Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

Yufeng Zhēnjūn piloted the flying vessel into the sky. The children let out soft cheers as they clung to the rails, eyes wide with wonder. None of them entered the inner cabin—they were too curious, too thrilled. For most, this was their first time leaving home, and excitement mixed with nervous anticipation.

Once the flying vessel fully departed from Kunyu City, the excitement began to wear off. Some of the younger children started to sniffle quietly, homesickness settling in.

Yufeng Zhēnjūn, traveling alone without any disciples to assist him, clearly lacked the patience to comfort crying children. With a casual wave of his hand, he sent a Bigu Dān into each child's mouth. The ones who had been softly weeping fell silent almost immediately. Another flick of his sleeve, and several of the smaller ones fell fast asleep.

Just like that, the vessel fell quiet. The children, awed by his effortless techniques, stared with wide eyes before breaking into whispered conversations among themselves.

Wei Yunxi found the display impressive but not surprising. After all, she was from a cultivation family. She'd seen object manipulation from a distance before.

At the moment, the Wei family disciples had gathered around Wei Yunting. She was the oldest among them, and with the highest cultivation too. As the clan leader's eldest daughter, she naturally held a certain authority.

The eight sat cross-legged on the deck. Wei Yunxi chose to sit beside Wei Zonghao. She had taken a liking to the chubby boy—since leaving the family estate, his mouth hadn't stopped moving. One moment he was chewing dried meat, the next a sweet pastry, and now he was happily gnawing on a bright red fruit.

When he noticed her beside him, Wei Zonghao offered the fruit with a grin. "Sister Yunxi, want a bite?"

Wei Yunxi glanced at the bite marks on the fruit and politely declined. "Thanks, Brother Zonghao, but I'm not hungry."

Zonghao didn't seem offended at all. He pulled the fruit back and took another bite, then said through a full mouth,"You should eat something. There's still a trial waiting for us at Haoran Sect."

Wei Yunxi replied in a hushed voice,"I know. But the Bigu Dān Zhēnjūn gave us will hold for now. You might want to save your snacks for the test itself."

After a moment's thought, Wei Zonghao nodded. He wasn't really hungry anyway—just craving. He stuffed the rest of the fruit into his mouth, wiped his hands, and turned his attention toward Wei Yunting.

Wei Yunting, overhearing their hushed voices, could only sigh. Then she cleared her throat and spoke up for the group.

"Before we left, Father told me it takes three days to reach Haoran Sect by airship. If we had to walk, it would take at least a month."

The younger children, including several from nearby, leaned in unconsciously. For most of them, cultivation knowledge was hard to come by. While they had the chance, they were eager to listen and learn.

Wei Yunting noticed the crowd forming around her and straightened her back with a hint of pride."The sect's entry trial tests your physical ability, your mindset, and your willpower. I don't know the specifics, but these next few days are crucial. You'd better stay sharp—we can't afford to shame the Wei family."

"Got it, Sister Yunting!"

"I'll follow your lead, Sister Yunting."

Wei Yunxi also nodded in agreement, but Wei Yunqing responded with a lackluster hum. Since leaving the family estate, she had been unusually quiet. She hadn't stirred up trouble with Yunxi or shown off her cultivation in the training hall.

Wei Yunxi guessed it had to do with Zhenzhu. After the incident, Du Ruolan had been punished by Wei Lingyue, and Yunqing had likely suffered collateral damage.

She wasn't wrong. Du Ruolan had made a major misstep and was caught by Feng Jia's people. As a result, she was forced into seclusion, and no one had been allowed to slip Wei Yunqing any extra resources before her departure.

Apart from the standard cultivation supplies distributed by the family and the storage pouch gifted by the clan head, she had nothing. Calling her "dirt poor" wouldn't be far off. Her envious little glances kept drifting toward Wei Yunxi, especially after watching her speak with Feng Jiaqing during the farewell. She was sure her sister had received something valuable.

And in her heart, she believed those things should have belonged to her.

If Wei Yunxi knew what the future female lead was thinking right now, she would've spit in her face.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the vessel descended onto a mountain before Haoran Sect's gates, Yufeng Zhēnjūn retrieved the airship and turned to the gathered children with a rare, gentle smile.

"From here, you can see Haoran Sect's main gate. You have three days to make it out of this mountain. Only those who arrive before sunset on the third day will pass the first trial. Sect disciples will be waiting for you there. Good luck."

With that, he spun once on the spot and vanished before the eyes of all eighty-six children.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then a few of the youngest started crying, overwhelmed by the moment.

In contrast, the children from cultivation families remained composed—especially the eight from the Wei clan. They stood out as the calmest in the crowd.

Wei Yunting stepped forward and barked, "Quit crying! You'll attract beasts if you make too much noise!"

That did the trick. The kids immediately clamped their hands over their mouths. Some still had tears hanging from their lashes, but none dared to make a sound.

Pleased with the response, Wei Yunting continued, "Eat something now. Handle your 'Five Grains Cycle' before we set off. We leave in two quarters of an hour. Form teams of eight to ten people. That way, you can watch each other's backs and avoid getting lost."

"But whether you reach the sect in time—that depends on your own strength."

"We're all from Kunyu City. Every extra person who passes the trial is another ally inside the sect. Don't treat the people around you like dead weight. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Understood!"

"Big Sister, can we go with you?"

"We'll follow Big Sister Wei's lead. The only reason we even had a chance at this was because of the Wei family!"

The little radishes responded one after another, including several children around ten years old. Those from the Feng, Liu, and Sun families knew the weight behind her words.

In the shadows, Yufeng Zhēnjūn quietly observed the young girl from the Wei clan taking charge. Pleased by her composure and command, he nodded in approval.

By then, the eight from the Wei family had already regrouped, sitting in a circle while chewing their Bigu Dān.

Chubby little Wei Zonghao grimaced. "This Bigu Dān fills your belly, but it tastes horrible!"

Wei Yunxi swallowed hers and asked, "Then what flavor Bigu Dān do you want?"

Zonghao licked his lips and sighed, "Grilled meat. If it tasted like grilled meat, that'd be perfect."

Wei Yunxi actually didn't think it was impossible. After all, spirit beast meat was rich in spiritual energy. She rubbed her plump chin and said, "I've heard my uncle say that spirit beast meat is full of spiritual qi. If you refine its essence into a pill, it could definitely be filling."

Wei Yunqing, listening nearby, scoffed and poured cold water on their conversation. "You should be thinking about how to pass the trial. With your current cultivation, you couldn't even handle a first-tier spirit beast."

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The term "Five Grains Cycle" (五谷轮回, wǔgǔ lúnhuí) is a classical Chinese euphemism for digestion and excretion. 

五谷 (wǔgǔ): "Five Grains" (rice, wheat, millet, beans, and sorghum) → Symbolizes food.

轮回 (lúnhuí): "Cycle/Samsara" → Implies the process of intake and waste elimination.

Together, it humorously refers to the "food-to-waste cycle" (eating, digesting, and relieving oneself).