"I just wanted to find a spot for a nap—how did I get mistaken for the Child of Destiny?"
—Xiao Li
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1 | The Red Frost Pavilion's "Shocking Assembly"
The Red Frost Pavilion's mountain gate towered high, shrouded in white mist, with disciples lined in two rows to welcome arrivals.
By tradition, new disciples must first have their spirit root aptitude tested in the grand plaza.
When Xiao Li was brought to the testing platform, she was in the middle of a yawn.
The elder smiled. "Come, place your hand on the spirit stone."
Xiao Li's mind was on "finding a cool place to nap later," but then—
The spirit stone buzzed and flared so brightly it hurt the eyes, golden light shooting straight into the sky, accompanied by a low roar from who knows where.
The plaza went dead silent. The eyes of every elder there nearly fell out.
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2 | The Misunderstanding Reaches New Heights
The Grand Elder smacked the arm of his chair in excitement. "This is… the Mandate of Heaven! A rare Supreme Constitution!"
The Second Elder immediately followed up. "No, not just a Supreme Constitution—it carries the aura of ancient god bloodline!"
Xiao Li froze. "I'm just… a bit sleepy…"
The elders instantly filled in the blanks with their own imagined tale of "a peerless genius hidden among mortals, cultivated by a mysterious master."
They unanimously decided: from now on, she must be nurtured with the utmost care, and no one else can lay a finger on her.
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3 | The Whole Sect in Uproar
That very day, Xiao Li's treatment in the Red Frost Pavilion changed overnight—
Her cultivation abode was assigned to the area with the densest spiritual energy;
a personal chef was tasked with preparing three spiritual meals a day;
even the disciples sweeping the grounds bowed when they saw her: "Little Martial Aunt."
Xiao Li felt extremely uneasy and couldn't help writing to Lin Zhou:
[Bro, I think they're treating me like some kind of deity.]
Lin Zhou replied:
[Bear with it. Once you're done learning, come back and help me weed the field.]
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4 | The First Sign of Awakening
That night, lying on her cultivation bed, Xiao Li had planned to slack off, but suddenly a wave of heat surged through her body, her blood flowing like it was in reverse. In her ears, she seemed to hear a faint, indistinct whisper—
"Protect… return…"
She jolted upright. The moonlight through the window shone onto her palm, and a faint golden pattern flickered into existence.
Though it lasted only a moment, it made her clench her fist instinctively.
She didn't notice the few elders hidden in the shadows outside her door exchanging glances—
"We must keep this a secret. This child's potential… could be enough to rewrite the future of the entire Red Frost Pavilion."