After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 5

In the hidden space beneath the stone wall, the cold air persisted, now mixed with a subtle, faint scent of herbs.

Ye Li sat cross-legged, her eyes slightly closed. The stream of spiritual energy within her body was noticeably thicker than a few days prior, circulating slowly along the several meridians she had initially opened. Each cycle brought a subtle yet continuous sense of strengthening. The fractured bones in her chest had mostly healed, leaving only a lingering ache, a reminder of her past injuries.

The fundamental techniques of the 《Abyssal Sovereign Sutra》 were becoming increasingly proficiently executed. Aided by the occasional cooling current that emanated from the fragment of the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror, her precision in controlling spiritual energy far surpassed her peers, and her efficiency was steadily increasing. The cold spring and the surrounding harvested herbs allowed her to concoct a sufficient supply of simple medicinal liquid, which, when combined with her cultivation, yielded significant results.

Her current strength had solidly reached the peak of the early stage of the Spirit Opening Realm, needing only a catalyst to break through to the middle stage. Such speed, if revealed, would be enough to shock the entire Ye family. But to Li Zun, who had once stood atop all beings, it was still too slow, far too slow!

The flame of vengeance had never been extinguished, only burning silently beneath a layer of calm ice. She knew that remaining confined here was not a long-term solution. The Ye family’s resources, even a small fraction, far outweighed what she could laboriously gather here. Furthermore, she needed a more legitimate identity and platform to quickly access the outside world and obtain more information about her enemies and the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror.

Just then, the distant, faint sound of a bell, piercing through the dense forest, reached her ears.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The bell rang nine times, steady and solemn.

Ye Li suddenly opened her eyes. This was the Ye family’s signal to summon all young disciples. And at this time, only one event required such a large-scale mobilization—

The Family Grand Competition!

Fragments of the original host’s memory instantly surfaced. The Ye family held a Family Grand Competition every year, designed to test the cultivation progress of the younger generation and select outstanding talents. Those who performed exceptionally well would not only receive generous rewards of elixirs, cultivation manuals, and even weapons, but more importantly, the top ten would earn the recommendation qualification to participate in the subordinate family selection assembly hosted by the “Profound Cloud Sect” shortly thereafter!

That was the stepping stone to a broader world, to enter a true cultivation sect!

The former “Ye Li,” due to her worthless aptitude and lack of cultivation, didn’t even qualify to register. Every year, she could only watch from afar with envy, often leading to more ridicule.

But now…

Ye Li stood up and brushed the dust from her clothes. Although her clothing was still worn, it was clean. Her complexion was still somewhat pale, but it was no longer a sickly weakness; rather, it was a subtle, hidden luster. Especially her eyes—deep and tranquil, devoid of any past timidity.

The opportunity had arrived.

She must seize this competition, not only to achieve a ranking but also to secure the qualification to attend the Profound Cloud Sect’s assembly!

Without hesitation, she tidied her appearance and walked out of this temporary residence, heading towards the Ye family’s training ground.

The Registration Fiasco

The Ye family training ground was currently a hive of activity.

The large blue stone plaza was surrounded by Ye family disciples, stewards, and even some noteworthy servants. On the high platform, the Patriarch Ye Tian and several influential elders sat, watching the crowd below with solemn expressions.

Several tall arenas were set up in the center of the plaza. The registration area was located on one side of the arenas, where several long tables seated a few expressionless stewards responsible for registration and checking cultivation. Many young disciples were queuing up, eager to test themselves, creating an atmosphere that was both enthusiastic and tense.

Ye Li’s arrival was like a drop of water in boiling oil, instantly causing a small commotion.

“Look! It’s that good-for-nothing! Why is she here?”

“She wouldn’t actually think about registering, would she? Haha, what a toad trying to eat swan meat!”

“I heard she beat up Old Woman Wang and Li San a few days ago? Is that true?”

“Must be a fluke, or those two just weren’t careful! What ability could a good-for-nothing like her possibly have?”

“Look at her, she seems quite calm? Is she just giving up and going all out?”

Whispers and unconcealed mockery came from all directions. The glances were filled with disdain, curiosity, and schadenfreude, but none held respect.

Ye Li ignored all of it, her gaze calmly sweeping over the serious-faced Ye Tian and the elders on the high platform, before walking straight to the end of the registration queue.

Her appearance naturally caught the attention of the steward at the registration desk. The person responsible for registration was a thin steward with triangular eyes and a goatee, named Ye Yong. He had a reputation for being a sycophant, sucking up to the direct descendants while being harsh on collateral branches and servants. He had long heard that Young Master Ye Lang was looking for trouble with this good-for-nothing, and seeing her dare to register now, a cold sneer appeared in his heart.

The queue moved slowly. When it was Ye Li’s turn, she walked to the table.

Ye Yong couldn’t even be bothered to lift his eyelids, lazily drawing out his words: “Name, age, cultivation realm.” Another steward next to him was responsible for verifying cultivation, which usually required the person being tested to input a trace of spiritual energy into a Spirit Testing Stone.

“Ye Li, fifteen, Spirit Opening Realm,” Ye Li’s voice was calm and steady.

“Oh? Spirit Opening Realm?” Ye Yong finally lifted his eyelids, sized her up, and a deep sarcasm curled at his lips. “Ye Li? The famous ‘genius’? You say you’re in the Spirit Opening Realm? Haha, what a huge joke! Do you think the Family Grand Competition is child’s play? Can any cat or dog just show up and participate?”

His words immediately drew a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd. Several direct descendants queuing behind him were even more blunt with their mockery.

“Steward Yong, hurry up and kick her out! Don’t waste our time!”

“Exactly, what’s a good-for-nothing doing here causing a ruckus? She’s just lowering the standard of our competition!”

“Hurry up and scram! Don’t embarrass yourself here!”

Seeing this, Ye Yong became even more arrogant, waving his hand like shooing a fly: “Did you hear that? Get lost! This isn’t the place for you! If you keep causing trouble, be careful, I’ll punish you according to family rules!”

Facing the crowd’s mockery and Ye Yong’s deliberate obstruction, Ye Li’s expression didn’t change at all. She simply looked at Ye Yong with a light gaze and asked, “Family rules? Which family rule stipulates that a disciple in the Spirit Opening Realm cannot participate in the Family Grand Competition?”

Ye Yong was taken aback, not expecting her to actually talk back and even bring up the family rules. He was momentarily speechless. The family rules indeed had no explicit stipulation against those in the Spirit Opening Realm from participating. After all, anyone who reached the Spirit Opening Realm before the age of fifteen was considered decent in the Ye family. Who would have thought a notorious good-for-nothing could reach it?

But he wouldn’t easily back down, so he argued forcefully: “Hmph! While the family rules may not explicitly state it, there is a customary practice! You, a well-known good-for… a person of ordinary aptitude, suddenly claim to have reached the Spirit Opening Realm? Who would believe that? You must be lying! Trying to sneak past the registration! As a steward, I naturally must strictly vet the participants!”

“Oh? Customary practice?” Ye Li’s lips curved slightly, revealing an icy arc. “Steward Yong, are you suggesting that the Ye family’s rules are not the black-and-white family laws, but the ‘customary practice’ you speak of? Or is this ‘customary practice’ only directed at me, Ye Li? Have you been this ‘strict’ when other collateral disciples came to register?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly rang out in the ears of everyone present, carrying an unquestionable calmness.

The laughter around gradually subsided. Many collateral disciples showed thoughtful and slightly indignant expressions upon hearing her words. Indeed, Ye Yong usually fawned over the direct descendants and dared not overly harass collateral members with some background, but he was utterly harsh on those collateral disciples and children of servants who had no backing. Ye Li’s words perfectly hit a nerve.

Ye Yong’s face alternated between shades of green and white from being questioned. He pointed at Ye Li: “You… you’re quibbling! Just causing trouble!”

“Whether I’m causing trouble or not, we’ll know with a test.” Ye Li no longer looked at him, shifting her gaze to the other steward responsible for checking cultivation. “Please proceed with the verification.”

That steward was relatively neutral. Seeing Ye Li’s composure, he pointed to the Spirit Testing Stone on the table: “Just input a trace of spiritual energy.”

Ye Yong tried to object, but the steward shot him a glance, forcing him to sullenly shut up, hatred brewing in his heart. He was convinced that even if this good-for-nothing had somehow gotten lucky and developed some Qi sense, it would be a recent, just-barely-starting achievement. The light from the testing stone would definitely be extremely faint, and he could still mock and ridicule her then!

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the dull, gray Spirit Testing Stone.

Ye Li extended a finger and gently touched it. With a thought, a strand of spiritual energy, far purer and more substantial than that of her peers, separated and slowly flowed into the stone.

In an instant—

The Spirit Testing Stone suddenly lit up! It emitted a stable and clear white light. While not dazzling, it certainly exceeded the standard for the early stage of the Spirit Opening Realm, even faintly touching the threshold of the middle stage!

“This…”

The steward in charge of verification was slightly startled. He looked at Ye Li in surprise, then nodded to confirm: “Peak of the early stage of the Spirit Opening Realm, confirmed.”

Whoosh!

The scene immediately erupted in an uproar!

“What?! She’s really in the Spirit Opening Realm?!”

“Peak of the early stage?! How is this possible! She was clearly a good-for-nothing a few months ago!”

“Did she perhaps have some extraordinary encounter?”

“Maybe she was always hiding her true abilities?”

Everyone discussed animatedly, their faces full of disbelief. The direct descendants who had been loudly mocking her earlier were now like they had been choked, their faces full of shock and embarrassment.

Ye Yong’s face instantly turned incredibly ugly, as if he had swallowed a fly. He opened his mouth, wanting to nitpick, but found himself unable to utter a single word. Facts spoke louder than words!

Ye Li withdrew her finger, her gaze falling once again on the pig-faced Ye Yong. Her voice remained calm: “Steward Yong, may I register now? Or do your ‘customary practices’ supersede the Spirit Testing Stone and this steward’s confirmation?”

Ye Yong trembled with rage, but under the scrutiny of the crowd, especially with gazes seemingly directed from the high platform, he dared not deliberately obstruct her any longer. He gritted his teeth, picked up the brush with extreme reluctance, and heavily wrote the name “Ye Li” in the roster, as if trying to stab through the name.

“Hmph! So what if you’re registered? Swords have no eyes in the Grand Competition, be careful not to be killed by accident!” Ye Yong lowered his voice, cursing maliciously.

Ye Li acted as if she hadn’t heard him. After receiving the wooden token that represented successful registration, she turned and left without any hesitation.

Just a few steps away, a slightly timid voice spoke up: “Um… Sister Ye Li?”

Ye Li paused and looked to the side. She saw a slender boy, also dressed simply, looking at her nervously. The boy was about fourteen or fifteen, with delicate features, clear but somewhat fearful eyes. His cultivation seemed to have just entered the Spirit Opening Realm, and his aura was unstable. Ye Li remembered him; his name was Ye Xiaodou. His parents had died early, and he was also a frequent target of bullying among the collateral disciples.

“Something the matter?” Ye Li asked. Her tone wasn’t warm but not coldly rejecting either.

Ye Xiaodou seemed to have gathered all his courage and whispered: “Sister Ye Li, you… you are so amazing! You actually dared to talk back to Steward Yong… You, are you also going to participate in the Grand Competition? Be… be careful, I heard Young Master Ye Lang and the others…” He stopped mid-sentence, seemingly afraid to continue, only looking at her with worry.

This was… a kind reminder? Ye Li looked at the boy, who was also struggling at the bottom, and her heart stirred slightly. In this cold Ye family, even a tiny bit of goodwill was precious.

“Yes, I know. Thank you.” She nodded, her tone softening slightly. “You should do your best too.”

With that, she said no more and turned to leave. Being able to say “thank you” and “you should do your best” was a rare response for her.

Ye Xiaodou stared at her receding back, paused, and then a look of flustered pleasure appeared on his face. He nodded vigorously.

This scene naturally fell into the eyes of a few direct descendants not far away.

“Hmph! A good-for-nothing and a coward, they’ve found each other!” A direct descendant named Ye Hua, one of Ye Lang’s followers, sneered.

“Just because she got lucky and reached the Spirit Opening Realm, she dares to be so arrogant! And talk back to a steward! She’s simply courting death!” Another follower, Ye Lin, chimed in.

“Brother Lang already instructed us—if we run into her in the competition, hit her until she’s half-dead! We’ll see how long she can be smug!”

“Exactly! We must teach her a lesson she’ll never forget!”

The few of them looked in the direction Ye Li had left, their eyes filled with malice and hostility. In their view, Ye Li’s performance today was a serious provocation to their direct lineage authority!

Ye Li felt the unfriendly gazes behind her, but she did not look back. The wooden token in her hand was rough yet solid, representing an opportunity and also signaling that a greater storm was approaching.

She had officially stepped into the family’s sights, for better or worse. Small-scale discussions had already begun, with kind reminders and malicious hostility coexisting.

But this was exactly what she wanted.

Calm waters don’t make skilled sailors. Only through storms and conflict could she quickly stand out and obtain everything she needed.

She gripped the wooden token, her gaze turning toward the several tall arenas.

The Grand Competition was about to begin.