"Look! That's Su Yin, the fool who thought she could court senior apprentice-brother Xing despite knowing he had a partner!" a disciple whispered as Su Yin walked through the Profound Blossom Sect, her white robes stained with a bloodied hole at the chest.
"Didn't senior apprentice-sister Yan have a deathmatch with her today? What happened?" another disciple asked, eyeing her curiously.
"Her robes are soaked in blood. Does that mean the deathmatch is over and Su Yin won, leaving Yan Mei dead?" a third disciple speculated.
"Impossible! She's only at the third level of the Elementary Spirit Realm, while Yan Mei is at the sixth! That gap is too wide—even I wouldn't dream of winning, let alone that useless Su Yin!" another scoffed.
"Then why is she still alive? In a deathmatch, one must die. I've never heard of both fighters surviving," someone pointed out.
"Let's ask her," one disciple suggested.
The disciples murmured among themselves, watching Su Yin move through the sect with a calm expression, as if the grievous wound on her chest didn't faze her.
"Hey, Su Yin, you wretch! How did you survive the deathmatch against Yan Mei?" A group of disciples blocked her path, halting her steps.
Their actions drew the attention of those nearby, making Su Yin the center of focus.
"I don't have time to entertain children—scram," Su Yin said coldly, refusing to spare them another glance as she walked around them, leaving the crowd stunned.
Since when did the foolish Su Yin become so bold and arrogant, dismissing so many disciples at once? Had she lost her mind?
"Su… Su… SU YIN! TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND YOU'LL REGRET IT!" The leader of the group roared, startling everyone.
But Su Yin kept walking, not even glancing back, completely ignoring the threat.
"You wretched—" Veins bulged on the disciple's forehead as he chased after her, fists clenched.
On his second step, Su Yin snapped her head around, her narrowed gaze piercing with killing intent.
The terrifying look, sharp enough to bore through stone, froze the disciple in place, her body trembling as if a ravenous beast were about to pounce.
Her legs gave out, and he collapsed with a plop, like tofu crumbling.
Even the disciples behind him shook, their legs wobbling like a troupe of clowns in a storm.
"Hmph. Fools," Su Yin snorted coldly and continued on her way.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Was that… really Su Yin? Or did we mistake someone else for her?" a disciple muttered.
"How could that be Su Yin? Sure, they look alike, but that noble air around her was nothing like the useless Su Yin we know!" another said.
"Exactly! Su Yin always has that foolish look on her face, but that woman just now was sharp and serious—completely different!" another agreed.
The surrounding disciples began gossiping, some chuckling at the group that had tried to confront her.
"Was that really not Su Yin?" the fallen disciple wondered, puzzled. Could there be two people in the sect with such similar features?
The memory of Su Yin's beastly gaze flashed in her mind, and she quickly dismissed his doubts. That couldn't be Su Yin. The Su Yin she knew would never dare speak back, let alone threaten with such a look!
Upon reaching her living quarters in the outer court, Su Yin was met by another young woman at her door.
"Su… Su Yin?! You actually survived a deathmatch against Yan Mei?!" The young woman, initially thinking she was seeing a ghost as Su Yin approached, was stunned to see her alive and standing before her.
From the previous Su Yin's memories, Su Yin recognized her as her roommate, Tang Hua.
"I'm not feeling well and need rest. Don't disturb me," Su Yin said, brushing past her into the house without another word.
Tang Hua's jaw dropped as she watched Su Yin pass. "Good heavens!" she mumbled. "She's really alive!"
Inside her room, Su Yin began sorting her thoughts.
"That old woman… what did she do, exactly?" She gazed into the mirror on the wall, memories of her childhood surfacing.
"This is clearly my body from when I was young, but why don't I recall ever being in this place? Did I reincarnate, only regaining my memories after that sword pierced my chest? To be injured like that—I'm far too weak as I am now!"
Su Yin was 16 years old and had been a disciple of the Profound Blossom Sect for nearly a year. Yet, despite her time there, her cultivation had barely progressed.
Outer Court Disciples like her, new to the sect, received no assistance in finding a partner for dual cultivation—the practice where men and women engaged in intimate acts to cultivate.
Only upon becoming an Inner Court Disciple could she request the sect's help in finding a suitable partner.
Despite her striking beauty, capable of charming even the Moon God's husband in her past life, Su Yin had failed to find a partner.
Many male disciples, even seniors, had initially vied for her, drawn by her exquisite features. But when they learned of her mental shortcomings and lack of talent, they quickly lost interest.
In a sect where growth depended on partners, no one was foolish enough to risk their future for beauty alone, especially with countless other attractive disciples available.
"That old woman gave me another life, but this kind of life… Aiya!" Su Yin sighed loudly.
In her past life, she was the most beautiful woman, with countless peerless gods and celestial beauties lining up to be her partner.
Now, in a sect filled with thousands of young men, she struggled to find even one.
"If I'm still in the same world, they might still be out there…" Su Yin's eyes gleamed with a profound light as images of those peerless figures flashed in her mind.
"I'll find them and hold them close again, and this time, I won't let go! But first, I must repair this tarnished reputation of mine…"