"I’m fine. It’s just an old ailment..."

Ye Chuxue forced a weak smile. Despite her discomfort, she didn’t forget to comfort Jiao Jiao.

Feng Jiuxiao’s satisfaction with her grew. "You see? The person this Immortal Monarch chooses is never a mistake!"

"This young lady, though young, is kind-hearted and utterly devoted to the Path. Her talent for arrays is exceptional. This Immortal Monarch can find no reason to choose anyone else!"

Even though she admired Song Wanning’s character, she would not change her decision for her sake.

Her main body had placed her here for hundreds of thousands of years for the sole purpose of selecting an heir.

It was her responsibility, her mission, and it could not be altered lightly.

Song Wanning said nothing, but the aura around her grew increasingly fearsome.

The Merfolk held back for as long as it could, but finally, it couldn’t resist raising its hand.

"Senior, couldn’t the inheritance be given to two people?"

’Master wants Senior to give the inheritance to Yu Cheng, but Senior likes Ye Chuxue, and now they’re at odds over it. If the inheritance is given to both of them, wouldn’t that solve everything?’

The Merfolk thought naively.

Feng Jiuxiao, however, was taken aback by the words.

Two such excellent candidates for the inheritance had never appeared at the same time before, so she had always chosen just one person. Now that the Merfolk had mentioned it...

’But she had no strong feelings about Yu Cheng. He was outstanding, certainly, but she felt no particular affinity for him...’

’It was as if this fortuitous opportunity was never meant for him in the first place.’

Feng Jiuxiao furrowed her brow. While she was deliberating, Song Wanning spoke in a cold voice, "The inheritance cannot go to Ye Chuxue."

’Give it to two people?’

’Then what would have been the point of all her efforts?’

’What she wanted was to utterly crush any chance for Ye Chuxue to rise!’

"Why?"

Feng Jiuxiao’s expression grew stern. She was truly curious how that young lady had offended Song Wanning so deeply.

Song Wanning looked at Feng Jiuxiao, meeting her questioning gaze. Her own eyes hardened slightly.

She spoke with the utmost gravity, enunciating every word. "Because she is destined to die by my hand. If you choose her, the inheritance is doomed to be lost."

She leaned forward slightly, her voice turning even more frigid. "Unless... you kill me right now."

With that, her gaze became like a sharp sword, aimed at Feng Jiuxiao without yielding an inch.

The chill contained within that stare made Feng Jiuxiao’s spirit tremble.

"What... what deep-seated hatred could possibly exist between you?"

’Enough to make her risk offending me just to suppress that young lady.’

Song Wanning’s gaze remained unchanged, chillingly cold. She parted her lips to speak. "The grudge of a stolen husband, and the hatred of a slaughtered clan."

Feng Jiuxiao looked astonished. She glanced at Song Wanning, then at Ye Chuxue. ’How could a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator like her be capable of such things?’

’She can’t be lying to me, can she?’

’But Song Wanning’s expression didn’t seem false. Perhaps there truly was a secret here that I don’t know.’

"I stopped caring about a mere man long ago. But this person is entangled with her own master. Does Senior still think your judgment is so impeccable?"

Song Wanning’s words made Feng Jiuxiao’s heart sink once more.

In the Cultivation World, a romance between master and disciple was a major taboo, and she herself despised such behavior.

’But Ye Chuxue doesn’t seem like that type of person. Could there be a misunderstanding?’

Feng Jiuxiao found herself subconsciously making excuses for Ye Chuxue, not even realizing how unusual this was for her.

Hearing this, Song Wanning gave Feng Jiuxiao a deep look, and a smile suddenly blossomed on her serious face.

"Senior, in that case, why don’t we make a bet?"

"If I lose, you can beat or kill me as you see fit. But if you lose, you will give this junior an Immortal Artifact capable of nullifying arrays. How about it?"

Her eyes glinted as she finally revealed her true objective.

"A bet?"

Feng Jiuxiao raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by Song Wanning’s capricious behavior.

She wasn’t particularly concerned about the Immortal Artifact Song Wanning mentioned. After all, anything she could casually produce was an Immortal Artifact, so the request meant little to her.

But...

"What’s the wager?"

’There didn’t seem to be anything to bet on with Song Wanning.’

But then Song Wanning smiled faintly, turned to look at the Water Mirror, and said meaningfully,

"We’ll bet on human nature."

...

"Chuxue, you’ll die if you keep this up! You need to rest!"

Jiao Jiao sensed that Ye Chuxue’s internal injuries were worsening. If this continued, she would collapse at any moment!

"I’m fine! I have to keep going!"

Ye Chuxue could barely sit upright. She felt dizzy and light-headed, the Spiritual Energy in her body long since exhausted.

To make matters worse, she couldn’t open her Storage Bag here. All external items were restricted, so she couldn’t even take an Elixir Pill.

’The person behind all this must be testing me, right?’

Ye Chuxue silently clenched her fists. ’I absolutely cannot fail this time!’

However, her body was too weak. Sheer willpower was not enough to support her, and she collapsed.

Jiao Jiao was heartbroken to see this. It bit its lip and offered, "Chuxue, why don’t I heal your injuries!"

’The little merfolk had warned it never to reveal its healing abilities to outsiders, saying it would only bring disaster upon itself. But Chuxue isn’t like those bad people!’

’She’s very kind; she would never hurt me.’

A determined glint flashed in Jiao Jiao’s eyes as it reached out and took Ye Chuxue’s hand.

Before Ye Chuxue could object, a steady stream of healing power began to flow into her body.

Ye Chuxue’s eyes widened in astonishment. ’This Merfolk actually has healing abilities?’

Her knowledge of the Merfolk was limited; at most, she had heard fairy tales about mermaids in her past life, and her perception of them was stuck there. Now, feeling her wounds rapidly mending, her mind stirred.

But a moment later, she grew worried for the Merfolk’s safety. She frowned and said, "Will this hurt you? If it’s taking a toll on you, stop right now. I’m sure I can endure this!"

Jiao Jiao was touched by her concern.

’I really wasn’t wrong about her. Chuxue is the kindest person in the world.’

"Don’t worry, Chuxue. I’ll be fine."

"I’ll be happy as long as you get better soon!"

Jiao Jiao’s expression was utterly innocent, its smile pure and guileless.

Ye Chuxue was deeply moved. ’In the future,’ she vowed to herself, ’I will definitely repay Jiao Jiao for its help.’

As her body healed at a rapid pace, her determination to win the inheritance grew even stronger.

However, her happiness was short-lived. A Water Mirror suddenly appeared in the sky, projecting an image of Yu Cheng high above.

The smile on Ye Chuxue’s face froze. ’There’s someone else in the Immortal Mansion?’

A closer look revealed that his progress in his comprehension was clearly ahead of her own. He looked like he was about to succeed!

Ye Chuxue’s heart trembled as a wave of panic spread from its very depths.

’No, I can’t let him beat me to it!’

But her physical injuries were still mending, and her Divine Soul was also healing slowly. It was impossible for her to resume her comprehension in such a short time.

But time waits for no one. His progress was shockingly fast, fast enough to alarm her.

’What should I do? What should I do?’

Ye Chuxue broke out in a sweat, her face flushed with anxiety.

In her desperation, she took a sharp breath, and the healing power from Jiao Jiao’s body suddenly accelerated, flooding into her at a multiplied rate.