That Egg

In Yuzhou City, within the sect.

Ning Qianqian sat with her eyes closed, absorbing the spiritual energy from the spirit stone before her.

After a while, she opened her eyes calmly.

She could feel the faint, almost imperceptible flow of spiritual energy within her body—so fragile it seemed on the verge of dissipating entirely.

This was the result of her long, painstaking efforts.

Just as her father had said, she had no real talent for cultivation... her spiritual roots were of the lowest grade, practically nonexistent.

Sect Master Chu Xingchen had long since given her cultivation techniques and spirit stones.

Once her duties in the sect were done, she would begin her practice.

Most disciples in the sect didn’t even need spirit stones for cultivation. According to them, the spiritual energy here was already dense enough—for geniuses like them, it was more than sufficient.

But Ning Qianqian couldn’t sense any difference between the energy inside and outside the sect...

At most, the air just felt a little fresher to breathe.

So from the very beginning, Ning Qianqian’s path of cultivation relied on spirit stones—or rather, her entire journey would depend on them.

To cultivate, she had to use the spirit stone-powered gathering array Chu Xingchen had specially set up for her, because only there could she capture the faintest traces of spiritual energy.

Ning Qianqian knew spirit stones were expensive, and she knew she had no talent.

But she had seen those who had stepped onto the immortal path.

Whether it was Senior Sister Li Yingling, Second Senior Brother Li Xingtian, or even Cui Hao—who was often scolded by Bai Qing—they all radiated brilliance.

Ning Qianqian understood she shouldn’t harbor such hopes, because she had already been given so much.

Perhaps she should have died long ago in the mines of the Qingfeng Sect.

And yet...

A longing lingered in her heart. If she could cultivate, if she could glimpse the wonders of the immortal realm, if she could contribute something to this sect...

She didn’t know when Chu Xingchen had noticed the yearning in her eyes—or perhaps she wore that look of envy every day without realizing it.

But no matter what, Ning Qianqian had already resigned herself to dedicating her mediocre life to the sect.

She never asked for things beyond her reach, like the path of immortality.

Then one day, after finishing her duties, as she prepared to rest, she found that Chu Xingchen had already prepared everything she needed.

Chu Xingchen didn’t say much, only leaving her with a single encouragement: "Where there’s a will, there’s a way."

Ning Qianqian had always been grateful to Chu Xingchen—for saving her life, for allowing her to cultivate.

But reality was cruel.

Talent didn’t change just because one wished to strive harder.

It only reminded her, over and over: "You will never measure up to the others."

A strained smile touched Ning Qianqian’s lips as she reached out to collect the spirit stones from the gathering array.

Chu Xingchen had also given her pills.

It wasn’t that she didn’t dare take them—it was just that these pills were precious. If Chu Xingchen knew they had even the slightest effect on her, he wouldn’t hesitate to give her more.

But Ning Qianqian felt... she shouldn’t waste so many resources.

Those pills could be sold for many spirit stones, used to build the True Martial Hall, or construct other grand buildings.

She wasn’t worth that much.

"Don’t think too much..."

Ning Qianqian murmured to herself, as if soothing—or warning—her own heart.

The sect master had said... where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Hadn’t she gone from illiteracy to being able to read books?

Li Yingling had taught her. Li Xingtian had occasionally given her pointers.

Bai Qing had been the most patient, instructing her the most.

Wouldn’t cultivation be the same?

Even if it was slow, she could still grow bit by bit.

After storing the spirit stones, Ning Qianqian pushed open the door to her room and began her tasks for the day.

With the sect’s construction complete, there was almost nothing to do. Her father, unable to stay idle, would often look for small tasks—even paving roads or crafting furniture.

She first headed to the spiritual herb gardens in the back mountains.

Each garden required different amounts of water, and Ning Qianqian had memorized the care instructions for every type of herb.

Yet before working, she always double-checked the wooden markers planted beside each plot, detailing the cultivation methods.

Chu Xingchen had never asked her to do this, but Ning Qianqian did it every time.

Even the slightest chance of making a mistake was unacceptable to her.

Some of the herbs grew in environments unfit for humans.

But Chu Xingchen had given her a spiritual treasure necklace to protect her while watering them.

The work wasn’t too demanding, as many herbs didn’t need daily care.

After watering, Ning Qianqian would record the details on a wooden board to ensure no errors—no missed days, no extra days.

Once done, she moved to the deep pool to scatter fish food for the spiritual fish.

After feeding them, her gaze naturally drifted to the stone bench nearby.

Seeing it empty, Ning Qianqian suddenly smiled faintly and spoke as if to herself:

"Good morning... Master Bai Qing."

Once, she would have received candied fruit in response. Now, only silence answered.

The sect master had taken all the disciples to the Central Continent, calling it a trip.

Before leaving, he had entrusted the entire sect to her and her father...

A mortal and the lowest-level Qi Refining cultivator left in charge of such a vast sect—only Chu Xingchen would do something like this.

After Li Yingling left on her journey, the sect had grown quieter, though Cui Hao’s antics had still filled some of the silence.

But now, with everyone gone, the sect felt desolate.

Her father, too, was a man of few words.

For a moment, Ning Qianqian felt a sudden realization.

It felt like the sect master and the others had been gone for so long...

When would they return?

She missed Bai Qing’s candied fruit.

Taking a deep breath, Ning Qianqian walked toward a side hall.

Pushing the door open, she saw a massive egg resting in a spirit stone-constructed pool formation.

After carefully inspecting the spirit stones and testing the water temperature, she picked up a cloth and gently wiped the egg’s surface.

This was the last of her daily tasks.

The sect master had said he found this egg, but it was proving difficult to hatch.

He had even joked—"If this egg’s too stubborn, we’ll just eat it."

As she finished cleaning it, Ning Qianqian suddenly recalled those words. Smiling, she patted the unknown egg and teased:

"Hurry up and hatch, or you’ll end up as dinner~"

The moment she spoke, the egg suddenly rolled slightly.

Ning Qianqian startled, stumbling back two steps as she stared at it with wide eyes.

But after a few moments, the egg lay still again.

"Are... are you hatching?" she whispered.

Silence answered.

After waiting a while longer and confirming no signs of hatching, she sighed in relief and turned to leave.

Since the sect leader had predicted that this egg would hatch much later, he hadn’t given Ning Qianqian any instructions on how to feed it once it cracked open.

She had raised chickens before… but those were fed scraps unfit for human consumption.

This egg, however, was clearly no ordinary chicken egg—it was a rare treasure, and whatever hatched from it would undoubtedly be just as precious.

If she ended up killing such a valuable creature by feeding it the wrong thing, that would truly be…

Fortunately, the egg hadn’t hatched yet.

Ning Qianqian let out a relieved sigh and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a loud, spirited cry rang out from behind her.

"Owwwo…"

Ning Qianqian spun around, her gaze snapping back to the egg.