Jian Dan believed that the reason her body could accommodate both Daoist and Demonic cultivation arts without conflict was due to the nature of her techniques—both were ancient legacies. In the era they hailed from, the line between Dao and Demon was blurred; each path had its strengths, and dual cultivation of both wasn't unheard of among ancient elites.
Right now, her Primordial Chaos Art had dropped to the peak of the Qi Refining stage. She would need to rebuild her foundation and bring it in line with her demon cultivation progress to avoid imbalance—and worse, deviation into madness.
As for her Heavenly Demon Art, the reason she hadn't formed a demonic core was twofold: first, the surrounding demonic energy was insufficient, and second, her body instinctively resisted breaking the current equilibrium, suppressing the growth of demonic energy to maintain stability.
Ever since fully grasping her condition, Jian Dan had become somewhat indifferent—almost reckless. Whether she followed the Dao or the Demonic path no longer mattered. The only thing that did… was ascension.
Her body, tempered through marrow cleansing, and her soul, tempered across two lifetimes, allowed her to withstand dual-path cultivation. This might become her hidden trump card in the future. In the cultivation world, one could never have too many backup plans—only by surviving could one reach the end of the path to immortality.
Jian Dan also went through the storage pouches of the two cultivators who had tried to silence her. The male cultivator's pouch yielded some gains: a few thousand low-grade spirit stones, one mid-grade spirit stone, and his own flying spirit sword.
The burly female cultivator's pouch contained scattered spirit plants, her pair of hammer artifacts, and an assortment of weapons and ores looted from their victims, along with some talismans.
Jian Dan sorted through the items, storing the inferior weapons in a separate pouch. The only artifact she kept was a tortoise-shell-shaped defensive shield, which was currently useful to her. She kept all the talismans for emergencies.
Next was the storage pouch of the female cultivator they had killed—they hadn't had time to divide the spoils.
This pouch was a dull, palm-sized bag. When Jian Dan probed it with her divine sense, she found a three-cubic-meter space containing nothing particularly special—just a book on the history of the Lingyun Continent, which briefly described its origins and general layout.
There was also a cracked green jade token, its middle split by a horizontal fissure as if it would break at any moment. Finally, there was a book made from the hide of a first-tier antelope, commonly used for low-grade talismans or records. Most cultivators used jade slips for documentation, making this an oddity.
This piqued Jian Dan's curiosity. After flipping through it, she closed the book with a satisfied smile. "Seek and you shall not find; stumble upon it without effort." For once, fortune had smiled on her.
The girl's name was Shan Yunzhu, a Qi Refining cultivator. Her granduncle had been a Foundation Building cultivator in a minor sect. After his death, he had entrusted a fellow sect member to return this storage pouch to his mortal-world hometown, where it eventually ended up in Shan Yunzhu's hands.
For mortals, possessing an immortal artifact was both a blessing and a curse. The sect disciple delivering the pouch, while on an inspection mission, passed through Shan Yunzhu's village and tested her for spiritual roots on a whim.
Shan Yunzhu had five spiritual roots of uneven quality—the worst possible aptitude. But for a girl just stepping into the world of cultivation, this was her chance to escape the mundane. She inherited her granduncle's storage pouch, studied the common Qi Refining Manual, and prepared to venture into the cultivation world.
Her dreams were beautiful. Reality was brutal. Only after entering the cultivation world did she realize how poor her talent was—reaching Foundation Building would require immense luck.
Unwilling to return to a mundane life, she gritted her teeth and persevered, exhausting all her granduncle's resources. Through wit and tenacity, she reached the peak of Qi Refining after fifteen years.
She had come to the borderlands on this occasion intending to return briefly to the mortal world. Rumor had reached her that her village had been wiped out by a group of demon cultivators. She didn't believe it and had come to investigate. But instead, she had been ambushed and killed.
Thus, Jian Dan decided to adopt this identity. In the cultivation world, one needed an origin—whether from the mortal world, a noble clan, or a reclusive family. A cultivator without roots might not be hunted down, but they would always face suspicion and exclusion.
In her past life, Jian Dan and Du Yanran had entered a sect together during a recruitment wave when major sects were desperate for cultivators due to a talent gap. They became ordinary disciples, always at the front lines yet receiving little reward—until Du Yanran's alchemy talent caught the attention of a Mahayana elder, improving their situation.
Compared to her past life, this opportunity was a godsend.
The girl's spiritual roots were identical to Jian Dan's—five elements—but her aptitude was slightly inferior. She came from the mundane world, her family wiped out, her trail untraceable. Her identity was perfect for adoption.
The nearly broken jade token was her identity token—a basic one for rogue cultivators. Jian Dan dripped a drop of blood essence onto it, and under its influence, the crack slowly healed. Probing it with her divine sense, she saw the recorded information:
Shan Yunzhu – Rogue Cultivator
Spiritual Roots: Five Elements
Aptitude: Low
Cultivation: Peak Qi Refining
Birthplace: Luoxia Village, Xiangyun Town, Tianqing Kingdom
The name on the jade slip flickered faintly, as if about to vanish—proof that the real Shan Yunzhu had died. Jian Dan immediately channeled her spiritual power and Golden Core-level divine sense, reinforcing the name just before it disappeared.
The characters stabilized after a few flickers—her luck was good. Now, she had a legitimate identity. No longer a blacklisted cultivator in the cultivation world.