Chapter 1

Opening a book brings benefits; all matters are favorable.

Yan Zhichuan flipped the old almanac to a day filled with auspicious sayings, then skillfully scratched out the date and rewrote it.

Turning an auspicious day into today.

She selected a remote, deserted mountain within the Nine Abyss Sect to practice her swordsmanship. After completing the basic one thousand swings, she stopped without practicing a single extra one. She sheathed her dharma sword and pulled a storybook from her Qiankun Pouch, reading it with relish.

The protagonist in the storybook was an orphan who, by a stroke of luck, was rescued by an immortal and taken into a sect.

At first, she was unremarkable in the sect and bullied by her fellow disciples. Later, at the sect’s grand competition, she soared to prominence, stunning everyone.

Isn’t this basically me?

Well, she hadn’t been bullied, and she hadn’t participated in any sect grand competition.

But if she’d seen it, that meant they were fated. And fate meant their auras resonated, kindred spirits recognizing each other. So she was a child of destiny too!

When would her golden finger arrive?

When reading made her drowsy, Yan Zhichuan took a nap. When she woke, dusk had fallen.

No setbacks encountered, all things favorable—the old almanac hadn’t lied.

Only on her way down the mountain did Yan Zhichuan spot another person.

A senior sister flying on her sword was making a delivery. The sword wobbled unsteadily, and if she hadn’t dodged quickly, the fruit that tumbled off would have smashed right into her forehead.

“Huh? Junior Sister Yan? Where’d you pop up from? Back from sword practice?” The dashing cultivator on the sword hopped down in a hurry. As she spoke, she deftly stuffed a spirit pill into Yan Zhichuan’s hand.

That was close. Good thing Junior Sister dodged fast, or I’d have to compensate her with all the Pill Jades I earned this month.

Yan Zhichuan nodded.

She clearly hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, but she was used to her fellow disciples overlooking her.

Genius is always lonely.

“Junior Sister heading back to Nine Abyss Peak?” the cultivator asked again, her gaze sweeping over Yan Zhichuan. “Why not fly on a sword?”

Yan Zhichuan choked.

She was at Foundation Establishment First Layer now, but for some reason, she just couldn’t learn to fly on a sword.

Her dark eyes darted around. She covered her mouth and coughed lightly. “Not suitable for flying today.”

The dashing cultivator didn’t pry—delivering goods already strained her sword to the limit; carrying another person would be impossible.

With a nod, she whooshed off on her sword.

Yan Zhichuan watched the sword’s trailing exhaust with envy filling her face.

Why can’t I fly!

Fuming, Yan Zhichuan kicked a roadside stone.

Roadside stones never fought back—at least she could bully one.

The stone arced through the air before thudding into a bush, startling a chattering little sparrow into flight.

Yan Zhichuan pretended not to understand the sparrow cursing her.

She stared fixedly at the hand-sized crater left by the stone. Inside gleamed a simple Bronze Ring, flickering faintly in the slanting sunlight.

A Bronze Ring encountered on the road? An opportunity? Storybook scenarios flashed through Yan Zhichuan’s mind. Without hesitation, she pounced toward the ring. Drawing on her “extensive reading” experience, she channeled spiritual power into it and dripped her blood to claim ownership—all in one smooth motion.

As the blood sank in, a profound, ethereal clear qi rose from the ring. A silver-white orb of light slowly emerged, swirling around Yan Zhichuan’s hand like mist.

“Heavenly Dao System, at your… Who are you?” A distant, ethereal voice emanated from the ring. But as the glow swept over Yan Zhichuan, it abruptly changed pitch, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Yan Zhichuan’s eyes widened as she stared at the ring.

In the past four or five years, she’d picked up no fewer than eighty such items, but this was the only Bronze Ring that reacted.

So I really am a child of the Heavenly Dao?

Yan Zhichuan’s heart bloomed with joy. She cleared her throat and, drawing on storybook experience, declared with refined poise: “Your master.”

Heavenly Dao System: “…” The misty light orb circled Yan Zhichuan once before reluctantly scanning out a panel of information.

【Name: Yan Zhichuan

Age: 18

Race: Barely human

Alignment: Opportunistic

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment First Layer

Aptitude: Sword Dao trash, exceptional affinity for plants and vegetation

Identity: Direct disciple of Nine Abyss Sect Sect Master Yan Jizhi

Evaluation: Obscure nobody, dreams of becoming a sword immortal via napping, suspected intellectual deficiency】

What Yan Zhichuan? Never heard of her. But Nine Abyss Sect—

The Heavenly Dao System quickly asked: “Do you know Zhan Yujie?”

Yan Zhichuan nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking rice. “I do! She’s my senior sister. Direct disciple of Pacify All Under Heaven Peak Master Zhong Zhanxi. Not under the same master as me, but Elder Zhong frequents my master’s quarters, so rounding up, that’s basically my master too.”

The Heavenly Dao System morphed into a bitter face with drooping corners. Who asked for that?

It had come here to bind with that fated demonic corrupter and guide her to the righteous path.

Isn’t this the path she must take? How could someone kick a stone while walking and forcibly contract me?

It only had one binding opportunity. Breaking the contract would cause it to dissipate entirely, dooming this world. But things weren’t that bad—Yan Zhichuan was that demonic corrupter’s junior sister, wasn’t she?

Before getting to business with Yan Zhichuan, the Heavenly Dao System asked: “Do you forcibly contract every strange object you find? Aren’t you afraid of encountering a Demon Creature and suffering backlash?”

Yan Zhichuan blinked. She said tactfully to the glow: “Are you… not very smart? This is the Nine Abyss Sect. How could a Demon Creature get in? Even if one did, I could just call my master!”

The Nine Abyss Sect was a top-tier sect on the Nine Summers Continent, guarded by six Cave Heaven Great True Persons. What was there to fear from mere Demon Creatures?

The Heavenly Dao System’s misty form churned silently, adding to Yan Zhichuan’s identity card: Spoiled rich kid.

But she… could probably still be saved?

Even if she was an idiot, it had the medicine to drag her back.

“I am the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao’s will. Detecting that Nine Abyss Sect’s Zhan Yujie of the Nine Summers Continent is fated to fall to the demonic path, I have come to alter her destiny.”

Yan Zhichuan: “?”

She wasn’t close with Zhan Yujie, but in her impression, whether fellow sect sisters or disciples from other sects, everyone praised her endlessly—pure as jade, frosty like autumn frost, chaste and unparalleled… Every beautiful word Yan Zhichuan knew got heaped on Zhan Yujie.

Someone like that would fall to the demonic path?

Yan Zhichuan frowned, sensing something off.

Is this opportunity actually a bad one?

Heavenly Dao System: “Zhan Yujie, two years your senior. Entered Nine Abyss Sect under Zhong Zhanxi at age five. Golden Core First Layer. Mother: Zhao Pingchuan. Younger sister: Zhao Yulu. Betrothed: Chongxu Sect’s Liu Yanqing.”

Yan Zhichuan looked skeptical. “Even the ragpickers at the Nine Abyss Sect gates know that.”

Heavenly Dao System: “She was born with Sword Bone.”

Yan Zhichuan: “Ah? No wonder her cultivation progresses so fast. So it’s not that my talent sucks.”

Heavenly Dao System: “?” Is that the point? “Zhao Pingchuan is not her birth mother. Zhao Yulu was born with Sword Heart but has bodily defects. Zhao Pingchuan raised her only to harvest a section of Sword Bone for her own daughter.”

“Liu Yanqing, her betrothed, gained many benefits but was secretly involved with Miracle Hand Sect healer Zhu Feng. Later, she schemed against Zhan Yujie and played the victim.”

“Afterward, Zhan Yujie’s foundation and reputation were ruined. Hunted across the Nine Summers Continent, she turned to the demonic path. Her talent allows success in both orthodox and demonic cultivation. She joined Demon Sect forces to shatter the barrier between immortals and demons, allowing the Demon Clan to flood the human realm.”

…

“So, as Zhan Yujie’s junior sister, your task is to guide her back to the righteous path.”

“The Heavenly Dao System will issue related tasks. Completing them grants Heavenly Dao rewards. Failure to complete—”

Yan Zhichuan asked curiously: “What happens if I fail?”

Heavenly Dao System, concise: “Lightning punishment, to make an example.”

Yan Zhichuan: “?”

The world upside down!

“I contracted you. I’m your master, and you want to punish me? Doing your tasks is my honor! There’s something wrong with you!”

Yan Zhichuan’s heart chilled. Maybe that broken ring was right at first. Could it be a Demon Creature? Her expression shifted repeatedly. She pulled a wooden whistle from her sleeve, raised it to her lips, and blew.

The shrill whistle pierced the clouds.

A formidable, terrifying aura descended from the heavens, coalescing into a hazy phantom before Yan Zhichuan.

She thrust the Bronze Ring forward and loudly complained: “Master! A Demon Creature got into our Nine Abyss Sect! It wants to strike me with lightning!”

Heavenly Dao System: “???”

The icy, frost-like phantom glanced at the Heavenly Dao System and flicked lightly, sending the misty glow back into the ring.

She drew the ring into her palm and scooped up the puffed-up Yan Zhichuan.

“What are you doing here?” Yan Jizhi asked, somewhat exasperated.

“Practicing sword.” Yan Zhichuan stood her ground, even without right on her side.

Yan Jizhi: “…How many swings?”

Yan Zhichuan blinked. “One thousand.” She felt she’d been very diligent.

No sword talent means even ten thousand swings won’t help. Yan Jizhi worried. She asked: “What about the rest of your time?”

Yan Zhichuan: “Studying.”

Yan Jizhi, surprised: “You finally went to Medicine Peak for the Dao scriptures?”

Yan Zhichuan: “…No.” Last time she’d gone to Medicine Peak, she’d seen the massive stele engraved with the five blood-red characters “Living people go to Death Peak,” which scared her off. After pondering, she added, “Master, can’t we rename our sect’s peaks?”

Aside from the normal-sounding Nine Abyss Peak, the other peaks sounded utterly illiterate.

Sword Peak was Pacify All Under Heaven Peak—that had some flair.

But Blade Peak? Should be Flat All Under Heaven Peak or something.

The body cultivation one was Great Power Peak.

Artifact Peak was Don’t Come If You’re Poor Peak.

Yan Jizhi recalled the chaos when they’d debated renaming—her phantom nearly dispersed. She refused without hesitation: “No.” Fearing Yan Zhichuan would dwell on it, she added, “Little Chuan, you lack Sword Heart and Sword Bone. Learning the sword isn’t easy for you.”

Effort yields no results, let alone slacking off to become a sword immortal.

“No worries.” Yan Zhichuan’s gaze was firm. “Master, I’m a child of the Heavenly Dao!”

Yan Jizhi: “…” Fine, she’s having an episode again.

The restrained Bronze Ring twitched in Yan Jizhi’s palm and transmitted to Yan Zhichuan: “Forget it. Even the Heavenly Dao can’t make you succeed.”

Yan Zhichuan jumped.

Realizing, she immediately shouted: “Master! It says I’m useless! Take it to Artifact Peak and melt it down for window caulk!”