Tang Ling was in a foul mood, too lazy even to check her phone, and walked straight down the mountain path.

It had been fourteen years since she arrived at the Sword Tomb, with fifty-six years ahead of her destined to remain here.

Back then, her great-grandfather had sold her to this godforsaken place in order to pursue a breakthrough in Rank—sold for a full twenty years. Later, when he descended into madness and slaughtered his clansmen and fellow disciples, the debt deepened, extending her sentence to sixty years.

Though the Sword Tomb was hailed as a holy land for the Sword Sect Path worldwide, she simply didn't like it.

The people here were dull, every single one cold and unapproachable, like a block of stone.

It was the twenty-first century, yet they lived like people from ancient times.

No entertainment, no life.

Day after day, they sat cross-legged in meditation, eyes closed.

And then came sword training.

Endless, ceaseless sword training.

There were no slackers here.

Because if you slacked off, you would be expelled from the sect.

Tang Ling had tried to slack off once, but the price she paid was having her work obligation extended by a year.

Since then, she had learned her lesson.

At least she didn't dare to slack off openly anymore.

She had to do it secretly.

In short, the people here were truly Transcendent in every sense, freed from all material pursuits.

They no longer lived like humans.

Even the President and the Silver King placed great hope on her.

They even wished for her to carry the great mission of guarding the Human World in the future, but her heart was absolutely not set on this path.

Moreover, most of the people in the Sword Tomb disliked her because of her great-grandfather.

They despised each other mutually—why bother sticking together?

With her hands shoved into her pockets, she trudged down the snow-swept mountain path.

Mu Qingyou was ascending from the foot of the mountain, carrying a Sword Box on her back, her beauty striking, with frost-white hair cascading like snow, her expression equally indifferent. She was wearing a thick black coat, its hem fluttering lightly in the wind.

As they passed each other shoulder-to-shoulder.

"This month should have been your turn to guard the Sword Pool, keeping watch for the ancestral masters," Mu Qingyou remarked suddenly.

Tang Ling paused slightly, turning to look at the senior sister whose appearance, physique, and even talent fell short compared to hers. Calmly, she replied, "What does that have to do with me? Those are your ancestral masters, not mine. I'm just working for the Sword Tomb."

Her self-awareness was crystal clear—she was just a worker here.

Have you ever seen an employee pay respects to their boss's family?

Mu Qingyou chuckled coldly, expressionless as she said, "The Sword Tomb raised you—does it owe you a debt? If you dislike this place so much, why come to the sacred land of the Sword Tomb at all? Or are you waiting for the President to redeem you from here? Every time she visits, you're always eager to curry favor."

Tang Ling retorted coldly, "I don't owe the Sword Tomb a thing."

With that, she walked away without hesitation.

Mu Qingyou stared at her retreating figure and raised an eyebrow, saying, "I've seen the mission intelligence for the Returning Burial Forest. That blood mist's owner should be Tang Zijing, right? Do you have anything to say now?"

Tang Ling's steps faltered again.

"If you hate me so much, then come confront me head-on. Your cherished Extreme Thunder—it's nothing valuable in my eyes. But why did Master choose me to inherit it and not you?"

She paused before adding, "I suggest you get a grip on yourself. If it weren't for the fact that I dislike this place, not to mention I refuse to curry favor with the President, the title of Sword Tomb's contemporary best wouldn't even belong to you."

Mu Qingyou's eyes shimmered with a sharp glint of ice.

"One last thing—stop imitating my makeup. You're nowhere near good-looking enough, and it's a poor imitation."

Tang Ling glanced back at her, with a trace of mockery in her eyes, and then stormed off into the swirling snow.

Mu Qingyou stood silently for a long time, her generous chest rising and falling slightly.

"Alright, alright, Senior Sister."

"Don't get mad at Junior Sister Tang. She's still immature."

"Exactly, what's there to boast about being a criminal's great-granddaughter?"

Several fellow disciples practicing sword techniques along the mountain path noticed the scene and quickly came over to intervene.

Tang Ling ignored this flock of nobodies. It was then that she remembered the unread message on her phone.

"I've found traces of the Hidden Order. Meet me at East Sea International Airport today at 4:30 PM. Join me in taking someone out."

The familiar tone, imperious and unyielding, felt less like an invitation and more like a command.

For some reason, Tang Ling found these words far more pleasing to the ear than anything anyone in the Sword Tomb ever said.

·

·

With a soft beep, the device showed the mental fluctuation curve stabilizing.

Wanwan opened her eyes. "Sister Wanqiu, is it done?"

Lin Wanqiu wiped the sweat from her face, her delicate makeup smeared slightly. She leaned down to remove the wires stuck to the little girl's head and said gently, "Yes, it's done. You did very well today. This machine can at least now accurately measure a contaminator's mental fluctuations, stabilize the mind, and alleviate pollution symptoms."

"When your pendant's effects wear off, your dose of Heavenly Born Grass will decrease significantly too."

She smiled. "You might even live to sixty or seventy years old."

"Thank you, Sister Wanqiu."

Wanwan gave her a sweet smile. "Sister Wanqiu is the best."

Lin Wanqiu was silent for a moment, then patted her head lightly. "Only you would say that."

Wanwan asked curiously, "Sister Wanqiu, where did this machine come from?"

Lin Wanqiu hesitated briefly. "I developed it based on notes left behind by my teacher, with the help of some friends in the alchemy department. Originally, it was meant to save someone, but he probably doesn't need it anymore."