Everyone's hearts sank with a dull heaviness.
So this was the difference between mortals and true geniuses.
For them, struggling their entire lives just to grasp a single stroke of fortune was already the greatest blessing heaven could grant.
But for Yun Jin, opportunities like these seemed to fall into her lap as casually as daily meals.
Even more startling, they soon realized something else. The statue seemed to have grown… tolerant.
Before, even a stray irreverent thought would make their heads split with pain. Now, stray thoughts slipped past with no punishment at all. The statue felt almost… appeased. They could faintly sense its mood, and it was content.
Was it because of Yun Jin?
How did she pull this off?
Up on the statue's shoulder, Yun Jin had already set out a little table and chair. Tea and pastries were neatly arranged. She ate leisurely while keeping up the fervent stream of praises echoing in her mind.
"You must be a Immortal elder sister, aren't you? Fairy elder sister, these are teas and pastries of this little world. I do not know how to let you taste them, so allow me to sample them on your behalf. Someday, when I truly meet you, I will know which are worthy to present as my offering."
The Tian Po Sword had been in a daze from the very moment Yun Jin started climbing the statue.
"So it was true. The Yin Yang Secret Codex was far too difficult. How else could such a proper Young Master suddenly lose her mind like this?"
The blade quivered faintly as it stared at the statue looming so close. That was the legendary immortal statue. And Young Master was actually sitting on it, eating snacks? Truly fearless.
In truth, each of the four main city statues carried different temperaments.
The one in Qingxiao especially despised slaughter, and tolerated no disrespect, not even in passing thoughts.
The Kunlun Sword Sect's statue, however, cared little about people's minds. What it demanded was wine—whenever Sky City appeared, only casks upon casks of fine liquor could appease it.
The other two statues also had their peculiarities.
But one thing never changed: all of them were lofty and untouchable, never permitting mortals to draw near.
Yun Jin was the sole exception.
"Perhaps Young Master truly was the reincarnation of some divine being", Tian Po Sword thought. "How else could even immortal statues show her such indulgence?"
By now Yun Jin's self-hypnosis had worn off.
But she no longer needed it. She had already grasped the trick.
No matter what she did, as long as her mind kept streaming flattery, the statue tolerated her every move. She sipped her tea, recited lines of the Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess in her head, and the statue's mood lifted even more.
Her supply of praises could last ten days and nights if needed. That would be no problem at all. She checked her system panel earlier. Here, on the statue, the efficiency of absorbing sun and moonlight was at its peak. The system required ten hours for the process, but here she only needed five.
By tomorrow, it would be complete.
After nibbling for a while, she grew bored.
"Fairy elder sister," Yun Jin said with a sincere expression, "it feels such a pity that only I can witness your peerless beauty. Would you permit me to let others gaze upon your radiance as well? Surely their words of praise would be even more wonderful than mine."
She paused, then added, "Think of the countless praises you would hear."
The statue's head seemed to nod ever so faintly.
Yun Jin grinned and sent a message to Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao, waiting in the square below, blinked in confusion when her transmission reached him.
He feared she was giving urgent orders and answered nervously.
"Sect Master, do you have instructions?" Yue Zhao asked cautiously.
"Senior Brother, is it crowded where you are? If not, go find a livelier spot," Yun Jin's crisp voice replied.
Yue Zhao glanced around. "…Plenty of people here."
"Perfect. Let's start a broadcast."
The communication talismans could project images, much like a moving picture.
Others might not understand, but Yue Zhao immediately caught her meaning.
Following her instructions, he set up a table, then had Wushuang Sect disciples arrange the projection equipment they once used for watching films.
The crowd was bewildered—until, all at once, Yun Jin's image appeared on the screen.
There she was, standing on the statue's shoulder, waving merrily.
Everyone froze.
That was… Yun Jin?!
And the place she stood was—
On the statue?!
Heavens above.
She had even set out furniture, tea, and pastries. If one didn't know better, it looked like she was on a picnic. Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Yun Jin lifted a large horn to her mouth. Her voice rang out, grand and impassioned.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Yun Jin. Today, I will lead you to witness the greatest miracle in the universe!"
The camera shifted, showing the statue's flawless, delicate features.
"Powdered cheeks like dawn, slender hands pale as snow. Her beauty dims the very sun and moon. With lips fragrant as blossoms and wisdom as vast as oceans, she stands beyond mortal measure…"
She launched into an unending torrent of praises.
The crowd: "????!!!"
Yet beneath her endless flattery, they too began to sense the statue's joy.
A few quick-witted ones suddenly made the connection.
The statues all had preferences.
The Kunlun statue's fondness for wine had long been known.
The Beastmaster City statue loved music.
But the preferences of Qingxiao and Xuandan statues remained unknown.
Now, a realization struck them.
The Qingxiao statue's desire was… flattery?!
Their minds reeled, but no headaches struck them.
It was true.
"It seems my own strength is too meager," Yun Jin proclaimed. "To praise this immortal fairy fully, I ask: who among you will step forward to add your voice?"
Her suggestion made the crowd stir. Eyes darted uncertainly, then one person stepped forward.
Mimicking Yun Jin, he spoke a string of praises.
In the next instant, a golden halo descended upon him.
He froze.
The halo lasted only seven days, but within that time, his cultivation speed would double.
A gift of the immortals.
All for a few kind words.
His eyes reddened, and he hurriedly offered more flattery. This time, there was no effect.
Yun Jin quickly gestured for another to try.
With precedent set, the crowd erupted, each vying to offer their most extravagant praises.
But the statue was discerning. Empty or repetitive words earned nothing but silent disdain. Only fresh, heartfelt compliments moved her to bestow gifts.
At first, most were rewarded. But as words grew stale, fewer received blessings.
Yue Zhao, however, leaned on two lifetimes' worth of wit and rhetoric, managing to claim reward after reward.
The "flattery assembly" grew rowdy and jubilant.
News soon reached Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao nearly went numb. Who could have imagined? That a lofty statue like this would crave nothing more than endless praise.
And Yun Jin had actually discovered it. So this was what it meant to be favored by heaven.
"Sect Master, should we put a stop to this?" someone asked cautiously.
Lin Xiao's cold snort cut through the air. "Stop it? Do you want the statue to grow angry?"
Could they not see how pleased it was?
No one dared speak again.
Lin Xiao exhaled harshly, restraining his frustration.
Let Yun Jin play her games.
These statues were half-dead relics at best. Even if she gained their favor, what of it?
They could not protect her forever. Her end was already sealed.
That thought steadied him—yet his chest still seethed with irritation.
Yun Jin, truly, was a woman who knew no peace.
For others, three years was fleeting.
For her, it was an eternity too long.
If he could, he would have annihilated her instantly, scattering her soul so she could never reincarnate.
But he could not.
He could only grit his teeth and endure.
Endure, endure, endure.
Soon enough, the day would come.