Zanxing (Retranslated)

The sphere was as red as blood, and the hand that held it was exceptionally delicate and white.

“Is this it?”

Old Niu had lived more than half his life and considered himself to have seen his fair share of storms. At this moment, he was also shocked and stammered, “This… this is…”

“I killed that monster underwater, and this came out of its body,” Zanxing explained.

In fact, this statement was not entirely accurate. At the time, she was underwater, and she had hit the yu shadow with a sand clump. The illusion on top of it began to dissipate, and the solid black yu started churning violently. A blood-red sphere flew out of it. Zanxing hadn’t paid much attention, but her Xiao Yuan Pearl in her chest began to slightly heat up, as if it greatly desired that thing. So, she reached out and grabbed the escaping red sphere.

“Ah, Uncle Niu, is this the demon pill?” Hongsu was extremely excited. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a demon pill!”

“I’ve never seen one either,” Old Niu muttered.

“Uncle Niu, didn’t you say earlier that this demon pill is equivalent to a third-grade spiritual medicine? If Miss absorbs this demon pill, can’t she greatly increase her cultivation?”

“Although that’s true,” Old Niu pondered for a moment, “this demon pill is ultimately formed inside a monster’s body, containing demonic energy. If one’s cultivation isn’t sufficient, I’m afraid they won’t be able to absorb the qi within it.” He glanced at Zanxing, who seemed lost in thought, and suggested, “How about waiting until we reach Pingyang Town and exchange this demon pill for spirit stones or low-grade spiritual medicines there? This way, Miss will find it easier to absorb.”

“But wouldn’t that be a shame?” Hongsu pouted. “Low-grade spiritual medicines and spirit stones are common, but demon pills are rare. Why not give it to the Young Master? He’s currently preparing for the selection competition, and with the help of this demon pill, he’s sure to smoothly enter the sect. By then, the Young Master will definitely be grateful to Miss and hold her in even higher regard.”

Zanxing cast a glance at the young girl who was still lost in her fantasies and thought to herself that this child’s ideas were quite naive. She had no intention of giving this hard-earned demon pill to that unreliable young man.

……

The night had grown very deep.

Thick fog enveloped the entire mountaintop, and tonight, there was no moon, only a faint, sparse glimmer of starlight filtering through the branches onto the forest floor. By the crackling campfire, a young girl was sleeping soundly, leaning against the old carter.

Zanxing walked over and gently covered the two of them with the blanket she had taken from the carriage.

Hongsu puckered her lips and mumbled something in her sleep.

Zanxing tiptoed past them and walked towards the other side.

She stopped not far from the two of them and found a clean rock to sit on. Gazing at the night sky, she let out a sigh of relief.

From the beginning of her journey through time until now, she had been dealing with sudden and unexpected circumstances. It wasn’t until now that she had the time to truly accept the reality of being in this world.

She had indeed crossed over into the world of “At the Summit of the Nine Heavens”.

It was an old-school cultivation novel, with the protagonist doing three main things throughout the entire book: 1. Facing challenges and opponents head-on. 2. Cultivating to become stronger. 3. Building a harem.

As a female cannon fodder who would be written off if there were not at least two thousand words, in a way, Zanxing altered the plot when she withdrew her hand from pushing Liu Yunxin at that time, taking the place of the male lead who fell into the water. As “Miss Yang,” she would no longer face the fate of being slapped to death by the male lead, Mu Cengxiao.

Without the enmity with the male lead, she had escaped the fate of being a disposable character. Even though she had transmigrated, she had derailed from the original storyline and could start anew in the world of the book… if her face wasn’t injured.

Zanxing’s hand touched her right cheek.

Underwater, she had been injured by the mud shot out by the yu. Facial disfigurement was one thing, but more importantly, she could feel a demonic energy spreading deeper into her face. If this continued, her life would be in danger.

As Uncle Niu had said, Yue City was a small place, and the doctors there could only treat common injuries and illnesses. The aftereffects left by this demonic beast might only be curable by the skilled medical cultivators in Pingyang Town.

She had to go to Pingyang Town.

However, what would happen after she went to Pingyang Town and healed the scars on her face? In this world, the strong were revered, and ordinary women took pride in marrying a cultivator husband. Without the ability to protect herself, a better outcome would be like Liu Yunxin, finding a strong protector and tolerating the man’s involvement with multiple women. A worse outcome would be like Miss Yang, who not only chose the wrong man but also couldn’t even safeguard her own life.

The original author of “At the Summit of the Nine Heavens” probably held a great deal of malice towards women. In this book, ordinary women were treated as commodities, beautiful vases used as bargaining chips, devoid of any self esteem or choice as human beings.

What if… one didn’t want to be an ordinary woman?

Zanxing gazed at the twinkling stars in the night sky.

Thanks to having read countless cultivation novels before, she was at least familiar with some of the common settings.

Ancient texts stated: “All that is within the earth, between the Six Harmonies, within the Four Seas, is illuminated by the sun and moon, regulated by the stars, and recorded by the four seasons. It is overseen by the Tai Sui

¹.

What the spirits create, their forms are diverse; some are short-lived while others have long lifespans. Only the sages can understand their ways.”

It seemed that in ancient times, immortals existed only in distant legends. Ordinary humans either pursued longevity or sought entry into more distant realms, cultivating the Dao. From childhood, they practiced diligently, focused on their breath, absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, nurtured themselves with elixirs and spiritual herbs, and aspired to ascend to immortality.

In this world, cultivators followed a similar path, progressing from Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core Formation to Nascent Soul, Astral Projection, and Soul Severing, ultimately reaching the stages of Mahayana, Tribulation Crossing, and Deity Transformation. Each step was filled with challenges.

Her fiancé, Wang Shao, had reached the Qi Refinement stage at the age of eight and the Foundation Establishment stage at twelve. Now, he was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, yet he was considered one of the most outstanding talents in the entire Yue City. He was what they called a “genius”. Meanwhile, Miss Yang, at the age of seventeen, had only managed to reach the first stage of Qi Refinement through the spiritual pills and elixirs provided by Wang Shao.

Of course, that was before Zanxing had transmigrated.

And now…

She opened her hand, and in the faint starlight, the blood-red sphere in her palm revealed a hint of strangeness.

Demon pills were formed from the demonic energy within a demonic beast’s body. In addition to the elemental power coveted by cultivators, they also contained the ferocious demonic energy of the demonic beast. For a novice cultivator at the early stage of Qi Refinement, it was likely that not only would she fail to absorb the qi, but she might also be harmed by the demonic energy within the demon pill.

However, she had a trump card.

The Xiao Yuan Pearl at her chest seemed impatient, starting to heat up rapidly. Zanxing placed the red pill in front of her, extending both palms facing each other. Gradually, a golden aura condensed from her palms, firmly enveloping the red pill within it.

During those days of cultivation in the sand cave, including her battle with the yu, she had probably understood how to utilize this aura. This aura was none other than the elemental energy of heaven and earth. With her cultivation not yet at the Foundation Establishment stage, Zanxing’s elemental power was somewhat strained in suppressing the demonic energy on the demon pill. However, the Xiao Yuan Pearl was like a powerful buff, instantly multiplying her qi by tenfold.

The golden light burst out from her palms, swallowing the red pill in an instant.

As the last trace of starlight faded, there was nothing but a silent darkness. It was unclear how much time had passed, but thin strands of red light, like tiny red threads, emerged from the enveloping golden light. They flew towards the young girl who sat in meditation.

Footnotes

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   Tai Sui (太歲 tài suì): Chinese Name for stars directly opposite the Planet Jupiter in its roughly 12-year orbital cycle. Personified as deities, these are important features of Chinese astrology, Feng Shui, Taoism and to a lesser extent Chinese Buddhism. (Source: Wikipedia)