Chapter 61

"Xian’er, how’s your control over your strength recently?" Han Luo asked with concern.

Shen Xian’er wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Senior brother, I’ve fully mastered my strength now. Can I go out and play?"

She clenched her fists, backpack strapped on, ready to go.

"Alright, show me a demonstration."

"Got it!"

Shen Xian’er rolled up her sleeves and walked to the edge of Luoxian Lake. Without circulating any spiritual power, she punched out fiercely while shouting out the name of her move.

“Take this—Steamed Lamb, Steamed Bear Paw, Steamed Deer Tail, Roasted Duck, Roasted Chick, Roasted Goose…”

As her fists flew out, images of these dishes burst from her hands like explosive bombs, hammering the lake’s surface with one explosion after another.

The move’s power was impressive—well-controlled and balanced in offense and defense. But that name… wasn’t that a recipe?

"Xian’er, where did you come up with the name for this technique?"

"From the menu!"

She pulled out a crumpled menu from her pocket. "Senior brother, I copied this from your menu. Just saying it makes me hungry! Can we eat these today?"

She couldn’t go three sentences without bringing up food—even her martial techniques were named after dishes, fully exposing her foodie nature.

Han Luo wiped his forehead. Thank goodness he never let her into the Mirror Realm, or she’d probably come up with technique names like Tomato Smash, Eggplant Bomb, or Cucumber Spiral...

"Alright, alright, I’ve already prepared lunch. After we eat, you can go out and play."

"Yay!" Shen Xian’er leaped with joy.

Even though Luoxian Mountain now had plenty of little animals to play with, it wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to visit her beloved Xiao-jie.

Her senior brother was way too uptight—he never wanted to play games with her.

The senior sisters on Piao Miao Peak were way more fun. They always told her strange, interesting stories. Meanwhile, her senior brother always buried himself in arrays like he had a wife hidden in them.

After the two had lunch, Shen Xian’er prepared to run off.

"Xian’er."

Han Luo stopped her.

"You promised I could go out and play!" she said cautiously, worried he’d go back on his word.

"Relax. When have I ever broken a promise?" Han Luo said gently. "I just want to remind you of something."

"Okay, I’m listening."

"Now that you’ve completed seven rounds of spirit tempering, no one else in the younger generation of Luoxian Sect has reached your level. The bigger the tree, the more it catches the wind. If anyone asks who helped you temper your spirit, remember—don’t say it was me. Say it was our master. Understand?"

Once she stepped outside, it would shake the whole sect.

According to his intel, the most spirit tempering anyone had achieved among the younger generation was three rounds—Li Jun and Chi Xiao being the top.

If someone suddenly appeared with seven rounds, it would definitely cause a stir. If Xian’er let slip that it was Han Luo who helped her, he’d be in serious trouble.

"Xian’er, you know what to say, right?" he reminded again.

Shen Xian’er nodded quickly. "I swear, if anyone asks who helped me, I absolutely won’t say it was senior brother. If I do, may I never eat delicious food again!"

Good, good. She was already in the habit of swearing oaths often. That made him proud.

"Go on now," Han Luo waved her off.

Shen Xian’er skipped away gleefully, while Han Luo pulled out his recent notes to review them again—just in case he’d missed anything.

Elsewhere...

Shen Xian’er soon arrived at Piao Miao Peak.

It had been a while since her last visit, and the moment she showed up, the whole mountain seemed to stir.

"Xian’er is here!"

A senior sister who adored her rushed up and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

"My turn! My turn!"

Another sister couldn’t hold back and lined up, eager to kiss her on the other cheek.

"Ahem... don’t you all have cultivation to do?"

A sharp voice cut through the air like an explosion.

Chi Xiao walked over clad in her red lotus battle armor, exuding the aura of a female war god.

Immediately, the crowd parted, clearing a path. Among them were several Foundation Establishment-level sisters.

Chi Xiao’s reputation on Piao Miao Peak was second only to senior sister Ye Qingqing. But since Ye Qingqing was soon to leave for the Golden Battlefield, Chi Xiao was clearly poised to become the next leader of the peak.

"Xiao-jie!" Shen Xian’er squealed sweetly and ran into her arms, rubbing her face against Chi Xiao to show how much she’d missed her.

"You little brat, I thought you forgot about Piao Miao Peak. So? What have you been up to..."

Before she could finish, Chi Xiao froze, staring at Shen Xian’er like she’d seen a ghost.

"Xian’er, how many times have you tempered your spirit?"

She’d long expected to be surpassed by Shen Xian’er, but not this fast.

"Probably four times?" said Lu Long softly beside her.

Chi Xiao’s talent was undisputed—six-grade spirit root, firmly among the sect’s elite.

She herself had completed three rounds of spirit tempering.

Xian’er’s spirit root was a grade above hers. Logically, four rounds would make sense.

"For real? Our Xian’er has tempered four times already? Amazing!"

"Of course! Xian’er’s the most gifted disciple in Luoxian Sect. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hit five rounds!"

"Unbelievable. You little sneak, running off to do spirit tempering without telling us!"

If it had been someone else, this group of senior sisters might have reacted with jealousy or bitterness.

But Shen Xian’er? She was just too lovable. Especially today—she radiated such adorable charm that they were drawn to her like bees to honey.

"No."

Chi Xiao’s voice suddenly turned solemn.

"What do you mean ‘no’?" Lu Long looked at her in confusion.

Chi Xiao rarely used that intense tone with Xian’er—unless something had seriously shocked her.

"It’s not four rounds. It’s five."

The moment she said it, the noisy crowd fell silent.

Everyone stared at Shen Xian’er in stunned silence. She was still adorable, but now there was something more—something that left them speechless.

Then the chaos returned—except ten times louder.

Like a flock of gossiping sparrows, the senior sisters swarmed her with questions and praise.

Trapped in the middle, Shen Xian’er looked overwhelmed.

Why did everyone get so worked up when Xiao-jie said she had five rounds?

If they reacted like this to five… what would happen if she said it was actually seven?

Maybe… she should keep quiet.

"Silence!" Chi Xiao shouted, her voice erupting like a volcano. Everyone fell still.

"You’re all cultivators. What kind of behavior is this?"

No one dared argue. A few sisters had tried to defy Chi Xiao before—and paid dearly.

"Chi Xiao, bring Xian’er to my meditation chamber."

Hong Niang’s voice echoed from the sky. Though she wasn’t physically present, her voice alone was enough to make everyone kneel in reverence.

"Xian’er, let’s go see your godmother," Chi Xiao said.

She and Lu Long took Shen Xian’er away, while the rest of the sisters immediately launched into heated discussions.

Within half an hour, the news spread across the entire Luoxian Sect like wildfire.