this is a reward mechanism established by the primary consciousness, designed to encourage and motivate you to accept things you might otherwise find unacceptable. Do not harbor resistance; this is a reward. Take it.” As she spoke, a rather distinctive soft armor materialized from thin air, settling perfectly into Bai Lan’s hand.

Bai Lan reluctantly accepted the item. She found it peculiar, however, that the soft armor seemed to retain a faint, lingering warmth and emitted a subtly alluring fragrance. Without dwelling on these details, Bai Lan focused her attention on examining the object more closely.

Her eyes possessed an extraordinary array of functions. If the Heavenly Dao’s consciousness could be likened to a satellite orbiting the heavens, then Bai Lan’s gaze was directly linked to it. Nothing within this world could elude her scrutiny.

“A Snow Jade Chest Guard, a Ninth-Grade magical treasure?… Pfft!” Bai Lan nearly choked on her own breath after reviewing the item’s functions and grade.

It was a rather unique magical artifact: a chest guard designed to protect the vital organs. For both men and women, the chest represented a critical vulnerability, housing the heart, liver, and lungs. Thus, protection for this area was undeniably necessary, making it not an inherently unusual item.

What truly infuriated Bai Lan, however, was that this item bore no resemblance to a simple undergarment. It was soft armor, yes, but its design uncannily mimicked the intimate apparel women wore in her past life. One could only imagine the expression contorting Bai Lan’s face.

Yet, after a moment of calm, Bai Lan meticulously compared the current undergarment with the newly acquired item. With a touch of awkwardness, she eventually removed the undergarment she was wearing. She then pricked her finger with a nail, squeezed out a drop of fresh blood, and allowed it to seep into the chest guard, binding it to her.

The rewards bestowed by Yun Yao were, by their very nature, masterless artifacts, each requiring a new owner’s recognition. Once the binding ritual was complete, Bai Lan merely had to think, and the chest guard effortlessly donned itself upon her body.

As a magical artifact, this item could automatically adjust its size, rendering it significantly more comfortable than the previous undergarment. Though Bai Lan still felt a flicker of awkwardness, the oppressive feeling she had experienced earlier had vanished entirely. It fit perfectly, as if tailored specifically for her.

Primarily, this artifact served to safeguard the chest’s vital organs, capable of deflecting attacks from any magical treasure below the Spirit Tool grade. In essence, anything less than a Spirit Tool would prove incapable of piercing it, thereby adding a substantial layer of defense to Bai Lan’s life.

Crucially, it could be donned or removed with a mere thought, offering unparalleled ease. Its stability far surpassed that of a simple undergarment, completely eliminating any sensation of awkwardness or discomfort.

“Sigh!” Bai Lan muttered, her shoulders drooping as she finished dressing, before dutifully turning to her cultivation. She settled onto her bed and produced a sizable white jade porcelain bottle, from which she poured out a single pill, shimmering like a shard of ice crystal.

This was a Snow Soul Pill, a cold-natured elixir known for accelerating the cultivation of Yin-aligned techniques. A unique treasure of the Xue Clan, Bai Lan had specifically acquired it from Yun Yao. Yun Yao’s repository allowed for the exchange of any pill in this world using accumulated experience points, and, moreover, with each advancement in cultivation realm, Yun Yao would also bestow upon Bai Lan the necessary pills for further training.

Bai Lan, truth be told, harbored a persistent sense of oddity. Yun Yao had explicitly stated her inability to casually meddle with the world’s operations, implying that creation ex nihilo was impossible. If she truly couldn’t conjure things from nothing, and these rewards were inherently products of this world…

Then where exactly did all these rewards she bestowed upon her originate? For reasons unknown, a shiver involuntarily ran down Bai Lan’s spine whenever this thought surfaced, as a terrifying idea abruptly sparked in her mind.

Naturally, this fleeting, chilling thought quickly vanished from her consciousness, dismissed almost as soon as it appeared.

And so, the day concluded. The following morning, both Xue Linglong and Li Yunxi arrived bright and early at Bai Lan’s dwelling.

“Sister, wake up!” Xue Linglong called out cheerfully. “Come join us for a mission!”

Moments later, the door creaked open, and Bai Lan emerged, a look of resignation etched upon her face.

“Alright, I understand,” Bai Lan sighed, offering no refusal. She then followed Xue Linglong and Li Yunxi to the mission allocation area on Eternal Blossom Island.

“Hehe, Junior Sister Bai Lan,” Li Yunxi chuckled, “what brought about this sudden change of heart? Speaking of which, I’ve always been incredibly curious: you never take on missions, yet your cultivation speed is astonishingly fast! You’re already at the fourth stage of Qi Refining, which likely surpasses most of our current outer sect disciples. Of course, Little Sister Linglong, you two are truly anomalies!”