(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 42

Some things could be endured, but this was not one of them.

The Soul-Cutting Umbrella flew open with a sharp sound and shot toward Guan Tian. When his sword struck against the umbrella’s surface, Jian Tongyao’s figure had already appeared ten zhang away, floating above the magma. Ling Yan, who had turned her back completely to rely on her master’s protection, had never expected Jian Tongyao, a so-called lofty cultivator, to attack from behind.

Jian Tongyao not only did so, but Ling Yan’s earlier schemes had completely provoked her. Two hundred years ago, Jian Tongyao had spared Ling Yan only because she was the world’s so-called Daughter of Destiny and because certain rules prevented her from killing her outright. She had let the woman live on her own fate. Yet two centuries later, this same chosen one had matured into a cunning opportunist, even daring to lay a trap for her.

Thinking back, it must have been during their time in Yunyan Sect that Ling Yan recognized her identity and began secretly following them. She waited patiently for the perfect moment to seize what should have been Qian Jiujiu’s fated opportunity.

“Xiao Jiu, go train inside the Earthfire Core.”

“Jiu?”

“Be good.”

The swirling magma opened, revealing flashes of blazing lotus blooms, each as beautiful as a flower from the depths of hell. They appeared and vanished too quickly for the eyes to follow. Seeing her Xiao Jiu hesitate, Jian Tongyao waved her sleeve, sending the small phoenix directly into the vortex. Qian Jiujiu looked startled but quickly stabilized herself. Before diving in, she glanced back with reluctant eyes at her master, then disappeared into the whirlpool.

Ling Yan immediately tried to follow but was blocked by Jian Tongyao’s sweeping sleeve. The two clashed, their power shaking the entire magma field, flames bursting wildly in all directions.

Several holes appeared on Jian Tongyao’s moon-white robe, burned through by the raging fire spirits. Seeing this, Ling Yan released even more fire energy in a furious assault.

Raising her hand, Jian Tongyao called the Soul-Cutting Umbrella back. It tore through the magma and returned to her grasp, spinning to form a perfect shield. Every drop of fire and every strike was blocked.

Amid the chaos, Jian Tongyao still moved with ease. She even glanced into the vortex, hoping to catch a glimpse of her Xiao Jiu through the sparks.

Guan Tian had long heard tales about Jian Tongyao. She was the Lingshen Sect’s divine treasure, the walking symbol of luck, a recluse devoted entirely to cultivation. Now that he faced her himself, he realized those rumors were true. She stood before him like an unshakable mountain. He could neither approach nor overcome her.

The vast difference between them made him abandon all thoughts of seizing her fortune.

“Elder Jian, if word spreads that you are bullying the younger generation, it might tarnish Lingshen Sect’s reputation.”

Jian Tongyao remained indifferent. Anyone who dared harm her Xiao Jiu was her enemy. Standing her ground at the center of the magma field, she raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

“And who exactly would spread that word? You, or her?”

The threat hidden in her tone made Guan Tian stiffen. He immediately summoned several messenger cranes, yet before they could fly far, the magma’s fury swallowed them whole. His next attempts fared no better. The messages were either repelled by a barrier or burned to ash midair. It became clear that within this isolated realm, no one could send a single word out.

He stared in disbelief. “When did you set up a barrier?”

That accusation was rather unfair. Jian Tongyao hadn’t planned any of this in advance. She truly had intended to destroy Ling Yan, but before she could act, the situation had escalated on its own. Considering that only they were present here, it was obvious the isolation array had activated naturally.

“Now that no one can interfere, isn’t this much better?”

Ling Yan seized the chance while they were distracted, stirring the magma once more. The whirlpool rippled again, threatening to reopen. Jian Tongyao didn’t even look. With a single wave of her hand, the molten surface stilled completely.

The passage to the Earthfire Core could not stay open indefinitely. Ling Yan watched it close again and again until she went completely mad.

A piercing cry split the air. Her phoenix wings spread wide, wrapped in flames that could burn the soul itself, and she hurled herself at Jian Tongyao. Yet before she could touch her, the fire abruptly went out as though snuffed by an invisible force.

Ling Yan froze. “What?”

Guan Tian also stared in shock.

Ling Yan’s fiery red hair billowed behind her. Her beautiful face twisted with anger, her tear-bright eyes glinting with hatred.

“Elder Jian, your methods are far too domineering. She and I are both phoenixes. Why is she allowed, and I am not? Are all places touched by you claimed as property of Lingshen Sect?”

The dispute had shifted from personal grudges to sect politics.

Jian Tongyao realized she had underestimated this woman. Ling Yan’s talent for sowing discord was clearly as sharp as her cultivation. Two centuries of life had not been wasted entirely on training.

“Ling Yan, when we last met, you hadn’t yet grown your fifth tail feather. Tell me, what miraculous method did you use to advance so quickly in just a few short months?”

Each time her Xiao Jiu grew a new tail feather, she endured months of agony, her body repeatedly burned and reborn under the torment of the fire spirits. The process was painful to watch.

Ling Yan’s expression didn’t change.

“What? Do you intend to steal my cultivation method as well?”

Guan Tian’s face twisted with anger, as though Jian Tongyao truly were some greedy thief. Jian Tongyao merely smiled.

“You, Guan Tian, have lived thousands of years as a sect leader. How pitiful that you fall so easily for your disciple’s manipulations. Have all those years gone to waste?”

“You…!”

Ling Yan frowned and warned, “Master, be careful. She is trying to drive a wedge between us.”

Jian Tongyao had no interest in meddling with Yunyan Sect’s affairs, but seeing Guan Tian’s furious and miserable expression, she felt a twinge of pity.

“Do you still believe your disciple is the future of the Phoenix Clan? That her talent will one day elevate Yunyan Sect’s status?”

Guan Tian fell silent. When he had first accepted Ling Yan as his disciple, his intentions had been sincere. Seeing her remarkable progress, he had devoted even more effort to her cultivation. In the end, he had even agreed to help her seize the opportunity that rightfully belonged to another.

In the cultivation world, stealing another’s fate was common. Whoever succeeded first had the right to claim it. For Ling Yan’s sake, Guan Tian had been willing to set aside all dignity.

Yet he had never expected to encounter a being like Jian Tongyao.

Ling Yan’s fury only deepened.

“You have already taken what should have been mine. What more do you want?”

Jian Tongyao spun the umbrella handle lazily.

“I am simply curious about your cultivation method. After all, my Xiao Jiu is also a young phoenix. Sharing techniques among kin should help strengthen your clan, don’t you think? There’s no need to be so defensive.”

Ling Yan fell silent.

Guan Tian hesitated. Jian Tongyao’s words sounded perfectly reasonable. Cultivators often shared methods for mutual benefit. Compared to her careful planning for her disciple’s sake, he found himself feeling ashamed.

“Elder Jian is right. Perhaps after her cultivation is complete, we could let Ling Yan learn a little as well—”

Jian Tongyao smiled. “Of course.”

If he had shown this much sincerity earlier, she wouldn’t have had to block the entire passage like a guardian beast.

Ling Yan screamed suddenly. “Who wants your charity?”

Two phoenixes could never coexist peacefully. As their bloodlines grew stronger with age, only one could become the next Phoenix Queen.

“Yan’er, how could you speak to Elder Jian that way?” Guan Tian scolded.

Ling Yan’s eyes burned with fury, her flames nearly tangible. She took slow, deliberate steps toward Jian Tongyao.

“I am the princess of the Phoenix clan. That clownish creature you favor could never compare to me. You should have accepted me as your disciple. Everything you own should have been mine. She stole everything that rightfully belonged to me!”

A flicker of confusion passed through Jian Tongyao’s eyes. “Your heart is corrupt. Even with great talent, you would never belong in Lingshen Sect.”

“Yan’er, no—” Guan Tian began, but his words were cut short as a fireball struck him. Caught off guard, he stared in disbelief at the disciple he had raised with such care. Ling Yan’s crimson hair whipped around her face as she stood surrounded by roaring flames, her expression wild and unrestrained.

Jian Tongyao looked at her with calm detachment.

“You overestimate yourself, Ling Yan. Feeding on your kin’s bloodline to strengthen your own may have increased your power, but have the spirits of those you slaughtered never haunted your dreams?”

Ling Yan’s pupils widened in shock. Beside her, Guan Tian swayed, barely kept upright by an unseen spiritual force. “That’s impossible…”

When Jian Tongyao had first seen Ling Yan at Yunyan Sect, she had already suspected something unnatural in her cultivation. Qian Jiujiu had spent two hundred years and an entire fire vein to purify her bloodline, yet Ling Yan had surpassed her in half that time. That could only mean she had used an unholy method.

For Qian Jiujiu’s sake, Jian Tongyao had spent immense effort searching for the right resources, aided by Dingding’s divine assistance. Even so, true phoenix inheritance could not be rushed.

Guan Tian murmured bitterly, “I see… All my years of effort for her were nothing compared to what Elder Jian has done for her disciple.”

Ling Yan had always appeared obedient and focused solely on training. Her cultivation had risen steadily, each breakthrough faster than the last. Guan Tian, blinded by pride, had never questioned how she advanced so quickly.

Jian Tongyao smiled. “There is a secret within the Phoenix clan, known only to a few. It allows one to advance rapidly and refine the purest bloodline power.”

“What secret?” Guan Tian demanded.

Ling Yan’s face turned calm again. “So what if it is true? What if it isn’t?”

Jian Tongyao’s gaze hardened. “That method defies the natural order. The backlash will find you sooner or later. Two hundred years ago, you were still a naive fledgling. Who told you about it?”