The beautiful woman in the quick transmigration novel has been targeted by the male lead again.

In the following days, Chang Ning practiced her sword alone in her residence. The sword technique her master had passed down to her was called the Starfall Sword Technique. Just from the name, one could tell that it was incredibly powerful once mastered.

This sword technique has nine levels, each with nine stages. The master said that when he reached the third level, he would be able to defeat the strong with the weak. However, Chang Ning was stuck on the seventh stage of the second level and could not break through.

Now I can't find a mentor, so I have to figure it out myself.

When she got tired of practicing her sword, she would sit on a recliner under a tree and then start to daydream until she felt something tugging at the hem of her skirt.

She looked down and saw a round, snow-white spirit beast, neither bear nor cat, with big eyes, which looked very cute.

This is the spirit pet that Master Henshui gave her when she was first brought back to the sect.

She was very young then, a newcomer, and not very brave, so her master specially found this thing and sent it to her to keep her company.

Chang Ning named it Yuanxiao, supposedly because she still longed to eat Yuanxiao after arriving at Qingxiao Sect.

The two have been together for over a hundred years, and their feelings for each other are still very deep.

Chang Ning picked up Yuanxiao and muttered to it about the competition, finally asking in a daze, "What should we do?"

Yuanxiao barked twice, jumped off her lap, and then grabbed her skirt and pulled it outwards, while constantly gesturing to her with its eyes. Chang Ning naturally understood what it meant; it wanted her to go with it.

Chang Ning stood up and asked, "Where are we going?"

The two, one human and one beast, traveled to Qingdan Peak. Yuanxiao then led her through many twists and turns until they finally arrived at a room.

The disciples of Qingdan Peak often got covered in soot while working in front of the alchemy furnace. They didn't care much about their living conditions and mostly just dug a hole somewhere on the mountain or built a house wherever they could find a spot, which they considered their dwelling.

This is exactly what's in front of us.

Yuanxiao seemed to be a frequent visitor. He pressed a spot outside the house, and the restriction was lifted. Then, he grabbed her skirt and led her inside.

Inside, a disciple dressed in alchemy robes was sitting in front of a stone table, which was covered with all kinds of medicinal herbs. Yuanxiao called out twice, and the disciple came back to his senses.

Upon seeing the furry spirit pet, it immediately jumped up and hugged Yuanxiao in its arms. The next moment, it buried its face in its belly and rubbed against it, occasionally letting out a few strange cries. Before long, it had reached a state of complete absorption!

She kept muttering, "Lantern Festival~, are you craving something sweet again~, I'll feed you some snacks later~"

With three trembling sounds in her voice, Chang Ning couldn't help but stammer awkwardly, "Uh, well..."

The man was startled and immediately looked up, only to find that there was another person in the room, and that was Yuanxiao's owner. He immediately put Yuanxiao down and greeted her respectfully, "Senior Sister Chang!"

As soon as he looked up, Chang Ning recognized him, "Junior Brother Ning."

Yuanxiao whimpered twice beside him. Junior Brother Ning glanced at it, scratched his head, and gave a bewildered smile: "Um, Senior Sister Chang, Yuanxiao often comes to my place. We're quite close, hehe..."

Chang Ning hummed in agreement and asked him, "What do you usually feed it?"

Junior Brother Ning's expression immediately turned serious: "Some pills that were not successfully refined, but don't worry, Senior Sister, Yuanxiao won't get a stomachache!"

Fearing Chang Ning wouldn't believe him, he picked up a few more pill bottles from the table. "Senior Sister, look, this is what we feed it. There are no stimulating ingredients at all!"

Chang Ning smelled them; they were all spiritual plants with mild medicinal properties. Seeing her junior brother Ning's nervous expression, she reassured him, "I understand."

I didn't know Yuanxiao was doing so well, able to freeload here. And even if these pills failed to be refined, it doesn't mean they're useless.

They just casually fed it to Yuanxiao.

"That's good!" Junior Brother Ning scratched his head again. "Then, can you come here again for the Lantern Festival?"

Chang Ning said, "Yes, as long as it's willing."

Junior Brother Ning immediately broke into a silly smile, which Chang Ning found hard to bear. He asked, "Junior Brother Ning, I've come here today to ask you for help with something."

"Senior sister, please speak!"

"I'd like to ask if you have any pills here that can help one break through to the Golden Core stage?"

If Yuanxiao can eat pills like snacks here, there's no other way to lure her here.

Moreover, elixirs have always been the preferred shortcut for cultivators. However, cultivation levels achieved through external force are ultimately inferior to those achieved through steady, step-by-step self-cultivation.

Right now, Chang Ning can't worry about all that; he just wants to find a way to get through this competition.

Junior Brother Ning said, "The Zhengyang Pill is available in the pill room; you can exchange it directly!"

The exchange of items all depended on sect contributions. Chang Ning didn't contribute much, but because of her status as the senior sister, she received a lot of supplies.

If the Qingxiao Sect had more disciples like her, it probably wouldn't have been able to stand for so long.

However, the Zhengyang Pill is not suitable for Chang Ning. This pill is prepared for people who are about to break through to the Golden Core stage. They are just one step away from breaking through and can use the Zhengyang Pill to achieve this.

Changning still has a long way to go!

She shared her thoughts: could she quickly break through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, or even reach Golden Core strength in a short period of time?

Even if you lose in the end, don't lose so badly!

Junior Brother Ning thought for a moment and said, "Yes, but we need a few raw materials that the sect doesn't have. We'll have to go out and find them ourselves."

After asking what the ingredients were, Chang Ning said he understood, "I will need Junior Brother Ning's help to refine this pill."

Junior Brother Ning said, "It's possible, but Senior Sister, this kind of pill is not good for cultivation, so it's best to be cautious."

Chang Ning said not to worry, she was just making a little extra preparation.

Junior Brother Ning didn't say anything more, but asked hesitantly, "Could Yuanxiao stay with me for a few days?"

Chang Ning nodded. When she left, Yuan Xiao was so engrossed in taking the pills that she didn't even glance at her.

Chang Ning cursed him in his heart for being heartless.

The medicinal herbs that Junior Brother Ning mentioned, Chang Ning knew where to find them. It was in a place called Qizhu Mountain. This mountain was different from the small-scale Wuling Mountain; it was not accessible to anyone below the Golden Core stage.

Besides various intelligent animals and rampant magical beasts, demons also frequently roam the area.

She definitely couldn't go by herself, and she couldn't rely on her junior brothers and sisters either. Her fourth, fifth, and sixth junior brothers were always around her, and there was another one who was best left unmentioned.

However, as mentioned earlier, she is rich. Money is of course worthless to powerful cultivators, but it is still very attractive to most cultivators.

She went to a place called Cyclamen at the foot of the mountain, posted a bounty, and recruited a team of people at twice the market price.

Two Golden Core Stage 4 cultivators and two Golden Core Stage 5 cultivators, along with Chang Ning, formed a group of five and set off for Qizhu Mountain.