Bai Ran dismissed it with a smile upon hearing this.
"Gather at my courtyard entrance tomorrow," Bai Ran said to the two men.
The two men nodded obediently, not looking down on her for her apparent weakness.
"Brother Yuan! We were the first to stand behind you!"
"Yes, look, we all chose you!"
"Let's give that new student a taste of her own medicine!"
Ouyang Yuan smugly crossed his arms, his eyes challenging Bai Ran.
"What's the hurry? It's her first time participating in the Trial Convention. Isn't she scared shitless?"
"Yeah! We just have to wait and watch her embarrass herself tomorrow!"
"Hahaha!"
...
The mocking laughter was so loud that even Elder Lin couldn't stand it.
"You are responsible for your own life and death in this Trial Convention. Focus on your cultivation and stay alert!" he said to Ouyang Yuan with a scowl.
"Great Elder, please don't worry! Do you really think Ouyang Yuan can't even compare to a new disciple?"
"Indeed! Who would believe that if you said it out loud?"
The disciples laughed wildly, while Elder Lin sighed.
These brats accomplished nothing, yet each one was more arrogant than the last, looking down on new disciples and even many older ones.
If the Que Tian Sect continued like this, it would truly fall into decline.
"Sigh—" Elder Lin rubbed his temples.
"Since the teams have been assigned, you may all disperse."
Upon hearing this, the disciples began to leave one by one, each looking confident.
The two members of Bai Ran's team also departed. As Bai Ran was about to leave, Sect Master Xiong called out to her.
"Little girl, those people have foul mouths. Please don't mind them,"
Bai Ran looked at the somewhat ashamed Sect Master Xiong and shook her head, "It's nothing. It's just that the task the sect wants me to undertake, I fear I cannot complete."
"Take this," he said, handing her a signal flare.
"If you encounter any danger, or feel the need, we will rush to your aid immediately."
Bai Ran did not take it. She understood that by not assigning this task to the assembled disciples but to her, they still hadn't given up the idea of her leading the team.
"Sect Master," Bai Ran looked at Sect Master Xiong, "I am merely a newly joined disciple and do not wish to cause too much trouble."
Bai Ran felt it was necessary to clarify things. After all, she was here to learn, not to help the sect clean up its messes.
Bai Ran was no saint and did not want to meddle in affairs that didn't concern her. Frankly, what did the lives of these disciples have to do with her?
It was possible she might even kill a few of them.
Sect Master Xiong naturally understood these points and knew her personality. However, having traversed the Central Continent for many years, he had never encountered a disciple as spiritually gifted as Bai Ran.
Not only was she exceptionally intelligent, but her talent was also extraordinary.
The warnings from the Sect Master and the elders had lost their effect. As a last resort, he wanted to try entrusting these unruly disciples to her, in the hope that she might be able to guide them back.
He paused and slowly said, "Your mother once stayed in this sect."
Mother? Upon hearing this, a ripple of emotion spread across Bai Ran's calm heart.
"Your mother left something behind in the sect," Sect Master Xiong said, observing Bai Ran's changing expression.
He was unsure about Bai Ran's feelings towards a mother she had never met. What if she harbored resentment for being abandoned by her mother?
"I understand," Bai Ran lowered her head. Sect Master Xiong had made his intentions clear; how could she not comprehend?
Bai Ran took the signal flare. "However, my methods are different from yours. Unless it is an absolute last resort, I do not wish for your intervention."
With that, she turned and left.
Sect Master Xiong understood that she had agreed to his request. Bai Ran would lead the disciples in exchange for the item left by her mother.
He watched Bai Ran's retreating back, suddenly feeling somewhat ashamed.
This was something her mother had intended to leave for her. How could he, so despicably, attach a condition?
But at his position, many things were beyond his control.
Sect Master Xiong closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists.
Bai Ran placed the signal flare into her spatial storage and returned to her courtyard.
At the entrance of her courtyard, Jing Feng and Dongfang Wuji had been waiting for a long time.
"Miss Bai!" Jing Feng hurried towards her upon seeing her return.
"Mm, let's talk inside."
The three entered the room and sat down.
"Miss Bai, please write down your birth date," Dongfang Wuji said with a smile, handing Bai Ran a piece of red paper and a brush.
Bai Ran wrote down her birth date for this life and handed it over.
Dongfang Wuji took the paper, began making calculations with his fingers, and after a long while, his smile vanished, replaced by disbelief and an unending solemnity.
"Miss Bai..."
"How is it? Is Miss Bai in danger?" Jing Feng asked anxiously.
Dongfang Wuji did not answer. Instead, he stared intently at Bai Ran, a rare seriousness in his eyes.
"This birth chart... belongs to a deceased person."
What! Jing Feng exclaimed in shock, standing up. "Impossible! How can it be the birth chart of a deceased person!"
"Isn't this Miss Bai's birth chart?"
Both men stared intently at the calm Bai Ran, desperately seeking an answer.
However, Bai Ran merely smiled softly, took back the paper, and wrote down a new birth date.
This time, it was the birth date from her previous life.
"Please calculate it again," Bai Ran smiled, saying nothing more.
Dongfang Wuji suppressed the curiosity in his heart and began his calculations once more. Jing Feng paced back and forth, feeling uneasy.
This calculation was astonishing! This birth chart was incredibly auspicious!
Dongfang Wuji looked at the birth chart before him again, confirmed he wasn't mistaken, steadied his mind, and spoke with a trembling voice.
"The person with this birth chart has a difficult destiny."
Jing Feng, upon hearing this, became anxious again. "Calculate it again!"
"Tsk, wait until I finish," Dongfang Wuji glared at Jing Feng, who immediately fell silent.
"Although this person's destiny is difficult, they will undergo a phoenix-like rebirth. Three lives will be unified, existing beyond the laws of heaven."
"In the future..." he paused, his eyes shining brightly.
"They will stand at the pinnacle of the clouds, looking down upon all worlds."
Jing Feng listened blankly, his mind seeming to have stopped working.
Was he... talking about Miss Bai? This assessment was even higher than that of the Venerable!
"Thank you," Bai Ran said indifferently, showing no outward signs of joy.
"Miss Bai, may I ask if there is a connection between these two birth charts?" Dongfang Wuji inquired, his heart filled with endless curiosity.
One birth chart pointed towards a life destined for death, devoid of vitality and hope. The other was like a soaring dragon and dancing phoenix, reaching towards the divine, imbued with boundless freedom and ease.
In his lifetime as a divine calculator, this was the first time he had discovered such a phenomenon.
"I regret I cannot disclose this," Bai Ran stood up, speaking coldly.
Hearing this, Dongfang Wuji could only suppress his curiosity and stand up as well.
"In that case, Miss Bai will not be in danger, right?" Jing Feng asked.
He shook his head. "There is danger, but it does not threaten her life in the slightest."
Upon hearing this, Jing Feng's heart finally relaxed. That was great; he could finally rest easy.
Turning around, he activated the communication jade pendant connected to the Venerable.
"Venerable! Your subordinate has discovered who harmed Miss Bai!"
Dongfang Wuji stood stunned, staring blankly at Jing Feng. What had he just heard?
Jing Feng had just betrayed him like this?