A Sudden Marriage

Although she knew this was an inherently unscientific world, she found herself still disbelieving what lay before her eyes, prompting her to investigate more closely and thoroughly.

Hurriedly, she retrieved a mirror from the room’s table, settled onto a chair, spread her legs, and angled the mirror to peer between them.

At this sight, Yan Yun’s eyes widened to an astonishing degree.

“Me? Did I really just—did I fu*king undergo a s*x change?” Yan Yun’s face was a mask of utter stupefaction as she stared at the part that was both intimately familiar and utterly alien.

After all, having not been a “single dog” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for someone who is single and often feels lonely or deprived of romantic experiences) in her previous life, she possessed a certain understanding of the female anatomy.

From its external structure, that particular area was, without a doubt, a normal female part.

Yet, she remained uncertain about her internal condition.

Given her young age, her physique outwardly bore little distinction from that of a boy.

Consequently, she yearned to know if this transformation had rendered her a eunuch or a woman.

“Damn it all! Which imbecile invented this Poison Art? How could it possibly have such an effect? It’s utterly over; if anyone discovers this, how am I ever going to explain it?” Yan Yun’s mind reeled, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Thankfully, having already experienced death once, her capacity for acceptance far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

Indeed, if mastering the Poison Art necessitated a gender transformation, she would likely still choose to cultivate it.

Having reconciled herself to the situation, Yan Yun swiftly dressed, then retrieved the metal booklet from her bedside.

With the Poison Art successfully cultivated, she was naturally compelled to attempt activating the power within her body.

The booklet contained explicit instructions on how to circulate the Poison Art.

Cultivating the Poison Art first required condensing a “Poison Body” (TL Note: A specialized body formed by toxins, essential for this cultivation method) using toxins. Once the Poison Body was perfected, a structure akin to a spiritual root would emerge within one’s body.

However, it was certainly not a conventional spiritual root, but rather a Poison Spiritual Root. While this Poison Spiritual Root could still absorb the energy of heaven and earth, advancing through realms would solely depend on absorbing toxins for enhancement.

Yan Yun settled into a cross-legged position, closed her eyes, and, following the directives within the Poison Scripture, immersed her consciousness.

Upon mastering the Poison Art, Yan Yun had effectively attained the cultivation level of the initial stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

The cultivation path in this world stretched long and arduous, bifurcated into two distinct domains: the Human Dao and the Immortal Dao. For the time being, the Immortal Dao remained beyond Yan Yun’s reach.

The Human Dao domain, in turn, was segmented into fourteen profound realms.

These were, in order: the Spirit Gathering Realm, Cavern Heaven Realm, Spirit Transformation Realm, Divine Mark Realm, Divine Soul Realm, Divine Venerable Realm, Divine Fire Realm, True Unity Realm, Sacred Offering Realm, Self-Enlightenment Realm, Void Dao Realm, Self-Severing Realm, Ascension Realm, and finally, the Supreme Realm.

The Spirit Gathering Realm primarily involved drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into one’s body to temper the physical form, serving as the foundational realm of cultivation.

Provided the requisite conditions for advancement were met, practitioners could ascend from one realm to the next.

For instance, each realm was further subdivided into four stages—initial, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and perfection—depending on the duration of one’s cultivation within it.

Merely reaching the stage of minor accomplishment within a realm was sufficient to meet the prerequisites for advancing to the subsequent one.

Yet, such an early breakthrough often meant their combat prowess would lag behind cultivators who had attained major accomplishment, or even perfection, within the same realm.

Consequently, in this world, the combat capabilities of cultivators within the same realm could vary significantly.

The most formidable cultivator in the Yan family was an elder, one who had ascended to the Divine Mark Realm.

Yan Long, by contrast, possessed only the major accomplishment cultivation of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Furthermore, realms were not something one could simply break through at will. For instance, a cultivator in the Spirit Transformation Realm aspiring to reach the Divine Mark Realm had to condense divine marks. However, the success rate for this condensation was notoriously low, necessitating the aid of various rare heavenly treasures to enhance the chances.

Should the condensation fail, a full decade had to pass before another attempt could be made.

Thus, the longer a cultivator lingered within a particular realm, the more arduous their subsequent breakthrough would become.

Yan Yun’s consciousness had by now fully entered her inner world. Within her mental landscape, she perceived an object resembling a ginseng root; this was her spiritual root.

‘This must be the spiritual root, then? Though the cost was indeed steep, at least I’ve gained a cultivation method. Next, I’ll attempt to retract the poison energy within my body; otherwise, this silver-white hair and these purple eyes are likely to frighten people.’

After a soft murmur, Yan Yun began to mentally command the energy within her body. This energy, in turn, started to contract, eventually coalescing into a small purple bead somewhere deep within her abdomen.

This was the Poison Pearl (TL Note: A core formed by concentrated poison energy, serving as a storage for it), the repository for her internal poison energy.

Once all the poison energy had fully receded, Yan Yun’s silver hair and purple eyes, along with her purplish fingernails and toenails, all reverted to their normal hues.

“Hmph!” A heavy sigh of relief escaped Yan Yun as the power fully withdrew.

Just as Yan Yun finally allowed herself to relax, a voice called out from beyond her room.

“Yun’er.”

The sudden call made Yan Yun jump to her feet in alarm.

“What? Mom’s back already?” Yan Yun swiftly tidied up the room before stepping out of the small pavilion.

Su Muyu, pinching her nose, regarded Yan Yun as she emerged.

“What on earth are you up to, boy? Why does your living space reek so strongly of medicine?” Su Muyu inquired, her brow furrowed.

Yan Yun offered a sheepish smile, gazing at her beautiful mother.

“Oh, I was just decocting some medicine indoors,” Yan Yun explained, offering a few theatrical coughs. “I’ve caught a slight chill these past few days, ahem, ahem!”

At her cough, Su Muyu immediately stepped closer, reaching out a hand to feel Yan Yun’s forehead.

“No fever either, just a little cool.”

“Hehe! It’s nothing, Mother, my chill has almost passed. By the way, what did you need to speak with me about?” Yan Yun quickly inquired.

Su Muyu truly found the overpowering scent unbearable.

“The smell in here is far too pungent. Come to my quarters; I have something I need to discuss with you.”

Yan Yun could only comply, following Su Muyu to her dwelling. She had, after all, moved out of Su Muyu’s residence when she was nine.

Su Muyu had yet to discover that her son had transformed into a girl, primarily because Yan Yun’s appearance had always been inherently quite feminine.

‘Good thing my mom hasn’t noticed anything unusual about me,’ Yan Yun thought, breathing a silent sigh of relief.

Upon returning to her residence, Su Muyu settled into a seat, then beckoned to her son.

“Yun’er, come over to Mother,” Su Muyu said, patting her thigh with a playful smile, beckoning Yan Yun closer.

Yan Yun, however, instantly recoiled, her expression one of clear distaste.

“No, I refuse.”

Su Muyu’s expression soured. Pouting with a girlish petulance, she lamented, “Oh, you were truly the cutest when you were just this tiny, like a doll cradled in my arms. Now, it seems even a little closeness is out of the question.”

Yan Yun watched Su Muyu’s attempts at cuteness, a wave of exasperation washing over her face.

“Mother,” Yan Yun began, “if you have something to say, just say it. I’ve long forgotten the things of my childhood, and now that I’ve grown up, as the saying wisely goes: a son avoids his mother when he’s old enough, and a daughter avoids her father.”

Gazing at her precocious son, Su Muyu promptly rolled her eyes at him.

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. You truly are no fun,” Su Muyu conceded. “There is something I may need to discuss with you.”

Yan Yun’s brow furrowed. She held virtually no presence within the Yan family; apart from Su Muyu, who cherished her like a treasure, in the eyes of the other family members, she was nothing more than a useless good-for-nothing.

This was hardly surprising, as ordinary mortals and cultivators inhabited entirely different worlds.

To the cultivators, ordinary folk were merely larger ants.

Nevertheless, Yan Yun’s elder siblings, with the exception of the second eldest, Yan Kun, treated her reasonably well.

“What matter requires my consultation? Couldn’t they simply decide it among themselves?”

At this, Su Muyu’s expression visibly shifted, becoming tinged with a distinct melancholy.

“Your father and I just returned from the Jiang family, where we arranged a marriage for you,” Su Muyu stated, her tone as casual as if she were relaying a trivial piece of news.

Yan Yun, who had remained remarkably composed until this point, abruptly shot to her feet, an expression of utter disbelief etched across her features.

Yet, a moment later, as a thought struck her, she calmly resettled herself onto the chair.

After a brief moment of contemplation, she offered a wry smile. “I hadn’t expected the family to care so deeply about a good-for-nothing like me,” she mused. “I wonder which young lady from the Jiang family they intend for me to marry?”

While Yan Yun registered surprise, she felt no real shock. Her years of accumulated knowledge had not been for naught. As a perceived good-for-nothing within the family, her sole remaining value lay in continuing the family lineage. Thus, her surprise was purely superficial, devoid of genuine astonishment.

“Ah! Yes, it’s Jiang Yao of the Jiang family,” Su Muyu replied, revealing the name, somewhat taken aback by her son’s continued composure.

Yan Yun nodded slightly, then continued speaking to herself. “Oh, Jiang Yao, huh? Wait… Jiang Yao? No, hold on.”

As she spoke, Yan Yun suddenly realized something was amiss.

“Jiang Yao? Which Jiang Yao?” Yan Yun pressed.

Seeing her son still looking utterly bewildered and uncomprehending, Su Muyu reiterated, “Which Jiang Yao could it be? Naturally, it’s the Jiang family’s favored daughter of heaven.”

This time, Yan Yun could no longer maintain her composure; she sprang to her feet once more.

“What?”

Her expression was one of astonishment, her tone filled with shock.

To her, this was an utter impossibility, and her first thought was that Su Muyu was simply teasing her.