Even through the screen, you could feel Wu Shang's tension.

An Zhengzheng had no choice but to reply, "Master, it's like this. I want to ask how Senior Sister Jian Lin ascended to the rank of High God back then. I heard that the Sect Leader is her direct master."

As for why Master hasn't ascended to immortality yet, but Sister Jianlin has, the official explanation seems to be related to the Jade Dew, which is essential for ascension.

This matter is a taboo in the Siyue Sect. There are rumors that the Suotang Immortal lost the Jade Dew back then, which caused several Immortals to be unable to ascend.

“If it’s about this, you don’t need to ask.” Master Wushang breathed a sigh of relief. “Everything you need to know about Jian Lin is on the forum.”

"You must believe that diligence can make up for lack of talent, and heaven rewards diligence. Back then, she was a useless person with five spiritual roots, yet she sacrificed herself for the world... It's very complicated. Even I can't get a glimpse of it."

It seems there's no way to understand it; this matter is too mysterious.

An Zhengzheng had no choice but to give up.

She secluded herself for more than half a month, practicing several martial arts manuals on her own mountain without sleep or rest.

Master Wushang gave her a very powerful technique that could resist attacks, similar to the Turtle Shell Divine Skill. If she mastered it, she wouldn't need to defend excessively when attacking.

An Zhengzheng cherished it, after all, it was the first set of orthodox cultivation techniques she had obtained. As for the orthodox cultivation techniques of the An family, they were still in the hands of the clan leader and were uniformly taught to the men of the clan.

The father had no son, so it would be very difficult for him to obtain it.

At the end of the month, An Zhengzheng finally emerged from seclusion and was about to meet An Yirou and the others, but she was stopped as soon as she stepped out of the inner gate.

It is Zhou Yu'er.

She clearly knew all along that An Zhengzheng would emerge from seclusion today.

"I'm sorry for what happened last time."

Zhou Yu'er was still somewhat unwilling, and seeing An Zhengzheng's aloof appearance made her feel even more uncomfortable.

"But I never intended to kill you, nor did I intend to make you leave the scene. I just wanted to make you look bad, so that my cousin wouldn't..."

She couldn't continue speaking. Thinking about how Zhou Xu had said such harsh words to her for An Zhengzheng's sake, she felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

An Zhengzheng frowned and said coldly, "These things are none of my business. I don't care what you think or what feelings you have for Zhou Xu. It's none of my business."

I hate girls with competitive minds. Can't girls from families of cultivators be a little more magnanimous?

But An Zhengzheng felt helpless. She knew the common problem in the cultivation world: it was better if the cultivators came from the human world, because most of them had left their homes and were determined to cut off their human world in order to become immortals.

However, families that cultivate immortality are different. Because they know that not everyone can become an immortal, they attach great importance to their family bloodline. After all, those who fail to cultivate immortality still need to have offspring as a fallback plan.

An Zhengzheng: "I'm just disgusted by people like you who trample on sincerity and are ungrateful."

"Yi Rou, Song Juan, and Su Ying all treated you sincerely, but you've become so blinded by a man that you've abandoned your sisterhood and friends."

An Yirou didn't say anything, but An Zhengzheng could sense her disappointment and unhappiness.

Zhou Yu'er's face turned pale. It would be a lie to say that she had no regrets, but her cousin held too much weight in her heart.

"What's wrong with me cherishing my love?" she said bitterly. "I just don't believe you have no feelings for him at all."

These words sounded like they were spoken in a fit of pique, but Zhou Yu'er's eyes never left An Zhengzheng's face, determined to find a flaw in her statement.

An Zhengzheng laughed: "What a coincidence, I really don't have any. If you really want to say you do, it's just mutual appreciation, but it's not really... after all..."

She paused for a moment: "He's a bit weak."

Zhou Yu'er: ...

An Zhengzheng's tone was too casual, which made Zhou Yu'er want to glare at her angrily.

An Zhengzheng was also helpless; she was telling the truth.

With the best cultivation techniques and magical artifacts, as well as natural talent, Zhou Xu's start was perfect.

However, he was too rule-abiding and inflexible, and also somewhat arrogant, believing that the Zhou family's martial arts were unparalleled in the world. He was prone to underestimating martial arts techniques and thus underestimated his opponents.

If it were an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, but An Zhengzheng has the experience of living two lives, knows how to learn, is diligent and down-to-earth, and is more mature than normal people.

That way, you can defeat him.

Zhou Yu'er sneered: "Don't be arrogant."

An Zhengzheng said with a smile, "He is looking at me differently now only because the Zhou family genius is used to being arrogant and only I can defeat him."

"If you really want him to treat you differently, why don't you make an effort and impress him?"

An Zhengzheng doesn't support the idea that a woman's motivation comes from a man. But this Zhou Yu'er... she never wants to have anything to do with this person again.

It would be better to find her something to do, so that she won't keep staring at me, the "love rival" she's imagined.

Seeing that An Zhengzheng didn't seem to be faking it, Zhou Yu'er hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you really not interested in my cousin?"

"Unintentionally."

"Why?" Mingming's cousin was impeccable.

An Zhengzheng said meaningfully, "If one day you can become the top scholar, all your peers will be no match for you, and then you will understand."

"Based on my abilities and the diligence I believe in, I believe I am self-reliant and have the will not to depend on or rely on others."

If women had tasted the power, status, and money, they would strive for their own careers like men, instead of chasing after fleeting love.

A lifetime of seeking love is highly dependent on luck; such a gambler is gambling with a man's conscience.

The outcome is often a losing proposition, with nine out of ten gamblers losing.

"whispering sound--"

Zhou Yu'er thought An Zhengzheng was talking nonsense. What trouble could a woman cause? She would only regret it when she got old and lost her beauty!

So what if she's the top scholar? Men will catch up with women later on, and my cousin will surpass her in the future!

Zhou Yu'er handed the bag of treasures to An Zhengzheng: "This is from the Zhou family clan, and they asked me to apologize to you."

An Zhengzheng accepted the gift without feeling guilty and asked, "Where are Yi Rou and the others?"

“He’s in there too.” Zhou Yu’er said irritably. “The Zhou family told me not to offend you, you’re really something.”

It's infuriating to even think about it. The Zhou family is the top family of cultivators, while the An family is nothing but a declining one.

An Zhengzheng weighed the treasure bag in her hand, her tone playful: "You see, this is the importance of strength."

An Zhengzheng earned respect through her own abilities, especially after defeating the Zhou family's genius, Miao Miao.

Zhou Yu'er remained silent.

An Zhengzheng ignored her, worried that Yi Rou and the others would wait too long, so she went to find them.

Along the way, she saw many female cultivators practicing. Unlike An Zhengzheng, they were not disciples of the sect, so they did not have their own designated mountain.

Aside from practicing at home, the only other options are to practice in various venues.

An Zhengzheng spotted Zhu Liucui and Gu Jin. Zhu Liucui had set up an alchemy furnace by the roadside, while Gu Jin was practicing magic nearby.

They were surprised to see An Zhengzheng: "Zhengzheng, it's been a long time!"

"What are you doing?" An Zhengzheng asked, puzzled.