Moonlight, like a ribbon of silk, streamed through the window into the room. Behind a curtain stood a wooden tub, carved from sandalwood, emitting a subtle aroma.
The water in the tub was mixed with herbs, perfect for relaxing muscles and nourishing the skin.
A young girl shed her clothes, revealing skin as white as snow, shimmering in the faint moonlight. She stepped into the tub—the water was warm, just right. The fatigue from the day's training melted away, bringing long-awaited relief to her body.
Leaning her back against the edge of the tub, Mu Zi gently touched her skin with her fingers, her mind returning to recent events.
For the first time touching martial arts, she had perfected the Penetrating Fist in half a day and, with the help of the Rebirth Seal, even surpassed its limits. If anyone knew, they would surely consider her a monster.
"I need to be more modest," she muttered.
In the water, her body relaxed. Although it was just beginning to develop, its graceful contours were already discernible. The buoyancy lifted the weight from her shoulders, giving her a feeling of lightness.
Recalling the state induced by the activation of the Rebirth Seal, Mu Zi sank into contemplation.
Then, the world seemed to fall silent. Her thoughts raced with unprecedented speed, and all puzzles solved themselves. Her senses were sharpened: she could feel power flowing through her body.
Her control over her body became astonishingly precise, far surpassing her normal state.
"But what was that emotionless state?" Mu Zi wondered.
She clearly remembered how, when the Rebirth Seal was activated, her feelings seemed to vanish. She retained the ability to distinguish between good and evil but viewed the world detachedly, like an external observer.
Logically, the awakening of a reborn person shouldn't make them cold.
Mu Zi was not the Ice Master, and in her past life, she had no emotional disorders. The Rebirth Seal shouldn't have turned her into an ice statue.
An example of this was Jiang Yinying, the Life and Death Master from the original story.
Carefully recalling that state, a sudden realization hit Mu Zi.
Perhaps it wasn't a loss of emotions, but a state of absolute rationality, complete focus on a goal without a single stray thought. This allowed her mind to work at its peak, and this was likely the source of her incredible comprehension.
"This state... it feels familiar, as if I've seen it somewhere," she muttered.
Digging through her past life memories, she caught a flash of insight.
"The Supreme Demon's Heart Canon!"
She remembered the source of that feeling. Not from the Tianxuan Continent, but from the Great Thousand Worlds.
The main character of that world, Mu Chen, received an ancient inheritance—the "Supreme Demon's Heart Canon." In the original, when he used it, he entered a state of "lesser demon heart," gaining absolute rationality. This allowed him to cut off all external distractions and use every bit of his power with perfect precision.
It's worth noting that in the original, Mu Chen only received a fragment of the "Supreme Demon's Heart Canon." It was said that in ancient times, the Head of the Thunder God Palace mastered its full version. Because of this, he, being a half-step away from a Heavenly Sovereign, could contend with beings at the Heavenly Sovereign level.
This was unbelievable. After all, below Heavenly Sovereign, everyone is just an ant. Even the main character Mu Chen, after reaching the peak of Earthly Sovereign and mastering two of the thirty-six unrivaled divine techniques, was inferior to the Blood Demon Emperor, an incomplete Heavenly Sovereign.
It's hard to imagine that just a fragment of the "Supreme Demon's Heart Canon" could allow someone to truly compete with a Heavenly Sovereign.
If this is true, then the full version of the canon is likely comparable to the thirty-six unrivaled divine techniques, and perhaps even surpasses them.
But let's leave that aside. The state induced by the "Supreme Demon's Heart Canon" indeed resembled what Mu Zi experienced when she activated the Rebirth Seal.
Her eyes gleamed, but she wasn't sure.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," she muttered.
Thinking about it now is pointless. Mu Zi had no intention of giving up the Rebirth Seal because of potential karmic ties. It was her main pillar of support.
"But I need to use it wisely," she added.
When she perfected martial arts, the Rebirth Seal yielded astonishing results but completely drained her energy. It seemed she would have to replenish it with spiritual herbs.
Thinking about this, Mu Zi slightly winced.
"You're a glutton, Seal!" Mu Zi muttered.
"Oh well, a bridge will appear when the boat arrives. Why worry for nothing?"
Casting her thoughts aside, the girl focused on her bath.
Suddenly, the door swung open.
Mu Lingsha, wrapped in a robe, entered and cast a quick glance at Mu Zi in the tub.
Mu Zi's cheeks immediately flushed.
"Sister, what are you doing? I'm taking a bath!"
Mu Lingsha walked closer with a smile.
"Of course, we'll bathe together! It's inconvenient alone."
It really is troublesome for girls with long hair to bathe, especially when their hair gets wet. Many men don't understand why women take so long in the bath, and that's mostly the reason.
If someone helps gather the hair, it's easier. That's why Mu Lingsha had come.
Mu Zi was still embarrassed. After her past life memories awakened, this was the first time she was in front of her sister like this.
Noticing her reaction, Mu Lingsha chuckled, teasing her: "Oh, little one, you're embarrassed! And I've been bathing you all these years."
Mu Yun, being widowed, didn't handle such matters, and since Mu Zi had grown up, all personal care had fallen to Mu Lingsha. Her older sister was like a mother to her, and before, it had seemed natural. But now, with her past life memories, Mu Zi was no longer a naive girl. In front of Mu Lingsha, who was only a couple of years older, she couldn't remain composed.
"I'm all grown up now," she muttered almost inaudibly, looking down.
"Oh really?" The corners of Mu Lingsha's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Where have you grown? Let me see!" And she reached for Mu Zi.
Mu Zi's eyes widened in panic, and she cried out, "Sister, don't!"
But, sitting in the tub, she was powerless against Mu Lingsha's "claws."
Her sister's hands fumbled over her body, pinching here and there, causing Mu Zi to involuntarily let out soft protests.
She tried to fight back, but against the strength of the eighth level of Body Tempering, her third level was like an ant against a mountain.
"Just wait until I break through—then you'll see!" Gritting her teeth, Mu Zi had never wanted to become stronger so badly.
"The river flows east for thirty years, and west for thirty. Don't mock a young man's poverty!"
After the struggle, Mu Lingsha pulled her mischievous hands away.
"Alright, enough fooling around. Gather your hair, I'll help you wash."
"Hmph!" Mu Zi snorted, warning: "Wash properly, and no tricks!"
Mu Lingsha laughed brightly and nodded: "Got it, hurry up!"
Mu Zi, holding no grudge, lifted her thick black hair, revealing a back as smooth as jade. Mu Lingsha, dropping the jokes, began to wash her carefully.
Mu Zi shivered slightly, feeling awkward. But sensing Mu Lingsha's seriousness and care, she gradually relaxed.
"Look, your hands are all red," Mu Lingsha said quietly.
After half a day of training, despite Mu Zi's outstanding comprehension, her body couldn't help but suffer. On her skin, which was as white as sheep fat, faint red marks were visible.
Mu Lingsha gently rubbed them with her fingers, and against her bronze skin, Mu Zi's whiteness seemed even more brilliant.
Feeling the touches on her back, Mu Zi was silent. At the contact, she noticed how rough her sister's fingers were.
The Mu Manor was not cut off from the world. In addition to trading in wood and ore, their main source of income was escorting caravans. And an escort is always associated with risk. At any moment, the manor could fall to the onslaught of bandits.
Weak power means no guarantee for tomorrow.
But there were no geniuses in the manor. Mu Lingsha, the best of the younger generation in the last ten years, was their only hope.
She had surely been cultivating desperately all these years, trying to shoulder the burden of protecting the manor.
"But from now on, I won't let my sister carry this alone!" Mu Zi vowed in her heart. "As long as I'm here, the Mu Manor will be safe!"
In the moonlight, the room fell silent, broken only by the splashing of water.