Stealing the female lead's favor turns her from a heartthrob to a universally disliked figure.

The main peak of the Nine Spirits Sect.

The sect leader, who was discussing matters with the elders of the Discipline Hall, suddenly fell silent.

It took him a long time to recover from the soothing power of the music.

He almost fell asleep because he was so relaxed!

He is the sect leader, and not only is his composure extraordinary, but his cultivation level is also far superior to that little girl who plays the zither.

He coughed lightly, looking uneasy, and asked thoughtfully, "Elder Wu, what do you think of this 'Dream Melody' compared to 'Cloud and Smoke'?"

Elder Wu glanced into the distance, chuckled, and stroked his beard. "I wouldn't say she's mastered it completely, but she's probably at least 99%. She's a very talented child, but her physique is a bit weak, which has hindered her cultivation. Given time, she might very well surpass her master."

“That’s right. I promised her that as long as her Dream Song had 30% of her master’s power, I would let her take over Lingqin Peak. It seems I have to keep my promise.”

"I think it's a good idea. She has a heart set on revitalizing Lingqin Peak, understands the importance of passing on traditions, and her young age is not a problem; she has a promising future!"

The sect leader immediately sent the peak master's seal of Lingqin Peak and a storage ring containing a year's worth of cultivation resources for Lingqin Peak.

Li Qingqing was deeply moved when she received the item.

The sect leader is really a good person; he keeps his word and his promises are as good as gold.

You should know that in her previous life, the peak master of Lingqin Peak was Zhu Yao, her master's senior sister, a beautiful but vicious woman.

Now that she's a peak master, she needs to work hard to improve her cultivation.

Just as she was about to take the Sect Leader's Seal to the Spirit Gathering Tower to cultivate for a few days, the system suddenly spoke up.

[Apprentice Recruitment Quest Triggered: Please recruit one apprentice within three days. Quest Rewards: One bottle of high-grade Spirit Gathering Pill, one dual-space storage ring, one advancement in cultivation level, one random inheritance jade manual, and one Purple Spirit Crane.]

Li Qingqing was stunned by the generous reward. "Are there any rules for accepting apprentices?"

The biennial apprentice selection election at Xichen Mountain is in half a month, it's not time yet!

If she's going to take on apprentices within three days, then it's just a matter of personal preference.

[Apprenticeship criteria: Male, medium to high grade spiritual root, talent value of 50 or above, and affinity value towards the host of 30 or above.]

Li Qingqing fell silent.

Among all the major cultivation sects, there is no cultivator as young as her who takes on disciples. It would be quite difficult to get people to have a favorability rating of over 30 for her.

Unless people don't know she's taking on apprentices.

Even if it's difficult, she still wants to give it a try.

She quickly tidied up her belongings and, using her peak master privileges, went directly down the mountain via the sect's teleportation array.

The other end of the teleportation array is Lingtian City, the closest city to the Nine Spirits Sect. Although it was night, the city was bustling with activity, crowded with people, and the shouts of various vendors rose and fell.

Li Qingqing hadn't been here for a long time, and listening to the various noisy voices and thoughts, she still felt very uncomfortable.

She had only been on the street for less than fifteen minutes when she started to experience tinnitus and a buzzing in her head.

Can't this mind-reading ear be turned off temporarily?

Just as she felt like she was hearing tens of thousands of ducks quacking in her ears, and was feeling unbearably irritable, the system suddenly spoke up.

[The host's soul power is relatively weak; it is best to cultivate a technique that strengthens the soul. Then, you can block out external sounds according to your own will.]

Li Qingqing sighed softly, rubbing her forehead. How could one learn the techniques for building a powerful soul so easily?

Lingqin Peak did not have such techniques, so she had never learned them.

Not only did Lingqin Peak lack the necessary techniques, but the Nine Spirits Sect also lacked suitable ones for her; otherwise, she wouldn't have been sickly for seven years.

Despite feeling unwell, she went to the largest herb shop in the city and bought a large bag of medicinal seeds. After buying some food along the street, she went to the teleportation point of Lingtian City, spent two high-grade spirit stones, and went to Yaoge City via the teleportation array.

Yaoge City is bustling and well-connected, so many people who want to join a sect or go to Xichen Mountain to participate in the various sects' selection of disciples will stop here for a rest.

Li Qingqing's idea was to see if there was a suitable person to take as an apprentice.

The reason for not going directly to Xichen Mountain is that if we try to recruit people before the disciple selection election has started, it would be taboo and we would be targeted and scorned by the major sects.

She, a novice peak master with little power, couldn't afford to do anything that would offend people.

Just as she had chosen an inn and was about to stay there for the night, a vicious curse suddenly came from around the street corner.

"If no one buys you tomorrow, I'll sell you to the Beast Paradise for a low-grade spirit stone."

Li Qingqing was stunned for a moment. When she turned her head, she saw a dark-skinned man dragging a wheeled iron cage and walking forward angrily.

Inside the iron cage lay a woman covered in blood, her long hair obscuring her face.

Just as she was frowning, she was surprised to see several lines of text suddenly appear above the woman's head.

Sex: Male.

Spiritual root attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth (Unpurified mixed spiritual root of the five elements, low grade) Note: Spiritual root can be purified and cleansed.

Talent value: 75

Favorability rating: 0 (Not yet meets the criteria for accepting apprentices)

Li Qingqing was stunned. There was actually a man in the cage?

But he was clearly wearing brightly colored and revealing women's clothing!

Moreover, even when he's lying down, you can see his chest is bulging; how can that be considered a man?

"Cough cough!" Feeling uncomfortable, she couldn't help but cough twice.

As she coughed, the burly, dark-skinned man who had been cursing suddenly looked at her.

"What are you coughing for? Don't you know I'm in a bad mood?"

Li Qingqing suppressed the urge to slap the man away and pointed to the iron cage he was dragging.

"You're only selling this guy for one low-grade spirit stone? I'll buy it!"

The burly, dark-skinned man sized her up from head to toe, then smiled. "A low-grade spirit stone won't do. She's a mature maidservant, capable of doing rough work, serving others, and warming the bed. A high-grade spirit stone is the price, no bargaining."

Li Qingqing seemed somewhat embarrassed and turned to leave.

The burly, dark-skinned man quickly stopped her, "Since you're young, I'll give you a discount! You can take her away for one hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

Li Qingqing hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Alright! Release him and let me see if he can be saved. I don't want him to die after I buy him."

Upon hearing this, the burly, dark-skinned man quickly laughed it off, "How could that be? He's perfectly healthy; it's just a minor injury."

As he spoke, he swiftly dragged out the unlucky fellow who seemed to be on the verge of death.

Li Qingqing said coldly, "The price is halved, but you almost beat me to death. I'll have to spend a lot of money on medical treatment and medicine."

Without waiting for the burly, dark-skinned man to speak, she tossed him fifty mid-grade spirit stones.

The burly, dark-skinned man wasn't angry. He took the money and dragged his black iron cage away.

He was afraid that if he ran too slowly and died, he would lose the fifty mid-grade spirit stones.

You should know that little girl looks young, but she must be very strong. He, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn't even see through her cultivation level.

If a real fight breaks out, they can take the person away without spending a single penny.

What's more, he made quite a bit of money.

After everyone had gone far away, Li Qingqing cast a water purification spell and washed the face of the person whose face was covered in blood.

She was slightly surprised when she saw the other person's androgynous and beautiful face.

He really is a handsome man!

“You overpaid. He only sold it to me for a mid-grade spirit stone during the day.” The man suddenly opened his eyes and spoke weakly.

"It's alright!" Li Qingqing didn't mind. She lowered her head, took out a bottle of high-grade healing pills from the supplies distributed to her by the sect leader, and popped one into his mouth.

The moment the pill dissolved in his mouth, a hint of confusion flashed in the man's eyes, as if he was not used to someone being kind to him.

"What's your name?" Li Qingqing asked, standing up.

"Xia Nanfeng".

"Hmm. Can we go?" Li Qingqing pointed to the inn on the side of the street.

“Okay.” Xia Nanfeng stood up immediately after adjusting his breathing.

Li Qingqing entered the inn, booked two superior rooms, and instructed the waiter to prepare a change of men's clothing. Then she took Xia Nanfeng upstairs.

After washing up, Xia Nanfeng went to Li Qingqing's room with a little trepidation.

"Sit down! Don't be nervous!" Li Qingqing calmly poured him a cup of tea.

Xia Nanfeng sat down but didn't drink the tea. Instead, he looked into her eyes, which were untouched by the world yet held a deep meaning. "Why did you save me?"