The Memory Stone

Wu Neng could never have anticipated that it would be the Wu family to strike first. A group of incompetents—if they were going to act, why not simply kill them outright and avoid all this mess?

Wu Neng understood the Yunlan Sect well. Only disciples at the Golden Core stage or above could light a soul lamp in the sect.These two—one at Foundation Establishment, the other without any spiritual energy—would have been no trouble at all to eliminate in a single strike, saving much future hassle.

Glaring at the scene before him, Wu Neng's mind worked rapidly, seizing on a flaw in the "Memory Stone" projection. He sneered coldly, "And you still have the gall to speak? Our Wu family's guest cultivator only acted against you because you were extorting us. Tell me—how many spirit stones did you demand?"

At that moment, the voice of the Nascent Soul cultivator rang out again."…And you dared to ask for money…"

Buoyed by the statement, Wu Neng smirked, his confidence bolstered. "To think a disciple of the Yunlan Sect could be so devious and despicable. You disgrace your sect's reputation as the leading power!"

Ji Wushuang lifted her gaze, chuckling softly. "That's because this Wu fellow here went into a beast horde with nothing more than an ordinary concealment talisman. You know how unreliable those are—they last no more than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Care to guess how many pieces the spirit beasts would have torn him into after that time expired?"

Wu Neng's brows knitted tightly as he fixed a piercing stare on Wu Huayi. "Is this true?"

Ji Wushuang continued, "So, my senior sister and I generously gave him a third-tier supreme concealment talisman instead. We only charged him a hundred high-grade spirit stones—hardly unreasonable, wouldn't you say?"

Wu Neng was rendered speechless, completely stymied.

Sensing an opportunity, Chen Xuanji gently took Ji Wushuang's hand, her gaze filled with tender affection as she examined her. "My poor little Wushuang and the Foundation Establishment disciple—after already being taken advantage of by you, they still magnanimously gave you a third-tier supreme concealment talisman, asking only for the cost of materials. And yet, you became enraged and tried to cripple them instead!"

Ye Qian, the Foundation Establishment disciple: "…"Honored Elder, if you can't remember disciples' names, perhaps just leave us out altogether.

"All right," Lian Xing said with a light cough. "The Memory Stone makes it clear that it was the Wu family who acted recklessly and endangered my personal disciples first, only to turn around and falsely accuse them later. Wu family, you'd best consider how to apologize properly."

The words "personal disciples" made Lian Xing's stance crystal clear.The Yunlan Sect would stand firmly behind Ji Wushuang—no one could bully her!

Wu Neng: "…"He would never have imagined that this seemingly powerless girl was actually Lian Xing's personal disciple. Regret gnawed at him, and he wished he could strangle Wu Huayi on the spot.Look at this mess—what trouble has this wretched boy stirred up now?!

Wu Huayi, now terrified, stammered, "B-but we truly meant well…"

Ji Wushuang's smile deepened. "Was it genuine kindness, or ill intent? You insisted on following my senior sister, despite being a burden who constantly held her back. You even claimed you were protecting her while nearly causing her to be attacked by spirit beasts. Tell me, was this deliberate? Did you plan for her to get hurt? How vicious of you."

Completely oblivious to the trap in Ji Wushuang's words, Wu Huayi hurriedly retorted, "No, that's not it! I meant well because my cousin is your senior sister's junior!"

Tilting her head in a gesture of innocence, Ji Wushuang mused, "Master, isn't this strange? Did Mo Lanyi know that Wu Huayi was a deadweight? If she did, why would she let him hinder Senior Sister? And if she didn't… oh dear, what terrible luck for Senior Sister to have Mo Lanyi as her junior, getting dragged into such trouble for no reason."

Ji Wushuang's words sounded casual, but a closer analysis revealed they either painted Mo Lanyi as "malicious" or as an "unfortunate fool."

Currently, Mo Lanyi was widely regarded as kind-hearted and virtuous, so the former accusation wouldn't stick. For now, the title of "unfortunate fool" was hers to bear—a prospect Ji Wushuang found thoroughly satisfying.

Within Ji Wushuang's body, the heavenly purple qi seethed in fury, grumbling incessantly. Any tiny "butterfly" in the path of the Heaven's Chosen could cause a tempest, and this impression of "unfortunate fool" was bound to ripple through her fate.

Wu Huayi's nose nearly twisted with rage. A mere mortal, daring to call him, a Golden Core cultivator, a burden? Yet, infuriatingly, he had no way to refute her. His frustration simmered until, in his fury, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Ji Wushuang immediately tugged Ye Qian aside, whispering, "Senior Sister, let's move away. If we're splashed by the blood of a burden, we might catch his bad luck."

The crowd: "…"

Unable to remain any longer, Wu Neng finally thickened his skin and declared it all a misunderstanding. The Wu family would surely provide Ji Wushuang and Ye Qian with an explanation.

After offering these perfunctory words, the Wu family slinked away in disgrace.

Once they had gone, Chen Xuanji turned eagerly to Ji Wushuang. "Little Wushuang, may I take a look at that Memory Stone?"

"Of course."

Memory Stones were both rare and precious, as the monopoly over their resources was held by a powerful noble clan. Even the five great immortal sects had only a limited supply.

Due to Ji Wushuang's identity as a "personal disciple," no one had doubted the Memory Stone's authenticity. Yet Chen Xuanji, a genius in talismans, immediately discerned it was no Memory Stone but an ordinary supreme-grade spirit stone.

Examining the stone closely, Chen Xuanji's eyes burned with excitement. "Marvelous… engraving talisman runes directly onto spirit stones allows them to function as Memory Stones."

Her revelation stunned Lian Xing and the other elders.

"What? This isn't a Memory Stone?!""Heavens, it really isn't!""This…"

The four stared at Ji Wushuang, their gazes brimming with awe.

If all spirit stones could be repurposed as Memory Stones, it would revolutionize teaching, learning, and knowledge dissemination.

The sheer number of Yunlan Sect disciples made it impossible for all to receive personal guidance from the peak lords. Typically, senior disciples instructed junior ones, often leading to distortions or omissions in the transmission of knowledge, with many bright talents lost along the way.

In extreme cases, deviations could result in qi deviation—an incalculable loss.

If every disciple could access direct teachings from the peak lords, the Yunlan Sect would undoubtedly rise to unmatched dominance!