Chapter 1233: Chapter 1206: Behind the Mary Sue 5
Anning used a Cleaning Technique to clean herself, then quickly took out a piece of clothing from the Storage Bag and changed.
She stepped out of the cave mansion and noticed that the surroundings had changed somewhat.
The once not very lush vegetation had been washed by the Spirit Rain, now growing crazily, with some grass taller than people, and the trees were extraordinarily tall.
Anning smiled and leaped onto a big tree, picking a few fruits to munch on.
To be honest, the fruits in the Cultivation World are quite delicious; even ordinary fruits taste much better than those in other worlds.
An Xin could feel some of Anningâs thoughts, so she couldnât help but ask Anning, "Ningning, why donât I collect some fruits for you so that when youâre in another world, you can eat them freely."
An Xin truly cared for Anning.
She knew that with Anningâs abilities, enjoying oneself was not excessive.
Yet, Anning adhered to the rules of each time and space, never being extravagant.
You should know, An Xin now has many good things stored in her space, and if Anning needs them, she would definitely bring them out. This way, Anning could live comfortably in every time and space, but Anning never uses anything from An Xinâs space; she does everything relying on her own abilities.
Now An Xin wants to store many good items from the Cultivation World, letting Anning use them as she pleases in the future.
Anning smiled, "No need. In whichever world, use what is produced in that world. For mortals, things that donât belong to that world appearing arenât good."
An Xin sighed, "Okay."
Anning picked a few more fruits and munched on them. She sat on the tree to finish eating her fruits before jumping down.
Looking around, Anning waved her hand to cast a spell, dispersing the Spiritual Energy gathered during her promotion to Golden Core Master while also concealing her own cultivation level.
No matter who sees Anning, they would think sheâs at the Foundation Establishment Stage, absolutely unable to realize sheâs a Golden Core Master.
Having done all this, Anning thought for a bit, then waved her hand and made some arrangements.
An Xin didnât understand, "Ningning, what are you doing?"
Anning explained with a smile, "Creating a phenomenon of promotion to the Foundation Establishment Stage."
"Youâve already been promoted before, why bother..."
An Xin was even more puzzled.
Anning said as she walked, "I had set up the formation before promotion, and outsiders couldnât see the situation here. You could say, no one knows I promoted to Golden Core Master."
An Xin understood, Anning wanted to keep a low profile.
Since the previous promotion was done quietly, and Anning wanted the outside world to think sheâs only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, she needed to create some commotion.
Anning slowly walked down the mountain, and at this moment, many people from the Zhu Family and Sifang City felt the change in phenomena.
Afterward, they discovered Spiritual Energy crazily converging towards one place, and the members of the Zhu Family knew that was the place where their family members were in seclusion.
"Who is about to be promoted?"
Many side branch members of the Zhu Family curiously inquired among themselves.
And the Family Head Zhu, who was entertaining guests, couldnât help but laugh aloud upon seeing this scene, "Good, good, my son has hope for promotion this time."
Some guests quickly inquired about the situation, and upon learning that the Zhu Familyâs Second Miss was currently in seclusion preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, they congratulated Family Head Zhu.
Family Head Zhu was beaming with joy, smiling with satisfaction.
Backyard
Zhu An Yue also noticed the abnormal phenomena in the mountains.
Her face turned exceedingly gloomy.
She understood what this represented, indicating Anning and Maren were about to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Zhu An Yue remembered in the previous life Anning did not succeed in promoting, not until two years later when she tried to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage again did she finally succeed.
She thought, this time Anning definitely canât make it, yet she was still extremely envious.
Anning is younger than her, yet already starting to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, while she, on the other hand, is still at the ninth floor of the Qi Refinement Realm.
Although itâs better than most people, sheâs still envious.
"Let you be proud for now."
Zhu An Yue sneered coldly, then lay down on the bed to sleep.
Zhu An Yue slept for quite a long time, and when she woke up, she found that house had become very lively.
By now the sky had turned dark, and logically, it should be night, and the house should become peaceful and quiet, but today was different from any other day.
Zhu An Yue frowned, "Xiao Tao, whatâs going on outside?"
The maid outside wearing a peach-colored shirt came in, "Miss, itâs the family head celebrating for Second Miss. Second Miss successfully promoted to Foundation Establishment Stage, adding another powerful figure to our family; the Family Head is very happy."
Zhu An Yue was taken aback, "What did you say?"
Xiao Tao repeated again.
Zhu An Yue felt a tidal wave in her heart: "Are you saying the Second Sister made it?"
"Yes, Second Miss returned not long ago. The master was extremely happy to see her. He has been busy arranging a banquet and inviting many people to celebrate for Second Miss."
Xiao Taoâs face was also full of joy.
Zhu An Yue was angry inside, but couldnât reprimand Xiao Tao: "Alright, I know. You can go now."
She got up from the bed and sat in front of the dressing table, looking at her own angry reflection in the mirror. She picked up something from the table and smashed it to the ground with force.
Xiao Tao was startled by the loud noise in the room: "Miss, what happened?"
Zhu An Yue said softly, "Itâs nothing. I accidentally broke something just now. Get someone to come in and clean up."
Xiao Tao found a young maid to clean up the shattered porcelain box Zhu An Yue had broken. She came in to help Zhu An Yue with her hair: "Miss, Madam wants you to go to the front yard later."
"Got it."
Zhu An Yue was rather impatient.
She really couldnât understand how Anning succeeded. Clearly, in the previous life, she failed, right?
Then she wondered if it was because of her, causing some changes in events.
This made her feel a bit panicked.
But then she calmed down again.
No matter what, she had already made a good impression on Xiao Qing. With Xiao Qing as her backing, even Anning couldnât do anything to her, so why should she be afraid?
Anning returned to the Zhu Family at night.
Upon her return, she first met with the Family Head Zhu.
When the Family Head Zhu saw Anning successfully advance, he was overjoyed and insisted on celebrating for Anning.
Anning did not stop him.
She understood what the Family Head Zhu meant. He said it was a celebration, but in fact, it was to tell the people of Sifang City that their Zhu Family had another Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, and one at the youngest age, at that. It was a message to those with ulterior motives towards the Zhu Family to stop their wishful thinking.
Anning chatted with the Family Head Zhu for a while and then said she wanted to see Mrs. Zhu and Aunt Feng.
The Family Head Zhu smiled: "Itâs been many days since youâve been in seclusion. Your mother and concubine have missed you. Your mother often talks about you, wondering if youâve suffered, and said if it werenât for the need to not disturb your seclusion, she would have wanted to see you every day."
Anning lowered her head and smiled: "I know mother misses me, and I also know father cares for me. Iâll have a good talk with mother later."
The Family Head Zhu smiled with satisfaction: "Alright, go on, spend more time with your mother and concubine."
Only then did Anning leave the study. She went to the backyard to see Mrs. Zhu first.
She told the Family Head Zhu that she would spend more time with Mrs. Zhu, but in fact, that was just something nice to say. They all knew that wasnât possible.
Mrs. Zhu only maintained superficial courtesy with Anning, smiling and saying a few words before letting her leave.
Anning didnât have any special feelings for Mrs. Zhu either.
After all, Mrs. Zhu had never targeted her or caused her trouble. Everything Mrs. Zhu did was what a mistress of a large family should do. Anning was not her biological daughter, so having a polite relationship was already quite good.
Anning understood all of this, and therefore maintained a facade of cordiality and respect towards Mrs. Zhu.
After leaving Mrs. Zhu, she went to see Aunt Feng.
Aunt Feng had been waiting for a long time. When she saw Anning coming in, she couldnât help but shed tears: "Youâve lost weight, youâve lost a lot of weight, you must have suffered."
Anning smiled and pulled Aunt Feng to sit down: "I didnât suffer much. This time it went particularly smoothly."
Aunt Feng held Anningâs hand tightly: "Did you pay your respects to Madam?"
Anning nodded: "I just came from Madamâs place."
Aunt Feng felt somewhat reassured: "Thatâs good, thatâs good. You have already advanced, but you must still respect Madam."
"I know."
Anning reassured Aunt Feng with a smile: "I am well aware of everything. This vast Zhu Family isnât something we mother and daughter can shake now."
Aunt Feng was taken aback; she saw ambition in Anningâs eyes.
"Ningning, you want to..."
Anning whispered in Aunt Fengâs ear: "I want to be the Family Head. I am a member of the Zhu Family, and I have the capability. Why canât I fight for it this time? If I become the Family Head, no one will dare to look down on you anymore."
These words brought tears streaming down Aunt Fengâs face: "Iâve never been wronged, and no one looks down on me. Donât take risks for my sake."
"Itâs not just for you, Aunt. Itâs also for myself."
Anning held Aunt Fengâs hand and softly explained her situation: "Aunt, look at this face of mine. If you search all of Sifang City and even the entire Dongling Continent, there are probably few who can match my looks. Just based on my appearance, father has already decided to use me to please some important figures. Even though I have high potential, becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator at a young age, to father, my greatest value is as a tool for marriage alliances. I donât want to become a pawn to be given away. I want to live with dignity, but I cannot betray the Zhu Family. I was born in the Zhu Family, grew up in the Zhu Family, and used the Zhu Familyâs resources to cultivate. The mark of the Zhu Family is indelible in this life, and the karma cannot be severed. Therefore, why not do something more decisive, be more ambitious, and compete with my elder brother? I am sure that if I were the Family Head, I would do a better job than my brother."