Chapter 9: Qiao Guiying
Born into a powerful Immortal Cultivation Family, Qiao Guiying should have had a wonderful life, being spoilt rotten by her family members and given whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it. Even if that weren’t so, she should have had a strict upbringing that would shape her into a formidable person.
But, in reality, Qiao Guiying's life was a string of disappointments. She had never known her mother, she did not have even the vaguest recollection of her. According to Little Cai, Miss Lin had died not long after giving birth to her. She had always felt something off about the situation - there should have been a grave at least, right? But no. There was no grave to be found at all. The explanation given to her when she asked this question was that she wished to be buried in her hometown, which was on a different continent. Yet, she still felt something was off. According to the traditions of the Immortal Cultivation World, a woman married away was unlikely to even entertain such an idea. It was no wonder that Qiao Guiying felt something was off.
But she didn’t care too much. She had never known her mother and there was no bond forged.
She still had her father right?
Well, no.
Qiao Youran was… neglectful at best. He always seemed to care more about her Cousin Xuan. This preference was evident in his constant comparisons, frequently lamenting Qiao Guiying's mediocre talent. As starved for approval as she was, Qiao Guiying worked hard at her cultivation, trying her best to improve. Cultivating day in and day out. Without rest. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the gap only widened.
She grew envious of her cousin's talent. Watching him master techniques in a few tries that took her days, even months to master was discouraging enough. So slowly, their initially great relationship became distant as Qiao Guiying found it hard to conceal her feelings of envy from her cousin - often lashing out at him.
Little Guiying also longed to be praised, she wanted to be patted on the head, and she wanted her hair rubbed - like Cousin Xuan. All Qiao Guiying’s hopeful eyes saw, however, were indifferent glances and casual remarks. Nothing more.
Her father's casual disregard slowly eroded her motivation; with no approval from anybody, she slowly lost her drive, just cultivating out of habit. She heard more comparisons to her Cousin - about how incredible his mastery of a Battle Technique was, about his soaring Cultivation Base. She did not care anymore.
Then, she entered the Sect, where she instantly became a small celebrity - coming from a powerful Immortal Cultivation Family, there was no lack of people ingratiating themselves with her.
The affection-starved Qiao Guiying enjoyed all the attention immensely. Intelligent as she was, she knew all of that was fake - none of them really cared for her - they cared for her status. It was a small joke she told herself sometimes - if they knew how neglected she was, 90 per cent of her ‘friends’ would disappear. The remaining would be those who lusted after her body, wanting to take advantage of her. She savoured the attention, nevertheless.
Moreover, even among the Outer Sect, she saw many, many talented people. Senior Brother Fang, Senior Sister Jia... All of these people were so much more talented than her. She couldn't help but feel envy. If only she had talent like theirs, perhaps Father would pay her more attention. No, he definitely would! But they were just daydreams. She would never have that level of talent. So, she resigned herself to being an ordinary cultivator of an Immortal Family - finding a talented spouse and bearing children who would hopefully be more talented. She was still confident in her looks!
Then, life decided to screw her over once again. She realised she liked girls.
Now, she lived in constant fear of someone finding out about her preferences and the whole world knowing that she was a heretic. She feared being disdained, looked down on, and held in contempt because of her preferences. Jiang Xinyue was the only one she found some consolation in. But she was always cultivating and she rarely had time for Qiao Guiying. Thus, she was still lonely and scared.
And then one day, she suddenly saw light! Light in the form of a girl so beautiful, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a Fairy fallen from the Heavens. Nay, in Qiao Guiying’s opinion, it would be doing her an injustice!
Then, she got to know the girl she had a crush on also preferred girls - just like her. This revelation filled Qiao Guiying with boundless joy. Her entire being felt like it was saturated with sweet happiness - the Heavens had finally taken pity on her. The next few months as she spent time with Xiao Hong were the happiest she’d ever been. Despite only meeting Xiao Hong four times in eight months, her heart brimmed with contentment and joy.
So, today, when she realised Qiao Xuan had his eyes on her and when she saw her Father helping him, a completely new feeling was born inside her.
How dare they? How dare they? How dare they force her Xiao Hong?! Her only light?!!
“Power… If only I were stronger, my Cultivation Base higher, my Battle Techniques more powerful.” Qiao Guiying whispered to herself, an ever-brightening glow appeared in her eyes, “If only I was as strong as the Ancestor…
“Forget Qiao Xuan, even Father would not be able to do anything to me. They could only kneel before me, grovel at my feet helplessly.” The glow in her eyes intensified. She felt something stirring deep inside her. Something that was reacting to her State of Mind, but she ignored it.
“If I was the strongest, who could stop me from being with Sister Hong?
“What could the people of the world do even if they were dissatisfied? They could only obediently look away.
“They could only praise our union as bold and progressive. They would even find ways to justify it. They would glorify our union as something to be looked up to!” Qiao Guiying had known the truth about this world all along. But today, she truly understood. She understood the phrase, ‘Might makes Right’.
The stirring feeling within her intensified.
She never desired power as much as she did now. She wanted power, not to please her Father, not because she wanted to surpass Qiao Xuan, not because she wanted the approval of her Family. No, she wanted power for herself! She wanted power for her own happiness!
Something inside her shifted.
Roar!
A powerful Dragon’s roar echoed through her mind, like a Coiling Dragon awakening from its ancient slumber!
In her room, Qiao Guiying leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Her clothing clung to her skin, drenched in her sweat, but she paid it no mind.
Her blood was boiling - both literally and metaphorically.
Qiao Guiying’s face flushed a deep red as she panted heavily, the blood in her body seemed to have turned into pure lava, scorching her veins. Her heart beat like a drum, with such force she felt her chest might just explode - causing her veins to protrude. Her heart pumped her blood throughout her body with such incredible force, her that veins would have ruptured had her cultivation not existed!
She gritted her teeth, barely keeping herself from screaming out in pain.
Roar!!
Another roar echoed through the room, shaking it as if a minor earthquake had occurred. It was as if a Dragon establishing its dominance!
Even as her blood seared through her veins, it changed her body, rapidly strengthening it to an unimaginable degree. Her True Qi moved by itself, intertwining with her body in unfathomable ways, transforming it. Her entire being felt like it was changing from the inside out, becoming a completely new existence.
The changes continued for an unknown period of time before it finally ground to a halt. And Qiao Guiying opened her eyes.
ROAR!!!
A tremendous shockwave was generated with Qiao Guiying as the epicentre, blasting outwards, tearing apart everything in its way. The tables, mats, chairs, scrolls and jade slips were turned to dust in an instant! The shockwave slammed into the walls, forcing the Array Formations to activate, attenuating the shockwave. Were it not for the Formations in the room, half the City Lord’s mansion would be flattened!
“Phew… So this is the Mythical Azure Dragon Bloodline?” Qiao Guiying took a deep breath. She looked at her raised hand, marvelling at the tremendous strength surging through it. Her strength had reached an incomparable peak - a peak that she had never even thought was possible. As a mere Water Disaster level, her combat strength had reached an exaggerated level of almost Yin Disaster! The shockwave she unintentionally caused was equivalent to her all-out attack before her Bloodline awakened!
The Qi in her Dantian had also transformed. It had become tremendously potent, so much so that a single strand could equal several dozen from before.
She smiled. Her eyes blazed with a newfound confidence - for today, a new Dragon was born!
***
Xiao Hong sat in the courtyard glaring at a guilty-looking Qiao Guiying, her mouth forming a slight pout.
“You brought me here and left me alone for a whole week! You promised we’d go out and have fun. But all I could do was deal with that troublesome Cousin of yours.”
The guilt on Qiao Guiying’s face intensified, she looked down almost tearing up. “I-I’m sorry, Sister Hong, I’m really sorry! I didn’t want to neglect you, it's just that I had a small breakthrough in cultivation.” Qiao Guiying looked down. She meekly continued, “Y-You can punish me however you want.”
Xiao Hong looked at her strangely, ‘Are you sure about that? Aren’t you afraid you would be ‘eaten’ up? Or do you actually want to be eaten up?!’
Of course, Xiao Hong wasn’t really angry at her. Qiao Guiying’s aura, even though very well restrained, did not escape her senses. She had welcomed a massive increase in strength, and Xiao Hong felt happy for her. But it was still a shame that she didn’t get to spend the week with her Senior Sister. She decided to forgive her since it wasn't her fault after all.
“Hmm. How about you do one thing I ask you to - ?”
“Of course! I swear on my Dao-mmph!” Xiao Hong clapped a hand on her mouth to stop her recklessness!
“Sister Ying, did you perhaps cultivate until you became braindead?! How could you so casually swear an oath on your Dao Heart?!” She gave Qiao Guiying an intense glare.
Qiao Guiying tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ears as a brilliant smile appeared on her angelic visage, “Hehe, I trust Sister Hong. I’m sure you won’t ever ask for anything that would harm me!”
Xiao Hong felt her heart skip a beat, and a delicate blush painted her cheeks. A peculiar, fluttery sensation swirled in her stomach like a swarm of butterflies that seemed to have taken flight in her stomach, creating a strange, tingling sensation. To mask her discomfort, she swiftly turned her embarrassment into a playful mockery, “Tsk, tsk, weren’t you the one who was saying I was too naive? I really wonder, who’s the actually naive person between us?”
Qiao Guiying giggled, “That would still be you, Sister Hong.”
“Heh! Not after this!”
They continued their banter late into the night.
***
After spending another week together, they both decided to return to the Sect. Even if Xiao Hong had absolute confidence in her Alchemy, Qiao Guiying was still worried that something might go wrong! No matter how she consoled her, she was still nervous!
Xiao Hong was speechless, ‘Why are you more nervous than me?! I can refine the legendary Perfect-grade pills for Heaven’s sake!’
In the end, she could only console her one last time before bidding Qiao Guiying farewell and flying towards Bai Yu Peak.
A week later, Xiao Hong sat in the cultivation room. There was a bitter look on her face. Even after cultivating non-stop for a week, there was no progress in her Cultivation Base!
‘If I go on like this, I might stay in the Divine Sea Realm my entire life! Even if get 300,000 Spirit Stones, I'll have to waste almost a decade getting to the peak of Divine Sea. I might as well forget about achieving Nirvana before 30!'
‘No! I need to figure out something!’
Just as she was thinking about what to do, the Array Formation alerted her to the presence of a Disciple outside her courtyard.
‘Hmm? A guest? Sister Ying? No, she said she won’t disturb me. Tsk, I want to be disturbed though! This slow cultivation is boring!’
She reached the entrance and opened the door to find a handsome-looking young man in front of her. He had short jet-black hair that framed his impeccably chiselled face and jaw. His eyes were like miniature black holes devouring all light.
He had an unfathomable aura like staring into an Abyss with no bottom. She instantly recognised him as the ‘protagonist’ at the Auction and was somewhat stunned. But she soon regained her wits.
“Pardon my intrusion, Junior Sister Xiao, but I have something of great importance to discuss with you. May I take up a bit of your time?” Gu Ran politely asked. “My name is Gu Ran.”
Xiao Hong nodded, “Very well, Senior Brother Ran. I will be with you in a moment.”
She closed the door and ran inside.
Gu Ran, who stood outside, placed a hand on his thumping heart, and felt somewhat frustrated, ‘Damn it, this body is really too young and innocent!’
“Please come in, Senior Brother.” She smiled politely and led him to the courtyard, where he saw a table and two chairs. On the table was a pot of tea and two cups.
“Junior Sister there was no need for all this, I don’t really care for all this etiquette.” Gu Ran said.
‘How was I supposed to know that, you dimwit?’ she ridiculed him inwardly.
“Ah, pardon me, Senior Brother.” Xiao Hong apologised anyway. In the world of Cultivation, it was always the weaker one at fault - unless they had more powerful backing and/or greater status. She had neither.
“Ahem. Junior Sister you might not recognise me, but I am the one who competed with you and your... friend for the Mysterious Black Stone.” As he explained, he carefully watched Xiao Hong’s face for any signs of surprise - which he didn’t find. ‘Sure enough, she recognised me!’
He instantly put away the contempt he had for the cultivators of this realm - it wouldn’t do any good in front of this girl who could recognise him despite his disguise. He hadn’t really gone all out for the disguise, but that didn’t mean just about anybody could see through it!
But the main reason for his caution was the Heavenly Abyss Scripture - it was slightly agitated, giving off a sense of wariness when in proximity to this girl.
He thought that she might be in a similar situation as him!
He never thought for a moment that he was unique in his situation - since it can happen once, it can happen twice, thrice or even more.
So he was reasonably wary of this girl.
“So, Senior Brother wishes to discuss about the Mysterious Black Stone?”
“Yes. I want it.”
“But this material is very useful to me.”
“I never intended to take it without proper compensation. I’ll exchange it for something of equal value.”
Xiao Hong remained silent for a while before looking up, “I do have something I need. But I wonder if Senior Brother will be able to produce it?”
“Ask away, Junior Sister. I will do my best to acquire it if I don’t have it.”
Xiao Hong stared at him for a few moments, making him somewhat uncomfortable.
“I require a special technique, Senior Brother. A technique that can gather great amounts of Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth in the shortest period of time and can be used continuously.”
Gu Ran froze for a bit before giving Xiao Hong a deep, meaningful look, “... I do have such a Technique, but it is too difficult to use. Few people other than the creator of this technique were actually able to use it as effectively as she did.
“The Heaven-Swallowing Roc Breathing Method is an Earth Rank Secret Technique that allows the user to temporarily gather tremendous amounts of Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth in a short moment. But, it is not very useful, as one needs full concentration to keep the Spiritual Energy from dispersing.
“It is only good as an auxiliary Method for Array Masters to speed up the process for gathering Spiritual Energy for Spirit Gathering Formations.”
Spirit Gathering Formations were Array Formations that basically concentrated the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth in a particular area.
Xiao Hong’s eyes immediately lit up! Wasn’t this just the perfect thing for her?! Her System would cultivate while she used the Heaven-Swallowing Roc Breathing Method to gather massive amounts of Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth! And the difficulty in using it was of no consequence to her! With the system, it was impossible for her not to learn it!
This thing was simply made for her!
So.
“Doesn’t this deal favour you a bit much Senior Brother? In exchange for a rather useful material, you’re giving me a useless Secret Technique that is difficult to learn and even more difficult to use. Don’t you think that is a bit unfair Senior Brother?” Xiao Hong wanted more benefits!
Gu Ran’s mouth twitched. ‘Junior Sister, do you think I didn’t notice your eyes lighting up in excitement?!’
He suddenly felt this Junior Sister was a little cute for trying to get more benefits from him, “Indeed, it does seem so. Unfortunately, I have only this one technique that fits your requirements.”
He shook his head lightly before continuing, “Perhaps, you can add other things to the deal so you feel it is fair?”
As Xiao Hong fell into her thoughts, he sipped on the cup of tea that Xiao Hong had prepared. With a small sip, he felt a refreshing aroma fill his mouth and nostrils, relaxing his mind and body. A weak feeling of rejuvenation filled his mind, strengthening the Divine Consciousness that had been exhausted deducing the Secret Technique he used to cultivate the Heavenly Abyss Scripture ever so slightly.
“Good tea!” he could not help but exclaim. Although it was not made with special materials, it still ranked within the top 500! Even if he wasn’t a tea-obsessed maniac, over his more than 10,000-year lifespan he had tasted a great many teas. So ranking in the top 500 was truly something extraordinary - especially when the creator was merely a Divine Sea cultivator and a Grade 1 Alchemist.
“You Alchemists are indeed best at making tea!” They deeply understood the properties and interactions of Spirit Herbs, heat and the effects Herbs had on a cultivator’s on a Cultivator’s Spirit, Essence and Body. This knowledge, coupled with a bit of creativity, made them Master Tea makers.
Xiao Hong just smiled slightly, acknowledging the praise.
After a bit more thinking, she looked at Gu Ran who was sipping on his second cup of tea. “I’ve decided. I want 10,000 Spirit Stones along with the Secret Technique.”
“Pfft!” Gu Ran nearly spat out the tea. He looked at Xiao Hong with an incredulously, his eyelids so far apart his eyeballs might just fall out. “Junior Sister, please be a bit realistic; I can’t afford anything more than a thousand Spirit Stones!”
“Please don’t joke Senior brother. This Mysterious Black Stone is of great use to me. A mere thousand Spirit Stones is not nearly enough! Nine thousand Spirit Stones!”
“Junior Sister, please don’t be unreasonable, with the Secret Technique is an Earth rank skill! Its value is incalculable! Two thousand!”
“Earth-rank, Black-Rank or Supreme Godly Immortal Divine Heavenly Rank, a Technique’s worth is based on its utility! Eight thousand, take it or leave it.”
After a short while of haggling, they came to a ‘grudging’ deal of five thousand Spirit Stones and the Secret Technique for half of the Mysterious Black Stone!
“Thank you, Junior Sister, for trading with me. You have helped me greatly!” Gu Ran politely cupped his fists.
“We are both merely raking what we need Senior Brother - there is no need for thanks!"
‘Haha, just this half is more than enough for me to cultivate to the peak of Core Formation! At that time, I’ll see if she doesn’t cough up the rest of the Dark Abyss Stone!’ He thought to himself. Of course, as an upstanding cultivator, he would still exchange for it rather than simply snatch it.
‘Hehehe, five thousand spirit stones and the most perfect technique for me in exchange for a piece of rock with questionable use. What a steal!' Xiao Hong thought in elation.
'I wonder if he has any more special Secret Techniques? Perhaps, I can cheat him out of some more? Hehehe~’ she chuckled merrily as she held the Jade Slip in her hands.
She was sure this fellow definitely harboured some extraordinary secret. Her first thought was that this was some sort of reincarnated/transmigrated/regressed expert protagonist. Of course, he could also have gotten a super powerful Ancient Super Divine Supreme Inheritance of some sort. Or he was backed by a powerful force of some kind.
She shook her head lightly - she could think of ways to take advantage of him later.
***