Landlady, Where Did the Spiritual Energy Go?

[New novel: I Refuse to Be Love-Brained, and I Go Viral on a Dating Show. Please add it to your collection!]

Shen Xici transmigrated into a supporting female character with the same name in a cultivation novel. She had a tragic past: the original male lead gouged out her bones, poisoned her, sealed her powers, then threw her into a pack of demon beasts, leaving her covered in blood and on the brink of death.

When she woke, desperate to stay alive, she nervously bound herself to a spirit-herb cultivation System. Apparently, growing spirit herbs could increase her cultivation.

After binding to the System

[Ding! Spirit herb successfully cultivated. Spiritual energy density +100.]

[Ding! Beginner task complete. Spiritual energy density +1,000. Reward: Qi Refining cultivation.]

After that, her cultivation soared like a rocket, and everywhere she went, spiritual energy surged.

The demon beasts that had once eyed her covetously now raced to bring her rare treasures, hoping to claim a spot. Her little wooden cabin turned into a demon beast den.

But looking at the rare treasures delivered to her courtyard... Shen Xici didn't know what to say.

The rabbit demon on the left brought a carrot.

The cat demon in the middle brought a live mouse.

The black snake on the right brought a snakeskin?!

This was just freaking ridiculous.

Later, she simply rented an entire mountain in the cultivation world and started leasing out its spiritual energy.

Once her fame spread, the young lord of the demon clan, the Demon Venerable of the demon realm, and the Immortal Venerable of the immortal realm all came shamelessly asking to stay.

But when the easygoing landlady saw the lofty Immortal Venerable, she turned cold for the first time and slammed the door in his face.

Everyone around her was baffled. Only the Immortal Venerable wore a bitter expression.

It turned out... she was the orphan left behind by the couple who had been his beloveds, whom he had personally killed all those years ago.

*

One day, the great fiend who had been sealed for over a hundred years was awakened by a surge of rich spiritual energy. He sent out a fragment of his spirit in the form of a golden egg to investigate. But the moment it hit the ground, someone picked it up.

"I hear this is an absolutely rare turtle egg."

Great Demon. Turtle. Head: ?

The great fiend had only just cracked a hole in his shell when someone sprayed blood all over him, forcing him into a contract with them.

"Mengmeng, be good and stay still. Big Sis will take you to get something tasty in a bit."

Great fiend: Meng... your sister?

The great fiend was so amused that he climbed out of his shell. A wisp of his soul sat in midair, gazing at the person who had been insulting him all along

The little girl was quite pretty, but not very bright. She was about to die, yet she was still picking through the fragments of his eggshell, muttering as she went

"An empty egg? What a shame. I was hoping to die with a full stomach..."

The great fiend crossed his legs, smugly pleased: Hah, mere mortals.

After searching all around and finding nothing, the little girl pursed her lips in disgust.

"Forget it. The shell is so thick that even if there really was a turtle inside, it'd be old, tough, and gritty."

The great fiend nearly toppled over face-first. "..."

Old?

Tough??

Gritty???

Later, when the seal weakened, the four great sects came out in force, attempting to suppress him once more. At the critical moment, the little girl who had called him old and tough led the demon beasts of the entire forest to stand against them.

Amid a sea of blood, the delicate little girl stood at the head of ten thousand demons, her red robes blazing as she laughed with wild abandon.

"If you want to enter the mountain today, ask the million demon beasts behind me if they'll let you!"

That day, frost bit deep and snow blanketed the sky. Yet that smile was like a scorching sun, breaking through the cold and shining into his heart.

From then on, it was bright with sunshine and full of spring blossoms.

Reading guide:

1. The heroine grows stronger by cultivating spirit herbs. She's goofy but strong-willed and independent.

2. The hero is a notorious fiend who kills without batting an eye, but his character is actually upright. He'll be redeemed later.

3. Lots of original worldbuilding. Cultivation levels: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Tribulation Transcendence, Mahayana, Ascension.

Theme: What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger