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Qin Shu's entire body felt like it had been crushed, each inch of her flesh, blood, and bones filled with excruciating pain.

Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and through the hazy redness clouding her vision, even the candlelight appeared bloody.

"Dear sister, did you ever imagine a day like this when you took my place to join Xuantian Sect?" A languid female voice drifted around her, sometimes close, sometimes distant, making Qin Shu wonder if she was trapped in yet another nightmare.

But the sound of her bones shattering soon followed, and pain swallowed her whole once more.

"Ah!" she screamed in agony.

Her leg... this was no dream!

Opening her eyes, she saw a woman standing before her, dressed in an old-fashioned, elegant outfit, a longsword in her hand.

A face she had never seen before.

"Oh, sister, weren't you supposed to be tough? Look at you, not so strong after all. Haha, I barely even applied pressure, and you already broke!" The woman's voice was light, as if proud of some minor accomplishment.

Blood trickled down Qin Shu's forehead. She wanted to lift a hand to wipe it away but found her arms mangled and immobile.

"Mianmian, don't waste time on her. The Senyao Secret Realm opens soon; finish her off quickly."

...

For the first time, Qin Shu felt the pain of a broken heart as the ruthless blade pierced her chest. With a final glance at the woman, she etched that face deep into her mind.

When she opened her eyes again, Qin Shu found herself once more at the gates of Xuantian Sect, her chest still throbbing painfully. The harsh sunlight made her momentarily disoriented.

Everything around her was unfamiliar, and for a moment, she was unsure of the year or month.

Children's voices pulled her back to the present. She looked around, taking in her surroundings.

She was standing in a line of young children, the oldest no more than fifteen and the youngest perhaps six or seven.

They seemed to be talking about something called "spiritual roots," though she couldn't fully grasp their meaning.

Her mind felt fuzzy. She raised a hand to rub her temples, and suddenly a flood of memories washed over her.

She had transmigrated.

Into a fantasy cultivation novel she'd just read a few days ago. There was a supporting character with the same name as hers in the book, and she'd even remarked on the coincidence, only to now find herself in the character's place.

The heroine's brother, Qin Wuyue, had saved the descendant of an elder from Xuantian Sect. In gratitude, the elder offered him a spot in the sect for his sister.

Upon hearing the news, the heroine's stepmother, Lady Qin, secretly arranged for her own daughter to take that place in the sect, hoping it would lead to a prosperous path.

What they didn't expect was that the heroine was immensely talented. Even without formal training, she managed to step onto the path of cultivation on her own.

As her fame spread, the truth of her sister's deceitful entry into the sect became known throughout the cultivation world. Xuantian Sect, eager to recruit the heroine, discovered the Qin family's actions, and as a statement, they expelled her sister from the sect!

With mediocre talent, the sister had only advanced to the third level of Qi Refinement during her time in the sect as an outer disciple. Cast out, she was soon captured by a demonic cultivator who exploited her beauty to make her a spiritual furnace, subjecting her to unspeakable torment. She managed to escape only to be captured by the senior brother she once admired, who personally handed her over to the heroine, Qin Mian, so she could have her revenge.

Qin Shu had now taken the place of this sister in the story. She had never expected that the book's simple mention of "revenge served" would entail this level of brutality.

Her bones had been shattered, and a potion kept her barely alive, prolonging her suffering rather than allowing her to die.

If not for her senior brother's impatience, she would've endured even more forms of torture.

Truly cruel.

What shocked her most was that after dying once, she had returned to the moment when the original Qin Shu had taken Qin Mian's place in Xuantian Sect.

Qin Shu was now only ten years old.

The original Qin Shu had regretted her choice countless times, saying that if she were given another chance, she would never have stepped foot into Xuantian Sect.

But now, after her death, modern-day Qin Shu had been thrust into this life in her place.

Faced with the same choice, Qin Shu could take the sect path and endure the torments she'd just suffered all over again. Or, she could walk away and face an uncertain world of endless possibilities.

Without hesitation, Qin Shu chose Xuantian Sect.

The world might be vast and free, but only if she had the strength to survive. She had just finished her college entrance exams and knew nothing about this world; without the sect, how would she live? She probably wouldn't even last eight years.

To enter the world of cultivation, one needed a spiritual root. Qin Shu's mother had somehow learned of her potential and dared to let her replace Qin Mian, hoping it would lead her to a life of immortality.

But Qin Shu knew her destiny: while she had the opportunity to cultivate, she was unlikely to reach enlightenment.

The original Qin Shu had a rare triple spiritual root, just barely meeting the entry requirements for Xuantian Sect. Without a fortuitous encounter, she'd likely only reach Foundation Establishment.

"Fire, Wood, and Earth Spiritual Roots; main root Fire, with scores of 71, 56, and 48," the disciple recited in a flat tone.

"Over there," a rough voice barked, and someone pushed her in the indicated direction.

Qin Shu looked back, realizing it was the same immortal who had brought her from the mortal realm.

She followed obediently, hearing the immortal's voice again, speaking to someone else.

"I went all the way to the mortal world, and all I got was a triple-root cultivator. At least now the Qin family debt is cleared."

"Triple root or not, the sect's big enough. Someone has to do the labor, right?"

"She'll only stay if she passes the next test. Look at her build... slim chance!"

...

Qin Shu pushed through the crowd, ignoring the disparaging remarks behind her. Triple root? So what?

As long as she had a spiritual root, she could cultivate. Back in her previous life, she had just gotten accepted into Tsinghua University, though she hadn't even started attending... In this life, she didn't expect to soar to immortality, only to survive. Was that really too much to ask?

Outer disciple? Laborer? She didn't mind as long as it kept her alive and brought in some spirit stones!

In eight years, her half-sister would arrive. In these eight years, Qin Shu needed to cultivate diligently so she'd have a way out when the time came to leave Xuantian Sect.

The sect wouldn't support the idle, and new disciples only received free basic resources in their first year. After that, everything from cultivation techniques to food and shelter had to be self-earned.

It seemed she'd have to save up spirit stones while she cultivated, preparing to leave with everything packed when Qin Mian made her grand entrance.