It Turns Out The Master's Wife Is Actually Me [GL] - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After coaxing Xin Yunze into a state of foolish grins, Cheng Fu returned to the Fifth Courtyard, mentally and physically exhausted. She found her three roommates had all returned early and were currently deep in meditation, recouping their strength for the afternoon’s combat practice class.

As cultivators, the fastest and most effective way to rest is by sitting in meditation to absorb breath. Known as Fixed Zen, this practice tempers a cultivator’s character. Spending time in meditation not only settles the body and soothes fatigue but also subtly increases one’s affinity with the world’s spiritual energy. It is, quite literally, all benefit and no harm.

Her roommates were clearly diligent types who replaced their noon naps with meditation a popular study method at Zhiwang. When everyone around you is this hardworking, anyone would be moved to follow suit. Over time, it had become an institutional custom.

Seeing this, and having nothing else to do, Cheng Fu closed her eyes, concentrated her breath, and began to meditate.

Half an hour later, she opened her eyes with a calm gaze, feeling thoroughly refreshed. A slight smile touched her lips; she felt exceptionally lucky. This body’s talent was extraordinary thirty minutes of meditation provided as much relief and meridian soothing as two hours would for anyone else. It was a fantastic free cheat code.

A moment later, however, her eyebrows knitted together.

Strange.

Initially buoyed by joy, she had tried to settle her mind to check the growth of spiritual power in her meridians. She wanted to see exactly how much progress she had made in that short span. To her dismay, the check was like a bucket of cold water over her head.

Despite the high efficiency of the meditation, not a single shred of new spiritual energy had entered her meridians. What flowed slowly within was still only the original spiritual power she started with.

Cheng Fu frowned. She had been too carried away; she almost forgot that this body had been explicitly certified by two great contemporary masters as having a restriction on it. Blinded by the comfort of her bursting talent, she had momentarily forgotten the main issue. Furthermore, before she even arrived here, the original owner of this body had set out for Zhiwang specifically to enter the Library and find a way to break this seal.

Her sword was unusable, and her cultivation was imprisoned. Cheng Fu felt a sudden surge of stifled frustration. It was exactly like owning a gold mine but having no way to mine it. Having a gold mine you can’t touch is the same as not having one at all.

Numbly, she flopped onto her bed, her passion for cultivation thoroughly extinguished by this realization.

Leaning lazily against the headboard, she didn’t feel like reading, so she turned her gaze toward her cheap roommates. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really looked at them closely; she only had vague impressions of their personalities. Since she was bored, she figured she might as well observe them while they were quiet, lest she fail to recognize them later and face an awkward encounter.

It must be mentioned that before transmigrating, Cheng Fu was a renowned connoisseur of beauties or, as some might say, a pervy old soul. Young as she was, she had never been proper; her greatest hobby was looking at, swooning over, and praising beautiful women. Her vitality would drop significantly if she went a few days without seeing one.

The reason this habit hadn’t affected her since arriving in this world was, of course, because she saw Yan Li every day, providing her with an ample supply. As for why she only liked looking at women? It was because Cheng Fu had never had any interest in men at least, not of the romantic variety.

She thought with a mix of trepidation and excitement: Although this isn’t very gentlemanly, surely a few quiet glances won’t hurt, right? Once the thought sprouted, her execution was impressively swift.

Her dark eyes first landed on Yang Yanran.

Yang Yanran was meditating with her eyes closed, her expression peaceful. Even with her eyes shut, one could tell from the slant of her lids that she possessed a pair of phoenix eyes the upturned corners suggesting a soul-hooking charm.

Verdict: An electric-eyed beauty!

Satisfied, Cheng Fu turned to Shen Wenxun.

Shen Wenxun had an elegant silhouette but full cheeks with a hint of baby fat. Her eyebrow shape was unique, and her apricot eyes were large and round, with corners more open than the average person’s and long, curled lashes.

Verdict: A cute-type beauty!

Finally, she looked at Chen Qianru. Chen Qianru’s features were serene, her V-shaped face possessing a gentle and delicate curve. Her cherry lips were full and red, like a fresh red bean waiting to be plucked.

Verdict: A gentle-type beauty!

Cheng Fu moved her gaze back and forth between her three roommates, occasionally letting out a quiet tsk of admiration. Truly, girls were treasures; if you dug deep enough, not a single one wasn’t beautiful.

Just as she was blissfully acting the part of a fan-girl, a chirpy female voice suddenly rang out like a thunderclap: Eh? Cheng Fu, why are you staring at Yanran? You’re looking so intently!”

Cheng Fu:

I must ask Master to teach me an earth- (earth-fleeing) technique one of these days for emergencies like this.

Shen Wenxun, who had asked the question innocently, watched as Cheng Fu’s face turned so red it looked like it might start smoking at any second. She was puzzled; she didn’t understand why Cheng Fu was reacting so strongly.

She scratched her head and added, Ah, it’s actually fine. You don’t need to react like that. Look if you want Yanran does look very cool, I can’t help but look a few extra times myself.

Cheng Fu nodded in silent agreement. Exactly! Looking at beauties is a human instinct! Who could resist taking a few extra glances!

However… Cheng Fu thought silently, I really shouldn’t daze out while staring at someone’s face next time. It’s a bit rude. Her face was still hot, but she reflected inwardly: Cheng Fu, oh Cheng Fu, remember not to be led astray by beauty in the future. You are supposed to be a gentleman.

Unaware of Cheng Fu’s inner turmoil, Shen Wenxun just blinked in confusion and poked her again. There’s still fifteen minutes left in the noon break. Shall we wake them up?

Cheng Fu glanced at the spiritual-powered sundial on the wall and helped Shen Wenxun wake the other two.

After some nudging, Yang Yanran and Chen Qianru stopped their meditation and rose to straighten their clothes. Once off the bed, they began packing their scrolls and chatting with their roommates. The atmosphere in the Fifth Courtyard, previously silent from meditation, suddenly became lively.

Shen Wenxun, who had woken up early and finished packing, was the most talkative. She gestured excitedly, saying, I saw the first batch of team lists for the Character Testing Realm today! That cool, handsome senior sister is on it. Do you guys know her? She’s amazing! An Alchemist, yet she actually took the main combat position in the team!

Cheng Fu’s ears perked up. As a newcomer, she wasn’t familiar with the academy’s daily schedule or various training activities. The Character Testing Realm was a completely foreign term to her.

Yang Yanran was efficient with her hands and didn’t show much emotion. She said indifferently, Hou Qinghan? She’s been very popular lately; I’ve heard of her. She seemed uninterested in this Hou Qinghan and went back to organizing her things.

Chen Qianru’s eyes, however, lit up as she chimed in: Yes, yes! That famous Senior Hou, right? As an Alchemist, she absolutely dominated last year’s Character Testing Realm!

Cheng Fu, overcome with curiosity, leaned in and asked, What is the Character Testing Realm?

After a flurry of explanations from Chen Qianru and Shen Wenxun, Cheng Fu roughly understood.

As a specialized academy for cultivators, practical experience was indispensable alongside theoretical study and foundational training. Real achievements for a cultivator could only be gained through trial and practice; there was no room for armchair generalship. Without actual combat, a cultivator would find it difficult to promote their rank or comprehend their own Dao.

In other spiritual domains, schools would simply send students out of the academy or down the mountain to low-risk areas. An instructor would set up a barrier, and a training trial would begin.

But the Frozen Winter Snowfield was different. The environment was extremely harsh. Of the ten most dangerous beasts ranked in the cultivation world, eight frequently appeared in this snowfield. If they simply threw students out there like other domains did, the accidental death rate at Zhiwang would skyrocket, and soon no one would apply.

Since they couldn’t be sent out, and traveling to other domains was inconvenient for administrative management, the Dean of Zhiwang came up with a plan. He had instructors from the “Mental Obstacles and Inner Demons” branch spend over ten months developing an inner-demon realm with training effects the Character Testing Realm.

Inside this realm, one would encounter various dangers and changes, improving their ability to adapt and gain combat experience. It served the same purpose as the training grounds in other domains, just within a controlled environment.

However, because the realm was essentially an Inner Demon Realm, the dangers and scenarios were generated based on the fears or inner demons of the participating students. This meant others might experience things you had gone through a deep, immersive experience.

Furthermore, the Inner Demon Capture Range was massive. Sometimes, the fear captured wasn’t even that of the participants. In short: one person competes, the whole academy experiences their social death.

The only consolation was that the inner demons were anonymous; others could experience the trauma, but they wouldn’t know which unlucky student it belonged to.

Listening to the explanation, Cheng Fu couldn’t help but feel great confusion: If that’s the case, why do students keep participating? If you happen to be in your own inner demon with your teammates, wouldn’t that be awkward to the point of wanting to die?

Chen Qianru nodded in agreement. Yes. At first, no one wanted to join. But if you don’t join, you don’t get credits. If you don’t have credits, you can’t graduate. So, people usually only sign up when they’re forced to right before graduation.

Cheng Fu:

“Cheng Fu, are you interested in participating? Chen Qianru looked at her with shining eyes. There are extra rewards for signing up during the non-graduation season. I plan to take the test this time; why don’t we form a team?

Cheng Fu waved her hand dismissively. No, no. I have no interest in this Character Testing Realm for now.

Chen Qianru flashed a brilliant, gentle, and seemingly harmless smile. The rewards are very generous. The top five teams get a chance to enter the Zhiwang Library. The winning team gets it even better they receive a full score for their final evaluation and a rare spirit pet cub for every member of the team.

Cheng Fu, who had been looking drained and lazy, suddenly straightened her neck, her eyes gleaming.

Chen Qianru, let’s team up!