Bai Luohan stared resentfully at Bai Ran, her eyes as if poisoned. The wounds on her back were still fresh in Bai Ran's memory.
Bai Zhantian looked at his most beloved granddaughter, wanting nothing more than to rush up and hug her. But constrained by his image as the family patriarch, he suppressed the urge. "Cough, cough, Ran Ran, I heard you're no longer foolish and even defeated the Hua family disciples? Is your body alright?"
"Grandfather, perhaps the heavens favored me. At the brink of death, Ran Ran became sensible, could condense spiritual energy within her body, and her injuries have completely healed," Bai Ran's composed demeanor greatly satisfied the elders. It seemed the Bai family would have another cultivator.
"It's wonderful that you can cultivate, Ran Ran. What is your current strength?"
"Qi Condensation third stage. It might be due to the accumulated spiritual energy within my body." The Sky Slaying Bracelet could conceal her strength.
Qi Condensation third stage? Bai Luohan was fourteen and at the third stage of Qi Condensation. Now, Bai Ran, not yet thirteen, was also at the third stage of Qi Condensation! Heaven bless the Bai family! Our Bai family has another genius!
The First Elder's face was as joyous as a blooming chrysanthemum.
Bai Luohan's father, Bai Hong, however, looked displeased. Originally, Bai Luohan alone enjoyed the family's cultivation treasures and grew rapidly. Now, Bai Ran, who was even more exceptional, had appeared.
"Good, good, hahaha! You've given me a huge surprise! Ran Ran, tell me what you want, and the family will do its best to satisfy you," Bai Zhantian said with a beaming smile. Looking at Bai Ran, even if she wanted the stars in the sky, he would pluck them for her!
"Ran Ran wants to participate in the family competition a month from now."
"Wait!" Bai Luohan strode to the center of the hall and addressed Bai Zhantian, "Grandfather, the matter of Bai Ran injuring me yesterday has not yet been resolved."
Bai Zhantian rubbed his temples. The matter was a headache. As soon as he returned, Bai Luohan had been crying to him about Bai Ran's barbarity, making his head ache. He had forgotten about it in his earlier joy.
Harming a close relative! This was punishable by the rod! Both his palm and the back of his hand were flesh. The elders remained silent, except for the First Elder, whose eyes gleamed as he smiled at Bai Ran.
"Alright, Ran Ran, tell us what happened."
"Words are useless. Qingfeng." Bai Ran looked at Qingfeng, who was dragging someone over.
Lü Luo! Bai Luohan looked at Lü Luo, her fists clenching.
When she saw Bai Luohan outside the hall, she had ordered Qingfeng to capture the person. Lü Luo, unable to cultivate and with an injured leg, couldn't move. Qingfeng had simply snatched her from her bed.
Qingfeng roughly threw Lü Luo in front of Bai Ran.
"Ouch, you wretch, can't you be gentler? Bai Ran! It's you, you slut! My leg is all thanks to you!" Lü Luo glared fiercely at Bai Ran.
"Silence! Bai Ran is our Bai family's Fourth Miss. It's not your place to be presumptuous!" The Second Elder slammed the table forcefully.
Lü Luo flinched and fell silent.
"Tell me, what were you doing at my courtyard yesterday?" Bai Ran looked at Lü Luo.
Lü Luo glanced at Bai Luohan and said, "Yesterday, Miss was too worried about Fourth Miss's injuries. She ordered me to brew medicinal soup and find Fourth Miss. Who would have thought Fourth Miss would attack Third Miss without a word? Miss bled a lot from her back; it was very frightening."
Listening to Lü Luo's account, Bai Ran smiled again, like the bright autumn sun.
Shi Tian in the space trembled. It was over; the madam was smiling.
She slowly approached Lü Luo, "You're not telling the truth, are you?"
"Ahhh—" Bai Ran heavily stepped on Lü Luo's injured leg, crushing it. Blood flowed out, and Lü Luo curled up on the ground in pain.
"Still not talking?" With that, she stepped on Lü Luo's other leg.
The hall was deathly silent. The elders' expressions were inscrutable, and even Bai Zhantian's face was like a palette of colors. This girl, after her recovery… was a bit violent…
The First Elder smiled even more gleefully. This girl was to his liking. As quiet as a rabbit when still, as venomous as a snake when moving.
"Ahhh, I'll talk, I'll talk! Third Miss was looking for Fourth Miss to cause trouble. She wanted to beat Fourth Miss to vent her anger because Fourth Miss didn't give Third Miss face on the arena!"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's faces darkened. Beat Fourth Miss to vent anger? Didn't give face?
"Bai Hong! What a daughter you've raised!" Bai Zhantian roared at Bai Hong.
Hearing this, Bai Hong knew the patriarch was angry. He immediately knelt, "Father, this is my fault. I failed to educate my daughter properly and let Ran Ran suffer. Luohan! Quickly apologize to Ran Ran!"
Why should she apologize! It was clearly this slut's fault! She was the one who was injured!
Bai Luohan gritted her teeth and reluctantly said, "Sister Ran, I'm sorry…"
Bai Ran looked at her with her arms crossed, a mocking glint in her eyes. So, she was already unwilling? The days ahead were long, and the real show had just begun.
"Bai Luohan is confined for one month. If similar incidents occur in the future, they will be dealt with as expulsion from the family." He then turned to Bai Ran with a gentle smile and said, "Ran Ran, you will also participate in the family competition a month from now."
The Second Elder's mouth twitched. He looked at Bai Zhantian disapprovingly, that biased old man.
"If there's nothing else, you may all disperse."
Bai Luohan's eyes blazed with ferocity as she glared at Bai Ran before storming out of the hall.
Bai Ran! The family competition allows for death! We'll see!
The family competition was a confrontation between the various families of the Vermilion Bird Country. The Emperor held this competition to counterbalance the three major families of the Vermilion Bird Country and ensure the supreme status of the royal family. The Bai family led the pack, followed by the Qin family and the Hua family, and then the remaining smaller families.
The top ten in the competition could enter the Imperial Secret Realm. The secret realm not only had a high concentration of spiritual energy, making it suitable for cultivation, but also contained many treasures, and even opportunities for inheritance. The first place winner, within a certain range, would receive an imperial decree from the Emperor.
"Master, Second Young Master has returned and is waiting for you in your courtyard," Qing Hua reported.
Second Brother is here? Bai Ran's thoughts returned.
In the courtyard.
Beside a stone table, a man in a water-blue Lingyun robe sat. His elegant appearance now seemed somewhat restless. Upon seeing the person arrive, Bai Qingyu abruptly stood up, "Ran Ran."
The man, rumored to be gentle and elegant in the outside world, now appeared like a child, flustered, "Ran Ran, I heard you've recovered your senses and can cultivate again."
Bai Ran sat in the opposite seat, looking up at him with a smiling face, "Second Brother's news is quite well-informed. Ran Ran can indeed cultivate now."
"That's wonderful…"
"Second Brother, have you found any rare treasures this time?" Bai Ran thought of her own Barrier-Breaking Pill and couldn't help but ask.
"You still can't hide anything from me, Ran Ran. Originally, an expert casually gave me a fourth-tier high-grade Barrier-Breaking Pill. I thought it could help you resume cultivation. But since you can cultivate, which is a great blessing, consider this pill my congratulatory gift."
As he spoke, he took out a brocade box carved from nanmu wood, its value evident at a glance. He opened the box, revealing the carefully preserved pill.
Bai Ran looked at the box but did not take it.
Gifted by an expert? He was unwilling to let Bai Ran know that he had used his entire savings to bid for this pill. She would not expose him.
She pushed the brocade box back, "Second Brother, keep it for yourself. A while ago, Ran Ran found a master who gave me many treasures." With a wave of her hand, several bottles of third and fourth-tier pills appeared on the table.
Bai Qingyu was stunned for a moment, his hand holding the brocade box trembling slightly.
"These are gifts for Second Brother. Ever since I was young, Ran Ran has understood Second Brother's intentions, but Ran Ran has no way to repay you." Bai Ran looked at her second brother and sighed.
"Ran Ran still has plenty. Second Brother, please accept them."
Bai Qingyu came back to his senses, his eyes slightly red.
"Ran Ran has grown up, Second Brother is truly happy."
Looking at her second brother's receding back, Bai Ran's heart ached slightly. This was probably the original owner's emotions acting up.
She turned around and looked at the four people in the courtyard.
"For the next month, be fully prepared. I will train you thoroughly," her powerful words made it impossible not to obey.
"Yes, Master!"
For the next month, she trained the four relentlessly during the day and cultivated with all her might in the Shi Tian realm at night. Without Bai Luohan's presence, her grandfather occasionally visited with bags of gifts. What she didn't expect was that the First Elder visited the most frequently. Over time, they became familiar with each other, leading a seemingly ordinary yet happy life.
However, things were not as peaceful for Lü Luo.
Bai Luohan kicked Lü Luo in the stomach with such force that Lü Luo felt several bones shatter. "Miss, spare my life, Miss! It was that slut who forced me!"
Lü Luo, dragging her crippled leg, crawled towards Bai Luohan, clutching her skirt, crying breathlessly.
"Bai Ran will die, and so will you." Bai Luohan furiously grabbed Lü Luo's neck, the madness and hatred in her eyes making Lü Luo beg for mercy, "M-Miss, cough, please, spare me…"
With a squeeze from Bai Luohan, Lü Luo's breath ceased.
Bai Ran! In the family competition, I will kill you with my own hands… Bai Luohan's resentful eyes surged with murderous intent.
The day before the competition.
Qingfeng had trained the hardest, cultivating day and night, reaching Qi Condensation fifth stage. Next was Qingyue, whose original strength combined with his good talent brought him to Qi Condensation fourth stage. Qingxue and Qinghua also reached Qi Condensation third stage.
No one knew what kind of inhuman torture they had endured for this past month. The four were full of spirit, and their eyes had shed their youthful immaturity, becoming steady and composed. All of this was thanks to Bai Ran's hellish training and the enhancement of the pills. In their hearts, Bai Ran had become a near-divine being.
They were also fortunate to be her subordinates, fortunate to have made the choice they did.
Shi Tian in the space had also gradually grown accustomed to his perverse master. In just one month, she had reached Qi Condensation ninth stage!
Wasn't the path of cultivation supposed to become increasingly difficult? Was that all a lie to fool children?
Shi Tian felt wronged in the space with no one to confide in, only able to hug the Vermilion Bird egg and cry.
Cultivation was ranked by strength, from lowest to highest: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Refinement, Integration, Mahayana, and Tribulation Transcendence.
The strongest in the Vermilion Bird Country, her grandfather, was only at Golden Core eighth stage.
Let's rest tonight.
Bai Ran, who rarely wanted to sleep, frowned. She couldn't sleep at all. "Sir watching from the shadows, you don't need to keep an eye on me while I sleep, do you?"
Jingfeng, hidden in the dark, almost fell from the tree. So, all this time, she knew he was watching her? Who was he, Jingfeng? He was the First, well, the Second, personal guard of the Sovereign. The first was Jingyun.
How could she, a woman from the lower realm, detect him? Then what was he hiding for?
Thus, he swaggered in.
?
Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Bai Ran rubbed her temples, a little headache. She wondered what his master was thinking.
Keeping a guy like this around, just to play with?