Chapter Four: Reborn as the Eldest Daughter of an Immortal Sect

Passing through the back hall, a hidden paradise revealed itself before their eyes—a place even the real Bai Ruo had never seen. The peach blossoms were in full bloom, petals drifting gracefully through the air. A few meditation cushions lay scattered around a small square table, upon which rested nothing but a pot of clear tea.

“Sit!”

Could it be…?

“I wonder, what purpose does Your Excellency have in seizing my daughter’s body? I can sense that you hold no true enmity toward the Immortal Sect.”

So Chong Li had indeed discovered the truth. Thankfully, he had told only one person.

“Since the Sect Master already knows, I will not hide it any longer. My name is Lian. I come from another small world. Due to an accident, the Lord God has sent me to various worlds to complete tasks. I have explained all I can; whether you believe me or not is up to you.”

Bai Ruo was not one to stand on ceremony. Since her host had poured the tea, how could she refuse to drink?

“Chong Li, what do you think?”

Chong Li raised his right eyebrow. “What else can I do? I’ll just sit here and watch!”

Bai Ruo could not fathom the old man’s sense of humor.

“Everyone knows that besides their own continent, there are three thousand other worlds. But alas, none have the ability to reach them. If, in the future, you still remember the Xuanming Continent, remember to visit and tell us of the joys from the outside.”

“Aren’t you curious to know the real Bai Ruo’s current situation?”

The Sect Master gave a bitter smile. “I know Bai Ruo went to seek the Serpent’s Gall for Bai Li Ce. But her cultivation was surely not enough to triumph. The night before she left, I spoke to her. She was resolute. I could not persuade her, so I gave her more spiritual artifacts for protection and a pill to raise her cultivation temporarily. What I did not expect was that Shen Miao would benefit from this. The day you returned, word spread that your temperament had changed. I guessed the truth then.”

Lian had no parents. She did not know where she came from—only that when she was seven, her master brought her back to the sect, and from then on began her cultivation.

Day after day, year after year.

Her master was busy, always absent, and it seemed there was no one to keep her company.

She hardly understood what familial love was, let alone the sorrow of a father who had lost his daughter.

All she could do now, perhaps, was to let the Sect Master feel a little comfort whenever he saw her using Bai Ruo’s body.

“This was a tribulation fated in Bai Ruo’s life. In the next, she will surely become someone as outstanding as her father.”

“It’s not just ‘will’—it’s a certainty.”

Bai Ruo and Chong Li’s gazes intertwined.

Bai Ruo felt that Chong Li’s words held an unshakable confidence, as though everything was within his grasp.

She lowered her head. “I don’t know how long I’ll remain in this world. I suppose, when my task is done, I will have to leave.”

Suddenly, an ice coffin appeared on the ground.

Lian had a secret she had never even told her master: she possessed a portable space.

Such a gift from the heavens, if discovered, would bring certain death. She could not trust anyone with this secret.

“Borrowing your daughter’s body—consider this my repayment. Should I leave for another world, place Bai Ruo’s body in this ice coffin. It will preserve her remains forever, a token of remembrance.”

The Sect Master did not question the origin of the coffin. “Thank you, Your Excellency.”

“From now on, I must trouble you to treat Lian as Bai Ruo.”

“Of course.”

Back in her room, Bai Ruo found the situation almost absurd. It was clear she had mastered everyone’s movements—except for Chong Li.

Now, however, it felt as if someone else was controlling everything, as if all were pieces in a grand game.

[Master, don’t overthink the impossible. The Lord God just sent me a message—he wants you to get along well with Chong Li. I don’t know why. What do you think? The Lord God is so strange…]

As expected, the one behind her little system was the Lord God.

Still, she could not fathom why she was to get close to Chong Li.

Could it be that Chong Li had ties to the Divine Realm…?

Bai Ruo felt she was close to the truth.

Shen Miao was in confinement.

Bai Li Ce was rarely seen.

Bai Ruo continued to win favor among the disciples, occasionally visiting the back mountain to chat with Sect Master Chong Li and speak of the world outside.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Miao’s confinement ended.

The Immortal Sect began preparations for the Glazed Secret Realm, selecting thirty disciples to seek cultivation resources.

The Glazed Secret Realm was unique to the Immortal Sect; each great sect held a fragment of the realm.

The sect’s fragment was the Mirror of Three Lifetimes, the gateway to the Glazed Secret Realm.

After months of silence, the system finally issued a second task:

[Return all the beast-attracting powder Shen Miao sprinkled on you, become the team leader, and find a way to ditch Shen Miao and Bai Li Ce.]

The little system’s virtual eyes seemed to shine.

It was thoroughly annoyed with Shen Miao, who fancied herself clever and untouchable.

Without Shen Miao, even the air seemed sweeter.

Bai Ruo had already become the goddess and senior sister in the hearts of the disciples—beautiful, approachable, genuine, strong, and full of charisma!

Who wouldn’t like such a senior sister?

When the system reported her popularity, Bai Ruo nearly burst out laughing. Genuine? Hardly!

She acted even more than Shen Miao, though less obviously.

Moreover, a touch of artifice never inspired jealousy; instead, it made both men and women find her innocent and adorable.

This was exactly as described in a story she had read in her past life—wasn’t it called "The Arrogant Immortal Lord Falls for Me: Stop Running, Drama Queen"?

The more the heroine acted out, the more the hero loved her. Back then, she had commented: The hero must be a masochist…

For fairness, the Immortal Sect decided to hold a tournament to determine the spots, with a deadline of two days. Disciples who did not participate would forfeit their place.

Meanwhile, Shen Miao had an outer-sect alchemist prepare a packet of beast-attracting powder for her, using the excuse, “Senior Brother, could you make me some for self-defense?”

No hero could resist a beauty, especially a young man in his twenties who spent his days surrounded by medicines. He immediately agreed and took Shen Miao to the alchemy chamber to show off his skills.

Shen Miao took the powder and left with a smile, entirely unaware that one of her earrings had fallen to the floor, only to be picked up and treasured by the disciple.

Everything was proceeding quietly, just as Bai Ruo had planned.