In my previous life, I chose the beautiful bird spirit beast, leaving the gray cat for my elder sister.
I was lazy by nature, thinking a bird would fly me around for fun. I never expected it to be the Divine Beast Phoenix, Kaelen.
It was fiercely ambitious, solely focused on cultivation and growth. Every day, it forced me to wake early for training, making me utterly miserable.
Meanwhile, my sister’s gray cat spent its days basking in the sun and sleeping. Blair couldn’t even get it to move for cultivation. It drove my fiercely ambitious sister crazy, and I envied her greatly.
This life, I snatched the gray cat first. Blair, who always doted on me, naturally indulged my whim. It turned out she was indeed a better match for Kaelen, and they both became the strongest duo in the sect.
As for me and Arion, we had the time of our lives, completely oblivious to everything else.
Then one day, everything changed. Battling demons and banishing evil was, of course, a job for Blair and Kaelen. I was just a beautiful disaster. But when this disaster was nearly devoured by a demon, my gray cat suddenly transformed, becoming a majestic, mountain-shaking Divine Beast White Tiger.
1.
I hugged the gray cat, declaring I wanted it. Elder Thorne frowned in disapproval. He said this spirit beast had appeared earlier than the bird, its spiritual energy must be stronger, and it should go to Blair, who had better innate magical talent.
Blair indulgently stroked my head, smiling. “Willow, do you really like the cat?”
I nodded vigorously. “I just want the kitty!”
“Alright, it’s yours then.”
Elder Thorne started to protest further, but Blair had already left with Kaelen. Little did he know then, with his displeased expression, how grateful he would be to me later.
Blair had always been more capable than me since childhood. She picked up spells and increased her spiritual power much faster. She was the one who truly deserved Kaelen, the spirit beast that would later awaken into a Divine Beast Phoenix.
In my previous life, I chose Kaelen because I wanted it to fly me around for fun, but it turned out to be an incredibly ambitious spirit. It forced me to train day and night, pouring its heart and soul into me. Unfortunately, my spiritual root was too weak; I couldn’t even hold a candle to Blair.
Kaelen often looked at me with disappointment, asking how Blair and I, being twins, could be so different. It said that in its bird world, someone like me would be abandoned at birth, or just grow up to be someone else’s dinner. After scaring me, it would gaze longingly at Blair, wishing she were its master.
At first, I didn’t understand why a bird would try so hard all the time. It wasn’t until Kaelen awakened into a Divine Beast Phoenix on its own that I truly understood. I, the pretty useless one, was indeed holding it back.
Blair was even happier than me when my spirit beast became a Divine Beast. She taught me many ways to cultivate with the aid of a Divine Beast. Kaelen watched from the side with quiet envy, practically wishing it could follow Blair.
And I wanted it to follow Blair too!
Ever since I got Kaelen, I hadn’t even set foot in the back mountains. The adorable little animals there must have missed me, and I was starting to forget the tempting scent of them after they were roasted. Not to mention how bustling the town below must be now; I’d become completely out of touch with the world.
I asked Blair with a tearful face if we could switch spirit beasts. She just smiled gently. “Kaelen is a Divine Beast. It’s a better match for me than the gray cat.”
No, nothing was a better match for me than the gray cat! My dream was to be delightfully useless, and the gray cat made my dream come true.
Blair couldn’t even make it listen. Even with a master’s command, it would only cooperate with her for basic cultivation, offering no extra assistance. That’s why Blair’s power level never advanced.
Every day, while I was miserably overseen by Kaelen during my training, I’d see the gray cat sleeping in various poses everywhere! Or it would be toying with and devouring various small animals! All those delicious treats that should have ended up in my stomach, it ate them all!
I was furious, wanting it to save some for me, but before I could even get close, Kaelen’s piercing glare pinned me to the spot. Watching the gray cat lazily sunning its belly, I wished I could throw the sword I held right at it.
With Kaelen’s help, my spiritual power did indeed increase significantly. But my talent was simply too limited; I couldn’t keep up with Kaelen’s pace, making it impossible for us to cooperate to our fullest potential.
Consequently, when the demon race invaded, Kaelen stood before me, straining to hold them off for a long time, before ultimately falling in battle. Without its aid, I was quickly severely wounded. I only managed to push Blair, who was shielding me with her body, away with my last ounce of strength, before losing consciousness.
This life, I would not torment Kaelen, nor would Kaelen torment me. Blair was the perfect match for a Divine Beast. I only deserved this lazy cat in my arms.
Elder Thorne, who already disliked my foolishness, became even more displeased seeing me snatch the spirit beast from Blair. During lessons, he made sure no one called for me, and assigned me all the dirty and hard labor.
Blair protected me, giving me private lessons after every class. But she didn’t know I actually preferred doing the chores.
While they were in class, I would wander through the back mountains. When sent down the mountain for supplies, I’d explore and play everywhere, living a carefree life.
It turned out Blair and Kaelen were truly a perfect match.
In my previous life, Kaelen took three years to awaken on its own. This life, with its spiritual roots perfectly aligned with Blair’s, their cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Kaelen awakened into a Divine Beast in just one year.
Blair, worried I might be unhappy, came to comfort me. She found me and Arion fishing in the back mountain river. No, ‘white cat’ now. It had been shedding a lot lately, and I was worried it would go bald, but then it suddenly started growing white fur, and its eyes turned blue. Now it was a striking blue-eyed white cat.
I used one of the few spells I could competently cast to catch fish and roasted them over a fire, inviting Blair and Kaelen to eat with us.
Kaelen haughtily refused, sticking close to Blair. Fortunately, I was already immune to its sarcastic remarks, so I ignored it and pulled Blair down to try my cooking.
Blair relaxed, seeing I wasn’t upset. She asked what I’d been up to lately, as I was always off disappearing somewhere.
Afraid she’d drag me back for lessons, I quickly said Arion and I had found a spirit-rich place in the mountains and were diligently cultivating there every day.
Kaelen spoke coldly from the side. “Do you think Blair is foolish enough to believe that drivel?”
I rolled my eyes at him. Before I could retort “Mind your own business,” I heard Blair say, “I believe her, Willow wouldn’t lie to me.”
Seeing Kaelen’s visibly taken aback expression, I burst out laughing, cuddling Blair close. “Blair’s the best!”
She stroked my head. “I can feel it, your spiritual power has grown. That means you really have been cultivating, so I’m relieved.”
Kaelen scoffed. “Hmph, no matter how much she cultivates, she couldn’t match even a fraction of Blair. You’re about to break through to Level 7, and she’s still stuck at Level 4.”
Arion, lazy as ever, spoke from beside me. “What’s wrong with Level 4? We live a carefree life, so happy. You, a bird, are so diligent, what, trying to become a feathered fanatic?”
I ignored the bickering bird and cat, happily looking at Blair. To think, in the entire sect, only about a dozen cultivators had reached Level 7, and no one had ever reached Level 7 at Blair’s age. Elder Thorne wasn’t wrong; Blair was truly a once-in-a-century prodigy.
This time, Blair’s talent and Kaelen’s spiritual essence weren’t wasted.
Even more surprisingly, after Blair broke through Level 7, she became even more perfectly attuned with Kaelen. Their spiritual powers advanced by leaps and bounds. In just three short years, Blair actually reached Level 9. Meanwhile, Elder Thorne had only reached Level 10 Master level three years ago, after decades of cultivation.
Elder Thorne said that the only good thing I’d ever done in my life was not choosing Kaelen as my spirit beast.
Whenever I heard members of the sect say that Blair was highly likely to be the next sect leader, I’d happily indulge in three magnificent feasts. Because then, Blair would definitely protect me, and no one would ever force me to do things I didn’t like.
There were many things I didn’t like, and number one was definitely spellcasting. For some reason, spells that others mastered in a few tries, I couldn’t get right even after dozens. Whenever this happened, people would say Blair had absorbed all the inherent magical energy in the womb, which was why I was so foolish.
I hated it when they said that. What did Blair being clever have to do with me being slow?
Since then, I never trained with the other disciples, preferring to cultivate alone in the mountains with Arion. I hadn’t lied to Blair last time; Arion and I really did find a spirit-rich cave with a spirit spring inside.
Of course, I couldn’t actually feel if it was spirit-rich or not; Arion told me. I just found it incredibly comfortable to sleep in that cave, even my dreams were sweet.
I asked Arion how he knew the spiritual energy was abundant here, because he was usually lazier than me. I at least occasionally recited spell incantations, while he just ate his fill and sunned his belly all day.
He said he was a spirit beast after all. The moment he entered this spirit spring cave, all his pores felt soothed, more comfortable than being in the womb.
While I doubted he’d ever actually been in a womb, I still believed him because he was definitely more capable than I was.
Birds I couldn’t catch, he could swat down with a single paw. Deer I couldn’t keep up with, he could drop from the sky and stun. When chased by a wild boar, he could carry me and run as fast as if flying.
Yes, without my noticing, he had grown large enough to carry me. When he was small, I used to hold him in my arms to sleep. Now, I slept in his arms, warm and cozy, no blanket needed.
2.
Our sect was called Thousand Peaks Sect, located amidst mountains with countless peaks in the back mountain. No one dared venture too deep, fearing they’d get lost.
But my favorite thing was exploring the mountains. In these past few years, Arion and I had explored almost every peak, changing our lodging every day and seeing many rare plants and unusual beasts.
I had never been so happy in both my lives combined. So much so that I played until I lost track of time and the world outside. Naturally, I didn’t notice that it was almost time for the demon invasion, just like in my previous life.
While I was playing wildly all these years, Blair, on the other hand, seemed to be racing against time, cultivating more diligently than ever, often going into seclusion for months at a time.
By the time I’d explored the towns at the foot of the mountain so much that the ladies at the local taverns even started finding me annoying, I returned to the back mountains to run wild again. But even the adorable little animals weren’t coming out anymore.
Arion and I lay in the forest, sunning ourselves, idly tugging at his fur. I suddenly remembered that Blair hadn’t dragged me back for lessons or even bathed me in a long time.
I climbed onto Arion’s belly, eating berries and swinging my legs, asking him, “Have I not seen Blair in a long time?”
“Seven months and nine days.”
He remembered that clearly? I thought for a moment, my shock turning to suspicion. “Are you secretly crushing on Kaelen? Is that why you remember so clearly?”
Arion’s belly swelled, launching me into the air. I calmly flipped over mid-air and landed back in his soft fur, too comfortable to get up. I buried my face in his fur and nuzzled him. “Then why else?”
He lazily licked his paw, taking a long moment to reply. “That was the day Kaelen took human form. Blair hasn’t come looking for you since that day.”
I suddenly understood. “Oh – you’re jealous Kaelen took human form! You became spirit beasts on the same day. He’s already awakened into a Divine Beast and taken human form, while you’ve just changed from a gray cat to a white cat, ha ha ha!” I mercilessly teased him, forgetting that I, too, was vastly different from Blair.
“Who’s jealous of him? He looks like a flashy peacock. If I took human form, I’d be much hotter than him.”
I scratched Arion’s fur. “I believe you, but you never cultivate, so how could you take human form? Let’s just both be happy as a beautiful disaster and a cute useless cat.”
“A hot cat.”
I got off Arion, straightening my clothes. “Come on, let’s go see Blair. I miss her.”
Back in the sect, I keenly felt that the atmosphere was off. It wasn’t until I found my senior disciple, Jasper, that I learned Blair was about to become the sect leader.
This was wonderful news! I turned and ran toward Blair’s courtyard, not hearing what Jasper said behind me.
But I found her absent. Blair wasn’t in her courtyard. I asked a nearby disciple and found out she was with Elder Thorne.
Elder Thorne was the person I feared most in the sect, and I would usually never go near him. But the joy of Blair becoming sect leader outweighed my fear. I rushed to Elder Thorne’s door, only to find it closed.
Just as I was about to leave, Arion said there were people inside.
I smelled gossip. Arion and I exchanged a look. He instantly shrunk back into a small cat. I scooped him into my arms and tiptoed to the window, crouching down.
“The demon race has been restless lately. Rumor has it that Demon Prince Zareth is about to awaken. If true, they will surely seek revenge. In the battle twenty years ago, our Thousand Peaks Sect suffered heavy losses. In these past years, only you among the younger generation have reached Level 9, and there are only twelve cultivators above Level 7. We simply cannot withstand another demon invasion.” It was the first time I heard Elder Thorne’s voice sound so grave.
Was it because the demons were coming? Time had passed so quickly. I recalled that in my previous life, it was around this time, when I was fifteen.
“Although I’ve always publicly claimed to have just broken through Level 9, I have actually entered Level 10 Master level,” Blair said, her voice cold.
“You’ve actually reached Level 10 Master level?” Elder Thorne sounded surprised and delighted, clearly not expecting Blair’s talent to be so high.
In my previous life, when we fought the demon race, I barely made it to Level 6, and Blair was only at Level 7. We were utterly defenseless against the demons. But now, Blair was at Level 10 Master level; this time, we could definitely defeat the demon race.
I happily leaned towards Arion’s ear, wanting to whisper something, but then I heard Blair speak again. “I will do my best to protect the disciples of Thousand Peaks Sect, but Elder Thorne, Willow’s magic is weak, and she knows nothing. She shouldn’t bear such a heavy responsibility.”
“But with your strength alone, how can you fight the entire demon race? You are both twins. You cultivated day and night, reaching Master level to protect your fellow disciples, while she…”
Before he could finish, Blair interrupted sharply. “The reason I trained relentlessly, reaching Master level so quickly, was entirely to protect Willow. No matter what, her safety is my top priority. Elder Thorne, if you don’t want anything to happen to me, then don’t even think about touching my sister.”
I was completely bewildered, not understanding what the demon race had to do with me, or why Blair was arguing with Elder Thorne because of me. Before I could figure it out, I heard Blair’s footsteps approaching. She was coming out!
I tossed Arion outside. He transformed back into his original form mid-air. I leaped onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and in one swift bound, we flew into the adjacent courtyard.
A young attendant sweeping the courtyard nearly collapsed in fright at the sudden appearance of a person and a large cat out of thin air.
Arion and I followed a small path back to Blair’s courtyard, but didn’t find her. She must have gone somewhere else after leaving.
“Arion, tell me, what does the demon race have to do with me? My magic is so weak, what could Elder Thorne possibly want from me?”
Arion lay quietly beside me, saying nothing. Right, if I couldn’t figure it out, he certainly couldn’t.
Blair didn’t return until evening. She looked surprised to see me swinging on the swing in the courtyard.
“Willow, why are you back?” She frowned slightly. “Did you hear something?”
I smiled, stepping forward to link my arm through hers as we walked into the house. “Yes, I heard everything!”
Her steps faltered. I pretended not to notice and continued, “Blair, you’re becoming sect leader! Such big news and you didn’t tell me!”
Blair secretly exhaled a sigh of relief, then smiled. “Things have been busy lately, I forgot. You certainly are quick with news, and you came at just the right time. The inauguration ceremony is in a few days.”
“Of course! There’s no fun event I wouldn’t crash,” I said proudly, looking at her.
Although Blair was smiling, I clearly saw the worry hidden in her eyes.
That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. I poked Arion awake to chat with me.
“Do you know about Demon Prince Zareth?”
Arion lazily glanced at me, then after a moment of silence, said, “I do.” For some reason, I felt his voice was a little different than usual.
But that wasn’t the point. The point was he actually knew! I didn’t even know about Demon Prince Zareth until just before I died in my previous life.
3.
Since ancient times, humans and demons have been fiercely antagonistic towards each other. However, because neither side could completely annihilate the other, a delicate balance was maintained.
It was a constant ebb and flow of power, each waxing and waning, with small skirmishes occurring from time to time, but no full-scale war ever erupted.
That was until twenty years ago, when the appearance of Demon Prince Zareth shattered the balance.
Zareth was said to possess the strongest demon core the demon race had seen in a century. He had cultivated in seclusion and never appeared in public until then. Upon his debut, he launched successive surprise attacks on several human sects. Those unprepared sects were almost completely wiped out.
Zareth’s actions infuriated humanity. After deliberation, the major sects decided to unite and counterattack the demon race.
But they didn’t expect Zareth’s true strength to be far greater than what he had shown.
It was said that the battle lasted over a year, with countless casualties among the major sects. Almost all their elites were lost. If the stalemate continued, humanity would be completely depleted. The leaders of the nine major sects discussed and decided to sacrifice their lives.
In the end, five of the nine sect leaders exhausted their power to extract Zareth’s demon core, forcing the demon race to retreat with their unconscious prince and cease hostilities.
Humanity paid a terrible price for that war. They had no remaining strength to pursue the demons, nor the will to search for the missing demon core.
Five of the nine sect leaders sacrificed their lives, including our Thousand Peaks Sect Leader.
For the past twenty years, Elder Thorne had temporarily acted as sect leader, but he never truly claimed the title, saying he wasn’t worthy. It wasn’t until Blair appeared that he saw hope for the revitalization of the sect.
As for Demon Prince Zareth, he vanished without a trace after that, his life or death unknown.
But I knew he wasn’t dead.
In my previous life, when the demon race invaded, Demon Prince Zareth reappeared. Though he no longer had his demon core, he had resumed cultivating demon arts. If he were to retrieve his demon core, his power would likely surpass his former self.
I died too young in my previous life to know the final outcome, but I guessed it wouldn’t have been good. Although the major sects had been recovering and rebuilding after being heavily wounded, cultivation relied heavily on innate talent, and I hadn’t heard of any other sect producing such a gifted individual.
This time, it was different.
With Kaelen’s assistance, combined with Blair’s innate talent and diligent cultivation, I was confident she would have no problem defeating Zareth, especially without his demon core.
Blair’s argument with Elder Thorne today was likely due to her worry about my low magical power, fearing I’d be in danger. But I could just stay out of sight! As long as I hid during the battle, my senior disciples and Blair would definitely win.
It wasn’t that I was cowardly or retreating. It was just that I knew my own limitations. If I went forward, I would only hold Blair back. As long as I hid well and didn’t distract Blair, I’d be helping her immensely.
Having figured that out, I peacefully went to sleep, not hearing Arion’s deep sigh.
4.
During the sect leader inauguration ceremony, Blair announced the news of the demon race’s unrest, urging everyone to cultivate diligently and be prepared for battle at any moment.
Blair told me not to run off into the mountains anymore and to stay obediently within the sect. She intended to personally supervise my spellcasting training.
I also saw Kaelen in his human form for the first time. We were mutually annoyed by each other. He couldn’t win an argument against Arion, and after accompanying Blair to check on me twice, he stopped coming. Only after Kaelen took human form did Arion go to see him, returning to tell me he looked like a “flashy peacock.”
But he wasn’t as flamboyant as I imagined; he was actually quite handsome. His black hair was streaked with peacock blue-green, which was why Arion said he looked like a flashy peacock.
Blair supervised my cultivation daily. I expected Kaelen to mock me as he used to, but to my surprise, he was unusually quiet, simply watching Blair teach me, his eyes solemn.
Blair had visited the spirit cave I told her about. Neither she nor Kaelen could sense any spiritual energy there. Yet, my spiritual power had consistently grown. Blair said it might only be effective for me, a unique connection.
Thanks to the spirit spring, my spiritual energy was abundant, but I was still very slow to learn. Arion once said my spellcasting didn’t match my spiritual power, and now it seemed he was right.
Under Blair’s guidance, my spellcasting barely scraped by to Level 6 when the demon race arrived, just like in my previous life.
When the news broke, Blair became visibly restless and anxious. Even Kaelen’s comforting words didn’t help. She took me everywhere with her, as if I’d vanish if she looked away for a second.
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