It turns out, they were the main characters.

Originally, Mu Zhian's initial plan was for the Ascension Conference to turn into an internal war between them... so that they could easily obtain the three Emperor-level medicinal herbs.

However, now...

This line of thinking might need to be changed.

Wei Mengrou also noticed her young master's unusual behavior and walked gracefully to his side.

Accompanied by a unique fragrance, her shoulder inadvertently brushed against Mu Zhian's shoulder, and she tilted her head slightly to glance at the contents of the letter.

After a brief hesitation, a beautiful smile bloomed on Wei Mengrou's usually cold and delicate face.

The maid quickly suppressed her smile, pursed her lips, and tried her best to hold back the schadenfreude that was about to spill out, maintaining her usual indifferent tone: "So what do you plan to do now?"

However, as he said this, a pleasant smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.

Mu Zhian had already calmed down and smiled calmly: "Since that's the case, then I can only take this Ascension Ceremony more seriously."

Originally, she planned to stay behind the scenes, living off her boyfriend and being the "female lead" behind the "protagonists," but now it seems she'll have to put in some effort herself...

Wei Mengrou raised her eyebrows slightly, understanding the meaning behind his words: "You really want to win first place in the Ascension Tournament?"

"Does Sister Mengrou think it's unrealistic?" Mu Zhian asked with a smile.

Wei Mengrou gently shook her head.

"I didn't expect Sister Mengrou to have so much confidence in me?" Mu Zhian was somewhat surprised.

Wei Mengrou's lips curved into a faint smile: "Whether it's the forbidden zone, the sword palace, or the Yaochi Holy Land, they are all good destinations. You can start thinking about who to marry after the Ascension Conference ends."

Mu Zhian: "..."

"If that's really the case, then wouldn't you be going to be a maidservant accompanying your husband?" Mu Zhian complained.

Clearly, the maid was eager for chaos and wanted her young master to suffer a setback.

After a brief silence, Mu Zhian quickly composed himself, pondered for a moment, and said, "Actually, I don't necessarily have to win first place in the Ascension Tournament."

"There's a better way..."

As Mu Zhian finished speaking, his gaze drifted towards Wei Mengrou, seemingly unintentionally.

Wei Mengrou frowned slightly: "What method?"

"For example, Sister Mengrou won first place in the Ascension Tournament..." Mu Zhian asked tentatively.

"Why should I help you?" Wei Mengrou scoffed and immediately refused.

Don't rush to refuse.

Mu Zhian paused, then looked at Wei Mengrou's beautiful, cold face and smiled, "Sister Mengrou, think about it carefully. Before, you were my maid and obeyed my orders. If you win first place in the future, our roles can be reversed. I'll serve you tea and water, massage your shoulders, and maybe even serve you in bed..."

"Let's skip the last one," Wei Mengrou said calmly.

But her eyes flickered slightly, a ripple spreading across her face.

Although she wasn't really interested in Mu Zhian as a 'prize,' she couldn't help but get teased by him every time she served him tea or water, which made her a little annoyed.

If Makichi became a servant...

Wei Mengrou looked at Mu Zhian silently, and after a while, she said, "Let me think about it some more."

"Are you confident, Sister Mengrou?" Mu Zhian asked.

“As long as she doesn’t participate, there’s no problem,” Wei Mengrou said.

Mu Zhian was puzzled at first, but then he quickly realized something.

Clearly, the "she" the maid was referring to was none other than Lan Mulian, the reclusive girl currently residing at Liangyi Peak.

Logically speaking, cultivators at the Returning Void Realm should not participate in the Ascension Ceremony, but Lan Mulian's age is similar to theirs, and the specific situation will only be known after the rules of the Ascension Ceremony are released.

"Are you talking about my senior sister...?"

Mu Zhian looked thoughtful and said, "If there is no other choice, I will have to personally suppress her."

Wei Mengrou gave a perfunctory "oh" and pretended to believe her.

She paused for a moment, then continued, "More important than that, you need to deal with those people at the door first."

"After your Emperor-grade medicinal herbs were incorporated into the Natural Furnace, some people couldn't sit still," Wei Mengrou said, seemingly casually.

Even after the Emperor-grade medicinal herbs were absorbed into the Natural Furnace, a trace of their aura still emanated from it. Male cultivators naturally couldn't detect it, but some female cultivators at the Returning Void Realm could sense it to some extent.

"Then let them get restless," Mu Zhian said with a smile.

But when he looked at the letter in his hand, he couldn't help but smile.

Compared to the spiritual energy overflowing from Emperor-grade medicinal herbs, this letter is the real problem...

Besides winning by ourselves, we need to think of other ways...

Does a way to prevent the girl next to you from winning while still securing three Emperor-level medicinal herbs really exist?

Mu Zhian silently folded the letter and put it into his storage ring.

He walked to the window and looked at the snow scene outside, lost in thought.

……

Just as Yao Meng said to Mu Zhi'an after waking up, there was nothing wrong with Mu Zhi'an refining Emperor-level medicinal herbs.

However, Mu Zhian obviously did not expect that the fragrance emitted by an Emperor-level medicinal herb would be so strong that even the innate furnace could not completely absorb the spiritual energy of the entire Emperor-level medicinal herb, and some of the spiritual energy of the Emperor-level medicinal herb would still leak out.

Previously, when Daofeng's chief disciple, Yu Ziyan, was refining the Soul-Returning Pill for Mu Zhian, she had specially set up an array in her main hall to prevent the fragrance of the medicine from escaping.

However, this is the Liangyi Sect after all. Even if some female cultivators only suspect that Tianhe Garden has Emperor-level medicinal herbs, there is nothing they can do.

At most, I would secretly try to contact Mu Zhian when he went out.

As for having any evil thoughts, that's basically impossible.

Firstly, the spirit dragon is still in Tianhe Garden, and the Azure Emperor is also there... Although most people are unaware of this, this in itself is a great guarantee.

Secondly, there's also the sect leader sister to keep things in order.

While imperial-grade medicinal herbs are certainly tempting, no one would dare to take the risk.

That noon, the matter of the suspected presence of Emperor-level medicinal herbs in Tianhe Garden was forgotten by some of the female cultivators, since Mu Zhian had not left the garden for a long time, and they could not possibly force their way into Tianhe Garden.

……

Dexinyuan.

Ye Lingxuan casually played with the paper crane in her hand, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the snow scene outside the window, seemingly somewhat absent-minded.

If Mu Zhian were here right now, his mindset would probably change again.

The contents of this paper crane are the same as those in Mu Zhian's hand, so one can imagine what troubles this forbidden zone saintess is going through at this moment.

Each reincarnated empress leaves behind a trace of spiritual energy in each of her lifetimes. When all nine traces of spiritual energy coexist within her body, the reincarnated empress's legacy is considered perfectly inherited.

But now, a trace of spiritual energy still remains within Mu Zhi'an's body...

In the past, Ye Lingxuan wouldn't have been in a hurry. After all, when the time was right, the spiritual energy of the ninth life would naturally return to her body after being strengthened by the innate furnace.

However, the arrival of this letter directly shattered Ye Lingxuan's usual composure.

She couldn't wait any longer.

Under normal circumstances, having the spiritual energy of eight lifetimes coexisting in one body would be enough to secure victory in the Ascension Conference.

But this was a golden age, an era that produced a plethora of geniuses.

Ye Qian had received the inheritance of the Azure Emperor in the past, Bai Ruoxi was the sword sheath left by the Palace Master of the Sword Palace, and Wei Mengrou was even more mysterious.

Although no one knows what her constitution is, her monstrous cultivation speed and strength make her the strongest fighter among everyone.

There are also the Lan sisters. The senior sister is aloof and has a very high sense of self-respect, so she probably won't participate in the Ascension Ceremony.

But Lan Feiying... Ye Lingxuan didn't know much about this charming and alluring woman, only that she had recently heard that her strength had increased dramatically, shocking the elders of the major peaks.

Even Huang Manting has had many fortuitous encounters, and her strength is immeasurable.

Could it be that we really have to go to Brother Mu to get back the spiritual energy from the ninth incarnation...?

Ye Lingxuan rested her chin on her hand, her snow-white feet swaying gently in her exquisitely embroidered shoes. Her usually serene face now held a hint of hesitation.

She quietly took out a small, exquisitely crafted box.

If Mu Zhian were there, he would probably complain, "Isn't this supposed to be a wedding ring box?"

In fact, this really is a box for a wedding ring.

Not long ago, the Reincarnated Empress took the Purple Lightning Sacred Rock to create a ring, and this box was used to store the ring later.

"After the ring is finished, I'll go to Tianhe Garden and give it to him...?" Ye Lingxuan murmured to herself.

That's all I'm saying. Even if I make the ring and give it to him, how am I supposed to bring it up with him afterwards...?

“Brother Mu, I want the spiritual energy of the ninth incarnation, so…”

Ye Lingxuan silently covered her face.

No, it's impossible no matter how you look at it!

Just thinking about that scene made Ye Lingxuan, who was already shy, blush slightly, feeling extremely ashamed.

"elder sister……?"

Just then, she faintly heard a melodious voice behind her. Ye Lingxuan subconsciously turned her head and saw Ye Qian standing behind her with her hands behind her back, her eyes filled with concern.

"Why do you seem so distracted, sister? Is something on your mind?" Ye Qian asked with a hint of concern.

This usually elegant and refined lady's face was so red at this moment, and she looked worried, so it's no wonder that people were concerned.

Ye Lingxuan skillfully composed herself, maintaining her usual elegant demeanor as an older sister, and shook her head with a slight smile: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about the Ascension Conference."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing the words "Ascension Ceremony," a hint of panic immediately appeared in Ye Qian's eyes. She subconsciously clutched her storage ring and smiled, "Sister, weren't you not very interested in the Ascension Ceremony before? Why are you suddenly so..."

As she said this, a pair of gentle eyes gazed at Ye Lingxuan.

However, Ye Lingxuan immediately noticed that her younger sister, who had grown up with her since childhood, looked a little strange and couldn't help but look her up and down a few times.

"Could it be... that you also received that letter?" Ye Lingxuan suddenly asked.

Ye Qian was stunned for a moment, and her gaze unconsciously met Ye Lingxuan's.

"My sister too...?"