CHAPTER 3: The Spring
[Affirmative. She utilized a cheat system to alter perceptions, fake illnesses, and steal your fated encounters. But you need not fear, Host. As compensation for the plot’s gross injustice, you have been granted absolute immunity to her 'Heroine Halo'. Furthermore, the temporal reset has fully awakened your maternal bloodline inheritance. Please access your Spiritual Pocket Dimension.]
A translucent blue screen suddenly materialized in the air in front of my eyes. On it, a glowing icon shaped like a crystal teardrop pulsed with a rhythmic, calling energy.
I stared at it. Maternal bloodline inheritance?
When my mother passed away, she left me a simple teardrop pendant. During this exact week in my past life, Lin Wan had begged for it, weeping to our father that she had nothing of value. My father had forced me to give it to her to "show sisterly magnanimity." Shortly after, Lin Wan mysteriously became a peerless medical genius, discovering a hidden source of spiritual water that she used to cure the Crown Prince and win his eternal devotion.
She stole it, I realized, a cold, homicidal fury washing over me. She stole my mother's heirloom. She stole my dimension.
Not this time.
I reached out, my trembling finger tapping the glowing blue teardrop in the air.
Whoosh.
The luxurious bedroom vanished. The world spun in a blur of light and color, and suddenly, I was standing in the middle of a boundless, lush valley. The sky above was a brilliant, unblemished azure. The air here was so thick with spiritual energy it felt like breathing pure liquid life; just standing there made my previously weak, sixteen-year-old spiritual veins throb with newfound power.
In the center of the valley bubbled a crystalline spring, radiating a faint, warm golden light. Surrounding it was acres of rich, dark, mystical soil.
[This is the Spiritual Pocket Dimension. One drop of the Spring of Life can cure any mortal poison, regrow shattered spiritual veins, and purify the body. The Divine Soil here can grow a hundred-year-old medicinal herb in a single day. You are the sole master.]
I walked toward the spring, dropping to my knees. I cupped my hands, scooping up the golden water, and brought it to my lips. It tasted like sunlight and raw power. The moment I swallowed, a wave of heat exploded in my chest, rushing through my meridians, purging impurities, and solidifying my cultivation base in seconds.
Tears welled in my eyes, falling into the golden water.
In my past life, I was called a talentless waste. I was mocked for relying on my noble birth. Lin Wan had stood on a pedestal, using this exact spring to play the benevolent savior of the world, while I rotted in the dirt.
"I will take it all back," I whispered to the empty valley, my voice hardening into steel. "Every single thing she stole from me. I will rip away her halo. I will crush her under my heel. I will make Xiao Chen beg for death."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A frantic, terrifying knocking echoed from the outside world, pulling my consciousness violently back into my bedroom. The blue screen vanished, and I was once again standing by my vanity.
"Eldest Miss! Eldest Miss, open the door!" It was the shrill, panicked voice of my maid, Cui'er.
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